Those who read 'Until the day I'm forgiven' and of chapter 2 (and another chapter I can't mention here because SPOILERS FOR THIS CHAPTER.) You would know some background of what is going to happen next.
Naliyu from chapter 5; Well… this was an AU so I wanted to explore around in this scenario. And because I like to mentally torture my characters with the feelz.
Bookloverinfinity from chapter 5; Yeah… It was, just wait for some more dosage of depression in these next coming chapters.
Stranger day
"There is something going on in that class. The students there… Their fates have changed far too many times after the complaints of their records were investigated."
As Gakushu's senior explained about the new assignment, the strawberry blonde knew that she was hiding something, observing her expressions with some worry. "I couldn't believe it myself as well in the meeting." She explained and that was all placed on the table
"The higher ups wanted a mole and record of their activities."
The reaper wondered if it came from her meeting, Rilliane almost went on her caffeine rampage as soon she was let out of the boardroom.
This day couldn't possibly got stranger than it was. After arriving at the Chairman's office. The dark chestnut haired man took the chance to belittle his son for losing his number one spot in the school. The results of the exam had been released and Gakushu was now placed in the second ranking, replacing him was Karma Akabane.
'And why should I care about this?' The reaper internally rolled violet eyes without care. Tuning out of his words and zoned out while still keeping appearances.
It was sad to think that Gakushu received the moral support he so deserved after his death with the Grim Reapers. You could even describe that Gakushu was an entirely a different person behind Death's doors. Because he acted upon to what everyone in this school expected him so.
Although Gakushu could be a bit stubborn when it came to making bonds, at first. It took him six months to even call his senior, his main senior his friend instead of 'senior Rilliane' or 'Miss Williams' after being taught by her and her eccentric colleagues. They understand that he was acting under his father's strict teachings.
One was a Stasi officer with a love for whiskey and the other was a KGB officer vodka lover who was always drinking vodka. The two had an interesting quirk that Rilliane always tried to stay away from a ten mile radius, and no the two are not married nor in a relationship. But no matter what of their quirks or eccentricities, they still Gakushu as he wasn't Gakuhou Asano's son and he was happy about that.
Noct bonded quickly and very well with the strawberry blonde, bonded over sweets. An for helping Gakushu during the first month.
Every reaper was the same. Yes, even Ikeda.
The strawberry blonde internally chuckled, anything to tune out of that man's voice, anything was better. Especially what he has done, for what happened in the past few days.
Gakuhou saw that Gakushu tightened his fist in a balls to calm his wrath. "You will go join Class-E tomorrow." The Chairman said to him and without an ounce of sympathy.
'There it was.' The reaper wanted to yell at man, to rip every limb away from his body, for corrupting Ren with his ideology, for making the strawberry blonde cry. All of those dark thoughts came as soon as those words were uttered out.
But there was a job to do. "You can't be serious!" The blonde yelled, violet eyes lit ablaze. Fist clenched tightly in attempt to control the anger manifesting. If the anger was a bon-fire, then those words were the oil. It wasn't helping that his son was been thrown into the End Class for such a petty reason. Even if it has been done so purposefully.
'That man is beyond saving.' The reaper thought, and sadly it was becoming common thoughts amongst Gakushu's reaper friends.
Especially from An, "Frankly, I think that bridge was forever close on the day the moment when Gakushu came to our doors four years ago."
"When am I ever anything but serious, Asano? You are going to be our new Class-E student." He replied coldly with a cruel smile. Before the strawberry blonde could make any remark, Gakuhou added cruelly "You have been lose more in this year than I have in a decade, I thought you would be better suited in a class for hopeless cases."
That man always seemed to get the best of child, he always knew how to inflame the blonde's temper. And Gakuhou knew this. He watched Gakushu Asano tried his hardest to maintain his façade of professionalism and appear relatively calm as his father ridiculed him.
Which was very difficult to keep calm when the reaper wanted to punch the nearest wall at best, a worst ripping out the man's organs.
Gakuhou Asano has done too much damage that it was impossible to fix. Even if it was Gakushu's desire, to have his father act just like one, it was growing more distant by the day and by the year. Everything he had done to please his father had no effect, he accepted that as soon he completed the first part of his assignment in Class-E. He accepted his death after all, at that moment he woke up when he never expected to again.
'It was all for naught.' The reaper thought, looking back into the field of memories.
"At least now you will be in on the secret of Class-E" He spoke so light-heartedly, he seemed to taking amusement by his son's anger. His eyes quickly darkened when he hovered down to his son's hand, now dripping with some blood.
"So you are hiding something Chairman." The other said and with a smirk in attempts to gain control of the conversation. "And what makes you think that I won't use this against you?"
The Chairman chuckled back, "Because then you would be committing a serious crime by spreading international secrets, of course." The strawberry blonde internally laughed.
'Oh I'm sorry, this now has become Reaper matters.' And then another thought came passing by. 'What has that man gotten himself into?' Another thought came it had to be so troubling that the Department had to be involved. It was hard not to face-palm and moan. That was better than ripping the man into shreds.
"To save us the trouble, please don't tell the public this international secret."
The blonde almost snorted who could so easily just text in code on phone, tell the dozens of reapers just stationed in this town or giving the 'watch' to the Intelligence Division. Not that anyone else knows but the watch on the reaper's write was actually a voice recorder and transmitter. 'Thank-you for Grim Reaper's fast developing and convenient technology.'
But enough about that, a government personal of what they knew as the assistant teacher and PE teacher of Class-E. Mr Karasuma entered the office, cladded in black with a simple suit to escort to a secret facility to explain the situation at the End Class. This was a very strange day, but not the worse.
There were stranger days, as a reaper, they dealt with things that humans could never fathom. Example one, angels and demons. Gakuhou saw that Gakushu took one last quickly glanced at his father, the blonde gave a glare flared with anger at that man before finally exiting the room.
Gakuhou never seen just a look like that from his son, it has like he was a different person. That look, it was read loud and clear.
'I hate you.'
"Can I go to my locker for a moment? I want to grab my coat. It's getting a bit chilly."
"My apologies but I must check them if you do." Karasuma explained and strawberry blonde gave him an amused look. He chuckled with one hand over his mouth. The older man thought he never heard the usually reserved teenager laugh. And it definitely didn't fit the son of Asano, but that could be because of first impressions of Gakuhou Asano.
Karasuma was further surprised when Gakushu laughed some more. "What? I'm not a school shooter."
"Protocol."
"Interesting."
Karasuma followed the boy as they walked down the colourless and dull hallways of the main building. It made the teacher miss the atmosphere of Class-E, of how it reminds of his childhood. And the flashbacks began.
"Catch." A voice called out from nowhere, he wasn't going to lie, and he was caught off guard as he snapped out from happier memories of 'her' smile. He flinch as caught in his hands a simple but fashionable black trench coat fastened by buttons on the side and a ribbon around the waist.
"Don't be surprised by the style, it's European."
The older male swiftly checked through the coat, when there was nothing, he returned back to the boy who folded it his arm giving him an air of nobility. And they began to walk, Gakushu walking alongside with Karasuma to the secret meeting.
He didn't know why but when he went through that boy's coat, something felt extremely off emitting from that coat. As if you could hide from the world from the shadows, into the night.
Karasuma couldn't help but feel a sense of dread, it was as if death was looming over him.
'No wonder Rilliane didn't tell the full story of the situation.' The blonde thought, 'If I were here, I would have a hard time believing as well.'
Those in the meeting made sure that the child signed a confidentiality agreement that was intended to break as soon as possible. It was another strange story added to the Department's archives.
'It was a shame that I couldn't live to the vow of secrecy.' Because being made privy to the secrets of Class-E and a part of a ghost organisation that was the Department. As the say goes 'it does that to a girl.'
Who knew that the existence yellow octopus alien creature, who just happened to be the one behind the destruction of the moon. Which caused chaos in the Department, the organisation of reapers.
Because other people, going through the logical route, would had assumed that it was some sort of meteor and left it at that. As any other reasonable person would. Who else would assume that it a monster who was masquerading as a teacher? That was what the slideshow explained. There would be twitching in the eye but at this point, there was more strangeness out there in the world.
'Do Grim Reapers even judge aliens?' And that thought was quickly shot down, 'That's beside the point. The moon was going to be fixed anyway.'
Much of the Demons needed the moon for their hibernation cycle. As through Rilliane's words, "If the moon is gone than that is more work for us." Understatement of the year.
So it was mostly crossed off the mental list for the reapers, for the reapers on nightly shifts whenever they looked up at the night sky. The good thing that came out of this was that Noct wrote a song out of this situation.
More thoughts then entered, 'what would happen to me and the other reapers if the world was destroyed. With no more souls to collect, what would they do? What happens to the ghosts when the earth is no more? Forgiven by default? The ultimate break?'
The men in suits gave the newly added member of Class-E a rubber green knife and pellet gun that could somehow harm the octopus monster teacher whom the other Class-E students would like to dubbed him as 'Korosensei.'
To recap, now a part of Class-E who were currently being trained to be assassins to kill a yellow octopus monster alien thing. It was dubbed as Korosensei, it could be hurt with green rubber weapons and has a bounty of ten billion dollars. It could potentially destroy the world by graduation who happened to be a teacher teaching his class the art of assassination.
'I had stranger days, the Undertaker business was a mess.'
And the youngest person sitting there, taking it all it, with a composure of a prideful noble and grace of a lady.
It reminded Karasuma of someone he love, and keyword, love.
There was only one last thing to do before going to the Department and giving the watch to the Technology Division. And it just so happened that the same coat Karasuma checked over was reaper clothing. It was more easily seen to those mundane if a reaper hadn't worn it yet.
Donned in the black trench-coat that was just above the knees, a person with strawberry blonde hair walked deep into the forestry surrounding Class-E. Knowing full well that nobody would come to a place like that, no one able to see what came next.
A reaper stood midst the trees, looking up to see the skies blanketed by grey clouds waiting to rain down on the Earth and it's inhabits. Hands rise up to go through strawberry blonde locks, blood now dried gripping on hair before dragging it down. Coming down to reveal underneath short blonde hair, golden blonde that was styled short and curled above the shoulder.
The person dropped the wig down to the ground, blankly looking up to the dull skies. That thin frown then curled, shoulders twitching and then the giggling began. Before starting to laugh madly, laughter that could only could come from a girl. And she lashed it all out, for the world loud and clear. And yet it couldn't be heard to the mundane, all because of that one simple black coat.
"Haahhahahahhahahahahhah!" She laughed up to the sky, laughed for what it seemed to be hours where it was only seconds.
"You never found out!" She yelled to the sky, to Gakuhou Asano, "That I am Gretel Milord! Reaper of the English Branch, big sister of Gakushu!" The blond girl yelled manically to the skies.
"Haahhahahahhahahahahhah!"
"You never knew when Gakushu was sick, I was the one who took his place for three days!"
"You bastard!" She scorned, her face twisted in anger while retraining her smile.
"You will never discover the truth of your son, that you killed him!" Gretel yelled, freeing the wrath that brewed in her petite body growing for four years, with it's key being Gakuhou's recent conversation. "You were the one who drove him away from this world, away from the path of the mundane!"
"Gakushu Asano was a boy who came to the Department at ten! Ten you bastard!" She screamed out and up to the skies, "You were the reason why that little boy decided that overdosing was the best decision for him!"
"And we, we were the ones who had him unlearn of all your disgusting teachings! You were the one who taught him that he couldn't cry."
Gretel lashed out An's words, "So many concepts were so alien to him, many that we accept as normal. Hugs, tears, laughter, and even smiles. And because of you." She spatted out with a sneer.
"Be thankful that Wolfie was there to keep us by from tearing down your school!"
"Ivan was a better father than you!" She spoke of Ikeda's words. "Ikeda would be, no- is a better father figure than you ever could!"
"We were the ones introduced him his love for sweets! Arthur was the first to give him his slice of cake, that one bitof happiness you denied him for years!" She recounted back to when Gakushu first woke up in his new life of a Death God. "Rilliane stepped forth as the mother in his life, to give him the love he so desperately deserves!"
"Johnny, Mark, James, An, Antonio, Van, Ikeda, Arthur, Ivan, Wolfie, Lucia, Ivan!" And she emotionally listed more names, proving her point to no-one in particular. "Noct, Ignis, everyone in the Department!"
"You will never found out that Gakushu has a sweet-tooth, who loves to sing and dance! His best friend is Noct! He rather go into medical help then what ever bullshit you pump into his brain." She continued her rant with a deranged smile. She spread her arms out as if she wanted to take on the world. "Who we can see for who he truly is, not the perfect son, that mask he present himself to this god forsaken town he gives to you!"
"You will never, ever see that… And now you had condoned him to the path of a Grim Reaper."
And the rain began to pour, drenching the girl wet. "…Yes… That's right, he came to our doorstep on his own will, to kill off the pain that he had felt prior to. To suffer no more and finally be free." She smiled weakly as the rain poured.
She calmed as her arms slowly went back to her sides. The rain hid her tears that rolled freely down her cheeks as her laughter ceased. The skies seemed duller than before as it rained, soaking her and the black coat along with the school uniform. As if her English roots came back to taunt her.
"He came to us."
She hated for what this school uniform stood for, whose father's ideology drove him to his final act, from a slumber he never thought he could ever wake up from, his unforgivable sin. The only thing good was that this uniform played a factor for Ren and Gakushu to meet, for the two to become friends...
'Why couldn't this end different? Why must this fate befell on Gakushu-kun?' This uniform symbolised everything to have Gakushu consume enough pills to kill a healthy adult.
"Yes like the rest of us."
And for some it was through different means, but nevertheless, the outcome was the same for every reaper of the Department.
Did you know the chapters for some extra context? It was chapter 2 and 29, 'Strange day' and 'Sick day'.
