A/N: I know I shouldn't be starting a new fanfic when I am trying to complete my older stories but, see, I had this dream and I just had to write it down somewhere. And before you know it, it turns into a story. I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, but, let's just see how it goes, okay? I'm planning to make this more of a novella than a novel, possibly only 10-12 chapters, since I think I tend to drag stories after I surpass that number. So, enjoy and I haven't asked this before but please take the time to review if you can, because my self-esteem seems to always be at stake these days...

The Strange Case of Faceless Victims and Slaughtered Sailors

Chapter One: Unpleasant Troubles

It was one of those nights that just seemed to drag on forever. Ciel Phantomhive sat languidly in his chamber, skimming through countless letters that wished to invite him to the mid-autumn balls and festivals that were to be held in a few weeks or so. It was an understatement to say he wasn't the least bit interested. September wasn't exactly his favorite month and the fact that he had absolutely nothing to do wasn't making it any better. Things around town seemed to be going fine, no murders, no unusual events, not even the slightest of troubles walked into his line of sight. His servants were no different from usual, Finny occasionally annihilating the well-being of the courtyard gardens, Mei-Rin doing a splendid job of flooding his manor as always, and Bard doing his usual thing, always making sure the food was cooked just right so that it was as edible as a lump of charcoal. It would actually be complete chaos if it weren't for his convenient butler, Sebastian, and how he always managed to turn things around for the better. Yes, Ciel thought, it was good that Sebastian really knew how to work his magic on things that seemed screwed up beyond repair.

But, oh, were things ever so boring here… Ciel almost wished Sebastian would screw something up right now, just so he would have something to do…! He was too tired to write a thousand rejection letters for the invites, yet too awake to sleep. How terribly unpleasant this was.

Ciel hurled a fountain pen at the door out of boredom, just when Sebastian entered the room, effortlessly dodging the object, and catching it easily between his gloved fingers. His expression remained neutral except for his eyebrows that raised themselves by a millimeter or so. He was pleasantly amused at the sudden temper of this normally composed child. Humans were most certainly fascinating creatures.

Sebastian glided over with a silver cart and delicately poured a cup of steaming blackcurrent tea, with the sweet, tangy aroma filling the room. He placed it over a small gold-lined plate decorated with beautifully hand-painted irises that matched the teacup, and gently set it beside the irritated young master. Ciel bent over slightly to sniff it and then took a tiny sip and made a disgusted face.

"It's too bitter. Add more sugar, Sebastian," He ordered, displeased.

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian replied, opening the lid of a fancy pot and took a silver teaspoon to scoop up a small amount of the shimmering white powder and dissolving it meticulously inside the tiny cup, with a light whir of his spoon.

Ciel Phantomhive snorted at the miniscule amount of sugar Sebastian had added and shook his head

"How will that be enough…?! That makes absolutely no difference," He complained flatly

"Any more sugar and it will completely alter this tea's original flavor. Also, it is a quarter past eleven at night, and consuming high amounts of sweet substances at this time, or any time for that matter, is very detrimental to your health…" Sebastian retorted calmly.

The boy looked infuriated and wouldn't talk to him anymore. There was a long moment of silence.

"But on the subject of the tea," Sebastian continued. "-forgive me, but I must argue that it may be your bitter temper that is making the tea too difficult for you to ingest, not the tea's initial taste…"

Ciel glared daggers at him and accidentally knocked over the barely touched cup of tea, spilling it all over the papers on his desk and on his clothes as well. Sebastian quickly went over and disposed of the damp articles and pulled out a white handkerchief from his waist-coat and delicately dabbed at the young master's drenched sleeves, muttering that he should have been more careful.

"Sebastian, what is the matter with you today…?" Ciel muttered, still angry about his tea.

The butler smirked, his eyes dark.

"You are one to talk, my lord," Sebastian observed, amused. "-your temper is most troublesome today, what is the reason for your sudden disputes, might I ask…?"

Ciel bristled and said nothing. Then a knowing expression came over Sebastian's intelligent red eyes.

"You feel blasé, my lord, am I correct?"

"Terribly," Ciel answered, impassively.

Sebastian smiled.

"Well then, young master, you are in luck. I just happened to receive a letter-

"-Another invite to some stupid ball or festivity -just dispose of it immediately," Ciel muttered, angrily.

"Oh, no, my lord, you are incorrect. It is a letter addressed to you from her. I believe you will find it very intriguing…"

A mildly excited look crossed Ciel's dim blue eyes.

"Finally," He mumbled. "-I thought I might die from the boredom I am plagued with these days…"

The butler smiled and an ominous look flashed in his eyes for a moment. His black pupils became slits and the room's comfortably warm temperature seemed to drop several degrees and Ciel shivered, motioning for Sebastian to close the back window.

Sebastian grinned and went over to tend to the already closed window and read over the young master's shoulder.

The letter read:

To my dear Ciel Phantomhive,

I am writing to inform you of two quite unnatural events that have come to my attention, just recently. I will first tell you about the one that has happened not too far away from where you live, as that would seem most convenient for the both of us. It happened near the outskirts of London, where there is a wide expanse of open fields. Just a few nights ago, nine bodies were found, laid upon the dead grass. Their bodies formed a triangle and each victim's face was marred beyond recognition. They were all female. Most of them seemed to be of below middle class status, but it troubles me because these victims appear to work for the medicinal department within my kingdom, and a specific one, at that. They work in the underground, confidential facilities that utilize hazardous chemicals, and they never see the light of the day, so it concerns me on how the culprit got to these people. If they know of the private passageways under the kingdom, I need them eradicated so they will not cause further disrupt for me and possibly our beloved country.

Second, is an even stranger case that involves more than one element. A relative of mine took a business trip to Asia via ferry, to investigate the issues Beijing was having with the chemicals that have escaped their factories, after the collapse of large machines within them. While trying to help them out, she noticed events quite peculiar, indeed. She was out in an open field with servants, when a pack of white bears exited a bamboo forest, along with several hyenas, a wild boar and a herd of antelope. None of these animals are regularly found in an Asian bamboo forest, which is the first factor that upsets me. On a second note, all of these animals formed a circle around her and the servants, as if under a hypnosis. She was trapped for several minutes until suddenly the hyenas attacked the antelope and the circle disbanded, breaking the charm. My relative and her caretakers escaped the broken circle and continued along their way, crossing a bridge that lead to a small fishing village. There was a man there, who only caught very tiny fish because he was only allowed to angle in shallow waters. The fishing industry would collapse soon due to the restrictions the administrators were passing to the workers. They were not allowed to fish in deep waters because there was a dangerous murderer that hid in those waters that would attack and brutally kill the sailors.

Here is the strangest part: they were slaughtered in the same way as the women in the fields: their faces marred beyond recognition. No other obvious exterior wounds on the body were found. We are uncertain if the interior areas of these people were disturbed, though, so be sure to investigate that. This case upsets me because this attacker is interfering, no, disrupting A/nwith the trading connections we have with Asia. The fishing industry believes the murderer is of Caucasian descent because he says the bodies smell strongly of roses, which is England's official flower. This is terrible, as this may cause trouble for us if they plan to attack London for this incident.

Please investigate these issues at once.

Sincerely,

Queen Alexandrina Victoria of England

Ciel folded up the letter and placed it back inside the envelope and told Sebastian to burn it. When he raised his eyebrows the young master replied calmly that he should have been taking notes as a proper butler would. Sebastian grinned and proudly took out a roll of paper already filled with information gathered while he had been reading. Ciel sniffed and nodded, waving him away. The butler understood and decided to leave the child to his own abilities for the moment.

When Sebastian was out of earshot, Ciel sighed and looked contentedly out the window. Finally, he would have something interesting to do. He could almost feel the adrenaline of an intriguing mystery fill his blood with a familiar enchantment.

A/N: On a side note, looking at the newest chapter of Kuroshitsuji, with the case of witchcraft and werewolves, we see something simular with the marred faces of the victims. But, I assure you, I had this dream about the faceless victims, several months ago, and a very different cause of it, in mind. So, no, it is not related to the latest chapter of Black Butler. I hope you liked the first chapter. I'm excited to see how this turns out :)