I'm sorry to say this chapter already starts with a character death... it's necessary... really... sorry?

Arc 1: One Reap at A Time

Chapter 1: Danny's POV

"Danny!"

I turned and swept my dark brown hair out of my eyes and looked at the figure weaving around a few others. In the dim light of the Society Headquarters, I watched as the head of the Reaper Department, William T. Spears, came down the hallway. He was waving a stack of folders. I turned my head a bit and sighed. I was on my way to what would be my officially last Reaping, and then I would… Retire? Be granted eternal bliss? I wasn't sure what would happen when my Application was approved. Not many talked about it.

"Danny! I was calling you all down the hallway," William said, huffing slightly and pushing his glasses up. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Oh, yes, but I was on my way to do my job. Efficiency and all that."

He eyed me coolly and in his equally cold British tone, he replied, "Yes, I do wish others had your focus. However, this is urgent."

"Okay," I said and turned to face him a bit more. I fished out my pocket watch and clicked it open. I felt the cold eyes of the Department Head on me. I lifted my eyes to meet his gaze. "Just checking to make sure I'm on time."

William pulled his lips tight and I suppressed a giggle. I don't giggle in public, but I do love laughing over the scenes when I am alone. "Danny," he started, as he calmed himself. "Your papers have been approved, and I am going to send another Reaper to deliver them. But, this Demon investigation…" he paused and shoved his glasses up again. "I really do urge you to reconsider –"

"I have thought about it. And I love doing the espionage killing stuff for the past years. It's just time to, well," I shrugged, "move on."

"Move on," William muttered. His gaze shifted for a moment and then refocused on me. "This last Reap and maybe close this case?"

I shook my head. "This last Reap and give that to Albertine. I've trained him to comb through the records. It will be like I never left," I said, smiling.

"Yes… well… if you find anything," he said after a while.

I narrowed my eyes and met his sharp gaze. "What the hell do you mean 'find anything?' It's a standard Reap," I said, pulling my leather bound book from my vest pocket. I pulled the silver pen out of the hole that held it closed and flipped to the page. "'House Steward of the Phantomhive Household, Tanaka,'" I read. I looked up and closed the book. "Standard."

"Phantomhive," William muttered and turned away for a moment. "Well, like I said, if you change your mind and wish to remain a Reaper in the Department, I'll make sure to stop your paperwork."

I chuckled and turned back the way I was walking. "Don't hold your breath, William. I'm serious, I am ready to move on."

William simply gave me a slight wave and head nod, which I watched over my shoulder as I shook my head and slide my book into my pocket and continued to the door.

As I stepped through the threshold I found myself standing on the lawns of an immaculate garden with several impressive statues around me. The cool marble figures were a contrast to the delicate roses that were closing for the day as the sun sank lower. I stepped out, closed the door, and the Portal between the Society and Human world disappeared. The cool breeze rustled my short hair and I took off to the home. A shiver went through me; the Reap was in the house. I set off down the gravel lane and listened to the crunch under my feet, taking me temporarily back to another time, in my Human life, when the same sound, the same movement, was also moving me toward death. I paused and shook my head; my Human years were coming faster back to me and had made my job sometimes a bit difficult.

"Out of your head, Danny," I scolded myself. "One last job. Then you can… well think all you want."

I continued on, and passed the wide windows, the soft glow of lights flowing into the quickly approaching night. I passed through the door since the physicality of any Human structure didn't really affect us Reapers when we were on our Assignments. As I walked through the dining room, I heard voices and paused, looking around the doorframe. I frowned at myself for my sneaking around. I could walk beside the figures and none would know I am there.

"You should go out, Baldroy. Go, let me take care of the glasses. The young should not be kept from their lives," one of the men said. He turned and I knew it was my Reap, Tanaka.

"It's okay, she can wait a little longer," the other man - Baldroy - replied as he polished the glass. I raised an eyebrow. An American accent among all the British ones? I looked at the other man for a moment longer and smiled; a fellow countryman.

Tanaka lifted the glass from the man's grasp and smiled. "Go. You have dancing to catch up on. I can do this."

Baldroy smiled and turned and then frowned. "The Master… he seems a bit, well, preoccupied than normal, ya?"

"Well, they do have a vibrant 8 year old on their hands now." Tanaka paused and put the cloth on the rack and turned, smiling. "I think he has made Mister Sebastian clean up the library twice as many times as Mey-Rin has," he laughed. Bard tried to frown and then joined in.

"Vincent is certainly at that stage of getting into everything. I think this latest 'break' from school may not be so short," he added, shaking his head. "Ah, no worries, we will take care of the young Master. Straighten him up, nice and sharp."

They parted and as Baldroy passed me, I thought about the sudden warmth that was in the room. Tanaka finished pouring a cup of tea and walked toward the hallway, sighing and groaning as he walked up the stairs. I followed him, silently and watched. I enjoyed Reaping the old Humans, a good life was lived and memories were made. If nothing else, their Records were usually interesting to watch.

"Ah, I am getting too old for those stairs," Tanaka said. He turned and seemed to look where I was standing, but I looked down and realized I was near the stairs. "And a good cup of tea to boot, ah a good end to a lovely day."

He moved through his routine, and I checked my watch once more; a few more rounds of the minute hand and I would be done. I listened to the simply Human sounds: he was removing his clothes, and putting on night ones, was sipping his tea, and sitting on the bed, a rustling of blankets and I heard him sigh, snap off the side lamp, and begin the descent into sleep. I smiled, his last nightly routine was done.

I moved through to the room and pulled my notebook out once more, flipping to the page, looking at the photo and twirled my pen, I noted the time and began my ritual of my Reaps. I twirled my pen between my fingers and held it between my thumb and index and pushed a small, hidden button, and watched as the Death Scythe descended from the back, and shot out from the front.

"I always knew an Angel would come in the last moments."

Startled I looked down and saw in the darkness as Tanaka was looking at me. I gasped a bit. Oh no, not one who could see Death, the paperwork would be long if this was in the Records.

"An Angel from Heaven, must be. You are too beautiful to be from below," he added as he softly smiled. He closed his eyes and gave a small nod. "I'm ready."

"I… I, oh, you have lived a good life," I said quietly and tilted my blade down toward his chest. There was a spark as it met his body and I rhythmically tapped on his chest, the Scythe producing his heartbeat now. I slowed it down, and saw his eyes flutter, and then I stopped tapping, his body stopping, his last breath escaping, and the slow unfurling of his Record began.

I twirled my Scythe once more, and retracted it back to a pen, and placed it in the book and grabbed on to the Record. It wasn't something I had to watch, all the normal, daily bits, so I skimmed. His younger years, bright and smiling, his teenage years, already standing beside a young boy, then smiling at the boy who was a man, dressed in fine clothes, a woman - his bride - smiling as well. I almost let the Record go, until I saw flames, and I pulled the Record closer and slowed it down. Flames, from a house, screams, bodies - the same man and woman - and then blackness. I fast forwarded through some other parts, and then something made me almost drop the Record.

The blinding bright spot in the Record that meant there was a Demon in his memory. I glanced at the lifeless body; did he know he was near a Demon? I looked closer at the memory and focused, the sounds slowly coming from the distance and then became clearer.

"Ciel! You are alive! And who is this?"

"This is Sebastian, my Butler."

I let the Record go for a second and then grabbed it again, slowing it down. This time it was a memory of three other Humans, in the garden, the same bright spot standing beside a slightly older boy - Ciel was it? I continued, and the bright spot was in the major memories. The Demon seemed to be the center of much of the life of the Phantomhive family. I pursed my lips; the constant Demon in the mists meant more than a casual acquaintance, an accidental meeting. This Demon lived here.

"Damn it. A Demon," I muttered again. I stopped the Record and narrowed my eyes - they had met the other Reapers at one point. And Tanaka had seen it. I glared at the figure in the middle of the scene. "God damn it William T. Spears! You bloody knew this was here!"

I could practically hear his laughter as I let the Record go. "Damn paperwork. 'I'll make sure to stop your paperwork,'" I said, mocking the Department Head. "One last Reap means one last investigation. And one last anything doesn't happen in the Society." I stared at the body below me and sighed. "Not your fault, but I don't like you as much now."

I turned and walked out, the cooler air and bright stars not dimming my anger as I walked to the same spot I had come out of, and yanked the door open.

"Find anything -"

I reared back and punched William square in the face, satisfied that there was a good splash of blood that ran from his nose.

"Don't you dare talk to me, Spears." I walked down the hall and the other Reapers slowly slinked back into the shadows.