((A/N: I've been dying to do a Black Butler fanfiction for a while now, and decided to go ahead and start with a short one-shot. Seeing as Madam Red is easily my favorite character in the series, and I've roleplayed and cosplayed as her before, I wanted to write one featuring her. Please tell me what you think!))
Grell looked down into the alley below and marveled at the sight before him. He had been drawn to the spot by the promise of death, beckoning him closer like a moth to flame. This was an unexpected act for such a woman, he mused. A killer buried deep inside the consciousness of a doctor- a keeper and savior of humans? He cackled to himself. Oh, the beautiful irony.
And beautiful she was. The fury and insanity set deep in her eyes as blood spattered across her face, as the other woman's screams filled the alley. Grell grinned wickedly, leaning on his death scythe as he hung over the side of the building. His Red Lady, a vision indeed.
The prostitute's cries were cut off suddenly and the woman's killer rose to her feet. Her breathing was heavy and her limbs shook. Her sleek red hair and dress were bloodied and torn from the struggle. The blood made her irresistible, he thought. The blood made her beautiful. He couldn't resist jumping off the roof to land in front of her.
She gasped and held the bloody knife in front of her. She didn't even bother to step in front of the murdered woman, didn't bother to shield the body from view. She knew he had already seen the prostitute, and there wasn't much she could do to hide the evidence spattered all over her own body. "What do you want?" she asked shakily.
"You killed that woman before her time was up," he replied, "oh, how naughty of you."
Confusion split her delicate features. "What do you want?" she repeated, her voice barely audible.
"You made that ugly woman beautiful, clothing her in glorious red. Enough to befit a queen. And a wonderful job you did too, for your first time, Madam Red."
Horror replaced the confusion on her face. "How… how do you know my name?" she cried. "Who are you?"
He grinned widely, showing pointed teeth. "My name is Grell, madam, and I am a grim reaper. I just couldn't find it in my heart to stop your show," he explained. "You positively painted that horrible woman in red! Such precision, such finesse!" he cried.
She dropped her knife to the ground and stepped back, knees shaking. "What do you want from me?"
"I want to help you," he replied," to paint other women until your heart is contented. We will cover the streets of London in glorious red, together!" He pulled the glasses off his face and tossed them to the ground before replacing them with plain, circular lenses. His eyes faded from electric green to brown as his vibrant red hair melted into the same shade as his eyes. He tied it back with a blue ribbon before kneeling on one knee before the woman. When he grinned up at her again, his teeth were rounded off as a human's were. "I am your butler, Grell Sutcliff, Madam Red."