Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls
A/N: Just a warning that Sophie will be acting like a little kid in this chapter. Why? Well she just regained lost memories, but having them come back all of the sudden is putting her through loops. So she's going back and forth trying to figure out her true personality and such. We'll just see how she ends up, huh? =D And I hope you like this chapter! Sorry it took me a while to post it! I got busy with school and finals that it slipped my mind ^^;
Oh and almost forgot, yeah I feel that I tweaked Undertaker's character too much. Well I read some of these other fanfics and before he retired he's shown to be rather stern/calm and stoic, so that's how I like to see him actually. I don't know if anyone else has those same opinions on him as I do, but I'm going to be playing off of that. So yeah, that's it, enjoy! =D
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William looked at his watch as he walked casually down the white hallways. It was almost morning, but he figured he would go by the infirmary on his way back to work. The incident with Sophie and the demons last night had a lot of the staff working into the early hours of the morning cleaning up the mess, with William being one of them. His supervisor told him he wouldn't have to come into work this morning, but he insisted that he finish the paperwork on this case first before getting any rest. Even though his supervisor had to make it a direct order, William was given break time, a mere fifteen minutes. So he felt the need to go and visit Alex and Sophie in the infirmary. He walked passed two sliding double doors and walked into the waiting room. A secretary looked up at him and smiled, knowing exactly why he was there. "Hello Mr. Spears," she said, setting her pen down. "Are you here to see Alexander Agon again?"
"And Sophia Ioreta," he wanted to point out, where she only nodded in a reply.
"I will page a nurse to come and get you. They are in a restricted part of the hospital, but if you are escorted by a nurse or doctor you won't have any problems." William nodded to her, sitting down in one of the chairs and deciding to wait. The secretary looked over at him before letting out a sigh and continued on with her work.
He grabbed a nearby magazine and decided to flip through it, only seeing things that perhaps Grell would be interested in. 'By the way,' he realized, 'where was Grell?' He hadn't seen him since he talked to him that night, so William wondered if he went home or is still in Sophie's room. He sighed, flipping through the pages tediously before the doors opened with a harsh toss.
William looked up, flinching back at what he saw. He saw a man in a mortician's outfit, his clothes drenched in water. He looked as if he had been through hell and back, huffing slightly when he slammed his hands against the deck. The secretary jolted back in shock, looking up and noticing him. "Where. Is. Sophia?" he huffed, looking at her with a daunting aura coming from him.
"Sophia who?" she asked, setting her pen back down.
"Sophia… just Sophia. They told me she would be here," he told her, wiping his brow.
The woman frowned, noticing how tense he was, "Are you okay –"
"I'm fine," he said rather gruffly. She blinked in confusion and he noticed what he had done. He let out a cough, taking his hands off of her deck and standing up taller and more proper.
"Mr. Undertaker," he heard a voice behind him, causing him to turn around and come into contact with William. William's eyes went wide yet again before he let out a cough and adjusted his glasses. "I am William T. Spears. My superior is having me work on this case. I am currently waiting for a nurse to escort me to where they have Miss Sophia, but I can fill you in on the details in the –"
"I don't intend on waiting for a nurse," he said in a monotone voice as he looked over at the secretary again. "Tell them I have DMSD access," he said simply, walking past two doors and having them swing behind him. William looked at the secretary in hesitance before walking past the swinging doors and catching up with the Undertaker. He stood sternly as he tried to show no hesitance in his voice. The Undertaker stopped as he came to a fork in the road. William simply walked past him, leading the way. The Undertaker didn't show any emotion to him, simply following William down the white hallways. "So you said you would fill me in on what is going on, right Mr. Spears?" he said, William looking up at him before adjusting his glasses.
"Yes sir," he said, taking a turn down the hallway before proceeding. "We have come to believe that Sophia Serbus is an easy target for demons, which is the reason why they were after her. When I told her the nature of how she defeated the demons, the council told me to not repeat the information I had found and –"
"I do not care what that council thinks," he said roughly, "what I want to know is if Sophia is okay or not."
William paused for a second before continuing down the hallway and gathering his confidence. "The two shinigamis involved were the students Sophia and Alexander. Alexander has several cuts and bruises on his body, while Sophia was found with a few minor stab wounds. She has a deep stab wound in her back and a faint line of a stab wound leading down from her neck and to her chest. She has not awaken since we found her, but her wounds had already healed even though the stab wound on her back may leave a scar for a while. As far as I've been told she is doing fine, merely sleeping due to exhaustion… I just have a question for you," he decided to ask.
The Undertaker looked over at him with little interest, "What is it?"
"Why would you insist that Sophia needed to stay with you –"
"I did not insist Mr. Spears," he looked at him before letting a sigh escape his lips. "It was… well I have seen many cases as hers in my lifetime. I have known this council for a long time; they would not care if she died from the demons and became food for them. True, the shinigami realm may alert when a threatening being is on the premise, but it does not keep them out. It would only be a matter of time till hungry demons would enter the realm to eat her because of her strong scents, also eating other shinigamis along the way." He paused for a second, trying to find the right use of words before he continued. "I pressured Mr. Sutcliff into having his apprentice stay at my house in the human realm because I have a barrier around that building. A demon, or any other being for that matter, would not be able to enter without me knowing. It was the safest place for Sophia to stay at… plus," he smirked at him, "I do not know why~ I insisted. It's nothing I would do normally, but I decided to have her stay with me only because I wanted to pry into her unu~sual~ behaviors."
William nodded, looking at his suitcase with hesitation before setting it down as they began to pass a row of desks. He opened his suitcase, the Undertaker looming over him with curiosity before he picked up a book. He opened the book and flipped through the pages till he got to the part he wanted to show the Undertaker. "I think you should read this," William said, handing the book over to the Undertaker.
He eyed him suspiciously before he looked at the pages presented before him:
'… that was when the records flew around me. How it was a beautiful sight! Such light, such brightness, my heart seemed to be leaping for joy at the sight. I looked over the records slightly, noticing my parents in one of the reels. I let the records come into my body and gasped for air as they did. Then my missing soul came out of Alex and I grabbed it, quickly passing out as soon as my body absorbed the missing parts of my soul.
As I laid there unconscious I saw my missing memories play before my eyes. My mommy, my papa, and everything about the shinigami realm that I had forgotten came back to me in one fell swoop. Even other memories came back to me, which Thomas had not sealed away. They were mainly memories of Dorren, the mad demon, and any knowledge of living in a morgue for the entirety of my human life. I remembered my papa's explanations on the shinigami realm and mainly his role in his existence. His explanation was that he was a God of Death, a man of Death, a bringer of Death. He tried to teach me all he could, everything about his existence and why he was alive. It all had to do with Death, everything to do with a being he called Death. He never told me more on the subject, but Death was his reason for being in this world and not the next. He also said that I would take his place once I became the proper age, taking up his role in the worlds between life and death. "It was more than judging a soul", he would say, "but leading the soul into the afterlife. The soul, either good or bad, needs to know that Death is not something that needs to be feared, but embraced with open arms."
Then the strange thing was the darkness he had me see when I was training with him. It was different then the night and day, only complete darkness. It dawned on me now why I had the powers I had. Then my memories kept playing, showing my papa's death and when I almost lost my mommy and Thomas sealed away my powers. That's when I realized who was that shinigami that was always there? Who was he to me?
My memories kept coming and I saw a terrifying sight, the day I had gotten sick a year after Haden died. How I was so scared to die. During my illness I would regain and lose the sealed memories in my mind, and I began to recognize him… the Undertaker, my papa's friend… my father. I don't know if it is right to call him daddy now, but in my illness I noticed who he really was in my sealed memories. That did not last long, for I remember waking up the next day and not remembering the sudden death I came across that night. That's when I realized, who am I really? Is this really my soul or someone else's?
I couldn't take it, not knowing if this soul was mine or someone else's. Perhaps I was just using this person called Sophia Serbus, for how do I know if that's me or not. I have no authority with the shinigamis to look at my records. If I did maybe I would know by now… or maybe I'm just using this human name because their cinematic record is stuck inside of me. That is what I need to find out, if I am really this human or something else entirely.
When I woke up I…'
The Undertaker stopped, closing the book and looking at the cover. His eyes widened as he put his hands over the letters, "Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus…" Then he looked over at William and handed the cinematic record back to him.
"I am sorry," he said timidly, "I actually knew and –"
"If you had known then why didn't you tell me?" he growled, William taking a step back slightly. He never heard that sound from the Undertaker or this new personality of his at all! He was used to hearing him being giggly and bubbly in a rather creepy fashion. Was that all an act, or was this his act? "It does not matter anyhow," he said gruffly, "take me to her already. I'm sick and tired of your incompetence Mr. Spears."
He coughed slightly, grabbing his suitcase and hastily walked down the hallway. William figured that the sooner he got the Undertaker to Sophie's room then the sooner he would be back to his normal self. Luckily for them they were only a few doors away and William opened the door. He walked inside and only found Grell passed out next to the bed, no Sophie to be found. "Sutcliff!" William yelled, Grell jolting back and waking up.
"Will –" he paused, noticing the missing body. "Sophie! Awe shoot!" he yelled, standing right up. "S-she was here a second ago Will, I swear –"
The Undertaker glared at William, walking out of the room without a second's notice. The door slammed behind him, William narrowing his eyes at Grell. "I thought you were supposed to watch her."
"Sorry Will~iam~~" he said, running over to the door and opening it. "I didn't know where she went, honest! She just disappeared." Grell looked at his watch, noticing the time. "She could only be gone for thirty minutes, so maybe she didn't go far."
"For your sake Grell she better still be nearby," he said roughly, leaving the room and hastily going towards the front of the infirmary. He noticed the Undertaker had already left, vanishing from sight.
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The Undertaker grumbled with a foul mood clear on his usual joyful face as he stomped his big-black boots on the ground. With all his expertise they would not let him search for Sophie officially, telling him to go back to the human realm and wait for further instructions if they cannot recover her in two days. Perhaps he didn't make it clear about his position? Either way he was rather tired from trying to track Sophie down all night. Now all this new information about her was making his brain hurt. He should have asked for her last name, but it never came up in their conversations. Once Sophie was found he would have to ask her why she liked going to his particular morgue. Was it him or merely the morgue? From reading over the two pages of her cinematic record, it was clear to him that it was simply to regain her memories. How he could let this happen… well it was not the time to blame himself anymore. He had done that several times in the past and right now he had to find her before her soul was eaten by a demon. Even if she had regained her powers it was only a short amount of time, and once those powers faded the demons will be back to get her again.
He looked up and noticed the tall tree at the top of the cemetery coming into view. The rain hadn't stopped since one in the morning, the sky being cloudy even though the sun had begun to rise. Once he got to the top of the hill the Undertaker heard huffing and puffing, dirt being thrown to the side as someone was digging into a grave. He narrowed his eyes once he noticed it was Sophie's grave. He looked into the grave with interest, noticing a woman with matted auburn hair in a muddy white medical gown facing away from him. She had a shovel in hand as she worked as fast as she could with determination in her eyes to uncover the secrets she had been looking for. She didn't even notice when the man jumped into the grave, until his long-black sleeves wrapped around her small frame. She began to shriek, screaming at him to let her go. "Let me go!" she yelled, pushing him away.
She glared at him, her human blue/green eyes staring at him with terror hidden in her now knowing eyes. "Sophia…" he said, a worried look on his face.
Once she knew he wasn't going to interrupt her she went back to her work, shoveling the dirt away from the coffin she had finally uncovered. It was a nice brown casket, everything still finely polished to last for many more years to come. She grabbed the lid, and as she threw it off and she let out a gasp. The Undertaker had to move around the coffin to see what she was looking at, the woman standing there petrified in shock. Once he came around he noticed that the casket was completely empty, no body to be found. All that was left was dried up lilies he had left in the coffin, which held a few forget-me-nots among the bouquets of lilies. "So… I'm Sophia?" she whimpered quietly, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked at the grave in confusion.
The Undertaker just stood there, unsure of what to do in this situation. Even over the many years he had been alive this was a puzzling turn of events. Just when did her body get up and walk away? It couldn't have vanished… could it? It didn't matter now. The corpse was standing right in front of him, tears being mixed in with the raindrops that fell upon her face. He slowly wrapped his arms back around her waist, pulling her away from the coffin as he did so. "My dear, are you okay?"
She paused before turning her head and looking at him. He frowned, noticing the sadness in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. "N-no…" she responded, biting down on her bottom lip and looking away from him. "I… I'm… I-I'm m-mee?"
He turned her body around, her eyes going wide in shock as he did. He smiled to her, brushing her auburn hair from the front of her face. "Little Sophia, don't cry –"
"Daddy!" she gasped, clinging her arms around his coat. She kept crying as she felt the Undertaker brush his long-boney hands through her tangled hair. She coughed a little as the cold rain began to freeze her human body.
He grabbed her shivering body and helped himself out of the grave along with Sophia and he set her back down on the ground. "You go inside. I had better recover this grave." Without hesitation he jumped back into the grave, stopping slightly as he began to close the casket. He sighed, running a hand through the soft cushioning on the inside of the grave. How hard he worked on this coffin to make it as perfect as he could for his little maiden's big day, but it was less of a great day then a nightmare for him. He knew she would be in a better place, sure, but even after years of losing people he had grown close to, sometimes the pain of loss still stings. Setting her coffin into the ground and burying her into the earth, it will forever stay in his aged mind the thoughts going through his head even though he knows she is now alive. He set the lid down; grabbing the shovel Sophie was using and reburying the grave, finally patting down the soggy soil on top of her grave. He looked over and noticed Sophie had not moved from the spot he had set her down in as she stared at him with frightened eyes. "Come… let's get you inside," he said simply, taking his time as he grabbed the shovel and started to walk down the hill. She looked up at him and subconsciously followed him down the road to the morgue at the bottom of the hill, coughing up some blood into her hand as she kept shivering immensely.
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Sophie sat in the tub as she gently rubbed her body with a small bar of soap. She still held a tired and faint expression on her face, looking over at the Undertaker as he stood behind her back as she bathed. He wasn't going to leave her alone; too afraid of what she may do to herself once he left the room. He kept a frown on his face as his eyes kept staring at the horrible gash in her back. Sophie didn't seem to notice his expression, still scrubbing her body and then her hair. She whimpered quietly to herself, rinsing out the soap that lingered in her hair and on her body. The Undertaker sighed soon after she finished, walking over to her before she could get up. "Here let me help," he said, cleaning her back with a soapy sponge and re-cleaning her hair. She hadn't done a good job as she left blood and grime in her hair and all around her body. She just stared at the mucky water, her eyes registering only a dim look to her normally lively blue/green eyes.
The whole event took her by storm as her memories had come back to her in a simple flash. The things that worried her weren't her physical ability but her mental capacity to understand everything in her memories. Not only did she regain her memories with the Undertaker as her father, but she also regained her memories that Thomas had sealed away long ago. She couldn't help but frown as she remembered her father falling over onto the ground. The feeling of pain and guilt was greatly different then before because now she knew the man behind the knife. Dorren, oh how she loathed him for killing her father and even her mother. If it hadn't been for him she wouldn't have died so early and would probably be living with her parents in whatever place they were going to escape to. She let in a chilled breath as the Undertaker scraped off some of the dry blood from her back. "Undertaker…" she finally said, his head looking up in concern, "what was my papa to you? What about my mommy?... what am I to you?"
He looked at her before going back to working on her back. "Your father… well I had known him for years," he said as he made a long emphasis on the 'years'part. "He had actually been searching for someone for as long as I could remember him, someone to complete his poor lonely soul. That's when your mother showed up as he was on a mission to take her grandmother's soul. It was there that he first met her, her crystal blue eyes staring at him as he came near to the bed. He told me it was a scary experience, seeing the young maiden kneeling next to the bed as she comforted her grandmother with an all-knowing smile on her face. She wasn't saying things to scare her, but to invite her into Death's cold embrace with loving arms. Just that feeling of warmth made him want to come back there, and he did so over and over again. Your mother… well your mother is as dear to me as she is to your father. I actually like to think of your father as my own brother, a little brother if you will," he chuckled, letting out a sigh as he set the sponge down in the tub.
"They were a happy couple, their joy increasing ten-fold as they spend every waking moment with each other. Your father would take time off of his busy schedule to be with her, trying to see her at least once a day. I would come with him most of the time, making sure he was keeping himself out of trouble so I wouldn't have to work on any overtime. Plus I found the whole situation entertaining. A human and a God of Death, oh what pleasurable amusement! Then one day her parents caught onto his daily visits and soon restricted him to seeing their daughter, and oddly enough seeing him as the God of Death he is. Well," he shrugged, "that's when your mother started running away with the thoughts of having to marry other men. Sure, every young lady wants to marry a gentleman and have kids, but your mother only wanted your father and he only wanted her. That's when she met Thomas… and eventually you were born. While your mother was first pregnant with a child your father felt that it was his duty to marry her, so he did with her own consent in a small chapel with a simple priest. It wasn't extravagant with fancy decorations and fancy clothing, but those two young souls were in love and that love was what kept them together and strong through their tough times. That's when he told her, told her everything about himself and his work as a shinigami. How he had lived for two thousand years, but though those years he never found a soul quite like hers and wanted to stay forever faithful to her even unto her death. That's why he stayed and married your mother, eventually resulting in the birth of you. That's when their small lives got complicated, having another life to take care of instead of tending to their own pleasures. Thomas was usually helping your mother, but your father would take extra shifts to earn extra money for them. It was about the time you were five he wanted to retire and live in the human realm, not having told the council of his child but with an excuse that he was tired of being a shinigami. Since he had been a loyal servant for them for years, the council soon granted his wish and wished him well in his retirement. I helped him get his retirement run smoothly with the council, being the only other being who knew about his human family. He was almost ready to go, only having a few more jobs to accomplish before he could retire… but that's when that demon came and took him away from you and your mother."
He sighed, Sophie looking behind once she heard him sigh. "Even if you had never noticed me, I had seen you grow up from a newborn to a child. Sure, you had been raised in a loving family, but you could have turned out different nonetheless with living around the dead for so long. I had always seen your soul as an old soul as I listened to your questions to your parents and the strong look of all-knowing intelligence in your eyes. That's probably why they called you Sophia, or that's what I had always thought. Either way you were like a daughter to me even if I couldn't help you directly. So when your father died I had decided to take up retirement myself, not seeing the point to stay in a position that had become boring after his death. Once I did I saw that the morgue was in need of a new mortician. So I took the position, noticing from the death list before I left for good that your mother and Thomas had recently died. I wondered where you had gone to, but my questions were soon answered when I met you talking to your mother's grave. You were as lively as I remembered you! The thought of death never seemed to scare you as your questions were direct and to the point about everything. At first I didn't think much of it, but once you came to live at the morgue again and helped me with getting started it was then that I noticed it was truly the young maiden that had lived there for years. So when I learned your relatives left you at the orphanage I adopted you, not wanting to see my brother's daughter become cold and distant from her own heritage. That is why I adopted you, Sophia, because I really do care about you. You can hate me or never believe my story, but it's true. I just hope you can accept it, my confession to you."
Sophie looked at him, her eyes slowly turning warm to his sly smile that began to grow on his face. She couldn't help but smile back. "I believe you," she said, letting out a sigh. "This is just a lot for me to handle… all of the sudden I know how my father died, and the shinigami world I had known but was kept away from… and forgetting who you really were to me probably hurts me the most about all of this," she smiled to him, "because… I remember I didn't want you to be lonely when I would see you with my father, but yet I was keeping myself lonely this whole time and didn't even realize it till now. I guess a lot of creatures need some form of companionship every once in a while." She chuckled to herself, a tear falling down her face as she brushed it away.
"That is true," he responded with a smile, grabbing a towel for her and letting her wrap it around herself as she stood up. She stepped out of the tub, letting the water drip down her body as she shivered from the sudden cold. She pulled the drain, a sweet smile lingering on her face as she let out a small sneeze. He chuckled, picking her body up into his arms as he walked out of the bathroom, leaving her dirty clothes on the ground to be cleaned later. He walked into the bedroom and set her down on the bed and walked to his closet to hand her one of his white shirts, which was large enough to cover down past her knees.
She took it gladly, the Undertaker turning around and facing the wall as she took off the towel and slipped on the white shirt. "I don't see the point in you turning around," she shrugged, "you've probably seen me naked many times already… even if I don't practically remember how many times."
He chuckled, turning around slowly once he heard her setting the towel down on a nearby chair and then hearing the bed squeak as she sat down. "Only when I have to… little maiden," he told her, grabbing the bed sheets and tucking her in as if she was still the little girl he had been caring for about ten years. "Is there anything you want me to do before I let you sleep?"
Sophie thought for a second, before a meek smile came to her face. "Can you sleep here with me?"
"Of course," he chuckled, walking to the other side of the bed and slipping under the covers. He set his hat down on a nightstand, blowing out the rest of the candles before turning over in the bed. The Undertaker looked over at Sophie's face as she stared at him, which she held a bright and joyous smile on her face. He wrapped his arms around her shivering body and pulled her close to his, while she scooted up slightly in the bed so they could see eye to eye.
Sophie stared at his face in awe, about to move the silver bangs from his face before she stopped herself. He smiled, lightly moving her own bangs away from her eyes as he brushed her face. "I know you normally don't show people, but can I see your eyes again?"
He chuckled, kissing her on the forehead. "You don't have to ask." She smiled, brushing her soft fingers over his face as she brushed his hair away. She stared up in sudden awe, putting a finger on his double-iris green and yellow eye and following his scar with her index finger. He couldn't help but keep a smile on his face, watching as Sophie's crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared with affection at his own.
He noticed as her head bobbed slightly and he grabbed her softly, but firmly, in his normal embraces. She curled up into his neck, her breath breathing on the top of his chest as he curled up and breathed on her head. "Thank you… daddy," she finished, a chuckle escaping the Undertaker's lips as the last word slipped past her lips. They stayed like that for the rest of the night, Sophie eventually nodding off into a content sleep with a happy smile lingering on her face.
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Sophie hummed to herself as she dusted the cobwebs from the corner of the morgue. Undertaker was also humming his own tune as he happily sewed up another corpse with superb perfection. She soon sighed as her eyes lingered to the window. She remembered how she was younger Thomas had prepared a small chair for Sophie and she would sit on it as she watched the pedestrians walk by. She would spend hours doing so if she wasn't allowed to go outside, making random comments on a person that went by like "his hair is pretty" or "her soul is beautiful". That went on until she had to leave with her mother to their house in the country, but it was still a nice memory to remember.
She felt arms snake around her and she giggled, the Undertaker placing his head on her shoulder as he looked out the window with her. "What are you looking at little maiden?"
"Oh nothing~" she smirked, leaning backwards into his embrace, "just remembering things."
He smiled, giving her a peck on the cheek before going back to his work. The Undertaker looked up, watching as Sophie set the feather duster on a nearby coffin and scooted it closer to the window. Then she sat there, watching the pedestrians walking by right outside the window. It had taken her several days to warm back up to her normal self, if you can call it normal. Sophie was still trying to figure out who she was now, human or reaper. She had changed so much since she joined the academy, speaking up more often instead of listening and being less friendly to everyone. She was always cautious about other people, not wanting to insult them or have them hurt her if they got too close to her. Her human life was different. She was friendly and always wanted to make a new friend even if it led to trouble. She had pain about her parents dying, but she coped with that feeling by finding the good in people and growing their friendships around that. In truth, she really hadn't strayed away from who she really was. Sophie liked to make friends, see the good in people, but she had to say she was weary of getting her heart broken… wearily of seeing people close to her die.
That was her problem, seeing others die. She didn't want to see their life go, see them breath their last breath and let death take them over, but now it was her job. She never really liked the idea, only going along with the training because she was grateful that the shinigamis saved her from being killed again. Even when she woke up she didn't feel like seeing people die, but then the instances… seeing someone close to her like Fillin almost die. It killed her inside to have to fight through it, but kept a brave face thought the onslaught. Then Alex… that was even worse. He almost died by her own soul! To think her existence was the reason he was targeted, because he was one of her best friends. It pained her to have it happen and it hurt her heart whenever she thought about everything.
Undertaker was able to help her warm up again. She was beginning to ask questions again and soon she was telling him about what happened to her, both in the few days that had passed and her human life before her memories were sealed away. Sophie wasn't sure if he was going to report on what she had been telling him or not, but some things she hoped he would keep secret. He was the only one she was willing to talk to, even though no one else had come by the morgue since she ran out of the infirmary. She wondered if anyone knew she was there, but she really didn't care about it anymore. Sophie only wanted to stay there, stay with the Undertaker for as long as possible. For some reason he always made her smile, always made warmed her up inside with his award-winning smile. The more she spent time with him, the more she felt he was her father again. Of course he only adopted her and they're not blood related, but she had known him as a father for far longer than her own. Sophie could honestly say that she could trust the Undertaker completely, her life now in his hands.
She gasped suddenly, feeling the cold boney hands wrap around her waist as the Undertaker snuck up on her from behind. "Daddy!" she jumped, almost falling off of the coffin when he snapped her out of her thoughts, "that tickles!" Her eyes went wide once she realized what she said. His smile grew ten-fold and he began attacking her sides, tickling her as he held her close to him. "No stop! Stop!" she laughed, pushing away from him and falling off of the coffin when she kicked at his hand and he let her go.
He leaned over, watching with a smirk on his face as Sophie kept giggling insanely. "Are you okay little maiden?"
She snorted, rolling over to the side as she kept giggling. "Don't touch me…" she said quietly, still holding her sides in defense.
His smile grew larger as he knelt down. "And what if I want~ to?" he said as his hands went for her sides, but she kept them away as she kicked and held her hands to her sides tightly.
Then he began to tickle under her arms and she shrieked, pushing his hands away and leaving her sides vulnerable again. "Daddy stop!" she giggled, the Undertaker giggling along with her as she squirmed away.
After a while he eventually got bored with it, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up off of the ground. She curled up close to his chest, letting out a quiet yawn as she rubbed the tears in her eyes. "Tired?" he asked.
"No thanks to you," she grumbled before a smile came back to her face. He opened up a large coffin, sitting down inside of it with Sophie lying on his chest. "Ummm… what are you doing?" she asked as he simply chuckled.
"Only taking a nap. Why?" he tilted his head to the side.
"Well when I told you Thomas would sometimes set me down in coffins to sleep he didn't lay down with me," she grumbled.
He giggled slightly as he took his hat off and set it down on a nearby coffin. "Why? What's the harm? You have been having me sleep in the same bed with you for years, little maiden," he smirked, Sophie letting out a sigh in defeat.
She ruffled up his hair with annoyance on her face, seeing his green and yellow shinigami eyes as she brushed the bangs away. He contently straightened his hair back and left his bangs away from his eyes, which made her smile. "Whatever," she giggled, setting her head down on his chest as she listened to him softly breathing. Then Sophie let out a yawn, curling up on top of his chest as he wrapped his sleeves around her body.
He gently rubbed her back as she began to sleep, with his heartbeat lulling her to sleep. "Do you still want to me mine~ little maiden?" he asked, leaning his body over to the side slightly so he could get more comfortable in the coffin.
Sophie looked up at his eyes and gave him a smile, nuzzling her head back onto his chest after she did. "Yes," she giggled with glee. "I'm yours… daddy," she finished, closing her eyes and quickly went to sleep.
The Undertaker smiled, gently brushing her auburn hair. Then he let a sigh escape his lips before he gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Good," he whispered into her ear, "Tu mihi… non ego forte tibi… nunquam…" He finished saying as he closed his eyes, a content smile on his face as he slept with her in his arms.
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Alex hustled through the streets of London as his eyes searched through every nook and cranny of the place. "Hey!" Grell whined from behind, "slow down, you rambunctious child~~" he huffed, finally ending up next to Alex as he let out a sigh.
"I don't have time to wait up for you, Miss Sutcliff," he told him, continuing on with his search. Grell paused for a second, a slight blush on his cheeks when Alex said his name with a female pronoun before he continued following him. "We have been searching for Sophie for almost a week now and we can't find her. Not even a body! There has to be something around here, a clue I'm hoping, that will lead us to her."
Suddenly he stopped, Grell almost running into him as they stood in front of a sign. "The Undertaker?" He huffed, "and why here?"
Alex turned to him, narrowing his eyes before he spoke. "I know she has been spending time here, plus he's a knowledgeable person from what Sophie has told me. I'd rather start my search here, even though I find it surprising you hadn't started here in the first place," he finished as he grabbed for the doorknob.
Grell huffed, standing back slightly as he opened the door. "Just like Will~" he said, Alex not really taking it as an insult or a compliment.
"Undertaker?" he said, walking into the room cautiously. Alex scanned the room, only seeing coffins all over the place and cobwebs in a few of the corners. About to turn around and leave a man with a big top hat and black clothing appeared, only a mere inch from his face. "Wha –" Alex jumped back, falling down onto his butt in the middle of the room. He now noticed that Grell walked in casually as he closed the door behind him with an all-knowing smug on his face. He brushed himself off, letting out a huff as he stood back up.
Looking at him now he still found the man very eerie, and he had seen plenty of beings who would fit under the creepy category. He simply fit the bill, with his silver hair hanging over his eyes. If he hadn't known he was a reaper already, he would have thought of him to be almost human. "Wel~come~ Grell and Alex~ander~~" he giggled into his sleeve.
"Yeah hi," Alex said, trying to get straight to the point, "I am here on a mission to look for a fellow reaper named Sophia Ioreta. Do you have any information we could use to find her?"
The Undertaker paused for a second before a giggle escaped his lips. "So dear Will~iam~'s student huh? Very inter~esting~~ that they would give him a half-demon," he smirked, seeing Alex's surprised expression.
"How –"
"He's good with information," Grell shrugged. "And that's why I have to come here all the time," he soon sighed.
"Fine," Alex huffed, "then let's have some information then."
"Not so fast, Alex~" the Undertaker giggled, running over to a table and sat down on it. He grabbed a beaker of tea, or that's what Alex hoped was in it, and he began to drink it down. "You will have to give me payment."
"Payment?" Alex asked as he looked over at Grell's bored expression. "And what is it?"
"That is," he paused, Alex looking over at him with interest and jumped back slightly when he jumped off of the desk, "Show me a first rate laugh~!" he beamed, swinging his body around happily as Alex's mouth just dropped.
"A laugh?... well okay," Alex shrugged, thinking as Grell sat down on a coffin out of boredom. "Uhhh… oh!" he realized, "I have one that someone told me one, and I think you'll like to hear it most of all." He finished, letting the Undertaker settle down before he said the joke. "A man who just died is delivered to the mortuary wearing an expensive and expertly tailored black suit. The mortician asks the dead man's wife how she would like the body dressed. He points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing. However, the woman says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the mortician a blank check and says, 'I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.' The woman returned the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe, the suit fits him perfectly. She says to the mortician, 'Whatever this cost I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I'm very grateful. How much did you spend?' To her astonishment, the mortician presents her with the blank check. He says, 'There's no charge.' 'No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!' she exclaimed. 'Honestly, ma'am,' the mortician repeated himself, 'it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.
So I switched the heads.'"
Grell's mouth dropped as the Undertaker dropped to the floor. He began laughing hysterically, rolling around on the floor in complete and utter laughter. "Where did you hear something like that?" Grell shrieked.
Alex rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled nervously, "Sophie actually, she was drunk…"
Grell glared at him as the Undertaker stood back up, chuckles escaping his breath. "Understandable," he said as he wiped away a tear away, "I've done that more than once myself," he giggled into his sleeve.
Grell stood up, shaking the dust from his clothes as he let out a huff. "Let's just get going already," he grumbled to himself sourly. "So do you have anything for us Undertaker or should we get going?"
Suddenly the Undertaker stood up, eerily walking over to Grell and grabbing his chin so he looked up at him. Grell shuddered in his hands as he was made to look up at his face and his Cheshire cat grin. Alex blinked in confusion, staring at them until the Undertaker let go of Grell's face and waltzed over to him. Grell just stood there petrified, his cheeks burning red. "I have a sim~ple~~ question for you first," he said, calming walking over to a coffin and sitting down upon it. "What do you plan on doing with Sophie once you find her?" he simply asked, giving Alex a shrug since Grell wasn't paying attention yet. "Do you plan on keeping her locked up in an infirmary or make her stay somewhere else? What business do you have in finding her?"
"Business?" Alex asked, beginning to glare at the Undertaker as he walked over to where he sat. "I'll tell you what business I have in finding her," he said, standing in front of him and glaring at him, "because she is my friend, that's what. I want to know if she's still alive and not dead somewhere. I don't care if we have to report back if she has been found or not, but I took myself out of the infirmary the moment I felt well enough to walk to go and find her. That's what," he kept glaring at him as he tried to imitate William's stern face to try to get the point across.
The Undertaker smirked, shooing Alex to the side so he could stand up. "Good," he giggled, trying to cut the tension Alex just made with his response. "Then you won't be taking her away then?"
"Oh whatever do you mean by that?" Grell huffed, walking across the room and to the corner they were standing at.
"Exactly what I mean," he responded, Alex looking at him with confusion on his face.
"Fine we won't take her away… I guess," Alex shrugged, "right Grell?"
Grell looked at the Undertaker before letting out a sigh. "I guess so… so you must have her then," Grell realized, Alex suddenly understanding what he meant also. "So where is she?" he asked, his voice actually sounding normal for once.
The Undertaker grinned at him, shooing them back slightly from the coffin he had been sitting on. "Please stand back, heh~ heh~~" he chuckled as he continued to shoo them away, having them stand a few feet from the coffin. Then he opened the coffin, revealing a young seventeen year old maiden dressed in an oversized white shirt where she laid, turned to one side as she curled up in the oversized coffin.
"Sophi –"
The Undertaker quickly hushed Grell up with his black nail, a chuckle escaping his lips as Grell's eyes went wide. "Not so loud now," he said, poking Grell's nose with a long nail before wandering back over to the coffin and loomed over it. He knelt down and leaned into the coffin, brushing a hand over her sleeping face as she shifted slightly from the sudden coldness of his hands. "Little maiden…" he said quietly into her ear, Sophie shifting slightly in her sleep.
"Yeah dad?" she said quietly, her eyes still closed tightly as she felt his hair brush over her face.
"They have found you," he giggled to himself, Sophie rolling over in the coffin and stretching.
She let out a yawn, slowing letting her eyes adjust to the light before she sat up in the coffin. She looked over, noticing two worried shinigamis standing at the foot of the coffin. She smiled contently as her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared into their own eyes. "Grell… Alex… hello…" then she yawned, refusing the leave the coffin just yet. She looked over at Grell, who seemed as if he was ready to burst at any second. Sophie giggled, "Grell are you oka – Agh!" she yelped, Grell wrapping his hands around her as he jumped into the coffin.
"I was so worried!" he yelled as he cuddled her into his chest. "What happened? Why did you leave! How –"
"G-grell I can't answer you if yo-u're squee-zing me so tightly," Sophie gasped for air, Grell quickly letting her go.
"Oh I'm sorry!" he said sheepishly, letting go of Sophie but still loomed over her in the coffin. "So… why did you go?" he asked, his hands crossed over his chest.
Sophie looked up at him and let out a sigh, pushing on his chest so she could sit up again. "I-I don't know…" she said turning her head to the Undertaker. "Just… why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what~?" Grell said with a giggle, Sophie narrowing her eyes.
"You know what I mean… that I knew Undertaker before I died," she said, letting out a sigh and scratching the back of her head. "It wasn't like those memories were lost. Da – I mean Undertaker told me that William knew about it… and so did you."
"Oh that," he huffed, standing up and getting out of the coffin. Grell let out a frustrated sigh, sitting down on a coffin next to her own. "Actually I wanted to tell you right away, since you seemed to be making a bi~g fuss about finding your lost memories, but dear Will~iam~~ wanted to wait till later… perhaps not at all~ for all I know," he shrugged.
Sophie got out of the coffin, walking over to Grell and gently hugging him. He looked up in surprise, Sophie giggling at the shocked look on his face. "Well that's okay. I don't think I would appreciate the whole situation if I had known earlier." Then she stood back up, walking over to Alex as he stood somewhat away from everyone. "And what about you? Are you okay with what… Dorren did to you?" she asked, her smile slightly turning into a frown as she noticed how weary he looked.
"I'm… okay," he shrugged, "but when you left I got worried about you. Seeing what he had done and –"
"Yeah I know," she sighed as she rubbed her arms in discomfort, "but it's over, right? I mean him trying to get me anytime soon… or at least that's what I hope." Sophie looked over at Alex and she cracked him a smile, still feeling icky about the whole situation. "Do you still want to eat me?"
"Actually not as much as I used to," he smirked, "I think it was seeing your cinematic record that did it for me… though there was a bunch of stuff missing from it." Then he let out a sigh, trying to recall what he saw, "I guess just being with your father mainly. Then anything having to do with the shinigami realm… also the fact that the mortician sealed your memories and you saved your mom, but that's really it." Then he looked over at the Undertaker before letting another sigh escape his lips. "Of course any memories of the demon in your mind he took away… except for the last bits. Sophie are you sure you're okay? You don't seem oka –"
"I'm fine Alex," she said with a smile, the grin turning into a frown as she sighed. "I'm just trying to figure stuff out. Plus I'm a human still, human! I can't go around like I used to anymore… but could you go tell Julia. I bet you she's worried sick right now."
"Yeah sure," he smiled, scratching the back of his head.
Sophie nodded, looking over at Grell before letting out a huff. "And Grell can I talk to you about something?" she asked, walking over to him as he looked up. "There's something I need to get off my chest."
"Oh sure," he said enthusiastically, jumping off of the coffin and onto his feet. Sophie smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the hallway. Grell blinked in confusion and noticed the Undertaker gave her a nod as Sophie gave him a smile. Then the Undertaker walked over to Alex as Sophie took Grell into their living room, so they could have some privacy. "So what is it?" he said as he jumped onto the couch.
Sophie let out a sigh, sitting down on the cushion next to him. "It has something to do with my recently regained memories," she stated, looking over to him as she set her hands on her lap.
She looked rather depressed about something, Grell could tell, but he couldn't tell what. "What is it Sophia?" he said in a more comforting tone, putting a hand on top of her own as she looked down at her hands.
"Grell," she began, letting in a deep breath before letting it out again. "There was a little human boy I used to know, Haden. Do you remember reaping a little boy named Haden?"
"Does not ring a bell," Grell shrugged, still keeping his hand on top of her hands. "Why?"
"You… you said some hurtful things when you reaped him Grell," she said, looking up at him with determination in her eyes. Grell frowned, noticing how she was holding back tears that were starting to form in her eyes. "You pretty much said he was worthless and was like any other human, but he wasn't! He was my love… and you acted like that was nothing," she huffed, letting out a sigh as she compiled herself to keep going with the conversation. "You said our story was like Romeo and Juliet, but nothing more. Do you find death boring or something? You don't see any beauty in death, at all?"
Grell blinked in confusion, not used to seeing this side of Sophie at all. He took his hand off of her hands, but a smile was soon planted on his face. "Oh I remember that assignment. I don't remember that kid, but I remember a little human girl that could see me and called me a pretender. That hurt Sophie!" he squealed, before settling down once he noticed Sophie's monotone expression. "You just don't understand the beau~ty I see in death."
"Then what is it?" Sophie asked, a small smile forming back on her face.
"Well…" he thought as he noticed Sophie leaning closer to him with interest. Perhaps becoming human again changed her personality? Grell certainly wasn't used to her getting so close to him, asking such personal questions. "The way a being spills out its guts! Just the sheer thrill of seeing crimson red makes my heart beat faster," he giggled to himself as Sophie raised an eyebrow. "I just love~~ the color, crimson red. It's burning, it's intense, it's –"
"A sense of passion?" Sophie smirked, interrupting him. "I guess you're right, red is a belleza color, a very~ passion~ate~~ color. Did you know that the Spanish use red to show ardor when dancing? They use it in other things to intensify things."
"Oh really!" Grell gasped, realizing this. "Oh I must go over there then!"
Sophie chuckled, her smile growing, "Okay. You'll probably like it then," she smiled as she let out a sigh. "I see you're into the gore aspect then… well alright. If that's how you see death then that's fine… I guess…"
Grell turned to her once he was done with his giggling fit. "Why? Do you see death differently?"
"Why yes," she said looking up to him with a smile. "The first time I saw a dead body was… probably when I was less than a year old, and I started sewing bodies up when I was able to hold onto a needle and thread. So yeah, I see it differently than just something dying." Then she let out a sigh, looking off towards the wall as if she was reminiscing on something. "After my father died I was very distort. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and I would sit at the top of the hill waiting for my father and hoping he would come back from the dead. He never did though, and I slowly got weaker and weaker because of it." Then she chuckled to herself, "Then one day the Undertaker came by, this was before he became an actual undertaker though," she decided to clarify before she went on. "Apparently he knew my father… and at the time I remember meeting him once before my father died. Ever since he died, Undertaker would come by the morgue every once in a while to visit us. I always looked forward to his visits, actually seeing him as an uncle or maybe even a father… well I was sitting at the tree like I usually do. My mother was planning on moving back to her family, which I wasn't excited about. I would have rather died right then and there really, just so I could see him." She let out a sigh, a smile deciding to come back on her face, "The Undertaker walked right up to me and asked me what I was doing. I simply told him I was waiting for father to come back, even though I knew he wouldn't. He frowned then, sitting next to me against the tree as I looked over the setting sun. Then he said something I could never forget about the dead, 'Life is a beautiful~ thing. Even after watching so many lives pass by in this world of ours, every individual's life is always slightly different from one another with their own faults and troubles. Life can never get boring, but if you make it so then that is what will happen.'"
Grell thought for a second before speaking again. "I see… I understand why you were angry with me then…"
Sophie giggled happily, her smile deciding to stay on her face this time. "Yep! That's something you can't be taught in school. It's something you have to learn for yourself really." Then she looked over, noticing the Undertaker hiding behind the door before turning her attention back to Grell. "There was more to what he said, but that's what I wanted to say," she smiled to Grell. "That's why I was upset though… but I can forgive you for all that if you can understand why we are Gods of Death in the first place. Perhaps it's because of our backgrounds, but also because everything needs death… yeah…"
She looked up to the Undertaker, deciding to leave the conversation there and have Grell think about what she had said. Giving Grell a quick glance, she got off of the couch and walked up to the Undertaker, letting him wrap his protective arms around her body as she leaned into his chest. Grell finally noticed this, standing up from the couch and noticing how he was swinging her around slightly as Sophie giggled. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed how cute the two of them looked together, as if they were made for each other. "So," he said, his tone getting slightly serious and directed towards Grell, "do I have to go to realm and talk to the council? I talked to Alexander and he didn't say much on the subject… but I am not bringing Sophia along. I don't want them to take my little maiden away," he said, Sophie giggling as he set his head onto her shoulder playfully and nuzzled his face into her neck. "Well Miss Sutcliff. What do you plan on doing~?" he finished, Sophie looking up at Grell waiting for an answer.
He let out a chuckle, walking past the Undertaker and messing up Sophie's hair. "Do what you like," he huffed, "but I have other things to do. I'm going to go back home and taking a nap," he yawned, looking over at Alex who was sitting on a coffin. Then he walked out of the door with another huff escaping his lips, leaving the three of them in the morgue.
Sophie looked over at Alex, who let out a sigh of defeat. "Well I'm going to report this to William… but from what I've heard the council wants to keep an eye on you, Sophie." Then he looked up at the Undertaker before getting off of the coffin and putting his coat back on. "Perhaps he can handle the details? I don't know… I just want to go back and sleep."
"Then go sleep!" Sophie yelled at him, getting out of Undertaker's arms and pushing Alex towards the door. "You still look ill Alex! You need sleep~~"
"Alright!" he yelled, making sure Sophie was done pushing on him before he chuckled. "Yeah well… if I see you back at the academy then come and say hi, okay?"
"Yeah alright," she smiled back, waving to him as he left the morgue. Sophie closed the door gently behind him, turning back to the Undertaker whose bottom lip was quivering. "What's with that face?" she huffed, trying to walk past him. Then she was lifted off of the ground into his arms and he held her bridle style in his arms. "Daddy!" she gasped, his smirk growing larger at the sound of her voice.
He leaned his head into her neck and licked her neck slowing from the bottom of her neck to the top. Sophie gasped, a whimper escaping her lips as he licked her. Then he leaned his mouth close to her ear. "I won't let them take my little maiden away from me, okay~?" he whispered into her ear. "Besides," he said quieter into her ear, "Tu mihi, right?" The Undertaker said sending a chill down her smile.
"Y-yes…" she hesitated, her cheeks starting to blush. Then he bit down on her neck, Sophie letting out a gasp as she tried to get him away from her sensitive neck. "Undertaker!" she yelped as her body curled up in his arms as he bit down on her neck.
Then he let her go and set her on the ground, letting go of her neck and licking up some blood that started to ooze out from her neck. She blinked at him with confusion, the Undertaker chuckling and brushing a long black nail across her face. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I have nothing more for you to do today anyways."
"O-okay," she said, looking at him with confusion on her face as she tried to give him a smile. Then she walked back over to the coffin she was sleeping in and sat back down in it, closing the lid and curling up in the coffin. She felt the slight bruise he left on her neck, stinging slightly when she touched it. 'Overprotective much?' she grumbled, soon letting out a yawn and closing her eyes as she quickly went back to sleep.
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A/N: Yeah very protective XD Woot! Learning more about Sophie's past! How fun =3 Well that's chapter 21. Sorry that took longer than normal, just I was having a fun break and then school caught up with me… I got busy again ^^ Actually after this I better start sleeping more! I have a cold or something and it's hard to stay awake in school and not get headaches. I don't know how long I'll be taking, but it depends on if I'm studying or want to have some free time. You can thank finals for this… darn finals . Thank you for reading as always! I hope you liked this chapter, with all its Undertaker and Sophie fluff. I don't know if I'll write another chapter like this dedicated to just fluff, but it may happen… though I don't really see it happening for a while. Maybe I'll add something before I move on in the plot, but it'll just be a segment long. Not very big in the overall chapter =D
DMSD – Dispatch Management Senior Director (I just made that up ^^ if you have a better name for this then suggest it! I may change it if I like it =D) – high standing status to a corporate director who has retired from active duty under the Dispatch Management Division
Tu mihi – Latin – You are mine
Non ego forte tibi – Latin –I will not let anything happen to you
nunquam– Latin – never again