Chapter Twenty-Nine: Pale Blue Eyes Shut:
She hopped from
place to place. Tsuzuki won’t give up though.
“Come back
here!” he shouted. She didn’t even look back.
“Go away!” she
yelled. “Why can’t you leave me alone?” She closed her eyes and sped up.
Suddenly, there were no footsteps behind her. She listened around her.
Where did you go? I won’t fall for any tricks you pull! Come out and show
yourself!
She held her breath.
I don’t like this…
She stopped when
a hand grabbed her. She whipped her head around. Tsuzuki panted as he tightened
his grip.
“Got you,” he
said at last. She panicked and shook her head.
“You can’t take
me now,” she said. “They need me.”
“You are killing
them?” Tsuzuki said. “Don’t you see that?”
“No! I’m saving
them from themselves! Their pain makes me weep for them. I just want to comfort
them.”
“Don’t you
understand? You aren’t helping them. Death will not fix their problems! You are
tearing them away from the people that care about them! This is what makes you a
high-risk soul!”
Her empty eyes
widened. “High-risk… soul?”
“Yes. Haven’t
you noticed everyone dying around you?” Tsuzuki asked.
“They all died?”
she asked. “I killed them?”
“Yes,” the
shinigami said. “You didn’t mean to, but you can’t stay in this world any
longer.” She looked on the
empty
streets of Shinjuku. Wailing circled her ears.
When
did that happen? No, she knew the answer to her own question. Maybe she knew all
along. Her nature blinded her from the truth. Tears streamed down her hollow
cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she
whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“I understand,”
Tsuzuki said. “You have to go back now.” She shook her head.
“No,” she said.
“Please?” he
asked.
“But they need
me.”
“You’ll kill
them if stay.”
“But…”
“I’m sorry too.
But this is the only true way to help them.”
She sniffled
with big empty eyes. “Do you promise?”
“Yes,” the
shinigami said. He pulled out Christine’s book. “I am so sorry too.” She bowed
her head.
“I understand,”
she said at last. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye,”
Tsuzuki said back. She closed her eyes as hear body began to glow. The wailing
stopped. For the first time in forever, she felt peace.
“Goodbye,
children,” she whispered. And then she disappeared.
Mission Over
---------
Tsuzuki returned
to the subway station. The young woman leaned against the wall, sound asleep.
Hisoka rose to his feet.
“Did you get
her?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tsuzuki
said. “How is the girl?”
“Fine,” his
partner said. “Ready to go?”
“Yes,” the older
shinigami said. Both of them vanished with Christine’s book.
--------
-8:00 a.m.-
The young woman
awoke in the subway station and looked around. She blinked a couple of times.
“What am I doing
out here?” she asked. “Weird…” She stood up and walked away.
The young woman went to live a long and fruitful life.