Chapter Text
The Japanese phrase for "life flashing before your eyes" is 人生が走馬灯のように (Jinsei ga sōmatō no yō ni). It translates literally to "life like a phantom lantern" or "life like a revolving lantern." The "走馬灯" (sōmatō) refers to a type of toy lantern that creates the illusion of movement by projecting images like a film running out of a camera.
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
It was around 10pm when the flames reached their full height, plumes of thick black smoke filling the hot summer air. The car at this point was probably beyond salvageable, one of its doors was half way across the gorge next to where the bumper of the 1957 red Chevy’s lay underneath a nearby tree singed black with ash. The body of the car was the main source of heat, flames lapping out of the windows it was almost glowing.
Surveying the scene, Kaiba sighed. It was his last call of the day and his long coat was soaked with the smell of smoke.
He was dressed business smart, white shirt and blue tie with black brogues. Not the most practical of shoe but the most appropriate. There was a strict dress code and the last thing Kaiba wanted was to make a scene with the upper echelons. He wished to remain unbothered and under the radar.
It’s a good thing I don’t have lungs anymore, he pondered as he walked more towards the wreckage, clip board in hand reviewing the details of the deceased.
Jonouchi Katsuya, Age 24
Nickname: Joey
Born: Domino City
Died: Domino City
Cause of death: severe injuries following a car crash accident. A deer in the road caused an obstruction causing the deceased to serve off the cliff and fall to his death.
Typical. Always the deer Kaiba mused as he hopped off the branch, no noise coming from his landing. Flipping to the new page of the papers on the clipboard, he summoned a pen and started to make some notes for the file.
Red Chevy 1957
Bumper and left side door detached
No animal casualties
Emergency services been called by other driver on cliffside, will be 30 minutes.
He could almost feel the heat from the flames as he neared the main body of the car. His gloved hand reach for the drivers side door and pulled it open as he reviewed the deceased.
Driver only, no passenger
Slumped over wheel, body only partially burned
Somehow?
Slowly, Kaiba reached out and pulled the victims blonde hair slightly so he could examine his face.
His breath hitched. This man was
Beautiful. What? Why do I? Know him
Kaiba paused, slowly releasing the man's hair resting his face on the seat back. Yes, he’d seen good looking people before at death sites before but this man was quite something. His long blonde hair framed his tanned stature wonderfully, wide shoulders and muscular arms gave way to a toned stomach and thick legs. That being said, the whole package was slumped and partly burned so it was hard to see the full pre-death picture.
Fiery deaths are always the worst, never enough time to document everything. Be professional. This is not your waking life, you can’t be fantasing.
“Alright let’s get this over with” Kaiba mumbled. This part was always so awkward. Rolling his eyes, Kaiba touched the man’s forehead with a finger. A small flow of energy soaked into the body before finally fading.
“Wow I look terrible don’t I?” A voice from beside Kaiba said
“Congratulations you’ve won the captain obvious trophy” the reaper mumbled before turning to look at the soul standing next to him.
He was an exact copy of the corpse in front of him but more ethereal and the burns had disappeared. It was a common misconception that the dead remained how they looked at the point of death, they could look the same or change completely if they really wanted to. It was a pretty flexible arrangement upstairs.
“Well as you can see you’re dead, congrats on making it to the afterlife” Kaiba said monotonously, straight out of the training manual. “You will now sit through a short presentation highlighting your life which will decide where you go, are you sitting comfortably?”
“Wait what? Hang on a fuckin minute, I get that I’m dead now that has become abundantly clear but are you tellin me some douchebag in a suit decides whether I go to heaven or not? Nah fuck you that’s not right. Surely it can’t be that...” the soul rambled on, much to Kaiba’s annoyance.
He looked at his watch. No time for this.
“Look as much as I’m sure you have questions now is not the time to...”
Jonouchi cut in, temper clearly flaring as his eyebrows creased “Oh now is the perfect time Mr self important, this is my life ere and I demand the right to ask you some tings got it?”
His accent was already grating, his beauty was not voice deep. Kaiba groaned “Fine you get three questions, hurry up we’ve got a lot to get through”
Jonouchi took a breath and tried to compose himself.
“OK OK. Number one, where am I? Like I’m here but looking at my flaming body in my car at the same time. How the fuck is this happening?”
“I’ll spare you the science since your human brain would probably explode even more than it already has” Kaiba smirked to which Jonouchi rolled his eyes “essentially your time in the living world is over and your...I guess soul or whatever you humans call it, your essence your grace, is separated and crossed over into my realm to be judged and placed into either the upper heavens or lower hell. Following so far?”
“So you’re tellin me I’m a soul now? A force ghost? Christ, as if any of it even matters anyway I’m doomed” Jonouchi held his head in his hands
Kaiba could hear his essence waiver, shimmer in discomfort. The slight resonance was enough to make the reaper twinge.
“I get your nervous but you’re not” Kaiba paused “you’re not doomed. At least not yet, even I’ve not seen your reel yet. You could be fine”
“Was that you trying to comfort me?” Jonouchi frowned “Why would you even, I’m literally in my car on fire and dead. How the fuck am I supposed to be calm”
Gesticulating towards the flaming wreck he punched the hood of the car, his hands of course going straight through.
It was then Kaiba noticed the stray tear. Souls can’t cry, can they?
“I’m just another soul to you it’s just stupid to try and give me some false hope” barely a whisper coming from the blonde.
“God you’re impossible, I was just trying... You know what, nevermind there’s no winning here clearly. Ask your next question or I’m hitting the button”
“Fuck you, I’m leaving I can find my way myself” proceeding to storm off in some direction.
“Wait you can-“ Kaiba’s words cut off as Jonouchi disappeared then reappeared next to the wreck “can’t...leave” he whispered quietly
“Oh for FUCK sake” the blonde’s aura was simmering with frustration now, his eyes aflame as he stared at the reaper.
Running forward he grabbed Kaiba’s collar, his black suit crumpling under the tightness of his fists.
“Why” the blonde teared
He looked, really looked. Past the tears, past the anger, past Kaiba’s hard exterior. Calmed with confusion eyes narrowing he whispered “Wait...do I...do I know you somehow?”
The reaper froze.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Souls rarely recognised him from their waking life and if they did, it was a glimpse, a shadow of a memory. Not with this level of focus.
Kaiba covered his hesitation with a shrug. “You’re confused. It’s common after death. You’re projecting some other person, its not-“
“No I...there’s something in your eyes I...God they’re blue wh...” he trailed off
“Jonouchi Katsuya. Please don’t”
If the reaper had a heart it would have stopped.
Shit.
The blonde blinked. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t try to remember something that isnt real” Kaiba snapped, his head down “it won’t help”
“But you know me,” Jonouchi insisted. “You said my full name like it rolled off your tongue. You ain’t just some creepy slenderman motherfucker. What are you really?”
Kaiba’s lips thinned, his chest heavy “I’m a reaper. I take souls to their place. Nothing more.”
Jonouchi tilted his head. “You’re lying. I can feel it somehow”
He should’ve left then. Should’ve turned and vanished, grabbed his soul and made it someone else’s problem. That was protocol.
Instead, Kaiba looked into Joey’s hazel eyes and drown and moved forward.
“Maybe... maybe I did know you. A long time ago”
“So why don’t I remember?”
Kaiba’s voice was quiet, a pin drop among the desert cicadas.
“Because you’re dead. And I....could have been better”