Disclaimer: I do not own Klonoa, but Kuroi or Ame and OCs are mine. You can't steal them unless you ask. X3

Chapter 17: Ame, retribution and contrition

When you get older, you'll be as powerful and heroic like your parents.

You should join the army. We need a kid like you.

Why won't you die?!

Please stop killing!

What was your wish when you were younger?

What, you want to live your life as an exile?!

Life is never fair, Ame!

This time we'll start life again, with you as a new person.

I'll just tell you that you and the other fourteen are the last hope for all living things.

Kuroi, are you really going to keep fighting like this until you die.

I will not stand and watch my companion suffer.

Why did you really move here after the war?

Yes, and I want you to live the way you want it pains me and your other friends to see such an angelic child spill blood.

No, Ame, there are many people who want you to live.

If you did the same thing, how would you be any different?!

I don't want to see you fight anymore!

I opened my eyes solemnly to see nothing, but pure white. This place was endless with either a floor or ceiling. It was just empty. I was completely clad in black pants with straps tied around my legs to prevent me from running. I wore a dark red long sleeved shirt and black cloak that was tied around my neck with a dark red scarf. I sat on the floor, embracing my knees and my chin laid down on them. These voices, kept saying something to me and I couldn't even bring myself to understand. Why was it that I was told to do this? I fight to die... I died to protect... I protect for what...?

I looked from the corner of my eye to see a black scythe next to me. It looked just like the one Momo gave me, but it gave off an angelic light before me. I felt nothing ever since I appeared here. I felt no pain, no sadness, not even relief. This was what I was born to into that world, now I was back here and to stay here forever. I hid my face in my knees as the voices began to fade away. At least I was able to see my mother now I don't need to live anymore... right?

"Ame," Daniel's voice called behind me. I didn't move or replied I just sat there sulkily as the voices around me began adding into nothingness.

"Ame, it's time to see her," the black cat with devil wings spoke as he walked in front of me. I didn't want to see her, but now that I was her loyal servant I guess I'll have to go. With a sad sigh, I stood up picking up the black scythe and walked behind Daniel as we walked through a double door that appeared before us. As we entered, all we saw was what I was sitting in, in the previous room. All was white and I could only see three people, Momo, Master Tokei, and the head Shinigami, Kurayami. Momo looked at me blankly as she held her own white scythe. Master Tokei who was a man in his early thirties with dark green hair and river green eyes smiled at me the same way he did when he fell to the bawls of hell.

As for Kurayami, who was in the same attire as me along with the same hairstyle only with longer hair, she was grinning at me with pleasure. But in her eyes they were overflowed with sadness. I don't know why, but she had such a tone of pleasure when she told me that I was dying. In her hand was her latest death scythe, I knew because every time I saw her she always held a new one with all kinds of details.

"Ame... or should I say Kuroi Ikari, how was it, your last two years?" she asked in that motherly tone I hated so much. I frowned at her darkly before grinning in the same mood "Like hell, lady, now what is it that you want? I have to start Kishin hunting soon, right?"

Kishin hunting was difficult and a good number of Meisters and Soul takers were needed for that task. Kishin were humans who ate innocent souls of humans and their goal was always becoming the strongest and most powerful, even for Kurayami herself. Thanks to us the world is at piece but if a Kishin was born we might as well call all of the planets hell instead.

"You know, it's not like you to talk like that. You were more respectful when I told you that you were dying two years ago." She smirked devilishly.

"Did you call me here to make more fun of me or are you going to tell me something?" I asked impatiently.

"Yes," she smiled "I was wondering, what was your wish, when you were younger?" She asked as a chair appeared behind her.

She sat on it as I narrowed my eyes, that question was the same one Seed asked me. Why would she want to know anyway? Wasn't she, Momo, and Tokei watching me all this time?

"Why the hell do you want to know?" I asked suspiciously.

"Just curious," she spoke simply.

I sighed exasperatingly before replying "To see everyone smile," I spoke in the same tone.

She frowned in surprise with a raised eyebrow. I gave her the same look too. And for a few moments we looked at each other before I finally turned back at the doors.

"If that's all, I'm going," I spoke angrily "at least maybe here I won't have much indignity for being dead."

"Oh really, are you going to go back to sulking in your own world." She spoke in a teasing tone.

I stopped in my tracks and turned towards Kurayami with gritted teeth.

"I did my job for the past four years. At least I deserve more rest now. I even failed to go to heaven like Kaguya and Konnichi had wanted me to," I growled turning again.

"Come on, Ame, you should be happy now. I bet everyone is back on the land of living crying sorrowful for you."

"You know what, Kurayami? You are just like that stupid rabbit butler. You sass my ass too much!" I scowled holding up my scythe towards her "I did everything I was told, take lives as I was told, save lives as I was told, and here it sounds like I didn't even do more than half of the work! I'll tell you this. I gave up my life for all of those humans, even that idiot pedo, Rozen! That should be enough shit for you!"

"Actually it isn't," I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"Those two, Enju and Kira Suishou, are still breathing with death in their eyes while you sit in my hell sulking around. And also there is one person who you hadn't made smile, and that's the one you called mother." She smirked.

"Let them kill for all I care, I can't do anything at all, and also I might have gone delirious during my last moments anyway. Plus a whole clan is dead because of me, I'm way worst than those two put together." I scoffed with a simple wave of my hand.

"So you would sacrifice Rozen and the others just so that you can mope around. The real you, the one who went to war, would want to keep fighting until you got rid of those two just like you did in that war. Why could you just give up now?" She asked inquiringly.

"I am nothing now! I'm too weak to even beat Kira Suishou maybe even Guntz, and he's a human! All I do is use weapons, take lives, lose them, and hide my true self like the stupid coward I am!" I yelled loudly.

"Oh really, then what you told Mirai, Lion, Guntz, the High Priestess, and Rozen were all lies?! You never pay attention what they tell you, they want you to live and this is what they get?! A girl who was already dead even before she became this bounty hunter, this world class alchemist, this last child of the Mitsukai Clan! You are a disgrace!" She scowled at me. That pressed my button hard, I lunged towards her and we clashed weapons with one another. I gritted my teeth angrily as she did the same as well. I couldn't understand why she looked just like me except she had white starlight eyes. I always thought that was ironic. Aside from that they were now filled with rage.

"Yeah, I've been a disgrace since day one when I was born as a stupid protector. I'm an angel who can't even fly! I have more rights than you to stay in hell anyway!" I yelled through gritted teeth.

"If you can't fly then why do you want to be in the skies, if you're such a disgrace why do you keep moving forward? If you are so sad, why do you still have friends that care about you making sure they smile to you everyday?!" She asked accusingly. I narrowed my eyes before throwing her off and flipping to my feet. I landed lightly with a slight skid backwards as she held up her scythe towards me.

"My friends don't consider my destiny! I do, I look forward to my own future!" I shot back. Kurayami grinned at me as she lunged towards me, I flinched trying to move, but the straps on my legs kept me still for some reason. The next thing she did, made me stunned, the moment Kurayami was close enough she didn't swing her arm to hit me with her scythe. Instead she gave me a soft peck on the cheek. I narrowed my eyes as I fell backwards falling on my bum dropping my scythe. I looked up to the Shinigami in shock as she smiled down to me motherly.

"You are the rain of our souls... my precious rain drop... you are still small just like you were when you were born into this world." She smiled as she knelt down to me caressing my cheek. I dropped my mouth when I looked at her closer, she looked just like me and Jinjo and my other siblings. Those eyes were just like the ones I saw in my dreams, and her tone just now was the same voice I heard in my dreams as well. I slowly put a hand on top of hers as she began to caress my face in her palms.

"M-mother..." I spoke softly as her soft grin widened. I suddenly remembered everything, the first lullaby she sang to me, her smile when I giggled or smiled at her, even the words she spoke to me before she died. All of that had returned to me.

"You are such a good girl, Touki. Your father and I were proud of you the moment you smiled at us. Now you have to make your new parents smile."

"M-mother!" I stammered louder.

"It's okay... you always had a second chance in life." She smiled pulling me into an embrace.

"My last baby and here she is, I forgot how wonderful it felt when you were in my arms. I'm sorry you suffered so much. I keep forgetting that you were my real daughter all this time." She spoke in a comforting tone as I felt dampness on the back of my shirt.

"But... how did you...?" I spoke in a stunned voice.

"Momo did," she replied simply in my ear. I narrowed my eyes as I sat up looking at Momo. She had tears in her eyes as she gripped her scythe in her hands.

"Why?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because, you are now a death scythe, as a death scythe, the head Shinigami grants you one wish after you die. So we all wanted to know what that wish was along with everybody." She smiled.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion "Everybody?" I echoed. She and Tokei nodded.

"Ame, do you know what this place is?" Tokei asked in that same tone he last spoke to me. I shook my head. All I saw was pure white, like in the last room. I frowned when I saw him smile.

"When you wake up you'll know," he smirked as Kurayami caressed my face again.

"We'll meet again someday. Until then you'll be my next death scythe or your father's life spear." She smiled before softly kissing my forehead. I narrowed my eyes as everything began to turn black. Suddenly, images appeared in my head. I couldn't make them out though; they were all too blurry to make out. Before I could even comprehend what was going on, I finally blacked out.

---

"Ame... please wake up..." a voice called as I felt a pressure against my chest. I twitched my eyes before opening them half-way only to wince as I tried to breath. It felt like my lungs were filled with something. I screwed my face as I turned my head to the side and coughed harshly as the liquid in my lungs spilled out of my mouth. Thankfully, I felt something turned me on my side and pat me on my back as more liquid spilled out of my mouth. Finally, after that ordeal I sighed as I was helped on my back again taking a good intake of breath. I opened my eyes again, but it was a little blurry and I felt a little nausea due to the smell of blood around me.

I grunted as I tried to move, but for some reason, I felt too weak. I then felt something pull me up into a sitting position only to wince feeling a sharp embrace around me. I looked at the person hugging me to notice that it was Maria and she was shaking as I could here sobs.

"Thank goodness," She cried softly making me blush.

"I-I'm sorry, did I make you cry again... like last time?" I asked her.

"No," she shook her head "I'm happy, so is mother and father, now you can be a big sister now."

I raised an eye brow at her as she let go of me but kept me at a steady sit.

"What are you talking about?" I asked inquiringly with a smirk.

"You're going to be a big sister." She smiled. I flinched again only to wince at the sudden movement, but grunted more when I felt an embrace behind me and something big against my back. I turned to look at who hugged me only to freeze at what I saw. It was Maryann, our mother. And she was... smiling at me with tears falling freely from her eyes as well. I began to blush again as she spoke in her angelic voice.

"Yes, my precious little rain, I always wanted you to be a big sister just like your father wanted to." She spoke making me blush.

"I... saw Mother... Maria... you know the one in..." I hesitated, should I tell her about what happened to our mother who brought us into the angel world?

"I know that's why we all know that all this time you were doing the right thing." She smiled softly at me.

"Eh?"

Maria giggled before she looked to the side towards Lion who was looking at me in surprise.

"Because helping out good friends and fighting for them is a true hero."

Yay, back to 1st person! X3 That's all I have to say. XD