A/N: After thinking about death for a little while, this idea suddenly sprung to mind. Do note however, that there may be some mildly disturbing content here. Please enjoy.

Rain.

It was the first thing that registered in my mind, the first stimuli that made me react.

Pitter patter went the rain, its small yet steady torrent of droplets falling over the area that I had woken up in.

But there was no drowsiness, no yawning, no early morning rituals which had become commonplace to myself.

In the darkness that were my closed eyes, the rain continued to fall, as I simply lay upon the ground, resting under the cover of rain that continued to douse the area.

It was peaceful, to simply lay on the ground, enjoying the simple comforts of a light rain and no sunlight to speak of, to enjoy what little nature I could before waking up to whatever was around me, whether it be my room or a battlefield, and perhaps neither of them.

A soft rhythm of footsteps sounded into my ears, as as a voice teased, "Well then, it looks like someone likes their relaxation."

Loud, cheerful, and overly enthusiastic, I could tell that whoever the sweet voice belonged to was indeed a character befitting of all three traits, same as her voice.

My eyes fluttered open at last, to finally analyze my settings.

Massive rainclouds of grey filled the sky in numbers too great to count, as several rock formations rested among the treeline residing but a few steps away. I can hear the calming flow of a river nearby, as it soothes my mind with past memories of afternoons spent resting near rivers. A massive mountain nearby towered above us, too far to make out any details.

And on one of the nearby rocks, sat a young woman, sharpening her enormous scythe with a wispy ripple at its end, the fearsome farm tool turned weapon automatically making me realize where I was.

"I'm dead, right?" My voice moves of its own violation, before I reign in my impulses while the young woman looks cheerfully at me with a grin.

She says, "Yep! Dead as a fairy caught in a Spell Card Duel."

I slowly stand up, stretching as I do so to remove the chink in my shoulder, only to realize that it was muscle memory, as my physical body no longer functioned. Instead, my body was a wispy, ethereal form, much like the ghosts of childhood stories.

Satisfied that I still had all of my bodily functions working properly, I turn around only to see the beaming, joyful face of the woman once again, as I cocked my head in confusion.

Her hand was stuck out for a handshake as she announced, "By the way, I'm Komachi Onozuka, pleased to meet'cha!"

I shook her hand, and felt a strange sensation at the feel of her hand, warmth and cold mixing together in a blend of comfort as I pulled my hand away and glanced around once more at the surrounding area.

Much like before, rock formations lay scattered amongst the area, many of them in the flowing river that we stood next to. Upon closer inspection, the water was a wondrous black, pure in its shade and untainted by nothing else. Despite its look of water, it was surely something else entirely.

Reaching a hand out to perhaps caress the water lightly, Komachi says, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Course, since I'm not you, I can't stop you, but it's the thought that counts right?"

Her explanation left a smile on my lips as I asked while standing up, leaving the water's surface undisturbed, "Why not?"

Shink. Shink.

Continuing to sharpen her scythe, my ears thoroughly enjoying the melodic scrapes, Komachi replied, "Well, I should probably start at the beginning, but take a seat on my boat, the Titanic."

A rowboat sat snugly against the riverbed, a plain black matte finish with its own set of oars, still left inside and unused. Various knicknacks sat in the boat, ranging from whetstones to...

"Firearms? What on earth were firearms doing in a boat?" I thought to myself briefly.

Shaking those thoughts off, I asked before stepping in, "Don't I need to pay a toll fee? This is the Sanzu River, right?"

With wide eyes and a grin on her lips, Komachi laughed while saying, "Sharp and educated, not to mention open minded. I like you."

Bowing my head slightly, I responded, "Thank you."

With a twirl of her scythe and a short hop into her boat while still standing, she said, "Your fee's already been paid for, since I collect when you first show up. Now come on."

Stepping in with one foot, before swiftly bringing my other in while we pushed off, we began our journey down the Sanzu River...

Massive rocks jutted out of the river, as the overhead clouds remained the same as ever, gloomy and dark. A thick fog had descended over the area, neither cold nor warm in its temperature. Slick black water rushed past, both from Komachi's scythe and my rowing.

I had offered to help her out when I noticed the oars, and she happily accepted, complaining about the distances needed to traverse the entirety of the river, as I laughed, a deep, baritone chuckle that wouldn't have been out of place with military troops.

As we rowed for a bit, Komachi turned around and said, "Let's take a break."

I responded, "Sure."

Though I felt no exhaustion, and suspected that Komachi didn't either, I acquiesced to her request, locking in my oars as she sat down, letting out a sigh of relief.

She began speaking, "Thanks. Now I'm sure that you have plenty of questions, but I'll explain what's going on first."

Her hands gestured to the area around her, as she said, "First off, as you already realized, you're dead."

As she stretched a bit and let out a relaxed sigh, I couldn't help but smile and say, "Cute."

As soon as she heard me, a blush formed on her face, ears tinged red in embarrassment as she muttered, "I'm not cute..."

I laugh a bit, and once we're calm, she continues, "You died somewhere in Japan, since you showed up at the Sanzu River as opposed to one of the other places, like the River of Styx, or the Chinese Passages."

Pondering the information briefly, I asked, "Do all souls head to the same location?"

A waggle of her finger and a wink answered me as Komachi responded, "Now, now, how do you think a single judge would be able to handle so many deceased? Each region of the world is sectioned off into several different jurisdictions. For Japan, we have the Sanzu River, and I'm the ferrywoman, whereas my boss is the High Judge."

"Who is your boss?" I asked, curiosity overcoming me.

Komachi happily replied as the river gently led us on, "That'd be Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu."

A brief silence resided but for a moment, until I said, "Do you mind if I talk about my life? I feel like before I'm judged that I should at least spill my guts to someone, and you're pleasant company."

Laughter came from Komachi, who said between laughs, "Not at all! I love hearing about the lives of different people. Go ahead."

As we both settled into various positions of rest, I began my tale.

"I was born on October 30th, 1998, born into a upper middle class family, with quite the strange makeup. We had my parents, my grandmother, and 3 older sisters. Growing up in such an environment, I became slightly feminist, learning to enjoy more gentle hobbies, such as cooking and cleaning, but also of more violent ones, fighting, shooting, so on and so forth. On and on, I bonded with my family, but not in a good way..."

I took a deep breath as Komachi continued to watch me, her eyes betraying no emotions, but a kind and patient listener.

I continued.

"Our family was always different. At first I never noticed it, but we were always the odd ones out, the ones who tried to be normal but couldn't, the ones who were backwards in both thinking and morals yet pushed ourselves to be normal. My parents always drilled into us that we had to become normal, simple citizens, not wanting us to pursue dreams of greater and higher things, or more dangerous and daring lines of work. All they wanted to just go through life successfully, unwanting of us becoming more than a cog in the machine that is normality. And it was that forced ideal that caused much of my depression early on in life."

"Go on." She gently nudged, encouraging me to continue my tale.

"Throughout the childhood, I can't claim to be subject to the horrors of the world, living a rather spoiled life to be honest. I did what I could to help, always enthusiastic about helping others, something that remained in my morals even into adulthood, but ultimately failing in what my parents wanted. For them, normality was the only thing they wanted. Good grades, plenty of friends, no random or disturbing behavior, no nothing out of the ordinary. They wanted to eradicate any sense of strangeness in their children, especially me. Unfortunately... We were anything but normal. But when has that mattered in the eyes of others?"

I laughed, a maddening, yet also humor filled laugh, both painful and hilarious memories playing out in my mind's eye.

"My sisters... so good in academics, so many friends, such good work ethics and what wonderful daughters they were. They were but a public face against what happened at home. We are dysfunctional, when you take into account that our parents do nothing but argue, sisters conflict regularly over the most mundane things, how life is simply strange, incomprehensible in its nature."

"Myself... I am a terrible child. Not smart, not strong, not social, I could fulfill none of the expectations society demanded of us. Where they asked for grades, I played video games. Where they asked for horror at terrible events, I showed a calculating, analytical mind, accepting the horror with little fuss as others watched me in terror. They demanded normality, and they received insanity. For most of my childhood, my conflicting wants, my subjective desires constantly fought against one another, unrelenting in its battle for dominance in my mind. And through all of that, I continued to attempt to live life, as others wanted it. But what did I have, when I grew up? How did I live to the ripe age of 76? I brought with me into adulthood..."

A small smile, tinged with regret yet happiness could be seen on my lips, as Komachi continued to listen, her emotions never changing, her expression unfaltering.

"A naive, absolutely ruthless assassin."

I sighed, my memories playing out in my mind, too vivid were they to be forgotten so easily

"My mental state a wreck, I entered a military academy, in hops of pursuing my dream of becoming a soldier, despite the protests I recieved from my family. For 2 years I lived in the military, constantly improving myself, continuing to become stronger in hopes of pursuing my dream to reach the top of the military command. I rose through the ranks, my calculating mind able to execute missions with maximum efficiency, my natural gift for tactics allowing us to escape hazardous situations with minimal casualties, my drive to kill defeating many and inspiring others to join me. All this time, my mind was still a mess, as I engaged in the few hobbies that I still had. I was a writer, imagining fantastic worlds and creating new universes from different media, mainly anime and games.

Two years after I joined the military, World War III broke out. It was here that I reached my prime."

My eyes closed as I kept speaking.

"Previous connections and my rank as a Colonel allowed me to become something that I had dreamt about for so long, but never found realistic. To create a Private Military Company, small in size, but of the highest caliber in the world. Able to kill anyone without hesitation, to revel in war as a business, to become the shadows hired by only the best. It was here that the new wave of cybernetics had came into being, as I allowed mechanics, all of them friends to me, to modify me to the greatest extent possible. It worked, and I was a mix of organic flesh and a mechanic carapace.

For the next 50 years, I fought, recruited, and trained the greatest elite force in the world. All throughout the time, my mind continued to deteriorate, and for once, I was happy. Happy that insanity had won out against the normality of the world, that I became something other than another cog in the machine. Instead, I became both a supporting beam and a hammer, both sporting the world and destroying it. Through another 2 world wars and many conflicts, we became the shadows of the world, the boogeymen sent to kill both governments and rebels, assassins and targets, presidents and terrorist leaders. And it was those 50 years later, that I met my untimely end to two people. No... people is the wrong word. They were a demon and an angel, their power overwhelming my squad and an entire UN Army Group and thus bringing an end to the Alpha Squadron of my PMC."

I opened my eyes, to see Komachi staring at me, with wonder in her eyes, as I said, "That's everything. Even though my life was cut short, I mattered, and made my mark on history."

Komachi leaned back as she said, "You had an interesting life for sure. But you're content now? Even though your life was cut short?"

"Well..."

A bump interrupted my answer, as Komachi stood up, and with a stretch offered a hand to me while saying, "We're here. Lady Shiki's waiting for you."

As we stepped off the boat, Komachi led me inside the structure that we had entered, as the sight of a massive courtroom met my eyes.

The central area was blank, not a single object residing within, as to my front, a voice spoke out.

"Please stand in the middle, soul."

Authority rolled off the voice in droves, its power compelling me to follow its instructions as I performed them.

I looked up to meet the eyes of my judge.

Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu.

Komachi stood to the side as one of Eiki's hands rested on the Cleansed Crystal Mirror. Eiki spoke out after a moment, "You have sinned much soul. Countless lives have been taken both by your hand and word, much of your life has been spent in warfare, and your morals have become corrupted beyond belief. What say you?"

A grin appeared on my face, as I responded simply, "I accept my death. Now that I have died, I can accept whatever will happen, regardless of its outcome. Do as you will with my soul, for I shall accept whatever it that you choose."

A crease appeared in Eiki's forehead as she muttered, "So you will choose subservience then..? Very well."

The Rod of Remorse struck the table Eiki sat at, as she ordained, "[REDACTED], for the many sins that you have committed in your life, I sentence you to the Yama's Blade Program."

A jump of surprise came from Komachi as she yelped, "Lady Shiki, are you sure? Do they really look like they-"

She was interrupted, "Yes Komachi. They shall undertake the course. Explain it to them."

My head swiveled to Komachi as she sighed and said, "Wow, it sucks to be you kid. I thought that you would have been sent to Hell, but to drafted into the Yama's Blade Program... Yeesh."

I ask, "What does it entail?"

Komachi starts, trepidation in her voice, "Well, your death has been either postponed or nullified entirely, and you'll become a Yama's Blade, sent to undertake all sorts of tasks, may they be grocery shopping or killing a Youkai army. The only issue is that... nearly an exact 100% are either killed or too injured to continue. There's no quitting, and finishing it is nearly impossible..."

"Is that so..?" I say, before turning back to Eiki.

"If that is your wish, it shall be done Lady Shiki." I bow deeply, showing the utmost respect for the judge.

Her gaze unwavering and unforgiving, she replies mildly, "You'll change your tune when you begin the course."

I smile, yet speak not a word.

Eiki turns to Komachi and orders, "Komachi, bring them to the starting grounds for the program."

As we take our leave towards another door that appeared on the other side, I turn slightly and maintain my smile and say, "Perhaps, perhaps not."

The doors close behind us, as I can almost hear the judge speaking,

"Then I wish you luck, soul..."