It'd been a full year since we last left off. I was eighteen, while Kylie was fourteen. Grandpa Murphy had gone after two months, and ad given me a talk I should have had with my father.
At the airport
I stood with Grandpa Murphy in front of the gate to the plane that would take him back to Ireland. He had held off his Death Scythe responsibilities for far too long, and had to go.
"Riley," Grandpa Murphy said. "Y'know that wee lass Maka? Yer girlfriend?"
"Aye." I said. I had picked up the habit of saying 'aye' instead of 'yes' from Grandpa.
"I'm hearin' weddin' bells in yer future. Don't let 'er go." Grandpa Murphy said.
"Grandpa, isn't eighteen a bit young?" I asked.
"Me and yer grandmodder-god rest 'er soul-got married not a day 'fore seventeen." Grandpa Murphy said. "I c'n tell ye love er, Riley."
"What if we get married and I end up like Dad?" I asked.
"Yer father only failed as a parent 'cause he broke 'is promises. Keep yer promises, like a honorable Irishman. Served me right ev'ry day o' my eighty years."
"What if I made a promise to never hurt myself for someone else?" I asked.
"Ye' should never make that promise." Grandpa Murphy said. "But bein' ye' made that promise, make 'nother one fer yerself. Promise yerself to come back 'nstead. 'Ere." Grandpa Murphy took out a gold locket and a pocket knife. "Carve yer first 'nitial inta here, 's a promise ta' come back."
I carved an R, then noticed the M.
"You carved your own initial, too?" I asked.
"No. It's Maka's." Grandpa Murphy said, and took out a smaller box. "'Ere's two rings. Yer grandmodder's and mine. Ye' should use 'em, bein' that ya' are gonna marry Maka in da' future. I c'n tell. It's was harder 'n hell ta' buy two gold rings when I was broken, but I did it. Bye, Riley. I love ya', and yer sister, and my daughter, yer mother. Give 'em my best."
Those were the last words Grandpa Murphy said as a Death Scythe, because, as soon as he landed on the Emerald Isle, he resigned. I still visited Grandpa every one-and-a-while, and I still wore the golden locket he gave me.
Present day
I walked down the street, wearing a red duster and a red fedora with a big, floppy brim. The afreet behind us began to slither towards us, and, just as it shot forward I jumped, drawing Kylie. Kylie's weapon form changed when she became a Death Scythe, becoming shinier, with a golden hilt.
"You'd think they'd stop attacking people who were all alone in a dark alley." I said, slicing the end of the afreet's tail off. "I mean, this is the only tactic we use." I rolled to the left as the snake tried to take my arm off, and I brought the sword down on its neck, decapitating it. Kylie transformed back to her human form and grabbed the afreet egg.
Kylie ate the soul, licking her lips. "Guess they figure it's not us. Has there been a replacement for Gramps yet?"
"No. If you were my age we could be the Death Scythe of Ireland." I said.
"I'd rather stay with Soul." Kylie shrugged.
"Yeah. I'd rather be with Maka than Ireland, as hypocritical as that sounds." I looked at my duster. "Crap! He destroyed my jacket! I love this one!"
"That's because it makes you look like Alucard." Kylie said.
"Hey, Hellsing is an amazing anime." I said.
"Never said it wasn't." Kylie said. It still amazes me that we like so many of the same things. "What time is it?"
I smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be back in America in time for you to see Soul shirtless at the beach party."
Kylie blushed. "Hey, you're only going to see Maka in a bikini!"
"Never said I wasn't." I chuckled, and Kylie playfully slapped me.
"Do you still have black-blood inside of you?" Kylie asked as we began walking towards my car (Grandpa Murphy had surprisingly large amounts of cash, and he brought me a brand-new red-and-white Mini-Cooper for my eighteenth birthday as consolation when Ma said I couldn't get a four-leaf clover tattoo like I wanted.)
"Yeah. The pills only hold back the black-blood, not get rid of it." I said. "It's like bein' Iron Man or something."
"What?" Kylie asked.
"Oh. Right. You don't read comics." I said, opening the door for Kylie. She got into the backseat and I started the car, driving towards home. Five minutes later, Kylie was asleep and an hour later I carried her to her bedroom at our apartment.
