( Hey guys, so I just want to apologize for taking so long to post this. ^^; I know I asked for reviews in the last chapter, but no one really listened. TT_TT Pllleeaassee reveiw? With a cherry on top? With Ciel on top?
Mai: Not funny.. Besides, how will he help?
Me: ...He just will. -3- )
"Ciel?"
A soft breeze passed over Mai's body as she spoke the boy's name in a hushed whisper. Sunlight filtered through the bright, green canopy of trees hanging overhead. A little trail was laid out in front of her, forking off in two different directions.
The path on her right lead to a bright, open area. Water could be heard in the distance, soothing any and every worry Mai had. The path on her right was dark, and bumpy. No light shined through the desolate pathway. Only the screeching of bats and the haunting hoots of owls could be heard. There was no comfort there.
"Mai," The young angel heard Ciel call out her name, suddenly appearing in front of her in the way of the dark path. Mai stumbled back, her eyes wide in surprise.
"What are you doing here?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" She demanded, her surprise now replaced with anger. Instead of replying with a snide remark, as Mai thought he would, he silently stared at her. Her pulse picked up slenderly as she eyed him. "What are you looking at? Is something wrong?" Mai looked over her shoulder, checking for signs of danger. There was nothing except the empty forest, and the loud rustling of leaves. A fierce wind blew over the two, the sounds of the forest being the only thing to break the silence. The silence bothered her to the point that she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed loudly.
Was there something you wanted?" She asked briskly, wanting to move things along. Though honestly, it was sort of good he was there. Then she wouldn't be distracted with the two paths. Ciel continued to seemingly look at her, his eyes hinting at amusement. 'What's so funny about this situation?'
"Yes," He spoke softly, though he seemed to be talking more to himself. He slowly walked towards her, never looking away from her eyes. Mai felt a sudden shock in her chest, seeming to spread down her arms, and quickly stepped away. "I actually need to tell you something." His eyes brightened a shade, and his lips curled up in the smallest smile Mai has ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat and she quickly stopped her slow moving progression.
Ciel's small smile grew, further amused by her actions. "You see, I-"
"Miss Hondan?"
Mai's eyes snapped open as Sebastian opened the thick curtains covering her window, allowing sunlight to wash through the dreary room. She squinted against the bright light, her eyes watering slightly as they struggled to adjust.
"Sebastian?" She questioned quietly before she shoved her head under her pillow, hoping to get some more sleep. It's too early to be working. Every morning is too early to work.
Mai heard Sebastian sigh mutely before she felt the sheets- and pillow- being snatched away from her. She shivered in bed as the coldness of the room settled on her bare skin. Her bare skin. 'Wait..what?' Mai groggily sat up to asses herself and stiffened. She wasn't wearing anything except her undergarment. Her face heated up and she snapped her head towards Sebastian, who looked just as surprised, but also wickedly amused. Anger seared through her body, getting rid of every trace of embarrassment.
"Get out." She growled in a low voice, her bangs shading her eyes. Her arms covered her chest. "GET OUT NOW!" Mai screamed as she jumped out of bed and grabbed Sebastian's wrist, still holding an arm her to her chest. Her eyes were now a snowy white. She dragged him out of her room and shoved him out of the open door before slamming it loudly in his face. A faint crack could be heard as the wood split down the middle of the door. Mai slid down to the floor and brought her legs to her bare chest, resting her face on her knees. Nothing could be heard from outside, so Mai took that as a good sign. 'How could I let this happen?' She thought to herself, mortified of what had just happened. What had happened?
Sebastian has seen her almost completely exposed, and he didn't even have the decency to look away. Instead he chose to stand there and mock her with his eyes. Mai has never felt so embarrassed in all her life. Not even when she had to bathe in the river on one of her missions and a stray hiker came across her. At least the water and bushes covered her up and he turned away. This was a thousand times worse. Especially since she's been seen by her enemy.
Mai sniffled and looked up as she contemplated what to do next. A cold breeze seemed to hit her cheeks, though the window wasn't open. It wasn't until then she realized she was crying. 'Get a grip Mai Hondan.' She scolded herself as she warily got up, still holding her arms over her chest. She could not let Sebastian see her cry, or even see her upset at all. That would only give him satisfaction. Instead, she should keep her head held high, and put it behind her, knowing it would annoy him. Mai smiled tenderly at the thought as she eyed the sheets on the floor, as well as her ruined uniform. Suddenly a soft knock was heard at the door. Mai grabbed a sheet off the floor and wrapped herself with it before she puffed up her chest to answer the door, figuring it was Ciel. There's no way it could be Sebastian; the knock was too soft.
Putting on a brave face, Mai opened the door, ready to face anything.
"Hi Mai," Mey-rin greeted, her cheeks looking oddly rosy. Mai breathed out a sigh of relief as she broke out in a smile. Her arms were behind her back, but Mai spotted a tip of blue fabric sticking out.
"Hey Mey-Rin," She greeted cautiously as she continued to glace at the blue fabric. "What've you got there?" Mey-Rin smiled and held out the clothing. It was another maids uniform, but worlds better.
The sleeves were puffed out, and had little yellow bows towards the cuff of the sleeves. The collar of the uniform went above her chest, so no more vintage lace. Trailing below the collar was a black, button down, top with thin straps that went over her white shirt. Last but not least, a beautiful blue skirt came with it, reaching just a little above her knees.
"Sebastian told me you needed a replacement, so he told me to lend you my old uniform." Mey-Rin said as she looked at Mai's face, wanting to see her reaction.
Mai was lost for words as she looked at the uniform. All she could muster out was a half sigh, half giggle as she took the uniform in her hands. The fabric happened to be very soft. "Thank you," She said, putting as much feelings into her words as she could. She looked over the uniform one last time, flipping it over to look at the back. Her brows furrowed as she ran her free hand down the clothing. Two large slits were in the back, though it wasn't noticeable at first glance.
"Sebastian put them there, in case you..." Mey-Rin trailed off, feeling oddly uncomfortable talking about Mai's angel side. Mai clutched the sheet closer to her, her face looking solemn as she replied,
"Oh, uh.. thank you. It means a lot. And it's a lot better than my old one." She pulled the uniform close to her chest and looked Mey-Rin in the eye. "Really, thank you." Before Mey-Rin left, she produced a long, red, silk ribbon.
"You put this around you're neck. I thought it would be a nice touch." Mey-Rin's cheeks flamed as she spoke, making Mai suspicious.
"A nice touch..?" Skepticism dripped thick in her voice, making Mey-Rin fidget with her hands.
"I just thought it would look very nice, yes." Mai hesitated for only a moment before she smiled in acceptance.
"Thank you. It's beautiful." Mey-Rin nodded in appreciation before she walked away, humming a quiet, off key tune to herself.
Mai gently closed the door and let the sheet drop on the floor. Goosebumps quickly spread over her exposed skin, making her shiver lightly. She gazed at the uniform with soft eyes before putting it on. The fabric fit against every curve of her body, while still maintaining respect. After looking herself over, she smiled to herself, pleased. She felt like she had a little more self worth. She slipped on her white socks and black shoes and looked in the mirror. A thought dawned on her, that since she had a new uniform, she probably wasn't obligated to wear the ribbons in her hair anymore. She let her wavy hair fall to her waist before remembering, 'Speaking of which..' Mai grabbed the red ribbon off the small dresser and tied it around her neck in a loose bow before she walked out the door.
As Mai made her way down the stairs, she instantly picked up on excited chatter coming from the kitchen. 'What's everyone so excited about?' She wondered to herself as she dipped under the stairs and walked across the hall to the kitchen. The servants were grouped together and were talking so fast, she could barely make out more than a few words.
"Can't believe it."
"So kind,"
"Exciting!"
Not wanting to break the chatter, but also wanting to be in on what they were discussing, Mai tentatively spoke up.
"Hey guys. How are you this morning?" The three servants looked away from each other towards Mai, their expressions bright.
"Mai!" Finny greeted, coming around the counter to give her a tight hug. "Have you heard the news?" He continued eagerly. When Mai shook her head, feeling more than a little dazed from the tight hug, he launched into a big story of how the 'Young Master' was taking them on a trip.
As Mai struggled to comprehend what Finny was talking about, Bard and Mey-Rin continued to talk to each other in private.
"It's supposed to be a huge health resort! Isn't that amazing!" Finny's grin was so wide, Mai wondered if it hurt his cheeks.
"Wow, that sounds interesting.." 'And suspicious if you ask me.'
"I think this is one of the nicest things the Young Master has done for us." Mai instantly felt guilty. Ciel obviously has these guys fooled. But then again.. if it weren't for him, and sadly Sebastian, she wouldn't be here. 'I wonder,' she thought with her guilty conscience, 'I wonder how the others got here?' She wondered as she realized they never told them about their pasts. They must have their reasons though.. So Ciel must have some kindness buried somewhere inside him. She let out a long sigh before replying warily,
"That sounds great. I can't wait to go." Finny nodded excitedly before going blank, gazing at Mai's uniform.
"I love you're new uniform Mai!" Mai turned away from Finny, her cheeks flushing lightly.
"Thanks Finny," She said sincerely, since she was in a good mood. Well, in a good enough mood for the day. Mai took a seat at the small table by the window and lay her head in her hand. 'Maybe the trip won't be such a bad thing..' Mai mused as she watched the sun rise. 'I mean, that probably means Sebastian will be too busy to bother me. Or even talk to me, if I'm ever so lucky enough...' Mai's thoughts trailed off on a darkly as the door to the kitchen opened. Mai turned into her seat and glared. 'Speak of the devil..' She thought to herself sarcastically.
"I've come to tell you all that the carriage will be leaving soon, so I would suggest you leave now." Sebastian ordered, his face all seriousness. The servants quickly nodded and saluted Sebastian before he walked away. But not without glancing at Mai and smirking. Mai looked him straight in the eye, which told: I'm not afraid of you, and I won't let you take me down.
"Come on Mai, it's best we leave now." Finny grabbed Mai's hand and headed out the door, grabbing his coat on the way. Mai looked around and noticed everyone had a coat. Everyone except her.
"Oh Mai, don't you have a coat?" Mey-Rin asked, her face looking sad. Mai shook her head, but smiled anyways.
"No, but it's fine. I'm sure I'll do without one." Now it was Mey-Rin's turn to shake her head, her expression fierce.
"No, that will simply not do. We can share coat, yes." Before Mai could question her intentions, Mey-Rin draped the coat over their shoulders, which covered them both just fine.
"Oh, uh, thank you." She said as she, Mey-Rin, and Finny walked out the door. Outside waited an open hooded carriage for Ciel, and another one behind them. Tanaka was in the front seat, holding the reins of teo horses. 'Are you kidding me?' Mai thought, her expression blank. 'Then again,' Mai sighed. 'I guess it would look odd for a "master" to be in the same carriage as his servants.' Finny seemed to pick up on what Mai was thinking, because he turned his cheery expression towards her.
"It's not so bad," He said, his voice bright. "I think it actually gives us more freedom to do what we want." Mai thought about that for a moment and agreed it would probably be better to be just with just the servants than to be stuck with a grump like Ciel.
The servants quickly loaded in the back of the trailer, Bard coming in last with his cigarette in his mouth. Over the past couple months, Mai's grown used to the fact that Bard smokes. Mai looked around at her surroundings as they all waited for Ciel, who was now descending the stairs and walking towards the carriage.
Birds chirped off in the distance, the sun cast shadows against trees and plants, and the sky was a bright blue for once. The servants talked eagerly with each other as Mai thought to herself when suddenly the carriage lurched forward. 'Thank God we're leaving now.' Who knows, it might be really nice to get away from the manner for a few days, or weeks, or however long they were going to be there. To pass the time, the servants talked about how great it would be to get away from the manner, and have more things to do.
"Maybe while the Young Master and Sebastian are busy, we can go hunting for secret rooms!" Finny exclaimed, which actually caught Mai's attention. To be honest, Mai's always wanted to go hunting for secret rooms, but never found the time. She was always busy with something. Whether it be avoiding Sebastian, helping Mey-Rin or Bard or Finny when they mess up, or serving Ciel. Which she hated most. Just the thought of Ciel made her flush in anger and agitation. Though the thought of Ciel did drag up her newest dream.
'What was it he wanted to tell me..?' She thought in wonder. 'And what could the two paths possibly mean? I guess it obviously means choice, but choice for what?' As Mai pondered these thoughts, Funny poked her in the side, making her jump from her seat.
"Mai, do you want to sing a song? We're all singing songs, and we don't want you to be left out." Mai gazed at Finny for a second, trying to pull herself together before replying,
"No, it's okay. I don't really sing." By this point, Mey-Rin and Bard were looking at her too, almost begging her to try with their eyes. Sadly, that stuff didn't usually work on her.
"Aw, I'm sure you'd be great. We all love singing whenever we get the chance to go on trips with the Young Master."
"Come on Mai! It'll be great~!" Mey-Rin encouraged.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad. If it helps, I'm terrible at it." Bard laughed at himself, also encouraging Mai to sing.
"Pleeeeaaasseee?" The three of them brought out the puppy dog eyes on her and she laughed, feeling completely cornered. She hated that more than anything.
"Okay. ONE song.." She felt herself trembling slightly as she lightly cleared her throat. Mai quickly sifted through what little songs she knew in her head before picking one she and her father wrote a while ago.
"I linger in the doorway,
Of alarm clocks screaming,
Monsters calling my name." Mai's words came out both haunting and very beautiful, capturing everyone's attention; including Ciel.
"Let me stay.
Where the wind will whisper to me.
Where the raindrops, as their falling, tell a story." Mai's heart raced furiously as she took in the expressions of the servants. They ranged from shock, to awe, and then to disbelief. Mai struggled to stay on pitch, but quickly found it impossible. Her words cut off quickly and she looked down, feeling more than embarrassed.
"Feeling distracted Young Master?" Sebastian asked, looking away from the road to gaze at his master, not bothering to hide his taunting. Ciel quickly turned around, a light blush creeping on his face. He closed his eyes, sighing in an annoyed tone.
"No. Keep you're eyes on the road." He ordered. Sebastian nodded once and turned back to the road, ignoring the yelling of the servants as they complimented her on her singing. 'You couldn't expect anything less from an angel,' He thought to himself as he turned a corner, leading into the town. The land was Barren, having very few trees, and people for that matter. The whole scene seemed to have an unnatural gray color, seeming to hold no life at all whatsoever. The sign hanging over the town was made from cheap wood, and seemed to barely hand on the hinges. Sebastian got an uncomfortable feeling of being there, knowing they were on an investigation to stop dog fights from within the town. The queen thinks it's inhumane, but Sebastian wouldn't have minded to let those things called humans continue doing what they were doing. He hated dogs.
After Mai had had enough embarrassment to last a lifetime or two, Finny looked over and jumped up, pointing to an old lady pushing a little stroller.
"Tanaka! Stop the carriage!" Finny said as he jumped out to help the old lady.
"No Finny!"
"B-Be careful!" Bard and Mey-Rin called, not wanting him to accidentally hurt the child in the stroller.
"Excuse me Ma'am, can I see your-" Suddenly Finny screamed as he looked at the child. Instead of there being a child, the bones of an animal lay in the seat. Mey-rin, Bard, and Mai looked over and screamed too. Sebastian and Ciel stopped to see what the commotion was about, though they didn't react in any way when they saw the "Child."
"This child was eaten by the demon dog. Poor thing.." The old lady commented before singing a haunting tune about the demon dog and how it will eat everyone. When she walked away, the four servants stood there with their mouths gaping like fish.
"Ea-"
"Ten"
"T-That's a child?" Bard, Finny, and Mai stuttered out before sitting back down in a daze. Finny climbed back into the carriage, and Tanaka took off when Ciel's carriage began to move again. Mai closed her eyes and commented;
"Just for the record;I think she's crazy."
Important!:
Hey everyone, as you know, I had Mai sing part of a song in this chapter. Well, I had the voice of Mai Hondans ANGEL sing the song for us. Please listen to her. And if you want to hear her in her human for, please ask :) Thank you so much!3 The song is called: Imaginary and is sung by Gothtigger92 on youtube! :) 3
watch?v=nOLMe04NUH0&feature=share&list=UUWXBYkjY_PVUylH2z9HKWBg
