Oh em gee, I'm surprised that this story has a sort of little following. Thanks guys, it means a lot. I only wish I could update for you sooner and that I actually put more time and effort into writing these chapters. D: But really guys, your reviews mean a lot. I'm glad you're liking this! 8D
Kizzy had awoken peacefully to a Deathless day. She smiled broadly and happily went to school without the annoyance of her stalker. Yet for every reason she had to be happy, she still felt guilty that she drove Death off like that. She had no idea why, but she did. Maybe I should think of it from his point of view… She wondered to herself. But she put that thought to the back of her mind. She didn't want to feel sympathetic for him.
After school, she went back to business as normal. At the park, she met with Thomas, the Confederate ghost, and waited around for anyone who wanted a ghostly experience. After making some quick cash, she said her goodbyes to Thomas and began her way home.
As she began her walk, her mind once again veered to Death and if she was perhaps a bit too hard on him. After all, did it really matter if he claimed to love her just because he was lonely? It's not like she liked him back anyways. If she did, then it might've been an issue. But still, being hard on him was good because that meant he was coming back! At least not any time soon… she could only hope he'd stay away.
"Excuse me, but are you Kizzy?"
She jumped a bit, not having heard anyone around her. She turned back and saw what seemed to be a small boy, but despite the height, he seemed to be around her age. Perhaps he just hadn't hit puberty yet, because he definitely didn't seem to be a ghost. She could normally tell the difference pretty well.
"Who's asking?"
The boy adjusted his cap so that the brim shadowed his eyes. He seemed rather uncomfortable. "You're the one that talks to ghosts, right?"
The girl forked an eyebrow. "Yes, but I'm done for the day."
"Sorry but… never mind!" He turned on his heel and then ran away.
She stayed where she was, watching the boy run off until disappeared around the corner. I wonder what that was about? She thought.
On the rest of her walk home, she kept thinking about that boy. He obviously wanted to talk to her about a ghost or something… Was he having trouble with one at his house or did he just want to talk to a dead relative or friend? Maybe even a deceased girlfriend? Whatever the case, he seemed thoroughly troubled. But she had a feeling that no matter what she would've said, that boy would've run away and changed his mind again. Kizzy found herself hoping that she could find the boy again soon, or he'd come back to her. If something really was bothering him, whether it was himself wanting to reach someone who passed on or some mischievous ghost, she wanted to help.
Turning into her walkway, she noted a small grey cat. As it mewled at her and she knelt down to pet it, she momentarily forgot about the boy. But he came back quickly enough. The cat purred and rubbed against her hand lovingly and she found herself talking o it. "I wonder… what do you think is with that kid, kitty? Hope he's all right."
The cat just meowed in reply.
With a sigh, she stood up and went inside of her house. The cat followed her, but she didn't let it inside. Her mother would kill her. She liked cats, her mother didn't. "Sorry." She told it. "I'll see if I can sneak out some food for you later."
The boy still remained on her mind for the next few days, even though she hadn't seen him again. She attempted to ask around about him, but nobody seemed to know anything about him. They didn't go to the same school either, so there wasn't any sign of him there either. Had she confused him for a living person, she wondered? Perhaps he was a ghost… but she didn't get any sort of "dead" feeling from him.
At the end of the day, she ended up sitting on her stoop absently petting the grey cat that seemed to have made itself at home in her front yard. Kizzy ended up sort of wishing that Death was around, not because she liked him or anything, but because he could tell her who that boy was.
As soon as that thought came around, the cat tensed up and then hissed. Not at her, but at someone else.
It was Nikolaos.
"Kizzy, was it?" The dead Spartan asked.
Kizzy nodded, but made sure to put on a suspicious look. If he was here on behalf of-
"Have you seen Death?" He asked firmly.
"What?" She asked. The cat under her hand growled. "No, I haven't seen him in days – and good riddance too. Why?"
Nik scowled and then paced. "Nobody knows where he is."
"How can nobody not know where he is?" She said. "Don't you have like a tracking device on him or something? You always seem to find him-"
"But not this time," Nik interrupted. "He turned us off, completely."
Kizzy didn't even bother to ask this time. She knew her baffled face asked the question.
Nik growled something in Greek, paced, then looked back at Kizzy. He reluctantly answered. "Right now, anyone who worked under Death is simply a ghost. When you work under him, he gives you a bit of himself, that way we can help manage the daily goings ons of Death. But he shut all of us off – we don't have that link with him anymore. The machines don't even work for us anymore… The only thing that's running is the Auto-Death."
"Auto-Death?" She asked.
"Oh no, I've already said-"
"Don't bother, Nik. I think I know what it does. Self-explanatory, you know." She drawled.
The former Spartan's look just continued to sour. "This is your fault." He said bitterly.
Kizzy gave him an incredulous look. "My fault?"
"Yes, yours!" Barked Nik, not hiding his anger. And an angry Spartan, even a dead one, was not a particularly nice sight. "The last thing he said was that you probably never wanted to see him again. Now he's vanished!"
"Oh…" was all Kizzy managed. After hearing that, it did kind of sound like her fault then.
The Spartan didn't have anything more to say, nor did he seem to care if Kizzy did either. He vanished as quickly as he had arrived.
The cat in Kizzy's arms relaxed and went back to letting out a dull purr. The teenager pet the cat absently and frowned. What'll happen if the Auto-Death stops… I mean, it has to run out eventually, if not Death himself wouldn't exist… With a sigh, she looked at the cat. "This is bad, kitty."
A curious thought came into her head at that moment. That boy from before asked if she was the one who saw ghosts. She knew he had nothing to do with the situation, but for some reason she felt like he did. "I need to find him, kitty," she told the cat. Gently, she picked up the cat and put it off to the side. She had to find him.
She set off, heading nowhere in particular. She had no idea who the boy was or what he wanted or even where he could be. She still didn't have anymore information on him than she did before.
"M'row." The cat leapt ahead of her.
She forked an eyebrow as she walked on. Was the cat leading her somewhere? Kizzy attempted to make a turn, but the cat got in her way and batted at her ankles. Confused, Kizzy decided she may as well follow the cat.
The cat took her through twists and turns in alleys and back roads she didn't even know Gardenia had. After what felt like forever of walking through the roads she had no idea existed, she found herself back on a main road again. She was more than a little bit tired, and realized that the road in particular was across town. Frowning, she sat on a bench.
A girl passed by. She'd never seen the girl before, but she somehow seemed familiar. As she watched the girl walk past hurriedly, she heard from the other side, "Kizzy?"
She looked. "You?!"
"Kizzy!" Death said happily. He floated quickly to her, as if about to embrace her, but at the last moment he held himself back. Blushing slightly, he looked to the floor. "Sorry… you don't want that…"
Kizzy found herself frowning. She didn't know why but she was slightly bothered by it. But back to business. "Why are you here?! Nik's been looking for you, something about you leaving the Auto-Death on and making everybody normal ghosts…"
Death had a ponderous look on his face. "Ah, much too long to explain at the moment dear… But I really must follow that girl there-"
"Why?" She asked sharply.
Death blinked. "Um, like I said before, much too long to explain right now, dearest…"
The cat then meowed, interrupting their conversation. Death looked down and smiled. He leaned down to pet the cat, which meowed and purred happily. After a moment Death nodded, "Ah, I see."
Kizzy just forked an eyebrow. "See what?"
The silver haired personification of Death blushed again. "Ah, I've been having this cat… well, she's been watching you on my behalf-"
"What?"
"Oh my, please don't look at me like that! Ah, that girl is the boy you've been looking for!"
"What?" Kizzy repeated, this time confused.
Death sensed the difference and contained a sigh of relief. "That boy you've been looking for isn't a boy at all, love. He's a she, a heshe, or maybe shemale? Shim? Ooh, this is fun-"
"Get to the point…" Kizzy growled.
"Oh, yes, certainly, love." Death said, snapping out of his reverie. "That girl there is who you've been looking for, and it seems she involves both of us." Then, the silver haired man got on one knee, actually on the floor, and grabbed Kizzy's hands. With determination in his face he said, "Kizzy, I need your help. That's all I ask for. Help me with this, and if you wish it, I truly will leave you alone – no cats to watch you or anything."
She bit her lip and considered it. No more Death stalking her? No more unwanted proposals of marriage? … Something in her objected for some reason, but logic and reason liked the offer too much. "Fine. But first thing's first,"
"And that would be, dearest?" Asked Death almost a little sadly.
"Let go of my hands."