Chapter 2: Reincarnation And Rebirth
I
“Hold on, Keisuke,” Natsumi murmured as she carried him.

She leaped across the ground to make her way to the village of rehabilitation.

Keisuke fought for consciousness. If he closed his eyes, he would die. Simple as that. Keisuke gritted his teeth and the acid saliva that worked its way through his skin caused pain searing through his bones and every fabric of his being. He would focus on the pain. Oddly enough, it was the very thing that kept him alive. He wanted to fight and rebel against the very world that wanted him dead. He would survive, damn it! He would survive!

Never mind the indignity of being carried. Never mind the indignity of bearing no memories of his previous life. And never mind the indignity of needing constant protection from things that wanted to attack him or kill him. He would survive it all. Once he made himself the top person in the afterlife, he would stand tall and proud as a man who could overcome challenges and fear itself.

When the sound of wolves faded away and Natsumi entered inside a cool building, away from the forested outlands where demons lurked, Keisuke felt every second ticked by painfully slowly. Relief washed over him when Natsumi placed him on a makeshift bed. The voice of someone conversing with Natsumi above his bed in murmurs lulled him to sleep. Half delirious with pain, he wasn’t sure if the demonic wolves had some hallucinogenic property in them, but he saw the world waver and swim away and out of focus.

Natsumi pressed her hand against the wound where the wolf’s teeth and saliva made contact. Keisuke hissed in a breath, but he knew Natsumi would help him. As much as this world seemed to resent him and wanted to kill him, Natsumi was the driving force, the angel of divinity who would save him. The poets would weep about her beauty and kindness as a glowing blue light emanated from her hands and outlined her beautiful face in a cool glow. It brought out the portrait exquisite features of her face. Her green eyes stared into him, and her lovely lips mouthed and shaped words Keisuke couldn’t quite understand in his delirium. She called his name, to drive him out of the eternal sleep of death. The pain eventually subsided from his arm.

Natsumi started to bandage the wound and applied a special antiseptic that must’ve worked on spectral bodies (though his body still felt real as anything else). Keisuke let out a sigh of relief when he came to his proper senses and looked toward Natsumi in gratitude. Everything she did was for his sake. She went into danger for him and disintegrated the skeletons in the lake he drowned in. She slaughtered the demonic wolves that looked at him with a feral gleam in their eyes. He didn’t know how many times he had to kowtow to her to let her know how much he appreciated everything she did, but he found that gesture alone wouldn’t be enough to fulfill the debt he owed her. He felt no matter what he did or said, he would never, ever be able to repay all the kindness she’s shown him.

“Natsumi,” Keisuke said.

Natsumi looked toward him and pressed a hand against his chest to make him lie down again.

“Rest now, Keisuke,” she said softly. “You still need to recover your strength. I’ve healed the worst of the pain, though your body itself needs to let the natural processes of rejuvenation happen. Besides, there is something that I need to discuss with someone.”

Keisuke’s eyes wandered towards Natsumi's’ face, trying to memorize her facial features and the soft way she looked at him. “Hm?”

Natsumi sighed. “I can’t openly discuss it with you, but I’ll try to tell you the things that I’m permitted to give to you. If you have any questions, you may ask them here, though please keep in mind that I won’t be able to answer them all.”

Keisuke thought about it before he laid back in bed. “Who is it that you’re speaking to?”

Natsumi judged his expression. “She is the Oracle. She is the Overseer of this village.”

Keisuke gathered his thoughts and pondered what he would ask next. There were so many questions, so many things that he needed to unravel and discover while he made his way into the Spirit World under the caring guidance of the Shinigami known as Natsumi. So many things he could ask, so many questions he needed to probe and dig for the answers. Was it a coincidence that he ended up in the afterlife and Natsumi was right there next to him to save him? Or did the Oracle or whatever predict this and placed Natsumi nearby to save him in case she found someone drowning in the Lake of Despair, where people supposedly died from their tears? The dreamless sleep of death.

Keisuke thought of another question. “Why’d you save me? I’m not that important, am I?”

“There are difficult circumstances surrounding your appearance in this world and the mystery behind your death. Is there anything you can recall?”

Keisuke wracked his brains. No matter how hard he thought and pondered, there was not even a sliver of a memory that came bubbling into his consciousness. No clues to investigate. His past was a perfect blank, and Keisuke wondered what he possibly was like before he made his way into the Afterlife. He could’ve been a criminal. He could’ve been a saint of a sinner. He could’ve been a priest or a blasphemer. He could’ve been a religious person or he could’ve been an atheist. He knew what these terms and words meant, and he could logically reason he was able to discern pieces of knowledge, but when it came to memories of what happened before he died, everything became blank. No visions or memories. No thoughts whatsoever, except everything in the afterlife, wanted to kill him. Nothing whatsoever about his past life…or possible past lives. If one believed in reincarnation.

“I don’t…remember anything,” Keisuke said in a bit of a forlorn voice. “I wish I could tell you, Natsumi-san. But there’s nothing I can tell from my previous memories, of my previous life, that you need. I am sorry.”

Natsumi nodded. “Fair enough. I shall get going, though please stay put. I’ll bring food later.”

Natsumi departed. Keisuke attempted to sneak out of the room, despite having to heal, when he heard Natsumi’s footfalls fade away. He didn’t like the thought of idling in bed recovering from his wounds, he wanted to listen to the conversation between Natsumi and the Oracle. He didn’t know why everything was kept in secrecy and Natsumi was hush-hush about the circumstances of his appearance in the afterlife, but maybe he could determine a piece of his past or knowledge of what happened to him when he listened in on a conversation that wasn’t directed towards him. Normally, Keisuke wouldn’t…spy on other people like this, especially not someone as reputable and kind and gentle as his savior, but he wanted to know the details about the world and his death. Whether all souls went through this process, whether they became amnesiac like him, or not.

He figured the conversation between the Oracle and Natsumi would be an important one, with information that he can piece together for himself. When he crept by the door and was about to open it to sneak out, he heard footfalls coming back. Keisuke darted back to the bed as soundlessly as he could, hiding under the covers and turning his back so that whoever entered through the door would not see his guilty expression, to hide his secret shame.

“Natsumi?” Keisuke said with a slight squeak in his voice, hoping she hadn’t caught him trying to follow her, though he heard someone else speak to him instead.

“So this is the infamous Keisuke I’ve heard about,” a masculine voice said to him.

Keisuke peeked out from underneath the covers and saw a black-haired male wearing spectacles that bore a great resemblance to Natsumi. The male pursed his lips in thought, and he adjusted the spectacles on the bridge of his nose with his index finger. His skin was rather pale, as though he didn’t receive a healthy dose of vitamin D or maybe he was some vampiric entity that hid away in the dark corners of the world lest he burns up and disintegrates into ash. Though his resemblance to Natsumi was extremely striking here, with their pale skin, black hair, and green eyes, Keisuke considerably found Natsumi to be easier on the eyes. He wondered if this person was a Shinigami as well, and instead of Natsumi's black and red embroidered modified kimono with a skirt, this man was wearing white with light blue embroidery at the edges and wore a pale silver haori that complimented his color scheme quite nicely.

The male then spoke again. I’ve got a few questions if you don’t mind.”

Keisuke swallowed. He wanted to get up and follow Natsumi, but now that a relative of hers was here, he couldn’t listen to the conversation that was no doubt going on between Natsumi and the Oracle. Damn it. Though he was curious about the mysterious male that simply appeared with barely a trace of his presence, Keisuke wanted to see Natsumi again. He hoped that this male, whatever his name is, wouldn’t keep him too long. Though Keisuke had a sinking realization that the interrogation would take longer than the conversation between Natsumi and the Oracle, and Keisuke wouldn’t be able to overhear the important details at all.

“What do you want to know?” Keisuke said, hoping to catch a few whispers of Natsumi’s voice.

The male had a teasing edge to his voice when he sat on the edge of the bed.

“You have the hots for my sister, don’t you?” the male said cheerfully.

Keisuke found a lump stuck in his throat. He couldn’t answer that!

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Keisuke denied, his face flushing hotly.

“It’s only natural that people fall in love with a girl as pretty as Natsumi,” the male noted. “Of course, my sister and I are both attractive people. We often get the amorous affections of others quite often. So I know when a potential suitor comes after my sister.”

“Are you going to chase me off then,” Keisuke said, darting his eyes between the door and the male unconsciously?

The male laughed good-natured. “I’m here to check up on you, Keisuke-kun. I’ve heard there was a new ward in the Infirmary and I wanted to see who they were.”

Keisuke pretended to remain lapsed on the bed and wished he hadn’t spoken. It seems like the male would engage him in conversation, which he would’ve welcomed any other time, but he was missing critical info about his appearance in this world….

“My name is Toshirou, by the way. You’re going to be in the hospital ward for a while to recover, so I’d like a nice chat with you about something.”

“If you’re asking about my memories, I don’t remember a thing,” Keisuke said before he turned his back on Toshirou and huddled towards the wall to hide his expressions.

Not only was he stuck here in the room with someone who was decidedly not Natsumi, but he was also being interrogated about his intentions towards the girl! Of course, if he were an older brother to a younger sister (twin or otherwise) Keisuke would probably have that same protective instinct, like a lion ready to pounce, on anyone that would dare speak in his sister’s direction. It was perfectly understandable..though being on the receiving end of an older brother’s interrogation left a sour taste in Keisuke’s mouth. Then, when he thought about it, his circumstances could seem suspicious, couldn’t they? Didn’t make him a little less miffed about such a degree of caution against someone who meant no harm.

In fact, things were trying to kill him! He was the victim here!

“Well, I wanted to affirm whether or not you really don’t remember anything. I suppose that you don’t,” Toshirou said before he shifted on the bed. “Anyway, Keisuke-kun…my sister and I are a package deal. You deal with one of us, you deal with both of us. Just so you know.”

Keisuke looked morose. “Toshirou…I’m feeling really tired right now. I think that I’ll rest.”

Toshirou looked at Keisuke with knowledge. His glasses flashed as he adjusted them again on the bridge of his nose. “You were hoping to sneak out, weren’t you?

The glasses definitely weren’t for show, then. Damn it. Keisuke’s heart thudded in his throat He said nothing.

“Are you really sure you don’t remember anything?” Toshirou said.

Keisuke retreated under the covers. “No.”

“Well…forgive me for being cautious, but I wanted to know more about the soul that my sister is ferrying.”

“I don’t have any memories,” Keisuke said softly. “But what I know is…that your sister saved me. And I’m indebted to her.”

Toshirou looked at him with some pity in his eyes. “My sister ferries several souls like you, Keisuke-san. They fall in love with her when she comes to ferry their soul into the afterlife.”

Keisuke flushed, feeling a spark of anger ignite in him. “My feeling towards her are genuine! It’s not just about being rescued, it’s…”

“It’s like you imprinted onto her,” Toshirou said thoughtfully, and Keisuke flushed again.

“Rationally, it seems like it’s a whim or a passing fancy or maybe imprinting as you call it,” Keisuke said, color rising to his cheeks. “Even if I don’t know Natsumi that well yet, I will get to know her better. I just know…that I want to be by her side. All this ferrying souls business—I want to know what’s going on. What’s going to happen to me.”

“You were supposed to be shipped off to the next life, actually,” Toshirou said thoughtfully. “But considering you don’t have your memories back, we can’t exactly do that.”

Keisuke pressed here. “What happens when you reincarnate into the next life?”

“You become a new person and your memories of your previous life are wiped. Including the ones that you’ve had in the afterlife.”

Keisuke shook his head and trembled. “I will never forget Natsumi. Ever!”

Toshirou sighed before he said. “Souls, when they die, are meant to be ferried and carried onto the next life, ideally.”

“There’s something that you’re not telling me,” Keisuke said. A more pressing matter than tending to Natsumi just occurred right now.

Toshirou put a finger to his lips. “Hypothetically, you’re an innocent soul that came from the Spawning Pool. I want to believe that. I’m inclined to believe that you have no ill intentions. Though considering your circumstances, the way you appeared in the demon pool, and having demons chase after you—I just want reassurance that you’re someone I can trust with my sister.”

“I would never put Natsumi in danger,” Keisuke said, clenching his hands into fists.

Toshirou watched him, before nodding.

“You don’t know how the afterlife works, do you, Keisuke?”

Keisuke shook his head.

“My sister will come back with food,” Toshirou offered. “But keep in mind that I’m still deciding whether I should trust you or not. Whether or not your worthy of my sister’s heart.”

Keisuke sat up. “What did you come here for, Toshirou?”

Toshirou averted his gaze. “I want my sister to be happy, is all. She is sworn to her duty to ferrying your soul.”

Keisuke grumbled underneath the sheets.

Toshirou leaned over and whispered. “Also, if you hurt my sister…you die <3”

Toshirou left. Keisuke grumbled. Natsumi was coming with food, though he couldn’t catch the conversation between Natsumi and this Oracle.

Natsumi came into the room, giving a steamy ramen broth with pork cutlets on top for Keisuke.

“I hope it’s prepared to your satisfaction,” Natsumi said as she set the bowl on the table side next to Keisuke. “Can you feed yourself?”

“I…” Keisuke said, half tempted to tell her to feed her himself, but he thought about Toshirou’s words and rejected that notion, much to his heart’s dejection. “I will be fine, Natsumi-san.”

He took the bowl of pork cutlet ramen and started to eat. Natsumi watched him eat before she looked out the window.

“Natsumi-san…” Keisuke said, and Natsumi looked at him. He avoided her emerald gaze, trying to compose himself. “Can a soul come back to the afterlife or stay in the afterlife?”

Natsumi pursed her lips.

“When a soul is in Purgatory, they are to be judged to go to Heaven or Hell. A Shinigami takes a soul through a rehabilitation center and takes them through a judgment trial to review their previous life and figure out their next plan for their next life, though usually, they need memories of their previous life to pass on the next life properly.”

“What happens when they have no memories, like me?”

“They fade away and become lost in the reincarnation cycle,” Natsumi said sadly. “Keisuke…I don’t wish for that to happen to you. Why you don’t have your memories, I’m not sure, though it might have to do with the Spawning Pool itself and the Lake of Despair.”

Keisuke’s heart thudded in his throat and he looked away.