The smell of wartime — death, sickness, sorrow, and most importantly, demons. The creatures that everyone fear and often hate. They steal away the souls of beloved humans to keep their own sorry existences alive. But, what you don't know is that not all demons cause chaos...

Day eleven. Sebastian won yet another battle this morning in only a couple of hours; it's a new record for him and the fifth win in a row. It makes me depressed to know that I can't watch him in action. Sometimes, early in the morning, he'll go off before everyone awakens and practices with his musket; sometimes I hide and watch. Everything about him is charming and perfect. That determined, focused look in his red eyes; the way his muscles move effortlessly and fluidly to cock the gun and aim; his spotless blue uniform; his silky black hair lightly covered with drops from the morning dew... I think I'm in love. — William T. Spears

William looked up from his piece of parchment and rolled it up tightly, sealing it shut with wax. After that was completed, he filed it in an oak chest underneath his desk. He pushed his brown frames back up the bridge of his nose and got up as another patient walked into the tent.

Times were tough. England was in the middle of a civil war and the two sides were desperate. They recruited everyone — demons, vampires, humans, anyone that was willing. Shinigami like William were used as nurses, to collect souls of the dying instead. Surprisingly, people voluntarily came to him and requested to have their souls reaped to escape the pain of living.

He took his death scythe and watched the cinematic record, but his usual professionalism wasn't in it. He cut the record and looked up, jumping as he saw a certain demon standing in his crisp uniform next to William.

"Sebastian, why are you here?" the reaper asked, confused.

The demon smiled his trademark smirk that made the slightly shorter brunette's heart skip a beat. "I was curious as to how this process was done," Sebastian explained. "Plus I felt bad that you're cooped up in here all day."

"It's not too bad," William insisted. He tried to smile back, but he lost all train of thought as he felt a pair of warm lips against his now reddened cheek.

"Well, I'll leave a dinner invitation for you. You can sit by me and get first pick on the food," Sebastian offered before leaving the tent.

The reaper knew for an absolute fact that his blood had rushed up and flushed his face, but he couldn't care less. His mind was whirring and everything he thought he knew about demons was being questioned. Most of it he knew was true, but he had thought that demons couldn't love... Maybe he was being toyed with, his emotions being wrapped around the demon's finger... But maybe, hopefully, Sebastian loved him back...

A few days later, William nearly died of embarrassment. The blond Shinigami, Ronald Knox, had stolen the elder's glasses while he was getting a long anticipated nap, hiding them in the one tent he was afraid to go into. When he got his glasses back (something extremely difficult to do when you're as blind as a bat), his green eyes widened as he saw Sebastian reading one of the parchments from the chest. All blood rushed from his body as the soldier glanced up at him and complimented him on his 'cute bedhead.'

That had been the day before. William still refused to speak with Ronald, who William discovered to have copied the chest's key and then given it to the black-haired man. However, despite that he resented the youthful blond, he had yet to slick back his hair in case he saw Sebastian again, but the demon was off preparing for another battle.

"Spears!" called William's superior, stepping inside the tent.

He looked up. "Sir?"

"I need you to go out to the field today. Too many souls are left in the bodies and they are creating problems by distracting our demons. I've contacted General Alan and we've set up a safe zone for you—" An array of shouting and raised alarms cut him off.

William grabbed his death scythe and rushed from the tent. His eyes fell on a man that carried a bloodied saber had white hair with lavender eyes, the only fallen angel in the war.

"What are you—" William began, but agony shot through his entire body like a lightning bolt and he collapsed to the damp ground, sliding off the saber that had skewered his abdomen all the way through, barely missing his spine.

"You damned Death God, keeping me from cleansing the souls that should be going to heaven," the angel told him, but William didn't hear as he faded from consciousness rapidly from blood loss and pain. His eyes slipped closed and somewhat focused on the last sounds he heard: "Wait, what are you doing? Get that away from my neck, demon? No!" the angel shrieked, but silenced as blood splattered everywhere and his head was severed from his body.

"Wake up, William.. It's time to wake up..."came a soft, gentle voice. The brunette slowly cracked open his eyes, wincing at even the smallest movement of his torso. He cautiously looked down towards the source of the pain and sighed at the white gauze that covered his stomach.

"Hey there, sleepy head. Are you okay?"

He jumped and looked up at the voice; it was Sebastian. William was in his bed in his tent with the demon standing next to the bed.

The drowsy man shrugged and winced, then nodded with a small sigh. He was fine, just extremely sore.

"That's good," Sebastian said, holding out his white gloved hand to William, "because I wanted to make sure you would be alright before asking this."

William blinked at the outstretched hand, but slowly accepted it in his own black gloved hand and laced their fingers together tightly. Sebastian helped him from bed and allowed him to lean on his shoulder to attempt to lessen the pain. "Let's go somewhere where there's no war, somewhere where you can heal and we can live in peace for once." He gave the shorter man a small smile, picked up the death scythe, and then walked from the tent.

They were an odd sight. The greatest soldier the army would ever have walking the work-oriented nurse from the tent, William holding onto the other's hand as if he was afraid to let go. They reached the edge of the camp and William stumbled. Sebastian caught him carefully and slowly picked him up bridal style so the weakened man wouldn't fall.

The Shinigami took a deep breath as Sebastian took him far away from the war; he had missed the smell of fresh air. Clean, cool, non-bloodied air. He could smell the sweet scent of wild roses as they passed through a meadow.

"Stop here," he said quietly, almost afraid to break the silence. Sebastian did as he asked and stopped, carefully placing William's feet on the ground. The man somehow managed to pick the rose without too much pain and faced the demon. He wordlessly held the brilliant red rose between their bodies and leaned up for a long-awaited kiss.

Sebastian gladly accepted the kiss, bending his head down ever so slightly so William wouldn't have to stretch to reach him. The kiss lasted more than a few seconds, but never changed. It wasn't lustful, hot, or passionate. It was just a loving kiss, something both men had craved for the longest time. William was the first to pull away. He leaned against Sebastian quietly with his head resting on the demon's shoulder, his gloved fingers slowly twirling the thorny stem of the rose.

"I love you, William," Sebastian said.

The other smiled fondly. "I love you too, dear solider."