William played with the bubbles, lifting his hand from the water to watch them pop. The water was hot, but not scalding, and he sank in deeper, enjoying the leisure moment he desperately craved. Phantom aches and pains bothered him, and with a sigh, he tilted his head back against the tub rim.

He was tired.

Taking advantage of his alone time was selfish, but sleep was making him forget. He didn't really care. Struggling to stay awake, he opened his eyes to look at the pale ceiling. The blue walls closed around him, and yet were calming.

What am I doing with my life? A question that had been bothering him for a while. Grell's seemingly imminent death had brought these doubts and worries, and he was questioning his life, his very existence.

Death was supposed to eventually claim all.

It was tightening its grip around Grell's soul, leaving only him and Undertaker to fight it.

Once allies, they were now enemies. Death against the shinigami.

Undertaker was his new ally. The thought was slightly comforting.

Will remembered yesterday, remembered that demon. He could still feel the satisfaction that flooded his being when he killed it. The adrenaline and pleasure flowing through his veins.

"Will? I really need to talk to you." Undertaker's voice was slightly muffled by the door.

"Why? I'm in the bath."

"Like I said, it's important. Can I come in?" Undertaker did make it sound urgent, his voice filled with nervousness. William looked down, deciding that with all the bubbles practically up to his chin, it didn't matter. He groaned and reached for his glasses on the nearby counter, placing them gently on his nose.

"Fine, come on in."

The door opened quickly, Undertaker looking tired, the book wide open in his hands. He began laughing.

"That's a lot of bubbles you got there."

"Be quiet. What did you need to so desperately show me?" William glared threateningly, annoyed that he had been interruptted.

"No need to get snappy, bubbles are fine. It's kind of adorable actually-"

"Undertaker-"

"Right." The older shiningami crossed the room, getting as close to Will as possible. Trying to ignore the creeping awkwardness, Will sat up to look at the book, fighting away his blush.

"What am I looking at?"

"What you've looked at before, I'm presuming. It's about a soul that, when exposed, is attractive to demons." Undertaker looked at Will, wearing his best serious-face. "You see, demons go after souls, obviously. They can now take it from Grell because his humanity is catching up to him."

When he paused, Will looked up at him confused. "I fail to see your point. I mean, this much was sort of obvious."

"I know. But, if you think about it, that demon should have got to Grell's soul quickly. It didn't. Something was stopping it, so it resorted to hacking it from her body, much like our kind do-"

"Yeah, thanks for the mental image." Will frowned, causing Undertaker to look hurt.

"Sorry."

"Whatever. Can you get to your point."

"As I was saying, it couldn't get the soul out physically. Demons drain out souls, and it couldn't even do that. Meaning... Grell's soul isn't really there."

"... What?" Will stared, his eyebrows furrowed. He was struggling to understand. "That doesn't make sense...and wouldn't Grell's soul be more exposed?"

"Yes, and no. Grell is slowly dying like a human, but she's still slightly one of us."

"Alright...I get it... kind of. So... isn't Grell safe?" Will was trying to wrap his head around this whole concept. Undertaker shrugged.

"Well, her soul is a beacon, but it's also tied to her body. At least until she dies. That means demons will mistake that her soul is till inside the body. Which it isn't. But that raises another question. " Undertaker began to flip through some pages, while Will looked at the ceiling exhausted. He was beginning to know where this is going.

"So... where is his soul then?"

"If not here, it's on another plane." Undertaker kept flipping through pages.

"What, like... Heaven?" Wil was baffled.

"Possibly, but not likely. I found other old definitions in here. According to this book, the highest, or 'holiest' plane, is Heaven. Then purgatory, then our plane, which is the Earth plane. Next is limbo, then Hell." Undertaker finally halted on a page, lifting the book to display a picture to Will. On top were angels and humans side by side, next were the pictures of holy saints, then humans. Under them were humans walking, looking lost and alone, their faces haunting. Finally, at the bottom, were demons, their grotesque bodies keeping the damned with them, not relinquishing their power over the weak humans.

Will looked at the bottom of the picture, shuddering. "You don't think Grell is...?"

"In Hell? No. Not limbo either, since he most likely isn't a damned soul. He is of the divine, therefore, I think he's in-"

"Purgatory. "Will murmured, leaning forwards to get a better look at the picture. His movement caused water to splash onto his glasses, obstructing his vision. Terrific, just what he needed. "Ah, shit-"

"Allow me." Undertaker took his glasses, and began to clean the lenses.

"Um... alright, thanks. Again. So... what do you suppose we do?" Will closed his eyes, tilting his head to rest on the side of the tub. Undertaker looked up, admiring the way the dark locks looked so black when wet. Some strands fell onto Will's face, over his closed eyelids, but Will was too tired to mind. Undertaker watched for a bit, wondering if he should tell Will to get some sleep, but he didn't want to nag.

"... I suppose we find her soul in another plane. If it is separated from the body too long, that special connection holding the two together may sever. A demon can then get her soul." Undertaker held up the glasses to the light, and deeming his job accomplished, he perched them on the edge of Will's nose. Will didn't bother to open his eyes.

"That isn't good... so, we check out purgatory." Will yawned, more of his hair falling out of place. Undertaker slowly pushed the loose strands back into place, his hand lingering a second too long. Will didn't notice.

"We do. We'll need help..." Undertaker swallowed, then inhaled deeply. The smell of soap was thick in the room. It smelled like pomegranate. He hesistated before reaching out to push some hair behind Will's ear once more, enjoying the silky texture. Will's eyes fluttered, but he didn't bother opening them yet. He was in deep thought, trying to figure out who could help them, but he couldn't think of anyone.

"Hmm... who can help?" Will frowned a bit, opening his eyes to look up, his head leaning into Undertaker's touch. He frooze, seeming to realize what he was doing. "...uh..."

"..."

Undertaker moved his hand to cup his cheek, his nails scraping the fair skin lightly. His breathing quickened, and he felt a twitching in his stomach. Giddyness. Almost without thinking, he leaned forwards to brush his lips against Will's, closing his eyes. The smell of pomegranate was stronger now.

Will balked for a moment, unable to move. The touch was comforting, but he knew he should pull away. He could smell the detergent on the clothes he gave to Undertaker, and he could feel his silver bangs tickled his face. His eyes were still open, but he didn't pay attention to anything he saw. All he sensed was the other's lips moving against his. He lifted a hand, moving it to grip the back of his neck. He closed his eyes.

Undertaker's face held the barest hints of smile, and he pressed harder, his other hand lifting to grip Will's hair. He tugged at it lightly before running his tongue on Will's lower lip.

Will responded quickly, opening his mouth, feeling the tongue press on. Will moved closer, his other free hand supporting himself against the tub. The movement caused the water to ripple and splash, some of it landing on the floor. He tasted sugar, a sweet taste. A moan escaped, and heat rose to his cheeks. Undertaker didn't notice, instead gripping him harder, nearly forgetting to breathe for air. He bit on Will's lower lip.

This brought Will back to reality. Suppressing a gasp, he pulled away at the delicious pain. As much as he was enjoying the intrusion, he needed to stop.

"... Undertaker..." he opened his eyes slowly, letting go of the other man. Gasping, Undertaker pulled away.

"Uh... I..."

"... This didn't happen...?" Will spoke slowly, his voice quiet. Undertaker paused before nodding.

"Yeah... yes. It didn't happen. It was a mistake." Undertaker stood up, picking up the book he hadn't realized he dropped on the floor. "... Just a mistake."

"Of course." William looked away, a blush rising to his face as he tried to compose himself. Without saying another word, Undertaker left quickly, nearly slipping on some water. He closed the door behind him.

Will watched before silently cursing, sinking a bit deeper into the tub. He felt guilty. Was it wrong to kiss someone if they had a partner, if the kiss was an accident? If it was a kiss that meant nothing? He hoped so. He remembered the night before, when Undertaker threatened him if he ever went near Grell like that. Did he still feel that way? Why did he kiss him?

"Just... the stress. It's getting to him." Convincing himself, Will got out of the tub, grabbing a towel to dry himself off. He walked to the door and opened it, only to find his bedroom empty, with its door closed as well. A bit of rejection tugged at him, but he pushed the feeling down, away to the far recesses of his mind. Opening his drawers, he pulled out some clothes and got dressed, his movements lethargic. It was best to put the moment behind them.


Undertaker had gotten the hell out of that room as fast as he could. He ran into the guest room, collapsing on the bed.

"What was I thinking? I just..." I just kissed Will. He laughed, nervousness knawing at his insides... why did I do it? If Grell finds out...

God, he couldn't face Grell. He could imagine it...

Hey, Grell, while you were dying, I was making out with Will. In his bathroom.

"I just fucked up... no, no, we can out this behind us. Like nothing happened." Undertaker stared up at the white ceiling. He lifted his hand to touch his lips, remembering the slight minty taste. It was still there, lingering... a reminder of a mistake. His mistake.

Suddenly, he heard Will's door, open, and a slow shuffling outside his door. The footsteps carried on down the stairs.

Summoning up all the courage he had, Undertaker left the security of his room and headed downstairs. He found Will finishing his breakfast quickly before downing his coffee. Neither of them said anything as the minutes ticked past.

"So... Will..." Undertaker walked towards him, his gait slow. "... I..."

"You said we needed to find someone to help us earlier, right?" Will interruptted him as he lifted his head. His gaze was steady, conveying a silent message. Just forget about earlier. Undertaker was happy to comply.

"Yes, but I wasn't too sure who we should find." Shrugging off most of the uneasiness, Undertaker sighed.

"I do." Will replied, a hint of contempt in his voice. Undertaker raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"I do. We should leave now. You can check on Grell, and I'll get him." Will grabbed his jacket, pulling it on quickly. Undertaker was faced with a reminder of his own wet clothes, and a trace of guilt stabbed at him once more. He was already getting better at ignoring it.

"Who are you getting." Undertaker headed for the door with Will, avoiding looking at him. Will paused as he reached to open the door.

"Someone who might know more than us. Sebastian Michaelis. "


And there you have it!

Yes, I brought Sebastian into this! He might possibly play a large part later... *cue evil laughter*

Until next time, Au Revoir!