AN: Based off Rosieknights second NDE ficlet. This is officially part of the same universe as The Impossible Murder/Acquittal , though takes place long before

Death moved silently through the hospital. He'd been there often enough, after all. He made his way into the emergency operating room, where a team of medics desperately tried to save the life of a young actress who'd crashed her motorcycle.

"Oh pooh," said a ghost with curly blonde hair. "And here all the doctors were saying I'd make it too."

Death was slightly taken aback, this wasn't how people normally acted when they saw him. "Actually I'm not here for you."

The ghost blinked. "Really? One of the surgeons then? What a shame, they're all pretty cute. Bet you're pretty cute under the hood. You've definitely got a hot voice."

Death, slightly weirded out, glanced at both the body on the table and the ghost floating by the door.

Yukiko noticed he seemed to be looking at the ring on her finger. "I'm married, not dead." she defended, "At least not yet."

Death shook his head. As interesting as it was talking with the odd ghost, he had a job to do.

Yukiko watched, confused, as the black robed specter drifted over to her body and reached his hands into her stomach. A bolt of realization hit her like lightning. "Nooooooooooo!" She screamed, launching herself at the Reaper, who had just removed a tiny spark from within her.

It was almost a relief to be on more familiar ground. "Ma'am, your unborn child is dead. There is nothing that can be done about it." He gently cradled the spark, too small to have it's own identity yet.

"No he's not! I refuse to believe there's nothing to be done to save my son."

"How do you know the child is male?"

"A mother knows these things! Take me if you have to!"

Death sighed. "Ma'am, you were not even aware you were a mother until just now, the child cannot possibly mean that much to you."

"You've never been a parent!" it wasn't a question or an accusation, but a statement of fact. "You're probably too scared to."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Death asked in an affronted tone.

"You've always broken apart lovers, taken children from their parents. You know how much pain it causes and you're afraid to experience it." Yukiko stated, nose up in the air.

"And how is that cowardice as opposed to common sense.

"Because without knowing pain, you cannot know joy." Yukiko stated. "You can't live."

"I'm not alive."

"That's not the point."

"Fine." Things had been rather boring lately, and maybe some perspective would help him understand these insane creatures and make his job a little easier. The bright white spark seemed to pulse and twisted, black energy mixing with it until it became a purple spark. "Your child's life shall be returned. But he is no longer solely the child of you and your husband, but mine as well."

Yukiko gave Death a cat in cream grin. "If find your terms acceptable."

Death replaced the tiny soul back into the fetus in Yukiko's womb. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an elderly patient on the top floor to take care of."

"Of course," she said, giving his hood a quick peck. "At least one of the men in my life is responsible."

Death left the operating room. Normally it was only the crazy goth people who were happy to see him. That was the first time he had been kissed. And definitely the first time he had been referred to as a 'man in someone's life'. Understandable though, since she was carrying his kid and...

Haruka Naomi, age 87, was given an extra few hours of life as Death stood outside her room trying to comprehend what he had just done.

S$

"Yu...saku," came the soft whisper. The author jumped from his seat and knelt down beside his recovering wife.

"Don't try to move dear, the doctor said you need plenty of rest. But don't worry, everything's going to be okay."

"I know" said his wife, her face positively glowing. "Yusaku, we're going to have a baby."

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