Chapter Two: Three to Get Ready

The bell rang to signify the end of class. Tohru stretched her arms across her desk, fingers spread wide as she smiled. Mid-term tests were always a chore, but she felt like she'd passed with flying colors. She looked to either side of her where her two best friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, sat.

Arisa looked as carefree as usual, a slight smile of triumph on her face as she pushed long blond hair behind her shoulders. "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now if only all the other ones were out of the way too." She turned to her black haired companion. "Hey, Hana, how'd you do?"

Hana smiled a secretive smile and shook back her thick black hair. "I believe I might not need to attend the retesting for this subject," she announced. "As for the others, that remains yet to be seen." She turned to Tohru. "And what about you, Tohru? How did you do?"

Tohru stood from her desk, gathering her things into her bag. "I think I did really good this time around!" She placed the last pencil inside and closed the bag, ready to head to the next class. "I wonder how Kyo and Yuki did." She didn't share this class with either of them, but that was okay. She'd be seeing them in the next class and could ask them then.

Hana came up behind her and gave her a slight hug. "I'm glad." She seemed to almost float as she moved on and out into the now crowded hallway as everyone changed classrooms for the next subject. "Good luck on your next test." She had a different subject than the others for the next period.

"Good luck," Tohru called after her as she joined the stream of students a half minute later. "I'll admit," she said to Arisa as the taller girl joined her, "I'm not looking forward to this next one."

Arisa glanced at her watch. "Hey, we'd better hurry. It's almost ten thirty. We can't be late to this one. You know how Murosama is! He locks the door!" She grabbed her friend's hand and pushed through the hallway.

Students made way for the tall ex-Yankee. It was well known that Arisa had once been a member of an all-girl gang, and that she still carried around the lead pipe she'd used during those days. They weren't exactly sure where she kept it, but she could pull it out at a moment's notice with no one the wiser. It also helped that, even though Hana was not with them, everyone knew they were a group. Hana, after all, had the ability to zap people with her mental powers, as well as being able to read their hearts through what was sometimes called denpa waves, though they usually just called them electric waves. It was easier for most to understand.

With the students pressing back against the walls to make way for them, the two girls made it to class just in time, slipping into their desks as the bell rang. Yuki smiled at Tohru from his desk in the next row over, then turned back to the front to give their teacher, who had just come up front after locking the door, his full attention.

Tohru turned her full attention to Mr. Murosama, who had begun to explain the test and the rules about cheating and what would happen if anyone were caught doing that during his class. After the five-minute lecture, he handed out the tests and told them to begin.

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On the other side of the school, Kyo was sitting at a similar desk, scribbling furiously on his test paper. The subject was American Literature and he had to write an essay on a famous book by the author Mark Twain, who he sort of liked, though felt was mostly full of bologna because of some of the weird things he'd written. But this essay was about the work he'd most connected with lately, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. After all, it had something of time travel in it, and both he and Tohru had recently, well, a few months back but still close enough to call it that, gone back in time to nineteenth century England.

It was kind of weird to think that they'd actually gone back in time and that no one in their present time had even known about it. Well, there'd been a few questions, like how Kyo had managed to get a few new scars, and why they'd lost a few of their school books. But, other than that, he felt fairly certain no one knew or suspected. But, when he was sure no one was paying attention, he'd tried his best to research into the matter. Of course, not being the best scholar in the world, he hadn't exactly gotten very far.

Kyo looked up at the blackboard to remind him of the various points his teacher wanted covered in this essay exam. His eyes inadvertently glanced at the clock as they slid over the characters written up there. It was almost forty-five after ten. He had plenty of time left.

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Sebastian straightened his suit coat and brushed off a few specks of dirt from the tails. A few leaves had to be removed from his hair, but it was a small price to pay for the speed in which he'd followed the various trails left from last night's chase. He'd been as thorough as any demon could be, even going so far as to double check everything, and still return in plenty of time to meet his given deadline.

Having finished straightening himself off, the butler re-entered the mansion through the back door, directly into the kitchen where Bard was still cleaning up his mess from that morning. At least the chef hadn't tried to use the flamethrower this time around, but more dishes would have to be ordered to keep the kitchen as stocked as it should be. He sighed at the inconvenience this caused and made a mental note to send an order in as soon as possible for a new set of cookware.

Passing straight through the kitchen without second glance, he walked purposefully down the hallways and up the stairs to his master's bedchamber, where he was certain the young earl was now impatiently waiting. He would likely like a change of clothes if they were to go out and about, which he rather thought would happen, not that his current attire was inappropriate, though it was slightly hampering. The butler knew his master all too well.

Letting out a final silent breath, Sebastian knocked lightly on the door, to announce his presence, and then entered the antechamber where the earl was sitting on a small chaise, waiting for him. He inclined a slight bow. "Young master, I have returned from my errand."

Ciel glanced idly at him from his semi-reclining position. He'd removed his eye patch and had taken the liberty of rubbing at both eyes. It appeared that he'd taken a light nap while waiting. He knew his butler saw this but didn't care. After scouring the newspaper for half an hour, he'd grown tired of the endless run of bright descriptions of London's nobility, despite being part of that circle himself. Such things bored him to tears. He hadn't found anything he thought might be even remotely helpful and so had retired to his chambers to "rest his eyes", where he had promptly taken an impromptu nap.

Sebastian stood to one side, waiting for his master to make the first move, as was customary. It was part of the game he and his master played on a daily basis. Though the butler knew the boy would like to hear things right away, if there was anything to tell, he felt a bit of satisfaction in making the earl work just a bit for the information.

Ciel gave his eyes another good rub, making them look a bit puffy and red from his scrubbing, though he didn't really care. It was just Sebastian, after all, and not some diplomat or nobility he had to entertain by being overly bright and enthusiastic. He glanced at the clock and saw it was now a few minutes past ten. "You're late, Sebastian," he reprimanded.

The butler pulled out his own pocket watch and glanced at the numbers. They did not match the ones on the clock. "It would appear that my watch is a bit slow," he said with a humble bow. "I apologize for this and shall have it repaired as soon as possible." He knew, however, that his watch was indeed in good repair, and, judging from the quiet ticking of the mantle clock, the other was slightly fast, but he would humor the earl, as he usually did. The clock would have to be repaired, of course, but later.

Ciel waved an arrant hand, then stifled a yawn. "Very well. What did you learn? I want all the details." He shifted to a more upright position, propping his head up with one hand, the elbow resting on the chair's arm.

Sebastian nodded. "Very good. It would seem that the Yard did indeed traverse through the grounds, as indicated by both myself and the Queen's letter. Their object seemed to have been a young woman, perhaps in her mid teens or early twenties, judging by the smell of her perfume of choice, a cheaper variety commonly used among the younger generation of the lower class. I could, of course, be mistaken about the age as I did not see the woman myself."

Ciel resisted the urge to snort. He knew very well that the demon butler's observations were not strictly kept to the scent of perfume, but the very scent of the human and his or her soul, if any such scent were lingering. His guess was probably quite accurate.

Sebastian cleared his throat mildly, to pull back the earl's attention. The boy's eyelids had begun to droop again. "They gave a merry chase throughout the wooded sections of your lands. It appears to have been quite the desperate chase. I believe the woman fell a few times before arriving at her destination."

This remark caused Ciel to sit more upright. "Destination? Whatever do you mean, Sebastian? You can't mean to say she planned on coming through my woods!" The very idea was outrageous and lit a fire inside him that licked with many harsh tongues, very similar in spirit to the fire that had claimed his parents' lives a bit more than three years ago.

Sebastian closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, they were a bit more red in color than usual, or at least more so than was usual in any company besides the earl's. "I say destination, though it might be more accurate to say the area of her disappearance. You see, after traversing through the grounds for some time, she stumbled upon a rejoin that you should know fairly well. It is the exact spot where you said goodbye to two travelers only a few months ago."

Ciel's hands gripped the arm of his chair and he sat up even more, leaning slightly forward. "You don't mean to tell me that it has re-opened, do you? That place where I said goodbye to Tohru and Kyo?"

Sebastian nodded solemnly. "One and the same. That place where the very fabric of time itself was been ripped."

The earl made himself sit back against his seat, though his muscles were still just as tense as they were only a moment before. "I thought you said it had closed itself after they'd gone back through."

The butler nodded again. "You are quite right, young master. The tear did indeed reseal after they departed our company. However, it would seem that something has reopened that tear and it is, once again, present."

Ciel allowed himself to slouch. "Well, if that's the case, can't we just tell her majesty that the matter is taken care of and let it be? If she has indeed gone through this rift, why should it bother us any longer?"

Sebastian considered the matter. "You are, of course, in a way, correct to feel this way, young master," he conceded. "However, if her majesty does have other reasons for desiring the capture of this woman, above and beyond the usual dirty deeds, it would be unwise to leave matters as they are. I did catch a strange sense about this woman's soul that was somehow twisted. I've been trying to recall where I've smelt such a taint before but have yet to remember. It was not strictly that of a human."

The earl scowled. Of course Sebastian would come up with a reason to not just drop it. His scowl turned into a slight spasm as his stomach squirmed. Even though he'd barely touched breakfast, and had emptied the contents of it the night before, it was still a bit queasy. And he was tired. He rubbed as his eyes again.

Sebastian had turned slightly from his master to think, one hand on his chin, so he missed the slight spasm of his master's face. "It is entirely possible that the tear still leads to their time. And the taint I recall does seem to hint at potential magical properties. If such a soul were unleashed upon their world, it might cause disaster." He turned back to the earl with this last sentence.

Ciel sighed. "So you're saying that we have to go after her and drag her back here before she can do some kind of harm in their time." He didn't like the idea, but it was probable that something like that would happen. He had rather grown fond of the odd pair, and having the opportunity to learn more about them, and to see their world and way of life would indeed be an interesting thing.

Sebastian looked slightly surprised at the earl's deduction. It sounded like he was already half resigned to the idea, something he had felt he'd have to battle for more earnestly. "That is what I believe," he assented. "With such being the case, I suggest that the sooner we move on this matter, the better. Time is already in a delicate balance, as you are well aware. It would not do to allow others to meddle in it more than necessary."

Ciel pursed his lip in thought. "I suppose that means we should then involve as few people as possible." He stood from his perch. "Very well. Since we will be traipsing a bit about in the wood, I will require a change of clothes. Whatever looks the most like what they were wearing, Kyo's attire, not Tohru's, will do. And inform the staff that we will be leaving for an undetermined amount of time, since I'm not sure how this time travel thing works. We might be gone for some time."

"I shall attend to it," Sebastian agreed with a formal bow. "In the meantime, please do try to not fall asleep. I shall also prepare a light lunch to bring with us, and I suggest bringing a change of clothes as well."

Ciel nodded. "See to whatever needs be done." He turned to stare out the window. At least the sky was clear and it had not rained within the past week. The ground would be dry at any rate, though he was sure Sebastian would carry him most of the way there, to save time. And the servants would, of course, want to see him off, which meant they'd have to make a show of leaving by the main way to keep any from trying to follow them. He just hoped nothing unexpected would happen between now and when they left, like someone showing up out of the blue. It would be just like a certain Chinaman to pull.

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Tohru bit the end of her pencil as she contemplated her test paper. The current question seemed familiar somehow and she tried to remember the answer she'd given last time she'd seen something like it. Inadvertently, her gaze went upwards to the clock on the wall. The minute hand inched the last little bit to the top, indicating that it was now eleven instead of ten. She sighed. Fifteen more minutes left until she had to be done.

She turned back to her paper and frowned. Wasn't that equation similar to…? She blinked in surprise. She knew that one! It was easy! She quickly jotted down how to solve it, along with the correct answer, and then moved onto the next question. Her friends were all still bent over their test papers.

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Kyo tried to think. Was there anything else he needed to put down in his essay? He felt like he was missing something really important. He bit the inside of his cheek and chewed on his lip. What was he forgetting?

He glanced up at the clock, five minutes after eleven. Ten minutes left. What was he forgetting? He tapped his pencil agitatedly on the paper and accidentally broke the lead. A low growl started from his throat, which he quickly stopped. The teacher was giving him a slightly dirty look from the front desk. He pulled out his backup pencil and scribbled something down on the paper.

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Ciel scowled, but he only had the energy for a scowl as the rest of his attention was spent on holding tightly to Sebastian as he ran through the woods, headed towards the spot he knew all too well. It had taken what felt like forever to get away from everyone.

To try and create the illusion that they were indeed leaving for a while, Sebastian had brought out the carriage, which he'd had to quickly dispose of once they were safely out of sight of the manor. The horses also had to be taken care of. Ciel wasn't sure what his butler done with either, but he didn't care. It was the servants' goodbyes that had really slowed things down.

Since they did not know how long they'd be gone, he'd instructed Sebastian to give them the usual story that they'd been unexpectedly called into town and would be there for an unknown duration. And, of course, they'd all acted like he was leaving for a long time and had wanted to come as well, but at least he and Sebastian had been firm. Their real task was in protecting the estate and they knew it.

So, after a lot more hustle and bustle, and more talking than he'd originally planned on, Ciel finally found himself doing something he felt might be slightly productive, even though he was riding in Sebastian's arms as they practically flew through the mass of trees. He scowled because he still didn't feel well, and because things had not gone as he'd planned. He was so involved in these thoughts that he hadn't even realized that the butler had stopped.

Sebastian gently set the earl on his feet. "We're here," he announced at the same time.

Ciel felt a lump form in his throat. He had some misgivings about this venture. There was no actual telling if this tear would really take them where they thought it would. And there was no guarantee that it was actually still there.

Looking down at the ground, he could see scuff marks from many booted feet. They were all in a confused circle, which ended by a fallen log where, if he looked a bit more intently, he could see the air shimmer ever so slightly, like heat rising from the streets in a summer haze. He blinked in disbelief. "It really has opened again."

Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. "I must admit, I cannot help but wonder what caused this to occur. It would indeed take someone with some magical properties to make it so. Perhaps our fugitive is a bit stronger than I thought." But what he thought she might be, he kept to himself. After all, he was not yet quite sure, though he did have his suspicions.

Ciel moved forward again. He'd somehow managed to leave his cane home and growled at that fact. He hadn't missed it while Sebastian had carried him, but he missed it now. "What do you think it will be like, going through this rift?" He glanced over at his butler.

The dark haired man contemplated. "To be quite honest, young master, I have no idea what it might be like. When I travel from my home to your world, it only lasts a matter of moments, and I can span the distance between the two in a heartbeat. But, as for a rift in time, that I could not say as I have never traveled through one before."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "That's a comforting thought." And, even though he knew that both Kyo and Tohru had safely gone through this very one not too long ago, he still felt misgivings about going through himself. After all, it was a bit more on the supernatural side, not that he was really new to such things, but this was still definitely something outside his own experience and knowledge, and, apparently the knowledge and experience of his demon butler.

Sebastian held out a hand, indicating that they should probably make a decision. "Young master, you do not have to go through. If you prefer, I could go alone and come back as I may. You know, of course, that I will come back for you however I am able."

Ciel looked up sharply. This was an inexcusable suggestion! The very thought of being left alone, vulnerable, was not to be thought of, and he couldn't believe Sebastian had even suggested it. "Don't ever suggest such a thing again," he said angrily. "I'm going with you and that's final. I won't have you leaving my side or wandering around without me where I cannot immediately call upon you should I need you."

The butler smiled. "Very well then, young master. Shall we stop delaying the matter and proceed?" He pulled out his pocket watch. "It is already ten past eleven. Don't you think we have delayed long enough?" He closed the watch with a snap and smoothly put it back into his pocket.

Ciel tapped his hat back into place, every line in his body speaking of his determination and ire. "Let's go, Sebastian." He started forward, heading towards the log and the rippling air.

Sebastian suppressed the urge to chuckle. Instead, he smiled from his amusement as he followed in his master's footsteps. "I suggest holding tightly to my hand, lest you become lost." He reached out his gloved hand and took the young earl's in his. Together, the two of them stepped forward, directly into the shimmering haze of miniature reflected rainbows and disappeared.