Mutual Friends of Death (Undertaker Romance)

The Duel

A/N Hello, everyone! Since I did not get much of a response as to which story I should write next, I went ahead and wrote prologues for three different stories. I will not have a regular update schedule for any of them unless it is specifically requested. I may update them occasionally depending on what I feel like writing. In other words, if you like them and want me to continue with the story, please comment, vote, or do anything else that lets me know for sure you want to read them! The three new stories are Light From The Shadows, The Love of Monsters, and Breaking the Silence. Please check them out! Also, sorry for the long note, but here is the next update for this story! I hope you enjoy! Please comment, vote, share, etc! I would love to hear from you!

Undertaker sat down as soon as a chair was made available. After experiencing both methods of travel, his legs were a little shaky. He immediately began to eat the food the demon butler brought him as soon as it arrived. He profusely complimented him on his cooking ability which made the butler and his master smirk proudly. Raduriel rolled her eyes and walked out to take her place on what would become their field of battle. She returned her sword to its sheath before turning to call out for the raven.

"Well, Sebastian, let's have a bit of fun, shall we?" Both the boy and the butler stiffened, one in dislike for the woman and one with a touch of fear. The Phantomhive boy gave his butler one final order before sending his butler to fight.

+I order you to win, Sebastian.+ The servant bowed slightly.

%I shall try my best, my lord. I ask that you do not invite the others outside to watch. It will only make it more difficult for everyone involved.% The young Earl did not give him a response, so the butler walked down and stood about twenty feet away from his opponent. Raduriel grinned at him.

"Ready, Sebastian?" He simply bowed his head in her direction before beginning his attack, throwing a few silver knives at her with extreme precision. She laughed as she deflected them with her sword, drawing it so fast that Undertaker and the boy both missed her movement to do so. Sebastian already had other knives held between his fingers, near the knuckles, in one hand. She grinned and tilted her head as she watched him. Her posture seemed almost completely relaxed as if she truly did not doubt she would win this fight.

"A very interesting choice of weapon, Sebastian. Do you collect those after every fight and wash them before reusing them, or does your 'master' spend a small fortune replacing them?" Sebastian did not respond to her banter with words. He simply used his incredible speed to appear behind her with the knives at her throat. Ciel smirked with pride until he heard her start to chuckle.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play, Sebastian? Alright, we can move this along faster if you're in such a hurry. She slammed her armored boot onto his foot and made him cringe as she grabbed the knives with her free hand. She crushed them before snapping the blades off of the handles. She spun out of his grip and Ciel's jaw dropped. She pointed the tip of her blade at his throat and showed him her unhurt hand. She smirked.

"Did you honestly think such pathetic human creations would be able to hurt me? You can do so much better than this, Sebastian. Come on, offer me a challenge!" He ducked by her blade and went to punch her abdomen, but received a strong kick to the chest instead. He flew about ten feet, hit the ground hard, and rolled for an additional five. Undertaker was a bit stunned by how the fight was going. He knew she was powerful, but Sebastian's fighting abilities were nothing to joke about either. Yet, here she was, treating this as if it was a game. Sebastian seemed clearly outmatched. Undertaker glanced over at the young earl. The boy was gripping his cane tightly and glaring at the woman. He kept muttering encouragement to his butler, but it sounded as if he was aware that Sebastian would not be able to follow his order to win. Raduriel did not pursue her fellow demon after kicking him. He groaned lightly as he picked himself off of the ground. He then glanced at the members of their audience before finally speaking.

%My lord, please close your eyes and do not open them until I say so.% Ciel started in surprise at his servant's words. He did not think Sebastian would resort to such measures, but nodded and granted his request. Undertaker giggled and covered the boy's eyes, even though one was already covered by his eyepatch, to show the participants that he would ensure the boy fully complied with the petition. Undertaker grinned to see what the butler would do while Raduriel watched with her head tilted, also interested. Sebastian shifted into his true form, wings and all. Undertaker raised an eyebrow, slightly astonished at the choice of shoes being somewhat similar to his own. Raduriel chuckled, and it slowly turned into a full-blown cackle.

"Finally! Let's have some fun!" Both of the demons moved at speeds a human would not be able to follow, and even Undertaker--as a reaper--found it difficult at times. Raduriel did not change her own form but used her sword to deflect his claws. The fight between them was quite a bit more balanced now. Neither landed a substantial blow, just a few cuts that quickly healed. Undertaker watched utterly fascinated by their skill and fighting style. Sebastian moved with more beastly savagery while Raduriel moved with exact precision, using just enough speed and strength as was necessary. However, she did not take into account just how far her fellow demon would go in order to fulfill his master's orders. He let out a burst of strength with a guttural growl that caught his opponent off guard. She stumbled backward and Undertaker saw the vague silvery outline of something just behind her. While she was off balance, Sebastian moved behind her. The screech of his claws on her armor was nigh unbearable but was quickly replaced with a bloodcurdling scream erupting from Raduriel's throat once Sebastian's attack reached the silvery outline. Both of the onlookers cringed at the sound, which Undertaker thought was one of the worst he had heard in his long life. A silver blast of magic exploded from Raduriel as she fell to her knees, and it smacked Sebastian across the field until he hit a stone statue with enough force to break it off of its pedestal. She struggled to use her sword as a cane to get back on her feet. Sebastian shook his head to clear it from her magic and looked over to see her struggle. He sighed.

%Raduriel, please. Just yield. I have to do what I must in order to fulfill my master's orders. I will use any means necessary to do so.% She growled deeply as she finally reached her feet.

"By any rules, that was an incredibly cheap move, Sebastian. I will not be held responsible for what happens next. You brought this upon yourself. Undertaker, I would appreciate it if you looked away and did not watch." Undertaker sighed in slight disappointment but allowed Ciel--who was all too eager to return the favor--to cover his eyes. Both blinded audience members flinched at the sound of a bestial roar followed by a more uncertain growl in response. Undertaker then heard what sounded to him like Raduriel yelling at Sebastian in the language he did not understand, scolding him. This was followed by the sound of ripping clothes and flesh and whimpers in pain. Both Ciel and Undertaker had stretched the limits of their patience by the time Raduriel gave them permission to look once more. They quickly uncovered the other's eyes and were rather shocked by the scene that met them. Raduriel looked relatively unharmed as she sat on the pedestal that had held the statue. Sebastian, on the other hand, was lying on the ground in a small pool of his own blood, once again in his usual appearance. His uniform had been ripped in many places, and his white shirt was red from the liquid pouring from his wounds. Raduriel used her sword, now in its sheath, to help her stand. She was glaring up at those who had pushed for this fight to take place.

"Neither is officially the winner, for neither will claim complete victory and neither will yield. Sebastian has not failed in his mission to carry out the order of his master, simply moved its fulfillment to a later time, for neither wishes to continue at this time. Sebastian will be taking a bit of time off from work in order to recover, and I shall be staying here in the meantime to aid in those efforts." Ciel was still too stunned from the state of his butler in order to respond to Raduriel's commands. Her eyes turned silver as a similarly colored sheen appeared around her former opponent. He disappeared, and she slowly made her way up the stairs, still using her sword as support. Undertaker recovered from his shock before the Phantomhive boy did, and he quickly ran over to Raduriel. He stopped in front of her, turned around, and picked her up to give her a ride on his back. She let out a squeak in surprise but did not protest as he carried her the rest of the way up the stairs and into the manor. He followed her directions to the door to Sebastian's room and set her on her feet outside of it, all while the lord of the manor remained paralyzed from shock. She smiled weakly at him.

"Thank you, Undertaker. Could you do me another favor and bring some warm water and clean towels?" He grinned at her before bowing and imitating the raven-haired butler.

~Yes, my lady.~ She chuckled lightly and stepped into the room as he ran off to find her requested supplies.