Hey Hey! This chapter is really long, almost 2,000 words! Is this too much, or did you like the shorter ones? I would really like to know!
Disclaim: Yana owns Kuro! Here ya go:
Lea cleaned every inch of the manor the next day, leaving no dust anywhere. Today the young lord was out along with Sebastian. Mei Rin and Bardroy worked in the kitchen and Finny was in the yard. Lea walked back to her room and cleaned herself up. She walked to her pond. She blushed profusely at the thought of Sebastian. He loves her? But the Undertaker! How would she figure out who she loved? Easy, Sebastian was a brother, right? No, no, no, no. She wasn't going to be the maiden in distress! Forget those two! But her decision would be a demand from the both of them. Lea decided she need to practice. She grabbed her old switch blade from her pocket. Her old masters had given it to her in hopes she would remain safe on the treacherous London streets. She ripped off the layers of her dress and her tight shoes. Thankfully she had blue bloomers under her skirt and she still had her top. She began to fight.
"Never. Again," she panted, hacking up the tree.
That one night she hadn't brought her blade with her. The night she had met the Undertaker.
She shut her switch blade and fell onto the green grass.
"Ho ho,"Tanaka said walking to her.
POOF!
"Hello, granddaughter," Tanaka greeted the tired girl. "Why are you dressed like that?"
"Sorry grandfather. I was...practicing my...um," She started.
"You strike too high. An assailant could easily disarm you," he said sipping his tea.
"Like this?"Lea said striking a tree.
"Good, but you don't need a weapon to fight,"He said.
"How do you fight like that, grandpa?" Lea asked.
"Let me teach you the basics, then you may proceed to beat the absolute crap out of these trees,"Tanaka replied.
By the end of the day, Lea successfully beat her grandfather in a spar; no holds barred.
"Good job!"Tanaka praised, giving her a hug.
"Thank you grandpa," she said.
"Now get your skirt back-"Tanaka deflated.
She was in the middle of her first skirt when Sebastian found her struggling in the grass.
"What will I ever do with you Lea?" Sebastian asked, chuckling.
Lea's face was beet red as she attempted to scramble behind a tree.
"Nope!" He said lifting her up."Here you go!"
Sebastian escorted Lea back to the manor, where Ciel was in need of dinner.
"You may go fetch the master's dinner, Lea," he told her.
"Yes, sir," she said with a curtsey.
She rushed her chores and went to bed earlier than she planned. She sat there in the dark pondering the meaning of life when "Miss Lea! We are going to France!"
Finny knocked on her door lightly.
"Finny, now?" Lea asked groggily.
"Yea ma'am! All of us!" Finny exclaimed.
"Who will look after the manor?" Lea asked in pannick.
"I thought Sebastian had a solution to that," Finny thought aloud.
"Lets go see him," Lea said grabbing Finny's hand.
"Whoa, Miss Lea!" Finny blushed. "You-y mi-ight want t-t-to change."
Lea was wearing a very light night dress.
"I suppose you are right," she replied blushing.
...
"ME?!" Lea shrieked. "Why am I too look after the manor?"
"Master insisted so," Sebastian told her.
"But Sebastian I can't stay here!" Lea wimpered.
"I'm sorry, but I must obey bochan's orders, dear Lea," he said somberly.
"Understood, but why all the chores to me?" Lea pouted.
"Oh come now! You've cleaned two wings in less than three hours, I believe you can clean the entire manor if you wanted," he smirked at her.
Lea stood there pouting looking with puppy eyes.
"I do have something for you...," Sebastian smiled.
Lea looked up, and Sebastian looked around.
"Is it possible Sebastian wants to hide something from bochan?" Lea asked mockingly.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Sebastian replied.
He swiftly pecked Lea's lips and turned around.
"Hey!" Lea complained, blushing.
"What, that not good enough for you?" Sebastian asked, still turned around.
"Well I didn't really give you permission, did I?" Lea replied flustered.
"No, but I hope you liked it anyway," Sebastian replied walking off.
Lea briskly walked to her pond.
"AHHHH!"she screamed into the air.
She began to assault a nearby tree.
"JERKFACE, JERKFACE!"she continued.
She finally collapsed on the ground.
I thought I didn't like him! So why does he fluster me!? I think don't that's fair to me leaving me to boil over what happened!
She headed back to the manor and begun her tedious work.
Chapter 15
Lea finished her chores for the day, so she locked up the manor, left Pluto guarding, and rode a horse to get to London.
She had a little money Ciel had permitted her, so she went shopping.
"A bone for Plu-Plu, a bow for me...," Lea selected fairly cheap items with care.
"Now for dinner!" Lea cheerfully told herself.
The market was crowded and bustling with hagglers. Chicken, carrots, potatoes...
"There we go!" She said carting her goods out of the market.
"What else to do...," she mumbled to herself. "Aha! I know. Lets go visit the Undertaker!"
She trotted excitedly down the wet streets of London to the gloomy shop.
She arrived to find the shop empty.
"Hmmmm. I'll put on some tea!" She said to herself with enthusiasm.
She dug a canister of her cheap Jade tea out of her shawl and found a little kitchen within the gloomy shop.
When her tea had finished, she heard the front door open. A throat clean rattled the atmosphere.
"Hello!" She greeted the person, thinking it was the Undertaker.
"Who?" A very red person replied spinning around.
This woman, er, man was dressed in a peculiar manner with copious amounts of scarlet.
"Oh! Excuse me, I thought you were...someone else," she replied, her enthusiasm shot down.
"So he picked another one up?" the man, er, woman asked aloud.
"Another what?" Lea asked.
"Nevermind...," he, she, it said.
"Might I ask, who are you?" Lea inquired.
"The name is Grell, miss," he, she, it said looking uninterestedly at he, she, it's nails.
"Anyway, just popped in for a visit, but he isn't here, so bye!" Grell skipped to the door.
"Wait! Would you like some tea? I mean... I made it fresh and...um... I wouldn't like to waste an entire pot!" she called hopefully.
"Well, I have...," he, she, it replied trailing off into a small pocket book he,she, it had pulled out. "Sure! I have a few minutes!"
"Lovely!" Lea exclaimed.
The pair sat and enjoyed a decent cup of tea. Small conversation was made, proper introductions and such.
"My I love your coat!" Lea gushed, immediately clamping her hand over her mouth.
"Oh, thank you! I love it too! Such a tragic story behind it as well!" Grell responded sounding extremely flattered. "Oh would you look at that! Time for me to go!"
"Oh, thank you for joining me," Lea curtsied. "By the way, are you a shinigami?"
Grell choked loudly on his, her, its last sip of tea.
"How did you know that?" He, she, it spluttered.
"Well, you have the same eyes, well close, to my Undertaker's," Lea replied embarrassedly.
"Lovely observation, but you weren't supposed to know. Nothing is better than forbidden knowledge or love!" Grell squealed." I won't tell on you. Bye-bye!"
Grell careened out the door in girlish squealed.
Lea found herself exhausted, and the sun was already down.
"I can't go home now!" She whined to herself.
Lea wandered around the gloomy little place, and she found a little bedroom.
"Well, couldn't hurt,"she yawned, undoing her corset.
She had completely forgotten her location as soon as her tired head hit the pillow.
In the morning, Lea's eyes fluttered open to bright sunlight and a familiar face too close for comfort.
"Gah!" She shrieked accidentally cracking her forehead on his.
"Owie!" The Undertaker complained rubbing his forehead.
"Likewise, don't sneak up on me like that!" Lea scolded.
"You were sleeping!" He retorted.
"Even more reason for you to not sneak up on me!" She replied.
"Well I can't let a guest in without knowing about it! Who let you in anyway?" he demanded.
"I let myself in! You weren't here, so I put on some tea. I had a guest, so I entertained! It was too dark for me to walk home, so I stayed," she explained, still a bit irked.
"Excuse me for wanting to know whose in my house," he chuckled sarcastically.
Lea looked around, avoiding his gaze.
"Wait. Did you stay in here last night!?" She pannicked looking at the other side of the bed. The sheets were tousled about and a pair of glasses sat on the nightstand.
"This is the only bed in the house," he replied.
Lea's face turned scarlet red at the gravity of her situation. He had just woken up! He wore a loose gray nightgown and a black cap.
"Sorry for intruding!" She apologized hastily.
Her current attire made her even more embarrassed as she exited the bed room looking for the nearest bathroom.
"Third door on your right!" He yelled from the room.
The hallway was quite narrow and dusty, the doors were numerous, but Lea found her way. She tidied herself and walked downstairs.
"I should be on my way," she said.
"Ok, but allow me to escort you," the Undertaker replied.
"It's broad daylight, I will be fine," she said hurrying out of the shop.
"I insist," he demanded, grabbing her arm.
"I said I will be fine!" She blushed, pulling away.
"Please," he begged taking her hand.
"No!" She shouted.
"Why not, dear?"he asked.
"Why n- DEAR!?" she pannicked."Since when have I been your dear?"
"Oh, be quiet and let me escort you," he blushed.
She wrapped her arm around his, not looking at him whatsoever.
They trekked slowly up the cobble street and around many buildings.
"Say, isn't London so exciting?" the Undertaker asked.
"What do you mean?" Lea replied.
"Just the hustle of the towns folk and the great lives they lead," he said looking at her.
"I see what you mean," she responded.
"Question, what do you think of London, and big cities, such as these?"the Undertaker asked.
"Everyone has their own life, own decisions, and own struggles,"Lea said.
"So, does that mean everyone is alone in life?" The Undertaker asked.
"No, but there is a certain amount of isolation," she said. "Every person thinks."
"This I what I love about you," he said nonchalantly, but then realized his faux pas and looked the other way.
"What do you love about me? Try to be honest," she asked.
"Well...um...your deep eloquent thoughts, your charming wit...your tender, yet firm concern for others...your dazzling smile, the way you try and act tough, your jokes, your deep eyes..."he replied blushing. "And you?"
"A.h...h...-haha...Y-y-your humor...o-o-outstanding char-r-m a-and personality, y-your smile, and the way you hold your hands when you speak-"
Lea suddenly remembered Sebastian's parting gift.
"I can't," Lea whispered.
"Can't what?" the Undertaker asked.
"Let me go please," she asked, her mind racing a thousand miles a second."The chores...Plu-Plu... Sebastian."
"But, Lea!" he whined.
"Bye!" she called.
"Let me see you again!" the Undertaker yelled to her.
"Yes...No...Maybe?!" she yelled running to the town stables.