*thuclank* *thuclank* *thuclank*

My, oh my, who on earth is disturbing my salt bath.

" Undertaker I know you're in there, " said a male's voice from the doorstep.

Ahh, William, what does he want now?

A sigh could be heard from the male known as William. " I brought you another dead toy " After he spoke the word "dead" the sound of a pot hitting the floor was heard. It was followed by the sound of quick footsteps and the clanging of hangers. All this convulsion led up to a male, fully decked in black garments and a ridiculous top hat opening the front door. As the silver haired man greeted the neatly dressed shinigami all of his thoughts were occupied on the whereabouts of his dead toy. The visitor gave the erratic man a look of reluctance. Nevertheless, business is business , and so he handed a pile of confidential documents to the sleeves of the Undertaker. " This is all the background information regarding the corpses's childhood up to her death, " stated the stoic shinigami. Although the black sleeves kept a firm grip on the documents, the wielder paid no attention to them. His full attention had been directed towards the black carriage behind his business associate.

Yes ..it has to be there ... if only that damned William would quit rambling ..

Now fully aware that Undertaker completely lost interest on what he had to say, he signaled the carriage driver to bring out the corpse. The carriage driver nodded and made his way to the side door. A man stepped out, firmly holding a corpse between his arms. From where they stood, both men were unable to distinguish the features of the nonliving being.

However, as the carrier walked closer towards their direction, a beautiful, almost unreal being, laid limp in his arms. She was draped in a black velvet layered dress. Her forearms were covered by white short puffed sleeves. The torso was wrapped in a black corset, tied by a silky pink ribbon. Both men drew back a breathe in awe as they stood in close proximity of the corpse. They automatically took notice to the being's smooth tan skin and astoundingly large eyes. It was apparent that her origins were derived from the middle east.

What an exotic creature - thought that top hatted man as he examined the magenta colored waves wrapped around every curve of the corpse. But what intrigued him more was the sight of teal slightly covered by the girl's thick lashes.

William, seeing the Undertaker's unconcealed excitement, quickly bade him farewell and returned to the carriage. The carrier quickly made the exchange with the undertaker, obviously relieved from handling the corpse.

" Ehehehehehe hello there dear " whispered the Undertaker after shutting the door with his backfoot. The room was dimly lit , but the man was able to move through the darkness without falter. Usually, he would place the cadaver on a mat and seek a fitting coffin right after. This time though, he held a special interest to the cadaver. After embracing the stiff girl, the man gently placed her on a plushed mat surrounded by skulls and a variety of rolled scriptures. Despite being a dead being, the girl emitted a sorrowful aura. Her aura was in huge contrast with the Undertaker's gleeful steps towards the desk. With one sweep, all her documents were in the palm of his hands. " Hehehe finally, I shall know your cheery past ! " ...Of course there was no response but yet he waited for a reaction. Remembering that she was dead, he chuckled. He ran back to the cadaver's side and sat himself on the side of the plush mat. While he began to read her file, his gaze switched constantly from the font and the cadaver's face.

" Hmmm, so you are an exotic one. "

The corpse's name was Riane and she had been born in Egypt but raised in England. Her father owned an unknown business which prospered throughout her childhood. At first, it didn't make sense why such a beautiful, wealthy, and healthy girl's life would end so suddenly. But the next line gave him a hint of her tragic downfall. " Around the time Riane turned sixteen, her father's business was in a desperate struggle. This event led directly to her engagement to a man unspecified. It would appear that this man was an extremely wealthy entrepreneur. Her father's business went back on track as her life went off track. "

A black sleeve steadily crept it's way around the matching black corset of Riane. Another sleeve swept the bangs off the girl's cold face. It remained caressing her forehead. Despite the man's gentle actions, he felt no sympathy towards the dead girl. Arranged marriages were quite common among the wealthy and were not worth sympathizing over.

The clock struck midnight, the streets of the small english town laid in silence for the most part. The only sound which rang through the air had been hooves crashing down simultaneously on the cracked pavement. Compared to the drab town they were passing by, the horses seemed out of place. They were lavishly dressed despite being animals. Their harnesses were golden, and each wore an eyepiece around their right eye. The eyepiece was made of purple silk and outlined in diamonds. A gold tear drop was attached to the lower right of the piece. The carriage they pulled proved to be even more extravagant. Instead of having a leveled off roof, the roof was raised in a dome shape. Every corner of the carriage was outlined in precious gems, and the carriage itself was made of pure gold. On the top of the roof was an outline in rubies of a cobra's head. Drapes of blood red silk covered the windows, giving the couple inside complete privacy. The couple consisted of a fair man and a beautiful young girl. Their attire made it apparent that they were returning from a ball. From an outsider's perspective, they seemed like a beautiful couple. But that was far from the truth. The man was sitting across his young fiance, his eyes were bloodshot red, and his breathe reeked of alcohol. His fiance tried to ignore him altogether, and gazed down at her hands. However, a hand began to creep along her bare ankle, but she dismissed the chill it gave her. Still, the hand remained to crawl it's way further up in spite of the girl's protests. She summed up her courage to shoot her fiance a dark glance. At once a fist came slamming down on her pink cheeks, making her whimper in pain. Before she could find something to protect herself with, two hands laid a heavy grip on her bare shoulders. Ignoring her soft cries, those hands began to take every inch of her gown. The situation seemed to take a turn for the worst as he reached for the zipper on her back. "Stop...please...not now," whispered the young beauty. Seeing that he had no intention to stop, she began to yell. They were proven ineffective and had dwindled down to harsh cries, muffled by her fiance's hand. The man was wary of her struggling, and sought to shut her up by threatening to cut off ties with her father's business which would lead to her father's ultimate ruin. Caring more for her family's well being, she gave in. During their engagement, this became a usual routine. Leaving the girl crying her room alone afterwards, unseen and unheard by her family.

Pages were quickly flipped, until a long black nail began to skim through the found page. The nail took a sharp halt at the subtitle Period of Marriage. Riane's chest was now covered by a mass of gleaming silver. A pale face slowly rised up from the silvery mass and made it's way to the cadaver's face. It stopped about half an inch from the girl's soft lips. A huge grin was plastered on the man's face as he studied every inch of the girl's smooth facial complexion. He quickly took notice of the cadaver's eyelashes, which were extremely long and full. Yet, they were unable to conceal the teal colored irises which laid beneath. Her lips were plump and full as well. Everything seemed unbalanced but still complemented each other anyway.

" Ahh if only you weren't married ," whispered Undertaker as he drew his face away from her's, and laid the documents beside her cold body. Suddenly, an idea came over to the top hatted man. Hastily getting up on his feet, the man rushed over to a random cupboard and quickly brought out a black case. The case looked suitable for keeping important notes, but what was really brought out from the case was a variety of cosmetics. Now, the cosmetics was not for this man, well, except for the black nail polish, the makeup were used only on female corpses. It was a personal belief of Undertaker that every female corpse should look her best when lying in her coffin. This time though, the man was not planning on preparing the girl for her coffin. He had other selfish plans in mind. " Now, now, let's prepare you for a second marriage , " cried the eccentric undertaker as he softly glided pink lipstick onto the cadaver's lips. Through experience, he was apply to apply the right amount of product. The right amount of eyeliner, which complimented her eye shape. The right amount of mascara, that gave her eyelashes a slight curl. A slight touch of blush to return a bit of color to the cadaver's pale face. Undertaker gently propped up the girl so her head rested on her shoulders, and began to gently brush her smooth waves. Once finished with the final touches, the living man wrapped his arms gently around the girl's waist and rose her up to her limp feet. His warm hand carefully slid off her former gold wedding ring off her frozen finger, and tossed it carelessly behind him. Suddenly, as if conjured, a silver ring that carried a large black opal in the center, took the place of the gold ring. " Hehehehe I will gladly take you as my wife ," whispered the Undertaker seductively into the bride's ear. Without waiting for a response, as if could respond, his warm pale lips shrouded the frozen pink lips of the cadaver.

" Congratulations! I wish you the best in your marriage, " said another one of the bride's gorgeous guests. The young bride thanked her and forced a smile for the millionth time. Her smiles no longer carried geniune happiness. It was now all for show. There was nothing that she could truly smile about anymore. They were meant to decieve others. To decieve them by thinking that she led a wonderful life with her supposedly loving mate. The groom was not by her side once the ceremony had officially ended, which didn't surprise. However, she was caught off guard at first. For the duration of the ceremony, her groom changed into a completely different man. His lips touched not a drop of liquor, and he spoke softly towards her. While they were at the altar, his eyes remained fixed on her and only her. A gentle expression came over the man as he said " I do. " But his act immediately stopped once the after party came around. He resumed his usual routines, and was constantly surrounded by his adorable coworkers. The bride herself, who was suppose to be the most beautiful woman for the night, couldn't help but feel self conscious when compared to her groom's invited female guests. Throughout the night, not once did the bride's gaze meet the groom's, for his were constantly fixated on the voluptuous women around him.

The newly wed were enlocked in an embrace, lying down on the plushed mat. The groom gently laid his chin on the bride's shoulder in a loving manner. His free hand held a number of documents as he resumed skimming through. Silver locks of hair were now perfectly intertwined with waves of magenta. The grip around the bride's waist was firm but careful. If one were to peer over at the couple, it would appear as if both were part of a twisted gothic fairytale.

Almost one month passed, after the couple got "happily" married. Carriage rapes no longer occured, to the wife's satisfaction, but her status continued to spiral downwards within their household. The only time they played the roles of husband and wife was when they were present among immediate family members. Despite what they told others, their life at home was completely dysfunctional. The young, plump, and cheery girl was quickly whithered by her engagement, and even more so once she married. She was a slave rather than a housewife, and was given money only to aid her outer appearance for events within high society. Any other purchase made was punishable. Riane barely had any time to rest since she constantly cleaned after her husband and his coworkers. Although she cooked every meal, she wasn't allowed more than a bite, in order for her husband's guests to completely indulge in her cooking.

Cautiously, as if his wife could break from a single rough gesture, the husband removed himself from their embrace and stood up. " Hmmm...I'm kind of hungry..I know! I'll go fetch us some dog bone crackers hehehe, " said Undertaker. He made his way to the kitchen and opened the cupboard above the stovetop. A closed grey container had been brought to the cadaver's side. Returning his former position, his hand swept over the girl to open the container. Then that same hand swiftly snatched a biscuit and placed it halfway into his mouth. Even though he acted quite strangely towards the corpse, he knew it was impossible for her to eat. But, the man was glad enough to be able to enjoy a meal in the presence of his lovely wife. After a couple of bites, a gasp came from the pale lips, " How could I forget the earl grey.." After apologizing to his other half, Undertaker sprinted back to the kitchen and immediately started the stove. Next he filled his silver teapot so that there would be enough for two servings and placed it over the flame. After standing idly for a few minutes, he placed the tea bags within the hot water and covered the kettle. Once he had done that, Undertaker hastily returned to his beloved's side.

That Fateful Night

Sweat slowly dripped down on the soft tan skin of a young girl, dressed in her favourite black velvet dress. She had just gone through her list of chores, but the night was too late to go out now. It was not late for her husband though. She knew that, considering that she could hear giggling from upstairs. Apparently, one of her husband's "coworkers" made a late night visit in order to discuss an important matter. Despite the girl's age of seventeen, she was no longer ignorant of what really happened between her husband and his "coworker". By now she was used to his emotional and physical abuse, but tonight she felt exceptionally wary. Most of it was due to the dress she was wearing. It reminded her the joyful days as a carefree maiden, who lived in a happy household, knew her own self worth, and carried herself quite well when in face of trouble. But her husband was too much. The sounds of him acting frolicsome on their bed just deepened her depression and made her feel quite nauseous. To somehow calm herself, she laid down for the first time of the day, on the nearest couch, which was extravagantly decorated. Her five minute slumber was coming to an end as loud footsteps descended down the spiral staircase. It was her husband, dressed in a leopard print silk robe, covered from head to toe with red lipstick. He hovered over her thin body, waiting for her to wake up. Seeing that she was to sound asleep to feel any kind of presence, he gave her a hard smack on her bare cheek. " Get up you lazy wench! " yelled the husband. Ignoring the pain, the girl's head reluctantly rose up. She did not look at her husband's face, her eyes were too busy taking in the sight of the various markings covering his body. Noticing this, the man grabbed a fistful of her hair and forced her gaze onto his eyes. " What the hell are you staring at? " the man harshly shouted. Wincing from pain, the beauty whispered , " Nothing.. " Satisfied with her pathetic answer, he gave her orders to brew some earl grey and to bring it up stairs. She knew it was obviously for the coworker and her husband. Once he disappeared upstairs, she helplessly made her way towards the kitchen. It was impossible for her to escape this life. She tried to talk about a divorce with her mother, but her mother ultimately rejected the idea, saying that it would be selfish of her to bring the family busines back to ruin simply because she was too lazy to learn on how to love her husband. This was the last thing the girl wanted, she was too compassionate for her own good, placing the well being of others before her own. She knew this flaw was bringing her down in despair.

Riane gazed down at the stove as if she found it the most interesting thing of her day. The teapot was already filled and the tea bags were set aside. The young girl's bangs now fell over her bright teal eyes that remained focused on the stove top. " I should prepare the tea, " Riane whispered. Her hand carefully pushed and turned the dial. No matches were around though, so no flame was present. This didn't seem to concern the girl, nothing concerned her for the moment except the stove top. When her hand slightly reached towards the kettle, she drew it back, dismissing the foolish idea of placing it over a flameless stovetop. These trivial thoughts began to whirl within her head until they were clouded over. Riane's limbs grew weaker and lighter, which pleased her. This lightness made her feel, for once, at complete ease.

A loud hiss came from the kitchen, it was a signal that the tea was finished brewing. Despite the fact, the tea kettle remained neglected. A sad smile was worn by the neglecter, as he was busy scattering the documents away from his lovely cadaver. That night, a coffin was not chosen, and the tea grew cold. Everything remained still besides the occasional rustling of garments. Quiet breathing could be heard from the undertaker. Who, instead of working, was busy wrapping his body around the cadaver's in a cold embrace, as both laid in a slumber, her's eternal, and his transient.