#90 Broken

Jealous wept as he died for her. Not a surprising fact, but for the knowledge that Shinigami, being creatures of death, are not supposed to be able to weep. They chuckle and cackle and speak in voices like ancient paper, but they do not weep.

Jealous wept. He wept for his own wretched existence. For the fact that not matter how much he gave to that beautiful blonde human, he couldn't stop time turning and changing her life from one of youth and happiness to one of bitter memories.

He wept because she might never know his name, and he wanted so badly to hear her say it, just once, as if hearing her say it would change all that he was. He wouldn't be a rag-doll of bone and rotted flesh, but a handsome creature of polished ivory and feathery creations, like the far higher-ranking shinigami.

He wept because it hurt. He felt pieces of himself falling away even as he scribbled the name of the man who was supposed to kill his beloved Misa. His large, clumsy fingers burst at the seams and covered his notebook in a fine powder that was not rust, and was not dust.

He wept because he had never got up the courage to tell his companion on his vigil, Rem, that he had always found her beautiful.

And just like that, he was gone. Lost in the endless desert the Shinigami called home.

Rem tried to scoop some of the powder that remained into her talon-ish hands. It didn't really work, but she poured what she could gather into the viewing orb, and watched it rain over the world of the mortals. It seemed like something Jealous would want.

Rem wept when her options ran out. She had no idea what was happening until the first teardrop hit her notebook. And then it was a frightening dash to scribble down the two names. She knew it would have to be two, if she left the old man, he would doubtless keep the investigation going and have Misa arrested and killed.

Dear, beautiful little Misa.

Misa who had known she was still there, the few times Rem chose to follow her when the model lost her memory. Misa had known. She'd turned around and asked if anyone was there.

That counted for something, surely?

It hurt. It hurt so badly and Rem knew that if she were any weaker she would have screamed. She had no idea how Jealous had held back his own screams of agony. Her bandages unravelled and spilled fine, twinkling stardust over the metal floor.

It was strange, but all Rem could think of was how much she hated Light Yagami. She knew as she always had that Ryuk had started this whole terrible sequence, but Light Yagami was the one who had manipulated the rules like this. He was the one who was destroying Misa, one little piece at a time. He was going to keep chipping away at her until there was nothing left but a mess of shattered pieces.

When she opened her eyes again, there was a hand being offered to her.

A human hand. At least in shape, it looked as if some enterprising mad scientist had stitched the fingers on. She followed the arm, eyes widening at the large, clumsy stitches that joined pale skin to what looked like leather.

There was a face up there. A handsome young man, somehow still good-looking despite the row of threads that held his face together. He was smiling gently.

He spoke in a voice she knew. "I always said you were beautiful."

Rem looked down at herself, and saw porcelain skin, not bone. Saw a long white robe trimmed with lavender ribbons not large feathery wings.

Saw graceful, gentle hands, like Misa's, not talons.

And it didn't hurt anymore, her insides weren't falling out around her, her heart wasn't in two pieces anymore.

She took Jealous' hand, and followed him.