Wow I put a lot of these up lately.

Oh well I doubt you are all complaining.

In other news I finished Death Parade in two days. I want a second season.

Anyway,

Enjoy.

-Jaz

~~~~

Ghosts and Demons (Mortals)

"Can I tell you something?"

"Course." She asked not looking up from her book.

"I believe in ghosts."

She paused in her reading before continuing. "I figured it makes sense considering..."

"I do," he replied calmly as she shifted the small figurines on the shelf. "Ghosts, demons and all of that stuff. But not in the way you think. I think no- I know, that ghosts are real. They are what follows you around everyday. What causes regret. Second guessing yourself. We all dwell on the ghosts of our pasts which grow more and more and more with each passing day. That is what a demon is. A ghost which has haunted us for so long that it becomes a fear."

She had stopped reading unsure how to respond. She glanced over her shoulder to where turned a small figurine in his hand before clenching it tightly his eyes not focused on anything in front of him but looking beyond.

Finally she continued to read but she watched him out the corner of her eye. "Do you speak from experience?"

He glanced at her before he placed the figurine in line with the others. He crossed the room and laid down ok his bed and faced away from her.

She sighed closing the book before she stood. "I'm going out." She crossed the room and headed for the door.

He didn't speak until her hand was on the doorknob. "Come back this time."

She paused and a sad smile graced her face. "You shouldn't want me to come back."

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked.

She turned around and faced him tears now in her eyes. "I'm your demon. And you're not going to feel better until you let me go."

"I can't do that."

"And why not?" She demanded her voice cracking as she shouted.

He turned over slowly and looked her dead on the eye. A single tear fell from his eye. "Because I love you."

"That's not good enough," she replied. "I love you and that's why you need to let me go. I'm gone. Never coming back. I only cause you pain and suffering. I'm your demon. Why do you think that I'm more than that?"

"I don't," He answered sitting up. "I don't think you are more than that. You are my demon. But I'm willing to believe that we become stronger by embracing our demons."

"You really think that is true?"

He brushed away an unshed tear but another one replaced it. "I hope it is." Tears began to fall freely and he held his head in his hands. "If it isn't... I don't know what I'm going to do then. Shit, I don't know what I am going to do now..."

She crossed the room and sat next to him on the bed. She touched his face but her hand only went straight through his body. Slowly she pulled her hand back. "You're supposed to continue. You're alive aren't you? Take advantage of that. You never know how short life is. I learned that the hard way. Get out of this room. If you keep staying in here 24/7 this room? It's going to be your tomb and your death will be sadder than mine."

He opened his mouth to reply but that is when the door opened and his sister's image faded.

"Nico? I brought you something," a girl's voice said from the doorway.

Nico didn't respond. He heard her footsteps cross the floor until she stood in front of him. A small black box with a bow was placed in his eye sight.

Nico slowly looked up to see his younger sister's face. She blinked. "Open it."

Slowly he took the small box and pulled off the top. Inside sat a small skull ring. Nico slowly picked it up and examined it. "What's this?"

"A ring."

Nico rolled his eyes and wiped his face. "I know that Hazel. I mean why?"

Hazel watched him as she spoke. "It was going to be a present, for you. Bianca bought it." Hazel watched him freeze. "I found it when cleaning out her room. There was a sticky note. It read: 'Don't open unless necessary'. At first I thought it was weird that she would write that. Then I realized she was waiting for the right moment to give it to you. So I waited. And I think you deserve a little something nice to-" Hazel was cut off as Nico pulled her in a hug.

They two sat there for a while in a comfortable silence. He looked past her to where Bianca stood in the corner tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad you like it," Bianca whispered.

Nico smiled and mouthed back, "I'm not giving up on you."

Bianca sighed. "As much as I'd like you to, I knew you wouldn't." She walked forward and touched the ring still in his hand. She smiled as she seemed to be sucked in to the piece or jewelry before disappearing from sight.

Nico pulled back from his embrace with Hazel and slid the skull ring on. "Thank you. Thank you both."

Hazel nodded. She opened her mouth both the doorbell rang. She smiled at Nico before she hurried to get it.

Nico wipes the tears from his eyes before he looked down at his ring. "You were wrong," he told the ring as he gave it a twist. "I think we both are. You are more than a ghost or a demon. You are my sister."

The ring seemed to glint in the light in response. Nico smiled sadly.

"Are you coming to eat? The pizzas here?" Hazel asked from his doorway.

Nico nodded. "Yeah. I'm coming."

Hazel seemed surprised by his response before she smiled. Nico stood and headed for the door. He couldn't sit in the tomb forever after all. He's not dead just yet.