Chapter 7

"Heaven?"

Sebastian chuckled, thoroughly amused. Grell's smile fell as the demon in turn smirked in arrogance - the total opposite of his attitude earlier. The reaper couldn't suppress his strangled gasp when the butler seemingly disappeared.

That is, until his sultry voice boomed above him. Perched atop his outstretched scythe weighing nothing at all, the demon's confidence incited a primal sort of fear within the redhead as he gazed up at the handsome man. Those sanguine eyes gleamed with predatory intent.

"Heaven has no jurisdiction over creatures such as I."

Even she'd gotten chills at those few words, and her stomach dropped as he leaned forward slightly, his only indication to his next move. Grell had barely dodged the kick aimed at his face and cried out in disbelief, flailing his arms wildly in anger. "That was on purpose!"

"Of course," he huffed, somewhat satisfied as the redhead floundered. "I am, after all, one hell of a butler."

She cringed.

The two conversed as only otherworldly beings could, and Ciel tucked the thick coat around his frame tighter. After a moment, they turned to look at the boy who was sporting an indifferent look, rest assured in his butler's inevitable victory. A smile that could only be described as fond grew on Sebastian's face, though fondness was probably the last thing he felt for his master.

"So long as the contract remains," he murmured. "I will follow his every will."

Grell chuckled, licking his lips. "Well then," the reaper purred, adjusting his grip on his scythe. "Let's continue, shall we?"

The demon didn't even acknowledge his master's superfluous nod. In that instant, they were gone.

With the idiot and the butler far too engrossed in their bloody dance in the sky, Seir decided that she was sick of the metallic scent of her hideout and silently walked up to Ciel, dispelling her invisibility. Kneeling before his aunt, the boy draped Sebastian's coat over her body to shield her from the rain, his eyes never leaving her closed lids. He was too distracted to notice her presence beside him, and started when she made herself known.

"She was funny, Angelina. If I got to know her better I think we might have been friends."

"You - !" Ciel's head whipped to the second demon in surprise, clutching his chest in shock. His body has had more adrenaline than this day needed. "Bloody hell…"

"Me," she smiled innocently. "You were correct in that I was in the house, but you'd be wrong to think I was involved."

Mismatched eyes could only stare on the soaked ground, entirely focused on trying to calm his heart that was about ready to burst. He really didn't need this right now.

Seir continued on without missing a beat, watching as Grell and Sebastian were locked in a stalemate on the roof. "I actually just met her a few days ago. If you hadn't caught her today, she would have started giving me jobs."

Ciel followed her line of sight, gazing at the two butlers who continued to exchange words. "What are you?" he tried. Although he knew it wasn't likely he'd get an answer.

However, it wasn't by her accord as opposed to the two of them being stunned into silence. The Phantomhive heir could only watch in mute horror as the reaper pushed the demon back with a vicious headbutt and proceeded to get a clean slice across his chest. Out of the wound sprouted a cinematic record not unlike Madame Red's, and Seir's curiosity was peaked.

Until was she saw was not the underworld she's so familiar with, but rather… the Phantomhive staff?

Grell's unintelligible whines echoed throughout their part of London, and she heard Ciel breath a sigh of relief as his butler playfully winked at the reaper. The boy would never admit it, but at that moment he was morbidly interested in Sebastian's history as well.

The redhead roared indignantly, being robbed of the one thing he was looking forward to since the start of their battle. His cries, however, appeared to be pacified as Sebastian seemed to say something, and the two continued to converse. All the while, Seir was trying to discern which demon the butler was, but with her lack of knowledge of the other greater demons, she wasn't able to glean much.

Ciel considered trying to further question the stranger, but his attention was torn yet again by the skirmish. His servant was holding his torn coat in his grasp, and the two leapt into the sky a final time, illuminated by the full radiance of the moon. Grell's cocksure attitude was evident in his smug grin, until his scythe stopped vibrating in his hands and looked in disbelief to see that the demon shoved the material into the weapon, locking it in place.

He was utterly flabbergasted as he collapsed on the roof while Sebastian landed gracefully in front of him. His attempts to pull the fabric from the contraption were in vain, and Seir rubbed her temples at his predicament.

Perhaps this is when I should jump in? she asked herself as the other demon cracked his knuckles with glee. Or do I let him get beaten to a pulp?

She rubbed her chin in deep contemplation.

Jump in…

...or beaten.

Save...

...or lesson.

And so the two watched from the ground in satisfaction as the reaper proceeded to get his ass handed to him. Completely useless without his scythe, Grell was no match for Sebastian's pure strength and aptitude in hand to hand combat, and his destruction was secured with a rather powerful punch to the face. The bloody reaper was sent careening in their direction, and her eyes briefly made contact with the pulp that was Grell before he was blown across the rugged cobblestone with a swift kick by Sebastian.

The man in question landed before his master with the grace of a cat, the scythe embedding itself in the earth a few feet away. "My apologies, I misjudged the distance," he remarked with a satisfied smile.

Sanguine eyes locked on hers, brimming with questions and suspicion though recalling her earlier statement. Ciel spoke while completely disregarding the woman beside him, which pacified Sebastian enough to focus on the reaper instead. With that same gleeful smile he pulled the scythe from the stone with ease and approached the reaper like a stalking feline.

Though she could have sworn that he was almost skipping.

The butler separated the scythe free from its fabric confinements, thusly whirring the contraption to life.

"N-no!" Grell scrambled backwards, watching with pitiful eyes as the hellion approached. His face was suddenly ground into the muddy earth as he was pinned under an unforgiving foot. Hesitating, Sebastian iterated to his master that killing a divine being was greatly punishable.

Which Ciel simply waved off, to no one's surprise.

True fear gripped the reaper, and he made eye contact with Seir in a desperate plea. She only smiled calmly in return.

Betrayal flooded through his body - the harlot - and he screamed Bloody Mary as Sebastian pulled back the scythe. He begged, he pleaded - all of which fell on deaf ears.

Then, pulling all the stops, he cried, "Don't you wanna know who killed his parents?!"

At this, Ciel lurched forward in shock, the command to stop Sebastian on lips but seeing that it was too late -

- when a metal pole sprouted out of nowhere, stopping the scythe on its descent.

All of them turned to its origin, the demon irked beyond reason at the new intrusion. From the roof stood yet another man, sharply dressed in a suit. His glasses brightly reflected the moon's light, concealing his eyes from their view.

From his elevated position, the stranger introduced himself as William T. Spears - an administrator at the Grim Reaper Staffing Association.

Or, in order words, the best and worst thing to happen to Grell.

Her companion cried in relief, thanking the man for coming to rescue him until he was painfully interrupted by his saviour landing on his head. Flipping open his thick novel, the administrator addressed several of his violations, earning the "temp worker" a terrible stomp halfway through. Afterwards, William bowed before Sebastian, handing him his business card and apologizing on Grell's behalf.

Not without a derisive remark, mind you.

Sebastian, thoroughly amused, simply tossed the card aside, lightly suggesting the society keep a tighter leash on their wayward reapers. Casual remarks from William of the disgusting nature of demons and the usual were cast his way, who subsequently proceeded to drag the offending reaper back to the society for an experience that would make Sebastian's pummelling look like paradise.

Unexpectedly and with as much force as possible, the butler threw the troublesome scythe at the new reaper, whom stopped its momentum with a mere two fingers. A questioning glance was thrown at the demon.

"You forgot that," he said with a cheerful expression.

"Thank you," came the curt response, before the two fully retreated into the darkness. Some muttering something about "overtime" echoed down the alleyway.

Looks like Grell can't keep his end of the bargain, Seir mused. She watched in indifference as the butler turned back to his contractor.

"Young master," Sebastian kneeled before his quarry, completely ignoring her presence. He placed a finger against his cheek in concern. "You're chilled to the bone. Let us get back to the mansion."

The boy looked utterly exhausted, and could only manage a "Good idea" before standing and tipping over. His servant reached out to catch him when something seemed to snap within the human, causing him to slap away his assistance with newfound strength. Sebastian was genuinely surprised at the reaction, and questioned him in worry.

Ciel blinked. "Nevermind," he brushed off the concern, suddenly losing all fight. "I'm... just tired."

Sebastian looked downtrodden. "...I see."

The third party among them drew arcane power to her fingertips, seeing as there was nothing left for her to warrant lingering around. Muttering the respective incantation like second nature, she was about to teleport to the outskirts of London to begin her search for another hideout when she was stopped by a voice, interrupting her cast.

"Wait," the Phantomhive reached out, though not so far as to touch her. Some life seemed to return to those dull eyes of his as he stared at the mysterious, vibrant colors in her hand. "I'm not done with you."

She blinked, registering his audacity to demand her to stay, and an incredulous smile formed on her face. "So? I'm done with all of this."

"I have… questions." Ciel swayed on his feet, definitely spent after such an eventful day. "Sebastian. Bring her with us."

The butler suddenly hesitated at the command, and she released a bark of laughter. "That reaper did a real number on your dog, boy. At his state, even I am confident that I can beat him."

"Let us return, young master," Sebastian sweetly whispered, betraying no sense of urgency. Keeping an eye on Seir's movements, he carefully lifted up the mortal as he allowed himself to fall into the demon's embrace. All the while, she sported an easy smile.

He expected it, so he did not dare move as she was suddenly upon him in the blink of an eye. Betraying his expectations, however, she did not strike.

"You did not see me," Seir murmured, her hands glimmering with resumed magic. "And I don't bother you."

Without waiting for a response, she disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the butler without much say in the matter.

Author's Note (Ch. 7):

Lacey Darling: Thank you! That's a very kind thing to say. I also am very much looking forward to introducing the other demons in further detail. And yes, expect that more! I didn't want Ciel and Sebastian to be the center of the story at all, but rather the other demons of Hell that didn't exist in the anime and manga. Truthfully, I focused more on Madam Red and Grell because I did not want Seir to establish a close connection to the two main characters - at least not this soon. So yes, some of the other characters in the anime who did not receive as much spotlight will be doing so here. :P

Thank you to my new followers and the kind reviews!