W-What…was wrong with my heart?! It..It wasn't beating…

I fell to my knees, clutching my chest tightly where my heart was. Pain coursed through me, and breathing became harder and harder.

"What? Did your heart give out?" Samantha laughed at me and made her way over to me. "Pity…"

She raised her foot and kicked my face, hard. Her impact sent me flying, and blood began to drip out of my nose. I couldn't move though, my heart still refusing to beat. My breathing became more and more labored, and everything stung. Tears blurred my vision and made it everything much harder than it was already turning out to be.

"S-Sam…" I choked out, my blood beginning to drip all over my lips and filling my mouth as I tried to breath. "S-Stop…"

"No, way…This is way too much fun…" Samantha pulled me upwards, making me face her. "Alois Trancy, the Queen's weak little spider who has no one to say they love him…"

"T-That's where you're wrong…" I spat out blood and spit at her as I raised my head up, gathering every inch of strength as could. "HANNAH! PHASE TWO!"

As the words escaped my lips, dots of black began circling my vision. It hurt to think, to breathe, to even keep alive. My heart was stopping from shock, and it wasn't going to restart anytime soon.

Samantha let go of me and turned to Hannah, who was approaching fast. I slumped over, too weak to move. Nichole's dead body was too far away from me to crawl to. I'd only die on my way there.

I wiped weakly the blood off my mouth and felt my nose. It was at an awkward angle, and still streaming blood everywhere. My entire body shuttered and my head flopped onto the ground.

I closed my eyes and felt my life tugging away. That's it…I knew the plan was risky, but still. I didn't think my heart would give out…I'm dead…goodbye…

…...

"Brother! Big Brother!"

My eyes flickered open slowly and white surrounded my vision. Everywhere I looked was white.

"H-Huh…?"

"Big Brother! Wake up!"

I was too weak to move, but the more I concentrated, the more things came into focus. Soon the white planet disappeared and I could make out things around me. Was this…the hallway? The place I'd died…?

"Young Master…"

"H-Hannah…?" I stuttered, my throat dry and raspy. My whole body ached like hell and it hurt to speak. The taste of blood was also present in my mouth…

"It's alright…well, you're alright anyway…" She said, brushing the hair out of my eyes. Her expression was upset, so I knew she'd not killed Samantha. Perfect. All according to plan.

"S-Samantha…She ate N-Nichole…" I rasped, weakly grasping the carpet under me. "The plan…it's w-working just like I w-wanted it to…"

"The pain you are suffering says otherwise Master…" Hannah said, her gaze casting over to Nichole's body. Saving you from that state was rather a…risky thing to do. You were dead for a bit…."

"Well, I didn't exactly know my heart would break like that…I guess having a heart break really does h-hurt mentally and physically…" I chuckled, feebly trying to move at least a little. "Those were real tears when she died though…"

"I could tell." Hannah said. She must've seen me trying to get up, because she grabbed me by the waist and lifted me up. I wobbled for a second then regained my footing as she continued. "Anyway, Young Master, Phase Three must be put into action very soon. The small opportunity we have is rather short. We have to move quickly…"

I nodded and took a few steps, regaining my composure. "I feel awful, doing this to Nichole…" I leaned down to her lifeless body and sighed. "But if this is to work, it needs to happen. Samantha is in Hell, correct?"

I got on my knees and held her hand as Hannah talked. It was ghastly cold. "Yes, she is. Claude retreated there as well. I did, however, direct him away from the manor while our little play went on."

"Good job." Putting my hand under Nichole's back and under her knees, I lifted her up and stood up. "I'll put her back in her room. Once we retrieve her soul, we'll put it back in her body. However that works…"

"Trust me, once it happens, it'll be second nature to you…" Hannah said sadly. "Anyway, take her to her room and keep her there. Return here quickly, please."

I nodded and walked to her room, putting her dead weight body (ba dum schh) onto her bed softly. "I'm sorry this happened to you Nichole…I'll set it right, I promise. I didn't want you hurt, but I had to do this…that way, we'd be safe…together." I leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips and made my way back to Hannah. Her lips had been so cold…

"Alright…Phase Three happens now…Let's go." I said, looking at the ground.

"First Master, I have to warn you about mortals going into Hell and attempting to get to go to The Demon Commons…" Hannah said, her voice stern yet calm. "Basically, in Hell, mortals are given a rose. A rose that measures your life. The demons in The Commons are just out to kill everything. They are starving, but the Supreme Power refuses to let them leave. Whatever you do, do not let them take your rose or break some of its petals off."

"So basically in Hell, your given a flower that is your life-line and, somehow, keep it away from demons who are being starved by Satan…that makes sense…" I said, trying to sum it up.

"It seems really weird, but just trust me…" Hannah said, grabbing my hands. "I'll come with you, so I'll protect you…Don't worry, okay?"

"I won't. Why would I?" I asked, closing my eyes and sighing. "Now…? Shall we start…?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I felt another flash of ultimate pain, but like before, the pain was quickly over.

"Master…open your eyes…"

I did so, and had to do a double take. It was dark. Very dark… The only real light came from something in front of me. Above me was a sign. In Latin it wrote "DEMON COMMONS" in bright red blood. Great…that's welcoming.

In my hand was a white rose, with a total of sixteen petals. It was beautiful, yet I knew what it really stood for: my life.

"Master…"

I turned over to where Hannah's voice was coming from to see a gray dove sitting upon my shoulder. It's eyes were the color of Hannah's…so was it…

"Yes, I am Hannah, Master." The dove spoke without moving its mouth, which kinda creeped me out. "In the Demon Commons, every demon takes the form of its respected animal. I am a dove, Sebastian is a raven, Claude and his family are spiders…"

"Wouldn't expect less." I said monstrously. "Anyway, how do we get there?"

The gate in front of you Master." The Hannah-dove said. "Look. You'll have to pass the GateKeeper however."

"GateKeeper…?" I repeated, looking forward to see the light from before. Radiating from that light was a gate, and sure enough, a hooded figure standing in front of it. I could tell it was a girl however, seeing how her body build was. The black hood covered her entire body and half of her face, only showing her nose and mouth. Gray hair hung out from the hood. "What makes her so special?"

"She is a rare thing indeed…" Hannah-dove said, spreading her wings apart a bit. "GateKeeper is the only Grim Reaper-half demon in the world. She has powers beyond compare, so the Supreme Power keeps her here, as a guard. No one really knows who her parents were though…she just appeared one day. She constantly wears that cloak, so we cannot check her left hand for her demon family symbol."

"Perfect." I said sarcastically. "Is GateKeeper her name or her title? And what does she want in order to let us pass?"

"GateKeeper is all we call her; nothing more, nothing less. It has always been that way. Her real name is unknown. She's been guarding since forever really." I could tell just by her tone of voice and way her head bobbed even Hannah was afraid of this girl. "In order to pass? I have no idea. She is rather…unexpectable…most of the time."

"This gets better and better, huh?" I reluctantly started walking to her, fear in my mind. What if she didn't let me pass? She'd have to… Giving Hannah a pat on the back and holding tightly onto my flower I walked right up to the girl.

"Welcome…Earl Alois Trancy…" She said, her tone wavering with every syllable of her words. "GateKeeper thought you'd come…no, GateKeeper KNEW you'd come."

NOT CREEPY. NOPE NOPE NOPE. "Uh…GateKeeper, let me pass! I command you!"

GateKeeper raised her hand to her mouth and chuckled. "Get through eh? You're GateKeeper's first mortal costumer in quite a while you know…And a Demon Master at that…"

Man, she was like something right out of a horror story. "I said, l-let me pass!" Damn it! My voice had cracked in the middle of it, and I didn't seem like that much of a strong hero.

"Hehe!" She chuckled, her smile seeming to grow as she laughed. "Earl Alois Trancy has no idea what he's in for! GateKeeper knows though! GateKeeper knows everything…"

Oh my God, kill me. I honestly wanted to shrivel away from her. "You don't scare me!" I lied, "You're just some creepy girl who refers to herself in 3rd person! Look, just let me pass into the Demon Commons, alright?!"

"Earl Alois Trancy wants to go through the gate." The half demon-half Reaper talked to herself. I felt Hannah twitch and pull on my hair lightly. She was signaling we needed to go. "Well…either give GateKeeper eight petals…or give her a joke!"

Excuse me? Did she really just say that? "A-A joke…?"

GateKeeper raised her head a bit, and for a second I caught sight of her red eyes under her gray bangs. "Y-Yes! GateKeeper cannot eat souls, seeing how she is half Shinigami! Instead she feasts on the jokes of the poor souls who travel here…"

"Make a choice and quick." Hannah-dove whispers. "Time is running out! If I was you, Master, I'd choose joke!"

Except I wasn't exactly that funny… "Uh, okay. I chose to give you a joke!"

"EXCILENT!" She screams, her face brightening. "Do tell ol' GateKeeper! NOW! If I laugh, you pass!"

I stood there, my mind frozen. A good joke? Uh well…Something told me she wasn't looking for a complex joke, merely a short and funny thing. "Uh…"

"ONE TRY!" She yelled, foam bubbling put of her mouth. "One mess up and I send you to the Fields of Punishment!"

OH COME ON! "Okay…" Well…when in doubt…I jumped up, striking my pose and lifted my leg up. "OLE!"

At first GateKeeper didn't react. In fact she looked kind of bored. But the longer I stayed on one leg, the bigger her sadistic smile got. Until finally…

"AHAHAHAHAHHAHHA!"

GateKeeper fell onto the floor, laughing hysterically and kicking her legs around widely.

"Okay….she laughed." Hannah said, her voice sounding slightly still scared. "Can we go now Big Bro-Master…?"

"Wait Hannah." I said soothingly, touching my flower's petals softly. "She might say something helpful…or at least…"

I trailed off and the Demon-Reaper's sleeve moved slightly as she laughed on the floor. It was very quick, and I nearly missed it. But it was there. Sebastian's family crest was burned onto GateKeeper's left hand. So she was related to Sebastian..and a Grim Reaper…

She didn't notice however, and sat up like that all never happened. "So great…Laughs are like my food…So yummy. Earl Alois Trancy's soul smells good too…full of envy, lust…so beautiful…" GateKeeper gathered herself to her feet and motioned me to pass through the gate. "Here you are…"

"Thank you…" I said, walking through it and keeping my gaze far away from her.

"That….That was astounding Master…" Dove-Hannah said, her bird eyes full of pride. "You are truly a clever little devil."

"Thanks" I responded. "But I've yet to be put to the test…Phase Five is up next…"

Officially, this is my favorite chapter in this story. I bet you know who GateKeeper's father is...ehehe. So hope ya all liked this chapter, because I loved writing it. I bet you'll all never see what's coming next...