I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Nurturing 2


≤speech in Indian language≥

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location


Previously:

"Mister Sebastian… What just happened?" Agni asked, still a little stunned after being caught up in Chêne's whirlwind of a monologue. And what was the significance of the sheep…?

"I believe my wife has just had a stroke of genius…" Sebastian stated calmly. "It has been known to happen from time to time." He was fairly certain he hadn't understood half of what she had just said to him, but the gist of it seemed to be that she was onto something important regarding their young master's asthma, and she would be out for awhile…


After collecting everything she thought she might, Chêne was back at the townhouse and hard at work on reinventing the EpiPen for Ciel. She had a couple of ampules of sheep's adrenaline (which is what they had used before they figured out how to synthesize it in a laboratory) safely tucked away in the kitchen's refrigerator unit, so now all she had to do was finish working out the kinks in her design for the auto-injector. Theoretically, it should work just the same as a modern Epipen, but without modern plastics readily available for her use, she was going to have to improvise, and the device was probably going to end up being considerably more fragile since she would have to use a glass syringe… They would just have to be careful not to knock it around too much.

"Hm?" She said, puzzled, when she suddenly felt a wave of intense sleepiness wash over her. She knew what that meant. This often happened just before she had one of her vision dreams, but she needed to finish this for Ciel. Chêne struggled to stay awake, but she was fighting a losing battle. Eventually her eyes closed, and her head hit the desk with a thud. She was out like a light.

≈Dream Mode≈

There was a stately manor blanketed with snow. It felt neglected and empty from the outside. The windows that could be seen from the front were all dark, and no one had even bothered to shovel the walkways clear of snow. Its unkempt state was a far cry from the elegant and well cared for Phantomhive manor.

Then, suddenly, there was complete darkness, and she found herself inside of a sparsely illuminated room that was filled with piles of what appeared to be the discarded parts of life-sized porcelain dolls. They were beautifully crafted, but something about them sent a foreboding chill up Chêne's spine.

And then came the fire…

"!" Chêne exclaimed when she found herself facing several cages full children, all around Ciel's age and younger. They stared up at her with dull, listless eyes as the flames engulfed their surroundings. The heat was oppressive. They were trapped, trapped inside a raging inferno. None of them panicked or cried or tried to escape. They seemed completely unaware of what was happening around them, as though they had been drugged, or… or something so terrible had happened to them, that they had turned their minds inwards in an attempt to protect and shield themselves from the terrible reality of the outside world… They seemed incapable of feeling anything anymore, as though all that was left of them were empty shells…

Until the flames reached them.

When the first child felt the flames licking his feet, his lifeless eyes suddenly widened, and he fell to the floor of the cage, screaming and writhing in complete and utter agony.

Chêne felt her own eyes widen in horror as she watched the flames spread from one child to the next before she even had time to blink. She turned to glance at the rest of the room, desperate to find something she could use to free them. What she saw made her blood run cold.

There, in the middle of the amphitheater, was an altar… and it had been placed in the center of pentagram, a demon summoning seal… Just like the one from three years ago. It was the exact same room.

Chêne shook her head in denial as she took a step back. No… it couldn't be… not here!!

"AAAAAAGHHHHHH!!" The heart-wrenching screams of the children jarred her back to reality.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there! I'll save you!!" She cried reaching out to them despite the flames. "I'll save…" The words died in her throat when the child's hand turned to ash and crumbled in her hands.

She couldn't save them.

"No…" She breathed, shaking her head in disbelief as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "NOOOOOOO!!"

≈End Dream Mode≈

"—ne. Chêne!" Sebastian shouted, shaking his wife as he tried to rouse her from her fitful sleep. He had come to remind her it was lunchtime only to find that she had fallen out of her chair and appeared to be having a terrible nightmare of some sort. That in itself was such a rare occurrence, that it was sufficient enough to cause him worry.

"Hah!" Chêne gasped, as her green eyes suddenly shot open, wide with panic. She had broken out into a cold sweat and was breathing heavily, as though she had been having some sort of panic attack. "Se… Sebastian?" She asked, relaxing slightly, as she gripped the sleeves of his coat, though she was clearly still very much distressed by whatever she had seen.

"It's all right, Chêne. You are all right, now." Sebastian said gently, speaking softly, as he held her close and stroked her hair. "I won't let any harm come to you."

"Oh, Sebastian…" Chêne breathed a shaky sigh of relief as she rested her head on his chest, still trembling slightly from what she had seen. "… the children… it was so horrible…"

"Children?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow slightly. Did she mean the missing children? Did this latest dream perhaps have something to do with their case…?

"They were burning, all of them…!" She exclaimed sadly, biting her lip, as she fought the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. It wasn't real, she had to remember that.

"Was it one of those dreams?" He asked carefully. He didn't want to upset her, but if it was, then the detail of what she saw could prove to be important.

"No… I don't think so, not this time." She replied a little hesitantly. "I thought it was, at first, but in the end it was just a normal nightmare. It had to be, because I saw something that should no longer exist …"

"Something that should no longer exist?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"I saw… that room, the one where the three of us met for the first time…" She explained, glancing up at him. They both knew that room had been destroyed a long time ago, along with the people who had once made use of it.

"I see…" He said, frowning slightly. He felt somewhat troubled that she would have a nightmare about that after all this time, however… it was odd that the image of burning children should have manifested itself, as aside from the cult members, she and Ciel had been the only other humans present, and he had made certain there were no survivors before burning the place down to destroy the evidence. "Perhaps you have been putting yourself under too much stress." Sebastian suggested, though he didn't really believe it himself. Chêne was not the type to crack under pressure. She didn't run from challenges, she rose to them. "After all, you were only able to get about three hours of sleep last night after I sent you on that errand to the heraldry office. It might do you some good to get some rest as well."

"Thank you, but I don't want to end up dreaming about that again." She said regretfully, shaking her head.

"Do not worry. I will make something to help you sleep without having any dreams." He reassured her.

=†=†=†=†=

With his little sleeping beauty safely and peacefully tucked into bed for a nice nightmare-free nap, it was up to Sebastian and Agni to see to the chores and take care of the two boys.

"Dote in him and spoil him silly, hm…" The demon butler mused out loud to himself as he worked on cleaning out one of the fireplaces, knowing it would be up to him to do so whilst Chêne was out of commission. But just how was he supposed to go about accomplishing such a task…?

RIIING~

Sebastian paused in his work, perking up when he heard the distinct sound of the telephone ringing. Whoever could that be?

"Hello." Sebastian said as he picked up the receiver and answered the telephone. "Mister Tanaka?" He said, surprised to hear from the elderly steward. "Yes. Yes…" He replied respectfully, taking notes as he listened to what his fellow Phantomhive servant wanted to convey to him. "Understood. I shall inform the young master." The demon butler stated calmly.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that evening…}

"Nn… It's dark…?" Ciel said sleepily when he finally opened his eyes again, blinking. Wasn't it still morning when the others forced him to go to bed…? Ciel gasped as his eyes widened with realization as he bolted upright in bed. "What time is it!?" He shouted anxiously, wondering how much time he had lost.

"It is 7:14 in the evening." Sebastian calmly informed him. Ciel glanced over at the demon butler to see that he was waiting patiently beside the dinner cart he had wheeled into the room for him. "You are up at last." The demon stated.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Ceil demanded, furrowing his brow with disapproval.

"I came to the conclusion that a butler should indeed think first about his master's health."

"Huh?" Ciel said, sweat-dropping. "Where is Chêne?" He asked when he noticed the petite maid was no where to be seen.

"Resting. Today's dinner is milk risotto with three kinds of mushrooms, and a pot-au-feu of pork and wine. For dessert, we have a compote of warm apples drizzled with yogurt sauce." Sebastian informed him as he removed the silver cloche covering the risotto first. "Here we are." He said, smiling so brightly there were sparkles around him, as he proceeded to try to spoon-feed it to his young master. "Say 'aaaah'."

~CHIIIIIILLLLLLLS~

"!?" Ciel exclaimed, shuddering so violently that the whole bed shook with him. "What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at, man!?" He demanded, so deeply disturbed and appalled to see the demon behaving in such a manner, that he turned blue with shock and broke out in goosebumps all over his entire body.

"Ah! Is it too hot? Here, allow me to cool it for you." Sebastian said, completely nonplussed, as he blew on the spoonful of risotto to cool it. "My, my. What a spoiled child we have here. Goodness."

"Stop it, or I'm telling Chêne! There are limits to how perverse one can be, you know!" Ciel snapped angrily as multiple vein marks throbbed on his head. "Stop it this instant! I command you!!"

"Heh!" Sebastian laughed, thoroughly amused by his young master's adverse reaction. It had been worth it just to be able to see the look on his face. "Prince Soma said a sick person ought to be doted on and spoiled. Was it not to your liking?" He asked, smirking. Ciel furrowed his brow in irritation.

"I have no need of spoiling or any such 'child's play'." Ciel told his butler sternly. "Things like that make me sick." Especially when coming from a demon. It set his teeth on edge.

"Is that right? I do beg your pardon." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as he bowed. That's what he said now, but he had let Chêne get away with spoiling him quite often in the past, considering his claim to hate it…

=†=†=†=†=

"So… just how long is Chêne planning to rest?" Ciel asked once he had finished eating his dinner on his own and Sebastian had started dressing him for the evening. She was going to miss the most important part of the investigation at this rate, and he didn't want to have to listen to her complain later because she was left behind.

"She will not wake for quite a while. I gave her hot cocoa with some medicine to put her into a sleep so deep, she would not be able to dream." Sebastian stated calmly as he buttoned up the young earl's shirt.

"Why would you do that?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. "You know how cross she gets whenever she thinks she's being excluded from something important."

"That is a consequence that I am perfectly willing to accept if it keeps her safe." Sebastian replied seriously, looking his master in the eye. "I do not want Chêne anywhere near Baron Kelvin's manor." He still couldn't shake the feeling that her dream had something to do with their investigation, and if that was the case, he didn't want Chêne interfering, lest her actions bring the same cursed fate down upon her as her Devinette ancestors of this world…

Ciel's brow twitched as he stared down his demon butler, wondering what had suddenly gotten into him.

"… Fine." He agreed. If they woke Chêne now, there was always the chance that she might try to stop him if she thought it was too soon for him to have fully recovered. Truth be told, he didn't really want to bring Chêne somewhere that promised to be so full of danger, either. Even if she had been taking lessons from his Aunt Francis, she wasn't a killer. Should worse come to worst, any hesitation to kill her opponent could be lethal on her part, and… he at least wanted her hands to be able to remain clean…

"By the way…" Sebastian said, bringing the young earl back to attention. "… We had a call from Mister Tanaka around four. It seems Lady Elizabeth is visiting the manor."

"Wha!?" Ciel exclaimed incredulously. "Why didn't you say something sooner!?" He demanded.

"I wanted you to partake of your meal at leisure, Young Master." Sebastian replied as he helped Ceil into his jacket. "If you do not chew well, the absorption of nutrients will be reduced—"

"Now see here. Don't parrot that duo of tranquil idiots." Ciel said sternly, referring to Agni and Soma, as a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"Lady Elizabeth does not intend to go back home until she sees Young Master… So Mister Tanaka wishes for our swift return." Sebastian said, picking up where he left off in his previous explanation about Tanaka's phone call.

"Ugh…" Ciel groaned, sweat-dropping, as he tried not to imagine how Lizzie must've already redecorated his manor to make it 'cute' before moving on to terrorize his servants by forcing them to dress in strange costumes. He was not looking forward to dealing with that sort of mess again anytime soon… "I trust you've looked into the location of Baron Kelvin's manor?" He asked his demon butler as he slipped on his rings.

"Yes, as I had ample time." Sebastian said, handing him his top hat. "From London, it would take the whole of a day by rail, then carriage."

"You can get us there in less than an hour, can't you?" Ciel asked pointedly as he placed the top hat securely on his head.

"If you so command." The demon replied.

"We shall resolve this matter without delay and return to the manor." Ciel stated resolutely. It was past time he finished this business.

"Yes, My Lord." Sebastian replied dutifully, placing a hand over his chest, as he followed his young master out the room.

"Ciel! You're trying to go out again, aren't you!?" Soma asked, concerned, as he ran up to meet them at the bottom of the stairs.

"…" Ciel said, sweat-dropping. And the annoying prince makes his entrance…

"You won't get better that way!" Soma started to scold him.

"Yesterday." Ciel said purposefully, as he continued his descent down the stairs, before the prince could launch into another lecture. "I'm told you took care of me while I was asleep."

"Eh!?" Soma said, caught off guard. "Y-Yeah."

"Thanks to you, I've quite recovered. Thank you so much." Ciel said sweetly, gracing his friend with one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen.

"I see!! It's all thanks to me~! Nah! Ha! Ha!" Soma said, blushing a little, as he laughed giddily and rubbed the back of his neck. "When you receive the proper care, your rate of recovery is a whole other story~!"

"Yes." Ciel replied with a straight face as he and Sebastian swept past the distracted prince. Practicing to smile occasionally comes in handy, eh? "And on that note, the quite healthy me will be going. See you later." He added rather bluntly.

"Ah!" Soma gasped as he spun around, and the front door slammed shut behind them, realizing his mistake too late. "You tricked meeee, Ciiiiel!! I'll get you for this when you come back!" the prince shouted incredulously after the young earl and his butler. His voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the cold English night, but the two people he had most wanted to hear it were already long gone.

=†=†=†=†=

"There, There. It's not so far to go, so 'ang in there!" Freckles told her horse, stroking its mane while it drank from a stream before plopping herself down on a nearby log. "I'll rest a little myself." She said, rummaging around in her bag for something to eat. "Ah…" She had pulled out a Funtom sucker, the caramel one… that was the flavor Smile said he liked… "I still… can't believe Smile's with the Yard." She said sadly as she stared at the candy in her hand. "He's such a weak li'l mite… and I don't think he's a liar. Then again, we ain't exactly what we say we are either…"

Her horse nickered as it rubbed its soft muzzle against her cheek, as if trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, yer right!" Freckles told it, perking up, as she stood and stretched. "Anyway, I best be off quick to see brother Joker!" She added, quickly remounting her trusty steed. "Hyah!" She shouted, digging her heels in as the took off into the night once again.

=†=†=†=†=

{Baron Kelvin's Manor…}

William T. Spears was standing on the roof, still waiting on standby. It would not be long now until the main event. He was going to need all the help he could get to process such a large amount of souls at one time… however

"This late in the game, and still no sign of reinforcements. Really now!" The reaper huffed in annoyance, furrowing his brow, as he tied a little tube containing a note of complaint to the foot of a carrier pigeon. "Deliver this document to the personnel division." He told the cooing bird. "…Tch." Will clicked his tongue in irritation when he suddenly sensed the presence of a certain noxious beast drawing near. "Posthaste, if you please." He added, releasing the bird to deliver his message. Well, at least it would seem the beast had enough sense to leave the Code 42 behind… He did not want to have to deal with the mountain of paperwork that was sure to be dumped on him should anything happen to her during the course of the events that were to follow shortly.

—^—^—^—

THMP.

Sebastian landed gracefully in a crouching position while carrying Ciel. The demon butler promptly straightened up and set his young master down on his feet. The snow on the walkway crunched beneath the heel of Ciel's shoe.

"This is his manor?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. It looked dark and empty.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied calmly, knowing full well how deceiving looks could be. He glanced up at the sky when he heard a pigeon cooing and sensed an irritatingly familiar presence up on the roof.

"Well? Do you smell them?" Ciel asked.

"I do indeed." Sebastian said, narrowing his eyes slightly, before turning his attention back on the rest of the manor. "I cannot tell whether they are all hear… but those present are still alive."

CREEEAAAK…

"!?" Ciel said, furrowing his brow, when the front doors suddenly creaked open, seemingly on their own.

"We bid ye welcome to our home." A familiar voice greeted them. "We have been waiting for you…" Joker said as he stepped forth from the deep darkness within and bowed. Gone was the usual smile they had grown accustomed to seeing on the ring leader's face. "… Earl Phantomhive."