With a smack, her black boots hit the rooftop. With a twist of her ankle, she slid down the wooden shingles until her toes were stopped by the edge of the gutter. A gloved hand snaked out to grab the rough edge of the chimney and she leaned over the edge of the roof.
The cool air ruffled her long coat and made her long hair swish. A slow grin spread across her face, revealing two rows of pearly white sharp teeth.
She watched as his tall frame followed the short one. It was dark, and the city seemed devoid of life.
The time was perfect.
Sebastian stopped. Ciel frowned, looking up at him. "What is it?"
The butler cracked his knuckles. "It is a reaper, my lord." Ciel eyes widened, but not with fear. "Grell?" Sebastian turned around, his gaze travelling up to the sky. "I do not believe so."
Ciel shuffled and followed his gaze through the navy blue of the night up to the rooftops in the alley to see a black silhouette outlined by the moon. The person jumped down to land in a crouching position.
"Well, I've got to hand it to him, he's got some good taste."
The voice was sort of high. And...loud. Boots crunched against the small broken stones, and there was the sound of metal unsheathing that had Sebastian tense.
A girl burst from the shadows with an absurd giggle. She had the typical reaper suit on, but over it was a long coat of deep purple stitched with flaring red thread that matched her achingly familiar colored hair that hung only a few inches past her shoulders.
Her gloves were purple as well, along with the rectangular glasses that she pushed up with a finger. One arm hung at her side while the other held the dark purple sheath of a rather shiny two headed axe.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "And who would you be?" When it came to supernatural matters, Ciel usually let Sebastian handle it.
The girl grinned, her pointy teeth glinting in the moonlight.
"I'm Shale!" she squealed, doing the hand sign that seemed to be popular among reapers.
Ciel internally groaned. Sebastien looked her up and down, his ruby eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't be related to Grell Sutcliff, would you?" he asked reproachfully.
Shale beamed. "Oh yes! He's my brother."
She sidled forward, looking directly at Sebastian. "And he was right. You are gorgeous!"
Sebastian sighed, while Ciel huffed in annoyance. Partly at everyone's infatuation with his butler and part frustration at her annoying voice.
"Shale!" She turned in time for Grell to drop into the alley a few feet down. He looked surprised, and a little worried?
Shale's face beamed, then went sullen. "Hi, big brother." Grell had his chainsaw blade resting flat on his shoulder, holding it much like Shale was holding her axe. They both stood side by side, one foot carrying more weight and the free hand on their hips.
"What are you doing here?" Shale shrugged. "Since I finally got my spectacles and I'm a real reaper, I figured I should come out to see this...'Bassy' you're fawning over." She sent another cheeky smile at Sebastian.
"And for once you got a real pick, Grell!" Grell smiled, eyeing Sebastian. He reached up and flipped some hair over his shoulder, fluttering his eyelashes.
"Yes, well," he drawled dramatically. "I really do have good taste." He turned to her. "You shouldn't be out here, though." Shale rolled her eyes and swung her axe so it was imbedded into the wall of the building next to her.
She crossed her arms. "Uhuh. I've seen you dragged in to headquarters by William so many times, even Mark lost count." Grell flushed a little and shrugged. Shale wriggled in delight. "Come on, big bro! This is my first time out! I'm free to explore the stage! Be the star! Bestow my acting skills upon the world!" she cried. Then she paused. "Of which I have to thank you for, dear brother."
Grell puled her close, then raised the back of a hand against his forehead in a farce of being faint. "Oh! You follow in your brother's footsteps!" He looked down at his sister.
Shale was twisting around to try and check out Sebastian again. She disengaged from her elated brother to step in front of Sebastian. She trailed a finger under his neck for only a moment before he pulled away.
She flashed him a flirtatious smile. "You do make a woman tingle, don't you?" Grell squealed. "Doesn't he?!" They both look at him with big eyes. Sebastian almost rolled his eyes, but it would've been impolite for a butler.
"Are you here to moon over him or fight?" Ciel snapped. Shale leaned over to peek behind Sebastian and she looked the kid up and down with a disapproving eye. "You're bratty."
Ciel glared. Shale looked back at Grell, who was making kissing motions at 'Bassy'. "Wasn't he one of the ones you tried to kill?" Grell shrugged. "It was mostly to have a little rough and tumble with Bassy!"
"That's why you killed my aunt?!" Ciel yelled, outraged. Grell blinked, his brow furrowing slightly. "Well, no. I just didn't have a use for her anymore. I do think I regret that."
Ciel shook with anger. "Sebastian, this is an order; kill them!"
"Hey!" Shale shrieked. Grell giggled nervously. Sebastian bowed. "Yes, my lord." Sebastian moved to Grell first. Grell hefted his chainsaw so that it was directed at Sebastian. "So it come to this again, Bassy!" he moaned, "A quarrel between lovers!" Sebastian sighed. "Can you please refrain from making such comments until I've killed you?"
"But Bassy!" Grell grinned, revvinng the blade. Sebastian gave him an eerie smile. "Shall we continue what we started last time we met?"
Shale leaned against the wall that still had her axe in it, crossing her arms. "Paint him red, big brother," she crooned. Ciel pursed his lips in irritation. She was just as mad as her brother. And equally as annoying.
Grell's chainsaw rumbled, glinting in the light of the full moon.
Sebastian suddenly ran at him, shoes tapping the roof before launching himself at Grell. Grell's eyes widened, but he quickly rolled out of the way and swung his chainsaw blade at Sebastian.
Sebastian dove under the saw, the blade not even an inch from him.
Ciel watched with a small scowl.
The butler skidded and leapt up to quickly kick Grell in the face. "Oi!" Shale snapped.
"My face!"Grell cried. Sebastian landed gracefully and reached up with a gloved hand to brush something off of his shoulder. "Terribly sorry," he said smoothly, though Ciel was pretty sure he wasn't sorry at all.
Grell hefted his chainsaw, and he was about to bring it down on Sebastian.
Shale grabbed the shaft of her axe and pulled, the weapon sliding easily out of the wall. She looked at Ciel, then up at Sebastian. Ciel frowned. "What are you going to do?"
She smiled grimly. "No matter how sexy Sebastian is, I won't let him kill my brother."
Ciel wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Who'd want a brother like Grell?"
Shale looked at him. "You don't have any brothers or sisters." It wasn't a question.
Ciel didn't say anything, maintaining a very bored expression.
"It's about family, kid. It doesn't matter who they are or what they do. You'll do anything for them and to protect them if you love them." She smiled sweetly at the figure of her brother swinging around his death scythe and occasionally shrieking when Sebastian landed blows against his face.
"Besides, he's always protected me and taken care of me."
By now Ciel had rolled his eyes and he had tuned out. "Family means nothing. They are meaningless people bound to you by blood, nothing else."
Shale frowned. Ciel huffed in amusement. Though she was ahead of him in years, she was innocent. Ciel reached behind him and drew his gun. He aimed and cocked the gun.
Shale spun around. Her eyes went wide and she pulled her weapon flush against her, blade like a protective shield. Her yellow/green eyes stared at him from over the top of her axe.
Ciel narrowed his eyes. He fired once and the bullet slammed into the axe blade, ripping from her hands with a shriek.
Though being shot wouldn't kill her, it would hurt. A lot. The wound itself would also take some time to heal.
"You are a grim reaper. I was under the firm belief that your kind couldn't be killed with anything except those weapons you so carelessly toss around. I had Sebastian do some digging, and he carved some runes into these specially made bullets. Think they'll work?"
Shale was frozen, her mouth open in a small 'o' and her eyes large and frightened.
Ciel cocked the gun again.
And fired.
"Hmm?" Grell looked over with wide eyes at the sound of Shale's startled shriek. Sebastian's eyes stretched, hinting he was taken off guard as well. He turned to look as well.
Shale was frozen, both hand curled together and held against her chest, like they would protect her somehow. Her gleaming scythe fell with a loud clang against the stone floor.
Ciel held a gun on her.
His finger reached up to cock the firearm, and by then Grell had dropped the death scythe and was full out sprinting towards the pair.
Grell slid between them just in time.
And Ciel fired.
"GRELL!"
A spray of blood came from the bullet wound in Grell's chest, right over his heart.
Grell dropped like a stone, and Shale fell with him, screaming.
Her slender hands pressed against the source of the blood.
"Ohgodohgodohgodpleasedontdieohmygodpleasedontdie," she babbled.
Suddenly, a familiar death scythe snatched the gun out of Ciel's hands.
William.
He stood tall and regal on the precipice of the roof. His glasses glinted as he turned his head to inspect the gun firmly locked in between the jaws of his scythe. He 'hmm'ed and the jaws snapped shut, breaking the gun.
Ciel exhaled sharply.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
William jumped off the roof and landed gracefully on the ground. He looked at Shale, who was trembling and holding Grell in her lap. Grell eyes were open and blinking, but he looked very confused. He kept looking up at Shale.
Sebastian's surprise wasn't obvious. Actually, it would take a supernatural creature who knew what signs to look for in demons to get the hunch that Sebastian hadn't been clued in on his master's new hobby of carrying the weapon.
Destroyed weapon, anyway.
"I will be taking those two Reapers there."
He took Shale arm and pulled her away from Grell, then he reached down and put one arm around Grell and walked stiffly into the shadows. Shale turned her tear-stained face towards them both.
She looked at Sebastian long and hard before turning her face towards Ciel. Her eyes turned cold.
Her gaze flickered to the black butler again.
"I don't want to fight you, demon. But if you keep protecting this child, I'll hurt you too."
Sebastian nodded, and a spark of fire shone in his eyes.
Shale blinked twice before following the drops of blood that would lead her back to her brother.