This is a sequel to Kuro Kishi, Shiro Pōn : Black Knight, White Pawn and Kuro Kishi : Akuma no Joō Black Knight : Dark Queen. If you have not yet read these two stories, I strongly suggest that you do.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, Black Butler, or Doctor Who. They, and their characters, belong to their respective creators.
Please note: I'm mainly basing this story off of the manga for both Black Butler and Fruits Basket, but will use references and such from the anime on both where it is needed to further the story. With that said, please enjoy the story.
Also, I am still currently writing this but will try to stay ahead of myself. I hope to upload a chapter a week, of varying lengths.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound came again, always three taps followed by several seconds of silence. It was annoying, even with the storm raging outside, a storm that hadn't let up for over a day now. "Sebastian, can't you do something about that?" Ciel Phantomhive complained as he leaned against the desk in the study.
It had been a rather wet winter so far, and spring wasn't looking much better. But even with the constant thrumming of the rain from outside, that insistent tapping sound kept coming from inside. It sounded like water dripping, or something hitting something, though Ciel hadn't made up his mind as to which was more likely. Unfortunately, no matter how much the butler looked, he couldn't find the source of that sound. No leaks in the roof. No drippy pipes.
"I'm sorry, young master," Sebastian Michaelis apologized. "As I am unable to ascertain what is causing the sound, I don't know that I can silence it any time soon. I will, of course, continue to search for the source and will deal with it accordingly."
Ciel let out a growl of frustration. In all his thirteen years! He clenched his fist, the blue stone ring cutting into his hand. It was the symbol of his house, the proud line of Phantomhive, guard dog of Queen Victoria of England. "This is inexcusable!"
"I quite agree," the butler nodded. It was most disconcerting that he could not discover the source. He'd checked and triple checked every cornice and crevice. Even now, he had the rest of the staff searching for the cause. Unfortunately, it never seemed to stay still, moving as those who searched for it moved.
The thirteen-year-old earl slammed one fist down on the desk. Even though the fire was well stocked, the study still felt musty and damp. "I've had enough," he declared as he stood from the padded chair. "Must it rain day in and day out?" He picked up his cane and began pacing the room.
With a sigh, Sebastian watched his young charge circle the room like a caged animal. His butler's badge gleamed in the firelight, his dark suit blending with the shadows. Even though it was nearing the boy's usual bedtime, he wisely chose to not mention it.
Due to the rain, there had not been any recent visitors. Though a bit of a blessing, it meant that Ciel was bored to tears. And the more bored he was, the more irritable he became. "Sebastian," he said, coming to a sudden halt, "I'm going to bed. I'm tired of this humdrum. But I fully expect you to uncover whatever is making that awful sound and end it."
With that said, the earl turned on his heels and left the room. He didn't need to look behind him to know that his butler would follow. It was perfectly natural for him to maintain a silent escort. After all, he had to help him prepare for bed. It was part of his duty.
Down the hall they went, Ciel's cane tapping along, with the occasional triple tap hounding them. The boy ground his teeth but didn't comment, silently wondering how he'd be able to sleep with that noise. Instead, he paused, waiting for the sound to stop. Just as he thought it might have finally ceased, a series of loud thumps came from the direction of the main doors, followed by the ringing of the bell.
"Who on earth?" Ciel uttered as he moved towards the grand staircase. Sebastian was not far behind him, holding the candelabra high. "Sebastian," the boy demanded, looking towards the doors.
The butler needed no further instruction as he headed towards the entrance, the boy following at a slower pace. It was a matter of moments before he reached the ornately carved entryway, pausing before reaching for the handle.
The last time someone had come to them in the middle of a raging storm, he and Mey-Rin had been the ones to go out. They'd found a young girl named Tohru, and her half-drowned cursed friend, Kyo, who transformed between a human and a cat. And that meeting had set a series of adventures into motion, including a jaunt to their two visitors' own time in the future. He doubted he would find either Kyo Sohma or Tohru Honda on the other side of the door, but anything was possible.
"What are you waiting for?" Ciel inquired as he stood at the top of the stairs. Thoughts of Tohru and Kyo filled his mind, even though it had been months since their last adventure together. He doubted the two had crossed through the tear in time a second time. Sebastian had monitored the phenomena most carefully, finally determining that it had finally resealed itself. He doubted his late night visitors were of the time traveling type.
The pounding sound came again as whoever was on the other side of the door knocked once more. Sebastian could detect the presence of two souls. He felt certain was male, the other female. He sensed enough to realize there was something off about the male, though he couldn't place his finger on what. But he felt sure he'd know the moment he opened the door.
Without any further hesitation, the butler opened the door. The sound of rain instantly filled the air. And just under the awning stood two people, neither of which he recognized.
"Ello," greeted the male, using a rather chipper tone. "Seems my companion and I've had a bit of a breakdown. Mind if we use your telephone?"
Saki Hanajima had felt a bit uneasy all day. It had gotten so bad that her friend, Arisa Uotani, had noticed it. She was usually quite good at disguising any emotion, except when it came to Tohru.
"Hey, Hana," Arisa called out to her friend. It was lunchtime and her friend usually took full advantage of that period. "You okay?" Overhead, birds chirped. All around, other students chatted in their little groups, ignoring the Goth-dressed girl, and the former Yankee with blonde hair.
The dark-haired girl looked up, a definite air of distraction on her face. "I'm sorry, Arisa. Did you need something?"
Arisa raised her eyebrows, dark in contrast to her light hair, looking pointedly at the uneaten bento lunch in front of her friend. "You're not getting sick or anything, are you? You've barely touched your lunch."
Hearing this, Tohru looked up from her homework. She moved towards her friend, a frown on her face. Hana always ate all of her lunch, and sometimes parts of her friends' as well. Placing a hand on Hana's forehead, she let out a sigh of relief. "You don't feel like you have a fever," she observed.
The psychic girl shook her head, her hair fanning out around her. "I'm fine," she assured. A far away look passed across her face. "It's just that…"
"Just what?" Arisa asked as she popped a chip into her mouth and chewed.
Hana cocked her head to one side. "Can't you hear that? It sounds like someone is tapping, but I can't figure out where it's coming from."
Tohru strained to hear, Arisa doing the same. "Maybe?" The brunette resettled her lunch box, setting the books aside. "Tap. Tap. Tap. Like that?"
Arias shrugged her shoulders. "I don't hear anything."
"Exactly like that," Hana confirmed. "I've heard it all morning but can't seem to figure out where it's coming from."
Before they could discuss the sound any further, Kyo and Hatsuharu Sohma joined them on the grass. "Hey," Kyo said with a nod of his head.
Haru took a seat next to the orange-haired boy and stared absently at the sky. "Man. I thought for sure we'd get detention," he commented to no one in particular. "That sure was a lucky break."
"Speak for yourself," Kyo grumbled as he pulled at his black shirt color. "I'm not the one who got caught trying to sneak into the girl's locker room."
Tohru's eyes almost bulged as she listened to their conversation. "Kyo! You didn't!" She covered her mouth in shock.
The orange-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Please. Not me. Haru. I went to find him and got pulled into the mess. Good thing I talked the teacher into forgetting about it. I mean, once I explained how his sense of direction sucks and all that."
"Whatever," Haru said as he contemplated the insides of his eyelids.
Kyo scowled at his younger cousin. "And you didn't so much as say thank you, either!"
"And just what you were doing n the girl's locker room?" Arisa asked, her eyes narrowing. Her expression left Tohru wondering if the former Yankee's lead pipe would be making an appearance. The idea of her friend fighting the Sohma boy was more than enough to make her heart pound in fear.
Haru looked over at the girl. "Trying to find what was making that tapping sound. It's been going on all morning. Three taps, pause, and on again. Over and over again. It's annoying."
"Ah," Hana said as her back straightened. "Yet another one who can hear it. And did you find the source?" she leaned forward.
The black and white-haired boy flopped back on the grass, head resting on his hands. "Nah. A teacher caught me before I found it. I'm still not even sure if it was coming from there or not."
"I see," Hana responded. "That is most unfortunate. I would have liked to know."
Arisa looked between the two, an incredulous look on her face. "You too? Really?" She groaned.
Tohru looked between her three friends and thought. "Maybe we should try to find out what's causing it together," she suggested. "If there are more people looking, we might have a better chance."
"A fine idea," Hana applauded. "Let's look now." She surged to her feet, putting the bento box back in her bag.
"Now?" Arisa stared up in shock. "Are you out of your mind? Lunch is almost over and we have to go back to class."
Kyo snorted. "Since when did you care about skipping class? You do it all the time." He thought about the last endurance run and how the girl hadn't shown up for any part of school that day.
Arisa bristled at her tone. "Since everyone lost their sense of reason! That's when." The two glared daggers at each other.
"This isn't getting us anywhere," Hana inserted. "We still have some time before the bell rings. If we hurry, we should be fine."
Haru looked up from his prone position. "I'm game if everyone else is. Just make sure we don't' run into any teachers while we're at it and I'm good."
Tohru's face lit up. "This should be fun! I've never done anything like this before!" She got to her feet, stuffing her books back into her pack. "And it's as Hana said, if we hurry, we can still make it to class on time."
Kyo let out an exaggerated sigh, but got to his feet. "Fine. But it sure is a weird day when I have to act as the voice of reason."
Arisa almost laughed at that comment but refrained. There was a decided grain of truth in that statement. "Fine," she gave in. "Let's go before I change my mind."
"Yeah!" Tohru exclaimed as she took Hana's and Kyo's hands in hers. "Let's go!"
