Dead Wolf

Akita's sleek black fur shivered in the cold night as white snow began to fall. Her burning red eyes were emotionless and empty. However, there was something about her that seemed… triumphant. She suddenly began laughing, throwing her head back and letting out a savage howl of laughter.

"I won!" she yelled. "Haha! I killed Haru! I—!"

She stopped suddenly, drawing her head back down, her chest contracting on itself. She took a step away from Haru and coughed violently. Blood and green liquid poured from her mouth. She stared at the pool of blood and poison in shock before looking back at Haru.

"You fell for it," Haru whispered quietly. She was hardly able to talk; her wounds were so severe. "The blood flowing through my veins… is poisoned."

"The apple," Sebastian realized. "She poisoned herself."

"Such a noble sacrifice," Claude whispered, putting his hand up to hold his glasses to hide the tears that began to drip from his eyes.

"No," Ciel thought.

Akita shook her head from side to side, trying to clear her blurring vision. A burning pain began to flare in her stomach. She stumbled around for a bit.

"No!" she coughed. "I'm supposed to be a god! You can't do this to me…."

"The thing about being god," Haru whispered. "Is that you get to see paradise one day. That's what you want."

She lifted her hand weakly and pointed down the road. Akita turned her head. It was just burned rubble from a destroyed home, but the poison made her hallucinate. She saw an endless, beautifully blue ocean and a figure waiting for her.

"Sister!" she cried in joy, staggering toward the figure that wasn't really there. "You've returned. Ever since that wolf killed you from that wretched disease, I've been trying to find you ever since. I did it, sis, I avenged you. Aren't you happy, sister?"

"No," the sister replied, her long black hair billowing in the wind. Akita froze, shocked to hear that.

"But I did what I was meant to do!" Akita barked. "What about you? You didn't even get to live before you died! You're supposed to be happy to see me1 this isn't how it's supposed to be! No! Sister, don't leave me! No!"

With a single howl of pain and despair, the she-wolf stepped into the flame and her body burned to nothing but ashes. The others stared at the fire where she disappeared.

"I can't help but feel sorry for her," Timber said.

"She just wanted her sister back," Thompson agreed.

"But it's too late now," Hannah cut in. She rushed to Haru, as the others already had.

"Haru!" Ciel cried. "Sebastian!"

"I'm sorry, master," Sebastian apologized. "But there are things even demons can't do."

There was silence for a moment, the only thing heard being Haru's heavy breathing.

"Do you think we should say something?" Timber whispered to his two companions.

"It would be rude not to," Thompson added.

"Why not?" Canterbury agreed. The three of them put their hands over their mouths and brought them down again.

"Miss Haru, are you okay?" Timber asked politely.

Haru's eyes widened and she turned her head to look at them. She smiled softly.

"You're talking to me," she whispered.

"We're doing it so you don't have to," Canterbury explained.

"You shouldn't talk like this," Thompson told her.

Haru grinned softly, a small tear forming at the corner of her eye. Her gaze was getting hazier and hazier as the poison in her body began to consume her flesh.

"Are you in pain?" Timber asked.

"No," Haru replied. He couldn't tell if she was lying or not. "It doesn't hurt much… dying… around those you love. I'm okay."

"Don't talk like that!" Thompson scolded. "Don't you care? Life sucks. This isn't fair that you had to sacrifice yourself. And for what? This rotten world isn't worth it."

"Is it bad to love the world anyway?" Haru asked. "I guess I hate the world as a whole, but I love it's people as individuals."

"You keep saying stuff like that," Canterbury sighed. He reached forward, brushing some stray hair out of her face.

"But that's why you like me, isn't it?"

"Haru," Hannah spoke up, holding Haru's head straight. "Listen to me, you're kind and you're noble, but you can't die yet! We still need you. The boys need you." She glanced at the triplets with a sad expression on her face. "Please, Haru."

"A god can heal," Haru sniffled. "But to heal herself—that's so selfish. I'd rather die a nice death now, with you."

"But… I…" Canterbury mumbled under his breath. "We still…"

Meanwhile, at the Reaper Society, all the shinigami were in tears. Except Undertaker, who was laughing. Will and Grell glared at him.

"What are you laughing about?" Grell demanded, blowing his nose.

"I merely said she would die," he chuckled. "But not that she would stop living."

"We can still save you," Canterbury said.

"Why would you want to do that for me?"

"It doesn't matter," Thompson shook his head. "But you won't have to do any of that dumb heroic stuff anymore. You can just live in the middle of nowhere without a care in the world."

"Really?" she asked. She smiled again. "I'd like that."

"But you probably won't get to live at the Reaper Society anymore," Timber warned her.

"It'll be worth it… if I can be with you three."

"What are you three talking about?" Alois demanded.

"Alois, we think you're a brat," Thompson stated.

"And we're not going to serve you at your mansion anymore," Timber added.

"We're going to turn Haru into a demon and stay with her," Canterbury concluded.

"Fine. Go. I don't care anyway," Alois sniffed. He was glad to be rid of them. Deep down, he just hoped they'd take good care of Haru. He knew how difficult demons could be.

Haru's vision blurred. She couldn't see anyone anymore. Just the beautiful snow. Snow was so pretty. Then everything went black.

"Miss Haru?"

"Miss Haru?"

"It's time to wake up."

Haru opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying in a lush green field; no villages could be seen for miles. She saw Timber, Thompson, and Canterbury sitting in a semicircle around her. They smiled amongst themselves silently.

"Miss Haru, do you feel alright?" Canterbury asked. Haru smiled.

"Where are we?" she asked. "It's so beautiful here!"

"We are…" Timber trailed off, not quite sure how to put it.

"In hell," Thompson concluded.

"You're one of us now, Haru," Canterbury smiled at her, putting a flower in her hair.

"A demon," Thompson explained, putting another flower in the opposite side of her hair.

"You can live forever now," Timber stated, putting the cute stuffed rabbit in her arms.

"With us."

Haru smiled. Although there was this emptiness in her chest, she was happy. She stayed there forever in hell with the three of them, everyday passing on as the last, and as the next. Haru was happy to know she didn't have to hurt anybody again, and she was around people that loved her. It was a few years—or maybe it was only a few days—later that Haru could visit Ciel and Sebastian. They were here too.

Alois never came to see them, but Hannah did. The triplets were always happy to see her again; no matter how long eternity was, they could never forget her.

The Reaper society wasn't very different from before, but it wasn't exactly the same either. Everyone carried on with their duties with light hearts.

"I'm surprised this place isn't completely dead," Grell sighed. He was slacking off in the hallway again, watching the other reapers pass by. "It's so boring here without Haruka."

"Get back to work," Will nagged. "You're a grown man. Get over it."

"How could you say something so cruel?!" Grell demanded. "Don't you care that we can never see Haru again? I know you loved her as much as I did!"

"Shut up!" Will snapped angrily.

"You two keep bickering," Undertaker sighed. "Honestly, even Sebastian and Claude got over their animosity towards each other. But nothing fazes you two, I see."

"Why are you here?" Grell asked. "Are you bored now with Ciel living in Hell with the others?"

"Not really," the other admitted. "Just thought I'd come back and return a few things Haruka had checked out and never returned."

"She's just as irresponsible as you!" Will yelled.

"Perhaps," Undertaker mumbled.

"By the way, you were the closest to Haruka, right?" Grell asked. "Why aren't you sad about her demise at least?"

"There's no need to be sad about it," Will interrupted. Grell growled through his teeth.

"He's right, you know," Undertaker replied. "Haru's still happy where she is. She's finally found someone who makes her happy. Besides, this place isn't dead yet; I don't think it will be for a long time. Haru wouldn't want us to be sad for her loss; she's inspirational, isn't she?"

"I guess so," Grell sighed.

"By the way," Will stated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Grell, you get Haru's entire quota for the next three hundred years."

"WHAT?!"