A/N: It's a little bit early for my usual 2-week uploading schedule, but I'll do it earlier and take a short break next week. This chapter is a little bit out of the blue, so just bear with me for a while. This was based on and inspired by Webtoon "About Death" by Sini/Hyeono, and I really encourage people to try reading that because it really gave me some chills.

Halfway through the read you might wonder why is this chapter in Vergil's Oneshots. Firstly, I'm lazy to create another book title and have a summary written, so I will just upload here. Secondly, there is a surprise (actually it's a very shoddily put together 'surprise') at the end that relates to Dante and Vergil, so it's all good :)

At The End of Life

"You are awake. Come." The first greeting was more or less established to be the standard by now. "The road is long; we can review on your story as we walk."

"W-Where is this?" The meek, worried question was also more or less the standard reply that they received most of the time.

"You are in Haven, the place after life." The conversation was still going along the stretch of normalcy; nothing too much out of the ordinary.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" The reply was less scared now, more regretful and sad.

"Yes, you are." The figure who answered was dressed in a stylish crimson red coat that reminded Sara Dustin of the blood she saw right before she passed out (and apparently died). The man was wearing a fitting black t-shirt and comfortable black trousers with sensible loafers, and the colour was striking against the white background of Haven around them.

"Come. We walk while we talk." The second voice said, and Sara Dustin looked past the figure standing directly in front of her and offering her a hand. The second man had a face that looked almost exactly the same.

The second man, however, was wearing a blue coat instead of a red one, with its collar popped up stylishly. Sara also saw black shirt, trousers and loafers on the man. Neither man held anything nor wore any other accessory as they stared at her with their striking blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Sara asked while she slipped her hand into the one from the offering Red Man.

"We are Gods. We look after people like you and guide you to your rebirth." Red Man answered, pulling her with strength to her feet. "Come. He'll get angry if we don't start walking soon."

"Why?" Sara asked, but followed instructions anyway. "Are we rushing for time?"

"Every few seconds, someone on Earth is dying. We usher every soul in this plane of Afterlife. In effect, we have less than a few seconds for each of you." Red Man answered as they caught up with Blue Man, who immediately turned and started walking towards the door at the far end of the place, with a yellow glow in the doorway.

"Then won't you guys run out of time? You have already spent more than a minute with me here." Sara asked in surprise.

"Seconds don't work here like they do on Earth." Blue Man answered quickly.

"What he means is that we as Gods have the power to stretch time. One second as you know it on Earth may be the equivalent to a year here. Likewise, if we want it, a hundred years in on Earth may be equivalent to a second here." Red Man added in explanation, clearly used to the short, generally not very helpful answers that Blue Man often gave confused newcomers like Sara.

"So you two meet people of all ages and time?"

"We are gods." Blue Man said shortly, as if that sufficed enough as an answer.

"Okay..." Sara said, casting a careful look over to Blue Man to see his slight frown as if her appearance frustrated him. "Is that place where I go to be reborn?"

"That's the only door out of here; yes." Red Man answered, clearly the more easy-going and talkative of the two Gods. "The road is long; do you want to tell us your story?"

"My story?" Sara asked.

"Your life." Blue Man answered shortly, walking on Sara's right and keeping pace with her easily. Up close and sandwiched between two identical-looking men, she strangely did not feel intimidated, but rather safe. The thought that these two gods could possibly eliminate her immediately without a warning evaded Sara at the moment as she kept the comfortable pace.

"There is really nothing to talk about. My life was quite short. It's a waste how I'm dead, but I guess I'll just have to try again."

"That is some positive thinking." Red Man said with a tone of approval. "Makes our job easier since you have accepted your death. Are there any regrets?"

"Of course there are. My parents, my little sister Cherie. I hope they will do fine after I go... And my friends too. I'm leaving them all behind..."

"People get born and die every day." Blue Man cut in with a reality check. "Within a few months, they will return to their daily lives and it would be as if you were never there."

"I hope that happens. I really hope Mum doesn't get some sickness from being too depressed." Sara said, turning to Red Man since he seemed to present a friendlier conversation partner. "Can you do something about it? You are a god, aren't you?"

"We are gods of the afterlife. I'm sorry to tell you that regardless of your religion, there hasn't and will not be any gods of the living. All gods that exist; it is either the both of us, or the God of Death. We balance out the living and the dead between us, but that is all we do. We do not interfere with the lives of the living. At least not unnecessarily."

"Then why are there so many texts about Gods, and none of them talk about you?"

"We wipe your memories when you are reborn. However, some people remember very vaguely of the things they have said or done in their past lives and they interpret it as prophecies, or as someone's voice speaking to them." Blue Man answered, a little more helpful this time, but looking no more welcoming.

"Enough about gods and theories." Red Man took the conversation back again. "I want to know more about your story. With your life thus far, would you go peacefully?"

"I can't help it, can I? I'm dead."

"Just because the God of Death passed you to us doesn't mean we can't send you back. If we gave you a choice, Sara, would you turn back? Back to the family that loves you? Back to the friends that admire you?"

"Of course I-" Sara's declaration was interrupted by a sharp voice originating from Blue Man.

"Back to the man who abused you?"

"H-How did you-" Sara stopped in her footsteps, but it was clear that both men were ready for her shock, because they stopped as she did.

"We are gods, Sara." Red Man repeated for a third time, this time with a sad inflection. "Would you go back to life, where the same man still awaits you?"

"I..."

"You died with his name on your lips not in longing, but as a curse, Sara." Blue Man reminded. "The reason why you died stems from him."

"A-Are you trying to get me to forgive him?" Sara asked. She imagined that they were probably trying to tell her to let go of her hate for the man who had dated her with fervour, won her heart, then began to turn her into a devil. She had been stupid enough to fall for his trap, obeying his every command until she realised that she had turned herself into a hateful person who had successfully shunned away everybody who cared. He had isolated her, then used her.

And the last straw had come when he left her for another woman. That night, Sara had gone out drinking, determined to either end up in hospital for liver failure, or in someone else's bed as a result from a drunken mistake. She hadn't thought that she would end up dead when she crossed the road, but she had been too drunk to realise that a car was honking at her before she woke up, all sober and in Haven.

"We are gods." Red Man said for the fourth time, this time with an understanding smile. "Not saints. Hate him for all you like. You will remember none of it when you get reborn anyway. Who knows? Maybe you will be reborn as his son or daughter when you walk through that doorway."

Before Sara could express extreme distaste at that thought, Blue Man cut in again –this time with something a little bit more positive.

"You may be reborn as his future murderer as well."

"What we're trying to ask is; will you be willing to be reborn if we gave you the chance to turn back now?" Red Man brought the conversation back to her.

"The offer is very tempting..." Sara stood looking between both handsome men, wondering if she had ever seen men with faces similar to theirs while she was alive. "But no. I think I'll move on. Being reborn is the natural route to go; at least to me. Since I'm dead, I'm not going to try turning back time."

"Very good." Blue Man said, and she was startled at how he had stepped up right behind her when she had been facing Red Man. "Then you are ready to go. It's also the perfect time for you."

"What do you mean?"

"By now, your sister has already been married to the man of her dreams. She met him at the cemetery while visiting your grave –he was visiting his late grandmother. They dated for 5 years, and they have been married for 2 years." Red Man said with a congratulatory tone in his voice, and Sara blinked with surprise to see him suddenly appearing beside Blue Man, standing shoulder to shoulder.

"Cherie is married? Now?"

"I told you, time may compress and expand as and when we like in this space." Blue Man answered, stretching out and resting one hand on her shoulder.

"Today is the day you will be reborn. Congratulations." Red Man put his hand on her other shoulder, and Sara was struck with the sudden realisation.

"Oh my god. Am I being reborn as my sister's-" Sara's words could not be completed as both men pushed, and the doorway that had seemed far away initially now appeared right behind her. There was no words as she fell through, and a door swung close from the inside.

Both men stood silently in Haven, waiting for a second, then the door opened.

They looked at each other, gave each other affirming nods, and walked away, the sounds of a new born baby's cry distant in their ears.

_______________________________________________________________________________

The case this time was uncommon, but unfortunately it was also not rare.

"Wake up." Blue Man stood beside his partner, looking down at the man. The marks of friction and purple indentations faded away as the newcomer stirred, opening his eyes slowly at the sound of someone speaking to him.

"Wha... What happened?" The man asked as he looked around blurrily, then up at the two men towering over his vulnerable self. "Didn't I... Am I dead?"

"Yes, you are." Red Man answered, this time with a frown. "But dying once won't be enough for you."

"What do you mean? Who are the two of you?" The man named Justin Guiles sat up, a little fearful. He had thought that it was the end when he kicked the chair and closed his eyes, but waking up to the sight of two men frowning down at him hadn't been what he had been expecting.

"We are your judges." Blue Man said, and both men –with their hard-as-ice expressions –raised their hands at him. Justin realised with a sudden jolt that they were both holding a pistol each, and both barrels faced down at him, point-blank. "We are gods."

"Did it feel good?" Red Man asked grimly. "Were you satisfied with your life?"

"I can't lie, I thought it was-" The word 'over' was silenced by the sound of an ear-piercing gunshot, and Justin yelled, doubling back over on the ground as he clutched his heart. There was no entry or exit point, nor a bullet shell or a bullet wound. But Justin clutched at his flesh as if he had been hit by the bullet, the pain radiating through his body. Smoke rose from the barrel of Red Man's gun.

"W-What are you doing? Aren't... you supposed to be gods?"

"We are. But seeing gods is not the end. Being in Haven is not the end." The barrel of Blue Man's gun had not moved a single inch, still firmly aimed on Justin's heart.

"The God of Death did not judge you; so we are." Red Man added, removing his free hand from his pocket to reveal another bullet that he loaded into the gun.

"But what did I do wrong? I have never committed a crime or any sins!" Justin protested, the tears of pain flowing from his eyes endlessly. One bullet had already caused him so much pain that he was trembling, and it was clear that neither men were through with him yet.

"Yes, you did." Blue Man answered unforgivingly, and this time it was he who fired the shot.

Once more, Justin screamed as he curled up, trembling at the pain that radiated from his heart all the way to his fingers and toes. Dying was not supposed to be like that. Dying was supposed to be pain-free; the books he had read had described dying to be like floating away on a cloud, to be greeted by angels and soul well taken care of post-mortem. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't-

"If this wasn't supposed to be your death, then why are you here?" Red Man asked, clearly able to hear his thoughts. Justin blinked tears from his eyes as he tilted his head up to look at the men; Blue Man reloading his gun with yet another bullet.

"Please... don't shoot me anymore... it hurts. I didn't want this..." Justin pleaded.

"Why don't you want this?" Blue Man asked, aiming the gun again. "If you didn't, you should have thought of it sooner."

"P-Please... don't shoot..." Justin begged.

"If we don't, then how will you know the pain that you have caused others?" Red Man asked in a tone that was almost innocent. "We still have bullets to go for your wife and 2 sons."

"But it hurts... Please. Stop."

"The first two hurt so much because your parents loved you with all their hearts, and still you chose to leave this way." Blue Man answered. "If the pain is measured by how much they love you, do you think the bullets from your wife and children will hurt less?"

Justin thought about the many times he had lost control in his anger during the arguments with his wife. He thought about how she had cried and sobbed all through the night when he locked her out of the bedroom, and the bruises that she always did her best to hide in the mornings when she plastered a smile on her face to give the boys their breakfast.

He hadn't been the best husband, but it was because he had been frustrated. He had lost his job thanks to the sabotage from his colleague, and he had been humiliated countless times during interviews when the panels decided that he was either too old, too inexperienced, or just didn't like his face. A man was allowed to have his down days, didn't he? Justin didn't do anything wrong, he was just a man tired of life. He was just-

"Making excuses is no way to redeem yourself." Red Man interrupted his train of thoughts, and before a warning could be given, a third gunshot rang.

This time, the force threw Justin back and he didn't even try to curl up no, just twitching on his back on the floor as he struggled to breathe properly.

"That was the bullet from your wife, Justin. The more it hurts, the more she loved you."

The pain was almost unbearable, but slowly, the tears in his eyes were less because of the pain and more of realisation.

"She chose you not because you were a smart or handsome or rich man. She chose you because you were Justin Guiles. Even when you became less of Justin and more of a monster, she still loved you. Of all the people, you hurt her the most."

"I... I..." Justine swallowed once, the movement like sending spikes all through his body. "I didn't know..."

"You did." Blue Man answered, unforgiving. "But you didn't care. These last two bullets; they are from your sons. Your sons who were afraid of you while they grew up. They were caught for stealing and you lost your temper at them. Did you stop to ask what they were stealing?"

"T-They were stealing job application forms." Justin gasped.

"They stole those, scratched out the names of other applicants and put your name on all of the applications." Red Man added. "In order to give you a job so that you would stop being so angry and stop arguing with their mother, your sons stole for you."

"I...They didn't tell..."

"They tried; you didn't listen." Blue Man answered, and again, there was no warning. Two gunshots rang in a row, and even though the level of pain was the same, Justin no longer cried in pain. He simply laid on his back, eyes struggling to remain open as every part of his being filled with pain, guilt and remorse.

"Now answer us, Justin Guiles. Were you satisfied with your life?"

"No..." Justin's tears were uncontrollable now as he sobbed. "I was a horrible man... and I took the coward's way out of life... I'm a terrible son, husband and father..."

"Yes, you were." The gods' reply was unforgiving as usual, but Justin no longer felt the sting from those harsh words. They were truths, spoken out loud because he could not hear them beneath his own screaming at his frustrations. "You have been judged. Now, be reborn into something better."

The instructions sounded more like orders in his ears, but the pain poking in his body was becoming more like a tingling now. Justin tried to open his eyes, but the whiteness of the Haven was gone. He was alone again.

Justin Guiles opened his eyes moments later to the sound and sight of his wife and children crying as they held his cold hands. The chair that he had kicked away laid on its side, the same position as he had remembered it. He remembered dying, remembered meeting the gods, and remembered the pain.

He looked up at the light in his bedroom, where he had tied the rope. He felt something uncomfortable resting on his throat and when he coughed on reflex, a burning sensation filled his neck.

The rope had snapped.

Justin had been judged.

________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Things get a little bit intense here. If you are disturbed by kidnap/rape, just go right ahead and skip this sub-part.

The guidance appeared normal. Aloysius talked to the men about how he had lived his life, and told them that he had accepted his death gracefully. Neither men had showed any signs of knowing the real version of his story, and Aloysius had doubted whether they were actually gods or just souls like him who had been chained to this lousy job for the rest of their... however long souls had to do their jobs for.

Still, Aloysius had pretended to be convinced that they were gods and treated them with respect. Blue Man hadn't showed much emotions at all and answered him with sharp words of harsh reality that would have hurt any emotionally-vulnerable individual. But not Aloysius.

Red Man had been a little bit friendlier and chattier and most times the conversation had gone down between him and the Red Man, all the way until they reached the doorway to be reborn. Aloysius didn't know if someone of his circumstance was supposed to be treated differently or not, but he was rather glad that he was getting away with his crime and getting a chance of easy rebirth. For a moment there during his death, he had been worried whether he would be judged by supernatural beings of any kind, but the two non-imposing figure that had greeted him in Haven had dispelled those worries easily.

"We say goodbye here." Red Man gave a wave as the two of them turned away from him where he stood in front of the glowing doorway.

"Thank you for walking me here. I do hope to see the two of you once again when I am dead in my next life." Aloysius replied like the sophisticated, polite man he often acted as. This mask of his was worn so often that it was almost like his second personality.

"Don't hope." Blue Man answered shortly. "You won't want to see us again."

That was their farewell.

Or rather; it was supposed to be their farewell.

Aloysius walked through the doorway, into the glow and waited for something to happen. He felt his body becoming lighter and lighter, as he was brought closer and closer to new life.

Then, just as a whole new life would open up in front of him, he fell. The abruptness of his descent befuddled him, but before he could connect a rational thought, he stopped falling. Aloysius felt strange in his body, and tried to move his hands but he realised that he could not do anything. He heard short breaths and pants, and he also heard muffled sounds in the background, as if somebody was coming down the stairs. He tried again to move a little, and then was aware of cold chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

The situation felt distantly familiar...

Bright light blinded him for a moment, and Aloysius looked up, blinking furiously against the fluorescent lamp. His heart jumped and pounded at the sight of himself smiling back down at him. What was this...? How could it be...?

"Hello, darling." Aloysius heard himself say, the smile curling his lips up. "Are you ready for Daddy's love today?"

It was a game he had liked to play while he was alive. He was the Daddy. The girls were his daughters, but they were always naughty and rebellious girls. So Daddy would shower them with a little bit of his love every day until they became nice angels again. Maybe his love might be a little tough, but Aloysius knew that parental love was never smooth.

"Let me go..." Aloysius felt his mouth open, his lips trembling, but the voice that came out was not his. It was the voice of someone he remembered clearly.

His first daughter. The first girl who had played this game with him. The little girl who had gotten him hooked to this game.

"Don't be a bad girl, honey. Daddy loves you." Aloysius saw himself speak, his adult arms reaching to carry him out of the small box. Aloysius's small body tried to wriggle away from adult arms, but he could not escape. He was too small. He was chained.

And he was stripped naked.

"Please let me go, Mr Jenson. I-I-I promise I won't tell Mummy or Daddy... I promise I won't call the police... j-just let me g-go..." Candy's soft voice cried, but Aloysius felt all the fear within the trembling little frame. Back when Aloysius had still been alive, this plea and the sight of young 10 year old Candy naked and in chains in front of him had been thrilling. It had given him ecstasy that he had never known before.

He knew exactly what had happened to Candy. He remembered every single part of it; he remembered every laugh that he had made. He remembered every cry Candy made, screaming that it hurt. He remembered the thrill of ejaculating inside a little girl.

Now, Aloysius knew fear like he had never known before. The pain, the fear, the disgust. Everything hit at Aloysius the same way his heart never stopped pounding, his tears never stopped flowing, his cries never stopped coming, and the way his ears never stopped hearing every single disgusting thing going on.

And then, like how Aloysius remembered it, he felt his own gloved hands wrap tightly around his neck and squeezed. Candy's –or rather, his –hands tried to hit and claw, but the strength dwindled as the life was choked out of Candy, and once more Aloysius fell into a darkness that for the first time since he died, became terrifying.

"Wake up."

Aloysius's eyes shot open and he sat upright, looking around frantically. It was no longer the basement lit only by that fluorescent lamp. It was Haven again.

"Hello, Aloysius, we meet again." Red Man greeted with a smile that felt like there were daggers hidden behind them.

"What...What is the meaning of this?" Aloysius demanded, jumping to his feet. Dead people were not supposed to have nightmares. And what had been that nightmare? It had felt so real... It had felt as if he had been Candy that night it happened.

"There is actually no deeper meaning of whatever you went through, Aloysius." Red Man answered with a shrug. "It is just as it is."

"Come, we walk to the doorway as we talk." Blue Man said, looking no happier to see him than he had been the first time.

Neither men seemed to show as if they knew what had happened to him, but Aloysius kept his guard up as they walked. Red Man asked more or less the same questions, but Aloysius answered much less than he did the first time. Again, they stood at the doorway and both men bade their farewells.

It had just been a nightmare the first time, hadn't it?

Aloysius stepped into the doorway, and this time, he was his second daughter, Melody.

"Hello. Are you fine?" Red Man asked when he woke up after death again.

"The two of you are responsible for this, aren't you?!?" Aloysius demanded. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Blue Man asked.

"The nightmares, or whatever it is! It's not funny."

"It was never funny." Blue Man answered. "At least not to us, or to the girls you killed. The only one ever having fun was you, Aloysius."

"I don't care, just stop it. I want to be reborn."

"Haven't you been reborn 2 times already?" Red Man asked, looking as if nothing was going wrong.

"Those were nightmares. That's not rebirth."

"Oh, but you did reborn. You walked through the door, didn't you?" Red Man answered.

"Those two girls died before I did. How can I be reborn as them?"

"I thought I told you the first time, didn't I?" Red Man said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Time works differently for us."

"Then didn't you say souls are supposed to forget their past lives when they forget? And why am I being reborn as those girls?"

"I think the question you should ask, Aloysius," Blue Man walked over and stood directly in front of him, sharp blue eyes piercing through him, "When is this going to end?"

A sudden realisation jolted through him as he looked into Blue Man's eyes. The men weren't just souls; they were really god. And they knew.

"W-When is this going to end?"

"When you feel the pain, fear, hurt and anger that every single girl that you killed went through." Blue Man answered. "And after that, when you feel the pain and anger of every family member and everyone who ever loved them. It stops when you hate yourself for having been able to get yourself acquitted of the crime of murdering all those girls after hiding evidence. It ends when you no longer want to be reborn."

Aloysius didn't want to count the numbers in his head, feeling light-headed as he swallowed.

"H-H-How long is this going to take?"

"Depends on the time. It could be one second. It could be one year. It could be one hundred years." Blue Man put a hand on his shoulder.

"I told you the first time, didn't I?" Red Man continued, another hand on his other shoulder. "Time works differently for us."

Together, the gods pushed Aloysius through the doorway again.

________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: To the people who skipped the previous sub-part, welcome back :)

This was the first time it was happening.

The gods walked together towards the doorway without a newcomer. They took their steps slowly and in silence. The only sounds that came from the both of them were their steady breathing that came in sync, and the sound of their footfalls; that also landed in sync. Their rhythm matched each other's so much that it sounded as if it were only one person walking through Haven.

Neither spoke a word until they stopped in front of the doorway as they had done so many times before that neither could count.

The gods turned to each other.

"My life was short." Blue Man started with the barest hint of a smile; the first that had ever appeared in Haven. "But thanks to you, it ended. It was the best way I could have gone, and for what is worth, I am sorry that we never made up. Live well. I'll be going first. Maybe we'll meet again when we reborn."

Red Man stood in stunned silence. They were gods... what was his partner saying?

"Ver-"

"Thank you, my brother." Blue Man said, and with the smile still hanging on the corner of his lips, the god stepped through the doorway.

________________________________________________________________________________

Dante sat upright on his bed, the covers sliding off his chest as he blinked furiously, looking around. It was not white anymore. He was not wearing his red coat anymore.

It was a room that he recognised, but he didn't want to be here. He wanted to be back with his partner, back in Haven.

The sunlight that gleamed through his bedroom windows shone onto the decorative piece that Dante had in his bedroom. It caught the sunlight and reflected brilliant colours around the room, and –most importantly –caught his eyes. Staring at the mounted sword for a moment, Dante's mind struggled to piece his reality back together one by one.

Then, as reality began to come together, his heart became heavier and heavier as he stared at the thin sword, with its sheath sitting on the dresser table. He didn't remember unsheathing the sword the night before. Then again, Dante didn't remember falling asleep last night.

Dante sat on his bed, unmoving for a whole minute as he stared at the sword hanging in the sunlight, the beautiful colours in his eyes while he recalled the last words that the Blue Man had told him in Haven, in his dream.

Maybe they would meet again when they were born again. But one thing was sure; Dante would never meet him again in this life.

The years had passed, but the wound still hurt.

Dante covered his face in his hands and quietly sobbed.