Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls
A/N: Hey guys. Been waiting long enough for this chapter yet? ^^ Anyways I finally have my Microsoft office documents working again so I'll be able to work on these stories more frequently. I'll try the best I can to post a bunch of chapters this weekend, but I won't make it a guarantee because I have midterms to study for and I CAN'T fail them . So I hope you enjoy this chapter! We're going to get into UndertakerxOC lovey dovey stuff towards the end (and BTW there will be more at the end). I've noticed some of you guys don't agree with my method of transitioning this pair. I'll just say this, how would you do it if you were in my situation? ^^' Starting off with her beings his daughter and either cutting the story short or continuing it for 40 more chapters?… there you go =3 Plus Undertaker is… undertaker. I love seeing him as a sadistic lunatic XD So… yeah. I'm done ranting now. GO READ! =D
!#$%^&*()
The shinigamis waited with anticipation for the two Gods of Death to emerge from the water, the wide smile of Chloe's lips waning. She could feel the waters, feel that the Leviathan had emerged from the bottom of the river and pulling them into Hell, but couldn't tell if the two of them were still alive anymore. Before she could decide whether to jump in after them, Harold stumbled towards them with Paul standing next to him and trying to keep the bleeding angel upright and steady. "Thank you Raimondas," Harold coughed up blood, a slight smile on his face as he stumbled over to the crowd. "Obki, w-where's Sophia?"
"Down there," she glared, "no thanks to you."
"M-me?" he coughed, "B-but –"
"Hariel you disappoint me," Chloe sighed, "I thought that you would be protecting her. I thought you would… since you're her guardian angel correct? Sent down from heaven to take care of her human soul? Now look at her, batted and broken… and her soul may be in the netherworld no thanks to you." Then she chuckled, "Oh god, I'm turning into my sister," she shook her head in frustration.
"M-miss Obki," Paul decided to speak, noticing that Harold was too tired to argue. "You… it wasn't his fault! It was Janiel's fault! I saw everything… and his troops turned on him and tied Hariel up. Don't blame him miss. He really did try! He sent messengers and everything –"
"Thank you for that insight boy," she grumbled under her breath and crossed her arms over her chest, "but that's in the past. Now we need to look towards the impending events. If those two don't emerge from the waters in fifteen more minutes then they will be presumed dead –" Then she paused, the group looking over and seeing bubbling from the river.
Jericho emerged from the water keeping a tight grip around Sophie, the whale vanishing once he began to swim back to shore. He coughed up water as his hands touched the mud, throwing Sophie's body onto the land and climbing his body over her own. He cuffed her face, tears streaming down his face as he looked upon her battered and bruised state. Jericho hadn't emerge without a few scratches himself. He had a long jagged gash reaching from the side of his left ear and wrapping down across his chest and around his body, where he had ripped himself away from the Leviathan with Sophie in his arms. "Sophie… Sophie please," he began to cry, cupping her face tightly and looking into her closed eyes. "No! You can't die on me!" Jericho tear up, shaking her body as she lay limp in his hands.
"Sophie! Sophie! Don't die too!" he cried as he shook her body violently. Then he slammed her body back on the ground, holding her still bleeding chest with his hand. "I won't let you die," Jericho growled lowly, a glow coming from his hand and moving into her body. "I won't let you –"
"Get off of her!" Chloe cried out, grabbing hold of his shoulders and pulling Jericho off of Sophie's lifeless body. She slapped him hard, her hand getting coated in blood from his cut. "Don't you have any respect for the dead?" she growled at him. "She's dead! Accept that!"
"No!" Jericho growled back and shoved her off of him. "No I will not! No one has ever understood me like she had and if she dies then I will too –" They paused as they heard violent coughing from the body, Sophie's hand twitching as she coughed out a heavy amount of blood. "Sophie!" Jericho gasped, sliding back down to the ground and grabbing hold of her hand. She tried to pull away from him, holding her side as she turned her body and sat on her side. "S-sophie?"
"You can't just let a being die huh?" Chloe knelt down next to her and helped hold Sophie's side for her. "How inconsiderate…"
"W-we have to get her medical attention!" Jericho decided, standing up and stumbling back down to the ground in pain.
"Don't stress yourself," Chloe said coldly. Then she paused, noticing the white feather appearing in Sophie's hand as she clutched it to her painful chest. "How…" she looked questionably at it, hesitating to touch it.
"W-what? –" The two of them were viciously blown away from her body, an angel from above coming down and wrapping his hands around her body. "What the hell?" Jericho yelled, jumping up to his feet and pushing the pains all over his body off to the side of his mind.
"Jericho wait –"
"You let go of her!" he cried out, summoning his death scythe and slashing it at the angel. The angel only stood there, his body not in any way cut by the attack. "W-wha –"
"You need to know your place God of Death," the angel responded calmly, looking down at Sophie in a comforting way and brushed a hand through her dirty auburn hair. "You should have let her die, but instead this soul will go through the rigorous trials of recovery." The angel pressed his hand into Sophie's chest, a painful groan escaping her lips as he forced her to let go of her wound. Then the angel grabbed Sophie's body and took off into the sky, Chloe watching on in awe as the angel's body glowed in white as Jericho kept throwing curses at him. "I need to go over her –"
"Take care of yourself first Jericho," Chloe sighed, shaking her head as she decided to begin helping the wounded around them. "If Sophie wakes up to see that you have died then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself." Jericho narrowed his eyes, but obeyed his elder and followed her back to the group waiting for them.
!#$%^&*()
)(*&^%$#!
Jenna grumbled under her breath, rushing through the halls as she tried to attend to every patient that was coming in. Out of nowhere supernatural beings had been coming in battered and bleeding and she refused to deny any of them the medical attention they needed. In her haste she paused, feeling a powerful presence walking down the hallway and casually walking past her. "Can I help you sir?" she asked, noticing the weird tan clothes he was wearing.
"I need a room," he said casually, a small being against his chest laying lifeless in his arms.
"O-of course," she chuckled nervously, pointing the man to a room at the far end of the building. "Who are you –"
"That is none of your concern who I am," he told her in a monotone voice, Jenna blinking in confusion at the tone in his voice. "I figured this creature would like to recover in a place she is accustomed to," he continued, "and I hope you will keep her alive here."
"Okay," Jenna answered with bewilderment still on her face. "Go to RM P67 at the end of the hallway. I need to tend to the other patients."
"Of course," he gave her a slight bow. "I don't want to keep you." Jenna nodded, passing into another room to a man who was lying on the bed crying out in pain. The man looked up as he heard a loud noise coming from the room, the bed stricken man screaming as his limb was being cut off. "How primitive," the man sighed, walking into the room he was assigned and closing the door behind him. He set the body down on the white bed and closed the blinds, the lights all turned off in the room.
"Let's see the damage," he said to himself, looking over the pale body as she held her hand to her bleeding chest. "The blood has to be stopped first," he said in a monotone voice, his hand still placed against her chest and coating his hand with her fresh blood. A white glow came from his hands as he began to heal her, the woman stirring her head as she began to regain consciousness again. "Now you need more blood flowing through your veins," he told himself, his hand turning from a white glow to red as he pressed it into her chest.
The woman groaned and slowly opened her eyes to reveal pure crystal blue shining from her eyes, looking up to see an angel standing over her body and healing her. "R-raphael?" she gasped, her mouth quickly being silenced as he pressed a finger against her lips.
"Hush Serbus," he said calmly, "Save your strength." Sophie nodded and closed her eyes, a groan escaping her lips as she tried to ignore the pain still surging through her body. "Why Death couldn't just come here and do this himself I don't know –"
"Because she called on you," said a voice from behind, appearing from behind him and walking to the other side of the bed, "archangel, and I would have preferred that she had died then ended up here."
"Yes… I know," Raphael shrugged as he continued to heal her, "but that was not up for you to decide. You can thank that subordinate of yours –"
"Jericho Shezmu only made things more interesting for me," Death shrugged, "and I don't mind that Sophia Serbus is still alive… Only I know she does not want to stay alive. I was only trying to let her end up in the eternal sleep as she wanted, but now she will have to suffer for a while longer."
"I guess so," Raphael nodded with understanding. He watched as Death disappeared, leaving him in the room with the bleeding body on the white bed. Then he smiled, his hand letting go of her as Sophie opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Might I say that your eyes are stunning."
"T-thank you…" Sophie smiled tiredly, a groan escaping her lips as she tried to sit up. Raphael pushed her back down, refusing to let her get up yet. B-but –"
"You need to rest –"
"B-but what about the city?" Sophie frowned. "I can't keep it in destruction. I need to fix it –"
"You can do that later –"
"No!" Sophie gasped, pushing aside his hand and lifting herself up. "I need to put everything back in order! That's my job! –"
She paused, listening to his startling laughter. "My dear God of Death, how hilarious you are!" Raphael laughed, wiping away a tear and chuckling to himself as he saw the angry look on her face. "Oh…" he sighed, "you surely are a gem among the rocks. I will take you back, but once you're done you're back to recovering, got that Serbus?"
"… Yes sir," she nodded, letting him grab her body and open up the window. Then Raphael flew off into the sky, his giant white wings pulling them along as they looked down to the destruction below. "You… why am I alive?"
"You called me see?" he said, holding up her hand that tightly held the white feather. "It was your soul that called me, telling me to come and save you."
"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow, still rattled up by the current events. "How?"
"That's the power of the divine," Raphael chuckled. "Plus you do it yourself correct? You hand out those black feathers to those you care about and they can call upon your aid if they need it."
"I guess…" Sophie sighed, "I'm confused…"
"That's alright," he chuckled, "I wasn't expecting you to call anyways." Sophie nodded as Raphael swooped down, landing in the middle of the destruction and letting Sophie stagger away by herself. "You'll be okay?"
Sophie gave him a weak nod, looking around to see that almost everyone had left. "But first I need to find Paul Raimondas."
"That little God of Death?" Raphael asked. "Why?"
"I yelled at him and said some things I didn't mean," Sophie sighed, "if he was here in the middle of the chaos then his father must have condemned him to death. I'm not going to let that child die… I need to go and help him." Raphael followed behind her as she searched around for him, walking to the edge of the city and eventually coming to a cluster of demons. "Raimondas?" she called for him, the head of the family coming out from the group and walking over to her.
"Who – Serbus how are you? And who's your friend behind you?" he grinned happily.
"None of your business," Sophie growled at him. "Where is your son Paul? I need to talk to him."
"W-why he died in the destruction miss –"
"Don't give me that bull crap," she narrowed her crystal blue eyes at him and took several intimidating steps to him. "I need him to come here this instant. Unless you want your family to be thrown to hell you will do as I say."
The man glared back at her and coughed, Raphael raising an eyebrow at the strong sternness in her voice. "Paul!" he yelled, the little boy walking up to his father. Sophie frowned, nothing the bruises from a recent beating on his face. "Now –"
"Paul," Sophie said gently as she crouched down to Paul's height. "Would you like to leave your family?"
"W-what?" his father said grabbing for his son. "I will not let your take my son away from me!"
"Perhaps you shouldn't beat him up and send him to his death when all he did was stand up for himself," Sophie huffed, pulling Paul away from his father as he grabbed for him. "So Paul, the decision is yours."
Paul looked up at his father and cringed slightly, looking over at Sophie and nodded. "W-will I get to sleep in a warm bed?"
"With hot tea every morning when you wake up," Sophie chuckled. "The only request is that you become a shinigami and get an education. I can send you to school, change your name, and make it so you can be separated from your family forever… or never. You can see them if you want. It's up to you."
Paul opened his mouth to answer when a woman ran up, pushing his father aside and running to the scene. "What is going on Paul –" she paused, noticing who he was talking to. "Serbus… what are you doing with my son?"
"I wish to take and tutor him under my training," Sophie said standing up and putting a comforting hand against Paul's back.
"W-why can't you take one of our other sons?" She asked confused, "They are far more experienced and knowledgeable then Paul –"
"I am not looking for a mate miss," Sophie said simply, "I am looking for an apprentice. Paul here is a dear friend of mine. I will not accept the torture and abuse he is given at home. That is no way to raise a child as talented as he." His mother blinked in confusion, Paul looking up at Sophie as she continued to speak, "but this is Paul's decision. If he wishes to stay here he can and I will not force him, but I wish that you all accept the decision the young boy makes for himself."
"Of course –"
"No!" his father stepped forward. "You cannot give a huge decision for a dumb boy like him –"
"Are you saying that a child that is eight years old can't decide of themselves if they should continue to live with their abusive family instead of a trusting being who is willing to take care of them?" she questioned him.
"Yes! –"
"Then we do not see eye to eye Raimondas, for I made my life decision at the age of eight when my mother died and I was abandoned," she glared at him. He flinched back, a growl escaping his throat when he narrowed her eyes at her. "I was much younger then Paul when I decided to live with a being that raised me as his own. I think Paul can do the same thing, don't you?"
"… Yes," he said in defeat, pulling Paul's mother away as he walked back to the group. "If you go with the woman Paul… then I cannot stop you," he said sadly, leaving the scene.
Paul stood there stunned, puzzled at what happened. "Paul," Sophie smiled, "what's your decision?"
"Yes," he said, "I want to go with you."
"Great," she smiled happily. "I will need to take you to a trusted home first. Once the chaos dies down I'll create transcripts for you to come to the academy. Is that alright?"
"Alright," Paul nodded, grabbing Sophie's hand as she pulled him away from the demons. "Where are we going?"
"Oh?" Sophie said, winking at Raphael as she walked past him, "A trusted friend of mine. I'm her cook you see."
"Really?" Paul gasped.
"Yeah!" she laughed. "It was an undercover job, but now I'm only doing it for fun… when I can."
"Okay," Paul smiled; looking up in awe as the archangel stood next to Sophie and made sure she was walking straight and taking her time.
"That was very nice of you to do Serbus," Raphael chuckled. "I never see that anymore."
"Yeah well," Sophie shrugged, "one being at a time right?" The three of them left, leaving behind the demons as they made their way across town.
)(*&^%$#!
"… so if it's not too much to ask can you watch over Paul until I'm well enough to do it myself?" Sophie asked, rubbing the back of her neck as she chuckled lightly.
"Of course!" The woman dressed in red laughed, "but thank you for telling me what happened! I don't know if Grell would be able to show up after everything you've encountered… what happened exactly?"
"For the last time I cannot tell you," Sophie chuckled, "but I will when I'm well enough or maybe Grell will. I don't know."
"Alright," Anne sighed. "Paul you may come in when you want," she told him and disappeared through the mansion doors.
"Here take this," Sophie offered, holding out a black feather to him that was attached to a string.
"Your feather?" Paul gasped, "But I a lowlife like myself surely can't –"
"Take it," she put it into his hands, a grin appearing on her face as she rustled up his short and messy almond hair. "Alert me if any problems come up."
"Okay," he smiled, giving her one last look before vanishing into the mansion and closing the door behind him.
Sophie let out a sigh and walked down the steps leading out to the road where Raphael had been waiting for her. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," let out a tired sigh as she brushed a hand through her tangled and dirty hair.
Raphael helped her along the road as they walked back to the city, remnants of her black haze still floating around the city. Sophie let out another tired sigh and closed her eyes, her black haze suddenly springing back to life and surrounding the city. "You know you'll be bed stricken for weeks if you do this," he told her.
"I know," Sophie said as she held up her hands.
"And you know that you won't be able to protect yourself –"
"Yes I know all that," she sighed with an irritated tone in her voice.
"Then why –"
"Because I, Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, made a pledge that I will give or take away the breath of life, even if it means I must destroy myself. I cannot go back on that pledge even if I don't like its rules Mr. Raphael," she then chuckled under her breath. "It is why I am here right? Then let me do my job please."
Raphael shook his head, taking a few steps back from her as she began her work. Sophie coughed in her hand, her black haze completely consuming the damaged areas of the city. Then her eyes opened and the black turned into a white glow, the city quickly becoming healed and the ground going back to the way it was. Raphael's eyes widened, watching as the bodies ripped from in the cemetery and began to spring to life. "Serbus… Serbus!" he gasped, grabbing hold of her tightly in an attempt to stop her.
Sophie let out a gasp and fell backwards into his arms, the white glow disappearing in a glimmer of light and the bodies falling inanimate on the ground. "W-wha… the m-matter…"
"You're going back and resting now young one," he chuckled, grabbing her body and lifting her up into his arms. "Your job is done."
"W-what did…" Sophie groaned, holding a hand up to her head and rubbing her head.
"The demonic soul in you was trying to take you over… that's all," Raphael shrugged, his wings spanning forth and taking off into the sky. "Didn't know you could bring the dead back to live after being dead for so long… huh…"
"What are you talking about?" she growled at him.
"Hush," he chuckled, "only talking to myself." Sophie just shook her head and closed her eyes, instantly falling into a deep slumber in his arms.
)(*&^%$#!
Raphael hummed to himself as he set Sophie back onto the white bedding, which had been changed since the other sheets had crimson red all over them. Then he smirked to himself and grabbed the white with blood coated feather into his hand, the feather disappearing as Sophie looked up at him in a tired state. "R-raphael I –"
"That's enough out of you," he huffed, pressing a finger to her lips before she could say another word. "I need to warn you that you are now down to six feathers. This is a bad number Serbus. Bad things will happen to you until you use another one of my feathers."
"Alright," she frowned, letting out a yawn and pulling the blanket over her body. "I'll take your word for it… Raphael before you go could you do one more thing?"
"Of course," he said opening the window and about to spread his wings.
"Could you… wait here till someone I trust comes by to see me?" Sophie asked. Raphael's wings drooping as he sighed and closed the window. "I don't want to be killed –"
"I will do as you ask," he smiled to her, grabbing a chair and sitting down. "Now go to sleep. You need to rest." Sophie nodded and closed her eyes, sleep taking over her in a matter of seconds as her body gave out on her. Raphael let out a sigh and grabbed a nearby book, flipping through the pages as he waited for someone to come by. Once the sky grew dark a shinigami appeared into the room, a smirk coming to Raphael's face as he looked at the visitor. "I figured you would be the one to show up," Raphael smirked as he set the book down and walked over to Sophie's bedside.
"Of course I would," the black robed shinigami said roughly, "I am her father after all."
"Good," Raphael smiled, "I can leave then?"
"You may," the Undertaker said, wrapping his hands around her body and about to pick her up.
"Now hold it," Raphael said roughly, setting the Undertaker's hands down and putting Sophie back into the bed. "You can't take her. She may die if she leaves this facility."
"She will die if she stays here," the Undertaker said in a mutual voice, "you know that."
Raphael shook his head, opening the window before leaning against the wall. "Some beings don't change huh?" he smirked, letting a sigh escape his lips as he thought. "The facility here can give her blood transfusions and clean her wounds every day. If you want to make sure she survives you will need to heal her body once a day… if not her injuries will take months to heal instead of days because of her human genetics. Blood that holds energy works the best, but even a small amount will help… whatever you plan on doing. Give her plenty of bed rest and give her time off… that's all I have to say." He opened up his wings and stared out the window, a smirk appearing on his face before he left. "I know she's your property, but don't taint her soul. She's a kind soul after all and seems to bring a bright light around this damp world of ours."
"Trust me angel," the Undertaker grinned, looking down and brushing a long nail through Sophie's dirty auburn hair, "I know how my little maiden thinks. No need to worry." Raphael nodded and took off, leaving the Undertaker in the room as Sophie rested. He sighed and noticed the wounds, humming a tune to himself as he looked over her wounds over as if she was one of his departed guests.
)(*&^%$#!
"What do you mean you don't know?" Jericho yelled at the top of his lungs and grabbed the young man he was talking to, dressed in a white doctor's coat, by the collar of his shirt and growled at him.
"A Sophia Serbus never came in –"
"Then where in gods' names is she?" Jericho threw him down, slamming his own hand into the nearby wall out of anger.
"Hey boy!" Chloe yelled at him, slapping him roughly across the head and making him cringe back annoyed. "Stop roughhousing! Look they probably didn't see her sneak in like she usually does so –" She paused, noticing a small black kitten walking on the other side of the hallway and sniffing around the room. "Come," she told him, following the kitten and leaving Jericho behind.
He groaned, quickly apologizing to the shinigami before running after Chloe. "Chloe I don't understan –"
"Look you idiot," she growled and pointed to the kitten. "Ahelie is obviously looking for her master. Now let's just follow behind slowly, calmly, carefully~…"
"Geeze," Jericho grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and followed.
"Idiot," she chuckled, following till Ahelie stopped at a door at the end of the hallway and started to scratch at the door. "Here you go Ahe," Chloe smiled, slowly opening the door for the kitten. Ahelie didn't thank her as she walked into the room, Undertaker glancing over with a widening grin on his face when the kitten jumped onto the white bed and sat between Sophie's feet.
"You're back?" the Undertaker chuckled, scratching underneath the kitten's neck. Ahelie purred happily, settling down once long nail left her chin and went back to Sophie's chest. Ahelie curled up in a ball and closed her eyes, refusing to leave Sophie's bedside. "I was wondering when you would show up young Shezmu," he chuckled as he pulled on a piece of string and cut it with scissors.
"I'll leave you two alone," Chloe said, giving a nod to the Undertaker before closing the door behind her.
Jericho gulped, slowly making his way to Sophie's bedside and cautiously seated himself on the other side of the bed. "You don't look great Mr. Jericho," the Undertaker grinned, poking the blood on his face and licking his finger. "Perhaps you want me to patch you up too?"
"No thank you Mr. Undertaker," he held up his hand, his eyes still down on Sophie. "I… I just…"
"I'm very disappointed with you Jericho Shezmu," Undertaker said in a mutual voice, dabbing the wound on Sophie's chest before wrapping a white patient scrub over her body and covered her up. "I trusted you with my most precious being and she gets injured and almost died. You need to explain why I should let this relationship between you and my daughter continue. So," he smiled again and sat back in the chair he was sitting on, "explain."
Jericho let out a sigh, moving a hand through his shaggy dark lavender gray and black hair as he thought. "I made a mistake," he confessed as he looked over at a white wall and away from the piercing green gaze behind the Undertaker's bangs. "I had Lewis watching Sophia instead of having someone who was capable of avoiding her trickery to watch her. Perhaps I should have forced her to stay in my office, but I knew she would want to work and talk among her coworkers instead of spending her time in a stuffy, small room." He shook his head and chuckled lightly, "My gods… I don't see why she loves me," he sighed. "I will be honest, I loved her once I set my eyes on her… but I don't see what she sees in a fool like me. A God of Death whose father won't even let him become the head of his family. A man who can't stand up for himself… I don't see it."
"Then you're not looking hard enough," the Undertaker said casually, causing Jericho to look over at him startled. "Sophia Serbus, a pretty name don't you think?" he grinned over at him before looking back down at Sophie and moving a hand through her dirty hair. "I've known her the day she was born and have treated her as my niece and then daughter ever since… Did you ever stop to think, Jericho Shezmu, why she wants to be with you?"
"Excuse me?" Jericho asked.
"You don't understand," he laughed heartedly before chuckling lightly and then sighing to himself. "You know her, don't you? You lost almost everyone in your family and she has lost everyone in hers. I'm guessing you saved her at one point? Of course," he grinned, noticing the startled look on Jericho's face, "I assumed she was enthusiastic when she heard you were a God of Death?"
"… How do you –"
"I have my ways," he giggled, the smile on his face decreasing as he looked at Jericho squarely in the eyes. "And you are powerful yes? Did you know that her family is forcing her to marry a God of Death?"
"Yes, but –"
"It can't be you correct? Because you're still in the parting stage?" the Undertaker chuckled. "You see Jericho, despite all these things Sophia wants to stay with you. Why you wonder? Think about it. You touched her heart and now she doesn't want you to go. She's the type of woman who will leave everything behind to be with the person she loves even if it breaks her," he grinned, "She takes after her parents correct? Especially her mother." Then he sighed, standing up and causing Ahelie to lift her head curiously and look up at him. "Do come by the mortuary sometime, but not in this condition you're in. I don't want my little maiden to feel bad about being brought back to life."
"W-what," Jericho responded. "Y-you're taking Sophie away?"
"Yes," Undertaker answered him casually, grinning as he leaned over and poked Jericho in the nose, then narrowing his eyes at him. "I don't trust her here and I can take care of her myself. If you want an example, I will act protectively, like your father, when it comes to keeping my children in the care of others." The Undertaker patted Ahelie on the head, the kitten purring happily at the attention before jumping off of the bed and sitting on the floor waiting for him. The Undertaker picked Sophie's body up and she groaned with the sudden movement, instinctively wrapping her hands around his neck and burying her head into his chest. He chuckled, noticing the frown on Jericho's face as he summoned a portal back to the human realm. "I find this relationship between my little maiden and you captivating, but if you hurt her I won't take it lightly," he grinned, a shudder going down Jericho's spine until the Undertaker let out a huff. "We do like company young Shezmu. Do come by to say hi~" he told him, disappearing into his portal with Sophie in his arms and leaving Jericho and Ahelie in the room.
"Y-yes sir," Jericho said quietly before the portal completely closed, and then looking down at the kitten once it disappeared. "Well kitten, I guess I'm going to have to heal up huh?" he chuckled, opening the door for Ahelie as she took off down the hall. Jericho let out a tired sigh, closing the door behind him and deciding to find a doctor so he could be given medical treatment.
)(*&^%$#!
!#$%^&*()
Sophie slowly opened her eyes, stretching her body and careful to not upset her healing wounds. She yawned before rubbing her eyes, looking at her surroundings to find herself in a coffin. "Dad?... Undertaker?" she knocked on the top of the lid, the lid slowly opening to reveal a grinning mortician looking down at her. "Hi…" she smiled in a tired state, lifting her body up and sitting up in the coffin.
"Hello little maiden," the Undertaker chuckled; setting the lid down on the wall, and then going over to the body he was working on to finishing him up. "You should go back to sleep –"
"Oh don't say that," Sophie huffed as she stretched again and yawned. "It's not healthy to be asleep all the time… unless you're dead I guess," she shrugged, trying to get herself out of the coffin but had to do it slowly and carefully.
The Undertaker noticed this and set his work down again, walking back over to Sophie and picking her up out of the coffin. "Let me help~ you little maiden," he chuckled, Sophie grumbling under her breath as he helped her out. Then he gently set her feet on the ground, not letting go of Sophie till he knew she could stand on her own.
Sophie set her feet down gently on the ground and steadied her hands in the Undertaker's arms, slowly pushing them away as she took a few steps forward. "Shit!" she cried out, the Undertaker grabbing her body before she fell to the ground. "God damn it!" she groaned, coughing and cursing at the pain curving through her body. "Why me?" she growled, gripping the Undertaker's arm again and trying to hold back sobs. "I can't even walk now?" she grumbled with frustration as she grits her teeth.
"It's alright little maiden," the Undertaker said holding her body close and running a comforting hand along the back of her head. "It's alright…"
"I'm sorry," she coughed, a tear rolling down her face as her unstable emotions was taking her over. "Just… Hell and… the Leviathan trying to eat me? I never had that happen… I just want to walk over to the bathroom and get this grime off of me. Is that too much to ask?" she growled at herself.
"Calm down," he chuckled, lifting her chin up and wiping away her tear. "I'll help you. That's why you're here right?"
Sophie nodded before let out an irritated sigh, letting the Undertaker carry her body down the hallway and to the bathroom. He set her down on a stool and turned on the water, letting the hot water run and gradually fill up the tub. "I haven't been this helpless since I had to leave England," she grumbled under her breath.
"Everyone~ needs help once in a while," he chuckled, Sophie still grumbling as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched as the water streamed into the tub.
"… Dad," Sophie said after a while, the Undertaker turning off the hot water and then turning on the cold water to fill up the rest of the tub with lukewarm water. "Can… I want to talk to you about everything that happened. Can I?"
"Of course you can," he chuckled, turning off the water and checking the temperature, before walking over to Sophie and putting his hands on her shoulders, "but first let's get you in the tub." Sophie nodded and let the Undertaker help her out of her clothes, which was only the white patient scrub he had put on her in the hospital. Her black cloak and bloody white robe had disappeared while Sophie was in the hospital, going back into her black haze once the Undertaker had found her something to wear.
She let the Undertaker set her down into the tub, Sophie clinging to his neck tightly and refusing to let go till she was all the way in the tub. She finally let out a relieved sigh, letting the water soak into her skin and slowly clean her wounds. "This is nice," she smiled, closing her eyes and letting her body soak for a while. The Undertaker chuckled and sat down on the stool, sitting and watching as Sophie soaked in the tub. "… Oh I should have known it was Jamal," Sophie sighed as she opened her eyes and looked up at the cobweb infested ceiling. She couldn't help but stare up at the uncleanness, a smile coming to her face as the familiarity of the building overcame her. "That darn angel… I had my suspicions too," she chuckled shaking her head and looking over at the Undertaker. "I should have known."
"Well at least it's over," the Undertaker grinned; glad to see that his little maiden was smiling again.
"No," Sophie sighed, "It's never over is it?"
"You're right," he chuckled lightly before sighing. "I can't lie about that."
"That's alright," she nodded, setting her head on the back of the tub and moving her hands through the water. "I think I have some explaining to do, don't I?"
"Probably," he giggled, smirking as he noticed that Sophie didn't try to prolong the enviable questions he had for her.
"Okay," she smiled, closing her eyes again. "Let's see… my undercover job is at Angelina Durless' house. I'm there because Grell is suspected for killing souls that aren't on the list… which he is," she chuckled.
"Oh?" the Undertaker chuckled also. "About time he broke the rules again."
"Yep," Sophie smiled. "I took the job because… well obviously because of Grell. Plus it's nicer then the other jobs I've had to do… capturing bandits and putting myself in danger 24/7. It's a nice change of pace to be a cook and butler instead of being in charge all the time," she chuckled, letting out a sigh as she felt the water soak more into her decaying skin. "Those two… I think the reason Grell is helping Angelina with the murders is because they're both barren. Grell obviously can't have children and Angelina lost the ability to have children… so they're just bitter. Though I doubt Grell will change his mind on his decision. I gave him the opportunity but," she sighed, "I know him too well."
"What will happen to him then?" the Undertaker asked, though the grin on his face as if he knew what she was going to say.
"I actually don't know," she shrugged, "but I'm going to make sure he doesn't die. Perhaps he may lose his previous title, whatever that was, but not demoted to the point he can't function or is unable to work anymore. Besides the shinigamis need as many workers as they can right now… I don't think he'll have it bad."
"How do you feel about this?" he asked, Sophie opening her eyes and looking over at him.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I could really care less. The thing is shinigamis see themselves as divine, but they're not. They're humans… have human souls and can have choices like any other human soul has. They don't have to obey orders at all… that's why they fascinate me," she chuckled, her voice slightly out of character before she coughed and sighed. "Whatever. Grell can do what he wants… he has his reasoning behind it. It's more out of spite than anything else. If only he would tell me more … dang, I feel that I missed so much around here."
"I see," he chuckled, standing up and crouching down next to the tub and treading the mucky water with the palms of his hands. "It seems you're not as harsh as your father?"
"I guess," she shrugged. "I don't like being compared to him. I'm not him. It's just that simple," she sighed in a tired way, "but no one sees that… Oh you want to know something?" Sophie said trying to change the subject, "Paul Raimondas."
"Hmmm~?" Undertaker asked.
"Yeah, little Paul," she chuckled. "That kid… I plan on sending him to the shinigami academy and training him on the side."
"Why?" he chuckled.
"He has nothing for him at home," Sophie told him, sitting up in the tub, "and he's so sweet. Intelligent too. I see a lot of promise in him, but the problem is that he's the youngest of thirteen children."
"Ah!" Undertaker nodded. "Understandable. Those Gods of Death," he chuckled, "they never see great promise right under their noses."
"Yep," Sophie grinned, "so I'm going to tutor him now or at least get him an education. Help him out a little, you know?... He… how to say it?" She thought to herself as she sat up in the tub, deciding to start cleaning her body and hair after sitting in the tub for so long. "Well," she sighed as she rubbed her body with soap, "he was the reason I fell into the Leviathan."
The Undertaker frowned, scooting over to her back and helping with getting the grim off of her back. "Did he now?" he said in a stern tone. "How?"
"He fell in," Sophie answered simply as she scooted away from the edge of the tub so he could get to her back. "It was probably his father's order. Paul could have run away, but instead he was standing right where the hole in the earth opened. It was maddening. I took the leap in and grabbed him as he fell in, getting the both of us out of there before we were swallowed up into the underworld."
He nodded in understanding, a smile coming back to his face as he finished scrubbing her back and handing her back the soap. "How horrid," he tusked, "but you shouldn't have fallen in."
"Huh?" she paused, frowning as she stopped scrubbing one of her sore legs. "You saying that falling into the abyss, which I never wanted to do in the first place, was bad because I was saving a clean soul from becoming blackened?"
"No," he chuckled, noticing the mistake he had made as she glared at him, "but the fact that you put yourself in danger… Can't a father be worried?"
Sophie blinked, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips as she looked back to her legs and cleaned them. "I forget you're my father," she sighed. "I'm used to only having myself to be worried about my welfare and safety, I guess…"
"Of course," he grinned, wrapping protective hands around her back and breathing into her ear, "but you can be yourself around me, right?"
"Yes," she giggled happily, grabbing his face with one hand and turning around to kiss his lips. He smiled, happy to see Sophie with a smile on her face as she grabbed the shampoo and cleaned her hair. "Ugh! The grime… my poor hair~" she frowned, giggling after a while as she washed the shampoo out of her hair. "Ah~ Better! All clean!" she giggled happily before suddenly groaning, "I guess we'll talk later."
"Is that so~?" he chuckled, pulling her out of the water and causing her to yelp.
"Undertaker!" she yelled, grabbing hold of his neck for dear life as he held her against his chest. "You're getting wet!"
"You think I would care?" He nuzzled his nose into her neck, Sophie giggling and squirming around in his arms. He walked her into the bedroom, setting her down on the bed as he went over to the closet and threw a towel and white shirt at her.
Sophie smiled and wiped her body and hair dry first before getting into the oversized shirt, her hair still dripping a bit as she chuckled at him. She grabbed a comb and combed through her hair, straightening it out before letting out a yawn. "Okay," she sighed, "so where am I sleeping?"
"Here I'm assuming," he said as he grabbed the towel and set it down on a nearby chair.
"Hey I'm not sleeping anywhere till I know where you will be," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at him.
The Undertaker giggled at her, the look on her face made her look like a whimpering puppy. "Well I wasn't going to sleep for another few hours," he thought to himself. "Hmm… I haven't slept in the bed for the longest time –"
"Well where are you sleeping?" she sighed, trying to stand up from the bed and walk over to him.
He ran over to her side, but Sophie shooed him away, walking on her own and chuckling triumphantly. "Okay, okay," he chuckled, wrapping his hands around her neck and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be sleeping here. Now go into that bed and sleep already."
"Oh fine," she huffed, walking back over to the bed and crawling under the sheets.
She sighed again as she wrapped the blankets around her body, a smile coming to her face when the Undertaker tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams little maiden," he whispered to her, blowing out the candle and setting it down on the dresser. Then he walked out the door, leaving Sophie alone in the room.
Sophie grumbled under her breath and closed her eyes, her eyes quickly opening again after a few minutes. "Oh great," she sighed with irritation on her lips, rolling over in the bed and looking up at the ceiling. She could never sleeps peacefully anymore, but she could just wait till Undertaker came back – She paused, looking over at the bed and noticing sapphire/golden eyes staring at her. "Ahe," she giggled, a smile coming to her face when the kitten turned into a panther and growled. "Come up on the bed please… I can't sleep," she told her, the panther meowing to her and jumping onto the bed. Ahelie wrapped her body around Sophie's and a purr escaped her lips as Sophie placed a hand on the panther's back and combed through her black fur. "Oh geeze," she sighed, unable to keep her eyes open and closed them again. "I…I –" she yawned and then chuckled, "I think I need to sleep." Ahelie purred in content, the sound of the beast's heartbeat soothing Sophie to sleep.
!#$%^&*()
"Because I could not stop for Death~
He kindly stopped for me
The Carriage held but just Ourselves
And Immortality."
The Undertaker hummed to himself, noticing that the light from a small crack in the wall had finished moving across the floor and vanished from sight. He giggled to himself, poking the body he had finished working with on the nose and closed the lid. Then he grabbed his supplies and set them in their proper places, still humming as he finished up his work.
"We slowly drove~… He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility"
Once Undertaker was done putting his supplies away he walked to his desk and pulled out a couple of papers, slipping on his thin, black glasses so he could read the forms. He chuckled. If anyone had come in and saw him looking over paperwork like he used to he would surely be gawked at or be given praise. He took out a pen and began to write, checking items off of lists and calculating his inventory for the past month as he continued to talk to himself.
"We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess~ in the Ring~~
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain~
We passed the Setting Sun~"
Then he sighed, cranking his hand as he set the last paper aside on the pile. He may be retired, but it was still hard work to keep everything properly organized, or in his own sense of properly organized. He set a third of the papers into a briefcase and the other stack in a drawer, deciding it would be best to come back to the forms at a later date. Then the Undertaker walked around to each room and blew out the candles, only leaving one in his hand as he made his way down the hallway as his giggled echoed down the uncanny halls.
"Or rather~ He passed us~~
The Dews drew quivering and chill~
For only Gossamer, my Gown~
My Tippet~ only Tulle~~"
He walked into the bedroom, noticing a black tail curl over the side of the bed. He chuckled, poking the panther on the nose to awake her. Ahelie growled at being awakened so suddenly, narrowing her eyes as she glared at the hand responsible. The Undertaker grinned and rubbed her head, pressing Ahelie's head down slightly so he could look over at the body next to the devilish panther. He smiled, watching as Sophie slept peacefully without taking a breath. He blew into her ear softly and Sophie shuddered in her sleep, getting a chuckle out of the old shinigami as he tucked her in tightly and kissed her clean hair.
"We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground~
The Roof was scarcely visible~
The Cornice~ in the Ground~~"
As he spoke, the Undertaker left the little maiden in bed, went outside, and grabbed a shovel from his decaying shed. There were several bodies he needed to place in the ground before his day was done and no one would be able to do the job except he.
"Since then~ 'tis Centuries~ and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity~"
Once he was done speaking he hummed the playful tune over in his head as he patted the churned soil back where it belonged. If anyone looked up from the street, past the gates, and up the hill they would see a man dressed in black, twirling around the gravestones with glee and giggling happily as he did. The voice echoed through the dead of the night, not a sound being peeped as he laughed. After he found approval with his work, the man made the short trip back to the morgue where he knew his little maiden was waiting for him in her eternal slumber.
!#$%^&*()
A/N: You know I don't know what compelled me to write that poem in, but I just love it so much! Plus I didn't know when I could put it into the story, so now (I guess) would be the time XD I bet there will be Undertaker and Sophie fluff next chapter, so look out for that! If you have any comments you are always welcomed to talk. TILL NEXT TIME! =3
Zerachiel – In the Book of Enoch, this is the name of one of the archangels, meaning "God's command" in Hebrew. He is an angel of healing, the sun, and children. He holds dominion over the earth, and his main duty is to lead souls to judgment
Hariel – the archangel who rules over December, the dawn and Capricorn; also the angel of tame animals and ruler of science and the arts
Kafziel – Hebrew name meaning "speedy one of God." In Jewish legend, this is the name of an angel. Unlike most of the other angels, Kafziel is a watcher, rather than a doer. He is called the angel of solitude and tears, and presides over the deaths of kings. Kafziel is associated with the Seventh Heaven, the planet Saturn, and has been worshiped by Satanists. He is also known by the Latin name Cassiel.
Janiel – angel ruling Tuesday and the east wind
Leviathan – "twisted, coiled"; sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, the Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper, Hellmouth. The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature. In literature it refers to great whales.
Raphael – Greek form of Hebrew Rephael, meaning "healed of God" or "whom God has healed." In the bible, this is the name of a son of Shemaiah and grandson of Obed-edom. In the books of Enoch and Tobit, this is the name of an archangel.
"Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson (I could not stop myself. This is one of my favorite poems of all time! It doesn't completely fit into context, but whatever. I'm just happy I finally got the poem into the story =3)