Rayne was walking to school. It was morning, the sun just barely rising as it painted the sky blood red.

How fitting… A blood red sky right after this happened… Rayne looked down at his body, mostly covered in reddened bandages. Why was he walking to school when he was injured? Because he had to.

Being poor had no up-side. Getting injured most likely means no food, especially if the injury is something like this. He remembered it perfectly. His best friend.

How did it even come to it? He said something about his brother robbed him of the money he stole last week, so he had to get it back. I apparently had enough. I wouldn’t give it to him, though. I needed it. She needed it.

Working for the good of two people and school for one of them was tiring, but Rayne would have it no other way. After all, nothing made his day more than seeing his little sister’s smiling face welcoming him home, even if he was still slowly bleeding out. Not that she could see him back.

She had been born blind, and Rayne was, until now, saving up more money to get her an operation with a 50% chance of restoring her sight. After he had wrapped himself up the best he could, trying not to let his pain show in his voice as he conversed with his sister, she hugged him. And then she froze.

“Rayne, why do you smell like blood?” She asked.

Rayne winced as he hugged her back, responding, “I may have gotten robbed. It seems like we may be tight for paying the rent this month…”

She looked up, tilting her head ever so slightly with tears in her eyes, “But why did you get hurt?! Please, don’t leave me…” Her voice trailed off, pressing her forehead to Rayne’s chest. He could only sigh, keeping the slightest of smiles on his face.

Those words were said by her at least 4 times a day, making Rayne feel like he needed to teach her how to live by herself once again.

“You know I won’t be here forever, right? I’ve avoided death as long as possible, but down here in the slums, it takes us all.” He said softly, resting his hands on her shoulders.

“So we just have to do what we can, while we can… You’ve said this before, brother. It doesn’t make me feel any better.” She said bitterly, not letting go of him.

Rayne was currently walking his sister to his school, careful not to open up any of his wounds that had barely begun healing. The blood red sunrise stared him in the face as he wondered once again how he ended up here.

Eve had come up to him this morning and asked for him to walk her to school, giving some excuse about wanting to know his friends. Seeing her face, he couldn’t deny her, so he gripped her hand and began walking.

The grin on her face only grew wider as they approached the school, the sounds of conversation ringing out through the silence between them. Rayne watched on, a grin spreading over his own face as she began skipping in joy. She began to pull him faster, towards the sound of the voices.

Rayne smiled as he let himself be tugged along by his little sister. Some of the people he recognized, most of them he didn’t.

After all, he never spoke a word since admitting to this school. Never answering questions, never making small talk, never showing any emotion. So it’s quite obvious that seeing him be tugged into the school grounds, grinning and talking freely to this little girl was shocking to most people.

Rayne wasn’t exactly the most handsome person out there, but some girls like the mystery of him. So they instantly wanted to get to know this girl, find out her secrets for how she made him show so much. Of course, they would never get the chance.

After all, they were both about to die.

Rayne smiled, ignoring the looks he got. He wasn’t exactly sure why they gave him such looks, as he never really paid attention to how much attention he got, but that was unimportant.

What was important was the small group of people blocking their way. Rayne pulled back on his sister’s hand, making sure not to use too much strength. She slowed to a stop, allowing the blockade to spread out. Rayne pulled once again, bringing her close to him.

“Rayne, what’s going on? Is something wrong?” She asked, staring up at him.

Rayne couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. So instead he said, “No, but I have a surprise for you. Do you think you could close your ears and count to 100? You do remember how to count, right?” Rayne teased, grinning wider as she puffed out her cheeks, covering her ears with her hands and slowly counting upwards.

The 5 men looked at each other and grinned, “ I think we’ve found ourselves a real gem here boys”.

“Oh yeah, I bet she’ll sell for a pretty penny.” the men turned to Rayne.

“Now why don’t you just give us the girl, so we don’t have to kill you.” One of the men said as he pulled a butterfly knife from his pocket.

“Oh, yay, human trafficking. I think I’d rather not.” Rayne took two swift steps forwards and gripped the flat of the knife, grinning a devilish smile. These people wouldn’t be getting within 5 feet of his sister.

From then on, it wasn’t a fight. It was a one-sided massacre.

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Rayne twisted the knife blade, wrenching it out of the man’s grasp before throwing it as far upwards as he could. The knife twirled its way out of sight, some eyes following it upwards.

Three steps forward, his fist flying out with pinpoint accuracy.

In the slums, you picked up any skills you could to get money. That includes skills like martial arts and knife skills.

Three men hit the ground before any eyes even began to descend. Only two left. Rayne’s elbow shot behind him, slamming into the one who spoke earlier. He crumpled to the ground, no longer conscious from the overload of pain. The last one, a small scrawny man with twig-like arms, held out a knife with shaky hands.

Rayne lessened the painful grin on his face as he took out the last one with a well-place kick between the legs.

With a small swipe of his hand into his pockets, he took out something that he had bought with the small amount of money he managed to keep from the previous robbery. It fit nicely into his hand, making a small clinking sound, pleasing to the ears.

“96… 97… 98… 99… 100!” Rayne’s sister finished counting, uncovering her ears. “Now, what’s this present you are talking about?!” There was no mistaking the excitement in her voice.

Two hands reached around her neck, a metal chain tickling the sides. A second passed, and the hands retracted. An unfamiliar feeling on her chest became apparent, and she reached a hand up to feel it. It was cold and smooth…

Glass? A handblown glass necklace… How much would this have cost? When did he even buy this?

“This. I bought it earlier yesterday, with all the money I had left. Figured I had to get something for your birthday, right? It’s already April 10th, you know.”

Rayne’s sister leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she cried tears of joy into his shoulder. Their surroundings were forgotten as Rayne wrapped his arms around her, taking a deep breath to still his remaining anger. She had a slight smell of vanilla, even though Rayne was certain he never bought anything vanilla scented.

He was happy with her in his arms, even if a wound or two had opened back up from the fight a second ago. No doubt she could smell it, but she didn’t comment out of naivety or out of kindness. Neither really mattered at that moment.

If only this moment could last forever…

{Author’s Note box: Do you know of jinxing?}

A gust of wind battered the ground, blowing up a cloud of dust. A small girl stood. Silver hair, tied in a loose braid, flowed behind her like a chain. Her golden eyes stared right through Rayne, filled with sadness.

Her six red wings flapped once more, clearing the dust before they became transparent and disappeared. She gripped the air, and a scythe extended from her hand. Rayne couldn’t move. He couldn’t even push his sister away from him.

He couldn’t protect her…

A fire ignited in him, and he regained control of his body, glaring at the girl. He didn’t know why, but she wanted to kill him. Killing intent rolled off of her in waves, Rayne’s own being drowned. The crowd began to tremble, wanting to get away, but not being capable of it. The scythe began to twirl, cutting the air itself as it revolved. Rayne, for the first time in forever, felt fear strike his heart like a hammer on an anvil. On instinct, he shoved his sister from his arms, leaping backward at the same time. He hit the ground on his back, suddenly very aware of his left arm.

Or, technically, the lack of his left arm. But he didn’t scream. He couldn’t scare his sister. So, he stood up, not making a sound. He couldn’t open his mouth, or he would be unable to hold himself back, the scream already begging to be released. He looked to the girl. Her eyes were fixed on the arm. She seemed disgusted, or maybe scared.

Rayne swiftly switched his gaze to his sister. She was also looking at the arm, fear so obvious in her milky white eyes. She had probably smelled the blood.

“Rayne, what’s going on?” She asked, her voice shivering like it had frostbite.

“...” Rayne couldn’t respond. If he did, she would tell something was off.

“Rayne… Where are you? Please, brother, don’t leave me again…” She was crying now, but Rayne couldn’t comfort her. He had to simply protect her, from any and everything.

A gleaming object fell from the sky, landing near her. The butterfly knife from earlier, point first in the ground. She reached out, feeling the handle until she got to the blade. Just a slight touch was enough to pierce the skin, and she winced.

Rayne twitched, incapable of standing still after that. He began to walk closer.

She whirled to the sound.

“Who’s there?! Don't… Don’t come any closer! I have a weapon!” Her hands were shaking, the blade in her hands mimicking it. Rayne felt slightly disconnected.

What is this feeling… This, this distance? When did it get there? Why can’t I reach her? Oh… That’s right, I just lost my left arm… Of course, I can’t reach her with something that doesn’t exist… I’m so stupid…

His thoughts were slow, too slow for comfort. But he couldn’t stop the blood loss, nor his growing despair.

The crowd began to move. One girl rushed out into the empty space.

“Why?! Why are you trying to kill Ray-” She was cut off, literally. Rayne could only watch as the two pieces of the girl fell to the ground, a red liquid pooling on the over-saturated ground. He didn't even know her that well, but she died because of him anyway.

He came to a realization.

I’m the cause of this. The only one she’s after is me… It’s not like I can fight her anyway…

He sighed as his thoughts continued to drag their way into a bottomless abyss of depression and guilt. He turned to face the girl, kicking his own disembodied arm away from her gaze.

She looked back at him, staring him dead in the eyes. No, she wasn’t looking at him. She was looking through him. He came to a solution. And so he acted, calling out the last words his sister would hear from him.

“Eve, I’m so sorry. But it seems your brother has a debt to pay. And he’s all out of money.” Rayne smiled at his own morbid joke, the smile not reaching his eyes.

“Rayne… No… Please! Sell my necklace, sell the house! Please! Don’t die!” Eve called out, tears soaking the ground beneath her as she got to her feet, beginning to run towards him.

The scythe began to spin, gathering momentum for the second swing. Rayne looked at the small girl, the tears forming on her face. And he whispered his last words, his sister being too far away to hear.

“Next time I see you, you better be smiling.” He pointed a finger at her as if accusing her and her wet eyes. He grinned as the scythe sliced downwards, piercing his heart.

Eve reached him, but only in time to be splattered in his blood. She caught his body, falling with it to the ground. Tears mixed with the blood on her face as she finally realized she was truly alone.

“Why… Why did you take him from me…” She whispered, accidentally swallowing some blood. Rage filled her as she looked towards the general direction of Death.

“Why did you take him from me?! How can you cry over the same body you stole the life from?!” Eve shouted, hearing her small sobs so cleverly concealed behind her scythe.

Death recovered from Rayne’s words and remembered her orders. The scythe reflected the passing light with one last slash before she collected the three souls and flew away. 

On her way up, she stared intently at Rayne’s soul. His words had shaken her to the very core.

Next time I see you, you better be smiling.

Those words simply made no sense to her.

After all, nobody saw Death twice.