Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls
A/N: Yeah I didn't know what to call that stage, the parting. Seems a bit weird to me, but I don't know ^^; Also, if you see ~~~~~~~~ those are just marks indicating what had been written there was scratched out or missing (I tried doing something else like scratch marks, but it didn't work ^^;). That's all it means… just so you know! =3 I also decided to change the summery for this story from rating may change to suggestive adult themes. That way I'll keep the rating T, but now I can add the stuff I want to write! Plus I've already wrote some suggestive stuff in there, so no biggie X3
Now for some more Undertaker and Sophie goop! I've noticed some of you guys have been waiting for him to show up more, well here it is! No worries he'll get a bigger role later, but right now it's just bounding time X3 As always, ENJOY!
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Sophie stared out a drafty window, watching as the pedestrians walked back and fro outside of the building. They were all on the other side of the sidewalk, not wanting to get close to the morgue and cemetery, but Londoners were still out and about for whatever time they had till the snow would begin to fall. She sighed, setting her head and hands down on the windowsill as she continued to watch them.
She couldn't help but hold a horrid frown on her face, even when the Undertaker tried to cheer her up she kept frowning all day. Only when Grell came by would she give him a smile, his daily visits becoming a part of the day she looked forward to. The Undertaker hadn't tried anything funny, astonishingly keeping his distance from her while he was home. He would wake up before she did, making a quick breakfast for her before he left the house. Sophie would wake up with a note next to her, telling her where he was going and when he'd be back. That made her rather nervous having to stay in the house all day, but he assured her that as long as she was in the house nothing would harm her. She decided to accept that as true, since no supernatural beings dared ventured in even when the Undertaker wasn't around. She would go about her business, changing out of her pajamas and into something comfortable for the day. She would clean up things around the morgue, setting jars in one place and stacks of papers in another. She had been working on this for days now, making the morgue almost spotless except for the various cobwebs she didn't want to touch because she liked having them around. By the time lunch rolled around someone would come by with a dead body. Depending if the Undertaker came back, she would accept the money and body and assure them that their loved one will have an extravagant funeral. However if the Undertaker was there then she sat somewhere in the far back of the house, their conversation echoing down the hallway and reaching her. After that was when the fun started. She would clean up a body or add makeup or add accessories into the casket, something she would normally do anyways during her informal visits. The Undertaker was the one that made the coffins, but if she finished early she would sit in the corner and watch as he made them. Eventually they would have dinner, perhaps burying a coffin or two before the day was out. This was the only time Sophie was able to get fresh air, so once they set the casket into the ground she would wander up to the tree at the top of the hill and sit here, staring off and watching the sunset. A few times she would notice the Undertaker disappear, but then he would come back with their dinner and they would eat it there in silence.
The whole time she had been staying the Undertaker hasn't pushed anything on her. He would act his silly, spooky self to the customers, but for her he kept his distance. If Sophie wanted to help him, then he would let her, but if she didn't want to then he didn't constantly ask for her to join him. He wasn't making his usual jokes, not unless Sophie came about with a cheerful mood to force them out of him. He didn't lay a finger on her without her permission, different from the Undertaker she had known who would throw his arms around her out of nowhere and let his hands wander uncomfortably around her. She was grateful, though she was now confused on which side was the real Undertaker and what was his act. The only times she was let out of the morgue was to dig graves, which was why she was sitting under that windowsill. She had nothing left to do for the rest of the day, the bodies already done with and the place spick and span. All that was left for her to do was sit there, wishing she could walk outside on a sunny day like today. Just then the door bell rang as the Undertaker walked into the morgue. "Hello my dear," he said, setting his various items in his hand in their proper places before walking over to where she sat. "What seems to be troubling you?" he crossed his arms behind his back, leaning down slightly so he could hear her response.
"Oh nothing," she sighed, not putting up a convincing reply. "Just everything is done… the place is cleaned and the bodies are done for the day… I'm just bored."
He leaned down, looking out the window. A sly smile came to his face as he back up and put a sleeve under his chin, as if he was in thought. "Well I need to go and get some flowers for our little guests. Would you like to come along~?" he asked, a smirk coming to his face as she turned around swiftly.
Then Sophie coughed, slowly turning back to look out the window, "Really? I thought I wasn't supposed to leave this place."
"That's if I'm not here, but if I come with~ you…" he said, his Cheshire cat grin growing on his face.
Sophie looked over at him, before a slight smile came to her face. "Okay," she responded, the smile vanishing as shortly as it came. "I'll come with you… but I don't know what you want to get so..."
"I'll help with that," he chuckled, waiting for her to sit up before he ushered her out of the overcast room and into the sunlight of midday.
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Sophie beamed as she breathed in the outside air and let it out with a sigh. The sky was bright, the trees were blowing in the wind, and knowing this weather wouldn't last long so she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could. She wandered off slightly as she noticed a store with their door open, the smell of baked goods catching her nose and causing her to walk over there in fascination. "Sophia," the Undertaker said, having to turn back around and stop, "are you coming or not?"
"Oh!" she realized, running quickly to him and wiping the drool that started to form on the corners of her lips, "Sorry…" She gave him a meek smile as he gave her a nod, deciding to follow him so he wouldn't make a sudden snap at her. They passed some very tempting shops and gathered a few stares along the way. Sophie couldn't tell if they were just humans or something else, but either way most were looking at her as she continued to follow him around.
Soon they came to their destination, a place full of merchants selling this and that and flower girls walking around trying to see off their petite flowers. Sophie grabbed hold of the Undertaker's gray sash, not because she wouldn't be able to see him but because she wasn't sure if he would be able to see her in this crowd. The Undertaker looked down before a chuckle escaped his features. Sophie looked up, looking at him curiously as he took out a list out from his sleeve and getting right down to business. "We need three dozen white lilies, a bouquet of assorted carnations, and another bouquet of gladioli," he finished, putting the list back in his sleeve.
Sophie let go of his sash, hastily following him till he got to a flower stand. He began picking through the various flowers set out, Sophie deciding to do the same. "Oh get this one!" she said, grabbing a bouquet of gladioli. "Their petals haven't started wilting yet so I think these will be good."
He chuckled, grabbing the bouquet from her. "Yes I guess they will…" Then he bought the flowers from the lady, going to the next cart to see what flowers were there. By the end they had all but one bouquet of white lilies.
Sophie frowned, wandering slightly away from the Undertaker to look around. Then she came across a cart, seeing the bouquet of flowers she was looking for. "Undertaker I found it!" she called to him, running over to the cart and grabbing the bouquet. He casually walked over, noticing how happily she giggled as she held the bouquet in her arms. He couldn't help but smile, paying the lady and walking off with Sophie jumping slightly as she held the bouquet in her arms. "Here let me get a few of those," Sophie said ready to take a few more in her hands.
"No that's quite alright my dear," he smiled.
Sophie frowned, following behind him. They were about the leave the market when a flower girl stopped her. "Young pretty girl care for a flower?" she asked, holding up a small flower in her hand.
"N-no thank you," she said, trying to refuse it.
The girl walked in front of her, cutting her off from the Undertaker. "Now come on! T'is a flower for sixpence."
"N-no really I –"
"Which one do you want?" Sophie turned around, the Undertaker back next to her.
"A-ahmmm…" she looked at him confusion, noticing the grin on his face. She smiled back, bringing her attention to the flower girl. "I'll take this one," she said, picking up a blue flower from her basket.
"Here you go madam," the Undertaker said, giving the money to the flower girl and pushing Sophie along just in case someone else wanted to come up to them. As they rounded the block and walked on, Sophie twirled the flower in her hand with fascination. "You took a bluebell?" he asked, Sophie looking up at him and giving him a shrug.
"I guess so," she responded. "I was just in a rush so I grabbed something… though I like the blue color it has…"
"Did you know the color blue in a flower helps relieve worries and stress?" he said, Sophie looking up at him with interest.
"No I didn't… must have been on instinct that I picked it up then," she giggled, "Plus… I mean now that I know that I can go out if you're around I'm not that scared right now."
"Ahhh~~…" he answered, cradling the flowers in his hand. "Well perhaps I'll have you come with me more often."
Sophie looked up at him, a great big smile on her face, "Yes… I-I'd like that," she beamed, a mixture of her usual crystal blue and shinigami green now in her eyes. The Undertaker blinked for a second as he was at a lost at words; while Sophie giggled happily and grabbed his free hand, pulling him down the streets with girly giggles escaping her lips.
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Sophie rolled to her side on the couch, trying to drown out the groans and moans coming from down the hall. She grumbled to herself, putting her pillow on top of her head in her attempts to not hear what she subconsciously knew was going on. During the evenings sometimes a human, but usually a shinigami, would come by to ask the Undertaker for information on a situation or to ask for tips to improve themselves, but sometimes… they came over for something more than information. When it happened Sophie would end up sleeping on the couch for the night, not getting any sleep. The walls were too thin so she could hear, and the hallways were empty, making their activities echo down the hallway and into the living room she slept in. Of course she could close the door to drown out the noise, but she wanted to keep that door wide open; both a gift that the Undertaker didn't close it and lock her in and a curse because she could hear everything. Whatever he was doing to them didn't sound pleasant. First it started with the Undertaker telling Sophie to leave the room, and then Sophie would hear a 'thump' as if something hit the ground. She would go into the living room, watching as the Undertaker dragged the body of the shinigami to the bedroom and closing the door behind him. After a while she would hear either a yelp or a grumble followed by the Undertaker's chuckles and laughter. Then he was saying something about tips, and that's when she would try to drown out their conversation.
She couldn't take it anymore. Unable to sleep, Sophie got up from the couch and walked over to the bookshelf. She looked at the different books until a certain name caught her eye at the bottom of a stack hidden in the corner. "Seth Orbheim," she said softly to herself, brushing the dust from the book. The lettering on the binding looked golden, spreading her curiosity more. So she took the book with her, opening the book up to look inside. From the moment she opened it she noticed it was a book of a shinigami. The book was the average book size of a human that had lived for about 20 years, but the table of contents was long and almost filled the book. In a shinigami's book, which Sophie learned from reading a few of them herself, is if you touch a chapter in the content page then the book will flip to the page for you without having to shuffle through unknown pages. A book of a shinigami was always an average size book, either new or old shinigamis, it was all the same. She then closed the book, grabbing her blanket and pillow with her and moving into the main room to a coffin, which she knew didn't have a body in it. She opened the coffin and set the lid against the wall, sitting contently in the newly made coffin that was three-thirds bigger then she was. Sophie wrapped her blanket around her body and put the pillow down, settling down and cuddling up with the book in her hand. She opened the book again, reading over the table of contents. 'Wow… this shinigami must have lived a long time,' she thought, knowing the Undertaker only took books of people who already died. 'Chapter I: The Birth,' she translated, touching the letters so it would flip to the start. So it did, stopping somewhere in the middle of the book with the pages I and II on them. Then she began reading, still subconsciously drowning out the sounds that echoed down the hall.
'Chapter I: The Birth
Seth Orbheim the First
Birth, ~~~~~~~~ in the Land of Canaan
Parents, son of ~~~~~~~~~~ and Bracha Eliheim
Othercomments, mother lived as a human in Cana~~~ born after two generations since the tower of B~~~~~~ incident
'Hello, my name is Seth Orbheim the First, son of ~~~~~~~~~~ and Bracha Eliheim. I was born in the desert in a cave overlooking our own little oasis. There I lived with my mother, Bracha Eliheim. She was a beautiful woman with a small light tanned body, long silver hair, and crystal blue eyes. She was a feeble young woman, around the age of thirteen when she conceived me. She raised me by herself at the oasis, without anyone to look after or take care of us. We were able to grow several things from the natural water that came from a rock, keeping us alive and well for years to come. I grew up with no playmates, knowing only my mother and the oasis for a very long time. She taught me all I needed to know to survive: how to hunt, fish, scavenge for food, and cook and prepare the food to eat. She had me come to her every day before I went off to play for the day, saying:
"The ~~~~~ bless you and keep you:
The ~~~~~ make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:
The ~~~~~ lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace."
My mother's crystal blue eyes seemed to hold all knowledge and truth within them. I couldn't never waver and hesitate for her sake and perhaps my own. I grew up to be a strong and independent young man, a man who can take care of his family if need be. My mother always said I looked like my father, supposedly bearing the same green eyes as he did. She told me I was almost a duplicate of his own likeness, except for the features of my hair being a combination of his black hair and her strange color of silver. I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, but from her smiles and reactions to me I considered it a good thing.
My mother told me stories of why I wasn't growing up with other children about, like in a tribe as other people do. Her explanation, she said, consisted of her parents kicking her out of the family for mysteriously becoming pregnant. She told me it wasn't her fault, calling it a sign from the divine, but they didn't believe her. Honestly, she said, it could have been worse for her. If they had stoned her then she wouldn't have conceived me, but luck was on her side that day when she was kicked off into the desert. Falling unconscious from the heat, she woke up at this very oasis and never left since. That is where she stayed and where I will stay, from then and unto her death.
'Chapter II: Beginning of Death
'My mother died about the age of thirty at the oasis and that was where I buried her. I, Seth Orbheim the First, decided to go off on my own into the great unknown the world had to offer me. Little did I know what there was much in store for a young man like myself out in that great unknown. I came across a small gathering tribe of people, their big open arms accepting me into their tents. I stayed there for a while, helping them with their crops and harvesting them during the right seasons. They were impressed by me, calling me 'A Child sent from the Gods'. That was where I decided to settle down, helping the people there and teaching them how to farm and hunt. The land was very fertile compared to the land I tilled at the oasis so I didn't come across any difficulties there.
It was around the time I turned twenty that I wanted to marry. There were a few women I could choose from, the fathers of the group loving me and having accepted me into their group. They even wanted me to take all of the young women my wife, but I quickly refused saying it was against what I was taught and believe in. I told them that I will only save myself for one woman, a woman I will cherish with all my heart and soul and forever in eternity. At this they were beyond enthusiasm, wanting me to marry their daughters more aggressively than before. One night, after I came back from tending the fields, they grabbed me and tied me up like an animal and threw me into a tent with one of the women from the tribe. She was rather beautiful, but she wasn't the woman I had longed for. Not because of her body, no nothing of those sorts, but she wasn't a very strong woman at heart and was a human who didn't know much of the world, which disappointed me. Either way she untied me and told me to make love to her, which I decided I had no choice in the matter and brought her to the mat that someone had laid out in the tent for us.
Just then a loud roar came from the heavens, frightening the people. The woman clutched me tightly in fear and prayed to the gods to protect her. I wasn't at all frightened, noticing a white blur walking out of nowhere and appearing into the room. Then there before us appeared a man, dressed in a white robe with a black hooded cape over his face. I could barely see his features, though I noticed that his hair was a solid dark black color. He frowned, noticing the sight he had walked in on. "Seth Orbheim, my son, whatever are you doing with this woman?"
"Your son?" I had asked him, getting up and leaving the woman on the ground. She was bowing down in worship, whispering chants to herself to save herself and her people. "If you are my father then where have you been all this time?"
"Calm down," he said lightly, raising his hand to me. "You're frightening her," he finished, pointing to the woman on the ground. I looked over at the woman before turning my attention back to the stranger. "Then who are you and why are you here?"
"My name is ~~~~~~~~~~ born in the beginning of time for the purpose of bringing ~~~~~~~~~~ to the world, for the sins of man and their fall from the divine," he stated, looking over at the woman before turning his attention back to me. "Call me a god if you wish, I do not care, but you are my son and I want what is best for you in this world. This life is not a life I wanted for you. Staying with these tent dwellers will not help you, for you will soon grow weary of their daily life. Come my son, I will take you somewhere where I will teach you all I know so you my take my place here on earth."
I was confused, wondering if it was a good idea to go with this strange being. "The purpose for me? What would that be?"
"To take the spirits of those who have died and evaluate their souls. It is my job and I have hoped to pass this gift unto you. If you like it or not, for being my son it is what you are eternally destined to do. This is the sole reason as to why you were born in this world; to do the job I can no longer do here myself." He looked at me, his double-iris dark green eyes coming into contact with my own eyes. "I know every lifespan of every being in this world, from the moment they are born till their death. You, my son, have a long life ahead of you, but if you do not follow me then you are denying the part of you which is me. If you do this then you will die a short and normal death as any other human in this world."
I was still confused, but could vaguely understand what he was saying. Without much of a future for me except to be part of this tribe, I decided to accept his offer. So began my life of being called a God of Death, evaluating the souls of those who have died and those who will soon die. Over time my senses as a god grew, being able to detect how long a being had to live and the goodness of the soul just at a glance. Because of my keen sense it slowly deteriorated my eyes, soon making me unable to see properly anymore. At one point my green eyes grew double-iris to combat the problem of going blind, but this did not help me in the long run. Even so I still did my job peacefully and efficiently, without any flaws or errors'…
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The Undertaker sat up in bed, looking up to the ceiling and putting a hand on the bare grove in the bed. It was about one in the morning and about time to go and see how Sophie had been doing without him around. He got up, putting his clothes back on and walked into the living room. He frowned, noticing that her body wasn't in the room. He walked down the hallway, looking in every possible room she could be in, but found nothing. He walked into the front of the store, noticing that one of the coffins he had made yesterday was open. The Undertaker wandered over and peered over the casket. He couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.
There was Sophie, lying curled up with the dark gray blanket and pillow he had provided for her that night. She shifted a little, which was when he noticed the cinematic record laying open on the page she had fallen asleep reading. Sophie had pressed the bluebell flower she had gotten a few days ago in the book, using it as a bookmark and a way of preserving the flower that must have a meaning for her. The Undertaker gently grabbed the book from her, looking over the pages she was reading:
'… thus day after day is the same routine. I wake up and go about my business, reaping souls left and right and evaluating them. The cold air hasn't been doing any good for my body's health, even as a God of Death, but even so I would go to the frozen fields and villages to take the souls of those who have departed from this world.
It was at this cold time that I decided to move down south, to a place where it isn't as cold as it is here.
'Chapter DCLXXIV: Traveling for Warmth
'I have been living in Scandia with the Goths for several years, moving from the Vandals to the Goths for several centuries now. I have realized it has been almost two thousand years since I have been back to the place I grew up, in the land of Canaan where my mother had died. I have been moving around so much that I almost lost track of the time. Seeing this as a great opportunity to visit her grave, I decided it was time for me to leave this place of ice and snow and head down south to Dacia. I may even take a few detours and see other places, but to Canaan is where my final destination will be before I come up with a new place to head to.
So I began my journey down south, spending the night in either a small village or town till I made it to Dacia. From there I heard of a place called Thrace, and since it was along my route I decided to make my way there. After living for two thousand years, you see several similarities with every soul you reap. Many different lives live a similar type of life, being a child, going through a rebellious stage, becoming an adult, raising a family, and then death. There are several reasons for someone to die as a child or before they become an adult, but this is always the mindset of any soul, especially a human soul. This was not the case when I met a young god of death in the city of Thrace.
His name was Maurus Serbus, a young man who had grown up in the Roman army into a well-known family. The tragedy in his story was his young death, a death at the age of twenty one, but yet he was not affected by it. He went merrily on his way, accepting his new role as a god of death without a fuss. Knowing automatically I was a being like him, he asked me to stay at an inn he was currently at. While I was there he was discussing with me several different subjects all at once: from the discoveries of the Romans to the knowledge of the Greeks, the difference in lives of a human and a god, and how a soul can turn from good to bad or bad to good. It astonished me with his knowledge of all these subjects, only being a god of death for several years and ultimately only being dead for a mere fifty. Afterwards we went out into the night to reap souls and his way to taking souls almost shocked me. Several times he would use gruesome methods to destroy bad souls and then he would give the blood he had made from the bad souls to the good souls he had taken. He evaluated the souls as any normal god of death I had met would do, putting its contents into a book and letting it vanish in between his fingers. That's what amazed me the most, the black mist that came from his fingers and caused the various types of tools he used to take souls to disappear without a trace. That mist reminded me of a spirit I had met many years back, in the time of the Egyptians and the slavery of the tribe of Israel.
As I recalled, as the son of ~~~~~~~~~~ I was given a job to watch a plague on Egypt and make sure it did its job properly. I stayed amongst the shadows, taking souls with my frequently used scythe of death as the firstborns of Egypt died throughout the land. It was hard evaluating all these souls at once, but after my years of training with father and his departure from this world I have concluded that it was my duty and my role in this world to do the job no one else could do. This spirit would later be known as Death, but it was merely a dark spirit that would take the breaths of those it was sent to kill. I remember that soul, for it even frightened me with its presence as it passed over me. It had come over me, seeing me as a firstborn and was about to take my soul, but then stopped when it noticed I was there doing the job I had been trained to do. After the work was done the spirit followed me out of Egypt as I waited in the desert on a rocky cliff next to the Red Sea. Then this black mist seemed to manifest into that of a person, but it was hard to tell since it only became a blurry shape of a human. "So you are the son of ~~~~~~~~~~ am I correct?" it asked me, in a language I had been accustomed to hearing.
"Yes I am," I responded, noticing a smile showing up on its hazy features.
"You are a good soul," it said, seeming to lean back on the rock it was sitting on. "This is one of the first times I was let out of the other world and into this world to take the breaths of those humans and animals. I never get to see this sky, especially a sunrise and sunset, so when I get the opportunity then I stay here as long as I am able. What do you think boy, is my job a just job?"
"I believe so," I responded, "of course my own job is to take souls and evaluate them –"
"Yes," he interrupted, "but that is not my job. My job is to take the breath of man that ~~~~~ had given to them. It is different from your job, unless I'm mistaken."
I had to think at that time, wondering if he was testing me or not. "I don't believe it's different from my own job. I am here to take the spirits of those who are to die and evaluate their souls. The difference is that you simply take their breath, but I evaluate their lives and see if they are good or bad. So our jobs are not different or that's what I have come to believe."
Just then I heard the mist chuckle, seeming amused by my answer. "You are a good man Seth Orbheim the First, son of ~~~~~~~~~~ and Bracha Eliheim. By the way how is your earthly mother?"
"She is alright," I shrugged, "living happily with my father in what the Egyptians call the Field of Reeds."
The mist chuckled, "Of course she is… She is a beautiful young woman, might I add. It's nice to talk to them every once in a while, though most of their conversations are about you. Now onto something more serious," it said, its tone becoming less playful and sterner. "What would you think if a dark spirit like me would try to become a human? Not simply turning into a human, but transpire this spirit into a human. I would grow as a human, think as a human, but still be this dark spirit that can give or take away the breath of life. What do you think? Was your life as a human a good reason for me to become one?"
At this I remember being shocked. I didn't know what to say, a god like itself wanting to be feeble human was unthinkable, but then again nothing is impossible as what I have come to believe. I gave it a nod, which made it smile. "My life was a typical human life: that of a lonely child without children to play with, my mother dying so I left where I grew up, and trying to marry into a group of people that had decided to take me into their tribe. That's when my father came to me, to bring me out of that simple life and into this new life as a god of death. Is that what you're asking me? If my life was good? Well I believe it was, for I learned a lot about humans as I grew up. If I had not been born as a human then I wouldn't be as appreciative about every soul I harvest and every life that has lived in this world. It took me years to understand this, but it was all for the better or that's what I believe."
"I see my boy," the mist nodded, before moving off from the rock and towards the rising sun. "I may come back then and see you. Maybe we can have a friendly chat like this when I am back in this world. However it is now my time to go, for the sun is telling me to depart and go back into the other world."
I nodded in understanding, watching as he disappeared in the sun's rays and left me…'
The Undertaker let out a sigh, closing the book but keeping the bluebell pressed beneath its pages. He quietly left the room and went into the living room and straight to his bookshelf. As if looking for a proper place for it, he put it on the very top of the shelf and shoved in the back so no one could see it even if they were looking at the shelf from a distance, unless they looked above the shelf and in the very spot he placed it.
Then he walked back into the main room, watching as Sophie shifted in her sleep with a frightened expression growing on her face. "N-no…" she whimpered quietly, gripping the blanket tightly. "L-leave me alone… please…" The Undertaker nudged her lightly as he tried to wake her up. In an instant her eyes opened wide, her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes beaming in fear before she settled back down, her eyes going back to their dull human color. "U-undertaker?" she said, getting up with a groan and rubbing the back of her head. "I-is it morning?"
"No," he said, sitting down on a coffin right next to the coffin she was in, "but you were whimpering in your sleep. Is there something you want to take about my dear~?"
She shook her head, settling back into the coffin. "No… not really," she sighed, setting her head back down in the coffin. "Just nightmares…"
"I can see that the noise was disturbing you," he chuckled, "I'll make sure that we're quieter~ next time."
Sophie shrugged, "Whatever. I don't care… just don't try something like that on me, okay?"
"Whatever you say," he giggled, getting up from the coffin he was sitting on. "I'll go back to bed, seeing as you're alive and well. Don't let the bedbugs~ bite you now," he chuckled, starting to walk towards the hall.
"Wait," she said quickly, causing him to stop. Sophie bit down on her bottom lip and let out a frustrated sigh. "Can… can you… I'm scared," she frowned, curling up in the coffin. "I have this feeling that whatever happened to me as a human will happen again, but worse. I… I don't know if I can take this pressure anymore. I don't want to die," she coughed, holding back the tears in her eyes. "I doubt you care because you've probably seen many other shinigamis die over hungry demons, but I'm scared. I don't want to die, not right now. I thought I had more to live for, but if it's just to become some demon's next meal then I don't want to live. Not in this world," she coughed again. "I-I just want to escape… why can't I escape thi –" Sophie gasped, the Undertaker's hands snaking around her waist from behind her. She rolled over slightly, looking up at his bangs with fear in her eyes. "U-undertaker…" she sniffled, trying all she could to not start cry.
He forced her head onto his shoulder, holding her close. "A beautiful young maiden like yourself shouldn't keep a heavy burden on her shoulders. Give some of the weight on your heart to me. I am here to help you, not harm you. Just let it all out…"
At this Sophie began to sob, tears falling down her face and onto his shoulder. She pulled him closer, ready to trust her whole life and soul in the palm of his hands. "Don't let me die…" she whimpered, tears still streaming down her face. The Undertaker rubbed her back and let her lean her body into his. She never felt this vulnerable in her life. Everything, her memories, her own human life, she never gave anyone the heavy burdens she had the bear. She kept it all in, helping everyone else when it was her own life that was a mess. Sophie was used to being a pillar for other people, strength for those in their own time of weakness, but for herself her foundation was crumbling underneath her, enough for her to completely fall apart. She didn't care anymore if the Undertaker was going to show his true colors to her or not, she liked the way he was right here and now as he kept her from giving in to temptation and letting herself be taken away. All she wanted right now was someone she could trust, someone who could be her pillar while she got back to her feet. After sobbing for what seemed like hours she finally slowed down, letting out a sigh of content escape her as she kept herself entangled in his embrace. Sophie lifted her head, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "T-thank you…" she said, closing her eyes as a slight smile came to her lips.
Then she felt his hand upon her cheek, lifting up her face so he could see her. She opened up her eyes, her crystal blue and shinigami green mix in her eyes as she stared up at him, a smile still on her face. He couldn't help but smile, not his normal creepy smile, but a smile of complete sincerity and awe. "You really are a beautiful young maiden… you know that right?"
She giggled, looking down with embarrassment, "I-I don't know about that…"
Her eyes widened as his lips made contact with her own. She gasped in shock, the Undertaker looking at her with a smile on his face. "Don't doubt yourself dear." She couldn't help but smile back, letting him lean back into her and kiss her again. Then he leaned into her body, carefully setting her head down in the coffin as he climbed into it. Sophie gave him a worried look on her face, which caused him to chuckle. "Don't worry my dear, I won't hurt you. Now go back to sleep." She looked at him confused before closing her eyes and deciding to lean her head into his chest. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped most of it around her, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of content. He hugged her close, pressing her body close to his own. "Little maiden…" he sighed after a while in a dreamful state, "My little maiden…"
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Sophie grumbled to herself, sweeping the dust out of the morgue and wiping the sweat from her brow. "Well that's done with," she smirked to herself, closing the door and setting the broom away in a nearby closet. Then she noticed something, a sword hidden away in the corner. "Huh," she said to no one in particular, picking up the sword with curiosity. She recognized it to be a shamshir sword, an old Persian sword that had been thrown in the corner of the closet to collect dust. It amazed her that she didn't notice it before and she took the sword out of its sheath. She examined it, noticing hunting and war images on the sword's blade. Then she gasped, feeling a memory coming back to her with full force.
"You're not trying hard enough!" the elder man yelled as a small girl fell to the ground.
"Y-yes I am –"
"No you're not!" he grumbled. "I know you have more in you, I've seen it. Now try again."
The girl got back to her feet and ran at him with a small sword in her hand. She aimed for his legs, but was stopped by the blade of his shamshir. She growled, throwing her attacks at him and trying to hit him somewhere on his body. The sword suddenly left her hands and landed on the ground behind her, and the blade of the shamshir was quickly right up against her neck as it drew a small hint of blood. The elder man let out a sigh, lowering his blade and looking up to the sky. "You want to know why I'm trying to help you. Why I'm helping you and your mom?"
She frowned, noticing the silence, "Why?"
"Because your father promised me to," he said, looking to her with a smile on his face, "you 'papa' told me to help you. He made me swear to keep the two of you safe, his little darlings. I have done my duty, letting your mother stay here with me while she was close to labor. You have been living here all your life here in a damp cemetery, all because of me. If it wasn't for that, then you would be on the streets slowly starving to death and ending up here eventually." Then he let out a sigh, walking over to her and tilting her chin up so he could see her depressed face. "I'm sorry for scaring you –"
"No it's fine," she shrugged it off, standing to her feet, "Trust me I am…" He chuckled, rustling up her auburn hair. "C-can you tell me why you're teaching me this again?" the little girl asked, picking up her sword off from the ground. He sighed and decided to walk down the road. The girl blinked in confusion, quickly running after him. "T-thomas?..." she asked, finding him leaning against the big tree that her mommy and her would sit under. She giggled, joining him under the tree and sitting down on his lap as she always did.
"You're mommy wasn't accepted by her family," he began, "when she was pregnant with you. During her youth many suitors would come to her door and asking for her hand in marriage. Your grandparents were rather proud by this, waiting for the richest man they could find to come by so they could give her away. Your mommy didn't like this, running away from home frequently to avoid having to discuss the subject. That's when I met her, here under this very tree. She was reading a book quietly to herself, surprised by my sudden presence. I told her what I do and she was rather warmhearted about it, soon spending every day at the morgue with me. We became great friends, and I learned little by little about her every day.
"That was when he came," he emphasized, "the man you have come to know as 'papa'. At the time the man was like her knight in shining armor, seeming to be born of noble birth as she was. He had short rugged maroon hair and green/yellow eyes. He was a striking sight to behold, though I was rather protective of your mommy at the time," he chuckled to himself. "I don't believe I've told you this, but my family originated from Persia where we had lived as an elite-warrior class devoted to learning the ways of battle. My father taught me these things, making sure I mastered sword fighting above any other weapon, and was given his sword before he died. He told me that this sword can pierce even that of the gods, but at the time I didn't believe this. Well, when your papa came over once I thought he was a suitor following your mommy and I cut him deep in the arm. He laid there bleeding, completely in shock. That's when your mommy came to us, stopping me from making a final blow.
"She explained to me who he was as did he when he came to his senses. Even though he kept his young stoic appearance he had actually lived for a very long time. He was amazed that the blade cut him, saying no human weapon could hurt him. That's when he told me… well that's a story for another day," he chuckled, the young girl blinking in confusion. Then he let out a cough, continuing on with his story. "Your mommy soon became pregnant with you and her parents kicked her out of the house. She took refuge at the morgue, giving birth to you here in the mist of all this death and decay. On that day your papa made me take an oath. I swore that I would protect his new family with my life. Then I agreed to teach his little girl how to speak Latin so she can communicate with other people and the ways of the sword to defend herself against anyone who would want to harm her. So that is why I am training you, and so is your mommy for that matter. In the end we all want what's best for you, you understand now?"
The girl nodded, "Y-yes I guess," she shrugged. "Do you know much about papa?"
"No my dear," he chuckled, "but I wish I did. I wonder… where he is now."
The little girl nodded, looking out at the scenic view. "Me too," she sighed, standing back up. "Well come on! I want to get this right Thomas!"
He chuckled, using the trunk of the tree to help himself up. "Yes I'm coming," he said, following after her to the bottom of the cemetery where they had been training.
Sophie gasped, rubbing her head in frustration. She decided it was best to leave the sword in the closet, closing the door and going back to cleaning up the morgue while the Undertaker was away on business.
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A/N: Well this is a bit of a back and forth thing. Just showing off time Sophie is spending with the Undertaker as she's being protected by any hungry demons. It's a bit hard to keep the Undertaker as he is, so it's a back and forth thing. And yes, I'm implying the Undertaker has sex with people and Sophie can hear them. That's EXACTLY what I mean… but it's more of a thing he's been doing recently and in the past year. I think you can figure out why he does that. When the Undertaker says little maiden he's thinking of his… well little maiden. You can say Sophie is reminding him of his daughter XD Just the whole flower scene really set this off, seeing her giggling like a little child. Plus her eyes flashing back and forth from being somewhat mysterious and back to human eyes can be why. But sadly he still doesn't see her for who she really is… but maybe next chapter? =O Tell me how you think of this chapter. Did I portray the Undertaker how you would? Is he what you're thinking of? As always you are free to write any comments to me!
Carnations – at a funeral, this flower is used for sympathy arrangements
Campanula rotundifolia – a flower known as bluebell in Scotland; meaning gratitude
Blue – in flowers – calm worries and preoccupation resulting in peace, openness, and serenity
Seth – Hebrew – appointed
Jaheim – Hebrew – raised up
Orbhao – Greek – deprived
Bracha – Hebrew – blessing
Eliora – Hebrew – God is my light
Shamshir – Persian – meaning sword; type of sabre with a curve that is considered radical for a sword