Chapter Text
All Rin could smell was smoke and burned flesh. Her blurry eyes were no longer filled with tears as she struggled to find her way inside the burning house. The scorching heat was slowly numbing her fingers and she couldn’t tell what parts of herself were still untouched by the flames. Rin stumbled in the direction of what she thought was the entrance - mostly by memory, as she could no longer see properly. Her lungs hurt as she tried to keep herself from inhaling more smoke. She knew that if she were to take a deep breath it could also be her last.
Please, anyone, someone.
She didn’t want to die today. Her family came to her mind. Their smiles. Their happy voices. They had died to keep her alive. Her mother had fought to hide her small body before she was killed along with her older brothers. She couldn’t let that effort go in vain.
Just a little bit more.
She heard crackling from the timber as it slowly collapsed into the fires. The light that had been far away before was slowly nearing her as she fought to keep her limbs moving. However, she knew it was in vain.
Nothing was hurting anymore.
She felt her feet give up as her body crashed against the fuming tatami. Rin moved her fingers towards the light of the outside, trying to fight until her last breath.
The glowing halo of the God of Death, the very same one her mother used to tell her stories about, appeared before her engulfed by the rays of the sun. He had come to carry her into the afterlife, and for that, she was glad.
As her consciousness slowly faded into darkness, Rin realized that at the very least, she would see her family again. She would not be alone any longer.
Rin felt at peace.
All will be well.
Her cracked lips turned into a smile, finally letting go of the life she struggled so much to keep, and closed her eyes.