Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls
A/N: Well now we'll see a side to Sophie that's different then being tired and bossy XD I hope you enjoy this next chapter! I think I'll change this story from T to M… I think it's just needed. (at least for later) So I have a question, if I change it to M will some of you guys be unable to see it? I don't think that's a problem… but I don't know how this site works with ratings. So tell me! Just so I know if someone will have problems or not ^^ as always… ENJOY!
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Sophie hummed to herself as she redid her hair, fixing her clothes to how she liked it. Today was going to be a free day, and right now she just wanted to chill and not do anything. She took out her flask and filled it up to the brim with whisky before closing up the bottle and setting it back in her footlocker. She let out a sigh, looking at herself in the mirror before thinking of walking out of her temporary lodging.
What she wore wasn't normal for anyone in England, but it was the only pair of clothes she had left since she sent the rest of her clothes to be washed. They needed a good soaking too, since it has been a few years since she actually cleaned all her clothes. Her outfit for the day was simple, a worn out tan collared shirt tucked into a skirt she bought in America. It had intercut Native American designs, one of the fashions in the West and also the only thing she could afford. She wore long black boots, which she had taken with her in the footlocker from England but never got to wear. The boots seemed stiffer from what she remembered, but since this was the first time she wore it in years then she figured it was because it had been sitting in the locker for fifteen years. She added her black spurs to her boots deciding to let her other boots get cleaned for the day, and just in case she wanted to ride her horse. Sophie took the belt with her guns and attached it around her waist, if she needed to shoot someone or simply felt like shooting something. There was loose rope around her sides from the skirt, but she liked it that way and didn't want to tuck it in.
Then she added a bracelet to her arm, a thick silver bracelet with turquoise stones pressed into the silver and fit like a glove around her wrist. She also braided her hair a little, a few strands of auburn hair braided together to keep her hair away from her face. Then she added a braided soft yarn around her head and off to the side braided it into one of her loose braids, which had two different strands of feathers attached to the yarn: one was a combination of an owl feather and a hawk feather and the other had an owl feather and a little black bird feather. After all of that Sophie added a quick little dab of makeup, taking Grell's advice to always feel confident in yourself before you walk out the door, and put her black cowboy hat on her head, tilting it to the side. She had added two strands of feathers on her hat, the same types of feathers that she had handing off to the left side of her face. Stretching her arms and letting out a sigh, she grabbed her messenger bag and swung it over her arm. Then she took a swig of her flask, closed it, and then threw it inside of her bag with a chuckle. Before she left Sophie checked herself in the mirror one more time, and feeling positive to leave the room, locking the dimmed room and walking down the hallway.
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"Hey what's up with that getup?" Lewis laughed, getting a swift slap across the head with Sophie's gun.
"You have some time off?" Alex asked her as Sophie walked over to him, the smile on her face beaming.
"Actually yes!" Sophie grinned happily, moving her skirt a little so it fit more comfortably around her waist. "The rest of my clothes are in the wash. This was the only stuff that looked decent. Oh hi Ben," she smiled and turned around, seeing him walking in and setting his stuff down on a nearby desk.
"Good thing I found you," he sighed, walking over to Alex and Sophie as they both looked at him curiously. "So I wanted to ask you about something…"
"… oh alright," she smiled, Alex raising an eyebrow at the glances they gave each other. "Hey I was wondering first," Sophie began before Ben could say anything else, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Lewis was trying to sneak up on her, "does anyone have some free time? I don't want to run off by myself and have nothing to do… HAH!" She smirked, swinging around just as Lewis pounced and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Then she easily threw him across the hall as she let out a huff. "Anyways, yes… no?"
"I can if you need the company," Ben said sheepishly, "but after lunch? I have to do a few things first…"
"Sure," she smiled. "I'll just find something in the meantime," she shrugged, walking towards the stairs.
Then she was stopped by Lewis grabbing her hand, Sophie eyeing him suspiciously as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "H-hey can I ask you for a favor?" he chuckled nervously as he quickly let go of her hand.
"What exactly?" she huffed, swaying her hip to her side in a dramatic fashion as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Lewis paused, continuing to scratch the back of his brunette hair. "So I need some help with my training. I can fight alright, but when it comes to dodging things I could improve. I was wondering… since you're not busy… if you can help me?"
Sophie shrugged, "What do I get if I help you, hmmm~~??"
"I have some tea –"
"Dude!" Ben laughed, "We're surrounded by tea! I don't think you can use that as a bargaining chip again."
"Do you have coffee?" Sophie suggested, Lewis looking at her wide eyed before rummaging through his bag of monotonous trinkets.
Lewis chuckled, taking out a grounded up bag of coffee beans and throwing them at her. "Here, take the whole bag! Will that do?"
"Of course," she smirked, putting it into her bag before turning back around. "I'll be back for lunch. I'll help you as I have my lunch like I normally do. Just meet outside of the cafeteria. There are a few benches out there that will work," Sophie told him, giving them all a wave and walking down the stairs.
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Sophie sat at the top of a waterfall as she fixed the hat on her head, the trees around her blocking the bright sun rays from her face. She let out a sigh and sat among the grass, looking up to the sky as the wind blew through her hair. She really missed this, passing the day by without a care in the world. It had been years since she had done so… too long in her mind. That's what she loved, watching the nature around consume her and take her off in her own world. It's what she loved to do best, but what she never got enough of since she became busy. Her eyes widened to a familiar sound and looked below, noticing two girls jumping into the water and getting each other wet.
"Hey what's that noise?" one of them asked, the other one looking around suspiciously.
"I-I don't know, but I'm going to find out," she huffed, walking up the rocks till she got to the top of the waterfall. Sophie paused and took off, hiding behind a tree as she looked at the two of them. "I don't see anything!" she called down to the other girl, the other one shrugged and drinking from the pool of water. "W-wha, who are you!" she asked, pointing to Sophie as she looked at her stunned.
"I-I'm sorry," Sophie said, taking off her hat and twisting it nervously. "I was up here taking a nap and I heard you guys yelling –"
"Hey hold it!" the girl at the bottom of the waterfall said. "I can't see you very well. Could you bring her down Maya?"
The girl shrugged and ushered Sophie to follow her, Sophie jumping down from the rocks and landing on her feet as if she was part feline. "Sorry for intruding. I can go along on my way –"
"S-sophie!" she gasped, grabbing her in a tight hug and letting go. "Hey I thought it was you! You're voice barely changed since I last remember it."
"Ju-lia?" Sophie gasped, laughing as they both jumped up and down. "I didn't know it was you!" she chuckled, letting go so she could get a better look at her. "You've aged! Which is a good thing, but I remember you being more…"
"Girly?" Julia shrugged, "Well that's what happens after fifteen years, but how are you? And what's with that getup!"
"The rest of my clothes are in the wash," she shrugged as she looked at her skirt, "and this is what I would wear where I was living. I was in North America for the last fifteen years."
"Oh wow!" Julia gasped, "We really need to catch up! Hey this is Maya. Maya, Sophie. Sophie, Maya. She's the Serbus my brother was writing to me about," she beamed.
"S-serbus?" Maya gasped as she quickly kneeled, causing Sophie to frown. "I-I'm sorry for being disrespectful to you –"
"Hey now," Sophie grumbled as she set her messenger bag down on the ground next to a nearby tree. "Don't act that way. I don't like someone groveling to me anyways… go get up and introduce yourself to me like we're equals!" she smiled, Maya quickly standing up and rubbing her head sheepishly.
"S-sorry… I'm Maya, Maya Boris," she chuckled.
"Oh a Boris?" Sophie smiled, "Well I understand now… but don't worry about impressing me or anything. I'm eas~ily impressed."
"Yes she is!" Julia laughed, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. Then Julia splashed them, getting a shriek from Sophie. "Come on in! The water's great!"
"But my clothes will get – wwwaAAAHHHH!" Sophie yelled as Julia pulled her in, Maya jumping in after her and splashing the both of them. "W-wet…" she frowned slightly. "I'm going to get you for that!" she growled, laughing as she splashed the both of them and she got soaking wet.
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"Hey guys," Sophie sighed, whipping her hair around and setting her tray of food down on a bench. Their mouths dropped, seeing Sophie dripping wet and her face red from laughing too much. She grabbed her flask and drank some whiskey, pouring a bit into her cup before eating the food she had grabbed.
"W-wha?" Alex gasped as the other two shinigamis speechless.
"Oh this?" she shrugged as she pointed to her dripping hair. "I ran into Julia."
"I see…" Alex nodding, the other two not understanding what they're talking about. "How is she?"
"Great!" Sophie smiled. "She's doing fine, though she misses us. I think we should hang out sometime… as things die down a little and I can finally take a breather. Luckily she knows that you got married and she doesn't seem angry about it. She was actually enthusiastic! Julia wants to see the little munchkins when they show up."
"Oh sure," Alex chuckled as he grabbed something off of his plate and began to eat. "I think the kids would love to meet their Auntie Julia."
"Lewis, so what do you want me to do?" Sophie asked, his mouth closing as Ben put his finger on his chin and pushed up.
"Right!" Lewis chuckled to himself, grabbing some supplies from his bag and handing it to her. "Just shoot a few rounds at me. Consecutively would be nice… OH! And don't stop even if I beg," he finished.
Sophie just shrugged and took out the bag of bullets, loading 6 bullets into the revolver and snapping the Enfield Revolver shut by the flick of her wrist. "Okay go," she said with a bored sigh, eating her food with one hand and holding the gun in the other hand. Ben sat over next to Alex, not wanting to get shot with a stray bullet. Then Lewis took off, Sophie munching down on a full piece of bread in her mouth when she started firing. After all 6 rounds in the revolver was gone she quickly reloaded, her hand disappearing with a blur next to her as she loaded and soon kept firing. She took a swag from her cup and sighed, rather bored with having to do this. "I don't see the big deal," she shrugged as she reloaded and continued to fire, "because I can do this in my sleep… hey maybe I should try that! My next project will be shooting at a moving target while I'm dead asleep. That could work."
"Don't do that," Alex sighed as he ate more of his food and not being bothered by the sound. "You'll hurt something… or someone for that matter."
Sophie only gave him a smug look on her face and reloaded, a few bullets hitting Lewis in the shoulder. "Pay more attention to your limbs!" she yelled, a bullet hitting Lewis in the leg and he cried out in pain. She let out a sigh and reloaded, noticing that the bag was full of bullets, around 50 she assumed. "If you can't dodge then don't play this game Le~wis~. Though I wouldn't mind shooting at you, I don't want one of my officers stuck in the infirmary because he couldn't keep up," she smirked, watching as Lewis got off of the ground and ripped the bullet out of his leg.
"I can do this!" he yelled at her, not getting any sympathy from Sophie as she continued to fire.
"Fine," she shrugged, not even trying to shoot Lewis and simply shooting in random directions aimed his way. Sophie knew in the back of her mind that if she actually took this seriously she would most likely blow his brains out during the first round, but since this was as a favor she didn't want to do that… at least not yet. She looked over to Ben as she reloaded, noticing that Alex was getting up to grab more food. "So Ben, what exactly do you need from me?" she asked, reloading yet again and resume firing.
"Well umm…" he paused, unsure of how to ask his question. "You see… I ran out of the pills. In all honestly, my family came over because I asked. No one really knows why I wanted to come over here, but the reason is to stay close to you… because you're the only person that's keeping me from dying right now."
"I see…" Sophie frowned, reloading and firing at Lewis again. "I would have to make the pills. Would you be up for a little campfire?"
"S-sure!" Ben beamed, a chuckle escaping Sophie's lips at his enthusiasm.
"I know you haven't told anyone… but I think you should," Sophie said as she put the last set of bullets into the chamber. "I won't be around forever," she began as she fired at Lewis, "and contracting something like the Thorns of Death is no laughing matter. I just hope the pills are helping you." Then she sighed, the last bullet leaving the chamber and hitting Lewis in the side of his gut. He fell to the ground, having to take a few minutes to wake up from the shock before stumbling back to his feet.
"W-well they do… thank you," Ben smiled.
"Look, you're honestly my guinea pig here," Sophie told him. "Since you are the only person I've tested these things on... If you feel anything funny then tell me… because I don't want to end up deforming you because of the pills."
"Don't worry about it Sophie!" Ben told her. "I'm fine… trust me. They actually help." Sophie nodded and set the gun down on the table, leaving it there for Lewis to pick up later. Then she began chewing on her food again, running a hand through her wet hair since the sun hadn't dried her off as quickly as she had hoped.
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"Hmmm…" Sophie hummed to herself, sitting upon the black horse as it trudged calmly through the forest. Ben sat on the rear end and sat quietly waiting for Sophie to pull on the reins. "Oh there's a clearing!" She smirked to herself, cracking the reins and causing the horse to jump onto the rocks and walk up the rocky hill. Once they got to the top Sophie pulled on the reins, jumping off of the horse once it halted. "Yeah… we can set up our tents there and make the fire here… but we really don't need tents tonight! The place may be a bit foggy, but it's always foggy in London," she grinned over to Ben, ushering him over as she grabbed a saddle bag off of the horse and set it down on the ground. "Thank you yet again," Sophie smiled, petting the horse's nose as it snorted at her and ran off.
Ben immediately went through her bag and grabbed the things he needed to begin setting up, setting poles down into the ground for the fire and clearing a pit with stones to contain the embers. Sophie grabbed two large blankets and set then down on the ground close to the fire, but not near enough that the blankets would catch fire if one of them moved closer in the middle of the night. Once it was done Sophie grabbed flint and steel from her bag and started to make the fire, having Ben sit down on one of the blankets and watch her. "I-I can't thank you enough for this," he said, watching as Sophie sat down on a stump of wood as the wood began to burn. "This is probably an inconvenience for you and –"
"Not at all," she smiled, letting out a sigh as she put her stuff away and watched as the fire began to grow. "You could have told me though… I don't want to be the reason that you have to stay in England. If you want to live somewhere else I can always send the pills by a carrier bird or whatever else."
"It's not only that," he sighed, "but other things. Just… everything happened so fast for the four of us. You know how I talked about coming from the future, right?" Ben began to explain, taking out a pendent from under his shirt and looking at it in longing. "Well its true… the date was October 1942 when it happened. That day… it was a horrible day," Ben confessed. "I told you where I was when they separated my family from one another. I went with my father and Dora while they took my mother, Lewis, and Willis. They separated us, my father explaining that he was able to save us because of how we looked. My mother had dark brunette hair while my father had blonde hair, but father was a human and mother was a shinigami. She told us that she left her life to be with us and be with my father, but she insisted that we go to the shinigami academies that were offered close to our home, Berlin, Germany."
"I was the only one who was unable to go before the war. Even so, I read a lot about legendary shinigamis from a few books… about you actually," Ben chuckled to himself lightly, "and I always believed that if I can make a big impact on the world like one of them then there is a meaning for me to exist... Anyways it was a few months before I saw Lewis and Willis again, but never mother. Mother never came back… but my father wasn't the best father in the world. He didn't like that Lewis and Willis came back and called the troops on them... We didn't think twice with our decision. Willis shot father, Dora grabbed everything that we could use later, and we took off… a place where we could be safe. After we finally made it to a calm place in the woods, Willis gave each of us a necklace saying that our mother wanted us to have them. That's when they told me what we were… Time Travelers. We made plans to travel through time if absolutely necessary, but made careful calculations on how far we would go. The pendants worked like this: there was an hour glass in the middle of the pendent. We would have to turn it, one turn for every second, minute, hour, day, month, or year. It only went backward in time… though Dora told me that sometimes, if you're powerful, then the pendant can go forwards instead of backwards. There were insignias that I couldn't read, but Willis could and he said that each meant second, minute, hour, day, month, year in ancient Greek."
"We thought our troubles would be over, but they were far from it. Eventually we got captured by Germans and separated. We had already decided on how far in time we would go, 65 years into the past. I went with Willis and Lewis and Dora went another way, to the woman's camp. They kept us imprisoned, but after a week of working Willis gave us the plan. We were going to escape with a group of other prisoners, head for France, and then make our way across to the Allies side for America. We had passports and everything, but it was just a matter of escaping on time. When the three of us escaped we made our way across the boarders and our way home. Dora met us in France, a few days behind us. Then… well we got into trouble," Ben shrugged, "and I contracted the Thorns of Death. It was a German soldier preparing to kill us, but instead we killed him… and I saw his life swirling around me and attacking me. Willis cut the link before I got all of his records, but I was in need of medical care. Lewis and Dora took me away and we left Willis to fend off the soldiers that were shooting at us. That's the last time I saw my older brother… but we made it to the Allies and got some shinigamis to help us. Then they transferred us to America where Dora came up with the idea that we should time travel. If indeed Willis had survived then he would find us here… but if not then we can only hope that his pendent didn't fall into the wrong hands."
Ben sighed, removing the sweat from his hands as Sophie sat up and began to tend to the fire again. "I know you don't believe me… geeze I wouldn't see a reason for you to, but I'm glad that you saved me from dying."
"It's really no problem," Sophie smiled to him, grabbing a pot and boiling it with water. "I'm glad the three of you are safe… even if your brother could be dead. I'm sorry if I can't help you any further, but I will try with what I can."
Ben nodded and watched Sophie quietly, knowing she needed absolute concentration. "But umm… I know I shouldn't say this, but can I be honest with you?"
"Go right ahead," Sophie told him, her eyes on the liquid as she added a few ingredients to the pot.
"Well… I read about you in the history books… before they changed them," Ben began to say, Sophie giving him a nod as she stared at the fire, "and… ummm… they called you Black Rose. Your name was a little different –"
"That was either a mistake or they didn't get the information correct," Sophie shrugged, "because I'm not legendary nor has my name ever been Black Rose. White Swan, The Dark Rider, Hehewuti, Wihakayda… and perhaps more I don't know of, but never Black Rose. That is a different legendary shinigami; I can assure you of that."
Ben frowned at the rough tone Sophie had in her voice, but had to continue with what he was saying. "It's not only that… but the description. It said that this shinigami had saved many lives and defeated a great evil in the shinigami council. Plus… I met her," Ben shrugged, "when I made it to the Allies side. She saved me, like you did when you found us in the desert… and she also looked just like you."
"It's still probably a coincidence. Can we get off the topic now Benjamin Herman? I need to concentrate," tried to finish in a soft tone, anger lingering on her lips a little at his comment. Ben frowned, but nodded. He quickly noticed that she used his last name, meaning she didn't want to be disturbed anymore. That was fine by him, but it was still eating at the back of his mind… because the woman told him to tell Sophie something important. He just couldn't remember what.
Sophie grabbed items from her bag, either crushing them up or mashing them up, and threw them into the pot. She first grabbed hickory bark and crushed it up, throwing it into the pot and stirring it with a wooden spoon. Then some moss and juniper berries were added, the color of the water turning into a dark green look. Then she crushed up some cranberries and added them to the mix, the color turning into a brighter green and red combination. Lastly she added marigold petals on top, the water turning into a light crimson red color. She mixed it up, humming a simple tone in her head before giving it a slight taste and licking her lips. "What do you think Ben?" she asked, handing him the spoon filled with the colored liquid.
"It's alright… as far as herbs go," Ben shrugged, smiling when Sophie gave him a simple smile and continued with her work.
Ben watched with awe as Sophie mumbled something quietly to herself, even low enough that Ben couldn't hear her words completely. Whatever she was saying, it was in a low voice in a language he didn't understand, something obviously ancient. She sprinkled something around the fire and into the pot in a symbolic way, her eyes closed as she did so. Then Sophie let in a deep sigh, holding out her hand to the pot and getting comfortable. "Watch out for anyone or anything. I don't want to be attacked Ben."
Ben simply nodded and Sophie cracked a smile, exhaling one last time before she concentrated on her hands. Slowly the black haze swirled around her hands and disappeared before it touched the ground. She hummed softly to herself, the black haze slowly in her hands turning to a white glow. Then her eyes opened as she looked to the pot, the yellow, crystal blue, and shinigami green colors in her eyes swirling around intensely as she touched the top of the water with the glow. The water absorbed the glow until Sophie let go, a sigh escaping her lips as the glow on her hands evaporated into the air. She took a spoonful and handed it to Ben, Ben quickly taking the spoon into his hands and looking at it with curiosity. How she was able to do this was beyond his own understanding, but as he sipped the warm substance he sighed with satisfaction. It felt warm, a comforting feeling to the drugs and other things they had experimented on him before they found Sophie in Britain. "I-it's great," he smiled, Sophie giving him a nod and taking the spoon back.
"It's a good thing I was able to recreate that pill you had leftover from your trip," Sophie chuckled softly to herself, "but I wonder if I can make it better… more healing I should say. How is that record?"
"It's receding again," Ben told her, watching as she took out a beaker and filled it with the liquid, slowly filling each pill capsule in her hand one by one. "Last time it was gone for five days before I had to take another pill."
"Good~" Sophie chuckled, "then I am improving… I wish there was a way to get rid of the records for good. The only way I know is if someone rips it out of you, but that could kill a shinigami… maybe there's a method I never heard of, but right now let's just keep it at a dormant level, alright?"
Ben nodded and helped Sophie put the pills away in little containers, filling about four small bags with eight capsules each. Sophie couldn't make these pills every day, since she was using her own energy to create them, but having a small bag usually helped for at least a month; though by the time a month was over she would have to make more after using them for one thing or another. Sophie set the other three bags in her messenger bag and handed Ben the last remaining bag, Ben walking over to his own bag and putting his supply away. Then Sophie took the rest of the liquid and disposed of it, drinking all that she could and pouring the rest of it on a nearby seedling. Ben gasped as he watched the small sprout of a tree grew, growing into a massive oak tree as if it had lived for at least a few hundred years.
Sophie chuckled to herself, first for Ben's expression and second for seeing the tree growing unexpectedly. She didn't know how that happens, but she loved to watch nature grow because of her powers. Perhaps they weren't as dark as she previously thought. She took out some small cakes she grabbed from the cafeteria and handed half of them to Ben, a smile on his face as he grabbed the cake and ate his supper. Sophie yawned, tending to the fire as it slowly died down. "It's okay Sophie," he told her as he grabbed the long stick from her and took her place beside the fire, "I can wait for it to die down. How about you sleep? You're probably tired by now."
"Thank you," Sophie smiled and let out a yawn, "but wake me up when you're done or if you run into some trouble. I don't want you burning down the whole forest."
"Alright," he chuckled, watching as Sophie wrapped the blanket around her body and letting out a yawn. Then he frowned, watching the fire burn as he became entranced in his thoughts. His family, his brother… Ben let out a sigh as he watched the flames. He felt horrible; a feeling in the back of his mind telling him that it was all his fault Willis is gone even though Lewis and Dora say it wasn't. He poked the wood and watched it crumble to ash, feeling his heart crumbling underneath him as he drank some water from his canteen.
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Ben let out a yawn, turning over in the blanket with his face towards Sophie. In a half awake state he could hear Sophie mumbling to herself as she shivered in the blanket. He frowned, knowing that Sophie was having another nightmare. Though by now he was used to it, and everyone who had to sleep next to her at a campfire knew that she had night terrors. Just the problem was how to stop them. Either you woke her up or let her sleep through it. Since Ben knew she was tired he just let her sleep, but there was another method that only one other person was able to do… at least of those he knew of. Sometimes, in the most awkward moments, Sophie can fall asleep without whimpering. That happened was when there was something there holding her, but not just someone. Someone she trusted… trusted to not hurt her as she lay asleep. That was Sophie's explanation for it, but Ben had a different one. It was because she loved them, and even if she trusts them the love is what was there first. He sighed to himself, wrapping the blanket tighter around his body as the cool wind blew through the trees.
Then he saw moment in the forest around them. Narrowing his eyes as he saw something come out of the trees and walk over to them, to Sophie. It knelt down beside her, running long black nails through her auburn hair. "You still haven't come by for a visit li~ttle maiden~… I'm aw~fully lone~ly~. Come by my shop, will you… To see me…" Ben watched as he sat down on the blanket and lifted Sophie's head, setting her body on his lap. She mumbled something in her sleep, still whimpering from the nightmare she was having.
Sophie shifted her head and grabbed for the necklace around her neck, holding onto her totem tightly. She clutched her chest with the other hand, feeling as if her heart was being pulled from her chest. "N-no…" she whimpered, the man frowning as he moved his fingers through her hair.
He took a strand of her hair and breathed in her scent, a heavenly sigh coming out of his lips as he cradled her on his lap. "You know litt~le reap~er~~, spying is considered a sin~~" he giggled, Ben's eyes widening in shock as he slowly lifted his head and rubbed his eyes.
Ben moved slowly, grabbing for a knife he had hidden under his sleeve as he narrowed his eyes at the strange man. "Who are you and what are you doing with Sophie?" he said in an angry tone, clutching the knife tightly as he glared at him.
"It looks to me I don't have to tell you," he giggled into his sleeve, "because you owe~ Sophie a lot of debt and you can't possibly pay me for the know~ledge~~ you seek."
Ben started to leave his blanket, standing up and close to attacking him. Whoever he was, this man can't be trusted. "As I said, who are you and what are you doing to Sophie? If you don't let her go I will attack you till you do… I have to protect her."
Just then Sophie began to stir in her sleep, looking around in a half-awoken state. "H-huh? Ben w-what's wrong?..." she asked as her eyes were still closed, suddenly feeling a long nail brushing against her cheek. Then she shot up on his lap and opened her eyes, her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes coming into contact with the mysterious shinigami green eyes hidden behind silver bangs. "Undertaker…" she said with a relieved sigh, rubbing her head in frustration as she rubbed her eyes. "Ben… this is my father."
"W-wait wha –"
"He's creepy, but you get used to it," Sophie shrugged, trying to get off of his lap. "Now… hey let go!" she growled, the Undertaker's arms wrapping around her waist and keeping her in a tight lock.
Knowing already that fighting him back was pointless, Sophie sat back down on his lap, still not comfortable with him enough to lean her body against him. "What did I tell you about calm~ing~~ do~wn," the Undertaker giggled, Ben raising an eyebrow at his comment. Ben let out a tired sigh and sat back down on the blanket he was sleeping on, watching the two of them with sudden interest. "Why haven't you come by to visit little maiden?" the Undertaker whimpered like a little puppy and held her close, his smile wavering when he noticed Sophie's discomfort.
"L-look, there's some things I need to work out right now," Sophie growled back, "and I just need to be alone for a whil –"
A 'hiss' sound escaped her lips as the Undertaker dug his nails into her arms, causing small little droplets of blood to drip onto his nails and coat them in crimson red. "I'm very disappointed Sophia," he hissed into her ear, calming down slightly when he noticed that Ben was still watching them. "To not trust me… how could~ you?"
Sophie looked up at him, biting down her bottom lip as she forced back tears. "I-I… its complicated… and I want to figure everything out myself. That's what I've always been doing anyways…" Her hand wandered, grabbed hold of her totem, and gripped it tightly. Then a deep sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes tightly. "It's been very stressful… and I think I hit rock bottom. I'm just trying to get over a few things, okay?" It was hard to keep the smile on his face, seeing Sophie so depressed. Whatever happened… he needs to know.
The Undertaker wiped the stray tear on her face and tilted her head up, forcing her to open her eyes and look up at him. "I may not know what happened, but you need to tell me, in detail~, and don't leave anything out."
"B-but –"
"Shuush…" he said calmly, holding a finger up to her lips. An electric pulse went through his body when her gentle lips breathed on him, his hand moving down to her side and wrapping her close to him. "In detail~"
Sophie looked at him with an unsure look on her face, a chuckle escaping her lips as she rubbed her eyes. "Wow… I forgot this. I don't know when I can show up, but will you be patient and wait for me? I… I don't know how my schedule is right now."
"Of course," the Undertaker grinned, giving her a kiss on the cheek that made her cheeks turn red, "as long as you come by soon~~… little maiden…" he finished whispering into her ear, the vise grip around her waist powerless as his hands limped to his side. "I will leave you two now," he giggled, setting Sophie back down on the blanket and standing up.
"W-wait I –"
"I will see you when you're free," the Undertaker chuckled, swooping into her face and startling her. "Don't forget, you owe~ me a punish~ment~~" he licked her face and giggled when she cringed away, skipping away and waving to them.
The two of them watched till the Undertaker disappeared, Sophie letting out an annoyed growl as she looked at the fresh wounds on her arms. She turned to face Ben as she began to lick the blood off of her arms to help them heal faster, noticing the anxious look on his face. "… You won't tell anyone about this, will you?" she decided to ask, just to be safe.
"N-no…" Ben shook his head before giving her a little smile. "I think it's rather sweet that he cares about you to go through the trouble and hunt you down… who is he?"
"The Undertaker," Sophie answered as she wrapped herself in the blanket and set her head back down on the ground, "a retired shinigami, a mortician, and a madman. A wonderful mix for a father, huh?" she chuckled lightly, dying down as Ben wrapped himself in his own blanket. "He's not my biological father, but he raised me… and he owns me."
"Owns you?" Ben asked, "How can he own you?"
"Because I want him to," she smiled to Ben, closing her eyes and curling up into the blanket. "I want him to own me… even if I don't know why I feel that way. I'm his, and that's all I need to say about it," Sophie finished.
Ben nodded and lay back down, watching as Sophie slowly fell asleep. It was interesting, watching her sleep after contact with her father. She didn't whimper, she looked content, and she had a smile on her face. Ben smiled and closed his eyes, noticing the bright green and yellow glow from the trees in the direction the Undertaker walked away to.
)(*&^%$#!
A/N: There we go! Now you know just a bit more about Sophie. Gasp! Time travel! Keep that in mind because it'll be important later ^^ and after a lot more thought I'll just change it to M… unless the site shuts off reading this story for someone. Would it? I'll wait perhaps a day or two for your comments =3 and as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Owl feather – Native American – death or prophesy
Owl + Hawk feather – Native American – life
Little black bird (hawk) feather – Native American – courage
Maya – Sanskrit – dream, illusion
Boris – Slavic – small; battle glory
Willis – Germanic – Will, desire + helmet, protection