(Unknown date, 1997)

"Huh...?"

A young boy who was in the hospital had his vision blurred, but as soon as it cleared up, he saw someone in a suit, a kiseru in hand as the black hat was covering his features except for his eyes. "You're Hanma... Hanma Shuji, am I right?" He asks before putting the kiseru away with a flick of his wrist.

The boy was startled yet amazed, but there was still hesitance in his eyes as he only lets out a nod. "And... you're supposed to be the shinigami...?" The boy, now revealed as Shuji, asks quietly.

"Reaper is fine." The man says before putting his hat away. "So, I'm sure you know why you humans can see me, right?"

Shuji only looks down, clutching the sheet in his hands. Reaper could see that his knuckles were turning white from all of that trembling. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite place it...

"I guess the doctors lied, did they...?" Shuji asks quietly as he lets out a dry laugh.

Reaper was only staring at the boy, unfazed. He had seen kids, and even adults, cry at the realization that they were going to die. Yet with this kid...

"You're not scared, kid?" Reaper asks, kneeling down a little to reach his height. It was noticeable that Shuji had yellow eyes, somewhat resembling a rusty gold. "Not scared of dying?"

Shuji didn't expect that response at all... but this could be useful.

"Kid, you're gonna die soon." Reaper puts a hand on his shoulder. "But rest assured, your soul will be sent somewhere by one of my friends."

Shuji raises an eyebrow. "There's more of you?" He asks curiously.

"Well, there's six of us, including me." Reaper replied.

There was a moment of silence before Shuji lets out a sigh. "Can I at least pass a message before you take my soul...?"

Reaper would usually say no to requests like these. Messages being passed on was usually a waste of time.

But... the kid was young. Way too young to die in a shady hospital.

"...I'll try to pass it on, kid. What's the message?"

Shuji was deep in thought at this. With a nod, he takes a deep breath before saying his message.

"Bye mom, grandma. At least I'm not a burden any more."

Reaper was slightly surprised at the message. But he didn't have much to say as Shuji only smiles. "Can I die in my sleep, Reaper?"

Reaper definitely met a weird kid.

"...go ahead, kid. You won't be a burden any longer."

When the clock struck at twelve, Shuji was already sleeping. There wasn't a pulse. He wasn't breathing anymore.

Hanma Shuji was dead.

The kiseru in Reaper's hand turned into a scythe. The blade lightly touches Shuji's forehead and a small glow appears, a white wisp coming out of it. The wisp was a rusty gold color, much like his eyes.

Now he remembered. Shuji reminded Reaper of his past self as a child, before coming the person who reaps lives.

The wisp flies into Reaper's hand, as if keeping itself safe. Shuji's lifeless body... he was smiling, even in death.

Reaper flicks his wrist, making the scythe disappear. The wisp was still in his hand, before letting it out the window as it flies in the air. A small, white light catches the wisp before disappearing.

"Mhm. Mitama works fast." Reaper says with a shrug before looking at Shuji's lifeless body.

Was he... was he really going to use a child?

Well... who's he to judge?