Chapter 4

"You'll still do it?" Reggie asked as I fixed myself in front of the mirror.

"I have to," I peeked on her through her reflection on the mirror with such hopeless and weary eyes that I'm currently masking with make-up. "It's not something that I can stop just because I feel like not doing so."

"But you could have given that Reap to someone else on your team? You're the Head Reaper now. If I remember it right you can do that. So why did you still choose to Reap him yourself when it could have been better if he'll be reaped by someone else that he doesn't know."

"Because I'm stupid and I didn't thought about that when I'd had the chance. So now, I have to deal with it." I sighed and then placed the final touches on my face. Once I'm done, I stood up and faced Reggie, "How do I look?"

Reggie was leaning her side on the door and with her hands crossed on her chest, she replied, "Pathetic."

I frowned and glared at her, mimicking her expression. "Yeah, whatever."

"I'll wait for you until you come back," she told as I walked pass her. I then ceased my advances. "I'll just be here when you need me."

Tears welled up at the back of my eyes and I soon found myself getting breathless from the sobs that I was suppressing. "Thanks."

"No problem."

The restaurant was kind of deserted when I arrived, aside from Mark, my reap, who was waiting at the table near the window, there are only 2 other tables that are occupied and only one of the two is taken by a couple.

Mark stood when he caught the sight of me approaching him. "Hi," he greeted when I reached our table. Taking a step closer to me, he placed his huge hand that just match up with his 6'3 stature on my shoulder and placed a light kiss on my cheek. "Glad you could make it," he whispered through my ear before pulling away.

And I wish that there was a force in the universe that could have stopped it. "Not a bother at all," I forced myself to answer with a smile.

"Have a seat."

"Thanks." I looked at my clock immediately as I settled down. There is still at least an hour before his estimated time of death, and as how I observe my situation, looks like I'm going to spend that time having dinner with him.

And so I did. We took our orders, we ate and we chatted. And as always I enjoyed his company that for a second or two I nearly forgot that I was here to reap him. I forgot that that was my real intention and the date was just a cover up. I kind of like that it was the other way around. I lost track in time and didn't notice that his schedule is almost up.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Mark took my hand and squeezed it gently.

Holy shit! When the fuck did I placed my hand there? "N-no, I'm fine." I tried to pull my hand away but then I thought, what's the use? His time on earth is over and it's my responsibility to secure his soul before then.

His gaze meets mine and his eyes feel somehow nostalgic, it feels similar to the little girl that I first reaped. They're beautiful but very uncomfortable, and I wish that I could ask him to close his eyes but it looks like I'll be the one who will have to do that part.

So closing my eyes, I swiped my palm into his hand and tell myself that it's all over.

But then something unexpected happen…it didn't work. I opened my eyes and stared at our joined hands for moment and then tried to reap his soul again. But like before it didn't work. What the hell?

I can't reap his soul.

"Having a hard time?" I heard him asked.

"What!?" I meet his gaze again and there was a teasing glint on his eyes.

He squeezed my hand again and that wavy light that always emits from a Reaper's hand whenever we reap a soul shines on our joined hands.

My eyes widened as I stared on it in both amazement, shock, and most of all fear. Fear of not knowing what the fuck is going on and what kind of shit did I get into. I immediately pulled my hand away from his hold and by then the light disappeared in an instance. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm Mortuus Faux."

"That's not an answer," I glared at him.

"Can I have it?" he extended his hand to me.

"Huh?"

"The post-its note," he clarified. "Can I have it?"

Now I'm more confused and anxious to know what the hell is going on and who the hell is he. I know for a fact now that he's not human, but what I want to know is what is he? Is he also an undead Grim Reaper like me? That's a huge possibility since he knows about the post-its.

I slowly took the post-its from my pocket and handed it over to him while still locking my glare on him. "Sorry about this," he said as he pulled out a lighter and lit the post-its note. "Men have tendencies to do stupid things when they're desperate."

He flashed a smiled to me again and for some weird reason I found myself calming down. "Again, who the hell are you?"

"I told you already, my name is Mortuus Faux."

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed. "That's not the answer that I need. Tell me, what are you?"

"Review your Latin and French, Millie," he said. "Or should I call you on your real name, George?"

My lips parted, "How did you know that?"

"I know everything."

I glared again at him one last time and then did what he asked. Mortuus is a Latin word. I once read a Latin dictionary during high school and I'm sure that encountered that word. Its English translation is somewhere around the letter D. Deaf? No. Dealt? Not this one too. It took a few second and then realization hits me. My eyes widened and just stared at him. Mortuus is the Latin word for DEATH. And I'm sure that Faux means Scythe.

"Deathscythe," I mumbled. "Death!? What does that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm Death."

"You're a Grim Reaper, like me?"

"No, it means I'm Death," he corrected. "As in Death, Death."

It took me some times to absorb everything but still then I can't believe it. Was he serious? He's Death, as in the Death from the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.

"And I have 3 amigos."

Fuck! He's dead serious! Literally! "So…if you're Death, then, you're my Boss?"

"Sort of," he said. "I don't really manage the business that directly. I let the Upper Management do the most parts of the jobs."

"If that's so, then why are you here?"

"There are matters here that are in need of my personal attention."

"And what are those?"

"Something that I'll discuss with you later, but for the meantime, please don't bother yourself about it, you're off-duty right now."

Wow. First time hearing that, I thought I never had one. "How about the matters with me?"

"Well, I need your attention."

"Is that why you lure me here using that fake schedule, Mr. Death?"

"Like I said, men tend to do stupid things when they're desperate. And also, please call me Mark. My real name is complicated."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to absorb all of these? How hard it is to believe?"

"Well, this is nothing major considering the fact that you can already see Gravelings when you were still alive means that you're not that new to the weird world even before you've become a Grim Reaper."

Now that I thought about it, he certainly has a point. "I guess so. It's just that I didn't expect that Death has an embodiment, a sexy embodiment to be exact."

He laughed. Something that I never thought Death is capable of and I would see myself. "If accidents and misfortunes had figures in the form of Gravelings then why can't I? After all, I'm the very reason why Gravelings and Reapers exist. And…well, you can also blame it to the frog that broke my jar."

I chuckled. "You know what? You're a funny guy for someone who is dreaded by 6 billion people."

"Nice! Glad that you think so." And then he said after a few moments of silence. "So…what now?"

I shrugged slightly, "Well, since we're already here. I really want to know a few things from you. If that's okay?"

"Sure, it's fine with me. And you know what I'm kind of surprise that accepted all of this so smoothly. I kind of didn't expect it."

"Well, ever since I died and got dragged down on this life I believe nothing can surprise me that much."

"I see…so what do you wanna know?"

I asked the first thing that registered on my head. "How do you decide who's going to die?"

"I don't," he honestly said. "The part of when a person's life will end is not part of my jurisdiction. They die because their time is up not because I wanted to, but I won't deny that it is my existence is the reason why each life must end in due time."

"If that so, who decide how long each person must live?"

"God, nature, the universe, honestly, I really don't have any hitch. I just know when a person must die and then I make the preparations for him, like how they'll die depending on their life's current situation."

"Then why did you choose to kill me with a toilet seat?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Any better idea?" he rebounded the question back at me with a chuckle. "You're too slack, you're a loner. There's not much spice in your life. You don't have a bitter enemy that can murder you and you're too smart to be killed by a car accident, a serial killer, or food poisoning. So I choose something which is a little more unique."

"And the toilet seat was the best thing that you can come up?"

"You got the headlines the day after. Not many deaths get that, not even those who pay for the obituaries."

Our conversation continued throughout the night and we discussed through a lot of things until I run out of questions that it soon dissolves into smaller conversation about simple things that we know and like, which aren't that boring at all.

"Shall we call it a night?" Mark, I mean Death, I mean Mark…whatever, asked when he saw me yawn. "You look tired already."

"Yeah, I guess." He touched me hand again and an odd vibration flows through my skin and the next thing I know was we were already inside my house, sitting in the kitchen while watching the back of my sister as she dug through the fridge. "Whoa!"

"Whoa!" Reggie exclaimed too when she saw us, almost dropping the glass of water from her hand. "The hell!?"

My jaws dropped. Yeah, what the hell!? "What the fuck?" I asked Mark.

He grinned and replied in a very casual manner. "A little saving from driving troubles."

Reggie made glances of questioning look back and forth on me and Mark. "Who is this?"

"A friend," that was the only answer that I could give my sister at the moment. I'll just tell her everything when we have time.

Mark stood up and introduced himself to Reggie in gentlemanlike manner. "I'm Mark Faux. A friend of your sister."

Reggie's eyes widened and took a half step back away from Mark before glancing at me with a puzzled expression. "Ah George? Isn't he supposed to be…"

"No, not going to happen," I interceded before she could breath the word dead. In reply, she gave me a more curious stare. "I'll explain later. Anyway Reggie, can you go to your room? I need to talk to him in private."

"Uh, sure," she sipped some water from the glass that she almost broke earlier and then left Mark and I alone.

"What is it?" Mark wondered.

I trembled, no idea where to start and how to start. But here he is right now, the CEO of the Reaper Management, the only person whom I can ask or even say this matter. "I believe you already knew this but I still want to say it. About Reggie, I told her everything. About me, about my job, everything, and I know that it's against the rule but I still did it."

"Yeah, you did. So what?"

"Please," I pleaded in an almost whispering tone. "Let her stay. Let her stay with me. I know I'm no longer part of her world and the same is true with her towards me. But I still need a family and she's all I got."

"That's not something big to worry about," to my surprise that was the answer that he replied. "I don't really forbid my Reapers to return to their families. I never made such rule, ever."

"But Rube said…"

"Is also true. Even though there's no such rule that forbids you or any Reapers to go back to the lives that they once had it's your nature as a Grim Reaper that is taking you away from them in an almost natural way. I mean, if one or two of my Reapers return to their families, would they believe them, accept them? No. They'll just hurt themselves emotionally from being neglected by their own loved ones. You're just lucky that Reggie believed you and decided to stay with you. And if that's the case then there's nothing to worry about."

"Reggie can stay?" I said, grateful but still slightly doubtful.

He nodded, sincerely smiling at me, making me feel like melting. "She can stay."

Happiness filled my chest that it's almost like bursting that I soon found myself hurrying to him, throwing myself to his arms. "Thank you so much."

I felt his arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing me gently. "Don't mention it."

Everything went hazy afterwards, my mind and body got numb and my consciousness was turned half-aware. But I did feel his lips peppered through my face, from my forehead, cheek, the tip of my nose, and then against my lips.

I also know that I kissed back and yielded.

And it feels good. The kiss of Death feels good.

END OF CHAPTER 4