Prompt: "I'm not going through with this and you can't make me." and "Will you do my the honor of marrying me?", requested by snowwhiteandthequarterlifecrisis

Warning: Dark implications

As time was prone to do, everything have to end.

Kagome was left alone in the dark manor. Ciel was long since gone, his revenge was fulfilled. His servants were all but dead. It wasn't that she doesn't want to leave—she couldn't.

She was dead too, being involved in the secret war against the tyrant and her men in white. Yet, she found herself here, in the manor that was slowly giving in to the rupture of time. It was maddening.

It was heartbreaking.

It was lonely.

The old Phantomhive manor no longer had any visitor—only one who really visited was the brave Lady Elizabeth. Last time Kagome saw her though, Elizabeth was no longer young but it had been years since then. She must've passed on. Still, her kind gestures of leaving small mementos to each member of Phantomhive manor were few things that made her smile, even if they were nothing more than memories.

Not many dare visited. The place was cursed with tragedies and was believed to be haunted.

They weren't wrong, Kagome sighed, she made it clear to frighten the thieves. Few times she even caused their deaths. Somewhere in the manor their bodies rotted. She couldn't dispose of them properly, considering her current state.

She tried her best though, even if they were fruitless efforts.

It was her home, after all.

Wandering through the hallways, she peered out through the cracked window and smiled at animals that lurked in the dominating wilderness. They were her only company, even if they don't always respond well to her presence. She wished she could be outside, like they were.

But she couldn't. Her soul weren't allowed to step outside of the mansion. She weren't meant to be among the nature.

He made sure of it.

He told her she'd be his little caged bird.

All Kagome could do were to hope that the manor would collapse into bricks and splintered woods and nature would take over, possibly freeing her soul from this damning place. It was a slim possibility, but it was a glimmer of hope just the same. It was either her patience, or to give in.

The devil made sure of it, his patience infinite.

Giving his old room a wide berth, she walked toward her room and slipped inside. Her pale body simply phased through the skewed door. Kagome stopped before her bed—or whatever that resembled it she used to sleep on so long ago. It didn't bother her.

At least, not anymore.

She settled her body on it and sighed, her eyes counting cracks that were growing on her ceiling. There were little else to do, being the ghost of the Phantomhive manor. She memorized each and every crook and cranny and every title of book she could see. It wasn't like she could pick them up and read—no matter how she desperately wanted to.

She could, but it'd exhaust her and leave her vulnerable to the devil's whims. Kagome was unfortunate to find that out early on, when he came earlier than she expected and tried to use her tired mental state against her. A sneaking suspicion told her that the bastard didn't want her to become stronger. Had she been able to practice and suffered no consequences from him, Kagome could've escape from this hellhole and finally find her peace so long ago.

Utterly defenseless Kagome had nothing else to fall back on but her own saintly patience and her famed stubbornness.

But, for goodness sake, she even named rats when they frequented her room! It was pathetic.

This hallowing loneliness was not something she'd wish upon her worst enemies.

Except perhaps the bastard who trapped her soul into this cursed place.

There were nothing else to do but to wander, to wonder, and sleep. Being a ghost, quite frankly, sucked. Whoever thought ghosts were cool, deserved a smack across their faces. Being a ghost meant they were trapped in their death, having no ability themselves to leave without outside interference.

She'd love to have an exorcist over and rid her of her eternal damnation. But, she had a feeling that the devil was watching and had them killed in mysterious circumstances when they tried to visit. Kagome learned of this from several big-mouthed intruders.

She grieved when she did.

Clenching her fingers at her dark thoughts Kagome sighed and curled into her bed. She had no idea how many days passed, when she remained cooped up in her room. There were no rude visitors she could sense, so she didn't bother leaving anywhere.

Her room was the closest she could've get of having her own coffin.

Her eyes snapped wide open, when the pressure into the air turned dark, heavy. Trembling she slowly stood up, tugging on her still-precise uniform. Every year, since Elizabeth's likely departure from the earth, the manor always get one certain individual as its' sole visitor. Kagome dreaded this visit.

It must be her death anniversary, again.

How long had it been? She stopped counting after her 100th year since her death. She tried not to let the growing number to bother her.

"My Dear, won't you come and greet me properly?" came a dark, slithery voice that echoed everywhere she could hear. Kagome shuttered at the demented lust she could practically taste in the darkening air. If she still had her sense of temperature, she'd expect it to be ice cold. She could feel ice cubes forming in the pit of her soul, from the utter fear of the owner of that voice.

Kagome wanted to stay in the sanctuary of her room, but she started choking when the pressure became too strong. The looming darkness crawled to her, in warning. Shaking her head with a whimper she forced in a facade of bravery and took one step forward. Another foot, and another, until she could walk, trembling under what she felt was the devil's eyes on her back.

The spidery legs of darkness receded. Kagome breathed, even though she doesn't need air. But, she found long ago that it was possible to strangle a soul, when she refused to abide the devil's simple orders. Even now, her soul was still feeling the sting of his punishment. It took much for her to keep pushing on, to her forced destination.

Clanks of her heels sounded as she slowly approached the front door. Every second she found precious, before she would face the devil himself. Biting the insides of her cheeks she grasped the chipped knob and forced it open with what strength she could muster as a ghost.

Thumping down the urge to scream Kagome tremblingly smiled at the massive shawl of blackness, "M-my lord…" She tried to greet, trying not to look at the devil's true face. She turned away to allow access.

"Tsk, my girl, you took your time, did you not?" Stepping inside the manor he left the cloud of blackness, reforming into the shape of a familiar man. He smiled sharply at her.

Kagome fisted at her skirt, keeping her eyes elsewhere, "Countless apologies!" She blurted out, hurriedly to appease the devil's upset.

Humming, he brushed a bare finger by her cheek. He chuckled when Kagome whitened at his touch, "That's perfectly alright, I suppose," Before she could blink, she yelped when the back of her head thudded against the peeling wall, with his hand encasing her throat, "because I do not intend to allow your delay again, hm?"

Unable to stop her trembling from worsened, Kagome nodded, "Um-understood, milord!"

She barked out a yelp, when his lips brushed by hers, in not quite a kiss but it was so dangerously close, "Tsk, so, so stubborn." He sighed, peeling his fingers off of the slender column of her neck. Stepping away to allow Kagome to breathe, he scanned the pathetic, sorry state of what once was the grand entrance room, "Now then, my girl, how had you fared?"

Tightening her fists to stop herself from rubbing her neck Kagome nodded, "I-I've been well, milord."

"Good, good," he smiled in a way that he didn't believe her but accepted her words nonetheless. He straightened his modern—Kagome just noticed—jacket, "Now then, we should carry on to celebrate your anniversary, no?"

"I'd rather not…" Kagome accidentally let her tongue loose, before flinching at her words. She stumbled back at the devil's narrowing eyes, "Umm, alright! That was alright with me!" She hurried to correct herself.

At this the bastard laughed, his voice carrying throughout the dilapidated manor, "I do love your sense of humor, dear girl!" He rolled an arm toward her for her to accept, "Now then, shall we carry on to our dining?"

Same old script as previous years, it took all for Kagome to nod quietly and took his arm. Touching his limb set her skin to crawl, in a sense of terrible wrongness that was the devil. She intended to keep her mouth shut—her experiences taught her it was better to behave herself before her keeper. His punishments weren't kind, even though they lasted but a mere day. But, to her, they lasted an eternity in her lonely-fragmented mind.

The devil—who used to be Sebastian Michaelis the butler of Phantomhive—led her into a familiar hallway, and pulled her into the long dining room. He hadn't gone by Sebastian in over a century now, and Kagome refused to call him any name. To her he was the devil, the being from the depth of hell. That old name was simply something the bastard used as a glamour of what he isn't.

Flinching at the moaning doors Kagome cast her attention away at the bight lights coming on. Unlike all of the other rooms, this dining room was the only one still in its glory. And it was this room she never visited outside this terrible day.

It was because the devil made it that way, so they can properly celebrate her death anniversary. In truth, it was his perfect excuse to visit her, and it was but for one reason only. Kagome dreaded hearing that question again.

The devil led her to a seat—the very same seat she sit in every year—and let her loose from his arm. Kagome didn't need to look to know dishes and domed plates magically appeared on his hands. She closed her eyes to avoid watching him settling down the necessary objects onto the table. She clamped onto her tongue when she felt his arms, purposefully, brushed by her to set down the silverwares and the meals that'd follow.

He, as she expected, rattled off the names of this year's courses, with pride shining in his tone. Kagome hadn't care to memorize the names, nor had she bothered asking how she could eat when she was a ghost. It was easy to answer that, considering it was the devil's magic.

Snapping her eyes open when she heard the creak of a chair across from her and met his mischievous smile, "Now we can commence." He declared, picking up his utensils and cut into the juicy meat, ignoring his appetizer.

Wordlessly Kagome followed his example, not at all interested in talking.

This bastard was the very last person she ever wanted to hold communication with.

But, the devil didn't care. If he want to hold a conversation, he would force her to speak. She hoped he'd be in a less-talkative mood this year.

Before long, their plates were emptied and the dessert afterward were also emptied too. Kagome wiped her lips with a napkin, delicately, awaiting for him to clean up. After all, he said since he was the host, it was only fair that he'd clean up also.

Kagome suspected it was because he wanted to get it over with so he can attempt to ruin her and break her in, at lasts, into his desires. Less time she had to spend with him the better. Folding the napkin over the plate, she stopped the incoming flinch when she brushed by the devil's hand when he picked up her plate.

"I'll be right with you, in a moment." The devil smiled. He then vanished with their messes, leaving her alone in her chair.

Choking on fear she was holding back Kagome shuttered and rubbed her biceps. It took much for her not to cower before him. It was becoming harder and harder to keep in her courage, every year.

She worried she'd break soon.

Does she truly have a choice anymore?

She was being driven mad by this loneliness that some parts of her were looking forward to the devil's visit. The very thought of him made her sick, but also made her pain to dulled. Just how long does she have to wait for her own peace?

Stiffening at two large hands clawing into her shoulders Kagome didn't dare to look when the devil lowered his face and smiled that wicked smile at her, "Now, how about we are to go outside, hm? You must be quite starved to have fresh air again."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth worked before she could think, "Really?" He never offered this before. Kagome was both scared of what this may mean and excited to be finally see the nature itself again.

"But of course! After all of this time," there was a small bite in his words that Kagome barely didn't miss, "I think you deserved some sunshine."

He didn't give her an opportunity to answer, snagging her out of her chair, "Let us go then!" His grip was unforgivably harsh.

Her heart thudded with gnawing fear, but Kagome didn't dare to resist. She had to clench onto his arm to keep up with his long, impatient stride, out of the dining room and into another. The colors changed abruptly, from brightness to the familiar dullness, causing her to wince. The devil dismissed her sounds, storming through rooms after rooms, with his hand clawing into her skin.

Kagome barked out a yelp when the devil blew open the doors, and the sunlight blasted inside. "Tch, you can't get far—" he grinned, watching her stepping back with uncertainty, "I won't let you, but I'll spare you a minute to let you by yourself."

Biting hard at her cheeks, Kagome nodded.

Just was what this bastard up to?

But, she didn't have even a second to enjoy the sun—she just realized the utter silence that didn't belong in nature—she was send sprawling onto the ground. Kagome clenched her teeth to stop her scream, a whimper filtering through, when the devil straddled over her waist and grabbed her throat.

"I am growing quite tired of waiting, my dear girl." He hissed, anger flashing through his unnatural eyes, "I certainly do hope you will finally change your answer."

Kagome tugged at his immovable wrist, "Let me go!" She then choked at his squeeze, but stubbornness still held, "I'm not going through with this and you can't make me!"

Releasing her throat and instead grabbing onto her jaws, he forced her to truly look at him. She bellowed a loud cry, when he manifested his true appearance but for a brief moment, "Do I look like I'm willing to take your refusal this time, my dear girl?" He hissed, lowering his face to hers, "Do I?"

Pursing her lips she choked a sob, shaking her head, "No…"

"Good answer." The devil rumbled, thumbing across her lips, "Now, surely," he brushed the angle of his nose onto her cheek and his hair meshing into hers, "you are tired of being in the cage, no?"

She didn't answer. He sighed, annoyed and refastened his grip again, "Do you?"

Her grips slacking from his wrist, she grudgingly admitted, "…Yes, milord."

"Then it is quite obvious as of what you must answer." He purred, his hot breath tumbling over her lips. Kagome can feel him becoming excited. The feeling of being defeated was near overwhelming.

"Will you do me the honor of marrying me?"