Shinigami in Paris

10. Those Mesmerizing Green Eyes

The ruins of the times, floating over the blinding clouds, were a mesmerizing spectacle. No ordinary shinigami had ever seen the home of the Chef de mort before. At least, Tim didn't hear about any shinigami in black who had returned from visiting the Great and Powerful, who now sat on his throne in his usual white suit and blindfold mask. This, in fact, was one of the main reasons why the ordinary angels of death were so afraid of him.

Three shinigami in red escorted the chained Timothy to the steps leading to the throne. Carolina and Madame Jeanette knocked him under the knees and the delinquent shinigami crouched on the marble floor.

"You can remove the chains," said the shinigami on the throne.

"But sir," Carolina tried to doubt, "he is..."

Chef de mort leaned forward and the gravity in the room became unbearable. The three warriors struggled to stay on their feet. Tim collapsed face down on the floor, hands cuffed behind his back.

"Do you really think he can do something to me?" asked the shinigami on the throne.

"Sorry, sir... Of course no, sir," Carolina replied, trying not to fall.

If they were kittens, then Chef de mort would be a mighty Dragon next to them, the Lord of the Forces of Nature.

The pressure has stopped. Viper released the chains of convicted shinigami, that transformed back to her phantom weapon. Tim got up, rubbing his forearms.

"Leave us!"

Three shinigami in red bowed and left the abode of the Chief Angel of Death. They never looked back. Even they do not know what fate awaits the violators, and they are afraid of this knowledge.

The Great and Powerful leans forward to make sure that everyone is gone, and making sure of this, joyfully jumps from the throne to Tim.

"Well, hello, Timothy."

Timothy looked like a small boy next to the tall shinigami in white.

"What did you do to Rose?"

"Well, well... Tim. I thought we were friends? Why are you so unfriendly?"

"..." Tim still unfriendly silent. "What about Rose?"

"I heard you learned to fly. Well done! Can you show me?"

"Tell me already... what happened to Rose?"

The shinigami in white leans over to Tim and whispers in his ear:

"I won't tell... Ha-ha-ha!"

"..." the green-eyed one is angry.

"I won't tell until you show me how you fly."

Timothy realizes that it is useless to argue with this joker and tries to take off. But he can't.

"Well... what's up?.. Come on, remember what I told you."

Tim tries to take off, but fails.

"Didn't you understand why you managed to fly?"

Tim gets angry, tries his best. Sharp gusts of wind come from him, but he can't take off.

"No, no... It won't work that way. You think about wrong thing. Forget about anger. Think of Rose... does she really make you feel angry?"

"No, Rose... she..."

Tim remembers her smile, her eyes. How they first met on that rooftop. How he first managed to take off, and how they flew over the city of love. And how do they...

"Yes! That's it! That's the stuff," says Chef de mort.

Tim did not even notice that he soared above the ground.

"Excellent!"

"Now, can you say what happened to Rose?"

"Can you circle back and forth?"

"..." Tim wants to object, but he realizes that it is useless, and circles back and forth in the air. "Like that?.. Is that all? Tell me, please, what..."

"She is alive."

A feeling of joyful relief spreads from the heart throughout the whole body. She is alive! Alive! Rose! My Ro...

"Just yet she is alive," added the Great and Powerful, "for the time being."

"What do you mean? What's with her?"

"Well, if you didn't know, all living beings are temporarily alive until their time comes... Ha-ha-ha..."

"... Can you stop your jokes?"

"Oh, what? Not funny? Ah, okay... I thought you and I had a kind of... our own style of communication. But if you want to be like everyone else, strictly to the point, then okay... Let it be strictly to the point."

A sharp clot of air collapsed next to Tim. BLAST! SWOOSH! In the blink of an eye the shinigami in white was already sitting on his throne again, studying the case of the delinquent Garçon de mort.

"Shinigami Timothy, code number L15V5," Chef de mort reads the verdict. "According to protocol, la-la-la... for violation of la-la-la... is sentenced to liquidation."

The Great and Powerful closes the folder and throws it away.

"Well, in general, you understand, right? Your days as a shinigami came to its end. But... since I like you, I'll make you one offer..."

"..."

"... If you personally complete the mission that you couldn't, I will forget about the sentence."

"..."

"So... what is your answer?"

"I will not kill Rose."

"Yes... Yes... Mhm... Well, I didn't even count on another answer from you."

A playful monster in white flies up to Tim and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Well done, Tim. I'm so happy..."

Timothy doesn't understand what's so funny about it.

"I'm so glad... Finally, you're ready to return."

"Return? Return where?"

The shinigami in white smiles as he opens his blindfold and winks at Tim with his mesmerizing green eyes.