Title: One and Counting (Shinigami Haken Kyoukai Anthology)
Genre: Supernatural/Friendship
Rating: 13+/PG (for mild-language used by Eric)
Warning: unbeta-ed

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji and the shinigami characters are the creation of Toboso Yana. Aside from that, this story is merely a work of fiction. Any similarities with the living or even the dead are merely coincidental.

Happy reading!

~Fate

Shinigami Haken Kyoukai Headquarters' Library

Monday, 0915 hours

Books are boring. That's a fact. But I have to admit that they are a good source of information. Damn, those eight glasses of brandy and four glasses of beer last night sure does getting into my head. Today, Spears would make us do over time for sure since we went to the goukon on a working night. That guy seriously needs to get laid. Damn it! Where is that book on hangover remedy? Office hours had already started, I need to get going. Spears nagging, I can manage but Alan Humphries nagging, that's a different story.

Alan and I went way back when he was still a newbie. He graduated at the top of his class. I wonder what makes Spears put me in charge of him. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm one of his reliable subordinates; my badass attitude aside, but seriously, I could've badly influenced the naïve Alan. On second thought, nah, one cool badass Eric Slingby is enough. I don't need a doppelganger.

Crap! This is no time to reminisce about old days! Where's that librarian when I need him? I quickly ran my fingers on the backbone of the books. Stomachache cures…fatigue cures…shi no toge cure…hangove~…shi no toge cure…Now, that is something I don't expect to see.

Dispatch Management Division

Monday, 1020 hours

"It's only Monday and you're already late for work. You do know that we have to submit our report today?" Here goes Alan again. I just stepped into the office two seconds ago before he got off his seat and started nagging. Where has that cute junior that I once tutored went to?

"I went to the library and did some researches. That's why I'm late," technically, I did, although I was actually looking for hangover cures.

"What kind research?" Alan asked again. This guy can be really stubborn. I guess I deserved his endless interrogations since I'm not someone who would wake up early in the morning just to do researches unless it's needed.

"Something related to work. Anyway, my report is done. It's on my desk," I tried to divert his attentions. Since when he became a kettle that won't shut up, I don't know.

"Eric-senpai, I thought you wouldn't make it this morning seeing the pitchers you emptied last night," Knox walked towards me. This guy with a cowlick on his head was partly responsible for my hangover.

"I can handle that much."

"As expected from Eric-senpai."

"Of course. It's wonderful when someone else pays for your drinks."

"What a waste. Only drinking and eating when there are pretty girls around."

"Tsk, tsk. You're too young to understand Knox. The girls will come to you, not you go to the girls. When you're my age, you'll understand."

"Geh! When I'm your age I would worry about the hair that grows on my face. How can you live with that?" Kids. They don't understand the way adults think. Chicks dig goatees, not that I care about that.

I sat at my desk with my feet crossed at the edge of the table and my arms behind my head. My report was done, there's no current reaping until Spears assign me to. All I can do is to sit back and relax. Once in a while I heard the sound of coughing from the table next to me. He sounded worse by the day. I wonder how long will it take for the thorns to reach his heart. Man, if I have been thinking about his pain, then that guy must've been constantly troubled by it himself.

"I'll be back," I said to Alan. That saved his time asking for where I'm going. That nagging part of him irritated me, but I've gotten used to it. We've been partners for quite a long time. I can't imagine having another partner if he's gone. No, let me rephrase that. I refuse to have another partner.

I returned to my desk a few minutes later, balancing a cup of tea that I brewed for Alan and a cup of coffee for myself. He looked up at me when I placed the tea cup on his table. I know, I don't normally do this kind of things.

"Honey lemon tea, for your throat," I told him.

He smiled. "Thank you."

Dispatch Management Division

Tuesday, 0905 hours

"Ronald Knox!" William T. Spears, our supervisor called out that kid. Something must've come up for him to be calling Knox in that tone.

"Your next task," he handed the caramel-haired lad a file. "You'll be collecting twenty-five souls near Hexthorpe Railway Platform this Friday."

"Twenty-five? What time will I finish? I have goukon with the girls from the General Affairs Department that night."

"If you don't finish at the end of office hour, consider yourself doing overtime."

"Noooo!" Ronald Knox turned towards me instantly. Crap! I shouldn't have looked at him. Now we've made an eye-contact and I know what's coming. "Eric-senpai, there will be free drinks and pretty girls at this Friday night's goukon. You can come if you want on one condition," I saw right through his plan. Since I have nothing to do anyway, maybe I should give him a hand.

"Alright, I'll help ya. Gimme the file," I took the file from him. "The Hexthorpe Rail accident; one-hundred nineteen passengers. Collision with stationary race train," I read. Spears said only twenty-five deaths, meaning it's up to me and Knox to decide whether ninety-four others get to live or not. "Better get going now or we'll miss that free drinks on Friday."

Just before we were about to leave, Alan stood in my way. "Where are you going without your partner?"

"Doncaster, South Yorkshire."

"Not without me."

"I'm not screwing around, I'm helping this kid."

"I know. But as your partner I'm helping you out too."

"If you want to help me why don't you take a rest? You've been coughing like hell."

"Coughing is nothing. I'm fine."

Stubborn. I hated the thought of using my seniority over him, because it's just plain low. I hated wasting my breath over this 'brotherly' fight with him too. I could just ask Spears to give him some time off but I know Alan was working hard to take his mind off the thorns of death.

"I have no problem with Alan-senpai coming along. Our job will finish sooner."

"Alright, alright. Let's go then."

Hexthorpe Railway Platform

Friday, 1545 hours

"I'm quite surprised," Knox said out of the blue. We were waiting for the time of the accident. The last few days have been spent on investigating whether the other passengers should live after the accident.

"Of what?" I asked him back. I wasn't interested in what he wanted to say, but we have nothing to do aside from waiting, so I let him amuse me.

"I thought when you're on duty with Alan-senpai, he would be the one doing all the work and you do nothing. I guess I was wrong. You're quite a pro yourself."

I flinched. I don't know whether I should be angry or flattered. Who do you think tutored Alan Humphries; I wanted to say, but I'd rather keep my cool. A lot of people misjudged me from the way I look. Alan was like that too the first time we were assigned to work together.

"It is almost time," the quiet Alan finally said something.

The three of us made our move. We waited on top on the station's roof and waited for the collision to happen. From our investigation, the number or dead people shall remain twenty-five. We're not going to reap other passengers' souls. That would waste spaces in our reports.

As usual, we put our death scythes to work. Ronald jumped onto the train and started reaping souls with his lawnmower. What a bad taste in choosing a weapon. Alan jumped on the train after him as well, using his own scythe to collect some of the souls. I'm not going to let them have all the fun to themselves, so I jumped on the wrecked metal scrap and put my saw into full use.

Ronald headed over to the first coach, Alan took the middle and I went over to the next one. Cinematic records played like a second rate movie. I have no interest in watching them. After reaping the seventh soul, I saw a young lady lying on the ground. She is one of the people on the 'dead list', but she was still breathing, very difficultly.

"Don't worry ojou-san. I won't make you feel even the slightest pain when I take your soul," I told her. It's a little sad to see such a pure girl die in such a way. I sighed. I told Alan before that shinigami shouldn't be too sentimental, but here I am making death easy for a girl.

Death. Easy. Pure girl. Soul. Alan.

Shi no toge.

These words keep playing in my head.

Goukon with General Affairs Department Girls

Friday, 2030 hours

Knox was so happy that we made it on time for the goukon. All twenty-five souls are safely reaped and stored. The report will be handed in later. I'm claiming my free drinks for helping the young lad with his task. To be honest, it's not like I'm incapable of paying my own food or drinks, but like I said, why say no to free food?

"So, why are you here?"

Next to me, Alan was sipping on a glass of brandy. Since he helped with the reaping, Knox let him join the goukon. According to him, there aren't enough male participants. One thing bothered me though, I could understand why Alan is here with me and Knox, but I found it surprising that another familiar shinigami was also present.

"William-senpai, if Sutcliff-senpai see you here he'd cry bloody tears," Ronald stated his prediction.

William did not reply. He calmly drank the drink that was poured into his glass. Obviously he was not here to have fun with the girls from the General Affairs Department like Knox. Maybe he was feeling a little left out that we were the only ones invited to join the goukon or perhaps he was bored after work, I don't know. It's the least of my problem. I'm only here for the drinks.

Knox looked like he was having a blast with the girls. I must say that he's kind of good at his flirting game given his young age. Do chits these days prefer younger guys? I can't say for sure since there's this girl trying to flirt with me. Jeez, I'm going to walk out on you in the morning anyway, stop pouring drinks for me.

Shinigami Pub & Bar

Saturday, 0010 hours

I spent the hours drinking while watching the people around me. I left Knox charming the ladies by himself and drowned myself in glasses after glasses of liquor. It seemed like William and Alan did the same too, although they didn't empty their glasses as often as I did. I noticed how hard Alan was coping with his drink. I know he had been hiding his pain from the people around him but he can't hide it from me.

"Ronald-kun, thank you for tonight," I heard Alan thanked our junior.

"No biggie. Next time you should try getting along with the girls. That includes you too, Eric-senpai."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't blame me if I take away all those girls from you," I bragged a little. It could be true, but I'm not going to do that to my own junior.

"Ronald Knox, Eric Slingby, Alan Humphries, what you do outside of working hours is none of my business, but I demand to see the full report on the Hexthorpe Rail accident on Monday. Is that clear?" Spears gave an order. I seriously believe this guy needed to get laid. Maybe that would get rid of his sullenness.

"Will! There you are!" Here comes another trouble. He had been missing in action for a few days, I'd put my bet he went to stalk that demon butler of the Phantomhive household.

The redhead excitedly approached Spears, much to his dismay. As usual Spears would either smack him with his death scythe or grab him by the hair. This time he went with the hair. "Your report is two weeks overdue," said the stoic man. "If you don't complete it by tonight, I won't let you get any sleep." Mercilessly, Spears pulled the redhead along with him into the dark, cold night.

"Wait! Will! That hurts!" Grell Sutcliff shrieked. The next sentence he uttered was pretty much expected from a masochist. "Pull harder please." I refused to hear what he said next.

Knox was still talking to the girls. He offered to walk them back to their housing. I turned to Alan who was still paying attention to Spears and Sutcliff down the street.

"Rough day?" I broke off his trance.

"The usual."

"You better head back and get some rest."

"Where are you going?"

"Taking a short walk. All those drinks are getting into my system. Need to clear them off."

"Don't end up sleeping by the street. Good night." Alan bid me. He joined Ronald walking the General Affairs Department girls back to the housing. I saw Alan coughed once or twice while chatting with Ronald and the girls. His body trembled a little too. Shi no toge, I wonder what kind of pain it gave my partner.

West End London

Saturday, 0150 hours

Death. Easy. Pure girl. Soul. Alan.

Shi no toge.

Those words had lingered in my head from the moment I laid eyes on the book I found in the library. It has been repeating over and over from when I reaped the young lady's soul during the train accident. I could simply say that it was the fault of the glasses I emptied at the goukon, but I know I'm sober enough to think clearly.

Then I saw my only chance, my only hope to save my dying partner.

A young maid walked out from the back gate of a manor to take out the day's thrash.

In the dark night, she won't expect her life to end too soon as she fell onto the ground. There was no pain, no blood. A smile decorated her cold, lifeless face as I withdrew my death scythe from her flesh.

And I have nine hundred and ninety-nine more souls to collect.

~Owari~

A/N: Last December some of my friends and I came up with Kuroshitsuji's Shinigami doujinshi called the Shinigami Haken Kyoukai Anthology. It was my first project and the first time I wrote a fic outside of the WWW. It was also the only fic featured in the doujinshi. I never got a feedback on it, since I'm pretty much unknown so I hope anybody who read it here would comment a word or two.

A few things to make it clear; the story is based on my personal knowledge and interpretation of the characters and also what I researched on the setting in Britain back in the 19th century. Any information that was mistaken is regrettable.

Glossary: Shi no Toge (thorns of death), goukon (mixer party)