(no subject)
Title: No One
Length: one-shot
Author: Li Youhan (Razra_Eizel)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: angst, fluff
Pairing: Yunjae
Summary: before Chaos can become the Crown Prince, he needs the soul of an angel-who just happens to be Dread’s counterpart
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything
For other stories, please check my journal.
A/N: I’m feeling a little depressed lately, and I found this in my old fic archive. It was in Indonesian so I had to translate it, and add Yunjae bits into it :3 of course, this is not the original thing, because in the original one, Chaos is a jerk, Misery is dead, and Death and Dread are only friends
This is partly written for
lavenie_2619 because this is an angst piece x3
Oh, and as for the tense, narrative in Jae’s PoV will use past tense, but reference to himself will use present tense :3
There’s not much humor here, so expect to see none of Yunjae bickering in this piece :D I know it’s a little strange, but this was my first piece featuring our lovely Soul Reaper pair :D
No One Will Care
Tonight, just like the previous nights, the moon shone fully, like a white gleaming disc, making the stars that were scattered randomly around it seem like they weren’t even there.
Why am I even here, in this human world? I am here on a very important mission that might affect the future of the Kingdom of Underworld, which is now ruled by King Misery.
King Misery was planning on holding an inauguration to announce that Chaos is the rightful heir of the throne, he is to be inaugurated as the Crown Prince. But for that, we need a lot of souls to be sacrificed, and almost all Soul Reapers are sent out to collect the needed souls.
“Death.”
A voice called from behind me, and I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. I’d recognize his voice anywhere anytime, if must be. I didn’t know since when I had become so accustomed of him, but I’m not complaining.
I turned around to face him because he always wanted face-to-face conversation, and there he was. My partner-or, perhaps, he’s become somewhat of a friend of mine-stood by the doorsill, watching me who was sitting on the windowsill intently.
“What is it now, Dread?” I asked, sighing a little. I had just gone back from a hunt, collecting almost fifteen souls in one go, and I was feeling slightly… lethargic, for the lack of a better word. I’m not one who likes to go on a killing spree. Everyone knew I was only the bait at most times, and Dread was the one who killed them.
He walked over to me, and stood in front of me. “He asked you to go to a nearby high school and collect even more souls. We’re still lacking quite a lot for the initiation,” he explained. “And don’t call me Dread when we’re alone. I like my name.”
“I don’t want to,” I said softly, looking out at the moon again. “The moon is pretty tonight. I don’t want to see it red,” I added, mumbling slightly.
“You have to,” Dread-no, Yunho insisted as he placed a hand on my shoulder, and I almost flinched, his touch unlike usual. It was rough and a little harsh, demanding and impatient. “I’m sorry. Don’t be scared of me.”
“It’s okay,” I shrugged it off, and subconsciously held my knees a little tighter to my chest. “But you know… sometimes… I think I can’t take this anymore.”
“You are a Soul Reaper, Jae,” Yunho said softly as he leaned down, his face merely a few centimeters away from mine. “You are not supposed to feel compassion for them.”
“I’m not,” I insisted. “I just… maybe I’ve never gone on such a hunt… I’ve never killed so many people in a short amount of time like this…”
“I understand what you mean,” Yunho smiled a little. “But we have to do this. For Chaos. For our kingdom. For us.”
“I know that,” I said, a hint of anger in my tone. “Don’t talk as if I’m such an ignorant kid!”
I felt his lips on mine, and I thought of kicking his shin to make him back away. I hated him for this. Whenever I am angry, he’d just have to do that, and he knew I won’t be mad at him anymore.
“Won’t you do it?” he asked softly. “For me, and for yourself. If there’s no Crown Prince, when King Misery retires, this kingdom will be thrown into a state of chaos. You don’t want that, do you?”
“Are you trying to be funny?” I asked accusingly, then smiled bitterly at him. “I will go.”
“Thank you,” he smiled, and kissed me again. “I know I can count on you.”
“Whatever,” I huffed, and turned to look outside the window again. I heard his footsteps fading with each step he took towards the door, and just before he exited the room, I called him.
“Will you watch the moon with me tonight?”
I couldn’t see it but I could sense his smile.
“My pleasure.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
I blinked awake as slowly as I could, catching any sleep I could still have because my body felt tired all over. Stretching and yawning took me quite some time, and afterwards I finally sat on the bed, looking around me, taking in the sight of the room we rented for this mission.
Smiling bitterly at myself, I got up and collected all my clothing, putting it into the laundry bin, and taking a fresh change of clothes, getting into them. I never felt the need to comb my hair, but I did it, just for the sake of it.
We are Soul Reapers, cold-blooded creatures of the dark with black wings whose duty is to kill people and get their soul for a sacrifice for many kinds of rituals, and one of them is the inauguration.
As one of the top reapers, it’s no wonder I’m always given the task to hunt for souls, just like Yunho.
Sometimes, when I feel slightly overwhelmed, I will repeat those sentences over and over again in my head, reminding me of the purpose of my existence, and my standing.
Slowly, I walked out of the room, and to my destination-the nearby high school.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
“This is your new classmate, Kim Changshik,” the teacher said as he introduced me to the students in the class. I’m thankful I don’t have to do it myself, as I’m not the most talkative person.
Why is the name Changshik?
Before I enrolled in this school, I was thinking of what name I should use. That was when I saw a bag by a cliff. It was left by the owner who jumped off the cliff in an act of suicide. It’s really not an unusual happening in this country.
I took the ID, and noticed that the one who used to own this ID look a lot like me, so I took it, and used it to enroll in this school. After all, this is the most populated school in this city. It would make my job easier.
“You may sit at the back,” the teacher said, and I quickly went to the back, to the only empty seat in the class. My seatmate was someone who looked a lot like Yunho that it was almost scary.
“Hey,” my seatmate called, a wide smile on his face. “What is your name?”
“Listen to the teacher when he’s talking,” I rolled my eyes as I took out a book, and a pen, pretending to take notes while actually I was only doodling.
“I know your name is not Kim Changshik,” he said, the smile still there. “Oh, by the way, I’m Jung U-Know. Nice to meet you.”
I looked at him with an annoyed glare. “And who are you to know that?”
“I’m Kim Changshik’s boyfriend,” he said calmly. “He committed suicide because he failed the exam, didn’t he? I know you found his things. Where was it?”
“How did you know?” I frowned.
“You look different. Of course I’d be able to tell if it’s him,” U-Know shrugged. “He wrote me a letter, but I got it too late. I couldn’t stop him.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. “It was at the cliff. The only cliff in this section of the city.”
“I see. Thank you,” he grinned at me. “I will pay you back.”
Somehow, when he said that, I have a bad feeling at the pit of my stomach.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
I stood in the deserted hallway of the school building after the school hours had ended. The sun had started to set although it was only five p.m.
Suddenly, my phone rang, and I wondered who might call me.
A long time ago, King Misery invented the phone. It was used to connect a reaper to another reaper without using numbers and such. Just by mentioning the name, the phone would be connected to the one that was carried by the mentioned reaper. He made it because he cared for his subordinates, and he didn’t want any of them to go missing or dying on a mission without being known or able to call for help.
“Hello?”
“Jae?”
I sighed softly when I heard the familiar voice. “Yes? What is it?”
There was silence for a few seconds, and it was unsettling. I knew there was something wrong.
“Do you remember the counterpart thing I told you about? That all Soul Reaper has one?”
I could hear a hint of uncertainty, and I’m sure this is not going to be good. When I think of it, the boy just now looks a lot like Yunho. Maybe he’s the counterpart?
“Your, and my counterparts, they were sent to Earth. Your counterpart killed himself by jumping off a cliff.”
“If I tell you I already know, would you be surprised?” I asked flatly.
“Not really,” he replied. “So, it happens that if you want to sacrifice less human souls, you have to sacrifice the soul of an angel. That’s the only way.”
“What!? But-“
“King Misery approved of it. He doesn’t want us to kill more and more humans as well.”
“But Yunho, you and I both know that the other angels will act when the news of his death reached them! Plus, he’s your counterpart! Don’t you feel anything?”
“Not if they’re fallen angels. The other angels won’t act, that’s why he’s a good candidate.”
“But-“
“Death.”
I fell silent at this. I hate this. Why did he have to use this tone on me? I hate it when he gets all serious.
“We have to do this. For Chaos, for our kingdom, for us, and for the humans who are bound to be sacrificed.”
“I-“ I nearly choked on a sob, and I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. Usually, I wouldn’t care even a little bit for my victims, but he’s different. He’s an angel. He’s Yunho’s counterpart. And most importantly, he’s suffered enough.
“Okay. I’ll do it,” I said resolutely. If his soul is to be taken one way or another, I’d rather be the one to take it than let someone else take his life.
“Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Maybe I do, Yunho. Maybe I do.”
“Tonight, in the park at the outer part of this city. You are to gather their souls there. Panic has distributed fake flyers to the students of the high school. I think the number should be enough.”
“I understand. See you.”
I hung up, and put the phone in my bag. The bag that used to belong to Kim Changshik.
I looked outside the window again, and sighed. I hope this would be the last day I have to do this.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
I sat by myself on a thick branch of a tree, waiting for the students to come to the park because of the fake flyer. It was already past ten minutes from the time written on the flyer, but still no one was there.
I wonder if something went wrong.
I tried to ease my boredom by swinging my scythe around in ease, just like a member of the color guard swinging a stick around. I stopped when I heard footsteps, and looked over to see who it was.
It was him.
His eyes were red, unlike the warm earthy color I saw there in the morning. I felt my breath hitch, but those eyes weren’t mean or threatening. In fact, they showed sorrow… and sympathy.
“Come down, Death,” he said softly as he looked up at me, and I felt my gut wrenching at the sight of his expression.
I flew down, and stood in front of him, holding tightly onto my scythe.
“I heard. You need an angel’s soul, don’t you?” he asked, a wry smile on his face. “I will give you my soul in exchange of the souls of the students in the high school.”
“Why?”
He looked at me, and when he was sure I wasn’t asking out of cynicism but of concern, he smiled gently and warmly at me. “Because, you are the only one who replied to me when I talk to you, aside from Changshik and Yunho.”
I widened my eyes in surprise. “You know him?”
“Yes. How can I not know my own counterpart? He was the one who cared for me before I met Changshik.”
I felt my throat constrict. Is this why Yunho doesn’t want to take his life himself?
“That’s why, I’m willing to give up my life for any of you,” he said. “You guys are the only ones who have shown kindness to me, and I appreciate it a lot. If this can help you and Yunho, I’d be glad to.”
“But those students… why do you care?”
“Because when they die, their relatives and friends will mourn for them. No one will mourn for me.”
“I see,” I nodded slightly. “Are you sure?”
“Yes I am.”
“U-Know…”
“Yes?”
I enveloped him in a tight hug. We have only met for a few hours, but I know I will miss him greatly. He holds a great resemblance towards Yunho, after all.
“I hope you will be reunited with Changshik,” I said as I smiled softly at him, and prepared my scythe. He nodded at me, and I started muttering a chant to separate the soul from the body.
The soul hovered above the body, connected to it with a single thin white thread. I swung my scythe, and cut it off. I watched as the soul evaporated, and was transported to the sacrificial grounds.
I kneeled down beside his body, and felt tears streaming down my cheeks once again. Why did people I like have to die?
“Jae,” a soft voice called from behind me as a warm hand was placed on my shoulder, squeezing it gently and almost reassuringly. “I’m sorry for making you do this. I should’ve done this myself.”
“No, no, it’s okay,” I shook my head. “I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you.”
“Then don’t cry,” he said as he pulled me into a hug. “You know I hate to see you crying.”
“Take me home.”
“This is your home,” he mumbled softly, kissing my eyes and tears. “I am your home.”
“Then let me stay here.”
“Of course,” he said as he picked me up, and carried me towards the portal that connected the human world and the Underworld. “Let’s just get back to our room.”
I nodded, and circled my arms around his neck, hugging him even closer, but without choking him.
“Hey Yunho,” I called him slowly, almost hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“Since when… since when have we become no one?”
But I Have Become No One
If you look hard enough, there’s an implication of Yunjae smut up there x3
As for the last sentence~ U-Know said that “No one will mourn for me”, so Jae asked since when they have become “no one”, because they mourn for him :3
I hope you enjoyed this :D if you want to read the original Indonesian version of this story, titled “Soul Reaper”, please message me with your e-mail address (but please also say that you wish to read it xD) and I will send it to you. If not, just ignore this :D
Thank you for reading :D please leave a comment to help my poor depressed soul xD