BLOODY MARY .

      a long time ago , it all started with shiori accidentally summoning a reaper ; praying to an old rundown shrine that existed near her village , far too deep into the forest for anyone to truly keep caring for ——— and it was so very noticeable that nobody had set foot in it in decades , at the very least .

   her wish was simple : having trouble conceiving for a child , she desired one that would be healthy and live a long life .

   being the first time ever that , at said shrine , such prayer was made , the reaper appeared to her . with it's white , floaty hair , and white dead eyes , he greeted the terrified woman with a genuine grin . the shrine began to change , showing it's prime to shiori , who didn't have time to appreciate it or even notice it as the entity appeared .

   "" i am the one you prayed to . . . for this is my shrine . "" his voice echoed in the small place ( definitely not just because of how empty it was . . . it almost sounded like he was speaking inside of a large ball room ) , offering her his hand , the bones of it showing . "" my name is long forgotten , but in time , perhaps you shall know of it . "" the woman takes his hand , getting up , though trembling like a leaf in the wind . that in itself has him chuckle , moving around her before crossing his legs , floating oh so calmly before her .

   "" and i have decided . . . i shall help you with your wish . consider it being due to my good mood . "" is said , and the woman's eyes widen before she is moving to kneel down and thank him , yet the reaper stops her ; holding her arm . "" the child shall be healthy , and live a long , prosperous life . however , only so if she learns to live with the gift i shall leave her . ""

   there's confusion in shiori's eyes , yet she does not dare speak ; too many thoughts crossing her mind at the very moment ( was this worth it if there is a price to be paid ? and a daughter . . . how happy she was at the knowledge of such ) , mouth agape as she looks up at the white haired reaper . there's no way to learn what he is thinking , his dead white eyes so very hard to read , as he keeps looking at her . it was . . . eerie , and the cold shivers she got and the way her body hair rose was a clear showcase of it .

   "" her gift . . . well , considering the fact that i do not make souls , i simply take them , her whole existence could be considered such . . . "" a clear sign of what he is , his duties and more ; "" however . . . for such a thing to even happen , that would mean that i will give her part of my essence . a small portion , nothing that would alarm anyone or any other deities . . . therefore , while she is physically yours and your lover's . . . spiritually ? she is mine . she shall always be protected , and therefore so will her kin , that much i guarantee . ""

   "" do you accept these terms ? "" his hand raises once more towards her , head tilting slightly to the side ; voice . . . low , yet with a hint of hope .

   shiori does not know what to make of this , hands glued together to her chest , eyes fully on his hand . she swallows down nothing , a drop of sweat running down her temple slowly , and by the way she shakes : one can tell she is beyond nervous . if she takes his hand , there's no way back , she can only assume ——— but if she doesn't , what guarantees that she will have such a chance later on , if she so desires then to accept it ?

   the human of the two closes her eyes , biting her lip as her hand moves . shaking , yes , but still going either way . her eyes only open when she can feel his , and it's cold , freezing even ; but she grasps at it with newfound strength . "" i . . . accept . ""

   those words are all that the reaper needs , pressing a kiss to her hand ——— soft , gentle , almost endearing ——— as he closes his eyes , and while nothing around them changes ( or nothing that the woman can notice ) , he soon let's go . "" go home , live your life . . . the rest i shall take care of . i promise you . ""

   those were the last words shiori heard from the strange deity , and that story remained within her thoughts and memories only , never to be told to anyone but her daughter , katsumi , only once she was to become an adult however . she too thought of visiting the shrine with her child some time after her being born ( with only her in her arms , without anybody knowing where she was , much like that odd afternoon ) , though the fire that destroyed most of the forest ruined such a thought ; the shrine completely turning to dust in a matter of hours . there's sorrow to be found within shiori's heart , by how strange that might sound ; though she does not mention it at all , and dies with such a thought deep in her heart when her times comes .

extra information !

katsumi's powers were very simple , unlike eiko's : there was still definitely the setback of her body rotting , and while she could phase through things and people , she could not levitate anything at all , or control anything other than the clothes she would be wearing .

the reason why eiko had powers instead of ai , her mother , was simply due to the fact that eiko was born a bit after katsumi's death ——— the abilities therefore going to the first born in her family after her passing .

the reaper was the one to take shiori's soul away . she smiled , and thanked him for everything . he lead her to her afterlife and promised to keep looking after the family , and only then she find out his name . this , however , was not the first time she had seen him after their deal : sometimes , she could see him on important dates , like katsumi's birthdays , for example . and when katsumi was small , her mother could swore that she heard the reaper talking to their daughter from time to time .

the reason why such a setback as the rotting of katsumi's and eiko's bodies even existed , is very much because they were still , at the end of the day , human . even if just physically , such a thing contradicts the powers of a reaper , which they are at their essence : hence why when too much , it tends to begin to eat away at their bodies .

katsumi rarely used her powers , which would have saddened the reaper ——— at the same time , he isn't sure if he likes the way eiko overs uses it .

like eiko , katsumi's hair would turn white from the tips and float , and her eyes too would turn dead white . a clear show of who they are related to .

shiori and katsumi , while the only ones to know such powers ran through the latter's blood , they never noticed any signs of the powers at all from ai while she was growing up . therefore , never mentioning this part of their family at all to her .