"There, finished," Katia said as she finished putting makeup on the newest customer. Despite working for a short time with the Undertaker, she could see why he was so obsessed with death. Each dead body was a work of art in itself and they only made it more majestic with a bit of makeup and a fresh suit or dress for their funeral. Even the stitches on their wounds were just special details that didn't hinder its beauty. As a Grim Reaper, she was never able to just admire a body of a human since she was always on the go to get the next soul on her To-Die list. Now, she has a new appreciation for them and if she ever retired, she might want to become a mortician herself. Hopefully that kind of business will still be in need in the future; humanity constantly evolves and while it is amazing, some Reapers miss the old ways of humanity back when technology wasn't so advanced. They try to evolve as well, but Reaper technology is far more advanced than human technology, so when humanity evolves, it's more like they're catching up.
"I say, you've gotten a lot better at painting the canvases, haven't you?" Undertaker said as he walked up to her and admired the body.
"Thank you, sir," she said with a smile before putting the brush down.
"How many times have I told you that you don't need to be so formal with me? 'Undertaker' is just fine with me," he said with a giggle.
"S-Sorry. It's habit I guess. I can't help it," she said as she walked away from the body and sat on a coffin. "In about three days, my rehabilitation will be over and I must return to America. . . . I can't believe it's almost time."
"Oh, you're right. I'd hate to see such a big help around here go, but you were only a temporary recruit and since your target is terminated, you have no reason to stay."
"Yeah . . . ," she said as she looked down. She didn't like to be reminded that Lilliana's brother, Bastille, was the target she was supposed to kill, the only reason why she came here in the first place. Not only did she not plan on falling in love with the target's sister, but she did not think she would ever make a deal with said target and to top it off, she didn't even have the honor of killing him or sparing his life; he was tragically killed in the fire of London. Or at least, that's what Lilliana told her that day. She remembered how hard she was trying to hold back tears, but eventually, she started crying. She had never seen her so broken in her life and it was heartbreaking. But now, she had to leave to go to America. She hoped she could talk with Lilliana before she left, but so far, neither she nor her young master and that butler have stopped by the shop for any information. She always feared for Lilliana, even when there seemed to be no reason for it.
She couldn't imagine how Lilliana felt, but she can empathize her with her loneliness, namely because she was called a Rogue Reaper because of her connections with demons. She pulled out her katana Death Scythe and was reminded of who she really was: a demon huntress. When she was still in training, a demon befriended her and eventually, he gave her the katana to fight demons. What he didn't tell her was it would become a contract: for every creature slain with this katana, the demon would gain its power. She didn't realize she was doing so and when she did, it was already too late: he turned against her and went on a killing spree in New York. Eventually, the demon hunter at the time came to the rescue, but unfortunately, he killed and was killed by the demon. Katia felt guilty for letting this happen, but she proved herself in combat when she learned that the strength of the fallen demons was passed to her. Despite being a Rogue Reaper, she would become a demon huntress sent to various part of the United States and eventually London.
Although she is very important in the Reaper Realm, she still receives prejudice from her peers. Whether she is called a traitor, monster, or even demon, many people would not work with her, forcing her to be a solo demon huntress rather than the usual group of demon hunters, though, she proved that she didn't need a group since she had strength far superior to other demon hunters. Still, she understood completely what Lilliana goes through every day. Although she herself never tried to become a demon and went through the brutal rehabilitation she heard horror tales of, she knew what Lilliana went through when no one would want to work with her because of what people believed she was. Red eyes were usually a dead give away of people who were in close contact with demons and the only time Katia's would show was in pure hatred, which she has controlled expertly throughout the years. However, she feared that Lilliana would never be able to control her demonic instincts enough to control her eyes.
"You all right, dearie?" Undertaker asked curiously.
Katia looked up to him. "A-Actually, I-," However, they were interrupted by the doorbell and they turned to see who was their newest customer, but were surprised to see a familiar face. "W-W-W-William?!"
"Nice to see you, Ms. Vendoa," William said in a subtle lying tone. Even though she wasn't a nuisance since she was rehabilitated, he still hasn't quite forgiven her for making a deal with a demon. Even Undertaker didn't seem to appreciate his unexpected visit, but kept that unnerving smile.
"Wh-What brings you here?" Katia asked nervously, afraid of what he would say. It took a lot of convincing for her to even work at the shop rather than stay cooped up in a colorless room. "Y-You never visit this place."
"I won't waste much of your time. I was wondering if you two have seen Ms. Kiliamo recently."
"Sh-She isn't with you?" Katia asked in a worried tone.
"Well, she hasn't stopped by for a nightly chat in a while. Besides, I think you should ask the young lord and his butler before coming to us," Undertaker said, now showing a concerned look on his face.
"I would, but I'm afraid they are not at home at the moment. Besides, I would rather ask you then come into contact with a demon," he said as he pushed his glasses back.
"Well you should if you want to find her. She's either with you or with him, so it would be wise to talk to him!" Katia said in an outburst, surprising both William and Undertaker.
"Ms. Vendoa, you must calm down. Must I remind you that you are still in rehabilitation?"
"Well, she does have a reason to be angry. When is the last time you saw her, Willy?" Undertaker said with a giggle.
He sighed before saying, "She left to collect souls a couple of nights ago, but never returned. In fact, she didn't even collect the souls she was assigned to. She didn't exhibit any unusual behavior before she left and none of the other Reapers have seen her since."
"Let me help you find her," Katia begged.
"I'm sorry, but that would be unnecessary. Knowing her, she is deliberately skipping work because of that demon and brat."
"And why would she do that when she knows what the consequences are?! Plus, if Sebastian doesn't know where she is, then something must have happened to her! After all, she doesn't even have her brother to protect her," she said with tears forming in her eyes.
"I understand your concern, Ms. Vendoa, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to-,"
Suddenly, they heard a loud crash outside the shop, shaking them out of their talk. "What the hell is going on over there?" she asked.
"Dammit, Knox," William said as the two of them rushed out to find the source of the noise. Soon, they saw a dark shadow jump from roof to roof above her followed by yet another shadow . . . that had a lawnmower? Wait, A LAWNMOWER?!
"Ugh! Come on, give me a break," the blonde male Reaper said as Sebastian jammed his lawnmower Death Scythe with his knives. "It's totally busted."
"I don't believe we've met before," Sebastian said as he kept his distance from the Reaper that tried to attack him.
"Yeah, hi. The name's Ronald Knox, the next diehard Grim Reaper," he said as he did a pose that was very similar to a certain redhead's. After a moment of silence, Ronald continued, "Yeah, that's just so wrong. Senior Sutcliff said I needed a catchphrase, so I had a girl from the General Affairs departments think one up."
"Don't worry about it. Today, that catchphrase will end along with you," Sebastian said as he prepared his knives for another attack. "I assume your bureau is acting because of strange soul movements? Perhaps the soul of a deceased called Alois Trancy has proven unrecoverable, for instance?"
"Indeed," another voice said from up above. Sebastian barley had enough time to dodge the pruner Death Scythe that was aimed for his head. "I might have known you'd be involved, Sebastian Michaelis," William said before extending his Death Scythe to attack him again. "Good grief. Thanks to Grell Sutcliff, I have to work overtime again!" Sebastian did his best to fend off all of William's attacks before Ronald could get his Death Scythe to work again.
"All right. Now, let's get this over with! You can bet I'm not working overtime," Ronald said in his boyish charm before he tried to strike his lawnmower on Sebastian's head, but missing and nearly striking William by mistake.
"Ronald Knox, do you intend to kill me with your Death Scythe as well?" Will said in his surprisingly still monotone voice.
"Oh, did I cross the line? Sorry, I'm at that mischievous age," Ronald said apologetically.
"A Grim Reaper must judge situations swiftly and accurately. Are those spectacles just for show?"
"Even I'm at a disadvantage against two Reapers," Sebastian said as he tried to escape midair while the two Reapers were bickering below.
"Make that three," Katia said as she tried to slice him in the air, but missed. He threw his knifes at her and she blocked most of them, but one of them wasn't meant to hit her. They both looked as they saw that one of the knives managed to remove William's spectacles clean off his face. Sebastian found this to be a perfect distraction for his escape, but Katia kept following him, leaving them behind.
"Sir, he's getting away," Ronald said as he was about to chase them.
"My spectacles . . . My spectacles," William said in a frantic voice as he kneeled on the ground to find them.
"Um, shouldn't we follow Katia's lead and stop him before he's gone?"
"Failure to understand the importance of a Reaper's spectacles is grounds for a pay cut!" William yelled as he pointed to Ronald . . . or at least tried to, but was pointing at no one thanks to his near blindness.
"Er, I don't even know where to begin."
Meanwhile, Sebastian was still fighting Katia on the rooftops of London. She tried her hardest to kill the demon, but he was a skilled efighter as well. Although she had no real reason to kill him, compared to Bastille, she still viewed him as her rival. Sebastian could only do so much with forks and knives against a katana Death Scythe. Plus, she was trained in the art of demon killing, so he knew it would be much more difficult for him to kill her. Also, killing a deity, even one on the offensive, had more consequences that he would rather not deal with. "Ms. Vendoa, I don't have time for this. My young master is in need of my protection," he said as he threw yet another wave of forks and knives, but she dodged them all.
"I don't care about that little brat. You know that for damn sure," she said as she tried strike him with her katana, but instead sliced a roof when he moved out of the way. He tried to strike her with another wave of silverware, but she spun her katana so it could be a shield against it.
"You know killing me won't restore your reputation, right?"
"No, but there must be a reason why my colleagues attacked you. What did you do to provoke them this time?"
"You have my word that I did not even speak with them without that young idiot trying to kill me with a lawn mower. Just because I'm a demon, they assumed I was the one tampering with a certain soul they were collecting."
"They attacked first?" she asked as she stopped chasing him, but soon resumed as she said, "They might have attacked first, but your kind isn't welcomed here. I bet you're the one who made Lilliana disappear," she said. At those words, Sebastian froze, long enough for her to get close to him, but not long enough for her to land a hit. As she swung her katana, he blocked it with knives.
"So, she hasn't been in your Realm either?"
"Wait, you don't know where she is?" she said, letting her guard down. It was enough for him to kick her away from him. However, he noticed the worry in her face and decided it would be wiser to talk to her rather than fight her.
"Last time I saw her, she was on her way to her Reaper duties," he said as he calmly walked toward her.
"And according to William, she reported for work, but never completed her assignment," she said as she got up, not letting her guard down again.
"I was convinced she was with your kind, but if she's not with them or with us, then where is she?"
"I-I don't know," Katia said worriedly. However, Sebastian looked in a direction away from her and she looked his way. They noticed that several miles away was an asylum for the criminally insane. Based off of his cold expression, she asked, "Do you think she's in there?"
"I'm not sure, but I know that my young master is. For now, he is the top priority. Besides, I believe Lilliana can handle herself."
"Does it not worry you even a little bit that she hasn't returned from her assignment. My gods, demons are so selfish."
Sebastian chuckled a bit. "Only now have you figured that out?" Katia gritted her teeth at the question, but the two rushed to the asylum. As they reached the area, they noticed something was off. For starters, there were dead bodies lying at the entrance of the building, all of them having forks and knives lodged into them. Even more troubling was the fact that they were all staff members of the asylum. However, they didn't have much time to think about what happened as bullets started firing toward them. Luckily, they dodged in time, but they soon realized that Hannah was the one firing the machine gun.
"I apologize for not sending someone to fetch you, Sebastian, but I didn't realize you would bring a dog to accompany you," she said.
"Why you -," Katia said, almost pouncing at her, but Sebastian stopped her.
"No need. Your invitation was easy enough to understand. This is the exact center of the web you laid with these eye-gouging attacks." Sebastian said, but Hannah soon started firing again. Luckily for them, even as a demon, her aim was nowhere near as good as Mey-Rin's, which may have been because of her bandaged eye, but not so far off that they shouldn't worry. Katia spun her Death Scythe again to shield her from any bullets aimed toward her, but soon, she would have to stop. Sebastian just simply dodged any bullets heading his way, not wanting to get in Katia's way.
They dodged for a while until Hannah finally ran out of bullets, forcing her to rip off the top of her dress to expose her cleavage. However, before she could pull out her gun, Sebastian punched her right in the stomach, forcing her to fall to her knees. As she fell, Sebastian caught her and patted her down, searching for any other weapons, but as he reached inside her dress to get the pistol, Katia yelled, "You really are a pervert, aren't you?" However, once she saw him pull out the gun, she continued, "Oh, I guess there was a reason for . . . that."
"She is a sheath that holds a demon's sword. She is bound to have weapons on her if not IN her. Now, tell me, why would someone so powerful be obeying Claude?" he asked, but noticed soon enough that the demon sword was not inside her. Claude must have it with him.
"Claude . . . ," Hannah tried to say, but Katia grabbed her throat and held her up in the air, making sure it was difficult for her to breathe. Even Sebastian was impressed by her ruthlessness, but she had her reasons for doing so.
"We have a contract. Even if he's taken from me, he is still my young master. None of you can ever so much as taste his soul," Sebastian threatened.
"Navy and . . . midnight blue . . . Two very similar memories . . . True, none of us can so much as taste him, not while he's still entirely your young master," Hannah said with a smirk.
Sebastian was shocked to hear that, but Katia wasn't satisfied. She gripped tighter as she asked, "Since you seemed to be well acquainted with this despicable vermin, then you must surely know where Lilliana is. Now, where the fuck is she?"
Hannah chuckled as she said, "She's one of us now." Katia's eyes turned red and was about to choke her to death, but Sebastian stopped her.
"Now is not the time," he said as calmly as he could, but it was clear he was angry as well. However, he had to admit that it was frightening to see her eyes red. He had never seen them before or even realized she was a Rouge Reaper, but those eyes were definite proof. With a scoff, she threw Hannah to the other side of the roof, making sure she would land hard.
"Once we find your young master, we are going to find Lilliana. No alterations," she said as she descended down to enter the asylum. He wasn't even going to argue and followed her since he knew how angry she was and could possibly kill him with her newfound strength. Once they were inside, Sebastian started running to where he sensed his young master would be, followed by Katia, but someone blocked their way. It wasn't the triplets or Hannah or even Claude; it was a stranger they had not met before. They wore a red billowy shirt with tight black slacks and matching red and black boots. They also wore a black hooded cape with red embroidery along the hem. Finally, they wore a red bandana that hid most of their face, except for the blood red eyes. The stranger pulled out the demon sword that was once inside Hannah and Katia's eyes widened.
"I'm certain we have never met, but would you kindly step out of the way so we may pass?" Sebastian asked in his usual gentlemanly tone, but the figure did not hesitate in trying to attack the duo. They managed to dodge just in time, but only barely. Sebastian threw wave after wave of silverware at the stranger, but they managed to block every fork and knife with the demon sword. The swordsmanship reminded him of how Bastille Kilia would fight against him, but he was dead, or at least, his body was. It would be impossible for him to return. Katia tried striking them with her katana, but the figure was quite skilled in sword fighting that they gave Katia a hard time defending. Still, she managed to not get injured and did not have to fight her alone. In the midst of their fighting, Sebastian would try to land some punches and kicks on the figure, but they dodged effortlessly. If anything, they had a harder time dodging her attacks than the other way around.
"They're pretty good," Katia admitted as the figure once again tried striking at her feet, but she luckily dodged in time. Soon, they clashed swords and were close to each other for Katia to realize the familiarity in her eyes. Those red eyes . . . she has seen them before. Was she a demon she fought before? Not likely since she killed almost every target assigned to her, but one of her targets. Was it Bastille? No, since he was dead, at least, that's what Lilliana told her, but she would never lie about that. Wait . . . those red eyes seemed to be unique, unlike any she had seen on any other demon. No, it couldn't be . . .
"Katia, move out of the way," Sebastian said as he prepared for another silverware attack.
"No, wait, it could be Lil-," she tried to say, but the figure sliced her back with the demon sword, forcing her to fall on her knees in pain. It wasn't too deep to kill, but deep enough to cause some serious damage. They would have finished killing her, but all three of them could hear Ciel's scream from inside the room that the figure was protecting. They all looked at the door, but that gave a perfect opportunity for Sebastian to pin the figure to the wall with forks and knives. He then got close to the figure and removed the hood and bandana, revealing her true identity.
"Lilliana!" Sebastian said with shock. However, she spat at his face, making him move back and he soon wiped her spit off with a handkerchief.
"I will not let you lay a finger on my young master, you monster!" Lilliana yelled with rage in her voice. "All you've ever done is cause him so much pain and heartache! And not just for him, but for me as well, you murderer! Bastille would have been alive today if you didn't kill him!"
"What are you talking about?" he asked in confusion. He couldn't figure out why she was saying such things. What did they do to her to act this way?
"L-Lily . . . it's us . . . ," Katia said weakly as she tried to get up, but she would have fallen to the floor if Sebastian didn't catch her.
"Oh, and don't think that I haven't forgotten about you and your kind. You bastards tried to change me, but I know the truth now."
"What truth? Whatever they have been telling you is all a lie," Sebastian said in a worried tone that was unlike him. However, she pulled herself from the wall, ripping her clothes in the process to try and finish them, but before she could land a hit on them, the door opened, revealing Ciel and Claude.
"You have done a magnificent job protecting our young master, Ms. Bastida," Claude said. "But I believe that's enough for now."
"Bastida?" Sebastian asked under his breath, but soon remembered that she used the alias Lily Bastida when she was working undercover at the Trancy manor.
"But it's better to rid ourselves of the vermin as soon as possible before they become a problem we can't control," she said as she lifted the sword up to strike them, but Claude held her arm back.
"I said that's enough. We don't want to ruin our image in front of the young master," he said, soon smirking at Sebastian and Katia. "I don't know what's a more pathetic sight: a Grim Reaper being held up by a demon or a demon seeking help from a Grim Reaper."
Lilliana sighed before lowering her weapon and walking toward Ciel. "If this backfires, I am going after you next."
"I assure you, everything will be fine. After all, you wouldn't hurt the person who freed you from your Reaper chains and revealed the true demon that you are." She scoffed as she looked bitterly at Sebastian and Katia.
"Young master, it's time to go-," Sebastian said as he tried to touch his young master, but he ran away from him in both anger and fright.
"Don't touch me!"
"Young master?"
"So you were the one who killed my parents, Sebastian Michaelis?!"
They looked at him with shock, but soon, Sebastian looked at Claude, with a smug grin on his face, and put the pieces together. "I didn't predict you mixing their memories. A ploy that would cloud the soul's taste never occurred to me," he said to Claude. "He's completely soaked. Did you dip him in a medicine to confuse him?" He looked at Lilliana, who had the same hatred in her eyes as Ciel did. "And you must have used it on her as well, didn't you?"
"Should I answer that, Master?" Claude said cockily.
Sebastian was appalled to hear him address Ciel like that, but was shocked to hear Ciel say, "No need." Claude soon walked to Ciel before he yelled to Sebastian, "This is an order: get out of my sight!"
Both Sebastian and Katia were in shock to hear him say something so cruel to the demon that carried out his every wish so faithfully. They didn't know what to do at this point.
Sebastian even tried walking toward Ciel to talk sense into him, but was stopped when Lilliana drew her sword at him, blocking him. "To a butler, the master's orders are absolute. I suggest you leave right now."
He had no choice. All he could do was bow to his master and leave the room, even carrying Katia out since she couldn't walk. She couldn't believe he was willing to do this and not fight for his young master, but even more surprisingly, for Lilliana. He even stopped to look back and see if there was anyway to help them, but all he could see was Lilliana closing the door, shooting daggers of hatred out of her eyes. "Sebastian! What are you doing? You're not going to let them get away with this, are you?"
"I'm afraid, we have no other choice. My master's orders are absolute and he wished me out of his sight."
"But your kind always find loopholes in these things. I'm sure you could get him back if you tried."
"Not in your condition, Ms. Vendoa. Your fighting skills proved to be useful at a time like this, so if we want to claim is rightfully mine, you must be able to fight."
She sighed as she said under her breath, "I can't believe I'll be working with a demon again."
He ignored her comment as he said to himself, "I took a shamefully long time to prepare dinner and now look what's happened," Sebastian said as a dark mist surrounded him, terrifying Katia to the point that she wiggled her way out of his arms. Luckily, Reaper regeneration gave her back enough strength to stand and walk on her own, but she didn't know what that mist could do if it touched her.
"S-Sebastian?" she asked in a genuinely worried tone.
"Delaying dinner is absolutely not allowed. However, first, as butler to the Phantomhive, I must clear away the spider webs. That's plain."
"You do realize there is more at stake than just your fucking soul?" Katia said, but not too demanding that it could anger Sebastian. Again, she feared what that mist could do. She knew Ciel was his top priority, but for her, Lilliana was. They had to break her out of the trance somehow.
"I understand, but she's part of the problem. It would be far easier to retrieve the young master then her."
"Still, if we can get her on our side, it would make your stupid retrieval mission easier. I don't know what those bastards have done to her to turn on us, but they're not going to get away with this!"
"For once, I agree with you, Ms. Vendoa, but we must create a plan to ensure we will be successful. We cannot just rush in, ready for a fight, and expect to win, especially with Lilliana by their side."
She sighed. "You're right, but we cannot wait forever. If there is any chance to save her, we have to do it as soon as we can before it's too late."
What has happened to Ciel and Lilliana? Can Sebastian and Katia save them from Claude's plan? How will these rivals work together? Reviews are appreciated.