Youko-chan=onward!


Dante had yet to see the man after the attack and despite her powers, Dante was terrified. She barely heard Sweeney yell at Nellie but she heard her rush out.

Sweeney grabbed Dante's shoulders and shook them. "The Judge," he whispered before rushing to clean up the place. Dante blinked and quickly lifted the dying Davey into the empty trunk. She silenced it and closed it.

Quickly Dante made sure that she was well in her disguise and knelt back down to her scrubbing just in time for the bell on the door to ring. Looking up she felt her breath catch as fear and anger bubbled up in her chest.

There he was, Judge Turpin. He had aged in the past year, his hair now gray and age spots littered the side of his face. He was unkempt as he had some slight stubble and there was powder on his vest. She leaned her head down and tried to be inconspicuous.

"Mr. Todd."

"At your service, an honor to receive your patronage my lord." Dante felt like slapping her hand on her forehead.

"You know me sir?" Sweeney was quick to recover.

"Who in the wide world, does not know the great Judge Turpin?" Dante felt like gagging at the amount of honey that coated Sweeney's words. Turpin raised an eyebrow and began to comment about the place.

"And yet the Beadle says that you're the most accomplished of all barbers in the city." Dante could see Sweeney's eyes moving as he quickly formulated a plan.

"That is gracious of him sir," Sweeney then proceeded to coax the man into his chair.

"You see sir, a man infatuated with love," Turpin said quickly. "I'm her ardent and eager slave. Lend me a more seductive tone, bur first sir I think a shave."

"The closest I ever gave." Sweeney purred and began to whistle as he began to work.

"You're in a merry mood I see." Turpin commented.

"Tis your delight catching fire from one man to the next,"

"Tis true sir love can still inspire the blood to pound the heart to leap higher,"

Dante nearly hurled at the fact that the man rhymed.

"What more can man require than love sir?" Turpin asked as Sweeney brushed on the lather.

"Women, pretty women." Sweeney said. Turpin agreed. Sweeney then pulled out one of his blades and smiled softly. Once again Dante could hear the subtle whispers coming from the blade. She felt drawn to them as she watched the barber handle them like a lover and began to sharpen it slowly. Just as he was going to slit the throat, Dante was going to stop him since she had every right to kill the judge when he sat up.

"Make haste, and if we wed you'll be commened sir."

"My lord!" Sweeney pulled him back down. "And who, may it be said is your intended sir?"

"My ward." Dante nearly shrieked in anger. Sweeney sent her a sharp look and she lowered back down. "A pretty little rosebud."

"Pretty as her mother?" Dante did slap her head.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all sir, pretty women!" Sweeney said quickly as Turpin smirked and lay back down. Sweeney slowly began to shave him. They soon began to almost sing of the lovely attributes of women.

Dante felt like throwing up but noticed Sweeney moving to slit his throat she didn't notice Anthony until it was too late.

"Mr. Todd, it's Johanna! She said she'd leave with me tonight!" the boy's excitement fell into fear as he saw the Judge.

"You!" the judge spat as he stood. "There is indeed a higher power to warn me thus in time. Johanna elope with you? I'll make sure that neither you nor any other man shall ever set eyes on her again!" Dante nearly shrieked as the judge said that he would never return as he stormed out.

"Mr. Todd you have to help me!" Anthony pleaded.

"Out." Sweeney murmured.

"Mr. Todd please!"

"Out!" Dante screeched as she shoved the boy against the door. Anthony quickly fled the room as Nellie rushed in.

"All this shouting and running about, what's happened?"

"I had him."

"The sailor busted in, I know." Nellie locked the door. "Then I saw them both running down the stairs."

"I had him!" Sweeney snarled and began to pace.

"Easy now hush!"

"Why did I wait, you told me to wait and now he'll never come again!" he paced back over to the window. "There's a whole in the world like a great black pit and its filled with people who are filled with shit and the vermin of the world inhabit it." He smirked. "But not for long. They all deserve to die!" he crowed.

"Then you'll never see Johanna again. We'll get another chance." Dante spat halting his rant. He glared at her but did not say anything. "We'll get that Judge I'll make sure of it. In the meantime, practice your throat slitting." She said as she turned to pull out the still wheezing Davey.

He turned his crazed eyes up to meet hers. "Here, start with this one." Sweeney pulled out his blade again and walked over to them.

Nellie watched with a morbid fascination as Sweeney leaned down and slowly slit the man's throat. The blood came spewing out and stained the barbers white shirt and face. Dante let the body drop and ran her tongue over the sharp bloody blade.

She then proceeded to spell the blood away and stuffed the body back into the trunk. Both Nellie and Dante escorted Sweeney downstairs and the baker got the gin out again.

"Now, we go' a body molderin' away upstairs. Wha' do yeh intend teh do about tha' then?"

"Dante will magic it away." Sweeney murmured. Nellie blinked and nodded.

"Oh yeah, course we could do tha'. Don't suppose 'e's go' any relatives that are gonna come pokin arou-." She paused. She turned to face Dante and Sweeney.

"Seems a down right shame…" Dante raised an eyebrow.

"Shame?"

"Seems an awful waste…such a nice plump frame what's his name has…had…has…nor it can't be traced…" Dante had a bad feeling. "Business needs a lift, debts to be erased." Dante's stomach dropped as she realized just what Nellie was thinking. Sweeney obviously didn't get it. "Think of it as thrift…as a gift if yeh get mah drift…nah? Seems an awful waste…ah mean with the price o' meat wat it is, when yeh get it…if yeh get it?" Sweeney's face lit up.

"Ah…"

"Good you got it." Dante muttered and put her head in her hands.

"Take for instance Mrs. Moony!" Lovett crowed. "Using cats and toast…and cats make only six maybe seven at the most…and the taste?" Sweeney stood and took the woman in his arms and spun her around.

"Oh Mrs. Lovett how I've lived all these years without you I'll never know!"

"Well it does seem a waste! Think about it lots of other gentlemen'll be coming for a shave, think of all them pies!" Nellie crowed as they spun around in the room.

Dante sat on the counter and watched the two with a smile. They looked so goofy, Sweeney thinking about revenge and Nellie's thinking that he's thinking about her. Good lord that woman needed to move on. "Oh well at least it's entertaining." She mumbled.

"It's man devouring man my dear,"

"And who are we to deny it in here!" Nellie spun around out of Sweeney's grasp and shuffled over to her nasty pies and picked out one.

"These are desperate times Mrs. Lovett and desperate measures must be taken." Sweeney growled. "What is that?" he asked pointing to the pie.

"It's priest." Dante blinked and turned to see the two smirking.

"What?"

"Is it really good?"

"Sir it's too good, though they don't commit sins of the flesh…so it's pretty fresh!" Dante slapped her forehead. They were rhyming again.

"Awful lot of fat."

"Only where it sat." Dante mumbled and slapped her hand over her mouth. Sweeney turned and smirked at her while she groaned. He walked over to her. "No, no don't get me caught up in this!" but before she knew it she was in his arms prancing around the room.

Nellie laughed loudly but as Dante was spun around she saw a certain glint in the older woman's eye. Dante smirked she could have a lot of fun with this.

Using her ballet skills, Dante turned on her toe and ran her hand across Sweeney's shoulders and lifted her leg. "The history of the world my love," Sweeney purred into her neck.

"Save a lot of relatives' favors." Dante cooed as they danced together in a sort of tango.

"Is those below serving those up above!" Nellie wiggled to their side and put her chin on Sweeney's shoulder, stopping their dance.

"Everybody shaves to there should be plenty of flavors!" Dante smiled and took her into her arms and began to waltz with her.

"How gratifying for once to know that those above will serve those down below!" Sweeney took both of the women in his arms and spun them out before pulling them back into his chest. "What is that?" his eyes flicked to a rather burnt pie.

"Fop, finest in the shop!" Nellie fluttered over to it and picked up a pie covered in dust. "And we have shepherd's pie peppered with actual shepherd on top!" Dante felt Sweeney's arm tighten around her waist as his smirk grew.

He grabbed the chopping knife and pointed it at Nellie's neck. "I'll come again when you have judge on the menu."

"Wait, we don't have judge yet," Dante grabbed his arm and took hold of the blade over his hand. "But we have something you'd prefer even better."

"And what is that?" Sweeney asked his face very close to hers.

"Executioner!"

Sweeney snarled with a smirk and began to once again twirl Dante around the floor, making Nellie get that evil glint in her eye again. "Have charity towards the world my pets,"

"Yes, yes I know my love!" Nellie stomped in and nearly pushed Dante out of Sweeney's grip.

"We'll take the customers that we can get!"

"High born and low!" Dante added as she went to sit back onto the counter.

"We'll not discriminate great from small, no we'll serve any one," He snatched Dante again and pulled her close to him

"Meaning anyone," Dante took pity on Nellie and held out her hand. Nellie took it and was pulled into a close embrace by the other woman.

"And to anyone at all!" Nellie cried. Dante put her into a spin that made her fall off balance and she caught the woman in a dip.

"Fabulously done my love!" Dante purred and lifted Nellie back up. Dante narrowed her eyes.

"Johanna!" she whispered before rushing out of the shop.


Youko-chan=gasp!