Chapter One: Our New Beginning
Within a dim room, a cold hearted shinigami sat behind his mahogany desk, mind focus on his work. The day was warm, yet it felt heavy. Silence was filling the Shinigami Dispatch Association, not a single sound to be heard. It was too soon to speak as high heel steps was approaching to the door of the forbidden office. William T. Spears ignored the sound, not caring what will burst through his door. William had several unfinished paperwork to fill out and silence was needed. His eyes twitched as he placed his pen aside, annoyed that the footsteps was becoming louder in front of his door. There was no doubt that the flamboyant shinigami lived to disturb his life. Such vulgar thing was not meant to live. The obnoxious thing knew no limits of his disgusting, ribald complements. Grell Sutcliff is a disgrace to the shinigami race. Not wasting his breath, William ignored the outrageous Grell, focusing all his individual attention to his unfinished paperwork that covered every inch of his desk. As expected, the door slammed opened, Grell's voice ringing loud in William's ear. That shinigami was the main and only reason he was in his office doing paperwork. No matter what William tried to do Grell would always come complaining about the most idiotic, obnoxious things. William avoided Grell at the best of his abilities, which he mercifully failed. Truthfully, no man should be able to make such a noise. In fact, Grell was beyond a man. It was revolting how that shinigami had such feminine features. However, it attracted him how that body moved so seductive. With that thought crossing his mind, William's body stiffed. What was he thinking? The shinigami was revolting. Grell deserved neither love nor attention. It annoyed William that he found that thing beautiful. No doubt Grell was gorgeous but a man was not meant to think of such sinful thoughts. Adjusting his glasses, William looked up high to meet bright emerald eyes. It would seem that Grell had the hell beaten out of him by the looks of his clothes. William smiled mentally for the reason that he never liked the color red that drenched the shinigami. Grell's clothes were torn in several areas, exposing more of his creamy white skin. It was outrageous how the 'thing' considered himself a woman. There was nothing that made him be a woman; well, only his face. Under all that make-up, there is a man bottled up inside. It was a shame the shinigami never showed his real gender; though it was not hard to figure it out.
"What do you want, Sutcliff?" William asked in his usual cold, emotionless voice.
It was a blessing he never lost his composure. He had worked so hard to build a strong barrier that prevented those weak emotions to come out. There was nothing that could break his wall. William picked up his pen and started filling out the papers. His frown deepened as Grell kept mumbling nonsense about this and that. It only annoyed William even more. Finished with one book, he immediately worked on another. There was no way he will get interrupted by the flamboyant, naive shinigami.
"Sebas-chan kicked me out of the brat's mansion! Then, I stole a kiss from him! It was breath taking, Will! I felt-"Grell began ranting again, trapped in his own world. Grell grinned wide, showing his sharp shark-like teeth.
Snap! William's pen broke in two. William threw the useless pen on the ground before the ink would drop on the papers, causing more work to be done. William mentally grunted, disappointed that he had lost his temper for a mere second. Each time the demon's name was said, it boiled William's blood. Filthy beings were revolting; stealing souls of those who must live. They were worthless and shameless things. They don't regret anything. He would've destroyed all those filthy, disgusting demons but they are too powerful for any shinigami. Fixing his composure, William withdrew another pen.
Without a hint of anger, William said, "I will not allow you to speak of that demon's name in my presence, understood?"
There was no way William will allow such name to be mention in his office. How dare that repulsive thing talk about that demon? Did the other know that demons can easily devour a shinigami's soul? Of course he wouldn't listen. Grell was oblivious to such important things. In fact, he was stubborn. No matter how much time you tell him, Grell would go for the kill. Such naïve man he is. William looked once again at Grell's clothes. Even though he had scars across his chest, Grell still had that smile upon his face. It disturbed William to no end.
"You're so mean! Why can't I say Sebas-chan's name? Sebas-chan!" Grell repeated Sebastian's name, not aware that he was stepping on William's nerves.
William finally lost it. He had enough with this abomination. Who did Grell think he is? Placing the papers aside, William got up, eyes filled with anger and hatred. Adjusting his glasses, William shouted, "Leave now! I don't want to see your fucking face no more! Fuck you! Fuck that demon! Fuck everything!" That was the last straw. William regretted not a single word that came out of his lips. He had bottled up all those feelings. How long had he wanted to say that to the bastard? He felt the heavy load on his shoulders vanish. He gave Grell a deadly gaze, reassuring the shinigami that he meant every word, that it was the damn truth. William would've smile at the dumbfounded look on Grell but chose to compose himself.
Crossing his arms, William asked, "Are you deaf, Sutcliff? I hate repeating myself." It was amazing how fast William turned back to his normal facade.
Grell's eyes widened. He was speechless. Was this the William he knew? It felt as if time froze, the air thickening. Trembling in fear, Grell asked in a low voice, "Are you okay, Will? This is abnormal."
William grinned for the first time. How pathetic Grell looked right now. It made William glad for a mere second.
Frowning, William replied, "Abnormal? Wouldn't that define you, Mr. Sutcliff?"
William was acting strange. He wanted to see Grell's reaction to his new persona. He had wondered how he could act once William showed a new side.
"You're acting weird, Will! I don't like this new you! Bring-"
"Shut up! My name is William not Will, understood?"
William always hated nicknames. It was utter disrespect to give people other names. Composing himself once more, William went towards the door, wanting more than anything to drag Grell from his sight. As he opened the door there was a tender hand on his shoulder. Removing the hand from his shoulder, William asked, "Is there a problem, Sutcliff?"
Grell gulped, trembling at the cold tone of his dear William. Of course he'll be terrified. William emerge fear to all who crosses his path. It was a fact that William does not tolerate distractions. Never had the cold-hearted shinigami cursed at an employee.
Breaking out of his trance, Grell replied, "There is a problem! Why do you hate Sebas-chan, Will?"
William slapped Grell across the face, a huge red bruise forming on the flamboyant shinigami. The sound echoed throughout his office, causing a knot to form in his stomach. Ignoring the sensation, William coldly said, "Leave. Now."
Oh, great! Now he had a crying shinigami in front of him. How pathetic. Couldn't Grell control himself? There was something deep inside of him that told him that he should comfort the shinigami. How great it would be to have the naïve man wrapped in his arm, caressing that silky, blood red hair? What was he thinking? This was nonsense. There is no reason to feel such way. William had to vanquish all the compassion that wants to break free. William looked at the crying shinigami, that same knot suffocating him even more. Hot tears ran down those creamy white cheeks, a pink shade decorating them. If he had any feelings, William would've been hugging him right now, but he couldn't. There was no way he'll do such a thing. Love is a weakness that blinds all who falls upon its trap. William could remember the day he met Grell. It was a clear day in London. Grell was whining about how a high ranked shinigami was stuck with another who had straight B's. On the roof top, almost time to collect Thomas' soul, Grell had that face as if he had fallen in love. William allowed himself to be thrown to the brick wall. He wanted to test Grell's strength. It got awkward when Grell said, "Get away from my man" and "He's mine." William had completely hated how Grell talked as if he had possession over him. However, it caused unknown emotions to surface but he chose to ignored them all. William caressed his stinging hand, eyes looking upon the mess that was Grell Sutcliff.
"Leave before something else happens. I don't want to harm you furthermore." William whispered the last part. William's eyes widened when Grell attached himself onto his neck. Those hot tears were now wetting his suit. Subconsciously, William gripped a handful of Grell's hair, removing the crying mess away from him. William froze when no single protest was made. William gently traced his gloved fingertips onto those soft, flushed cheeks. The soft gestured made Grell stop sobbing, eyes meeting William's green-yellow ones. A warm smile formed on Grell's lips, enjoying the gentle caress. Leaning his face more into the gloved hand, Grell slowly closed his eyes as love coursed once again in his broken heart.
"Do you want me to leave….William?" Grell asked almost inaudibly.
Grell whimpered from the loss of the warm hand. Grell tilted his head at the sight of William on his desk, leg crossed over the other. What was going through William's head? William is a mysterious man no one knows about.
William hid his face with both hands, shocked that he would show such kindness to the flamboyant shinigami. When he was caressing that soft cheek, one single thought crossed his mind: "I love you so much, Grell." What was he thinking? In all the years he had lived never had those strong, powerful three words cross his mind. Did he really love Grell? Or was his mind deceiving him? Ignoring his aching heart, William said, "Leave, Sutcliff."
"I don't want to leave you, William. I'll do anything….just tell me," Grell whispered, eyes avoiding William's deadly ones. It was completely true. Grell would do anything to be with the one he truly loves. All those times he had played around, never had he thought that he was pushing William's self-control. All Grell wanted is for William to acknowledge his love for him. He had dreamed to be the lovely princess, waiting for his black night. That was never going to happen. His mind flowed one way called in the terms of; imagination, fantasy, and dreams.
William swiftly removed the stacks of books off his desk and placed it on the floor. Once his desk was clear and clean, William removed a sheet of paper from one of the cabinet, placing a pen on it. Pushing his glasses up the breech of his nose, William placed the paper and pen in front of Grell. The flamboyant shinigami slowly took the items, hands trembling. Why couldn't Grell stop shaking? Even though the slap burned, it wasn't as if it was worth shaking nonstop, right? No! Grell's feelings were hurt from the cruel action. William watched as the slender shinigami took his time to read all the information given in the paper. After ten minutes, Grell looked up at him and could only open and close his mouths, words unable to come out.
Adjusting his glasses with his death scythe, William waited for Grell's response.
Grell closed his mouth, yelping when his sharp teeth penetrated his red lips. Grell always forgot about his shark teeth. Sucking hard on his lips, Grell signed the paper and handed it to his boss. Letting his long fingertip caress his bruised cheek, Grell asked, "For how long….do I have to do…..that, Will-William?"
William placed the paper on his desk and responded, "For two weeks. You are to report at the instructed time. Disturbance will not be tolerated, Mr. Sutcliff. You are to stay at your workstation, finishing all the work that is required for the day. Report to me each morning to acquire any soul collection there might be. Return your-"
William stopped abruptly as smoke and gravel spread across his office. Who in their corrupted mind dared burst through his wall as if it was their bloody house? The audacity they had to do such an idiotic, irresponsible, not thought out plan. Pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, William's eyes felt as if they shot out of its socket as he clearly saw that sinful, disgusting fiend of a butler. How he hated that menacing grin. One of these days William will wipe that grin from the demon's face. Realizing Grell was nowhere to be seen, William looked at each inch of his office, wondering where in the world Grell could be hiding. As if the demon could read his mind, it held an unconscious Grell from his hair.
"Looking for this, reaper?" the demon asked, laughing and grinning at the same time.
The temptation was too strong. How he wanted to rip the demon limb by limb. Then, burn all of the flesh into ashes.
Clearing his throat, William calmly said, "Return him, demon. I will not allow a fellow co-worker to be harmed in any way."
"Let's make a deal, William."
Deal? Like hell William T. Spears would form a deal with that sinful, vile demon. How did he get in here? The Reaper Dispatch Association is filled with security. There was no way a simple demon could walk freely through the halls. Yet again, a demon was too powerful for those rookies that guarded the building. It dawn on William's head that it was late, probably past midnight. There was no one in the building except the superiors, him and Grell. William watched as the demon forced its claw through Grell's neck, drawing blood. The color actually completed the reaper's outfit. Without second thought, William launched his death scythe towards the demon's neck, wanting nothing more to destroy that oh-so-sexy neck. Wait, what? Did that thought crossed his head? What was he thinking? Yeah the demon was handsome and had his good looks, but it was not meant to cross a reaper's head. Once the demon released Grell, William withdrew his death scythe, taking out a napkin from his pockets. The blood would stain for eternity if not cleaned and sanitized. William would have to clean his death scythe thirty times to vanquish the demon's strong scent.
Pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose, William asked, "Why are you here?"
"I'm grateful you would give the time of day to a demon," Sebastian said in amusement, the menacing grin still plastered on his face, showing those sharp canines. Cracking his neck for the fun of things, Sebastian calmly said, "My master wishes to speak with you. He has urgent issues and it seems you have all the answers my master seeks."
Issues? That was the entire reason the damn demon came here for? Memories surfaced. He remembered the day during the investigation of Jack the Ripper. The demon had searched for him, wanting information. William shivered at how the demon tried to get what he wanted. The young earl always told the demon butler to get information through any means necessary. Unfortunately, that led to unspeakable things. Those unspeakable things transformed into lust, that lust soon became birth, and that birth created a new problem. It was time to remember the only night he submitted to his fellow enemy.