The middle world, as it's most commonly known by those who travel there, is the plain that lies in between that of the living and dead. 'Dead' isn't the best word for the latter since those inhabiting the middle world could certainty fit under that category as well. The third plain is what we know as heaven, the underworld, the afterlife, whatever name it may go by in our culture. But unbeknownst to most of us, there is the middle world we travel through first before reaching that final destination. And in this middle world is where the fabled 'grim reapers' of our world live.

By all accounts, the middle world isn't a very happy place. It's a grey and gloomy reflection of plain of the living. There's no color, except those of the wandering spirits, and everything is thinly veiled in mist. Anything with souls that has not yet past over to this place moves around in the midst of it all as blurry silhouette. They are shadows against a grey palette. The living are the ghosts of the middle world but unlike the ghosts of our world the reapers don't make a big fuss when they see them. There is far too much to be done for them to be wasting time.

The reapers have no real name for themselves. There are only themselves and the spirits of the dead in the middle world so they don't feel the need to make the distinction of giving names. However they do have specific names by which they address one another, if they ever addressed one another. The reapers keep to themselves for the most part, only acknowledging another of their kind if there was a dire need to. Rarely is there ever a need and so they go about doing their tasks alone for many mortal lifetimes. Collecting and leading souls to the next plain isn't the most glamorous of jobs but the reapers do it with utmost efficiency...almost mechanically if you will.

Yenluo was one of these. As a reaper lacking most human emotions, he never had the feeling of going postal per say but he was tiring of his current life. It was for the single reason that he was intrigued by the living world more than his own.

The way the silhouettes moved about the middle world, passing through him to go about with their lives, made him wonder just what were their lives like. He had been imbued with a strong sense of curiosity since his creation and would often spend years coming up with different scenarios to what it would be like if he hadn't been born an angel of death.

The only thing that prevented him from finding out was the rules. Although they weren't directly enforced, they were greatly frowned down upon in the reaping community. One such of these rules was using powers for something outside of their job.

While Yenluo's curiosity was strong, his morals and the rules still held fast. It took many centuries before he could finally work up enough courage to break them...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Amane Seimori: A little girl who self-appointed me her friend. I cannot yet begin to understand why she had felt the need to but I suppose I'm thankful for it now. I initially thought of her as a bother before realizing she was my best hope of learning how to intermingle with the living. Her company was a small price to pay in the long run. She's easily entertained, seeming to enjoy it when I help her stack blocks or listen to her read inane children's books to me. It's all a waste of time in my opinion but it makes her happy. She has a terrible habit hugging me when she's not. The contact makes me uneasy but I stay dutifully still and listen to her when she cries about her fears and childish upsets. I owe her that much. I even listen when she clings to me and talks about the nightmares involving the black-caped monster who took her parents away. Irony, I've found, is one of the strangest and perhaps cruelest things this world has to offer.

Nhills/Na'hu-uhk: A little taste of my former life...how I detest it. Nhills, as he calls himself here, is a 'herder' from the middle grounds. He knows who I was and refuses to let me live down my current state or anything for that matter. Because I'm officially no longer a reaper or much of a threat he's quick to take advantage it. 'An annoyance' aptly sums up this acquaintance.

Archidis: Although he's dead I swear sometimes I can feel his presence nearby. Amane calls it guilt. She's sure that it's because of my regret over what I've done that he still comes into my mind from time to time and why it feels like he's still there. "He was someone I betrayed," I had told her. She tells me that apologizing would make the guilt go away...if only she knew the extent of my betrayal.

Ran Seimori/Xue Han:

Ruo Mei Han:

Seto Samu: He pushed me. :|