He barely had time to throw his arm up and block, taking the impact fully on his left arm. There was a single pause, before Sebastian leaned over, the man's hand still connected to his arm. There was a single second that he was able to grab the Young Master, tucking him underneath his free arm. The man took a step backwards, launching himself once again. Sebastian would be lying to say he hadn't forgotten about the young miss. He indeed had momentarily, knowing he had to protect the Young Phantomhive before Miss Rose. No matter how much it irritated him.
And it indeed did.
The man, 'Agni', had started with rapid movement, colliding with his arm as Sebastian allowed his feet to skid backwards in hopes of completely avoiding all hits. His face hardened when they didn't. He's quick, he noted, keeping a tight grip on Ceil's torso, boots scraping the uneven cobble.
"Don't forget that," He heard the man from before shout, "We are here also!"
His eyes flicked back, watching idly as 'Agni' brought his hands together, fists closed. The rat was behind him, passing Rose, who had, without a doubt, dropped to the ground in a ball. Without a single word or noise, Sebastian dropped, bending his knees. He spun on the balls of his feet slipping underneath the extended arm where his head had previously been located.
"Oops!" Came from 'Agni'.
The sound of a fist hitting flesh sounded, and a grunt of pain was audible. However, he was far too busy slipping through the crowd, the next evasion passing in his mind. A glint struck his eye. So, the guardian angel was here. If that was the case, there was a possibility that the young miss could be in trouble.
Then again, the smirk present that immediately faded upon realization, led the demon to think that perhaps even if there became further trouble, the angel wouldn't do a single thing until he was strictly needed.
Sebastian was getting tested.
"I'm sorry Brother, I'll tend to it later!"
The man followed him now, watching as his boots collided with the face of one of the crowd who was getting too close for comfort with the area the young miss was last. He felt the presence in the air now, and his head turned to look. He shifted once more, turning and putting his arm back up for blocking. There was an extreme pressure against his arm, followed by two, and then another.
'Agni' backed up, a look of concern on his face.
"I've struck your marman several times. Your arm should be paralyzed." Arms rose in protection, "How is it that you can still fight?"
"Hey!"
Sebastian looked down at the young Earl, who was squirming under his arm.
"We had barely stepped foot in this place and those guys picked a fight with us! Do all Indians act like barbarians and indiscriminately attack the British?"
The well-dressed man's face fell, "What?" He turned to the group of people that had gathered earlier, "You lot! Did you really attack this kid for no reason?"
"Eh, a reason?"
"That's not right! Picking fights without reason is childish! Agni!"
The man turned and crossed his arms, exclaiming loudly, "Our brothers are the wrong ones here. We shall now help this kid now!"
"Yes sir!"
Sebastian turned for a second, absently setting the Young Master down carefully. When he turned back, the crowd was thrown on top of each other in a defeated pile of disgrace.
"It is done, Lord Soma."
"That's right!" 'Lord Soma' turned, leaning over and picking up the forgotten top hat, "So you guys, I hope you're not hurt or anything."
Sebastian gave a soft shake of his head, "Er… no."
"Also kid," The dusty top hat was shoved onto Ceil's head, "This kind of area isn't the place for a kid to wander about. So… anyhoo, I'm in the middle of a search so I need to split."
The man turned to join his partner.
"See ya."
With that, the two walked off, leaving the young Earl and his black butler in a confused silence.
"Yaa, those two are amazing."
"What exactly have you been doing?"
Sebastian didn't care exactly to listen back into the quarrel between his young master and the air-headed opium smoker. He instead turned looking exactly for the young miss. The ragged area of cobble lay empty of a female. Where had she gone off to? Although this would have been an opportune moment to escape the Phantomhive, he knew she didn't really want to, whether or not she would ever say it anytime soon. He gave a slight growl, brows furrowing in utter irritation.
"Ex….excuse me! Are you… are you Earl Phantomhive?"
Sebastian turned to find a man standing several feet away from him, dressed in clothing similar to that of the Commissioner. A second man stood behind him, dressed in the utmost carefully picked uniform.
The exact butler he had evaded seven times upon his searching of James Atkinson's manor.
"Earl Atkinson. It's been a while." The Young Master called, the slightest hint of disgust touching each word that slipped past his lips. "
"Indeed, it was before the day of that fire last I saw you."
Sebastian allowed a glare, his cerise eyes burning. This was the man who had hurt the young miss, pushing her to a state of fear and hatred for herself. The type of human he hated.
"Yes, that's true."
"Anyway, I was told yesterday that you and your—er—black butler had picked up a woman and taken her home several days ago."
"Yes… I recall doing such. Of what importance does it have to you?"
"You see, my fiancé, Rose, has been missing for almost two weeks. I was hoping that it might have been her."
"I see."
"Well, do you have her?"
"No."
"But this was the only lead I had!"
"The woman you are talking about died in my butler's bed. We brought her the following morning to the Undertaker to have her buried. Her grave stone was unmarked, as she had never been able to tell us her name. There were no records of her existence, so we assumed she was nothing more than a slave left to die."
Sebastian held back a smirk. Leave it to the Young Master to have already come up with a single plan in the even that they had actually come across the human named James Atkinson.
"I…"
"If you wouldn't mind our absence now, Earl Atkinson, I'm still working."
"Ah, yes, thank you."
Immediately, James Atkinson turned, walking away with a brisk pace. The image of the wicked Earl burned into Sebastian's mind. A long, bony face paired with malevolent envy eyes and ashen hair. He wasn't in his old age, but Sebastian knew—from the investigation—that it was naturally quickly aging hair.
"You can't kill him, Sebastian."
Sebastian became aware of his clenched hands and burning eyes. He turned to look down at the younger earl; eyes still burning and a cross look plastered to his features. His mouth opened in the slightest, "He-"
"Yet."
The glare fell and was quickly replaced with a pleased, wide grin.
He would make the wicked earl hurt. He would make James Atkinson feel the pain, both physically and emotionally that he knew the young miss had gone through. He would not stop at tearing the body to shreds—no—that wouldn't be enough. Not even draining every drop of blood from his body would suffice.
No, what he would do was far, far worse.
§
"Heh~"
She didn't exactly know where she was. She only knew that she needed to get away from the fight or she would be blamed. She was probably still going to get blamed, whether or not she was present. If she could at least keep hiding, she wouldn't get noticed.
Hopefully.
"Oh, my little flower~"
She turned, finally noticed exactly where she had run into for cover. If the skulls were anything to go by, she was at least in a place she could be comfortable. Or, at least, as comfortable as possible.
"Is that a new uniform?" Hands snaked around her, "Because it suits you!"
She jerked involuntarily at the touch, no matter if as he knew it was fine if he touched her, seeing as he was a giver of death. She turned, staring up at the ash colored strands the fell over her shoulders. "Undertaker?"
"Little flower, why is no one with you?" A long, clean nailed finger brushed against her face, Why are you crying this time, little flower?"
She didn't answer, only clenched her hands before remembering she wouldn't get to leave the Phantomhive manor quickly if they got injured anymore.
The undertaker gave another squeeze to her frame, earning a squeak and faltering sob. She still didn't deserve a hug, even from the undertaker.
She faintly heard a knock on the door.
"I'll be right back, little flower."
She heard him leave, boots echoing on black hardwood.
"Undertaker, I have a question."
"What brings someone like you here? This late in the day?"
"I was told a woman was brought here by Earl Phantomhive. She was buried. Can I get the location of her grave?"
"You shouldn't bother a grave."
"I need to find my fiancé."
"She's in a far better place, Earl."
"She had something of mine!"
"She was brought with borrowed clothes on. They found her lacking a cloth to cover herself."
"They're lying."
"They weren't."
"They were!"
"They weren't! Hee~"
"I'm done here! I know she isn't dead."
"Then find her somewhere else~"
"You're no help!"
"Heh... Whoops..."
There was a stream of very colorful words, then silence. It only took a moment before hands grabbed her again, holding ever so lightly with a gentle grip.
"You aren't with him anymore? That's good."
Her feet throbbed from actually running. She wasn't careful about the wounds that were there. No doubt they were opening if not already open and seeping through the bandages. The butler would be mad, if not angry. James always got mad if she opened up the reminder wounds. Why wouldn't anyone else?
"It's okay to go to sleep... I'm sure they'll come to pick you up."
She didn't know why, but in this place of death, she felt ever so comfortable. She felt a sense of peace in the arms of a death bringer. It was, in truth, the same sense she'd gotten when she was in the Phantomhive manor. She wasn't surprised to find that her eye lids felt heavy as she shifted off her shoulder and curled up with her head placed in the undertaker's lap. A long nailed hand rested on her head now, avoiding the stitches she'd received when it was her fault that she overheard a business meeting she wasn't supposed too.
It's your fault.
Why isn't this working?
She was supposed to trigger it.
She's got too much of a will.
Then break it.
It's not that easy.
You have seventy year, give or take.
But, sir.
Do it.
But sir...
She belongs to me.
If we get caught...
I already thought about it.
What?
Just break her so much she won't remember.
There's too much evidence.
Then we can burn the place down, I'm not worried.
If we get found out?
Just break her.
§
He had already checked the remainder of the city, finding no help in his search. The young master was safely with the Chinese business man with Commissioner Randall. They had brought the men there for questioning, and Sebastian had been ordered to find the young miss before James Atkinson did.
In reality, there was only one more place to check before he had to consider the fact she'd been found by the wicked Earl.
His gloved hand grasped the door handle, quickly swinging the cracked wood open.
The eerie atmosphere seeped out from every crevice it possibly could. The coffins lay open, telling him that the owner of Tue building wasn't within one as per the usual. He took a single step forward, hearing a shift from the beck room.
Sebastian had never actually been in the backroom, not that he was entirely sure he even wished to. He was sure that the dissections had taken place in that room. Not that blood and carnage covered bodies actually bothered him. It just wasn't a room at the top of his list to be in.
"Is that you, Mr. Butler?~"
"Undertaker?"
"Have you come to pick up my little flower?'
"If you mean Miss Rose, yes."
"She's adorable when she sleeps!~" He heard the undertaker cry. "She doesn't look peaceful! She looks like she's the next to be buried in a bed of roses. Silk would be nice."
"Undertaker, I need to take her back to the Young Master."
"Come get her. I don't wish to wake her~"
He took a step, moving towards the room once again. Sebastian let out a slight irritated noise at the sight. Rose was curled up, sleeping carefully laying against the undertaker's lap.
"It's not the first time she's found herself here."
"Thank you."
"James Atkinson came here earlier looking for her."
He gave a glare, his hands hoping to turn her over and gather her frail body into his arms. She was cold, probably due to the temperature outside, and he cradled her sleeping form closer.
Rose wasn't dead, and she wasn't with the wicked Earl.
"I told him she was dead.~"
"Thank you."
No, what he had in store for the wicked human, was far more worse than imaginable.
o.O
Heya guys, sorry for the late update. Wrist has been giving out more than usual.
Shout out to:
Paxloria
iluvville
Thanks so much for y'all supports.
Thanks to all who give added supports.
Reviews would be nice, but there's no reason to require them.
See ya soon.
O.o