A/N: So this chapter took me longer than I thought. My classes have been keeping me busy and then when I did finally get a chance to sit down and write this writer's block decided to attack my mind :(

Chapter Seventeen

My sword swept over my head in a graceful arc, before I bent it back down towards the ground. I ran it parallel to the right side of my body, curving myself so that I could accomplish the perfectly straight line towards the ground with the wooden sword's blade. My eyebrows drew together in concentration as I swept it forward and around my body, following through with the motion with my body as well. I gritted my teeth and moved backwards, repeating the motion. To a mortal it would have looked perfect, but for me it was still far from it. The blade wasn't level enough and shook slightly through the entire arc.

As I refocused a main part of my mind onto getting the actions right, I thought about the others. Ciel had been hauled off by Dagger for training with his precession and accuracy in his dagger throwing shortly after we'd been discussing the reaper's presences. And Sebastian... I frowned and ceased my moving. Come to think of it I never saw Sebastian leave anywhere.

I threw the practice sword into the dust, watching as it embedded itself four inches deep and quivered slightly at the force, before moving off to where I had last seen the black haired demon. If my memory served any help, I could have sworn I'd seen him following after the reaper who had been on his way out of the tent.

As it was my only led, I quickly glanced around before slipping away without anyone's notice. The breeze of fresh air over my heated skin gained a sigh of relief from out of my lips. I had forgotten how stuffy it was inside the tents, compared to the cold London winter air. I sucked in a cold air, enjoying the sharp pain it brought when the icy air whooshed into my lungs.

Clearing my head, I opened up my senses to the area around me. If even so much as a mouse squeaked softly within a mile I would have be able to hear it. At first all I could hear was the sound coming from the tent behind me, but as soon as I stepped away and focused more on finding the particular voice I was searching for I found it. A low, heated conversation coming from just beyond the curve of the tent.

I followed the voices to where the two men, if you would even consider a reaper and a demon as such, stood across from each other. Sebastian, like usual, wore his signature smirk perhaps teasing the reaper as he questioned him. The reaper looked stoic and unmoved by any of Sebastian inquires, though annoyance lurked just beyond the stern surface of the planes of his face.

"I'll say it clearly. In a few days, there will be an inspection of a large quantity of souls," the reaper explained warningly. "This is a special case, so please refrain from getting in my way."

My eyes flew open wide, as I spied on them from the corner not quite ready to make my entrance yet. Large quantity?...Reapers considered gathering anywhere from ten to thirty souls in one area a small collection. But a large quantity? I couldn't possibly imagine the amount that was on their death list, besides that it would be no minor incident. Which meant that there was something connected to this circus, something that also involved this massacre, because that is exactly what it was sure to be.

"My, my," Sebastian smirked, looking at the ground. "How difficult to handle alone. But this large quantity of souls...shall a demon like me offer you assistance with them?"

As soon as Sebastian's eyes flashed dangerously red with narrowed pupils I knew he was baiting the reaper. It worked well too, for the reaper reacted. The scythe was swept out in an arc aimed straight for Sebastian's head. Of course the fight was evenly matched, both being immortal beings. I watched on for a moment as Sebastian dodged the attacks, one particular one snatching the top hat right from off his head.

"I believe it's this way," a voice said from behind me, making me stiffen.

I hadn't planned on intervening, but unfortunately I couldn't afford letting either blow our covers, for Ciel's, as well as our own, sakes.

"I won't forgive any overtime," the reaper threatened. "If you interfere, I'll reap you."

I choose that moment to step in, "Please, I must ask that you refrain from such actions in public. We wouldn't want to draw any unnecessary attention, now would we?"

Both pairs of eyes turned my way, one looking particularly surprised the other slightly amused. I gave a sugary sweet smile, stepping forward to take the velvet top hat from the scythe that had been brought to a sudden stop at my entrance. Using both hands, I dusted the material for any nonexistent dirt while moving fluidly over to stand before Sebastian. Reaching up I placed the hat on his head, before assuming the place right next to him. A small smirk pulled at my lips as I looked at the black haired reaper, my allegiance was clear now if he had even for a moment mistaken me for a mortal.

"I also will not tolerate any more reaping of my kind. One is far too much, wouldn't you agree?" I angled my head to the side as I said this, my grin revealing my own pair of sharpened fangs.

The reaper looked taken aback for a moment, before his eyes narrowed in onto me. "Another devil, I should have known."

I laughed lightly, my amusement false, "I would've thought a lowly reaper like yourself would have noticed the first time he saw me, but I suppose that's assuming too much. As it stands, I've already been mistaken by your kind for a human once."

My voice went from sweet to deadly in a matter of moments as my pupils narrowed and irises picked up a dangerous glint, "Perhaps you'll give me the pleasure of telling me your name. After all I believe I'm owed that much by your kind. Being reaped is no small matter and having to be forced to live the life of a human for close to sixteen years is pure torture."

The reaper pushed his glasses further up his nose, his disgust evident, "William T. Spears, but I assure you, demon, had you been truly reaped you would not be alive right now. Demon souls, even if reaped, can never be restored to a body."

William T. Spears. I fought down the rush of emotions that threatened to spiral out of control. The evident rage buried deep within my being threatened to spill out in one dangerous lapse of control. I recognized that name. The reapers who'd taken me that night had mentioned someone by that name. Multiple times if I remembered correctly.

But he was not directly involved.

I swallowed back the burning heat of my building rage and took a slow intake of the icy air, feeling it cool off my insides. It slowly worked away the heat I felt, until it was just a small warming sensation settled in the pit of my stomach. My blood lust was felt for another and taking unnecessary life was for those who bared lower rankings. I had more dignity and self control then that.

"Oh, but I fear you are mistaken. Tainted demon blood can," I responded cooly.

William rose one eyebrow questioningly, but I just grinned back deviously. I had no intentions of telling a reaper about any of my aces. My secrets were for those who I allowed to know, no others. Especially a foul reaper. I would never sink to such a level to allow my secrets to land on a reaper's ears.

"If any souls go missing, I will be blaming it on you two," he stated, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose again.

Sebastian grinned back, revealing the sharpened fangs behind his lips, "I have no interest in poor quality souls."

"Hey."

All of us turned our heads to look at our new addition. Ciel let out an annoyed huff, placing a hand on his hip as he delivered us all a haughty look. I lifted a gloved hand to my mouth to hide the smirk that was working it's way higher up my face at the boy's appearance. I found the young earl humorous for two reasons. One, he was absolutely unaware of how much he looked so feminine standing the way he was and two it was astounding how impeccable his timing was.

"That noisy knife thrower is calling," he informed us, his head angled to the side at the slightest of visible angles.

Will choose to ignore him, instead opting to push those glass up his face once again and remark his opinion on the earl. "I don't see him being that kind of high class goods, but...Honestly you demons are so..."

"You," Ciel snapped, his tone sharp as his expression darkened. "Stop saying that here. If you make us suspicious to the rest of the circus, we'll do something about it."

I rose an eyebrow at the threat, not altogether objecting to the idea of harming a reaper. In fact I found the idea rather...pleasing.

"It's good they thought you were joking earlier," Ciel continued, but while my ears were trained to his words my eyes were watching William's face twitch with annoyance. "But not being able to blend in with humans is worse than even that vulgar grim reaper."

I silently wondered who this other reaper was that both Ciel and Sebastian knew, but the look Spears gave let me know that the opinion on it wasn't very high for either party. Part of me wished to know exactly what sort of person this reaper was, it wasn't as if one heard of a demon and reaper agreeing on any opinion. The other part, wished nothing more than to stay away if that was the reactions just the mention of his brought.

"Really, we shall not interfere with your job, so will you keep from doing the same to ours?" Sebastian asked, his voice level but dark expression hinting to his threat of what would happen should he be prevented from carrying out his orders.

"I'm grateful," Will responded stiffly. "Since I do not wish for you to enter my field of vision."

Ciel leveled Will his own stare, "Perfect. Then tonight it's decided that we will absolutely not interfere with each other."

A brief stare down began between the three, while I choose to allow myself to sink back into the back ground. Let them settle their old rivalry by themselves.

"Then, Smile," Will said, cutting into the silence. "I'll ask you keep an iron grip on your pet dogs."

I made an undignified noise. I was no dog. No not ever and even though I was more or less a slave to Sebastian's whims if he choose to order me I would never be a dog. I was not obedient, no demon ever was, and as a succubus I swore every order given a loophole would be found unless it was an order I wished to carry through. I'm sure Sebastian felt the same way, considering he harbored a dislike for the canine race. Being compared to them surely wouldn't have been found flattering for him.

"I don't want to hear that from some glasses who can't even sneak in properly," Ciel spat back.

"It's not glasses," Will retorted sternly. "It's Suit."

"Hmph," Ciel muttered, turning to leave. "Let's go Sebastian, Tessa."

"Sir," Sebastian answered turning after him automatically.

I lingered for a moment, giving the reaper one last look before following after Ciel. Curiosity wanted to push me to the brink of inquiring after some of the details about what was surely to come, after all I wouldn't be able to hold my head high as a succubus if I couldn't seduce such information out of him, but I bit my lip and held all my questions at bay. I would find out in due time.

"Thanks for waiting, it's time for the new arrivals' room assignments!"

I could only smile in relief at Joker's words, not that I was worn through much like Ciel was, but because relaxing sounded suddenly pleasant. Perhaps even the chance of slipping away for my own investigations would arise.

"Yeah," Ciel mustered up a sarcastic exclamation of false excitement.

"Huh, Smile's not very cheerful," Joker chuckled, giving a shrug. "Smile, Smile!"

Ciel manage a slim grimace. Practicing had worked his body down to exhaustion. The young earl wasn't particularly used to such exertion put upon his body. I wouldn't be surprise if tonight he had one of the best night's sleeps he's ever had. Of course then he'd wake up to the worst case of body aches he'd ever experienced as well.

"For fairness, these're the results of a lottery," Joker informed us. "Smile's in tent number eight. Here's your roommate."

Joker reached out and placed a hand on the shoulder of a young teenager. From first glances someone might have mistaken the teen as being a male, but in closer inspections you could see the gentler curves of her cheeks which were sprinkled with a light dusting of golden freckles. All the soft edges that were too feminine to be male.

"Black's in tent nine," Joker added.

Ciel jolted, "Seba- Black and I aren't rooming together?"

Joker looked surprised, "Hm?"

Dagger began laughing, "Smile really sticks close to Black, huh? You'll be independent soon."

Ciel began to protest, but I placed a hand on his shoulder to quiet him. He glanced back at me his panicked expression relaying his silent argument. I knew what he was thinking. If Sebastian and him were separated then it would be harder to investigate the circus and find the missing children. I gave him a stern look, no matter what obstacles we would have to face to get the information we needed and get out of here we have to bear them, arguing would just make us look suspicious.

"Blaze's is in tent ten with Gem here," Joker caught my attention and redirected it to the girl standing silently next to the freckled girl.

She gave me a shy smile, which I returned with my own polite one. She was a pretty girl, perhaps a little on the thin side, but still pretty. It was a natural sort of beauty, not like most girls of court with painted on faces. Golden skin was for the most part unblemished and honey colored curls tumbled down her back. I instantly understood why they called her Jem. Her large green eyes were the color of the jade shoots in spring framed by thick dark lashes, bright and filled with life.

She also had a soul that smelled of sin.

Before I could wonder anymore on why such an innocent looking human could be wrapped in such a delicious scent, Joker announced who Sebastian would be with. My lips twitched in an effort to subdue the grin threatening to find its way onto my face as Sebastian's expression melted into pure hatred for the very creature he found himself stuck living with until this case came to a close. Though I knew I shouldn't have found the situation humorous, I couldn't help the urge I had to double over in a fit of laughter.

William and Sebastian were going to be the end of each other.