The pounding of a hammer on an anvil reverberated across the clearing. Shinji walked steadily towards the workshop the noise was coming from, finding Ritsuko hard at work at her forge. She seemed locked in on what she was working on, a pair of blades for Misato if he wasn't too mistaken. They didn't look like much now, but soon they would be a pair of death dealing blades of exquisite quality.

She was about to strike again but noticed she was being watched. She let the hammer rest on the anvil and quenched the blade she was working on.

"What is it, Master," she asked without ceremony.

"You need to take time away from the forge." It wasn't a suggestion.

"No," the forge mistress replied immediately.

"You haven't taken any time to grieve… it's barely been three hours since the funeral…"

"I don't care. If I become idle, I'll just succumb to depression and grief, and I can't do that when all hell is breaking loose again." She pulled the blade from the water with a pair of tongs. "As long as I stay busy, I can keep working."

"This isn't healthy," Shinji protested. "You're going to fall apart at this rate."

"Then let me fall apart!" she snapped. "Maya was my world, my everything! Without her, all I have is the forge…" Tears slipped, and she made a frustrated cry before dropping the unfinished blade and tongs, turning away from Shinji. "I should have spent less time here and more time with her… now this is all I have left."

Shinji walked up to her and held her from behind. Ritsuko tried to pull away and fought a little at first but relented after not much further fuss. She turned in his embrace and clung to him, the dam holding back the flood of her emotions finally breaking.

"Gods!" she cried out as she lost all strength in her legs. Shinji sank down with her still holding her close to him. "Why?! Why did she do that?!" Shinji could only hold her and let her cry and scream her heart out…

This was this third time today she did… Shinji knew he would lose count before this was over…

V: O Death

Once Maya was close enough to feel the thread of coldness within her dissipate, she slowed her movement. It was easier to hide from Death this way, since flying would easily reveal her location to him if he was anywhere nearby. The route she took to get back took her through what appeared to be a town, of course the level of decay everything had in this world made it difficult to tell exactly what was supposed to be here.

Coming across the town well, she looked about, seeing shadows of people nearly frozen in time. It brought an eerie feeling in her, knowing how slow time passed in the real world. The town looked a little on the primitive side to her, but she remembered that since the Angel Wars, some people seem to have taken to a simpler lifestyle away from the cities. It surprised her that room even existed for a town like this, but the world's population was drastically reduced because of the War.

"And the impact," she reminded herself. That part still weirded her out… knowing that Third Impact actually happened to some extent, but no one remembers it. The world was changed on a fundamental level… and it's been slowly but surely turning to nightmare. If she managed to make it out of this hellscape of an afterlife, she'd actually have some power she could contribute to the cause… it wasn't much, but it was something… certainly more than she had before she arrived. But this assumed that her reward for winning was to go back to reality… For all she knew, her next stop after she beat Death at his own game was whatever counted as heaven… or hell.

Sighing, heavily, she started walking towards the outskirts when something caught her attention. One of the houses on the outskirts of town had a field of energy around it that stood out… it looked like a cloud of green mist… a similar shade as the energy she received from Ritsuko. Curious she walked towards the mist, reaching into the cloud and feeling a warm energy inside. Without any measure of fear, she entered the cloud…

Maya found herself in the sun for the first time in what felt like months. Inside the field she saw the house as it was in life. The sun shown prominently in the sky, clouds lazily drifting across a pale blue sky. Approaching the house, she saw the simple decorations, the low fence, more for show than any other reason. There was a garage attached, but no car seemed to be in the driveway. Behind the house was farmland and a few animals grazing in the field.

She walked up to the door and knocked. Getting no response, she tried the door and found it wasn't locked. Maya entered the house, finding a girl, appearing to be about nine years old, dressed in a simple night gown siting at a table with a glass of juice and a plate with some fruit on it. Her black hair was cut in a shrine maiden style, and her dark eyes examined Maya for a few moments, before a gentle smile covered her face.

"Hello," she greeted. Maya instantly knew the girl's name without ever having to ask.

"Good morning Yumi-chan," Maya replied. "How are you today?"

"Ok I guess?" she admitted with a slightly questioning tone. "I woke up this morning feeling a little better, so I figured I'd get some food. My parents seem to be out right now, so I had to do it myself. Mom usually insists on cutting the fruit for me." She giggled sweetly. "I swear, she never trusts me with knives."

Maya pulled out the chair at the end of the counter and sat down. "She's just looking out for you, you know."

"I know… I just wish… wish she'd trust me a little more is all."

Maya looked over towards the stove noting it was nearly 2:30 in the afternoon. "So, you just spend all day in your nightgown, Yumi-chan?"

"Only since recently. Not much I can really do, so no sense in not being comfortable." A thought seems to reach her. "Hey, want to see my latest work?"

"I'd like that," Maya cheerfully agreed.

The girl smiled and slipped over the chair, walking towards her room. Maya followed.

Maya was taken back a bit by what she found there. There were several sculptures, all made of clay, and all of them were amazingly detailed. There was a horse, rearing on hits back legs, and devoid of any rider or riding equipment. Another was a girl, looking like a cheerleader, with details so good, if properly painted it could be very realistic indeed. Nearby a Shiba Inu and three puppies cuddled together.

"This is it," Yumi proudly proclaimed. "My best work yet, and it's almost done!"

Maya's heart beat with joy. It was a sculpture of Yumi herself, standing with her parents. Though the details weren't quite finished yet, Maya knew just by looking at it, that it would become her best.

"Amazing! You're so talented!"

Yumi beamed a smile to Maya, bowing graciously for the comment. "I can't wait until it's done."

"Forgive my memory loss, but how long have you been sculpting?"

Yumi seemed to consider the question. "Mom told me once that I was playing with children's clay since I was in kindergarten… But I really started getting into it by my second year of school." She looked sadden all of a sudden. "But I haven't been to school since I took ill."

"You miss it terribly, don't you."

Yumi looked at Maya, her smile still not abating. "Of course! I love my friends, even the ones who don't like me. They're just not ready to be my friends yet. When I show them what I can do with my art, I think they'll come around."

Maya chuckled lightly. "Most likely."

Yumi looked outside the window into the field beyond where the family cow was busy munching away at grass. Maya stood behind her looking at the same scene.

"Do you know where my parents went off to?"

Maya put a hand on her shoulder. "No. Have they been gone a while?"

"It really feels like it's been a long time."

Yumi began to walk out of the room, Maya followed her back into the main area, then took note of the time on the clock. She was just about to ask the girl when she woke up when she noted something wrong.

The clock was still showing that it was nearly 2:30. None of the hands had moved at all since she last looked at it.

"Time isn't passing in here at all…"

"Strange," Yumi whispered, audible enough for Maya to hear. "I thought it was later than this."

"Yumi?" The girl turned her attention to Maya again. "I'd like to see you finish your sculpture."

"You want to watch me work?" she asked.

"Absolutely! I want to see the genius at play."

Yumi's smile got bigger. "Okay!"

Maya watched the girl as she continued to shape the sculpture, using tools to carve away bits to make details like the eyes and hair. She was completely wrapped up in her work…

"This child is dead," Maya thought to herself. "Yumi?"

"Yes, Maya?"

"What did you catch? I mean, I was told you took ill but I don't remember what it was."

"Oh… Mommy and Daddy didn't tell me, but I heard the doctor mention it while I was in the other room. He called it Impact Sickness. I didn't hear much more than that."

Maya's heart sank… Impact sickness was a rare malady that affected very young children, all of who were born after the Second Impact. Contracted at an early age, it was progressive… and unstoppable. Often only showing the first symptoms either in pre-teen or early teenage years, sometimes as young as seven and never older than 15. It had few symptoms; fever, aches, chills, and weakness. But there was no cure, and by the time symptoms showed themselves, it was already too late to treat it to prolong life. This town was very simple in its ways, and Maya noted there were no TVs or computers anywhere… They had no way to know about the sickness here in this town, no warning… and little Yumi had become a victim of it.

Working away happily at her statue, she had no idea she had already left the world of the living… no wonder the clock wasn't moving… time wasn't passing here. Maya stood up, walking towards the window. The cow that was outside wasn't moving anymore, the clouds were also frozen in time… grass bent as if caught in a wind.

"Done!" Yumi declared. Maya turned back and looked at the sculpture, and indeed saw it was perfect. A loving family of three forever immortalized in clay… a family that would now be down to two.

"It's perfect," Maya sadly agreed.

"Maya? Is… is something…" she didn't finish the question. She saw her wall clock in her room… and despite spending a further few hours finishing up her sculpture, the clock still said it was just shy of 2:30. She walked towards her window, Maya stood by silently, not even turning to face the child but knew what was going to happen next.

"Nothing is moving…" Yumi noted. "It… it should be close to sundown by now…"

"It should," Maya agreed.

"Maya… what's Impact Sickness?"

Maya sighed and turned around, kneeling on the floor. Yumi walked over to her and knelt in front of her.

"It's a rare syndrome that attacks children born after the Second Impact. It makes you weak, takes away your hunger, and your thirst. You get a fever, chills… and you just keep getting weaker until…"

"Until you die…" she finished. A tear fell from her eye. "I'm… dead… aren't I…"

Maya let a tear slip for her. "Yes, Yumi-chan."

She moved closer to Maya, as the older girl shifted to sitting cross-legged. She got into Maya's lap sideways and leaned against her… Maya's arms gently encircling her.

"I was wondering why Mommy and Daddy were so sad when they looked at me," she admitted in a lower voice now. "They knew I was going to die… and they… they couldn't tell me."

Maya was silent a few moments before she answered. "I think it was too painful to talk about… or… maybe they just didn't know how to tell you."

"It's not fair…"

"No… it isn't." Realization finally reached Maya. "And it's the reason I came here… to help you move on."

Yumi sobbed silently. "They're going to be really sad now…"

"They say time heals all wounds," Maya offered. "They will eventually move on… but they will never forget you… or the joy you gave them. Your life may have been short… but it was meaningful."

"… Thank you… I think… I think you made this easier."

"I hope I did." Maya rubbed her back allowing her to shed the last of her tears. "Are you ready?"

Yumi let go and stood on her own. "I think so."

Maya knelt before her. "I will always remember you, Yumi-chan. And who knows… maybe we'll meet again one day."

"I'd like that, Maya…"

Maya raised her hand and gently touched Yumi's chest. A small smile crossed the face of the child as she emitted a white light. It intensified, bringing even more warmth to room until the light was blinding…

Then it faded, leaving Maya back into the entropic nightmare world she originally was in. The house around her a half-crumbling ruin, just like the others in this town. Where Yumi once stood, a cloud of green energy pulsated. Maya's hand was still touching it, and that energy was drawn into her. She felt even more energized than before, warmth pulsing through her veins.

"Yumi's last breath… the energy a soul leaves behind when it departs for the next world…"

Maya stood up. She opened her left hand and made a flicking motion. Seemingly from nowhere, a sickle blade flew into the wall ahead of her, cutting though it to the outside.

A smile crossed her face, like the cat that caught the rat. "I get it now. Death's entire purpose is to help the soul move on. The energy received sustains his existence and grants him power. And I'll bet the range in which I can exist outside the forest has also increased." Maya looked up, noting most of the wall ahead of her was now in better condition, still decayed but just not as old. She looked up and noted the clouds were moving more slowly than before, the sky a little lighter behind the clouds.

Not much to look at, is it.

"It isn't this realm that's decayed and dark… just my perception of it. But Death knew what I was experiencing… he perpetuated my delusion. Which means he knows something has changed."

Maya quickly flew low across the ground until she reached the trees and waited. She didn't have to wait long. Death arrived in short order, floating in front of Yumi-chan's house. A roar of frustration ripped from him.

"Where are you?! I know you can't be far! Trying to do my job for me?! You think you can be ME?! You insufferable little whore!"

"Oh, he's pissed…"

Maya quickly moved deeper into the forest, then side-flipped away as Death appeared directly in front of her and tried to cut her down. Maya threw her arm out, summoning her own scythe.

"Stealing from me now... That energy was MINE. And I'm going to rip it out of your hide."

Maya laughed at him. "What's wrong? Upset that I can be a better version of you?"

"Don't make me laugh. You can never replace me!"

"What were you going to do, huh?" She spun her scythe letting it sit over her shoulder when she stopped. "Were you going to rip the energy out of that little girl and send her soul to oblivion or worse?"

"Just another pathetic human."

Maya's eyes narrowed. "She was only a child… lost… scared… alone. She wasn't ready to move on yet. You told me that humanity's perception of death is cruel… but the only reason that is true is because YOU are cruel! Death should be kind… a friend that meets you at the end of your journey, to help you find your path to the afterlife… to help you say goodbye." She paused holding back the urge to growl herself. "Ever since I started helping Sempai become a Devil Forge Mistress, I've seen and even fought a few monsters. I've seen a lot of despicable monsters, but you… you are the most despicable monster of all."

"And there is not a fucking thing you can do about it… you may have managed to be me for a brief instant… but I AM Death itself… and I never lose."

"We'll see…"

Death immediately launched himself forward to attack Maya, but she just flew backwards away from him. Now in full retreat, Maya dove though the trees, dodging flying sickles and lightning blasts as she went, picking up speed and making it hard for Death to follow. Knowing she didn't have near enough power to fight him, she kept running. But she also knew she couldn't maintain this pace for ever.

"Time to use one of your tricks, Death… but I think I can improve upon your design."

Maya dodged around a large tree, slamming her scythe into it as she passed and leaving it behind, then started to count back from three.

Death didn't see what she did, heading straight for her. At the count of one he reached the tree where her scythe was. An explosion of metal sickles hit him as the scythe exploded like a claymore mine. Though the attack was weaker than any he would have used, the sheer number of projectiles he failed to dodge hurt him enough to ground him, causing him to crash into a tree. By the time he recovered from this she was out of sight, and he knew he had lost her again.

"I'm really starting to hate that bitch…"

I see a red door and I want it painted black,

No colors anymore, I want them to turn black

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes,

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

"It's simple now… I know what I must do… in order to defeat Death… I must become Death… I'll be the guide to the afterlife he refuses to be… And in the end, I will be free of this hellscape of my own making…"

Next Chapter: Cheating Death