|Moon's Note : Thanks again for all of the reviews guys, both the people with names and my guests. CeruleanKiss and Amandalucia, you're awesome for supporting me like this! Avalanet, thanks for thinking the chapter was cute ^^ I usually suck at writing cute stuff, so it's a nice compliment.|
|Kelvin Mansion|
Madeleine looked out of the window of the carriage, to the landscape passing them by. The moon was high in the sky, almost full. The light sent eerie shadows over the landscape, drawing shadows almost as black as ink. She bit her tongue, feeling like a nervous wreck.
This night would be the end of the investigation, uncovering why all those children had been taken. Children like Ciel, who had never harmed anyone, never done anything to warrant a kidnapping. She squeezed her hands together around the pot of still warm chicken soup. She had managed to feed Ciel most of it, which was a feat in itself when the carriage was moving. She found her mind focusing on the soup, because it was easier to consider something mundane instead of thinking about what was really bothering her.
Joker. The man who had managed to become her friend in such a short time. From all the evidence it was obvious the man was involved. Madeleine couldn't believe it, she had never sensed any malice from the man. Drawn together by their love for family and friends, Madeleine refused to believe the man had done such horrible things.
The carriage stopped. Before Ciel got out she checked his scarf once more. The last thing they needed was another relapse. The boys nerves were wearing thin as it was. With the face of a martyr Ciel allowed her to fuss over him a bit more, before they stepped out of the carriage. Sebastian held out his hand towards Madeleine, and she accepted without thinking about it.
'We have been waiting for you, earl Phantomhive.' A familiar voice rang out to them in the cool night.
Madeleine looked up, seeing Joker look at them from the opening of the door. His face was as unreadable as could be. When their eyes met he gave no sign of being surprised. 'Joker.' Ciel said as an acknowledgment. Madeleine's heart sank to her toes. There was no denying the situation now. Her friend was involved, and pretty heavily at that.
They entered the dark hallway as Joker snapped his fingers. Candles flickered on, revealing the inside of the room. Ciel gasped beside her, making Madeleine hold out her hand, placing her fingers on his shoulder for a second. She couldn't believe her eyes either.
Dolls, spread all over the room. Part of them nailed to the wall, porcelain eyes staring at them from all directions. The effect was unnerving, to say the least. The hall was so cold Madeleine could see her breath in the air, causing her to wrap her arms around herself.
'This way.' Joker said at the base of a grand stairway.
'Do you want to kill him now and rescue the children?' Sebastian asked in a whisper to the holder of his contract. Madeleine felt a shiver run down her spine at the suggestion.
'Wait. The children may still be alive, and we have yet to uncover his motives. If we are to report this to the queen in a satisfactory manner we must collect all the information we can.' Ciel's voice was monotone, as if he was unhappy with the situation as well.
'We understand.' Madeleine answered him softly, for both herself as for Sebastian.
Joker let out a chuckle, sad but audible. 'Well, they say ye shouldn't judge a book by its cover. And yer a good example of that. That such a frail body lives under the names of 'Nobleman of evil' and 'the Queen's watchdog'…' Joker turned back at them, the hint of a tear shimmering in his eye. '… that's some hardship, Smile.'
She could see Joker's eyes flash over her and Sebastian. Was he wondering what their positions were in this charade? Yet Madeleine had not lied, she was Ciel's aunt, and she wanted nothing more than to be certain her nephew was safe.
'My name is Earl Phantomhive. A servant should not speak to me with such familiarities.' Madeleine lowered her head quickly to hide the way her eyes grew bigger. Was that how he planned to play it? By portraying Joker as a mere pawn, used by someone with more authority, the man would be punished less harshly. She clasped her hands together, hoping that was indeed the game her nephew was playing.
'We've prepared dinner for you.' Joker said, the traces of his dialect suddenly gone. He led them in a grand dining room, once again the darkness only illuminated by candles. After having pulled out a chair for Ciel, Joker moved to pull out a chair for Madeleine. She shook her head, moving quickly to grab him by the sleeve. 'Joker, why-'
He pressed a finger against his lips, pulling his arm free from her. His emerald eyes once again seemed to measure her, trying to see what her role was. She took a deep breath, watching as he moved towards doors on the other side of the room.
Sebastian touched her elbow lightly, bending over slightly so he could whisper in her ear. 'You would do best not to worry about him. It will only serve you ill later on.'
She was spared having to give him an answer as a man, seated in a wheelchair, was brought in. He spoke to Ciel almost shyly. Madeleine scanned his bandages, trying to see how much of a threat he was. Bodily she could see nothing. But spiritually… she quickly brought a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle a scream. He had an aura tainted by obsession. So much darkness in one man, so much despair and hunger for dark things. Things only became worse when she noted the children behind him. Though they moved, she could sense almost nothing from them. As if they were porcelain dolls, given life.
'You came to see me, Earl Phantomhive. It's like a dream, having you here.' the man said, looking almost ecstatic. In response the angel moved her body a bit, trying to shield the boy from this man. 'Though I feel a bit ashamed, looking this way when meeting you.'
'Baron Kelvin?' Ciel asked curtly.
'That's right, though I hate to be so formal with you.' the Baron answered. 'I have prepared a feast for you. I would be happy if you tried the wine. It's from 1875, the year when you were born.'
Madeleine scanned the trays being brought in, or more exactly, the children who brought in the trays. The only one who seemed to be an actual living person was Joker. Her attention was focused entirely on the children. She recognized several of the missing children, though there were even more that had never been reported. 'Feel, feel anything. Show me you are alive.' She urged them in her thoughts. Yet there was nothing in their eyes. She could feel her heart breaking.
Her attention was pulled away when the Baron shouted an order at Joker. 'Prepare that for us, Joker.'
Joker looked shocked at the request, attempting to reason the Baron out of it. 'Do it, Joker!' the man repeated his order, not looking pleased at having to do so.
A curtain was pulled away, revealing a row of children dressed in circus attires. All of them were in the same state that the children serving the meal were. Joker took his place on stage, a grimace etching his face. 'Welcome, Earl Phantomhive. Tonight I will accompany you to a world of pleasure you have never seen before.'
'First we have a tightrope walker.' Joker announced under the applause of the Baron. Madeleine's heart jumped to her throat when she saw a girl of seven step on the rope. 'Without a lifeline or anything, this is the real deal.' As he talked, the girl already lost her bearing. Madeleine felt her mouth drop open as the girl hit the ground with a sickening splat.
'No…' she whispered. The Baron's applause increased as he laughed. Madeleine clenched her fists. Doing this kind of thing to an innocent child, that was too much!
Joker swallowed, clearly fighting to keep the ghost of a smile on his face. 'Next is a wild animal tamer.' He said, voice strained with what was happening. Before he could even continue his speech the lion had already mauled the five-year old that had been supposed to 'tame' him.
'… enough…' Madeleine whispered. She couldn't keep the tears from clouding up her vision. Didn't that Baron feel anything for these children? Even Joker, who was supposed to be an accomplice, seemed to be on the verge of snapping. '… that's enough.'
'A knife thrower.' Joker announced. Madeleine watched in horror as the young boy prepared two knives to throw at a young girl, tied to a crucifix.
Before Ciel had uttered the words to bring Sebastian in action, Madeleine already stretched out a hand. Sebastian caught the first knife, saving the girl from being impaled through the head. The second knife seemed to bounce away suddenly, as if an invisible wall had been formed between it and the intended victim.
'This stops now.' Madeleine said, her hand tracing one of the silver knifes on the table. Even if she personally had to cut up the man in a million tiny pieces, she would. The barrier between the girl and the knife thrower was as strong as she could make it on her own. So strong it almost hurt keeping it up.
'She's right. I am putting a stop to this.' Ciel said, giving Madeleine a reproachful glance. She nodded, trying to keep herself from flinging the knife at the seated man. 'I have no desire to sit at a table with a beast that is more despicable than any animal. This is more than I needed for a report to the Queen. Vulgar, ugly, perverted, the lowest form of human life… as the watchdog of the Queen, I shall get rid of you.'
With every word he had taken a step towards the Baron, pulling out a gun. Madeleine could see in slow motion how Joker pulled out a sword, pointing it at her nephew. In that same second Sebastian readied a table knife, pointing it at Joker's jugular. As for her, all she did was move herself so that Joker's blade would strike her instead of her nephew.
The tip of the blade rested just next to her breast. Any further and blood would have been drawn.
'Joker, stop pointing that dangerous thing at the Earl!' the Baron ordered.
Joker glanced at the young boy, at Madeleine and finally towards Sebastian who held the knife against his throat. 'But…'
'Listen to me, boy!' he ordered.
'Kelvin.' Ciel said. His voice could rival the ice in the deepest heart of winter. 'Where are the other missing children?'
'You want to meet those children?' The Baron asked in excitement, as if he were a puppy trying to please his master. 'They're in the basement, I can take you to them. There's something else in the basement as well that I wanted to show you.'
They marched towards the basement, Joker being kept in a secure grip by Sebastian, knife still pointed at his throat. Madeleine walked at the other side of Kelvin, keeping a careful watch on her nephew. Kelvin ignored the gun, talking about how happy he was that he finally had Ciel in his home.
'It took me three years to prepare this place. Look, Earl Phantomhive! Let's re-create that splendid day from all that time ago.'
Madeleine felt the shock like a fist punching her in the stomach. She recognized this place from when she had taken a look in Ciel's memory. The auditorium-like benches, set around a sacrificial stone. The knife, glinting like fire given a solid form. The hooded figures who had marked him, burned him and made him who he was now.
The Baron continued his speech, each word a knife wrenched in Madeleine's guts. 'Even now, I can't forget the pain I felt back then. Only I, who gave up everything in order to meet you, couldn't meet you. I wondered why fate must constantly separate us. And after that day, everybody of that group was gone. That was done by you, wasn't it Earl?'
The angel couldn't believe her ears. The man was talking about all the pain and shame her nephew had been put through as if it was something beautiful. 'Such a beautiful death, dealt by the cold moon himself. Everything is the exact same as that day! I prepared everything for this ceremony, from the room, to the sacrificial lambs… the only thing missing was you, young Earl. The centerpiece of this beautiful occurrence. I-'
Ciel shot him. The bang reverberated in the room, leaving everyone shocked for a moment. The boy was trembling, a mixture of primal fear and anger. Madeleine felt no sadness for the fact Kelvin had been shot. Only for the fact that her nephew had to sully his hands with blood like that.
'FATHER!' Joker cried out. The ringleader pulled himself loose from the demon's grip, revealing a knife hidden in his prosthetic. Crying out he charged at young Ciel. Madeleine quickly moved in front of Ciel, catching the man before he could even near her nephew.
'Don't.' she told him. She had no reason to hold back now, and no human was a match for the strength of an angel. 'Please don't.' she repeated. She had seen Joker's pain and despair at everything that had happened that night. In combination with what her nephew had gone through and was going through, the pain of it all brought tears to her eyes.
Joker surprised her by dislodging another piece of the prosthetic. Before he had taken another step, Sebastian put a stop to his advance. The blunt kitchen knife separated the rest of the prosthetic from Joker, sending the man to his knees. Joker and the Baron both screamed at the pain. Madeleine looked down at the redhead, feeling herself go very, very cold.
It was all so unfair. Because of the sick feelings of one man, another good man was made to suffer like this. How many more men were there like the Baron? How many people were kidnapping children and forcing others to do their dirty work for them? Madeleine looked down at the Baron, stepping towards him. She doubted not for a second that this thing knew more of his kind.
The man had the audacity to grab Ciel's leg. 'Please… I beg you. If you're going to kill me, do it just like you did to everyone else on that day.'
'The same as them?' Ciel's voice was cold, nearly a quiver to be detected. 'Kneel down like a worm and then beg the demon to kill you.' The order was clear and detached. Sebastian stepped up with a distant smile on his face.
'Don't!' Joker cried out to them. 'Please don't kill him! Despite what he is, he saved us. He saved us from the cold and starvation! Many brothers and sisters of ours are still at the workhouse. If he dies, we can't life on. That's why-'
'You kidnapped those children?' Sebastian asked, a sly undertone in his voice.
Madeleine listened to them talk, listened to arguments and explanations given. She registered everything without saying anything to them. Instead she squatted near the Baron, looking down on this animal with the Phantomhive eyes. In their discussion, nobody paid them any heed.
'What do you want?' he asked her, clenching a fist to the hole in his stomach. 'You're nobody, you're not my precious Ciel.'
There was an emptiness in her heart. She could feel it very clearly. This man was responsible for so much suffering, so much pain. 'My nephew is right.' She said slowly. 'You will be killed by the demon. But not before you are judged by an angel.' She reached out a finger towards him. 'I hate touching a vile thing like you. But if it's to protect Ciel… to protect all children, even I do not know what my limits are.'
She touched his forehead, and forced her power inside him. She could see it, see it all. She saw the face of every child he ever saved, every child he harmed. She could see the people he had met, talked to. Ignoring the past she only searched for things that happened in the period between here and five years ago. She registered each name and face. Many of them were dead, but she still learned their names. Those that were alive would lead her to others. And those to even more, until she could make sure that none of them would ever do something so vile ever again.
Blinking she returned, gasping for air. These memories, in combination with Ciel's memories were too much for her. She was vaguely aware of Sebastian holding her hair back as she tried to throw up. It would seem that eating as little as she had since her taste had given out had been a good thing.
'It would seem that the maid has some problems as well. So many patients all of a sudden.' The voice was unknown to her. Sebastian curtly informed her that this was the Doctor of the circus. Judging from Joker's reaction to the fact the man was walking, it would seem that he had pretended to be unable to.
The doctor checked over Kelvin's body. 'This is bad. And I finally found somebody who understood my ideas.' The man said. When he looked at his audience, he let out a nervous titter. Deciding the cat was out of the bag, he continued. 'I wanted to create the perfect artificial limb. And I finally found the perfect materials to do so.'
Madeleine tried to stand up, still reeling from her inspection of the Baron's memories. Thanks to that, she missed the better part of the man's speech. She wished she could have missed it all.
'Don't you think this is the best form of recycling ever?' The doctor said, pointing to the children in the cage. Madeleine hadn't even noticed them. They were as good as dead already. It would seem that her promise to Spears had been an empty one. The notion was the final break for Joker. The idea that he had been wearing a prosthetic made of the bones of children was enough to make him lose all resolve.
She watched as the man took one of the children from the cage. She knew what he was going to do. Her legs wouldn't support her weight properly. 'Don't…' she couldn't even speak. Who would have thought that the Baron's memories would leave her this weak?
As the man raised the knife, she was once again transported to Ciel's memory. She could see the knife, the hooded figures. Only her own memories made it even worse. She already knew what the kiss of death tasted like.
Ciel screamed, bringing her back to reality. The child on the table was dead. 'SEBASTIAN, KILL THESE GUYS!'
It was all the instruction Sebastian needed. Within one movement he picked up the blade that had belonged to Joker, slicing up the doctor's chest. Madeleine tried to get back on her feet, but there were too many memories. She hadn't been careful enough. Even though her stomach was empty, she still felt ready to hurl. Children screaming. A knife in the darkness. Pain from the operation. The rough rope around her wrists as she was bound to the beam, ready for her execution. Fire licking her legs, burning her hair. The pain from being burnt at the stake.
And then she noticed the fire around her.
