Chapter Nine

Butler, Training. Bride, Exposed

Staring into the empty prison cell, Marianne wasn't sure what to make of the situation. It seemed they still had a killer to deal with, especially when their prime suspect had disappeared and left only a hole in a solid brick wall and a large pool of blood on the floor.

"He's gone…" Bard whispered. "Bloody Hell…"

The girl could only nod her head in agreement.

It wasn't long before Ciel and Sebastian joined the others in the basement. The demon saw Marianne, immediately noticing she was without her bindings, and stood as a barricade between her and the others. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye and folded her arms over her breasts more tightly. Angela then came up behind them.

"Where is Lord Barrymore?" she asked.

Marianne glared at her.

If we knew the answer to that, we wouldn't be in this predicament!

Sebastian couldn't resist smirking at her thoughts.


Just then, they heard someone banging at the front door. The occupants of the house made their way up to the main hall and welcomed their late night visitor as he burst through the door, drenched from the rain and bundled up in warm clothes. On his knees he spoke.

"The Demon Hound… The Demon Hound is here."

They all gasped at those words.


At the dog fighting arena, a long howl echoed through the town's gravestones and mingled with the villagers' chanting.

"The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad. He'll eat your flesh down to the bone, down to the bone. He'll gobble you up until you're gone, until you're gone. Lull-a-by sunset, lull-a-by goodnight."

When the household arrived, properly attired, and in Marianne's case bound, Bard was unimpressed with their behaviour.

"Snap out of it! All of you! What are you doing?"

Lightning flashed over their heads and cast an eerie glow over Barrymore's cooling corpse. This was followed by the screams of the servants.

Ciel, Sebastian and Marianne looked at one another before the demon stepped forward and took a closer look at the body. He examined the man's right arm, noticed how the hand had been bitten off and left a bloody stump behind. Around them, the villagers were pleading for the Demon Hound's forgiveness. Marianne saw Angela faint beside her and was forced to catch her; she was surprisingly heavy for such a slight woman.

"Why do you have to faint now, damned woman?!" she snapped. She looked at Finny and gave him an order. "Hold her."

Passing the maid off to the gardener, Marianne returned to Ciel's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.


When they returned to the house, Ciel, Marianne and Sebastian were gathered in the drawing room along with the others. The girl had happily left Bard, MeyRin, Finny and Tanaka to tend to Angela for the night, and was far too energised to consider going back to bed again, so she stood beside Sebastian with her arms folded over her chest. She still hadn't had enough time to get her bindings on.

"Well this is unfortunate, Master." Sebastian smirked. "To think, all this happening after the case was closed. I'm sure you're a bit… annoyed."

His sarcasm was doing nothing to help the dark mood that consumed the room. Ciel closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Are you really quite finished?" the boy snapped.

Marianne sighed and combed her fingers through the ends of her hair. Ciel's temper going off wouldn't help matters, and she wasn't in the mood for dealing with it at this time of night.

"That really isn't helping things, Sebastian. There's clearly more to this than we first thought," she said. "And Master, it would be best for you to calm down. Losing your temper won't get this sorted out."

Sebastian, having silently agreed with her, turned his attention to the servant trio.

"Where is Angela?" he asked.

"We left her resting up in her bed for now." MeyRin answered. "She seems tired, yes she does."

"Too pitiful to watch, poor bird." Bard agreed.

Finny was downcast, and remained silent. Ciel took a breath and spoke.

"This village isolated itself completely from the rest of society out of fear of the Demon Hound's Curse." His mind drifted to all of Barrymore's schemes as he continued. "I thought for certain the Demon Hound was an illusion created by Lord Barrymore so he could more firmly rule the village. But with him dead… I need to rethink things."

The cook nodded his head.

"He was covered in bite wounds. Maybe the villagers are right… Maybe it really was the Demon Hound."

"Maybe he's upset at being blamed for all of Lord Henry's misdeeds?" MeyRin added helpfully.

Sebastian agreed after a moment, then turned to Ciel.

"For now there's one thing we know, it wasn't human."

Marianne shook her head.

"Are we really going to agree it was the Hound then?" she asked with uncertainty.


Upstairs in Ciel's room, Sebastian was dressing Ciel in his nightshirt while Marianne readied the bed. Ciel stared down at the demon kneeling before him, his contracted eye glowing gently against the flickering candlelight. Sebastian caught onto the curious expression on the boy's face.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's about what you said earlier," answered Ciel. "How you phrased it. What you said was, it wasn't human work. What if that bloody Reaper has gotten himself involved in this?"

The memory of Grell made Marianne wrinkle her nose in disdain.

"I hope not. I've had enough of his company for a while." She didn't say that she wanted him as far away from Sebastian as possible. "This also doesn't seem… flashy enough for him. Not enough red."

Sebastian smirked at the two of them.

"You're both learning faster every day. I'm so very proud of you, Sir. My dear." He got to his feet and walked over to the open wardrobe to put Ciel's day clothes away. "There is no need to worry. I believe MeyRin's thought was not wholly incorrect. The Hound was after Lord Henry. I don't believe anyone else is in danger of becoming its victim."

Ciel scowled.

"That's not enough information for me to close the case."

"Ah, such loyalty to your Queen. Quite touching really." Sebastian smiled.

"That's not it. At least, that's not all of it." A smirk spread across the boy's face. "You're usually so steady, but this case seems to have you rattled. I'm interested about this issue you have with dogs."

Marianne nodded her head.

"I noticed you're a bit more agitated than normal, especially when you were attending my wrists earlier. There's something here that's got you more… protective than usual."

The demon's smirk only grew wider.

"As I said, you are both learning faster every day."


By the light of his candle, Finny wandered the corridors, his thoughts upon the silver-haired maid.

"Poor, sweet Angela… I hope she's alright."

A strange sound erupted from further down the corridor, followed by a low growl. The gardener shuddered in fear and called out into the darkness.

"Who's there?"

Just then, MeyRin came running down the corridor and leapt into Finny's arms, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"What are you doing?!" Finny cried.

"Finny, did you hear that spooky noise?" MeyRin asked.

"Yeah… What was it?"

"Maybe it's the late Lord Barrymore! What if he's back for revenge?"

They screamed together, until Finny realised they may have been screaming for completely different reasons.


"What's with all the noise?!" Marianne yelled.

She had come down the corridor with a candle in hand, wig slightly askew, and her longest nightshirt consuming her body. Her binding wasn't tied as tightly as usual, so she had thrown on a tailcoat. It was longer than usual so she guessed she picked up on of Sebastian's spare ones by mistake.

"WAAAAAHH!"

Finny and MeyRin screamed at her sudden arrival.

"Edward, you scared us!" the boy chastised.

Marianne arched her brow.

"I was getting ready for bed when I heard you screaming. I do actually want to sleep tonight."

It seemed the environment was taking its toll on Marianne's usually good mood. Finny then realised they had gone off topic.

"MeyRin, why were you screaming earlier?" he asked.

"Oh I simply adore a good scary story! Yes I do! I'm so excited, I'm shivering!" MeyRin squealed.

Marianne sighed heavily while the poor boy was in shock as the maid latched onto his arm with a smile.

"Come on! Let's go investigate!"

"But why?"

MeyRin then reached out and grabbed hold of Marianne's arm.

"Why the Hell are you dragging me into this?! I want to go to bed!" Marianne snapped.


It was with great reluctance that Marianne allowed herself to be led down the corridor by the light of Finny's candle.

"It's all so horribly frightening!" MeyRin sighed.

"That's not a good thing, you know…" mumbled Marianne.

They turned a corner and found a door ajar, with candlelight streaming out of the crack. Slowly and silently the three of them peered into the room, and were shocked at what they saw.

Angela was smiling in bed while a silver-haired man loomed over her, licking and nuzzling her exposed throat. MeyRin suffered one of her extreme nosebleeds, while Marianne wrinkled her nose and wordlessly handed the maid a handkerchief from her coat pocket.

"This is scandalous, yes it is!" MeyRin whispered. "She must be a very hard woman to behave like this. There she is only hours after her master died a horrible death. Maybe that's what made her so passionate…"

Marianne glanced at Finny who was shuddering away from the door. She had guessed he had developed a crush on Barrymore's maid, so obviously he would be hurting to see the lady in such a wanton state.

"Finny…"

He ran away with tears in his eyes, barely holding in his sobs as he disappeared around the corner.

"He's done it now…" MeyRin sighed.

Marianne shook her head.

"I'll keep an eye out for him, to make sure he gets back safe. You go to bed."

The maid nodded her head and headed back to her room, leaving the girl to walk off to find a window to watch out for Finny's return.


"Are you well, Marianne?" Sebastian asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

Marianne barely managed to hold back a screech.

"I told you to stop doing that! You're going to make my heart stop at this rate."

The demon smirked.

"I apologise. But I highly doubt your death could be so easily afflicted."

Not that he would let her die from anything under his watch.

"Why are you up and about? I expected you to be in bed by now," he continued.

She sighed heavily.

"I heard screaming and came to see what the fuss was about, only to get dragged along in search of ghosts. Only thing we ended up finding was accidentally catching a glimpse of what can only be described as Angela accepting the intimate comfort of a strange man. I'm just glad she still had her clothes on. I don't need that sort of sight in my head…" she explained. "Now Finny's run off into the forest, and I don't know when he's going to come back. I'm keeping an eye out for his return."

Sebastian smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Then I shall endeavour to keep you company while you wait."

There was a lull in the conversation before he couldn't resist teasing her.

"Did you like what you saw?"

"Sebastian, you pervert!"

His laughter rang through the shadows.


By the next morning, the servants came into the kitchen for breakfast. Bard and MeyRin were well-rested and cheerful, while Finny was despondent and had dark circles under his eyes. Angela came in with a tea tray in hand.

"Ah, good morning!" she greeted.

Finny jolted upright and rubbed the dark circles away.

"Angela, should you be out of bed?" Bard asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, placing the tray down. "Sorry for all the trouble. My master would be most disappointed in my weak behaviour in front of guests. He always insisted on courtesy first."

She then caught sight of the exhausted Finny.

"Oh, are you alright? You look so pale."

As she reached out to touch him, Finny backed away.

"I'm sick!" he explained quickly. "Just a touch of the cold, that's all! But you shouldn't get too close, or you might catch it!"

He apologised and ran out the room before she could answer. Everyone in the room stared after him.

"For a sick bloke, he can sure run quickly, don't you think?" commented Bard.


Finny was outside, in the destruction of the forest he had created when he had run out of the house during the night. He gazed down at the dirt floor with tears in his eyes.

"Oh my Angela…" he sighed.

Just then his name was called.

"Finny!"

The gardener looked over his shoulder and saw MeyRin running towards him.


Meanwhile, in the dining room, Sebastian and Marianne were serving Ciel.

"For today's tea, we have a Cabinet Pudding. It was made using local blackberries." Sebastian explained.

Ciel glanced at the two butlers out of the corner of his eye.

"You're certainly relaxed," he commented. He then caught sight of the dark circles under Marianne's eyes. "And you look terrible. Did you sleep at all?"

The girl grumbled.

"It wasn't for lack of trying, I assure you."

Because Sebastian wanted to take attention away from his tired mate, he drew the conversation back to him.

"I'm relaxed because we are in no hurry, Sir."


Their quiet day was interrupted by MeyRin and Finny bursting through the door.

"Sebastian, hurry!" she cried.

The demon sighed.

"What is it this time? Do calm down please."

"We've looked all over, but we can't find Angela!" Finny explained.

Bard, who had been in the dining room the entire time, spoke up.

"Oh, is that all? Don't worry about it. She said there were some medicinal herbs growing down by the fens. She went there to go pick some up, that's all."

Finny's brow furrowed.

"Right now? Why would she?"

"She's all alone while there might be a Demon Hound out there?!" MeyRin snapped.

Bard then realised his mistake, remembering there was someone or something out there killing people without remorse.

"Oh no…"

"What could she have been thinking, going out there all by herself?" Finny asked.

"She said she was worried," replied Bard. "You know, about you being sick and all."

"For me? She went for me?"

He ran out into the wilderness without another word.

Bard was quick to spring into action.

"Come on, Sebastian! Let's go help him!"

He rushed past the demon, who didn't even flinch.

"Oh… Well…"

Sebastian wasn't sure if he should. He didn't particularly want to either.

"Hurry!" Bard shouted. "Are you a red-blooded man, or aren't you?!"

He then turned his steely gaze onto Marianne.

"And what about you, Edward? Are you going to stand there, or are you going to be a man and help the search?"

Marianne arched a brow at his words. The cook was disappointed with her lack of response.

"Fine then. Come on, MeyRin."

"Sir, yes sir!" she saluted.

"Are you with us, Tanaka?"

They were all surprised to see him all dressed up in an explorer's attire with a shotgun in hand.

"That's the spirit! Okay, let's move out, men!" Bard ordered.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Ho, ho, ho!"

The three of them left the house not long after that.


Marianne shook her head as she stared after them.

"But I'm not even a man…" she sighed in exasperation.

Ciel wiped his mouth with the napkin and smirked, casting his eye up to Sebastian.

"You know, I'm quite interested… What colour is your blood?" he asked.

That is actually a good question. Marianne thought to herself.

Sebastian merely looked at his master.

"At any rate," the boy continued. "It looks as if we do need to hurry now."

The demon sighed, and watched Ciel sip his tea.

"Go out there and put on a good show for me. Am I clear?" Ciel ordered.

"Perfectly, my Lord," said Sebastian.

As he walked towards the door, he whispered into Marianne's ear.

"My blood is red, by the way."

Pressing a finger to his lips, he made her keep another secret between them.


The girl wasn't entirely sure how the servants had come back without her noticing, but she was ultimately dragged along with the rest of their search party, despite her protests at needing to remain with Ciel and Sebastian. And so, this was how she ended up trudging through the mud and leaves of the forest, surrounded by thick fog and the stench of death lingering at the back of her nose. She pursed her lips, remaining resolutely silent as her companions called out Angela's name over and over again. At least they gave her some time to pick up her coat, gloves and hat; she would have been shivering without them. Marianne walked alongside Tanaka, shotgun slung over his shoulder.

"Can you hear us?" Finny shouted. "Oh Angela, please answer us!"

MeyRin let out a scream, which sent them all running towards her.

"What's wrong?" Bard asked.

The maid merely pointed out into the distance, and staring back at them were various shrivelled up corpses, half buried in the dirt, arms and legs sticking out like twisted branches.

"I don't think I can handle any more surprises…" she whimpered.

Marianne, with eyes that seemed to be improving by the day, (whatever Sebastian used to save her was truly a marvel), spotted a hand that was clearly still fresh. The silver of the ring on its middle finger showed the ornate 'B' in the centre.

"I think we've found where Barrymore's hand ended up."


All of a sudden, there was a long, loud howl. They all quickly ducked behind a large boulder when they heard footsteps approaching.

Out of the mist stepped a man. The nails on his hands and feet were black and clawed. His hair was long and silver, and his eyes glowed red like freshly spilled blood. He was also completely naked.

"Who is he?" asked MeyRin as she peeked her head out from behind the boulder.

Bard and Finny followed suit, but Marianne refused to look. She didn't want to see a naked man… at least one that wasn't Sebastian…

Where had that thought come from?! She hung her head in annoyance. It seemed Sebastian's blatant teasing had rubbed off on her.

The naked man leaned forward and sniffed Barrymore's severed hand. He picked it up and moved it into a different position in the dirt mound.

"A trophy…" Bard muttered. "So it really wasn't the Demon Hound who killed Lord Henry. It was a human being after all…"

MeyRin stared at the naked man unabashedly. A drop of blood slid out of her nose. She cupped her face to stem the red flow.

"Quite a specimen of humanity, yes he is," she complimented.

Marianne shook her head and glanced at the pale man's body before turning away. There was something about him that didn't seem entirely right to her…

"I'm not sure he is actually human…" she whispered.

The servants ignored her words.

"Why though?" Bard asked. "Did he have some sort of grudge against Lord Henry?"

MeyRin thought about an answer, then remembered what she had seen.

"I wonder… Could Angela have asked him to do it?"

"What? Why would Angela do that?"

Finny immediately jolted to his feet at the accusation.

"Yeah, he's right!" he snapped.

"Easy, boy…" Bard attempted to placate.

"Angela has nothing to do with this! Don't just go round accusing people!"

The three of them had to hush Finny because he was talking so loudly. The poor boy realised his mistake and clapped his hands over his mouth.

The naked man's eyes swiftly turned in their general direction. His nose sniffed the air and a long tongue slid out of his mouth and licked his lips and over the sharp tooth hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

Finny stared at him, recognising the mouth as the same one that had been seducing Angela only the night before…


The earth then began to rumble. Marianne stared at the approaching mob that seemed to be running in their swimsuits.

"What the Hell…?"

Bard was of a similar sentiment.

"What are you doing? Why are you dressed like that?" he asked.

"We're all going to bathe in the waterfall to ease the wrath of the Demon Hound," one of the villagers explained.

The little old woman who had first spoke to them from the village then spoke up.

"He's back! His terrible voice echoed throughout the village all of last night!"

"He yelled for hours and hours! The Demon's anger is still among us!" explained another villager.

Marianne had a pretty good idea what the man was going on about. Out of her peripheral vision, she stared at Finny and his wide green eyes. She shook her head.

These people are too gullible for their own good… Or they're idiots…


Finny stared back at the site behind him, and saw the man was nowhere in sight. He took off running.

"Oi, Finny! Come back!" shouted Bard.

He and the rest of the party went running after the youngest of their group.


It wasn't long before the Phantomhive servants found themselves at a set of old ruins. A loud howl echoed in the distance. Marianne stepped forward slowly, her eyes trying their best to see through the dense fog that surrounded them. She gasped when the outline of an enormous creature could be seen. Wolf-like in stature, and towering over them all, its large mouth filled with teeth as sharp as knives opened and fire fizzled on its tongue.

"Oh no… It is real…" Bard whispered.

Its fur like molten silver and eyes the colour of burning blood, the Demon Hound emerged from the mist. Letting out a deafening roar, it began to bound towards them. It leapt at them. Finny's eyes caught sight of the white fabric snagged on its black claws.

"That's Angela's…!"

In a fit of rage, he ran towards the impending beast.

"What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" Bard shouted.

Finny latched himself onto one of the creature's front legs and was swung around like a rag. Bard took Tanaka's shotgun and took aim.

"Right. Time to show you what I can do."

When he pulled the trigger, an explosion erupted from the barrel.

Coloured confetti and streamers poured out of the end. Marianne rubbed her forefinger and thumb against the furrow of her brow.

"Of course you would bring a toy gun to something like this, Tanaka…" she sighed.


Slowly, she pulled her dagger out of her coat pocket.

"I must be absolutely mad to try something like this…"

On silent feet, the girl found herself stepping closer to the creature.


The Demon Hound tossed Finny to the ground. The boy landed with a violent thump and pulled himself into a sitting position. As the beast stood on its hind legs and prepared to slam its upraised paws down on the gardener, Marianne shouted out.

"Hey! Over here!"

It turned its red eyes towards her, sniffed the air slightly, and swung its body round towards her. As it took a swing at her, she managed to duck out the way and graze its leg with the tip of her dagger. It yowled painfully as crimson blood trickled from the small wound. With a snarl it took another swing. Marianne scrambled out of the way of the oncoming blow, but in the process lost her dagger.

"Dammit!" she hissed.

But that wasn't the only problem. She had also managed to back herself into a corner, and unable to escape the third strike coming towards her. Without any other possibility, she closed her eyes.


When the blow never came, Marianne opened her eyes and gasped at the sight before her. Sebastian stood in front of her, his body positioned just so in front of her like a shield, and in his hand rested the paw of the Demon Hound.

"Look at that," said the demon. "So well trained. You even know how to shake hands."

The girl sighed in relief and slumped against the stone.

"Sebastian, your timing… is amazing."

Sebastian nodded his head towards her then turned back to the Demon Hound and smirked.

"But I'm afraid… well trained or not… you'll have to go now."

With a swoop of his hand, he pushed the beast away and sent it flying.


Ciel, who had joined the group not long after Sebastian's timely entrance, spoke.

"Come. This is no time to be playing with a puppy."

The servants stared at the young lord.

"Master!"

Sebastian smirked.

"Certainly. I shall finish it off at once."

He assisted Marianne to her feet and allowed her enough time to retrieve her dagger before she moved out of the way of what she knew would become the battleground.


The Demon Hound rose from the ground, glared towards the group and sniffed the air. Some of its bravado faded when he caught the scent of something… delectable. Noticing this, Sebastian smirked devilishly.

"Smells irresistible doesn't it, dog?" he said. He produced a box from his tailcoat. "This is what you want, right? Innuko, the treat no dog can refuse."

There was silence for a moment before they comprehended what he said.

"Dog treats?!"

Marianne shrugged helplessly.

"Even Demon Hounds must want treats, I guess?"

The creature clearly agreed because it was drooling. Immediately it leapt for Sebastian.

"Look out, Sebastian!" MeyRin cried.

Sebastian did nothing, merely smiled.

"There is only one way to properly train a bad dog. You must teach the creature to obey your every command."

His eyes snapped open, irises burning fuchsia and pupils striking slits.

"Using rewards, and punishments!"

"Firstly, reward!"

Sebastian leapt up and landed on the Hound's muzzle. Marianne was a little shocked when he began to nibble its nose. Although the beast was enjoying it if the blissful eyes were anything to go by. When it landed on the ground, its pleasure was audible by the grunts and groans escaping its maw. The girl made her way over to Ciel as the others watched the display in confusion.

"What's he doing?" Bard asked.

"I guess this is… training?" MeyRin responded, although it sounded more like a question.

The demon then jumped off the Demon Hound and into the air.

"And now… punish!"

He kicked it in the jaw and sent it crashing to the floor.

This routine went on. Sebastian showed the Hound the Innuko dog treats.

"Reward."

He punched it in the teeth.

"Punish!"

The demon rubbed the furry white belly of the beast.

"Reward."

Sebastian slammed his feet into its gut.

"Punish!"

Then he decided to double it by grabbing onto its tail and spinning it until letting it go and sending it crashing into the ruin wall.

"Punish!"


Ciel sighed.

"Well, I suppose I did ask him to put on a good show."

Marianne arched her brow.

"I can't believe you're thinking about that right now. I'm more interested in how he doubled up that punishment. I think he's enjoying the punishments too much… He's an excellent shot though…"


Sebastian finished up his 'performance' with one final thing.

"And finally… a hug!"

He wrapped his arms around the Demon Hound and sent them high up into the air. When the demon tossed the beast down, it landed deep in the earth, creating an enormous dust cloud.


Once the dust cloud cleared, Sebastian was nowhere in sight. There was however a large hole in the ground, within the centre of what looked to be a dried up swimming pool.

"Sebastian!" Finny cried, running straight for the hole.

MeyRin and Bard went after him and joined him when he looked down into the abyss.

"Err… hello?" the cook called.

"I don't see him down there!" cried the maid.

Ciel and Marianne went over to the edge and looked down. The boy put his hands on his hips and yelled out to his butler.

"Quit dawdling down in that hole! Get back here right now!"

Marianne tapped him firmly on the shoulder and coughed meaningfully. He glared at her with a petulant pout but said nothing. They looked down into the pit again when they heard a voice call out from below.

"Yes Sir."

The ground began to rumble. Steam poured out of the hole. Everyone on the surface hurriedly backed away when the geyser came rushing out of the abyss.

"Ow! Ow! Hot!" Bard complained. "What is this, a hot spring?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Tanaka chortled.

There was still no sign of the demon though.

"Where's Sebastian?" asked Finny.

A voice then spoke from through the steam.

"This village is intended to be a resort for the Queen. It needs a central attraction."

As it cleared, they could see Sebastian and his devilish smirk.

"A luxury. A way for visitors to relax and forget their cares. That's what we have here."

The demon stood on top of the gushing water, with the man from before in his arms.

"A natural hot spring."

The servant trio gasped.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Sebastian jumped down from the top of the geyser and landed on his feet in front of them. The man in his arms was still naked.

"If I couldn't find a hot spring or two for my Master, well what kind of butler would I be? The idea is simply unthinkable," the demon explained with a smirk.


The silver-haired man leaned up and licked Sebastian's cheek. MeyRin's nose immediately began to spew blood.

"Oh… I don't know how much more of this I can take!" she squealed.

Marianne quickly turned away and covered her eyes.

"Bloody Jesus!" she snapped. "Could someone at least get him a pair of trousers?!"


Just then, Angela appeared out of nowhere.

"Pluto!" she cried out.

Hearing her voice, the man, now known as Pluto, jumped out of Sebastian's arms and ran on all fours towards her. He hugged her and licked her face like the dog he seemed to turn into.

"Good boy, my good boy." Angela cooed.


As the sun set for the day and the geyser had filled the pool to the brim with water, the group found themselves gathered around Angela as she knelt on the ground with Pluto's sleeping head in her lap.

"I'm sorry for the confusion. This is Pluto. I found him last month. I've always been a big dog lover, and he was so adorable I absolutely had to take him in," she explained.

Marianne, who still had her hands covering her eyes, shook her head in astonishment.

She considers a Demon Hound who shapeshifts into a man adorable… In the month she had him, couldn't she at least have taught him the concept of clothes?

"He does have a bad habit of turning human when he gets excited." Angela explained bashfully.

"A habit?! You call that a habit?!" Bard exclaimed.

Sebastian, who really wanted to take his mate inside and make sure she was well, decided to step in.

"So you sheltered and fed him for a month without telling anybody else."

Angela nodded her head.

"That's right. Lord Barrymore used the legend of the Demon Hound to control the villagers, but in truth, he feared the Hound more than anyone else. I didn't know what would happen to Pluto if he found out… I see now I was too indulgent. I never thought the sweet boy would hurt Barrymore."

Pluto nuzzled closer to her abdomen and grunted in his sleep. The maid then gave her plea.

"Please Sir! Please take him with you! I know it's an imposition, but would you bring him with you to live at the Phantomhive manor?"

The demon was shocked by her request, and Marianne was jolted from her attempt at modesty to stare at the woman in disbelief, (although she did raise a hand to block Pluto from her immediate sight).

"You want us to keep that monster?!" Bard snapped.

"He needs a firm hand," explained Angela. "I think if Sebastian were there to train him, he would become a good dog."

Sebastian was by no means pleased.

"No thank you. I'm a butler, not one hell of a dog trainer."

Marianne agreed wholeheartedly, despite remaining silent. Ciel, on the other hand, was of another mind.

"Why not?" he asked.

The demon glared at him.

"Master? Is this an order?"

"It is. I think I'll find it amusing… in several ways." Ciel smirked.

Marianne glowered at the young master and leant down to whisper in his ear.

"You just want to annoy Sebastian, don't you?"

He didn't deny it.


Sebastian sighed heavily, knowing full well he had no other choice if his master ordered it. At least he had Marianne on his side concerning the dog. He hadn't been particularly pleased when Pluto had sniffed at her earlier. If the demon hadn't been there to stop him, Pluto would have happily pinned her down and licked at her face in the most vulgar fashion. No one was permitted to touch his dear mate, especially such a disgusting mongrel.


The sound of rumbling footsteps approaching came from behind.

"The Curse of the great Demon Hound has lifted!" the villagers cried.

They knelt before the party with tears in their eyes.

"Thank goodness! We're finally free!"

"What's all this about?" Ciel asked, arching a brow.

Angela smiled prettily.

"My Lord, there is a legend in this village that when the sins of our ancestors against dogs are wholly atoned for, the land will reap tears of forgiveness."

Marianne snorted.

Forgiveness… There are times when forgiveness is necessary, but when it comes to those closest to you… You should never forgive them when they commit acts against you.

Sebastian sighed.

"Don't they realise that the hot spring has been there under the ground all along?"

"Likely not." Ciel answered. "At any rate, our work here is done."

"I seem to recall that you needed to eat your words earlier." Sebastian mocked. "Would you like to say it again now that it's true?"

The boy wasn't happy with this comeback.

"Why don't you do it?"

Sebastian was more than happy to fulfil his order, so with a flourish, he spoke.

"This case is now officially closed."


The following day, the Phantomhive party decided to put the hot spring to good use, despite the surrounding area being in the midst of construction. Ciel was reclined in the steaming water, his eye patch removed and his eyes closed.

"Excellent…" he sighed. "This is just perfect."

Sebastian knelt by his side on the edge of the water, a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Allow me, Sir. A traditional hot spring service."

He lowered the tray down onto the water and pushed it out like a boat to the young master.

"You see, this is how the Japanese enjoy hot springs."

Marianne joined him from behind, her tailcoat gone and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A towel was hung over her arm.

"Certainly a good way to enjoy tea without having to get out," she smiled.

Sebastian saw how heavily she was sweating, her bindings and wig were making her into a furnace. Hopefully she would take the opportunity to take a dip that night once everyone had returned to the house. Ciel took the cup of tea from the tray and slowly drank it.

"It is a nice addition."


Around the village, things had improved greatly, like the cloud of fear had been lifted from their hearts.


"That gloomy village has undergone quite the transformation. I imagine it will be enough to dispel the Queen's worries." Ciel added.

Sebastian glanced out over the expanse of the hot spring.

"Something tells me that my worries are only just beginning."

He watched as Pluto doggie-paddled through the water. Marianne only nodded her head sympathetically and touched her fingers to the back of his gloved hand.


Sneaking out in the darkness was not an activity Marianne found pleasurable, but when it was necessary, whether it was in the matter of survival in the night streets of London, or to get to a hot spring without her gender being exposed, she was always willing to go through with it. She had a couple of towels clutched in her arms as she walked, holding them close to her bound breasts; a candlestick was held in her hand. The construction area was deserted for the night, so when she crept inside the hot spring, Marianne placed the candlestick down on the side and slowly began to undress.

First went her tailcoat and her shoes and socks, then her shirt and trousers. Soon the girl stood in nothing but her bindings, her knickers, and her wig. Looking around as thoroughly as she could, Marianne removed her wig and shook her sweaty brown hair out until it hung once more around her shoulders. She twisted it up into a loose bun and got to work removing the rest of her undergarments. Once she was finally stripped down to her bare skin, she stepped into the water and allowed herself to sink down until her breasts were just covered by the heated liquid.

Marianne let her fingers dance over the surface of the water. Her thoughts drifted to everything that had happened over the course of their visit. She was glad it was over and she could just forget about it all… Well, nearly all of it. Despite her modesty, she had enjoyed sharing a room with Sebastian, although why he never slept did concern her.


"Don't you ever sleep?" Marianne asked as she rolled over in her bed.

In the darkness of their room, she heard Sebastian chuckle from his own bed.

"I sleep only as a luxury. I have no need for it like you humans," he told her. "You should sleep though, Marianne. You're exhausted, and I would hate for you to be tired in the morning."

She giggled under her breath and closed her eyes. Her words came out as a whisper as she spoke.

"Goodnight Sebastian."


"I see you are enjoying yourself. I am glad you took my advice and decided to enjoy yourself."

Marianne jerked out of her reverie when she heard Sebastian's voice from behind her. She whipped her head around, her arms immediately crossed over her abundant bust, and saw the demon smirking at her and his eyes glowing fuchsia. Futilely, she splashed at him.

"Perverted demon!"

He chuckled and knelt down by her shoulder.

"Must you continue saying such things? We have known each other long enough for you to be comfortable exposing yourself to me. I have on more than one occasion assisted you with your clothing, and tended to your injuries, so I am very familiar with your body," he explained. "So there is no need to hide yourself from me."

Marianne looked at him over her shoulder, leant back slowly and realised her head was resting against his calf. Her pretty blue eyes sparkled and her lip caught itself between her teeth… They were so close… There was something in the air that made this moment far more intimate than usual, and it wasn't the fact she had no clothes on…

Sebastian found himself unable to resist her. Her reddened lips were begging to be touched, her eyes pleaded for him to steal a kiss from her rosebud mouth. His gloved hand reached down towards her chin and tilted her head up. Marianne's cheeks turned as pink as his eyes, and her eyes fluttered closer as his long black fringe tickled her flushed face…

She could barely think.

Oh my… Is he… going to kiss me…?

Marianne found she wanted him to. She wouldn't stop him if he did…

So close… He was so close… Sebastian felt her blood rising and her unsung passion about to meet his. Why had he waited so long for this…?


"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

They came out of their moment violently by the screaming that assaulted their ears. The couple looked over to the source and found themselves looking back at Bard, MeyRin, Finny and Tanaka, (although the old man wasn't screaming). It wasn't long before Marianne realised they had a view of her breasts. She screamed helplessly and shuddered, her thoughts flying to more painful memories…

"No! Let me go! I refuse to allow this!"

Her screams went unheeded by the people holding her down and her legs apart…

Sebastian, seeing her thoughts, immediately whipped off his tailcoat and bundled it around her to cover her modesty.

"MeyRin, pick up her belongings, and all of you, return to the manor. You are to go to your beds and not mention a word of this to anyone. This matter shall be discussed with the Master once we return to the Phantomhive Manor. Should I find that any of you has disobeyed my orders, you will find yourselves in very, very, deep trouble, and I shall retain hold of my wrath. Are we clear?" he ordered, allowing his demonic aura to bleed into his words while he sent soothing feelings through his mate's trembling body.

All the servants saluted fearfully.

"Yes, Sir."

All of them were silent on the trip back to the house. They entered through the back door so they wouldn't be seen by Angela. Marianne whimpered at the very thought of being spotted by her…


Come morning and the Phantomhive party were ready to return home. All the luggage was packed into the two carriages. Sebastian had assisted Marianne in recovering from her ordeal, and she had gained back most of her spirit, but she still felt generally awkward talking with the others. In fact, she barely left Sebastian's side, not that he minded of course. From where she stood beside him, she watched as Angela placed a collar around Pluto's neck, who was still in his human form.

"Nice and snug. Don't ever forget me, dear Pluto." Angela smiled.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"And put some bloody clothes on! Alright?" Bard bellowed. "Don't let it all hang out there! Come on!"

And yes, Pluto was still naked. Poor MeyRin was suffered another one of her nosebleeds at the sight. Finny was standoffish at Angela's side.

"Well, goodbye. It was fun, Angela," he said.

The maid smiled at him.

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure we'll meet again someday. My sweet boy."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Sebastian, who rather wanted to take everyone away from the horrid place.

"If you're finished," he said. "Shall we go?"

"Certainly." Angela smiled. "Maybe someday I'll visit Pluto at the estate."

The demon arched his brow.

"I don't know if that will be a good idea."

"What?"

"You were able to tame a Demon Hound. That's a task not many people could do. You seem to have a talent for wrapping lesser beings around your finger."

Sebastian's hand went down to rest again the mark on Marianne's back. He and Angela stared at one another, as though trying to determine what the other was thinking. Marianne was also glaring at the maid.

Ciel broke their staring match as he spoke.

"Sebastian, Edward, let's go."

Sebastian bowed slightly in farewell and Marianne bobbed her head. They then got into the carriage and drove away.


Angela waved at them, her eyes cold and calculating as they watched the travellers depart. Finny waved at her enthusiastically.

"Goodbye! I hope to see you again!"

The amethyst orbs rested on the figure of Marianne as she sat at Ciel's side and watched Sebastian in front of her.

"One day, you shall."


And now our dear Marianne has been exposed, quite literally it would seem. You can hear her tell the story to the other servants in the next chapter. Sorry for teasing all of you with her and Sebastian's almost kiss. I promise that will come later. I won't say when though.

Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Please read and review!