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[X] My chest.

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Something hurts. Slowly, the pain begins to register in his brain. His chest really hurts. It feels like something tore him open, sewed him back roughly together, then tore him open again. He involuntarily grits his teeth as the pain grows more lucid.

"This is the end," says a voice before sighing deeply. "I can't carry you any further than this."

Slowly, he opens his eyes. The bright noon sun causes him to squint. Slowly, he recognizes an imposing shadow looming over him. The tall figure is carrying a large scythe. He sighs heavily and closes his eyes again.

"We meet again," he whispers. "I guess that this will be my last visit, at the very least."

"How rude," the shadow says. "It's not like I have a morbid fascination with this kind of work. This is just my job."

"So, my Death," he says without opening his eyes. "What happens next? Is my soul going to be judged or something?"

"Unfortunately, there are some complications," the shadow says. "As much as I want to let you cross over with me, I'll have to dump you right here."

"... What?" he mumbles.

Before he can reply, he feels himself being thrown over the side.

"... W-w-wait! This must be some kind of mis-"

And in the next moment, he finds his mouth full of sand. He quickly spits the sand out as he pushes himself up. The dull gray sand has a nasty gritty taste.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, I just need to finish with this one," says the shadow.

The shadow gives him one last smile before rowing the skiff across the river. He can see a single, glowing wisp floating patiently beside the oarsman. The scene seems so strangely appropriate that he doesn't immediately recognize the girl manning the ferry.

She has bright red eyes and short red hair tied in two places. She is wearing a white dress with a blue vest overtop and a large belt around her slender waist, subtley countouring her shapely figure. There is a large scythe lying on the skiff beside her.

"Komachi?" he mutters aloud.

This doesn't make sense. What was he doi-

"Argh!" he cries out. The pain in his chest grows excrutiating as he tries to remember what happened. After a few moments, he gives up and lies down with his back on the sand.

Slowly, he turns his head. There seem to be a bunch of strange red flowers growing near the shore, but nothing else. He doesn't remember this place, but a glance back at the endless expanse of black water tells him that he must be somewhere along the Sanzu River.

But he can think about that a little later. Exhaustion finally overcomes him, and his vision begins to blur. This is his limit.

...

Something smells good.

Slowly, he opens his eyes. Before he can say anything, someone shoves a spoonful of soup into his mouth. His eyes widen in surprise as he swallows the stuff by reflex.

"At least you are well enough to eat," says a familiar red-haired girl. "You really are something, Vincent. You looked half-dead when I found you."

"K-Komachi? Wait... what?" mumbles Vincent.

Suddenly, he cringes as the pain in his chest grows. Something catches on his left hand. Slowly, he pulls the object closer to his face. It takes him a few moments to recognize it. They look like bloodstained bandages.

"Don't move yet," says Komachi sternly. "I know that you are pretty tough, but your injuries aren't anything to laugh about. Just stay still and let me feed you."

He looks up at the Shinigami with a puzzlement upon his face. His chest hurts, but he doesn't feel that bad. However, she looks pretty worried. Maybe the injury looks worse than it feels.

[ ] Nod slowly and lie back. Let her feed you.
[ ] Force a smile and tell her you can feed yourself.
[ ] Carefully get up and examine your injury.
[ ] Quickly stand up and stretch to show that you feel alright.
[ ] Pretend to pass out in pain.
[ ] Custom