A/N: One more chapter to go! Yaay!

That means no more proofreading until I finish something else! Yaay!
...I mean, that means I have to hurry and write more fics!

On another note, thank you very much to my reviewers and all of those who added this story to their favourites and alerts. My e-mail inbox was very happy, and so was I. There were quite a few, so once again, thank you so very much. I'll end up thanking you again next chapter...

Let's just get on with it.

Warning: High Voltage

Chapter Four - Confrontation

"She's definitely not a human," Ciel stated in all certainty. He and Sebastian were standing outside the door, watching the Yard's carriage roll away.

"No, she is not. Though, I've never met anything like that before," Sebastian stated. "Anyway, Young Master, do you still need my protection or should I go prepare lunch?"

"I should be fine. We should leave for London after lunch. Oh, and hire some help to clean up the study, the cellar and my bedroom."

Sebastian grimaced, recalling that there was also a bucket of sick outside the study. "Yes... I'll get onto it right away, and it should be done when we return from London. We shouldn't be there long."

Ciel nodded. "You're right, we shouldn't. At the most, we may need to stay overnight in the townhouse..." He wasn't incredibly fond of this idea, as he knew Soma and Agni would follow him there, too.

Sebastian then went to prepare lunch, and Ciel went to the parlour, where he discovered Soma pacing around angrily whilst Agni tried to comfort him. When he saw Ciel enter, Prince Soma rushed up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Ciel! Is everything alright? What happened to the intruder? Where's Sebastian?"

Sighing, Ciel raised his hands to lift the Indian Prince's own from his shoulders, before walking past him and sitting down in the arm chair he usually accommodated when in the lavishly furnished parlour.

"Everything's fine. The yard came and took the girl in for questioning, though I don't see the point; we couldn't get much out of her," he explained, knowing that his lie would go unnoticed. "Sebastian's preparing lunch; we're leaving for London after that."

The agitated Prince flopped down in the seat opposite the Young Earl with a relieved sigh. "We may as well go with you to London, then," he predictably said. "For now… Agni, go and help Mr. Sebastian with lunch."

Agni bowed. "Jo Ajna." Then he left.

"So, Ciel!" the Prince was back to his usual, annoying, cheerful self. "We should play chess! I've been practicing! Agni says I might be able to beat you now!"

Ciel raised an eyebrow, leaning his head onto his knuckles. Of course Agni would have told him that; he told the Prince pretty much whatever he wanted to hear. However, Ciel was bored, and crushing Prince Soma's ego might entertain him some.

Three easily-won games later, Agni came and announced that lunch had been served. While Soma managed to practically inhale three helpings of butter chicken, Ciel barely finished one small serving. He was thinking, and he could never really eat when his mind was busy. It was almost as if the fullness of his head gave an impression of his stomach being full, too. He didn't know or care about such trivial things, however.

What weighed on his mind was the value of the information that 'Seven' had given them. He wasn't fooled by what had obviously been an alias, but the connection between the dates, times, and now this unusual name puzzled him. Fifty-six, eight, seven. Did the numbers even have any relevance, or were they just there to confuse him, make him think too hard about something that meant nothing at all?

From what he gathered, so-called Robert Coiler was no idiot, if he was even the right man, since the validity of Seven's information had not yet been confirmed. Hence the reason they were going to London; to find whether it was or not. There was a high likelihood that the whole thing was a trap, or just a straight fib. Why would someone give away their benefactor so easily? Even to avoid being arrested, they'd probably end up murdered by said benefactor anyway.

"No matter what they do for me, no matter what care they give me, I cannot care for them. I literally can't, it's in my nature to be apathetic towards all human beings."

He scowled at his rice. Just what was that damn girl? Was she even a girl at all, or was she some kind of supernatural creature in disguise? Some of her traits didn't seem right for a female, and he had definitely seen her face outside the window when she was supposedly tied up downstairs. Was it an inhuman ability or a look-alike? A twin? A clone?

It was all a complete mind whirl, but he decided that it didn't matter who or what she, he, it was, what mattered was the Queen's wishes, and those were to stop the murders. And they were definitely going to do that, no matter the cost.

Finally, they were in the carriage headed for the Phantomhive's London Townhouse. Though, unfortunately, Soma had insisted on sharing a carriage, and so Ciel had to force himself to zone out, lest have to listen to the Prince's obnoxious rant about stupid subjects that Ciel didn't care to note.

After what seemed like a day, but was only really a couple of hours (which, admittedly, was a relatively long time anyway), the house loomed into view. Soma and Agni were dropped off, luggage was unloaded, and Ciel and Sebastian were off again before either of the Indians could protest or even notice what was happening. Ciel had also changed clothes (or rather, have his clothes changed for him), and Sebastian was wearing his long black coat. Looking like a noble on the East End often caused too much of a stir, as they had found, so blending in at least a little was infinitely wiser.

Sebastian stopped the carriage at a stable a few blocks away from where middle-class and acceptable looking buildings started shifting into run-down, filthy lowest-class buildings. Not only were the roads in the East End too potholed and cracked to ride on, but a carriage such as theirs was a complete giveaway of Ciel's nobility anyway. Not to mention how the horses might react if some trouble were to break out.

They walked casually into the run-down neighbourhood, all the while making sure that they weren't being watched or followed. Ciel had his gun in a holster, concealed just above his waistband at his back, as well as Sebastian, but he couldn't help a feeling of unease creep up upon him more and more as they neared the centre of the filthy neighbourhood, ignoring the leers of the occasional filthy person they passed.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Ciel said under his breath, knowing full well that Sebastian would hear him.

"I'm not sure," his butler replied quietly, so that Ciel had to strain his ears to hear. "There don't seem to be any pubs around here."

Ciel sighed. "Then we have to ask." Reluctantly, he stopped in front of a man who was about to pass them in the opposite direction. He didn't look as rough (in comparison) to some of the others they had seen pass them, but he kept one hand on his hip, where his gun was easily in reach, as he did so. Putting on the best cockney accent he could muster – though he really hadn't wanted to resort to using it out of pride – he asked the man. "'S'cuse me, sir, but can yeh tell uz where the nearest pub is?"

He heard Sebastian shift behind him, and decided he would kill him later.

The man looked down at him. "Why d'you wanna know?" he said gruffly.

Relieved that a knife hadn't suddenly been pulled on him, Ciel recited the story he had come up with three seconds ago. "This 'ere... er... man," he gestured to Sebastian, "is payin' me five quid to show 'im where it is. Thing is, 'm only a kid, so I don't know meself, do I?"

Ciel hoped to hell that his story had worked. Thankfully, it seemed to; the man looked up at Sebastian. "'ll tell yeh if I ge' ten quid."

Sebastian looked at Ciel, who nodded minutely, pulled a tenner out of his pocket and handed it to the man. He reached out to take it, but Sebastian didn't let go. "You ask for a high price, so I must know I'm not being tricked. Show me the direction of the pub, first."

The man growled, but didn't protest. Still holding the note with one hand, he jerked the other in the direction of a side alley on the other side of the road. "Down there, turn righ', and keep goin' 'til yeh see a sign with three knife 'andles stuck to i'."

Holding up his end of the deal, Sebastian released the note, and the man sped off with it. The two watched his back until it disappeared around a corner.

"An admirable performance, Young Master," Sebastian said quietly.

"Shut it," was Ciel's snapped reply. He thought about what they had just been told now, and what they had been told earlier. Seven had said something about knives when asked about the pub, so this sounded like the right one.

They followed the man's instructions, and soon found the sign, which did indeed look as if someone had stabbed it with three knives. In fact, they probably had, and the pub was most likely called "The Three Knives"

They stopped outside. "How are we to know who he is?" Ciel asked. Sebastian smirked.

"He'll recognise you, won't he?" he suggested.

Ciel frowned, thinking he was probably right. "Let's go in then, I guess."

They stepped up onto the threshold, and Sebastian pushed open the rickety door. They entered.

The interior was not much different from the exterior; it was still dark, it was still cold, it was still filthy and musty, and smelt of alcohol, cigarettes and human waste. However, the two former were considerably stronger now they were inside. It was a pub, after all.

The bartender sneered at them as they wove through the rickety tables to the counter.

"You'll have to order something as to not seem suspicious," Ciel reminded Sebastian under his breath.

"Welcome to th' Three Knives. Waddaya want?" the stinky bartender asked, though it was directed more at Sebastian. Ciel scowled a little.

"A large brandy, please," Sebastian asked, his voice even as always. The man sniffed and pulled out a filthy glass, filling it with a filthy liquid and banging it down on the filthy counter. Sebastian handed over the money and Ciel lead him to a table in the corner, where they could easily observe the people in the pub.

There were only a few other people, and all were alone, sitting in different areas of the room, their features hidden. It was an expected sight in such a dingy place.

However, the silence only made it harder for the Servant and Master to converse.

"Can you see if any of them have red hair? Or a goatee?" Ciel breathed.

Sebastian didn't answer; he seemed to be looking over at the man in the opposite corner, who was busy scribbling away rapidly on something.

"If he's staying here he's probably hired a room... we could ask to see him, but that might seem suspicious..." Ciel continued. Sebastian still didn't reply. "Say something!" he hissed impatiently. Sebastian turned his head calmly back to face the young Earl.

"My apologies. I was merely observing that Shinigami in the corner," he whispered in reply. Ciel only just caught what he said.

"Shinigami? What's a Shinigami doing here?" he hissed, glancing over at the man, who seemed rather small in stature, and hadn't touched his drink. Not that Ciel could blame him, of course. The place was filthy…

"I'm not sure, but it's hardly our business," Sebastian replied. "Though his reason for being here may or may not be related to ours."

Ciel sighed agitatedly. "Let's just go, it reeks in here. That thing probably tricked us anyway."

"Yes, my Lord."

As they got up to leave, Ciel saw a glimpse of a pair of glasses underneath the supposed Shinigami's hat, and one of the other men shifted as if he was about to get up, too.

Once they were out on the street again, Ciel felt at liberty to cough properly without feeling as if it were a funeral home. The smell of cigarettes was unpleasant to anyone, but even worse to an asthmatic. Ciel couldn't understand why anyone would want to inhale the horrible smoke directly into their throats; it made him wretch just thinking about it.

"What a complete waste of time," he complained. "I knew the wretched thing was lying!"

"Perhaps, but I think we were on the right track. The Shinigami was there, after all, and it didn't look like he was just having a nice night out drinking," Sebastian reasoned.

Ciel was irritated and tired by this point, and was therefore in no mood to hear reason of any kind. "Whatever. Let's just go home; we can investigate some more tomorrow.

"As you wish, Young Master," Sebastian replied, amused at the boy's anger.

"Hey, you!" they heard behind them as they turned back into the alley they had been directed down. Ciel sighed and swung around, his hand near his gun, even though Sebastian was right there, half in front of him in the narrow space.

The man running towards them was from the pub. He'd been wearing some kind of hood, but now that it was removed, it revealed flaming red hair, unusually flat facial features, and a curled goatee at the end of his pointed chin. He was grinning lopsidedly whilst looking at Ciel with a somewhat hungry expression on his face. Sebastian shifted, in case his Master should be attacked by the man.

"Robert Coiler."

"Earl Ciel Phantom'ive," the man said, leering.

"I guess the thing wasn't lying after all, Sebastian," Ciel said conversationally.

"It appears so, Young Master." Neither of them took their eyes off the man. Was he really the Bishop's secret apprentice? He looked nearly as forsaken as Sebastian, a demon, should.

Ciel lifted up the back of his shirt to pull out the gun so that he could detain the apparently unarmed man, but Sebastian grabbed his arm before he could do so. "Wait."

Robert Coiler laughed. "'m not gonna do anythin' 'ere. Would cause too much fuss, tha' would."

"Oh? Then what are you going to do?" Ciel asked, pulling out of Sebastian's grip and returning his arm to his side. Though he found that Coiler's reasoning was probably just an excuse, as it was getting dark and there was no one in sight.

"Let's arrange a meetin' place for tomorrow," he suggested. "Down in Westminster, on South Avenue. Old run-down abandoned church, yeh can' miss it."

Ciel's gaze didn't waver from the man. He was already in a foul mood, and for some reason, the man's pert grin made him even angrier. "Why an abandoned church in a busy area?" he asked, or rather, spat, suspiciously.

"No one'd expect it, tha's why!" Robert Coiler laughed. Ciel really wanted to shoot the bastard. He was the culprit after all; he had pretty much proved it by simply knowing Ciel's name and being in the pub in the first place. Plus, there was that Shinigami there. Maybe it was already written for Coiler to die right now in the alley—

No, Ciel stopped his train of thought. Irrationality wasn't going to get him anywhere. The best course of action was probably to go along with whatever Robert Coiler said, then beat him at his own game. Besides, if he attacked now, the man was sure to have some form of defence. Even if Ciel was seen as a child, the man obviously knew how dangerous he was. He probably didn't know that it was mostly down to having a demon butler, but that was a detail he didn't really need to know.

With a glance at Sebastian, Ciel nodded. "Fine. Tomorrow. South Avenue."

Robert Coiler's annoying grin widened even further. "Wonderful! See yeh there, Earl. Oh, an' don' bother bringin' anyone with yeh. Yeh'll come off worse if yeh do." He was eyeing Sebastian as he said it.

"Whatever. Sebastian, we're leaving," Ciel said firmly, dismissing Coiler's warning. He didn't need to worry about it; he was already certain that Coiler would be the one coming off worse.

"Yes, Young Master," Sebastian replied, glancing at Robert Coiler one more time, before following his master all the way back to the stable, whereupon Ciel flounced angrily into the carriage without another word.

Sebastian frowned as he closed the door, but drove the carriage back to the townhouse wordlessly.

Ciel was troubled by his own short temper. Was the lack of restful sleep getting to him? He'd gotten angry easily yesterday, too, for less of a reason. This day, however, had been especially troublesome for him. He was looking forward to a nice hot cup of tea and some quiet when he got back. Only, there was one small issue...

"CIIIEEEEEEEL!"

And it came in the form of an infuriatingly overenthusiastic Indian Prince.

The tired and irritable Earl braced himself as Soma came hurtling towards him when he stepped out of the carriage.

However, to his surprise, Sebastian stepped in front of him.

"Terribly sorry, Prince Soma, but the Young Master has had a very long and tiring day."

Soma blinked up at Sebastian. "So that means he needs more hugs!" he said, as if it were simple logic. Agni appeared behind him, smiling as if nothing was happening.

Sebastian put on his most amiable expression and tone of voice. "The Young Master does not enjoy being coddled, so you would be helping him more by giving him space."

Ciel was surprised, yet grateful. Not that he would ever admit it. It was just that it was rare that his butler helped him fend off the overwhelming Prince, as he wasn't really any danger to his health.

"O-okay! I'll help Ciel by making him some soothing Chai tea! Come, Agni!" the Prince exclaimed, turning and rushing back into the house.

"Jo Ajna," Agni replied, bowing to Sebastian and Ciel before following.

Sebastian turned to Ciel. "How was that, Young Master?"

Sighing, Ciel replied. "Yes, yes, very good. Now let's go inside; it's bloody freezing out here."