Afterlife Department

Huo Ling and Yi Bing sat on the plant box as they waited for a tenant to enter the building. 

Ah, no. It was only Yi Bing who was sitting since Huo Ling is floating. 

"'Yi Bing'." Huo Ling muttered. 

Yi Bing's back froze and his muscles tensed when he heard Huo Ling uttered his name. "You called?" He coolly said as he kept his expression blank to hide his nervousness. 

Huo Ling's brows raised as he turned to him. Was it just my imagination when I heard his voice trembled? He thought. Seeing the man's cold expression, he decided he must have been mistaken. Or else, why would the man be nervous towards him? It must be the other way around.. Even if Yi Bing had given him an explanation for his past actions, but Huo Ling can feel the man is still hiding something from him. 

"I didn't call you." He told him. "I am just... surprised." He explained. 

"'surprised'?" It was Yi Bing's turn for his brows to rise. He looked at Huo Ling. 

Huo Ling scratched his cheek. "Well, you can tell I grew up in a foreign land." He started. "Only my mother is the Chinese I met. And only my name are the Chinese words I learned." He said as he met Yi Bing's gaze. "When my mother died, only the basic Chinese numbers and greetings I learned despite half of my blood is Chinese." He sighed. "Don't mention my job. English is the universal language." He added. Of course, despite he met influential people of different races, yet they can speak English or that they have personal translator with them. Thus, he didn't feel the need to study about China or learn more about its language and culture. After his mother died, he lost his desire to go to China. Not that he disrespects his mother nor he doesn't value his blood. But that, he had been accustomed living in this foreign land. Also, his mother didn't mention any relative on her side, so his father assumed Huo Ning is an orphan. Harry also didn't have any relative. Thus, when he also died, he left Huo Ling to his friend. 

Yi Bing, of course, knew Huo Ling's life. Even during their first exchange of words (conversed), he spoke to Huo Ling in English. Even until now. Thus, he understood his name is novel to Huo Ling. "It is 'yi' as in 'first' and 'bing' as in 'ice'." He told him. Though, he didn't expect for Huo Ling to understand. 

As expected, Huo Ling really didn't understand. "'First ice'?" Huo Ling's brows scrunched as he looked at Yi Bing with a complicated gaze. "What kind of name is that?" He asked. 

Yi Bing already had come up an explanation when he found out his and Huo Ling's meeting is in a foreign land. "I am a yao. Most yao has a crude naming sense. Thus, I was named that way." He explained before he made a pause. "I was found in the first fall of snow. I was covered in ice, thus, I was named that way." He added and he lowered his head to make him look pitiful. 

Indeed, Huo Ling has a soft heart. When he saw Yi Bing's dejected look, he felt his heart was clenched. Though, the words that came out of his mouth is just... truly... "You are an adopted?!" He asked as his eyes widened in surprise while he stared at Yi Bing. Even his mouth turned to 'O'. 

Yi Bing. "..." Huo Ling's brain waves truly are... fascinating. His lips twitched, wanting to smile sarcastically at his thought. Whatever. Huo Ling is just... this way. He sighed in his heart before he continued his lie. "Yes." He answered as he raised his head and looked at Huo Ling's face that registered a worried expression. "I am an unwanted child. My foster father told me I was left by my parents." He said. 

"How cruel!" Huo Ling exclaimed. 

Yi Bing nodded. "Yes. My parents are really cruel." He said. "They could have left me in a shed instead so that I won't be frozen - " he continued, only for Huo Ling to cut him off. 

"No. I meant, your foster father is cruel!" Huo Ling said. 

"... huh?" Yi Bing said. Excuse me? 

Huo Ling's face is indignant. "How can he tell you the matters of adult?!" He said. "He could have sugarcoated his words. Doesn't he know what would you feel after learning of your parents' deed?" He said as he frowned in anger. 

"..." Yi Bing stared at Huo Ling. A few seconds later, a smile bloomed in his face. Huo Ling is truly... fascinating. He thought as he watched Huo Ling muttering curses for the imaginary foster father. 

"Even if you have been left behind by your parents, but your foster father already had taken you in." Huo Ling said. "You're already his responsibility. He should know how to raise a child. And the first thing to consider raising a child is to be considerate of their feelings, most especially when they are still young." He explained. "Children are sensitive creatures. Everything they'll see, hear and learn, they will bring it when they grow up. Thus, if a child was taught wrongly in the beginning, of course he'll become crooked when he became an adult!" He said. 

"I understand." Yi Bing said. 

Huo Ling shook his head. "No. You don't." He said. "Listen to me - " 

Yi Bing never knew Huo Ling would be this long-winded. Every world, every time he meets Huo Ling, he will show him a different side of him. "Someone came." He told him. 

"Ah?" Huo Ling paused and turned. He was surprised when he saw the person. "He's our neighbor." He said. 

"Let's go with him?" Yi Bing said as he rose from his seat and patted the dust off his trousers. 

Huo Ling stared at their neighbor for a while before he answered. "Go." He nodded. 

The doors automatically opened when the neighbor reached the entrance. Huo Ling is a soul so he can pass through the wall. But, Yi Bing has a body so he had to have someone open the door for him.

"Huh?" Huo Ling muttered when he saw that Yi Bing walked past the entrance unimpeded while the neighbor had the security guard check his body and bag.

Yi Bing is aware of Huo Ling's thoughts. "Concealment spell." He told him as he walked towards Huo Ling. and went inside with him in the entrance. 

"Huh? Did you feel that?" the tenant asked the security guard. 

"What?" the security guard answered and turned to the tenant.

"I suddenly felt cold…" the tenant said and raised his hand to touch his nape. "Like a cold wind brushed on my skin…" he muttered as he left in a daze.

The security guard just stared at the tenant's back. His gaze complicated. "Nutjob." He muttered and yawned before he turned to check the next person.

They walked inside the elevator that will take them to the sixth floor of the apartment where Huo Ling and his father's friend that took care of him had lived for six years together.

"I didn't expect to die during my 23rd birthday." Huo Ling suddenly said. Ever since he had left that man's company, his birthday had become meaningless to mean so he had forgotten it. For him to die just when he reached 23… he rested his forehead on the cold wall of the elevator and he sulked in the corner.

Yi Bing pursed his lips. He also didn't expect it. This is a first. In Huo Ling's first life, he had already passed his 23rd birthday. In his second life, it was the same. In his third life, one second before he turned 24, his soul left that world. However, in this life, when the clock struck midnight and Huo Ling turned 23, he died.

Why is it always 23? Yi Bing thought. Is there some unspeakable secret with this number? However, he didn't find anything special when he looked through the four autobiographies of Huo Ling in the Death Note. So, why 23?

Suddenly, he paused. Could it be… this is related to my past life? He thought and glanced at Huo Ling when the elevator's doors opened and they went out. Gu Shi confirmed his speculation that Huo Ling has a connection to his past life.

His feet froze. His eyes widened and he stared at Huo Ling's back as he watched him floated towards one of the doors in the hallway. It finally dawned on him.

Huo Ling… could it be, his life… he has a life that wasn't recorded in the Death Note?! His fingers jerked as he itched to take out the Death Note and check. 

Up until now, there are only four written autobiographies for Huo Ling in the Death Note, indicating Huo Ling had lived four lives. His first life is in Stable World. His second life is in a Special World. His third life is in a Normal World. Now, his fourth life, is in a Special World. If Huo Ling really had a life before these four lives, and it was connected to him – Yi Bing. Huo Ling's life, what could their life had been like?