Red Bones

Lenalee

Key Ten: Lenalee:

She still couldn't find Allen. His energy was nowhere to be felt. Every day, her heart ached. But, Lenalee still had work to do. She made around round to the hospital. Her time in Japan was a nightmare. So much death and bodies. There was never a moments rest.

Today, everything's quiet again. Lenalee floated through the streets of London. Answering the calls of death felt so empty now. It was all that she could do to keep herself together. Komui encouraged her to do so.

"They still need you in the living world," he told her. "You can look for Allen, but do not forget your duties." So, here she is today.

This morning alone, Lenalee rounded up eight souls scheduled to die today. She didn't really enjoy her job, but it gave her something to do. Her communicator buzzed on her hip. Lenalee looked at the screen. It's another job. She's used to it by now. Who was going to be next for her to take?

A thirty-five-year-old recluse. No known family. Originally from Japan. Has had serious health problems. Refused to go to a doctor ever since her partner died. Lenalee read through the information when she stumbled upon a key piece of information that she couldn't ignore.

"That can't be right," Lenalee said. She looked at the date the target was supposed to die and today's assignment. The angel of death pressed call on her communicator.

"Lee to Headquarters, can you come in?" she asked. "Do you copy?" She waited before a crackle came through the speaker.

"Hello?" Lenalee asked.

"Lenalee?" Komui asked on the other line.

"Brother?" she asked.

"What's on your mind?" he asked. Lena shifted place for a moment.

"I'm calling about my latest assignment," she said at last. "Well... I have a question."

"About?" Komui asked.

"Well... the dates on this person don't add up," Lenalee said in a low voice. "She's supposed to die years later. Why is she marked for today?" There was a pause over the communicator.

"Brother?" Lenalee asked.

"I have asked that too," he said.

"What do you mean?" his sister asked. There was another pause over the communicator.

"Actually... I'm not supposed to tell you any details," Komui said in a hushed tone. "Please don't ask why."

"Brother?" Lenalee asked.

"I wish you luck," he said. He cut off his end before she could say another word. Lenalee stared at her communicator as her stomach turned. Her hunch that there was a cover-up in Heaven started to be realized. Sure, she heard the rumors from her brother. But now, this particular death spelled a red flag for her.

The death wasn't to take place until three p.m. It was only ten in the morning. Lenalee didn't know how to deal with this at first. This was her job after all. She's always taken the souls to their final destination ever since she was made this way. Lenalee did her job without question. It wasn't glamorous to rip souls away from the people that they cared about. Sure, she knew that they had to go sometime. It didn't change the fact that it hurt a little more in her soul to do this. She didn't remember how she got this role. In fact, the angels didn't remember how their system to be. Nobody seemed to know why they kept doing it either. It just felt like something was at stake. There were more theories popping up. None of which Lenalee enjoyed hearing.

She shook the thoughts out of her head and started on her way to the hospital.

Amelia lay asleep in her bed. Her condition hadn't changed over the last month. By now, she just wanted to go home. Sometimes, she wondered when then next operation would be the last. Amelia had gotten used to it by now. The only thing she wished for before she died was to be back in her own bed for once.

She woke up when she heard tapping on the window panes. Lenalee floated around outside. The little girl's face perked up as she crawled out of bed to the window. Amelia struggled to open it up.

"You came to see me!" she said.

"Hello," Lenalee said. "How have you been?"

"Tired," Amelia admitted. She paused and noticed the worried look on Lenalee's face.

"What's the matter?" the little girl asked. "You look scared." The angel of death shook her head.

"Nothing," she said. "I was just asked to do something that could be really bad."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked. Lenalee didn't know why she came here. It's not like a child would understand her duties as angel of death. Amelia stared death in the face every day. Sure, she had the broad strokes but not the fine details. Maybe float a watered-down version of the story? That should work.

"Can I come in?" Lenalee asked.

"Okay," Amelia said.

"Thank you," the angel of death said. The little girl moved aside to let her friend in.