Neuro hadn't yet returned by the time they finished their food (and Yako had actually finished all of the remaining boxes, much to the surprise of them both), so they found themselves falling into conversation again.
"If you don't mind my asking, how did you become acquainted with him?" Sebastian asked with a curious tone, as though he had been contemplating it for a while. "I'm a bit surprised to know he considers a human something of an equal, you see. That doesn't happen much among demons."
"I'm his partner, but I still haven't gone much above top slug in what he considers compliments," she sighed, apparently not feeling quite as equal as Sebastian was suggesting. Akane laughed quietly behind her hand while Yako shook her head. "Anyway, I was sixteen when Neuro suddenly appeared. My father had been murdered, and he claimed he could solve the case, but he wanted me for cover, for whatever reason. I was… heavily persuaded, you could say, into playing the part."
Ciel looked down at his cup of tea as his thoughts turned dark. Murdered, huh? Perhaps demons were attracted to tragedy.
"You okay, Ciel?"
His head snapped up at her words, surprised. Had he been that obvious?
"I'm fine," he assured her. "We appear to have something in common."
She looked surprised first, then saddened, though he didn't see anything of pity in her eyes. For that he was grateful.
"I'm sad to hear that," she commented. "I hope other things we might have in common are more pleasant." She didn't press him for the details, and he wondered if she had sensed he would not give them even if she had.
"If we're talking about similarities, I do detective work myself quite frequently," he informed her, steering the conversation to easier topics. He didn't normally discuss his duties so openly, but her knowing shouldn't pose a problem, given their separation by time.
"Really?" she replied with some excitement. "Are you like a police consultant or more a private eye?"
"A bit like a private eye, I suppose," he shrugged. "My official title is The Queen's Watchdog, and it is a role my family has played for generations. We take care of the personal concerns of the Queen, and those matters often involve a bit of detective work. I work directly with London's underground, though; I'm not in it for the sense of doing justice."
He wasn't expecting her to laugh, but she did.
"Putting it that way, you have a bit in common with Neuro. He doesn't solve cases to put criminals behind bars; he's completely in it for his stomach, the glutton."
Ciel chuckled. "I expected you to say something about how a kid should stay away from people like that."
"You made it clear earlier that your age is irrelevant," she reminded him. "Besides, I can't judge when Godai is a member of the Yakuza. I actually work quite a bit with Japan's underground, and though I don't approve of their methods, they do make a great resource."
"I'm impressed, Miss Detective."
"Neuro is the one who started that connection, though," she added. "Really, he built this whole place up."
"Your role cannot simply be the face of this agency, though," Sebastian observed.
"It was at first, but over time it became apparent that I have a knack for understanding people's hearts and their reasons for doing things. Neuro, brilliant as he is at uncovering how something was done, is hopeless when it comes to the deeper why, because he doesn't have the ability to understand humans in that way. We balance each other out, in a sense."
She took a sip of her tea, and then continued.
"With Neuro's food being the puzzle or the evil intent that a human exudes, it's usually necessary to dig into those human reasons in order to fully unlock it. Mysteries that stem from the human heart are ones he needs my assistance for, and, perhaps ironically, are also the most appetizing for him. I have a running theory that emotions act the part of seasoning for puzzles."
Sebastian hummed thoughtfully at that, and Ciel found himself making parallels between the two demons. His butler did have some trouble concerning human reasoning, but he also had zero difficulty keeping up his human appearance when he had to deal with it. Each had a particular palette and both seemed to be essentially starving themselves in favor of catering to that. They both had something of a sadistic streak, though where Neuro appeared to stray to the physical side of that, Sebastian preferred the verbal route and remained subtle about it in comparison to the other demon. The major difference between the two was in the way they handled their counterpart.
Yako seemed like a very kind young woman, hardly the type of person he expected to be teamed with a demon (and although she had said she had been heavily persuaded, it seemed like she no longer needed that incentive). It was apparent, however, that something lurked behind her gentle gaze. At times, she gave him the impression she was looking directly into his soul, and she had a downright unusual way of simply accepting the strange things before her. The way she discussed the demons' food preferences and the concept of a contract with Sebastian was smooth considering she was human and had no prior knowledge of such agreements with demons.
He did not know her age, but sixteen seemed several years behind her. Years of dealing with inhuman beings and scenarios might account for the way she handled the situation, but Ciel felt it more likely that Yako was simply someone who could handle all of that. In some ways, that made her as intimidating as she was pleasant.
"Have you two been acquainted long?" she asked.
"A few years," Ciel provided. "I don't consider partners the right term for our relationship, but Sebastian has been an irreplaceable asset. I would not be where I am without him."
"Praise me too much and I might think you soft, Young Master," Sebastian chuckled.
"Please," he scoffed. "You and I both know I'm hardly likely to go soft."
"Very true."
"I imagine your duties require you to keep up certain appearances," Yako observed with a light laugh.
"Along with my duties to Her Majesty, I also have a company to run," he revealed.
"Really?" she asked him, shocked by this as well. "What kind of company?"
"Confectionaries and toys, though recently we've expanded into the food industry. Funtom caters to children, mostly, but it is very popular and requires quite a bit of my time."
"Wait, did you say Funtom?"
Realizing that she was repeating the name with recognition in her tone, Ciel and Sebastian exchanged looks of surprise.
"…You mean to say it's still an active company in this time period?" Sebastian asked.
"Of course!" she replied with excitement. "I was once gifted a basket of chocolates from Funtom as thanks for helping out with a case the Yard was having difficulty with. It was one of the best chocolate candy sets I had ever had, and any time I go back to England, I make an effort to pick some up. It's best direct from the source."
Ciel found himself smiling in absolute amazement. To think his company would survive beyond his lifetime…
"Well…" he started, though was at a loss for words for a moment longer. "I'll have to keep up the work, to make sure it's still around at this time."
"Please do!" Yako pleaded with a large smile. "I can't imagine not having ever tasted it. Oh, and the curry-pan, the strawberry shortcake, the star fruit candies…"
It was apparent that food was definitely one of Yako's biggest loves, as she continued to list goods from the company that he was either familiar with or had never heard of. He silently hoped Sebastian was keeping track.
Her reverie was interrupted by the return of Neuro, who promptly latched a dangerous-looking hand onto her head and lifted her off of the couch.
"The pathway has been opened," he informed them. "Let us make haste; it will not last."
Worried by that prospect, Ciel and Sebastian both responded quickly. When Neuro led them to the window, Yako questioned why they weren't using the door.
"This is the most direct path," he shrugged. "Also…"
He raised his arm, and Ciel watched in fascination as the two triangular cuff links that adorned his sleeve came together. The shape they made then suddenly appeared over their heads.
"Evil Blind," the other demon said nonchalantly.
Sebastian stilled him as the shape passed over them, preventing him from dodging out of the way of the strange bit of magic, and silently assuring him it wasn't harmful.
"…What is this?" he eventually inquired.
"It reduces others' perception of us," Sebastian explained.
"Neuro, this hardly works on two people for very long, let alone four!" Yako reprimanded the greater demon.
"It will work plenty long enough," he argued with a squeeze to her head. "The gate's location makes this necessary."
"…It's location?"
He did not answer, and quickly dragged her out of the window. With a quick exchange of looks, Ciel and Sebastian followed swiftly behind.
They soon found the reason why it was necessary to make themselves less conspicuous.
In the middle of a busy street, on the side of an overpass for what looked to be a modern passenger train, was a large banner announcing the opening of an art exhibit (the featured item a dress in a style Ciel was far more familiar with – fitting that the tear should appear near something related to his own era). Some kind of transparent veil covered it, and surrounding the entire thing was a creature more repulsive than anything he could have imagined. It seemed to be stretching the veil over the sign, and if the cries and profuse sweating were anything to go by, it was under great strain by doing so.
No one but them could apparently see it, as none of the people walking on the sidewalks or riding by in the strange carriages reacted to it. He figured people would be rather visible, though, and people climbing to that particular spot even more so.
"Looks like this is where we part ways, then," Yako announced when they stopped on the platform that extended under the sign.
"It appears so," he responded, grateful that this strange adventure was concluding.
"We are grateful for your hospitality and assistance," Sebastian added, bowing to Neuro, who simply shrugged.
"Just cleaning up," he replied. Ciel frowned at the implied insult, but Sebastian merely smiled.
"Good luck with your company and your other responsibilities," Yako added after slapping the blue-suited demon's shoulder. "Be careful."
"Same to you," Ciel replied.
"Go," Neuro prompted. "Evil Space is out of time."
The tool did seem to be losing its grip. Sebastian gently directed him forward.
"Goodbye, then," he tossed over his shoulder.
"Goodbye!"
Stepping through the veil and finding themselves in front of the shop they last remembered seeing before the pathway had displaced them, both of them heaved a sigh of relief.
Behind them, they could vaguely make out an image of the busy street they had left behind, along with two figures, one of them looming over the other. Yako's voice rang out in her native tongue, clearly disapproving of whatever Neuro was doing to her now. The other demon's amused cackle filled the air as she yelled his name, and then suddenly the tear snapped closed.
The Earl and his butler both shook their heads in either exhaustion or exasperation.
Taking in their familiar surroundings, Ciel took several moments to regain his bearings. This was his territory. This was home.
He would be far more careful walking past dress shops in the future, he noted, annoyed glare resting on a familiar dress in the window.
"Sebastian?"
"Yes, My Lord?"
"When we get home, I want a long bath and a warm cup of milk."
Sebastian chuckled.
"As you wish, My Lord."
This has been edited (6/4/17) to include a bit more of the elements it was missing, like setting descriptors, a more obvious connection point for the rift, and smoother dialogue.
Also, that's the end! One instance of Japanese in this one - Curry-pan is Curry bread.
I enjoyed connecting these two worlds and mixing and twisting details to suit the story. Evil Space is an entirely made-up tool, by the way. I've implied a few things in this story (Sebastian perhaps not planning to eat Ciel's soul, and the possibility of Neuro and Yako making a contract), but I wanted to leave them open to interpretation. Read into those whatever makes you happiest.
For my very first cross-over, this was fun. I may write a sequel with Yako and Neuro in Victorian England... but not any time soon. For now, this is the end of this.
Until next time!
-sf
