Eren's mind was at peace, a moment's respite in the darkness of his mind. Cooking dinner was a form of calming the thing on his left hand. As well as his own troubled mind.
The smell of sizzling meat, the sound of a knife cutting vegetables, and the sight of steam rising from boiling water, it made for a perfect meditation. Greater than any folded legs and soft tunes that would traditionally be considered mediation.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
Although interruptions would always find a way to break that peace.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Coming, coming." Eren said, walking towards the door in a pink dash.
Although... He didn't need to even look through the peep hole to figure out who stood on the other side. An aura of pure death and darkness seeped into the apartment. Eren sighed, letting go of the apron, and opening the front door to see a man he had not seen in a long time. "Gabriel."
"Eren." The angel of death said, a stern gaze meeting the young man, and vice versa. Their eyes locked, and their wills clashed.
"Where is he?"
Gabriel showed himself in. Uninvited, and unwanted; Eren would have slammed the door but the Reaper would have simply blown it away.
"Where is who?"
Gabriel still very much looked like he did in the land of the dead. Silver hair tousled down over parts of his face, skin pale even in the warmer light of earth. Sleek business suits were common amongst the collector division of the Reapers. However, Gabriel wore a red suit that really fit the man like a glove, although dressed for a formal event rather than business. 'Devilishly handsome.' Lucifer would say.
His eyes however... They lacked all emotion, cold, distant, and almost cruel in their apathy towards anything or anyone.
"Lucifer. He has shirked his responsibilities as a Reaper and has been absent from our lands. Now... Where is he?" Gabriel asked, a sharp and commanding tone in his voice.
"Why would I know where that idiot is?" Eren retorted.
Gabriel examined the living room. Eyes scanning over all the details and signs that someone had been residing in the young Reaper's home.
"Because he would always speak of you. And his prior history as your mentor speaks for itself."
Eren hadn't really thought about those in the land of the dead a couple months, hell even Lucifer stopped coming around to annoy him. Something Eren did miss from time to time.
"I haven't seen him in months..." The young Reaper sighed, walking over to the stove to flip the meat of the pan. Sizzling and crackling with the sound of heat.
"His here, I can sense it." Gabriel said, moving around the apartment like a blood hound. Searching every nook and cranny of the place. Although, all was for naught, as the angel of death found nothing in the open.
Eren continued to cook. Reaching for the bottom cupboards. "If you can't find him here then I suggest... Oh, for fucks sake."
There in the bottom cupboard, lay a man. Lucifer curled into a ball, eyes pleading for Eren to keep quiet, and not give away his position.
"Over here."
"Eren! Please... You can't let Gabriel take me, please... He'll just send me back, and make me do horrible boring paperwork."
"I don't care... Just come out." Eren said.
"Come here. Why do you insist on being difficult?"
"No! I won't go back! Never!" Lucifer was always a drama queen, especially when it came to avoiding responsibility.
"I'll die before I go back!"
"Lucifer, I have important business with your ward. Come out!" Ordered Gabriel, a stern glare that could chill the blood of lesser beings. Even the young reaper felt a shudder at the command, Lucifer did manage to crawl out from underneath the cabinet.
Lucifer stood before the angel of death. Dressed in his black suit which he adored as much as himself, and nearly as much as Eren. Although blonde hair messy, and face a little dirtied from hiding in the cupboard, he had spent many a day there. Like he was stalking the young reaper, which was not beneath him.
"Outside. Now." Gabriel ordered, and like a child in trouble, Lucifer obeyed, exiting through the front door with the head of the collectors staying behind.
"You have business with me? Is it that important?" Eren asked, keeping an eye on the meat.
"It is." Reaching into his red jacket. He pulled out a letter, a seal in black wax stamped with a familiar symbol. "Your ongoing mission has been amended."
'Mission...' He was only given another life on Earth in exchange for bringing 'balance to the world.' A mission that was left vague and up to interpretation by the Reaper. One that he had forgotten about in the months of being back in the land of the living.
"What do you want?"
Gabriel placed the letter on the table, the seal bearing the mark of Death. A black wax skull with glowing eyes.
"A Reaper has denounced their duty and has abandoned their post. You will find them, and kill them." It was a simple and clear order. Find, and kill. No mercy, no hesitation.
"Death has asked for this?" Eren was sceptical. Death was indifferent to the how of keeping the balance of life and death; as long as the duty was done. If anything, would he even care if a Reaper left their position. The guardian of souls merely cared for the cycle and balance of souls entering the underworld, and that they continue their journeys towards reincarnation.
"No. Having Reapers walk amongst mortal society would disrupt the balance that has been established." Gabriel explained.
Eren looked over the letter, cursive handwriting detailing the name and appearance of the renegade Reaper. "Thanatos..." Eren had heard the name before, but only in passing. He was not familiar with the Reaper, or if they even worked in the same division.
"How am I to locate them?"
"That is for you to decide." Gabriel replied with grumpy indifference. Even Lucifers antics could annoy the cold-hearted angel of death.
"What if I say no?"
"You cannot... Your soul is still bound to Death. You will do as ordered." Gabriel's tone became colder, and more demanding, like a general ordering his men to charge. Taking his leave; door slammed behind him.
"Prick." Eren murmured.
*Knock* *Knock*
Opening once more to see Gabriel, his face plastered with annoyance. He had heard Eren's remarks.
"243."
"What?" Eren asked, confused by the number.
"You are 243 years old. Lucifer once asked me to work out how old you are. Time in the land of the dead differs from here. Find Thanatos and kill him." Gabriel strutted off with Lucifer, who looked back at Eren, a look of sadness and disappointment on the reapers face.
'243 years old.' Eren said to himself. He was still in disbelief at how long he had been in the land of the dead. A full 243 years, and he had not even noticed... The Reaper was not even close to human, a mere husk of humanity that wore mortal skin.
The thought, as always, made the Reaper depressed. Days like today, he wondered if he should have stayed dead.
No amount of meditation could fix that mindset.
***
Later that night after dinners were cooked, and the dishes cleaned, the thought of sleep on everyone's minds. Eren pulled up to the storefront of a ramen shop.
'死神ラーメン' (Shinigami rāmen) Grim Reaper Ramen.
It was a decently sized store; nearly a mirror of many other ramen shops found throughout the world. Old wood and cheap panelling. Windows that showed a small dining area with bench seating and stools. An aura that was warm and inviting, as if it would be enjoyed by many of the denizens of Ward 4.
Aside from the oddly menacing and on the nose name, it would have gone unnoticed by Eren. Yet thanks to a certain elf that seemed to have the powers of deus ex machina.
'He had the entire world to choose from...' Eren lamented at the ease to which he found this place. It was almost too easy, like the hands of fate had already guided the Reaper to the next destination.
However, all that was in the mind, and Eren stepped out from the shadows. Leather jacket and biker pants. Inside a woman all by her lonesome was sweeping the floor. Hair long but greasy, a long shift behind her eyes. The woman in her 30's was clearly exhausted, her whole body and face showing the stress of a long day's work.
*Ring*
"Sorry sir, we're closed." The woman looked up at Eren. Her eyes filled with annoyance and a little anger. However, the young reaper merely walked towards the bar-like bench and sat.
"Excuse me. I said we're closed." She stepped forward, raising the broom to show that she would swing if need be.
'Is this Thanatos?' Eren looked the woman up and down; hair a mess, clothes dirty and body smelling of grease. Instincts told him it was just a normal human. Yet... the stench of the afterlife clung to her.
"Ehhh? Ya got spring onion in ya ears or somethin'?!" Her tone turned gruff and harsh. Not even the slightest hint of femininity.
"What's going here? Is something-" From the back room came a large man. He wore a greasy t-shirt. Black hair messy and greasy much like the women. Built like a body builder, arms thick as tree trunks.
His eyes green; narrowed like a tiger spotting their prey.
'This one... This one has it.' Unlike the woman, the man had the stench of the afterlife, and the aura of death. 'This is Thanatos.'
"...Ah, Eren my friend how good to see ya agian." The large man spoke,
"You know this punk?" She asked with suspicion.
"Ah, yes. Me and Eren used to... work together." Half a lie, half a truth, "I offered to treat em to a bowl of ramen and beer next time I saw him."
The woman was clearly still wary of the stranger that appeared out of nowhere. Daring to treat her with wordless interrogation.
"Fine then, but hurry up. Hana wants you to help with her homework tonight. Don't forget." She said, leaving to the back room.
The two men, two Reapers gave each other a look. A long, tense pause between them, their gazes meeting in a clash of emotions and unspoken words.
"Would you like some ramen?" Asked the large man, breaking the silence and attempting to lighten the tension.
"No." Eren was here for business, not pleasure.
"Ah, come now. I make a mean Ramen that the humans love. It would be rude not to try it."
"...Alright."
The thought of eating was not on the Reapers mind. That said, the large man got to work with speed expected of a ramen chief, preparing two bowls of noodles in a thick, dark broth. An assortment of meat, veggies, and eggs were placed on top. The smell was heavenly, the steam rising from the bowl like a beacon to the soul.
"Gabriel? He sent you?"
"Yeah."
"Ah, well... It was about time..." Dishing up a bowl with chopsticks.
*Slurp*
"Good?" Asked Thanatos.
"Yeah... it's good." A rich and flavourful broth. Not something to be expected of a former reaper.
"I suppose you want to know about my life here?"
"No, I don't care." Eren was in no mood for a heart to heart. Being told your hundreds of years old could put a downer on any night.
"Fair enough... But. Not here, I don't want my wife or children to see."
*Slurp*
"Agreed." He finished their ramen; the silence between them grew heavier as the minutes passed, but neither could bear to speak anymore.
Thanatos led Eren out of the store and down the street.
"Oi. Isamu. Where are ya?" The woman's voice called from the back. However, she got no answer. No answer other than the front door slamming shut. The man and Eren were gone.
---
Down many roads of darkened streets. Winding alleyways and fire escapes that lead to the tops of buildings and the rooftops of ward 4. The night air was below zero and the winter chill hung heavy. Each breath a cloud of vapor that soon dissipated into the sky.
"You know I used to watch you fight in the arena." Said Thanatos, looking out over the city.
"I don't remember you." Eren replied, eyes locked on to the large man. He sensed something was up, but concluded it was Thanatos preparing to fight.
"I was only one of the many Reapers watching... However, you were one hell of a fighter." The former Reaper reminisced about the past.
"Let's get this over with please." Eren was not here for a trip down memory lane. He had a job to do. Thanatos's life needed to be taken. End of story, it was no different from killing monsters, demons, or even criminals on the street. It was all the same to the old Reaper.
"Lucifer used to gush about you too." Thanatos took another corner of the roof.
"Told us all sorts of things about how great you were and all." His voice echoed into the night sky.
"He says a lot of things."
"Oh, but he spoke of you like you were the chosen one of the Reapers. Telling us all about how you fight." The aura of Death surrounded Thanatos.
"Shit."
*Rumble* *Rumble* *RUMBLE*
The rooftops began to quake violently, cracks spreading like spiderwebs beneath Eren's feet. Before he could react, the tiles gave way, and the ground seemed to swallow him whole, pulling him into a pit of shadows.
"I'm sorry Eren, I would fight you and cause irreparable damage to this entire ward." Thanatos said, kneeling by the darkened hole. Rubble and concrete falling into the darkness.
"I have a family I need to watch over now... Goodbye, Eren Heart." With a solemn smile and a wave, Thanatos left in a hurry. He had heard of his exploits around the ward and knew that he would not be defeated so easily. The former reaper had to run as fast as possible.
Needed to disappear into the greater world. Out of sight of the reapers and death.