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Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Surrender:

-September 11, 2011-

It was three in the morning in Meifu. Kato, Thanatos, and Eros walked up to Ju-Oh-Cho. The bounty hunters kept a sharp eye on him.

"Come on," Kato said. "You don't have to be so uptight. You won. I won't go anywhere." The bounty hunters said nothing. Kato lowered his head.

"Okay…" he said. Thanatos walked up to the glass doors and pushed them open. Kato said nothing. What choice did he have? The trio made it to the front desk. Thanatos rang the bell.

"Hello?" she asked. "We've brought the escaped soul. Where's the money?" She started pacing around. A man in a nice suit walked up behind the desk.

"About time you showed up," Thanatos said. The man was ready to complain about how loud she was being again when he froze in shock.

"Holy… Is that…?!" he asked. Everyone in the lobby looked up.

"Yes," Thanatos said. The receptions stared blankly for a long moment.

"Is that really him?" he asked after a couple of seconds.

"Yes," Thanatos said again. The man squinted and frowned.

"Are you sure this is him?" he asked. "You're not trying to pull a fast on me, are you?" Thanatos gritted her teeth as she glared at him.

"She's not," Kato spoke up. All eyes fell on him.

"They did catch me," the old man said. "I didn't resist either." The receptionist gave him a strange look.

"See?" Thanatos asked. "It's him. Now give me my money." The receptionist slowly nodded.

"Right… Right…" he said. "Hold on." The man typed on the computer. Eros said nothing the whole time. He had his eye on Kato, however. The old man slowly backed away.

Creepy/, he thought. /Doesn't he ever /speak?/ Eros turned his head. Kato was quick to face the front.

"Would it kill you to smile at least?" he asked under his breath. Eros said nothing but stared him down. The receptionist smiled as he handed Thanatos three envelopes of money.

"Here you are," he said. Thanatos took the envelopes and opened them to count the money. Her face lit up with a big smile.

"Yay!" she said. Thanatos turned to her partner.

"Let's go!" she said. Eros bowed his head. He followed Thanatos out of Ju-Oh-Cho. The receptionist turned his focus onto Kato. The old man waved goodbye at Thanatos and Eros. Meanwhile, the receptionist behind the desk gave him a puzzled look.

Who is this guy?

Kato sat waiting in a back room. He tapped his fingers on the table. The old man could see how this would play out. He already had his answers for them.

The ghost looked up when he heard the door open. Konoe-san and Tatsumi walked into the room. Kato held out his arms.

"Welcome," he said. "It's too bad I don't have anything to serve you." The shinigami frowned. Kato nervously laughed.

"Not in a talking mood, are you?" he asked. "Alright…" Tatsumi and Konoe-san sat down in front of him.

"Go on," Kato said. "Say it. I know you want to ask." Konoe-san gave him a cold look.

"I only have one question," he said.

"Okay…" Kato said.

"Why?" the older shinigami asked.

"Why what?"

"Why course all this headache for all of us? You know the rules."

"I do."

"So why? Why all of this?"

Kato leaned in closer. "You know my history, right?"

"Yes."

"You know what Anna-chan's situation?"

"Yes."

The old ghost man sat back. "Well then, you have your answer."

"Your soul was already judged," Tatsumi said.

"I know," Kato said. "But Haruka doesn't care. She won't care as long as Anna-chan's still alive. I mean, there is Kyoko, but she's not enough." He put his hands behind his head.

"You don't have to worry anymore," he said. "I'm done. My part's over. Their war is ending. I won't run away anymore. Do as you like with me." The old man held out his wrists as if waiting to be cuffed. Konoe-san and Tatsumi looked at each other so confused.

Who was this guy?

That's how it was. Kato didn't put up any resistance as they took him to his final destination. Kato had a serene smile on his face the whole time.

"Good luck Malchik, shinigami-san," he said to himself.

There's still something Anna had to do in Chijou before the war could end.