So obviously I'm rewriting the whole story between Aoi and Undertaker, after some talk with Pan and seeing the newest chapters. Speaking of which, if you haven't read the newest chapters of Kuroshitsuji, I'd like to request you to do so, since later on in this story will have much of that included. Aoi will play a major role in the Undertaker's… Choices? I don't want to spoil anything if anyone hasn't read them, but for those who have, you'll get the little hint I have in here. So, yeah, I hope this version of them is a lot better than the other!
Please review and tell me your opinions! Try not to spoil anything for others if you spot that hint, please.
I don't own Kuroshitsuji, just this plot. Chinatsu Aoi belongs to ConfettiCannon
"This… Can't be."
A woman with glorious red hair sat in her office, newspaper in her hands. Her equally red lips were parted as she let out a gasp, hand covering her mouth in shock. Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back and let out a choked sob instead. Taking off her glasses, the poor woman dabbed at her eyes with a cloth, but it did no use in this situation; they were overwhelmed with wetness once more.
Perplexing Creature Sighted: We've witnessed numerous sightings of a mysterious being: a human female with feline characteristics. This creature has been seen on the streets of London for quite some time now, and a local barber has actually had the chance to take a photograph (left). Harmless or not, police do inquire citizens to be alert, especially at night where the being has been the most active.
There was more, but her soft eyes flickered over to the black and white scan of the supposed supernatural girl. It was hazy, and looked faded, but one could tell there was something behind a building, perhaps hiding. The figure was lean and small, with what looked to be short hair. If one looked close enough, they'd notice the fear in its eyes. Obviously the dear hadn't known she was spotted, but it was too late for her to do anything since the camera was too quick for her. The woman looked at the top of the paper, seeing pointed things at the top of the creature's head. Sure enough, she saw the cat ears everyone has been concerned about.
"Oh, dear," she bit her lip, wanting to look away but she found that she couldn't set the paper down. The article was too astonishing; it held a clue to whoever this strange thing was. Nevertheless the picture held more value, as it actually showed what it must look like. If it's even real, she thought.
"No, of course it's real," she whispered, running her fingers softly over said photo. A warm smile embraced her features as a quiet tear dripped down, slowly meeting with the page.
"Aoi…"
"Oh, this is too interesting," a silver – haired Undertaker mused to himself as he stared at the local newspaper. A sip of his from the pristine beaker to his left and he was re – reading the article about the mixed hybrid once again. He'd heard about this creature many times before the article was printed, and had left late at night in hopes of finding said creature. Seemed as if luck wasn't on his side this time, since he hadn't once came in contact with it. A human female fused with a cat was not something you heard about in your daily life.
"Maybe she's a feline fused with a human or not human at all. Hihi~. The possibilities vary."
There were Shinigami, devil dogs, and butlers of Hell, so surely this new species wasn't too surprising for the Undertaker. He wondered if a certain butler of Hell and his Earl were reading the same paper as he. Perhaps not, since it was rather early in the morning. Undertaker stood and set the newspaper down on a closed coffin, crossing his shop to a dusty and cluttered bookshelf. A long, pointed black nail tapped at his chin as he scanned the various books with his hidden eyes, until he spotted the very book he was looking for. Sliding the book away from its place, Undertaker opened it and held it with one hand, while he flipped through the pages with his other. Took him less than a minute to find the chapter he was looking for, a grin invading his lips as he read.
A finger was underneath the title, and he tapped at it, nodding as if he'd solved the biggest mystery in the world. He snickered in excitement as he read some parts aloud, to none in particular, "Japanese folklore, walking on its hind legs, morphing into a human; shape shifting. Hihi~. Lives over a hundred years old, reaches one kan* in weight, or is allowed to keep a long tail… Paranormal powers under certain circumstances," he paused at the next sentence, eyebrows lifting, "believed to be capable of reanimating a body by… jumping over it."
Undertaker sighed in bliss and let out an ear – piercing, high pitched laugh, holding his stomach as he did so. This was too perfect! A cat able to bring the dead back to life, he thought, was one of the funniest things in a long while. Since this is London, and not Japan, he knew it was strange to the other citizens to hear of such a thing. That barber must've had a fright upon seeing it near his shop!
"Ha," Undertaker panted as his laughter started to wind down. He licked his lips and grinned again, looking over to where the newspaper laid on the coffin. Bringing the book over, the man lifted up the photo from the newspaper and held it up next to the illustration in the book. Laughter was about ready to come out in chunks as he compared the two pictures.
"Hihihi~! Looks like I figured you out, little bakeneko~."
The night was musky, a thin coat of mist hovering in the air. It was cold, but not painstakingly so; most people decided to turn in for the night anyway. Rain threatened to fall from the dark grey clouds, but it only held themselves still like a heavy drenched cloth. Light posts were dimly seen through the fog, so they looked like glowing spirit orbs dancing through any open space they could find.
One girl was roaming through the streets of London, gliding on and off the roofs of the tall buildings as if they were nothing compared to her small size. She wore but a simple, long sleeved silk shirt with simple velvet pants, stopping at just above her ankle. Her shoes weren't special, either, and were just black ballet style slippers. But she didn't care; it was better than what those London women wore day to day. Layers and layers of clothing under a large, heavy dress seemed all but pleasant.
There was also a thin blanket wrapped around her lean frame, covering the top of her head like a hood. It wasn't hers, but she didn't steal it; she found it laying on numerous amounts of crates. The blanket – or whatever it was – was dusty, and had what looked to be bloodstains on them, but it didn't matter. As long as she could shield herself from the others, it would all be alright.
She jumped to the roof of a church, crouching down to look over the landscape of the town. She was able to see through the faded mist, and found she was not where she wanted to be. Then again, how where you supposed to find someone when you have not the slightest clue where they might be?
The young female felt her heart drop, but she couldn't give up when she came this far. Ever since the barber had taken her picture, she had been more than just cautious. No longer would she be walking around with those humans, no. The roofs and tops of building would be her domain, at night so they wouldn't have time to double check what they had just seen. If they even get that chance to being with.
By no means was she trying to cause trouble. She was just trying to find someone very special to her, a woman with bright crimson hair. The last time she had seen this woman was when the fire had happened. The next thing she knew, her body was laying in the nearby trees and bushes. The mansion was still burnt to crisp, debris scattered this way and that. It smelled horrid, and she had to get out of there before it ruined her enhanced sense of smell.
That was how she ended up in the first town of London. Didn't take her long, but there were many more people that what she had remembered. Even then she never went out. What would people think, staring at a strange creature such as her? She was better off staying inside with her madam, and this she did for the few years until the fire. Up until then the window was her only connection to the outside. It seems sad and lonesome, but she couldn't have asked a better way to live her long life. And she preferred it that way.
The sound of a door opening made her stiffen and look down hurriedly. A pastor walked out of the sacred building, turning back to lock the door. She ducked down as far as she could, just praying he wouldn't see her. There was a loose brick where she had stepped on, and she flinched when it cracked and tumbled off the roof, shattered on impact of the hard ground.
"Whose up there?"
Without a word she went behind the large memorial cross that was situated on top of the roof, crouching down so she was able to hug her knees; trying to make herself small as possible. Footsteps went around the side of the church, but he didn't see anyone up there. The man stood there for moment, to see what had caused the noise. When he saw the broken tile he just muttered to himself, "Stupid rats! Get off my church!"
She frowned and felts a twitch in her brow. Rat? I chase rats, you should be thanking me.
Ever so grateful he had finally left; she was able to come out of her hiding spot. She waited until he was out of sight until she hopped to another roof, and then another, then another, until she was far away from the church. Again she scoped around her, seeing an unfamiliar shop to her left. There was a stray coffin in the front of the shop, and there were no windows. It had a dark aura radiating off of it, making her cringe and feel unsteady. It was a rather tall shop, and as she looked up at the top, it was decided that it was the best choice to stay. Glancing left and right, she made sure no passerbies were on the streets, before crouching down. She jumped down swiftly, landing on all fours before heading to the shop next to it. Taking a chance, she stopped just before her climb to glance up at the sign; Undertaker.
She blinked, "Undertaker?"
"Excuse me, miss?"
A voice called out from behind her, and her breath hitched, getting caught in her throat. Slowly she turned and looked over her shoulder, red eyes glancing at the person behind her bangs. This time it was a young woman, a brunette with beautifully equal brown eyes. She bore a concerned expression, and stepped towards her, head tilted slightly to the side.
"Are you alright? You look awful."
Well, that was rude.
The stranger must have read her thoughts, because almost immediately her face had turned red and a hand was covering her mouth in shock. "I-I didn't mean it in that manner! Sick! As in you look tired and sick!"
An awkward smile came onto the younger female's lips, and she shook her head, "I am fine, but I thank you for asking."
It was silent for a few moments, and the brunette dug a hand into the basket she was carrying. A small loaf of bread was brought out, and she stiffened when the woman handed it to her. She wore a smile as she did so, stepping forward and forcing it into the other's hands when she wouldn't accept it. "I have a feeling you haven't had a decent meal in a while. This is all I have; the rest must be taken to my Lady."
"Y-You're Lady? Then I can't possibly take this," the pale redhead glanced down at the loaf in her hands, before blushing slightly in embarrassment when she felt her stomach growl. The stranger chuckled and smiled again at her.
"Lady Elizabeth won't mind if a small piece is missing. My name is Paula, by the way," she bowed slightly and looked up at her, expecting her to introduce herself as well.
She hesitated. This woman – Paula – was but a stranger, but such a kind stranger, offering her food when they hardly knew each other. But she had a feeling getting acquainted with this young woman wouldn't be horrible and distasteful; it might even help on the journey in finding her Madam.
"A-Aoi. My name is Aoi."
The expression displayed upon Paula's face made Aoi feel nervous. Was her name that strange in England?
"You're Japanese?"
"Um… Yes."
Instantly her expression turned from confusion to one of that in awe, in just a blink of an eye. She looked at Aoi in amazement, "Why did you come to England?"
This certainly perplexed the young lady. It was a question she had been asked before, when she had first met the woman she's looking for, but for an odd reason the answer didn't want to reveal itself from memory. Her red eyes unconsciously glanced from side to side underneath her bangs and the blanket over her head, not sure on what to say. She bit her tongue for a short while and hesitated yet again to answer.
"I- was imported."
There was that confused look returning.
"Imported? Like a cat?"
You have no idea. "No, I mean… I'm sorry, I really should be going. Thank you so much for the bread."
Paula nodded and looked at the small watch around her wrist, before agreeing. "It was no big deal, I promise. I hope to see you again, A-… Ao... Ah-"
"Aoi."
"Yes! I apologize, Aoi!"
She chuckled in embarrassment and turned to leave, "It was nice meeting you, Aoi!"
When there was no answer, Paula raised an eyebrow and turned around in curiosity, expecting Aoi not to have heard her. So she went to repeat herself, but stopped abruptly in seeing the open space in front of her.
Aoi was gone.
* (8.25 lbs)
Well, there we go! I feel much more successful in this than Bone - Shaped Cookies. Amazing how much farther you can go when you've actually planned out your character and the plot ahead of time, huh? xD.
Please leave in some constructive opinions, thank you!