CHAPTER#153

"Wait... what?" She turned toward him. "You want me to stay?"

"Only if you want to. I know you have mixed feelings about what happened, and you're certainly free to go. I just didn't know which room you wanted and was trying to make conversation. You can stay in the tower, but that might make you nervous about getting trapped again, so I didn't want to assume anything."

"You realize what you're asking, right? You want me to stay here, to live with you, even after everything I've done."

His face darkened and he lowered his voice. "I want you to stay because of what you've done."

Yuki blinked a couple of times, unsure of what she had just heard. "You want me here because... because I tried to kill you?"

"Kind of." He kept his eyes on the distant rats. "I keep thinking about that shadow thing and it makes me wonder. What else is tucked away in the house, waiting to try and manipulate me? What if something causes me to hurt somebody one day, like Emily did? Who would notice, who would be able to stop me from going off the deep end?"

"You don't think the others would notice?"

He shrugged. "They might. But would they be able to do what needed to be done?" Mike turned to look at her. "I have a feeling that you would, but I hope it never comes to that. I know that you only want what is best for the house. Even in the middle of hating me, you were able to set your feelings aside. Abella told me that you tried to give her the key and come get me. That still counts, even if it didn't work."

"I guess." She crossed her arms and scowled. "So you want me to stay just so I can kill you in case you go off the deep end?"

"What?" He looked confused for a moment, his eyes eventually settling on the wry grin on Yuki's face. He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I want you to stay because you belong here, with the others. They might not remember you now, but they're still the same people you used to know. I just wanted to be up front with you that I'm aware that something might happen to me someday. I rarely have a plan, and I've gotten lucky more than once. Someday, that luck might run out, and I need to know I can depend on you." Mike chuckled. "That, and if this plan you came up with works, it's going to really piss off some people. I wouldn't mind the extra firepower at home."

"If they survive." A grin crossed her lips. "Okay, we have a deal. We can worry about room assignments after I get back."

"Good." He patted her head, then jerked his hand back. "I'm really sorry. I have no idea why I keep doing that."

"It's... it's okay." She couldn't help but smile. "It reminds me of an old friend."

"Okay then." He did it again, but gave her hair a good ruffle. A hot breeze blew across both of their backs, and he turned around to look. Down on the ground, one of the first portals had been opened. "Oh boy, I'm getting nervous."

"Me too." They watched together in silence as the rats did their work, the portals opening throughout the garden. Eerie light from different worlds cast a technicolor glow into the sky. Each portal went to a world that was like this one, completely closed off from everywhere else.

Beneath them, the ground began to rumble.

Mike broke the silence. "I did want to ask you a question."

"What's that?"

"Why is the Grim Reaper out in my front yard?"

Yuki grinned. "I traded away a decade of my life to trap an avatar of Death inside of that card. He was meant for Emily, but she had already passed. Once summoned, the avatar must collect the soul of the person I request before it can return to... I guess wherever Death exists."

"So he's not actually the Grim Reaper?" He held up his hands and made a pair of air quotes.

"Death is more of a concept than a person or a deity. Just think of it like one of your mall santas. They aren't the real santa, just one of his helpers, an extension."

"Ah. I see. So... he's just stuck here? In my front yard?" He paused, deep in thought. "Is he... safe?"

"I guess. I tried to use the card on that Amir guy, but apparently his soul wasn't in his body, or whatever. So until Amir actually dies and crosses over, Death is stuck on here." She shrugged. "This is new territory for me, too. As for being safe... I'm not sure."

"Lord Mike?" Reggie coughed from down below. "It's going to become fairly unstable soon. You may wish to climb down from there."

"Sure." He climbed down first, then offered a hand to Yuki, who followed. The ground rumbled and she fell into his arms. He caught her easily, holding her close against him until the tremors passed. It was an oddly comforting sensation, feeling his arms around her body, the most human contact she had had in over a decade. His nymph magic washed over her, at once so similar to Emily's, but already so very different.

She steadied herself and the ground shook again.

Reggie scampered up. "We will be done here shortly. The exit portals have all been sealed, so you will need to use the reflecting pool here to get home."

"You're sure the pool will take us home?" Yuki asked.

"Of course!" Reggie drew himself to his full height. "My subjects are leaving the same way. It returns you to the closest reflective surface to your departure point on Earth."

"You're gonna get wet, though," Mike added.

"Not the worst thing that's ever happened to me." She turned her attention to the horizon. "I guess we should get started."