Chapter Four: Quite the Irksome World

Since his true master's absence began, Sebastian had been asked thirty stupid questions in total: twenty-one of them for merely a manga, the rest about Sebastian's physical character and his master and previous life. Sebastian found it quite annoying, as anyone would, but as a Phantomhive butler, it was his duty to follow his master's orders. And right now, that was to stick with some manga brat.

The next morning, Sebastian knocked and walked into Nagi's room to call her for breakfast, which she didn't seem to have in bed. He felt unusual not bringing a cart of expensive tea and gourmet cooking, and was just thinking about it when he found his mistress asleep.

Sebastian had attempted to wake her up, but the House maid, Maria (whom Sebastian found more impressive compared to their own), had appeared in the doorway and shook her head with an embarrassed grin. Don't bother, it won't work. So he had settled to cleaning the house until his mistress woke up.

Well, hopefully his master was having a more eventful experience.

And he was. He and Hayate had just gone off at the airport and had no ride to the manor (maybe there was a carriage strike or something –shrug-) so they had to walk there. But Ciel, having enough of it the last time Sebastian had left him and thinking it would be a nice challenge to his new butler, had Hayate carry him and hop from building to building unseen by other people. Hayate had rather been fighting a robot or talking to Tama.

"Meirin!" Ciel called as soon as they opened his mansion's large front doors, still amused at Hayate's exhausted face.

A crash was heard with a matching, high-pitched yelp. "Meirin-san!" someone else called.

"What happened?" said the voice of a man.

"Hoh, hoh," someone laughed.

Hayate was dumbfounded. "W-what's going on here?" he asked.

Ciel sighed. "You'll have to excuse them. They are most catastrophic." He then started walking towards the kitchen with Hayate close behind. "Meirin, what—?"

Both his and Hayate's jaws dropped.

The kitchen was wrecked. Counters and cupboards overturned, plates, glasses, and other silverware – broken and sprawled on the ground, and the room was covered in black ash, just as the people in it were.

Ciel twitched while glaring at his three servants, but soon came off it. "Meirin, tell me exactly what you heard."

Hayate blinked at the earl. He was sure he would go nuts with anger. Little did he know that Ciel was already used to this, and was in too much of an emergency to care.

Hayate could only stare as Meirin ranted about what Paula told them.

"…and then Lady Elizabeth was attracted to something that shone in the alley, and when Ms. Paula came to pick her up, she was gone and her hat was on the floor!" Meirin finished. "She went to find you here, but you were in Japan and – who's that?" Her far-sighted eyes drifted to Hayate, who was standing behind Ciel. "And where's Mr. Sebastian?"

Ciel glanced at Hayate. "No one. Forget him," he said, and then continued to ask them questions.

I don't believe this guy! Hayate thought in his mind. Half of him wanted to leave this place and go back to his mistress' side, but he wasn't about to befoul her name. He simply stayed quiet and bore with the four servants' intimidating stares.

Finally, Ciel was finished. "Alright, we'll be out to get her. Come, Hayate." Before they could leave out the front door, Ciel turned around once more and said, "Clean the kitchen before doing anything else," to his servants, who saluted in reply and ran in the kitchen.

"Mistress, it really isn't good for you to be playing video games all day in such a dark area," Sebastian was saying back in the Sanzenin mansion. Nagi was doing the exact same thing she was when they had first arrived: dark video games.

"Mm-hmm."

Sebastian sighed. It's not like he wasn't used to having a stubborn young master, but for some reason, this one irked him more. He started to walk away, but stumbled on something lying on the floor. He didn't see it due to the darkness. Before he could fall over, he saved himself with a flip and landed safely on his feet.

He could only hope that his master was in a better place.

If by better, he meant darker and mustier, Sebastian got his wish. Ciel was now in the cold street of London with nothing but his temporary butler, Hayate. Shivering from the cold, he looked around. Paula hadn't told them which alley. Useless.

Just as he was about to leave the area, he head a soft hum of music. A soft tune...he had heard it somewhere before. It was ever so familiar...and inviting.

Slowly, his legs carried him to where the music was coming from, as if he was in a trance. Hayate only followed, thinking this was weird, but not wanting to offend his master in any way. He opened a flashlight he had brought when Ciel decided to enter a narrow alleyway. He moved it around, taking in his surroundings.

How funny was that? He never thought a poor boy like him would ever reach London.

He moved the flashlight toward the sky, and as he did, for a split second he saw a lingering shadow standing above a fence. When he swiftly moved the light back to where he saw it, it was gone.

Weird, I could've sworn there was something...Hayate thought. He glanced at Ciel. If only this guy would move faster.

Finally, he decided to take advantage of his master's previous orders and lifted Ciel in his arms, jumping over the fence, then from building to building.

Ciel snapped out of it. "What are you doing?" he yelled over the roar of the wind in his ears.

"Master, I saw some shadow earlier, and – there!"

A shadow – definitely just a shadow – was seen above a tall building, but quickly jumped off and was hidden from view once again.

Ciel now saw what Hayate meant. "Very well. Keep following it!"

For fifteen minutes, Hayate was hopping over cars and houses, trying to follow this mysterious shadow that was very rapid in movement. While Hayate puffed and panted, Ciel sat in his arms, relaxed but alarmed as to whom that shadow could have been. Would it lead him to Elizabeth or another trap? Blast it, why did he have so many enemies?

At last, Hayate reached a big clock tower. The shadow was standing at the top, but didn't seem to be attempting to run. Rather, he looked like he was waiting.

"He's waiting for us," Ciel said, so suddenly that Hayate was startled. "Enter the clock tower and climb."

What? Hayate raged inside his head. I'm so tired. I may be a butler, but I'm still human!

Who could blame Ciel for expecting too much of Hayate? His butler wasn't human.

"What are you standing around for?" Ciel demanded. "Get up there!"

"Y-YES, SIR!"

Thus, begins his long hike.

Meanwhile, in the Sanzenin estate, the mistress seems to be facing a big problem.

"This is not good, not good at all," Nagi told herself, pacing around the room.

"What is, mistress?" said a Sebastian who just entered the room with a tray of tea. He shut the door and offered a cup to his mistress.

Nagi took the cup. "Oh, hey, Sebastian." In one gulp, she drank all the tea. "Something bad just happened. As a result, I may have a job for you."

Sebastian nodded slightly, waiting for his orders and hoping it won't be some kind of babysitting job.

"My friend, Izumi, has decided to come over."

His heart sank. "Isn't that a good thing, mistress?" he asked. "Your friend is coming over."

She shook her head. "Not if it's Izumi. That girl gets lost, like, every 5 minutes if there's no one showing her the way!"

"Doesn't that seem a bit exaggerated?"

"Nope," Nagi said frankly. Sebastian studied her face. She looked dead serious.

He sighed inwardly. "Very well, what is the task?"

Nagi turned to face the large window of her bedroom and pulled back the curtain to get a better view of the outside. "I want you to find her and bring her here." Turning back to Sebastian, she continued, "She'll be the long-haired girl in a kimono looking really lost. You can't miss her. Here's a map with her house encircled so you might know what possible routes she takes." She handed him a map. "Hayate's all too used to this, but he's not here. Don't fail me, Sebastian."

He bowed respectfully. "Yes, my lady."

As he left her room, his usual smile turned into a frustrated frown. It may have not been a babysitting job, but it was close. Leaving out the front door, he sighed and wished that his master was going to meet a better person.

Ah, be careful what you wish for, Sebastian.

A/N: Ah, well, this is going weirdly, but hopefully, you'll tune in! X3