A/N: GEEZE, I still feel pretty damn sick. In fact, I don't know if I should be reviewing these chapters right now… but I don't care! I wanted to get at least one more chapter out. I haven't gotten around to writing more of my chapters though… I just haven't been up for it. That's why I'm posting.
Also, while I wasn't going to reuse titles, that's kind of why I was putting 1 & 2 after various chapter titles. And this is a continuation of 'Living in the Victorian Era', I suppose… I didn't want to come up with another name. Plus, the whole trip to the reaper realm was kind of a side story anyways. Just a little into to what can come, later.
But yeah!
And lastly, I do have an Undertaker POV in this chapter. After this chapter, there are some Undertaker POVs I throw in with Clara's POV. Though, with Undertaker's, sometimes I jump from using I/me to you. So, yeah, I'm sorry in advance. I'll tell you guys when an Undertaker POV is coming up, so you're not confused, but I've learned not to put Undertaker POV in front of scenes. I mean, if I wrote the scene correctly you should be able to figure it out, just by reading it.
Anyways, that's about it. I'm still rather tired, so I'm going to end this here. ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND! And hopefully I can hear from you guys later.
! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !
"She really is a cutie," the young earl chuckled to himself, before letting out a tired sigh. "Well, if you don't mind Undertaker, I must be off."
"Of course, earl. I always enjoy our visits."
"It's not every day I'm in the city," he chuckled once more, but then he paused as he began to stand, placing his beaker half filled with tea onto a table, as he gave a curious glance towards the door your assistant disappeared into. "… Is it just me, or is she a strange lady?"
"What do you mean?" you hummed, trying to push past the idea of the girl being 'strange', but the human continued with a tired sigh leaving his breath.
"Does she know me? She seems to know about the Phantomhives. Yet, she states she's from America."
"Now, my lord, everyone~ who dwells in London's underworld should know about the Phantomhives," you chuckled lightly, causing a slight pout to appear on his face.
Awww~. How adorable.
"Exactly. What do you think? Maybe she's some sort of criminal, or –"
"Perhaps~, dear earl, she is just a little girl who's looking for a way to live. Nothing to do with committing crimes," you decided to say, though you wondered why you wanted to defend her. Why should you? Yes, you know a bit about her past, and the two of you have exchanged information, but that doesn't mean you care about her.
It doesn't.
She's a human that can die like all the rest. Attaching yourself will only lead to more… complications.
"… She knows about supernatural entities, Undertaker. Maybe she's one of them," he decided to say, pausing for a moment before giving you a curious look. "Is she?... A grim reaper, like yourself?"
"Maybe~. Maybe not~~. Perhaps you should ask her yourself," you stated, and he sighed in response.
"I suppose… Take care, Undertaker. Maybe you can come by to see the family again? With your new assistant, of course. My wifie would love to see her."
"Maybe one day," you told the man, smiling as you ushered him to the door. "Now, take care. Enjoy your evening."
"You enjoy yourself as well, Undertaker," he grinned, leaving the store before you could tell him to, and you waited for a moment, by the door, before closing the door and sighing underneath your breath.
To think, how much little Vincent has grown… and his sister, as well. The Phantomhive children are no longer children, with lives and families of their own.
Time does move faster here… amongst the humans.
You sighed once more to yourself, before you let a grin perch itself upon your face. Right. Your new little guest seemed to have brought a mystery basket home with her, and you barely bothered to make any comments. Plus, while you couldn't quite see the basket, you could smell the overwhelming smell of fish… as well as something… sweet.
And that's what peeked your curiosity.
With a grin and a bounce in your step, you left the parlor room and made your way into the hallway, up the stairs, where you know you'd find that girl of yours. The mystery girl. The time traveling girl… The face of the newer, future generation of Phantomhives.
Makes you wonder if she truly cares about her bloodline or not. Or if it's just a terrible burden… and curse.
You decided not to think about the past too much, and instead walk into the small space the two of you currently share, noticing the smell of recently brewed tea and a sweet taste in the air, causing your nose to sniff the air slightly before noticing your assistant sitting at the dining table.
She had the newspaper in her hands as she munched on a delicious, gooey looking pastry, with a tiny plate on the table in front of her, and the recently brewed tea sitting in a teacup. Her legs were casually crossed one on top of the other, and it took her a moment before she noticed you were standing there, taking the scene in as she smiled lightly in your direction. "Sorry for leaving, but I really wanted to try this new tea. I found an Oriental teahouse, you see. I may have bought a bit more then I should have," she chuckled to herself, and you let out a chuckle as well.
Not because her words were very funny, but the bright smile on her face and the gleeful gleam in her silver, tinted blue eyes was enough to make you smile in return.
"I also found a German style bakery, and bought some pastries. You can have three of them, if you'd like, and I brewed more tea," she told you, pointing into the kitchen, towards the stove and the nearby countertop, and you chuckled in response.
"Sounds delightful, my lady. Thank you."
"Of course," she responded casually, sipping on her tea before reaching back over for her pastry, and you happily made your way over to the stove, sniffing the sweet scent into your nostrils, licking your lips at the taste.
"What is this?" you couldn't help but ask, and noticing your curiosity, she let out a snicker and sipped some more of her tea.
"Cherry blossoms tea. Black tea, to be specific. I just had to buy this tea. Don't you know how uncommon a tea blended with Japanese cherry blossoms is?... Right. Of course not. You're an Englishman, after all," she scoffed, causing you to chuckle lightly, as you poured yourself a plentiful cup of tea, before making your way over to her teacup and pouring some more into her almost empty cup. "Y-you don't have to do that."
"Of course I should, my dear. Now, what is it you're reading?" you asked in a curious tone, going back into the kitchen and placing the hot teapot on the side of the hot burner, before reaching into the brown bag with a devious grin on your face, and looking at the various pastries with a keen interest, grabbing two delectable looking breaded pastries.
"The local London news," she told you, simply, before she sighed and gave you a curious look in return. "Is the earl investigating the latest string of murders? The ones on the East End of the city?"
"Indeed he is~" you giggled, and she smiled lightly, giving you a nod as she went back to reading the newspaper.
"I see… You should tell me how that tea tastes. If it's any good, I promised I'd recommend the place," she decided to tell you, and you chuckled in response.
"If it tastes as good as it smells, I believe it'll be delicious~" you grinned, before calmly making your way to the table, goodies in hand, and you let them drop onto the wooden table as you sat down into your chair, letting a light sigh leave your breath.
You couldn't help but watch the girl as she'd casually sip from her tea cup, before reaching over for her pastry, and flipping the newspaper once she finished reading a particular page.
You couldn't stop the grin that grew on your scarred face.
Even though she insists that she's no lady, and may not talk like a lady, the way she holds herself and her movements is everything ladylike. Her physical features can be considered envious to any woman, and while she doesn't seem to care…
You cannot help but see an old soul flickering deep in her little human body.
It was a familiar soul. One you've probably seen before. Possibly recently. Probably, recently.
But now that you know that she is a Phantomhive…
There's no mistaking it.
You don't want to admit this, never to her, but she does remind you of your dear young countess, Claudia. Their physical features are a bit different, but the sharp stare in her eyes, and the smiles that caress her face whenever she's happy… how bright her soul can become, if you simply make her laugh or do something that pleases her.
Yes… she's a spitting image of your Claudia. From her mannerisms to her attitude. The language she uses is different, but her crude, blunt behavior, and her honestly, reminded you of the countess…
How long has it been now? Almost fifteen years now, since her death…
… And now she's back. So close that you could practically feel her presence.
Does… this girl even know that?
You sighed to yourself as you munched on your pastry, deep in thought. It's probably best that she doesn't know. That the possibility of a soul coming back, becoming reused and reincarnated, isn't a thing that can happen to mortals. You've seen it happen, though. If not just in this girl, but many other humans.
Mainly, from humans that end up becoming grim reapers.
You can recall seeing into their past lives before you harvested their souls, only to see that very same soul back, in a new body, but because of one reason or another, that human commits suicide and ends up revived as a grim reaper. It's a sad fate that you've witnessed many times over… as if the longer the soul lingers, the more tired and frustrated it becomes.
However, once a human soul transforms into a grim reaper entity, or gets gobbled up by a demonic force, or even brought up to the heavens by an angel, it no longer appears in the land of the living. No longer gets recycled and reappears in a new, living human.
So… to see Claudia, or rather Clara, back among the living like this…
You should be happy, but you are not. Not really.
If you ever met this bastard of a father the girl constantly refers back to… It'll take all of your strength not to cut him down, right then and there. For bringing her back, like this. To live a miserable life, like this.
You can only hope this girl gets to live and die as a human. Never becomes revived, again. To become the very entity those damn council members were trying to recreate.
The age of gods and heroes is over. Legends should stay legendary, and should never attempt to be reawakened, ever again. Even if this child can be strong or smart or whatever… that doesn't matter. She shouldn't have to bear the responsibilities of the immortals. Especially if the fault is with them, and not with her.
Maybe you're just mad that you couldn't be there to stop this… Yes, the Phantomhive lineage holds interesting properties. A reason why you're naturally attracted to them, yourself, but for the council to think they can use a family of mortals like this…
Dreadful.
Absolutely disgusting.
"… Undertaker?" you could hear the girl calling out your name, snapping you out of your thoughts as you gave her a light smile in return. "Is everything alright, over there?"
"Yes. No need to worry about me, my lady," you chuckled, snickering as she let out a low, irritated snort.
"I told you, don't call me lady… How's the tea?" she asked, and you glanced at your teacup, noticing most of the tea was now gone, before giving her a grin.
"Delightful. A soft, sweet flavor."
"Great! I'm not the only one who thinks so," she giggled to herself, causing you to chuckle lightly underneath your breath.
Ah… she is a sweetheart, isn't she?
Which is a shame she's endured so much, in her short little lifetime…
Obviously, she is a Phantomhive to have endured so much, and yet still smile and find joy in something. No matter how strange or grotesque it may be. Just, as long as she stays happy, with that smile on her face…
That's all you can possibly ask for. All you can hope for, in a girl such as herself.
To never become an emotionless soulless monster, like you are.
! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !
You sighed to yourself. The days crept by, turning into weeks, and now it was the summer. Even though the mortuary can be rather cool, considering you never heat up the place, except maybe at the top level, so the bodies don't deteriorate quicker, the place is still getting rather stuffy.
So, whenever the weather became too overwhelming to the point that you couldn't breathe and needed some air, you'd wander into the cemetery, new book in hand, and a beaker full of tea in the other. It must have looked weird from an outsider, but for you, you needed some filtered, clean air to recharge your batteries. You may have an inhaler, but that doesn't mean you can stay cooped up like a caged bird forever.
And speaking of cooped up.
You couldn't help but look up from the book you had been reading, an interesting novel about romance in high Victorian society, a sappy story, but you wanted to read something like that, right now, but you raised a curious eyebrow as you saw the Undertaker grinning from ear to ear, a fairly large basket in one hand and a table clothe in the other. "… Undertaker, what is this?" you decided to ask in a cautious tone, though you looked more curious then you did cautious.
He snickered in response.
"Considering you disappear, these days, around lunchtime, I figured we can both take a break. What do you think of a little picnic~?" he grinned happily, and noticing the smile you couldn't help but smile yourself.
"Sure, but here? We can find a shadier spot. I just sit at the top of this hill so I can see if you're coming by," you explained, slowly standing to your feet and brushing some of the dirt and grass off of the ends of your dress. "… Is there a spot you enjoy to sit at?"
"This spot, my dear assistant," he grinned, causing you to pause.
Okay… you need to rephrase that. "… Okay, why not an interesting place? The graves over there are older," you stated, pointing on the other side of the hill, further away from the city and closer to the woodsy countryside. "Why not in there?"
"Hmm… that may not be a good idea," he responded, causing you to pout.
"Why not? If you're afraid of the fey, don't worry so much. They don't usually show up to bother me," you smirked, causing him to eye you curiously, only to let a slight chuckle leave his breath.
"Alright~. Just for an hour."
"Hour. Keep an eye on the clock, then. I'm not very good with time," you told him, picking up your lukewarm tea, and he snickered to himself.
"Says a half reaper."
"Don't you know the time changes in whatever realm I'm in? That gets confusing!" you scoffed, nudging his arm as he continued to snicker. "Come on~. Stop giggling and let's go sit down."
"Okay, okay," he giggled, suddenly offering his arm to you, but you rolled your eyes, taking the table clothe from his other hand, before letting your arm link with his. With a grin and a slight skip in his step, he led you down the hill, further into the cemetery, to parts you've never noticed, before. Sure, when you first showed up, you noticed a lot. The differences between one side and the other, but walking slowly… you began to notice the pretty flowers that grow underneath particular trees. The full green leaves of thriving trees, and the fallen stumps of dead foliage and logs on the ground.
But what confused you, but also intrigued you, was when he led you to an old, crumbling building. It was smaller in size then the chapel used for funerals, smaller then the mortuary. Maybe if you smashed the parlor room and the kitchen together, that would be how large the building used to be.
Unlinking yourself from the Undertaker's grasp, you began to wander around. Moss and ivy had grown up the sides of the building, both condemning it to the land, but also keeping the structure from crumbling in on itself. You noticed a little burrow nearby, perhaps a bunny or some other small creature, and while the building was out in a field, the large tree trunks hang over the crumbling building, shielding most of the stones from sunlight. "… This used to be a mortuary," he began, his voice getting your attention as he set the basket down on a fairly tall rock, before gesturing for you to hand him the clothe. You smirked, coming closer to him, only holding out a corner to him, and with a grin you both pulled, the man instructing you to place the blanket down off to the side, in a brighter spot with your back to the wall, and your body facing out into the woodlands. "A mortuary-church. The monk that used to live here did both duties."
"Huh… How do you know?" you asked curiously, pausing for a moment before smirking to yourself. "Have you lived long enough to know the monk?"
"Nooo~" he scoffed at your accusation, but he gave you a cheeky grin as he set the basket down between the two of you, leaning back against the crumbling stones as he thought about his next words. "… I did my research. Sometimes, the most fun I can have is finding new information."
"Very true," you grinned, watching as the man began to grab into his basket, and you couldn't help but lean forward, wondering what he brought for the two of you as he smirked, lifting the basket lid in such a way you couldn't see the inside. "Cheeky."
"Cheeky? How very British~ of you to say," he giggled, and you rolled your eyes in response.
"I do need to blend in, you know… Considering I'm probably never going back home," you decided to say, noticing the man pausing for a moment, before sighing to himself and continuing with his task.
"Are you sad you're not going back? To the future?" he decided to ask, a thoughtful tone in his usually giggly tone of voice, and you paused, glancing over at him before you smirked and sipped on the tea in your beaker cup.
"I mean, there are things I liked and things I hated. Like this era I'm currently in… but comparing my leisure experience in the Victorian era and my time in an apocalyptic future… it's not exactly a fair comparison," you chuckled to yourself, thanking Undertaker as he handed you a plate full of food, and then a rolled up napkin with utensils inside, and you couldn't help but look at the food with a keen interest.
"But, if you could, would you return to your time?" he asked, his question a bit more on the nose, and you sighed to yourself, before unfolding the napkin and placing it on your lap, and placing the plate onto your lap as well.
"The only thing I'm sad about is leaving people behind. Friends behind. People who don't deserve the fate they've been casted… The thing is, if the past changes, that future I come from will disappear. Then, there's the question of, did we split off into a different timeline, and while our world is doomed, we can save this one," you decided to say, deciding not to talk about the theories on time and possibilities of different timelines, and instead just say that. "… I'm… rather lost, right now.
"I should move forward, I suppose, but the thought of doing absolutely nothing maddens me. And I feel like my companions have given up," you scoffed in disgust, reaching for your fork and picking up some of the rice, happily placing some into your mouth as you continued with a huff. "If it's up to me, I'll do it, but I didn't want to get involved anymore," you decided to say, but then you stopped as you heard him sigh.
"Then, don't be involved."
"Yes, but –"
"Oor~… Why do you believe you must do the task, child?" he decided to say, causing you to frown at him as he continued, munching on a chicken leg every so often as he continued. "You have no real obligations to these reapers. Even if they tried to make you into something you're not, that doesn't mean you should accept it."
"… There's something inside of me that nags me to 'finish the job'," you scoffed, giving him air quotes with your fingers before you put your hands down and sighed to yourself. "… More specifically, it's not that I have a sense of duty. It's not even about the promises I made in my past, and I wish to keep them. No, it's because it would be a shame for this world to crumble in the same way my world did. Even if I died, now, I wouldn't want to see that. Ever.
"Are you not concerned about the future, or am I just crazy here?" you huffed, giving him a pout, and he shrugged his shoulders in reply.
"I turned my back on the association and their rules a long time ago, my lady. What is the point in helping them, if I get nothing in return? They took everything from me," he stated, causing you to give him a concerned look, before you sighed, rubbing the side of your neck before you went back to your meal.
"… It's not about helping the association. Or the council. Or whoever. That isn't what drives me," you decided to say, noticing he was looking at you, but you continued with a meek smile on your face. "I made a promise to the little kiddos that they would never have to deal with the same pain and suffering I've gone through. I promised to be there, if the reapers needed me… but more importantly, I had to keep telling myself that all of this has meaning. I cannot accept that my birth is for nothing, and that my life was for nothing. Keeping myself busy and keeping true to my promises keeps me grounded, Undertaker. I would have killed myself a very long time ago if I didn't decide to keep my eyes on a goal," you told him, smiling at him meekly before glancing away and sighing to yourself. "Sadly, if the reapers don't even want me, what am I supposed to do? I accepted my fate, if I'm going to be honest here… I'm tired of searching for the answers, all the time."
"Those are questions that, sadly, you must answer for yourself," he decided to say, but before you could respond he continued, "but, you should do what you enjoy, my lady. You don't even have to stay at the mortuary. If there's a life you feel you must live, then live there. I won't be mad if you disappear."
"… Geeze. You must not like me if you want me to go," you snorted, but he quickly shook his head.
"I didn't mean –"
"No, I get it… Thing is, I do like it here. Ah… with you," you decided to say, quickly scratching the side of your face to hide your slight blush, before you quickly continued, "I mean, as your assistant, of course. This reminds me of my happier memories… and… working side by side with death like this is refreshing," you smirked at him, causing him to raise an eyebrow.
"… I don't go by Death, you know."
"I know," you chuckled, sighing as you continued to think thoughtfully to yourself. "It was my brother and I, you see. We're both halflings, and he's the one who killed himself and became a full fledged reaper… He… ran away from his life as a reaper, picked me up, and we lived together for years. In a morgue. Caring for the dead. He wanted me to be a doctor actually, but I kept refusing because the thought of accidently killing someone still frightens me," you chuckled lowly underneath your breath. "At least with the dead, they are dead. If I make a mistake, it isn't as severe as if they are living, breathing humans…
"But I don't know, still," you sighed. "I know you Victorians consider the age of adulthood to be, what, ten? Or something like that? But I'm only nineteen and I still don't know what I want to do with myself… In my time, that's a perfectly acceptable answer, but I know it doesn't mean much in this era," you decided to say, but as you felt a nudge on your arm you gave Undertaker a curious glance, as he grinned in response.
"You have all the time in the world, my lady," he grinned, but you gave him a sad, tired smile in return, which caused his own grin to diminish, slightly. "You do, Lara."
"Maybe," you responded with a sad smile, glancing away from him to stare down at your food. "… I-I don't know what to do… anymore. I spent so much time doing one thing and perfecting it that… I'm not even sure if I want to be… this human anymore," you decided to admit, smiling meekly to yourself before you sighed once more. "I-I don't know. Not giving this council what they want is tempting, if I'm going to be honest with myself. Just… if I kill myself, I'll lose a piece of who I am… but if I die and get resurrected, who's to say I'll still lose who I am, in the process? I'm… scared a-and I'm not sure –"
"Clara," you heard him speak, causing you to stop and give him a tired, unsure look in response, as he gave you a light, sympathetic smile in return. "You are a beautiful human. You don't have to change yourself for anyone's sake, except your own. I cannot tell you to commit suicide because… well, I'd be a hypocrite if I tell you not to, but you shouldn't believe you need to do anything for anyone else, except yourself. If you wish to stay human that is up to you. If you do not, that is your choice to make."
"… You like me as a human, huh?" you smirked at him, causing the man to give you an unimpressed look, while you chuckled lightly to yourself. "Good to know… but, I-I don't know."
"If you wish~" he began, his tone of voice getting your attention as he gave you a cheeky grin in response, "I could accompany you to the reaper realm, if you wish. Or perhaps you wish to go back to America," he decided to say, and you gave him an unsure look before smirking to yourself and shaking your head.
"Maybe what I need is a vacation," you decided to say, a thoughtful look crossing your face before you continued, "or maybe I should spend some time with more humans? What do you think?"
"Whatever you wish," he chuckled, though you could tell his voice was a tad dry and less enthusiastic, and you gave him a curious look before smiling lightly in return.
"This is a pretty spot, by the way. I would have never guessed this place exists," you grinned, a thoughtful hum leaving your breath as you continued, "cause, well, by the time I'm born, this sort of spot would probably have been bought up and demolished. The graveyard moved, perhaps. I don't know, but this sort of old architecture… I love it," you decided to say with a smirk, before you went back to eating your lunch.
All the while you weren't exactly sure what the Undertaker was thinking, but… if you were to guess.
It would be about you.
Considering he won't stop looking in your general direction as you ate. As if he was trying to imprint this particular scene in his memories, for the rest of his immortal life. Not that you care, but… that did make you wonder, just how long is a reaper's cinematic record? Is it any different compared to a human's? Questions you doubt would be answered, but it's a nice thought.
A curious thought.