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Golden sunrays cast down on the flat road as they wait for seemingly nothing. Reaching for his pocket watch, the taller of the two flicks the cover open. Inside his pocket watch: a photo of his lover, grey ashen hair, and the clock below. Half past two in the afternoon, just before the bus would arrive. He glances up to the sky again, in thought for just a brief moment of time. His lover, a slightly shorter man, joins him by the roadside, and wraps an arm around his own. He opens an umbrella to shelter them from the sun rays, as if it would harm them.
“Nice weather to be out in the park, isn’t it?” He asks his lover, a gloved hand covering his lover’s, squeezing so gently. His lover only glances back up at him, and huffs in faint annoyance and amusement all the same.
“This weather is not fun for my skin, Dai.”
Daichi scoffs, rolling his eyes so playfully. “As if it could do anything to you. As burnt as you may get, you will still look as beautiful as the first day we met.”
His lover only looked away, a faint cherry blossom pink dusting over his cheeks. “Sap,” he whispers, leaning his head down on Daichi’s shoulder.
They wait for just a few minutes more. They observe the people at the stop, mostly comprising of the older folks who have met their time and those who have sadly passed from illnesses. There were the rare few young souls, stemming from various reasons. Everyday they had a new soul who would appear, ready to make their way to the gates, and both Daichi and Koushi would meet them there, ready to be the connection between both worlds, making their departure easier on their souls.
After all, they were selected for this reason; heaven’s little helpers, as they were so called.
The loud horn call of the bus alerted the pair to the arrival of their transport. The bus came to a stop and the driver, dressed in his usual uniform, got out of the bus. As soon as he got off the bus, he tipped his hat in greeting, and the pair returned it with gratitude. They watch as the men and women, dressed in simple clothing and carrying memories in their suitcases, board the bus. On the license plate, there was no indication of a legal number. It was just the kanji for Heaven.
Koushi opened the book that was previously tucked under his arm, flipping open to the record of people that were on board this bus today. They counted three elder folks and two middle aged adults, but Daichi noticed something was off immediately, as did Koushi.
“Dai?” Koushi glanced up at Daichi, “I think someone’s missing.” He gestured to the name list, then quickly pinpointing who was missing. “Hirawa Yuki, aged 37.”
Daichi frowned as he watched Koushi flip the pages to Hirawa’s records. “What a sad age to go, only 37.” He glanced at the pictures as Koushi traced the pages with a gloved hand. “I can’t imagine leaving the world at an age that you’re only beginning to settle down and fully live life as it is.”
“There’s a reason his soul is here.” Koushi traced the photos, “We have to find him or he’ll miss this bus. It leaves in two days. If we don’t find him in time, he’ll be stuck here.”
Daichi tore his eyes away from the pages and sighed - such cases rarely ever happened, but when it did, it was often tragic. He steeled himself and prepared for the worst, the fear that they were trying to force a man to leave something of his pride behind in the mortal world. But as a shinigami, that was their job: to ensure each and every soul that left the mortal plains made it peacefully over to the other side.
Maybe Daichi was sensitive; yes, he knew this. Nothing about the job could ever prepare him for what he was going to experience. Sometimes the tragedy is sadder than the death. And sometimes, the death of an innocent child hits him too hard. Perhaps this is what kept him in this line of work, to make sure that the deceased at least get one final granted wish.
Dealing with death doesn’t get easier. As they approach the driver to explain the situation, the elder man only nods in soft response and agrees to wait for them till tomorrow. Daichi can feel his beloved husband’s worry - as shinigamis, they’re tied to each other. Their emotions, their feelings are all shared like they’re a single entity.
“Kou, sweetheart?” Daichi tugged his hand back, stopping them on their way to look for Takeda, and Koushi stopped to look at him. “I know you’re worried, but something about this case makes me feel like it’s more than just lingering on this mortal side of the world. Whatever it is, I’m here, okay?”
Koushi blinked, once, twice, before a smile lifted from the corner of his lips and his anxieties calmed just a bit. “Okay.”
With their worries cast to the side and their jobs assigned to them, they set off.
☆
Sure, Daichi had seen his fair share of things mortals were unwilling to leave behind in the mortal plains, but this had to be a first for him and Koushi.
As they watch in the distance from a bridge in the dark covers of the night, their souls now taking the vessel form of black cats, Daichi observes the shadowy figure in the distance. The man himself, Hirawa, despite being deceased already, had been watching over the person laying in the hospital bed. On closer inspection, Daichi could tell it was his partner. Emotional attachment was always one of the reasons mortals didn’t want to leave the plains.
But then, yet again, would someone keep their distance like this, if it was their partner? So distant and oddly far, like they were respecting each others’ boundaries, almost strangers, in a way.
“Do you think it would be smart to try and approach him?” Koushi kept his tone low, quiet in observing the man. Daichi could tell Koushi was stressed about getting Hirawa to the bus in time, but Daichi could feel more than just the regret on this man. There was unwillingness to part, a certain deeper emotion beyond forgotten promises.
Daichi stopped him, his tail curling around one of Koushi’s paws. “Don’t.” He sternly responds, “Not that I don’t want to get him to the bus on time, but there’s something about this that’s not quite right. Most of the cases we’ve seen are just unfulfilled hopes, but this one feels like there’s more to it than just something he hasn’t accomplished. Like um…” Daichi thought it through for a brief second, “...maybe a proposal, or something.”
Koushi hummed under his breath, one of sadness. “I know we hardly ever feel their emotions, but I always feel bad when mortals die holding onto their regrets.” Koushi’s cat ears drooped slightly, “I can’t imagine whatever he’s feeling right now, it must have been something he wished to say.”
Daichi nodded at his words, it always felt terrible watching these mortals come to terms with their pending death, but the worst of the lot was the unexpected ones that they didn’t deserve to have. Some too young to even open their eyes, some who couldn’t even walk yet. Daichi watched the way the man sat at the edge of the bed and held the hand of the woman in the bed. Obviously she wouldn’t have felt his hand, since he no longer belonged in that plane of existence, but Daichi felt his ache, the soured emotion of wanting to do something.
“Maybe if we help him, we could do something for him.” Daichi suggested, looking over at Koushi. “Maybe- I don’t know, there must be something that we can do to help him cross over peacefully with no lasting regrets.”
If they were in their humanoid forms, Daichi knows Koushi would be pouting now, knowing he didn’t like talking much, but this was absolutely necessary. “You’re doing the talking,” Koushi mockingly threatened, his tail now swishing just a tad sadly, “I will observe.”
☆
The view on the windowsill of the bedroom was saddening.
Daichi understood the full picture even more now. With Koushi’s skill to read the body language of mortals who cross over the plains, they began to dissect Hirawa’s intentions - what was it about the mortal laying in the bed, sickly and unable to keep awake for more than five minutes at a time, that made the deceased Hirawa stay this long, with no intentions of peacefully crossing over?
What Koushi could tell was that the woman in the bed, equally as young as Hirawa, named Aoki, lay sickly in the bed, her head bare of any hair, her skin pale, and her breathing laboured. Mortal beings were no strangers to illnesses, but being this young without a family or anyone to hold close in such vulnerability was always saddening.
And of course, Daichi sympathized.
“I can’t imagine how he feels.” Daichi sighed, glancing over at Koushi before placing his cat paw over Koushi’s. “If I couldn’t do anything to help you feel lonely while I knew you were lying there slowly succumbing to an illness, I’d blame myself, too.”
Koushi shared a sigh, too. “Mortals are always so vulnerable to their feelings.”
Hiwara’s hand didn’t quite meet Aoki's, but Daichi could easily tell that Hirawa had unsaid feelings to Aoki. Whatever they were, whoever they were before Hirawa’s unfortunate passing, the semblance of affection and touch definitely did not go unnoticed, and with that, made Daichi’s soul sour even more than it would have if this were simply a case of regret. It made him realize once more just how painfully fragile mortals were to death, unlike the immortality he was blessed with.
“Maybe we should try and talk to Hirawa.” Daichi started, before looking around for an opening or a ledge that they could jump to and sneak in. Glancing around, he found the floor below them with an open window. It will have to do, for now. “Let’s get inside.”
Two leaps and almost falling to the concrete five stories down later, Daichi and Koushi had managed to slip into the building without the suspicion of any of the floor nurses on duty that evening. The soft padding across the lined floors carried them up the stairs and into the bathroom, where they could escape to and disappear out of view of any mortal.
Well, at least regular mortals couldn’t see shinigamis, so this was fine. Daichi checked his appearance in the mirror - dressed in a simple black silk shirt and a long black coat, with the chain of his pocket watch fastening shut his coat. It was more for aesthetic reasons, since immortals didn’t actually feel the cold like mortals, but Daichi has grown to love this coat, one that Koushi had given him for his birthday. He tucked the stray bits of hair down and adjusted his collar, then looked over to his lover.
“You ready to do this?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Both of them don’t make a move to open the door, and for a moment, they stand there just looking at each other through the mirror. Eventually after what felt like eternity, Daichi reached over to take Koushi’s hand, and kissed the back of his hand.
“I know this brings back bad memories. Don’t force yourself to do it, okay? You can always leave if you need to and I’ll take care of the rest.” Daichi whispered, squeezing his hand again in his. What felt like decades ago had in fact just been about two years prior; a death that rocked both of them so hard and even the rest of the shinigamis could barely swallow that one was capable of such an act, let alone towards an innocent child who did nothing wrong. The poor child had wandered the streets after his passing, and it took everything in Daichi to convince the child that up there was safer and that nothing could hurt them now.
Koushi’s eyes didn’t tear, nor did they waiver. In the shared glance, Koushi only laughed to himself. “You’re always worrying about me.” he places a hand on Daichi’s cheek, tracing his cheekbones with his thumb, “Thank you. Look out for yourself, too. God only knows you’re gonna need it.”
With the consolation and quiet acknowledgement of the matter at hand, both of them separated from each others’ arms and finally stepped into the dimmed hallway. The facility they were in had quietened down for the night, with only two nurses on night shift in the area. Not that it actually mattered, but Daichi and Koushi padded across the floor in light footsteps to avoid rousing any potential suspicion. Shinigamis always knew better than to try and disrupt the mortal world, so they avoided interacting with anything that belonged to them in case.
Room 4C, as it was, already had a cursed number attached to it, not to mention the belief about the number. Daichi felt himself shiver at the number—he hated it with all his being. All the unfortunate deaths always dealt with a cursed number for some reason. Both of them leaned in to peek at the occupants in the room. There lay a young woman with nose prongs attached, her IV rhythmically dripping;Hirawa’s head lay by her side, asleep with exhaustion hanging low on his cheeks. Daichi’s heart sinks. Death is never kind, and its worse when it’s someone young - Hirawa was a young soul, much like many of the deaths he’s seen, but that doesn’t make the circumstances easier, nor does it comfort him. The room is dimly lit with a vanilla candle a nurse must have left for the woman, Daichi read the kanji above her bed - Aoki Sayuri, 35. Terminally ill, just received a transplant. Which, if Hirawa was laying there so desperately clinging to her side, then…
Daichi took in an even sharper breath. This was worse than anyone had realized. If he wasn’t wrong about this, then it would explain everything as to the delay in Hirawa’s arrival to board the bus. It made sense, now, that he would stay here and cling to hope that he would get to see the love of his life actually wake up from a successful transplant before he departed.
Hirawa stirred from his slumber, sitting up and glancing to Aoki, before turning to see both Daichi and Koushi. Unlike alive mortals, Hirawa would definitely be able to see them both. Daichi and Koushi bowed respectfully, more out of apology to have woken him up. Hirawa shook his head and got up, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
“I’m sorry you have to see me like this, haggard and exhausted.” He bowed his head just slightly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I know my time is up, and you both are chasing me.”
Daichi could only laugh, but sadly. “You’re not the first case and not the last when it comes to being late for the bus,” he tries to lighten the mood, “but, trust me when I say this, that we understand the agony in waiting. We’ve seen so many people crossing the plains and trying to cling onto their lives, but eventually they will let go too. And by far, it is easier to deny than try to accept, or so if my memory serves me right.”
Daichi then pulls his pocket watch out and looks at the time - they still have a little over 30 hours, and if they wanted to wait to see if anything would happen, they could keep him company.
Koushi bit his lip before he spoke, clearly nervous but he wanted to help, too. “We can make a compromise. The bus leaves the day after tomorrow. If she wakes up during the next 30 hours, then we will leave after. But if she doesn’t wake up, then we will not wait any longer, and we will proceed to the bus. I know it’s not ideal, but we don’t wish to have any lingering souls wandering or we’d be accountable and honestly, I’d feel terrible if you don’t get to the afterlife safely.”
“No, I understand.” Hirawa shakes his head, “You both have a job to do, and promises to keep.”
Hirawa, by far, wasn’t the first person who so easily understood that their time left on this plain was limited, but what struck Daichi was the way Hirawa didn’t fight back. The man must have had accepted his fate for the longest time, knowing that death was just around the corner for him, that he didn’t have much time left.
That made his heart clench just a bit more.
They settle in for the evening, machines around them humming as they took Aoki’s vitals, keeping her going, holding onto every fibre of hope for her even though she could barely recognize the situation. Koushi had fallen asleep, so Daichi laid Koushi where it was more comfortable, then removed his own coat and draped it over his sleeping figure. He brushed the stray ashen strands of hair out of his face, fingers dancing across his skin. Koushi was definitely exhausted, but something about this task to bring Hirawa safely to the bus had drained him - perhaps it was because of the situation, the way it all happened, that triggered some unpleasant memories.
“How long have you both been together?” Hirwara asks from across the room from where he sat beside the bed, “I mean, if you’re both together, of course. I hope it didn’t sound rude.”
Daichi waved it off with a gentle smile. “You’re all good.” He turns his attention back to Hirawa, “Ever since we were children. Our parents, they were training with the gods themselves, and they let us play together under the watchful eye of the elders. Overtime, of course, we got so comfortable with each other, and it felt natural to fall in love like it’s second nature. Koushi is my best friend, but he’s also the person who’s known me for all my life.” His eyes drift to the tiny, sleeping figure of Koushi on the couch, curled up, ashen hair fallen over his eyes. “He’s the reason I try everyday.”
Hirawa smiled so gently in return, looking at Aoki with the same adoration that Daichi had for Koushi. “We met in therapy.” He starts, “She has had cystic fibrosis since childhood, and I was in a dark place myself, hence the weekly support group sessions. I watched her fight everyday, hooked up to machines while fluid filled her lungs, and her appetite became virtually zero. She is so, so brave, but in the recent weeks, one of her lungs have begun to give out more. They said she wouldn’t make it past Christmas if they didn’t find a donor in time.”
Daichi knows what happens next in this story, but doesn’t say a word out of respect. Hirawa laughs.
“I’ve been desperately trying to find a donor, even going to shrines around Tokyo to pray for her. I am but a humble man who oversees construction work and ensure my workers are safe. I never asked for much. But I was also a registered donor. So when the chance came, my parents, who loved Aoki so dearly like their own, authorised the use of my healthy lungs in exchange for hers.”
Hirawa laughed just a bit more under his breath, and Daichi turned away to wipe his tears.
“She was the light of my life. And I choose to save her that way.” Hirawa placed his hand on her ankle, fondly brushing his thumb, “And she was my best friend, too.”
Both of them have lost so much, but gained just as much, too.
“She’s beautiful.” Daichi whispers, observing her sleeping form, noting the way her eyelashes were stunningly long and the framed photo of her and Hirawa sat on the bedside counter. “I hope she gets to live a happy life after this.”
Hirawa’s lips curled into a small smile, in recognition of Daichi’s sincere words.
“Me too.”
☆
“Sawamura, you owe me an explanation as to why you took this case without my approval or Ittetsu’s. You have your duties to fulfill, but so do we. We’re the ones answering to the gods.”
Daichi sighed at that voice, as they stood in the bright hallway. Morning light filtered through the blinds to set the soft, morning mood, and it would have been a nice morning if Ukai hadn’t stormed his way through the hospital and woken Koushi’s much deserved deep slumber.
Koushi wanted to protest. Daichi slapped his hand over the man’s mouth. “I can explain, sir.”
Ukai scoffed. “And I’m waiting to hear that explanation.”
Daichi took a shaky breath. How does one express another innocent man’s grief to someone who had no understanding of the affected’s life, the love they poured into their relationship, and the lengths they would go to to protect the other from the heaven’s most evil curses? How does one begin to explain with justice, the way Hirawa looked at Aoki with every bit of love, like she hung the stars in the sky for him, and that he had done so much to save her?
“Hirawa died under tragic circumstances, accidentally falling through poorly managed worksites and a hole in the floor that was never covered up right. He is but an innocent young man who wanted to do more for his girlfriend. And even with the way he died, he holds no grudges and even gave what he had left to her. Don’t you think to some degree that he deserves a chance to at least, maybe, see her wake up again before he departs from this realm of mortality?”
Daichi can’t quite believe he spoke in that tone to his superior, but held his ground.
Ukai takes in a sharp breath.
“This is the fifth, no- the sixth time you’ve pulled this stunt, Sawamura. Each one worse than the last. What’s next from you and Sugawara? Am I going to have to be the one who gets in trouble every damn time you do this, expecting the leaders to let you off the hook?”
“Then I will take the blame.” Daichi said, affirmative and sure. There was no doubt in his mind that this was what Hirawa deserved to have, some time to accept his fate and at least see the love of his life wake up (if it ever happens). He deserved one last goodbye and the reassurance that she was safe and would live on without him. He should have the knowledge that, at the least, she would be okay. “I will take the blame and take the fall from the higher reigns.”
Ukai sighed, pinching the flesh between his eyebrows. “You’re really pushing me into a corner, kid. I cannot believe I let you and Suga lead a whole division.”
“We’re more responsible than half of the team combined.”
“This is making me reconsider it.”
Daichi groaned. “Just one more day. I promise. We will have him on the bus by tomorrow before sunset. And if we don’t, then feel free to take me and Suga out of the job.”
Suga nodded in agreement. “I am in full support of this notion.”
“You really know how to push my buttons, don’t you?” Ukai questioned, then turning away to face out of the window, the sun casting a soft glow along the hallway. “Fine, one more day, but if you break this, I’m taking away your privileges.”
“Suspend me from my duty if you must.” Daichi calls out just as Ukai is about to leave, “That is my testament to the nature of my promise. I keep my oath, and if I break it, you can do as you please.”
Suga is almost horrified, looking at Daichi, but the man only mouths in return we’ll discuss this later. Ukai scoffs as he takes his feline form and leaves with Takeda in tow with him.
“What the hell were you doing?” Suga demanded, pulling him by the shoulder, “All we talked about was the repercussions, but nothing about the potential for suspension. Do you really have no faith that we can do this?” His eyes were wide as he glared at Daichi, but the taller man stood firm, much to Suga’s annoyance. “There you go again, trying to shoulder the blame for both of us.”
Now, Daichi was annoyed too, because Suga hardly ever got upset with him, but this was one of the times that he didn’t understand why. Was it that bad that he was willing to sacrifice his work and position of honour for a mere passed mortal, or the fact that Suga didn’t want him to lose this job?
Daichi tugged him back just as Suga turned around, presumably to leave to return to Aoki’s room. “Are you not going to explain what you meant exactly by that?”
Suga scoffed, crossing his arms. The warmth in the hallway suddenly got uncomfortable, but Daichi didn’t move. He knew this was deeper than just a scratch on the surface. Something must’ve been eating at Suga’s conscience for him to say that.
“The last time, the previous time, and so many times before this, you’ve always been the one who tells Ukai that you will take the blame. How many times are you going to keep doing this, as if I’m not my own person? I have my feelings too, and I can be just as responsible for my actions. You getting punished means my partner in this work will be lost. I don’t want to have to experience that.” Suga glared, and it stung Daichi’s heart. “If you could just let me take the blame, too, that’d be nice.”
Daichi didn’t know what else to say. It was obvious this had been stirring inside him for a while, not to mention the way Suga glared at him, almost as if the world had wronged him.
“I was just trying to protect us both.”
“Protect us?” Suga sighed, “Babe, I don’t need that.”
“But I do. When we were teens, before our reincarnation as shinigamis, sometimes I still regret that I couldn’t be there for you when you needed it. When your parents died in that crash, I should have been there to ease your ache and through your mourning. But all I could do was watch because I was afraid that my feelings would get the better of me.”
Suga stopped, eyes softening and tearing as he glanced back up at Daichi. “You still remember that?”
“Of course I do.” Daichi nodded quickly, his eyes never leaving Suga’s. “I’ll always remember when you collapsed in my arms out of exhaustion the morning of the funeral because you were so tired taking care of everything that you forgot yourself. The way you were so pale, so different from your usual self. The person I adored so much, the light gone in his eyes. If I could’ve been there, I would have done more. That’s what I tell myself, always.”
Suga stood in front of him, speechless, blinking for a moment. Neither of the two spoke, out of awkwardness. Daichi frowned as he saw the tears forming in his lover’s eyes - he hated having to see Suga cry, he always felt bad, but this time was worse considering Daichi was the one who made Suga cry like this. It sucked.
“I’m sorry,” Daichi whispered, moving to wrap his arms around Suga and tugging him closer, letting the other man hide his face in Daichi’s arms. “It sucks when we argue because we always end up crying and I hate watching you cry like this.”
Suga shook his head, his arms tightening around Daichi’s waist. “It’s my bad. I didn’t know you felt this way and it must have been hard on you to keep that hidden away all these years. If I had known, I wouldn’t have gotten so mad. After all, we were just trying to keep each other safe.”
Daichi nodded, planting the gentlest kiss he could manage onto the crown of Suga’s hair, then gently brushing out the stray curl. “We were young then, but we’re wiser now. Let’s do better at talking about these things, okay? To avoid future arguments. That way, we don’t have to see each other cry again.”
“I can get behind that notion.” Suga nodded in agreement, lifting his chin to look up at his lover. Daichi’s eyes softened at the sight of his lover’s million-watt smile, bright like the morning sunshine that danced through the blinds. “Words are a strong weapon, after all. It’s easier to admit things than keep them hidden.”
Both of them stood there for just a while longer, before letting go. Daichi wiped the last stray tears from Suga’s eyes, hands on his cheeks, then kissed his nose. “Let’s go check back on Hirawa. We’re still working, after all, and we have promises to keep.”
“Bummer, I would have liked to keep kissing you.” Suga teased, which made Daichi laugh. “After we get back, we’re doing nothing but cuddling in bed for a week.”
Daichi agreed with a gentle hum, taking Suga’s tiny hand into his own and kissing his knuckles, so softly that it felt like a feather. “That’s if I don’t get into trouble with Ukai for whatever bullshit I’ve managed to pull this week.”
☆
Nightfall looms close. They have just a bit under twelve hours in hopes that Aoki will wake from her peaceful rest, and hope is running thin. Still, Daichi holds out hope, Hirawa holds Aoki’s hand, and Suga holds both their shoulders to give them both comfort.
The silence of the air is permeated by the monitor system that Aoki is hooked up to.
“We don’t have much time.” Hirawa sighs, placing her hand back on the bed after kissing it, and turning to Daichi. “We should leave now. Before it’s too late to board the bus.”
Daichi’s heart breaks, turning to glance at Suga, who shrugs, as if saying, the decision is yours to make. After the argument, both of them have silently agreed to working with each other more instead of being rash. Daichi glanced at the desperate Hirawa. “Give it another couple of hours.”
“But we don’t have anymore time to waste.”
“I’m willing to risk the last hours if it may potentially help you feel safe and better knowing that the love of your life is awake and healthy once more.” Daichi said it with sincerity, and he meant every last word - if he had to lose his position in the hierarchy, then so be it, at least his conscience will be clear knowing that someone got the ending he deserved to have.
So they wait. Occasionally one of them steps out of the room for a breather, while the other two continue to keep watch. Most of the time it’s Suga who leaves, and Daichi understands that it’s still hard to watch a mortal soul like this. Daichi steps outside when Suga taps his shoulder, telling him to take a break and rest his eyes before coming back. Daichi is grateful that Suga looks out for him.
Doctors come and go, and so does the hope of Aoki waking up before he has to leave. For what feels like a fleeting second, Daichi thinks he hears the heart rate monitor pick up in pace and see Aoki’s fingers squeeze, but it’s clear that they’re all exhausted. Do spirits even feel exhaustion? Or is it a phantom sensation that attempts to tie them back to reality? Daichi doesn’t really understand. All he knows is the comfort of Suga’s arms and an occasional kiss on the cheek to remind him that he is there beside him.
Seconds, minutes, hours. Time is a manmade concept, yet it continues to flow and dictate the life of a mere mortal. The three of them can only watch as doctors check on Aoki’s condition, her family comes to help clean her up, and the occasional nurse changes her IV bag. A clean needle, a new round of medication.
Suga has fallen asleep again when late afternoon falls upon them. The sun is high in the sky, but hope runs dry. Daichi lifts him up into a bridal carry and lays him down on the couch where he can be more comfortable. They have six hours before they have to leave or they’ll never make it.
It’s a waiting game now. Hirawa tries to stay positive, hoping to at least see his lover be awake before he leaves. Time trickles. The clock goes tik, tik. Daichi looks over at Suga and wonders if he promised more than he can give. Maybe it’s for the best, but Daichi’s heart sours. Hirawa deserved to have his final wish fulfilled. They have time. They will always have time.
Five, four. What is time if the promise is not fulfilled? Daichi has to wonder if maybe he tried too hard to be something he wasn’t. He goes to Suga and sits beside him on the couch, and brushes his hand along Suga’s arm to soothe his nerves, and Suga eases from his jitters. Hirawa watches them with a gentle smile across his lips. “You love him.”
Daichi nods, smiling in return. It was a fact, no lies. “With all of my being,” he smoothes the hair out on the back of his nape, and he sleeps a little more peacefully. Hirawa’s eyes watch them before turning away, and wipes his own eyes. Do the dead cry? Do they feel the same emotions like they did a long time ago? Who really knows?
Daichi used to be just like Hirawa, back then. He adored the simplest things, loved Suga very much. Both of them were devoted to each other, how could Daichi not be? Daichi promised every day to himself to care for Suga - when he could, he made dinner for him, and they sat by the candlelight at home, cuddled arm in arm, and stayed by each others’ side.
With age, of course, comes with the effects of growing older, and growing older meant that time was simply slipping away. Daichi never really cared for time, but Suga did. “What if I go before you?” Had always been the biggest question, and instead Daichi would hush Suga and brush his hair as they went to bed.
Of course, death comes with time.
And with death, comes the belief of reincarnation.
Mortal lives are tragically short, Daichi has come to realize. In the years following both their deaths and their reincarnations as their younger selves in shinigami forms, Daichi noticed how frail the mortal life was, like glass butterflies - waiting to leave, only to be able to spread their wings for such short a time, often met with untimely tragic endings, and sometimes, grief.
Hirawa was one such glass butterfly. Wings clipped early and gone too soon. All he hoped was-
The heart rate monitor picked up, which made both Hirawa and Daichi sit up. It’s not the first time it has happened, at least a couple of false alarms, but the beeps sustained and held on, which indicated that maybe, just maybe, at almost two hours left to make it for the bus, just as they should be leaving soon, that Hirawa might get to see his final wish come true.
“This has to be.” Hirawa whispered, moving closer as he tried to hold her hand, and another hand on her cheek, “Please, my love, fulfill my wish, please,” he whispers more, “You’re almost there, do this for me, please?”
Daichi held onto Suga, now awake as they watched. Both of them held each other close as they prayed, hands clenching as they did. For all that they’ve tried to do, the last thing they needed was a soul who had an unfulfilled last wish in their souls before leaving.
And then it happened, as if time slowed, if it could even do so - Aoki’s eyes opened to the world, beautiful hazel, and she sighed as she blinked awake. White ceilings, starch walls, arm aching with her IV drip in her arm. But lord knows Hirawa had been waiting for this moment, to see her hazel eyes once more. Hirawa sighed, his nose reddened, but the tears in his eyes happy.
“We can leave now.” Hirawa smiles so softly, “I got what I wished for.”
“Are you sure?” Suga asked, getting to his feet. As the one who kept track of the people who cross the plains, he had to made sure they agreed that they had no lasting regrets anymore. “Once we leave, there must be no regrets left, and you must be ready to accept it. And your soul will roam free.”
Hirawa nodded, taking one last good look at Aoki, now being tended to by a nurse. Having just that last wish fulfilled made him very sure that he was finally ready, and that his soul could cross the plains and will no longer haunt the streets. “I am sure.”
Suga nods, closing the book in his hand. Daichi fetches his pocket watch, opening it, the time two hours before the bus departs, and closes it again. Talk about perfect timing. Maybe everything had a perfect ending, just like a fairytale.
Happily ever after.
☆
The sky casts golden hues of orange, pink and red. The sun is setting in the horizon just as they arrive. The patrons on the bus patiently wait, after all, they do not have anything else to be doing, just a final journey to cross the plains. Suga snaps the leather book in his hand shut, and they apologize to the bus captain with a deep bow.
Ukai and Takeda both scoff when they see that Suga and Daichi have somehow managed to keep their promise. Daichi smiles wryly. “And to what honour do we have to see our associates here today?”
“Cut the crap, Sawamura.” Ukai gives him a light-hearted smack on the head, “On account of actually managing to bring Hirawa here with no lasting regret or unfulfilled wish, I will keep my word and not have you suspended from duty. But you’re on thin ice. Same goes for you, Sugawara.”
Suga gives the brightest, cheekiest smile, eyes sparkling bright as he does a mocking salute. “You got it, sir. Have a good day! Don’t trip on your laces~”
Ukai groaned, stomping off with Takeda behind him. “You- brat!”
Well, Takeda certainly thought otherwise, holding laughter back as he followed Ukai.
Suga laughed too, opening his black umbrella and raised it over the both of them. They watch the sunset for a brief moment, the passengers on the bus get buckled in and checked. The driver comes down the stairs, hand over his chest in respect as he bows to both Daichi and Suga. A soft whisper of they’re ready is said and the two of them nod in agreement.
This part is where the final goodbyes are said.
Daichi fetches out his pocket watch, flips it open. The picture of Suga is old, fading in colour, but it’s still him. The last two hours they had are finally up. They made it in time, and all the souls that are meant to leave will make it safely across.
Hirawa nods his head from the window in the second to last row of the bus, and waves to them. Suga waves with his free hand in return. Daichi tucks his pocket watch away, time doesn’t anymore. They made it, and they will have no lasting regrets.
They’re just spirits. They were never meant to get this involved with the people they help, but of course, stuff happens all the time. It’s part and parcel of this job - ask any of the other shinigamis who do this. It’s honest, dirty work, and they see all kinds of deaths, the gruesome, the old, the dirty, and the unjustified.
But for Daichi, maybe he learnt something from Hirawa. No lasting regrets, ever. And maybe that talk he had with Suga was much needed. He sees the way Hirawa adored Aoki and was willing to miss his chance to cross peacefully. No regrets, that’s what Daichi learnt.
“He’s something else, huh?” Suga leans his head on his shoulder, his hand intertwining with Daichi’s, tightening in his. Daichi could feel the metal band of both their wedding rings click together, and that made him smile. “Made us run around like silly little felines, desperately praying to every other god that Aoki would wake up?”
Daichi scoffs, laughing it off. “I think it was worth it. Even if I almost got myself suspended.”
“Mm, yeah, almost got me suspended too. But I’d take it like a champ.”
“Of course you would. You’re my husband for a reason.”
The horn of the bus fills the quiet air before as the lights of the bus comes to life. To any kid, they would get excited, like a school bus on a school excursion. For Daichi and Suga, it’s a signal of the final rites - the engine comes to life and the people on the bus wave goodbye, some in thanks and some just as a simple gesture. Hirawa did, too, waving with a smile. Both Daichi and Suga closed their eyes and pressed a hand each to their own hearts, their chests emitting with light in signal of their blessing to head forth towards peace. It also carried their well wishes and final goodbyes.
As the bus begins to lift and take to the sky, Daichi walks to the road and watches, just for a second, as the bus departs. His smile is bright, lip curled on one end. He lifts an arm and raises it to the sky, holding it up. Suga watches with curiosity, but soon he joins Daichi, lifting his own arm and doing the same. Both of them stay until the bus is out of their view, and the two are left alone once again, in the everlasting sunset.
“I’m exhausted.” Suga is the first to say, turning to look at Daichi. “How about some sleep?”
“Sounds wonderful.” Daichi responded, reaching his hand out to take Suga’s in his own. With Hirawa’s soul now safe where he needs to be, both Daichi and Suga can breathe easier, and perhaps, maybe one day, Hirawa may be incarnated. Daichi chooses to believe that maybe Hirawa will meet Aoki again; star-crossed lovers will always find their way to each other.
And until then, Daichi will keep his promise to Suga.