Perpetual Rain ✓

Selfish

"What is it you want from me?" Your nerve started to return, little by little. It felt as though you were an animal backed into a corner, teeth wanting to bare but the fear of backlash loomed in the air.

"I want you gone." He said that so simply as if what he meant was as easy as leaving a building or breathing.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" you had a good guess as to what he meant but still, when it came to a man this calculated, you wanted a clear line. You wanted specifics, no grey area.

"I want you to move on. So that I can have my reapers back. So that my reapers can do their job." He stared ahead down the road as the two of you continued to walk. It was as you thought or rather feared. Your eyes followed his gaze to the wet road. You remained quiet for a few minutes while he paid no mind to your existence.

"I don't want to go..." you finally mustered up the courage to say as your eyes darted to the left, taking the sight of his profile.

"Well, you didn't want to die either did you?" It felt like he was attempting to make a very dry, bad-humored joke. "We can't always get what we want, Y/N." He tacked on, speaking to you as if he were your father, which only added to your rising rage."You being here is unnatural, as well as a burden to the system that's in place."

"How is what Taehyung and I doing a burden in any way to anyone?" Your voice drew out as more of your attitude began to slip and peak through your words.

"In the time he's spent with you, he could have helped around three or more souls move on, but because of you those souls were placed into the care of another reaper that was forced to double their load, all because of your selfishness." His words slashed as if taking a knife to your skin as he fed you the unfiltered truth. His eyes finally forsaken the road as he took a single moment to let those dark eyes pierce your skin further.

"It's selfish to want to exist?" Your tone backed down at his overbearing gaze, but that did not stop your lips from moving in protest.

"It's selfish to deny other's their right to an afterlife in the place of your own uncertain happiness." His face jerked back to the street as he stared ahead. Clearly, you weren't the only one irritated.

You fell silent, chewing on his words as you walked beside him falling behind by only a few inches. The sound of the trickling rain filled your ears as the scent of mosh and traces of oil trickled your nose. Your hair was becoming heavy with the moisture and your body felt weighted.

"You... You can't make me go with you through. I have to want to go, don't I?" Your voice broke like a frightened child. Never had such a man bewitched you with fear like this.

"You do." His head of silver bounced in agreement. "But, you also don't wish to become a burden to him any longer, do you?" You could see his hands behind his back, one locking grip around to opposing wrist. The only part of him that moved was his legs and his head when he choose to. He didn't even seem to breathe.

"I don't think I am... I think it's you who is the burden to him." Raising your head you picked up the pace a bit to meet his stride, your head turned sharply to the side as you ignored the road.

"How so?" He didn't even bother to look your way now. His nearly black eyes seemed glazed like fogged over glass that was incapable of compassion.

"Because he's only doing this job because he thought he would be helping a friend. No one explained to him what the job would really entail. No one told him what could be waiting on the other side." your arms moved in expression of your words as you pleaded Taehyung's case.

"Regardless, he made that choice for himself. He knew he was giving up something to become what he is." Still, no compassion was offered from Death. Only cold logic and blunt statements that offered no sentiment to those below him. He was nothing like Taehyung, he was nothing like Jimin. This man was uncaring and pitiless.

"Yes! But it's not fair!" Your legs moved upon their own as you quickly jumped forward and cut off Death's endless stride. "He doesn't want this life anymore! He shouldn't be forced to have this life!" Your voice raised in volume as your distress leaked free. You held your arms out beside you, trying to stop his movements as you stood only a few feet from his face.

"Again, he made his choices." His stone-cold face remained unmoved. Blank eyes staring into yours, but they didn't see you, not really. He saw through you, he looked past you into other matters that didn't involve you. He seemed like he was trying to remain a step ahead, but not caring for each step taken as long as it went according to his design.

"Yes, he made a choice! But here you are trying to take my choice away!" Your hands flew out beside you as your body exploded with expression in your rage. Who exactly were you fighting for now? Them or yourself? The line was unclear. Though, perhaps you were fighting for you all. For the right for each of you to exist in whatever dimension you choose. Did you not have that right?

"I'm doing what's best for the greater good." Such a cliche line only pinged at your irritation and rolled up your nerves even tighter. You didn't like to resort to physical violence often but was this man making you want to change your mind.

"Fuck the greater good!" You yelled at the top of your lungs, your voice carrying through the street as that no one else could hear. "Each life has meaning, each life matters to someone. His life matters to me, and my life matters to him! That's reason enough to exist."

"How long do you honestly believe you can continue to live in a world of fantasy, Y/N?" Death closed the distance between the two of you a second time as he got within inches of your face. You could feel his heated breath brush across your cheeks so profoundly you could have mistaken the temperature of a mild burn. Everything about him radiated heat. He oozed a sense of intensity that if given the choice you wouldn't want to go up against, but you felt as if there was no other choice. "How long do you really think this fairy tale of yours will last?"

His words drove into you like a knife, slicing at your insecurity with no remorse. You took in a shaky breath as you swallowed your empty throat. You could feel your hands become clammy and cold. How long would your 'fantasy' really last? Could you and Taehyung really live an eternity like this? Frozen in limbo with no advance, no end go, nothing to accomplish. Could you keep him happy for that long? Or would the glamour wear off after a few years?

Death had severed your most sensitive nerve, he made you question his statement and try and find logic to defend against it. How could you possibly prove him wrong?