The interrogation of the witch didn't produce a lot of information. She ranted and raved about the Watchdog and was difficult to get answers from. She wanted to talk about what she wanted to talk about and had trouble focusing. Occasionally, she would go on about how she wanted her ring back, despite being told that this was an impossibility due to her committing a violent crime.
Despite this, however, one piece of information was retrieved. Ruth wouldn't go into the details about how the spell was cast, but did reveal what the spell was supposed to do. It was supposed to cause memory loss, although she wouldn't say how extensive. The interrogation did not provide anything else. Her granddaughter would be questioned again at a later date, but not on that particular day. Everything was too messy right then.
Sebastian took Luka home after the boy fell asleep. The lad was not going to be happy when he woke up, but he couldn't stay there. Ciel, however, did. The Phantomhive stayed behind at the Hellsing residence to wait on both news and for the menace to wake up. It took more time than necessary for someone to come and inform him of what has been discovered. No one wanted to be in the same room as him when that happened. Even the thought of it was frightening.
Eventually, Seras Victoria was forced to break the news to him. "Badly" was not the word to describe how he reacted. There was a moment of shock. Seras had to repeat the message several times before it registered in his mind, then again for him to believe it. When he did, things took a turn. The Watchdog howled and roared, demanding to see his husband and getting angrier each time he was denied. Furniture was smashed, although it would be replaced when the man's head was clearer. For now, he could not be stopped from feeling.
Ciel brandished his fangs while demanding the witch to be burned for her actions. He wanted her head. He wanted her to pay. His rage was not helped when it was revealed that she was not in right enough mind to be held accountable for her actions. The old woman showed signs of having dementia and was not well.
He didn't care. His husband was hurt and he was not going to tolerate it. Seras did all she could to help calm him down, uttering reassuring words and the like. Ciel wasn't having it, however. He was still distraught and not listening to reason. What he didn't know, however, was that Alois had actually awakened a few hours prior.
The blonde was disoriented. He was dizzy and he had trouble with his thoughts. It felt as though his mind was in a fog for over an hour. When asked questions, he had trouble coming up with answers, but over time, he regained some clarity.
"Do you know where you are?" asked the attending nurse.
"Yeah, the infirmary, why?" replied the menace with a question of his own.
"Well, you were hit with a spell that supposedly causes memory loss." the woman said. "When you're well enough, we've devised several tests to decipher the extent of the damage."
"I feel like that explains this weird feeling I have." Alois answered, running a hand through his hair. "When do I start?"
"As soon as you feel ready, Mister Phantomhive."
"What?" the man asked. "That's not my name. Is that the right clipboard?"
"Oh, dear..." murmured the nurse. That was not a good sign. She had already heard of the chaos that has unfolded when the blonde's husband was alerted of the spell that was used, but this was going to unleash a second wave of terror upon H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. Still, the nurse had to think quickly.
"#D-003, Jim… Macken." the woman half-lied. The name really was on the file, but it was entered in as a "maiden" name. "It's right here. My mistake…"
"I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible so I can go home." the blonde stated with a sigh.
"The doctor wants you to rest a little longer. You should be able to start tomorrow."
"Dammit…" Alois said, falling back on the bed. "I don't wanna…"
"It's out of my hands, sir."
"I know… Guess I don't have much options..." Rolling over, he allowed the nurse to leave while he himself went over the events leading up to this in reverse.
He remembered being in Gehenna with his brother. He remembered Luka. He remembered the old woman, too. Come to think of it, he was probably going to be questioned about her before long. The thought caused him to groan. Why couldn't he just have an ordinary week for once with no conspiracy or violence? It was insane.
Going back further, he recalled getting ready for the day with Luka, putting on some kind of cologne. He could faintly smell it, still, but couldn't remember where he obtained it. He couldn't remember why he felt so mischievous while trying it on that morning, nor could he remember much of the first time he woke up. He recalled getting up because Daniel needed something, but he didn't remember answering the phone himself. He remembered giving Sebastian the day off and taking care of Luka because someone else was able to take care of Daniel's problem. The problem was: he couldn't remember who.
Who was it? The further back his memories went, the foggier they became. Vital details seemed to be missing from his memory. There were things missing from the final battle between H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. and the Scarlet Order. Someone important killed Preston, but Alois didn't know who. It was someone powerful, he knew, but there was no face or name that came to mind.
The more and more he saw missing, the more frustrated he became and the more his head began to ache. Brow furrowing, Alois rubbed his forehead with his hand as he laid there. His hand eventually lingered over his eyes in order to block out any light. As he pondered, he felt uneasy. The feeling grew worse and worse as time went on. The worst part of it all was the fact that he could tell something was wrong, but not knowing what it was.
Alois was aware. The blonde knew that something was wrong and that he was missing critical parts of his memory, but the lack of attachment caused by it meant that he could not be sad as he thought he should be. Instead, he was frustrated. The man was perfectly aware that he was missing something. Important people, important events, and all of it was there but inaccessible to him. Life was about to become a lot more purposelessly difficult for him, he just knew.
These things would arise with time as he navigated the world without his memory, and perhaps then he would feel. He would know what he was missing. Alois would see the loss that those around him felt over him. Then he would feel sad, surely. Surely...
A/N: We have build-up to attend to before shit hits the fan.
Next chapter, next chapter...
Maybe I'm just stalling for my own sake, though...
Most likely, most likely...
Anyways, I remembered what I forgot in the last chapter! I got a question!
"This question has been bugging me for quite some time but I was wondering if anymore family members of Ciel will make any appearances since Elizabeth came back and that was a sort of surprise that I saw coming because of so many unanswered questions about what happened after Ciel supposedly 'died'? I often wondered if you're going to make a back to the past chapter showing how everyone moved on or how deeply they were affected about Ciel's death." by EmelieLovette17
In all honesty, I have no idea. I don't have any real intention of this right now, but who knows what the future holds? I had every intention of not including Elizabeth in this fic at all, yet here she is. It may happen and it may not. Depends on whether or not I come up with a good idea for it.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
