Author's Note: I actually went out and looked on the Virgin-Atlantic website and I have to tell you, it's become a new life dream to take an international trip to somewhere and fly in Upper Class. It's on my bucket list. They have a place on the website where you can take a tour of the Upper Class cabin...and it's some serious awesome. Hopefully, I can fit some of those details in here. I really don't know much about changing flight dates and standby and all that, so please excuse any descrepancies.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters. I only claim Serena and the demons that I introduce, as well as the O.C.s I think we all know that I don't own Virgin-Atlantic Airways, nor do I receive any payment for advertising. I just put it in here because I thought it was cool.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Thirty
'I flew in here, why didn't I remember how big this airport is?'
Serena stepped out of the cab and looked up at the massive inter-connected buildings of Narita International Airport. Virgin Airlines had their own drop off point, that was still filled with people dodging to and fro. The cabby was a likable man, obviously hoping for a decent tip as he grabbed the nearest cart and loaded her bags for her. Happy at a direction to go in search of her demon, Serena handed the man the rest of the yen in her wallet with a bright smile and grabbed the cart as he gaped at the money in his hand.
If possible, the inside was even more daunting than the outside. Sounds of travelers roared through the cavernous space as people hurried along trying to find their airline. The line at the Virgin-Atlantic ticket counter was still long, even with most people buying and reserving online. At least it seemed to be moving fairly quickly. Two of the branches anyway. The third ticket rep appeared to be having some sort of argument with the teenager in front of her.
"Can I help you?" The pretty woman dressed in a sharp, red suit, with a Virgin Airways Wing pinned to her jacket, smiled at Serena and distracted the red head from trying to figure out what was going on at the other counter.
"Yes, I need to change my flight, hopefully to today." She pulled the small packet with her ticket and flight itenerary from her purse and handed it to the woman.
"You still have time to change the flight before a fee is charged. We have two flights to New York that still have space today. One leaves in a little over an hour, that doesn't really give you time to get through customs and security though. The other leaves in three hours." The woman looked up from her screen, still smiling.
"No, I need to change the destination as well as the departure date."
The rep's smile faded a little. "I'm sorry, if you change your destination, you would have to purchase an entirely new fight ticket."
Remembering how much this ticket had cost, Serena swallowed hard and nodded. "That's fine."
The woman opened her ticket packet and started typing her information into the computer.
"There has to be something. My father just had a heart attack, I have to get back to New York." She caught the boy's panic at the other rep's window.
"The only thing left available for a new ticket is Upper Class."
The teenage boy, dressed in jeans and an M University t-shirt sighed and leaned against the counter.
Serena looked at the useless ticket in her hands. The economy seat could be moved to another flight, why couldn't someone else use it? She looked at it once more before setting it on the counter and sliding it over to the younger man. He stared at it for a minute and looked up to her.
"I have to pay for a new ticket anyway. Someone might as well use that one." She turned to the woman in the same uniform that was helping the teen. "He can change that for a flight leaving today, can't he?"
"I can put him on standby then have you sign off on the ticket. After he claims it, the departure date can be changed."
The teen threw his arms around the red head. She heard a small sob and a 'thank you' before he pulled away.
Her own rep brought Serena's attention back to her. "What destination are you wanting to change too?"
"London."
"We have a flight leaving for Heathrow International in four hours." She looked back up with a strained smile. "It is also an Upper Class flight, that has priority through our own security and passport check."
"And how much does that priority cost in dollars?"
"In total, the flight is $4645.11."
Serena choked, staring at the smiling clerk with wide eyes.
'Oh, that monk better be right. Or I'll pitch a tent on those precious holy grounds of his. Of course I would have to come back to do that and therefore have to buy another ticket. But it would be worth finding the money somewhere.'
"Fine, that's fine." Still shaking, and a little breathless, the red head pulled her wallet back out. After a moment's hesitation, she handed the card to the rep.
'It's a damn good thing that I sold those pieces for a good price. I can only stay a month without a visa. If he's not there and I have to go home, this little side trip may just break me. I still haven't figured out where I'll stay either. That will cost, I'm sure. It's a good thing that I always wanted to save every penny that I could. I'm going to need them all this time.'
The woman directed her to the roped off lane leading to the security check point and told her that someone would be there to direct her to the clubhouse, another amenity that her 4600 bucks had purchased, she had the option of browsing the many shops that Narita had to offer travelers. With four hours to kill and a fifteen hour flight to look forward too, Serena decided on the shops. She had no one to buy souveniers for, but it would give her something to do and time to stretch her legs.
Security was a great deal easier than she had ever seen. The men were also incredibly more polite. They still looked through her carry on, as well as her purse, checked her passport and Serena still had to go through the metal detector, but it was infinitely less stressful as she sat in a cushioned armchair while they checked everything over. After passing through the check point, the men waved her to another waiting with a golf cart to take her to the clubhouse for Virgin-Atlantic but she shook her head.
"I'll just walk around for a while."
"If you wish, when you are done shopping, another skycab will take you to the terminal."
"Thank you." Serena bowed and walked into the shopping concourse.
It was still crowded, but since it was all passengers, it wasn't so bad. The shops all carried souveniers to take home and several were specialized. The ones featuring artisan crafts were fascinating and the red head wished that she had taken the time to tour some of the crafter's studios instead of just being mired in her classes. One shop specialized in tea from many areas of Japan and Serena moved to the other side of the concourse quickly. Some catered to specific regions of Tokyo and the things that had made those districts famous. The Akihabara area was one of the lucky ones to have it's own little shop and the display in the window made her stop.
A large version of Bitter Rabbit, with his little vest, bow-tie and eye patch stood in the midst of other stuffed plushes from various other anime series. After a minute of staring at the glass, Serena entered the shop and picked up the toy. She remembered the toys made by the Funtom company that had been displayed in one of the manor's many rooms and laughed. The woman at the register was more than happy to accept her card and bag the stuffed animal.
*********************A Demon's Mate********************
Sebastian lay where he had landed and made no move to get up. Ciel watched from his little hiding place as the angel walked to the demon and threw one of his fists into the demon's chest. The Earl stared in disbelief as Sebastian made no move to defend himself. He saw the demon's eyes open and close and knew that he was still conscious.
"Get up." He whispered, knowing that the demon would hear him.
Sebastian closed his eyes.
"Come on, fight me!" The angel pointed to Sebastian and then himself. "Demon. Angel. That's what we do."
"I don't care, Gabriel."
"No!" Ciel yelled as he tore out of his hiding place. "Get up, Sebastian!"
"Your Master's calling you, demon." The blonde taunted as he looked down on the demon.
Sebastian turned to look and Ciel gasped at the expression on his face. There was defeat in his eyes. A welcoming of the death the angel offered. Gabriel slammed his fist into the demon's chest again.
"Get up!" Ciel watched as the demon turned away, ignoring his order. "I did not bargain for such a weak demon. Now, fight."
"That may not be what you bargained for, but it's what you got kid."
"Shut up!" The human screamed at the angel and ran between him and the demon. He shoved at the blonde's chest and was a little surprised when Gabriel backed off and lifted his hands in a placating gesture.
Gabriel laughed. "Look at that, your human is more ferocious than you. Perhaps I should have fought him from the beginning. Probably would have given me more of a challenge than a demon who just lays there."
"Sebastian!"
"Go back to the manor." His voice was tired as he laid in the snow, refusing to look at either of them.
"No!" Ciel reached down and yanked on his butler's tie. "You will not leave me. You can't die, we have a deal. Now, get up damn it!"
The demon watched and his mate's voice came through his mind.
'You're the only thing that he has left. The one thing that no one can take from him.'
"I'm not done fighting. Which means that you aren't either. Stand up! Fight him!" He yanked on the tie still in his hands, but Sebastian still didn't move an inch.
"You're wasting your breath, boy. He's broken. The mighty Elder of London." Gabriel laughed again and it turned into a sneer. "Pathetic. Mourning a woman that hasn't even been born yet."
Sebastian gasped as his eyes popped back open.
"Get it now?" The blonde walked closer and Ciel glared at him. "He gave you a warning shot, demon. Called it repayment for how you became a demon in the first place. I don't pretend to understand why He would bother with the courtesy. Either way, you know what you need to do now."
The demon moved slowly to stand. Ciel stayed where he was as his butler held his chest and looked at the angel. Sebastian nodded and Gabriel turned away.
"I expect a better fight next time, demon." He waved over his shoulder and walked deeper into the woods, disappearing in the shadows.
***********************A Demon's Mate**********************
After walking around a little more, Serena and her new plushie headed back toward the Virgin-Atlantic gate. She had no idea where this clubhouse that she was supposed to use was. The seating area was almost full and the red head tried to ignore the sound of a crying toddler as she waited in line to enter. Evidently, you were only allowed in the gate area with a ticket. Considering that you couldn't come past security without a ticket, it made this next check seem a little redundant. A man and woman, dressed again in black and red respectively, waited to check tickets at the entryway.
When she finally got to the front, the woman smiled and looked at her ticket. She handed it to the man next to her. "If you would follow Hiroshi, he will escort you to the Upper Class clubhouse."
"Thank you." Serena returned the woman's bow and walked behind the man as he cut through to a staircase at the back of the gate area.
She tried not to notice the several people that watched, trying to figure out what was going on.
'Evidently, this is why you take the skycab. Now I know what a goldfish feels like.'
At the top of the stairs was another woman in a red suit who took her ticket from Hiroshi. The man bowed and walked around her to go back to the gate.
"Welcome, Miss Walton. Your flight is not scheduled to depart for another two hours, however we do have priority boarding starting in one hour." She turned to point behind her. "The clubhouse restaurant, as well as the bar will be happy to serve you, and the viewing deck has a fantastic view of the runway and sky line while you wait."
"Thank you." Serena took her ticket back and went into the lounge, done in slick black and white with red accents. Everyone else in the large lounge seemed unaffected by the luxury around them and she tried to channel Ciel's bored face as she crossed the polished wood floor. Even so, a little giggle slipped out as she sat down at the bar.
'I wonder if Ciel would be impressed.' Another giggled escaped. 'He'd probably still find something to complain about.'
The bartender was again dressed in red and offered Serena one of the signature clubhouse drinks, a Virgin Redhead that she just had to try. She found an empty seat at the viewing deck and sipped the drink in her hand while watching the sun starting to set over the Tokyo skyline. A sigh escaped as she watched the planes take off.
'I'm coming, Sebastian. Just give me a little longer.'
*******************A Demon's Mate******************
Bardroy woke the next morning and stretched lazily in his bed. Sebastian hadn't come to wake them yet, so the chef figured it was still early. Sinking back into the mattress, with his head on his pillow, the man looked over to the window to gauge how much time he had left before the butler made his appearance, but the sun had already risen.
Bard jerked up and threw his blankets off.
"Finny, get up. We must have fallen back to sleep after Sebastian came in."
The gardener didn't seem to be moving and the older man reached over to shake him.
"Come on." he said when the green eyes finally focused on him. "We should have been up hours ago. He's going to flay us alive."
Both men struggled to dress quickly and put their shoes on before flying out the door. As they went down the hall toward the kitchen, Bard noticed that Mei-Rin's door was still closed. He banged on the wood portal and heard the maid fall out of bed.
"Get up, Mei-Rin. We're late!" He heard a scramble and nodded.
In the kitchen, the Master's morning tea was already on the cart, all it needed was hot water to be prepared. The paper laid on the second shelf, already ironed. Next to the teapot, cup and daily tea flavor, was a tray with morning pastries covered with a little glass dome. But, the butler himself, was nowhere to be found.
Tanaka came through the door with a flustered Mei-Rin. The former butler was surprised that he had slept in for the first time in decades and looked a little ruffled because of it. He looked around the kitchen and noticed the plates that had been set up at the kitchen table for the servants. The icebox held meals that had already been prepared and just needed to be heated.
Suspicious, Tanaka went into the dining room and found the Earl's table already set and awaiting breakfast to be served. Going through the house, not a single thing was out of place. But, there was a feeling, a heaviness to the air that saturated the manor. Tanaka climbed the stairs quickly. Everyone, except Bard who had gone to wake Snake, followed behind the older man. He waved them to remain in the hall and entered the Earl's bedroom.
Lord Phantomhive was still in bed but woke when Tanaka entered.
"Tanaka? What's going on?" The Earl rubbed his eyes as he sat up.
"Forgive me, Lord Phantomhive, for waking you."
Ciel looked at the clock on the bedside table and noticed the time. Sebastian should have been to wake him almost two hours ago.
"Where's Sebastian?"
"I...do not know, my lord. Everything has been prepared for this morning, but no one was awoken. We have all slept later than we normally would."
The Earl slid out of bed and grabbed his eye patch before leaving his rooms. Everyone was waiting in the hallway and stood aside as the Master came out. Ciel tied the patch in a messy knot as he stomped down the stairs, angry at the shoddy service his perfect butler was providing this morning. The servants followed him past the kitchens and to the door of the house's butler.
"I swear Sebastian, if you're still moping in there..." Ciel didn't even bother to knock before throwing the door open.
They all stopped dead at the empty room. The bed had been stripped and the desk cleaned off. The Earl went to the wardrobe and yanked the doors open. All the clothing was gone and in their place were the linens for the bed, the drawers were empty. In the bathroom, no towels hung on the rack and everything had been cleaned out. Looking in the mirror with a horrible feeling, Ciel ripped his eye patch off.
His contract seal was gone.
*********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Priority boarding was definitely a trip. Serena was personally escorted from her seat in the lounge, onto the plane and then into her assigned seat. The stewardess even took a minute to brief her on the details on her little slice of techno heaven. Her large, leather seat was power operated and easily reclined with her back to the window. There were no aisle or window seats, as it was all one unit with little privacy walls on either side of her. Set into one of the walls was a touch screen monitor in which she could choose her own inflight entertainment. On the other was a small desk piece that she could pull out of the half-wall, as well as a booklight that could be moved to shine on whatever she was doing. An ottoman at the end of the seat provided a place to put her feet up and the top lifted so she could secure her carry on and keep it out of the way. The flight attendant had also informed her, while pouring the red head a glass of champagne, that her seat would turn into a bed when she was ready to rest during the flight.
With a smile and biting her lip, Serena made sure no one was looking at her and hit the recline button. She giggled to herself as the seat went down and she disappeared behind the little walls. The girl took a moment to play with all the buttons and the touchscreen menus, feeling like a kid in a candy store before sitting back up. She jumped when she realized that someone was looking over the wall behind her.
"First time in Upper Class?" The man smiled at her excitement. He was beautiful with short, golden hair slicked back from his face that still held a hint of the glossy waves it would be if he let it grow. His features carried the high cheekbones and pale skin that reminded her of Scandinavians. The perfectly tailored gray suit he wore set off his pale skin and bright, blue eyes that were laughing at her.
Serena sunk down in her seat a little with a blush. "I guess it's kind of obvious, huh?"
He looked both ways before whispering, "only a little."
The man held out his hand as she laughed. "Lucien. Lucien Michaels."
"Serena Walton."
Lucien leaned back as the stewardess came up with a glass of champagne for him.
"Is he bothering you, miss?"
"Cindy, I'm wounded." He held a hand to his chest as he looked at the woman in red.
"You are shameless flirt."
"My intentions are as innocent as the pure, driven snow."
Both women snorted and he looked to Serena in shock.
"You're a womanizer. Pure and simple." She smiled. "It's easy to see."
"I object to the term 'womanizer.'" He adopted a serious expression. "I love every woman that I spend time with, just not enough to keep them. But, they know that up front."
Cindy glared at the man before turning a smile to Serena. "Just let me know if he bothers you. I'll move him elsewhere."
As she moved off, the red head looked back to Lucien. "I take it you fly a lot."
"I'm a glorified messenger boy."
"Who flies Upper Class?"
"I never said I wasn't a happy messenger boy." He came to sit on her ottoman. "I keep my boss happy by doing excellent work with every task he gives me and he keeps me happy by letting me travel in nice accomodations. I look after many of his holdings all over the world and have fun doing it."
"That's some job."
"It's one hell of a job," he said with a smirk.
Something about the way that he said it struck Serena as odd, but the moment was quickly glossed over as Lucien looked behind him.
"Ah, and here comes my business partner."
The other man was taller, easily towering over the leggy stewardess as she escorted him to the seat in front of Serena. The black suit he wore didn't disguise the fact that he carried plenty of muscle, everywhere. Dark hair, the color of bitter chocolate, went to his shoulders was tied back at his thick neck. Grey eyes set deep in Roman features took in everything around him as long legs carried him to his seat and she instantly thought soldier.
"Edwin, I made a new friend."
"Is he bothering you?" The deep, gravely voice was obviously used to issuing orders but, for some reason, she found it reassuring instead of threatening.
Serena laughed. "Not quite yet."
"Why is everybody picking on me today? I'm just trying to be friendly."
"You ask for it." The taller man held out his hand. "Edwin Phillips."
"Serena Walton. It's nice to meet you." She looked at the heavy hand that held hers and could easily see it swinging a broadsword instead of holding a cell phone.
Looking between the two men she couldn't help but think that they were polar opposites but still managed to get along as they nodded to each other.
"Do one of you want to switch, so you can sit together?"
"Not at all." Lucien winked at her. "I like having a pretty woman between us."
"Excuse me." Edwin reached over Serena and whacked his partner over the head.
The blonde winced. "It will definitely cut down on that."