A/N: Firstly, I'm sorry this took so long. You can blame school, me being introduced to World of Warcraft, my editor being SUPER busy too, or all of the above. Secondly - thank you all. Your continued support is a blessing and really cheers me up when I'm down. And thirdly, I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Be warned - there is gore in this chapter.
Disclaimer - Kuroshitsuji and Doctor Who never have been nor ever will be mine, but writing fanfiction for them is fun.
All hell broke loose.
Bullets began to fly, forcing the Doctor to drop to the ground. Cringing at the shrieks of agony, he crawled over to a window on the castle wall and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He glanced at the mayhem behind him and immediately wished he hadn't.
This is a massacre. The Doctor thought in absolute horror. There's enough blood here for at least eight people. It's only been 10 seconds and the demon has already murdered so many… How dare he compare himself to me!
The Doctor shook his head, forcing himself to turn away. He couldn't think about that. Not now. Not at a time like this. He had to save Rose.
Suddenly the sound of gunshots ceased, leaving only an eerie silence. The Doctor stood, trying to ignore the deathly quiet and began trying to sonic the window open. Just as silently the demon appeared behind him, and the Time Lord tried not to flinch.
"You didn't have to kill them, you know." The Doctor said quietly, not looking at the butler.
"They would have attempted to kill us both if given the chance," Sebastian said, a smirk forming on his face, "and they would have succeeded in killing you."
"You should have given them a chance." The Doctor said, ignoring the demon's comment. "You could have knocked them out, but instead you killed them."
Sebastian smirked with evil satisfaction, and then frowned as he noticed the lack of progress on the window. "You can't open it?"
"The screwdriver's not working." The Doctor complained, putting Sebastian's massacre out of his mind. "The whole place is deadlock sealed so we can't break in. We need to find a door and keypad."
With that statement the Doctor set off at a brisk pace, not waiting to see if Sebastian was following.
"Do you hear that?" Ciel asked Rose, lifting his head off his knees to listen. "The bullets have stopped."
"Maybe the Master got those gangsters." The blond girl suggested, idly moving shards of glass around with her foot. "Or maybe they got him instead."
The young earl sighed – now that they weren't in immediate and life-threatening danger he was getting rather bored. He didn't even have a captor to taunt.
"Where is Sebastian?" Ciel asked impatiently. "He's never failed before. Where is he?"
"I'm sure he's coming," Rose said soothingly. "Don't forget that he's only human."
Ciel chuckled – the statement was just too funny not to, and the baffled look on the girl's face was priceless.
Rose decided ignore the laughing, since he was previously so uptight about rudeness, and they sat together in silence for a time. The sound of a quickly approaching motor vehicle made both of them uneasy.
"I wonder… who could that be?" Ciel said curiously.
"Should we stay hidden?" Rose asked, looking anxious. "I don't really want to get shot at again."
The boy peeked over the window sill, and his eyes widened at what he saw.
"We don't have much of a choice." Ciel said as a Molotov cocktail cascaded through the window frame.
Suddenly, fire exploded through the room.
"Ah-hah!" The Doctor exclaimed triumphantly, finally coming into view of the door they were searching for. Sebastian noticed that the man was still ignoring him – or trying to at least. He kept shuddering slightly when Sebastian didn't seem to be paying attention, much to the demon's amusement.
This is too much fun.
He heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and concealed a smirk. Apparently the fun wasn't about to end any time soon – more gangsters were approaching and he could see no reason for dealing with them quickly or discretely. Not when killing them violently within view of the Doctor was so extremely satisfying.
Thus, he waited while the Doctor began to talk about things Sebastian did not care to understand. He waited until the people were all around them in the nearby bushes before deciding to speak, cutting into the Doctor's ramblings.
"There are gangsters surrounding us." Sebastian stated simply.
The Doctor froze. He obviously hadn't heard them approach.
"Open the door." Sebastian commanded. "I'll keep them at bay."
The Doctor looked at him darkly, but nodded and turned to the contraption on the wall. Sebastian smiled wickedly and leapt towards a gangster, slashing at his throat with a dinner knife stashed up his sleeve. The man spluttered as the blood poured from his neck, causing Sebastian's eyes to glow with increasing bloodlust.
"Now, what code…?" The Doctor muttered, trying to ignore the horrific noises surrounding him. "Gallifreyan coordinates, perhaps?"
Sebastian frowned, realising that there were more gangsters nearby than he had previously anticipated. Forty – no, fifty – men were surrounding them, and more were coming around the corner at a rapid pace.
It wasn't so much worrisome, as that of an inconvenience. Sebastian still needed too find and save his bocchan after all – this would mean a longer wait.
However… I suppose it couldn't hurt to enjoy myself a little more. Sebastian thought to himself. It couldn't hurt me at any rate. I wonder… just what would it take to break the Doctor?
With that thought he removed his still perfectly white gloves with his teeth and folded them into his pocket. Leaping at his opponents (if they could be called as such), he began to attack them in the most brutal way possible. He let each of them scream horrifically in pain before silencing them forever. And all the while, Sebastian was paying careful attention to the Doctor – relishing his every flinch and shudder at the sounds.
A man shot at him from the other side of the clearing. He dodged the bullet easily and came around behind the man, passing his fingers through the shirt and skin to between the man's ribs. Sebastian felt the beating of the heart on his fingertips for a moment before puncturing it ruthlessly.
Moments later he heard a shot and moved instinctively. As he got directly in front of the Doctor he felt it, the splitting pain of a bullet penetrating his forehead. The whole world seemed to go out of focus and at a fraction of the pace it should be.
"It's open!" he heard as a hand closed around his wrist.
Darkness crashed down upon him and Sebastian didn't even feel the Doctor pull him inside and shut the door.
Fire exploded throughout the room as it quickly engulfed all the surrounding fabric, and licked at the wooden furniture. The varnish bubbled and the wood began to smoulder in the intense heat.
It was all happening so fast!
Rose dropped to her hands and knees as she crawled under the choking smoke, completely forgetting about the glass strewn across the floor. She glanced back and was relieved to see the boy following her closely. They had to stick together.
"Stay… close." Rose coughed through the smoke. "We've gotta get outta here."
They managed to crawl to the door and get outside of the now furnace-like room, quickly shutting the door firmly behind them. Rose leaned on the opposite wall and began carefully removing the larger pieces of glass in her hands and knees, wincing with each one. Hearing a noise they both whipped around and Ciel reflexively drew his pistol from a pocket.
Rose saw this and stared at the boy in utter disbelief. "Why do you have a gun?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Ciel replied quietly. "I need to be able to protect myself should Sebastian not be around."
"But – but you're a kid. Kids aren't meant to have guns…" Rose said, feeling very uncomfortable with the situation. "Look – I bet its nothing, so put the gun away, while I'll go see what it is."
Ciel moved his gun so he didn't point it at the girl, but otherwise ignored her remark.
Rose walked down the corridor and opened the door a fraction to peek inside.
"You can put your gun away. It's just a cat." she said, chuckling. Bending down to pick up the feline now weaving itself around her legs she began to cringe in pain.
Ciel was surprised to find that he was actually concerned for the girl.
"What's wrong?" he asked, putting his gun away.
"I think I've pulled a stitch." Rose said, straightening up with extreme caution. "Bit of a stupid time for it, right? I mean, trying to pick up a cat rather than escape from a burning room – you wouldn't hear of it!"
"We should find somewhere for you to sit down. Somewhere that is safer than a room with a window." Ciel said, moving to her aide. "Perhaps we should go back to the main room."
"We might run into the Master though…" Rose said, wincing with every move she made.
"That's a risk we'll have to take." Ciel said firmly. "Besides, we won't be completely defenceless – I do have a gun."
"It's open!" The Doctor yelled, turning to see Sebastian directly behind him.
Grabbing his wrist, the Doctor tugged the demon through the door and shut it behind them both.
Breathing a sigh of relief as he leaned against the door, the Doctor finally turned to face the butler -
- who was lying motionless on the floor.
Quickly, the Doctor turned Sebastian over before staring in disbelief at the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Raw emotion passed through the Doctor as he tried to decide whether he was relieved that the monster was dead, sad that the man was killed or confused that he couldn't make up his mind!
He is a demon and a murderer for Gallifrey's sake! I shouldn't be feeling pity for him! The Doctor thought, trying to rid himself of the feelings. But a life is still a life – who will care for that boy, Ciel, now?
"Why would you give your life for me?" The Doctor asked quietly, staring at the butler's still form as it would relinquish the answer. "Why would a demon die to save me?"
Sebastian's eyes fluttered briefly – causing the Doctor to jump before hastily retreating to the other side of the room. Sitting up slowly, Sebastian rubbed his still un-gloved hand over his forehead, wiping the blood away from the newly reformed skin and bone. He then spat out the bullet, examining it quietly before he gently tossed it into a corner.
Everything he does is impossible! The Doctor thought in utter shock, watching wide-eyed as the butler stood up and dusted off his clothes. He's acting like he didn't get shot in the head… As if he didn't just die - or like it doesn't even matter!
Replacing his gloves on his hands, Sebastian looked towards the Doctor.
"Why did you save my life?" The Doctor asked, after deciding what to ask. "You didn't have to."
"That is incorrect; I was obliged to save you." Sebastian disagreed. "The young master previously ordered that I was to ensure that no harm comes to you. To do otherwise would have been a breach of contract."
Stunned at the simplicity of the answer and quickly figuring out that Sebastian never intended to hurt him, the Doctor merely replied "Well… thanks."
"Indeed." Sebastian acknowledged. "Let us find the young master and your companion. We have wasted too much time already."
An inconspicuous tree slowly appeared on the Phantomhive Estate behind an iconic blue box. The Master stepped out before walking over to the Police Box, opening the door with ease.
"Oh, Doctor, you never learn to lock your TARDIS do you?" He said, grinning brightly before walking inside.
Rose hobbled slowly down the corridor, listening to the sounds of gunfire. Ciel walked alongside her cautiously, wanting to help her but unsure of what he could do.
They eventually entered the ballroom that they originally arrived in. Rose collapsed gratefully into the first chair she saw, and then looked around the room.
"Well, at least his TARDIS is gone." She said with relief. "So I guess the Master won't be bothering us again."
"What if he just moved it around the corner?" Ciel asked, with a touch of deserved paranoia. "He may want to catch us off guard if he shows up."
"I don't think he'd do that. He seems to be kind of... parallel to the Doctor." Rose said, thinking about her words carefully. "The Doctor wouldn't move his TARDIS just to scare someone and I get the feeling that the Master is similar."
Ciel remained wary, despite Rose's assurances, as he settled himself down to wait. It was not particularly comfortable, but he noticed the girl was far worse off than him. Her trousers were torn and she had several gashed on her knees. Before long the sounds of distant chaos began to travel into their hall, making Ciel frown as he reached for his gun. He was not about to let the Master get the better of him with his mind tricks – not again.
"Wait a sec and just listen." Rose instructed the boy, "It sounds like arguing."
"Your point?" Ciel asked bluntly.
"It's gotta be the Doctor." She clarified, before raising her voice, "Doctor, we're in here!"
"Rose!" was the distant reply, before a black blur barrelled through the door and stopped directly in front of Ciel.
"Are you hurt?" Sebastian asked with concern, his eyes quickly scanning over his bocchan.
"I'm fine." Ciel said with a haughty glare at the demon butler. "Though I would have preferred it had you arrived sooner. It would have spared the indignity of crawling out of a burning room."
Sebastian smiled slightly at his masters indignant words – it was so like him to worry about pride before safety. "My deepest apologies for the delay then, my lord."
The Doctor finally ran through the door and immediately went to Rose.
"Are you okay, Rose?" The Doctor asked. "Where's the Master? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"Well, I pulled a stitch a little while ago, but otherwise I think I'm okay." Rose said, trying to play down the severity of her and Ciel's previous predicament, in quiet but confident knowledge that the boy wouldn't say anything. "And I'm pretty sure the Master's gone. This was the room we landed in."
"Oh, no... Oh, no, no, no. This is bad. This is very, very bad." The Doctor said, beginning to pace nervously. "That means he took you to get me to follow. He knew I'd leave the TARDIS behind because of his security, and now he's got it. He's been manipulating us – manipulating me this whole time. I should have seen it, but I've gotten rusty. It's been so long but I've got to think - what could he be planning?"
"He said he wants the human race extinguished," Ciel said quietly, realising for the first time that the Master was smarter and more dangerous than he thought. "And he wants the world to burn."
"That pretty much sums up the Master." The Doctor said dismissively but frowned thoughtfully all the same – something that was not unnoticed by the other three.
"He also said that he wants you dead, Doctor." Rose said simply, looking up at him.
He stopped pacing for a moment, and his frown deepened.
"He doesn't know. He doesn't know we're the last. And if what I'm thinking is right, I can't even tell him." The Doctor said before looking at Rose. "Did he say anything else, anything at all that might give us a hint as to what he's planning to do?"
"Well, the Master did say something about getting some equipment..." Rose said, trying in vain to remember the direct quote.
"He wanted to open something by using it." Ciel added. "I think he said 'to this neck of the woods'."
"Yeah, that's it." Rose agreed. "And then alarms came on and he ran away cackling."
The Doctor's shoulders sagged slightly – realising the implications of what Rose and Ciel were saying. Sebastian, however, was growing impatient.
"Tell us, Doctor," the butler said, trying to be polite but to the point. "In the clearest possible terms, what exactly does this all mean?"
The Doctor turned to look at the others.
"The equipment was the TARDIS, and I'm pretty sure the thing he wants to open is an intra-dimensional portal. Probably to the Drashig colonies on Grundle's moon and that will let them through to here and now, London 1889. And that would mean the end of the world."*
A/N: Tee-hee-hee, torturing the Doctor is so much fun. Don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for him while I'm doing it but I just love to make him suffer. At least Sebby got a share of suffering in this chapter though, right?
Anyway the * is there about the intra-dimensional portal thing, and I figured I should explain a bit. An interdimensional portal is something that would hop you across dimensions - like the internet provides information from over different computers all over the world. But an intra-dimensional portal is one that you'd use to travel very long distances efficiently because it opens to another place within ONE dimension, like the intra-net can connect with several other specific computers nearby safely. Hence, intra rather than inter is being used for this dimensional portal. Some people might call it a worm hole.
Okay, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter lots and lots and lots, and I'm hoping it can satisfy you all for the time being, cuz I have lots to do. 3 projects (2 worth 25%, 1 worth 50% of my final mark for my final year at university) due within the next 1 and a half weeks. And then I have a test a week later, (again 25%), and then it's exams. *dies* So I'll be back after the end of semester with the next chapter with any luck.
Oh, and reviews get's you cyber-cupcakes. =) =) =) =)