Author's Note: I have to warn you that this chapter is very dialogue heave, I'm beginning to think the whole fic is dialogue heavy. I see the conversation first and then have to add in what's going on around it and sometimes, it doesn't work. I need to work on that.
Serena's Halloween costume and that's all I'm going to say. You'll understand when you get there.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. I only claim Serena, as well as the demons and the descendants that I introduce.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Thirty Eight
"He's in my hometown." Serena dropped onto the end of the bed in shock. "He's...but...how long has he been there? How did he know?"
"There are a few demons that can find others through their connections. He knew about the time that you would be born and called in a few favors to find out exactly where you would be."
She tried to grasp the concept that Sebastian had been around her entire life but found she didn't understand. "But that's...why didn't he say anything? I know that I've never seen him before I went to the past."
"What if you had seen him and then recognized him from the manga when it was released. What would have changed? Would you have gone to Tokyo at all? Would you have gone to the past at all? And what about the whole purpose of your trip? Would he still have broken his contract with Phantomhive or would he have devoured the boy's soul as was his original intent? If he had, would you have been born at all or would he have been left waiting longer?" Haagenti watched as she tried to answer the questions herself and saw the same answer that her demon had gotten come over her face, to do nothing.
"But, he's there now." The red head smiled.
"He has been there the whole time."
Serena jumped up and started throwing things into her bag.
"So, you'll go running after him again."
"Of course." She didn't bother to look up as she tried to stuff everything into the bag without any order.
"That isn't a good idea. He won't be happy to see you there."
That made her stop. She looked at the demon, her confusion obvious.
"Have you not wondered why he set everything up for you to wander around London for a while?" Haagenti laid his head on his fist as he watched her sitting on the floor. "There is a reason for everything that a demon does."
"So, what is his reason, all knowing one?"
"It is a long story." The demon looked into the distance for a moment. "In short, his current master."
"Why would that make any difference? He didn't have a problem with me being there with Ciel."
"Now that's a lie." He raised an eyebrow, making her feel like she'd been scolded.
"Alright, he didn't like that I was close to Ciel. Is he afraid that I'll get attached to this one too?"
"No." He shook his head. "After the experience with Phantomhive, your mate learned his lesson. He never made a contract with a pure soul again and instead, searched for the most evil of souls. Those that truly deserved to be devoured. To be plain, it's not safe for you to be near his new master, or for his master to even know that you exist."
"Why? Sebastian would protect me."
Haagenti leaned forward in his seat, grabbing her chin and making sure that she was looking at him. "That is the problem, he couldn't. Did you never notice that he could not tell Phantomhive no. Once the contract is sealed, the demon serves his master completely and does his bidding until such time as his aim is met."
Serena thought about it for a minute, becoming more and more uncomfortable. "So basically, he could hurt me and there would be nothing that Sebastian could do about it."
"He could order your demon to kill you if he wanted. It's happened before. Of course, that normally ends with the death of the contractor and that would mean that he wasted all this time. That soul would also, eventually, be reborn again." He finally let go of her chin and sat back in his seat again.
Serena flinched and rubbed her skin while staring at the pile of clothing that she was still holding.
"It would be good for you to remain away from his master's notice. That is why he waited to call you back the other night, but you were already gone. He had to wait until his master was occupied." His finger came down and flicked her forehead. "Stop being so impatient. You have forever. Enjoy this time that you'll be alone. After he returns, you'll never be alone again."
"Weren't you upset to be alone?" She asked while rubbing the spot that he flicked.
"I see your point, however, this is the last point of your life of being without responsibilities. Without having others to answer to and for. Not to mention that after this soul, he'll have untold amount of years before he will have to make another contract. Do you honestly think that you will get any measure of privacy after he returns?"
"No." She smiled. Looking back down at the pile in her hand, the red head set them on top of the bag and took her hands away.
"Good. Now, I think that you should get some sleep." Haagenti stood and went to the door.
"Wait." Serena waited for the demon to look at her again. "What am I supposed to do about school? I have to go back in a couple weeks if Sebastian still hasn't come to get me."
He smirked. "You and I both know that your school isn't in the same town and that is space enough. As long as you stop being so impatient and stop looking for him."
********************A Demon's Mate********************
The next day, Serena stared down at her clothes and wondered if she had always had so many black tops. After wearing bright colors in the past, her current wardrobe left something to be desired.
'Talk about blending in with the background. Well, with what this hotel stay is going to cost me in the end, there is no room in the budget for shopping. And I am not asking Haagenti for clothes, just because I feel like being colorful.'
Shaking her head at the thought, she grabbed the nearest t-shirt and jeans before heading to take a shower. When she came back out, freshly scrubbed and smelling of the pretty soap she found on her first day, Haagenti was sitting in what had become his chair in her mind. The red head threw a hand over her mouth to stop her screaming and held onto the door frame while she calmed down.
She glared at the smirking demon. "Not cool."
"I trust that you are having a good morning."
"I was before my mini-heart attack." She threw the clothes from the previous night at her bag. "All demons should wear bells, damn it."
"That wouldn't be very intimidating."
"Is that all your worried about?"
"Well, it seems something for a demon to be aware of."
Serena mumbled under her breath as she grabbed her makeup bag and went back into the bathroom. She left the door open so that she could see the demon back in the other room and could see if he moved to try to scare her again.
The demon merely looked at her through the mirror. "I came to see what your plans were today."
"Came to see if they included a trip to the airport?" She stopped putting her mascara on to glare at him.
"Perhaps."
Serena sighed and came back out with her little bag. "No. I'm going to wait like a good little mate. And he'll get an ear full later."
Haagenti nodded, obviously pleased with her decision. "Good."
"I actually thought that I would go see Undertaker."
"Thinking of what Spears said to you yesterday?"
"Well, he had a point." She stopped to check her purse and made sure her key card was in her wallet.
"You haven't eaten this morning."
"I'll grab something on the way," the red head smiled and went back to searching her bag.
"From where? You don't know the city."
"There are cafe's everywhere. I'm sure that I can find something." Serena looked up to find him holding a tray filled with food. "Has it occurred to you that maybe I'm not hungry?"
"No, now eat or I'll feed you." A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes, turning them the same swirling red that Sebastian's had from time to time.
She swiped the fork from his other hand and set it on the tray before taking it back to the bed. "Control freak."
"Elder," he corrected. "You should get used to it."
Haagenti watched her the entire time. When she pushed it away, he snapped his fingers and the tray disappeared. He stood with the same fluidity that she associated with Sebastian and straightened his black shirt.
"Do all demons wear black?"
He stared back at her for a moment, confused by the question. "We normally wear what makes us look the most appealing."
"Like you all need that," she mumbled but was sure he caught it anyway.
The demon turned back around with a playful smirk. "Why Serena, do you find me appealing?"
"I'd have to be dead not to. Don't make much of it." The red head slipped past the laughing Elder and headed for the elevator. As she passed the door next to hers, something occurred to her. "I haven't seen Edwin and Lucien lately."
"Since you have proven difficult to manage, they are running some errands for me."
Her shoulders slumped with guilt as the elevator closed. "So, I've gotten them downgraded to messenger boys."
"Pretty much. Not they weren't already."
When the doors opened, Serena saw how Haagenti checked the lobby before allowing her to step out. The sky was clouded over outside and the heavy feeling of coming rain filled the air. As they waited for a cab, she looked back at the demon.
"If they were just messengers, then why did Sebastian choose them to watch me?"
"Really, all members of the house are just messengers if the Elder chooses. Add to that, they are in my territory as a favor to your mate, so they are whatever I want them to be. Edwin and Lucien were trusted with the task of watching you because their loyalty is devoted to your mate." He held the cab's door open for her and slid in after. Giving the driver directions to their destination, Haagenti waited for them to pull out into traffic. "They have been with him the longest."
"But you knew him even before them."
"You remembered."
"Will you tell me now?" She bit her lip in anticipation. Questions already forming in her mind.
"No." He watched Serena deflate in front of his eyes and smirked. "I told you before, when you are in his home, you may come see me."
The rest of the trip was silent, the red head consumed with her pouting. A drizzle had started when they reached Undertaker's parlor and Serena hurried to the door.
"What brings you here? And still in the presence of another Elder no less." The reaper didn't move from his seat on one of his famous hand-made coffins as he watched the two in the doorway.
"I just thought that I would visit." Serena smiled. "And I was too much trouble for the others."
"A visit? I don't normally get visitors." Undertaker watched her for a moment before returning the smile and beckoning her forward. "I have some work to do this morning that I could use an artist's help with."
The red raised her hand with a laugh. "I may be qualified."
"Well, if you two will be busy, I have something else to take care of." Haagenti stepped back to the door.
"You're actually going to trust me on my own?"
"No, I'm trusting Undertaker with you."
The reaper started to chuckle at the pout on her face.
"Edwin and Lucien are supposed to be meeting us here. They may return before I do." The demon nodded his head at Undertaker and swept out the door without another word.
"It'd serve you right if I took off." She yelled after him.
"You won't do that." His voice echoed around the inside of the building and she remembered what the reaper had said about Haagenti in the past. His voice was his power and a feeling of dread slipped down her spine with his words.
"Now then," Undertaker waved for her to follow him into the back room that was still closed with only a curtain.
Serena looked around at the various stacks of wood piled according to species around the room. There was ample space to walk and she noticed the back of the large room had a table saw. Sawdust covered the floor and tools hung on the back wall. In the center of the room, on a raised platform, sat a small coffin.
She stopped to stare at the piece that was already taking shape. It had been meticulously put together out of a pretty blonde wood, the corners of the bottom carved to look like roses. On its top, the beginning of roses and lilies were already formed to cover the entire piece of wood and look as though they were spilling over.
She watched the reaper humming to himself as he took a couple of chisels down from the wall.
"I've already done the basic design, now it just needs the details refined. After that, we'll stain and seal it." He ignored her still staring at the coffin and slip one of the tools into her hand before going around the other side of the coffin.
The red stood still, looking at the chisel in her hands. Every time she looked up, she felt breakfast again before looking back to the tool.
"Serena."
"How...how can it not bother you to work on this?" She waved to the child-sized coffin without looking at it.
Undertaker looked up with a strange look on his face. It took her a moment to realize it was a serious look. "Should I have turned her parents down when they came to see me? Should I have left them to buy some machine manufactured piece that, while nice-looking, has no heart in it? Should I have forced them to choose something generic that they didn't really like? Should I have denied them this last gift to their child?"
Serena shook her head. Moving forward with jerky steps, she stood next to the coffin and looked down on the rough work the reaper had already done. She could see how beautiful it would be when it was completed. Undertaker had already started back to work on the other side, humming to himself. Each bloom took a more life-like look the longer they spent under his hands.
"I thought you wanted to help." He didn't look up from his work as he giggled.
She touched one of the flowers and a dark spot appeared on the wood next to her hand. Another bloomed next to it and she realized it was coming from her. Serena looked up to find Undertaker looking at her and stepped away, dropping the chisel to the floor.
"Why? I just don't get it."
"Even with all my years, I don't know. I do have a theory though." The reaper swept his hair behind him and leaned back over his piece. "I believe that it has to do with free will and the path that some are supposed to take. Sometimes, a soul takes the wrong path or will make the wrong choice, and death is a way to give them another chance. A way to start over and make their choice again."
"You think death is a reset button?"
He giggled. "Don't look at me like that. Why do you think it is call rebirth? It ia a starting over. Have you never been somewhere, been with someone and had a feeling that you have done this before? Have you never gotten a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach? What do you do when that happens? You choose another path, find a reason not to be alone with that person. You learned something before and, though you may not remember it, you're making a different choice this time."
"I suppose." She had to admit that he had a point, but she didn't want to.
"Look at the little earl, he should have died with his family that night. For whatever reason, twist of fate, free will, whatever, he didn't. And look what he did. Perhaps, that was why he was supposed to die that night. To get a reset."
"I still don't think it's right."
"Be that as it may, it's beyond you or I to fix or complain. Now, this has to be done so it can be sealed tonight and it still needs to be sanded after the carving is done. We don't want this to be unfinished for Caroline's special day."
Serena picked up the chisel she had dropped and blew the sawdust off it. "You know, carving was never really my strong suit."
The reaper smiled and held out a piece of sand paper. "Go along behind me and get the rough edges. I'm sure that people will touch it and we don't want any splinters."
Nodding, she decided not to think about it. Because Undertaker was right. It wasn't her decision to make and there was nothing that she could do about it, but make this last thing as beautiful as possible. Making herself see only the carving, she was able to block out exactly what they were carving on with a little effort.
Serena didn't know how long they had worked when a soft song started to play, but the flowers were finished and they were both sanding. It took her a moment to realize the noise was coming from Undertaker while the reaper shook his butt to the beat. He set the paper he was using down and pulled a little phone from his pocket. The red head tried not to listen in but curiosity got the better of her. When she looked up from the rose she had finished, he was looking straight at her. She felt her face heat at being caught and ducked her head again.
"It seems that I will have to leave you for a while."
"What?" Her head shot up.
"Don't worry. As long as you don't leave the building, everything will be fine. There are wards around that keep trouble out." Undertaker straightened his hat with a giggle.
"Demons just walk in here."
"Ah, but they are not malicious." He giggled into his sleeve as he pushed the curtain aside and went into the front of the shop. "Just don't go anywhere. You know that trouble finds you when you're alone."
The red head followed him, sand paper still in hand. "Hey, I found the reapers when I was alone in London."
"That's my point." Undertaker sent her smirk over his shoulder before sweeping out the door.
Serena stuck her tongue out at the door before going back to the workroom. After finishing a couple of lilies, she found that she really couldn't concentrate by herself. Feeling nosy, she started poking around the large area, but there was nothing but more wood and tools to be found.
An actual door sat in the back corner and she opened it to find a little sitting room filled with the most obnoxiously loud furniture she had ever seen. Huge flowers, in colors that were never found in nature, glared at her from a lumpy sofa. Next to it, sat an over-stuffed chair in eggplant. The walls were papered in posters for bands, big and small, and movies that spanned the decades. On every flat surface, pictures and little portraits of people she didn't know sat clustered together. Turning to take in the whole room, Serena found another of Undertaker's signature robes hanging on a hook behind the door. Another hat sat on the table right beside the door. With a giggle, she slid the robe on over her clothes and settled the hat on her head. The hat dropped down to cover her eyes and the robe was long enough that she had to pick it up to walk, but she laughed and went back to exploring.
The pictures called to her again and Serena went to those first. Two stood out and she picked them up for a closer look. The first was Ciel, though he looked slightly older than when she had known him, standing next to the shop's wall of urns. There was something in the way he stood, the expression on his face, that made her think that this was a candid photo. The other looked like Alex but he was holding the hand of a man that she had only seen in a single painting and drawn herself from that painting. Both were dressed in clothing that she couldn't envision Alex ever wearing.
'It must be Ciel and Vincent.' The boy was slightly hiding behind his father's leg, barely standing past his knee and clinging to the hand he held. This picture was just as candid as the other, although Vincent looked unruffled. 'I have a feeling he always looked unruffled. I can't believe that Ciel's father brought him here as a child. Although, Vincent probably knew that Undertaker would be a valuable ally to the next Guard Dog. I wonder if this was the first time they met?'
Serena ran her fingers over the glass before setting it down and moving on. Just off the living room was a tiny kitchen with only enough room for one person to move at a time. A little table sat in an alcove past the kitchen and she was saddened to see only one chair. The next door off of the living room was closed and she felt a twinge of guilt as she opened it. There really was only one other room that could be here.
In contrast to the rest of the little house, the bedroom was completely bare. There was no rug on the wood floor, nothing on the walls. Where she suspected there should have been windows, instead there were bricks to close the room off. A cot stood against the far wall, with no head board or foot board. Sterile sheets of white and a matching blanket covered the mattress. A tall dresser stood against the wall with the door. Another door stood open on a side wall and she could see a little bathroom that was as stark as the bedroom.
'This isn't a place to rest, it's a prison.' Serena backed out of the room quickly, tripping over the robe's length and found herself back in the living room. She was drawn back to the pictures and realized that they were really the only possession that he had. People that he had known that were long gone stared back at her from pieces of parchment, canvas and photo paper alike. There wasn't a single picture or portrait of anyone that was still alive.
A bell rang through the house and she realized someone must have come into the shop. Picking up the length of the robe, Serena ran through the workroom, kicking up sawdust behind her and pushed back the curtain.
"Undertaker, for a minute I didn't think that you were here." The blond woman turned from the window and stopped at seeing the red head in the mortician's clothes. "Serena?"
"Malory, how are you?" Serena smiled and came forward to hug the older woman.
"Fine." She pulled away to take in the red head's outfit. "What are you doing in Undertaker's clothes?"
Serena looked down at the robe she was still wearing and the hat came over her eyes again. "I got bored."
"So you decided to play dress up?"
"It's the latest trend." Serena flapped her arms, making the long sleeves billow out.
"I don't think that it suits you. The jeans don't really go with the rest of it." Malory waved to encompass the whole outfit.
"Yeah, and I'm missing those killer boots." She mumbled while pulling back the robe to look at her flip flops.
"I'm glad that I ran into you actually."
"What's up?" Serena let the robe drop back and waved Malory to sit on one of the coffins, taking a seat on the one across from it. "I'd offer you some tea, but I don't know how to make it. Or how to find it."
The blonde waved the offer off. "Have you decided how long you are staying in London?"
Thinking back to her conversation with Haagenti. "My last semester doesn't start for a couple weeks. I guess I'll just hang out until then. Why?"
"Well, you see." She stopped, choosing her words. "It's about Alex. I've never seen him get attached to anyone but family, and even then, only immediate family. He became depressed after you left and then he started saying that the man in the garden had left as well. When Henry said something about seeing you, he got upset and insisted that Henry bring you back to the manor. I told him that wasn't possible, we didn't even know where you were staying and he said I was taking Henry's side. Now, he won't talk to anyone."
"The silent treatment." Serena laughed. "I thought he was little young to use that."
"So did I. I didn't get the silent treatment from the girls until they were close to their teens. And there really isn't any way I can punish him. He doesn't watch a lot of TV or play video games. The only thing he is really into is books, and what kind of mother has a child who would rather read instead of play games and would take the books away. It's like he knows it too. He's just waiting for me to break."
"He's being difficult."
"He's being a brat. I just want to know where my son went."
Serena laughed. "It sounds like something Ciel would have done. Trust me, he's not going to break first."
Malory stood to pace the small shop, wringing her hands as she went. "What bothers me most is the nightmares. He's always had nightmares, but not like this. He's barely sleeping. In the morning we find him pacing, strangely enough, in Henry's office. It's like he's agitated all the time. There is something going on, but I don't know what. I thought that if you came to see him, he might calm down a bit. Or if you could get the man in the garden to come back."
"I'm sure that I could pull some strings. Sebastian owes me big for the wild goose chase he sent me on." Serena smiled.
"Wild goose chase?"
The red head waved for her to sit back down so that she could explain. "He's not here at all. He's in America, finishing up a contract. Sebastian set this whole thing up to keep me busy."
"I see."
"Yeah, so I'm pretty sure that I can get the demon in the garden back."
"Well, when you say it like that I'm not sure that I want him to come back."
For a moment, all Serena could see was the protective mother that had no trace of the refined lady. She leaned over and took the other woman's hand. "It'll be fine. He's been there long before Alex or even you were born and he hasn't done anything to harm your family. I doubt he'll start now."
The little bell rang over the shop door and both women looked up from their conversation. Haagenti stopped in the doorway and stared at Serena pushing the hat back on her head again. The Elder turned and pushed the other two back out the door. After a moment, the bell rang again as they came back in. He stared at her again before shaking his head.
"Why are you in Undertaker's clothes?"
Serena shrugged and swished the robe around her. "Why not? I'm running the shop for the time being and it's like a uniform."
Behind him, Edwin and Lucien were still staring at the smiling red head.
"Mr. Phillips. Mr. Michaels. I wasn't aware that you were still in London." Malory greeted the two demons.
Lucien smiled easily at the woman and came forward. Taking her hand, he placed a gently kiss on her knuckles. "The current situation has kept us in your fair city for the time being."
Serena saw the blush that started up Malory's face and leaned over to smack Lucien. The demon quickly let go of Malory's hand and stepped back. He bowed to his Elder's mate in apology.
"Serena." Malory scolded the younger woman.
"Trust me, there's nothing friendly about his flirting." She crossed her arms as she stared at the blonde. "Is there?"
Lucien gave her a wicked smirk as he slid into place behind her.
"You know them?" Malory pointed to the two demons.
"Yes. They're with me."
"They're not..."
"Yeah, I think that the supernatural are like an infection. You meet one and they spread." Serena nodded before looking at Haagenti, who was being quiet. "Do you know him?"
"No, I don't believe that we have met."
"Well, I'll let him introduce himself." She mumbled under her breath, "because I don't know what name he would give you."
The Elder glared at her for a moment before striding forward with an easy smile. She could practically see the demon charm working its way over Malory and was distracted watching the suspicion fade away to be replaced by another faint blush.
'There is no way that she's the Guard Dog. Ciel would never have gotten so flustered around demons. Of course, he was practically raised by one. Maybe the effect was dimmed by constant exposure? Maybe they're just doing it to her. Great, now I feel like that old, ugly spinster with a dozen cats.'
The demons watched the different emotions move across her face before Serena finally noticed them again.
"Sorry, weird thought. So Malory, why are you here anyway?"
"I needed to talk to Undertaker about something that I'm working on."
Serena looked down at her outfit again. "Well, I guess that I'm filling in." She flopped back onto the coffin she previously occupied and threaded her fingers together. "Do you have...the payment?"
"I think that I should just wait."
"Oh, come on." The red head poked her in the side. "Maybe I know. Maybe the magic's in the hat. You know, like Frosty."
From behind her she heard Lucien start humming Frosty the Snowman. A smack was heard around the shop and the humming stopped.
The expression on Malory's face completely changed to all business. "Alright, I'm looking into the disappearances of several tourists around London."
Serena thought for a moment, took the hat off and rubbed it between her hands. She put the hat back on, letting it fall to cover her eyes. When she pushed it back, the red head pouted. "Nope. It's not in the hat. I got nothing, other than a suspicion that I'm about to be bait."
"That's not going to happen." Haagenti glared down at her, making the girl flinch back.
"Okay then."
The bell sounded again and the whole shop looked at the door. Undertaker walked in with William, Grell and Ronald behind him.
"Hey, the gang's all here." Serena waved her overly long sleeves at them. She turned to look at Haagenti. "Is it not weird that we all end up here?"
The shop was quiet for a moment before Undertaker burst out laughing. Everyone watched as the silver-haired reaper came stumbling forward to drape himself around his look-a-like. Serena smiled and found herself laughing with him. Neither saw Ronald's hand holding his phone up to the two or heard the snap of a picture being taken.
Lucien sidled up next to the reaper with a smile. "Can you send me that?"
An ocean away, a demon checked the message that had come through while tending to his Master.
'Elder, you may want to hurry. Your mate is going native.'
Scrolling down, crimson eyes grew wide at the sight of Serena dressed in Undertaker's clothing, the both of them holding onto each other and laughing.