Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. I only claim Serena, as well as the demons and descendants that I introduce.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Twenty Seven
Serena leaned on the doorframe of the billiards room after finally being released from Warden Midford. Sebastian was currently polishing the fine wood of the table with a cloth, but turned when he noticed her.
"Way to throw me under the whore bus there, thanks."
The butler put down the rag he was using. "I know that this morning was unfortunate, however, even you should have been able to see that Lady Midford was not going to let up until she knew. She's very much like you in that regard."
She came into the room fully and sank down in one of the chairs next to the fireplace that was burning brightly. Next to the light, Serena noticed how dark it had gotten outside. The days were so short here.
"What is it that is really bothering you, my mate?"
"You know, privacy is a state of mind, as well as a state of being. I really didn't want everyone to know what is going on between us, or what they think is going on."
"I believe that I see your complaint." Sebastian knelt next to her chair. "This morning was not my ideal situation either, but there was no other way out than to own to it."
"You couldn't have thought of something?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, I fell asleep in the library with a book, anything." She slumped back in the chair.
"No. I apologize that I was distracted this morning and I didn't notice Lady Francis moving about the manor. I did stop her when she tried to wake my Master, however I didn't know that she had tried your rooms as well." A gloved hand took hers, rubbing gentle circles over the back of it.
"Well, now she's insisting that you marry me." Serena looked down at their joined hands. "If I smell like lemon polish, I'm not going to be happy."
"Of course." He leaned forward and kissed her. "But, I like the smell of lemon polish."
She shook her head with a smile. "I told you that you liked this butler schtick."
"You are correct." He smirked.
"I don't understand how you can be so calm. Francis isn't going to forget about us being married. How can you marry me?"
He gave her a sly smile. "Master will put me in charge of the preparations. Of course, I cannot enter a church so it will be held here at the manor. I'm afraid that the 'ceremony' will be mostly an act and it will be more legal than anything."
"Legal? Sebastian Michaelis doesn't really exist and for that matter, neither do I. At least, not for another hundred years."
"As I said, it will be mostly an act. I'll simply have one of the many demons roaming London play a priest, we'll sign the register and that will make Lady Midford happy."
"Can you even stand in front of a priest?"
The demon laughed. "My mate, many of your priests are the most corrupt souls I've ever seen."
"Yeah, I figured kind of figured that." Serena rubbed her forehead. "But still, it's the principal of the thing."
"If I can stand before Agni, whom is one of the most faithful to walk the earth, I can stand before any priest."
"Well, you've just thought of everything, haven't you?" She threw her hands up in the air.
His head cocked to the side as he looked at her. "You are upset?"
"You know that whole saying that every girl dreams of her wedding day? Now, you're telling me, basically, that mine is going to be a total sham."
"Serena." He pulled her out of the chair to stand in front of him. "Marriage is, at it's most basic definition, a union before whatever denomination's God that is worshiped. It is impossible for me. You will still have the pretty gown and anyone that you want invited. The ceremony may be facade, however the sentiment behind it is not."
"When you put it that way." She smiled as Sebastian leaned down to kiss her. Melting into him, Serena was still smiling when he pulled away.
"Besides, this way, I no longer have to worry about my Master trying to kiss you again."
"You...you...you played us both!"
Sebastian winked at her.
Serena stared at him in shock for a moment before slumping back in her chair with a sigh. The demon laughed at her before going back to his work.
She shook her head with a laugh. "Is it always going to be like this? With your contracts, I mean."
He kept his back turned, putting up the cue sticks after wiping them with the cloth. "You will not meet any of my other contracts."
"What? Then where will I stay?"
"At our home, of course." He set another stick in the rack and moved to the next.
"Home? That's Hell, right?"
"Yes, where else would a demon reside?"
"So, you're saying that I have to stay in Hell? I can't ever come back?"
Sebastian took a deep breath at the increasing panic in her voice. He had known that this conversation was going to happen eventually, but he still hadn't been looking forward to it. When he turned around, Serena stared at him in shock.
"That is correct, Serena. You have seen the trouble that you get into. Once a mate is in their demon's home, they do not leave it again as it is the safest place for them. You will rule the house while I am gone."
"What about my home, my family, my friends." She stood from the chair. "I'm about to graduate."
"That is all meaningless now."
"It has meaning to me," The girl said forcefully.
"Serena..."
"Don't Serena me. I'm just supposed to give up everything?"
The demon sighed. "You have nothing to give up."
"How would you know? We're a hundred years away from my life, that you know nothing about."
"I know plenty about your life, Serena." Sebastian's eyes started to swirl as he pushed her back into the chair to lean over her. "You have always been a loner. You may have family, but none that you are close to. You were mostly ignored growing up and those that didn't ignore you, turned you away. As you grew, none of the people your age wanted anything to do with you. You may have friends now, but they are casual acquaintances at best. None of them really know you. That is why it's so easy to show the face that they are expecting to see here and why you easily come up with explanations out of thin air. You are used to acting, putting up a front so that no one can really know you. No one can get close enough to hurt you."
He watched the horror come over her face. The demon knew that he was hurting his mate, but this obviously had to be done.
'You must tear something down, to build new.'
"You've never fit in anywhere. You watch those around you but you never really understand them, just as they don't understand you. Your life could be easily stepped away from. There would be people that would look for you, that would mourn you, but they will move on easily enough. You have no real attachments, Serena, because you are not supposed to. You will always be alone because you were never meant to live out a normal life in the human world. The only attachment that you are meant to have is to me and I am all that you will ever need."
"It's a lie," she whispered as he pulled away.
"What Serena? What have I said that was lie? What have I described that was wrong?"
Her breathing was harsh and she opened her mouth several times but nothing would come out. "Nothing! Nothing you said is wrong. Are you happy?"
The red head bolted up from her chair and ran out of the room, a sob echoing behind her. The demon heard her footsteps on the stairs and then the door slamming behind her as Serena escaped the house itself for the snow covered garden and the solitude it offered. He made no move to follow her, she wouldn't be happy to see him right now.
'As regrettable as it is, it had to be done. My mate needs to realize that there has never been a place for her in the human world and there never will be. Her future is with me.' Sebastian sighed to himself and shook his head.
The demon was lost in his thoughts and missed Lady Francis coming into the room.
"I hope that little scene was not about you refusing to marry Serena now that you have ruined her."
Sebastian jumped a little, surprised that the woman had been able to sneak up on him. When he turned around, the butler's normal smile was in place and he appeared undisturbed by the venom in her voice.
"Not at all, my lady. Serena is the one who has been more... reluctant to commit."
"Good." Francis moved quickly, grabbing the butler's ear and pulling down. "I have words for you as well."
**********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Serena kept running, past the mansion's gardens, through the small patch of manicured lawn and into the woods that made Phantomhive manor feel like it's own little world, blocking it off the rest. The just rising full moon illuminated in the sky and made the snow covered world glow an ethereal white. Sebastian's words echoed through her mind as she tried to outrun the smooth voice.
'You've always been alone.'
The wet snow that had begun to melt in the day's sunlight clung to the hem of her gown, adding to the already heavy weight.
'You're life could be easily stepped away from.'
Lower branches caught in her hair, pulling out the pins that had been so carefully placed this morning. Brambles caught her hemline and yanked on the delicate fabric, trying to trip her.
'There would be people that would look for you, mourn you, but they would move on easily enough.'
Tears filled her vision, blinding her to anything but the white snow. The heavy dress weighed her down, making her legs ache. Wearing out, she stumbled through the forest bumping into bushes and trees. Animals had already bedded down for the chilly night, leaving the only sounds that of her harsh breathing echoing against the trees.
The hoot of an owl in the dark startled the girl and she turned to look. She never saw the fallen log, covered in snow, blending into the landscape. Serena's ankle twisted in the rotten wood and the powdered snow cushioned her fall while spraying up around her.
Finally stopped, her body refused to stand and go any further. Tears continued to fall and splash onto the fresh snow, freezing into the white covering. More white fell around her and she looked up to see more flakes starting to fall from the patterned clouds.
Exhaustion filled the red head and her ankle screamed as she pulled herself under the shelter of a large tree. Wrapping her arms around herself, the girl curled into the trunk letting the pain of the truth that he had made her face wash over her.
********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Ciel glared at his smiling butler as he sat through the lecture that had originally been meant for Sebastian. As the Earl had passed the room, he had been called in. Evidently, because he had basically been raised by Sebastian, Francis decided that Ciel needed a talking to as well. He had already promised that his aunt could stay and police the couple, as well as promising to set about preparations for a small wedding to be held at the manor as soon as possible. For some reason, Sebastian had offered to find the official with a strange smile.
He knew the smile the demon wore now, was a front he had put on. Several times when the lady turned away, Ciel had seen the demon's eyes flash to their true, swirling red. Before Francis turned back around, the swirling had disappeared and his normal crimson was back in place.
Ciel was watching when Sebastian's gaze narrowed and turned to the window.
"Are either of you even listening to me?"
"Of course, Lady Francis." They answered together.
"What did I just say then?"
The men looked at each other and back to the woman. They saw her lips purse. The hand came out of nowhere and managed to smack both on the side of the head. Francis and Ciel noticed how Sebastian's gaze went back to the window again.
"Since I cannot get either of you to pay attention, I guess that this discussion will have to be postponed. It is almost time for us to leave anyway."
"Please, forgive us my lady." Sebastian bowed from his place beside his Master as the human jumped from his seat.
Ciel couldn't leave the room fast enough and made a beeline for the sanctuary of his own suite with it's locking door. The butler turned to follow but didn't even make it to the door.
"Sebastian."
The demon turned back to the woman, a smile on his face.
"Yes, Lady Francis?" He bowed.
"I may not like how Serena handled herself in this situation, I may not like how close she is to my daughter's fiancé, however, I do like Serena. Despite how you choose to tell everyone, I have no complaint at your choice of wife. She will make a wonderful companion for yourself, as well as Lizzy when she marries into the Phantomhive house."
Sebastian blinked in surprise, not sure what to say. A genuine smile graced his perfect face as he bowed again. "Thank you, Lady Francis."
The lady walked forward and the only warning he had was the smallest twitch of her eye. A comb was run through his hair, slicking it back from his face.
"Perhaps, she will also find a way to control you both."
"I apologize, Lady Francis."
****************A Demon's Mate******************
As Serena huddled under the heavy branches of the old tree, she replayed memories from her childhood. She remembered watching the other children and their little groups. Not matter what she did, what clothes she wore, what shows she forced herself to watch when she was allowed to, the red head was never invited into any of those little circles. As time wore on, it had been harder to find a particular one that she wanted to be a part of. She had never been the best student, was awful at sports, and could never figure out instruments. The only thing she found that she was good at was drawing. Committing to paper the lives that she watched play out around her, but never participated in. It was a solitary activity that she allowed to consume her lonely teen years, as even the artsy group hadn't wanted her.
Apathy, from those that surrounded her had turned to jealousy in high school. It grew worse with each piece that she completed until she could feel it even from her teachers. Serena had learned early that being invisible had been better than shining so bright. By her junior year, she had learned to ignore them all. When she entered college, her first choice art school on full scholarship, she had stopped trying completely. However, mysterious was appealing and people started to come to her. The red head had found the same was true the world over when she chose to study abroad for a semester.
Sebastian's words had cut so deep because she had made herself block out those years. She made herself oblivious to the fact that her 'friends' only came around when they wanted her help with one of their projects. Even her roommate in Tokyo, Akiko, had fought so hard to share with Serena so that she could have the best so close. She had even blinded herself to the theater trip that had been planned. The night she had ended up here, the group had asked her out because she was leaving soon...and Izumi was coming to America in a few months. It was a last chance to butter her up before she went home. Serena could ease Izumi's way into finding work in America.
"Serena?" A hand touched her shoulder and the girl's head shot up.
*********************A Demon's Mate***********************
Sebastian looked to the window again as he slid the jacket of his Master's costume over his shoulders. Ciel had managed to talk Lizzy out of the fairy costume she had been eying and directed her to a different theme. Dressed all in black, the Earl had a mask of a crescent moon that would cover his eye instead of the patch. Lizzy was to be dressed as the sun.
'A fitting comparison.' He remembered Miss Nina's observation as he pulled on the many rings that Sebastian had taken from the safe. The diamonds would sparkle with the smallest light, just like stars.
"What are you looking for?" Ciel ground out. It was obvious that he was still irritated at being brought into the whole thing between his butler and his nosy aunt. "You keep looking out the window every few minutes."
"I apologize, Master. Serena has not returned to the house."
"She's outside?" He whirled around. "It's freezing out there."
"We had a small argument and she needed to cool off." The demon handed his master the mask that would complete his costume.
"I swear, the two of you are nothing but trouble."
"I apologize, Master."
"Make sure that she is back in the house before you get the horses." Ciel rubbed his forehead. "It would be just like her to freeze to death just to spite you."
"Yes, Master."
*******************A Demon's Mate*********************
Serena was surprised to see Ronald and William standing under the shelter of the tree with her. She could see the look of pity on both their faces and hurried to brush the tears from her cheeks. The blonde held out a hand to help her stand.
"What are you two doing all the way out here?" She tried to put weight on her damaged ankle, but it gave under the pressure. Ronald caught her and waited until she got her balance.
"Are you alright, Miss Serena?" William took off his suit coat and put it around the red head's shoulders. "It's far too cold to be sitting out here."
"Yeah, it is a little stupid."
The manager wiped a tear she had missed. "A pure soul should not have to suffer the touch of a corrupt being."
"It's not that," she laughed wetly. "It's more humans that have always been my problem."
"I see." William pulled out his watch and checked the time.
"I'm sorry, did you need to see Ciel about something? He'll be leaving for the Midford's ball soon." She pointed absently in the direction of the house as she huddled inside William's jacket.
"No, that's not why we're here."
"Okay." She looked between the two reapers with confusion. "Did you need to see Sebastian?"
"No." William answered, not quite keeping the disgust out of his voice.
"Translation, it's none of your business why we're here." Serena looked to Ronald. The younger reaper had stepped away and was staring at the ground. She smiled and poked him gently. "Hey, what's wrong with you? You're awfully quiet."
He looked up, eyes full of regret.
"I'm sorry."
'I'll just have to think of something else.' Her smile faded as a voice came through her mind. It wasn't Sebastian's and certainly not her own. She had only heard the clear sound one time, on a bench in Hyde Park. 'To get my point across.'
Serena heard the sound of the gun cocking behind her as the world slowed down. William took the jacket from her shoulders as he and Ronald stepped into the shadows of the forest around them. She spun to face the sound of a gun firing. Shock covered the burning path of the bullet as it cut through her chest. The reapers watched fresh blood splatter across the snow, like petals of a rose against the white ground.
Author's Note: Well, you all wanted an update…