Uh-oh. I am so screwed. That was his last thought before the red reaper leapt forward to attack.
They crashed onto the floor, red and silver hair flying through the air. Her legs encased his torso and hands pinned him by the shoulders. She grinned evilly at the other's surprised expression. "Lets see, what to do with you, liar?" He sputtered incoherently, seriously considering on taking out his scythe on her, but that would only risk it further. He decided to let things go as she wished for the moment. "I really ought to bury you in salt once more, scoundrel."
"Mercy, m'dear! This old fool was only playing around!" He tried pushing her off, but the heel of her palms dug into his shoulders to prevent him.
"I wonder," she drawled, "What would an old fool like you be hiding? You're awfully tight-lipped today." He chuckled underneath her, laughter being his 'natural' response to any uncomfortable situation. She cocked her head to the side, simply staring down and unsure of her next move. "Hehehehe~ I've got nothing to hide. I simply want to laugh more than what I usually do. There've been hardly any customers as of late, so I'm quite bored these days." He nudged forward, but she remained firm. "So you take it out on me?" He gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged -as best as one can while being held down, which was admittedly an awkward move when she almost crashed on him. "As I said, can you blame a bored old fool like me?" She sighed, moving back and crossing her arms over her chest, though otherwise remained seated on his abdomen.
She glared at him through her lashes. "If I really make you laugh, will you tell me what I want to know?" He pondered for a moment, then nodding. He would simply have to risk it. "And do I have your word for that?" And inquisitive brow shot up. He could only try not to laugh. "You want the word of a scoundrel?" He asked, naming her past insult.
"Your word as a mortician, darling." It was enunciated with enough danger that he knew it was meant seriously, she was not calling him pretty names for the sake of it. She was making a point. "I'll give you my word, m'lady." She leapt to her feet, and he found himself missing the slight warmth and pressure on his torso. He kicked the thought out of his mind. She was only a pretty reaper he liked to mess with. Nothing more.
The mortician went to his feet, standing at full height to show he wouldn't be intimidated. "Well, dearie, give it your best shot. Just know I don't plan on giving in easily." A sinister smile rested on his face, the scary image only highlighted by the fact that his eyes were hidden. She returned the gesture, but her eyes shone with acidic venom of golden-jade. "I was counting on it," her voice a drawl, she moved like a cat towards him, coming to stand toe to toe. A sly smirk came to place, "I wonder...since you like laughter so much, would you by any chance be… ticklish?"
He laughed. He laughed and laughed. There was no way to restrain it, there was no way to stop. Her hands glided over his torso and exposed neck, ghosting over his skin. This had gone so terribly, yet he was enjoying the sweet torture. He cried from laughter and his sides ached. She didn't yield, only furthering her attack by moving her fingers towards his armpits. Thank Death he'd been wearing boots or she would've gotten to his feet - truly, his weak spot.
There was no escape, for the legendary reaper was once again tossed to the floor by the younger one. For added measure, she made sure to step on his chest, diggin in the heel of her boot slightly. "You've laughed enough. Now talk."
Daring and commanding, she looked like a conqueror. He took a few minutes to settle down and self-consciously wipe the drool off the corner of his mouth. "Alright, alright. A deal's a deal." She slid away from his body, allowing him room to stand. Ebony clawed hands wiped off the dust that had fallen on the black robes. "Allow me to retrieve a book for you. Sit down, have a biscuit if you'd like whilst you wait." She sauntered over to the nearest casket, flipping her hair back and a confident smirk in face as he went to the back.
'Damn it. This better throw her off my trail.' He came back into the main room, somewhat drawn into the beauty sitting on one of his finer works and munching on his favourite treat. He presented the book to her, to which she grabbed with curiosity. "That should cover your needs. It has all about the Necromancy Legends, I think even some of the rites. For the price you paid me thinks I should give you more," it had been very entertaining, and he didn't complain when she touched him - no one had dared do that in such a long while he had forgotten what it was like. "But you see, this is all I've got on such rare cases. Mayhaps Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, could give you some insight, as well as entertainment." He was acting normally again, so the upcoming cackle was completely natural. "Are you sure this is all you know?"
He nodded, "Absolutely." She scoffed. "Really? In all of the hundreds of thousands of years of life you've had, you expect me to believe that you have never encountered anything about Necromancy?" He shook his head in denial. " They are occult, that is all I know. Well, that and the general idea that they bring the dead back to life." He shrugged. He liked her wit, but it was troublesome for him at the moment. "And you being the eccentric you are never wondered about that?" She tried to glance at his eyes, they were the kind that could hide nothing, but there was only a curtain of silver-spun hair to meet her Reaper eyes. "Yes, I admit I took a momentary fancy to them. Who would dare wake the dead? Who even had the power to do such a thing? I've thought about it, but as a Reaper, I've never been able to investigate such things. Technically, once a soul is reaped, it can never be regained. After that, my interest in such things quickly dwindled, and I started to pursue the dead." He shrugged again, feigning distaste for such affairs.
She huffed, tired of this cat and mouse game of chase. "Thank you then. I better get to this." She went to the door, looking back briefly. "Hopefully I won't have to see you any longer under such circumstances." She flashed him a flirty smile, suddenly remembering the Librarian's request. "Oh, and by the way, Mrs. Emily Darcy wants you to return the books you've borrowed. Says you're long overdue." She giggled and left, not bothering to see his reaction. He waved with an air of fake cheeriness. Once the redhead was gone, he frowned. He'd forgotten about those.
"Hopefully so, Little Red." He stormed to the back of the shop, to where he kept his precious experiments. "Soon, my dears. We are almost ready for our big Debut." He spoke into the darkness. There was no response as he left, his creatures lay asleep. The mortician went back to the main part of the shop, ready to receive any new guest - or new test subject, easily slipping back on his own mask.
The Red Reaper went to London, using her adored Death Scythe to climb the walls on the Big Ben. She settled on the very top, snuggling to the wall for shade. She adjusted her crimson-framed spectacles and went to work. So much to read, yet so little to do. Oh William, so cruel! You know I can hardly stay still~
She giggled at her thoughts, though soon focusing her attention on the other's book. It had yellowed pages, smudged ink and even some moth-bitten holes. She had to squint her eyes at times so that she could focus on what was written, some of it slightly faded. Yet at the end of the day, there was not much to be said on Necromancy itself. It only spoke of the Seven Bells and the Nine Gates, and it only mentioned what they did. She would keep the book, but she knew that once a soul was reaped, it would pass to whatever came after. Some Reapings went wrong and ghost were created - others simply refused to leave this earth; but to have someone wake the dead? It had to be impossible. Humans didn't have such power. Then again, the murder was human looking, but not mortal.
"Urgh, this is going in circles! I'll never get anywhere at this rate!" She ranted, standing up and pacing desperately to vent her frustrations. "Facts: A woman and her two children were murdered on East End by a non mortal. There seems to be no reason behind this. Their bodies have been disposed off, so there is no way to be sure what killed them. Something old, or very vague and unknown, for not even a Legend could identify the aura. Powerful? Maybe, nothing is known. However… the aura wasn't hidden. Perhaps it was only growing in power, and needed human souls?" She stopped. "It is possible. Human souls have the most energy, other than the Supernatural's souls, but those are much harder to take. Maybe the creature wanted to gain power, so it started small, as not to attract that much attention...or could only manage that much. In the first case, it could be that the creature is underdeveloped, but it has intelligence, on the other hand, it just could've gotten lucky." Her hands went back and forth as she fought over which idea to believe.
"Though what creature could it be? What, other than a Demon, takes souls? It makes no sense. And a Necromancer? Is that what the creature was? Was that the one who killed them, only so that they would serve as test subjects? It sounds plausible, but then...why not take the people already dead? It would surely lead to far less trouble. Yet they chose a hindu family, whose bodies are cremated, instead of preserved. This means the criminal doesn't know much about that culture, so it couldn't belong to it." She sat at the edge with a sigh. It was sunset already. She hadn't eaten all day and was exhausted. "I need to rest. I won't get anywhere like this." The redhead jotted down those notes on a spare journal she kept on her since the investigation began. Those were written neatly and in an organized fashion. She leapt down the side, opening a portal below her to head back to her home Realm.
The other side opened up, the orange hue of the sky lighting everything in a faint gold. She hadn't thought of where in the Realm she wanted to land, instead only dreaming about a nice cup of warm tea and a hot meal. Perhaps some good company. She almost laughed when she saw she had arrived at Mary Ann's Flower Shop. "She did say to come by more oftenly." With a smile, the door was pushed open, and the soft smell of flowers of various kinds wafted through the air.
"Hello! Mary Ann, it's Grell." The elder reaper came forth, holding a moderate bouquet of roses and lilies in pastel pinks. "Oh, hello dear. Do come in, how have you been? I heard of what happened at the Library, with those two Reapers." Grell went over to the motioned chair across the counter that separated the main room from the back workshop. She sighed, picking a strand of hair to play with it. "I've been doing better, thank you. Though that was a slap to the face. I'm glad Alan and Eric helped me out after that." The woman of caramel locks intertwined with white from her age sat on the other side, offering her guest a cup of tea - just as she had wanted. She sipped the warm beverage, enjoying how it felt as it went down her throat. It was relaxing, and she felt the day's taxing tension slip away, if only for a minute. "How nice to have such good friends. Your apprentice came by today, wanting to buy flowers for one of his dates. He told me of how you put those in their place. I couldn't agree with him more, they got what they deserved and you, my dear, are doing much, much better. I'm proud." She gave a soft, reassuring smile. "There aren't many like you, and that's alright. It simply makes you special, and to have such a nice flower torn, it is a sin. Beauty is not all a flower like you is, you are also dangerous for your thorns, and that is what you have shown. You are much more than what meets the eye." Her aged hand came to rest atop Grell's covered one, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Tell me, what have you been up to, dear?" The effeminate's eyes watered, but no tears fell. She smiled. "William put me up on some investigation in the mortal world. It was a murder by a Supernatural, but we don't know who the criminal is. The murderer is definitely strange, not within normal parameters. This case has got me running in circles, and it's only been a few days!" She drank more of the tea, wishing for its calming effects on her vexed nerves. "Dear me! I do hope you find them soon. But lets not talk about work now. How has your life been as of late? I want to know of the Reaper that is so unique, even to this world." The two talked into the night, tears were shed and comforting hugs were handed. There were so many years of emotional pain that had been bottled up for so long, finally let free completely. Mary Ann was by no means her best friend, but she was a willing listener with a kind-hearted soul. A kindred spirit on the lookout for those in need. Grell had never been so happy to meet someone in her entire life.
"Goodnight, my dear. Do get some rest. You'll need your wits for tomorrow." She waved as the other went out the porch, waving also. "Goodnight to you too! Thanks, I will." She went back to her apartment, taking the time just to walk and stare at the beauty in which she lived in. It was a starry night, the moon shone bright and the wind danced with her hair. It was peaceful, and she reveled in it. It felt so good to be home, mostly, because finally, it felt good to be herself.
Whoo! Another chapter is up! Before I forget, for the Seven Bells and the Nine Gates, I got that from the 'Old Kingdom' book series by Garth Nix. Tbh, I haven't read the books, but I heard that was mentioned and got an idea. Also, Undertaker's plan is actually canon, but with a few tweaks on my behalf. Just wanted to say that before I forgot - as it usually happens. On the other side, I just want to say that this story is coming out of nowhere! Ideas and words just pop into my head when I sit down to write. It was supposedly a one shot, then it evolved into Grell finding herself...and then I just had to put in the Undertaker and create all this drama and mystery. It's the first time I do something so unplanned like this, but it's fun. I like it, because I'm surprised of what I can accomplish.
And in a way, this story is just about that, of being who you are despite what goes on around you, because if you're not you, then what can you be? Grell faces many problems and life is a constant surprise. She's learning how to deal with it and make the best of what she can, to be the best she can be. I dunno, but I guess that's what I feel. ****Feelings and that stuff aside, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and will stay for what's to come. Also, I don't own the Kuroshitsuji characters - Yana Toboso does.
Parting is such sweet sorrow, but until we meet again, I shall await! ;)
