E2: I'm gonna call you Steve!

"Billy?" you stopped writing out of confusion. You were sent to get a story about the Grim Reaper, not some mortal child. Fayt picked up the plushie that was next to Kurama's. The boy with the big nose, red hat and dumb vacant expression hadn't seemed so interesting, until now. She sat the plushie in front of you.

"This, as you can tell, is Billy," she leaned a bit forward.

"And he's who Kurama was assigned to?" you followed.

"Yes," she snickered. "And the forced friend of the Grim Reaper."

"Oh!" something clicked inside your head. "That makes since. I mean who could refused to be the friend of the Grim Reaper?"

You stopped because you noticed that Fayt had taken off her glasses and was massaging her temples with one hand.

"Actually," Cassie put in. "Grim-san was forced."

"Huh?"

"He was won over a hamster," Fayt put her glasses back on.

"Nani?" you were dumbfounded.

"One of Spirit World's greatest blunders, and my personal favorite. Grim, that's what we call him here (I mean we can't just go around saying 'Hey Grim Reaper what's up!' I mean the tourists would get scared.) was working on the day that he met Billy and Mandy." Here she sat the doll that you were so easy about the first time you saw it. "Billy's pet hamster was dieing and Grim went to reap it's little soul. However he was caught in the act. Mandy challenged him over it. Grim accepted on the condition of the game to be limbo."

"Limbo!"

"Yes. Unfortunately, Grim has the weakness for the limbo. He's been to completions and won first many times. Moving on, Grim lost. As a consequence, Mandy order him to be their best friend forever, and ever, and ever, etc…"

"But won't he have to reap their souls?"

"Yes, funny word eventually is though, but unknown to him and the rest of Spirit World (with the exception of me) Eclipse has been adding sand to Billy and Mandy's hour glasses."

"Eclipse is…?"

"The Keeper of Death, like I am of Chaos and my brother is of Order," she waits as you write this down. "Shall we continue…."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Kurama hesitated at first to knock on the door. Hesitated only because of a deep sense f fear that dwelled with in his yokai senses. It's alright, he thought to himself trying to ease the fear. He's only a mortal child. He knocked and waited a few seconds. The door was opened by a woman in a simple purple dress and with long orange hair.

"Oh," she said after reviewing him over. "You must be Billy's big brother," she appeared cheerful enough to ease Kurama a bit more out of the dreaded fear. "I'm Billy's mother, Gladys."

"Shuichi Minamino," he introduced himself and they shook hands. She moved so he could get into the house. "Tell me a bit about Billy."

"Well," she was about to start but something had interrupted her.

"MOM! WHERE'S THE PLUNDGER!" that's when he walked in. As you saw in the plushie, Kurama saw in the boy. Big nosed, red hat, white shirt with the blue stripe in the middle, and the intelligence of a rock came in full glory. "I gots Grim stuck in the toilet, again.?"

Charming, Kurama mused. Must be a pet.

"Say, Shuichi," Gladys said with a twitch. "Why don't you be a dear and help Billy out?"

"Yes, ma'am" Kurama went over to Billy. "Billy, I'm Shuichi-"

"Mehuh?" Billy gave him a look. "That's a hard name to remember. I'm gonna call you Steve."

"S-Steve?"

"Now let's go Steve! Grim awaits!" Billy grabbed Kurama's arm and drug him upstairs. When they got up there, Kurama soon realized just what he got into.

"Blast it boy!" a skeleton with a soaked black robe came out of the bathroom. "Why'd you have to go and do that!"

Kurama froze on spot.

"Aw Grim," Billy seemed disappointed. "I was going to help you with your bath."

"Right," Grim noticed Kurama. "Who's dat guy?'

"Him? That's Stan, my new big brother."

"From that program your mother had me mail?'

"Uh, nice to meet you," Kurama decided it would be best to play it safe.

"Say Billy," Grim turned to Billy who was now picking his nose. "Why don't you go downstairs and get my scythe?"

"I thought you said not to touch it?" Billy had stopped thankfully.

"I'll make an exception."

"Right!" Billy rushed downstairs.

"Now," Grim pulled his scythe out of the bathroom. "Why are you here, yokai? I thought it was a human program?"

"I figured you could tell," Kurama had defenses up.

"It seems that we're both stuck with him," Grim sighed. Both suddenly felt worse.

"I'm only here because of an accident," Kurama explained.

"Accident? More like a chaotic series of events…Wait did Eris send you!"

"No, no."

"Well at least tell me your name. Cause I know it's not Stan."

"Kurama."

"Very well," Grim checked to see if Billy was coming back. "Maybe we can help each other out then."

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