Raychaell: Chapter 4 is here at last! Look at me! I'm on a roll!
Claudia: *rolls eyes* You're being silly again, Raych.
Raychaell: Aw shut up. You're just upset that I made you into a crybaby in front of Rouge.
Claudia: *blush* Sh - shut- Shut up! If I do the disclaimer, will you stop talking about that idiotic crying jag?
Raychaell: Sure!
Claudia: *monotone* Raychaell doesn't own Black Butler. Only the OCs.
Raychaell: Yup! And I'll be dedicating my next chapters to the first four reviewers, so if you want me to mention you, REVIEW!
Ciel studied the files Sebastian had received from Claudia and found himself increasingly confused and disturbed with every word he read. From what he read, the Darius family had not always been so powerful.
Back in the 17th century, the Darius family had been poor and minor nobles well known for their rose breeding then. But as time went on, the Underworld was starting to grow, and other countries were looking at the Underworld in a bid to take control of England from there. This was before the Queen's Dog and Spider had been introduced. (A/N: I have no idea when the Dog and Spider were created, so I'll just assume that it was long before Ciel's time and after the Roses.)
Knowing that this would be beyond the capabilities of the police, her Majesty decided to ask the Darius house for help since they had connections in the Underworld. The Darius household complied and started searching for the traitors. They eventually found and killed or destroyed them. During that time, those in the Underworld who knew of the Darius household by their rose breeding trade called them the Rose, and the killers loyal to the Darius house, Thorns. Therefore the Queen decided to give the title of the Queen's Rose to the Darius house.
However, the Darius house soon fell back into the shadows as the Dog and Spider were created and gained more reputation than them. The Queen's Rose became nothing more than a silly story, and something to be told after too many rounds of drinks. Still, the Darius house continued their operations while deep into the shadows, and continued serving the Queen until, in the late 18th century, they found out that Queen Victoria was connected to a case of mysterious kidnapping and murders the Rose was investigating. In an attempt to silence them, Queen Victoria framed them with the murder of a noble connected to the case. The head of the Darius household then died, and the responsibility of restoring the name of Darius soon fell back to Lord Damien, the brother of the deceased Darius head. Seeing as to how the Queen's Dog and Spider, who had been assigned the task of hunting down the supposed rouge noble, Lord Damien decided that the title of Rose should be split, since the responsibilities of the Rose was to hunt down both rouge nobles and malcontents in the Underworld.
From his decision, the Crimson and Black Rose emerged. The Crimson Rose's responsibility was the London social society, while the Black Rose was to watch and control the Underworld. The titles were given to Lord Damien's two teenage children, Lord Jackson and Lady Alicia. Lady Alicia, with her great beauty, took on the title of the Crimson Rose, while her twin brother became the Black Rose. This decision, while done in secret, saved their family since the Dog and Spider could not agree as to which was the true Rose they were hunting down. Ever since that day, the Darius house held no trust for the future Queens, even after the next Queen, upon learning the grievous sin that was done against the Darius house, cleared their name and alleviated their ranks, even compensating them generously in apology.
The titles of Crimson and Black Roses, or Thorn for their loyal guards, remained in use, and the Darius house continued giving the responsibilities of the Roses to siblings or twins. No one took dual responsibilities.
Ciel closed his eyes briefly to alleviate the headache he had gotten reading the files. He thought aloud to himself. "So if Claudia is the Crimson Rose, who on Earth is the Black Rose?" A knock on his study door made him open his eyes.
"Young Master, may I come in?" Sebastian asked. Ciel gave way to a weary sigh and called out.
"Enter." Sebastian complied and entered the study. He observed the image of his young master leaning tiredly back in the chair, and the files containing details about the history of the Darius family scattered messily on the desk.
"Anything wrong, my Lord?" he queried. Ciel shook his head firmly before picking up the envelope containing the invitation from Claudia. Taking out the invitation, he read it again for the third time. It read:
'Ciel Phantomhive,
You are invited to my manor where I will tell you everything you need to know, and also meet my best friend, Rouge, in the flesh. Simply come and visit me tomorrow afternoon and we will await you.
Signed,
Claudia Darius. '
Below her name were details on the location of her manor, and how to reach it by car. Ciel studied it again, before he was forced to conclude that there was no hidden message whatsoever, except for the fact the Rouge, his rival, was Claudia's best friend! What in the world is going on?
Sebastian merely stood in the room, awaiting his master's decision. After a few more minutes of pondering, Ciel spoke at last, "Sebastian, prepare for a trip to the Darius estate. It's time we had a face to face meeting." Hearing the order, Sebastian bowed and left the room to make the necessary preparations.
Hours later, Ciel stepped out of his car and blinked steadily to allow his eye to adjust to the bright afternoon sun while staring at the Darius manor with something akin to awe. It was two times larger than his mansion, and while red rose bushes decorated the right side of the driveway, black rose bushes were seen on the left. There was a grand fountain bubbling away in front of the manor, but Ciel only had eyes for the single figure leaning against one of the pillars in the front porch. His eye narrowed in recognition of the boy who was sucking away on a lollipop.
Wavy black hair was tied back into a short ponytail, while a silver - grey mask with black markings on it hid the upper features of the fourteen to fifteen year old boy. He wore a black leather jacket over a white long sleeved collared shirt. Dark blue jeans covered his legs and scruffy black boots that showed signs of long use could be seen as well. Upon seeing him, the boy, who could only be Rouge himself, took the lollipop out of his mouth and greeted Ciel cheerfully as he straightened and stepped out of the shadows.
"Ah, I was wondering when you would get here, Earl Phantomhive. Or should I say, Watchdog?" At the mention of his title, Ciel's fist clenched at this, and he ignored Sebastian's warning hand on his shoulder, shaking it off as he stalked forward bent on confronting Rouge about his mysterious connection with Claudia.
Before he could reach Rouge though, another figure stepped into his path. Ciel raised his head ready to yell at Sebastian for interfering, but froze instead to see an older woman in front of him. She had dark brown hair that was tied back into a spiky ponytail with a jade bangle above the hair tie, green eyes the same shade as the bangle and a scowl on her face as she glared at him. She was simply dressed in an outfit similar to Rouge's, except her jacket was closed and she wore red ankle boots with white laces instead.
Before she could say a word however, there was the sound of running feet and the great doors burst open to reveal Claudia who was dressed in a long white skirt with a neck-high collar and long sleeves with red lining a black ruffled skirt, black leggings that reached to her mid thighs and black buckle boots. There was a red ruffle on her shirt that was held on by a silver diamond button with circular silver buttons going down her shirt.
With a delighted expression, she ignored the rest as she headed straight for Rouge who had his arms open and a delighted smile on his face. "Rouge!" Claudia shouted even as she hugged him tightly. Rouge held her and swung around in circles with Claudia clinging on. Watching her, Ciel realized that there were tears on her face and the blissful smile on her face was different from the one he had seen before. She's really happy with Rouge, Ciel mused to himself as he watched the happy couple. Meanwhile, William and Casshern the cat watched on with similar amused gazes from the door.
"Why didn't you tell me you had been here for more than an hour? I missed you so much, you know?" Claudia said with a tearful gaze. Rouge simply buried his face into her hair in reply. The blissful scene lasted for more than a minute before William cleared his throat meaningfully. Claudia then realized that she was clinging on to Rouge in a way that was not fit for public. Blushing, she nudged him to set her down. He complied with a smile.
Once Claudia was on the ground, she stepped forward with her hand still in Rouge's. Her blissful smile was replaced by a smirk as she addressed Ciel and Sebastian. "It's nice to see you accepted my invitation, Ciel, Mr. Michaelis. And here I was wondering if you would ever come. Now come in, and all your questions will be answered."
Ciel and Sebastian exchanged wary looks before entering the mansion, while Claudia tugged Rouge along and the older woman followed just a few steps behind the happy couple. William held the door open while Casshern meowed a greeting to everyone and proceeded to rub his head against Rouge's ankle when he stepped in, making Rouge laugh and bend down to scratch the cat as Sebastian, who had gone into a cat loving frenzy at the sight of Casshern, looked on with a jealous gaze.
William quietly led the way as he took them through a route from the one Sebastian had been taken from his last visit. Behind him, Claudia and Rouge chatted away eagerly, while the older woman looked on with an amused gaze. Casshern the cat had dropped back and resigned himself to a scratching from a delighted Sebastian since the cat had made the mistake of wandering too close to the older demon who had immediately picked him up and started cooing to poor Casshern. Ciel had merely shook his head and face palmed his annoyance at the older demon.
When they reached a set of double doors at the end of the passageway they were being led through, Claudia stopped her conversation and turned her head back towards Ciel with a grin that was also on Rouge's face. Then in eerie unison with Rouge, she said, "Enter, Earl Phantomhive, and all your questions shall be answered."
However, they had barely finished when there a loud distant crash was heard and Claudia froze, her head cocked as her eyes went distant. Rouge, who still clutched her hand, was frozen in the same position too. William stepped forward in his concern. "Milady, what's going on?"
The woman placed a hand on William's shoulder. "Something's wrong. I've seen this before. They act this way when there's serious trouble."
William glanced back at her, frustration and anger plain on his face. "I know that, Jade. I've seen this before but never this long. It usually occurs for few seconds only in Dia's case." In William's frustration, he let slip Claudia's nickname.
Ciel stepped forward then, mouth opening to demand what was going on when there was a sudden blackout and the whole place went pitch black. Ciel and Sebastian still could see thanks to their demon eyesight, but things were still murky and hard to make out. Then there was a sudden shout, not out loud, but inside Ciel's head. The voice was full of authority and shouted:
"GET DOWN!"
Ciel instantly obeyed, and just in time too, for he heard a high pitched whistle as a bullet passed over his head then a thump as it buried itself in the wall beside him. Ciel risked a glance at Sebastian, and the shocked expression on his butler's face told him that he had heard the voice too. Then there was a sudden frightened yowl from Casshern then Ciel smelled something oddly familiar in the air. He took in a cautious sniff, and instantly recognized the smell. "SLEEPING GAS!" He yelled out loud. Then he saw vague masked figures above him. They wore business suits and had gas masks over their faces, making it impossible to see any facial features. They carried pistols with silencers attached to the muzzles and went about the front, shining torches in their path.
Ciel and Sebastian stealthily got up then. It was now obvious to them that the meeting had gone wrong and there were intruders in the manor. Silently lifting his eye patch, Ciel whispered, "Get rid of them, Sebastian." The pentagram on his eye glowed even as Ciel saw the older demon nod silently in response before moving forwards. While Sebastian went forth to get rid of the intruders, Ciel moved forward too, in search of Claudia and the rest. The sleeping gas was now thick in the air, and Ciel held his breath to avoid passing out.
He soon spotted Jade's unconscious form not far from him. William was close by too, and looked semi conscious. As soon as Ciel reached them however, the blonde man slumped forwards, another victim to the sleeping gas. Ciel however was silently impressed. He knew that ordinary humans would have passed out long ago, but seeing William still conscious only served to drive home Sebastian's theory about William being inhuman. Ciel, seeing an intruder close by, quickly picked up both Jade and William. Thanks to his demon strength and speed, it was of no trouble to him to quickly pick up both of them and dash away from the intruder. Ciel, with Jade and William on his shoulders, quickly dashed down the corridor till he was a safe distance away. Once he took a cautious sniff to judge the air clean of any gas, Ciel gently set them down and propped them up against the wall before going back to find Claudia and Rouge.
A selfish part of him wanted to leave Rouge behind to get killed, but the sensible part of him knew that if Rouge died because of Ciel, the Crimson Rose would not be his ally and he needed her help to solve the case. Therefore, when he found the unconscious form of Rouge slumped against the wall, he stepped forwards to grab him only to pause at the realization that something was wrong. Then he saw and smelt it. The hand with which Rouge had held Claudia was covered in blood, and from the size of the gaping wound, Ciel knew that it was bad. Not only that, Claudia was missing. He guessed that Rouge had been holding Claudia's hand tightly even when he was unconscious, and whoever had taken Claudia away had forcibly separated them since he did not want Rouge. Then Sebastian was in front of him and wrapping a handkerchief around Rouge's hand to stop the bleeding while Ciel stood frozen in shock at the sight of the blood.
"Sebastian," Ciel spoke at last, "are the intruders dealt with?" Sebastian nodded in confirmation as he lifted Rouge's unconscious form and cradled him.
"Where are the rest, Young Master? I've found Casshern and he's in my jacket, sleeping but there's no sign of Lady Claudia anywhere." Sebastian asked.
Ciel simply replied even as he led the way to the corridor he had left Jade and William in. "I've moved them somewhere safe, and Claudia is missing but did you find out anything from the intruders?"
"None at all, Young Master. They were all mercenaries, hired to storm the place as a distraction, while someone else must have taken Lady Claudia away during the confusion." Sebastian answered. They eventually found William coming around with a groan even as he rubbed a bruise on his forehead, which he must have gotten during his fall.
Upon spotting them with the injured Rouge still in Sebastian's arms, his eyes widened as he asked worriedly, "What happened to Master Rouge? And where's Lady Claudia?"
Ciel hesitated briefly before giving an honest answer. " Rouge was hurt by someone who wanted to separate them, and Claudia has gone missing."
"WHAT?" William leaped to his feet at the last statement, only to place a hand on the wall as he struggled to regain his balance. Next to him, Jade was beginning to wake.
With a tortured gaze on Ciel and Sebastian, he pleaded. "Please tell me you're kidding. Please! Where is my Dia?"
Ciel shook his head slightly, but he was confused over William's use of Claudia's name. Sebastian had been right in describing William of being possessive of his mistress after all, Ciel thought to himself as he watched a fully awake Jade snatch the now semi conscious Rouge from an unprotesting Sebastian, checking him over with an expert gaze for any other injuries. Meanwhile William merely sank to the ground, kneeling over with his hands flat on the ground as he mumbled to himself in shock.
"I've failed Lady Claudia. I swore to protect her, but she - she's been kidnapped. Lady Claudia has been kidnapped."
Raychaell: Cliffhanger!
Rouge and William: YOU LET CLAUDIA GET KIDNAPPED?
Raychaell: Hey Rouge, aren't you supposed to be weak from blood loss?
Rouge: I still am!
Jade: Master Rouge, you're supposed to be resting.
Raychaell: Yea, or else you may lose that hand of yours to infection. Anyways, I hope you like the ending! Review please!