I apologize for not uploading sooner. My mother is currently in and out of the hospital and I have been taking care of her. So please expect my updates to be a little erratic, sorry.

Kuro.

Chapter 78: Bread Crumbs

Sebastian's eyes fell on the tome as he walked back into the house, he finally had it in his arms again, yet only now did he start to question how and why it had been taken. To steal it took great skill and no other demon would dare touch it, which meant a mortal had to do it. However, no mortals with the exception of his employees and Alexandra were allowed in his study. Questions buzzed around in his head like angry ravens and he shook it, part of him hoped that by having the tome in his possession again questions would be answered. This had been proven false, his fingers slipped into his unruly black hair as he stood before his study. Alex was spending the night with Kei, which he didn't know what to think. He seemed to worship her and desire her affection, the question remained would she be able to give it to him. He opened the door to hear a familiar melody floating effortlessly in the air.

The voice of the violin sang with ease as the musician drew the bow. The sound was sweet, affectionate and filled with both longing and warmth, the very emotions which were lingering in Sebastian. Standing before the fireplace was the source of this sound, a tall gentleman with long black hair, his posture was perfect and eyes closed. Adept fingers danced up and down the neck as the other drew the dark bow. Sebastian slowly drew nearer and smiled as he watched the musician continue, a smile curved his lips as he realized who it was. Lucifer was playing a beautiful and soft piece, it seemed odd yet as a child Sebastian heard the sound every night from midnight to two in the morning. It sounded like nothing else he played, when he played at other times of the day it was forceful, dark, playful and complex. Yet at night, it softened and sounded as though his loneliness and sadness had been the ones to wield the bow.

Sebastian placed the volume on the table and pulled a violin for the side, he was quick to apply the rosin and check the tuning. In moments he was drawing the harmony line, his own sadness and affection ebbed into his playing. The two lines converged to create a balanced and sweet sound, some how this soothed him. The pair soared together through the highs of the piece, and he filled in the harmony line as his father carried on. The end was far too near, before he even realized it he was releasing the final notes of the line. They seemed to flitter through the air like butterflies before either one opened their eyes and lowered their bows. "Ave Maria," Sebastian whispered as he lowered his bow and slowly took the violin from under his chin. Lucifer placed a hand on his shoulder and commented, "Thank you for joining a lonesome old demon." Sebastian nodded as he placed the violin back in the case. His fingers automatically began tucking the violin in and loosening the string of the bow. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Lucifer cleaning the bridge of his violin. "Where is Alexandra?" asked Lucifer after a moment.

Sebastian sighed as he closed the case and replied, "Spending the night with Tonoin Kei, Sterling's heir." The sound of a zipper filled the air as he zipped it closed, "Tonoin?" asked Lucifer. Sebastian hadn't told his father about the young man who acquired all of Sterling's wealth and power. He nodded and felt his black bangs brush against his cheeks as he did so. "He literally knows nothing of our world, as far as he is concerned Alex is a beautiful designer with a big heart and creative mind," replied Sebastian, each of his compliments were tender. His affection for the girl became even more pronounced than usual, "I see, is he a good man?" asked Lucifer slowly. Sebastian sighed and shrugged, he had a feeling his father was just trying to soothe him and make sure he didn't attempt suicide again. He turned to face the demon only to note the genuine interest in his Marlowe colored eyes. Lucifer never cared about mortals, yet he was asking about this one, it puzzled Sebastian. When it came to writing a contract he could care less about how it was done or what would happen to the mortal. "He seems to be, he's protective, affectionate and of good stature," Sebastian replied hesitantly.

Lucifer sighed and shook his head, "That wasn't the question, I asked if he was a good man," he stated. Sebastian looked at him and drew a deep breath, the reason behind his desire to know about this subject was unknown to him. "He cares for her deeply, he's gentle kind and able to provide her security," Sebastian responded. That wasn't all of it, he had seen the harsh and relentless Tonoin Kei which had taken the business world in Asia by storm and the soft Kei which worshipped and protected Alex. In reality he was perhaps the perfect companion for her. "I think they will get along," he responded after a moment. Lucifer simply nodded and looked at the tome, he slowly walked over to it and examined the cover, "Sebastian how long has this been glowing?" he asked as he looked at the Faustian seal. There was a pause as Sebastian sifted through his memories which seemingly resembled Swiss Cheese, he had lost complete control when he had seen Alex's blood and the angel. "I'm not sure, since Alex touched it," he responded slowly as he rubbed his left temple with his fingers. His head had been pounding since the incident and now was really starting to get him. "I see," commented Lucifer, "I'm going into London to see a friend."

Sebastian nodded and looked at the demon king, he was dressed like he had been in Switzerland, it was clear he liked Alex's style. "I'm glad you like my designer's taste," Sebastian commented as he watched his father slip into a long coat, it was rather nippy out and he disliked getting cold. "She has talent and an eye," he replied nonchalantly before leaving Sebastian's office. The manner in which he left annoyed Sebastian, clearly his father both knew and was up to something. It was irritating, out of all the players in the game he knew the least. The further he went the more confusing things became, his blood red eyes shifted to the photo on the floor of Allen and the man who looked like Alex's father. "Just what is going on?" he asked as he picked it up off the floor. The shinigami couldn't locate him and yet Allen Platt, a mortal designer could. He walked over to his Mac and quickly turned it on, before anyone was employed by him he had a background check preformed. He quickly opened his documents and then preceded to the files labeled, personnel. "Adam Platt," he mused as he clicked the file. He had turned up clean in the initial check, yet, that didn't mean he was now. He waited for the file to load and looked at the pictures on his desk.

His eyes fell on a picture of him and Claude smiling and laughing in the autumn. The leaves were shades of crimson and gold. Claude had wrapped a blue scarf around them and was pressing a kiss to Sebastian's cheek. It had been cold that day, and Sebastian had forgotten his scarf. Claude had gone through the trouble of looking for just the right small digital camera and decided it would be fun to look at the leaves. The demon's love of color never ceased to amaze Sebastian, especially that long sky blue scarf. Sebastian had purchased it as a gift, only he hadn't realized it was long enough for two. He shook his head as he looked at the image and placed the frame face down on his desk. His chest was tight, he loved Claude and yet he was betrayed. "It's true, betrayal hurts the most when it's done by someone you love," he whispered.

Adam walked through the cold and quiet house, it had been a long evening and the sun was due to rise. He slipped out of his coat and ran his fingers through his rather long sandy blond hair, "Such a long night," he whispered as he blindly reached to turn on the lights. "It would have been shorter if you killed her sooner," replied a snide voice, it was cold and crisp, something which, to this day made Adam cringe. He turned to see a beautiful young woman with short white hair with violet eyes looking at him. "Angela, I thought you went home," he commented. She was sitting there with his laptop which she quickly opened. "I was until I realized something, you aren't like us you don't have to hide your activity," she commented. He watched as her fingers flew across the keys, she was far faster at typing than he was. "I hide what relates to the organization," he hissed as he walked around his massive black leather sofa. It wasn't until he was closer that he realized she was sitting in a bathrobe with nothing on underneath. "Not well enough, it can still be found, did you know that Sebastian did a background check before he hired you?" she asked with a grin. Adam's eyes flittered up her body, he could see her nipples from under the silk which had wrapped her body. She was stunning, "Yes I signed paper work for one background check, it's pretty much standard here in London," he replied.

Angela looked up, her eyes narrowed and she ran a hand through her short hair, "He has new information now, he can use the data he collected then to start investigating the organization," she commented. He walked toward the back of the sofa and stared in shock, "That's Sebastian's IP, how did you?" he stammered. She simply smiled as she continued worming through his computer, Adam had tried it once, clearly Sebastian had written the code himself, because when he had attempted to get in he was redirected and given a virus. "He's looking at the file now," she commented. Adam watched as she quickly selected the file, "What are you doing?" he asked in confusion as he leaned over her shoulder. She chuckled and replied, "This." The document broke apart as she launched a code to corrupt the file, his jaw dropped, he had only seen this done in films. "Now he won't be able to get to it, I've already corrupted the one at the agency he farmed it out to and personnel. There aren't any other copies," she stated before leaving Sebastian's computer and returning to Adam's desktop.

She shut the Mac book down and looked up at him; he had a clear view of her neckline and blushed. "Like what you see?" she asked curiously. Adam swallowed as she ran her fingers through his hair, "Was this how you seduced the demonic bank manager?" he asked in confusion. Angela laughed and swept her fingers over his cheek, "Would you like to know?" she asked darkly. Adam felt his face heat up, he had heard she was a dominatrix and practically a demon in bed, despite her species, yet he wasn't willing to go that far. "Depends, do you plan on hitting me?" he asked cautiously. There was a spark in her violet eyes, it was apparent what she desired, "Only with the crop," she stated as she guided his lips to her own. "You'll enjoy it, I assure you," she whispered against his lips before pressing them to his. Adam felt heat spread through his body and he whispered, "I have to work, tomorrow." A low chuckle left Angela as she licked his lips and replied, "Just go in late."

There was the click of keys in the air as the mansion slipped to sleep -Sebastian had vanished to the security of his office- leaving the triplets alone. In reality the three were used to being left alone, it was more of the fact that the once vibrant house was still and dank. Nothing like it had been before with both Alex and Claude there. Oddly it seemed soulless and empty, as though the hearth had been robbed of its sacred warmth. A head of purple hair was in front of a computer as his fingers danced across the keys. Amber brown eyes search the screen looking for answers which their owner was unsure he would ever find. "All I need is a router number, IP address, even a proxy would be good enough," huffed Canterbury as he looked at the screen. William and Ronald had suggested that he look into this for Sebastian and Claude's sake.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes after hours of searching data, Ronald would be better, however the shinigami was preoccupied with Claude. He wasn't sure how the demon was doing but, he had a feeling he was falling. "What are you doing?" asked a familiar voice, Canterbury looked up to see Timber reading over his shoulder. Thompson was curled up in a chair asleep, which seemed to be his favorite place. "Trying to figure out who framed Claude," he replied as he looked at the info. He felt Timber reach over him and place his hand over his own, "Well you're looking in the wrong place," he stated. Canterbury looked at his mirror image in confusion. Timber sighed and continued, "We know the IP addresses match, but we can track the feed using a routing number." Canterbury froze and stared at the demon, Claude was on the computer at the time of the attack, his personal computer.

"Claude was on his computer, which means," whispered Canterbury, he paused and looked up at Timber, "That two identical IP addresses, would be online in two different places, actively browsing." The pair grinned with glee as they used the IP address to back track the routing number, "Odd," commented Canterbury as he looked at the data which was being fed to him. Timber hummed and looked at him quizzically, "Both are online," he commented. His fingers danced across the keys once again as he looked at the data, "Two different locations," he whispered. By this time Thompson had roused and was now standing beside the group which had gathered around the computer.

"That one," he said as he pointed to the computer screen, "is at William T. Spears address." Which did make sense after all Ronald had picked up Claude's laptop a few hours earlier so the man wouldn't be board out of his mind. "The other?" asked Timber as Canterbury zoomed in. His jaw dropped as he looked at the address, this made even less sense. "Artistry?" he questioned as he looked at the numbers. In seconds he was looking at an image of the building thanks to Google Earth. It was indeed the massive glass and steel structure which housed Sebastian's firm. The three looked at one another, that was impossible Sebastian was upstairs asleep and had been the last to leave the firm. Canterbury paused for a moment, "I'm going to see who that is," he said swiftly as he got up. Something wasn't right, and he was well aware of the fact that things were slowly becoming more and more ambiguous. There had to be an end to it somewhere, or at least that was what he hoped.

"We are coming with you," said Thompson and Timber, the pair eyed Canterbury, it was clear they weren't about to be left out. The demon merely nodded to his brothers as he walked toward the window and opened it. Luckily the three were dressed in black, which they felt was appropriate for Sebastian's current state. Canterbury climbed over the windowsill and landed soundlessly on the grass before signaling to his brothers above. The other two were out the window and by his side in a flash, "Okay, we need to get there before who ever it is leaves," Thompson whispered. The other two nodded in agreement before dashing off to the office, it was nearly 3 in the morning. No one should have been in the office, or at least they weren't when Sebastian had left. Timber picked up his phone and decided now was a good time to contact one of the Shinigami. He selected Ronald's number and listened to it ring, he didn't know if the shinigami was awake yet, however he had to get in contact with someone who might help them. "Mr. Knox?" asked Timber quickly.

He heard sheets in the background rustle and a moan of acknowledgement, "Which one is this?" he asked in confusion. It was clear that they had roused the shinigami from his sleep. "Timber, we discovered something rather unusual, Claude's IP address just showed up in two places at once," he replied. There was a paus,e and he heard the shinigami say something to his partner in the background. "Will wake up, something hinky is going on," he said. Timber could hear the bed groan as the other shinigami woke, "I'm putting you on speaker," said Ronald quickly. He nodded and waited, "Okay, so his IP showed up in two places? He's online now, he has some serious cans on his head," he commented. Timber smiled, those were something Canterbury must have brought to drown out noise. "There is a second signal coming from London, Artistry to be more precise," he stated. He could hear the shock in the background and the sound of a chair rolling across the floor. "Okay give me a sec I'll jump into the CCTV feed," said Ronald. He could hear the symphony of computer keys clicking as the shinigami worked. "I'm in, I'll look floor by floor to help you," he said swiftly Timber looked at the other two, knowing they had heard the conversation, "Thank you," he said quickly before hanging up.

The three finally made it to London when Ronald called again, "The floors are clean except one, and that's the design department, according to the computer all the employees have punched out, however CCTV shows that there is still someone in the building," he stated. Timber had switched the phone to speaker so the others could hear. The three nodded, "So the Perp. is on the 32 floor," Canterbury replied. Timber nodded and looked at his brother, "Yup second from the top." Thompson put his hands on his hips as he whistled, "That's a long way down."

I wanted to thank all of my readers for hanging in there with me. I know this is a VERY long fan fiction. No I am not discontinuing it, I just wanted to say thank you.