Chapter Four: Into the Unknown

It was a merry little picnic, Tohru thought as she looked around happily at her friends. They were all there, Arisa, Hana, Kyo, Yuki. Well, maybe Hatsuharu and Momiji weren't there, but that was all right. They had probably been detained by a teacher, or were off playing. Well, Momiji might be off playing. Haru, as they called the other boy, was probably off somewhere by himself.

Arisa pushed her hair out of her face as she picked up a sandwich. "I heard there's a new student transferring in," she commented. "I thought I saw her on my way over from the bathroom but can't be sure. She looks about our age, maybe a little older."

Hana listened intently, though gave off the impression that she was only passively interested as she munched on her chips. She'd definitely heard about the transfer student in the hall, but had been unable to gain any new information about her as she'd gone to join everyone outside.

Yuki looked up from his bento. "Oh, you mean the English girl. I heard her parents sent her to Japan as an exchange student to learn about the culture."

Tohru's eyes lit up. "Wow! That's amazing! To travel so far! Wouldn't it be fun to go to England like she came to Japan?" She didn't mention, of course, that she'd been to England, and that Kyo had as well. They'd both agreed not to even think about it, if possible.

Kyo gave a disinterested wave of his hand and bit into a rice ball. "I saw her. She's nothing to brag about. I mean, she's pretty and all, but nothing too interesting."

Arisa leaned forward. "What? You actually saw her! Tell us everything!"

Kyo rolled his eyes. He didn't see why it mattered. It wasn't like he was interested. After all, she wasn't Tohru, not that he'd say that out loud. And he wasn't really one to go spouting off details either, though he had noticed a few. "Fine. She has brown hair, pale skin and is about as tall as Tohru, maybe a little taller. That good enough for ya?"

Arisa shook her head slightly as she let out a disagreeable sigh. "Really? I could tell she had that just from seeing her off in the distance. Did you actually see her face to face? What was she like? Is she another fan girl or what?"

Yuki blinked a few times at the very idea. He hoped this newcomer would not turn out to be another fan girl. It was the last thing he needed. He had enough chasing after him as was. "Whatever she may be, we should all treat her like an equal and show her the respect she deserves."

Tohru nodded. "Right! After all, she's probably lonely and scared! I know I would be if I were taken from my home and sent to a different country I knew nothing about!"

Kyo resisted the urge to snort. Even though they'd agreed not to discuss the events of that time, he still had not forgotten, and could not forget everything that had happened. After all, he'd saved Tohru's soul from a demon bent on eating her, not to mention becoming sort of friends with another one, not that Tohru knew about Sebastian being a demon or anything. At least he didn't think she knew. He couldn't be sure about that point though. Details were a little fuzzy on that end, after all.

Hana continued to munch on her chips, not volunteering any information or comments. She had a slightly unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was from all the talk about the foreigner or not, but it did not bode well at all.

Seeing that things were a bit strained, Yuki decided to change the subject. "Well, at least there's only two more periods before school is out for the day." He turned to Tohru. "Do you work tonight?"

Tohru looked up from her sandwich. "What? Oh. No." She smiled. "I was actually going to do the laundry. But isn't Kyo going to the dojo tonight?"

Kyo glanced over. "Yeah." He took another bite of his rice ball. "Shishu wants me to practice a few new moves so I might be home late."

Arisa finished her sandwich. "Well, if I weren't working, I'd offer to come over and help out," she said to Tohru.

"That's all right," The girl smiled. "It's not a big deal now that the washing machine's been fixed."

Hana broke away from her thoughts and looked pointedly towards Tohru and Kyo. "Just be careful tonight. I do not like how the wind feels at the moment."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The small road had remained empty but for the two travelers. Ciel let out a sigh of relief as he was set back on his feet. They had reached the outskirts of town. He was about to move forward, to cross the street to a paved sidewalk, when Sebastian quickly moved in front of him to delay him. He was about to admonish him when something whizzed past, looking similar to the automobiles he'd seen in use back in England, though he wasn't entirely sure he'd seen correctly. He blinked, his mouth slightly open in surprise. "Sebastian, what was that?"

Sebastian glanced after the vehicle, noting as several others passed by. "I believe that would be the modern version of the automobile, young master," he confirmed. "It would not surprise me if they have completely replaced the horse-drawn carriage. After all, we have traveled over a hundred years into our future."

Checking to make sure that no other such vehicles were coming, Sebastian signaled that it was safe to cross the road and escorted his young charge to the opposite side. They had only reached the outskirts of town, a more residential region, with high cement and brick fences shutting out the private homes from sight from the streets.

"It would appear that we have come upon a residential area," Sebastian commented as he looked around. "Should we begin our search here, or would you prefer we try to find our friends before anything else? We must, after all, procure some form of lodgings, and since we are both strangers to this time, and this land, that would seem the best course of action."

Ciel looked around a bit wide-eyed. He could see a lot of smaller looking houses above the tall fences. There were so many of them! And they were so small in comparison to what he was used to seeing. Could this be the commoner block? Surely there were larger manors further on?

Noticing that his master seemed distracted, Sebastian gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Young master, what course of action would you prefer to take, considering we have now found civilization?"

Ciel tried to school his face and ended up scowling. "We should try to find Kyo and Tohru," he decided. "Though I don't have the faintest idea on where to even start looking. I don't suppose it would help to simply ask someone if they know them, would it."

His butler shook his head slightly. "I believe that the name Sohma may find us a connection to them, but from what I recall, it seemed like it was also a rather large family." He put one finger to his forehead in thought. "I'm trying to remember what names he gave so that we may use them to help in our search."

Ciel noticed a few people walking further down the road. They were both male, wearing clothing similar to what Kyo had worn, though not necessarily in the same colors. But the style was definitely similar, and far more casual than anything he would ever wear back home. The attire looked rather sloppy, he decided, like a short nightshirt in place of a good shirt, and full length pants of a material he could not place, though worn considerably lower than he'd seen anyone wear them before, almost hanging off of slender hips.

The two young men were headed their direction, chatting with each other. As they came abreast of the earl and his butler, one let out a funny sort of laugh. "Dude! Looks like that kid still thinks it's still Halloween or something!"

His companion laughed. "Yeah! Don't you know Halloween ended at midnight? Why don't you go home and have your momma give you something decent to wear! It's not random cosplay day!"

"You're too young to be a Lolita! And go to school, you sluffer," the other added as they continued on, laughing together like they'd both either just shared a good joke.

Ciel stamped a foot. His attire was more than appropriate! After all, he was an earl! He had to put up one hand to steady his hat, gloved hands touching the smooth satin finish. The ruffles at his throat were more plain than he usually wore, and the ribbon was complimentary.

Sebastian pursed his lips as he thought. "It would seem that your attire is attracting more attention than it should." He glanced at some women peering out from a second-story window who were pointing down at the two strangers. "Perhaps we should procure some more… appropriate clothing."

Ciel let out a snort. "Unless you know where to find a tailor who can whip things together as Miss Nina does, I doubt I'll be more… appropriately attired, as you put it, for a while." He glanced down at his shoes and was silent for a moment. "Sebastian, what on earth is a lolita and a sluffer?"

The butler blinked a few times. "I believe 'sluffer' is slang for a delinquent. As to a 'lolita', I haven't the faintest idea. But if you would follow me, I believe I have spotted a public telephone a street or two down. Perhaps it has some sort of directory that we may use."

"I'm not a delinquent," Ciel griped as he followed his butler down the block to the telephone box, which had an open front and glass sides.

Sebastian reached for the book inside, attached by a cord of some sort. "It would seem that theft is not uncommon in this area," he commented upon seeing the metal cord. He opened the book. "Which should we look for first? A tailor? A bank? Or should I try to locate any records of our friends?" He began skimming through the pages, memorizing them with a glance.

Ciel leaned against the outside of the telephone box, one leg crossed over the other. His stomach panged a bit, but whether it was because of hunger or slight illness, he wasn't sure, nor did he really care. This trip was already more than he'd bargained for and he was ready to head back to the Manor and real civilization. He suddenly blinked as a thought crossed his mind. "Sebastian, were those boys speaking in English?"

Sebastian looked up from his investigation of the pages. "English? It most certainly did sound as though they were. But now that you mention it, this book also appears to have been written in English, though I find that rather odd. I rather thought that things would be in Japanese in Japan. I wonder if this is some effect of our time traveling or due to some other phenomenon. If you recall, Tohru and Kyo spoke perfectly decent English when they visited us."

Ciel rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "True." Perhaps it would remain one of those life mysteries that he would never understand. Then again, anything was possible. Perhaps he'd discover the answer someday. He hoped it would be sooner, rather than later on.

Sebastian closed the phonebook and set it back down precisely where he'd originally found it. "I did not see any specific mention of a tailor in that book. At least, not any that seem to be actual tailors of the variety we are searching for. I did see mention of several banks in the area, however, along with their telephone number and address. Perhaps we should try our hand at one of the banks and see if we can exchange our currency to that of the area. Although we do seem to be able to see and understand their language as though it were our own, I doubt that phenomenon will continue with our money."

Ciel nodded. It made sense. And a bank was the most likely place to be able to exchange currency, wasn't it? "Very well. How far to the closest bank?"

Sebastian contemplated. Since he hadn't found a map in the book, he didn't really know the layout of the city. "I'm not entirely sure," he confessed. "But I will find out. If you would be so good as to wait right here while I discover the answer to this question, I will try to hurry."

The boy rolled his eyes. He supposed it would save time to just let the demon go and discover this on his own. He'd accomplish the task a lot faster than if he were carrying someone, to be sure, but that would leave the earl alone, and unprotected. Well, there didn't seem to be too many people about. And the usual riff raff he had to deal with wasn't around. But another group, such as before, might come along and try to pick on him. Just let them try! "Fine. But don't take long. I don't want to be stuck out here and have someone inquiring where they should not."

Sebastian inclined a bow. "I shall be quick about the matter. And remember, if you do need my assistance, all you need do is call." He was off before the young earl could even blink, let alone respond.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The final bell of the day rang and Tohru stretched from her chair. She let out a bit of a contented yawn. "That wasn't nearly as hard as I'd thought it would be!"

Kyo glanced over at her. History wasn't his favorite subject, but he had to silently agree. The test hadn't been as bad as he'd thought it would be. Too bad they wouldn't find out the results for a week, though. But that did mean they had a few days off from school, which was a definite bonus. He'd train hard the entire time if he could. He had less than a year to beat Yuki, after all.

Yuki walked over from his desk, book bag in hand. "Looks like another weekend is almost upon us. I almost wish I could go straight home with you," he commented to Tohru. "But we still have to final some plans for the next school activity, and I don't think the others in the council would be happy if I decided to skip out on them." He thought of Kimi especially. She was a very persistent person.

Kyo let out a snort. "Heh. Do what you gotta do, filthy rat. While you're playing with a bunch of sissies, I'm going to get stronger so that I can finally beat you!"

Yuki shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "Some day you'll get tired of saying that." He glanced back at his desk, just to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, then turned back to the door. "Well, I'm off! I'll see you later tonight."

Tohru watched him go. She had to admit that even though he'd been reluctant to accept the role of Student Council President, it had helped him grow a lot. She smiled contentedly as she watched his slim frame slide out of sight. She turned back to Kyo. "Good luck with training tonight! I'll try to have something really good ready for dinner when you get back!"

Kyo let out a sort of mischievous smile as he bonked her lightly on the head with his book bag and headed out the door. If he beat the rush, he could catch the train and be at Shishu's in less than half the usual time. That meant more time for training.

Hana moved closer to her friend, now that the boys were gone. "Would you like me to walk with you? At least as far as the station? Arisa's already left for her job."

Tohru looked up into Hana's usually vague expression. "Sure!" She paused a moment, seeing a momentary slip of concern on her friends face. "Is something wrong?"

Hana shook her head lightly. "I'm not sure. I keep feeling slight ripples that I don't understand. They're unlike anything I've felt before and they worry me a little."

Tohru had to blink a few times at that. "Oh." She pushed her chair in. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She didn't think there would be, but couldn't help but offer as the two girls made their way out of the classroom.

Hana smiled. "No, but thank you for offering. I'm sure I will understand in time."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ciel had found a bench near the telephone booth and had stationed himself there. After all, after having gotten some rather strange looks from various people passing by, he'd decided it would be less conspicuous. It probably helped that it was close to a park, where, now that afternoon was wearing on, there were several children out playing. Some even looked to be about his age, though they all ignored him for some reason. Maybe it was the hat. He noticed that none of them wore one.

He swung his short legs from his seat and tapped an irritated finger on his knee. Sebastian had been gone for quite some time now. What was taking him so long? He was hungry, even though he still didn't feel quite himself. He wasn't used to going so long without some kind of nourishment, after all. And if the sun could be used to judge time at all, he rather thought it was getting into the middle part of the afternoon, several hours past noon, though he couldn't be sure. He didn't have a watch on him, even though there was no guarantee that one from his time would automatically show the correct time for this place.

He was just about ready to go stomping off on his own, to either beg food from someone, the less savory option at the moment, or see if someone might direct him to where he might find some food instead, when a tall, dark clad figure appeared down the street. He sat up on the bench, gripping the iron with both fists as the demon came closer. "You certainly took your dear sweet time," he complained.

Sebastian gave a slight bow, mindful that they had some spectators from the park and surrounding houses, and moved to sit on the edge of the bench next to his master, instead of going down on one knee. "I apologize, young master. It could not be helped. While in my explorations, I discovered a bank, which I thought would be able to exchange our money, but was told that I would need a dealer in antiquities or a goldsmith to exchange instead, as they didn't deal in antiquated money. As such, I took it upon myself to find such an establishment. The haggling over a fair exchange was a bit grueling, but I believe I persuaded the dealer to be fair. I am sure the process would have bored you."

He did not mention that he'd had to do a bit of threatening to make sure that he was not being taken advantage of, though he hadn't done anything too blatant. After all, he did not want to give away that he was a demon to the citizenry, at least not unless it became absolutely necessary, nor had he wanted to draw too much attention to himself. But he had safely returned with a fair amount of Japanese currency. "I also took the liberty of purchasing some food from a vendor on the street since I knew you would likely be hungry when I returned."

He produced a crepe like dessert, which he handed over to the boy. "I am told this will be fairly gentle to the stomach. It contains some sort of ice cream and fresh fruit. I did not believe you would wish to risk anything too exotic while you are yet recovering from your recent bout of food poisoning."

Ciel took the paper wrapped cone and looked at it. It smelled sweet and looked inviting. But, despite the growling of his stomach, he did not immediately bite into the confection. "What else were you about," he asked. "You were gone for quite some time."

Sebastian gave a few older boys a rather intense glance, causing them to suddenly head in a different direction. "I wished to reduce the number of errands we would have to run later by seeking information in regards to clothing and potential lodging. I was told the best place to procure clothing for someone of your stature would be a clothing store where, apparently, clothes are pre-made to fit a variety of body types. I have located several, though I did refrain from purchasing any clothes as I did not know how the sizing would compare to your build."

Ciel glared down at the cone in his hand. The butler might as well as come out and say it, he thought. He was small for his age. But the idea of strolling into a shop where clothes were pre-made made him feel a bit ridiculous. But, perhaps, that was how things were done here. He didn't have any way of knowing for sure, but a lot of the people he'd seen had all worn similar clothing, some even wearing things that had looked almost identical. So maybe it was how things were done here.

Sebastian noticed that his young charge had not yet tasted his dessert. And even though it was not something he would normally give the boy on an empty stomach, it was definitely better than eating nothing. Perhaps they would be able to find something else a bit later on. "Do you intend to hold that all evening, or will you be eating it any time soon," he asked to remind the earl of his treat.

Ciel looked up into his butler's intense gaze. He blinked a few times, and then absently took a bite. He was surprised to find that it was actually quite good. The flavor was mild, not too sweet. And the fruit, strawberries and bananas, made it a very nice treat. He surprised himself by quickly finishing it off, much to the demon's amusement.

"Please do not rush things," Sebastian advised. "Remember that your stomach hasn't had much inside it for the majority of the day. I would hate for you to become ill because of it."

Ciel gave him a bit of a dirty look. "I'm fine." He crumpled the empty wrapper in one hand, not sure what to do with it now that its contents were gone. "Now what?"

Sebastian took the wrapper from him and put it in a pocket to dispose of later. "I leave that up to you to decide. We can go to one of these clothing shops and procure some more… modern clothes for yourself, or we can attempt to find master Kyo and Miss Tohru. Or, if you prefer, we can try and locate our fugitive. Either way, I suggest that we don't delay too long in finding lodgings for the night."

Ciel pursed his lips. Since there were more young people on the streets, he supposed school must be out for the day. And some of them did appear to wear uniforms similar to what he'd seen Tohru and Kyo wearing. "Let's see if we can't find Tohru and Kyo," he decided. "They may be among those I now see wandering the streets."

Sebastian nodded. "Very good." He stood from his perch and offered a hand to the earl to help him stand as well. "Shall we?"