A/N: Ohmagosh, a note at the beginning of the chapter! Is there smut...? No there isn't, sorry to burst your bubbles people... although it is a few chapters away... Just thought it was a good idea to bring up that because it is in third person, I'm using female pronouns for Grell. I have a habit of doing that for trans people... I really don't hope you readers mind. That is all ~~~
The cold water filled his lungs, travelling through his nose, stinging painfully. Will attempted to cough, bubbles of air escaping. Shuddering, he struggled to get up while the pressure holding him down disappeared. Managing to bend over, he coughed, lungs emptying. After a period of time, the discomfort left, along with the need to breathe. Will paused, shoulders relaxing, and he looked up and around. The water had to be a foot deep, surrounding him, except for up ahead, where a beach lay. Shaking but still up, he walked to it, sitting down on the sand. In need of just a bit of rest, he took the time to look around. It seemed normal. Placid. Silent.
After a while of doing nothing, he got up again, looking around. How long did it take for him to get here? Four minutes? Five? And then a bit of time as he rested. When would Undertaker arrive? He dusted the sand off him, briefly taking note of how he was already dry. Had he really been wet? His movements growing steady, he adjusted his tie, before hearing splashing behind him.
"Hehehe-" Giggling and coughing, Undertaker stumbled to the shore, grinning widely. Will stared disbelieving.
"You found that funny?" Will huffed.
"I did." Undertaker shugged and coughed again. "Wasn't that fun!"
"No."
"Interesting?"
"Ugh." Will scoffed, turning away to look at the sand dunes beyond the beach. Undertaker strutted up next to him.
"Someone's in a bad mood." Undertaker sighed, looking up at the sky. "It's bright."
"So it is." Will glared at him before walking farther up the beach.
"Where do you suppose we go?" Undertaker walked catiously, his years of life warning him that he needed to take things slow. He decided to remind Will. "William, be careful."
"My primary focus is on being careful." Will kept walking, head switching from side to side. The hill up ahead was about 15 feet tall. He ignored the unsettling feeling in his stomach. The air was nice, not cold and not hot. Perfect air, perfect blue sky. Just like an ordinary day out.
"Well, then more carefuller. And isn't your primary focus on Grell?" Undertaker retorted, his tone snippy. Picking up on Will's foul mood, not to mention he was still mad at him.
"'Carefuller' is not a word. And yes, I suppose I would be thinking about Grell more." Will stood on top of the small hill, staring out at the horizon. The older man came up next to him.
"Well, well, how... enthralling." Undertaker smiled slyly. Stretching out, as far as the eye could see were more sand dunes. A light beige, the hills appeared to get higher. The two reapers stared silently, taking it all in.
"I guess... we should get started." Undertaker moved to walk while Will looked on wistfully. After a few moments, he began moving.
"Did Sebastian ever tell you how we get back?" Will asked as he tried not to slip on steep slopes.
"He did, as a matter of fact."
"And...?" Will questioned.
"And... he said we just 'need to go back the way we came'." Undertaker nodded to himself in confirmation.
"Oh, joyous day."
"So... you come here often?" Ronald smiled cheerfully at the other reaper assigned to help watch Grell. The girl, a brunette with a small figure, raised an eyebrow.
"Here? The hospital?" The girl crossed her arms, leaning back in the chair. Ronald laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair.
"Um... well, I guess I should say I hope you don't come here often." Ronald tapped his foot. "You look kinda young."
"I just recently graduated." The girl glanced at Grell on the bed. "He a friend?"
"Something like that." Ronald ran a hand through his locks once more, looking at the red headed Grell, once pretty. The hospital seemed to be taking an effect. The long hair looked coarser and faded. The skin that was vibrant seemed to be going grey. Ronald stared, wishing the body to be animated and alive. It was still hard to believe Grell might die. And Will was going to try save him. Will, of all people. Ronald wished that he had been asked to participate. But no, he was here, body-watching. Suddenly feeling something was off, he looked at the girl.
"You alright?" Ronald asked.
"Reasonably so. Why?" The girl replied.
"... No reason." He looked at the doorway. The chemical, sterilized smells were bothering him. He hated hospitals, the atmosphere made him feel like everything was contaminated. He got up and headed to the door. "Be right back. I need some air."
Will trudged after Undertaker quietly, brushing hair out of his face. The strands that fell over his eyes were getting annoying. He looked up.
"How much farther do you suppose we have to go?"
"A while maybe." Undertaker continued his joyful walk, hiding his upset mood. He'd been upset for... well, a while now. "What do you think?"
"I'm not sure." Will adjusted his glasses. "Do you have any idea what to expect?"
"Hm... I don't know. We'll just have to see." Undertaker stopped, causing Will to smash into him.
"Hey!"
"Shut. Up." Undertaker grabbed him, steadying them. "... thought I saw something."
"Well, maybe we found someone else, there must be tones of people here." Will began to look around. "What do you suggest now?"
"I dunno, avoid peopl-Grell." Undertaker began sprinting, silver hair flying. Blinking in confusion, William headed after him.
"Wait up you idiot!" He watched as Undertaker headed farther away, and Will rushed to keep up. The dry sand felt slippery causing him to slide. For a brief moment, he was watching Undertaker's back. Next, his foot twisted slightly, and before he could cry out he fell. He rolled down a sand dune, the sand scratching at his face. Rolling into his back, disoriented, he sat up. First thing he noticed was he lost his glasses. He felt around for them.
"Undertaker?" He called as he searched. "... Undertaker?!"
No answer. Cursing, he continued to search.
The hallways were empty, but shuffling and voices could be heard in the distance. Ronald got some water, then stood in front of the room, took a deep breath, and walked in. He smiled at the girl.
"What's your name again?"
"Bianca." She shrugged.
"Cool." He went to his chair, fixing his death scythe near the wall.
"That really a land mower?" Bianca nodded to his death scythe.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. But not just any landmower- it's THE landmower." He made a flourish with his hand, and the girl giggled. "What's yours?" He sat and looked up at her.
"An axe." She held hers up, which had been previously hidden behind the chair. He grinned.
"Nice. Bet that works pretty darn well."
"It does. So, Ronald, tell me how y-" she paused and turned her head to the doorway, where noises could be heard. Ronald looked as well. It sounded like shouting. The two looked at eachother before Bianca stood, picking up her death scythe. "I'll check it out."
Ronald didn't object, just nodded. Breathing in deeply to clear his head, he waited. Her footsteps faded away, and he tried to wait patiently. The yelling continued on, and feeling antsy, he picked up his scythe, walking to the door. Peering out into the hall, he didn't see anyone. But at the end of the long hallway, the voices could be heard from around the corner. He took a step back, his weapon held securely. Time ticked by painfully slow while he waited. The fear from earlier creeping up, he hesistated.
"Ronald?" It was a low whisper, the voice soft. Ronald turned.
Will's hand brushed his glasses, but in his haste to get them, he swatted them away. Looking up at a flash of red, he stopped.
"...Grell? That you?" Will reached forward, touching his glasses once more. Relieved, he put them on and looked up, confirming his suspicions. "Grell, I thought I'd never find you."
He stood and began walking to the other reaper, but Grell didn't move. When the redhead shook her head, Will paused again.
"Grell?" He whispered slowly, but she took a step back, and another. Wearing the same clothes she always wore, she turned and walked over a hill. Getting farther. Curious, Will followed. He called out again, hoping that Undertaker would follow his voice. "Grell!"
Reaching the top, he began running again, the dull throb in his ankle only bothering him slightly. The pain was forgotten in the moment. Reaching the next hill's summit, he looked around. Farther away she was, but he'd recognize all that red anywhere. He kept moving. "Grell, get back here!"
Yelling might be useless, but he'd try. He callee out again, along with some angry curse words, but didn't get a reply. Nearly falling but catching himself, he went over the next hill, unaware it was the last. Slowing to a stop, he stared at Grell, then at the person with her. Male, wearing all black, with pale skin. William could've figured out it was a demon from a mile away.
"What are you doing with her?!" Will growled, pulling himself into a defensive stance. The corner of the man's mouth curled, and he leaned close to Grell.
"Do you really care, reaper?" The man's tongue flicked out, tasting Grell's cheek. Will made a disgusted sound.
"Get your hands off of her, filth." Will summoned his scythe, moving closer. The male stared him down, distaste written all over his face.
"Filth? Even I must admit, that is what I am now. It took me a long time, stuck in planes between worlds, not living, but not dead. And here I am. Filth." The man spat out the word. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Will stared back coldly. Attempting to fight with this man could possibly mean his death. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let him have Grell... the thought sent a shudder or revolt through him. No, Will was definitely going to stop him.
"Grell, are you alright?" Ronald reached up, grabbing the other reaper's shoulders. Holding her tightly, he smiled. He could go let Will and Undertaker know. Now, they could stop working with Sebastian- his train of thought was interruptted when Grell moved forwards, pulling him into a hug. She felt a bit skinnier, and more frail. Confused but glad, Ronald hugged back, trying not to nick her with his weapon. "Come on, Grell, I'm happy to, but you need to rest-"
He yelped in surprise when he felt her tongue move, lightly tracing his cheek. He shoved her away.
"Hey, I'm glad your back, senpai, but I don't like you like that." He wiped his cheek and stared at her, slowly thinking. As if Grell knew that Ronald was growing more suspicious, she smiled. Despite the fact that she seemed weak, she shoved him against a wall. His scythe clattered to the ground.
"Umph... Grell, what th-" He felt a hit to his abdomen. Panicking, he scrambled to get up, before he was thrown back again. His head hit the wall with a thud. Blinking through the pain, he saw Grell move in closer. He was thinking up a plan when another noise could be heard, and Grell slumped over onto him. Ronald scrambled away from her and looked up.
"You okay?" Bianca asked, and he nodded in response. Right then, a reaper in a black suit walked in.
"What happened here?" He demanded sternly.
"Um, well... she attacked me." Ronald motioned to Grell as he answered the man. Bianca narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm a man from the Board. I was sent here to see how the situation is... apparently, it is more unstable than previously thought. We will have you two taken into custody for questioning of the situation, and Grell will be taken away to a safer place." The man turned on his heel. "Get seen by a medic in case you're injur-"
Bang! One moment, the man was standing, and next, he was on the ground unconscious. Bianca smirked, lowering her axe.
"I realized the handle is perfect for knocking people out." She turned to Ronald, who flinched. She rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. Just... get your friend out. I'll cover for you."
"Seriously? Why? What about the committee?" Ronald reached for his scythe.
"You two are... good friends. You obviously care a lot about him... or her. Whatever. And don't worry about the committee, I'll keep them busy. Make up a story of how Grell went crazy and escaped, knocking me and this man unconciousness. And I'll say you ran like a little girl." Bianca smirked.
"Fine, ... thanks." Ronald looked at Grell and sighed.
"Go on ahead, take... it. You need to get Grell help or whatever. You have friends working on the case, right? Just... hold it together, kay? And you owe me a drink for this." Bianca smiled, and Ronald smiled back. Carefully, he picked up Grell, hoping she wouldn't go bat shit crazy again. He headed to the door.
"Thanks, B. I do owe you a drink."
"B?"
"Your knew nickname." Ronald grinned wider before swallowing slowly, nervous. "And Grell prefers being treated like the drama queen she is. Female pronouns."
"Got it. She. Well, hope she gets better. I'll make a convincing story." Bianca looked a bit sad, and he nodded. Hesistating, but leaving, Ronald decided to go to Will's. He'd leave out a back door so no one would see him. Moving to find an exit, he left behind Bianca and their unspoken comaraderie.
Will lifted his scythe, knowing he could transform it so it was longer. But he needed a clear shot, and he had a feeling this thing wouldn't let him have one.
"Come on, reaper. Are you nervous? Perhaps you aren't that skilled enough as you so previously thought." The man took Grell by the waist, moving them closer together. "This soul is... heavenly delicious. I have never eaten the soul of the divine before. The... envy. The flavor. Do you long to know what it feels like?"
"Stay quiet beast." Will edged closer, expecting an attack.
"Do you long for this goddess' soul, reaper? I can see it... the...love practically radiates from you. It is... sickening." The man moved the side slowly, pulling along Grell. "You're running out of time. Soon, this soul will be mine, for I claim it. Desperate, I am now."
"Desperate?" Will copied his movements and moved to the side. Slowly rotating so the water was on his left, the dunes on his right. And the demon in front of him. He was beginning to wonder what was taking Undertaker so long.
"Yes, desperate. I have not been here long... and I don't plan to. Actually, time seems to slow here. But I'm not staying here. No, I must go back... but only the grace I was granted long ago may help me. I'll turn this divine being... into a feast." The demon baacked up, clutching Grell tightly. Will stepped nearer.
"And to think that I'd let you do that is an insult." Taking a chance, Will lunged forwards and attempted to pierce the thing with his scythe. But the dark haired being only jumped aside, dropping Grell to the sand. Hissing, the man jumped at him, it's eyes maroon, the pupils slit. Will moved away, but felt a claw get his arm. He rolled away for cover, then jumped to his feet. The demon was about 10 feet away from him now. He lifted his scythe when he sensed the demon about to spring, but someone knocked him aside.
"Run, you moron." Undertaker insisted in his ear as he grabbed Will by the jacket, forcing him to the water. He pushed Will down and fell in top of him. The water converged around them, soaking them all over again. Will barely had to protest before he felt the weight on his chest, a pull, and he was gone.
Annnddd that's it. Sorry if it was confusing.
Any mistakes, errors, suggestions, let me know. It was edited, but only twice.
Depending if people want the next chapter a lot, then I miiiiight be faster. But with exams two months away, and my acting performance thing-a-ma-bobber, I may disappear for a bit.
Props to whoever can figure out who the mystery demon is.
Until next time~~