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~~Ben~~

I paced around the meeting area in exasperation. I had been waiting here for nearly ten minutes waiting for Hope and Dil to arrive. I was beginning to get a little worried honestly... Dil had always been punctual in returning texts, he hardly ever turned his phone off unless he was on a date or studying and I was positive he wasn't on a date.. he always told me that he had one before and we had already checked our room and the library. 'Sigh, calm down Ben, he's okay no need to worry...' I thought to myself calmly I was just a mere nanosecond from a nervous breakdown when a portal opened spitting out a panther and a raccoon. I winced slightly when I saw Dil land face-first into the ground and quickly ran up to him.

"You okay buddy? And where were you? I was freaking out big time!" I told him as I helped him back to his feet. Once I got a good look at his face however I frowned, he looked pretty banged up. He had a nasty looking shiner and his nose look busted. My first thought was someone hurt him which immediately sent me into a rage. "And what happened to you? If someone did this to you I swear I'll rip their balls off and feed it to them!" I snarled but Dil just shrugged everything off and dusted himself off.

"I'm fine Ben, calm down, I fell down some stairs." He replied calmly as he pushed me away. I gave him a suspicious look at that.

"You... fell down some stairs...? Really?" I asked him in a skeptical manner. He brushed it off and laughed at my disbelief.

"Ben, this is me we're talking about! We both know how big a klutz I am." He had a point... but I still something didn't feel right. It felt like he was hiding something from me and I couldn't figure out what it was... and that worried me.

"You sure you fell down the stairs? I mean absolutely sure?" He gave me a dark look at that. He seemed almost hurt that I doubted him and I immediately felt guilty for about it, but at the same time I knew he was hiding something. But I decided to let it go for now and save it for a time when Hope wasn't drilling holes in the back of my head. "Alright, I believe you... but where were you?" That he answered readily enough however.

"I was with Howie, he was helping me get patched up... that's why my phone was off... didn't want him to get distracted." He stated as he move from one foot to the other in an anxious manner. "But why are we standing around here for? Aren't we supposed to go meet up with Hope's boss or something? Let's go!" He rambled on before he darted off in a random direction down one of the many alleyways that made up the Reaper's city.

Dil! Wait! You're going the wrong way!" Hope called out to him and was right about to chase after him but I was able to grab her before she could. She struggled a bit however I held firm. "Hey! He's going to get lost! This place is huge! We might never find him!" She shouted.

"You'd never be able to catch him anyway... he's long gone, besides I want to talk to you about something." The blonde raccoon just looked at me confused before shrugging it off. But she still gave me a curious look before she spoke.

"What is it?" She asked while motioning to a bench for us to sit on. I sighed and did as she bade and sat on the bench and stretched while she sat down next to me. "Is something wrong? You seem worried about something." I just sighed again and shook my head rubbing my paws through my red hair messily while I gathered my thoughts.

"He's lying, I know he is. Someone hurt him and he won't tell me who." I muttered hopelessly. "He's hiding something and that scares me..." she just gave me a sympathetic look while she patted my back.

"Has Dil often a victim of bullying? She asked me and I nodded while growling. Memories of our childhood coming to the forefront and images of me defending a younger Dil from assholes who liked to pick on someone smaller than them.

"Yeah, back when we were kids Dil was pretty quiet... he was always small for his age and the bigger kids loved teasing him because they thought he looked like a girl. That's how we met actually, we were in kindergarten then. My family had moved us from our home in LA when I was 5. My dad decided to transfer back to New York so we could be closer to family." I said calmly looking towards the dark sky... from what I've seen the sky never seemed to change. "I had been at my new school for a few weeks before I met him... I'd seen him in class but I was still mad about having to move so I wasn't interested in making friends."

"How'd you guys meet?"

"That's an interesting story actually..." I said smiling lightly as I began to recant my tale.

~~Flashback~~

I was shooting hoops in the playground alone, nobody seemed to want to play with me but I didn't care. I didn't want to be here anyway. I was minding my own business when I noticed some of the bigger kids picking own a small panther boy. The boy was crying because the bullies were playing monkey-in-the-middle with something of his. Even then I couldn't stand bullies so I rushed in and tackled the goat who had his thing. I noticed the kid run after it after it was rolling away while the other two bullies ganged up on me.

However I was surprised when the boy came running to my rescue by sucker-punching one of the boys taking them all by surprise. I helped out by tackling the boy who was about to tackle the panther. The goat boy just ran off crying while his friends got whooped by us. Eventually some teachers tore us apart and made us follow them to the principals office. I remained impassive but the others were freaking out, all except for the panther who regarded me curiously.

"Um... thanks for helping me... sorry you got in trouble though. But where did you learn to fight like that? It was so cool!" The panther said his eyes glittering brightly. I just shrugged him of gently.

"Nah, it's no problem, they had it coming!" I stated proudly. "And my grandpa is teaching me how to fight! He fought in the army!" I told him as I gestured to the dog tags around my neck. I then humphed in anger. "I hate when others pick on those weaker than them. I used to have the same problem but I whooped their butts! I thought things would be different here but turns out it isn't."

"Seems so, but again, thank you um... what's your name?" He asked shyly and I could tell he was blushing underneath his fur. "I was so grateful that I forgot to ask you your name." I just laughed at that and patted his back fondly, it was strange honestly, a few minutes before I decided I didn't want friends but here I am bonding with some random panther. I had no idea at the time that I had just met my best friend. But then again, who would?

"It's no problem, names Ben, you're Dillon Patterson right? I think we sit close together in class." He just nodded and gave a smile of recognition.

"Now I remember, you're Benedict Zideke! You transferred into class three weeks ago!" I growled at that, even then I hated being called Benedict.

"It's Ben, call me Ben..." I growled and he gave a apologetic smile in return, obviously getting the message. He just nodded and rubbed the back of his head in mild embarrassment at his mistake. But I just smiled and patted his back again to let him know I wasn't upset at him. "It's okay, you didn't know..." he just laughed again and continued holding that smile.

"I'm serious it's okay!" I said before I noticed his shirt. "Hey is that a transformers shirt?" I asked him excitedly but we got shushed by the teacher as we entered the office. The teacher just sat us in some uncomfortable seats And told us to stay silent while the Principal called our parents. I could tell the others were freaking out. One of the bullies was crying like a baby while the others looked like they were about to hurl.

I then looked towards the panther sitting next to me and saw he was twirling his chocker around in his paws with a look of deep concentration on his face. His cobalt eyes looked sad and his dirty blond hair was mused from the fight. "Why were they teasing you?" I whispered to him curiously. "Was it because of your necklace?" He nodded at that and I bristled a bit. "Why would they do that?" I asked sending a glare at one of the boys who looked away uncomfortably.

"They said it made me look like a girl. I told them it was my moms and they started calling me a momma's boy." He said his voice soft. I frowned at that noticing the past tense and what looked like unshed tears. I was just about to ask him if he was okay when the door burst opened and a tall elderly wolf stepped in. I lit up immediately at seeing him.

"Grandpa!" I shouted as I ran up to him. He just smiled and lifted me up in his arms and kissed my forehead which made me let out a tiny laugh.

"Hey buddy, your parents couldn't get off of work so I came instead. What's this about you getting into a fight though? You should know better." He stated in a disappointed tone which caused my ears to go down in submission. Part of me was hurt my parents couldn't make it but another was relieved Grandpa would at least listen to me.

"I didn't start it this time! I swear! Those boys were picking on that panther over there!" I said gesturing over to Dil. "You always told me to look after others when they were being hurt and I did so!" He gave me a small chuckle and a pat on the head as he sat down me still on his lap.

"I did, didn't I? So you were defending a smaller classmate huh? I'm proud of you then... even if I think you should've gotten a teacher. What's your name boy?" He asked the dark furred feline who had been watching us quietly startling him a bit. He flushed a bit at the question but eventually did answer, abliet in a tiny voice.

"Di-Dillon Pa-Patterson si-sir..." he squeaked out timidly as Grandpa gave him a thoughtful but penetrating look. He continued his focused gaze for several moments and I could tell Dil was beginning to get uncomfortable from the way he was fidgeting and how he kept his head down. Then a flash of remembrance went across his face as he connected the dots.

"You're Father Patterson's boy aren't you? You look just like him!" He said to the startled cat. The cat just nodded his confirmation while my grandpa gave him a small smile. He eventually lifted me off his lap and sat me down in the chair before he padded over to the panther before leaning down so he was eye level with the kitten. "I know your father quite well, he's a good man and he's always talking about you." He said gently before ruffling Dil's headfur . He went from jolly to somber almost immediately after though. "I'm sorry for your loss, these past few days must have been hard. And thank you for helping my grandson."

'Loss?' I thought to myself confused. I remembered he had been absent a few days but the teacher never said why. 'Is that why he looks so sad because he lost something?' I was broken out of my thoughts when grandpa turned his attention towards the others. He gave them a frightening looking glare before he spoke, his voice colder than I'd ever heard it before.

"And you three should be ashamed, this kitten just lost his mother and you have the gall to torment him? If you were my grandchildren I'd spank the stuffing out of you." He threatened and I knew he was serious I'd been on the receiving end of those spankings plenty of times, enough to wince at the thought. The trio just looked away as if unable to look him in the eye. He glared at them for several,minutes before he got up and looked towards me. "I'll be in he bathroom so don't start without me." He said before walking out. Right as he left I got out of my chair and went back to Dil.

"Your grandfather is kinda scary... but he seems very nice..." Dil noted calmly. I just let out a snort at that.

"He can be but he's the coolest grandpa ever!" I bragged but then I frowned towards him. "Sorry about your mom though..." I told him sincerely as I could. He just shrugged it off nonchalantly but I could tell he look sad still.

"My Dad says she's in heaven with God and the angels... he told me she's watching me from above... he says if I'm a good boy I'll get to go to heaven as well when I die." I just nodded politely, my parents didn't really talk about religion much, so I didn't understand much about heaven... my grandparents went every Sunday but I've never been myself.

"That's nice I guess... hopefully that will be a long time huh?" He nodded again and even gave a tiny smile. I was about to say something else when I saw a nicely dressed panther enter the office. He looked a lot like Dil so I guessed he was his dad. He was wearing a crisp black suit and wore a clerical collar around his neck. Dil's reaction on seeing him was immediate, his ears drooped down and he kept his gaze towards the floor as the elder approached us.

"What happened? I was at the Church when I got a call saying you got into a fight, is that true?" Dil nodded and the elder just let out an agitated sigh obviously frustrated at the situation at hand. "Damn it Dil, you should know better! What brought this on?" Dil just looked away as if unwilling to answer so I jumped in to defend him.

"He was helping me! Those guys over there were picking on him and I stepped in to help him but they ganged up on me and he joined the fight to help me out." He looked to me in surprise as if he wasn't expected me to speak up. He regarded me carefully for several seconds before he spoke again.

"And you are?" He asked me in a calm but cool manner.

"Ben Zideke sir," I answered him immediately. He just chuckled a bit as if he recognized my name. Though Zideke wasn't exactly a common name and it was a small town...

"You must be Benjamin's grandson, he said he had one around Dil's age..." he said in a fond manner before he turned back towards Dil. "Is what he said true Dillon?" Dil nodded but kept his eyes on the ground. "Have you been bullied by those boys before today?" Another nod. "Has this been going on for awhile?" He asked his scowl deepening after each nod. "How long has this been going on Dil? Be honest."

"Si-since we moved here si-sir..." the boy answered in the same meek tone eyes still glued to the floor which must have been very interesting because he hadn't looked away from it since his dad arrived. Mr. Patterson seemed livid at hearing that fact yet he managed to reel it in and maintain composure.

"Why haven't you told anyone? He demand. "Why haven't you told me?" He seemed almost hurt as he asked that question and I could tell Dil was feeling guilty but the kitten answered the question honestly all the same.

"I didn't want to cause any problems... and I figured if I told anyone it'd get even worse." Mr. Patterson just snarled at that causing his son to flinch.

"Damn it Dillon! You should always tell someone if someone is bothering you! Do you have any idea how many young Furs commit suicide every year because they didn't tell anyone their being bullied!? I don't want you to be one of those furs! I just lost your mother I don't want to lose you as well! Not like that!" He said eyes shining with unshed tears. He swiftly dry them off before he continued. "Don't ever keep such things secret from me again! And you..." he said looking towards me. "Thank you for helping my son out." I just flushed lightly and tried to play it cool.

"It's no problem sir, he'd do the same for me I'm sure..." the man just chuckled at that obviously amused of my antics.

"I believe he already did, can you do me a favor son?" He asked me directly. Curious I gave him a nod wondering what the favor was. "I want you to look after my boy," he proposed. " "to make sure he doesn't get himself hurt. You don't have to but I'd rest easier if Dil was well looked after, so will you?" He said leaving his paw out I thought about it for a moment. The kid seemed nice if a bit of a doormat, he certainly didn't deserve to be bullied and I did feel lonely here. Maybe having a friend wouldn't be so bad?

"I'd be honored sir," I said shaking the elders offered paw sealing our agreement and my friendship with Dil forever.

~~end flashback~~

"Wow, so that's how you became friends?" Hope said thoughtfully, she had surprisingly remained silent the entire time. I just nodded not feeling up to talking at the moment. "Is that why you think he's lying because he has a history of hiding such things?" I just nodded again. "Then why don't you confront him on it? If you know he's lying call him out." I just shook my head and broke my brief silence.

"I can't, what if I do and he's telling the truth? He'll think I don't trust him. What if he closes himself off...? What if he never speaks to me again? I can't lose him! I just can't!" Hope just nodded her head in understanding and patted my back in silence for several moments before she spoke, her voice surprisingly thoughtful.

"You really are in love with him aren't you?" She asked me gently before adding. "Don't deny it Ben, I'm not stupid..." I wanted so bad to tell her to screw off and she was wrong but I just felt tired, so I just gave her a silent nod. "See was it that hard? Why are you so afraid of admitting you have feelings for Dil?"

"I'm just afraid that if we do get into a relationship and it doesn't work out what then? Would our friendship even survive such a thing? What if I lose him for good? And what my parents say? My team? They aren't exactly the most gay-friendly bunch... I love basketball it's the only thing I'm actually good at. I'm not a genius like Dil, my grades are okay but not spectacular. I'm not as social savvy either."

"I think you're selling yourself short, I think you're plenty smart, you grasp things quickly and you are good at adapting to situations. Plus you've came a long way since we'very started." She told me firmly. "And who cares what those assholes think? What's the worst they could do?"

"They could throw me off the team! My parents can kick me out and stop paying for my schooling!"

"So? It's just a high school team? And don't your parents know about Dil? Do you think they'd actually throw you out?"

"It's not just a high school team to me!" I yelled getting onto my feet. "I've spent YEARS practicing and getting better at the sport! I've worked my ass off to be the best I could be! How would you feel if you worked hard at something for so long and then it's taken from you in an instant!" She seemed surprisingly unfazed by my ra. Which irritated me to no end... but she was nice enough to wait for me to calm down a bit before she decided to speak.

"Are you finished?" She asked me sweetly. I gave her a small nod and she patted the seat next to her offering me to sit back down. I did just that and she went back to talking. "I'm sorry, I didn't think how much being on the team meant to you... and you're right it'd be miserable if my powers were taken from me. But what about your parents? Would they actually throw you out?" I sighed and shook my head. I honestly didn't know and that fact terrified me to no end.

"I honestly don't know Hope, I hardly see my parents let alone talk to them! We've never been very close, even when I was a kid they were to busy for me. But I've always had grandpa and he's gone." I said fighting the urge to cry. I hated crying in front of people and Hope's seen me cry far to much for my comfort. "I just don't know and I'd rather not find out... but maybe we should see if we can find Dil, he should be around here somewhere." I said as I got up officially closing the subject. "But promise me you won't tell anyone I'm gay... I'll do it on my own terms." She just smiled and nodded as she to got up and started walking off.

~~Dil~~

'Okay, maybe running off on my own wasn't the best idea...' I dryly thought to myself as I navigated yet another broad street lined to the brink with various businesses. If not for the perpetual night and several people running around in the hooded cloaks it looked just like any other big American city. The people looked like an even mix of Fur's and humans. They seemed to either be running errands or grabbing lunch from what looked like a deli on the northern end of the street.. my stomach growled a bit as I continued to look at the deli reminding me I haven't eaten since lunch.

"I wonder if they accept mortal money?" I mused as I began walking towards the deli hoping to maybe grab a bite to eat... and maybe ask for directions... I was completely lost. Thankfully though it turned out they DID accept mortal money thank god, because I was starving. I ordered myself a sub and a drink for about $5 and waited for it to be finished. Oddly, the deli owner (an elderly human with silvery hair and more wrinkles than a basset-hound) wasn't wearing a black cloak like the people I saw earlier were. Instead he was wearing what looked like a T-shirt and jeans underneath a well-worn apron. Being the curious cat I was I decided to ask him. "Excuse me sir, why aren't you wearing a cloak?"

"Because I'm not a Reaper son, only they are allowed to wear the cloak."

"I thought everybody here would be a reaper?" I admitted... surprised that wasn't the case, this was the Reaper's headquarters after all, so I assumed everybody would be one. The man just gave a good natured chuckle however.

"Nope, most people here are just decendants of previous Reaper's. Plenty of people stay out of the reaping business and instead decide to run services. Some run shops while others work in manufacturing. You'll find it isn't that much different than the living world." I nodded and asked him another question.

"Doesn't it get disorienting it being night all the time? I asked pointing towards the vast empty sky.

"You get used to it, during 'daytime' the city is lit by the light of the sun stone." He said gesturing to talk building that towered over all the others and noticed a faint light glowing at the top. "Legend says that the sun stones are the remnants of an actual sun given to Reapers to light our cities since we have no real sun. When the sun stone is at it's brightest it looks like daytime. It allows us to grow our food. Everything you see here is raised in the farms in the city outskirts. It's evening now so the Sun stone has dimmed."

"Wait, remnants of an actual sun?" I asked him. "But suns are just massive balls of gas and plasma..." the man just let out another good natured chuckle as he finished my sub.

"It's just a legend son, don't take it to literally... the stones are just incredibly powerful magical artifacts from a lost era... and here's your sub... I never got your name son!"

"It's Dillon sir!" I offered immediately. "What's yours if I may ask?"

"It's Willie! I've ran this deli for 300 years and I'm damn sure I'm the best one around, now go enjoy your food." he said shooing me away from the counter.

"Wait, can you tell me where the headquarters is? I'm supposed to meet my friends there!" I managed out before I stepped away. Helpful as ever Willie answered my question immediately.

"It's the building with the sun stone! Tallest building in the city can't miss it! But shoo! You're holding up customers!" I was about to point out that I was the only customer here are the moment but I got the hint and gave a friendly wave and sat down at an end table and took a bite out of my sub. It was good enough to make me actually purr in delight and I began munching down on it. However my good mood quickly soured as my mind replayed the events of the day.

'Uh, today sucked, stupid bullies and stupid Ben prying his nose where it doesn't belong...' I thought bitterly to myself as I continued eating my sub. 'I know he means well but I can't keep relying on him for everything. I can't let myself burdening him more than I do already. I'm actually amazed he hasn't kicked me to the curve already.'

However i heard Cosmo's voice ringing in my head at that. 'That's not fair! Ben's a great guy, he'd never push you away... you need to tell the truth! These things can't be kept secret forever! And he might be angry you kept it from him...'

I just sighed once again into my sandwich. 'Of all the men on the planet why did I have to fall in love with him? Is that why none of my relationships worked out? Because I was in love with Ben all along?' I sighed again I wasn't getting any answers sulking. I needed to figure out what I needed to do. I could easily just tell him how I felt but I was afraid he wouldn't be interested and it get very awkward. No, if anyone is going to make the first move it'd be him. With that resolution I finished my food and said goodbye to Willie and started on my way hoping the other two were there.

I was running so fast I didn't see when a fox stepped into my path and by the time I noticed him I was beyond stopping. "Watch out!" I cried just before I ran into him knocking us both back several feet before we landed in heap. I let out a faint ow, still somewhat dazed by the run in. He recovered quickly enough however and threw me off.

"Watch where your going idiot!" He snarled out I just gave him a sheepish grin as I watched him get up and dust himself off.

"Sorry, I was in a hurry and you came out of nowhere... I'm Dillon though!" I said as I got up and gave my paw out to shake. He gave me a funny look before he shrugged and took my paw and shook it. He had a pretty strong grip. I also managed to get a look at him. He was indeed a fox probably a fennec judging by his ears. He was pretty tall maybe 6 or 6'1 maybe not counting his oversized ears and he had hair the color of cinnamon and grey eyes... he was pretty handsome if I do say so myself, he was also wearing a black cloak which meant he was a Reaper.

"Edward, Edward Pence, most people call me Ed though." He answered. "I work for the R&D department..." I nodded having no clue what he was talking about and he just continued talking. "I was heading towards headquarters to start my shift before you ran me over, you heading the same way?"

"Actually yes, I'm supposed to meet my friends there... mind if I tag along?" He gave a smile and a nod before walking off.

"Sure, just don't run me over again." I laughed at that still somewhat embarrassed and followed him towards our destination. 'I hope those two are there...'

~~Ben~~

"Have you seen a panther about 5'9 with dark blond hair?" Hope asked a shop owner. We had been looking for ages and still no sign of him. I could sense him but I couldn't pinpoint where he was there was to much ambient spiritual energy to lock on to him... of course the owner just shook her head and said she hadn't seen anyone based on that description. I was seriously beginning to get worried honestly, this place was huge and he could be anywhere! "Alright, thank you, sorry for bothering you ma'am." Hope said as we began to exit the building.

"Well, that was a bust." I said as we finished exiting the building. "Are you sure we shouldn't just see if he isn't waiting for us at headquarters?" She just gave me a flinty look and sighed obviously annoyed at my statement.

"He doesn't even know where headquarters is though, we never told him where it is." She exclaimed calmly.

"He could've asked for directions! We've checked just about every shop in this district!" I stated annoyed before looking towards the sky. "And seriously, what's with the perpetual darkness?"

"Maybe, he'd be the first man to ever ask for directions but I still think we should keep looking around... where haven't we looked...?" She asked herself while rubbing her chin. She pondered to herself for several moments before she snapped her fingers in realization. "Of course! I should've thought about him sooner... come with me!" As she said that she grabbed my arm and started dragging me away.

Of course being a Reaper Hope was a lot stronger than she looked but it was still surprising that she could drag me like a ragdoll. Try as I might she kept a steely grasp on my arm making it impossible to escape so I just sighed and let myself be dragged trying to ignore the numerous stares directed at us. Then finally after what felt like forever, she stopped outside what looked like a fairly standard deli. I just gave her a raised eyebrow as I rubbed my sore arm. damn did that girl have a grip...'

"You know Hope, if you wanted lunch you could've just told me and not dragged me across the entire frieken city!" I hollered out while still rubbing my arm. Hope just gave me a nasty glare at that and responded with every of venom she had.

"Shut up! I'm not here for lunch! Willie owns this deli and he knows everything that goes on in this city. If anyone knows where Dil is it'd be him." She said. "And come on, stop being a baby, you can't be in that much pain." I glared at her for that but didn't say anything as we walked into the deli. The inside was just as standard as the outside with a deli-counter standing towards the back with numerous tables scattered throughout the room. Most of them occupied by a mix of robe wearing Reapers and others dressed in what looked like normal clothing.

The customers were a mix of humans and furs of various species of various ages, some looked like teenagers while others looked ancient. I continued to look around and eventually my eyes landed on the man standing behind the counter. He was a tubby looking human with countless wrinkles on his face. He noticed my gaze however and looked up grinning. "Why hello, how may I help you." I was about to ask him if he saw Dil around but Hope was quicker.

"Excuse me Willie, we're looking for someone..." the man gave her a small smile before he began to speak.

"Yes, ask away dear, but I don't believe I've seen your face. Are you new?" Hope quickly shook her head at that.

"It's me Hope, I got changed into a raccoon because I messed up a mission." The old man's eyes opened in realization and his smile grew into a friendly one a man might give a grandchild.

"Oh Hope, I didn't recognize you, I knew Ol' Joshua came in here awhile ago complaining about one of his Reapers causing a huge mess, I guess he was talking about you?" Hope flushed lightly but nodded all the same. "And who is the young wolf behind you? You're new beau?" We both gave him horrified looks causing him to laugh lightly over our reactions. "I guess not, so who is he?" Hope took several moments obviously trying to recover from his remark but eventually she did regain her senses enough to speak.

"That's Ben, he's the guy I accidentally reaped... Boss turned me into a raccoon and put me on puppy-sitting duty because he wound up awakening his powers early." I gave her a particularly nasty glare while trying to ignore Suzaku's laughter. Of course she ignored that glare and continued speaking to the old man. "But anyway, that's beside the point! We were wondering if you've seen a panther with dark blond hair and wearing a white tunic with a demon on the back... goes by Dil or Dillon." Almost immediately the man's face split into a bright smile

"Actually yes, I have indeed saw a panther of the same description. He was here about an hour ago, real polite lad. He was heading towards headquarters last I saw him, maybe you should check there?" I gave Hope a large 'I so told you' smile as she politely thanked the old man. Just as we were about to enter the streets Hope gave me a venomous glare as she snarled out

"Don't even say it! Or even think it you understand me?" Before she ran off, obviously wanting to avoid my snarking.

"You're never going to let her forget this are you?" Suzaku asked lightly as he lazily floated around my head. I gave him a happy nod before thinking.

'Of course not, how could I resist rubbing this on her face? It's way to good to pass up, and I might not get another chance.' He just laughed and gently patted my back with his wing.

"That's my boy, just try not to get vaporized. That'd be bad... but now I think we should maybe follow Hope." I gave him a nod before I started running. I blazed a path through the streets barely avoiding running people over. It didn't take long to catch up to Hope and together we reached the massive black gates that was the entrance to the North American Reaper Headwaters (NARH for short) just as we passed the imposing gates I saw a very familiar cat sitting on the steps talking with a tall fennec.

"There you are!" I shouted out in relief as I ran full speed towards the panther. Dil barely had time to look up before I grabbed him into a rib-cracking hug. "Damnit Dil, we looked everywhere for you! Don't ever run off like that again you hear me!?" Dil could only nod, my embrace having knocked the wind out of him. I held onto him for a bit longer until I heard Hope let our a happy squeal of her own.

"Ed!" I looked up just as Hope embraced the startled fox, his huge ears twitching in shock. "It's been ages! What have you been up to?" The fennec just chuckled as he awkwardly hugged her back.

"Nothing much, just been pulling lots of overtime in the labs... but who's the wolf?" He asked looking my way his large grey eyes looking at me with razor focus. I gave him an awkward smile feeling mildly uncomfortable in his gaze before he loomed back towards Hope. "And why are you a raccoon?"

"Oh, I guess you haven't heard... well, you see... I was on a mission to reap Ben's that's the wolf by-the-way, grandpa but I accidentally reaped Ben instead. Of course being the wrong soul he got sent back, but wound up getting nearly eaten by a Shadow, I took it out and we followed his body to the hospital. I went to go make a call and he wound up getting attacked again and his powers somehow woke up just as he was about to be Shadow-chow. Of course because everything was technically my fault Boss forced me to puppy-sit so I got turned into a raccoon." The fox just nodded as he listened his ears flickering every so often.

"Wow, that's... quite a story... so you're still technically a mortal correct?" He asked before Hope elbowed him causing him to let out a small grunt.

"Save the technicalities for later will you? Anyway, since Mr. Foxy is rude enough not to introduce himself I will. Ben, this is Edward Pence, and he's the best mechanic in the entire city bar none! Ed, this is Benedict Zideke, he's the guy I accidentally reaped as I told you before. And I guess you've already met Dil right?" The fox just snorted, whiskers twitching in amusement at her inquiry.

"Yes, actually I do. I ran into him on my way here, literally." Dil flushed and looked away obviously embarrassed about that fact coming to light but the fox ignored him. Immediately however his focus turned towards me. With a florish he held his paw out. "Nice to meet you though Benedict." I growled briefly annoyed at being called that but took his paw and shook it firmly.

"Nice to meet you to, but it's Ben, not Benedict." He nodded and let go of my paw and just then an evil thought entered my head.

"Dude seriously? You wouldn't!" Suzaku squawked out. But I gleefully ignored his protests and let it out.

"Wait, your name is Edward as in Edward Cullen?" Hope, Dil and Suzaku all just groaned at my terrible joke while Ed just snarled fur standing on end, I even saw a few sparks dance across his body before he calmed himself down. When he did so he just sighed and shook his head, obviously he had heard this before.

"Haha, very funny... that joke got old a long time ago! I swear when that bitch dies I'm going to make sure I'm the one reaping her soul so I can and her to hell myself." He continued to grumble to himself while I just stared unsure he was serious about his threat. Confused I turned towards Hope and asked her a question.

"Is there really a hell?" I asked, I still wasn't sure about how the afterlife worked... all I knew is that we sent souls there, what happened afterwards was a mystery to me. Dil was also looking at her intently, the whole afterlife thing must have been bothering him just as much if not more considering his beliefs were religious based. Hope fidgeted a bit obviously uncomfortable at the attention she was getting from us.

"I don't know, I really don't. We just send them there what happens then is unknown but I think a higher power judges them and either lets them enter the afterlife or sends them to hell... that's what our folklore says." She said with a shrug. But then she brightened up. "Oh, and Ed it's really been awhile, we should catch up!" She said while grabbing Ed's arm dragging him outside the gates.

"Bu-but I got work! I'm already late!" He tried to argue while struggling to no avail. "Rosie's going to have my head if I don't show up!" But Hope just ignored him and continued dragging him.

"I'll handle Rosie, besides when's the last time you've had a day off?" She told him before turning towards me. "Can I trust you guys to go to Boss and stay out of trouble?" We both nodded and she beamed. "Good, see you guys later!" Before banishing from view still dragging poor Ed along. We both stayed silent for several moments before I turned towards Dil with a wicked grin.

"Wanna go see the rest of the city? I didn't get to see much the last time I was here and I'm really curious about it! What about you?" He returned my grin with one just as wicked and nodded.

"Sure, why not?" He said. "And I know just the place to start!"

...

It turned out Dil's idea was the central library. I should've known... however I gave him credit the building looked pretty cool. Instead of books there were countless different screens that were voice activated and could tell you just about everything that was stored inside it's data banks. Dil seemed to be enjoying himself by asking the computer various questions.

According to the computer the Reaper's world was thought to be the remains of an older world, one ruled by humans. According to legend the world was destroyed in some cataclysm but several humans managed to survive because a god took pity on them and saved them. Those humans apparently became the first reapers when our own world was born.

All this was pretty interesting but I was beginning to get restless after sitting down for so long, I've always been like that, I had to be up and doing something or I'd get itchy and I could never put my entire focus on a book like Dil could... maybe that's why he was in all the AP classes and I wasn't? However I was broken from my thoughts when I heard Dil say. "Fascinating..." immediately my attention turned towards the screen on it showed several men wearing outfits remarkably similar to Dil's who like they were carrying weapons made out of the same blue light as Dil's bow and arrows.

"Hey, those guys are wearing the same you are!" I said dumbly where did you find this?" I asked him.

"When I was scanning the different files I kept on seeing references to something called the Lumière. So I decided to find more about them. Apparently they are a race of mediums that gained offense light based powers in order to defend themselves from Shadows... according to this first contact was in the 4th Century France." He said while he asked the computer for more info. The computer immediately granted his request.

"And according to this they still exist across the world. Ben, they have an enclave in Montreal my Dad's from Montreal. This explains everything! Way the Shadows keep attacking me, why Dad knows so much about Shadows... he-I we're Lumière.." I just looked to him in shock, this must have been huge for him, for years he had no idea what he was it must have bugged him. It would've me.

"You sure?" He just nodded his head assuredly at my question.

"Definitely, look at their weapons! They're made of the same light as my bow, plus their clothing and french origin fits! Everything fits!" He said excitingly but then sighed. "But why did Dad leave them? Why did he seal off his powers? What did he do?" I just shrugged as baffled as him. It was crazy enough that Father Patterson knew so much in the first place let alone being some sort of warrior monk! Though it would explain how he handled himself so well against those Shadows and how he made those wards...

"I have no idea? Maybe he killed someone and got banished? He fought pretty well against those Shadows imagine how strong he'd be full power?" His eyes flashed angrily at that and he got onto his feet paws balled into fists. I must have struck a nerve.. damn my mouth.

"My dad would never kill anyone ever! How could you even suggest such a horrible thing!" I quickly placed my paws up in defeat not wanting to rile him up any more than he was. I did not need Dil to stop talking to me now since we had to work together... plus it was never fun to have him mad at me. He just continued to hiss but eventually a noticed his body starting to loosen up and the tension slowly leaving his body. Once I felt that he sufficiently calmed down I pounced.

"I'm just saying maybe he did kill someone. I just said it was a possibility! Besides what do you really know about your dad? He's never told you anything about his past, do you even know the names of his parents or if he has any siblings?" He just shook his head and I continued. "Father Patterson is a great guy, I'll be the very first to admit that. He's been more of a dad to me than my own, but still, we know very little about him."

"You have a point, but the guy feels bad if he swats a bug for Christs sake! I know he'd never hurt anybody on purpose!" He said with conviction. I understood him well, Father Patterson WAS a very gentle man and the thought of him actually being violent was beyond weird but he was still a good fighter... but before I could say anything more a crisp feminine voice spoke out from behind us.

"There you are you naughty boys, I've been looking everywhere for you!" The sultry voice said immediately I spun around summoning my sword in the process. Dil must've had the same idea since he already had summoned his bow and even had an arrow notched ready to shoot. The voice came from a beautiful Amazonian tigress with short brown hair and almond colored eyes. She seemed completely undisturbed by the fact we'd both drawn our weapons on her and something about her smile made the furs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Who the hell are you?" I snarled out brandishing my sword at her but her expression didn't change, instead she just let out a small chuckle.

"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I am Lydia Dunn Second in command of the North American Reapers. Joshua sent me to collect you two and return you to headquarters so if you will." She said turning around but added. "Oh and dearies do not try and run, I will catch you." Before exiting the library. Me and Dil just stared at each other for several moments both unsure what to say, but we both shrugged it off and followed the woman not wanting to risk finding out if she meant what she said.

The walk was quiet as we walked past the streets. People were still rushing around doing their own business and I noticed that several of the shops we passed and shut down, must've shut down for the night. I also noticed that it had gotten even darker since entered the library. Several street-lamps hummed brightly as they lit the crowded streets. After several minutes we arrived back at headquarters. I hadn't gotten to see much of it the last time I was here but it looked pretty cool. Once we arrived at the door the tigress pushed it open and let us inside.

The building building was abuzz with life, some people were leaping into portals presumably going to the living world on reaping duty while others were sitting at what looked like massive computers complete with headphones as if they were monitoring something. The tigress just led us through the chaos, people immediately rushing to get out of the way as she passed bowing there heads in respect.

I gave them odd looks as we passed but they kept theirs heads down not responding so I shrugged and just on and followed until we arrived at a massive elevator. The doors opened right as we got close and we all stepped inside. Once we were in the tigress pressed some buttons and the elevator gave a large lurch as it shot up knocking Dil right off his feet though I managed to catch him before he could fall.

I held him for several moments praying he didn't notice that I had accidentally sprung a boner from having him so close. Thankfully he didn't and once I was sure he was steady I let him go and turned around so I could adjust my crotch and hopefully relieve some of the pressure on my groin but just as I turned around I gasped in shock my boner troubles forgotten for the moment.

The entire back of the elevator was made of glass allowing me to overlook almost the entire city. Lights flickered everywhere glowing in the darkness illuminating the city in a bright golden light. I quickly urged Dil to turn around to see it for himself and when be did I heard him let out an awed gasp. He even pointed to what looked like countless acres worth of farmland at the edges of the city, needless to say the view was incredible!

Sadly however the view was eventually obscured by walls as we neared the top and after a few moments the elevator came to a sudden halt once again nearly knocking Dil off his feet but this time the tigress was the one to catch him. He gave her a whispered 'thank you' as he righted himself. Once she was sure he was alright she exited the elevator and stepped inside what looked like a large office. It even a secretary busily typing on a computer. The tigress approached the small brown haired human soundlessly before announcing herself.

"Hello Julie, I've returned with the boys as ordered, send word to Joshua will you?" The tiny human just looked up to her then to us and then nodded and pushed a button on what looked like an intercom.

"Boss, Lydia has returned with Benedict and Dillon, do you want me to let them in?" She asked through the machine. It hummed for a few seconds before another more familiar voice came from it.

"Yes, let them in. Oh, and Julie, take the rest of the day off, I'll be fine." The human gave a startled look before nodding and thanking him, after she did so she then turned towards us and said.

"Boss will see you now," before opening the door. I walked past her without a second glance but Dil stopped and thanked her before following me inside. The office was huge! Though it made sense because boss was a big man. Nearly all the walls were covered by many bookcases sporting countless book from around the world. I vaguely remembered coming here when Hope reaped me but it was still fuzzy. However, sitting behind a desk was a giant of a man easily dwarfing even me by a foot or possibly more! His head was bald and he was wearing a fancy suit perfectly tailored to his size. The man smiled at us as we stepped in and motioned to some empty chairs near his desk.

"Please sit boys, I'm sure you both have a lot of questions."

~~Hope~~

'Stupid boys..,' Hope thought to herself in frustration. She had explicitly TOLD them to head straight to boss but no they had to run off to who knows where and Boss had to send someone to find them! How embarrassing! She was still fuming when she entered the building causing the other Reapers to avoid her as she entered the elevator. Once she was inside Hope smashed the button and the elevator quickly lurched as it headed towards it's destination.

Once she reached the top Hope quickly hurried for the exit, she hated that elevator and not for the first time cursing the fact that Boss was the only person who could use portals in the city. However she was quick to note that the reception office was empty. Which was odd, Julie was usually always the last person to leave headquarters at night. "Must've gotten off early..." Hope muttered to herself as she unlocked the door with her key-card.

When she opened the door she saw Boss was sitting at his desk talking cheerfully to the boys. Dil seemed quite intent on listening while Ben looked somewhat bored and looked like he was only half-listening to what the other two were saying. He was also the first one to notice her and gave her a wave. She glared at him still mad he had ignored her and he awkwardly put his paw down and looked away which caught the attention of the other two.

"Oh Hope, there you are! I just finished speaking with the boys, I've asked young Dillon if he was willing to work with us. I figured he was probably going to fight Shadow's anyway so he should be paid for it don't you think?" That caught Hope off-guard, she knew Boss had wanted to talk to the cat but a job offer?

"Work for us? But he's a-"

"Someone with incredibly potent spiritual powers, he could be of some use. Now boys, I wish to talk to Hope alone for a bit. Wait for her outside alright?" Both nodded as they exited the room, Boss waited for several moments making sure they were out of earshot. Once he was sure he spoke his voice grim. "Hope, I need you to watch Dil." That confused Hope a bit.

"What do you mean by watch him? I'd do that anyway, him and Ben are inseparable." The mans face continued to darken and for a second he looked every bit as ancient as he was.

"I want you to promise me if you see any sign of corruption that you will personally destroy Dillon." His request horrified her, did he actually want her to...

"What!? I could never...! Ben would never... why are you asking me this?" She asked him pleadingly hoping for an answer and unfortunately she got one.

"You know what he is do you not?" Hope gave him a reluctant nod, she hadn't been sure when Ben described Dil's powers but after seeing him it confirmed her suspicions. "He's a Lumière, possibly the strongest one I've seen since the war, he might not seem like much now but he has the potential to be incredibly dangerous as his powers grow. We cannot risk him becoming corrupted and possibly turn on us. I pray as much as you do that this will never come to pass but you have to promise me that you will do this, when a Lumière becomes corrupted they cease being the same person, you've never been forced to fight one. You have no clue just how deadly they are."

Hope just nodded her heart heavy, she really didn't want this but it seemed she had no choice. "Okay, if I find that he's beyond redemption I will but only then!" She said shaking the man's hand sealing there deal. One neither wanted to fulfil.