Chapter 5

Yet another chapter for all of my readers~ I would just like to say that even though I haven't gotten as many reviews as I thought I would, the ones I have gotten have more than made up for it. I really appreciate your feedback and your continued support.

Disclaimer still applies.

Chao,

Majix

Sebastian threw open the curtains and the young Earl instantly groaned and pulled his covers up over his head.

"Come now, Master, we have a long day ahead of us, and your breakfast is waiting."

Ciel hid under his blankets for a few more seconds before he began to curiously wonder what Sebastian had made for him. He tossed the blankets off his body and sat up, stretching silently as the butler poured his morning tea through the thin filter, "You will be happy to know, my young Lord, that Lady Elizabeth left early this morning accompanied by your grandmother. She sends you her deepest thanks for keeping Elizabeth safe and entertained."

"I'm sorry that I missed her departure." His tone dripped with sarcasm and the butler snickered silently.

Ciel rubbed his eyes and sat on the edge of the large bed, barely paying attention to Sebastian as he relayed his breakfast menu perfectly.

The boy was chuckling at his own impression of the butler, as an annoying sparkle caught his eye. What the devil? Ciel picked up the object on his bedside table and as the beautiful blue diamond glittered in the sunlight, his mouth went dry. It was just as it had been.

A sad glimmer met his eye as he realized that Sebastian had remade him one, until further investigation made his heart beat wildly. The once perfect stone was chipped, right where it would have hit the floor and broke. The boy examined the band with both fingers and his eyes widened in shock as they felt the faintest of ripples in the metal.

He jerked his attention to the butler with his lips parted in unadulterated surprise and amazement. Even for him, it must have taken hours, and there was no doubt as to how tedious the task would have been. He could have made a brand new one, perfect in every way and it would have taken no time at all.. but instead the butler had chose to do it the hard way.

The ravenette had his back to the boy as he recited his schedule, reminding him that they were leaving for the summer home in the city at exactly three-thirty and of all the appointments they had to appear at before then.

"Sebastian."

The demon stopped talking and turned to look at the Ciel, his eyes instantly catching the treasure between his fingers, "Young Master?"

"Why did you do it...?"

Sebastian walked over to the boy and kneeled in front of him, hesitating for a brief moment, "Some memories should never be forgotten."

The butler stood and continued on with his prattling as Ciel sat gaping at him. Nobody in the world, aside from Sebastian, knew what that ring meant to him. The faithful butler was the only living soul that had witnessed his grief and sorrow that day, along with the moment of pure relief and joy when he found the heirloom

The boy stood in shock as he faced the remains of the only place he'd ever known as home. The rain had come along and washed the ash down into the drive, making the path a murky gray. Everything in his life was gone. He had foolishly hoped that perhaps his parents had managed to escape. He had hoped that they would be waiting for him, wracked with grief, but he was wrong. Nothing had survived the hungry inferno.

The demon stood silently behind the trembling boy as he took in the destruction that the fire had done for himself. The manor was in pieces, lone foundation planks remained, withered and snapped by pressure. The contents of the house lay in ruin as the floors had crumbled on top of the lower levels of the house.

Ciel slowly walked towards the wreckage that had once been his family's home, wet ash covering his shoes as he made his way though the maze of destruction. Every step broke his heart just a little bit more as he struggled to recognize bits and pieces of his life before the nightmare began. Everything became a blur as the rain mercilessly poured down on his body.

Hot tears streaked his face as he finally collapsed to his knees in a broken heap. Sebastian was kneeling at his side in an instant, prepared to help him in any way necessary, but the young Phantomhive wouldn't move.

Sebastian watched on as he cried into the earth, his tears mixing with the rain in the swirl of lost memories. As the young Phantomhive looked up, something caught his attention, a dull sparkle and something barely visible beneath the fallen debris and the smothering black aftermath of the fire.

Ciel slowly picked it up and wiped the grime from the unknown object. As his eyes fell onto the his late father's ring, his heart had bloomed with hope.

He turned his face up to the rain and gazed into the barely visible night sky and smiled, "Thank you."

He wasn't as alone as be believed and as he stared into the sky, he was startled when he was no longer being pelted by the icy raindrops. The boy looked behind him and was amazed to find that Sebastian had opened an umbrella and was currently sheltering him from the rain.

Ciel looked up at the elder and carefully stood as the butler offered him a hand up, "Thank you."

His voice was much softer this time but Sebastian heard it none the less and clasped his gloved hand over his heart and bowed his head, "Of course, young Master."

It was the only time Sebastian had ever seen the young Earl acknowledge the gods. It was also the only time Ciel had ever thanked the demon.

Ciel looked down at his thumb as the ring resumed its rightful place and he smiled at Sebastian and his thoughtfulness.

It felt as though a dying rose had finally been given water. It'd been a miracle that he'd found the blue diamond the first time, especially after being gone for so long after the fire, but for it to return to his possession a second time?

He looked to Sebastian as the weight of his butler's actions continued to surprise and amaze him. Perhaps today wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Thank you, Sebastian."

The carriage ride was quiet as both masks settled into place between the two of them. Sebastian was once again the trusted knight, awaiting the King's bidding, and Ciel was the revenge driven soul that the demon wouldn't wait to consume.

The Earl of Phantomhive gazed out the tiny window as the driver made her way through town. The moment the letter with the familiar seal had landed on his desk, he'd known that his presence at the Summer house within the city was no longer optional.

As they arrived, Sebastian flawlessly opened the door for the young Lord, watching silently as the bluenette exited the carriage with his head held high. Ah, the pride of a Noble. Ciel surveyed the vista on the opposite side of the wrought iron gate with little interest as his shadow of a butler closed the carriage door and paid the driver behind him. He definitely preferred his manor.

The butler spoke, as if sensing his thoughts, "At least we left the other three and Tanaka at the house."

"Well there's that." Sebastian smiled to himself as he opened the gate, "I'm sure they will manage just fine." The butler contained a grimace as he thought of all the work he would have to do upon their return, as well as how many replacements he would have to order.

"Of course they'll manage. They'll manage to burn the house down on the first try."

The demon chuckled at the boys quick wit as he trotted up the porch stairs and opened the door for the Earl, "You have high expectations, My Lord."

Ciel looked up indignantly at Sebastian in annoyance at his statement before it dawned on him that he was talking about the servants. He grinned at the return sarcasm but rapidly smothered it as his gaze caught the destroyed interior of his Summer home.

"Good gracious, where does that boy keep his tea? Tsk Tsk Tsk, I thought I taught him better than that."

Not only is it in shambled but it seems that we are not the only ones currently occuping its walls.

"Madame Red, Lau! What are you doing here?!"

The beautiful redhead peered up and flashed her nephew a mischievous smile, the shiny crimson hair framing her face only made her smile seem all the more innocent as she stood, looking to the crouching Asian man beside her. "I didn't think he'd arrive so soon."

Ciel clenched his jaw, "More unexpected visitors."

Sebastian stepped forward and bowed politely, "I admit that we weren't expecting visitors, I apologize for not being prepared upon your arrival." He flashed them a smile before turning his gaze to Ciel, "I shall quickly make tea."

Ciel covertly watched as Sebastian exited the room. Since when did the demon feel the need to address him directly about making tea in the presence of others?

As he looked back up, he was shocked to see that the papers scattering the floor upon their arrival had all been stacked into neat and organized piles, the books that had been turned upside down and dropped carelessly were back on the shelf in alphabetical order and all the knickknacks were back in their proper place. Madame Red and Lau paid the wonder no mind as they sat and idly began chatting amongst themselves.

Ciel pushed the awe from his mind, he shouldn't be surprised. That's what Sebastian was supposed to do. He was Ciel's butler and the Phantomhive demanded nothing short of astounding, however the trick with the files had intrigued him and caught his attention.

The Earl sat down in the large backed chairs and paid little attention to their conversation as he patiently waited to be informed as to why they were there. To be honest, he wished they weren't here at all. It was almost the polar opposite of his "visit" with Lizzy.

While the overly happy blonde was a visual reminder of his childhood and the brief innocent period in his life, Madame Red and Lau were easily the vision of his place in the Underworld. Lau was the manager of the bridge between English and Chinese foreign trading, but the Earl wasn't naive in the least where the man was concerned. He knew that Lau was in control of a number of opium dens scattered all over London. He was directly responsible for the opium that made its way to England from China.

And Madame Red.. well. She wasn't strictly part of the Underground society but she may as well have been. Angelina Durless was involved with more of the great cities gossip than anybody within the Underworld. She was always invited to the parties among the Nobles, but she was also a doctor. Angelina knew the faces of the rich and the poor alike, and in turn, she learned the secrets of the London under belly.

Ciel finally cleared his throat in annoyance and Angelina looked at him with surprise, "Hmm? Oh yes! I heard my dearest nephew was going to be staying in London and couldn't resist paying you a visit!" She offered another smile and though he assumed that had something to do with it, he was almost positive that it wasn't the underlying reason for her appearance.

Lau smirked and cast a look at the Earl, "I've heard that many interesting things occur in your company. I simply had to see for myself." He grinned and looked back to Madame Red, dropping another comment towards their previous engagement, and immediately the two were back to ignoring him in favor of their own conversations.

Ciel clenched his jaw at the rude and cocky action but rapidly relaxed as Sebastian finally made his reappearance with their tea, "Today I have prepared a Jackson Earl Gray and if you'd all kindly follow me, I shall arrange us in the drawing room. "

Ciel bristled as the authoritative and soothing tone of Sebastian's voice but quickly smoothed his quills as he stood and made his way through the hall and into the window filled room.

Sunshine streamed through the panes of glass and illuminated the three chairs near the far wall. A small table separated the cluster of comfortably spaced seats and Ciel plopped into one of the chairs with practiced grace, gazed out of the window in annoyance.

The two visitors were unexpected, but they could prove to be exceedingly helpful with his current hunting trip. The raccoons had to come out sometime and nobody knew the darkness quite like the Underworld.

Sebastian watched on with amusement as the gears in the Earl's mind ticked like the steady hands of a clock. The butler silently served tea as Angeline and Lau were comfortably seated and the Master's attention had once again returned to the present.

The elder set the teapot back on the trolly and stood silently behind his Master's chair, raising an eyebrow as the Durless butler looked around before appearing to hold in a groan and stand behind Madame Red.

"Honestly Grell, why can't you be more like Sebastian?" She took a drink of her tea and exclaimed at the rich taste, "Exquisite! You should take notes from him."

Angeline took another drink of her tea as Grell looked down and muttered something apologetically.

Sebastian drifted over to the lady's side and refilled her tea cup with a smile, "Of course Sebastian, you could always quit working for my nephew and come to work on me." Her hand slid down and she boldly brushed her fingers over the curve of the butler's butt, "Pardon, I meant FOR me." Angeline flashed him a naughty grin and squeezed his arse.

The demon swiftly moved away from Madame Red as politely as he could manage, standing just behind Ciel.

The Earl tried to cover the flat annoyance that dulled his vision as he watched his aunt fondle his butler, but a thrill of something he couldn't name bolted through him as he saw the elders spine straighten tensely when she touched him.

His focus momentarily drifted to the butler as he felt the heat waves of what he could only assume to be distaste radiated from the elder as Sebastian stood beside him.

Ciel cleared his throat once again, "Alright, let's be serious." He turned his attention to his aunt, "Have you heard about the prostitutes being murdered throughout London lately?" Madame Red snickered, "You mean the news that's been circling through every news paper in London? I've heard of it." She tilted her head slightly and smiled.

The proud Watchdog ignored the small and petty jab and was pleasantly surprised when Sebastian handed him a small slice of berry topped cheesecake before handing everyone else a slice, including Grell.

The petite woman in red leaned back into her chair and took a dainty bite of the cake, "Word is that the Queen is most unpleased."

"I was told that the police have had two similar situations, and that that they're progressively getting more aggressive. The public has started calling him 'Jack the Ripper.' " The Earl nodded solemnly, "That's also what I was told."

"I myself came to London to be closer to the situation in the hopes of learning something new." Her eyes twinkled with something the Earl couldn't quite place and it left him more irritated than before.

His focus snapped to Lau as the man let out an amused chuckle and leaned back casually in his chair, "So, the Queen's Watchdog has already been called by its Master. I can't say that it surprises me, nor does it interest me." He leveled his gaze with the Earl and stood, making his way over to stand before the bluenette, "But I'll let you know what does. Tell me, Ciel, Earl of Phantomhive, Watchdog to the Queen's interests, will you be able to look at all the blood and keep your stomach, and your head? So young to be charged with your Father's duty, yet so willing to grasp it by the horns. So let me ask Ciel, What shall you do when the bull pushes back?"

Lau made a move to cup the young Master's face but before his fingers could make contact, Sebastian had the man's wrist in an unmoving hold. The action had startled the butler, as well as everyone else. He hadn't intended to stop the Opium trader. Sebastian knew that if he'd made contact with the Earl, Ciel would have slapped his hand away. The Master could easily handle himself, especially in the presence of others, but for the split second before Lau's hand had touched the boy's skin, Sebastian had felt even more inclined to protect him.

A bolt of possessiveness echoed through the demon but he killed it with a smile in Lau's direction, "The young Master doesn't like to be touched." Sebastian let go of the other's wrist offered another warming smile.

Confliction flashed in the Earl's eyes as he looked up at his butler. It aggravated him that the elder had stepped in spoke on behalf of the boy, but at the same time it also thrilled him that the butler knew him so well, and that he'd kept Lau from touching him.

The smaller man seemed to pay it no mind, "Will you be scared, Earl of Phantomhive?" Ciel cleared his throat and let go of his thoughts as the flatness returned to his gaze, "I have seen blood and death." He looked to Sebastian for a fraction of a second before meeting Lau's amused look head on, "I have no reason to fear."

The Asian man held their eye contact as he processed the boys words, as well as his own thoughts, "You look and sound just like your Father, Earl Phantomhive."

Before either had time to react, Lau reached out and ensnared the boy's wrist, pulling him from his seat as he half dragged him across the room, "I'm sold. Come! Let's take a walk."

"Hey! Where do you think you're going with my Nephew, Lau?"

He paused momentarily and looked back, smiling as he realized that Madame Red had quickly stood to follow them. She held herself indignantly with one of her hips accented, her eyebrow raised in obvious warning.

"I barely get to see him at all, let alone sit down for a nice cup of tea, but I refuse to be left behind while the three of you go exploring for a crime scene."

"The three of us?"

Angelina nodded towards the silent butler that seemed to have materialized just behind the young Master, "Don't tell me that you expected to go anywhere with Ciel without the company of his faithful butler."

She scoffed, "That would be a fools errand. Sebastian is more close knitted to the boy than his own shadow."

Ciel stiffened visibly and pulled his hand from Lau's grasp, regarding him with with a pointed glare.

"I want to come along. Where is this crime scene of yours Lau?"

He smiled and tilted his head slightly, "You mean you don't know where it is M'Lady?"

"Because I don't either."

Angeline's eyes blazed with fury, "You prat! The arrogance! You don't even know where it is?!"

The young Earl watched on with exasperation as the two of them fought like children.

How exhausting.

He sighed and turned to Sebastian, easily meeting his eyes, "Go get the carriage and prepare to go into town. We have to visit him."

The demon bowed politely and smiled, "Yes, My Lord."

Madame Red and Lau stopped arguing and looked at the calm transaction between the duo before looking at each other in confusion.

Ciel sat in the farthest corner of the familiar navy blue interior of his carriage as Sebastian directed the horses towards town. It had already been a tiresome morning, and it showed no sign of slowing down as they neared their destination.

Madame Red and Lau sat across from each other, chatting busily and tossing ridiculous theories back and forth, each getting more radical than the last, with Grell sitting quietly across from the Earl himself. He paid them little mind, but as his thoughts wandered, he thought back to Sebastian, as well as what his aunt had said to Lau about the two of them.

He knew that Sebastian followed him everywhere, it was his duty. He was a loyal knight to the King and he would die before letting the crown fall, but he hadn't missed the look in her eyes when Sebastian had grabbed the opium trader's wrist. The Earl was positive that Sebastian had missed it, but it spoke volumes.

They were thicker than thieves and the boy knew that Angeline questioned it. It wasn't as though Ciel made it easy for her to understand. The missing heir had disappeared, they believed him to be dead, and the house was burned to the ground but miraculously, he'd reappeared, with the endlessly devoted butler.

However, something in her statement had lingered unanswered in the back of his mind. Something about her tone, the way she held herself as she spoke of them; It ghosted around insinuating. He cast a look across the carriage to gaze at the petite woman in the red dress. Does she know about the connection between myself and Sebastian, or did she mean something else entirely?

Ciel was jostled from his thoughts as the carriage slid to a smooth stop and his door was immediately opened. He threw the butler a brief look before gracefully standing and stepping down to the ground. The young Earl approached the chipped black door. The coffins were a nice touch but the sign was just ridiculous. It looked childlike, but held eerie undertones of death and sadness. Dreadful.

He tried to avoid coming here. Though his Father had been on friendly terms with the man. Ciel had successfully avoided him, until now.

"Where are we?!"

The young Phantomhive gave a labored sigh and turned to look at his bewildered aunt, "I needed to speak to somebody who saw everything that the scene had to offer. Going there would be useless. Scotland Yard has been crawling all over it with fine tooth combs. Anything I could have hoped to find out about the scene is gone."

He gave her an obvious stare and looked back at the building in front of them, "There's only one person in London that would have the knowledge that I'm looking for, aside from the killer himself."

Madame Red looked at him questioningly, "Who?"

"The Undertaker."