Author's Note: Wow, I finally made it to chapter 29, mainly because Kat and Nikolai have stopped fighting me tooth and nail. On a morbid note... I found that families in the 1800s would normally keep their dead in their home for viewing. I never could find anything definitive on how a noble family would handle a funeral, we'll go with what I could find.
Now, it's time to bring Serena back into this crazy mess.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters. I only claim Serena and the demons that I introduce. Oh, and the other O.C.s
WARNING: MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF JUMPING AROUND. Seriously, you might get a little dizzy.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Twenty Nine
Serena felt a tapping on her jaw and tried to moved her head away. She started to hear voices and was confused as to who would be in her bedroom. Memories flooded her mind; a burning pain through her chest, blood...Sebastian's panic-filled face, and her eyes shot open. Her hands went straight to her chest, searching for a bloody wound as she gasped in panic.
There wasn't a single mark or blemish on her pale skin. The red head looked down at her favorite black dress that she had worn to the theater, what felt like ages ago.
"Are you alright?"
Serena looked up to see a man kneeling next to her. The suit he wore was familiar, as was the hairstyle, but the face looking at her was all wrong. Black eyes, instead of crimson, watched her carefully from a face with Asian features instead of European. Still confused, she looked around and saw the sky-high buildings and bustling streets of Tokyo in summer, instead of the frozen forest of Southern England.
'What...Why am I back here?'
She saw the staff of the theater holding back a crowd that had gathered on street near where she laid. The man in the Sebastian costume looked over his shoulder and she realized he was asking if there was anyone who spoke English.
"I speak Japanese."
H looked back, obviously surprised. "I'm sorry. When you didn't answer me before, I thought that you didn't know what I was saying."
"No, I just..." She put a hand to her head. "Brains are a little scrambled."
"I'm so sorry. We're running behind tonight and the stage hands...were just running."
"That will teach me not to stop on a sidewalk." Serena rubbed the back of her head and felt a lump.
"Serena!" A girl in the crowd yelled and tried to get through the row of people that were pushing the crowd back. She was the same height as the red head, but obviously a native. The girl wore a blue dress with a matching blue stripe running through her short, black bob. Another girl behind her stood behind her in bright yellow, holding onto the arm of a man only slightly taller than her. Her hair was lighter, more of a dark brown and held up in a clip. All three were trying to talk to the staff and convince the men to let them through.
"Serena?"
"That's me. I'm pretty sure it is, anyway."
"Matsushita Yuya. It's nice to meet you." He scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "Well, it would have been if you hadn't cracked your head."
Matsushita helped her stand and waved the other three through. "Are you sure that you're alright?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine."
"I'll leave you to your friends then."
Serena smiled, trying to cover her confusion. "Thank you for helping me."
"You're very welcome and I apologize again." The actor disappeared with some of the staff back into the building with a last look over his shoulder.
The two girls came to her side as the man spoke with someone from the theater. They took an arm each as if the red head couldn't stand on her own.
"Akiko, really I'm fine."
The girl with the blue stripe still held onto her arm. "You're fine?! You just got run over by a metal cart, knocked your head against the side of a building, passed out and you're trying to tell me that you're fine?"
"Yes." Serena took her arm back and rubbed a hand over her chest where she was sure a bullet had passed. Akiko put a hand into the red hair and appeared to be feeling along her scalp before her hand was slapped away. "Jeez, Shougo call off your crazy girlfriend."
"You should know that's impossible." He walked over to them with a smile on his face. "The staff is going to let us go in early so that Serena can sit down."
"Really, I just want to go back to the apartment. I think that my brain could use a rest."
"Oh, come on!" The brunette, Izumi, pulled on the red head's arm. "You're leaving in a few days and they're sold out for the rest of the run. You know you want to see it. Once we get you sat down and the show starts, you'll feel better in no time."
Serena sighed. There was no way to get Izumi off a subject once she dug her feet in.
"Alright, alright."
*********************A Demon's Mate********************
Ciel didn't hear his aunt's gasp or Lizzy's crying. He didn't hear Bard's curse or Agni's prayers or Finny's blubbering. He didn't even feel the stairs under his feet as he went to meet Sebastian at the bottom. The demon stopped before his Master, saying nothing. His hand moved without his knowledge, touching the white cheek that had already become as cold as the night around them.
"What... But... How...?"
"I was too late."
Francis handed her daughter off to Soma, letting them hold each other as they cried. At the bottom of the stairs, she laid a hand on Ciel's shoulder before looking to Sebastian.
"Bring her inside, Sebastian. Mei-Rin and I will get her cleaned up."
The maid lifted her head at her name and nodded. The demon remained still, looking at his Master. Finally, Ciel dropped his hand and moved to the side. He soon realized that his butler wouldn't move without a command.
"Follow her, Sebastian."
The demon nodded and walked behind Lady Francis into the house. Lizzy and Soma looked up as they passed, but started crying again. Tanaka and Snake bowed as the sad procession passed them into the house.
Francis led them past the remains of the chandelier, up the stairs and into Serena's room and instructed Sebastian to take her into the bathroom. She went in first, placing a towel over the mirror. He waited until Ciel repeated the order, before laying the red head on the bench in the small room and straightening.
"Go to your room for now, Sebastian. There is nothing for you to do here."
The demon bowed, taking one last look at his mate's blooded body before leaving the room. Ciel followed, closing the door behind himself. Tanaka and Snake waited in the hallway. Sebastian passed them without a word, going through the door at the end of the hall.
"Tanaka, the mirrors in the house need to be covered and the drapes closed."
"Of course, Lord Phantomhive. It will be taken care of immediately."
"And call Undertaker."
"Yes, sir. I will also inform the Midford estate of what has happened, so they will not expect you tonight."
The Earl nodded and started to walk away.
"What about Sebastian, says Wordsworth." Snake was still staring after the butler.
"Leave him be for now."
*******************A Demon's Mate*********************
The flashing lights and music weren't helping the migraine that was trying to pound her eyes out their sockets one bit. But, it was her own confusion that occupied most of Serena's thoughts.
'I died, didn't I? Or did I dream it all? Izumi said that she saw me go down as she was walking to the theater. I didn't go anywhere and I was only out for a minute before Matsushita got there. There is nothing wrong with me, other than the migraine. My ribs are fine, my ankle's fine and there isn't a single mark to suggest that anything happened to me at all.'
The actors on stage caught her attention every now and then, bringing her out of her thoughts and making her laugh despite herself. Especially Grell. The song the actor sang dancing around in lingerie, red of course, was hilarious. Until she thought about it. Every time the actor flirted with someone on stage, she wondered if the real Grell would still flirt with Sebastian, now that she wasn't there to stand in the way.
Surprisingly, the thought made her angry.
Still, Serena found herself laughing when the reapers danced and Sebastian sang for Undertaker. But, the funny was over. The red head could tell that they were moving toward the end. The reaper killing for souls had been identified and Ciel, with his faithful Sebastian, was speeding toward the confrontation. Many times watching the actor Ciel and Sebastian, she felt that it was wrong. Their humor wasn't cutthroat enough, the connection between the Earl and his demon butler missing. In the end, it really didn't matter. The musical was entertainment.
'And I don't even know if what I saw was real.'
**********************A Demon's Mate*********************
Undertaker waited at the edge of the Phantomhive gardens. He felt the demonic presence still lurking about and wasn't ready to make his appearance in the manor quite yet. He was watching the house when Haagenti came up behind him.
"I didn't expect you to hang around."
"Sebastian has transformed, and suffered a massive emotional toll. His body will shut down for a while soon. That boy doesn't even realize that we are still here. I will remain until he reawakens." The Elder didn't take his eyes from the large house as he spoke.
"I thought that demons did not have emotions, yet you seem to be awful attached to Mr. Butler." Undertaker seemed to have regained his humor and laughed into his sleeve.
"He is the only Elder that I have trained, as such, every aspect of his training was with myself. Now, that he is an Elder, with a house of his own, he is one of my greatest allies. Allies work together. I will watch over his holdings while he is unable to."
"I see, forgive the presumption."
"You don't know as much as you think you do, Undertaker. I hope that you will remember that demons are secretive by nature and there is much that no being other than demons will ever know about us." Haagenti's glowing eyes slid to the other ancient.
"Of course," the reaper laughed. "I think that it is about time to make my grand entrance. I'll bid you farewell."
Haagenti bowed and waited for Undertaker to start off before turning behind him. There were people moving through the woods, making their way toward the great house. He flared his power and felt them pull back. Minutes of being in the presence of the Elder's power, the men went back the way that they had come, almost too easily.
'Surely that boy has noticed. These humans are more like slaves. They carry the scent of another demon's power.'
**********************A Demon's Mate*********************
Sebastian walked into his bedroom to see nothing out of place, as usual. The room reflected nothing of the past hour and a sudden desire to smash everything came over the demon. It was a faint fragrance that drifted on the air that stopped him. The scent of his mate that had been left in the room and he remembered that he had not yet changed the sheets with the commotion that had happened today.
The demon slid onto the mattress and found the majority of the scent coming from the pillow Serena had used the night before. He curled himself around the bedding. Lost in his misery, Sebastian didn't feel his own body shut down.
**********************A Demon's Mate********************
Serena found her attention drawn back to the stage again when Matsushita began singing Hallucination. At the end of the short song, she felt a tear run down her cheek as the lyrics made her think of Ciel and Sebastian. Mired in memories that were making her head hurt worse, the girl didn't notice anything around her until the lights came back on. She looked toward her friends and they were all engrossed in a discussion about the play.
'Left out again. This is normal. There is no doubt about it, it was just a dream. I never went back in time. The Phantomhives don't exist. They are just some figment of a mangaka's imagination that I think about way too much. There are no demons or reapers. I'm still the same. I was never shot. I was never loved by a demon or cared about by a moody Earl. I never walked the streets of Victorian London. I never felt at home in that crazy house. It was nothing more than a hallucination brought on by hitting my head. I should be relieved.' She looked down at her hands in her lap. 'Why didn't I just go home? I don't want to be here. My head is killing me and I would rather be where I could wallow in my misery, alone.'
A hand landed on her shoulder and Serena gasped. Black nails led up a pale arm, she took in the black leather pants and fishnet top. A leather collar circled the man's neck and several, thin chains hung down on his chest. Piercings winked from his lip, nose and eyebrow while there were several studs in both ears. His black hair was much shorter than she remembered, spiked up around his head as he smiled down at her.
"I don't know about you but seeing that tight-ass, William T. Spears, do the splits was definitely worth the ticket price."
"Teo!?"
*********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Shock still numbed Ciel as he sat in the salon with Lizzy and Soma. The silence was broken by some kind of noise in the main hall and at first he thought it was the servants cleaning up the chandelier. However, the raised voice clearly didn't fit clean up.
Agni was helping Tanaka prepare tea in the kitchen. Leaving Ciel walking in the direction of the disturbance. With Sebastian out of commission, the other servants were still not sure of what to do. Thankfully, Tanaka could be trusted to keep the house together and Snake had proven to be a quick study as the butler's helper. Neither of them stood at the door however.
Bard was holding the front door open, letting the frosty air through the portal and Ciel could hear someone laughing. A flash of silver hair made the teen shake his head.
"Undertaker, stop pestering my servants."
"But, I can't help it. He's just so easy." The mortician laughed into his sleeve at the rising irritation on Bard's face.
"Listen here, you bloody loon!" The chef got in Undertaker's face, ignoring the snickering that was only getting louder.
"Bardroy! Go help Tanaka."
"But..."
"Just go!"
"Yes, sir." The former soldier ground out before giving the mortician one last glare and stalking back toward the kitchen, anger radiating from him with every step.
"But I'll need someone to help me carry, little Earl."
"Undertaker, I would appreciate you not needling anyone right now. Including myself. I don't know why you still call me that." Ciel rubbed his forehead. "What are you doing here anyway? The trip from London would take longer so you can't have known that someone died."
"Anger is better than despair. As for what I'm doing here, I'm well aware that Miss Serena has moved on and that you could use my services this evening."
"How do you...? Oh, never mind."
"Undertaker, you're already here?" Lady Francis had changed out of her costume and was followed down the stairs by a silent Mei-Rin.
"I was in the area," He said with a smile.
The marchioness looked suspicious, but growing up in the Phantomhive family had taught her not to question some things. Undertaker's uncanny ability to know what he shouldn't being one of them.
**********************A Demon's Mate*********************
"Serena!" Shougo grabbed the girl's arm when she shot up from her seat. "What's wrong?"
"I thought I saw someone I...I have to go." The red head bolted into the aisle, following the spiked black hair out of the theater. She lost track of the times that she said sorry for pushing and shoving past people. It seemed as though every person that she pushed past, another two sprung up between herself and the demon. "Teo! Teo, wait!"
The crowd swallowed the short girl for a moment and Serena lost sight of her quarry. Panic set in and she pushed faster to get out of the building. Bursting into the street, she looked one direction and then the other. The tall demon was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn!" Serena stomped the ground, still looking.
"Serena?" Shougo grabbed her arm again, jerking the girl around to face him. She winced at the pressure and he loosened up. "Sorry, but what the hell's going on?"
She looked over his shoulder before letting out a sigh. "I thought that I saw someone that I knew."
"Okay. That's why you ran over half a theater of people?"
Serena jerked her arm away. "It was somebody important."
Akiko got between the two, pushing Shougo back.
"It's fine. Why don't we all go grab something to eat?" The girl smiled. "The night's still young."
"I'm just going to go back to the apartment. My head is really killing me. I'll see you guys later." The red head turned, paying no attention to their protests. As she walked away, Serena pretended not to hear the rest of the conversation behind her.
"That girl is weird."
Izumi smacked the man with her purse. "Shut up! I don't care how weird she is. Serena is the key to getting into the New York Institute. It's only for another couple days."
Shougo slung an arm over Akiko. "Fine. Whatever you say."
"You shouldn't have done that." One of the beings on the rooftop watched as the little red head broke off from the rest of the group. "Tokyo's Elder will not be pleased that you approached her."
"You know that you wanted to. Besides, you could always smooth it over. Gusion isn't your Elder or mine, but he listens to you." Teo grew serious for a moment. "She was getting ready to regulate the whole damn thing into the fantasy box. I could see it on her face."
"Gusion is the Elder for any who enter his territory. And what makes you think that I would help you?" The other demon pointed to the human man with the group. "He put his hand on an Elder's mate."
"He should be taught some manners."
The two demons smirked at each other, both their eyes shining with an evil light, before disappearing into the shadows.
*************************A Demon's Mate***********************
Ciel admitted defeat against in the battle to sleep. Serena's smiling face appeared every time he tried to close his eyes, followed by the image of her body, covered in blood. He slid his eyepatch on and grabbed his robe from the end of the bed, wishing for the days when his manor had been empty except for Sebastian and himself, and he hadn't had to worry about anyone seeing his contract seal.
'I didn't think that death bothered me so much anymore.'
The house was quiet, but he knew everyone was still awake. The door to Francis' room was open and when he passed Lizzy's, the Earl could hear the two women moving around inside. Darkness enveloped the house but after hours of lying in the same dark, he needed no candle to find his way downstairs. The door to the salon was open and a small bit of light could be seen from the banked fireplace.
Undertaker had offered to sit with Serena until morning and give everyone a chance to rest, so Ciel was surprised to see neither hide nor hair of the silver-haired man. Instead, Sebastian was standing in front of the coffin that had been set up by the windows.
"You should be sleeping, Master."
"That is not likely happen."
The demon nodded and both stood in silence, staring at the red head. Undertaker had done a good job hiding the bullet wound. If he hadn't seen it himself, Ciel wouldn't have known that it was there. The plain, white dress blended into the sea of white flowers that filled the coffin, unbroken until he saw the small, black purse that Bard and Finny had found so long ago sitting at her feet.
Her hands held nothing, as the mortician had decided against giving her a rosary to carry. Ciel was struck by how wrong it seemed. The Earl moved to the bottom of the coffin and opened the small bag. He was aware of Sebastian watching him as he pushed things out of the way to see the bottom.
He pulled out a thin chain, a compass pendant hanging from it. Ciel stared at it and started to laugh.
"Master?"
"It's just, I remember when Serena got so upset because we went through her purse." He saw the small smile that graced the demon's face for a moment before it disappeared.
Sebastian took the necklace from his Master and carefully threaded it through the cold fingers. Ciel nodded when he was finished. As his butler straightened, the Earl felt the familiar, cold burn of anger flow through his veins.
"What happened?" Ciel was slightly shaking as he stared at the other man.
"I was too late," He answered simply, not taking his eyes from the coffin.
"Too late!? Why didn't you sense them on the property?"
"I do not know, Master."
"How did they get so close?" The Earl got closer, his hands fisted at his side.
"I do not know, Master."
"How could you let this happen?!" Ciel shouted and the demon finally turned to look at him.
"I...I..."
Ciel slapped Sebastian. The demon snarled and bared his teeth but the human wasn't about to back down. His anger was too great, eclipsing his fear of the being before him.
"What are you two doing?"
Both men turned to see Lady Francis holding a candlestick. She had been prepared for bed as well, wearing a heavy dressing gown and her hair loose. It took a moment for Ciel to recognize that he was looking at his strict and proper aunt completely unguarded.
"Nothing, Lady Francis." Sebastian bowed and turned back to his dead mate.
"Honestly, have you two no shame? Fighting over the casket." She looked between the two of them but neither would meet her eyes. Finally, the older woman sighed. "You two should get some sleep. I will contact Father Matthew in the morning."
"No. There is no need for that." Ciel moved from his place and headed for the door. He could feel the argument that his aunt was gearing up for and found that he just didn't have the energy to listen to her anymore. To face any of them anymore.
"Ciel, she deserves a proper funeral. And as much as you hate it, that means a church service and burial."
"Funerals are not for the dead. They are for the living. And Serena's living do not want a church service. She'll be buried here, so there is no need to involve Father Matthew at all." He didn't wait for an answer before walking out and leaving the two beside the coffin.
"You encourage this." Francis hissed at the butler.
"Not at all, my lady. My master's views on religion and the church are his own. The fact that his beliefs mirror mine is only a coincidence."
The lady glared at Sebastian for a moment before following out the door with a huff. In the distance, he heard the bell ring from the church at the outskirts of London. The demon took off his glove and ran a finger over his mate's cold cheek.
"Happy New Year, my mate."
***************A Demon's Mate**************
Serena woke the next morning still tired. After leaving her group, the girl had walked around for a while, hoping that Teo would reappear when she was alone. But, there had been nothing. She didn't deny that she had felt like someone was watching her, but regulated that to wishful thinking. By the time she had caught the last train, depression had sunk in. The darkened apartment gave her hope again as she could have sworn she left the light in her bedroom on, but it was empty. After searching, the red head crawled into her bed without even taking off her dress.
The bright light streaming in through the window and highlighted the wreck that appeared in her mirror. Hair was sticking up at all angles, mascara had run down her cheeks where she had been crying in her sleep, her dress was twisted, her eyes were bloodshot and the pillow had made creases in her face. She found, staring at herself, she really didn't care.
The apartment was just as empty as last night. Akiko was known to sleep at Shougo's when there wasn't an assignment due, so it wasn't so surprising.
'I bet Lizzy wouldn't have left me here alone if I had run off on her.'
Serena shook her head and went to the bathroom. Showering was robotic and left her time to think as she washed her hair. Wondering what happened to everyone, how they took her death. Did they even miss her? Why had Teo shown up at the theater and not Sebastian?
'Maybe he's given up on me. I was an awful lot of trouble for him and we did argue a lot. No, I remember his face after I had been shot. But a hundred or so years is a lot of time. Maybe he found someone else.'
Horribly depressed again, the red head stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel around herself. She wiped the mist from the mirror and looked into it automatically. She gasped as another face appeared in the glass. Her hand went to her rapidly beating heart as Sebastian came closer, his head next to hers. Swirling red eyes met hers through the mirror.
"My mate."
Serena whirled around, but there was no demon in the room with her. She looked back to the mirror but hers was the only face reflected in it.
**********************A Demon's Mate*********************
Francis had acted on her own and when Ciel came down for breakfast, dressed in black, Father Matthew was waiting at the table with his aunt. Undertaker had stayed the night and was waiting as well, to see fireworks. The reaper giggled as he awaited the Earl's reaction to his uninvited guest, and the fact that the priest was seated in Serena's chair. Sebastian's perfect demeanor never changed but Ciel could see him watch the priest carefully, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. The rest of the servants, minus Snake who was sitting with Serena, were standing in their places, also dressed in black.
He had just reached his seat, glaring at Lady Francis the length of the room, when Soma and Agni entered the room. Both men were dressed in white and the Englishmen were slightly taken aback by their choice. Ciel opened his mouth to say something when Undertaker interrupted.
"It is customary in India to wear white instead of black, when attending a funeral. White represents spirituality, truth and purity. It's a sign of respect for the deceased." The mortician giggled when Soma jumped behind Agni. The Prince peered from behind his servant at the creepy man.
"Who is this?"
"This is Undertaker. He's overseeing the funeral." Ciel waved Soma to his seat before taking his own. Sebastian set a cup of tea in front of him but waited to serve the meal until the last guest arrived.
Elizabeth came into the room, her head down, not noticing the men stand. The table heard a sob and she darted back out the door. Soma looked to Ciel but the Earl shook his head and sat back down. After a moment, Lizzy came back in with her head up and went quickly to her chair. She was surprised at Father Matthew's presence and smiled at the man who looked a little wary being seated next to the Earl and his looming butler.
"Good morning." She tried to smile at the table before looking back down at her plate.
Ciel waved for the butler to serve, seeming to be perfectly calm. But, Undertaker could see the explosion waiting beneath the surface.
"Ciel, you could at least welcome your guest." Francis looked up from her plate and returned her nephew's glare.
"I'm sorry, Lady Midford. I was under the impression that he was your guest."
"It is your home."
"Really? I wasn't aware that you knew that, with how you invite people into my home."
"Lord Phantomhive," the priest coughed. "I am well aware of your stance in regards to the church. However, I had hoped that this would be a situation in which you could look past that, at least for a little while."
Lizzy looked between the two men, waiting for the fight that she could feel brewing. Ciel had raised the eyebrow that was showing and stared at the priest. The room could feel the tension and waited for the Earl to throw a tantrum. He surprised them all when he smile.
"You're right, Father Matthew. I apologize that you have been put in this position by my aunt's calling on you. However, this is still my home and my butler will be happy to show you out of it at any time."
Sebastian was smiling behind his Master.
"Ciel," The blonde put a hand on her fiancé's arm. "I think that he should stay."
Lizzy jerked at the glare both Earl and butler shot her.
Undertaker's laugh broke the staring match, turning all the glares on himself.
********************A Demon's Mate******************
Akiko arrived shortly after Serena's strange encounter and reminded the red head that she had promised to go with them to the local temple's summer festival. After trying to get out of it for over an hour, she finally realized that her roommate wasn't going to be denied and went to get dressed. In her room, Serena allowed herself a minute to throw a small tantrum. Digging roughly through her small closet and not finding a thing she wanted to wear, a little scream of frustration bubbled up.
When she turned around, her favorite maxi dress was laying across the bed. Serena looked around the room but there was no one with her. She touched the dress carefully, as though something was going to jump out at her.
'I know that I didn't pull that out.'
"Sebastian?"
There was no answer and the girl wanted to cry.
"If this is you, it's not funny." She ripped the robe she was wearing off and threw it across the room. Picking up the dress, she looked at the pretty green that set off her skin and hair. It was made of a soft material that kept it comfortable while still looking nice. In difference to the heat, she pulled her mass of red hair into a braid and wrapped it up in a bun on the back of her head.
The trio was waiting in the main room and stood as soon as she entered.
"See, now doesn't it feel better to be getting out of this tiny apartment and going to venture into the city?" Izumi smiled. "And I love this dress."
Serena stood still and let the other girl touch the fabric. Even though she felt a little sick at the heat of someone else's touch.
'The only attachment that you are meant to have is to me and I am all that you will need.'
Sebastian's voice flitted through her mind as she carefully stepped away from the other girl and went to the entryway.
"This festival is great. You're going to love it." Akiko assured the red head as they headed out the door.
The streets were just as crowded as normal. As they reached the more public roads, tourists began to join the throngs of people. Serena was surprised at how irritating the sounds around her were. The mechanical sound of traffic, construction a few streets away, and music from several phones going off at the same time. All of it was deafening and started a new headache.
'Why didn't my head hurt earlier?'
She reached up and touched her scalp, feeling for the lump that had been there last night. There wasn't trace of it.
"Serena, there's the temple." Shougo pointed to a set of stairs that started beneath a Toro gate. She frowned at the bandage that covered his arm from wrist to elbow.
"What happened to you?"
"It's the weirdest thing." He looked down at his arm. "Akiko and I were headed back to my place and this wind came out of nowhere. It knocked me into an exhaust grate and burned my arm."
"An exhaust grate?"
"Yeah, it wasn't even supposed to be running last night but it was still hot." The man shrugged and looked ahead again. "It's not that bad. Of course, it could be the pain killers and the strange goo they slapped on it at the hospital."
At the top of the stairs, Serena heard a car backfire and looked over her shoulder. She was struck by the view of the streets. An idea popped into her head and the girl pulled a small notebook and pen from the bag over her shoulder. Jotting down her idea, she didn't notice the others stop to watch her.
"Whatcha doing?" Akiko smiled at her but something in her eyes made Serena suspicious as she slid the book back into her bag.
"Just something I remembered that I wanted to tell my mom. My memory isn't the greatest and I don't want to forget."
"Oh, well we should into the grounds. They have tours of the gardens that will blow your socks off."
*****************A Demon's Mate**************
Sebastian and Ciel surprised everyone by staying quiet as Father Matthew prayed over Serena's coffin at the grave site. The priest ended his little service and went to stand next to Lady Francis. Both of them started to protest when Agni stepped up the grave and began chanting in a quiet voice, but the Earl waved them off.
Francis sent a silent glare at her nephew and looked at her brother's grave a few feet away. It was another protest that she had voiced when they reached the family cemetery and she had seen where Undertaker had placed the girl's marker for her stone. It had fallen on ears that were just as deaf as now and there was nothing that she could do about it. Ciel seemed to have reached the end of his patience and reminded the older woman that the Phantomhive estate was no longer her home and she had no say in how things were done.
For his part, Sebastian had said nothing about the fact that his Master had chosen to bury Serena in the same row as his parents and the Earl's own empty grave. To the demon, it was really meaningless in the grand scheme of things. His mate was gone and it really didn't matter where her body was laid to rest. The body really meant nothing, it was the soul that inhabited it that made a person and hers was gone.
When Undertaker stepped up to start lowering the casket into the dark earth, Ciel turned away and went to the gate, unable to watch. The crunching of snow told him that Sebastian followed. The sound got louder as the rest of their little group joined the walk back to the manor.
Hoof beats and the roll of carriage wheels broke through the silence of the procession. The team of horses pulling the Midford carriage stopped at the front doors and Sebastian excused himself to hurry ahead. Ciel looked at the emblem on the vehicle's door and let out a small sigh of relief.
'Maybe now I can get rid of all of them.'
************************A Demon's Mate*********************
The festival was certainly well liked. It was hard to move on the temple grounds because of all the people and Serena strained to hear the guide explaining various features of what she was sure was a beautiful garden when it wasn't packed. In the jostling she had lost the others, but shrugged it off. Experience had taught her that they would go back to the apartment without her if they didn't meet up again, and she found that she wasn't bothered nearly as much at being alone than she would have normally been.
There was no other choice but to move with the flow of the crowd and they were headed for the courtyard of the main temple. Serena kept a hold on her bag as she was pushed along and tried to keep from screaming at all the people touching her.
In the courtyard, the monks had set up tables that were selling charms and various other things related to the temple. The red head went to each, seeing several things that caught her attention but none that she had to have. A table at the end held necklaces and she felt drawn to one in particular. It was simple really. A delicate chain held a single tear drop shaped stone that was a light blue. She picked it up to get a closer look, fascinated by the simple stone.
Suddenly, her arm was grabbed and the red head was spun around. An elderly monk stared intently at her before sliding the hand that held her arm to hold her fingers open. He flipped her hand over and ran his fingers lightly over the skin of her palm. When he looked up, the expression in his eyes was hard and unwelcoming.
"He's coming. A being shrouded in darkness that walks the world of man. Return to the beginning to find the ending." The monk took the necklace from her limp fingers. "This will no longer help you. You have already accepted him and I must ask that you leave this holy place."
Serena nodded, still staring at the man in shock. "Thank you."
The monk followed as she pushed through the crowd to the stairs. She could feel him watching from the top and turned before going under the last gate and onto the sidewalk. He was still there, making sure that the red head left the grounds before turning back and disappearing into the crowds.
*********************A Demon's Mate********************
Ciel sighed as the silence of his office slowly turned from comforting to stifling. The Midfords had decided to stay for the rest of the day, insistent that he needed company. Finally after dinner, he had been able to convince them that what he needed was peace and quiet. Strangely enough, it was Lizzy who had seen the strain and suggested that they leave. She had even gotten Soma and Agni to head back to the townhouse in the Earl's carriage.
Now, there was no one. But, the quiet he craved was irritating. He stood up and walked out of the room. The halls of the manor offered no solace either and Ciel soon found himself outside of Serena's room. When the door opened, he could tell the room had been cleaned but there was still a light trace of the perfume that the red head had worn all around him. There was nothing personal laying out and he remembered that there really hadn't been anything personal that Serena had while she was here. The only thing the girl had was her bag and that was with her.
He shivered at the smell of blood that still lingered. A flash of something through the open drapes pulled him to the window. Sebastian was walking across the grounds toward the forest.
'Where is he going?'
**************************A Demon's Mate************************
Serena entered the apartment out of breath from running. Dropping her bag on the couch, she ran to her room and pulled her suitcases out from under the bed. Tossing clothes out of her closet and onto the bed, the girl didn't bother to fold them before shoving them in the bags. Jewelry in the small box on her dresser was dumped quickly into her carry on bag and she didn't care that she had mixed clean clothes in with dirty. Thankfully, she hadn't brought that much with her and had invested in a couple extra suitcases for the things that she bought while in Tokyo. It still didn't fit very well and the red head ended up having to sit on the last one to close it.
'I'm so glad that I reconsidered and sold those two paintings. The airline won't let me change tickets, so I'll just have to buy a new one.' Serena stuffed her sketchbook and pencils in the bag she would carry on the plane. 'I'll just go and wait out the flight that I need.'
Making sure that her passport and visa were within easy reach, the red head smiled for the first time since she found herself back in the present. The room was empty, not perfect by any means, but she looked around and was satisfied that nothing had been left behind. Opening her bedroom door, Serena was surprised to see Akiko in the main room.
"What the hell is this?" The girl slammed the little notebook closed and tossed it down.
"It's a shorthand that I came up with in high school." Akiko spun around and saw her roommate standing behind her. "I was never the best student. I had a hard time remembering, so I needed to copy down more of the lecture. It would take you longer than a few minutes to decipher it."
The other girl straightened and tried to figure an explanation.
"You know, I always wondered why we thought so much alike."
"What?"
"Your sponsor professor likes to show off to mine. Imagine my surprise when I had to resubmit two different pieces because you had turned in something that was frighteningly similar. But, you're faster than me so yours was always in first." Serena picked up her purse and put the notebook back inside. "Of course, they never said anything to you. The professors chalked it up to us being roommates and figured that we discussed our pieces. They couldn't tell who had the idea first, so they couldn't punish anyone. But you always submitted first, so I was the one that had to change ideas. That's why I started using my old shorthand again. But still, the idea alone isn't enough, Akiko. Because it's not your idea, you can't really see it."
"You can't prove anything."
"You're right, I can't. And to be honest, it doesn't really matter anymore. I'll always be better than you. Your work has no life in it. Now, I know why. You can't put heart into something that you stole."
"Akiko?"
Both girl turned to see Izumi and Shougo in the entryway. The man walked over to his girlfriend, waiting for her to deny it. When she didn't, he laughed.
"Is that why you work on your pieces at my place? A part of me always wondered why you weren't more comfortable at home. You couldn't work on them here because Serena would have seen them."
Akiko looked between all of them, panic evident on her face. Serena shook her head and slung her purse over her shoulder. Walking back to her suitcases, she found a way to juggle the bags and headed for the door. Izumi tried to say something but just stepped out of the way.
********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Ciel followed the footprints of his butler into the woods. The night air was even colder than the last and he tried to ignore the cold biting into his skin, trying to steal the breath from his lungs. The snow thinned a bit inside the treeline, making it easier for him to catch up. The Earl could hear something ahead and hurried on.
He saw the black of Sebastian's tailcoat and ducked behind a tree. The demon was talking to someone but he couldn't hear the words. The other man was a blonde, tall and painfully beautiful. In the dark, Ciel could almost see his golden eyes glow. He was dressed in a nice suit, not a thing out of place as he watched Sebastian. After a moment, he recognized the gloves the man was wearing, were not gloves at all. They were heavy gauntlets.
The hit came out of nowhere. Ciel didn't even see the other man move and wouldn't have known that anything happened if Sebastian hadn't gone flying. When he landed on the other side of the small clearing, the demon stayed down. The other man took off his coat and a large pair of white wings exploded from his back.