Good evening,
I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
WARNING: Black Butler spoilers. There is a small Black Butler (manga) spoiler. It's not entirely new; in fact, this information is all over the internet and it was revealed two or three mangas ago, so if don't know the spoiler, that is kind of shocking. I just wanted to be polite and add this warning just in case. The spoiler is at the very end of the chapter during Seras' scene in the last paragraph.
Oxford Not Brogues
Chapter Three
The parlor of a grand, countryside manor was currently being occupied by two monsters. Alucard sat lazily on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest while he gave the demon his full attention. The Prince of Hell's arm was bandaged tightly, though a small pool of blood was already starting to soak through the white material. He was wearing a clean white button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, trying to keep it as neat as possible until his wound healed. Sebastian stood in the front of the room, just in front of the sofa, with a white board. On the white board were three columns labelled: Dos, Don'ts, and Date Ideas all in black ink from a dry erase marker. The demon frowned at the vampire while he subconsciously tapped the marker against his palm.
"Before we can meet with the little reaper again, we must get our priorities straight, Alucard." He spoke. He then pointed the marker at the vampire. "We have to watch what we say and do, otherwise we could lose her. That means no more foul language." With that said, the demon turned to start writing something on the board in the Don'ts column. "You will not discuss any body parts to her. Do I make myself clear, Alucard?"
"It was a compliment." Alucard snickered as he watched the demon write the word 'perversity'.
"She didn't view it as a compliment." Sebastian corrected him. "She was offended. And I do have to agree with her. What you said was truly foul. I can't believe you would speak to a lady in such a way."
"Says the one who was trying to remove her clothes." The vampire responded with a wave of his hand. Immediately, the demon added another item to the Don'ts column.
"I regret doing so. It was wrong." Sebastian muttered as he wrote 'disrobe' just under perversity.
"Where does kissing and fondling fall under?" Alucard asked, sounding somewhat annoyed that they had to go over this; as if it was such a hassle. A grin then swept across his lips. "She didn't seem to mind snogging us."
"Fondling is a definite no, Alucard." The demon raised his voice before he added that to the board. "However, I am unsure where kissing lands. I suppose, for now, it is off the table until she feels more comfortable with us." With that said, he added kissing under the Don'ts column. Immediately, the grin faltered on the vampire's lips and he clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Or more accurately, what are we allowed to do since so far it seems like we can do absolutely nothing with the little reaper?" Alucard grumbled.
"Have patience, Alucard. We're winning her over by being perfect gentlemen. You don't need to bed her immediately." Sebastian responded as he looked over the board carefully. "There's plenty we can do with her that doesn't involve obscenities." With a smirk, the demon glanced back at the vampire. "Let's go over it then." He moved to stand on the other side of the board where the Date Ideas column was. "Now, are there any ideas you can think of?" This earned him a deep sigh from the bored No Life King.
"We know how to woo women." Alucard fought him. "Why is this necessary?"
"Because, we screwed it up once with her, Alucard, and I don't want to do it again." Sebastian answered with a frown. "It's better to be prepared than doing this on the fly. Now, what are some things girls…"
"Women," The vampire corrected him with a snicker.
"Hmn?" The demon hummed in confusion while giving him a peculiar look.
"I understand that the reaper is youthful, but I hardly think that she would appreciate being talked about as if she is a little girl." Alucard elaborated. "If you want to properly seduce her and actually have her like us in return, then we shouldn't downgrade her."
"Good point," Sebastian murmured before glancing back at the board. "Alright then, what are some things women like?"
"Being spoiled," The vampire scoffed. "They love it when men pay them the slightest bit of attention and buy them things."
"I can't say that she exactly enjoyed our attention, Alucard." The demon chuckled with a sheepish smile. "And let's try not to relate her to other women or past relationships. We know nothing about her."
"Not even her name." Alucard added.
"So, let's not suggest that she's a money grubber or spoiled." Sebastian finished. "Women tend to like flowers."
"How original," The vampire snickered as he watched the demon write 'flowers' under Date Ideas.
"They also like to be complimented." Michaelis added, this time putting the word 'compliment' under Dos.
"I did compliment her." Alucard argued with a large grin on his face. Without even looking his way, the demon nonchalantly threw the marker right at the vampire's head. The thin stick bunked the No Life King on the top of his head and bounced off to land on the floor and roll under the sofa.
"For the final time, Alucard, what you said wasn't a compliment; it was highly offensive." Sebastian explained to him once more. In his left hand, a new black marker appeared and he began to write some more in the Dos column. "For compliments, you can say how nice she looks. Compliment her eyes or hair or outfit."
"Her eyes are nothing special, though. All reapers have the same color of eyes and she knows it. Don't you think she will find that compliment offensive and or meaningless? Do you want her to think that we're lying to her?" Alucard questioned.
"That is a good call, Alucard." The demon sighed as he stood up right and folded his arms. "She might see it as us mocking her, and then all of our other compliments would be seen as meaningless to her; as if we're just saying them to be nice." He then nodded his head. "Only give her heartfelt compliments and no talk about how hard you are or want her body to satisfy your perverse needs, Alucard! Those aren't compliments!" The demon said in a strict tone. But he soon realized that he wasn't being listened to. Looking back at the vampire, he found Alucard looking through the reaper's black book once more. "What are you doing? We already know her schedule for the next two months."
"That's not creepy in the slightest." The vampire muttered sarcastically under his breath with a snicker.
"How else do you expect us to meet with her again?" Sebastian questioned.
"I wasn't looking at her schedule." Alucard corrected him.
"Then what are you doing?" The demon asked. The vampire was silent for a moment or two as he flipped through the pages, looking at all the people that will die these next few days.
"You seem to know a lot about reapers." He commented.
"I've been around them more than I would have liked. They are normally quite a thorn in a demon's side, especially when we're trying to hunt." Sebastian told him. "Was there something in particular you wanted to know about a reaper?" He asked with furrowed brows as he looked between Alucard and the black book.
"How does one become a reaper?" The vampire asked. He glanced up from the book to look at the demon. "There seems to be thousands of them, maybe even millions. Are they something on the holy side, such as an angel or even a god?" His grin faltered slightly at the thought. "But that wouldn't make sense if they were. They seem close to being human. You blinded the reaper by plucking the glasses from her face. She was also…spastic and clumsy like a human. She cries like one as well." The vampire only looked more and more confused by the second as he tried piecing it together himself. "You even asked her how long she has been a reaper. So I can't help but ask how are reapers made?" The demon sighed deeply. He knew exactly how reapers were made, but he had never bothered to tell Alucard because he hadn't thought it was important. But considering that their mate was a reaper, perhaps this is information he needed to know now.
"Yes, Alucard, much like you, the reaper was once human." Sebastian answered. "In fact, it seems she was human not that long ago."
"How do you figure?" Alucard questioned.
"Well, she's young and she claims that she's still a virgin. Reapers lifespans are quite long. One can only assume that she recently became a reaper." The demon explained. "What you don't know, Alucard, is that a reaper's life is basically a purgatory. They are forbidden from entering heaven or hell until they are judged thoroughly and work towards forgiveness." Alucard's brows furrowed together.
"What would they need to be forgiven for?" The vampire asked.
"For killing oneself," Sebastian responded. Something stirred in the vampire's eyes, though the expression of confusion didn't really change on his face. He stared at the demon for a long moment as if he was trying to figure out what Sebastian was saying, even though it was quite clear. "As you know, it's considered a sin. However, instead of being sent straight to hell, reapers are given a second chance to redeem themselves." Before Alucard could speak, the demon turned to face the board. "I think that is another thing we should add to the board. We shouldn't speak of suicide or ask her any questions, at least not until she's comfortable around us." Sebastian went on so casual like as he wrote in the Don'ts column 'suicide'.
Alucard just could not understand how indifferent the demon was being with this information. The No Life King found himself feeling such a number of things that it was actually kind of overwhelming. He was disgusted that she would do such a thing. How weak was she as a human that she couldn't cope and gave up her life? He was livid to think he would have a mate that would crack under a little pressure. But he also understood. Who was he to judge her? He had once been in her position. He had gambled his mortal life away and damned his soul when he found himself trapped and helpless. At least she didn't become a monster; at least she had a chance to redeem her soul. Looking back at her book, he couldn't help but feel absolute sorrow. Why had she taken her life? Why would his mate do such a thing? How much pain had she been in her last few hours or days on earth? Had no one been there to console her or help her?
"How did she do it?" Alucard found himself asking. Sebastian's gaze was pulled away from the whiteboard to look back at the vampire. He was slightly bewildered to see a deep sadness in his eyes.
"Pardon?" The demon asked, unsure of what Alucard was asking.
"How did she take her life?" He asked again. Michaelis' brows furrowed together.
"I don't know, Alucard." He answered with a light shrug. How was he supposed to know the answer to that? Why would Alucard even think he would know? The No Life King didn't seem pleased either when the demon didn't have the answer. He clicked his tongue and looked elsewhere in the room to glare at a piece of furniture.
"I want to know why she took her life. What drove her to do it? Who made her life as a mortal hell that she couldn't handle it?" Alucard growled as he drove his nails into the leather of the book.
"Alucard," Sebastian sighed. "Perhaps no one was involved in her decision. Sometimes humans struggle with their mentality and..."
"No," Alucard responded. He turned his head to pierce the demon with a hellish look. "Something was the cause, and I want to know what." The demon then frowned.
"Are you asking me to find these answers?" He questioned, looking somewhat annoyed by the vampire trying to be authoritative.
"You are quite skilled sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong." The No Life King replied. Sebastian's eye brow twitched in annoyance. Was that a compliment or an insult? "You are capable of getting the answers we're looking for, unless...you don't care about our mate? Does her death mean nothing to you?" The demon frowned when Alucard played that card on him.
"Of course I care, Alucard." Sebastian sighed. "However, I will only dig up information for one reason. I just want to get a better idea of who she is. Her suicide is not the reason why I'm doing this."
"And why is that?" Alucard asked with a scowl.
"It's in the past, Alucard." The demon responded. "Perhaps, she doesn't even want us to know about that part of her life."
"I don't care." The vampire spoke in such a cold tone. "I want to know what happened."
"I'll get you the information that you're looking for, but I will have no part in it afterwards." Sebastian told him in a strict tone. He then took a step forward and held out his hand. "The book please," Alucard furrowed his brows in curiosity before he handed off the book.
"What are you looking for?" The vampire asked as he watched the demon flip open the book.
"All reapers have a book identical to this one. It would be quite difficult to tell whose is whose, unless they're marked." Sebastian answered before he turned the book around to show Alucard a name that was the owner of that book.
"Seras Victoria?" The vampire read and he took the book back to inspect the signed name closer.
"Now having a name, digging up information on her will be far easier." Sebastian purred with a smirk. He then tossed the marker into Alucard's lap. "You'll only slow me down, so while I look for information, you finish up on the board." Alucard took up the marker to stare at it like he's never seen one before. "Come up with some date ideas. Discover things that will please her. And try to think of more things that you should avoid doing in her presence. It will help you prepare for tomorrow." With that, the demon left. Alucard glanced over at the board, looked back at the marker, and then scoffed.
"Must I do this?" He muttered to himself. He then tossed the marker to the side and proceeded looking through the black book.
Seras stood anxiously in line of the grand library at the center of the Reaper Society. There were three people in front of her waiting patiently to be helped by the old reaper librarian. The woman was probably mid-forties to fifties. She was one of the oldest reapers currently in the society, having been here for at least five hundred years, maybe more. She knew just about anything on everything, and Seras was certain this woman could lead her to the answers she was looking for. The small blonde fidgeted in her spot as her eyes bounced around. It was really late at night and she was hoping to get at least some information before her next shift starts. The guy in front of her heard her mumbling under her breath, so he turned to look at her. When seeing the state she was in, he frowned in a disapproving way.
"Rough night?" He asked her, immediately earning her attention. Her brows furrowed from his strange question and the way he looked at her like she was below him.
"I'm sorry?" She questioned. The man then gestured his head at her.
"Did you have a rough night?" He repeated. Instinctively, the small blonde glanced down to see that her clothes were still disheveled after her meeting with those men.
"Oh!" She exclaimed and quickly buttoned the top buttons of her shirt. God, what must have that looked like? It probably looked like she just got back from fooling around with someone while on the bleeding job! Thankfully, the guy didn't question her further and was called upon the librarian to come forth. Embarrassed, Seras ducked her head as she hastily fixed her tie and buttoned her coat so she looked neat once more. By the time she was done fixing herself, the man in front of her was done being assisted.
"Next," The old librarian spoke. There was an icy look in the woman's eyes while she kept her lips pursed so tightly that it looked like she just got done sucking on a lemon. Her green eyes flickered up and down Seras' form, acting as though she was in a state that was unacceptable in her library. Self-consciously, the small blonde glanced down at herself, but she thought that she looked pretty presentable. Her uniform was in order. She could only guess that the woman was disapproving of the fact that Seras preferred suits instead of skirts. "What is it that you want?" The librarian snapped when Seras hesitated approaching the desk. Nervously, the small blonde took a couple of steps forward while she wrung her hands. What was this woman going to think of the things she was about to ask for? Taking a deep breath, Seras spoke.
"I was…looking for some information, several books perhaps, on demons and vampires." The little reaper whispered, afraid that others will overhear. "You know, for…research purposes." The librarian's eyes widened a little, but she didn't look entirely shocked. Perhaps it wasn't unusual to ask for after all then? Quietly, the librarian turned towards her computer and started typing. Within only a few seconds, she took out an index card and began writing some stuff down.
"Information on vampires and demons can be found on the second floor. There is a large selection on both breeds, so you should be able to find plenty." The librarian said before she handed Seras the information of where exactly she could find the books she was looking for. Then, with a foul look on her face, the old woman leaned forward on her desk and arched a brow at her. "Anything else I can help you with?"
"Actually, yes." Seras responded timidly with an awkward smile. She felt bad for bothering the woman who clearly wanted to be left alone. Then again, this was her job and Seras was just trying to get what she needed. It's not like she wanted to be here talking to her; she wasn't intentionally bothering her. "I was wondering where I can find past records on people that have already died." This time, the woman gave her a strange look, one of confusion and a little suspicion. But she didn't deny Seras the information.
"Third floor," The librarian answered. "You can find all reports and cinematic records on all past souls." With a deeper frown on her lips, she probed a little. "Was there any one in particular you were looking for?"
"No!" Seras blurted without even thinking. "I was just…wondering if…that information was accessible to the public."
"Only reapers from dispatch are allowed to access those records. However, since you are from dispatch, you are given full access." The librarian told her with a slight nod, though the disappointment was clear in her eyes. "Whoever it is that you're looking for and trying so hard to keep a secret, it could take hours, days, even weeks to find that person out of the billions that are in our system." The librarian then smirked at Seras. "If you ever need help, I would be more than happy to help you, young lady." Seras, of course, could see right through that façade. She knew the woman just wanted into her business to see what she would be looking up exactly, or more accurately, who she would be researching. Seras was terrified to let out the little fact that she was trying to gather information on someone who may or may not be her mate. Speaking of mates,
"I just have one more question." The little reaper spoke as she gnawed on her bottom lip. She was so afraid of what will be said after she asked this, but she needed all the information that she could get. She was desperate.
"Yes?" The librarian asked. The smirk fell from the woman's lips to form another scowl.
"Are there any books on…mates?" Seras asked below a whisper. The reaction she received wasn't exactly what the small blonde hoped for. The librarian sat up straight in her chair and her eyes just about bulged out of her head.
"Mates?" She repeated as if the word was foreign to her.
"You know, like…love and…significant other?" The small blonde explained uncomfortably.
"We have no such information." The librarian stated with such an offended look on her face. Seras had no idea what she said that was wrong. Why would someone get so worked up by that? "What would a reaper even want with such a thing?" At this point, the little reaper couldn't bite her tongue for a second longer. A fury bubbled in her eyes from how rude this person has been to her.
"Look, it's not pornography that I'm asking for!" Seras responded in a louder tone than she would have liked. But she was too angry to care at the moment. "You don't have to be so god damn judgmental when all I asked was if there was a book about mates." The librarian didn't appear to like the tone Seras was taking with her.
"I have no idea what you want with that information. It should mean absolutely nothing to you. What you don't seem to understand, Ma'am, is that a reaper's life is revolved around their job. That is the only thing that matters. Do yourself a favor and stop investigating now before you do something that you'll deeply regret." The woman then stood up from her desk to flash Seras the coldest, darkest look she has given her yet. "And if you ever talk to me like that again, you will be banned from this library for a year." After that threat, the librarian walked away from the main desk. The small blonde watched after her for a moment before she glanced down at the index card with the information she needed to find the books she wanted.
"Maybe asking for porn would have been better." Seras muttered under her breath. The girl then sighed deeply. "No matter, maybe information on mates will be in one of these books."
"Are you talking to yourself?" A familiar voice asked her from behind. Seras swung around to find Ronald there smiling at her. His hands were tucked away in his pants pockets while he stood there so coolly. She had to wonder just how long he had been standing there for. What did he witness? Had he overhead her conversation with the librarian? Automatically, the small blonde hid the index card behind her back. She was far too scared of what others would think if they knew what she was researching. And judging by how loud she was earlier about trying to find information about mates, she didn't want people to connect the two.
"Ronald, what are you doing here?!" Seras asked, trying to keep casual, but was failing miserably. Thankfully, Ronald either didn't care or just didn't notice her strange behavior.
"I know; the library isn't really my style." He responded as he looked around him. Even though it disinterested him, he still had such a wide smile on his face and a glint in his eyes. "I stop by every so often to pick up beautiful women." Seras' brows furrowed and she gave him a strange look. Before she could say anything, he shrugged. "Hey, nerdy girls need love too, mate." Ronald then started to walk away when spotting a lonely girl reading at a table. "I'll see you tomorrow. Night,"
"Night," Seras murmured as she watched him head over to the table to flirt. His charm almost instantly worked on the girl. It absolutely bewildered her how fast the girl's face lit up. "Jeez, he works fast." Seras couldn't help but think about the men she met earlier that night. Were they like Ronald? Were they used to being able to charm women into sleeping with them? Was it as easy as breathing for them? The little reaper then lightly shook her head. Now wasn't a good time to be thinking about that. She had work to do! The small blonde then hurried off to the second floor in hope to find some answers about those strange men.
Sebastian placed a pile of folders and paperwork on top of a medium sized desk in the parlor. Alucard was in the exact spot he had left him in. His feet was still propped up on the coffee table, and from where he stood, Sebastian could see specs of dirt and wet mud on the once clean wooden surface. He sighed, but said nothing to the vampire about his bad manners.
"Did you add anything to the board?" The demon asked before he glanced over. He was dismayed to see that the board was the exact same way he had left it as well. Why would he have expected anything more from the No Life King? "What have you been doing this entire time?"
"The entire time?" Alucard scoffed. "You mean the entire twenty minutes that you were gone?" Carelessly, the vampire glanced out of the corner of his eye to look at the pile of paperwork that the demon brought home. "That's all on the little reaper?"
"You mean Seras?" Sebastian corrected him. "Yes," He placed a hand on the pile with a proud smirk. "Everything from the moment she was born to the time she died."
"You work fast." The vampire snickered with a pleased grin.
"Did you doubt me?" The demon chuckled.
"A little," Alucard admitted as he flung the book off to the side. It bounced on the cushion of the sofa before staying put. He then finally got up from his seat to walk across the room. "What did you find?"
"I haven't looked over everything thoroughly, yet, but I did find some interesting things about Seras." Sebastian responded as he picked up a slightly thick folder. He flipped it open to read over some reports.
"Like?" The vampire asked and he skimmed over the first sheet of paper on top of the pile. He was somewhat surprised to find a copy of her birth certificate and even her national insurance card. How did the demon get ahold of those things? The No Life King snickered under his breath in amusement before he pushed that sheet of paper off to the side to look beneath.
"She was orphaned." Sebastian answered only seconds later. "Grew up in an orphanage from when she was nine until she turned sixteen." His eyes then flickered up from the folder to look at Alucard. "This folder alone are reports about her behavior during her time at the orphanage; complaints mostly."
"Really?" Alucard purred. It was more than clear from that look in his eyes that he was beyond intrigued. "She's a troublemaker? She's sounding more and more suitable for us, isn't she?" His eyes then glanced back down at the pile in front of them on the desk. "What kind of complaints?" Sebastian calmly flicked through the multitude of pages to get an idea of what kind of behavior she displayed.
"Fights mostly," The demon noted.
"A fighter," The vampire responded. Instead of looking pleased, the grin slipped from his lips. "This is only proving to us that there is more to her death than we know." Disappointment simmered in his eyes. "Keep reading," He demanded.
"The reports are basically all the same." Sebastian proceeded to speed read through every single report in the file. "By the sound of it, she's a vigilante…half the time that is. She got into fights to help others and other times she got overly heated when someone touched or stole her personal property. She's beaten a child to bloody pulp, she stabbed another, has thrown rocks at people's heads, it goes on and on, Alucard." He snapped the folder shut. "Rather unacceptable behavior for a young lady." He sighed before setting the file off to the side to pick up another folder.
"What caused her to be orphaned?" Alucard asked.
"From what I've gathered from police reports, a medical record, and the file the orphanage had on her, it was a break in. Her father got into some sort of mess with some dangerous gang while on duty. The family was supposed to be relocated to a safe house, but never made it in time. Their house was broken into early in the morning, the father was beaten and shot, the mother was shot and raped, and Seras was shot and left to die. The neighbors reported gunshots and the police made it before Seras could bleed out. She was hospitalized for two weeks before she was sent to the orphanage." Sebastian notified Alucard as he read through all of these different reports. "Three weeks after the death of her parents, the suspects were found and brought in for questioning. Seras successfully identified them, but they only ended up doing ninety-six days for their crime."
"They murdered two people and orphaned a young girl, and all they got was ninety-six days?" Alucard asked. "No wonder why Seras was so livid as a child. Her behavior is starting to become quite clear."
"The two murderers were a part of some very well-known and dangerous gang. Not quite a mob, but on their way of being one by the looks of it. It is more than likely that this gang was able to pull some strings to get their men out earlier than attended." Sebastian responded. He then handed Alucard off two sheets of paper. The vampire took them to see that they were mugshots of the two killers. His brows furrowed when seeing the photos of those two men. There was something about them, but he couldn't figure out what that something was about them.
"What about her years after the orphanage?" Alucard asked before he threw the two mugshots down onto the desk.
"She wanted to follow in her father's footsteps." Sebastian replied.
"And what was her father?" The vampire questioned.
"An officer of the law," The demon answered, bringing another grin to the vampire's face.
"She wanted to become a Police Girl? How cute," He said in a condescending voice.
"She immediately applied to a Police Academy and successfully got in with no trouble." Sebastian proceeded. "She was able to get in with financial aid. Her grades were decent and with maintaining a grade point average of about 3.5, she got plenty of scholarships and grants to make it through the Police Academy." He read off. "She graduated in roughly three years, this includes on the job learning and being put on the streets. But she officially became a police officer at the age of nineteen."
"Mazel tov," Alucard muttered in that same condescending voice. The demon lowered the papers to give him a disapproving look.
"You are the one who wanted to do this, Alucard. You wanted to get a better understanding of her, but all you're doing is derogating her accomplishments." Sebastian lectured him. The vampire scoffed in annoyance.
"I am proud of my mate's accomplishments, but all of it went down the drain the second she decided to take her own life. That is why we're here, Michaelis. We're looking for what could have caused her to take her life." Alucard reminded him.
"Apparently being orphaned at a young age after watching her parents brutally murdered isn't a good enough answer for you?" The demon questioned. "Not only that, but never being adopted or welcomed into another family? She was alone for so long and…"
"And was fighting to stay alive, to keep surviving and nothing was going to stop her by the looks of it." Alucard added before the demon could say anymore. "She was a fighter, but then something pushed her to her limit. I need to know what. Keep going." Sebastian clicked his tongue when he silently agreed that Alucard was right. He hated to admit whenever the No Life King was actually right. It was rare, but it did happen from time to time.
"At the age of twenty, it was required by the chief of police that she saw a psychiatrist." The demon went on, now picking up a new set of files. "The doctor diagnosed her with depression, PTSD, and social anxiety. He prescribed all kinds of medication, but there is no evidence that he ever had to refill these prescriptions. I'm assuming she never took them." Sebastian flipped through the pages. "She only saw him twice before trying a different psychiatrist who diagnosed her with the same exact disorders and prescribed the same exact medications. She only saw this psychiatrist once."
"So, she wasn't responsible when it came to her mental health." Alucard noted.
"She was probably in denial and believed she didn't need any medication." Sebastian replied with a light shrug.
"When did she die?" The vampire asked. The demon set down the file and picked up a copy of her death certificate.
"May 8, 2002." Sebastian read. "She was twenty-one at the time."
"That was ten years ago." Alucard mumbled to himself. "How did she die?" He asked then with an arched brow.
"The autopsy said she jumped from a thirty story building." The demon told him. "Her skull caved in, both of her legs and her right arm were broken, and each cervical disc was fractured." Sebastian then showed him the autopsy photo. The girl lying on that table was completely unrecognizable to the person they had met earlier that night. The corpse on the table was a mangled, bloody mess. And even though it was clearly Seras, Alucard could not correlate the corpse to that lively girl he had met. "It sounds familiar, doesn't it, Alucard?" The demon couldn't help but tease him. "Didn't your first wife jump to her death?"
"You know fully well that she did, Michaelis." The vampire growled while flashing him a dark look. "Now, what happened the year before Seras' death?"
"Let's see," Sebastian muttered as he set her death certificate down to search through other papers. "There isn't much during that year, but one thing." The demon picked up a single sheet of paper. "She filed a single report to the police, but it was never taken into account. Most likely an inside job, a cop was probably bribed to disregard her report."
"What kind of report did she file?" Alucard asked with a bemused, but highly displeased look on his face. He looked like he was about to disembowel someone. This had to be it; the key to why she jumped.
"Harassment," Sebastian answered. "The men who killed her parents, Nicholas Ratliff and Mason Oxley, were having an 'anniversary' piss on her father's grave. Unfortunately, Seras was stopping by to leave flowers as she normally did at that time of year. They outright threatened her. Oxley even shoved a gun in her face and threatened he would violate her just the same way he did her mother." After reading that bit of the report, the demon grimaced while his dark red eyes burned with a fury. "Alucard, before I didn't understand why you were so involved in Seras' death. But now knowing that someone was the reason why Seras took her life, I am now completely involved. I am going to gut these men and leave absolutely nothing behind." There was a loud crack sound that drew Sebastian's attention away from the report. He glanced up to find that Alucard gripped the desk so hard that he had cracked the top of the it with his abnormal strength. To say that the man was furious was putting it mildly. His eyes swirled with a rage and pure madness. His fangs were digging into his bottom lip, drawing blood that dripped down his chin. He looked purely hostile, a true monster that was going to tear through skin, muscle, and bone with nothing but his nails alone.
"How long did our mate have to live with those threats? How long did she live in fear, not being able to receive help from anyone, not even her own department?" Alucard asked. Sebastian glanced back at the report, even though he already knew the answer.
"This was the only report I could find and it's dated February seventeenth." The demon answered. "Who knows how many she filed before or after this one. Who knows how long they had threatened her. Fortunately, we know she wasn't raped by them."
"Fortunately?" The No Life King growled. "They scared our mate half to death; made her feel utterly trapped and pushed her to take her life and they will pay." Quite suddenly, Alucard jolted and his eyes widened when something occurred to him.
"What?" Sebastian questioned.
"I just recalled where I've seen those men before." The vampire responded before he turned back towards the sofa to retrieve the book.
"They're in the death book?" The demon asked, worried that the two may already be destined to die another way. Flipping open the book, Alucard found the page in only seconds.
"Nicholas Ratliff and Mason Oxley," The vampire read before he turned the book around. Side by side were the two killers. "It says here they will be maimed and killed in two nights." Sebastian was quick to snatch the book from the vampire's hands to read it.
"Maimed?" He repeated. "Do you think that would be our doing?"
"Humans don't normally get maimed on a regular basis." Alucard snickered. "I do believe that would be our doing." A sick grin then spread across his face. "Either way, I'm ecstatic that the job is done and that Seras will be the one to reap their souls. It's absolutely perfect."
Seras had been in that library for over an hour and she felt like she was getting absolutely nowhere. She had read through, more like skimmed, two books about demons and one about vampires. None of the books discussed mates. They only talked about how vicious and manipulative vampires and demons were. But Seras just wasn't having it. She needed more answers, preferably about who these men were and what mates were exactly. The small blonde was already pretty irritable and it wasn't helping that she was being watched every step of the way. Every time Seras moved or removed another book, there was that librarian lurking only a couple of feet from her. The woman always pretended to be busy, but it was more than clear that she was watching Seras like a hawk. What the hell did the librarian think she was going to do?!
Eventually, the woman got tired of watching her read and left to go put some books away. This is when the little reaper made her move. Now that she wasn't being watched, she moved quickly to the third floor to look up old cinematic records before the old librarian got back. Since the demon was…well a demon, it was obvious that he wouldn't have a cinematic record. But since Alucard was a vampire, meaning he was once human, he was sure to have records of some type. She already knew that he was Vlad Dracul; everyone who knew about supernatural beings knew all about Alucard, and he was someone to be feared.
The third floor had aisles and aisles of wooden filing cabinets. Finding the 'D' section was easy enough, but having to look through every single record was purely going to be a nightmare. But Seras pulled through and started her search. It took her roughly forty-five minutes to find anyone under the name Dracul. Alucard had a long line of ancestors, a mother and a father, and a couple of brothers. Flicking through all of them, she finally came across his record. It was marked 'incomplete', a rare record to be found, but not totally unusual because he was a vampire. What was a bother though was that he didn't have a cinematic record because his soul was never reaped. She should have known! How could she have been so stupid?! However, she didn't panic or get frustrated. There were plenty of people who knew Alucard when he was human. She could look through their cinematic records to get a better idea of who he was.
Seras took a quick look around her, making sure there was no one else around, especially that nosey librarian. When she was positive that she was all alone, she quickly stuffed a couple of cinematic records and files into her coat pocket. While reapers were allowed to view cinematic records, it was against policy to remove them from the library unless a reaper had permission to check them out. Seras couldn't have people figuring out who she was looking up and why. But she couldn't just walk away when she was so close to figuring out who Alucard was. Could he really be her mate? She grabbed his mother, father, and his two brothers' cinematic records and files.
"Alright," She muttered. Before leaving the filing cabinet, she removed Alucard's incomplete file. Hopefully, no one will notice that these items are missing before she returns them. Seras read over the small file while she walked aimlessly through the aisles of filing cabinets. There was a picture of Alucard when he was human and Seras was ashamed to admit how hot he looked with long hair and a beard. A blush decorated her cheeks while she stared deep into those green eyes of his. They were so pretty and hypnotizing. Strange, She thought with a bashful smile. "Born in 1431, died in 1476." Seras immediately stopped in her tracks when she read the rest of the report and why it was marked incomplete. "A demon by the name of Malphas transformed him into a vampire. Malphas?" The name rang a bell. Not only was he also well known for being fearsome, but for also being the Prince of Hell.
"Malphas? Was that…who was with Alucard tonight?" The girl bit her bottom lip nervously. "Malphas," She kept whispering as she fell deeper into thought. "Didn't I see something on him?" She could have sworn she recalled seeing some type of file or book on Malphas alone. Normally, highly dangerous demons got their own files to inform reapers of their strengths and weaknesses. "There has to be a file on him then." Seras quickened her pace and headed back to the second floor. Getting to the demon section, she hastily looked through the dozens of books and files until she finally found what she was looking for. "Malphas!" She exclaimed when pulling a very thin file from the shelf. It was very disappointing to see just how thin the file was compared to the other demons' files. Was he not as dangerous as people thought? Or was he so dangerous that reapers had difficult time gathering information on him because they would end up dead?
Seras cracked open the file. There was basically nothing on him. No photos, barely a description, a few strengths, and no weaknesses. "Let's see," She sighed. "Malphas, also known as the Prince of Hell." She ran her finger down the page, looking for more info. "Strengths: highly fast, highly strong, and highly regenerative. He's a mastered shapeshifter, a skilled fighter, sharp reflexes, a master at knives and weaponry, highly intelligent, and highly manipulative. Only has one other known alias: Sebastian Michaelis." She read. "He was known under this alias after disguising himself as a human butler and served a thirteen year old boy named Phantomhive." The girl's eyes then widened. "Phantomhive?!" She was being given another opportunity to see who these men really were. Phantomhive must've had a cinematic record. Snapping Malphas' file closed, Seras ran back to the third floor. Again, she had to search through hundreds of files in the 'P' section before she finally found who she was looking for. Unfortunately, just like Alucard, there was a long line of Phantomhive's. The little reaper sighed deeply as she flicked through the different records.
"What year was it again? 1890s?" She murmured to herself. "Which Phantomhive was alive then and was thirteen years old?" Seras paused when she came across two files from that time. They both had the same birthdays, but very different dates of death. "Twins," She whispered in realization. Both boys had a file, but only one of them had a cinematic record. She was unsure which boy was served by Sebastian Michaelis; she could only assume that it was the one without a cinematic record. Those who sold their soul to a devil normally didn't have any records. She took both files and the one cinematic record. One of these had to have answers and hopefully Sebastian was the demon she was looking for. "Now I just have to borrow a projector from the dispatch department." The girl then groaned and hung her head in exhaustion. "Sneaking that out is going to be a real pain in the ass."
End of Chapter Three
I hope you guys enjoyed. The spoiler was small, but just in case someone hadn't known, I wanted to add the warning.
Oxford Not Brogues