Undertaker knew when something, or someone, wasn't Grell. He also knew when something was off. Which was ironic, since he had no given warning of when Grell fell into his sickness. Ironically cruel, just like the day when he first realized just how good he could read Grell. It had started with a prank, just months earlier.
"Grell, I'm home," called Undertaker, giggling with anticipation as he strolled through the doors of the coffin shop. The scent of death was heavy, even more so too his heightened senses. Walking around calmly, his eyes wandered. "Darling? You here?"
Met only with silence, he walked around, opening various coffins. Not finding anything, he went to the back room, swinging open the door.
There, sitting in a chair, it's back to him, was the figure of a person. The long red hair cascaded smoothly to the floor, the back straight and still. Sighing with exhaustion, Undertaker smiled and approached the redhead.
"Darling, what are you doing in here?" His hand reaching out to grab the shoulder, which felt bony and cold. And unusually stiff. Fear held him there for a few minutes before shaking the body, and it fell sideways onto the floor. A loud crack as it hit wood, and it rolled onto it's back. The hair fell out of the way, and Undertake got a clear view of a face. A face that was most definitely dead, just like the rest of it. It was wearing Grell's clothes, the red jacket and slacks. He jumped away, wondering, why? How had this happened? The one prominent thing that stuck in his mind was that something had did this to Grell. Anger seized him, and he was about to go out and find this thing when a shrill yell came from behind him. Absolutely convinced that it was the thing that killed Grell, Undertaker yelled and spun around, summoning his scythe. He raised it above his head, a mix of anger and fear swirling through him, when the intruder broke into laughter.
"Haha- oh, you should have seen your face! Bwahaha-" Cackling madly, Grell took a step back, mumbling words like 'corpse' and 'prank'. Undertaker stood there, scythe still raised, totally petrified.
"B-but-" not sure what to say, he fell silent, and Grell managed to stop laughing.
"It was a joke, sweetie. Thought I'd put a corpse in my clothes, give it hair and... well, I thought you might find it funny." Grell frowned and walked up to him, grabbing his arm. Lowering the weapon, Undertaker closed his eyes. Grell sighed and hugged him. "I'm... sorry if I scared you. I guess the set up was a bit too real."
"..." silently, Undertaker hugged her back, burying his face in her neck. Slowly, he began to laugh. Grell looked up at him.
"...Sweetie?"
"It was real enough." Undertaker laughed before shaking his head. "Well, now that I think of it, the corpse was quite poor."
"Oh?" Grell, satisfied that Undertaker was laughing, was also disappointed. "What was off about it?"
"The hair." Undertaker tugged at a long red lock. "Your hair is much more... shiny. Softer looking. And you smell of roses, not of death."
"But if I really was dead, I'd smell dead anyways." Grell shrugged, snuggling closer.
"You'd smell of roses, because I'd cover you with roses." Undertaker picked her up. "Thousands of roses. Death is wonderful, but you are beautiful. You'll always be beautiful. Just don't scare me like that again, I could never live without you." After Grell had nodded, and they had laughed and she fell asleep in a coffin, he spent the night watching her, taking note of small things. Things that told him this was Grell, alive and well. Had he kept calm and noticed, he should have realized that the corpse had never been Grell. And now, months later, chasing after someone who looked like Grell, he froze. He had never been here, he didn't know what kind of effects it would have on the mind... and if it was really Grell, she'd run to him.
The next minute was spent with him stopping in his tracks, whipping around to stop Will, and finding out that he wasn't even behind him. Bewildered, panicking, he retraced his steps. It felt like a few seconds before he found William and heard his voice, though it must have been minutes. Another couple of seconds, over another sand dune, and he took a moment to pause and stare at the scene before him. A demon-he looked familiar- and Grell on the ground -what was she doing there-, and Will, who appeared to be fully well, and about to attack the demon. In a split second, Undertaker knew he had to stop Will- he didn't know what the demon might do. Torn between wanting to run to what looked like Grell and helping William, he made the decision he already regretted. Running fullspeed, before the demon could attack, he tackled Will, mumbling something along the lines of 'run', which was pointless given that they fell into the water seconds later.
Undertaker, having fallen on top of William, emerged from the bath first, coughing. Someone grabbed the back of his coat and threw him onto the floor. Next was William, who was promptly tossed onto the floor as well, he glasses flying off again. In Purgatory, after immediately finding land, their clothes had dried, just as Sebastian said. Now back in their own world, they were drenched, tired and baffled. Both of them sat up, blinking away any excess water. Sebastian, who was now soaked too, cursed and ben to empty the tub. He was mumbling and cursing in another language, infuriated and annoyed. William stooda as he picked up his glasses, glaring.
"What was that for? Grell was right there!" Will snapped, his anger directed at Undertaker. The older man slowly stood, scowling.
"I was saving you," he retorted, pushing his silver bangs out of his eyes.
"I didn't need saving! I was perfectly fine handling myself!" Will retorted before turning to Sebastian. "Send me back!"
"Don't send him back!" Undertaker insisted, reaching out to grab Will shoulder. "William, I'm not sure it was Grell-"
"It was!"
"-but even if it was, we couldn't do anything about it. The thing got to her, and even if you lived, we can't say the same about Grell. One of us could have died," Undertaker's voice was smooth, a forced calmness. He believed his own words, but doubted them as well. Will slapped his hand away.
"We could have taken it! At least we could have tried! You should be agreeing with me! You should have rushed to her side and saved her! But no, you're here, freaking out because you're scared of a demon." Will turned back to Sebastian again. "Send. Me. Back."
"No!" Undertaker argued, "Sebastian, don't send him there. Will, I want Grell back as much as you, but we know nothing of that place. We know nothing of where she actually is. If you reasoned with me-"
"You're right, we don't know if it's Grell, but we also don't know if it's not Grell," Will scowled.
"Even if we go back, they might be long gone," Undertaker turned away, defeated, and Sebastian finally turned around and looked at them, sitting on the edge of the bath.
"If it is alright that I ask, and if both of you are done with your quibble, what happened?" Sebastian crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. Undertaker shrugged slowly.
"There was... a demon."
"That's it? Doesn't seem like much. I would have to agree with William on this one- you guys should have killed it." Sebastian looked down, casting an irritated glance at his wet clothes. Undertaker glared. He was sure he knew the demon- the name was on the tip of his tongue.
"Sebastian, do you honestly think that if it was just a random demon, I wouldn't have killed it? No! I want Grell back more than anything-"
"Funny way of showing it," Will interruptted, glaring at the ground. Undertaker stared at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing of your concern," Will turned to walk out, but Undertaker stopped him.
"Seriously, what's its supposed to mean, William? Do you doubt that I care for Grell?" Undertaker stood back, crossing his arms, while Sebastian watched amused. Will smirked.
"I do, actually."
"Surprising, coming from you. Regardless, she is mine. She is with me, whereas, she despises you." Now Undertaker smirked while Will grew pale, then infuriated.
"He does not despise me!"
"Doesn't she? You refuse to look at her like she is female, something she greatly desires. You mock her, yell at her, hit her, and constantly call her down!" Undertaker struggled to keep his voice down, but was losing more control.
"Not to mention he stomped on its face once," interjected Sebastian.
"That too! You know, Will," Undertaker lowered his voice, his grin taunting. "You're just jealous because no matter what, you can't have her, the one thing you wanted before you realized you even wanted it!"
His smile victorious, Undertaker stepped away while Will glared, his jaw clenched. Slowly, he smirked again.
"Ironic, given you never even noticed something was wrong with him in the first place. I wonder how he'd feel if he found out about just how much you seemed to want me while he was laying in a hospital bed, how much you'd prefer to kiss me then see him in his final moments." Will said, his smile hostile. Undertaker's eye twitched and, feeling provoked, he tackled Will to the floor.
"How dare you." Undertaker grabbed him by the front of his jacket, shaking him.
"Let me go!" William huffed, trying to get free. Undertaker shook him some more.
"No! You don't get to leave and walk out, like how you do all the time!"
"I do not do that!"
"Actually, you do. Or you stubbornly run headfirst into things," Sebastian pointed out.
"Shut up, Sebastian!"
"Don't tell him to shut up, he's just being honest! Not to mention truthful-" Undertaker was quickly cut off.
"I don't care!" William resisted more, still trying to be let go. "I was being truthful as well."
"Since when?"
"I- god damn it, I hate you!" William spat out, furious. Undertaker snorted.
"Oh, really? William, hate something? I never noticed! I don't care if you do! Everyone hates you! You're going to die old and alone, and no one would care! And even after a millenia, you'd still be the same stuck up, arrogant manager with a holier-than-thou attitude!" Undertaker ranted on, a mixture of loathing and resent, as he began to imitate William. "Oh, look at me! I'm William T. Spears, don't forget the dot after the T! Honestly, I hate demons, honestly, I hate new recruits, they're so unorganized, and don't forget your glasses, they're so important! Honestly I hate everyone!"
"I do not sound like that!"
"You sort of do," Sebastian sighed.
"Shut up, would you, demon?" Will paused, laying still for a moment as he looked up at Undertaker. "Get off of me."
"No." Undertaker looked satisfied. "I haven't finished telling you about what a prude you are."
"I am not prude!"
"You most certainly are!"
"Better than being and old, perverted geezer that's a necrophiliac pedophile-"
"That's it, Im'ma kill you!" Undertaker wrapped his hands around his neck, angry. "Right here, right now!"
"I don't think you can kill him by strangling him, seeing as your kind don't breathe," Sebastian pointed out.
"God damn it, thank you very much, Sebastian!" William called out sarcastically.
"Fine! Sebastian, get me a knife!" Undertaker yelled, his grip tight. William scowled, certain that Undertaker didn't have the guts to do it. At least, he didn't think he would kill him. Sebastian watched on, entertained, but tired from draining his powers to make the portal earlier. He rubbed his temples, wondering if he really should get a knife, when they were interrupted by someone.
"Someone's having a kinky party in here. What's this I here about knives?" Everyone looked to see Ronald in the doorway, obviously confused to what was going on. His smile covered up any worried look he might have on his face. Everyone hesistated.
"... You're supposed to be watching Grell," Undertaker stated.
"Huh? Oh, yeah... stuff happened... she went cray-cray on me. Then got knock out... uh, passed out... long story short, Grell's on the couch downstairs, we should, I dunno, lock her up somewhere... you need to lock your back door, senpai... what's going on in here again...?" Ronald asked as he looked around perplexed.
"Well, I believe Mr. Spears and Mr. Undertaker were having a disagreement on Grell's affections, their affections for each other, and whether or not William is prude," Sebastian answered nonchalantly, his expression withdrawn.
"..." Ronald stared, still confused, before frowning. "Well, nice to know that while Grell nearly killed me, you guys were doing... whatever this is."
"Now can you get off?" William asked, his eyes narrowed. Reluctantly, Undertaker stood, stepping away, and William moved to stand farthest away from him. He turned to Ronald. "Grell was concious?"
"Yeah, for a while, but it didn't seem like Grell. Then someone from the board committee showed up to take her away. But he never got the chance. And like I said before, we need to do something with Grell in case she gets up again. Now, why are you all wet?" Ronald inquired, suspicious.
"We went to find Grell in Purgatory, and we almost had him before this idiot stopped me from getting to him." William waved his hand at Undertaker, who glared, unsympathetic.
"What William failed to say was that there was a demon there by the name of Claude Faustus-" Now Sebastian interrupted Undertaker.
"Claude Faustus? Why didn't you say that before?" Sebastian narrowed his eyes, furious at the mention of the name.
"Because I only remembered a second ago! Anyways, I got William and I out of there." Undertaker said, still resisting the urge to attempt to strangle William.
"Claude's supposed to be dead." Sebastian's face looked neutral, though his eyes seemed to spark with malice. William looked at him.
"You know who he is?"
"I do. He should be dead... obviously, I didn't do a very good job killing him. Why he'd go after Grell though... huh..." Sebastian stared into space, deep in thought. Undertaker turned back to Ronald.
"The board committee showed up there?" Nervous, he knew they would probably come for Grell, after what Ronald told him. The young reaper nodded. "They'll definitely be looking into this case now..."
"Then we need a new plan. Fast." William leaned against a wall, thinking.
"That reminds me," Undertaker turned to look at him. "You never told me that the board wanted to look in on this case."
"Sorry for the inconvenience, your majesty," responded William, his voice snarky. Undertaker opened his mouth to argue again before Ronald spoke up.
"Can you guys pull it together? I don't know what is with you two, I don't really want to know, but you need to put it behind yourselves. Now, Sebastian and I are going to get Grell-"
"We are?" Sebastian asked, surprised.
"We are. No, wait... you and Undertaker are going to get Grell. I dropped her on a couch downstairs in the living room. Meanwhile, William and I are going to have a chat." Ronald walked out, leaving no space for any protests. Everyone decided to go along with it, given they were now too tired to argue. Or, in Sebastian's case, indifferent. William followed Ronald out, running a hand through his hair, while Undertaker sighed. After a minute or two, Sebastian got up from where he was sitting.
"That was certainly entertaining. Now, I don't really want to pick that thing, Grell, up- no offense- but I will accompany you. Tell me more about what happened," Sebastian headed for the door, wearing a mask of indifference. Undertaker followed him out, his gaze wandering.
"Well, we got separated, and when I found William, he was fighting with him." Undertaker ran a hand through his hair as they exited the bedroom, stepping out into the hall. William's bedroom door was closed, and the two of them could hear raised voices. No doubt Ronald and William; Sebastian smiled slightly, amused by the thought of Ronald yelling at the other man, since that seemed to be the most obvious thing going on. Undertaker walked by calmly, heading down the stairs as though he didn't hear anything.
"You sure it was Claude?" Sebastian analyzed the scenery, admiring the colors. William has adequate tastes... in human standards.
"Positive." Undertaker arrived at the bottom of the steps.
"Black hair, pale skin, gold eyes, looks like an arrogant peasant?"
"Yes. Except for the eyes. They were maroon, or fuschia, that color they go when demons are... angry. When they attack. That's how I knew William might be in trouble." Undertaker paused, turning to look at Sebastian. "Should I have stopped him?"
"Who, William or Claude?"
"Claude."
"Well..." Sebastian tried to think things over, wondering what to say. "I would say no. I've given it thought, and I realize Claude is weak. Very weak, more so then before. How he is alive, I'm not sure, he's probably barely hanging onto existence. Since he's like a wounded animal, he could do anything. While I don't doubt your abilities, he might have resorted to hurting William or Grell. So yes, I think you did the right thing."
"Okay... one more question. You say he's weak. Demons gain strength by eating souls. Claude has Grell. Do you think...?" Undertaker trailed off, waiting for a reply.
"Interesting. Do I think Claude is going to eat Grell's soul? I've come to the same conclusion. But he only can when Grell's soul separates from its body. Therefore, Grell must die." Sebastian tilted his head as he gave it more thought. "So, Grell's soul must be found, he must be brought a cure so he doesn't die. And additionally, Claude might interfere."
"Alright..." Undertaker felt a bit calmer, his suspicions having been confirmed. At ease now, he turned away. Sebastian followed him.
"Do you have any idea what needs to be done?" Sebastian asked, glancing at pictures on the wall. It had grown more quiet upstairs, giving the house a more serene atmosphere. Undertaker walked through the kitchen to the living room.
"I do not. William got some type of book, it might help. Also, I was thinking of taking a look in some records, Grell's in particular-" he stopped abruptly, and Sebastian stopped as well, nearly walking into him. A look of confusion passed over Sebastian's face as he looked over the reaper's shoulder, trying to find the cause of his distress.
"What exactly has caused you to so suddenly stop?" asked Sebastian impatiently. He didn't see anything wrong.
"Grell's not here," whispered Undertaker as he looked around, catiously approaching the couch. A pillow lay on the floor, but other than that, everything seemed fine. Sebastian sighed, annoyed that the other reaper, Ronald, hadn't done something to stop Grell from moving.
"There's no other living rooms?"
"Of course not. This isn't a manor."
"... Then searching for it shall be a nuisance." A nuisance indeed.
And that's it! I always seem to leave on some type of cliffhanger...
Sorry for the slow updates... been a bit busy. Drama production went alright... I only forgot some of my script. I may be busy for the foreseeable future... O.O
Will and Undertaker's... quibble... amused me. They were bound to snap sometime. As did Sebastian's snide remarks. And Ronald walking in on all of it. Anyways, see any mistakes, any suggestions, just review that straight up!
Thank you to the people who support the story! Without y'all, this wouldn't be here ^.^
I hope you're all enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it! Until next time~