Chapter 4 – Rebirth
"How much longer?"
Sebastian glanced over at the woman sitting opposite him. She was turned toward the window, elbow propped against the ledge with her chin resting in her palm. Her blond tresses framed a lithe face coated with lines of exhaustion.
"Another hour and a half," he quietly answered, still watching her unmoving form. She had been sitting in the same position for the past two hours, the only signs of movement arising from the involuntary jerks and jolts produced by the train.
He half expected Leah to say something, anything, to reduce the eerie silence between the two. While he did not exactly desire the company of a chatterbox, the polar opposite was not quite what he had in mind either. The air was strangely suffocating, even to him, a demon that did not even require oxygen. Furthermore, it did not help that this car of the train was essentially empty which exaggerated the extent of the silence.
Leah was not oblivious to the demon's gaze on her, and this was part of the reason why she refused to return the action. It wasn't just the fact that she felt like she was being studied every time he decided to look at her for extensive periods, but also because she knew if she made eye contact she would be reacquainted with his smirk and snarky sense of humour. Every question he asked made her feel tested, as if she were an experiment that offered him sick amusement... which was why when he disrupted the silence with the next question, she was determined to not budge.
"What are you thinking?"
She didn't need to look to know he was grinning.
"Nothing."
"Funny. I would have thought you were thinking about who I'm taking you to meet."
When she didn't comment, he continued. "Why are you ignoring me?
"I'm not ignoring you." There was the faintest degree of annoyance in her tone.
"Yes you are," he argued. "If you're mad because I dragged you out on a whim to visit an old friend of mine, I can hardly sympathize."
"Spontaneity isn't really my thing," she muttered.
"Well unfortunately, you'll have to get used to it if you want to survive," he challenged, straightening his black jacket.
Finally, she turned to face him. He was surprised to find her eyes emoted with stress and frustration.
"Look," said Leah, "in a single day, you've brought more chaos into my life than what this town has ever gone through. Is it too much for me to ask to try and grab hold of any remnants of order?"
Sebastian raised a slender brow, unfazed by her sudden ferocity. "If what you claim to be 'order' consists of going to work on time and continuing to meet up with your Jamie, you are clearly miscalculating the gravity of the situation. You need to reassess your priorities right now. It's not my job to keep you in check."
"Then what is your job?" she leaned forward, voice rising. "My bodyguard or something?"
"Hardly," he smirked. "Consider me your private investigator. I need you alive in order to figure out what's going on. The moment your existence is deemed insignificant, I could care less whether you live or die."
Ouch, that was harsh. It wasn't that Leah expected the demon to care about her or anything, but she also wasn't expecting him to be so brutally blunt about his intentions.
Sebastian must have noticed her take a hit, for his next words were spoken in a softer tone. "You have to understand, Leah, that the world out there is cruel." If only she knew how cruel it was. "We demons look out for nobody else but ourselves, because at the end of the day no one is looking out for us."
This wasn't what Leah wanted to hear, especially not at a time like this when her world was being turned upside down.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly, unable to tear her eyes from his.
"Because," the demon sighed, "You need to be ready for change." He stared into her crystal eyes for a moment longer before turning to look out the window into the whirring darkness. "When entire hosts of armies –even members of your own species, seek to exterminate you, it changes your philosophy on life."
"And what is your philosophy?"
He turned back to her, wearing that grin again. "Life is simply a game –a game of survival."
Those words resonated with her. Maybe it was the way he spoke it, or the impact behind them... either way, she knew she wouldn't be forgetting them for awhile.
The next hour passed excruciatingly slowly. Leah returned to staring out the window and pondering the things Sebastian had told her, leaving him to uninterestedly examine various random objects around them. When the train finally arrived, both were anxious to get off and stretch their legs in the open.
Upon leaving the station, Leah was dismayed to see the lack of cars in the small town. It was almost midnight, and a quick wind was beginning to stir. Surely Sebastian did not plan for them to walk all the way to this person's residence, wherever he lived.
"Hmm, looks like I'll have to run," Sebastian noted. He proceeded to approach Leah, holding out his arms. "Okay, hold on," he said, startling her by reaching out to pick her up.
Alarmed by his sudden proximity, the woman jumped away, eyes wide in confusion. "Woah, wait a sec. What do you think you're doing?"
Sebastian's expression remained indifferent as he answered, "I'm picking you up."
"And why would you need to do that?" her stance was still cautious.
"If you haven't noticed, there's a lack of transportation and my friend's place is still a few miles away. I'm a fast runner and can arrive within minutes, but you won't be able to keep up." He practically spelled out the situation for her. "Therefore, carrying you is the fastest way. Now hurry up."
Leah appeared mortified. There was no way she was going to let him sling her around like a sack of potatoes. Not only would it be intrusive, but also incredibly humiliating.
"There has to be another way. I can try to keep up, I promise." She took another step back from him.
"Heh," he smirked, "don't be ridiculous. A human can't keep up with a demon." He closed the distance between them, but not before Leah jumped away again. It was beginning to look like a game of cat and mouse.
"Don't make me use force."
"And don't make me scream harassment."
"As if anyone will hear you..."
He was running out of patience. In a split second, he had advanced on Leah, picking her up with one arm under her knees and the other under her back.
"What the h-" she shrieked, suddenly finding herself too close to the demon for comfort. She threw her fists against his chest in a feeble attempt to be lowered. "Put me down!"
"Now now," came his calm yet stern response against her flailing limbs, "don't make this harder for the both of us."
Too late. Her palm connected with his cheek in a sharp slap, leaving her hand stinging. He, on the other hand, didn't even flinch, which made her that much angrier. The action did seem to annoy him though since his grip on her tightened painfully until she was crushed against his body, barely able to breathe let alone move.
"I'll ask you again," his voice was low and coarse, "to not make this harder than it has to be."
He waited for her agreement –which came in a quick nod, then softened his grip.
"Good girl," he said, flashing her a grin. "Now, hold on tight."
Leah rolled her eyes at his latter comment and slung her arms loosely around his neck, intending to maintain as much distance between them as possible. However, as soon as the demon began his inhuman sprint into the night, she could not help but hang on for dear life.
"Holy crap!" her scream was lost in the whining wind surrounding them. The world had turned into a blur of sky, trees and lights, dizzying to the degree of forcing her eyes shut. As she involuntarily gripped the demon's neck tighter, she became faintly aware of how regular his breathing was. Any ordinary person would be wheezing from running at this speed while carrying someone. Yet Sebastian was as collected as ever, barely breaking a sweat from this physically-demanding exertion.
The seconds rolled into minutes, and then the world had stopped moving. She opened her eyes, realizing that tears had formed from the intensity of the wind, and quickly wiped them away. Sebastian lowered her down gently, hands supporting her waist a moment longer to make sure she had recovered her senses after the dizzying experience.
"See?" he smiled, "I told you it would be faster."
"Yeah, whatever," Leah didn't enjoy admitting defeat. She swatted the demon's hands away and took a few steps to re-establish the distance between them.
The two now raised their attention to the small stone building in front of them. The establishment was not particularly impressive, just a small flat one-story structure. A pair of tall windows adorned the front, one on each side of the double set of oak doors. Despite the darkness and lack of streetlights, Leah could make out various objects on display through the window, ranging from hanging herbs to ceramic pots. The scene ushered an involuntary shiver as she was abruptly reminded of a scene in a horror movie where a woman was brought unsuspectingly to a strange house in a deserted part of town and slaughtered mercilessly by men in hooded cloaks. She chided herself silently for having such foolish ideas and creating more anxiety than necessary, yet like any inception of an idea, it only spread the more she tried not to think about it.
"Come."
Leah was brought back to her senses by the demon's movement at her side. He strode up to the door and knocked gently.
"Well that's just great. We came all the way here and nobody's there," remarked Leah, irritated when nobody answered.
Ignoring her, Sebastian disregarded the lack of response from the store and pushed open the unlocked door. He stepped in with Leah following closely behind.
An overwhelming odour hit her nose upon entering. It was a blend of ash, herbs, fragrances, and... preservation material? Then it dawned on her...
"Sebastian, why did you bring me to a funeral home?" she asked nervously. Yes, she had almost died the night before, but wasn't this a bit too drastic?
"Because the person we're meeting is a funeral director," he replied, throwing her a look as if it was obvious.
Leah ignored his expression and continued inspecting the room. "Great," she poked a half-open coffin leaning against the wall, frowning when a film of dust stuck to her finger, "a psychic funeral director is going to tell me my fortune."
"It may sound crazy at the moment, Leah," the demon turned to her with a serious face, "but you shouldn't underestimate him."
"Hmm, I'll decide once I hear it." She knocked on the cover of another cherry wood coffin with amusement, not noticing that there was a lack of hollow echoes produced from the knock...
Of course, being the observant one that he was, Sebastian was immediately able to detect it. A grin slowly spread across his lips as he spoke out in a loud voice, addressing some unknown entity.
"How long do you plan on hiding in there, Undertaker?"
Confused, Leah turned around to inquire, "Er... who are you tal—Whoa!"
Her moment of surprise was followed by a loud shriek –a reaction to the sudden placement of a bony white hand on her shoulder from behind. A figure then emerged silently from the upright coffin accompanied by a gurgling kind of low chuckle which prompted yet another scream to erupt from her vocal cords.
"Freaking hell!" In a split second, Leah had darted away from the coffin and toward Sebastian, who smirked as he watched the woman find safety behind him. From her position, she finally calmed down enough to inspect the person standing before them. He was dressed in a long black trench coat clasped along the front by a series of silver buckles. His hair –a fine grey, almost white, ran down to his waist. The front was styled as a messy fringe which covered his face partially; and except for a twinkle of light, the eyes were among the features to be hidden. It was an eccentric look, definitely not something that one would normally see in modern society.
"Ah, Sebastian!" his coarse, croaky voice called out, "What a fine specimen you've brought me today!"
"Yes, she's interesting, isn't she?" the demon agreed, glancing over his shoulder at Leah. "I was hoping you would be able to read her."
The grey-haired man cackled lightly, "That won't be a problem, but is her story worth the read?"
"I can't guarantee it will be, but I can assure you it's out of the ordinary," smirked Sebastian.
Leah didn't exactly know how to regard this conversation between the two men. It concerned her, and yet she didn't know what she should say about the situation. She realized sullenly that she had to rely on Sebastian to carry out their intentions with the funeral director. After all, he was the observer and her merely the study subject.
"Alright then," Undertaker approached Leah, a wide grin spread across his lips. The fact that his eyes remained hidden under his hair was slightly nerve-wrecking as she didn't know what kind of expression he held.
"Leah, is it?"
The woman nodded. A hush fell over the room as Undertaker studied her, occasionally producing a grunt or nod in response to whatever he "read" out of her.
"Interesting..." he mused after a long period of silence.
"Well?" Sebastian prodded, "What can you tell us?"
"You're right! It's quite extraordinary." The funeral director rubbed his palms together, obviously intrigued. "My dear," he addressed Leah, "do you know where you were born?"
She was taken aback by the seemingly random question, and yet she was surprised that she could find no answer. "I... I don't know."
"Don't know, or don't remember, hmm?"
"Both, I suppose. Why?"
"Oh, just running on a hunch." The man's grin reappeared, giving her goosebumps. "So what do you remember?"
She had anticipated the dreaded questions about her memory, or lack thereof. She supposed, though, that if this man could really give them more information about her, she should at least try her best in attempting these queries.
"Nothing beyond two years ago." Both men were listening to her intently now, so she continued. "The doctors said I got hit by a truck; it caused some sort of brain injury and gave me severe retrograde amnesia. That's why I don't remember anything prior to the accident."
"Heh!" Her inquirer produced a low chuckle, "It's starting to piece together!"
Leah glanced over at Sebastian, searching for some sign of response or reassurance from him, but the demon was completely transfixed in his own thoughts, brows furrowed in concentration.
"Wait right here!" The silver-haired man jumped around and scurried off, disappearing into a back room. A few moments later, he had returned with an old leather book and a lit candle.
Turning to a page near the middle, he pointed a long white finger toward the text, indicating for the other two to read it. Leah, who was behind Sebastian, noticed that he immediately tensed up after glancing at the page. Curious, she brought her eyes down to where Undertaker pointed.
Not long after, she looked up again with an arched brow. "Fallen angels?"
"Indeed!" Undertaker clapped his hands together, practically bouncing with excitement. "Angels who rebel against heaven endure the ultimate punishment of being cast down to Earth and living as a mortal human encased in sin. Quite tragic, don't you think?"
Sebastian smirked, "Living in sin and unable to repent. That's not so far off from a demon."
Leah ignored Sebastian's comment. Her mind was heavily occupied by what relevance this all had. "So, what does all of this have to do with me?"
"My my, child, I didn't think you were so dense," chided the funeral director. "It is my belief –no, it is my knowledge that you are a fallen angel."
There was a brief pause before Leah erupted.
"What? Are you kidding me? Please tell me you're kidding!" She suddenly turned toward the demon, "Sebastian, you're right. This guy is a complete lunatic!"
When he did not offer agreement with her, she had the unbearable feeling that he was actually contemplating the possibility.
"Sebastian? There's no way I'm a fallen angel, right?" Her voice had lowered to a menacing growl, quite representative of her current predatorial mannerisms at the moment. In fact, if she could, her nostrils would be breathing fire right now.
"And why not?" asked the demon in a serious manner.
"What do you mean, why not?" She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Wouldn't you have killed me already if I was an angel? I mean, demons and angels are natural enemies, aren't they?"
"Enemies perhaps, but not by nature. There is due reason."
"Still, wouldn't I have powers or something? And... and wings!" The desperacy in her voice was becoming evident as she tried to find more reasons to refute Undertaker's proposition.
"Your powers would have been lost when you fell," explained Undertaker. "Everything of an angel –abilities, memory, soul, is encompassed by what is known as 'grace'. During the fall, an angel's grace is ripped from the body, in result depleting the angelic body completely of its heavenly essence."
"I still don't believe it," the woman shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest in a resolute fashion. "There has to be another possibility."
Sebastian, still standing calmly, now had a thoughtful look. The mention of souls had sparked his interest. "If a fallen angel loses the angelic soul, does it get replaced by a human soul?"
Leah tensed up at his question. She realized that he was enquiring specifically about the incident earlier that day when he mentioned her soul was human, yet incomplete. For some reason, she didn't want to know the answer as it would only lean their investigative evidence further toward Undertaker's conclusion. Heart and breath racing, she waited for the dreaded response.
"What an intelligent demon you are," the funeral director grinned, awkwardly petting Sebastian's head as if rewarding a pet. "Yes, a mortal soul fills the space previously occupied by the angelic soul. However, it does not fill the void all at once. Instead, the process takes years to complete. And if during that time, the grace is retrieved, all of the angel's memories and powers will also return."
"And what of the soul?" asked Sebastian. The demon was now completely engrossed in the subject.
"I wouldn't know," the funeral director shrugged. "History has no account of such an occurrence. But if I were to guess, the angelic soul would purify the human component."
"Interesting," the demon raised a finger to his lips thoughtfully, "an immortal being forever encased in a mortal vessel... what a strange coincidence."
Sebastian chuckled lightly then turned to face Leah, "Well? I don't suppose you'd accept the notion now?"
Leah glared at him. Her mental will was deteriorating and he knew it. There were increasingly fewer excuses for her to challenge the possibility of her being an angel. Yet, being the stubborn one that she was, she refused to show her resignation.
"I still don't believe it," she muttered in a hostile breath.
"Well, there is only one way of finding out for sure whether you are one." There was a twinkle from behind Undertaker's bangs. "You must determine if your grace exists."
"And how would we manage that?" asked Sebastian.
The funeral director pondered for a moment before saying, "I would imagine that the grace landed somewhere close to the angel. The impact from both would have created natural ruins of noticeable proportions, wouldn't you agree?"
"That's true," agreed the demon. "We will begin our search immediately."
While the two men discussed the issue further, Leah zoned out, entering a state of shock. She did not want to believe anything the crazy man said, but at the same time a tiny part of her mind told her it was all true. And what if it was? What was she supposed to do as an angel? Her life consisted of simple things, like waiting tables and hanging out with friends. She wasn't ready to accept the responsibility of a divine being.
"You know, this is quite exciting!" exclaimed Undertaker. "Something big must be approaching. There is movement in heaven, and hell will surely respond. I wonder what will happen..."
The funeral director chuckled again, using his sleeves to cover his animated expression. His emotions provided a contrasting foreground against his otherwise cryptic message.
"Well, thank you for your time, Undertaker," Sebastian bowed his head in appreciation. "Leah and I had better go now. She has work later today." He said the last part with a sneer directed toward the glowering woman.
"Yes, yes. Come visit again soon. I'll be interested to know the outcome."
The two visitors proceeded to exit the funeral house. Just as they crossed the threshold, the silver-haired man called out.
"Sebastian!"
"Mmm?"
"Aren't you going to offer me something?" he asked with a sly grin.
The demon sighed, looking both bored and annoyed, "Really? You still want that?"
"Hee hee! A guilty pleasure has never hurt anyone!"
"Fine." Sebastian turned to Leah. "Wait outside," he instructed before closing the door behind him.
The next few seconds were possibly the strangest Leah had ever experienced. There was a moment of pure silence followed by an explosion of high-pitched, maniacal cackling from within the building. Too stunned to breathe, she watched as the door opened once more to reveal Sebastian composed as ever, and the funeral director wearing the largest smile she'd ever seen. He wiped at a tear under his hair, apparently still recovering from whatever had just happened.
"You're one of a kind, Sebastian," he waved with a giggle. "You never cease to leave me unsatisfied."
The demon ignored Undertaker's last comment, and raised a hand when Leah was about to inquire. At this point, he was only interested in departing and planning out their next steps. In one swift movement, he lifted Leah into his arms, this time not even garnering an objection from her as she was already physically and emotionally drained. In a leap, they had sped off into the darkness.
The rest of the night, or rather, early morning, was a blur. Leah did not remember how long they waited at the train station for the next train, nor did she remember falling asleep against a stiff, yet surprisingly warm body, covered by a black jacket. She was only aware of the sensation of strong arms carrying her and tucking her under soft sheets as she finally drifted into a deep, dreamless slumber.
A/N:
Thanks for the input on the OCxSebby pairing. For the moment, I think I'll just stick with mild teasing and Sebby being a devilish brute.
So what did you guys think of Undertaker? Since this is a modern day fic, I tried to depict how he would act and dress in a contemporary setting, while still having him retain his freaky personality, teehee.
Yay! The story's finally starting to pick up speed! Yep, there was quite a bit of content in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review! I'd love feedback.