Mewtwo3642- Ugh, me too T.T
Roji- Nope, I hate leaving things unfinished, so I will definitely finish all my stories eventually!
SoManyFandomSoLittleTime- I know!
greetingsfrommars- I love that song, personally, and that movie. And yeah, unfortunately the angst is probably going to get worse ^^"
MissAnimeMiss- Thank you!
ShadowsoftheAbyss- I can't wait to see what happens next either~ - is making it up as she goes along ^^"
Imaginefun- It is depressing thinks about that, but he might persevere~!
Luna- I will, sorry it took so long
mikotoku- Thank you, cliffhangers are one of my specialties!
Lover of Sweets- XD We shall see what happens!
Oh my gosh, I am not worthy of you guys! First I had horrible writer's block, then I just didn't feel like writing =/ I am sooo so so sorry it took me six months to update, but hopefully I'm back for good! I'm actually shocked by how many favorites and alerts have been added in between now and the last time I updated *tears up* you guys are great! Anyway, onto the story!
He stared tensely out from the overhang of the entrance to the school. It was pouring, a few children splashing in the puddles as they ran home. Though it was mid afternoon, the sky was dark, the streetlights turned on earlier than normal. A figure began to emerge in the fog and rain.
Death folded his arms across his chest, waiting until his old friend was standing in front of him, his robes soaked through. He walked noiselessly up the stairs until he stood before the death god. Droplets dripped steadily off his mask as he inclined his head slightly.
"There is a disturbance in the world." The warlock said, his tone slightly disapproving.
"How do I reverse it?" Death asked, voice terse.
"You know the answer to that." Death clenched his fists.
"Something other than that." He said through gritted teeth.
Eibon moved past him into the school. Death followed him, glancing out at the rain once before closing the entrance doors. Eibon turned to look down the halls.
"We are alone?"
Death nodded. "Ophelia is at home with Kidd, resting."
Death sensed that spike of disapproval from his friend once more and couldn't help his own twinge of annoyance. "I trust her with our son."
"Wise after what she has done already." Eibon responded sardonically.
"I do not need or appreciate your sarcasm, Eibon! I need your advice, so give it!" Death snarled.
The warlock lifted his hands up peacefully; he wasn't attempting to rile Death up, but it seemed his humor wasn't helping. When the death god stopped bristling, Eibon lowered his hands and walked over, placing his hand on Death's shoulder. Death seemed to sag beneath his hand, all the fight leaving him.
"Forgive me; I was attempting to alleviate some of your stress by joking, but it seems my sense of humor is not...appropriate." Eibon confessed, sounding genuinely contrite.
Death shook his head. Eibon's sense of humor had always been crueler than he intended, giving the other person the impression he was saying it to be malicious. He simply didn't have the social skills to realize his jokes could be considered mean.
"It's fine; I'm just stressed."
Eibon gave a sympathetic grunt, squeezing Death's shoulder. "The only advice I can give you, Death, is to eliminate her. I understand you do not want to do such a thing, but you have already begun to see she is losing herself."
Death was still not pleased with his answer. "You're Wisdom: surely there must be something you can do, or think of! I can't take the life of my wife! Please, I'll do anything to save her!"
"Death." Death froze, shocked by Eibon's suddenly sharp voice. "Groveling will get you nowhere. I literally cannot do anything, even if I wanted to. Reversing the irreversible is stepping into Divine territory. While I am the embodiment of Wisdom, I am not godly. There is nothing to be done except to put her out of her misery before she loses herself completely."
As he continued, his voice softened until it was back to its calm baritone. "I know what it is like trying to save the one you love. My poor wife was diagnosed with a fatal illness. I dedicated my research to discovering immortality but it is simply something that cannot be done."
Death listened silently, his heart dropping. He bowed his head slightly. "...I see."
Eibon gave his shoulder a final squeeze before dropping his hand back to his side. "I am truly sorry, old friend."
He received no verbal response and he attempted to think of something that would cheer up his friend, if only slightly. "So, how about you tell me about your son? I would love to hear about him."
Death, seeing what Eibon was doing but appreciating it nonetheless, smiled behind his mask and nodded. "Well, he looks a lot like me, but he has Ophelia's long fingers and gentle features. He's almost three months old, but he has a full head of hair. You can't see his Lines of Sanzu yet, but that's normal. They should come by his first birthday. He certainly knows who his daddy is~!"
Eibon chuckled silently, "I would be interested in meeting him, if you shall permit it."
"Of course! We should go right away; the rain has let up." Death replied enthusiastically, leading the way out of his school.
The two tall men walked the streets of Death City, Death pointing out some key sites here and there. They were the few people out, and while the people were used to Death, Eibon's humanoid figure brought him some curious looks. He ignored the humans, walking quietly beside his friend as he listened to him chatter about the newest painting he had received.
When Death Manor loomed into sight, Eibon said dryly, "Your home is certainly ostentatious. I thought Death Gods were supposed to be subtle."
Death chuckled sheepishly, "The townspeople from long ago built it for me and I didn't have the heart to turn it down. I guess I've gotten used to it."
While Death opened the front door, Eibon felt out the two soul wavelengths coming from inside. One was infantile, but strong. The other was obviously old and fragile with a shudder of something that made him tense. The owner of the soul was cradling the younger soul, nearly snuffing out the wavelengths from the latter. He had no doubt that suffocating sensation would permeate through the entirety of the surrounding vicinity and he was almost tempted to refuse to enter. Death himself seemed uneasy by the wavelengths, but entered the house, chirping, "I'm home!" in his silly voice.
Eibon reluctantly followed him in, the erratic wavelengths nearly knocking the air out of his lungs. Standing in the foyer, he observed the painting hanging on the wall directly across from him. It was dated, Death's wife's dress modeling fifteenth or fourteenth century style. While there was a sternness to the portrait, Eibon did not get that feeling from Ophelia in the image.
"Welcome home." The voice sounded tired, but happy. He felt his heart clench when he saw her face matched her voice in exhaustion and fragility.
The baby in her arms gurgled, eyes noticeably brightening at the sight of his father. Death didn't hesitate in going to them, wrapping his arms around the pair. He moved his mask to the side to peck his wife on her mouth before sliding it back in place.
"Hello, Kiddo, were you a good boy for your mommy?" He cooed, waggling his fingers for Kid, who made a sound akin to a giggle.
"Who's this?" Ophelia's large eyes focused on him and he stared back at her. Her question was gentle, but there was an underlying tone to it that he did not care for.
"This is my old friend, Eibon. Eibon, this is my wife, Ophelia." Death gestured at the two, obviously not noticing the undertone of his wife's question.
Eibon nodded his head cordially at her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Death."
Her eyes seemed to tighten and she smiled tensely. "The pleasure is mine, Eibon." He noticed she turned her body, subtly, but enough to catch his attention. She was attempting to obscure his view of Kid, as though she viewed him as a threat. He read the message loud and clear: she was not happy with his presence there.
Death plucked Kid from her arms and she opened her mouth to protest, her wavelength flaring before suddenly being subdued. He stiffened and observed incredulously that Death had not reacted at all to the change in her wavelengths. He was too busy simpering over his son. Eibon watched him and Kid met his eye, staring at him curiously.
"Would you like to hold him?" Death asked, already holding Kid out to him, having mistaken his interest in the baby as a wish to interact with him.
"No, that's-" Eibon barely had time to hold his arms out before the baby was deposited in his arms.
Kid twisted around to look up at him, his tiny brow furrowed slightly. Eibon heard Ophelia whisper heatedly to Death, "I don't think that's a good idea, Death."
"Nonsense; he would never hurt Kiddo!" Death waved her concern away.
Eibon was alarmed by just how small Kid really was, having never held or even seen an infant before. He instinctively clutched Kid against his chest, holding him carefully, but firmly. And while Kid's staring was a little unnerving, Eibon could kind of see what the appeal of children were. They're cute. Then, Kid's bottom lip wobbled and his golden eyes got noticeably wet.
"Can someone take him?" Eibon looked helplessly at Death, feeling a little panicky at the idea of the boy crying.
Ophelia practically yanked Kid out of his arms, bouncing him up and down until he was laughing, the scary masked man already out of his mind.
"Looks like he likes you." Death teased, patting Eibon on the back.
Eibon didn't respond, his gaze locked on Ophelia as her eyes darkened and she glared hatefully at him. Kid gave a small whine when her grip tightened on him. Behind his mask, Eibon's eyes narrowed and he felt her wavelength out more in depth. With a sense of dread, he calculated just how long it would probably be until she lost herself completely, given her behavior.
With a sharp intake, he realized he needed to convince Death to change his mind about ending her life as soon as possible.