Chapter 9: Society

As Jenny sat inside of the hollow tree, she struggled to move her arms and legs. They just wouldn't budge, not even by an inch. "Well," she thought disappointedly, "Kyo will have to carry me around for a while. At least until I can walk. But I don't want to overwork him. He already has an extremely important job, helping millions of souls to the afterlife each day. He must've been so lonely, just like me all this time. I wish I could help him, and reintroduce him to the human world. But what will he say? He's done so much for me…"

As she sat pondering how she would help her boyfriend, Jenny heard footsteps. They fell upon the soft green grass of the new planet and approached ever closer. Jenny sat and listened, hoping the sounds belonged to who she thought they did. In a mere few seconds, Kyo appeared in front of her, his face cut and bloody. Yet, he still managed to give her a wide grin, one that didn't seem to mind the cuts and gashes around it.

"Ready to go?" Kyo asked. His gaze was fixed squarely upon her visage. Upon his questioning, nodded, she did. Kyo picked up his angel and said nothing more. She looked up at his battered face, wondering who could have done such damage to her knight in shining armor.

Upon reaching the Deko circle, Kyo gently laid Jenny down on the hard stone. His dark self's blood was splattered across the diagram. Kyo held his hand out to the puddles and cried, "Mizu!" Water instantly appeared and washed the crimson away.

Jenny watched in awe as water appeared for her boyfriend by his mere shout for it. After seeing the amazing feat, she asked, "How did you do that?"

"Hmm?" He turned to her. "Oh. That's just a simple water spell. It's one of Death's many abilities. I may have lost many of my former robotic weapons and such, but this new power more than makes up for it."

She looked at his peaceful expression. He stared at his arm shrouded in dark energy, slender and smooth. "The problem is, I can only use my magic a limited number of times before I have to fall back on physical attacks. It comes back over time, but even so, I've never been a big fan of magic." He walked toward Jenny and took off his cloak. "Here. I'll let you use it tonight." He bundled her up, and she giggled softly. Her cheeks became a light tint of blue.

The cloak felt warm, like the gentle embrace he would often give her during happier days. "Thanks Kyo."

"Anytime Jen." Then, he picked her up and held her tightly against his chest. Jenny noticed that he was unusually warm. It radiated through her system, making her feel like nothing could ever tear them apart. Something inside of him pulsed. Jenny immediately knew what it was.

"Kyo…you have a heart. I can feel it beating," she whispered.

"…Yeah," he responded simply. "I gained a heart, stomach, and veins when I became Death. And rather than oil, I have blood now. It may be black, but it's still blood, nonetheless. That's why I feel so warm." Kyo eased her to the ground, and laid down. He rolled close to her. "I'm going to sleep. You should too, since I'm going to start physical therapy with you tomorrow."

"But what about your job?"

"Don't worry. The clone will fulfill my duties. Goodnight, Jenny. I love you." He shut his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

"Goodnight Kyo, my love," Jenny said as she powered down for the night.

----

The following morning, Jenny awoke early. She had slept peacefully, and turned her head to look at the man of her dreams. He still had not awoken.

"Hey Kyo," she called out to him, "wake up! We have to start getting me back into shape."

He rolled over, and began to open his eyes groggily. He said nothing, but responded only with tired eyes and a smile. Kyo rubbed his eyes and blinked several times, then stood up. He proceeded to point his finger at the cloak around Jenny. "Tentei!"

The cloak vanished, and immediately reformed upon its owner. "Well, good morning. Are you ready to start practicing?" he asked her, as Jenny lay upon the ground. She tried in vain to move her arms and legs, but did manage to wiggle her fingers.

"Of course. I don't plan on being unable to walk forever, and make you carry me everywhere. But then again…"

Kyo laughed at this, and sat next to her, bringing her body upright. "Pretty funny. Anyways, let's start with your hands and wrists." He started moving her wrists around in every direction, while opening and closing her hands at the same time. "See if you can do it on your own," Kyo encouraged her. Jenny began to close and open her hands slowly, and attempted to twist her wrists. They moved only slightly, but it was still progress. "Good," he said. "Keep it up."

----

Over the course of 2 weeks, Jenny had slowly regained her strength. She had gone from being unable to sit up on her own to having the ability to walk and run for short distances. After Kyo did a systems check on Jenny, he discovered that she lost the same things he did when he became Death. She couldn't even fly, but Kyo let Jenny ride on his back when he flew above the city of Tremorton.

Seeing Tremorton from above while flying on Kyo's back felt like an entirely new experience, as if Jenny had been unable to fly before and had never seen it like this. The city really hadn't changed. It was as if it was frozen in time. The suburban areas were still populated by plenty of civilians, the downtown area bustled with activity, even the schools were the same. She couldn't help but let her heart flutter every time she saw it.

When Kyo didn't fly with her on his back, the two would often take walks through the vast forest in which they resided. They usually found squirrels or some other woodland creature scurrying around. The trees may have been losing their leaves and were rotting, but Jenny and Kyo paid it no mind. They rather enjoyed the prospect of a peacefully quiet and somber forest all to themselves. The tranquility and being surrounded by nature created an air of magic. Even Kyo's dark side hadn't shown up. They were truly happy.

----

One day, when Kyo and Jenny had returned from a particularly pleasant walk, Jenny asked, "Kyo…you haven't had to take my mom's soul yet, have you?"

He looked at her confusedly, but scratched his head. "No. She hasn't appeared on my list all this time. Why?"

She produced a sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens. How long has it been?"

"Since what?"

"Since I died."

"…" Kyo looked at the ground and sighed. "5 years. 5 long, depressing years."

She gazed at his melancholy face. That man could never hurt something innocent. His deep black eyes may have appeared evil to some, but she admired them. His bony right arm was imbued with the ability to take lives. But Jenny knew that Kyo would never use it unless necessary.

"5 years…that's a long time. I haven't seen my friends or my mom. I bet they're all worried for me."

"…You want to visit them, right?" Kyo placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. They miss us. I can just feel it."

"Hmm….Jen, all this time, I've kept your death a secret. I haven't visited anyone since you died. Not even my Servbots. Hell, I haven't checked my house once since you died. I cared about you and only you. Besides, what would everyone say if Death walked into town all of a sudden?"

"It doesn't matter! You can conceal your right hand, since the arm's already covered by the cloak. They'll still know it's you, the person who helped protect them. We can fib if they ask about what happened. See? It's not so bad."

Kyo turned from her and muttered something under his breath. A black leather glove appeared on his right hand, and he faced her again after a few seconds.

"…Very well, we'll go. But if something happens…"

"Don't worry! Nothing's gonna happen!"

Kyo gripped her hand and walked towards the city. Neither said anything, and reached Tremorton in about 10 minutes. Kyo had no desire to visit anyone. They would think him an even bigger freak than before. He worried the entire way, all the while forgetting to allocate the energies in his right arm somewhere else.

----

As they entered, Jenny looked about at her old neighborhood. Memories of her life before she died rushed back into her databanks. While she looked about, a man walked by in a business suit, carrying a large briefcase. He had spiky auburn hair, and a scraggly goatee. As he passed Kyo and Jenny, he looked back at them and kept walking. Suddenly, he stopped, and looked at the two again. He seemed confused, his brow kinked whilst he rubbed his chin. "J…Jenny? Jenny Wakeman?!" he asked, curiously. It was Bradley Carbuncle.

"BRAD!" Jenny exclaimed happily. She ran towards him while he put down his briefcase. He welcomed her with open arms.

"Jenny!" he said as he hugged her. "My God! Where have you been?" Brad's voice was considerably deeper than when he was in high school. His hair was a tad shorter, and he stood about 3 or 4 inches taller than Jenny. "It's been so long."

"I know," Jenny responded. "You've grown."

"Not as much as Tuck." Brad laughed. "Since I got out of college, I worked in accounting. Now I'm the VP of city council. So how's Kyo been doing?"

Kyo waved at him, and slowly walked over. "Hey Brad," he greeted, rather reservedly. "How's it going? Has anyone been attacking the city in these past 5 years?"

Brad still grinned and said, "No, not many threats have been made. Misty and the Skyway Patrol have taken care of any threats. Vexus hasn't shown up, so it's been relatively quiet. Nice cloak."

"Thanks. Where's Tuck?"

"He should be getting out of school by now. He's in middle school."

"And Sheldon?" Jenny asked.

"He's at a conference right now between head researchers in the field of antibiotics. He's pretty well-known, and helped a world-renowned surgeon who goes by the name of Derek Stiles find a cure for all kinds of previously untreatable viruses. The common cold, HIV, AIDS, and most STDs."

Jenny whistled at these outstanding accomplishments. "Everyone's been doing well, I see. But…what about my mom?"

Brad, still smiling, said to her, "Your mother is fine. She's been worried sick about you though, but never gave up hope. I should know this because she stopped by my house every day, asking if I had seen her. She went so far as to post pictures of you on telephone poles and stuff, just like they do with dogs, asking if anyone had seen you."

Kyo said nothing.

"My mom…" Jenny began, breathlessly, "I could never repay her for that…"

"XJ9? XJ9!!" a familiar old voice called some distance away. Jenny turned to fact the source of the noise. She saw an old woman in yellow pumps, which seemed a bit oversized. Her black pants were solid. She also wore a yellow coat, which looked much like a raincoat. Large glasses with red lenses were set upon her lengthy nose. Her white hair stood in giant tufts upon her head. Yes, Dr. Norene Wakeman still looked the same as ever.

"Jennifer!!" She ran towards her daughter as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Mother…? Mom!" Jenny exclaimed as she walked towards her mom, feeling sheer jubilee and delight at reuniting with the person who had put her heart and soul into producing her. After 5 years, 5 years of being dead with darkness, no friends, and no family, Jenny was finally seeing her mother again.

"XJ9…XJ9…" Ms. Wakeman was in tears, tears that had never forgotten her daughter after all these years of solitude and pain. She embraced Jenny tightly. "Where have you been? I was so worried…" she sobbed.

"Mom, it's okay…" Jenny could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't cry…I'm here now…I've got an explanation. While Kyo and I were investigating the death toll's increase, I…died."

Kyo stood watching them hold each other. He did not know what to feel, boredom, sadness, or joy. "Jen…I hope you're happy. Just don't reveal anything…"

Brad sniffed and said, "Ah, these family moments. Hmm. So, she's…been dead?" He turned to Kyo. Ignored Brad, he did, and stood silently watching the mother-daughter reunion.

Once she had heard the news that Jenny had died, Ms. Wakeman looked up at Jenny's somber face. "You died? Then how are you standing here?" Her face was fast becoming red and puffed.

"Kyo…repaired me," Jenny lied. "It took five years of hard work, but he managed to do it. My CPU had been completely decimated, so Kyo had to rewrite the scripting and such. I may have lost most of my weapons and gadgets, but I'm alive, aren't I?" While her face did not show it, Jenny felt guilt. The kind of guilt that ate away at her soul, devouring it, savoring it. She couldn't stand lying to her mother, but she had a secret to keep.

Ms. Wakeman looked at Kyo, smiled, and nodded. "Why didn't you bring her to me? I could have repaired her in half the time it took you."

Kyo looked at his feet in shame. He never liked lying to people, but if he were to keep his secret safe, lie he must. "I did it because…" He searched for an explanation. "…because I felt like it was my fault she died. I didn't want to burden you, so I took the matter into my own hands. I love her so much, I was willing to do anything to repair her. I kept it a secret, and decided to make it a…sort of surprise once she had recovered."

"Kyo," Jenny's mother began, "thank you so much. Thank you for making my creation…no, daughter…happy. In that aspect, you filled me with joy. I cannot express the heartfelt gratitude I have for you with words alone." Ms. Wakeman rubbed her face, and let go of Jenny.

"I've got an idea!" Brad proclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I think I should tell everyone we went to high school with that you guys came back!"

Jenny and Kyo glanced at each other nervously. They said simultaneously, "That sounds…great." They realized that they would have to do even more work to keep the truth hidden.

----

Within an hour's time, everyone that Jenny and Kyo had met in high school, from teachers to students, gathered round the boyfriend and girlfriend, near the area where they entered. Mostly everyone was present, but it turned out that some had passed away recently.

But other than that, everyone was doing well. In fact, Brit and Tiff Krust had come, and, as it turned out, were the CEOs of two extremely successful fashion companies. They refused to specify which ones they worked for, as it was "bad publicity around peons" and they hadn't forgotten their previous attempts at making the lives of the robotic "freaks" miserable. Jenny, who greeted them reluctantly, refused to forgive them of past insults and pranks.

Sheldon was a successful medical scientist, as Brad had said, and had left his conference early to see Jenny and Kyo. His stalker-like crush on Jenny was gone, but she still had a place in his heart. This was due to the fact that he had met a woman by the name of Maria Stilva who worked in the same field he did. After dating for a year, the two were married.

Tuck had become a twelve year-old student in middle school. His personality had changed ever so slightly, but it was the same old Tucker Carbuncle, more or less. He now stood one or two feet higher. His hair was rather unruly and wild, yet the way he talked and behaved reminded Jenny that this was still the little boy who had thrown the baseball through her window, causing her to meet him and Brad in the first place so many years ago.

Yes, everyone had gone on to lead successful lives, becoming stockbrokers, store owners, scientists, and so many other professions, or they were still in college. As they inquired about what had happened over the past ten years, Jenny and Kyo kept hiding the truth. The guilt built up in them, like swirling torrents of horrible dishonesty. Kyo did not speak much, as he said that he felt tired from the walk he had taken with Jenny earlier that day. As strong as Kyo was, and despite the fact that he had natural immunities to all ailments, he felt pain and sometimes showed it in his facial expression. His stomach churned without cease. Jenny could only try to show a straight face, and barely succeeded. She couldn't stand watching her boyfriend be in such pain and misery. She felt miserable as well, almost letting the secret out several times. But, she kept her promise to Kyo.

After many hours of catching up and reminiscing, Principal (formerly Vice Principal) Rezinski arranged a high school reunion of sorts in honor of Jenny and Kyo's brave efforts made to protect the city. Even the mayor was going to make a public appearance at the event. Jenny and Kyo were expected to give a short speech, but neither could think of anything to say. Everyone in their high school pitched in to see to it that this would be a reunion to remember.

----

Tremorton High's gymnasium had been converted into a temporary dance floor, with a stage ready for a rock band, known as Rise Against, to play their music. Decorations adorned the walls, lights were being set, and sweet delights were placed upon table after table after table. Kyo had volunteered to assist with the stage lights, while Jenny assisted countless people with decorations.

As Kyo stood on the ladder, towering above all, he muttered to himself, fixing and adjusting the wires and such of the lamps, all the while forgetting about his right arm. With the flip of a switch some distance away, the light turned on, surprising Kyo and causing him to tumble to the floor below.

Kyo sat up, rubbing his head. He squinted as the pain quickly dissipated. An electrician ran over to him hurriedly to assist.

"Lemme help you up, Mr. Isawa," the man said politely, offering his right hand.

"Ow…thanks." Kyo groaned, taking the electrician's hand. A moment later, the latter fell to the ground with a sickening crash, dead.

"Oh my…God," Kyo said, horrified. Then realizing what he had done, he quickly looked at his skeletal arm. The glove had slipped off when he fell! The energies in his hand hadn't been concentrated somewhere else!

"No…no…NO!!" Kyo screamed as he pounded the gym floor with his fists. "CRAP! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID, SO IGNORANT?! ARGH!!" The floor was now littered with small craters.

Everyone directed their attention to Kyo, and Jenny rushed over to him.

"Kyo! What's wrong?"

"I…I…I forgot to concentrate my energy…and now, that guy is dead…" Kyo pointed at the corpse.

"Oh no…this can't be happening…"

People gasped as they saw the crumpled body. Screams could be heard, and everyone began to panic. Ms. Wakeman walked forward, looking at the mob behind her, and her daughter staring at the ground a few feet in front of her.

"Fools," she muttered. "ENOUGH!!"

The mob began to die down, and they looked at the short woman, Jenny, and Kyo. The two looked up at Nora.

"Kyo, I believe you owe us an explanation?" Ms. Wakeman stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot.

Kyo glanced at her nervously. He felt sick. It was time to come clean to the public.

"…Citizens of Tremorton," he began, "I have not been honest to you. All of the things I've told you were false. The guilt just kept building up, and I…" He searched for his following words, but found nothing. They fled from his mind.

"He hates to lie to people," Jenny continued. "He hates dishonesty in all forms. I've lied to everyone too. We couldn't waltz in and tell you the whole story."

The citizens paid attention, but low murmurs of disbelief could be heard throughout the crowd.

Kyo began to speak again. "During the time of the death toll's increase, Jenny and I had investigated the cause. It turned out that Death himself had become possessed. He killed Jenny and I cradled her in my arms as she died. I was enraged. I lost the love of my life, and while it may sound impossible, I killed Death. And for my crime, I became him. Later on, I learned how to bring back people from the dead. I used the magic I learned to revive Jenny, all the while sending souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife."

Tremorton's inhabitants stared at him in awe. This was outrageous, ridiculous, unheard of! You couldn't kill Death itself…or could you?

Jenny gave a sad smile, looking at Kyo. "It's okay now, Kyo. Let's go…"

"No," he refused flatly. "Jenny, I haven't been honest to you either. I told you that I used a 'simple' revival spell to bring you back. Well, it's not so simple. I spilled my own blood to make that Deko circle, and…" he looked at the ground angrily, tears dropping onto the gym floor. "I had to use the souls of dead people to bring you back. I broke the law of Ephemera, planet of gods, and created my own punishment because the revival drew out my dark side. Now, he's hunting us relentlessly, and won't stop until he kills us both."

Jenny was taken aback. It wasn't possible. The souls of people she didn't know were inside of her, never to pass on? No. It couldn't be true. But Jenny realized that if he was Death, he must be speaking the truth. He was, after all, the person who had control over souls. He could manipulate them any way he chose, sending them to Hell or Nirvana.

"Kyo…why did you break the law? That's not like you…"

"Jen, I told you that I missed you so much, I couldn't bear to be without you, my everything. I was willing to do anything…anything…to bring you back. The CPU was destroyed, with no hope of repair. I'm sorry I lied. To all of you. Especially you, Jenny. I know society as a whole may never forgive me, but Jenny…please forgive my misdeed. I never wanted to fib to you, but I had no choice. I'm so sorry…"

Jenny, upset by his lie, didn't know what to say. She thought to herself, "Kyo, I may hate being lied to, and I may hate dishonesty. But I know you tried to atone for your sins, and I know you were lonely." She smiled, and put her hand on his shoulder. She said, "Kyo, I love you too much to not forgive you. I know you're sorry. Don't cry anymore."

Kyo looked up at her, his tears stopping. "Thank you. Thank you so much, my love. But as for now, I have to leave. I don't plan on visiting the human world anymore. I don't care if you come with me or not. It's your decision. Stay with a freak, or stay with society."

Jenny was confused. She knew that if she went with Kyo, she may never see her mother or friends again. But if she stayed with society, she may be feared even more than she was before…and she would never see her boyfriend again.

"Kyo…" she thought for several minutes, then stated firmly, "I'm coming with you. Goodbye, everyone."

The two walked together side by side, and headed out the gym doors, into the starry night. Ms. Wakeman stepped forward.

"Jenny, wait!"

Jenny looked behind herself, at her mother. "I'm sorry, mom…Kyo needs my help, and I can't just leave him all alone. I'm…sorry…" Tears formed in her eyes, and she sniffed. But Jenny quickly looked away and continued walking away from a society that would never forget the fact that a robot was in love with the Angel of Death, who could become the very calamity of mankind at any point in time.