AN: Thanks so much for your favs, alerts and reviews, they've cheered me up! (Real life has given me a rather hard hit recently, so I'm doing my best to recuperate.) Uni is starting for me and I unfortunately may lag in my upload of the coming chaps, so my apologies first!
I don't own Kuroshitsuji.
Jack the Ripper Arc: The Murders
Apparently I was wrong when I picked up the newspaper from the front of the manor gates. The headlines screamed 'JACK THE RIPPER RETURNS!', leading me to rush the newspaper to Malum.
The earl was the most expressive out of the group investigating the case when he was notified. "What's the meaning of this?" he shouted.
Maybe it was because he was still a kid who couldn't control his emotions…
Or maybe he was peeved that his hard efforts of being forced to dress in drag also didn't help to solve the case…
I quietly excused myself just as he ordered Malum to make a list of suspects.
But I couldn't help but wonder what was Jack the Ripper's motive of just robbing those prostitutes of their wombs…
Did something happen to this murderer that he hated women and their wombs?
Was it possible for a woman to have done the murders…? Jealousy?
Nah, I'm probably thinking too hard.
I'm more interested in reading mystery stories instead of being detective.
It was a peaceful night…
If you considered I'd been saving the skins of the three other servants. Finny nearly killed all the flowers with his accidental excessive weedkiller, Maylene only managed to break two plates – which was an achievement and Bard didn't burn dinner only because Malum asked him to prepare the charcoal for the barbequed ribs.
I was exhausted, but oh well, all in a day's work of the Phantomhive household.
Sial, come!
I'd barely kept the fine china in the cabinet when I heard Malum's voice resounding urgently in my head. Huh?
My body began moving on its own?
I – or rather Malum commanding my body – dashed to the stables to grab a horse. Locking my eyes onto its brown beady ones, I infused part of my soul into it in order for it to obey 'my' command. Moments later I was galloping out of the Phantomhive manor.
Malum! What about the manor? You told me I'd to keep an eye on it! I mentally yelled at my brother, wherever the heck he was. I was irked. Hours earlier his snotty charge and he had left the house, not saying anything about their whereabouts – I suspected they were going to apprehend Jack the Ripper themselves as a last resort – and now requesting back up last minute?
There was no reply from Malum, making my eyes widen. Both of them were in trouble!
I located them a few houses away from the one I currently was on. Malum was covering Ciel's eyes. They were too late! Another victim had been lost to the clutches of Jack the Ripper!
I jumped down beside Malum, startling them…and got startled myself.
Whoa, wait a second!
Was that Grell? As in Grell the clumsy butler looking absolutely gay? With flaming red hair too! I was really so glad I tied the horse reins at a lamp post a block away from here. Even an animal would have been scared shitless with that appearance.
I'll never judge anyone by their appearance ever.
Grell was the murderer? Jack the Ripper?
But as I stared at him, with his aura…surely he wasn't…?
"Aah, you're here." Malum smiled at me, outwardly relieved. Ehh? A shiver crawled up my spine. I glared at him, still trying to calm down my rapidly beating human heart.
"Oh, it's little Nico! Care to join in the fun…?" cooed Grell, smiling widely to show off his razor-like teeth. My eyes narrowed.
Calling me little Nico, the nerve! Do you know how gross that sounds?
Grell winked at me. I wanted to puke.
"Don't you dare, Grell. He's mine!" Malum yanked me closer to him, his hot breath ghosting my ear. Sial, cooperate with me right now!
My jaw had completely dropped open at my brother's action and so had the earl. What the fuck was Malum doing? Cooperate with what? I don't belong to you!
A shadow which emerged from the right stopped all of us.
So, the Lady had decided to grace us with her presence. Madam Red.
Grell and Madam Red. The duo was Jack the Ripper. Ciel's aunt was a cold blooded murderer. So my initial thought of a woman being the serial killer wasn't completely wrong…but to be related to Ciel…My eyes flickered to the boy. His facial features were hard and I had a feeling he wasn't going to spare his aunt's life.
"I never would have thought that the person to uncover Grell's true identity would be someone by your side, Ciel," uttered Madam Red.
I looked at her facial expression. She seemed to be controlling herself – her face had the mix of regret and yet also no regret…
"From the very beginning your name was on the list of suspects but you had too good an alibi, Madam Red," said the earl, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"You would even suspect your own?" she asked, surprised.
He ignored her, explaining all his findings and I watched as Grell's face became more cunning and Madam Red's stonier.
"How unfortunate…If you haven't discovered this we still could have played chess together," she said once Ciel had finished pinning the crimes on both of them.
Instantly her demeanour changed into one close to hysteria. "However I'm not going to go easy on you anymore!" she shrieked.
Grell launched himself at the earl, Malum moved to block it while I pulled Ciel aside. The boy was trembling slightly, his eye wide at his aunt using Grell to attack him.
"What is that?" shouted Ciel as Malum was swung the piece of machinery away from us.
"It's my custom made Death God scythe. I guarantee it's first rate! And it's my baby…," Grell proudly declared.
"How troublesome," Malum sighed, as his fingers gripped my wrist.
What is going on?
"But of course, Little Sebast…I'll consider you my baby too…I really want to do some vigorous exercise with you…" He blew Malum a kiss.
All the pieces clicked in my head as to why I had been mentally summoned by Malum. "Sebastian, you – !" but my shout was stiffened when my own brother kissed my lips!
Both the earl and I gasped. You could say my brain had shut down at that precise moment.
"Can you please not say such revolting things? You've made Nikolas jealous. And I'm working too…," Malum replied.
Whaaat?
Whaaaat?
Whaaaaaaat?
Me. Jealous…?
Blurry images flashed before my eyes as Grell and Malum battled it out.
"IF YOU HAD NOT BEEN BORN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BEST!"
That cry woke me from my stupor in time to see Madam Red who had noticed me blanking out, remove a blade from her jacket in an attempt to stab at her own nephew.
"No!" I shouted as I shoved the earl behind me and took a stab on the arm from her instead. Shit! My remaining good arm pushed her and she fell to the ground.
I know, I wasn't treating a lady nicely with all the so-called chivalry and whatnot, but in this case I had to make an exception.
"How could you harm your own nephew?" Those words flew from my mouth before I could stop them. Damnit, I shouldn't have said that!
"Why did you live while he died…?" Madam Red broke down as she began to rain blows on the gravel, inflicting wounds upon her hands. "Why? Is this even fair…? You should have d – "
Stab!
Madam Red's eyes bulged out as Grell's scythe went through her.
Fuck! I blocked the scene from the earl's eyes the best I could. This was a total disaster.
"You have become weak, Madam Red, and therefore is as worthless as the women I murdered…Also you don't deserve to wear red!" declared Grell, ripping off the lady's coat and draping it onto himself.
I caught flashes of Madam Red's tragic life story from the "cinematic record" due to the death scythe Grell had been babbling about earlier. She had been in love with Ciel's father. She had lost her husband and womb in a horrible accident. She had mentally snapped when a prostitute came to her for an abortion.
Ciel pushed me aside, his voice hard. "Sebastian, this is an order. Kill him!" He had removed his eyepatch – so his eye isn't disfigured…
The contract mark!
Hang on a sec, why does it look very much like our birthmark…?
Sapphire and amethyst orbs flashed in anger.
"Yes, my Lord."
"Since you want to die so much, I'll send all of you to Heaven!" snarled Grell, waving his weapon like a lunatic.
Malum avoided it, flying above Grell's head before giving him a good kick which would have finished off a mortal human. Alas…
"You hit my face on purpose! You're not human!" screeched Grell.
"You're right. I'm a butler to the core. Whatever the master wishes it, I will comply. Currently everything of mine belongs to my master, including my body and soul," answered my brother.
Could anything have sounded more disgusting…? It sounded like an indirect confession of love, in my opinion.
But of course Grell beat him by saying, "I'm so envious! Apparently we are unable to reach a mutual understanding. A Death God who takes away the souls of the dead, and a Demon snatching those souls away and devouring them…No matter how much love put in it won't bear fruit, it's like…the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet!"
Dear William Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave in agony at those words.
All the blood drained away from Malum's face.
If this wasn't such a serious moment at the time, I could have died laughing.
"Oi." The earl prodded me. "Instead of watching, go and help your brother out."
I scanned the area. No dangers lurking. "Why not?" I shrugged. Despite being highly entertained at Grell's blatant love confessions to Malum, I was also bored. But at the same time I was pissed off with my brother, how could he do such a thing to me!
I floated upwards to where Malum was. "You're really wasting our time, Grell. I don't like my time wasted." I wanted to go back and sleep, drat it! Instead of being out here in the cold…The nice warm bed back home…And with the sun's rays coming up meant lesser sleeping hours…
Malum purposefully misconstrued my statement. "You see, Grell…Nikolas wants to go home faster so that we have more time to our private affairs…"
Maaluuum! I mentally screamed, wanting to swing a punch in his face but I didn't want to risk Grell suddenly attacking Ciel all by himself.
"No way! It will be me who will bear Little Sebast's child!" growled Grell.
"Oh go screw yourself!" I shouted, aiming a kick at Grell but he swerved, flying towards Malum.
"If only we could continue fighting…Sadly our adventure has to end now. Let us say goodbye with a passionate kiss!" The crazed grim reaper succeeded in being really close to him, face to face.
Malum's eyes widened as their foreheads connected and he propelled himself backwards.
"It's not fair! You kissed Little Nico but not me!"
Somehow Malum's pretence of my being his lover *bleargh* had really rubbed a sore spot in Grell as he swung the blade the same time Malum swung his coat and jammed the contraption.
"I've told you once. Stop saying such disgusting things. You're making me angry…It's not like I wanted to use the coat Master gave me, but I didn't have a choice…" Malum looked crestfallen.
Oh, please, you have about nine similar coats in the wardrobe…And you'd kill me if I even touched them.
With the scythe non-operational – Grell's Achilles' heel – Malum had absolutely no mercy. Grell bashing started.
Despite Grell's grossness, I did feel slightly sorry for him. But hey, you invoked my brother's wrath, so you have to pay the price!
As Malum swung the scythe to plant the final blow on Grell, suddenly a long poled shears blocked the blow.
My eyes widened. That looks familiar…But just for safety, I moved to stand beside the earl.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation. I am Wiliam of the Dispatch Management Division of the Death Gods. I'm here to pick this Death God." A stern looking bespectacled man carrying a thick file and his shears floated off the building he was on and landed smack on Grell.
Oww…That was nasty…But Grell deserved it.
"Will!" I happily waved, surprising the rest. William nodded at me before turning his attention to Grell. Back home, since I was bored and had to escape from being used as a guinea pig by my brothers, I'd used to go and peek at Death Gods doing their work. Will's office was the nearest to Hell and the only reason he spoke to me was because I wasn't like other demons. Will had saved me before from a horrible situation caused by my asshole brothers.
"Dispatch member Grell Sutcliff, you have broken the rules…" The loooong list of misdeeds Grell committed almost made me fall asleep except for the fact he was beating up Grell which kept me awake.
"This thing has caused you plenty of trouble this time around," William finished, bowing at Malum, "Oh, this is my name card."
"Really, having to bow at you who only brings harm, even if you choose to tarnish a Death God's reputation there must be a limit." William was displeased at having to apologise to Malum.
"But Will, Grell was the one who started it!" I objected, interrupting.
"That is true…But demons are those who use every opportunity to leech off whatever comes their way as a means of survival, am I right?"
I looked down. The truth stung, but the truth always hurts.
"Humans cannot reject temptation. When they are in despair, they will grab at anything to help them escape. It doesn't matter what sort of humans they are," said Malum, barely containing his irritation.
"At least you are on a leash, better than wild, untamed hounds." William glared at Malum before turning to look at me. "I hope you grow up properly, if anything."
I didn't know what to answer.
"Alright, let's go back, Grell Sutcliff. This really bothersome – already we are understaffed…" The other Death God dragged Grell by the hair.
Malum noticed the scythe Grell left behind and launched it at William who caught it between two fingers and walked off nonchalantly like nothing happened.
Malum! I looked at my brother whose smile had left his face as he ripped Will's name card to shreds.
How do you know him? Telling you to grow up properly like he knows you so well… Malum's crimson orbs bore into my emerald eyes.
Listen here, Brother. William is my friend. Until the day I turn evil of my own free will, will I terminate my friendship with him.
I'll wait for that, Sial.
I ignored Malum. Walking past him I approached the earl. "Come, my Lord. Let us return to the manor where my brother will give you some milk to warm you up." I held my hand out to him but he slapped it away.
"I can stand by myself," he dryly said.
"Suit yourself. I'll go and get the horse." Ignoring my brother and his charge, I went to where I left the horse.
At least Jack the Ripper-s had been put to rest.
I was feeling rotten inside. I hoped the day I said I'd have to terminate my friendship with Will would never come. I was quite fond of him – no, not in that manner, you perverts! – he was my first friend…
"What are you doing, using the bathroom for so long?" demanded Malum as he forced the locked bathroom door open.
I spat the toothpaste into the sink, screeching at him, "What the hell, Sebastian! Can't I have some privacy in the bathroom? What if I was bathing?"
Malum looked at the toothpaste in my grip and deduced what I'd been doing for the past one hour – brushing my teeth, removing the taste of his damn lips on mine. A smirk appeared on his pale face as he spoke, "You're wasting resources, Nikolas. That will definitely come out of your pay."
I snidely replied, "As if that would bother me anyway." Ha! That surprised you, right, Malum? I don't need the money here, it's not like I have anything to buy. Unlike you spending your wages on premium quality cat food!
"Don't take too long. You'll have to wake up early again tomorrow." Malum left.
I probably should start keeping record of how many times I managed to render my brother speechless. For now, Sial: One, Malum: Nil.
