Alice

The five of us were just about to turn in for the night after several hours of waiting for Shun to return back to Murucho's. We were all trying to stay positive, and not think the worst of the possibilities; such as trying not to wonder if Shun had passed out again.

I still remember how out of it he had been when I discovered him unconscious; it was still a total mystery to us as to why he had passed out. Perhaps he had been telling the truth when he said that he was just really tired. But to the extent that you collapse?

Something about that idea didn't fit together quite right. What if the doctors really had been wrong about what happened to Shun? I hated to think that something terrible might happen to him because of a misdiagnosis. Just as I was about to join the others and go to bed, Shun walked into the lobby of Murucho's mansion.

He looked slightly on edge, but that was normal for him. I noticed that his hair was styled back the way that it had been before his wreck. Now, the right side of his face was no longer hidden. I wonder why he's not covering it up anymore. Was it really that big of a deal?

Perhaps he finally realized that the scar was there to stay, and no amount of hiding it would change that. I was about to open my mouth and say something, but Dan pushed past me and said in an aggravated tone, "Shun, where in the world have you been?

Do you have any idea what time it was and how worried we were?" I applauded Dan for being the concerned friend, but the sudden change in Shun's demeanor made me feel that his being upfront about his worry was a bad idea.

Shun narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does it matter where I've been? Last time I checked, I didn't have to have a tab kept on my wearabouts." Dan matched Shun's narrowed eyes, creating a staring contest between the two.

Before things got ugly, I stepped in the middle of the two and said with a nervous laugh, "Calm down, guys. Shun, we're all just glad to know that nothing happened to you. Can you blame us for worrying after what's gone on the past couple of days?"

I was hoping that Shun could see it from our point of view; he had just been in a horrible car wreck, and close to dying. The least he could do is see that we were still concerned about his health. Shun sighed. "I guess you have a point. Sorry."

Behind me, I heard Dan let out a huff of air and heard him say something like, "Be nice to her, huh? I see where I stand." I hoped that Shun didn't hear his smart remark, or else to two might have gone back to each others throats. But if Shun had heard what his friend said, he didn't react to it.

Instead, he walked past our little group and towards his room. "Um, goodnight?" I mumbled to myself when he walked by. A shiver shot down my spine when he brushed by my arm, as if the air conditioner kicked in at that moment.

But I looked up and saw that I was standing nowhere near a vent, and I didn't hear the air conditioner system running either; I wasn't cold either. The chill was gone almost as immediately as it had appeared, leaving me to think than it was nothing more than my body thinking it was cold. After that, the five of us left for our rooms to retire for the night.

Shun

I locked the door behind me and let out a heavy sigh. I hadnt meant to make the others worry about me, but I couldn't tell them what I was up to and why I was gone for such a long time. How was I supposed to know that I would have to perform a Reaping that day?

All I knew was that it would take place at night. Regardless, I hadnt left Murucho's with the intentions of taking someone's soul; I had gone out for some fresh air in hopes of clearing my mind. But Death's unexpected arrival ruined my plans.

That seems to be what Death does best….Ruin plans, I thought to myself as I reached over and flipped on the lightswitch. The room suddenly became covered with light, chasing away the darkness that had once been in control.

Perhaps it was just a bad habit now, but I looked around the room, expecting to see Death standing somewhere. But much to my surprise, he was nowhere in sight. "Here's hoping I get a break from him for a while."

Slowly, I made my way over to my bed and sat down, then fell back onto the mattress. My body relaxed now that I was lying down, and I finally realized how tired I was. Who knew this job would take so much out of a guy?

Dan

It frustrated me that Shun was completely oblivious to what was going on around him; it was almost like he was in his own little world. He was acting like everything was fine and as if he hadn't been in a wreck a couple of days ago. It made me worry, how he was acting, that is.

But Shun was so absorbed in something else, the thought didn't seem to occur to him about how close to certain disaster he had been, or the fact that the rest of us were still concerned about the state of his health. What if this was because of his wreck though?

Maybe he was in denial over the whole ordeal. Like Murucho had mentioned the day that Shun got out of the hospital, he might have developed an irrational fear of cars thanks to all of this. What if it wasn't any different? What if Shun was denying that the wreck ever happened?

My head began to hurt with all the thinking I was doing, so I sat down on my bed and rubbed circles on the sides of my temples. I felt like I was overthinking the whole thing. Shun was probably just going through a rough patch and would be over this in no time, like always.

I laid back on my bed and stared up at my ceiling fan, watching as the blades spun around slowly. "When did everything get so complicated?" I asked to myself, or more like the fan. It only spun around, not responding to my question. I shut my eyes and sighed.

It boggled my mind how almost four days ago, things were so normal; the thought of what was going on now, wasn't on anyone's mind. All that we could focus on, was the celebration of being reunited with each other. Now, it all felt like a struggle to hold the seams together.

And I truly believed that it would feel like this until Shun regained a grip on reality and returned back to a semi-state of normal. But there was no telling when that would be. So, for the time being, we would all have to make due with this new Shun.

No One

A shadowy figure walked to the edge of a building and examined the streets below. They were barren, completely void of any sign of life, and this made the shadowy figure displeased. He was out looking for some new entertainment to replace his boredom.

The figure let out a sigh, but instantly drew it back. Stumbling down the street, appeared to be a man that was heavily intoxicated. A smile crossed the face of the shadowy figure. The cloak that hid him from the eyes of the living, began to unfurl into two, large bat-like apendages that were wings.

The figure then leaped down before the drunkard, knowing that the man was too intoxicated to freak out at the sight of him. And he was correct. The drank looked him over and asked in a slurred voice, "Going to a Halloween party?"

An amused smile creased the features of the winged-being; a chuckle followed shortly after. "What is the one thing that you want more than anything in the world?" the being smoothly asked the drunken man. In turn, the man swayed back and forth on his feet and thought for a moment.

"I want my cheating wife's boyfriend to suffer and to get her back. Why? You gonna do something about it, pal?" he slurred and poked the winged-being in the chest with his index finger. The being only stood there and smiled before answering with, "Actually, I can do something about it."

Even through his intoxication, this intriguided the drunkard. "How so?" he asked. The smile on the winged-being's face, only grew wider. "Just pay me a small price, and what you wish will come true," he informed the man. Confused, the drunk asked, "How much do I have to pay?"

A chuckled emerged from the winged-being. "You worry about that later on, my friend," he said to the drunk. Placing an arm around the man's shoulders, the being said calmly, "Now, let's do something about your wife's little boyfriend, shall we?" Before the drunkard could say a word, the being consumed the two of them in his wings.

When they unfolded, they were standing before the house of the wife's boyfriend. The drunk most likely thought that all of this was a by-product of the alcohol, but he would be wrong. What was about to happen, was all real and true.

Taking his arm from the drunk's shoulders, the being stepped up to the house and said, "Wait here for a moment." He then passed through the door, as if it had never been there. Shocked, the drunkard went up to the door and attempted to walk through it, but was knocked back.

Inside, the being encased himself with his wings, forming a black cloak to hide himself. He navigated his way through the house, as if he had lived their his entire life. When he finally stumbled upon the bedroom, he saw the cheating wife and her boyfriend asleep together in the bed.

How convinient, the being mused silently. Two birds with one stone. He then held his hand up to the ceiling, and a long scythe rose from the center of his palm. A long, wicked catclaw-like blade curved around almost into a complete circle.

Deep scratches littered the handle of the scythe; tally marks for how many souls had been taken by this tool of death. The being then lifted the scythe up, disabling its soul taking ability until the man was dead. He then let the blade go, hearing the sound of metal cutting into flesh.

Blood splattered on the walls of the bedroom, and the man's screams woke the cheating wife. She stared at the gory site next to her, unable to see the source of what had killed her partner. Terrified, she screamed and ran out from the bed, leaving her boyfriend's mangled body behind.

Now that the man was dead, the being pulled his soul out and sent him to the place of sinners. Since that was done with, he then set his eyes on the wife. She was trembling, and hardly capable of holding the phone in her hands as she attempted to call for the police.

The being cut into her back, stunning her to the point where she collapsed onto the ground and was bleeding, but not to the point to where she was dead. The woman was still screaming, and it would only be a matter of time before somebody heard her shrieks.

Picking her up, the being drapped her over his shoulders and carried her outside of the house. During this time, she had passed out either from fear or pain. The drunken man was still standing outside, rubbing his nose from where he had walked into the door.

The being unfurled his wings, and his cloak vanished so he could be seen once more. The drunkard caught sight of him, and all the color drained from his face. "What did you do?" he shouted when the being laid the bloody body of his wife down before him.

"I did what you wished for. The man she was with, has paid the price for what he has done, and she is returned to you. Now…..There is only the matter of you paying me back." Crying over his wife, the man's face turned into one of anger. He stood up and shouted, "Pay you for this! Never! I didn't want this!"

The being chuckled and said, "Oh, but you did. This was what you wished for." In total denial, the drunkard began to pace back and forth, unable to filter all of his rampaging emotions. "No. No. No," he repeated under his breath. The being lifted his scythe and said, "But yes. Now, time to pay up."

The scythe sliced into the drunk's body, sending waves of blood out onto the sidewalk. Now that the damage was done, the being took the soul from his body and allowed it to join the wife's boyfriend's soul. Standing over his work, he smiled.

"I don't think we were ever properly introduced," mused the winged-being. "I'm Rogue, and I'll be your Reaper. And consider your payment paid in full." Rogue then heard a low gurgling beside him, and saw that the injured wife was starting to come out of her shock.

Seeing that she was going to die anyone, Rogue took her soul as well, and allowed it to join her husband's and boyfriend's souls. Walking away from the bloody scene, he wrapped his wings around his body, creating his cloak once more to hide himself as the wailing of police sirens grew closer. Rogue smiled and mused to himself, "I love my job."

there shall be no upload tomorrow; i have to stay afterschool till six for marching practice. -.- but i have a quick question and feel free to answer it if you want. do you think somebody deserves to be threatened to be punched in the face, all because the other person stated their opinion about how they feel that the person making the threat can't play their instrument at all?

do you think they overreacted...A LOT? well, that happened to me today. but i owned up and apologized and saw the hypocrite in this other person. they dissed how i played, which is solely her opinion, because i asked several other people how they thought she played, and they agreed with me that she can't.

but i respected her opinion, which is more than i can say for her respecting mine. if i can't play well, then why have i made first chair at clinics? and how come i dont have to ask for the note fingerings like she does? i must be such a horrible saxophonist. -.-''

i never said that i was the best person in our band; im far from it. but i am one of the few good players in there, which is kind of more than i can say for her. she claims i parade around and gloat about it, which i do not. i'm proud of myself because im good at something and know it.

and the way she reacted today, proved that she has no self confidence in how she plays. if she did, then she would have said, "I don't care what she thinks." and left me and my opinions to myself, rather than threatening to punch me in the face in front of the band.

but i've been complimented by several HIGH-RANKING directors that i am a good bari sax player, and i use that as my motivation to better myself even further. if that makes me a bad person, then this world is even more messed up than i thought it was. oh well, i could go on forever about this, but i won't. i've wasted enough of your time as it is. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~ (also state what you would do in this situation if you wish)