Ciel, Sebastian, and Aria stood in the hallway waiting to enter the room where the meeting of the Aurora Society would be taking place.
"You're kidding," Ciel looked at his butler as if waiting for a punch line.
"I am afraid not, My Lord," Sebastian hung his head in apology.
"Dear Lord," Ciel smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, staring at the floor. Aria stood of to the side, giggling madly. "The 'Elite of Britain'…and THAT is the sign of their order?"
Sebastian only nodded solemnly while Aria leaned on the wall to prevent her fit of laughter from forcing her to the floor.
"Well, then," Ciel looked up with resolve, "let's get this over with."
~#*DS*#~
A few moments and several "The PHEONIX!" signs later, the trio was standing in a large hall waiting for the showing to begin.
"My Lord Phantomhive, that was HILARIOUS!," a raspy voice came from behind them following the most recent showing of "the PHEONIX!" "I owe you information for LIFE after that!"
"Undertaker?" Ciel turned, not believing what he was hearing. Sebastian stood close behind him with Aria frowning off to the side.
"Sebastian," her soft voice was cautious, "he's—"
"The Undertaker, Miss," the man in the black robes offered her a hand. She took it, curtsying lightly. Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Never had he seen Aria curtsy in this way. It was shallow as opposed to her typical move that took her to the floor, and never did her emerald eyes leave the Undertaker's face when normally she would avert her gaze, lowering her eyes to show respect. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I assure you," Aria replied, an overly courteous smile on her red painted lips, "The pleasure is all mine."
"Undertaker," Sebastian stepped up in a somewhat defensive manner in response to Aria's obvious discomfort. "Allow me to introduce you to our young Lord's new governess, Miss Aria Meriwether."
"You're a pretty thing for a governess," Undertaker giggled, "Most I see are common as a rainy day in Britain."
"Thank you for your kind words," Aria curtsied in that strange way again. Undertaker turned to Sebastian.
"I very much enjoyed your dancing skills at the party," he chuckled, "please do forgive my sneeze there at the end." Sebastian tried to hide the annoyance that flared in his mind.
"Undertaker!" Ciel snapped, "What are you doing here?" Aria took this opportunity to fade out of the strange man's attention. Sebastian did the same. He didn't like the change in her the Undertaker had caused.
They made their way over to a small, empty corner of the room where they could talk while still being able to see Ciel. Aria stood with her arms crossed over her chest, staring out the large picture window.
"Miss Aria," Concerned, Sebastian placed an arm around her shoulders. Aria jumped at his touch, then closed her eyes with a sigh. She drummed her gloved fingers on her lips as she spoke quietly.
"There's something…off…about him," she whispered. Sebastian chuckled.
"Well, yes…he is an odd character."
"No," Aria cut him off, shaking her head. "It isn't his personality…he's hiding something." Here, she turned, looking at Sebastian with a hard frown. "Sebastian, I cannot tell what he is." This was the last thing the butler expected to hear her say.
"But," he looked over his shoulder to where the Undertaker was chatting with Ciel. "You're a Seraph…"
"I KNOW," Aria clutched her head in frustration, "we name things. It's my job to know the natures of creatures both divine and earthly…but something is hiding his true self from me."
This was troubling, to be sure, but by the way Aria was reacting, it seemed as though this finding was earth shattering. She was now nervous to the point of being frantic, and that made the demon himself uncertain.
"Aria," Sebastian took hold of her shoulders and looked her in the eye, "what's been troubling you? You are the most powerful being here, and yet you're afraid. Something changed the night we danced. What is going on?"
"I don't know, Sebastian," she turned from him, swiping at the tears that threatened her eyes. "Something doesn't feel right. I cannot tell you yet, but something is very wrong."
The demon sighed and stepped closer to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her even closer in their secluded corner of the room.
"Everything will be alright," he whispered with his face resting on her hair, "I would die before allowing any harm to come to you, the Master, or anyone he cares for."
Aria nodded, though tears flooded her face at his words.
You would die for us? Those were not the words I needed to hear, Sebastian. I needed you to say you would LIVE for me. That no matter what happened, you would live. That when danger came, you would flee so that you would be here to share the future with me. You would live…and you would love me…
~#*DS*#~
Inside the exhibition room, Sebastian, Aria, and Ciel waited expectantly to see what the man in the front of the room was about to reveal. They watched as he greeted a family dressed in black. The woman was sobbing as they approached the casket of their daughter who had recently been killed in an accident.
The man, Ryan Stoker spoke lovely words of life and death. He spoke of how death had claimed this young woman before her time, and that now, the Aurora Society would be giving back the life she still deserved to be living.
Aria frowned when electricity began flowing around the young girl, and when she stood, Aria herself stood, wide-eyed, and gripping at Sebastian's arm. Sebastian and Ciel both looked at the Seraph, awaiting her say on what was now climbing out of the casket to the sound of claps and cheers. Aria, however, was shaking her head and stepping back with terror in her eyes.
"It's—" she stammered, "It's empty!" The law of creation was that for a human or divine being to live, breath, move…exist, there had to be a soul attached to that being. What stood before them defied every law of creation. It was a soulless human, and yet, it stood before them, embracing its mother. Ciel turned, frowning at the stage.
Then it began. Screams flooded the room as the horrified onlookers scattered. The girl began chewing through her own mother's neck before attacking her father.
"Aria, what is that?" Sebastian placed himself defensively before his master. Aria did the same.
"I don't know!" Aria deflected a man as he ran on a crash course with Ciel. "She's no creation of God's design, that's certain."
When the room had emptied, Sebastian ran at the creature. He jumped into a graceful summersault, grabbing her arm, and slamming her full-force into the ground as he landed lightly behind her. The girl groaned, but was on her feet quickly, lunging at the demon. Aria began to run forward.
"No!" Sebastian shouted, "Stay with the Master. Keep him out of harm's way." Aria didn't like this plan, but she nodded and did as she was instructed.
Sebastian darted this way and that, making what should have been fatal blows as he went, but nothing seemed to faze the monstrous girl. Now having lost an arm, she kept coming at him as though it was nothing.
"I'm certain she should be dead by now," Sebastian mused as he stepped closer to Aria and Ciel.
Just then, there was a loud crashing noise, and the ceiling came down in large chunks of stone and wood. Aria grabbed Ciel and leapt, rolling to the corner of the room to avoid the rubble that rained down upon them. She now crouched, Ciel beneath her, and awaited what came next.
A figure rose out of the debris, man with wild, blonde hair, glasses, and what Aria knew to be a push-lawn mower. She identified him as a Grim Reaper, and stood cautiously, keeping Ciel securely by her side.
"You must be the famous demon Sebastian my superior keeps babbling about," the man spoke. "I am Reaper, Ronald Knox, from collections." He then spotted the undead girl coming at Sebastian again. In a fluid motion, he leapt into the air and brought his modified scythe down on her head sending a shower of blood in all directions. He shook the blood from it and stood facing Sebastian once again.
"What are they?" the demon asked simply.
"We don't know that part," Ronald shrugged. "All we know is that they aren't human, and that you oust 'em by takin' off their heads." Sebastian nodded.
The Butler then noticed the man who had been speaking before sneaking out the back door.
"Master!" he shouted, but Ciel was already making his way out the door behind the man. Sebastian moved to follow, but was cut off by the death scythe that the Reaper placed before him.
"Now, now," Ronald wagged a finger. "Can't just let a demon roam around here willy-nilly."
"Aria!" Sebastian roared, irritated.
"Don't worry," She called over her shoulder as she darted out behind Ciel, "I've got him!"
"Well," the Reaper smiled wickedly, "who's the kitten, demon?"
Sebastian turned on Ronald with fire in his eyes, but a calm expression on his face. The half-smile placed there made the Reaper shiver.
"Her name is Aria," the demon's eyes swam with opalescent red, "and she's mine."
~#*DS*#~
A/N: sorry, I know I usually have chapters out for this one every couple of days or so, but I'm on vacation now, and the internet access is not as available as I'd hoped. ((You have to pay for it in our condo.)) Anywho, until next Saturday, I'll get chapters up whenever I can…TRUST me on that one. I've looked forward to this part of the story since before I decided to actually write it, and I can't wait to share it with you all!
Here's a shout out to all my…3? Fans in the Bahamas! You might run into me if you're here in Nassau!
Don't forget to comment ((CONSTRUCTIVE criticism only if you will, please)), and I'm a beta reader now, so send me your stories if you'd like them looked over!
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Happy reading and writing, everyone!
