Chapter 11: Convergence
"Are you perhaps M-Mister Tanaka?"
Mary clenched her fist as she tried to reach out to the person in front of her. The man turned around and revealed his aged complexion with a dry smile. He had shown a few lines on his forehead and bags under his eyes as the few gray strands of his hair tilted along with his head.
"That's me, yes... who the hell are you?" He replied in an upbeat tone.
"...." Finding herself at loss for words, she retreated back a few steps and shook her head with a terrified expression.
"Just kidding..." Tanaka gave a small laugh and raised his hand in the air to calm her down. "I saw a blank profile in the directory of my teammates so I went to the helpdesk to confirm if it was a newbie and what do you know, you really are one. That's why I'm here"
She looked down and turned her head towards her side. She took another step back as she tugged the cloak and a few sheets of paper in her arms. Tanaka then again tilted his head as he reached for her head stroked it with his callus filled hands.
"I'm so sorry for that. I was pretty worried that you won't know what to do so I went here to walk you through" The feeling of his thick fingers making its way into her scalp sent shivers down to her spine and made her sprang back a few steps more. It was embarrassing to have someone do that to her but in the end, she was thankful that someone came to help her.
She figured that it would be rude not to say no, so she swallowed every bit of pride left in her heart and straightened her back before she bowed to the man in front of him saying, "I was sent here for a mission... Death said that I w-would be meeting an old man here... M-my name is Mary. P-pleased to meet you and thank you very much"
"I'm thrilled to meet you too, you can just call me Tanaka" Tanaka retracted his arm and placed his hand inside the pockets of his pants. He then leaned forward and said, "Welcome to the world of the reapers where everything is none but a single building... so how did the deal with death go?"
"He asked me... If I want to become a reaper... And I said yes…" She tilted her head and frowned as she tried to dig in deeper, but in the end, her remaining memory seemed to be in a haze and she couldn't get that much details. "I'm sorry… I can't seem to remember anything else"
"Ha! Me neither…" He puffed out his chest and let out a big laugh. "So anyway… did you at least remember what he did or say before you got here?"
"He gave me that cute smile after I said yes and… He gave me a badge, a dark piece of fabric and he told me to..." She squeezed her cheek as she tried to claw through her memories. Tanaka nodded in unison with her reaction until she looked up with a deadpan expression saying "… get the hell out of his office"
"Oh, that is death alright…" Mary pouted her lips as she watched Tanaka laugh while cradling his stomach. "Now, we do have a couple of hours before the briefing begins so, I'll walk you around and get you ready."
Mary followed Tanaka's back through the endless white halls of the building. The walls on her side were filled with bricks of the same color. They traversed through the smooth and cold silver colored tiles that made the floor beneath her feet. She lowered her head as she tugged her belongings and glanced to the people that were walking around. She was able to see some people armed to the teeth, there were some sitting in groups reading the same piece of paper and there was someone walking without one of his arms.
"Oh dear…" Tanaka stood on his ground and gave Mary a concerned look. "Just so you know… I don't intend to scare you... This is the infirmary and I kinda forg-"
"NO… DONT TAKE ME IN... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE… LET ME DIE... LET ME DIE. LET ME DIEEE?" A woman's shout had rung in front of them.
"What?... Mr. Tanaka? What's happening?" Mary holds onto his arms and peeked on his side. She saw a woman with a broken face on a stretcher who was wriggling around as she was slowly being dragged towards the infirmary's entrance. She lost both of her legs along with her right arm and there was a gaping hole her stomach.
"NO... NO! IT'S FINE LIKE THIS. I DONT WANT TO BE HEALED… HELP ME... ANYONE HELP! HELP ME! DONT' FIX ME UP. LEAVE ME ALONE... I'LL DIE OKAY... I WILL DIE SOONER OR LATER... I DONT WANT TO END UP FINE... PLEASE.."
Mary lets go of Tanaka's arm to hold her own mouth. She widened her eyes as she sunk her finger into her face, feeling like everyone except them had stopped. She felt like something was churning in her stomach and it made her feel like it was hard to breathe. She froze on the spot and was about to black out but it became worse when they locked eyes onto each other and she saw her whisper,
"I don't want to fight anymore"
She had her face broken with tears but she bore a wide hopeless smile as she was swallowed by the glass doors. Mary lost the strength in her knees and fell down to the floor. She wanted to take out her hands off of her face but she can't seem to find the energy to. She was about to break and cry but she felt Tanaka's hand on her shoulders.
"Hey... Let's keep going shall we?"
"What.. happened. What is that?" Mary found to strength to lower her hands.
"Being a reaper…" Tanaka paused to wipe the sweat off of his face. "Saving those souls out there is a job that we must do until we die ourselves…"
"Then how can someone be-"
"All of us are bound to do the same thing over and over again. As a new reaper. There's only one thing that I would ask of you." He looked through her eyes with a serious expression as he held both of her shoulders. "Don't fall into despair. Do not be like them. Live with pride and stand proud as the one who saves okay?."
She gave him a silent nod as the commotion in front of the infirmary died down. Tanaka then curled his lips and formed a smile saying, "Alright, that's a strong one right there. Let's go to the department store so we can go pick up your toys"
Mary stood on her feet along with a few shallow breaths. After Tanaka made sure that she was okay, he held her arm and tugged her along as they passed through the section. She got a glimpse of the people around it once again as he remembered Tanaka's words. There were people who lost an arm, some were covered in bandages and some lost their eye. It was a sight that showed the definition of misery but all of them bore a dark grin on their faces.
They continued to walk until the dim lights of the infirmary were replaced by the bright yellow lights that colored the entire floor. She looked around and saw a couple of cloaks being in the display as well as other weapons. There were stalls that displayed notebooks and some had a screen on their side either showing a static ad or showcasing a person using the weapon that was put on sale.
"Lucky enough, we can skip over a few details since most of the stuff that you need right now can be found here." Albert paused with a wide smile as she ushered her inside the section. "It's a normal armory but given its unnatural flair, now we people call it the department store."
"I'm sorry... M-mister Tanaka. But what are we doing here" She skimmed over the report that death gave him and gave him a curious look. "Are we picking up the stuff for the hospital raid?"
"Precisely, what a reaper needs in times of missions are a mask, a cloak, a notebook and of course, a weapon." Tanaka rested his hands onto the pocket of his pants and pointed at the dark piece of fabric in her arms. "You got the cloak from death himself so, we're here to pick up a weapon to help you out."
"I'm sorry, help me out for?"
"To kill them..." Tanaka's cheerful voice was overtaken by a serious tone. A few seconds later, he broke that serious face with an enthusiastic voice and followed, "because killing dead people is what we actually do"
"I thought we're gonna save them…" Her voice faded out as she took a step back and lowered her head. "Isn't that we were supposed to do?"
"Yes… and I save them by turning their bodies into paste. Although a friend of mine casually stabs them in the throat." Tanaka scratched his head for a second and reached out to tap her shoulder. He then grabbed her arm once again and pulled her into the store on their side. "There's a process to it really... Spirits are like shells of their former beings and we need a weapon to break that and tear through their being to set them free, that's where the saving part comes in."
"I see…" She retreated back to her smile and Tanaka glanced at him with a concerned expression. She then raised her head and arms to let out an adorable pumped look. "I guess we're here to pick up some scythes then!"
Tanaka then sighed and ran his palm through his face to wipe his disappointment away. "Alright… Mary here's the thing, We're not gonna there to harvest some rice. So we better grab you a real weapon."
"But isn't it a real weapon…"
"It is, but think of it for a second. Look over there" Tanak took a step closer and pointed her towards the scythes hanging on the corner of the store. "Do you really think that you can swing that thing around a hospital hall?"
"Well… I mean… Being a grim reaper and all... I thought we were gonna hav-
"No... I won't stand for the stereotyping of reapers and also, a weapon is not just there to harm others but it's also there to protect yourself." Tanaka cupped his chin and said with a posed look, "What you need is a versatile partner that can be used outdoors and indoors with ease... Yess... I know a few after reviewing them myself."
"A dagger, a shortsword… a short spear, there are a lot of choices but hmmm…" He rubbed his palms together with his enthusiasm leaking out of his cheeks.
"You mentioned your friend stabbing people's throats… what kind of weapon does he use?"
"A kitchen knife" Tanaka replied with a straight face.
"A what? I-I guess that's pretty unique.." She turned her head away from him to hide her dumbfounded look. There were a few questions that ran through her mind but she figured that she might as well change the topic while she still can. "Well then... what do you use?"
"I use my special powers" Tanaka raised his hand and wriggled his fingers with a wide smile. "I snap my fingers and turn things into paste"
"Well compared to your friend who uses a kitchen knife, He sounds pretty underwhelming. Why do you get such good things while he gets a knife?"
"That is true. When we first met I used him as a paintbrush to turn the walls red." Tanaka looked away and stroked his chin as he tried to remember those sweet memories. But when he saw Mary raise her eyebrow, so he raised his finger and followed, "Well you see, that guy has an ability too. I do have a guess but under the right circumstances, I'm sure that he could wipe the floor with me as well."
"I wonder what kind of thing would I get…" She looked down and drowned herself in her own thought. She was about to let out a disappointed sigh when nothing came into mind but Tanaka broke her concentration with a soft chop on her head.
"Everybody gets one." His serious tone was then replaced by a happy and energetic expression. "The choice to become a reaper is only open to those who died of suicide, thus, everyone gets an ability based on the object of their death or… the reason behind their death."
"Then that means…"
"Yep… I did the same thing and left my family hanging.." He paused and cleared his throat. "Along with my body."
She didn't know how to respond. There are times that she would just say a plain sorry to show how bad she felt about it but that might not work. Both of them took their life and he seemed to be happy about it. She felt like there was no safe spot to land on so she just turned her attention towards the weapons that were displayed on the stand. She ran her fingers through them and felt its cold metallic texture as it gave off its bright silver sheen. She put up a satisfied smile and picked out the first thing she got her hands on and showed it to him.
"I like this one...." Mary turned her body and faced Tanaka as she held her weapon with two hands. "But I don't have any money… is this thing expensive, can have like a loan or some sort?"
"A short spear… that could work" Tanaka took a step forward and asked her to hand out the spear. She let go of the polearm and dropped it into Tanaka's hands. Tanaka then raised it up and down like a barbel with a confused look. "This could be waved around in a hospital hall, perfect for poking things from afar. But this one is pretty heavy though… are you sure?"
"I guess so... " Mary took the spear with one hand and raised it around like a plastic meter stick. "It doesn't seem too heavy for me"
Tanaka scratched the back of his head and let out a chuckle. He then straightened out his back and asked Mary to come forward before he pointed her towards the pile of notebooks in front of them. "Go get the notebook that you want and I'll meet you at the counter. I'll go and ask for your mask."
They gave each other a nod and went on their different ways. Tanaka checked his watch and went towards the cashier while mary crossed the other aisle to pick up a notebook for herself. The notebook had varied into a few different sizes and shared the same color. She picked up the second smallest notebook and walked towards the table.
"Thanks for waiting Mr. Tanaka" She waved at him and gave her notebook to the cashier on her side. Tanaka then placed her spear on the counter and resumed to show her his cheerful smile.
"Is this for Ms. Mary?" The cashier then called out.
"Yes... that 's me. Is there anything else that you need?"
The cashier asked for the signature and told them to wait for a few minutes so she could update in her information. Tanaka then took the chance to pull her into the dressing room and advised her to try on her cloak while they still had the time.
"It looks nice isn't it…" Tanaka said as the dark piece of fabric began to shroud her body. "You're one step short to look like a reaper and I got just the thing that you need."
"Wait a second… what is this for?"
"To look cool."
Mary raised her eyebrows as she folded her arms.
"Just kidding. That cloak works as armor as well as an item to hide our build and mask our smell. Also again, it makes you look cool." Tanaka averted his gaze and stretched out his hand to give her the white blank mask. "Here, the final piece to complete your look"
She looked in front of the mirror and saw herself clad in darkness with her mask being her only noticeable feature. She remembered the time when she was attacked by the same entity and set her free from her isolation as a spirit. It gave her a warm feeling in her heart that she now bore the same costume as that person and now, she can save others as well. She was about to raise her hands and do a cool pose but she was called by the cashier.
She stepped out of the dressing room, picked up her weapons by the entrance and gave her thanks before she stuffed her items in a bag. Tanaka then called her from out of the department store and she followed on.
"Oh.. before we go... Take that mask off"
"Why?.."
"You look like an edgelord"
They were about to give each other a laugh when a man entered their space and waved his hands. It was a man in his early thirties that wore a gray long-sleeved shirt. He had a straight back along with a firm medium build. He stepped forward with a dry smile and with a condescending tone, he said,
"What's up man. How's your wife and kids?"
Tanaka puffed out his chest and pointed his fingers towards him. "Good, Good. My wife is dead and my kids are doing better. Thanks for reminding me. So, how're you doing Albert?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Vertgren
Vertgren Hi~
Thank you so much for waiting and for those new readers welcome to HL, a story about dead people living.
I've got chapter two in the works and the others are planned out so please add this story in your libraries and stay tuned for updates. (also I'm not slacking off and this story isn't dead yet soo..)
Have a good day and let's see each other in the next chapter XD
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