Chapter Three

I could sense someone in the room with me when I woke from my slumber. I opened my eyes only to squeeze them shut from the light of the candle set on the bedside table. I opened them slowly, letting them grow accustomed with the light and looked over to the person sat in the chair a few feet away when I heard a page turn. Lit with the golden glow of candle light sat Sebastian. With a glance I could tell that he was not actually reading the book in his hands and I was concerned by the frown which was deeply etched in his face. I went to sit up but my body felt like lead. He had obviously heard the rustle of the bed linen as he was now looking at me.

"So, you're awake," he said quietly, a small shard of fear pierced my heart when I heard the anger in his voice. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me, waiting for a response. With a sigh he closed the book, set it aside and walked over to the window, holding the curtain aside so that he could peer outside. I noticed that it was dark which meant that I had been asleep for about 6 hours.

"Looks like it's a new moon tonight," he spoke almost to himself; I froze as terror gripped me. If it was a new moon, which meant that I had been asleep for over 2 days.

"Neko-chan," I flinched when he turned to me, his eyes widening in shock at my ashen coloured face, "Why didn't you tell me you were ill?" I looked away unable to meet his eyes, my hands curled into tight fists. Once again he sighed and walked over to the edge of the bed, kneeling down next to it. He reached out and laid a hand over one of my fists, I gasped at the cold temperature of his hand.

"The young master and Lady Elizabeth are going to London soon, the master has a task to complete. I want to bring you along so that the doctor can take a look at you," I shook my head, my fearful eyes meeting Sebastian's concerned orbs, "I don't want to leave you here alone so I need you to show your illness to the master so I can get him to allow me to bring you with us."

I completely froze; I hadn't dropped my guard around anyone for a long time. Even I did not know how far my illness had progressed and I did not want to think about what could happen when I'm in such a venerable state. He seemed to read my mind because he reached up and pushed a stray lock of hair out of my face and gently pressed his lips to my forehead.

"I'll always be beside you, no matter what happens," he whispered before moving away to wring out a cloth that sat in a bowl of water nearby and folded it neatly before laying it on my forehead. At that moment, there was a knock on the door before it burst open and a blond whirlwind ran in.

"Sebastian, how is she?" Elizabeth said in a voice which was far too loud for my sensitive ears, Sebastian saw me wince.

"My lady," he put a finger to his lips, "Neko-chan has just awoken but she is still very ill, so please talk in a quiet voice." Elizabeth put her hands over her mouth with a squeak before apologising to me in a whisper. I heard footsteps near the door and turned to see Ciel standing there, his eyes inspecting me. I tried to pull myself into a seated position but my body cried out in pain. My face creased as I felt a wave of agony which left my body trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly I felt a small hand on my shoulder and I looked up into a brilliant blue eye.

"Calm down," he said slowly and clearly, it took me a moment or two to realise that, in my effort to sit up, I had started to hyperventilate. I focused on my breathless pants and forced the to slow, evening out my breathing.

"Sebastian, I had wanted to stay here until she recovers, however now that I see her I think it would be better to take her to London with us so that there will be a doctor close by," Ciel looked from me to his butler who knelt with a hand over his heart.

"Understood, My Lord."

…

The next few minutes blurred in a flurry of activity. Sebastian ushered the two nobles out of the room to get them ready for the journey. Apparently we were to go straight to London, riding through the night.

Mey-rin hurried in and got me washed and dressed in a flash, I had tried to help but my body had refused to move without causing me an unbearable amount of pain. Soon I was carried out to the carriage by Finny's deceptively strong arms and was laid on the bench opposite Ciel and Elizabeth. I had been clothed in a simple white dress which didn't require a corset and wrapped in a thick woollen blanket to keep me warm. I winced in pain when the carriage jerked into motion but the constant rocking soothed me into a half sleep state. I wanted to sit up and show that I was healthy but my body refused to listen.

…

After what seemed like a few minutes into the journey, I felt a hand on my forehead. My eyes flickered open to see a man dressed in a white coat leaning over me. In an instinctual reaction, I jerked backwards only to be rewarded with a piercing agony which left me panting.

"Neko-chan," Sebastian's voice came from my left and I could see his worried expression, "We're in London, this is Doctor Jenkins. He just wants to take a look at you." I relaxed slightly at his calm tone.

"Now that she is awake, bring her in," the doctor ordered Sebastian, who nodded. I felt his arms wrapped around my back and under my knees, I grabbed the edge of his jacket as he gently lifted me into the air. We went into the doctor's home and walked past the dining room where Elizabeth and Ciel seemed to be enjoying some breakfast. Sebastian followed the doctor down a corridor to the doctor's medical room.

"I want you to sit her upright on the bed with her back facing me," he ordered as he walked around the room picking up equipment he thought he needed; after a few moments he came over and totted.

"I need bare skin to listen properly so I need you to remove her dress," Sebastian and I froze and looked at him. I could see Sebastian trying to find an excuse to not doing what was asked of him. Focusing completely on movement, I reached for his left hand and pressed it to the top of the front of my dress and then tried to undo the back. My fingers fumbled on the laces, I frowned in concentration and just as I managed to undo the bow, revealing my bar back to the doctor; he placed the end of the stethoscope onto my back, without heating it. I gasped at the cold, my breath caught in my throat and I started coughing. The coarse coughs echoed around the room and shook my body, sending wave after wave of pain coursing up and down my whole being. I think at one point I blacked out because suddenly Sebastian was holding me against his chest to keep me upright. As I gasped for breath, I could feel the doctor move the now warm stethoscope around my back. He sighed and stopped, telling Sebastian to close my dress then he left the room.

…

"How is she?" Ciel asked the doctor when he walked into the sitting room where the two nobles had made themselves comfortable.

"I'll wait to give me prognosis until the patient arrives; she needs to know more than anyone," the doctor spoke after settling himself on a chair which faced the others.

When Sebastian carried me into the room, everyone turned to look at us making me shrink away uncomfortably. He sat me down on a chair which had a high back and sides so I could prop myself up. He stood next to me, Ciel seated on his other side.

"I would say from the fact that you are only coming to me now that the Miss is very strong willed, and so has kept her illness hidden. Therefore this leads me to deduce that either her will has been broken or she has suffered from another illness or has been in a state of shock which has made her breathing harder thereby making her condition worse." He paused for breath, "My prognosis is that her lungs are collapsing, this means that every cell in her body is straining to get oxygen it requires, hence the large amount of pain she experiences when she moves."

"Is there anything you can do?" Ciel asked his knuckles white.

"I can supply her with painkillers but that is all," the doctor shook his head and sighed, "I estimate that she has a maximum of a month to live if she doesn't catch another illness or tire herself out. So I would advise removing her work load completely." The room sat in complete silence as they processed what the doctor had said. Sebastian looked down at me as I tried to hide my expression from them.

"You already knew, didn't you?" he said quietly, I nodded. Why should I lie, of course I knew that my body was dying?

"Hold on a moment, Neko-chan, have you always been mute?" Ciel asked, thankfully missing Sebastian's question. I shook my head, Ciel turned to look at the doctor who looked thoughtful.

"It is possible that her body acted instinctively and shut down her ability to talk to save oxygen," he said before dragging his hand through his hair, "I've never seen this sort of thing before."

…

With a month's supply of painkillers in a bag, we left the doctor's home and went to Ciel's town house. Sebastian settled me into a bed of one of the guest rooms, pressed his lips to my forehead and walked out of the room.

A few hours later Ciel walked in and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Neko-chan," his voice wavered slightly, I looked at him and waited for him to say what he needed to, "I'm so sorry, if I had known I would never have forced you. I was just so jealous of you and Sebastian. I never meant any harm … I…" he choked out. I couldn't help but smile and I reached out to gently touch his hand.

"I've got to stay here for a few days, the Queen has sent me a case she wishes to be solved, but once that's over we can all go home," he said, wiping his tears before giving my hand a squeeze and then left.

…

The painkillers prescribed by the doctor were incredible and took most of the pain away, allowing me to have a semblance of a normal life. I was able to get out of bed and walk around, though I always had Ciel and Sebastian hovering around when I did, to make sure I didn't overwork myself. It was a particularly good day when Ciel decided he wanted to see him. I made it clear that I wanted to go with them and though they argued, they still took me along.

I laughed when we stopped outside of the shop he wanted to visit, fully understanding why they hadn't want me to come, it was an Undertakers.

The shop was dark and riddled with coffins, as you would expect.

"Undertaker," Ciel called out, he was looking around the room trying to spot the owner of the shop.

"Young Earl, have you come for a specially made coffin," a voice sounded from the coffin right beside me, it opened and I had to look up to see the face of the undertaker. Scars crisscrossed his face and neck, telling of the battles he had been in. His eyes were hidden by an overgrown fringe and his grey hair flowed down his back. I had to fight a smile when he walked over and poked Ciel in the cheek.

"I guess you already know why we are here," Ciel deadpanned as the undertaker chuckled to himself, still poking him.

"Indeed. You are here about the number of murders where the man is the suspect but every time he pleads that he is innocent. Most of the time the women were prostitutes but one was the bride of a newlywed couple," the undertaker walked a step away from the boy, "but you know the drill, payment up front."

Ciel sighed and opened his mouth to say a joke he had learnt when he felt the undertaker's finger on his lips.

"Not you," he turned and looked at me, a grin on his face, "dear lady, please, entertain me."

"But she's mute, she can't …" Ciel tried to explain the undertaker ushered everyone out of the shop and closed the door, his back to me. I could see from the tension in his shoulders that he was angry.

"You're cutting it a bit fine, aren't you?" he said softly, I was right he was furious. He turned and marched up to me, pressing me back against an upright coffin. He stared into my eyes for a moment before sighing, all the tension draining away, he cupped my cheek gently.

"Have you found the man you need?" he asked and I nodded with a smile, "Show me." I reached back and touched the concealed death scythe, slicing my finger and triggering the cinematic record. Not wanting to keep anything from him, I allowed him to see everything that had happened during the number of months I had worked at the Phantomhive Estate.

He almost ran out of the shop to kill Ciel in his rage when he saw the tears running down my face whilst he was fingering me. I caught the undertaker's arm and made him watch the next bit. I felt myself grow when as I watched Sebastian lavishing his love on me, the undertaker could smell my arousal and grinned. The cinematic record disappeared as he caught my lips in his and kissed me, angling my head backwards to give him better access. At a gentle touch of my hand he broke the kiss.

"He is the one," he whispered, "I must admit I never thought you would go for a demon." He caught me by the arm and sat me down on a coffin and then went to let the others in, a wide grin plastered on his face. As soon as the door opened, Sebastian walked in, his eyes meeting mine, making sure that I was ok. I nodded and smiled at him and he walked over, his eyes soft.

"I'll tell you what you want to know," the undertaker began after he shut the shop door, "all the victims had just finished an action with the suspects before they were killed."

"What sort of action?" Ciel asked; I frowned already guessing the answer.

"In a word, sex," the undertaker said, then laughed at Ciel's expression, "I suggest that you set up a trap for the killer. The lovely young lady could act as if she is a lady of the night…" Ciel shook his head furiously.

"I will not allow her to be put in any danger," he spoke with authority, I stood and walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know what will happen if you do this mission, you could die," he spoke without looking at me. For the first time in a long time I wanted to be able to voice what I was thinking. However, the undertaker spoke the words I wanted to say and, voiced, I realised how harsh they were.

"Would you prefer her to have a short, near painless death, enjoying herself or do you want to consign her to a slow, agonising death, lying in bed with everyone around her, giving her pitying looks? I know what I would choose," Ciel was on his feet in an instant, his eyes turing red in anger. Before he could speak, I turned him to look at me. He stared at me for a moment before frowning sadly.

"Very well," he sighed, "But I will be your customer," his face had a determined set to it and he looked confused when I shook my head.

"Earl, it would look suspicious if a child of your age went with a woman. Plus you have a responsibility to your fiancé. However it is not unusual for butlers to search out women for a bit of fun whilst their masters are at parties," the undertaker said, Ciel turned an accusing look on Sebastian who shrugged.

"Though I have never done so, it is a past time that quite a few butlers enjoy in," he spoke softly. Ciel bit his bottom lip in thought, I walked up to the undertaker who looked at me for a moment before nodding and I slipped through the back door. He had always had a wardrobe of women's clothes just in case he had to redress a corpse. I searched around and pulled a dress which was designed to show off slightly more skin that what was socially acceptable. I folded it and placed it in a bag, which, when I had walked back into the main room, Sebastian took from me and held. The undertaker was giving Ciel all the details of the killings. It seemed that all the women had been drained of blood, this meant that it wasn't a human's work, the murders were the work of a demon.

…

As we were leaving the shop, the undertaker grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.

"I will see you again soon, my lady," he kissed my hand and let me go, his fingers lingering on mine. I smiled at him and walked out of the shop, the door shutting behind me.