A/N: To further explain, only small snippets will be posted here. I meant to put the chapter I posted today here (Reunion), but I completed it and several following chapters for it, so there wasn't much point. Ideas I put here are not only WIP (works in progress), but simply rough drafts of ideas. I might not even end up writing some of them, and there may be vast differences between those I do post from here. I thought this would be a cool idea, that's about it. Enjoy!
Journey to Heaven
By KindredWriter
Synopsis: Grim Reapers are not the harbinger of souls told in myth and folklore. They are guides of the dead who lead deceased souls to the afterlife. Nu awakens in Purgatory, told by her Grim Reaper, Ragna, she has died, and it is his duty as a Grim Reaper to protect and guide the young child's soul to her proper resting place.
Characters: Ragna, child Nu, Bang, Celica, Bullet, and Kagura.
Nu felt strange opening her eyes, as if detached from herself. Light and ephemeral before melding back into a corporeal entity. She rubbed her arms, cold and uncomfortable in both her body and the dark room she found herself in. Bright crimson orbs surveyed the small room, familiarity and discomfort raising goosebumps all over her pale skin. Her hazy memory could not recall what she did last before succumbing to slumber. Mesmerized, Nu stared at the off television screen, curiosity toward her non-existent reflection ceased by unknown approaching footsteps.
Her eyes darted to the door. She pulled the sheets up for only her eyes to poke out and watched the door creak open. A figure garbed in an ominous black cloak and massive scythe in tow strode in. Nu shut her eyes, hoping the mysterious person would leave if she waited them out, but she closed her eyes far too late. Closer, his shadow soon loomed over her. "Hey," his gruff voice startled her, "c'mon kid, I know you're awake. Time to get going, I'm on a time table." Met without response, he poked her with the top of his scythe. "Hey? Heeeey!? Dammit, would you get up already, I saw your damn eyes open." A brief pause and Nu pulled the sheets down, frightful crimson eyes met mismatched nonchalant ones.
"W-who are you? W-what are you doing in Nu's room?" the child barely managed to voice.
"My name's Ragna, I'm your Reaper."
"My… Reaper?"
"And we're not in your room specifically, this is Purgatory. But to keep it short and sweet, you're dead, and I'm here to take you to your resting place." Ragna said.
Nu sat up and her sheets fell, shocked. "Dead? Nu is…dead?"
"Yeah." The Reaper introducing himself as Ragna retrieved a book from his cloak and flipped through its pages until she came to "N" as the girl patted herself. "Nu… Nu… Ah, there we go. Yeah, you were supposed to die on the eighteenth of September, but you kept prolonging it and it got pushed back to now. Completely effed up my schedule in ways you wouldn't believe…"
"Nu can't be… How is she…?" Innocent eyes looked up to Ragna for an answer.
"I guess if this'll make you come along… How about we strike a deal? I tell you what happened, you come along– no questions asked, got that?" Nu nodded after a moment of contemplation. Ragna began. "Ever since you were born, you weren't gonna live too long. Doctors diagnosed you with cancer, on top of having a weak heart and immune system. When you were four, your parents died and you were passed around from foster home to foster home until all that stress landed you in the hospital. As you can guess, you died. Now, here you are."
"Parents…?"
"Yeah, don't think too hard on that right now. When you wake up, most of your memories are still hazy. It'll come back to you in time. Now, c'mon. Freakin' hounds're running me ragged. And, if it makes you feel better, your parents were scumbags and I think forgetting them is best for you."
"Nu doesn't know how to feel about that… But Nu made you a promise." Nu scuffled off the bed to stand beside Ragna.
"Alright then." Ragna tapped the ground with the base of his scythe and the space shattered.
Nu jolted and spun around, encompassed by darkness and latched onto Ragna. "W-what happened?!"
"Didn't I tell you this isn't your room? We're in Purgatory– a temporary space meant to house deceased souls waiting to be guided to their final resting place. Think of it as kind of like a warehouse of the dead. Once you woke up and I took you, there was no need for it anymore."
Her grip did not loosen. "Nu still doesn't get it…"
"That's fine. You don't need to understand the nitty-gritty. If you get the general idea of what's happened to ya, nothing else matters." Ragna heaved the scythe above his head and sliced a hole through space. "This'll take us outta here to the river Agaron. It's a long way and the wait's a pain for the ship to return, so let's hurry."
Nu held her breath as if about to dive into a pool. She jumped into the portal and it closed once Ragna stepped in afterward.