Chapter Five
Sebastian blinked.
Looked up.
Then blinked again.
There were people standing on the ceiling. Four of them, wearing all black and nearly shrouded in the shadows, not a sliver of skin to be seen.
They'd appeared suddenly, their arrival so subtle and silent he could tell no one had noticed them, not even his young master, who was watching him with a slight frown.
Right, distractions.
Still, he could feel from their auras that they weren't demons, nor were they reapers. Whatever the case may be, he spared the figures one last glance then went back to focusing on the curry he was preparing. He could not lose.
He was a Phantomhive butler.
THE Phantomhive butler.
He would not lose.
He would win the royal warrant; mysterious guards be damned.
*/*
Agni pursed his lips as he focused on preparing his best curry, the Earl Phantomhive's story ringing in his ears.
Itachi had found his salvation in being killed by his brother, the brother he'd sacrificed everything to keep the truth from. He would not let things end like that for he and Soma. His love and devotion to his prince was absolute, and he would do whatever it took to keep the boy happy.
His heart sank when he saw that his prince was not present, his gaze seeking the young Earl's whose mask was in full effect.
A single blue eye stared back, eyebrow rising slightly.
The choice is yours, it said, what will you do now?
From the corner of his eye, he saw Sebastian glance at him then at his master, a troubled glint in his gaze and his resolve hardened.
I will win!
He was determined to do so.
He had to.
His prince's happiness depended on it.
Reinvigorated by his new resolve he went to work, putting his hand of Khali to good use. He was distantly aware of the audiences chattering, of their gasps of astonishment.
He didn't care.
He would win, for his prince.
*/*
Intriguing.
Seems Lau had hired new bodyguards.
He'd noticed them as soon as they'd appeared in the room, their presence brushing against his chakra, even as no one else but Lau and Sebastian seemed to notice their arrival. They were shrouded in black from head to toe, their chakras masked just as well as their presence.
More shocking however was the fact that they were shinobi, real shinobi.
He wondered if he'd know them, and he could feel in his gut that he would. It made him grateful that he'd masked his own chakra until no one, not even a civilian child would be able to feel it.
As everyone separated to taste the offered curies, he turned and left to find Prince Soma. With Agni giving his all to keep Soma in the dark about the betrayal of his beloved Mina, he felt the least the boy could do was support him.
One of the shinobi followed him, but he paid them no heed. He would continue to play the civilian Earl, dependent on his butler to save him.
Lau's new guards weren't his concern.
At least they wouldn't be until the man betrayed him, because he had no doubt he would.
Unseen by the shinobi, a miniscule smirk crossed his lips.
Perhaps he should invite Lau to the upcoming dinner he had with one of the associates that had angered Her Majesty. The opium den leader wouldn't be able to resist getting one over on the "bratty Earl", as many called him behind his back.
Perhaps then the niggling feeling in the back of his mind would go away.
*/*
Mikoto raised an eyebrow as she followed the young Earl Phantomhive, inwardly lamenting the fact that a child so young had been thrust into the dark underworld.
Their new boss had pointed him out after the combat test stating that while the bod had no combat skill, other than his startling accuracy with guns, he was one of the most feared figures of the underworld they now had to navigate through. His butler was terrifyingly efficient as both a butler and an assassin as well as any role the little Earl gave him.
She thought he was exaggerating, however she'd seen the way the butler had glanced in their direction despite them hiding their presence. How his first concern had been the slender boy in front of her and she had to wonder just what the man so loyal to him.
She heaved a soft sigh, watching as he came to a stop beside a purple haired teen a few years his senior.
"What are you doing?" He asked and she blinked at his harsh, almost callous tone. "You are aware your butler is competing up there, are you not going to support him?"
She nodded in agreement to his words while the purple haired boy bowed his head. "I know," He began morosely, "but I have thinking. I have been so ignorant, I never even tried to understand how Mina always felt! How Agni still must feel!"
Lord Phantomhive snorted and turned to walk back the way he came. "If you can see that much then what are you doing standing here?" He paused and looked back at his friend. "He has fought for you how many times now? Butler or not you owe him something for that."
His piece said, he walked away back to the main room of the competition leaving both his purple haired companion and Mikoto to stare after him. Unbidden a smile made its way across the kunoichi's lips and she followed him back into the room of the competition, noting the way his butler automatically looked him over for wounds.
Yeah, with words like that, she could see how he kept his butler, as well as the servants of his household that had accompanied him, so loyal.
The little Earl was certainly someone to look out for.
Perhaps this world would be a bit more interesting than she thought it would be. She glanced down at the child who was having a conversation with his butler, remembering how the darkness of the world had ripped away her eldest son's innocence and she vowed not to let the underworld do the same to Lord Phantomhive. She didn't think she'd be able to bare it if he fell to the dark forces around him and became as shattered as her Itachi had and she'd do anything to keep that from happening…even if she had to go against Lau to do so.
*/*
He had failed.
He'd tried so hard to keep Mina's betrayal from his prince but in the end, it had all been for naught. Tears of blood streamed down his cheeks, and he didn't care that all the Englishmen in the room were watching him sob at his own betrayal, all he cared about was the fact that he'd failed to protect the one that saved him. Behind him, the Queen was awarding Sebastian the royal warrant, and he gasped as Mina started to yell about inequality. Everyone around them seemed to lose themselves to their inner hatred, and his only thought was getting to his prince to protect him.
Ciel stood in front of the queen and her butler, and he could see that he was playing the helpless child trying to be brave.
Everyone was buying it.
Four shadows leapt from the ceiling and joined the fray, knocking out the maddened crowd like they were merely children. Sebastian was fighting Mina and once his Prince said his peace, he joined him, heart lighter than it had been in weeks.
'For you, My Prince, I will fight. You need not ask me. Itachi, our story will have a better ending. I promise you.'
Mina lunged past them racing in Ciel's direction and he gasped when one of the shadows appeared before her and knocked her unconscious with a well place chop to the neck.
And suddenly, it was all over.
He glanced over at Ciel, who met his gaze briefly then turned back to the queen and her butler.
He could only pray that this time Ciel's story would have a happier ending this time.
*/*
Violet eyes narrowed as they took in the four new players in the room. Even with their superior eyes, they were unable to see anything distinguishable about them barring their onyx eyes and their genders.
It seemed Ciel Phantomhive's chess pieces were starting to amass.
No matter they would snuff all of them out.
One of the four glanced in their direction then at the child Earl and they fought to keep their expression clear.
The Unclean.
The Unnecessary.
The Unwanted.
Snuff.
It.
Out.
TBC…