A Soul's Tourniquet

The Demon Dog of Houndsworth

Shadows: Hi everyone! If you're wondering why Grelle won't appear anytime soon, its cuz Will demoted him again and he's being forced to do desk work at the Shinigami Library. *evil smile*

Ichigo: Gah! What the hell, why the hell does she always do this?

Shadows: Ne, something wrong Kurosaki-kun?

Ichigo: Rukia left one of her stupid letters behind again and I can't figure it out!

Shadows: *deadpans* Three hundred and sixty episodes and you still can't figure out what Kuchiki-chan's letters say.

Ichigo: Sh-shut up!

Shadows: Hand it over before you hurt yerself.

Ichigo: *hands over letter*

Shadows: *scans over letter quickly; looks at Rukia's drawings for a hint* You idiot, didn't you even try to get rid of 'ta' that's in front of each word?

Ichigo: Well how should I know what the hell she meant! Her drawings suck anyway!

Shadows: Yer hopeless Kurosaki-kun.

Ichigo: Shut up!

Shadows: What does her letter say anyway? *attempts to look over Ichigo's shoulder*

Ichigo: Uh… *starts reading letter* Ichigo… I've gone back to the Soul Society to help Nii-san and the others with a few matters that need attention. I'll be back in a few days. Help Shadows-san with the disclaimer to her story and don't forget to see Urahara-san about that package I ordered. Rukia… P.S., Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya will be stay with you until their assignment in the World of the Living is completed.

Shadows: Awwww! *sad face* but Rukia-chan promised she would help me with that today T^T

Ichigo: Gah-! What the hell Rukia! Since when did my house become a freakin' hotel for everyone to stay in?

Shadows: Ne, Ichi-nii… Will you help me with the disclaimer before you leave?

Ichigo: Fine! *looks at letter; flips over to the opposite side* Uh… Shadows-san doesn't own Kuroshitsuji or its character's… all rights go to Toboso Yana. There are you happy now?

Shadows: Yep! And all OC's are my property! So if ya wanna use 'em, ya gotta ask first!

Ichigo: I'm leaving…

Shadows: Okay! Oh, hold on a sec Ichigo! *pulls out ¥4813(($60))* Here, it's for helping since Rukia wasn't here.

Ichigo: Hey thanks… See ya later then.

Shadows: Ja ne, Kurosaki-kun! Ah, I almost forgot! To all my lovely readers out there, please leave a review so I know what you like and dislike about the story! It helps authors like me who constantly doubt their work a great deal! You don't even have to leave a review about the story! I like random comments too!

Now, on with the chapter!

Kaishi!

"Wh-what happened…?" Barrymore stuttered, fear and anger creeping into his voice.

Rebecca mentally agreed with Barrymore. She couldn't understand why the attack dogs were suddenly laying on their stomachs whimpering like they had just been scolded by their master. Her eyes quickly shifted from the dogs to the back of Sebastian's head.'What did he do to scare those dogs like that? It's not like he had a dog whistle or something…'

"This farce ends here, Barrymore! People of the village, listen to me! There is no demon hound. There's only that pathetic old man obsessed with power!" Ciel shouted so everyone could hear him. The game was already boring him and frankly, he was sickened by how the entire village foolishly believed the middle-aged male.

'At least someone believes the same thing that I do.' Rebecca internally smirked to herself. She was glad Ciel believed that Barrymore was nothing but a power obsessed pig.

"Wh-What do you base that on?" Barrymore growled, though it came out as more of a nervous whimper. The male cursed himself internally. He had given this brat kid of an Earl even more reason to suspect him and now it was only a matter of moments before the entire village turned against him.

"This. It was in the basement of your manor. I've already confirmed that the teeth match the marks on James." Sebastian stated, pulling out the dog skull that he practically shoved into one of the attack dog's mouths.

Benjamin stared at the skull with wide eyes. How did something like that NOT kill the poor mutt that was unfortunate to receive it?

The mass of villagers gasped in shock at the accusation against their Lord.

Sebastian stood and pointed to the clouded sky, causing everyone except Ciel to actually look up. "Behold. This is the demon hound's true form."

"What the—?"

"A silhouette!" Rebecca gaped.

The image of a large dogs head appeared on the passing clouds that covered the sky, surprising the villagers and the Phantomhive servants.

"His shadow is nothing but a projection, as the young Lady has said." The demon replied, turning to give Rebecca his famous closed eye smile.

The ebony haired teen flinched slightly, quickly making herself a mental note for future reference. 'If I ever see him smile at me like that again while Ben and I are at the Phantomhive manor, I'm running.'

"It's just a transparent trick. The glowing is phosphor. He merely sprinkled it on a normal dog." He continued, explaining to everyone the glowing substance they had found on the dirt road that ran through Houndsworth.

"The demon dog is an illusion produced by a single person. And that person is you, Henry Barrymore!" Ciel concluded.

"N-Nonsense! Where's the proof?" Barrymore demanded. He refused to believe that this little punk just ruined EVERYTHING!

The young Phantomhive merely smirked, causing the ebony haired female next to him to give him a worried glance.

Sebastian casually walked over to the badly injured dog that had belonged to James before this whole mess occurred. "Give it to me. Your duty is done."

Rebecca, Benjamin, and the rest of the Phantomhive servants looked on with confusion as the black clad butler pulled what resembled cloth from the dog's mouth.

"It's fine cloth. This is the reason he hung on to it to the last." He stated, turning to show the villagers and Barrymore exactly what it was the dog had refused to let go earlier.

Barrymore flinched, taking a step back at the sight of the green plaid fabric. "Th-That's…"

"Yes. It's a scrap of your trousers, from when he bit your leg trying to protect James."

Immediately, Barrymore turned to run, only to be stopped by the villagers who had come to witness the 'punishment'.

"So you killed James?" One hissed, outraged by the Lords actions.

"There was no demon hound?"

"You tricked us!"

"Give it up! You're finished!" Ciel shouted over the enraged mass of villagers now turned mob.

Rebecca watched as several men closer to Barrymore lifted him over their head and began walking off, shouting angrily at the former Lord. "Bloody 'ell… Can't say I feel bad for 'im. He got what was comin'." She sighed, finally releasing a breath that she hadn't realized that she was holding in.

Sebastian and Angela helped everyone out of their confines once the mob was out of the immediate vicinity.

Ciel rubbed his wrists, scowling to himself. He was finally glad that this whole ordeal was finally over and that he could return to his manor in the morning.

Benjamin ran over to Rebecca once the Phantomhive butler freed her from the shackles the Houndsworth villagers had put her in. "You alright?"

The ebony haired teen nodded once, picking up her messenger boy cap and dusted it off before returning it to her head. "Been betta though… Just glad that pigheaded bastard's gone fer good." Though her disguise was no longer an option to use, Rebecca wasn't exactly ready to tell anyone else she was in reality a noble.

"Phew, I'm exhausted!" Bard grinned, stretching his arms over his head once Angela untied them from the post.

Mey-Rin nodded in agreement with the chef. It had been a rather long day for everyone.

Finny walked over to the dog that they had watched take a mauling earlier. Its body now lay motionless on the ground. The strawberry blonde kneeled next to the animal, petting its fur regardless of the blood stains that were left from the wounds. "You're an amazing dog. To think you tried to protect your master to the end…Uhn!"

"Those wounds were pretty bad… Be a miracle if the mutt survived that." Benjamin said, noticing how the younger servant pulled away from the dog momentarily.

Everyone watched in silence as Finny picked up the dogs corpse and held it close to him. "You worked so hard. You worked so hard." Silent sobbing was heard shortly after.

Rebecca looked down at her feet. From the way Finny had reacted earlier, something told her that he had a harsh childhood. "I'm sure 'e's thankful that ya helped 'im Finny…" She doubted that her words eased the Phantomhive gardener, but it seemed to give the other servants some piece of mind. Save for Sebastian that is.

"This is why I hate dogs." He groaned.

A pulse marked made itself known on Rebecca's forehead as she glared at the butler before folding her arms across her chest and looking away from him. "That's why I 'ate men!" She spat, causing everyone to look at her and for Benjamin to gap at her statement.

"Wha—! What did I do?"

"Men are always so 'eartless. It's a wonder mum tells me ta neva get married."

"I ain't heartless!" Ben yelled incredulously.

"I wasn't talkin' 'bout you…" The ebony haired teen said, jabbing her thumb towards Sebastian. "I was talkin' 'bout the black 'earted male next ta ya! 'Sides, I live with ya…"

A few snickers could be heard coming from behind Rebecca. At least her comment made someone laugh after all that's happened.

Rain began to fall soon after while Finny mourned for the dog. After a minute of trying to coax him out of the cold late summer rain, the group returned to the Barrymore manor for the remainder of the day.

Ciel stood next to the window in his room, staring out into the stormy night sky. "Case closed, eh? Let's leave the village when the rain lets up."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian replied.

Angela stood in front of the window in the hallway, a smile evident on her lips. It was about time that Barrymore was taken care of by her pet, and the thought of doing away with him couldn't have pleased her more.

The angel ignored the presence of the youngest Phantomhive servant as she stared out into the rain, giving a slight nod from the window to the silver haired man that stood outside. 'Unfortunately, Earl Phantomhive… you have only just scratched the surface of this little mystery.'

"I don't like that butler… He gives me th' creeps." Ben shuddered, staring into the fire place.

"Mmh… I will admit that the aura he holds about him is not one that any being would want to be near. It's very… ominous." Rebecca agreed, turning away from the window.

The dirty blonde male sighed. "Whad'da we do after we're done 'ere?"

"Go with Earl Phantomhive I assume. We do not have a choice in the matter at this point."

"Tch… that so, huh."

"Honestly Ben, it's not like we can tell 'im no. Unless ya want ta be tried for impersonating a servant of th' crown."

"That's was all 'is doin' though! E's the one 'o told everyone that Her Majesty sent us!" Benjamin objected.

The teen had a point… And Ciel didn't seem like the type of noble who would go out of his way to actually have them arrested. To his knowledge, Benjamin and Rebecca were only members of the middle class.

"Think of it this way Ben, you will get to live the life of a noble in some sense if we work for the Earl. And if 'e pays us fer our work, you can save the money and use it fer schooling."

Benjamin thought for a moment. The ebony haired teen was right. He'd be living in a Manor and he'd get paid just to help clean the place. With the extra money on hand, he could help out his parents too. The males tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth. "I 'ate it when yer right 'bout somethin'."

Rebecca smiled. Before she could speak, a loud shriek echoed throughout the manor, causing both teens to look at the door, then back to each other.

Bardroy, Tanaka, and Finny ran out of their rooms and down the stairs towards the basement after hearing a shriek from Mey-Rin who had been sent down to check on the former Lord Barrymore.

"What's goin' on?" Bard panicked as he bolted down the stairs without falling. "What is it, Mey-Rin?"

The red haired maid was only able to point at the cell Barrymore had been placed in. Fear disabling her speech.

All three males looked up to the cell, immediately noticing the blood splatter on the floor and the gaping hole in the wall.

The cigarette Bard help between his lips fell to the ground when he spoke. "H-Hey, he's…" He wasn't sure what to exactly make of the scene before him as his brain rapidly tried to process everything.

Ciel, Sebastian, and Angela joined them shortly after hearing Mey-Rin scream. The angel trying her damnedest to hide the smile that desperately wanted to be seen.

"Lord Barrymore!"

A loud bang sounded from the main door of the house as someone frantically pounded on it with their fist.

Rebecca and Benjamin stared at the door in confusion after finally gathering the courage to see what it was that caused one of the females in the estate to scream bloody murder.

"I have a horrible feeling about this all-of-the-sudden." The ebony haired female said, suppressing the cold shudder that rippled up her spine.

Benjamin nodded in agreement. Something about how everything played out just spelt 'murder' and 'revenge' in the male's mind.

Both teens debated mentally with themselves whether to answer the door or wait for Angela as the being outside continued to pound on the wood.

The dirty blonde male sighed and started walking down the rest of the stairs towards the door when Angela, Ciel and the Phantomhive servants ran into the foyer from another part of the manor.

Upon her opening the door, one of the villager's from earlier stumbled inside, falling to his hands and knees after a few steps.

"Th-The great demon hound!" He stuttered.

"Demon hound?"

A flash of lightning was what lit the group's way as they raced to the 'punishment arena' after finding Lord Barrymore's cell unoccupied.

Howling and what sound like a low murmur from the distance added to the ominous feel the storm was already providing, causing Rebecca to doubt her sanity at the moment. She could have stayed at the Manor and waited for the others to come back but instead she had followed after them. In the pit of her stomach, the ebony haired female knew that what she was undoubtedly going to see would probably haunt her for the remained of her life.

The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good

The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad

Lullaby, the sun sets

Lullaby and good night

If you don't go to sleep, the dog will come down here

He'll gobble your flesh down to the bone, down to the bone

A mass of villagers and dogs sat in a semi-circle, chanting and howling like they were praying to some type of God. The storm seemed to faze no one except for Rebecca, Benjamin and the Phantomhive servants who left their coats behind in the rush.

"What happened?" Sebastian questioned.

No one answered him. Instead they continued to chant and howl, oblivious to the late comers. Not getting an answer silently annoyed the demon, but he did well to hide the fact from the others.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Bard demanded, getting annoyed at the villagers who still refused to acknowledge anyone.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the entire area, revealing the bloodied mess that had been hidden by the shroud of darkness.

Henry Barrymore's lifeless body sat propped up against the stone wall that Ciel and Rebecca had been previously chained to, his right forearm completely torn away from the body.

Mey-Rin, Finni, and Rebecca both shrieked at the sight.

Benjamin quickly wrapped an arm around the ebony haired female's waist and pulled her against his chest so she wouldn't have to see more than she already had. "Bloody 'ell…!"

Sebastian glared at the younger dirty blonde male before quickly snapping his gaze back towards the body. Was he… jealous of some human trying to save that girl from the mental scarring of seeing Lord Barrymore's partially mangled corpse? What in Lucifer's name was wrong with him? The demon butler looked down at his master, noticing that the young lord was silently giving him the order to check the body. He complied without a word and walked over to Barrymore's corpse, immediately picking up the scent of ash and wet fur. So Barrymore hadn't been lying about the Hell hound after all.

"Great demon hound!"

"Great demon hound, forgive us!"

Rebecca pulled away from Benjamin just in time to see Angela pass out from the shock of seeing her master dead.

"Angela!" Finny panicked, running over to the unconscious maid.

'Did someone want revenge for James's death? If that's the case then…' The ebony haired teen cautiously turned towards the body of Lord Barrymore, who was luckily hidden behind Sebastian. 'Anyone could be considered the murderer… including myself.' Rebecca swallowed a lump that was trying to form in her throat. If it came down to a murder investigation, no doubt she would be on of Earl Phantomhive's suspects. And the last thing she needed her parents to hear was that she was a suspect in the murder of some Lord.

"It's a shame, young master, after you've already declared that the case was closed." Sebastian smirked, his voice every bit taunting.

"Shut up." Ciel replied, his voice holding no inflection of anger.

Rebecca glared at the butler, quickly turning away and scowling at the table. "What kinda person teases another 'bout this sort o' thing?"

"Pay him no mind… It will only encourage him to keep doing such things unless you ignore him." Ciel stated, not bothering to look at either the ebony haired teen or his demonic butler.

Sebastian suppressed a chuckle before turning to the servants. "Where is Angela?"

"I put her to bed for now, but she seems very tired, yes." Mey-Rin replied.

"It's too painful to watch." Bard added.

Benjamin nodded in agreement. He hadn't been born when his grandparents died in a carriage accident, so he wasn't sure what it felt like to lose someone you've known for so long. And from what he remembered Rebecca telling him, her grandparents on both sides of her family were still alive and well.

"This village was completely isolated from the rest of society out of fear of the demon hound's curse… I thought we established that the hound was faked by Lord Henry so that he could rule here. But now Lord Henry has…" Ciel didn't continue.

"Are you sure those bite wounds really weren't from the demon hound, like the villagers say?" Bard inquired, wanting to make sure that this wasn't someone else's doing.

"Maybe he's mad at being blamed for Lord Henry's bad deeds!"

"Someone could've done the same thing ta Barrymore like 'e did ta James… There're 'nough dogs in th' village fer someone ta pay no mind ta one missin." Rebecca suggested.

"I'd wanna kill 'im too if I found out 'e killed someone just ta stay in power." Benjamin agreed.

"Well, I think we can say for sure that no human did this, at least." Sebastian replied, not bothering to hide the grin that was plastered on his face.

"What's that suppose ta mean?" Bard wondered.

Rebecca watched the black clad butler from the corner of her vision. She agreed with Bard, what did he mean by 'no human'? Not only that, but the way the male had said it so casually seemed to give it double meaning.

"It doesn't matter. The fact is that someone or something killed Lord Henry, and I intend to find out whom…"

"But that mean's anyone could 'ave a reason ta kill th' Lord."

Ciel turned to the ebony haired female. He had hoped that would have ended the conversation so he could go to bed, but now it seemed that he would have to wait at least another minute or two before that could actually happen. "True, that does mean that everyone is considered a suspect including myself. Regardless it is getting rather late and I am growing tired of all of this. We shall continue the conversation in the morning… Let's go Sebastian."

"Yes, my lord."

Both males left the room without a word, leaving behind the servants and the two teens.

The ebony haired female watched after them until they disappeared from sight behind the wall. Something about Earl Phantomhive and his butler… just didn't sit well with her. 'Those two are hiding something… and I do intent to find out what.' She vowed mentally.

Sebastian helped the young Phantomhive change into his sleep attire without saying a word. The demon could feel the boys gaze burning a hole into his head as he buttoned the rest of his nightshirt, knowing that he wanted to ask the demon a question but wasn't sure how to go about it. "What's the matter?"

"The way you phrased it earlier: "no human did this." That redheaded reaper had better not show up again." Ciel growled, referring to his late Aunt's former butler, accomplice, and murderer, Grelle Sutcliff.

Sebastian smirked, meeting the boys gaze. "I am quite impressed at the sharpness of your learning curve." The demon stood and walked over to the bed; grabbing the clothes the young Earl had been wearing and hanging them back up in the armoire. "There is no need to worry. Mey-Rin's idea was not wholly incorrect. It was Lord Henry the hound was after. I imagine there isn't anyone else who would fall victim to it."

"That doesn't mean I can just leave it alone." The bluenette reminded.

"Is that your beautiful loyalty to your Queen?"

"No, that's not all. You're normally a dull man, but when a dog enters the picture, you become rather fascinating. Not to mention that you've also been acting rather strange around that Rebecca girl." Ciel grinned.

Sebastian closed the armories doors, smirking at the young Earl as he turned around. "You have learned." He wasn't going to deny that the girl the Queen had sent to assist them certainly had him questioning himself as a demon. And that his hate for dogs was also driving him to finish this case as quickly as possible.

"Hidin' somethin'? Like what?" Ben questioned when his friend brought up her suspicion.

Rebecca sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm not entirely sure… Two years ago the Phantomhive estate burned to the ground, killing both Earl and Countess Phantomhive. There had been a rumor at the time that Ciel also died within the flames and that the reason there were no remains found was because of the fires intensity, but shortly after that, he reappeared as if out of thin air with that butler. Because he was born a Phantomhive, no one bothered to ask him what happened during the two months he had gone missing."

"Ya think that Sebastian guy had somethin' ta do with it?"

"No… At least not in the Earl's disappearance."

The room fell silent shortly afterwards, the only thing staving off a deafening silence was the pounding rain outside.

"We'll be leavin' ta morrow mornin' most likely. Gotta get some sleep at least." Benjamin yawned, standing from his seat and stretching his arms over his head.

"Yes… you're right I suppose." Rebecca nodded.

Benjamin stopped at the door, hesitating briefly. "Don't think 'bout it too much, alright. E's probably 'idin' something that 'e went through afta th' fire… Night."

The ebony haired teen smiled at her friend. "Good night."

She watched silently as Benjamin left the room for the night before sitting on the edge of the bed and walking over to the window. What Sebastian had said before the earl retired for the evening had been nagging at her the entire time she spoke with the dirty blonde male. "No human, huh…? Hmph, that's not even bloody possible and yet he just said it like the implication was stating the obvious. What exactly are you saying, Mister Michaelis?"

A loud crack of thunder caused the teen to flinch and take a step back away from the window, only to fall back against someone's firm chest. "WHAAAAAAAAAHHH! The bloody 'ell is wrong with you?" Rebecca shrieked, whipping around to see the black clad butler standing in front of her.

Sebastian smirked. "Please forgive me, my Lady."

"Don't you know ta knock? Some servant you are." She huffed, folding her arms across her chest and walking over to the bed.

"I did, my lady. When I received no answer I merely came in to check on your well being." He lied, knowing that he would never get caught. "You seemed quite intent on something outside."

"Hardly… What do ya want butler? I doubt that it's proper for a servant, a male one no less, ta walk into a girl's room at this time o' night."

"I merely wished to inquire about the reason for Her Majesty to send you and your companion to assist my Lord in this matter."

Rebecca froze. Ciel had never told her what to say if one of his servants asked about that. The smug glint that the butler's eyes gave off hinted that he had a hunch the whole thing had been set up. The teen cursed herself for her bad luck. "Th-That's a matta between th' Earl and myself. If you wanna know so badly, ask yer master like the good little lap dog you are…"

Sebastian's eye twitched at this. If he wasn't masquerading as a butler of the Phantomhive family, he would've killed this girl where she stood.

"Now, out b'fore I tell Earl Phantomhive that 'is butler is sneakin' 'round my room at night." She said, using all of her might to push the male out of the room.

The demon allowed her to push him out into the hallway. Of course, he hadn't truly expected her to slam the door in his face once passed the threshold. He shook his head in irritation, unable to get the truth out of her like he assumed he would.

This human would become his downfall if he wasn't careful.

And that is where I end this chapter. I wanted to get a bit more SebbyXRebecca in before the chapter ended, so instead of ending with Finny and Mey-Rin finding Pluto on top of Angela, I decided to add the ending that you have just read XD.

Thank you Noface and I Am Pandora for reviewing the last chapter. It meant a lot^^. And thank you everyone who added my story to your favorites.

Pluto finally makes his debut in the next chapter, along with Undertaker. So until then my darling readers. Oh, and don't forget to leave a review.

Oops, almost for got to mention one more thing. March 17th might not have an update that week because I'm getting my wisdom teeth out, so more or less whether or not I update will be solely dependent on how I'm feeling that week. So, just a heads up incase you don't see an update then.

Ciao for now^^