Chapter Two: A Captured Shinigami

"You're all grown up. It's been a long while since I've seen you," Undertaker greeted, clutching on tightly to his shovel. He had just finished burying another grave and was dirtied with mud and soil. "What brings you here so sudden in a rush, hmm?"

The troubled earl bowed his head and took seat in the row next to his acquaintance's isle. He would have to be heedful not to reveal too much of the conflict or else this shinigami might depart from the idea. "My butler has done me wrong. I'm looking for someone to venture with me while I search for Sebastian; someone whose knowledge is extensive of the area. You are the only one I know who can guide me through the Underworld where my butler abides in." Ciel lowered his voice so that now it would be more soft and persuasive. If he portrayed himself as extremely indigent then maybe the Undertaker would feel compassioned to aid his long-time friend. "Will you help?"

The two remained in silence for a short while, and then suddenly the Undertaker kicked his feet up and threw his hands back and let out a wild bellow of laughter. It wasn't long before the unusual character gained sanity again and relaxed himself. He brushed his hair with his nails and let the strands entangle in his fingers. "Why yeees, I know a little about the Underworld. I've read all about the place in libraries and visited a few times in my undying lifetime." The shinigami stood from his seat and joined Ciel in the same isle. He threw his arm around his friend's shoulder. His free hand lifted to the earl's chin and stroked him with his long, charcoal nails. "However, you'll have to do me a favor if you want my precious help."

Ciel let out a deep sigh. He was tired of having to do things for people. The earl shoved Undertaker away from him and stood up in the center of the church. "Alright, Undertaker? What do you want? Let's make this quick."

The shinigami let out another chuckle and leaned back in the seat. "You should know what I want by now, earl!" He wickedly cheered, sitting up again. He leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees, letting his head rest in his hand. "I want a good laugh, and not that anything like that horrendous laugh I just bellowed a moment ago."

"A good laugh, huh?" Ciel stalled. Evidently he was never the best joke teller, and was absolutely terrible when it came to making people smile. In fact, he did quite the opposite. Fortunately, the Undertaker wouldn't be so difficult considering he giggled at almost everything. Any joke would cause that animal to rise in laughter. The earl thought of a horrible joke he had heard a long while back and decided that the Undertaker would find most amusement in that one. He turned his head to look back at the death god who was waiting patiently with a small smile locked onto his face. "Why did Sally fall off of the swing?"

The Undertaker's smile broadened a little. "Why?"

Ciel threw his arms out wide and forced an awkward smile. "Because she had no arms!" He brightly cheered, his eyebrow twitching and a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

The shinigami only sat and stared blankly at the earl through his bangs. The same previous grin was glued on his face, but he let out neither a bellow nor giggle. "Good enough, I suppose," he encouraged. Ciel threw his arms down and scoffed. The Undertaker now stood from his seat and threw his shovel over his shoulder, now walking around the earl in circles. "Unfortunately for you, I have a duty in this graveyard that I must abide by. For me to tag along with you is not an option. However…" He suddenly casually dropped his shovel and the piercing clank it made echoed to the lofty ceiling. "I'm sure that Grell would love to join you as long as Sebastian's about!"

"Augh! This is exactly why I can't have him!" The frustrated noble yelled, letting out another echo. "I can't have either one of you meeting up with that damned butler for personal reasons. I just need a shinigami. I can't explain anything to you, but since you can't help me out there's no use in telling you anything anyway." He felt as if his time was running short. He stomped over to the Undertaker and took a strong hold on his shoulders. "You have to help me capture Grell!" Ciel shouted in his face. "I don't care what it takes. I need him to come with me if you're not going to!"

"Aahhh! You know that redhead won't run along with you so easily!" He hummed. He removed himself from the young man and began walking towards the cathedral doors. "I have a plan, but I'm not sure if you're up to it."

Ciel was losing his patience once more. "I'll do it! I'll do anything!" He offered, trailing behind Undertaker's quick steps.

"Weeell, alriiight!" The Undertaker stopped in front of the doors. His pale, boney hands slowly reached out and took hold of the door's narrow handles. With a strong and elegant pull, he flew the entrance open backwards, letting in the light of the day. The sunset beamed beautiful inside the church hall. It basked the room in a breathtaking array of gold, the light trickling against the deep oak chairs, the stone walls, and stretching across into the back of the church. The vibrancy baked Ciel and Undertaker's clothes in a sea of almost white, and their shadows extended up the walls of the cathedral. From where they were, the noble could easily see the graveyard. The orange sun also bathed the ghostly yard in the golden light. It reflected a holy nature, untouched by the impurities of London's filthy scums. Inside that graveyard lied the body of the love of his life. The noble strode past the Undertaker and stood at the fence of the graveyard, looking into the vast field to see what else slept within it.

The shinigami skipped behind Ciel and grinned. "I'll be getting some needed things for my plan. You wait right here and I'll return shortly," he assured. With that, the Undertaker bounced away to gather all of his items.

Ciel wistfully gazed into the sorrowful place, disregarding everything in present time. A creaking noise filled the open air as he moved the iron gate. The noble stepped inside the devastating place. He could clearly see Elizabeth Middleford's tombstone resting peacefully under a willow tree. The woeful earl trudged to her spot and gently kneeled down in front of her stone. The engravement was still fresh and new; he could read her name, her lifespan, the carving of the roses on the bottom. Ciel's eyes narrowed. He stretched a heavy hand out and tenderly placed it on the top of the boulder. His fingers began to feel numb, and so did the rest of his body. He missed her greatly and regretted ever having to leave her for such a long time. Had he ceased to depart in the first place, she would have never faced that unutterable fate. "Forgive me, Lizzie, my dearest fiancée. Let me promise that I will avenge you, as well as avenge my parents and myself," he softly whispered. The earl leaned forward and delicately kissed the gravestone as if that were her lips he had touched. He then stood up once again and took a few steps back to gaze at it.

Ciel portrayed a soft and bittersweet smile towards the stone. How he longed to see just a glimpse of Elizabeth's sweet face, but it was far too late for that. Along the whistling of the wind he could almost hear her soothing laughter. A few leaves danced past the basking earl, who lifted his head to look up at the darkened treetops. The gold of the sky blanketed the top of the scenery and left deep shadows beneath that covered Ciel in a ray of black, but every time the wind slightly blew, the leaves would follow and the gold of the sky would warm Ciel's face again. His smile disappeared, as reality hit him again. There was no use wallowing in the past; he was on a mission to destroy Sebastian. Standing around and wishing was going to get him nowhere.

He turned and exited the graveyard, loudly shutting the iron gate again that echoed a creaking noise. He then proceeded to march back to the church, but Undertaker was blocking the doorway. He was flaunting that awful grin again that he so intimately bore. "I've got something for you, earl," he squeaked as he held up a pile of black in his hands.

The noble crossed to his acquaintance stared abruptly at the clothing. His eyebrows creased deeply into a frown of confusion. "Is this Sebastian's uniform?! Where could you have possibly obtained these items?!"

The Undertaker brought the clothes back to his chest and stroked them with his nails. "He always wore such nice things…" He purred, not bothering to answer the question. His head suddenly lifted from the clothes to Ciel again, his wide grin never leaving his face for a moment. "You're going to disguise yourself as Sebastian so we can summon the redhead!"

"What?!" Ciel baffled, taking a sudden step back from the crazed fool. "I'm not putting that on so that Grell can drool all over me! Why can't you wear it?!"

He shoved the clothes into Ciel's chest and randomly pulled an overly enormous and peculiar looking rod from his backside. "I'll be the one carrying the net."


Ciel stood gauchely in one of England's main and well-known streets. He was now covered head to toe in Sebastian's slightly large uniform. The earl's hair had to be styled like the butler's as well, and one eye had to be forced close. Thankfully, his features looked remarkably similar to those of Sebastian's. However, he still felt entirely uneasy. He only hoped and begged that no one would recognize him and attempt to arrest him for the crimes that his butler had committed. His heart raced as every city dweller passed him, giving an awkward glance at the unmoved youthful man. Ladies blushed and giggled as they walked by while men scoffed and creased their eyebrows. Ciel let a nervous sigh slip from his lips. His eyes shifted to look at a far building corner where Undertaker slowly peeked his head from behind. The shinigami was tightly grasping the net as he gave a reassuring smile and a nod. The noble groaned. It was highly unlikely that Grell would show his face out in public like this, especially during the late night. But it was worth a shot.

Ciel began to slowly stride down the street. He could feel his face light up with crimson as he stopped at the edge of the sidewalk underneath one of the streetlights. It glistened on his body, highlighting the black of his clothing and dark hair. His eyebrow suddenly twitched in agitation; he couldn't believe he was about to do this. The earl closed his eyes and cleared his throat, attempting to deepen his voice. All of a sudden, Ciel jolted into the most awkward of poses, bringing everyone's attention to himself. "Ohhh, it is sooo hot outsiiide!" He deeply bellowed in effort to sound similar to his butler, suddenly throwing his coat off. Ladies giggled and screamed wildly as they jumped to grab at his clothing. "If only there was something to cool me down!" He cried again, seductively loosening his tie as he opened his red eye. He felt as if there were blithe stars and sparkles and bubbles fluttering about his space, but it was all definitely his imagination. "Could someone please help undress me?" He tossed his tie into the nearby crowd he had attracted, and all of the women drunkenly begged him to remove everything else.

He placed his hand on the top button of his shirt, the final clothing piece to be ripped away. One button was slowly undone, followed by another. It was utter torture, removing his clothes in public in the eyes of all of these hussies. Fortunately just as he was about to unbutton the blouse lower than his chest, the redheaded shinigami's piercing voice echoed throughout the streets. "Oh yes, my love, my sweet, my Sebas-chan!" He whistled, brushing his flaming bangs back with his fingers. "No need to wait another moment," he lusted with a pucker of his lips. "Let me tear off your shirt and feel the warm embrace of your body!" Grell swooped from the tops of the architecture, flaunted an impressive flip, and landed majestically on his feet. The women let out another cry of pleasure as they gawked at the two handsome men. The shinigami slowly rose to the earl's level, taking in the applause of the adoring audience. "Sorry, ladies; he's all mine!" Just as he turned to gaze into the eyes of his lover, Grell's alluring expression immediately turned into a grimace as he stared into the face of Ciel. "Hey! You're not Sebas-"

A sudden blow to the back of the shinigami's head caused him to fall out cold. A net swooped under his feet and lifted the unconscious character high in the air. Undertaker smiled widely as the women all grew silent and stared in disgust at him. Without a single word, he began to flee the scene as fast as his legs could take him. Ciel's rosy color never fled his cheeks as he sourly chased after the silver-haired madman. That was a preposterous thing to experience, and he begged to never witness nor perform such an uncivil act again.


Ciel was now dressed again in his normal clothes. His pale color finally returned to his skin as they stood in the midst of the church hall. "It'll be a pain to have to lug the heavy dolt into the Underworld, but he's a huge necessity of mine," the earl pouted as he rubbed the back of his neck. He turned his head to gaze at the resting redhead who lied peacefully on the chair isles.

Suddenly, Grell began to stir. Undertaker and Ciel jumped at the unexpected rising. Grell sat up and stroked the back of his head. His vision was blurred for the moment but it quickly returned to him in a matter of seconds. His head jerked to look at the two. The shinigami's nose began to flare. He clenched his fist and slammed his hand onto the backrest of the seat in front of him. "What the hell do you two think you're even doing?!" He shrieked, instantly rising to his feet. He strode towards Ciel who was backing away and took a strong hold of Ciel's collar. "That is certainly not how you treat a lady! You have two seconds to explain everything to me! And don't even think about hitting me again!"

Undertaker's grin disappeared and he dropped the shovel in disappointment.

Ciel grabbed Grell's hands and threw them off of himself. "I need you!" The earl confessed, though he hadn't planned on it. Grell batted his eyelashes and blushed. Ciel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not like that! I need you to come to the Underworld with me! I captured you so that you would be my guide, but you awoke before I could drag you down there."

Grell's face twisted as he slumped back into his chair. "It would have been a different question if I knew you, but I'm not going on vacation with some stranger!" He shouted. His eyes suddenly looked Ciel up and down. "No matter how sexy," his voice became almost silent like a whisper.

The earl's eyes narrowed. He had momentarily forgotten that he was an adult, and that Grell had not seen the noble's face in a matter of ten years. It was a surprise that even someone like the Undertaker had recognized his masculine features now. "It's me, Ciel Phantomhive. The end of my lifespan should have arrived years ago, but I formed a contract with Sebastian beyond your knowledge… That's why I'm a demon," he informed. His sealed eye now slowly opened itself, revealing the contract that was engraved on his cornea. "I disappeared for ten years and only returned a few months ago. Unfortunately, things haven't been so pleasant since I came back." His eyes slightly widened again, trying to portray himself as more trustworthy and compassionate. He also forced a small encouraging smile. "I need your help in guiding me around the Underworld."

Grell looked extremely astonished and dazed as he stared at the young man. "I didn't even recognize you!" He wildly laughed with his teeth grim and noticeable. He leaned his elbow on the backrest of the neighboring seat and laid his head on his hand. "You should start carrying around your eyepatch again," he teased. The earl didn't look at all amused. Grell sighed and frowned again, shutting his eyes. "As much as I'd love to help you on your little quest, I still have so much work that I need to attend to in this world!" His sarcastic tone was visible as well as in the nature of his posture.

The noble's spine tingled. If Undertaker wasn't going to join him, and if Grell wasn't going to join him, then his only choices were William or Ronald and there was no possibility of those two falling into any of his traps. Ciel gritted his teeth in frustration, but suddenly casually smiled again. He shrugged his shoulders and turned his back to Grell with his hands placed on his hips. "What a disappointment. Sebastian would have been extremely pleased to see you!"

"Ha!" Grell sneered, leaning forward in his seat. "If you need a guide so bad, then why not ask Sebastian to help you? As if I'm actually such a fool to fall into your trap!"

Ciel became baffled. He couldn't believe he was so stupid to blurt something so blatant and idiotic out. The noble swiftly turned around, constructing a new compromise; "You don't understand. Sebastian has been captured and I need you to help me find him," Ciel deceived. His chest became uneasy, wondering if the shinigami was truly dumb enough to believe these tall tales. Undertaker only snickered behind his back.

Grell stood from his chair and rushed to Ciel's chest, slightly bending down and looking up in the earl's eyes. "Why didn't you say so sooner?! Anything could be happening to my poor Sebby at the moment!" He cried. He skipped away from Ciel and spun around to look at the earl again. "Come on, brat! We don't have time to waste! We have to hurry up and save my Sebas-chan!"

Ciel nodded. He masked a straight poker face due to his silent victory and marched to the shinigami's side. He then looked back at Undertaker and flashed a quick and devious smile. A deep, thick fog began to twirl around their feet. Grell fearfully clung onto Ciel's arm as the smoke rose higher and higher above their heads, eventually engulfing their entire bodies. The young master had again successfully taken another step towards his revenge by stealing a dumbfounded shinigami. The two were now teleporting into the Underworld where Ciel would truly begin his journey to bring Sebastian's reign to an end.


So I hadn't exactly planned for this story to be the slightest bit humorous, but hey. That's life. I also feel that I rushed the ending to this chapter too quickly. I'd greatly appreciate it if you left some sort of review or critique. Thank you!