The day was dark and gloomy as rain fell in thick waves over the small quiet little town of San Vivida, Mexico. As the rain was falling, many of the quiet friendly villagers hid in their small homes spending time with their families telling stories and the like. However not all was peaceful; at the edge of the village where the rich farmland laid, a short middle aged man ran as much as he could despite his disability in his leg while he carried a small baby in his arms. He had found the newborn abandoned in the forest and as a kind nurturing man he wouldn't dare leave a baby to die. The best thing he could possibly do was bring the baby to the most respected man in the village; Death. Despite the name, everyone in the village looked up to Death. Many told stories to the children that Death came from a distant magical land, with teachings and magical potions that helped heal the village especially during the times of plague. No matter if it was true or not, all of the village was grateful to him. With the newborn wrapped in cloth and held tightly in his arms, the man known as Jorge knocked quickly on Death's door. He was soaked to the bone, and his cane that he relied on to walk was long discarded back in his hut. As a lonely man, Jorge's only solace was having conversations with Death as well as practicing his love of carving into wood. Often he would carve small toys for children and fashion small furniture for the locals from scraps of wood he would purchase from merchants. With a shiver and a grunt, Jorge held the quiet baby close to his chest. As he was waiting he prayed that the silence didn't mean the baby wasn't alive.

"Por favor, dios mio..." He whispered to himself.

Grim gently felt the flower in his head and smiled. "Thank you, La Muerte." Grim said happily. He couldn't help but to feel nostalgic. The motherly figure reminded him of his own mother, the one he had left behind in order to find Miguel. However he was determined to return, with Miguel in tow. Then Javier came by and hugged him, giving him a good luck stone. "It's pretty." Grim awed. He nodded in confidence and got it safely in the pocket of his shorts. "Thank you, Javi. I'll keep it close to me at all times." Grim said. By now he wasn't scared anymore. Instead, he was happy and more confident than before. Jorge trusted him, Javier trusted him, even La Muerte trusted him. They all had hope that he could possibly win. He couldn't have asked for anything more of them. Armed with his new gifts, he could feel that he could take on against any demon that faced him, though he wondered if there was any truth to it. He looked over at Sage, nodding confidently. "I'm ready when you are mister Sage." Grim said, gently taking Sage's hand in his own.

Sage looked down at Grim's hand, finding the gesture strange but all too familiar. There was a time where he had to hold the hand of a child... A time long ago that was too painful to remember. Seeing Javier's face every second while he was there didn't help either.

"Right..." Sage uttered, looking at everyone before looking down. "Let's go." With that, they disappeared.

Both boys reappeared in the edge of some kind of dark forest. The forest was lifeless, however it held a sort of serenity to it. The grass was a dull greyish green color and the flowers were a dull purple and red color as well. Sage looked around, eyes narrowing as he heard the growling of dogs. Appearing out of nowhere in front of them were three ghostly hounds with eyes as red as blood. They growled, sharp teeth craving the newcomer.

Sage hissed. "He's with me- He's mine." He warned. Immediately the hounds stood down and wagged their tails as they approached Grim to sniff and lick him.

"These are my hounds." Sage said, introducing them to Grim. "Chiki, Chiko, and Chile. This is sort of my private spot so they guard it when I'm not here."

The forest gave off a solemn vibe that sent chills down Grim's spine. It was serene and calm, a type of place that you would like to take a rest, or sleep in. But it was also the type that made you feel that you were being watched. Grim gasped and tried to hide behind Sage once he saw the vicious looking hounds. However once he calmed them down, they didn't look so scary anymore. He let them sniff him and giggled when they licked at his bones. He couldn't help but to reach out and pet them much like he would do with any kind of animal. "So cool! They're guard dogs then? I always asked dad if we could have a dog but he said that we needed to be older if we wanted to take care of one. Maybe when we return we can get one!" Grim awed, rubbing around at the hound's heads. He looked around at the forest, twirling before turning to Sage. "So this part of the forest is your home? Don't you have a bed or a house? Oh! Do you sleep outside and camp?...I expected to see many others demons, though." Grim hummed, surprised at how...well, calm the place was.

Sage watched silently as the hounds played with Grim. He appeared to be deep in thought, looking down at his hands as he sat on a rock. Sage didn't know if he could handle this quest. Dragging Grim around... It reminded him of a time long ago.

"I just sleep on the floor with my hounds." Sage uttered, closing his eyes. "I live here, but I wouldn't call it 'home.' There's not supposed to be other demons here either- not many know about this place and everyone is in the main area doing something stupid probably."

The hounds meanwhile barked happily and practically tackled Grim to the ground to cover him in kisses. Sage gritted his teeth and clenched his fists unconsciously.

'He reminds them of Javi...' Sage thought to himself, looking at his hounds.

Grim was more than happy as he was tackled down by the hounds, receiving endless kisses while he squealed in delight. Having such wonderful hounds to hang around and sleep with must have been amazing! "You're all so cute!" He squealed, rubbing their heads and giving them kisses back. However it appeared that the further they went along with this, the more serious or uncomfortable Sage looked. Maybe he was worried to get in trouble? If he did get in trouble Grim was sure to step up and take any blame. He sat up, hugging the hounds before turning to Sage. "Does the Cabra know of this place then?" Grim asked, as it always appeared that the particular being had more infamy than any other. "Would...Miguel be around here? Is Miguel around here?" Grim asked again. As much fun as this was, he wanted to desperately see Miguel. That was why he was here for. "Have you met Miguel before?"

The hounds only continued to lick Grim, their tails wagging a mile a minute. Sage at first didn't answer Grim's questions. He looked distant. Luckily out of the blue he was able to snap out of it.

"Hmm?" He looked to Grim, looking down almost immediately right after. "Oh... He doesn't know about this place. This is /my/ spot. I don't want anyone knowing about this pace. I relax here. As for Miguel," Sage paused, not really knowing what to say. Should he lie to Grim? He didn't know.

"...I never met him." Sage said, which was half true. "But I've seen him before. He is here. Where Cabra is. That's where I'm taking you, but you have to do exactly what I say and don't you dare do anything or say anything when we get there without my permission for it?" He asked, getting up and dusting himself off. "If you want me to help you, you have to cooperate."

Grim stood up, looking up at Sage with a slight pout. Did demons never smile? Or were just too serious as part oft heir job? Maybe Grim just didn't realize the severity of the situation. He has been dead for what felt like hours and he still didn't realize what kind of hurt he had caused his parents. However, he really needed to see Miguel, and if he had to play along to find them, then he would do as such. "Alright! I promise to be a good boy and do as you say and to ask before I speak!" Grim said with a smile, showing off his pinky finger to validate his claim. His hair still made in a braid, he made sure that the flower that La Muerte had given him was still on his hair. "Do other demons have souls like Cabra has Miguel? Do they keep them as pets or as trophies?" Grim asked. Still he was curious of this brand new world...even if it meant that it was a new world beyond the afterlife.

Sage couldn't help but get a bit more aggravated the more happier and cheerful Grim got. Seeing such a bright smile reminded Sage... Of him. When Grim presented his finger, Sage huffed and gently smacked it away. He just wanted this entire thing to be over with.

"Alright. Let's go. You three stay here and take care of each other and the home." Sage said to the hounds. He turned around and began to walk, expecting Grim to follow. The hounds whimpered and sadly laid down on the ground since they still had to guard the area.

"Yeah. Some don't. Some keep them as pets, some trophies, even friends and companions sometimes. Everyone here is different. Some are nice and others not-so-nice. Cabra is one of those not-so-nice- not nice at all. I... I don't keep souls. I just sit around in my little spot in the forest with my hounds. Sometimes I visit the land of the living to see what's going on."

Grim puffed his cheeks in response. Sage was simply so mean, even though he agreed to help. He was weird for a demon. Grim waved goodbye to the hounds and hurried over to catch up with Sage. "Wait for meeee!" Grim huffed as he ran up to his side. He looked up at Sage and crossed his arms. He didn't want to visibly upset him further, but there were so many questions he wanted to ask, so many things he wanted to know about through a demon's eyes. "You don't keep souls? That should make you a nice demon, then. But so far all you've been is grumpy." Grim insisted. He pursed his lips and frowned, looking up at Sage. "What is Cabra keeping Miguel as?" Grim asked. "Why would he want a soul anyways? Can't he have anyone else? Why does it have to be Miguel specifically? I'm sure there are bigger and stronger souls, like grown adults or something like that." Grim insisted. He didn't understand how could someone be so mean as to take a child away from his family. So far, it just didn't click for him.

Sage shrugged as he walked along, keeping his hands in his pockets. Honestly at this point he just wanted Grim to shut up. Not because Grim was was annoying- which he was- it was because Grim was all too familiar. Sage couldn't handle it.

He looked down as he walked, letting the road take him where he needed to go. Grim began to ask questions... Again. Sage answered... Again.

"I don't want to keep souls. Just because of that doesn't mean I'm nice. Sorry to break it to you, but in everyone's eyes I'm just an annoying trouble maker that causes problems. Your brother- he's likely Cabra's new favorite pet. As to why Cabra wanted Miguel..." He closed his eyes, feeling a flare of anger in his chest.

"...is probably because of his mother. They must've made a deal."

Grim felt his chest ache ever so slightly to hear once again that Miguel's current situation was all because of his mother's doing. The Bruja's doing. He never knew the Bruja, yet the constant legends and stories that surrounded the town, constantly being told bu adults and children alike made it seem as if she were still alive and kicking years after her death. Of how evil she was, of how mean she was, of how she tried to kidnap children and try to turn them into frogs to eat. They even blamed her for the great sickness that almost wiped out the entire town, which ended up bringing Death to the place in order to help and upon meeting Megara he decided to stay. Whether the witch had done any of those rumored things or not, here in the life after death, it was obvious that she had definitely made a deal with something much more powerful than any mortal could handle, and as a result, the child that she never got to raise was stuck like a caged bird while she...remained wherever she was, currently. "How could any mom be so mean like that?" Grim asked to himself. Mothers were kind and they were strict, but they would never do anything to hurt their children. At least, that's what they were meant to do originally. Could have the witch really be so scare for her life after death that she simply threw her own son under the bus without a damn in the world? "How much longer?" Grim asked, jumping a bit as he felt anxious. He wanted to see Miguel as soon as they could. If he had to fight Cabra he totally would. At least that's what he thought. Though he knew most likely Cabra would end up scaring him before he could even throw the first punch.

Sage couldn't help but feel a flare of anger after hearing Grim ask about La Bruja. He clenched his hand in a fist, but calmed himself down.

"You should know the full story before you judge someone." Sage hissed. The fact that he wasn't himself made him even more aggravated. Sage normally was a sly jokester who loved to bother others. Now, the more he dealt with this situation the angrier he got. With a small sigh, Sage tracked on forward, them reaching a path as they reached the entrance to the forest.

"It's quite a travel, but we'll get there. You'll see your brother soon." Honestly, Sage didn't know how much more of this he could handle. He just wanted Ani or the Candlemaker to come out of nowhere and just fix this entire mess or at least take it off of his hands. Just the fact that he even wanted Ani to show up was shocking- the two got on each other's nerves. At this point, even Sage wanted the little dweeb to show up and do something.

Edited February 10, 20169 yr by Aqua7KH

Grim's eyes narrowed in anger, and some annoyance, as he heard Sage's excuse about the Witch. "What are you saying?!" Grim asked, looking up at Sage rather upset. "That was his mommy. The one responsible for him. Yet, she gave her son's soul in exchange for freedom of her own to a demon! That isn't how a mommy should be!" Grim barked at Sage. He didn't even consider the Witch to be Miguel's mother. In his eyes Megara has always been his and Miguel's mother. She was always there when they needed a mother figure. She was always spoiling them with treats and desserts. She was the one mother figure that was there. Never had he met the bruja or saw her...if she really cared would she had exchanged his soul for hers in a deal with a demon? Grim didn't think so, at least. "You may be a demon but you have to think too! If she hadn't done what she did, don't you think Miguel would still be alive?! Woulds still be with me and mommy and daddy?!" Grim hissed. He was more just upset over the thought that Sage would think of the Witch could possibly be innocent in a way. Just another childhood tantrum.

Sage really at to fight the desire to just freak out. The last thing he wanted was Grim to give him any sort of tantrum. It made the situation all the more aggravating for him. He clenched his fists tightly and let out a quiet breath of air.

"Yes, you're right small fry." Sage uttered, in reality wanting to yell at the boy. "You make a good point! Now quiet down- finding your brother will be much easier if we don't draw attention to ourselves.

They came across a small bridge that was above a rather extremely tall ravine. Sage seemed completely unfazed by it and approached a young man that stood in front of it.

"Hey Gate, we're just passing through."

The young man, Gate chuckled as he looked behind Sage to see Grim.

"Awww- how cute! Is that your br-"

"No, I don't have one." Sage hissed, looking down to Grim. "He's mine. I'm just going to talk to someone for a bit."

Gate nodded and ushered Sage ahead. "Oooo~ being secretive I like it~ go on ahead." With that, Sage did go onto the bridge, expecting Grim to follow.

The bridge appeared to be extremely weak, made out of wood and rope. It swayed back and fourth with each movement. Sage looked back to Grim.

"It'll be fine. It won't break."

Grim kept his cheeks puffed. If he had inherited anything personality wise, it was definitely his mother's stubbornness mixed with his father's standoffish attitude. It was certainly quite a mix for someone who didn't always take no for an answer so easily. As they approached the bridge, Grim remembered his promise to keep his mouth shut and let Sage do the talking. However as he approached the bridge and saw the ravine...he couldn't help but to start having doubts. He had never been so high up on anything before. The bridge alone looked absolutely unstable, swinging and cracking. It was shooting off red flags from the moment he just laid his eyes on it. This wasn't SAFE, at all. As Sage casually walked on the bridge, Grim followed, stopping in front of the first step. His jaw dropped slightly, his eyes glancing down at the bridge and then back at sage constantly. "Are you kidding?" He gasped. What happened to a soul that died when they were already dead? He definitely didn't want to find out. He had to find Miguel and get out of here. If he didn't save him, no one would. He gulped, gripping tightly onto the rope, and with a shaking figure began to follow Sage. "W-Wait for me!" Grim called. With careful consideration with every step, he walked onto the bridge, keeping a hard time looking just up. "Don't look down...don't look down..."

Sage went along ahead in the bridge, honestly completely ignoring Grim. His mind was in another world it seemed. He just couldn't stop thinking about /him/. About the person Grim kept reminding him about.

Sage slowly looked behind him to see Grim far behind, shaking from fear. Sage's face couldn't help but soften however at the sight. Slowly he approached Grim on the bridge and took his hands.

"It's okay. It's not that scary. I won't let you fall." With that, Sage began to walk backwards with Grim's hands in his, trying to help him cross the bridge.

"Come on. Just keep looking at my face okay? Pay attention to me." With that, Sage suck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, attempting to make Grim laugh and get distracted.

Even though he was technically dead, he could still feel, and with that he could still feel fear. He grumbled under his breath every time he caught himself looking down at the seemingly endless abyss. It was so deep the bottom couldn't be seen. He wondered why would they have this kind anyways. They could have easily made a much more stable bridge. He figured it was for aesthetics. He glance up as Sage came back to get him. At first he was ready to try and bite Sage if he tried to pull him, however was surprised to find Sage taking his hands in hopes of helping him cross the bridge. Grim walked over with Sage, following his lead. He glanced up at Sage's face, tilting his head as Sage began to make faces. Within minutes Grim couldn't keep any cool facade up, as he began to burst out laughing. His laughter was loud, seemingly echoing across the silent, semi-dead land. It was cheerful and cute if anything. "You look like papi when you make that face!" Grim squealed, the two crossing the bridge without even noticing.

Sage only continued on with the faces, taking a steady step each time Grim laughed. He knew it would work. It always worked. He walked back words without a care, watching as Grim walked along with him to the end of the bridge. Grim's sudden laughter even brought a small smile to Sage's lips.

It wasn't long until they were already on the other side. He let go of Grim's hands and dusted himself off. Sage was glad they were able to make it across the bridge.

"See? That wasn't so scary." Sage said with a chuckle. "You crossed that bridge. I bet your brother and your parents will be so proud of you."

Sage looked to Grim, reaching out his hand to ruffle his hair.

"I know I'm proud of you, Jav-" Sage suddenly stopped himself, his eyes looking to the side. He slowly let out a small breath, and patted Grim's shoulder.

"Come on. We have no time to loose."

He was young and dead, but even at times Grim could take the hints. He was curious by heart, and as mischievous as Miguel had taught him to be. "Oh!" Grim gasped, smiling softly as he certainly didn't expect such encouragement or happiness to come from the demon. "You're right, it wasn't scary." Grim said, quickly glancing over at the demon with a small smile on his face. "You almost called me Javi." Grim said, stating the obvious before going on. "Do I look like him? I don't think I look like him...wait does this mean you know Javi from before? You've met him before before? He never really mentioned you..." Grim murmured, and so he began to probe. "Were you two friends? How do you know him? Does he know you know him? Did you two got into a fight?...was he your boyfriend?" Grim asked, slowly becoming less afraid of the demon by every time closer.

Sage really wished he hadn't congratulated Grim, especially once he began to probe. Each and every question hit Sage like a bus, a knife stabbing his metaphorical heart each and every time. He clenched his fights tightly and stopped walking, looking to Grim with a dark gaze

"He is no one..." Sage hissed venomously. There was a hint of sadness and vulnerability in his voice.

"Let's go..." He whispered, taking Grim's hand tightly and tugging along. If only the boy had just shut his mouth. Or... Maybe if only Sage had moved on and gave up. But how could he? Sage couldn't accept defeat.

"You don't want your brother to wait any longer..." He uttered.

Grim slowly crowered back at Sage's words. If he didn't look scary then, he definitely looked scary now. Grim gulped a bit as Sage took his hand and roughly began to lead him back down the path to where his brother would be found. The deeper they went, the more twisted the world around them seemed to become, in the most artistic and curious way. The leaves of the trees varied of colors ranging from the deepest shade of red to the darkest shade of black. The ground resembled the color of ashes, and looked more like sand in some patches than it did like dirt. There was no sign of any animals. The most Grim had seen were the glances here and there of strange looking birds that were made out of bones and skin that seemed to be peeling off from them. "(Why i he so mean when I asked about Javi? Javi's so nice.)" Grim though, pouting at Sage as he followed along. He decided that he would pick on such topic later, and instead focused on the main reason he was here in the first place; his brother. "Is Miguel ok?" Grim asked. "Is he hungry? Is he cold? Is he lonely?" Grim asked, looking at Sage with any hope that he would answer that Miguel was actually just fine, just dead.

Sage just had about enough with Grim. The questions continued. The talking continued. Sage only walked in silence, trying his absolute hardest to drown Grim's words out by the erie yet peaceful silence of the world around them. The setting changed and Sage was able to calm himself down. As they entered a small little path surrounded by trees with no leaves, Sage decided to speak once more.

"I don't know." Sage finally said, letting the atmosphere soothe him. Despite the trees having no leaves, they were very much alive. It was almost as if they were frozen in time, a time of calmness and serenity. Such a sight was strange. The entire path was dark and barren, appearing to be some sort of result from a volcano. Gentle ashes fell from the sky like soft snow. But it was so calm, so /peaceful/... It was almost like some sort of haven.

"I haven't seen him. I have no clue how he's doing. But you'll find out in a bit; we're almost there."

Grim couldn't help but to be in more awe than before as they stepped into the new surroundings. Despite looking like a terrible place of devastation, the remains of something tragic happening and yet it gave off a feeling of peace that could be compared as if waling into a church or a piece of heaven, even though Grim knew that this was far from the cae of what it actually was. Grim groaned and looked over at Sage as he once again mentioned they were almost there, to which Grim wasn't so convinced. "You said that so long ago, mister demon!" Grim said, making sure to sound annoyed. "You said that even before we crossed that scary bridge...are you sure we're going the right way? You aren't lost, are you?" Grim asked, holding Sage's hand as he followed him along the trail. "We haven't seen any demons since that guy from the bridge either. Is it always this lonely? Or are there just few demons? The father always said that there were lots of demons in hell waiting to tempt people. But so far I've only seen so few...I think he'll be disappointed once he finds out he was wrong." Grim went on, his voice seemingly being the only sound in the serene landscape that they walked around. "What if the Cabra doesn't let me see Miguel? Do we have to kick him until he lets us? We could always fill his room with frogs. Miguel likes frogs anyways."

Sage sighed as he continued to walk along with Grim. Grim just reminded him to much of... /him/ that he really couldn't bare it. A part of him just wanted for Grim to shut his mouth and a part of him wanted to hear his voice all day.

"We'll.... Do something. The demons here... This place is just another world with different people. In your world, there's another country with different people. That's what this place is like kinda. There's quite a few of us here but... Others just want to live peacefully on their own. Everyone usually hangs around the main lands anyway."

After the small explanation, a large building came into view. It was like a smaller version of a castle, almost. Sage couldn't help but pull Grim closer to him. Bats rested on the branches of the trees beside them, just laying around and resting. A few random demons were walking about too, some stealing glances at Sage and the boy that was with him.

"Stay close." Sage muttered to Grim. He hissed at any demons that showed hostility. "He's mine."

The castle could have resembled such of those fairy tales where the villain lived along with his evil henchmen, but this was the much more...realistic version, atleast in Grim's head. There were demons on and about, as one would suspect to a place such as this. But for the first time since entering the realm Grim was finally seeing lots of demons at the same place at the same time, and with the glances he was receiving, his confidence was beginning to fade. Their appearances ranged from relatively normal to the fact that they were obviously demons inside out, with wings and claws and horns of all shapes and sizes. The more he looked around the more he caught the glimpses of the demons, and at times even made eye contact with a few for a split second before he quickly lowered his head and pressed himself against Sage as much as he could, as if hoping that somehow if he continued, the demons would simply forget that he was there. "(Come on Grim, you got to be brave for Miguel, you're almost there.)" Grim though, gulping as he glanced around once more. If he had to put his foot down against one of the demons, if the courage had built up enough by then, he probably would...though he would most likely wait until he was with Miguel for that. "Sage, why are they looking at me so weird? You said having human souls was normal?"