WARNING:: contains gore, of course, and needles. And blood. If you're extra queasy over needles and blood, read the second half of this chapter with caution. You certainly don't need to read the second part of this chapter, if needles and blood make you very queasy. It's not necessary to understanding the rest of the story.

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A/N: HEY GUYS! Long time no see, again!

Sorry for the very late update. I've been kind of slacking in the update department. I apologize. But, there's a lot that's been going on in my life, and I know if I posted this chapter then I'd have to post the chapters, after this one.

While I usually don't put warnings, there is a lot of mention of needles and such. I understand if you guys are sensitive to that sort of language, and the gore? Yeah, last chapter there was a bit of that, but this is when it gets VERY bloody. I will say, I do like writing this sort of stuff. It is a nice stress reliever. Usually, if I start typing a story, the beginning goes a bit like this… a bit too real, but I don't know. I know I've promised lemons, but in order to progress the story I need to push this plot along. This is the starting point.

And it's your guys' guesses what is really going on. Why this is all happening. I do need conflict, but considering how I started this story, there is a LOT of angles to work with.

I will say I was going to post this sooner, but life got in the way. And, I've been trying to push myself to write more of the chapters… I've actually reached past chapter 50, now. Geeze… this story is going to be a long one. I'm always so slow when I'm writing, but I like to write the details, you know? Anyways, if you guys don't mind the gruesome reality of Kuroshitsuji, then hopefully this particular set of chapters won't be too terrible.

Okay! That's it! Maybe I'll post the next chapter today… tonight, but I hope to post it soon. Since I'm FINALLY having a bit of a break. ENJOY!

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The moment I saw the barrier go up.

I couldn't stop myself from panicking. From screaming Clara's name.

I couldn't. I can't! I can't lose another one, like this!

Even if the girl told me to stay hidden, it didn't matter once my cover was blown and those demons noticed I was in the shadows, lurking. But, when a demon barrier such as this goes up, it's hard to break it.

But I had to try.

It didn't matter if the girl wasn't hesitating. Not afraid. That may be admirable, but I've seen too many die to the hands of demons. So, I took out my hidden death scythe, aiming all of my energy at the barrier, and I swung.

I took a step back when my scythe flew backward, almost bringing me with it, but I stood my ground and struck, again.

Nothing.

"W-what?!" I snarled in irritation. Am I really this weak to destroy a barrier? Or, was this a barrier I wasn't familiar with?

But it didn't matter! Because I need to save her! –

A shriek filled cry brought me out of my thoughts as I brushed some of my hairs from my face in an attempt to see what the commotion was all about. My eyes widened and I rubbed at my face, making sure I was seeing this correctly.

An eerie glow of bright blue slashed through the air, slamming the demons into the barrier and cutting them into half, then pieces… very small, very bloody pieces of flesh, their souls continuing to cry out in pain as they were hacked away by the powers of Death. Yet… I was surprised to watch their demonic records disappearing, becoming cut up into small, thin pieces, disappearing into the bright, pure glow of…

I could call it a reaper aura, but even I'm not quite sure if it's deadly in origin, or not. Either way, I watched the glow within the barrier die down, leaving only the girl… and the boy… and nothing else left, except blood and guts all over the ground.

Then, I hit my blade against the barrier, the demonic presence gone and the barrier breaking down without a second thought. "Clara!" I couldn't stop myself from gasping, running at her and grabbing her in a tight hug.

And she scoffed in response.

But, I didn't care. I didn't care… I just… I'm so happy she's not dead.

Or worse.

"U-undertaker… don't cry. I'm fine," I heard her say, her voice rather hesitant to speak to me, her hand patting me in an attempt to get me to let her go, but…

I won't. I can't.

I won't let this girl go.

"… Undertaker, enough. We have more pressing matters to attend to," she continued with a huff, pushing me off of her while I gave her a meek smile, only to take in the sight around me.

There was so much blood on the ground that the symbol upon the muddy earth was nothing but large bloody puddles. The souls of the damned had been freed from their bounds to those demons… and the poor human boy looked like he was close to death.

But not quite there, yet.

And apparently, that was enough to stir my love into taking action, quickly unbinding the boy's chains with two swipes of her blade, and I couldn't stop myself from staring. In pure awe.

Her dark blue and black attire, coated in dark red, fresh demonic blood, dripping from parts of her outfit, except her long black scarf. It was purely immaculate, untouched, unblemished, and her ring… glowing so brightly that it was both… disgusting, yet strangely overwhelming.

But it was the long death scythe in her hands that not only bewildered me, but also caused me to stare. A long black onyx scythe, a stark contract to my ivory silver blade, but… the shape was relatively normal and simple compared to my own. Perhaps she is an underdeveloped grim reaper?... Well, of course she is. She's only twenty years of age, but the handle was long, thin, and barely bent. Only warped in certain parts for an easy grip. Her blade was long and sharp… like a typical looking scythe in a farmer's field, except it was all black.

Entirely black…

But there was a strange energy emitting out of the scythe, both a good and bad energy. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Is this… what her soul is… now? Purely corrupted? Both pure, yet chaotic at the same time?

That… isn't good… She's too close to Death for my liking. That's for sure.

"Undertaker. A little help, please," she scoffed, and after the initial shock left me I gave her a light smile, letting my own blade disappear out of my hands, after I realized I had my scythe in my grip for far too long, before I gently picked up the, now, unconscious boy… to flinch as the girl brought the boy closer to her.

I was mystified as a bright blue, cleanly pure, glow began to emit itself from her ungloved hand, her scythe disappeared out of her own fingertips, and she placed her glowing hand upon the boy, her eyes narrowed and calculating, and glowing in a similar fashion to the glow that was in her palm. "… He's not dead yet, but we need to help him."

"Must we?" I decided to ask, wondering how this girl would respond.

And I smirked lightly at the scoff she gave me, as a response. "Of course. You may not be allowed to stop the dead from dying, but I can. Please, let's get back home. I got the information I needed, anyways."

"And what'd that be?" I asked in a curious tone, but she simply glared at me, as if to tell me this wasn't the time to be chatting.

And while I knew she was right… I couldn't help but feel confused to how I know what this girl is thinking, most of the time…

Maybe our souls are more intertwined then I thought.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing… or not.

"Let's go, love," I spoke with a smile, and her a weary nod and a tired look on her face, and I sighed to myself.

Ah, yes. She isn't centuries old, but a frail little girl… it's hard to remember that, when I can see her cutting down seemingly powerful demons with a single swipe of her blade.

What… a lovely~ death scythe…

But… too bad it's a scythe.

If she was connected to something else, I would be a lot more relieved, but now… just… why? Why did this girl let herself become this way?

She should have stayed human. It would have been simple for her, that way.

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"Move," you practically yelled, and apparently your words were enough to cause the two men to move out of your way, staring at the two, or rather, three of you, as you managed to get up the stairs, and you ushered Undertaker into your room. "Just put him on the bed. Tanaka, get me a bucket of ice. Undertaker, a glass of water and the first aid kit. Vincent, sit your ass down," you scoffed, trudging past them without a moment's notice, quickly making your way down the stairs into the basement. You needed a few things before you could resume. After all, if you faint or render yourself unmoving, how can you save the poor boy in such a manner?

The humans are clueless, and Undertaker could complicate matters.

You sighed to yourself. You've done this many times before, but… usually you don't have to play the part of doctor, too. This is going to be aggravating.

You hate demons.

You found a fairly long, thin tube used for draining fluids, and a few needles, varying in sizes, and you shoved them into a basket by one of the shelves, along with a numbing goop that, apparently, Undertaker concocted. Surely, this may come in handy if you need to numb the pain in a particular spot, for whatever reason. You made sure the tube was clean, at least, or at the very least didn't hold any chemicals that could kill you. Just… blood. Blood tubes. You didn't have time to put too much thought into this as you grabbed a small metal container, enough to fill, at the very least, eight ounces, and then you rushed up the stairs.

You ignored Vincent, putting a hand up to his face when he tried to yell something at you, and instead you rushed into your bedroom, grabbing the cup of water Undertaker grabbed for you, and he stared at you confused as you gulped it down and began to assess your patient.

"We need to strip him. Undertaker, do you have anything this boy can wear for some modesty?" you asked, and he simply nodded his head, letting you be as he left your bedroom and you knelt beside the boy, grabbing a chair so you could be closer. "… I'm sorry," you sighed, putting a hand upon the boy's head to make sure he was still breathing, that he wasn't running a fever. That he wasn't too far gone and this wasn't worth the effort.

But… as you felt that he could just survive this, if you just hurry…

You began to prepare yourself. You thanked Tanaka for the bucket, placing the bucket down by your feet as you put the metal container into the ice, making sure most of the container was surrounded by ice, as you continued. You didn't care if someone was watching, or if everyone was watching. Honestly, you didn't have time to care. Instead, you worked quickly as you opened the first aid kit, finding a long rubber band-like item, ripping off your sleeve in an easy motion as you tightly bound the rubber upon your arm, and then stuck a needle into the tub, thin enough to do the job… you hope.

You body shook. You hated needles. Absolutely hated them, but… if this boy is going to survive… he needs blood, now.

And you've read enough about blood transfusions to know that this could work. Could, is key.

Last minute, you grabbed your ripped sleeve, biting down on it so you wouldn't bite your tongue, as you gently stabbed the needle into your arm, hoping to strike a vein, and after wiggling the needle just enough and flinching instinctively, you saw the red liquid slipping out of the tube, and you quickly made sure the end of the tube was in the metal container before you let go, letting out a shaky sigh. "O-oow," you shuddered, unable to stop the words from leaving your breath, but you threw the sleeve away once it left your mouth, so it wouldn't fall into the ice bucket, and you grabbed another rubber band, carefully tying the item around your arm to keep the needle in place, until you felt hands tying it for you. "… Arigatō."

"Dōitashimashite," he responded, but before he could continue you let out a slight huff.

"If you don't mind the sight of blood, make sure the tube is collecting my blood. If you can't, make sure Vincent isn't getting hysterical, or at the very least help Undertaker. O-oh, and get me something sugary," you told him, and he left without a second thought, while you turned back to the boy and noticed his paling face.

You closed your eyes and sighed, tiredly, before you put your hands together, careful about the tube and needle in your arm, and concentrated. Concentrated on your aura… your energy. Your soul and heart. Connecting them… one in the same… Becoming one… and the same…

Slowly, you let your eyes open, and as you noticed that your palms were beginning to glow a bright blue, you slowly placed your hands upon the boy's body, one upon his chest and the other over his stomach. You saw the boy shuddering, but he made no attempts to move away from you.

Good.

You closed your eyes again, assessing the situation. Any damaged organs, fatal injuries… he… needed to be patched up, but you hoped Undertaker will be back by then to help you with that. You can't exactly be very helpful when you're draining your blood, like this.

And noticing his presence right behind you, along with the other two humans, you spoke, "Undertaker… just… trust me," you began, letting your eyes open as you concentrated on keeping the boy stable, at least. At the very least, keeping his soul in his body while you continued to heal him, from the inside out. "Give this boy first aid. I need you to patch him up… I know that isn't something a mortician does, but please… I can't exactly be very helpful, right now," you stated, but you honestly surprised when Undertaker moved into the room, no questions asked, as he fished through the first aid kit, careful not to bump into you and break your concentration, as he moved to take the boy out of his clothes. His ripped up and dirty shirt, first. He grumbled a bit underneath his breath, assessing the situation, before he began to put ointment on the boy's cuts, wrapping them with white bandages.

"… Why are you doing this?" he sighed, his question causing you to open your eyes and look over at him, again, and as you saw him moping from the other side of the bed, you simply gave him a light smile before you closed your eyes.

"… How much blood has drained out of me?" you asked whoever was looking, and you were surprised to hear Vincent's voice by your side, suddenly.

"Four ounces? –"

"T-tell me when it's… six? I suppose," you mumbled, feeling your mind beginning to get woozy, and you quickly spoke, "I mean… just five."

"Yes," he told you, though you could tell he seemed hesitant, but as you put a hand over the boy's ribs, you couldn't help but outwardly frown. "… What?"

"He has a broken rib… I'm going to have to set this in place… but at least his lungs aren't punctured. I think his organs are fine, for the most part. Good," you mumbled, keeping with the conversation just so you wouldn't lose consciousness. You need to stay alert until this is over.

"H-how can you do this? –"

"Simple. Vincent… When you're fighting in a war, you tend to pick up on things… Blood transfusions can save a life, though," you chuckled lowly to yourself, opening your eyes to turn to him and give the man a slight pout, "it's funny. I can save lives, but no one can save me."

"What? Why? Is this really a thing? Blood transfusion, as you call it? Isn't that only fiction –"

"Yes, though, the reason why it may not work is… a person's blood type. I'm type O… That probably doesn't mean much, but… that means my blood can work for anyone. But, there are not that many out there with O blood… simple as that," you finished in a mumble, turning away to close your eyes.

Until you heard Vincent say, "I-it's at five."

Slowly, you opened your eyes and sighed to yourself. Great… How are you going to do this?

You let out a slight scoff, pressing your hands into the boy's chest and mumbling a set of phrases that, while seemingly was gibberish, was a spell for healing. Once you noticed the boy's body was glowing light blue, you slowly took your hands off of his body, making sure his body wouldn't go into shock.

Once your hands were freed, you quickly reached for the rubber band around your arm, unbinding the one around the needle and carefully slipping it out of your body. "Shit!" you coughed at the needle, and the fact that you could feel the pain, now, but the pain turned into a dull numbness, and you quickly put a white pad upon the small hole in your joint, hopefully enough to stop the blood from draining out of your body as you brought the metal container out of the ice bucket, slowly, and set it up on the table.

You stood up, but your body felt instantly woozy, so you grabbed the table and the chair, breathing heavily to keep yourself from toppling over, but you scoffed underneath your breath, reaching for a cookie you could see on the table and quickly munched upon it before you reached for the basket full of needles. You grabbed a fairly small one, one that you hope will be small enough to fit into the boy, but big enough to stick into the tube, properly. If there's air, he could die. You didn't want that to happen.

Not after all of this.

You made sure the needle was in properly, kicking the bucket slightly as you leaned the tub downward, making sure the blood was flowing freely into the bucket, without any air bubbles, and then you gently grabbed the boy's arm. He was so pale… so lifeless, but you know that there's life still in him. You just have to give him yours.

Just a little taste.

You kept the blood from leaving the needle and tub by pinching down, and you instructed Tanaka to bind a rubber band upon the boy's upper arm, in a particular spot. And then, carefully, you poked the needle into the boy's arm.

You wanted to cry over the fact that the boy didn't seem to notice. That he was so numb to the pain, so out of it, that he couldn't tell that you were stabbing him with a needle that was probably too big for his little body. But, that didn't matter right now, and you accepted the rubber band Tanaka handed you as you tied the band around the needle and the boy's arm, before you slowly sat down onto the chair and breathed, heavily.

Tiredly.

You paused for a moment to gather your thoughts, and luckily no one seemed to be doing anything to interrupt you, and then you slowly stood to your feet, grabbing the numbing ointment from the basket, and you glopped some of the goop onto your hand. You could already feel the effects on your fingers, which makes you wonder if you should ask Undertaker for the recipe, but instead you kept silent as you concentrated on your task, gently rubbing it on top of the very purple and bluish/black bruise on the boy's chest, over the broken rib. "… Grab him, Undertaker. Vincent, make sure the boy doesn't rip the needle out of his body. I cannot take draining anymore blood out of me," you stated, simply, waiting for the two to get into position around the boy's body. You leaned over the boy, hovering over him as you closed your eyes, feeling your hands glowing, again, and you looked to the two men, making sure they were ready.

And then…

You applied pressure into his chest, and used your energy to press up his broken rib, from the inside of his body radiating outward.

He screamed, raw, unbound crying, but your eyes were on his rib, making sure the bone was properly in place, before your bright blue eyes began to die down, just slightly, and your energy became a lot more soothing and calming. All at once, his crying turned to soft gasping, while his eyes closed, as if he had fallen back to sleep, from waking from a terrible nightmare.

You looked to his arm to make sure the needle was still in place, the blood was flowing properly through the tub into the boy's body, and then you sighed, closing your eyes in relief.

"Ā, tasukatta," you sighed in relief… only to feel your body swaying, and you felt arms grab you in an instant.

"Enough scaring me for one night, love," you heard Undertaker's voice, and you could barely keep your eyes open.

Instead, you closed your eyelids, sighing tiredly to yourself as you gripped at the man's clothes, though your grip was rather weak and your body close to crumbling into the floor. "Kono shōnen ga shibō shita ba-aai… watashi wa anata o yurushi-ite inaidesu," you managed to mumble before you lost your will to stay conscious. But…

You could feel a presence by your side… a comforting presence that brought a smile to your face, and that was enough to keep you from slipping into the nothingness.

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Ā, tasukatta [Japanese] – thank god

Kono shōnen ga shibō shita baai, watashi wa anata o yurushite inaidesu [Japanese] – if this boy dies, I am not forgiving you