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I was shaken from my apparent slumber when I felt like I was being thrown into an icy vat of water (Not fun at all). I had apparently fallen asleep somehow during my little walk down memory lane and wound up falling into a nightmare. I had dreamed that the Shadows were chasing Ben and I through our school. It was one of those dreams where no matter how far or fast you run, you can't seem to reach your goal or run away from the monster chasing you.

We were at the schools pool area and I was just telling Ben we just needed to find my charm when I slipped on a wet spot on the floor and into the freezing cold pool, full of those Shadow monsters. When I woke up I was still freezing and drenched in cold sweat.

I then quickly checked Benji's and Ben's vitals to make sure their health didn't take a nosedive while I was out. I let out a sigh of relief when I found out that they were both fine and in the same state where I had last left them. I was still freezing though, so naturally I went to check to see if the AC was on. It wasn't of course and I was seriously wondering if I was going crazy. It looked pretty nice outside, considering it was winter and all but for some reason I just felt so cold...though I guess the fact that I was standing in the middle of the room in my boxers might explain why I was freezing. That would actually make sense and now I remembered that I had still been in my boxers when I met up with Benji. Not wanting to answer the door in my boxers, I went to Ben's room to get dressed.

As I walked into the hallway, I noticed that the noises from earlier had somehow stopped completely and I was quite thankful for that. As I approached Ben's door my paws were shaking madly in fright. I didn't hear anything within, so I mustered up my courage and went to turn the knob and opened the door. I slowly stuck my head through the room and ended up falling on my face, but not feeling the impact from the fall due to the shock caused by what I saw.

"What the hell happened in here?!" I shouted. The room was completely TRASHED! Not even Ben, who was a total slob normally (I should know, I share a room with the guy at school.) could do this much damage. Pipes were flooding the room with water, two giant holes were one the wall near the window and one in the ceiling. Also the door to Ben's closet had be torn off its hinges somehow, and all the contents of the closet were tossed all around the room.

I managed to shake myself from the initial state of shock of the sight and began to try and look for my suitcase while subconsciously trying to clean up the mess here. (Did I mention I'm a complete neat freak? Ben says it borderlines on OCD which may be true, but I'm still not as bad as my father. He makes ME look like a slob!) After nearly panicking again because I did not want to answer the door in just boxers, I thought for a minute then suddenly face pawed. Mine and Ben's luggage from school were still in the living room.

Just as I started pulling a shirt over my head, I heard a knock on the door with a shout of 'We're the ambulance you called! Open the door!' and I quickly rushed to the door, wishing that I had a chance to take a shower or something! I must have stunk pretty bad. The EMT's quickly ran in as soon as I opened the door and quickly went to work on Ben and Benji. They were placed upon the stretchers and quickly rolled over to the ambulance. After I locked the door one of the EMT's, a tall husky spoke to me. "You're the boy who called this in correct?" I nodded, trying to avoid eye contact because the EMT was kinda hot. Anyway, he complemented me on the way I handled the situation and told me I could ride in any one of the ambulances.

I of course, chose Ben's (Not just because Ben is my friend but I'm also kind of afraid that Benji might go through with the earlier threat of making me pay for forcing medicine down his throat and right now I was picturing a scene from the Simpsons where Homer was choking poor Bart after the kid did something stupid. But I was the one who was Bart and Benji was Homer though I might overreacting.)

Good thing I did because while I was calling Ben's parents to explain what was going on Benji woke up. (Not sure how he did considering how much tranquilizers were in his system...) And he was having one hell of a tantrum, screaming saying he was fine and wanted to see Ben and get his hands on the one who shoved the medication down his throat. Luckily Benji was tranquilized before he could have another heart-attack or destroy the ambulance.

*Fast forwarding to the hospital*

Can you believe that Ben's parents won't see their son that's comatose AND the grandfather, who has now taken an even steeper nosedive in health thanks to all the stress he has went through?

I had visited him for a bit too check up on the guy. He had calmed down a good deal and told me he understood why I had drugged him and thanked me for buying him a little more time though he still promised to get me back when I least expect it so I was definitely going to be on my toes around him. Sadly, the doctor's only gave him a few days at most. But then again, Benji was a tough old bastard so I could see him staying around until Ben wakes up which I hope is soon.

Anyway, when I finally gave up and hung up the phone by kind of throwing it against the wall. (I was pissed, stressed, and worried so I needed to take my anger out on something. Luckily my phone was in one of those indestructible cases so it wasn't damaged.) A nurse came later to ask if I ate anything today and I just shook my head. My nerves were killing my stomach too much to even think about eating.

Unfortunately she persisted and I just asked for a sandwich and a soda just to get her off my back. I spent the next few minutes just staring at Ben, wishing he would wake up and make some smart ass comment like I know he will when he sees me sitting by his side. After several minutes of no change I finally let everything hit me and started to sob into the sheets on Ben's bed.

After another couple of minutes of doing absolutely nothing but sob, I had a thought. 'What happens to someone's spirit when they fall in a coma?' Remembering the article I read on the internet, a person described it like being an out of body experience. 'Is it possible that being in a coma is just the body missing its soul?' I then felt a familiar and pleasant presence behind me.

'Could that be Ben?' I thought and decided to attempt to talk to the presence like I used to when I was younger. Usually when a newbie spirit attempted to contact me it would be by going inside my body and talk to me inside of my head. Back when I was little I could talk to them as I would a normal person.

I just looked silly doing it though so I didn't do it in public. I could when i was a kid since people would just think I had an imaginary friend or something and my sanity wasn't put into question. My power on the other hand was still slowly coming back to me so I didn't know if I had enough power to be able to talk to spirits through regular conversation yet so I decided to give the presence permission to enter my body so we could talk.

Before I could even try, I felt another familiar but extremely dangerous presence behind the familiar and friendly presence. "Damn it not again! Go away!" I yelled while instinctively jumping into Ben's bed to protect his body. I watched as the shadows from the room and in the hallway begin to converge into 10 points behind the spirit that was in the room with me.

Squinting at the ten points of shadows, I could make out (Barely...) the outlines of three wolves, three panthers, three tigers and a lion. Their forms would shift constantly while disappearing and reappearing every time they moved. I couldn't make out any distinguishable features because it was like looking at someone in complete darkness after your eyes adjusted, yet I could see enough to recognize the shadows were similar to the ones I saw when my mom died.

I glimpsed at the spirit that was standing in front of me and he (I could tell from his build he was male) appeared to be a canine similar to Ben's size wrapped in a black cloak. 'Maybe it's the same guy that rescued me when I was younger and could be trying to get Ben back to normal...and if that's the case shouldn't Ben be floating around somewhere?' I thought as I watched the figure turn back slowly towards me with his arms outstretched in a protective posture, as if trying to keep me and Ben out of the Shadows view.

It didn't look like he was armed, so I guessed he was just as defenseless as me and Ben. I was about to yell at him to save himself until the Shadows finished forming and attacked. My shout turned into a scream of panic as I watched the shadows coming toward us. I closed my eyes and the tears I had been holding back were starting to fall as if a dam had burst.

What is it about these situations that makes time appear to slow down? As I waited for the feeling of teeth and claws tearing me to shreds and eventually at my soul, several thoughts raced in my head.

5 seconds 'Why does stuff like this always happen to me?'

4 seconds till impact 'I want to go home...'

3 seconds till impact 'I'm sorry dad...looks like I'm going leave you alone to see mom...'

2 seconds till impact 'I'm sorry Ben...you always protected and came to my aide when I needed it like a true friend would...and now, this one time that you need me, I'm failing you....I hope you can forgive me.'

1 second to impact 'Please God, I don't ask for much but please help me here or at least save Ben!'

During that last thought, I could swear I heard someone yell "I don't care what happens to me! I just want to save Dil!" Suddenly, I heard a BOOM and the intense heat from the explosion dried my tears. The wind burned my eyes but when I opened my eyes, I saw a massive tower of fire burn through the ceiling. The Shadows appeared to have been blown back in the explosion and I would have been too if I didn't had a death grip on the hospital bed and Ben.

The fire slowly diminished and when the smoke finally cleared, I saw the spirit again but he was different somehow and it wasn't just because of the MASSIVE sword he now wielded. It's a bit hard to explain in words but he seemed to radiate some kind of energy, like he was now so strong that you could feel his power just being close to him. His outline also changed somewhat like he had a sudden change of costume.

After swinging his sword a few times as if getting used to it the weapon, he turned his attention to the corner of the room and waved, which caused me to close my eyes due to the strong gust of wind that followed his action. When I opened my eyes the room seemed clear of the smoke and leftover flames from the earlier explosion.

I followed the figures gaze and saw another figure (This one looked female) with what appeared to be a cell phone pointing at the spirit in front of me. 'Is this really a time to text someone?' I thought as I turned my attention back to the guy in front of me who was now saying something to the shadows but I couldn't make out the words but due to his relaxed posture and the fact he seemed to giggle silently to himself, it may have been trash talk.

'Just a few moments ago he was just as scared as I was and now that he has a big sword he seems to think he's the king of the playground! Great, the person that just rescued me is a cocky bastard just like Ben.' I thought as I rolled my eyes and continued to watch as the guy said a few more lines, lowered his sword into an attack position similar to that you would see a samurai do in a movie, then he vanished.

"What the-"I began before I suddenly saw the guy reappear and cleave through one of the wolf looking shadows with a blow so powerful that it cracked the floor and exploded all of the hospital rooms windows in what appeared to be a sonic blast from the impact. The wolf shadow didn't stand a chance and I watched it disappear in a mix between darkness and light. 'Okay... maybe his earlier confidence was well founded...' I thought as the guy appeared in front of me again in a defensive posture but at the same his posture dared the shadows to come closer. It seemed the loss of a comrade snapped the shadows out of their frozen state and instead of attacking in small group like I expected them to, they instead attacked all at once like earlier.

I began to panic again because there was no way the guy in front of me could kill all the shadows at once! He may get a few but some would get though his defenses and then we'd all be screwed. He seemed to realize this as well as his cocky attitude was replaced with fear and he seemed to be listening to someone and huddled in on himself as if he was building something within.

I then got a bad feeling. I was about to yell at the person who was still standing in the corner with her phone out when my attention was shifted back to the guy in front of me when I heard the wind begin picking up again and saw his body started to glow and radiate heat. Suddenly, the flames and wind exploded outward, roasting and pushing back a few shadows that came close enough to snap at his arm. I would of yelled "nice move" if it hadn't been for the fact that the fire was coming at me too. As I watched the fire coming toward me and Ben I suddenly became lightheaded and passed out.

I was woken up later by someone shaking me silly before yelling, "We got two live ones here! The wolf doesn't seem to want to wake up though, someone get the EMT's up here stat!" I slowly opened my eyes to find a lion dressed in a fire fighter suit with a fire extinguisher lying next him. I tried to explain Ben was in a coma but all that came out was a coughing fit. "Easy kid, I don't know how you and your buddy survived but we don't want to lose you because of a collapsed lung." Still kinda groggy, I was going to ask him what happened when it all came back to me like a sledge hammer.

I looked around the room, only to see it was completely destroyed...nearly everything seemed to be burnt to cinders and the floor had a nasty looking crack in it and looked like it could fall in any second. The only thing that wasn't even a little damaged were small circular areas that surrounded me and Ben (Who was still in a coma on his bed.)

"Hey kid, do you know what happened here?" The lion asked as the EMT's hurried over to work on us. I tried to tell him but all of it started to rush out at once. I must have looked pretty crazy speaking incoherently with my hands while trying to push the doctor away to reach Ben and I may have had a panicked look on my face. "Kid speak slower...Doc, I think he is having a panic attack."

"Yes it seems so, his pulse and blood pressure is off the charts. I'm surprised he hasn't gone into cardiac arrest already..." Said a tiger, acting as if I wasn't there. I then saw a syringe filled with some kind of liquid and I was about to ask what it was for when the EMT shot it into my arm. I suddenly felt very sleepy and passed out again.

Friday January 13th

I woke up the next day in a hospital bed that was right next to Ben's (Who was of course still asleep. Lazy bastard...) and the Nurse who had been looking after Ben seemed to notice that I had, indeed woke up and quickly went to get the doctor who was a short skunk man. The doctor had me thoroughly checked out before he deducted that I was in perfect condition, but he wanted to keep me in the hospital for another day or so and before he left I heard him mutter.

"Poor kid, he's had a rough day it seems..." After he left, a police officer came into the room and asked a few questions, saying if I remembered anything before I passed out. The question to that was a huge 'hell yeah' in my head but I didn't want to get thrown into a mental institution so I decided to lie and say I didn't remember anything besides a huge explosion. The cop thanked me for my time and left. Turns out, everyone blamed the damage to the coma ward on a gas leak that was somehow caused by an unknown spark. The coma floor on the top floor and a few other floors were now off limits.

After the cop left, Benji came in the room and he looked awful. After a few pleasantries, he told me that there wasn't a change in Ben's condition and his parents were still on their trip which made my blood boil. He also told me that my father had heard of what happened and was on his way home. I thanked him and he nodded while his eyes had not left Ben throughout the conversation and after a few minutes of empty banter, he silently left the room.

I called Dad afterward and he, of course was worried sick and asked if I was alright. I said I was fine, then told him what really happened yesterday and I was very thankful that I could unload my story to someone without them questioning my sanity. My Dad sighed.

"You boy are just a magnet for trouble aren't you?" He then said that he went back to school and got my charm for me immediately but that would mean he wouldn't be able to see me until Wednesday at the latest. After a very serious lecture about leaving it at school in the first place, he said he loved me and told me to call him frequently so he would know I was safe until he got there and then he hung up.

I slept for the rest of the day since it had been a very bad last two days...

~~~

"After all that display of power the kid just passes out? Well, I guess his body couldn't handle the strain....Hope! Heal his wounds and drag him back to base." Boss said to Hope as she made her way to Ben's unconscious form.

"What about spirit boy? His powers are growing rather quickly and I can feel his presence all the way down here. There is no way he will survive until we get back..." Hope replied as she had to put the phone on speaker for it to be able to work. She bent over Ben's unconscious form with a green glow surrounding her hands.

"Already on it. I'm sending one of our best to guard the boy and fix the Shadows mess."

"I would hate to be the clean-up crew for this one" Hope mumbled as she focused on her magic that now had a yellowish tint to it. With a shout of "Heal!" Ben's injuries were completely healed but Ben didn't wake up no matter how much she put into it.

"What the-? That trick has always worked before! Damn this kid, why does he have to be so strange?" Hope said, now really frustrated. She even went so far to aim a kick at Ben as she said the last part.

"Must be his Guardian's doing. Looks like you are just going to have to carry him back to base. We'll be opening a portal right now." Boss replied after watching all of Hope's failed attempts with a faint amount of amusement.

"I really am beginning to hate this kid..." Hope mumbled as the portal opened up in front of her as she dragged Ben (With humongous difficulty) inside of the portal just as fire trucks pulled up to the hospital.

(The Next Day)

"What do you mean that Ben's power is at beginner levels? I saw the kid do stuff that most elite reapers have trouble doing! I mean, he took out that Shadow by himself!" Hope yelled at her boss in disbelief.

"Yeah I couldn't believe it either when our scientists came back with their data..." Said a giant of a man who Ben would have recognized as the one who greeted him when he was sent to the afterlife. The giant of a man was human, just like Hope but the similarities ended there. He was tall enough that he could have been taller than three Hopes stacked on top of each other and while Hope's eyes were blue, the mans eyes were a metallic silver. His buzz cut and business suit made him look like he was pushing pencils in an office job instead of being the most powerful Reaper out of his division and he, like all of the other Reapers, were armed. His weapon took the form of two short-swords.

His own name was very rarely spoken and only his closest subordinates dared say it to his face. Everyone else just called him Boss.

"It seems now that he barely has enough power to light a candle or summon even the most gentle of breezes. Our theory is that his Guardian is limiting his powers so he won't completely destroy him or anyone else by accident." Boss said while looking over the data the scientists collected on Ben.

"So, if he works with his powers he will eventually be as powerful as before?" asked Hope.

"That is correct. It's possible, and if given enough time he would become stronger than he was the first time." Boss replied just as the door slammed open with a very out of breath and a very panicked tabby in a lab coat with small but deep gashes in his shoulder.

"The one whom you call Ben...is awake and attacking everyone that comes near! And he is very out of control...he seems to be trying to escape and he keeps saying he has to get back to someone called Dil." The tabby cat said with a strained grunt before passing out on the floor from the loss of blood.

"Great, we have an emotional and panicked wolf with a giant sword on the loose!" groaned Hope while face palming.

"He doesn't know Dillon is safe...and for someone who claims he isn't in love with that boy, he sure acts like he is. Come on Hope, you are the only one who can calm him down." Said Boss while picking up her like she was nothing and stepped out through another portal which led to an armed and very surprised Ben who jumped back and assumed a defensive position.

"We aren't here to fight you Benedict, just listen to what we have to say." He called out in a soft but commanding tone.

Ben lowered his guard slightly but still remained defensive while Boss and Hope explained that he was at the Reaper's HQ which sat on the border between life and death. A floating city that stood in the void that separated the two worlds and the only way in or out were the portals which Ben could not open without help. The Reapers HQ contained not only the place where Reaper's got their jobs, but an academy where young reapers learned to use their powers and the living quarters were filled with numerous bars and other places for entertainment.

Hope quickly told Ben that Dil was okay and Ben finally managed to relax somewhat, realizing that he didn't have anything to worry about as long as he was at HQ. The relief that rolled off Ben's shoulders was almost visible and he even sheathed his weapon and walked closer to the pair. Boss then told him he had two options: The first was to wait until Hope can put him into his body again, then have his memory erased of what happened along with his powers sealed or Ben could become a Reaper while still juggling his normal life. After thinking about it for 10 minutes Ben decided to become a Reaper.

With that settled, Boss turned to Hope and said "You're in charge of him." Before she could let off one complaint he continued, "It's a part of your punishment. Now here is your first assignment."

Hope groaned and pocketed her punishment, which was cut off as she gasped at their first target. 'This isn't going to go well...' She thought as she opened a portal and silently ushered Ben through it and into the streets of Ben's hometown. Before Ben could ask where they were going Hope sprinted ahead, keeping just out of speaking distance. As she made her way to the hospital, she was thinking on how Ben was going to react when he found out that their first target was his grandfather.

Hope was able to make it to Benji's room but Ben was able to catch up to her by using his teleport trick and managed to slam her against a wall and tried to catch his breath. He was panting heavily but that didn't dull the venom that he had in his voice. "You better not tell me our assignment is my grandfather because if it is you can't be seriously thinking I would..." Hope interrupted him by blowing him back with a sudden gust of wind so strong that he crashed to the other side of the room.

"Let me ask you something." She said in a soft but stern voice as if she hadn't been thrown against the wall a few seconds ago. "Has you're grandfather been in a lot of pain lately?" Ben got up to rub his head in anger and annoyance.

"Yeah, he has been in a little pain but I don't see..." He started before Hope interrupted him.

"Is your grandfather the prideful type of person that likes to hide his pain from others especially from loved ones?"

"Yeah, but I don't see your..." Ben started but was interrupted again.

"If a loved one was withering and wasting away in agony, wouldn't you want to do anything to get rid of that pain?" Ben didn't respond so Hope went up to Ben and pushed him through the door. His grandfather was asleep but he still looked absolutely awful. His former muscular form was now thin and fragile, his face was pale and grimacing in agony even as he slept. It also appeared, not even in slumber he was safe from the pain and Benji seemed to be strapped to the bed as if to stop him from injuring himself and anyone around him. The one thing that surprised even Hope was that even despite his suffering, his grandfather was mouthing Ben's name while he slept.

Tears started to pour out of Ben's golden eyes and he appeared to be close to hyperventilating and whining like a pup for a minute but he seemed to shake himself off from his fit and pulled his hood over his head. If it wasn't for the uneven breathing and the occasional splash of tears, Hope would've never known the boy was crying. 'That's a bit cold of him to hide his emotions like that...it's like he thinks I'll make fun of him for crying? Even I'm not that big an asshole...' Hopes thoughts were interrupted when Ben said.

"Just hurry up and do it before I change my mind about letting you!" Hope shook her head before she spoke.

"I have instructions to make you be the one to do it...Boss said this is your first test to see if you have the nerve and the heart to actually become a Reaper..."

Before Ben could complain, Hope lightly tapped her staff on Benji's head. The heart monitor instantly flat lined and doctors rushed in, even though they knew nothing could be done. Benji's spirit slowly rose from his body and looked at himself lying on the bed before he sighed and looked at Hope and Ben with sadness in his eyes, "It's my time isn't it?" He asked in a sad but relieved tone and the two nodded. Hope elbowed Ben in the ribs and motioned with her head that it was time for him to do the deed. He slowly and shakily walked up to Benji. Seeing his hesitation and catching glimpses of his tears, Benji tilted his head in a classic canine head-tilt in confusion. "Is he going to be alright?" He asked with concern with Hope nodding and replied.

"Yeah, it's his first day on the job...the first soul is always the toughest even if it's for the souls own good." Hope replied softly.

"He sure dresses funny, kinda like my grandson...I was kinda expecting to see only one of you." Benji said while getting up and walking to Ben.

"Normally you would be right, but this person is special and so is this case." Was all Hope said.

Benji looked at Ben again, "It's okay boy, just do what you gotta do. I leave this world in with no regrets...well, besides one." Ben had raised up his sword for the killing blow as if he wanted to get it over with quickly before he lost his nerve and stopped at Benji's last word. Being polite and trying to cover up Ben's hesitation, even though she already knew Benji's response she asked him.

"And what would that be?"

"Oh, its nothing really...I was just hoping my body could hold up long enough until Ben woke up from his coma so I could say goodbye." Benji sighed and continued, "But I guess it wasn't meant to happen..."

The tears that were falling from Ben's face had increase but he finally spoke, "Don't worry..." his paw that he wasn't holding his sword with moved to his hood and pulled it down, revealing his tear stricken-ed but sadly smiling face "You got to say goodbye grandpa," Benji's mouth hung open in surprise but closed it when he recovered.

"Well I sure as hell wasn't expecting that..." His face suddenly became serious and he bopped Ben's head. "That's was for worrying me and Dil! Why are you running around and playing Grim Reaper anyway?" Hope gave a quick summary of the events that took place.

"So it all was just a huge mix up?" Ben and Hope nodded. "Everyone makes mistakes I suppose, so I guess I can forgive you...Hope was it?" The girl nodded. "Anyway, try to get back to the living soon Ben. Dil's been worried sick...he hasn't had a very good past few days honestly..." Ben's ears had folded back as if he was a cub in trouble. "Hope, please take care of him won't you?" Asked Benji once he turned to the girl.

"Will do sir," Hope replied as Ben, who had long lowered his sword was about to say he didn't need a baby sitter when Benji suddenly impaled himself on it. Ben looked at his grandfather in shock as Benji was disappearing slowly into a storm of light. When he got over his shock Ben started to cry again and just said.

"Why?"

Benji smirked, "Don't give me that look son...We both know you wouldn't have had the nerve to do it and probably would have done something crazy like attack Hope in order for me to get away." Ben grimaced, as it was obvious his grandfather hit the nail on the head. Benji couldn't help but chuckle and continue, "Goodbye Ben and see you on the other side." and with that, Benji had vanished into the afterlife. Ben looked dumbstruck and collapsed on his knees. Hope walked up to him and laid his head on her chest while petting him like a feral dog.

"Let it all out...it's okay to grieve you know..." With that, Ben had broken down in a fit of whimpers, sobs, and this time did hyperventilate. They sat there on the hospital floor for 30 minutes until Ben's fit finally stopped.

He pushed Hope away with a mumbled "Thank you" and the girl dusted herself off with a sad smile.

"Don't mention it...hey do you want to go see Dil?" Ben nodded and they left the room. He was asleep when we entered, which wasn't surprising and it was pretty late and all. He didn't look good though as his sleep seemed fitful. Poor guy was probably going to wake up hearing about grandpa.

Hope suddenly had a thought. "Hey, did you know that Dil had a run in with the Reapers when he was five?" Ben looked at Hope in curiosity.

"No I didn't...care to tell me about that?"

"Sure, but I'm sure Boss wouldn't mind me telling his side of the story..." Hope recounted the tale and Ben looked at Dil with a slightly angry look.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me any of that or about his powers...looks like I'm not the only one with some explaining to do..."

The two spent the next day training hard with Hope and Suzaku drilling the wolf to get him up to start as he passed out several times during training but Ben was otherwise making a bit of progress. During those moments, Hope and Ben began to get a bit closer and sometimes wound up bickering like siblings but otherwise, everything was working out fine....that is until they got their next assignment. Hope nearly dropped her phone in shock and cast a worried glance at Ben. 'Oh dear, this is definitely not going to go over well...'

~~~

"Hey Ben did you notice-" Suzaku began but I interrupted him in mid sentence.

"Yeah, I noticed the nervous glance she gave us when she looked at today's assignment." I said as I tried to catch up with Hope, using what me and Suzaku liked to call 'Quick step'. It was pretty much a technique that allows me to move swiftly like the wind. Hope and Suzaku made sure I mastered it or well...more like partially master it. I still have a slight problem stopping and turning...not much of a problem now really, since I can just phase through everything but it will probably suck when I'm back in my body. I know what you're thinking... why don't I just fly right?

When I mentioned this to Suzaku he said I was a tad bit too big and heavy to fly...and also mentioning that it would take a large amount of magic (Which I'm not very well versed in yet.) to make me even float. So I wasn't too keen on trying to fly when I get my body back and it would suck to get my body back only to die again.

Anyway, I'm getting distracted. I was very curious at who the target was and why she was acting so funny.

"It was the same kind of glance she used when-" Suzaku began but I stopped him again.

"We had to reap grandpa..." I finished with a tired voice. I was still torn up about that. How could they be so cruel to force a guy to reap his own family?

"Well, I guess it didn't need to be said." Suzaku mumbled and I ignored him, thinking what could it have been that Hope felt like she had to hide it from me?

Hope finally ran through the doors of a grocery store, with me a second behind her and as I pulled up next to her I asked why she was acting funny. All she did was point and as my eyes followed, I dropped to my knees while whispering "No this can't be happening." Even Suzaku fell out of the air and dropped to the floor in disbelief.

"I did not see that coming...I think I'm going to be sick..." I didn't hear Suzaku because my brain was still trying to process Dil lying in a pool of his own blood. It was everywhere... I felt like I was about to retch at the sight and my heart seemed to try and burst out of my chest. I could barely look at Dil in this state while he was there shaking, breathing heavily while a Raven woman tried to stop the bleeding.

Dil then looked at us with his cobalt blue eyes glazed over and I saw surprise but then I saw...what was that in his eyes? Peace and acceptance? He even gave us a shaky smile! Who smiles with holes in his chest?! My stomach clenched again at that. The first thought I had was 'I am so going to murder, maim, and destroy the person that done this to him!'

I was about to run out to catch the bastard when Hope spoke up, stopping me in my tracks. "I know it hurts but we have a job to do and we can't mess up. You know as well as I do the coincidences if we do." She sounded sad but at the same I could make out a faint amount of determination. She did not want to fail again.

I exploded at that...I wasn't going to lose Dil as well! I think I shouted "NO!"(But I couldn't be sure because I only saw red and heard my own heartbeat throbbing in my ears) before I Quick Stepped in front of Dil with my sword drawn, pointing it at Hope in a defensive position. Wind and searing hot flames began to dance around and on my body as I felt my power reach its peak.

For a brief second, I wondered why Suzaku was being so silent and not telling me off about jumping into unnecessary fights. I took a brief glance at him then cringed and looked away when I saw the pissed off expression on his face. Suzaku looked so pissed off he was wreathed in flames of his own. His murderous expression told me all that I needed to know: If I wasn't going to fight Hope; Suzaku was going to take over my body and do it himself and possibly do worse than what I was planning on. Seeing as Suzaku and I don't agree on much, I knew what I was doing was right.

After a few tense minutes of nothing but silently staring at each other, Hope finally broke the silence and said. "You do realize what this means right? You might have had a chance back at the hospital but now you aren't even in the same league as me in terms of power... and even if you do somehow beat me, what are you going to do after? Dil's spirit would attract everything that goes bump in the night and not only that, but if you guys manage to survive you could have the wrath of the Reapers on your head! I don't want to fight you Ben but if you don't back off I will."

My only response was to Quick step in front of Hope with my sword held high above my head going for a downward slash. Hope had barely enough time to bring up her staff to block. "I DON'T CARE!" I screamed as my sword slammed into the staff. When we collided I used the force of the blow and a bit of my wind magic to push Hope back, trying to get her to stumble. The wind blast was nowhere near as powerful as it had been back at the hospital but it was strong enough to blow her back a bit and scare the civilians.

While our weapons were crossed, I whispered "I know I reaped my own grandfather two days ago but only allowed it without a fight because he was in so much pain. I didn't even do it and he even wanted to go, but the guilt of not doing anything still weighs heavy on me. With that in mind do you really think I would just go through with the orders of reaping my best friend like some obedient puppy?"

"I knew you wouldn't, which was why I didn't tell you earlier because I knew that seeing Dil in pain would get you to go along with it like with your grandfather." Hope whispered back.

"WELL YOU WERE WRONG!" I was surprised to hear Suzaku's voice mixed in with my own. Apparently Hope heard as well and was surprised also because she eased up on her end and I used the opportunity to launch her across the air with another wind blast causing more of the civilians to scream.

Hearing the screams, Hope said "Lets at least get away and fight outside so we won't harm anyone in the crossfire." I said nothing as I Quick Stepped outside the store and got into a battle ready position. As Suzaku and I watched Hope talk to Dil. I broke the silence.

"So Suzaku...I get why I'm pissed about this but why are you angry? You don't even know Dil do you?" I asked as I glanced at Suzaku to find him still glaring daggers at Hope.

Suzaku chuckled. "I'm a part of your soul remember? Anything you feel for somebody I do as well...I just have better control over myself. I'm pissed because this bitch is trying to reap your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend dammit!" I snarled before noticing Hope had walked out of the store. I told Suzaku that we would finish this later and he rolled his eyes, mumbling something I couldn't really make it out that well but he did shut up and began glaring daggers at Hope as we both watched her walk calmly toward us with an expression that clearly said that she was annoyed. Hope stopped ten feet in front of us and said

"You do realize you have no chance in hell of beating an experienced Reaper right? All you would be doing would be buying time until the ambulance arrives." Her cockiness annoyed me so much I smirked before I let her have it.

"I don't see an experienced Reaper anywhere" I rebutted, grinning more while I was pretending to look around in random directions but I still kept my eyes on Hope. "All that I see is the screw-up that started this whole mess!" Suzaku giggled as we watched Hope begin to shake in anger.

"Nice burn there Ben...wouldn't have been able to think of a better one myself. Nice thinking of pissing her off enough to make her attack first. If we attacked first she would have just blasted us away with spell after spell before we would have gotten one hit in." I just shrugged it off...I really didn't care if I died because all that mattered to me right now is that I stalled her long enough for Dil to get help.

Just then, Hope jumped high in the air and into the sun's glare. "On second thought you may have doomed us both!" He exclaimed as we both squinted at the sun to see the girl coming straight down toward us like a falling meteor. "ACK! BEN RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!" Screamed Suzaku while flapping his wings like a mad bird. I didn't question his logic and Quick Stepped away from the spot we were standing on a second before Hope came down with her staff (Which turned into a massive earthen hammer wreathed in flames). Mine and Suzaku's jaws both dropped as we saw the damage that one attack caused to the spot we were standing before. Hope's impact was so powerful that there was a massive crater and several car alarms were going off.

Suzaku grabbed my face and slapped me silly with his wings. "YOU IDIOT, YOU JUST HAD TO PISS HER OFF DIDN'T YOU?! NOW WE'RE DEAD!" I shook off the headache I now had and glanced at Dil that was watching our battle with an open mouth expression.

After a moment of staring, I said "Yeah probably not one of my best ideas but..." Just then, Hope jumped in the air again and I immediately started moving, "I needed to piss off Hope enough so that her attention would be on me and only me... If learned anything in the past couple of days is that Hope is DEADLY serious about her job...enough in fact that I wouldn't put it past her to pretend to fight me for a few minutes, use some attack that would keep me distracted for a few seconds, sneak back to Dil and knock his soul to the afterlife." Suzaku was about to reply when he looked up and squawked.

"360 shield! 360 shield NOW!" I obliged and conjured up a sturdy shield all the way around when just a hailstorm of ice began to bombard my barrier.

"Damn is she trying to kill me...?" I said while panting heavily due to the strain of keeping up the shield. Hope REALLY wasn't pulling any punches.

"I think that's the idea Ben...could be trying to damage you bad enough so you won't be able to get up and in turn, stop her from reaping Dil." Suzaku replied as he looked at Hope who was five feet away still looking mighty pissed...wait, five feet away?

"Yeah I was thinking the same thing Ben...Lets go get that bitch!" Suzaku shouted the last part as I lowered our shield and we both ran/flew at Hope with everything we had. It was as if Hope seemed momentarily stunned by the reaction but recovered quickly and launched a multitude of elemental attacks at me. I dodged a few water blasts and a few rocks before I had the idea of spinning my sword like a windmill to knock them away. With the weaker attacks aside...I had to dodge a boulder though. But as soon as I did I Quick Stepped in front of Hope with my sword, preparing a slash for Hope's chest. Hope barely had time to block but I didn't let up and continued my relentless assault.

Left,right,right,right,left,left,right, went my sword as I swung it at Hope who could only block a few before the rest got through. Hope ended up with several slashes across her chest and stomach. I attempted to finish it with a downward thrust when Hope dodged by pressing me back with a torrent of water. I was soaked to the fur but I wouldn't let her go that easy when she had the nerve to launch a lightning bolt at me and successfully hit me, causing my whole body to go numb...which meant bad news for her. Now I could attack her without pain slowing me down.

"Oh no you don't!" I mumbled as she tried to fly away. I did my best to yank her back to me using wind magic in one pull but with it not being my forte, I only managed to pull her back a foot at a time. She was about ten feet away now, and as I kept going she pelted me relentlessly with magic, trying to get me to stop but I felt nothing and had no reason to quit. She was nine feet away now...

"What are you doing!? Are you crazy?" Hope screamed as she pelted me with rocks, which were becoming eight feet away from me now and I chuckled maniacally.

"Maybe," She started to use fire but I only laughed at her. Fire was my element after all...seven feet away...she screamed once more and I suddenly felt the ground shake beneath me and couldn't help but smile. 'Just what I was waiting for...' I thought as I braced myself for the giant fist to pop out of the ground to hit me in the back successfully, knocking the air out of me but it did what I wanted as I was launched toward Hope with my sword posed for my incoming barrages of attacks.

I slowed down both of our descents enough to where we were still falling pretty fast, but to Hope and I we were pretty much falling in slow motion. While I held us up I rained a flurry of blows across Hope's body. I got her pretty good and she got a few pretty good hits in herself. Eventually she managed to blow herself away from me and onto the other side of the parking lot. My body was very quickly running out of energy it seemed and I doubted I could last much longer.

Suzaku and I landed on the ground before I sent a thought toward Suzaku. 'Any ideas on how we can finish this quickly?' We both watched Hope get up and use her staff to support her weight. Hope was breathing just as heavy as I was and it looked like she was in tons of pain but she looked like she was just getting started. That was bad...she hardly seemed to be tired...she could easily heal herself and I'd be fucked...

"Remember that attack I used on Fur ball?" Suzaku replied after a bit of a pause.

"Yeah I do...It certainly finished things quickly but I'm nearly out of magic and you've never shown me how to use it!" I yelled over the small explosions that Hope's storm of fireballs were causing.

"What better way to learn a new move then in the heat of the battle?" Suzaku shouted back.

I raised an eyebrow and shouted, "In a safe environment with people not trying to kill me? That would be nice!" Suzaku ignored me and went on to explain how I could use the attack without using much magic which turned out to be remarkably easy.

I charged at Hope with my blade, spinning like I did earlier as I managed to slash through all the chunks of earth she was sending my way though I did have to dodge the big-ass boulder she sent my way. While I was doing all this, I was charging the energy for my attack. Winds started to swirl around my blade while it was on fire. I eventually made it up to Hope and kicked her down and raised my sword.

"I'm sorry but I'm doing this for Dil...Good night Hope" With that, I swung my sword at Hopes face and my sword was just an inch from her nose when-

I was hit by what felt like a truck, but in reality it was Boss's foot that came out of a portal that appeared suddenly in front of Hope. As I wheezed on the ground, Boss finished climbing out of the portal. Instead of cutting me down while I lied on the ground wheezing for air, he instead looked at me with a smirk while giving Hope a piece of paper. "New assignment." He said as Hope got over her shock and took it. Then Boss walked over to me, bent down and whispered in my ear "Normally I would be pissed off at a failed assignment and the disobedience of an employee but for this one and only time I'm going to say this to you Benedict Zideke," his smirk grew into a slight smile as he leaned closer "Good job."

My mind nearly exploded and I think Hope's did as well because we both yelled an astonished. "WHAT!?" Boss chucked at our reactions and replied.

"I wanted to test if Benedict was one of those people that are so power hungry that they would obey any order without question, even if it was to reap a family member just so they could keep their powers. That's why I gave him his grandfather and Dillon's reaping as a test to see where his true nature and intentions lie...Thankfully Benedict does have a heart or I would have wiped him out like any other Shadow since allowing such a soulless creature back into life with his kind of power would just be asking for trouble. "

"So this was all a test?" Hope screamed

"Yup and he passed with flying colors...You two might want to hurry up and heal yourselves...the bunny that robbed the store," my ears perked up at that. "Is in an awful lot of pain at the moment due to the wounds Dillon caused and the police car that hit him a little bit after he escaped the store. His location is on the paper" Boss said while stepping through the portal and before he left completely he whispered to Hope "Don't let Benedict hurt the bunny too badly...we want him in one piece." With that he disappeared.

Hope sighed and walked over to me with her hands glowing with green and yellow energy and shouted. "Heal" and all of my wounds were gone and my energy was back. With my new found energy I grabbed the piece of paper that Boss left, read and memorized the location of the bastard, Quick Stepped to an unconscious Dil in the ambulance and said "Stay safe" before I Quick stepped again toward the criminal's location.

The bunny was screaming while the officers were trying to keep him stable. Part of me wanted to just let him suffer but sadly it was his time...though I would make sure he would suffer for hurting Dil. I walked up to his body and stabbed him right in the chest. His body immediately went limp as he died and his soul floated out of his body. He looked around in shock before he noticed me.

"Who...Who the fuck are you?" He asked, his voice shaky in fear.

"Your punishment..." The next hour was filled with his screams while I beat the shit out of him. He would learn never to mess with Dil. He asked me why I was doing this and I seriously considered telling him. I did eventually as I stared him down with a pointed glare. "Because I'm the devil and you're in hell!" I answered with a malicious grin while beginning to set him on fire but before I even got the chance I felt Hope's staff knocking me into oblivion.