"I can't take it anymore!" Grell exclaims with pure exhaustion. "I can't take it anymore!"
He falls dramatically to the ground, breathing heavily as his legs twitch. Sebastian, Ciel, and the Undertaker stop walking and turn to face him. Sebastian lets out a heavy sigh.
"Grell, get up. Now."
Grell whimpers.
"But we've been walking all day, Bassy!" he wines in a high-pitched voice. "I'm tired!"
"So am I, but we have to keep moving," Sebastian says coldly. "Now, if you don't get up in the next five seconds, we are leaving you."
Grell's eyes widen. "Bassy!"
Ciel rolls his eyes.
"Just carry him or something, Sebastian. It's pathetic to see him like this."
Grell's eyes light up.
"Yes, yes, yes! I would totally love it if you carried me, Sebastian darling!"
Sebastian's eye twitches in completely horror. The Undertaker snickers.
"He he he! Though the little shinigami does have a point, we have been walking for a very long time."
He looks through the thick branches and leaves of the trees to see the darkening sky.
"It is getting late as well. We should start setting a camp for the night. After all, you never know what could happen in the dark..."
He gives off a soft, slightly unpleasant laugh. Ciel takes a step back from the Undertaker.
"…Fine. Sebastian, set up a camp."
Sebastian bows. "Yes, my lord."
Grell sighs heavily, disappointed that he won't be carried off by the handsome butler.
Sebastian, with the Undertaker's help, begins to construct a camp for the four of them. Grell sits against one of the tree, watching both men work with a very persistent eye. Ciel sits besides Grell. His eyelids become heavier and heavier by the second, his breathing becoming slower and steadier. But even though he tries to resist, weariness soon takes over the young earl and he soon finds himself in a deep sleep. Sebastian sees this from the corner of his eye and smiles slightly.
"He he he! It seems that Grell wasn't the only one who was exhausted."
Sebastian blinks as the Undertaker brings in some firewood. The Undertaker smiles.
"Though he is the queen's guard dog, he is still a child. And children don't always have the strength to carry on like this."
Sebastian raises an eyebrow.
"Are you calling my master weak?"
The Undertaker shakes his head.
"I'm not. Not everyone can experience a tragic loss like he did and come out sane. I'm just saying that perhaps…he should just act like a child for once instead of trying so hard to be all grown up."
There is a small silence, the Undertaker now setting down the firewood. Sebastian takes it and starts to build a fire. He looks up at the Undertaker.
"Just what are you trying to say, Undertaker?" he asks with suspicion.
"I'm not trying to say anything," the Undertaker replies with a large grin. "Am I not allowed to voice my thoughts?"
"I never said that. But it sounds like you are trying to suggest something."
The Undertaker laughs softly.
"And just what do you think I'm suggesting?"
Sebastian takes his eyes off the Undertaker as a small flame starts to appear. He is about to reply to the Undertaker's question when Grell suddenly shows up out of nowhere and plops himself in next to the fire.
"Ah, finally some place warm!" he exclaims. "It was starting to get really cold out here…"
He moves closer to Sebastian, laying his head on his shoulder. Sebastian growls in reply and the Undertaker giggles.
"I'll get the earl since you seem busy at the moment, Sebastian."
The Undertaker continues to laugh, and even harder once he sees Sebastian's death glare.
But Sebastian eventually finds himself relaxing a bit. It has been a long day, with all the almost dying and all. Grell lets out a small yawn.
"My…I can't remember the last time I've been on an adventure such as this," he says softly. "In fact, I don't think I've done anything as exciting as this since I became a reaper..."
"Speaking of being a grim reaper, shouldn't you be reporting back or something?" Sebastian asks. "You have been absent for a good amount of time by now."
"Yeah, Will is probably losing it since I've been slacking off," Grell replies. "But, I said I would help you, Bassy. Besides, when will I have the opportunity to do this again?"
He snuggles closer to him. Sebastian groans.
"And be grateful that my master finds you useful at the moment. Otherwise, I would have strangled you already."
Grell giggles softly.
"Oh, Sebastian! You may act all tough and cold hearted, but deep inside, you know you are enjoying this."
Sebastian's eye twitches.
"No, I'm certainly not."
"Denial!"
"You are the one who is in denial, Grell."
"At least I can act on my heart without regrets!"
"At least I know what gender I am."
"At least I can act on my own free will!"
"At least I don't have a million restraining orders between me and almost every attractive person I laid my eyes on."
Grell opens his mouth to come up with a reply but no words come out.
At that moment, the Undertaker returns carrying a sleeping Ciel. He lays Ciel against a tree that is close to the fire, trying to make things as comfortable for him as possible. The Undertaker then sits across from Sebastian and Grell.
"The holy grail shouldn't be too far from here, if I remember correctly," he says with a large smile. "We should be at its resting place within a day or two."
"Is that so?" Sebastian replies. "And how do you know this?"
"Because he just does," Grell says sleepily, blinking his eyes a couple of times in order to stay awake.
The Undertaker snickers.
"I took a look around before I brought the earl," he answers. "But we must be kept on full alert, for they might show up."
"'They?'" Sebastian gives a puzzled look. "Who is 'they?'"
"Your doom."
Sebastian, the Undertaker, and Grell turn to see a shadowy figure approaching them. Sebastian stands up, much to the discomfort of Grell, preparing himself for any kind of assault. But the figure gave no signs of aggression, only slowly coming closer and closer to them. The light from the fire slowly shines onto the figure, which turns out to be no more than a small old man. Grell stares at him, trying to hold back from laughing.
"Really, we got worked up for that?!"
"Don't let your eyes fool you," Sebastian says. "Not everything can be what they appear to be."
The Undertaker nods in agreement, chuckling to himself for no reason. The old man starts to chuckle as well.
"Those who seek the holy grail only bring themselves to eternal peril," the old man says. "For it is no longer in humanity's reach."
Sebastian can't help but smirk. What kind of threat is that?
"Oh really? And what about nonhumans?"
The old man snickers.
"Like yourselves? You won't get very far."
The Undertaker laughs.
"Don't underestimate us. We are much more than what we appear."
The old man stares at the Undertaker for a moment. Slowly, his smile begins to grow.
"Ah…and how can you be sure? For so many have tried to face them and only a few return to tell the tale. Like a certain man I know... He he he!"
The old man gets into a laughing fit, as if what he just said was the funniest thing ever. The Undertaker frowns.
"Why are you laughing? That wasn't even remotely funny…"
"Now you know how we feel when you start laughing at random," Sebastian says.
He turns his attention to the old man.
"Who are you and who is this 'they' you keep mentioning?"
The old man continues to laugh his ass off, which really irritates Sebastian, along with Grell, and even the Undertaker. Miraculously, Ciel is sleeping through it all. Eventually, the old man gets a hold of himself.
"You may call me…"
He pauses for dramatic effect. A long moment of silence passes.
"…Just get on with it!" Grell cries out angrily.
"Yes, get on with it," the Undertaker agrees.
The old man laughs and Sebastian gives him the death glare.
"Get on with it!"
The old man gives a creepy grin, so creepy that it could compete with the Undertaker's.
"After you face them and kill the mighty monster hidden deep within the cave, come to the Bridge of Death, where you will be put to the final test by the almighty, fearful wizard…Tim!"
"…Tim?"
That's the most unimpressive name Sebastian has ever heard.
The old man gets into another laughing fit. As he laughs, his body slowly starts to fade away, eventually disappearing completely. His voice echoes throughout the forest, like an evil spirit is looming over them.
That just annoys Sebastian.
"…So, who wants to take the first watch?" he asks, changing the subject and pretending the last few minutes never happened.
"I will," the Undertaker offers, his usual smile returning to his face.
Sebastian nods in reply.
He then walks over to Ciel. He takes off his coat and puts it over his young master. Ciel moves slightly in his sleep but says nothing. A small smile appears on Sebastian's face as he settles himself right next to Ciel, closing his eyes and letting sleep take over him.
