The Reaper's Apprentices #1: Awakened (10 page)

I wish this place would disappear from my life.

Chapter 10

Fabian had failed to
talk with Kaska, but he wasn’t worried as he knew they would get a chance later on. As it turned out, he wasn’t the only one who had missed his chance. The others had no luck trying to talk to their protégés either. Both of them had fallen asleep before Adair or Gideon could speak to them. Whether it was because they were exhausted or angry, they would never know. But the one who couldn’t sleep at all was Yuka. She had tried to get into bed several times but sleep wasn’t coming. She looked over at where Sebastian had neatly piled up his books and things. This made her frown.

“He even packs perfect?” She wrinkled her nose and kicked a stack of books over. They fell into a pile with a soft thud that made her feel worse. Why couldn’t they collapse into a mess like books were supposed to do? It made her sick to know that he was so neat and organized and she was a slob underneath it all. “There is no way I have a part of his soul, unless it’s the messed up part that they gave to me.”

It did feel that way to Yuka. Sebastian had almost no flaws that could have been passed down to her. And she had so many. There was no way they could be in the same line. Grim Reaper Linn had to be mistaken. He had to have meant someone else. Giving up, she sat down on her bed and looked up at all the trophies that Master Sebastian had placed in her room. He had so many of them that they didn’t fit in his house and room combined. Some had to be moved over to hers, which she didn’t mind because it was motivation for her. If Master Sebastian could have so many awards, why couldn’t she? She was as capable as he was at getting things. She had a piece of his soul inside of her. All she had to do was work hard.

She took one more glance at those trophies and groaned. It would take a million years before she managed to impress her master or anyone else. The only thing she could do that he couldn’t was dance, and she wasn’t even great at that! She took lessons but still had a lot to learn. It would be a while before she got enough trophies to fill her room. How in the hell would she ever become like Master Sebastian, who was an A student, Olympic swimming hopeful, and a damn good Reaper’s Apprentice? No doubt he would be a great successor to Grim Reaper Linn.

But what about me
? she wanted to know, looking out the window. The night was quiet, and no one else was outside. How much time had passed since they came home? Why didn’t she feel like sleeping? What was she doing wrong and how could she fix this? All the questions were in her head, and no answers were coming out.

“Yuka? Are you awake?” Sebastian knocked on Yuka’s bedroom door. She was a little startled but quickly composed herself. There was no need in pretending. Now was a good of time as any to talk about what happened.

“Yes, I’m still awake,” she begrudgingly offered.

“Can I come in? I was hoping we could talk for a little bit. We don’t even have to talk about tonight if you don’t want.”

“I…I guess so.” She turned away as he opened the door.  She knew if he looked at her, he’d ask questions. “I didn’t think you had anything else to say. But you can come in if you want to.” 

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. It was then that she noticed his hands. They were a lot bigger than hers, and his fingers were quite long. He didn’t have those stubby toe-like thumbs that she had. No wonder he was able to fight off all those demon slayers. He was older and stronger and could intimidate them. Why would anyone be intimidated by her, a short thirteen-year-old with stubby fingers and an inability to punch hard? Sure, she would get stronger as time went on, but she wasn’t capable of it now. No wonder they were all angry.

At least the other girls don’t hate me,
she thought, finding some relief in this. It was all her fault, but they didn’t hate her for it. If anything, they had her back. At the moment, Master Sebastian’s back was turned to her. She slowly approached him and tried talking to him. He had given her an alternative option, but the night’s activities were digging away at her mind.

“Do you think we can talk about the incident? I know you said it’s okay not to, but I can’t help it. It’s all I’ve got on my mind. Then you told me about the bombing, and I finally caught up with that news. I had no idea it was so bad,” she began. “I know you probably don’t
want to go into it but--”

“I was very disappointed in you tonight,” he admitted, finally looking at her. There was a look in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. She wasn’t sure if it was sadness or anger, but she never wanted to see it again. “This is one situation demons are not supposed to be in. The only reason I let those demon slayers go is because you invaded their territory and went after them, not the other way around. I told you not to approach demon slayers, and you disobeyed me! You left. And for what? To see what the other side is like? To learn what a demon slayer would do to you?”

She swallowed. “I know. I…I really shouldn’t have…”

“You could have been killed back there! Those were skilled demon killers, and you are damn lucky that you caught them in a moment they weren’t armed!” He went on, raising his voice, “And worst part is that all of you were involved in this!
All
of you decided to risk your lives and for what? Just to see how far you could go? Do you know what would have happened if we hadn’t showed up?!”

Yuka wanted to cry but stopped herself. There was no use in crying over this since she knew she was to blame. She tried to hold in her sobs and keep her composure. So far, she had been doing a cruddy job of everything else. At the very least, she could try and act like everything would be fine. The one thing she never wanted to do was have him or any of her predecessors mad at her.

“I understand what I did wrong, Master. I’m sorry. I just…I just wanted to see what they were about. See if I couldn’t figure out what they were up to. I wanted to do what you guys do when you’re chasing after them.”

“But that’s a different situation, Yuka.” He lowered his voice when he realized that he had frightened her as she had turned away from him now. “There’s more to being a Reaper’s Apprentice than chasing demon slayers. And you most certainly don’t go after them when they have done nothing to you. They’re humans and should be treated like other humans when they aren’t in your way. You leave them alone, and they’ll do the same. There’s no reason to scare anyone like you did tonight. I felt the worst. Believe me when I say that there is nothing more frightening than coming home and seeing your successor missing.”

“I scared you, huh?” She turned around at last, no longer shaking. It was tiny moments like this that she knew he was like her; he might have been more powerful, but he got scared too. He worried about her as much as her parents did. She understood that. Right now, he was in charge of her safety. He had to set the rules for them. He had to be the guardian while her mother and father weren’t around.

“Oh yeah. I freaked out when I couldn’t find you.” He held out his hand, and she slowly took it. Neither one seemed afraid of the other now. “You’ll see what I mean when you’ve got to look after your successors later. “ He chuckled at that. “You know, I think I gave Grim Reaper Linn a lot of trouble when I first came here. She still complains about the times I tormented her.”

“You did?” she asked. “What did you do?”

“You name it, the four of us did it. Although I don’t think I ever thought to chase after demon slayers. They were usually chasing after me. I’m amazed we managed to escape them every single time!” He laughed. Then he became serious again, narrowing his eyes. “I hope you understand why I was worried. When we were getting chased, we were older, and we had a lot of experience dealing with them. You just learned the truth and have barely started training. Much as I hate to say it, you wouldn’t be a match for them if they caught you. I encourage your curiosity, but I don’t want you dead because of it either. You understand what I mean?”

“I guess so.” She felt relieved now. So Master Sebastian wasn’t always perfect, and they got into some trouble as well. “Now that I think about it, I deserve that punishment. It was a little too close for us back there. But the demon slayers also need to watch their backs now.”

“How come?”

“Because when I’m older and I learn all the other powers, no one will be able to stop me!” she exclaimed, taking her pillow from the bed and throwing it at him. “Pillow fight!”

“Hey, I’m unprepared for this!” Sebastian exclaimed, taking the pillow and throwing it back. “That doesn’t count, Yuka! You don’t mess with your master!”

“You just don’t like losing!” She reached out and touched his arm. “Tag, you’re it!”

“Wait, what the hell are we doing now? I didn’t know we were playing!”

“Well, now you do!”

“Yuka! That’s not fair!” 

They began running around the room and laughing until Sebastian finally landed on his knees, and she dropped down on her bed. It felt good to have fun with him again. It felt like the old times when she first came to Tartarus Sanctum. No worries about being a guardian. No anxiety. No responsibilities. For a few minutes, it felt like they were friends and not master and apprentice. Sebastian got back on the bed and started to pant and slow down his laughter. This was the perfect opportunity to ask him all the questions she had.

“Master?” 

Sebastian calmed down and looked at her, no longer angry.  He sat up and ran a hand through his copper-colored hair. “Yeah?”

“Being a Grim Reaper means you are immortal, right? You never have to die or get hurt again?”

“Yeah, that’s more or less what it means. You’re immortal until you decide to go into the chamber. Then you get to sleep there for ten days until your body disintegrates and becomes dust.” He saw her cringe at the word ‘chamber’ and tried to calm her down. “Relax, you don’t feel anything during that process. You’re asleep, and you know absolutely nothing. Not to mention, I’m not going into the chamber after I become a Grim Reaper, Yuka. Don’t worry about that part.”

“No, it’s just…when we become immortal, we have to go to The Underworld eventually. We have to leave behind everything we know of this world. What if you leave before I learn everything?” She realized now why everything was such a serious matter. “What would happen to us if something happened to you and, for some reason, you had to go to the chamber?”

Sebastian’s smile faded. “Oh, I see where this going. And lucky for you, I’ve got an answer.” He stood up. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

“But I’m tired. I don’t know if I can run anymore,” she murmured. “Can this wait until tomorrow?”

“No, I think you should see it now. Hop on my back. I’ll take you there.”

She lowered her gaze. “Are you serious?”

He turned around. “Hold on tight. And I swear no one’s going to be up, so they won’t see us. You won’t be embarrassed or anything of that sort. I’ll be quick with this.”

It was enough to convince her to do as she was he told. Sebastian carried her on his back and took her outside to the rooftop. Yuka didn't mind being carried around like a child; she was still small enough for him to do so. Her legs were also worn out from running and dancing all day. The best part was that he was right about everyone else being asleep; the two of them could talk about whatever he wanted to show her. She stifled a yawn as he pushed open the door and walked onto the roof. It was a well-lit night and the stars and moon were out. Despite a few rolling clouds, the air was still warm, and everything was visible. As beautiful as it all was, she couldn’t see why he would take her out here.

"Look up," he said, setting her down and nodding toward the sky. "What do you see?"

"Stars, Master, and the moon and some clouds."

“Technically, yes. But what I’m trying to get at is that there are spirits out there. Spirits of all our predecessors including the ones that went into The Chamber. I know it’s hard to believe. But you’ve got a piece of everyone’s soul in you,” he explained. “So if anything ever happens, you’re always going to have them to guide you and help you along the way. I’ll be there too. We all will.”

“You promise?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “No matter what happens, if I do end up going into The Chamber, there’s always going to be someone to guide you. And I’ll always be there. Maybe not in person, but you’ll still have me around. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”