Things that lurk in the dark.

[Captainsassypants]

The son of the grim reaper (Who we will call the boogie man) saves a little girl from dying. The little girl was very sick and he had been sent to collect her soul but he took pitty on her and saved her instead. He then becomes the little girls friend vowing to protect her. The little girl lovingly names him the Boogie man. The thing is that only the little girl can see him and as she grows up her parents become concerned about her 'imaginary friend' and try to convince her he's not real and that it's unhealthy for her to still have imaginary friends.


After a while she begins to believe her parents and she thinks she's going crazy so the boogie man disappeard but still secretly follows her. As she becomes a teenager she develops a fear of the dark because that is when the boogie man appears and she's is terrified she might be going insane. The Boogie Man on the other hand has gotten in trouble for saving the girl when she was meant to die and he is forced to face consequences for his actions.


Ally walked through the halls of her school, clutching her books to her chest, her head down. All she wanted was to go to class slipping by unnoticed. She didn't exactally have many friends, being sick most of her childhood she never really learned how to make them.And with her paralyzing fear of the dark, it didn't really make sleepovers an option for her. So she remained isolated from her peers, making her a target for them to pick on. Most days she was lucky if she was forgotten. However usually she was not so lucky.


As she continued down the hall she did her best to ignore the names and whispers from the other students. She could handle a litte name calling by now she had become used to blocking their voices out. The names were not the worst they could do. Walking past her tormentors she shurnk back holding her books tighter trying to go by quickly.


That was not what happened though. One of the boys stuck out his foot tripping her sending her falling to the ground knocking the books out of her hands and she reached them out to catch herself. Without a word she collected her things and stood up as the group around her errupted in laughter. Again she tried to go past them but this time her path was blocked by a girl. "Where do you think you're going ghost?" the girl asked her pushing her back. "Please just let me go to class" Ally said finally speaking as she dared to look up at the girl. "Oh didn't you know? Your class is in a new room today" Someone said as they grabbed her from behind. Before she could react or get away she was shoved into a broom closet the door slamming closed leaving her in darkness.


As the room became dark fear over took her causing her to shake. "L-let me out!" She began to scream as she banged on the door and pulled at the doornob."Please.... somebody let me out!" she be came more frantic the longer she was in there. She could hear the group laughing as they walked away leaving her in there screaming

 

[Akio]

Meanwhile in another plane, somewhere removed from even time there was a man. Well man was the wrong word, at least to your human point of few. He was a male but he was a reaper, one of the sons of the lord of death, the grim reaper himself. He was not the only reaper but he was special due to his parentage. However even without the parentage he was known as possibly one of the strongest reapers ever to live. 'And here he was spending his time watching a human.' he thought to himself as he watched the girl. Then again he had been watching her since the day she was born. The day he was sent to collect her soul.


He began to think im memory of that day, he had been talking to his friend Marcus, who was also his mentor and a man who was closer to him then a brother. "I dont understand why your having so much trouble with this assignment Akio, its not as the girl can fight you off." He teased slightly though still remaining serious. Meanwhile akio was looking down in the human world looking at the little girl dying in her bed. "She's so young...." Marcus put his hand his shoulder understanding, he was as old as the human race but he remembered having this feeling the first few year he was a reaper. "She is not the youngest you've taken, besides right now she is weak and in pain. Ending her suffering will be better for her." He removed his hand and began to leave. "End her suffering akio, the darkness calls for her." he left the room and akio sighed, floating down to human world till he was at the girls side. She knew he was there, he could see that. "So small, so young..." She knew he should kill her but at that moment he couldnt bare to do it. Not when she was looking up at him with weak but innocent eyes.


"Dont worry, i will end your suffering. He reaches down and seems to reach in her and his hand becomes transparent. All instruments of deaths were that of his fathers, and therefore one of his. He took the disease out of her body and held it in his hand before dispelling it. He actually stumbled, that took more out of him then he thought. She looked at him wide eye'd, the sickness no longer having its hold. "Are you the boogie man?" Akio could help but smile. "Yes i am." She smiled and while he knew he would be punished he almost thought it may be worth it.


Now it was years since that day and he was watching her, she was being bullied and it made him tighten his lips in anger. He had been watching the girl since she was a child and this couldnt help but piss him off. She was locked in a closet, alone and scared. After a moment of hesitation he floated down and appeared behind her like he did when she was a child, and a dark but bright light filled the room. "Are you alright?"

 

[Captainsassypants]

Ally continued to scream until her voice went scratchy and hoars, her throat burning, beating on the door until her hand became red and bruised. She was crying a pleading for someone to let her out, anyone. It didn't matter who she just wanted out. She would even be grateful if it were the same people who had locked her in in the first place, come back to push her around some more, just as long as she wasn't in the dark anymore.


Hearing the voice come from behind her she jumped turning around quickly. Her blue eyes went wide as they landed on the tall figure from which the dark light was eminating from. "Go away! You're not real. get out of my head" She said in a shakey voice as she covered her eyes believing if she couldn't see him then he didn't exist. This was exactaly what she had been afraid of happening. She couldn't be in the dark, her mind played tricks on her, made her see and hear things that weren't real.


If she stayed out of the dark she didn't see him, and she wasn't crazy. She just had to keep out of the dark, but now she couldn't escape she was locked in a closet and she was losing her mind. What was wrong with her? Why did this happen to her? No one else had an imaginary friend that haunted them, even after they had grown up. It was unhealthy, her mother had told her so, it meant you were crazy...

 

[Akio]

He felt a pang, the girl barley saw him anymore, that was her parents however making her think seeing him was unhealthy. "Poor child, im sorry i should have interfered sooner... I know you barley remember me the way you did but i can help." He walked over to the door and turned his hand transparent and opened the door from the outside, letting light flood in from the empty hallway. "Go on, you have to get to class." he said with gentleness.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Ally kept her hands over her eyes trying to force his foce out of her head. That's all it was right? It was all just in her head. If she tried hard enough she could make him disappear. She had had no idea what he was talking about. She was trying to make sense of it when she heard the click of the door. Letting her hands fall away from her eyes she turned seeing the door was open. Without a second thought she rushed out of the closet.


Once out in the light of the hallway she was finally able to relax, but when she looked around to see who had let her out there was no one there. 'How did the door open if there is no one here?' She asked herself and turned back glancing at the dark closet. 'Could he have...' Her thought trailed off as she told herself it was impossible. The door must have been unlocked the whole time and she just didn't know. That was what must have happened.


With another lingering look at the closet she walked away going to class. At this point she was beyond late and Mr. Mathews would be giving her a lot of crap for it, but there was nothing she could do about it.

 

[Akio]

He watched her leave, he had always watched from above since that day not interfering, but now he began to feel it wasent enough. He stepped after, not directly following her but getting to the classroom first, easy seeing as he walked threw walls. He went over by the teachers desk looking at the crowd of kids, the room may get a bit colder but no one but Ally would realize his presence. He sat in the corner of the room and watched. When she walked in the teacher began to yell at her as some of the student snickered but suddenly half rant he stopped. Akio had raised his finger and turned him around with a bit of force and mouthed the words the teacher copied in his voice. "Go sit down." Then he lowered his finger and the teacher looked confused for a moment but did not press the subject.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Quickly Ally walked to class trying not to be any more late than she already was. As she reached the the classroom door she tried to slip in without being noticed, but after taking one step into the room the teacher spotted her and began yelling. Looking down at her feet she sighed "I'm sorry it won't happen again" She began to say as he continued to yell, but when he suddenly stopped yelling she looked up confused. Seeing him there she looked even more confused. How was that happening? Was she going even more crazy? Now not only did she hallucinate in the dark but also broad daylight? He couldn't really control her teacher could he? He was just a figment of her imagination.


It didn't make sense to her, she was trying to figure it out as she walked back to her seat slumping down into it. She kept her eyes glued to the dark figure that lurked in the corner of the class room the entire time. She had no idea what the teachers lecture was about or even what homework she had for that night. Her thoughts were too preoccupied by him.. and what should she call him anyway? She couldn't keep calling him by the same silly name she had named him as a child. 'Boogie Man'? It was childish

 

[Akio]

After the class ended the teacher closed his book and the class started filing out, her bully's immediately waited for her outside, they were curious how she got out of the closet and were also hoped to continue their torment of the poor girl. At this point however akio was determined to make sure she wasent touched for the rest of the day. With a wave of his hand a dark, invisible aura even to her shrouded her. He had temporally given her the cloak of a reaper, when she walked by the bully's they would not even spare her a glance, seemingly continue to search for her even when she was right in front of him. Meanwhile the reaper got up and walked beside her side after watching for a minute and said. "They cant see you, i have shrouded you from their sight." His voice was dark and rich.

 

[Captainsassypants]

After class had come to an end she was anxious to leave. However when she saw that the group of bullies had made it out the door before her she slowed her pace, knowing they would be waiting for her. She was just going to have to go ahead and face them, there was no other way out. She took a deep breath and began to approach them but as she did he appeared next to her. " What are you doing, I'm not supposed to be able to see you in the light" She said in a hushed voice closing her eyes.


She didn't believe anything he said it was just gibberish her brain had come up with. At least that was what she thought, but when she stepped between the group of people it was like they could see right through her. They continue to watch the door way seeming to be waiting still, but for what she was right there?. "What's happening?" She asked after walking past them.

 

[Akio]

He watched Ally slightly amused and sad that she thought him a illusion, a trick playing on her mind, something that was a problem. What humanity defined as a problem always kind of irked him. "Ally, im not a illusion or a figment of your imagination." He said as his wings flickered. "I am something most humans cant see, i am a reaper. Im the controllers of life and death, im also the one who saved your life when you were a child, making you able to see me because i interfered." He smiled as if remembering a good memory. "While i know you were fond of calling me the bogyman when you were younger my real name is Akio. And i have been watching you since the moment i you saw me that day." He said. He was actually worried about her reaction would be to all this, he had only just now shown his face while her parents had influenced her opinion about him most of her life. While he kept his face mostly impassive his wings twitched nervously.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Ally's pace slowed to a stop as she turned to look straight at him. She was having a hard time trusting what he said to be the truth. How could she be sure this wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her. "How can I believe anything you say?" She asked her eyes watching his wings as they flickered. "And if you are what you say you are, then why are you still following me?" She asked. She remembered him quite well from when she was a child, when he saved her, and the time he spent playing with her. He had been her best and only friend in the world, at least that was until her mother had told her that he didn't really exist, shattering her whole world. She looked sad as she remembered this. "Okay..Akio. What do you want?" she asked glad to have an actual name for him now. Her eyes moved back and forth between his face and his wings as she waited for him to explain.

 

[Akio]

He shook his head in sadness though he expected it. "A illusion cant open doors or cloak you from the eyes of humans, no matter how real it seems. As for the reason im still following you.. Well to be honest ive watched you so long, what i did was a whim and i should have been punished for it but i wasent at least not yet, 1000's of years pass in a blink of an eye for my kind usually but watching you has given me a sense of time... And believe it or not i enjoyed the time we played together, it made feel human.. normal. After years of just taking the souls of the dying and dead and hearing the regrets i didn't understand i always wondered what did it mean to be human." He is quiet for a moment. "My lord will not allow me to go unpunished, he is partial to me in some ways but fair. Soon i may even be dead, so for now i want to protect what little good ive done." He smiles a bit sadly. "Sorry for that speech im a bit long winded."

 

[Captainsassypants]

For a long time she just stared at him, her brow furrowed as she worked through all he had said in her mind. She supposed he was right it wasn't possible for something she had made up in her head to change things in the real world. So that meant he really was real and she wasn't going crazy. Realizing that she let out a huge sigh of relief. It still seemed strange that he would want to keep following her why she so interesting couldn't he watch someone else or go back to reaping or what ever it was he did. Hearing he could be killed for saving her she frowned obviously worried about him. She didn't want that to happen to him just because of something he did for her. Even after years of trying to forget him, and pushing him away, and pretending like he didn't exist ; he was still her friend and she still cared about what happened to him as strange as it seemed. "Thank you....and I'm sorry, it's my fault you might be k - get hurt..." She said looking down at her feet. This was a strange situation for her, she had no idea what to say or do at this point. Honestly she was in a bit of shock.

 

[Akio]

"Its fine, it was my choice to do what i did back then, though i didnt have a specific reason. Besides there's a chance my lord punish me in another way so i may live just yet, though i doubt ill see you again after that and for that i apologize. It seems youve accepted my existence... How old are you? meeting you has given me some sense of time but for reaper's eons pass like days so im afraid i dont know your exact age." He said a bit sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with a small smile.

 

[Captainsassypants]

"Why did you do it?" she asked suddenly looking up at him her eyes staring in to his. "Save me I mean... Why did you save me if I was supposed to die? It got you in trouble so would it have been easier just to kill me?" She added and tugged at the sleeves of her shirt awkwardly. She hoped he wasn't killed or banished. She had just accepted his existance she didn't want him to go away so quickly. "I'm seventeen." She told him wondering exactaly how old he was. He looked exactaly the same as he had when she was a little girl. Did he age at all?

 

[Akio]

He looked at her and seemed to think for awhile then said. "I dont know, ive taken those younger then you and others in your situation. But something about you was different, even now i wouldnt be able to tell you why but i just knew something was special. That was all, as i said of a whim." he said thinking back. "shall we go, my shroud will only last so long on you and we are talking in the middle of you're school hallway." He said amused.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Her mouth became a straigth line as she nodded. That wasn't really the answer she wanted to hear although she wasn't sure what it was she wanted to hear. "Well thank you..." She said then looked around as if she was surprised. She had honestly forgotten they were still standing in the school hallway. "Oh, yeah I guess we should probably go somewhere else.." She agreed. If she stayed there she would only look like she was talking to herself giving people another reason to pick on her. It would be better if they continued their conversation somewhere more private, at this point she wasn't really interested in going to the rest of her classes anyway.

 

[Akio]

Akio nodded and opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly began to glow. "Oh no, im being summoned to the court." He said distressed but completely reigning in his emotions a second later. He looked at Ally and said quickly. "If im not dead by the end of the day i will find you and if i do meet my demise... Ill have someone trust inform you, his name will be marcus. My magic will still be in effect for the next few minutes now go." His mouth was in a grim line, normally you'd be summonsed right away and resisting it the way he was painful. "Good bye Ally." Then suddenly he was gone in a flash of light that even mortals could see and he opened his eyes to find himself in front of his father with the court, the first reapers. "So the law caught up.." He said slightly bitter. "We are here for your judgement." Akio couldnt even see his father who was surrounded in shadow today. "Dont bother, i admit to what i did and i cant say i regret it, is this a problem with you?"


Most council looked shocked, marcus looked stone faced, but a single laugh range threw out the room. "Your son is arrogant my lord, perhaps we should follow his advice and hurry with punishment, the evidence against him was already overwhelming." Said a dark man with long hair at his father's side. (http://s592.photobucket.com/user/Sara_Shadow/media/Fantasy/AnimeGuyPostable.jpg.html) Akio did a small bow. "Lord Solumon." Him and Soluman never liked each other but kept mostly civil in his presence. "I must say my lord this is a most grievous offense, i must partition for his execution though i know it pains you." Soluman said. 'So much for civil'. Akio thought. The council opened up in debate but the man in the middle stay silent, his father was planning. Akio could tell that much. Then finally he spoke. "Akio why did you save the girl. You knew that the nspirit of death would hound her for the rest of her life so why do this?" Akio bowed his head slightly. "I dont know father, i simply felt she was special." His father is silent for awhile and then you can see the white's of his teeth in the darkness. "Special huh, then i will make my own ruling. Without your help she will die in a year or two, from accident or possibly illness again. Your punishment is you must protect her from those harms until the end of her new life span." The council erupted in protest but akio was waiting for the catch he knew was comming. "But you must do it in human form." The council falls silent, they're protest wouldnt change anything anymore, their leader was fond of games. Akio says. "One thing father, may i keep my wings?" His father thinks for a minute. "I guess it wouldnt be much of a game if you died easy, very well. Until that point i will hold most of your powers." A hand comes out of the gloom and akio spasms and dark energy fly's from him to his father. his near godly aura fades till he felt drained. "Now i will send you to earth." Then suddenly Marcus spoke up. "My lord may i give him something." His father says. "A parting gift? very well as long it does not trespass on the divine." Marcus nodes and looks at his friend and pupil sadly. "Ive been alive nearly for the entire history of the human race, their way of fighting is wasteful but i have memory's of it." He takes a breath and breaths out energy to akio which is absorbed into him. "That is the best of what humans have to offer, from now on you will tire like a human so dont over do it, i hope to see you alive someday." Then a older man, one of Solumans supporters who had the roll as akio put it, 'to say what everyone is thinking but wont say.' "My lord this is a disgrace, him and that girl should be killed immediately, not shown mercy!" The lord clicks his tongue. "This is my decision and it is final. Now if there is nothing else i cast you out Akio, till you complete your task, and if you fail your powers wont be returned and ill drag you to hell myself!" With a blast of force that seemed to rip him out of the dimension akio disappeared and the council, many muttering angrily. However Soluman seemed calm until it was only him and his supporters in the room including Marcus who was in his camp (thier friendship was tolerated as marcus original mission was to get him to soluman's side.). Then one of his men asked, "Sir.. what do we do. Akio is a gifted reaper he will survive this challenge easily." Solumans calm slipped and he slowed anger, gripping the armrest and cracking the stone. "Dont worry that man will die.. I will make sure of it. Also Marcus, because you grew attached to the boy i will forgive your trespass but never again." Marcus bowed and said "Thank you mord." A calm mask kept his feelings hidden. "Now," Soluman said. "I will decide how to kill that upstart Akio."


Meanwhile in the human world akio was falling so fast he seemed to be leaving a trail like a comet, he was trying to regain control of his fall. 'Damn the old man is strong.' He thought finally managing it and righting himself. It was dead of night but he could tell by the moon it had ether only been a day or two weeks, lucky for him it was just the night of the day he left. He looked around for a moment getting his baring, he knew this area very well having always watched it from above. Within seconds he headed like a silent missile towards Ally's house.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Ally watched in awe as Akio began to glow. Was this another one of his tricks she wondered at first, but seeing the distress on his face she knew it was not his own doing. She looked worried as he told her he was finally being summoned to face punishment for what he had done for her. She could not help but feel guilty for whatever happened to him. "Good bye, Akio. Be careful" She said before he was gone in a huge burst of light ther made her sheild her eyes. In a second it was over and she was left standing alone in the hallway, slowly she walked away going to class.


She went through the whole school day thinking about Akio. She kept waiting or him to show up in the corner of her class room or appear beside her as she was walking through the halls. She was so distracted by that, she couldn't be bothered to care as she was pushed around and called name by her classmates. By the time the school day was over her knees were bruised from falling on them or scrambling to pick up her books when they were knocked out of her hands.


That night she stayed up waiting but as it got later and later she was beginning to expect the worse. Had it really happened anyway? Maybe it had all been a day dream. For the first time in years she had the lights flicked off in her room as she willed him to appear. She had been keeping herself busy by darwing but the longer she stayed up waiting the more tired she became. Eventually she fell asleep completely her head falling on her desk a pencil still in her hand.

 

[Akio]

Akio quickly found the house he was looking for. 'That reminds me where am i gonna live.' He thought to himself as he flew down towards the window. He opened it carefully and casually and slid into the room as silent as a lynx. When he got in the first thing he saw was Ally sleeping which made him smile, she had been waiting for him. He looked around, he had heard humans always had trouble seeing in the dark but he didnt seem to have a problem, though the remains of his powers would make him better then normal humans probably. he walked over to Ally and shook he gently, he didnt want to wake her up but it seemed to not tell her he was back for a whole day. "Ally im back."

 

[Captainsassypants]

Feeling someone shake her, Ally groaned slowly waking up before sitting up fully alert. As her eyes landed on Akio She couldn't help but smile. "You're okay" She said with a sigh of relief as she brushed away a few strands of hair, that had been sticking to her face. She then leaned forward, flicking on a light so she could see him better. "What happened?" She asked turning her chair to face him. She was curious to find out what happened to him after he disappeared with a sudden busrt of light. She was happy to see he hadn't been killed but did that mean they had decided not to punish him at all or did they just decide on another punishment for him? Who exacatally decided the rules and what happened to him anyway? She had no idea how those things worked. Until earlier that day she hadn't known that Reapers were a real thing that actually existed.

 

[Akio]

Akio couldnt help but chuckle at her sigh of relieve. "What were you that worried." He said with a slight teasing tone thought he actually found himself pleased that she was worried. When she brought the light on she see's that the aura that was once surrounding him, which basically defined him as what he was had disappeared. He seemed less a untouchable being and instead appeared mostly human now, though his wings ruined that illusion just a bit. And he still seemed to possess a certain sense of majesty, like a royal figure or a statue of a great hero. When she had asked what had happened he sat and stretched. "Well im no longer a reaper now, at least for awhile. Also i must apologize you for it seems i have put you in danger."


"When i saved your life i broke the balance of life and death. Not a big world gapping break but a little hole. Death however is cold and efficient and it doesent like mistakes so it will continually try to kill you. Threw diseases or accidents, possibly just by a reaper wishing for you to die. With my powers it would have been childs play to keep you from harm, a wave of my hand and some magic words would have been enough. But my father likes game so to speak so he gave me a challenge. When i saved your life i gave you a new life span that stretched till you died of old age so my old man made me a deal. He took most of my powers and told me that i have to protect you from harm directly till you died at a ripe old age, if i fail ill be dragged off and sent to hell by death itself. Really he gave me what i wanted, i was gonna protect you regardless all he did was make it a lot harder... Though hell ill admit is not the funniest place if i fail, really quite the threat." He actually paled a little bit at his mention of hell. "But relatively its a light punishment though ive probably put you even in more danger then you would have been as Soluman who's one of my fathers top men is also deadly efficient and doesent like what i did. Its possible he may even send reapers to kill me and you."

 

[Captainsassypants]

"well you did tell me you might die for saving me and then a few minutes later you were pulled away. Then you did show up for the rest of the day, so you can't blame me for being little worried" She said becoming deffensive. Seeing him in the light, she noticed something was different about him, off, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. She was studying him trying to decided what what diffrent when he tole her he was no longer a reaper. "How does that happen? How can you just stop being a reaper? And what do you mean you've put me in danger" She asked tilting her head to the side he face a giant question mark as she waited for him to explain.


As she listened to him explain what was happening now she looked down at her lap messing with the hem of her skirt as she took in all the new information. She was still having trouble following seeing as she wasn't sure how the whole death and reaper things worked but she did her best to make sense of it. "So... what you are saying is that for the rest of my life things are going to be trying to kill me, and you have to stop them from killing me as a human, well almost human" She said glancing at his wings which clearly pointed out the fact he was not really human. "And if I die you'll be sent to hell. correct?" She asked restating everything he had just told her. She would be lying if what he had said didn't scare her. She wondered if maybe it would have just been better for both of them if she had just dies as a child like she was supposed too. "So how are you going to protect me if you don't have powers anymore. Also does that mean other people can see you now?" She asked.

 

[Akio]

"Well my father takes my powers, reaper is more of a job rather then a race. And also not all my powers are gone though a majority are. My wings hold a decent amount of magical power in themselfs. Also i was one of the strongest reapers of my generation with lots of fighting experience so no weaker reapers will stand a chance against me even if i am weakened like this. Even stronger reapers have their own flaws. Visits to the mortal world are quite usual but we cant interfere in a major way so their power should be mostly restrained which makes me more then confident in my ability to protect you so dont worry. And yeah people can see me so ive decided to enroll in school."

 

[Captainsassypants]

she nodded understanding things now. She still didn't feel much better about the situtaion. They both would be in constant danger for the rest of her life, but at least she knew he would make them hard to kill. "So if you can't just appear and disappear like you usually do where are you going to stay?" She asked tilting her head up to look at him, her blonde hair falling down her back. Even if he wasn't a reaper anymore he still towered over he andr with his wings spread he was even more looming. For some reason his wings had always interested her, every time they moved she had the urge to reach out and touch them. She was surprised to hear he would be going to her school now. "Well if you're going to go to school you're going to need to hide those" She said pointing to his wings. "Otherwise people are going to have a hard time believing that you're a normal person."