And I'm back once more! Sorry for the long wait. I'm thinking of writing this story in just the Normal POV because I'm better at that specifically now. There is an OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT at the bottom of this page so please read that after reading the chapter. It's super important for all my readers!
Anyway, here's Chapter 7! I don't own Shugo Chara or Black Butler!
Enjoy the story ~nya!
"We're going on vacation~! No more aggravation! Such a great sensation~! Only relaxation!" Ran, Su, and Yoru cheered on the carriage ride. Amu clamped her hands over her ears to block out their terrible vacation jingle. She looked to Ikuto, who was driving to carriage, only to confirm her suspicions as he was smirking at her misery. How did they ever get into this situation, you ask?
"I guess you can be generous my lady," the blue-haired butler joked, internally laughing at Amu's angry expression.
"Hmph," she groaned and averted her eyes, "I do not have the capacity for such a trivial emotion such as generosity. I had one reason; not coming back to see my manor destroyed."
The trio of servants was so happy. But something seemed off about their surroundings. When Su looked around at the fields they were in, it was a frightening surprise. Spiked collars connected to a short rope dangled from the leafless trees. The remains of animals and a handful of humans—from individual bones to full skeletons—were scattered in the dirt around said trees. Happiness shifted to utter despair as the three realized the most awful fact of all; the resort was yet to be constructed.
Amu was in deep thought about the information she heard around a certain village in the country. She sighed once more and looked out her large window with a clear view of the estate's luscious garden. What she had heard about the village was certainly not pleasant.
"You haven't touched you meal yet Amu-koi~," Ikuto purred, noticing her spaced-out state.
"Now Ikuto, you don't want anyone to hear you calling me that," Amu sneered but deep inside, she wanted to blush a dark red. But she would never display such weakness.
"I know that quite well. The servants are all downstairs, where they can't hear us. Now, what were you thinking about, my lady?"
"I have recently received news of a town named Caninesborn. It's an idiotic name if you ask me, but that is beside the point." The pinkette leaned back in her leather chair before pressing on. "You see, long ago an event known as bearbaiting was banned from Tokyo when Japan followed America's example and passed an Animal Cruelty Petition. But this town uses a new form of it now, which is a loophole they seemed to have found. Instead of a bear, they chain a dog to a wall and then have its own kind attack it. They have trained the most vicious hunting dogs. It breaks our queen's heart just hearing such things. So naturally, you and I are going there to investigate. The construction of the company's new resort will not raise suspicion when we arrive in their town."
"Look ~desu," Su exclaimed, pointing. "There's a lake up ahead! It's so pretty!"
"It looks a bit less spooky viewing it like this," Yoru agreed.
Passing through the village, it appeared desolate and glum. However, one man stood out from the depressing scenery as he happily played with a dog. He looked so compassionate and showed the dog he was training a great deal of affection. Ran and Su couldn't help but admire him and his cute dog.
Ikuto glared at the mutt, as he liked to call dogs in general, but then looked straight ahead. "I don't understand dogs. It fawns over its owner while the owner manipulates the hound with rewards or punishment depending on its behavior."
"Just get to your point because I can tell you have one," the pink-haired mistress complained.
"That's quite observant of you, my lady. I'm just saying that I'm not very fond of dogs. To put it bluntly, I hate them." The bluenette smirked down at Amu. "I adore cats much more."
Her only reply was an emotionless "meow". Ikuto knew very well that Amu was in fact the loveliest cat he'll ever know.
Upon arrival at the Unarimura (A/N Translation: howling village) estate, a young woman who seemed around seventeen walked out of the mahogany double doors. She had golden blonde locks tied in pigtails that flowed down to her waist and deep amethyst orbs. She wore a maid outfit that was blue and white, and went down to her knees. But white tights covered any skin on her legs. (A/N Better image of her maid outfit is on my profile) Ran and Su whispered about how pretty she was while Yoru didn't seem to care.
"Hello, you must be Hinamori-san," the lovely girl greeted the pinkette with a smile. "I am Utau Hoshina, maid of the Unarimura estate. I will escort you to my lord."
As always, Ikuto helped Amu step out of the wagon. He spent a few seconds glaring at the blonde maid, as if saying 'I know something about you but I won't say yet'. While the servants started unpacking the luggage, Utau guided the young heiress and her butler through the mansion. A large amount of animal heads decorated every wall. Their glass eyes seemed to follow people wherever they went. When they entered the drawing room, the first sound they heard was the crack of a whip. Amu and Ikuto turned to see a tall man whipping Utau.
He had short light brown hair and a goatee. The suit he wore showed he was of importance. But the expression he wore was not one of happiness. In his eyes there were swirling negative emotions of anger, hatred, and…fear?
The man yelled at the blonde maid, "Who the hell is this pink Minskin fur ball!? I told you to get me the queen's cat!"
"G-g-gomenasai," Utau choked out, covering her face with her hands so the whip wouldn't come in contact with it.
"You're useless! Why do I even try with someone like you!?" the man growled.
Seeing this, Amu decided she had had enough of this show. She snapped her fingers, signaling Ikuto into action. The bluenette stepped in front of Utau just as the whip came down. It wrapped around his arm and he pulled it, making it jump out of the man's grip.
"Who do you think you are!?" he yelled at Ikuto. "You should be trained better! Get away from me, you worthless animal!"
"He's actually acting on my orders, Sir," Amu interjected with a devious grin, "and he's more than willing to do any task I ask of him. So do not call him worthless." Ikuto was slightly moved at her last statement. "Only I am allowed to say such a thing to him." And the feeling sank back down. "Now, I believe an introduction is in order. My name is Amu Hinamori. I am the one who sent you the letter." She sent a smirk toward Lord Unarimura. Every time she arranged a meeting with any member of high society, they never expected someone as young as her to show.
The older man growled again at her. "And I told you that I refuse to sell the Unarimura Castle to you or anyone."
The pinkette looked up at him, her eyes and expression back to emotionless. "And why it that exactly?" she asked.
"It's because there is a terrible curse on this village. Whoever tries to even disobey the desire of the Unarimura family will be sentenced to an obviously unpleasant end!"
Instead of cowering in fear as he wanted, Amu just threw her head back and laughed. "I must say that this mission has my full attention. I will see with my own eyes this curse you speak of so profoundly. Keep in mind; I have exposed more than enough impostors."
Lord Unarimura scowled at his own failure and at the persistence of the pink-haired mistress. Usually, when people heard of the curse, they quickly left with their tails between their legs. But the girl in front of him wanted to know more instead of less. It was going to serve as a big problem.
Meanwhile, the servants of both families kindly socialized on the ground level. Ran and Su were grinning ear to ear as they spoke with Utau. Yoru only cracked a tiny smile when speaking with others on the same status, per say, as him.
"Wow!" Ran exclaimed. "It's amazing you're the only servant working in such a large estate!"
Su nodded and added, "I don't know how you manage to get every little thing done around here ~desu!"
"It's nothing really," Utau stated, smiling, "No need to praise me."
Ran shrugged. "But if there's anything we can do to assist you, just let us know right away. We all need to stick together, as servants alike and new friends. Am I right?" Su and Yoru nodded in agreement.
"I'm so glad. I must be attending to my master now. Thank you for your kindness." Utau bowed and left the room to go back to Lord Unarimura.
"That's the last time I have goat cheese before bed," Su silently groaned as she trudged through the halls.
It was the third time going to the restroom with an upset stomach. But this time, she spotted a faint light further down the corridor. It was well past midnight. Wasn't everyone—besides herself, of course—asleep already? Curious, Su tiptoed her way to the light, attempting to keep the old wooden floor from creaking. As Su got closer, she could hear a faint voice coming from the other side of the door.
"That pesky little girl is trying to take away my precious castle," the voice whined. "Please help me…"
A feminine voice hummed with a bored tone. "You know what to do to force them all out."
Su recognized the voice as Unarimura-san's. She couldn't help but wonder. Is he talking about Lady Amu? And who is he talking to?
The green-haired maid tilted her head a slight degree to get a better view. What she saw gave her too many different impressions. The lord was on his knees, begging at a woman's bare feet. Looking up slightly, Su recognized the woman as Utau. She didn't want to see any more after that. She shuffled away and back to her room, vowing never to spy again.
Amu sat in a comfy chair near the candelabra, reading a book about the urban legends of Tokyo. She was almost certain the curse that supposedly existed in the castle was only a hoax to make her leave. In order to expose the lord, she needed to do some research. Across the room, Ikuto was arranging his mistress's dresses in the armoire provided. What the pinkette didn't expect was her butler walking up behind her and suddenly wrapping his arms around her petite waist.
"Now is not the time for this Ikuto," Amu scolded, eyes still on her book.
"I just wanted to hold you again," he smoothly countered, "Is that so wrong?" Ikuto reached over, taking the book and lifted it away from Amu's grasp. "A lady should take a break once in a while."
"I do not need any breaks nor should you do this here," she retorted, "Now let go."
But the midnight blue servant had other plans. His grip only tightened as he leaned in close to her ear. "What if I don't want to?" He gently lifted a strand of the pinkette's hair and kissed it.
Amu almost blushed, but she swallowed it down and an angry tick mark appeared on her forehead. "You really are a piece of work, you know."
"But you love me anyway."
"I do not and I never will," she lied with a chilling tone. Amu was aware Ikuto sensed her lying voice as her leaned her head back and kissed her forehead.
Hearing footsteps approach the room, Ikuto loosened his hold on his mistress and stood, back straight, behind Amu's chair. Amu thought to herself how the help's manners needed adjustment when Utau opened the door without knocking.
"I know it is late, but I must speak with you," she pleaded, tears in her eyes, "You must leave this place before you suffer a terrible fate! You are too young to die!"
What Amu did next, the blonde didn't expect. The pinkette merely stared at the candles' flickering flames, her golden eyes intensified by the light. "Why should I?" was her blunt reply.
Suddenly, a loud howl broke the silence. All three in the room looked to the window in shock. The wind picked up abruptly and a large shadow of a dog appeared.
"The Hellhound has come!" Utau shrieked.
"Hellhound!?" Amu asked is surprise. She pointed to her servant and commanded, "Ikuto, get the curtains!"
Ikuto wasted no time as he dashed to open the curtains, but nothing was outside. An eerie glow traveled down the streets below. A ruckus emerged soon enough. The people were as speaking of this "Great Hellhound" and running outside to follow the glowing street. Everyone, including Amu's servants and Lord Unarimura rushed out of the manor and into the village. The tracks of glowing light stopped at a certain house on a corner road.
Lying on the dirty ground, bloody and torn up, was the corpse of the man Ran and Su were admiring earlier that day. It was clear some kind of wild animal had bitten the man from head to toe, fresh blood trailing from the bite marks. His clothes were shredded and his face held a small pain-filled expression. Ikuto was certain something was amiss from all the unusual events that occurred up to then. Townsfolk gathered around his body and looked upon him with indifference.
Amu stood beside Ikuto, secretly holding his hand tightly at the gruesome sight. "This is the curse of the Hellhound…?" the young woman whispered, staring at the body.
"So Ryu was the disobedient one…" an old woman muttered.
"He was discovered owning one more dog than the allowed amount," a middle-aged man gossiped.
"Who was the Hellhound's victim this time?" questioned Lord Unarimura as he approached the fresh corpse.
"Ryu was the bad dog!" the crowd shouted at once.
"As long as this village is under my rule, the Hellhound was bound to punish everyone who dared disobey me," the lord stated, no concern or sadness anywhere in his tone.
"Is that all you can say?!" Ran screamed at the man, tears streaming down her face. "Why does disobeying you lead to such cruelty?! That didn't do anything to deserve death!" The normally peppy girl sunk to her knees, crying for the poor man and the despair hanging over the small town.
Amu stared at her gardener for a few moments then turned toward the crowd after they lifted up the body to go and bury it.
Ikuto leaned down and whispered in her ear. "What is your next move, my mistress?"
"I have a small idea," she whispered back.
The previous night left a very depressing mood for the cheery trio as they sat together at a bench outside and sulked.
"Well this vacation was not what we expected it to be ~nya," Yoru commented.
"Now, that's not the proper attitude," a voice behind them said. They all turned to see the blue-haired butler. "You were all so filled with excitement on the way here."
"That was before we learned the townspeople's description of 'fun'," Ran whined.
"I'm sure we could think of something. This is a vacation. The mistress has pointed out she paid to have a private day at the lake for all of us to enjoy~." Ikuto hinted smoothly, causing the servants to jump up a cheer.
A day at the beach was just what they needed to lift their spirits. They all ran to the beach and spotted their mistress Amu sitting in a chair and staring out at the sea as she sipped a cold drink Ikuto had prepared for her. Ran and Su went into the ladies' changing room to put on their swim attire while Yoru simply took off his uniform near the water, revealing his swim clothes underneath.
"This is so relaxing ~desu!"
"I normally don't like water, but this is amazing ~nya!"
"I wonder if the Lady Amu-chan will join us at any time."
"I will not," Amu called out to Ran, making her sink into the water with disappointment. Amu snorted at her actions and sipped her juice once again, closing her eyes as a cool breeze swept her hair back. She opened them once again to discover a tall shadow blocking her sun. "Hello Ikuto. Is there something you needed?"
Her butler smirked and laid his hands on her shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. "I only want to help my mistress relax while she's on vacation." He continued to rub her shoulders, slowing moving down to the small of her back. Amu tried not to sigh in content, keeping her expression cold but not resisting relaxing for a little bit. She had to admit Ikuto had very skilled hands… A small blush spread to her cheeks at the mere thought.
"I still intend to continue the resort's construction, Ikuto," Amu said. "I don't care what that say about this hellhound. We both know this specific dog only barks without trying to bite."
Ikuto smirked, aware there was going to be an order from Amu. "What do you want me to do mistress?" She motioned him down to her level and he leaned down to hear her whisper in his ear. "Your wish in my command my lady." He straightened his posture and walked off the beach, ready to fulfill his orders.
Amu stared back at the ocean, hoping for a single moment of peace before her plan commenced. Unfortunately, that moment was never to become reality as she heard a crowd roaring behind her. She looked back to see the townspeople holding large sticks and pitchforks. They shouted things like "The bad dog has been captured" and "Punishment will be given". The pinkette glared at the people rushing to where this "punishment" was to be held. It seemed her plan was going to start sooner than she expected.
She called her servants to dress and follow her as she began to walk toward where the townspeople had gathered. Once they arrived, they saw the town's ghastly version of bear baiting. The dog that belonged to Ryu was being attacked by four other dogs. The hound tried to stay strong as its own kind chomped down on his limps. They were all shocked at the spectacle but one was affected the most; Ran. She couldn't help but watch on in horror, despair swimming in her eyes. She suddenly saw her childhood flash before her eyes. She was treated like an animal, like she had no feelings or opinion in the world. Ran saw herself in the dog. It was being mistreated because of something it didn't even choose to do, because it was loyal to one person.
"Stop this right now!" the dark pink-haired girl screamed and ran toward the arena. She pushed the vicious dogs away, making them fly slightly because of her strength. She hugged the attacked dog close, getting petting its back. Amu, Yoru, and Su ran up to her as she shook. "It's okay now," she whispered. "I'll keep you safe…"
The crowd wasn't too pleased with the interference though. They surrounded the group and growled at them. They began to shout and sneer as if they were the true vicious dogs. "They must pay for interrupting!" a woman screeched. An old man yelled, "Punish them too!" And that's exactly what the village did. Amu tried to resist, but they put her up in chains and pinned her to the wall. They believed the owner of the "intruding mutts" (aka her servants) should be the one to receive the punishment.
Lord Unarimura smirked and proceeded to make demands. "I'm feeling somewhat generous today considering who I am dealing with at the moment. I want you to leave this town and never return!"
Instead of begging for her life, as many expected once again, the young lady just snickered and stared defiantly at the lord. "You really are idiotic. You rely on your simplistic ruse to maintain the small amount of power you can grasp." She glared at him, her voice chilling everyone to the core. "I would never allow such shameful tactics to remain present in this land."
"You had your chance!" the lord shouted. "You must pay! Sick her!" The dogs ran toward Amu, their sharp teeth clearly visible and ready to tear her apart. But Amu showed no fear or panic as they rushed for her. A dark blue blur appeared and swatted the mutts away. Ikuto gracefully stood up and began to unshackle Amu.
"You're late, Ikuto," the pinkette bluntly commented. "Are you losing your edge?"
Ikuto softly smiled at her and her alone. "I promise it won't occur twice my lady."
"It better not."
Lord Unarimura scowled and ordered the dogs to attack the young butler along with the girl. Ikuto was more than a little irritated that the man commanded not only he be attacked but his beautiful, flawless Amu as well. He glared down at the insolent pups, his eyes glowing bloody red and his pupils turned to cat-like slits. The dogs whimpered pathetically and scampered far away from the arena, their tails between their legs. Right before anyone could notice, Ikuto's eyes turned back to their original illuminous sapphire.
"Your illusion shall be swept away as of this moment Unarimura-san!" Amu shouted over the crowd. She looked at all the people and began her speech. "All of you have been deceived. There is no such thing as the Great Hellhound you all have come to fear. The only real horror has been standing among you; a wretched man obsessed with keeping his own brand of sick order."
"You have no evidence to prove your tale!" the lord shouted, denying what Amu was saying.
"As a matter of fact, we do," Ikuto smirked. He picked up a skull he had left on the ground when attacking the dogs. "The teeth marks in this animal skull match the markings on the poor man who supposedly broke your rules." He then pointed up to the fog, which displayed a large shadow of a dog. "The shadow you all saw was nothing more than a simple projection meant to instigate that the legend was true. And here is my favorite. You put florescent powder made from a special luminous moss on a regular dog and sent him out onto the streets to create the glowing tracks." He shook a small vial of said powder and shook it gently, displaying it to the townspeople.
Amu smirked, similar to Ikuto's. Her butler was really rubbing off on her. "You've been exposed, Unarimura-san. Your pitiful deceit ends here."
"And for the final piece of evidence," Ikuto smoothly said. He walked over to the injured dog and knelt down, then lightly tugged on the item that was in its mouth. "You can rest easy now," he whispered to the dog, "Your job was performed perfectly." Then hound whimpered quietly and closed its eyes, never to open them again. "This dog was truly loyal, I must admit. It wanted to avenge its master's unjust end." He turned and showed the item to everyone. "This piece of cloth belongs to you Lord Unarimura. The dog ripped it off when it bit you in order to protect its master."
The villagers were in complete shock. All their fears were just measly tricks constructed by a vicious man to retain his power over them. A man close to the lord pulled up his pant leg to reveal the angry bite mark from the dead dog. They worked together to drag their now former lord away. They chanted in unison, "Avenge Ryu's death! Punish his killer!"
The depressing air in the village seemed to lift slightly, but there was still an ominous presence that no one could detect. Some didn't seem to notice, but Ikuto and Amu were vigilant in these matters. Later that night, Amu stared out the window as the rain gently tapped against the pane. She could feel in her gut that nothing was over yet.
"Ikuto," the young lady called quietly.
"What is it, my lady?" he asked while packing her suitcase.
"I know you feel it too. Something is still amiss in this village. We—" her words were cut off by a piercing scream travelling down the halls.
Everyone ran to the source of the shriek, going all the way down to the basement where the cells were. They spotted Su sitting on the floor and trembling in horror. Their eyes moved up to where she was staring and gasped. The cell where the lord was being held had a gaping hole in the bricks and blood was splattering out of the floor.
Far away from the castle, Lord Unarimura's mangled body laid against a large tree, his eyes glazed over by death and his leg from the torso down completely missed. It appeared as if something had bitten it clean off. Back inside the castle, Utau stood close to a window that faced where the lord's body would be found. Her lips twisted into a small but sick grin.
If you have seen Black Butler, you probably know how this is going to go. However, I have taken peoples' advice and put my own originality into this story, as indicated by a few scenes.
Now here is the OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! I will be devoting my time to only two stories. I won't work on any other story until I have finished these two particular stories. Ready for their names? Good! And they will be...
~ I'm No Damsel
~ Midnight Blue Servant
So look forward to updates on these stories and these alone. Until the next update, this is Kitten signing out! Make sure to leave your comments for this chapter and what you thought of the little things I added in. If you review, you get a cookie!
