Give me your hand, you beautiful and tender form!
I am a friend, and come not to punish.
Be of good cheer! I am not fierce,
Softly shall you sleep in my arms!

Franz Schubert

We all must face death in the end, be us rich or poor, smart or dumb we all die. Singers, writers and artist have produced their own versions of Death. But what if death is not what we think he is. what if he looks just like you or I?

Would you care to take a step in deaths dance? would you like to dance a masure of his waltz? and what if he took an interest in you? Now he has found a name that he can not leave alone, something about it calls to him and now he has to find out why. He has taken on a form he he had almost forgot. Picked up the pieces of a song that he lost so long ago, to find out why.

There is a girl she is 20 years old her name Saya she is a painter and she works at home. It is her dream to be become a painter. Her mother and father died when she was kid and since then she sees things and always was different. Saya lives in the big city she as apartment in downtown of the city. She feels alone all the time and wish something to happen to her...

Saya was sleeping in her bed and then she opened her eyes and sigh a lot. Saya got up and went to get dressed and went out to get food. Saya was heading to the store and Saya saw something but sigh and walked off to the store to the store to get food.

As his foot touched the ground Sam could feel the weight of life settling along his shoulder. Sighing he looked up into the sky, his eyes slowly shifting in color till they settled into the green and black that he had had in life. a deep breath and he smiled. "well Fate here I am," looking back along the alleyway he ran his fingers through his long black curly hair. he would have to get it cut soon, maybe that should be his frist stop.

the first few notes of Dont Fear The Reaper broke the silence as he started walking down the alleyway. "this is your fist time, don't go jumping in and saving the human to soon." the voice on the other end of the phone was one he knew well.

"Hello Grim, looking to make sure I am going to do as well as Fate did with me?" He sounded chipper but there was a hint of frustration in it as well. "so why did they have to upgrade him when we finely were getting along?"

"that is not for you to ask, just remember don't go revealing yourself to the humans until just before." Sam shook his head as he stepped out onto the streets of Vinlong and looked around to get his bearing. it had been years since last he had been in this town, yet memory's still filled the streets around him.

"Yes grim I know the drill, just remember I had seven years with Fate where he was taking souls while he was with me." it sill brought an ache to his now dead heart at the lose of Fate. but he knew as well as Fate had that they had to accept the higher ups orders. "so got my list?" the phone clicked as Grim hung up. second later his phone chimed with the arrival of a text.

"well we see how you are, mister I am all powerful Grim!" with that snarky remark he walked down the street. "you know fate I think you rubbed off on me."

Saya got to the store and Saya sighed and knows she won't finish her painting in time she just can't think of anything to paint. Saya got her bags of food and was heading back to her apartment and she looked at her phone and then she ran into someone and she got up and bowed and said "I am so sorry." Saya went off she had to get home before dark or she will see ghosts again.

When Saya got back to her apartment she went into her kitchen and put the bag of food on counter and took the food out of the bags and put them in the refrigerator. After she put her food in the refrigerator she went into her bathroom and washed her face. Saya looked at herself in the mirror and she had long brown hair Saya eyes were sky blue and she was wearing a nice top and jeans. Saya changed into a tank top and shorts and she went to her room.

Saya got to her room and her room was a normal girl room would be well a lot of paintings and her bed was near the wall and one window she could see the night sky every night. Saya sat on her bed and tried to think about her painting and she couldn't think at all she thought about things since she was a little girl she could see things but people called her a freak but Saya didn't want to think about it. Just then the lights went out of her apartment and sigh a bit "Did we have another power out?" Saya said.

Sam chuckled as the young woman ran right into him and then said sorry as if it had all been her fault. He knew that he had stopped to look down at his phone and not been watching the world around him. He also knew that she had been thinking of something, most likely her new painting he thought as he watched her go down the street. He wondered what she had bought from the store. did she like good food or was she one of the usual broke artist that thought that starving for their art was the best way to go.

Straitening his vest and shirt he looked back at the sky."well here is to first time's without a partner, kind of wish you could have been here Fate." the ache in his heart was less then it had been when Fate first said he had to go, but it still lingered there. like the feeling of his death on his lips each time he closed his eyes to "sleep" here in the mortal world. shaking his head he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a watch, its chain ran into the pocket acrossed from the one he had taken it out of. He liked turning the hour glass into the watch for these trips. Felix, one of the other new Reapers could not understand why he dressed and acted the way he did, when he had died after Felix had.

His butten down shirt was a light blue with pin stripes of gold finely worked through them. the vest was a dark blue with pale blue stripes as well. bending down he dusted a tiny speck of dust from his pants that matched the vest. looking over his boots he smiled, now he was ready to take on the world, or in this case the land lord of her building. he was going to become her neighbor.

halfway to the building he looked down to see a white cat walking beside him like it belonged there. "now Ghost you know your not allowed on this side of the Vail." the cat looked up at him a purred loudly. "its bad enough that I talk to Fate who is not here, they cant see you and will think I am mad." he nudged the cat Ghost with his boot. It in tern gave him a look of dejected love. "Gods you just have to give me that look." he said exasperatedly as he threw up his hands.

The land lord was happy to open up the attic space to Sam to rent, he had tried to talk him into a nicer apartment but Sam made it clear he wanted roof access and somewhere that he was not going to have to deal with kids overhead running at all hours of the morning.

Hours later he looked around his new place and smiled. the faded wood floor was covered in a simple yet well loved rug from turkey. the couch and chairs were ones he had found on the side of the road in Chile and the pictures on the walls, while not fully to his tasted, were of simple house hold scenes that he had found two blocks down form the building. his bed room was draped in fabrics he had found in the garment district some of them oddly cut but most a few yards of fabric that had been tossed out by one of the cutters. He smiled and looked over to the kitchen. the main attraction of the whole flat.

there were a few beaten up cast iron pans hanging from the pan rack he had hung form the beams above. the stove was gas and he barely could wait to cook a first meal on it. the fridge was not filled, his order still not having come by delivery. but he adored the large amount of counter space and the openness of the kitchen that looked out onto the living and dinning area.

Saya got up right after she finish eating her dinner and she took the plate to the sink in her kitchen and she wash the plate and sliver ware. Saya gets lost in her own house Saya sees a door and went out of her apartment and saw her landlord. Saya went to him and he told her that someone is moving here.

Saya listened to him and thinks to herself"a new person move here I wonder who it is."Saya sighs and then she told him what happen to her power in her room and he went to check it out. Saya looked around and saw the door to the Attic and she thinks it might be time to meet him.

Saya went to the door to the attic and knocked on the door and looked around and waited and then saw another ghost and knew they were following her like they always will. Saya was not happy she was scared a bit and didn't know if he was coming or not.

Saya thought for a minute and sigh and still sees the ghost still and she was scared.

Looking around his flat Sam sighed, Fate would have loved it here looking out the side door onto the roof he nearly jumped when he saw a young man standing there with a box in his hands. Accrosed the box was the name Ice Palaces produce. frowning he walked over and opened the door for the young man. "how in the world did you.."his voice trailed off as he saw the other world aura about the man. here was yet another young man that would never have an hourglass. he remembered Fate talking about the chef he once had met being from another world but he had not seen any of them since then.

"sorry heard that one of you came to town and I happened to pull your order." the young man smiled and held out the box. "you would not happen to be Samuel Teatime?" Sam took a sharp intake of breath, the young man not only knew of him but knew how to say his name.

"I may be why who is asking?" he tried to play it cool but he could till his eyes were starting to get on the young mans nerves.

"if you are Sam then my father, chaos says come stop by some time." with that the young man was gone, the box sitting on the dining room table. before he could gather his nerves up a knock sounded making him jump. Ghost mewed, almost sounding like a laugh.

"you would find me doing that funny." he moved the box over to the counter of the kitchen before walking over to the door. opening it he smiled a warm sweet smile. "hello, can I help you?" his voice was soft and warm. his eyes when she looked into them would unnerve her but she would not know why.

Saya was looking at the ghost looking at her still and then the ghost left and then she heard the door opening. Saya turned to the door and she saw a man who was handsome she did blush but shock her head and he was smiling at her and she bowed. Saya looked at him again and Saya smiled at him but sadly and said "Hello I'm Saya the landlord told someone just moved in so I came to meet you."

Saya saw a cat around his feet and smiled and show the cat hand and for the cat to smell her and she can pet the cat. Saya smiled at the cat but Saya had sadness in her eyes and said "you have a pretty cat."

Saya then heard the landlord calling her and sigh and stood up and bowed again "well I must go it is nice to meet you I live down the hall if you need anything come to my home." Saya smiled and walked off and went to see the landlord and told her that her power is back.

Saya was happy and she bowed and went back to her room and sat down on the bed and looked at picture of her mother and father and cried a bit. Saya put the picture back on her desk and lay down on the bed and she closed her eyes and she tried to sleep before getting back to work.

"hello Saya, that would be ghost, she did not want to stay at my mothers home so she fallowed me." smiling he opened the door up so she could come in. "if you want you can come in. I have not made anything for dinner yet but you might want..." he smiled as she turned as the landlord called. "well you can come back if you want. my name is Sam by the way. come back for dinner if you want, I like to cook." he watched her go a smile on his face.

"well fate it looks like she is a flighty as a butterfly but she is also a bit forward. this is going to be one interesting week." with that he tuned back into the apartment and picked up Ghost. "she seems to like you, maybe we should have brought the other two."

Saya was sleeping but she had a dream of her mother father. Two people on a bed and smiled weakly and a little girl cried the two people said "please do not worry about us we will always protect you remember that." They smiled and they sleep the little girl cried and said "mommy daddy don't leave me!" The little girl cried and was sad until someone came to comfort her and she smiled and fell asleep in that person arms.

Saya cried in her sleep and she opened her eyes again and she was looking at her door and she sat up and wipe the tears from her eyes. "Mother, father I miss you so much." Saya stood up and she went to get her book it was pictures of what she as drew all these years. Saya looks through it and remembers the man name and she smiled "Sam..." Saya thinks a minute and remembers the drawing she did many years ago. Saya drew the reaper she knew it was only a dream but a lot of people loved it.

Saya started to draw again and she thinks what to drew and she started the cat and said "Maybe his cat would like it?" Saya said while drawing it. Saya was finish with it and it had a lot of detail in the drawing Saya smiled. Saya started to color it and when she was done coloring it she remembers the man. Saya started to draw his eyes and she blushed when she did and she shock her head. Saya put her book on her desk and head for the door then leads for the living. Saya left her apartment and went to Sam home and then she put her drawing under the door and knocked on the door and left "I hope they like it?"

as the food cooked in the pan Sam thought back to his night before, his dinner had been a quick one that tasted good but was missing something. he had thought that a new place would change the feelings he kept having each time he had made dinner in their home. now he realized that the feeling was not connected with the house, it had to do with not having some one over for dinner.

Laying down he closed his eyes, his mind flying back to the last day of his life. Fate had told him that he would only feel his death each time he went to sleep as a Reaper on this side. but he had been wrong. each time he fell asleep now he saw his eyes. those dark hunting gray eyes that just bore into your soul. his touch as his cold touch slowly froze him. it was not painful, not even close. Gasping he could feel the last of his lungs cry out as the cold finely took him, a ghost of feeling on his lips were the last he felt.

Shaking his head he pulled himself back from the last night and what had happened. the breakfast was almost ready in the pan yet again he did not have some one to shear with. the sound of something under his door brought a thought to his mind. filling up the two bowls of the mix he walked down to his door and smiled. she had been busy. ghost pawed at the picture and then looked up at him mewing. "yes dear we are going to her place." with that he opened his door and walked to hers. knocking he stood with a smile on his face and the two bowls in hand.

Saya was in the shower she couldn't sleep the whole night cause of her dream she had before. Saya didn't want to remember that dream at all. Saya got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body and she put on her shirt with a jacket and blue jeans. Saya left the bathroom and heard a knock on the door and she went to the door and she was yawning she didn't make food for herself yet.

Saya opened the door and saw it was Sam and the cat and smiled and said "Hello Sam." Saya patted the cat and smiled and said "is that food Sam?" Saya asked him.

"I cooked up breakfast only to find that I had made more then I needed for myself. While I would not mind having leftovers I find that this does not make the best of leftovers." smiling he held out the dish of food. "I thought that you might like to share a bit of a meal with me." the smell coming off the dishes would have been the best smell she had smelled in a long time. had Sam lived and gone after his dreams he would have made a five star chife. At their feet Ghost let out a yowl and walked into her apartment as if he owned the joint. "ah sorry for that. Ghost is used to doing as he pleases."

Saya looked at him and smiled and then she took the bowel and saw the cat going in her apartment and she giggled and she looked at him "it is alright Sam please come in." Saya went into the kitchen and sat down at the table and looked at the cat "Your cat is very sweet." Saya looked at him and said "is there anything I can get for you Sam?"

Looking around the room as he walked in Sam smiled and fallowed her to her table. Ghost on the other hand found one of her old brushes and started rolling around the floor with it. "he can be a bit of a funny animal some times. I hope that that brush is not needed anymore." fingering the watch in his vest pocket he smiled and sat down. "I could use some tea if you have some." Lifting the lids off the bowls he reviled fried eggs, fried greens with seasoning and a few strips of bacon. "I really like to cook, I used to have a friend I cooked for," sadness filled his face as he thought of Fate. "but since I am new around here I thought I would ask you if you would like to join me for breakfast or dinner? I am not trying to get with you or anything, I just like making food for others."

Saya nodded at Sam Saya went into the kitchen and went to make some tea. Saya looked at the food and it looked good it was better then her cooking. Saya looked at the cat and smiled and looked at him "It is alright I don't mind it at all." Saya heard the pot go and she went to get some cups and pour the tea into the cups. Saya gave Sam his tea and sat down and looked at him and he asked her if she would join him for dinner and breakfast. Saya looked at Sam and smiled at him and said "alright I will join you." Saya smiled but also she blushed at the same time she think he was handsome. Saya looked at the cat and said "would the cat like some food?"

"do you have any favorite foods that I might be able to cook up for you?" nibbling on the food he watched her eat as wondered why she was going to be dieing. was it a sickness she was going to catch or was it a ganatic defect that was going to kill her. "He already had food so he should not be needing any food." Ghost looked up at her from the brush and mewed. "though he may be trying to get you to believe that he needs food." Ghost went back to playing with the brush after giving Sam a look of disgust.

Saya looked at him and she was eating the food little by little and she smiled and then looked at the cat and smiled lightly. Saya got up and went to her counter and grabbed a cup of some pills in it. Saya took the pills and she hated taking them. Saya drinks her tea and started to eat again and looks at Sam "well I like anything really I am not a picky eating Sam so you can make anything you want." I do not like taking these pills but why do I take them anyway I guess mother and father would be upset if I don't take them." Saya said softly. Saya looked up at Sam and said "Sam you look like something is bothering you?"

"only thoughts of what I am going to do for work and such." taking a few more bites Sam tilted his head. "If you dont mind me asking what were the pills for?" He suspected that whatever those pills were for was going to be her death in the end. "I know its probable none of my business. and I think I could make up some really nice pasta tonight if you would like."

Saya looked at him when he asked her about the pills and then she looked down at her food. Saya eats little by little of it and then she heard about cooking tonight she looked at him and smiled at him "that would be nice and the pills is for me to forget things." Saya said softly it was for her to forget what happen to her parents and the pain she went though.

"pills to help you forget?" Sam said his head tilted to the side as he watched her. "are they targeted at your memories or just help you forget?" he could see where it might be helpful but also dangerous for her to be taking pills that would help her forget. he had not even realized that Technology had gotten that far advanced since he had last been around.

Saya then looked at him and said was pain and sadness in her eyes and said "see my parents died was i very young and they were very ill and i was scared that i was next." Saya looked sad "I don't remember my parents much but I do remember a man who came to me when my parents died he was warm and kind but he had sadness in his eyes." Saya remembered that he was handsome as well but he remembered the man who saved her. Saya then looked at him and said "I guess I'm ill myself but i learn to face the fact it might be fate."

"who was it that rescued you?" Sam said, a hint of sympathy in his voice as he picked up the dishes. setting them near the door he turned and smiled at her. he did not want her to feel like he was trying to pry all her secrets from her but part of him wanted to know them and help her come to terms with them before he had to take her soul. "your ill as well?"

Saya looked at him and stood up and said "tell you the truth I don't remember his name but all I remember is he was a kind man and sweet." Saya looked up at the Ceiling and said "I do remember he cook me for once and he was good at it but then was one time and I never saw him again." Saya then looked at him and smiled at him "it is just a cold I hear everyone is getting these days I just got it yesterday but I had to go to the store cause I needed stuff." Saya giggled a bit and then she looked at him.

"well if you ever do remember anything more about him I would love to know." He wondered if that man had been one of the few grims that liked to take care of the living as well as make sure the dead had a peaceful trip over to the other side. He decided at that moment that he was going to give her the most peaceful death that he could manage. It was not like he was going to do as Fate had done but he would do it close enough. "well I dont mind running to the store and picking you up anything that you might need while your getting better. I would hate for you to catch your death because some one was not nice enough to make sure you were taken care of." looking around at her paintings he smiled. "so tell me about you art. do you get a lot of people wanting to buy it?"