Hey guys, am I late? I don't know, I've been grounded for some time so I haven't gotten to work at all. And for that I offer my apologies. *bows formally* BUT Bonka has finished her reading project so the grounding has been lifted~ Time to start the eleventh chapter~
Because I'm too lazy to continuously put "She thought" All of Danielle's thought speaking is in italics~ (Much like this is)
I don't own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler. Short and sweet.
I quickly wiped off my smirk and replaced it with my charming smile before standing up straight again.
"Y-yes, it's nice to meet you too Danielle." Grell stuttered nervously, looking down at the floor.
I held out my hand for a handshake, and he shook it with a light grip. On the outside, I was calmly shaking his hand, but on the inside I was fangirling to no end. It took quite a lot of willpower to contain it and not go into a fancoma. I let go and stepped back next to Ciel's side, keeping my expression calm.
"Lau, shouldn't you introduce yourself as well?" Madam red suggested, staring at Lau.
"Hm? What's going on?" Lau finally looking up from the vase he held in his hands.
"This is a new female butler of Ciel's." Madam Red said, a cheerful smile on her face.
"Female? Are you sure? It doesn't seem like it…"
I noticed his stare was kept on my chest and I felt my face begin to heat up. I see nothing wrong with being an A cup; I wouldn't be the one dragging those heavy things around, then dealing with the sag in later years. And for god's sake I was 14! I could still grow! I wanted to hurt this man so badly, but still in 'professional' mode, I kept a smile on my face and stepped forward again.
"I assure you, I am completely female. I am Danielle, a pleasure to meet you Mister…?" I held out my hand and tilted my head in mock confusion. He took my hand with a smile of his own and shook it with a firm grasp.
"I am Lau, manager of the English branch of the Chinese foreign trade." He chirped.
I let go of his hand, and stepped back to Ciel. Strangely, I couldn't calm down. It seemed I had an unstoppable urge to slam my fist into Lau's face, and then repeat about ten times. I turned to Ciel with the fake smile still on my face.
"Young Master, would it be okay for me to take my leave and familiarize myself with the grounds?" I asked, my fists clenching into tight fists.
"Why would you-"Ciel looked down at my clenched fists, which were now slightly shaking with anger. He gave me a look of understanding and nodded. "Of course. A butler should be able to know the layout of every building their master walks on."
"My thoughts exactly." I bowed formally again and stepped out the door.
"Danielle where are you-" I turned around to find Sebastian behind me, carrying a tray with tea cups and a tea pot. I angrily cut him off.
"Out. I'm going out." I growled, quickly walking away.
As I stormed through the halls, I fumed silently to myself, just to ensure my cover wasn't broken.
Bloody wanker! I want to take that tea tray and repeatedly smack it across his face, and then laugh at his goddamn misery. Seriously, can't a girl be flat around here? No love for the A cups of the world? Lau is such a….such a…. A GODDAMN BLOODY WANKER! I screeched in my head, slamming the front door behind me.
I briskly turned a corner and reached a stretch of brick wall with no windows on it. I glanced around quickly to check if anyone was watching, then pulled my fist back and let loose.
'BOOM'
As my fist connected with hard, brick, wall it sounded like thunder cracking against a stormy sky. I pulled my arm back to find I had actually caused the brick to sink in, and crumble away at some points. Panicking, I check my gloved fist but found it completely unharmed. A smirk slid onto my face as I pulled back again. Eh, Sebastian could fix it if he needed to. I slammed my fist into the wall once again, another 'BOOM' echoing in the open air. I let my arm drop and was satisfied by the damage I had caused to the poor innocent brick wall. Just transferring the image of that damage to Lau's face made me feel infinitely times better, and I stepped back with a satisfied sigh. The world of anime/manga had its perks.
"I think I've caused enough damage for one day." I thought out loud, before lifting a hand to my chin. "But I don't exactly wanna go back inside." I glanced around again to find the grounds empty. "I guess exploring isn't so bad."
I continued to walk around the building, inspecting the grounds and the building on the outside. There didn't seem to be anything all that special and I eventually made my way back to the front garden again. I was about to reenter the building, but a swaying limp thing caught my attention. I turned on my heels and made my way towards it, as it was hanging on the tree. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a noose and it looked ready to hang someone. My guess was that Grell had failed at another task earlier today and failed at killing himself again. Funny, I don't remember seeing it when we arrived though…I shook my head to clear it of suspicious thoughts. No need to be paranoid. But, it would probably best if I removed it; it looked so creepy just hanging there. I reached up on my tiptoes to undo the rope, but discovered I was too short to reach. I tried jumping up and down, but I never stayed in the air long enough to actually do anything to the rope. So I decided I needed some sort of stepping stool. I searched for a while and found something lying in the bushes. I dragged it over to the rope, and then held it in my hands. It looked like a bar stool, just a really short version. It was probably a gardening stool, and I figured it would be sturdy enough to hold my weight. I set it up so that it stood upright directly underneath the rope. Holding onto the tree for support, I cautiously placed one foot on it, and then followed it with the other. I gave it a few seconds to collapse, but when it didn't I took that as a sign to continue.
"First, I better undo this noose part. Don't want to accidentally trip and…." I trailed off as I shuddered at the mental image of me dangling lifeless from the tree.
I began to fumble around with the thick, coarse, rope knot, but then disaster struck. I felt a pressure on my back, and my head was shoved into the noose. My hands instantly wrapped themselves around the tree, and I was about to have a panic attack. I mean, did someone push me? Would I actually hang myself? But my thoughts instantly calmed down when I realized I still stood on the stool. All I had to do was loosen the knot. I slowly removed my hands to reach up, but then an even worse disaster struck.
The stool was kicked away.
No, I didn't trip, and I knew I had a good stand on it. The stool was definitely kickedaway. But by who? Sadly, I didn't have the ability to think clearly, and my situation only worsened when I realized that my struggling was only causing the rope to sway, rubbing against my neck and giving me rope burns. My lungs were burning with the need for air, and all I could do was gasp for air like a fish out of water. My vision started to dim, and I began losing hope. I would die inside an anime. No one would know. This is the end. Thoughts similar to that ran through my mind, and I felt my consciousness begin to slip.
"DANIELLE!" Strong, warm, long arms wrapped around my waist, and held me in a princess hold.
Suddenly I felt the rope's coarse gritty feel around my neck disappear, and air filled my lungs again. My consciousness wasn't all there, and neither was my vision.
"Danielle. Danielle. Wake up." A low voice urged, shaking me lightly.
Danielle? That…was my name, right? My consciousness slowly returned and my vision cleared to reveal emerald green eyes that stared deeply into mine. Those green eyes belonged to…Seikatsu?
"You're okay." He breathed , helping me into a sitting position leaning on the tree. He sat down with a sigh on my right side.
"Sei I-" I broke into a wild coughing, clutching my throat In pain. Those two simple words set my throat on fire.
"Don't talk, idiot. Here just give me your hand, but take off your glove first." He said in an annoyed tone, holding out his hand.
I stared at him with an eyebrow raised. I was just about to die and this is how he treats me? And bro, this wasn't the time to take my hand and make a move on me. Really, if he wanted to hold my hand that bad, couldn't he have chosen a better moment?
"Don't bother thinking up some stupid holding hands shit. Just give me your hand."
Still confused, I slipped a glove off my right hand and took his hand.
"Creepy way to flirt. I wonder if he has a thing for dying teenage girls." I thought to myself, staring at him.
"I'm not flirting. Making skin contact helps build a mental connection between manager and client."
Though I was surprised his response fit, I still didn't completely believe it.
Liar. Prove it. Um…if you can hear me, go "Meow." I thought, staring at him innocently.
"What a stupid- fine. Meow. You happy? I'm only doing this so you don't have to talk. If you want, I can let go and we can chat."
Keeping my mouth shut, I shook my head wildly in disagreement and held his hand tighter.
No no no no no no I'm good. Let's hold hands Sei! But gee, don't you think you're treating me rather harshly for someone who was about to DIE? I accented the word die with a glare.
"You wouldn't have died." He stated matter-of-factly, not even turning his head to look at me.
Um, Sei, I was dangling on a noose and I had no way of getting it off so-
"Well, yes would have died. But you would have revived in 24 hours on Phantomhive grounds. It's another Project Desire thing. You can't permanently die while you're here."
Wait, so I'm like…immortal? Like, no one can stop me? So I don't have to worry about death? DUDE THAT'S SO COOL I'M GOING TO-
"You would still feel the pain of death. You almost died back there, and you felt it, right?"
Yes and it hurt like crazy, but if I come back to life then-
"I said you would revive in 24 hours. Ciel would have found your dead body here and sent you off to the Undertaker, but then you would just magically pop back up in the Phantomhive garden the next day. You would have some explaining to do."
Oh….not so cool…hey is this the same rule in all the other Project Desire's?
"Yes."
Got any good stories to tell? You manage a few other animes right?
Sei turned towards me with a cold look.
"You really think I would bother telling you stories?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Seeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiii C'mon please? I don't want to go back inside like this, and I don't want to sit out here in silence. That would be boring and awkward. I whined in my head, giving him pleading eyes to match. I felt his grip on my hand loosen. He started to sit up.
"I was planning on leaving after explaining all this. There's no reason for me to-"
SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIII! Please don't! I mentally wailed, turning my grip on his hand into a death hold.
He cringed as if I had wailed out loud, and then gave me a hateful glare. I stayed strong with my pleading eyes, keeping our hands firmly planted on the ground. We continued to stare at each other, neither of us showing any signs of surrender. Eventually, Sei sighed and leaned back onto the tree.
"Fine, you win."
YES! Now go on. Story time!
"Do you remember me telling you I manage Death note?" I nodded my head energetically. "Well, some clients are placed with L, and others with Light. I'm sure you know Light is Kira, I mean that's basic knowledge."
Sei I've read Death Note. Don't bother explaining the basics.
"Still, you might not know some of this. Anyway, the ones who are placed with Light tend to get on Light's nerves. A lot. So what does Light do? He kills them off with the Death Note. He thinks the world would be better without that certain client, or that's what he justifies it as in his head."
Ok, so they come back right?
"Yes, they come back. And they get back on Light's nerves the very next day. His face when he sees them again is priceless. He keeps glancing down at his watch, then back up to the person's face and blinking rapidly." Sei let out a small laugh, and a smile actually stuck to his face. "So this guy goes back home and checks the Death Note and he freaks out because the Death Note failed. Then he'll repeatedly scribble the client's name down and as a detail he writes 'and stays dead.'! But they just keep coming back."
I broke out in a fit of giggles mixed with coughing. Sei gave me a weird look but I waved it away.
Just fine, continue on.
"So eventually Light goes insane, and I have to take the client back home." He ends the story with another small laugh.
The things that clients do…they don't affect the actual anime or anything, do they?
"No, that would be disastrous." He rolled his eyes and turned back into the cold unemotional shell I knew.
Hm, Seikatsu, why did you choose to save me? I could probably have figured this out when I…you know, came back to life? I could probably just have played dumb again…
Sei stiffened before turning to look me in the eyes.
"It's regulation to tell every client this, I just saw it as a time to tell you and save ourselves some trouble. The paperwork I have to fill out when my client dies is annoying."
Oh okay…hey don't go yet, it's still lonely out here. I gave his hand a soft squeeze.
"Then go back inside." Even as he said this, he leaned his head back with a sigh and closed his eyes.
Psh, stupid me. As if the almighty Seikatsu would actually care enough to save me. I sighed, copying Sei's actions, leaning my head back onto the tree and closing my eyes.
"Hey, I'm glad you're still alive." Suddenly, I felt his grip disappear altogether. The warmth of his hand was replaced with a fuzzy feeling of cloth against the cold ground. My eyes popped open and stared at the empty spot where Sei had been. Did I really hear what I thought I heard?
I really didn't understand Sei. And I figured now wasn't the time to sit out here and decipher him. My throat still hurt and I needed to return to Ciel. I lifted the hand which had held Sei's and discovered a red scarf. Why would he leave me a scarf, it wasn't that cold out here…Confused, I slipped my glove back on and loosely wrapped the scarf around my neck. I stood up, a wave of dizziness causing me to stumble and lean on the tree for support. I made a second attempt, this time succeeding at walking back inside, quietly shutting the door behind me. I slowly made my way back to the room, but my reflection in a mirror caught my attention. Around my neck where the rope had been was an obvious purple black ring, proof of the bad rope burns. It was extremely suspicious, and if I didn't cover it up, I was sure to get some questions. Questions I couldn't answer. Then a flash of bright crimson red caught my eye; the scarf Sei had left me. Wow, when he said he would save us some trouble he really meant it. I rearranged the scarf so it covered the ring around my neck and smiled. Yup, I looked pretty normal. Now, if only I could talk.
"Y-young ma-" I croaked, before breaking out in another coughing fit.
Damn, I guess I'd just have to wing the whole talking thing. I coughed one more time awkwardly, then made my way into the room.
"Danielle, you're back pretty late." Madame Red stood up as I entered the room. "I even sent Grell to look for you."
"Oh, sorry. Would it be okay if I didn't talk? It was quite cold outside, and I seem to have caught a horrible cough." I whispered slowly, straining my voice. I strained it too much and I bent over in pain, having another coughing fit, keeping a hand on the scarf to keep it from showing my neck.
"Poor girl. I do hope you get better."
I nodded weakly and forced a smile onto my face. I turned to Ciel and stood by his side.
"Danielle, where did you get that scarf?" Ciel pointed to the scarf which hid the rope burn.
Improvising, I grabbed a nearby paper and dipped a pen in some spilt ink.
"Found it. Cold outside." I scrawled, and then held the paper up to his face.
"Hm. Well, prepare to leave. We have to make a stop for information."
I nodded and walked at the back of the group as everyone made their way to their own carriages. I'm not sure if it was imagination, but Grell seemed to shoot me a murderous glare before helping Madam Red into the carriage.
"Danielle? We don't have all day." Sebastian's voice rumbled.
I flinched with surprise and turned towards Sebastian, who held his hand out for me to take. The carriage door was open and I could see Ciel glaring at me impatiently. It seemed like Ciel would probably pile a ton of questions onto me, with the new scarf and loss of my voice, so I shook my head in disagreement and pointed to the front signaling my desire to sit up with the driver. To my surprise, Sebastian shut the door without sliding in and walked to the front with me. There was no one there, even though Sebastian had been in the carriage with us during the ride here. What, did we have a ghost driver or something? Anime logic never ceases to amaze me. He helped me up to the seat then slid in next to me. Back when we were in the carriage, we had been pretty smushed together, but that was nothing compared to how we were now. His leg was practically stuck to mine and we were shoulder-to-shoulder. I would have moved away if I could, but moving away basically meant falling off. The only thing I could do was blush madly and adjust my scarf.
"Danielle."
I kept my eyes on the road, too busy forcing my nosebleed to stay inside my head at the way Sebastian said my name to risk turning and meeting his eyes. Sebastian let out a sigh then used the reins to get the horses moving. We rode in silence, my fangirling blush defying my willpower to keep my cover, and I did my best to stay interested at the things on my side of the carriage, avoiding any possibility to even look at the sexy demon butler that was squished against me at the moment.
"I shall prepare tea for your throat, and get some medicine for your marks." Sebastian stated.
My hand instantly flew up to my scarf, only to find it still carefully wrapped around my neck. This made me stare at him with wide eyes, a mixture of disbelief and gratitude obvious on my face. But I was also suspicious. For what reason was he actually caring?
…Earlier that day…
[Ciel's POV]
I stared at the letter in my hand, another request from the queen. It was about Jack The Ripper. There was a homicidal killer on the loose in the streets of London, only harming young ladies, prostitutes to be exact. Still, something seemed dangerous about this. I looked to Sebastian, who was shuffling through the other mail I had discarded.
"Sebastian." He looked up from the envelopes with a bored expression.
"Yes, my lord?"
"This new case…Does it seem like Danielle would be put in harm's way?" Memories of the night Danielle had sacrificed her well-being for my sake returned, and I narrowed my eyes at the paper in my hand.
"No, not quite, my lord. Unless you suggest Miss Danielle portray a prostitute?"
I turned again to glare at Sebastian.
"Of course not. But I'm getting a bad feeling…Sebastian, this is an order. Protect and take care of Danielle like you would for me." I stated, concern for my newest servant shining in my one visible ye.
"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bent formally with his hand over his heart.
Hehehe did anyone actually think Sebastian cared? HA! No, Ciel is just attached to the girl who risked her life for him~
Okay about Sei, he really is somewhat important because he….I'm not going to say anything. BUT IMMA IN A RAGE. WAI AM I UNARTISITC. ME WANT TO DRAW PICTURE AND SHOW ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHAT SEI'S SEXY SELF LOOKS LIKE BUT NO. MY HANDS DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF ART. HANDS, WAI YOU NO MAKE PRETTY PICTURE!? If only some kindred souls would make fanart *shot* Just kidding~ If someone draws fanart, go ahead and show me so I love you forever and burst into happy tears, and if you don't want to, then don't :D Just a little girl's crazy dreams~ No need to satisfy~
Okay I think I need to stop ranting (SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW KYAAAAAA!) and reply to reviews. (If I miss someone I'm sorry D: )
Anime Hottie Lovah: I know, I'm sad too. But I'll try my very best to keep these updates coming~
Jaz-147: By upload do you mean update? Because I just did :D *shot* I'm going insane cuz school starts tomorrow.
Blade Draco: Hahah, nice~ The word legit makes me laugh…for no apparent reason. Well, I think all the characters are fun, so EQUAL LOVE! :)
NHL-Chan: Truthfully, when I saw you're review in my e-mail I almost pulled another suicidal Grell. BUT THEN I KEPT READING :D And there's so much fanservice, I bet the SebaCiel fandom is larger than the CielXLizzy fandom. Just saying. Hm, I'm not sure if I have the skills to make it more exciting, but as always, I will try my best! Oh you didn't? I did…but well no need to make myself look bad~ And I will always write with the right inspiration!
Addicted to Nurahiyon no mago: Really? For real? I'm glad you did!
Tokiluv: Wow, that awkward moment when I praise for usually being the first to review…then you aren't the first to review XD *blush* Even Danielle enjoys poking fun at Sebastian~
Pretty-little-liar-girl70: Oh how your rview amuses me XD I laughed so hard while reading it~ Oh Sebastian has his quirks but he really is the better demon butler. OHH *plays with my new kitty* And I'm happy you enjoy my story so much!
Darkvampiregirl13: Hm, was the lunch yummy? I skipped lunch today, just waiting for dinner~ I WILL NEVER FAIL! BECAUSE IM A COMEDIC GENIUS *shot* Okay, enough narcissism. It did :) But Danielle is the only one who sees it XD
Virir24: Aww, thank you! I write this story to entertain my readers! (but I still make an effort to keep some sort of plot going) You're very welcome!
Abby-Flourite: The ways one can mess with Sebastian make a very long list :) Well, your wait I over~
AngelOfTheNight7897: Stuffy? I prefer the term 'professional" Bubbles are fun :D Hm…like good questions? Well, even though my OC is a major RP'er I actually just got introduced to the world of Role playing a while ago. So if you could actually help me out and introduce me to stuff that would be great! And don't worry; I don't have a limit for boldness…unless a reader ends up outside my window at night. Then that's too bold.
Invader Jillz: I actually have some pasta I the fridge! Girl, I am freaking out over school XD Oh child, it's not "might be" he will be! Just later on. He amuses me and scares me at the same time. I think he has the pedobear seal of approval. Oh my friend and I don't make Kuro identities for ourselves. It's just Hetalia at school :) O_O I want him to sing to me! Hasta la pasta Feli!
WwLOLwW: And I'm glad you love it! Updated :)
Dxlmao: Danielle is quite the trouble maker :D I hope this update was quick enough~
Kuro Aqua: I was wondering where my stalker went. But everything's all good! WHOA. A novel in a month? That sounds crazy. Well gee, "Senpai"? *blush* Yes, Grell just takes depression to a whole new level. Most people say Suicide is the last option. For Grell the butler, it's his first choice. They see me trolling, they hatin~ Thank you~
Black Michaelis: Hi there! No problem~ Aw, what's wrong with a little fun while the stuffy people are away? *smirk* HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. *uses sheer willpower to hold nosebleed back* How is Sebby demonstrating this? A mannequin? A poster? Gosh….DIRTY BONKA BAD! It was even worse this time around, sitting up front with him. It's a good thing Danielle is strong~ Hm, the name sounds familiar, but I don't fully remember. Do you Rambutan? They have some here in America but it just isn't the same as in the Philippines. I also miss Jollibee…Yes, being fancy like a boss! …you're uh? *curious* Oh well, a reviewer is a reviewer no matter what! But if you admit to being a unicorn, I will come find you. UNICORNS ARE SHO AWESOME! WHEEE~ If there's one thing Filipinos are good at, it's humor. Wow, that fits me too! XD Just noticed. You too are amazing at humor my friend~ I read your update! Or roast dog. I think they still have that XD My friends tell me stories of pets they had, and how some foreign relatives threaten to eat it. Hm, not really sure about this. My mom is pretty calm and collected. Strawberry Banana smoothies are yummy too! *Sigh* If only I had the artistic talent to show you a picture… Well, bye bye~
Keakasenka: Aw, thank you! Laughter is a wonderful thing! They say it makes wonderful medicine! (But I've never seen someone be cure of cancer by laughing -_- "They" are liars.) Be a Phantomhive and drink some tea instead XD
So to all my wonderful amazing readers, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy the story~
One more thing. I was flipping through the manga, reading the Noah's Circus arc, and I think I'm going to stick to the manga. I like the manga version better, and I get more ideas reading manga. So I hope you all bear with me. Besides, a lot of stories are anime-verse so won't it be interesting to read a manga based one?
Okay, until next time~
Oh before I get hate reviews or something, I kinda…didn't bother editing this chapter…I kinda…just wrote what popped up in my head X( SO DON"T HATE ME FOR NOT GOOD QUALITY!