A/N: I've been have pointed out there were some errors which made no sense so I have edited the chapter right away, thanks to a really helpful reviewer!
Spring-Heeled Jack gnashed his teeth which produced a grating sound through the air as he spun around with Sebastian in the fight with quick movements, so quick that Ciel and Jeanette were having hard time to track them with their eyes alone. Sebastian, however, just have an annoyed expression, despising the sound of grinding, and had noticed something rather particular about Spring-Heeled Jack at the start of fight, but right now, as he thought, he shall put Spring-Heeled Jack down immediately. Although, Ciel wasn't paying attention to Sebastian most of time, seeing no point in watching since Sebastian can always take care of his self, when he have his full attention on Jeanette. Ciel decided to confront Jeanette about the false identify.
"Tell me who you are," Raising his head up to lock Jeanette's eye contract with him, Ciel continued in his suddenly cold tone: "I already know you are not Jane Heller, so start telling the truth." Jeanette took a guess that they already knew all along, frowning at Ciel. She won't deny the truth, of course, but it would be hard for her to tell Ciel the whole truth. Telling him that she was from the future? They would thought of her to be insane, and Jeanette wouldn't blame them; She wouldn't believe in time-traveling if it wasn't for this ordeal she's in! Jeanette struggled to keep her eyes open, resisting to pass out, and thought bitterly, 'I'd be tossed into the mental hospital.. If I'm not dead, that is.'
Gripping on one of bars from a nearby iron fence, she stared hard at Ciel, ignoring the hoarse tone in her voice, and talked loudly, "I just want to say that I'm innocent. I admit that I did pretend to be Jane, but it wasn't for evil stuff or anything like that! Just a dumb mistake!"
Ciel wondered why is Jeanette increasing her volume in talking, and opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by Jeanette. "No! No." Jeanette pointed her finger at him, as if she was beginning to become more frustrated, developing the reddish dots on her cheeks, and growled her words out, "I am pleading my case here, Ciel. I was going to get my butt busted over whatever Jane did, and I don't even know what was it! I confess to borrowing somebody's identify, that's all!"
"Dammit," As Ciel hissed the word underneath his breathe when he got a closer look at Jeanette's wrist which was badly wrapped by a dainty handkerchief, and Jeanette was beginning to look like she was close to breaking down with her eyes watering and sound of her voice cracking at the end of her last sentence. Ciel knew he can't ask anymore question, especially when Jeanette wasn't in clear mind, so he stepped up to her side and gripped on her arm firmly, and murmuring, "Sit down. You clearly aren't in condition to talk."
Jeanette, however, tried to tug her arm back, but she quickly gave up in resisting Ciel's grip, and and slide down against the fence out of exhaustion. She whispered softly that even Ciel had to ask her to repeat it again, "I just want to go home."
"Master."
Ciel abruptly looked at Sebastian who stood just few feet away from him, noticing some dirt on his tailcoat, and lowered his eyebrows down while puzzled about a quick fight, asking, "What of Spring-Heeled Jack, Sebastian?"
"A weak demon, nothing more," Sebastian calmly spoke, brushing soot off his coat with annoyance caused by getting his coat dirty. "It and couple of bat demons were making themselves rather cozy here. They have put too much of pride in themselves if they thought they could take on me..." Sebastian usually kept his both of composure and patience, but they apparently ran out when he had confronted the tiny bat demons who were holding the son of Earl Leroy as the hostage in the tiny shed, and they had mocked him for being leashed like a 'pathetic mongrel' as he quoted them to self. Of course, Sebastian did terminate them, and to push his button even more, this "Spring-Heeled Jack" showed up. He was not amused or impressed by Jack when he was, to Sebastian, an annoying and insignificant pest who just bugged him so much.
To think that the mortals were terrified of this vile pest, Sebastian thought, opening his pocket-watch to see if it was past Ciel's bedtime. No, it wasn't, which eased Sebastian's annoyance down a bit. He did try to get something useful out of Spring-Heeled Jack, but it was being stubborn as it snapped its teeth and struggled while taunting at Sebastian, so Sebastian did kill him while snapping his head off neck. Though, there was something about the Spring-Heeled Jack that he need to mention to Ciel; It was a possibly vital information to the case...
Ciel frowned, expecting the fight to be tougher and longer since it was a demon they were facing after all, but he let out a weary sigh. The Spring-Heeled Jack was no longer to be concerned about, but it didn't mean the case is over; There was a matter on how did Spring-Heeled Jack came to be, and how were Jane Heller and Mr. Heller tied to this case. Something did tell him that there was much more to uncover into the case, Ciel knew he had to finish the loose ends to the case immediately, but for now, he need to fetch some medical assistance for Jeanette; She could provide some essential information when she is in less dazed state.
"Tsk," Sebastian let out, scanning over Jeanette's wrist, and used his other hand to easily push protesting Jeanette's left hand away from his face. "One of the bats bit her wrist... They aren't poisonous, but they are rather vile since they carried all sort of unpleasant things in their mouth. Disgusting, really."
"Stop trying to shove my butler's head and don't move too much," Ciel exclaimed calmly toward Jeanette, and then turned around to walk back to Earl Leroy's house. "Sebastian, put her in the carriage. We'll be leaving in a moment." Sebastian murmured his acknowledgement to Ciel's order, and then placed his hands on Jeanette's shoulders, pulling her up to her feet. Jeanette piped up as if she suddenly woke up with renewed energy, shouting, "No! I don't want to go with you two!" Repressing his sigh, Sebastian was hoping that she would put up with no opposition, still holding onto her shoulders as she tried to jerk away.
"How can I can trust you and Ciel? And that I won't end up like him!" Jeanette gestured wildly toward the corpse of the demon, and continued while looking up at Sebastian, visibly upset. "Who are you guys, really? I would, at least, want to know that if I'm going to cooperate with Ciel and you."
Sebastian smirked down, not bothering to impose as a threatening figure as he sensed Jeanette is growing scared by this situation, and spoke placidly, " As a friendly warning, I do implore you to step back, and rethink about your words before speaking anymore. You have put us in a rather complicated spot, irritating nevertheless, and we don't take that too kindly."
Jeanette blinked, now wearing a blank expression when she registered his words in her mind, and then narrowed eyes as if she's about to accept the fighting challenge, slowly asked, "Are you about to threaten me, Sebastian?"
Sebastian leaned back, satisfied smirk just now appearing on his face, and replied, "As long you remember to cooperate with my master and I, of course. Now, come along." Jeanette just blew her single strand of hair out of face, pulling on her shawl tighter to warm her being, and stared at Sebastian, speaking sternly, "Just so you know, I have no idea what is happening."
"Oh?"
"Yes," Jeanette spoke firmly, determined to not back down from Sebastian, "I'll cooperate, but I won't be much of help, though."
Jeanette dashed around Sebastian, sharply turn to face him as if to show she is serious, and stared directly in his eyes as she said, "I'll be in the carriage, thank you." Although, she didn't get far; In fact, she only took three steps in the direction of the carriage before Sebastian piped up, "You're hiding something else, aren't you, miss?"
Sebastian was delighted to see Jeanette's body stiffen, for he is always enjoyed to see the sight when humans become struck with the fear enough to render themselves immobile, sharpening his predatory urges. His irritated mood eased just slightly when it was just her he have to deal with for now. He did have to give a point to Jeanette for her trying to slip away with a confident front, but he already have seen through her huffed-up front by noticing one of her tells, such as her one of eyebrows' twitch.
"...It 's not something you really need to know, really." Jeanette replied, her eyes darting for any way out of the backyard. To her dismay, she nearly stumbled over her untied shoelace, her hand shooting out to grab a nearby item out of reflex. She ignored the rising heat entering her cheeks, despise of her sight getting slightly blurred, Jeanette knew it was Sebastian's hand she have grabbed as his fingers clenched over hers firmly as her planned escapade was destroyed by her own fumble, but she forgot all of it when Jeanette quickly glanced at Sebastian's hand, and gasped loudly.
Sebastian caught rather a surprising sight from Jeanette; She bite onto her bottom lip hard, silencing any upcoming word as Jeanette firmly planted her eyes to the ground and stilled her body, a sight of sudden fear struck in her as it was obvious to her when she was trying to not meet his eyes after he tugged her wrist to drag her in the direction of the carriage outside of the backyard of the Leroy Mansion. Jeanette took a step, avoiding in looking at Sebastian as she breathed heavily, and stopped right away before she asked shakily, "What's going to happen now? Since now you and Ciel know I'm not Jane."
The vibration emitting from his quiet chuckle entered in her ears as she closed her eyes, soughing any comfort in the darkness to block everything from the reality and ignoring an occasional wave of nausea. The question from Sebastian, though, made Jeanette tighten her throat, "What did you see?"
However, the irritation flooded over Sebastian when a mass of the tiny bat demons entered in the line of his sight, the flock of bats hovering close to the roof as their faint hisses were led by the bigger bat, prompted Jeanette to recognize that bat.
"That little shit! Little shit is the one who did of this," Jeanette screamed, an insanity sweeping around her enlarged pupils in the eyes. "That fat one!" as she made it clear to point it out for Sebastian, feeling relived from his diverted gaze. Right away, though, she dropped down to her knees as she somewhat felt tired of carrying her own body weight, and pressed her forehead to cool patch of grasses. Jeanette, oblivious to Sebastian's moment of confusion, then gave him a thumb-up, and muttered, "Git that bat."
Sebastian only gave Jeanette a brief glance, and no more of concern were left for her as it seems Jeanette have exhausted all of her energy into her opposition against Sebastian and Ciel. He then walked toward the group of the bats, noting that Jeanette did make a good point; That very bat must have the vital information for Ciel if they were carrying a plan for this. Though, he stopped before the corpse when the group of bats huddled close enough to seal any gape between their body, and led by the leader, they skydived down through the corpse's stomach, splashing the blood onto neatly-done grass, now stained by dark blood. Sebastian heard Jeanette letting out a small disgusted yelp as the overwhelming scent of blood quickly began to sour the air, watching the flesh stretching and moving by the bats, and right away, he knew what they were doing as he let out an annoyed huff and dashed at inhumane speed toward side of the corpse: They were eating all of body and bones from the inside. Jeanette leaned her head up just in time to see its face fell flat, and Sebastian's hand forcing itself through corpse's throat to pull one of smaller bats.
Jeanette let out a startled scream, and turned on her side to look away from the gruesome scene, and clamped her hands over her mouth with tears in her eyes then blinked them away furiously when something caught her attention: An open gate door, as she fully grasped the idea of it, was only couple feet away from where she remained... And Sebastian wasn't watching her...
Caught up in the whirlpool of howling bats surrounding around Sebastian and now limp boneless corpse full of scabbed holes, his clothes being ripped with tailcoat tattered at end, Sebastian have no emotion showing on his face, yet his eyes shone with the malice around his sharp black pupils. Finally, he smirked and tightened the hold around the bigger bat's throat, ignoring its violent trashing. Sebastian pressed on thumb underneath the bigger bat's throat against where the pulse should be, and he spoke as he applied more pressure against its' throat, "You know what I want."
"Foul, pathetic, mongrel-"
Sebastian only cut the vile bat demon before it could finish by forcefully shoving thumb at its lower jaw, faint sound of snap were heard from its closed mouth, and he glimpsed up to see scattering bat demons flying away to the sky as he knew they were hopeless without the leader he's holding. He composed his professional look, and then turned around to give a small bow toward the waiting Earl Phantomhive at the doorway of back door to the Manor Leroy. Ciel raised eyebrow at the corpse, then back at Sebastian as he commented, "I see that we are dealing with rather more complicated situation... I trust that at least you found something useful out of this scrap?"
"About your terrorizing entity... They are rather dull beings, worthless spots caused by something else. It is too absurd they did all of this by themselves." Came a reply, as Sebastian stood tall, using his free hand to dust himself off while presenting the bat demon toward Ciel, and continued as there was a questioning expression on Ciel's face, "They were sent by an another, as the decoys. As obstacles."
"Someone is pulling all of this... within a distance?" Ciel asked, then grew a grave expression when Sebastian murmured a 'yes', and asked, "By human? Or... a demon?"
Sebastian gave a short chuckle before giving a smirk, "One of them is quite possible, master. After all, you have called on me long time ago, so this time may be not different after all."
Silence fell on Sebastian's response as Ciel thought quietly to self with his eyebrows furrowed down, and he rose his head up, waving hand at the bat demon as he ordered Sebastian, "Put it away where we can deal with soon, and... ...Sebastian, where is she? The woman?"
Their eyes right away roamed over the lawn to the opened gate. Jeanette have escaped from them. Ciel clenched his teeth, wave of fury flooded over him, and then he sharply spun to Sebastian, and Sebastian knew what is his next order: Find her, and bring her back to the Phantomhive manor, as the order rung through Sebastian's head.
Jeanette heaved her chest with breathe repressed, and she instantly spun around to side of the horse-drawn buggy, unloading her stomach's ingested content out as a startled coachman uneasily glanced over to her as he clutched tightly onto reign of his horses. She was spotted by the off-duty coachman on the side of path to the town just after Jeanette escaped from the Leroy Manor, and she pleaded him for a ride, despise of his objections at beginning, but Jeanette have lucked out with the coachman pitying on her because of how exhausted and pale she looked, along with an injured hand and blood-stained dress. Groaning, she wiped her mouth with back of hand and she was greeted by the closing sight of town. Jeanette muttered, licking her dry lip, "Thank god... Hey, mister... Can you point me to the Undertaker's house?"
The coachman gave her a horrified stare as he wondered if she's dying, or worse, a ghost who seek her body out, and pointed in the direction of rather unmistakable brooding shack hidden in the darkness of the town with the logo that clearly said it belonged to the Undertaker. Jeanette clapped her hands weakly, and expressed, "Thanks, Mister. You really helped lots!"
"I'll pray for you, missus... May you rest in peace..."
Jeanette, however, disregarded the parting words from the coachman, and made her way at slow pace to the door, and she quickly knocked on the door, not letting it up until the door opened to reveal the Undertaker who tilted head at her curiously. Jeanette exclaimed, grabbing his hands before he could say anything, "I need your help! I think you may know something!"
