Mewtwo3642- Thanks! I'm not great at writing fight scenes, so I tried to keep it short, but not lacking
Roji- ^^" Luckily that wasn't Kid
Imaginefun- XD Death needs karma after all!
wordfiend- I'm not sure myself. Thanks!
FilthyTricksyHobbitses- Ahh, but that wasn't Kid ;D
greetingsfrommars- I don't have siblings either, this is my gross over-exaggeration of sibling spats XD. I like writing scary Death ^^
Sorry the chapter's so short, I wasn't really sure what to do with it ^^"
The centuries passed and with them, failed pregnancies. It seemed no matter what, Ophelia couldn't carry children to the full nine months. She did once, but the child, a little girl, was stillborn. It was breaking their hearts, but none more so than Ophelia. She became quiet, withdrawn, full of disparage. Death couldn't coax her out of it, much to his own despair, as he held her weeping form.
It was the late twentieth century now. The attire, the children, even the way people spoke was different. It was sometimes hard to keep up with, but Death was an old professional. Ophelia didn't have a hard time, getting some semblance of joy out of wearing pants rather than dresses. Her favorite was jeans. She would always wear jeans and a simple shirt. No shoes. She didn't care for shoes. Her hair was so much longer, nearing her thighs, and not as well cared for, but still infinitely soft.
Death watched two of his students worriedly: Spirit and Franken Stein. Spirit was an emotional, brash redhead who seemed to listen to his heart more than his head. Franken, who preferred to be called by his last name, was his polar opposite. Calculating and logical, coldly so, he never jumped directly into anything. He was a genius, brilliant at soul manipulation, and he could master any weapon he wished. The problem was his madness.
Currently, he was hacking away at an evil human, grinning all the while. Spirit turned back and scolded him, his sapphire eyes hard. Death sighed.
"I partnered Stein up with Spirit hoping Spirit's soul wavelengths would soothe Stein's. It seems to be failing so far..." He muttered to himself.
A warm body wrapped around his arm. "Give him time."
He looked down at his wife, who stared thoughtfully at Stein. He was apathetically wiping the blood off his face, his lips twitching as though he were ready to burst out laughing.
"How old are they?" She asked quietly.
"Seventeen, I believe." He replied.
Ophelia pushed her long bangs out of her face. "Emily would have been the same age."
Death's heart tugged. Their last attempt at having a child, the stillborn, was already named. He couldn't believe it had only been seventeen years ago. Holding her tiny, lifeless body, silently willing her to breathe. He shuddered and Ophelia's grip tightened.
"Ophelia, have you eaten yet today?" He frowned when he felt how thin she was.
She shook her head. He urged her to sit down at the table where a meal was already placed. Yumi must have brought it, he figured, smiling internally. Yumi Azusa was always hanging around, getting him and Ophelia their lunch, or making their tea. She was originally from Japan and he was fond of her tea.
Ophelia grabbed one of the sandwiches and nibbled on it. He watched her. She looked so pale, her eyes holding her grief. He wished she had a child. A child would cheer her up. He wanted one, a little one all his own who relied on him. It would be nice. He sighed longingly and she looked questioningly at him.
"Just thinking." He said, taking a bite of his own sandwich. A soul unfamiliar to him prodded the entrance to the Death Room. It was young, determined. He liked the wavelengths and let the person through.
The footsteps were delicate, but certain. He stood up and waited as a teenaged girl appeared. She stopped at the foot of the platform and bowed.
"Scythe meister Kami reporting, Lord Death." She crowed, straightening up.
She had shoulder length ashy blonde hair and large green eyes. She smiled pleasantly at him as he waved.
"Hiya, how ya doing~?" He asked blithely. Ophelia smiled slightly at the girl.
"I'm good, thank you. Um, Lord Death, I came here with a...concern." Her smile fell and she furrowed her brow.
"Oh? What's your concern?"
"It's about Stein and Spirit." She blushed when she said the latter's name. "I think Stein is experimenting on Spirit when he's sleeping."
Ophelia snorted from beside him, covering her mouth with her hand. Kami glanced over at her nervously, but Ophelia waved a hand at her. "I'm sorry. Continue, ignore me."
Death himself was somewhat amused. How did Spirit not wake up to something like that? "What makes you say that?"
Kami poked her fingers together, looking unwilling to admit to something. "W-well, he has weird scars and stitches all over his body and it seems like there's a new one every day! The newest one was where his kidney would be."
While he was curious to know as to why she knew such an intimate detail, he ignored it for the time being. "Hmm, that does sound troublesome. When they return, tell them to come here, 'kay?"
She looked relieved that she hadn't been automatically dismissed. She bowed. "Thank you for listening, sir!"
"No problem~!" She ran down the platform and down the long hall of guillotines to the exit.
Ophelia stood up and sighed. "I guess Spirit's soul didn't neutralize Stein's. But...I wonder how Kami knew about the scars..."
Death's eye twitched. "I believe I know why, but I'd rather not think of it. I just hope Spirit's smart enough to use protection."
Ophelia gaped up at him, her cheeks turning pink. "O-oh, my."
"Wha? I-I knew he was cutting me up!" Spirit wailed as he wrapped his arms protectively around his torso. "Steinnnnn! What the hell, man?!"
Stein stared at him blankly. "I wanted to know what would happen if I poked your kidney. It seems you have to go to the bathroom more."
Death rubbed his temples. "Stein, don't you understand why it's wrong to cut people up in their sleep?"
Stein turned that dead look onto Death. "It's dissection. It's for science. I wouldn't kill him; I have blood ready in case I need to do a transfusion."
"Has that actually happened?!" Spirit exclaimed. Stein shrugged a shoulder and Spirit bursted into tears.
"I died! Oh dear god, I died! I didn't even get to get married or have children!" Death twitched and whacked Spirit.
"Would you shut up a minute?! You aren't dead. You can still do all those things; now act like an adult!" He ground out.
Spirit rubbed his head, groaning. Kami stood beside him, glaring vehemently at Stein. Stein glowered back. "I take it you're the one who told, brat? I should dissect you. I haven't looked at a feminine specimen yet."
Rather than cower, her glare turned more heated. Death sighed, looking between the teenagers. "Alright, I'm going to make some changes here. Spirit, your new partner will be Kami. Stein, perhaps you should work on controlling your dissecting urge a little better. I will partner you up with Marie Mjolnir to keep your violent side sedated. Is that alright with everyone?"
Kami looked ready to burst with joy, as did Spirit, and Stein shrugged indifferently. Death clapped his hands together. "Good! Now, off you go!"
The three saluted him before heading out. He sighed and vaguely wondered what time it was. It felt late to him, but not horribly so. Maybe nine. He cracked his back and stepped down from the platform and walked down the hallway.
Ophelia had long since gone home. She had been complaining about her stomach bothering her and feeling tired. He sent her home to rest and hadn't heard from her since. That had been earlier that afternoon. He was beginning to worry about her. Her madness, always tinged in her soul, felt like it was expanding. Before it was just a dot, barely noticeable, now it felt larger. She was acting strange, too, but he thought it was just her melancholy.
As he opened the door from the Death Room into the school hall, a body slammed into him. He stumbled slightly and looked down in alarm. It was Ophelia, her face buried in his cloak. She was sobbing and he felt her tears soak his cloak.
"Ophelia, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair.
She looked up and tearfully proclaimed, "I'm pregnant!"