The character The Undertaker belongs to Yana Toboso. The Character Vanessa is my own original character. Enjoy :)
Chapter one - Acceptance
It had been a few months after the tragic death of her parents as she walked around her large estate boredly. The towns folk had started talking out about her during the preparations of the funeral she was to hold causing a huge scandal about her and the Undertaker. Naturally, however fear took over and she, after the entire ordeal had made a large effort to avoid the man she'd grown so close too.
She sat down on one of the many patios of her massive home and sighed as tea was served by her butler and the head cook. "Madam, we haven't seen you smile since you spent time with that man, you know the village Undertaker." They looked at her concerned.
She looked morbidly up at them and sighed. "Alas it has been sometime since I have been in any stimulating company. The last been him..." She looked away her hand shaking with the pent up emotion.
"Oh Madam but engaging in any form of company with the village Undertaker was seen as Absurd. It is not normal to want to be in the company of a man who works with death. And it is not normal to want to see such a man." She looked up at her servants, the tears ready to spill.
"I'm well aware it's not normal. I admit I was growing too comfortable in the presence of death. I started fearing what the towns folk where saying." She sighed as a single tear rolled down her pale cheek. She sat silently reminiscing about the time she spent and how the ice cold man with the warm heart had consoled her through her loss. 'Was it a waste of time learning your strange mannerisms...? Was it a waste of time laughing at those silly jokes...? Was all that time spent with you just a waste of time...' She sighed at the questions playing through her head.
When she looked up again she was alone. The feeling of emptiness came flooding back. "It was so difficult to bring myself to avoid you..." She whispered as she sat crying. When, the youngest of her servants appeared beside her with a letter.
"Mistress this was just dropped off for you from Master Phantomhive." She bowed after handing the envelope to her and left her mistress alone again. She slowly opened the sealed letter and read it. "You are hereby cordially invited to attend a masquerade ball at the Phantomhive estate this Friday." She browsed over all the details and sniffed. It was in two days time.
The next day she went to the town and searched high and low for the perfect dress and most exquisite mask which she soon found. When back on the estate the packed it all neatly and pulled out some of the family jewels to wear with it. That night sleep could not come any sooner as the day of the ball loomed ahead.
The day went by quickly and everything was prepared. Now it was just for her to make herself ready. She slipped into the dress after been corseted and then pulled on her elegant satin slippers, Family jewels and her jeweled mask. She then made her way to her carriage and started the journey to Phantomhive estate which was quite the distance away from her very own estate.
Little did she know indeed of how cruel fate was going to be to her that evening. The drive was a long and overly tedious one. But soon the large estate loomed ahead of them its drive lit elegantly with thousands of lanterns. She smiled gently slipping on her mask and straightening out her dress as her carriage came to a gentle halt. A masked butler opened her door eyeing her in approval as he took her hand and gracefully escorted her to the massive ball room.
"The grace of a swan yet your heart seems so dark and lonely miss." Came a mesmerizing voice from the man behind the mask. "Charming." She simply whispered the word strung with sarcasm. A deep chuckle emitted from the man as he stood before her. "It's a sin for the beautiful black swan to attend the grandest of balls without a gentleman on her arm." He cooed, his lips barely brushing her ear. She shuddered and forced a smile to cross her deep red lips.
Two bright grey eyes met two unnaturally deep red ones that bore down on her. She jumped as he gently moved a stray strand of her rich, luxurious, vibrant deep auburn hair. Something about the man standing in front of her was extremely unnatural. He seemed too other worldly just as the Undertaker had. She cringed slightly at the pain that shot through her heart just at the mere thought of his name. A smile crossed the butler's lips as he looked down at her.
"It seems you long for somebody. And you hope that he has attended this specific ball." He chuckled as he watched her pale cheeks turn bright red. She stood looking around for an escape route when a voice from behind the two of them stopped her in her tracks.
"I do believe you were looking for me Sebastian." Came the bone chilling voice. "Ah yes Undertaker I was, my master wished to have an audience with you after the ball this evening." "How is the young earl?" Inquired the eerie man in his cheery tone she knew all too well. When Sebastian noticed she stood unmoving with her back still to the Undertaker, her rosy cheeks now as ashen as his own. "Is something the matter madam?" He inquired curiously.
The Undertaker looked at Sebastian and at the tiny figure that stood before him. "No, everything is quite alright Sebastian." The Undertaker looked down at the woman in surprise recognizing her voice. He silently moved till he was in front of the tiny, slightly shaking figure and placed an ice cold hand under her chin lifting her gaze to meet his. "Vanessa." He exclaimed, his eerie voice laced with shock and surprise. "Undertaker." A low, yet sweet soft voice met his.
She looked up at the man, her heart pounding against her chest as he in silence took her hand and led her toward the dance floor filled with elegantly swaying bodies, pulling her close as they merged with the sea of bodies that twirled around them. As they gracefully danced around the ballroom she couldn't take her eyes off the man. "I never thought I would see you again, you did everything in your power to avoid me my dear." He watched as her eyes widened. "I couldn't help it... The circumstances weren't very favorable." She looked down unable to bring her gaze to meet his. He giggled his unique giggle and danced them out onto a patio stopping under that pale glow of the moon.
She was pulled uncomfortably close to the man as she heard him speak. "I have missed you very dearly my dear." He looked down at her his hand cupping her cheek gently. He watched curiously as a stray tear rolled down her cheek and chuckled. "Why on earth did you make such an effort to avoid me you silly girl?" He whispered his lips right by hers. She looked up at him pleadingly, hoping he would see the answer in her eyes instead of make he speak the words she'd rather leave unspoken knowing they'd bind her heart to him forever. Deep down however, she knew her heart was already bound to him. She loved him so deeply she wouldn't utter a word of it for the pure fear of rejection.
Undertaker looked down at the small woman and lifted her chin gently brushing his lips against hers. She was so taken by the man that when they were interrupted he had pulled her closer in a protective manner. Sebastian grinned, "My humblest apologies Undertaker, the master has requested an audience with you immediately." She looked up at the butler as if he was stealing the man away from her as he reluctantly released her small figure and followed the butler.
She watched as his figure merged in with the thinning crowd and then all in all he was gone from sight when she caught a glimpse of bright red hair in her peripheral vision. "Oh such a beautiful damsel left all on her own." She heard the strange voice from behind her when the butler showed up at her side as well. "Oh Sebby what a tantalizing sight you are." Purred the strange man at the sight of the butler, who took her arm politely and led her to the dance floor where the crowd waited in anticipation for the butler to start leading her across the floor.
Slowly a beautiful melody filled the warm ball room as she was pulled close and gracefully waltzed around the floor, but the waltz with the butler was something more like a living work of art, as well as something more sensual than the usual waltz. Her cheeks tinted pink as she allowed her body to obey and follow his every move leaving the on lookers mouths gaping in awe.