13
Hello my lovelies! I'm very sorry for being gone so much longer than I anticipated. While away on vacation I ended up dropping my phone off of a tiny cliff... The momentary replacement sucked and I finally got my new one! I missed all of you and I really missed updating and writing. I hope you can all forgive me.
Anyways! Enjoy this chapter!
Majix
The chill of night wasn't lost on the bluenette. Unlike many of his everyday outfits, the wind had no problem cutting through the layers of flimsy material that'd been forced upon him by necessity.
The close proximity of his demonic companion made the chill barable but the boy would be lying if he said he would rather continue to stand within the damp alley then to curl up in bed and lose himself within the comfort of unconsciousness.
However, the promise of victory drowned all thoughts of discomfort. A thick flush of anticipation hung heavily in the air as both males listened carefully to any and all sound around them. They'd been waiting for just over three hours and Ciel could feel his patience slipping. Continuing silence met their ears and the Earl found his train of thought wandering from the case and returning to the butler beside him.
After Sebastian released him from the Viscount's cage, the boy had expected taunts, small jabs at his pride, but they never came. Not in the hours that followed, or the next day. He'd stubbornly lingered on the edge of expectation for what seemed like an eternity before coming to the conclusion that Sebastian wasn't going to comment on the emotional wreck that he'd become in that fraction of time.
A respectful demon. The thought left a smirk on the younger male's face. He knew that his relationship with Sebastian was in no way ordinary but a small part of him wondered if all demons acted the way the elder did. Were they all respectful of their masters? Did Sebastian even truly view the bluenette as his master? Would it ever be possible for them to be equals?
No. The young Phantomhive shoved that thought away immediately with a sour frown. Sebastian was an ancient being with power that he couldn't even imagine, and he was a boy. A powerful and cunning boy, but human none the less. But he was also Sebastian's master. Did that even the scales? Did it even matter?
A sudden chill brought Ciel from his thoughts and he looked to Sebastian only to be momentarily stunned when met with the empty space beside him. He looked around for a moment in bubbling annoyance before spotting the butler under a street lamp. He raised an eyebrow in confusion at the man's kneeled pose before spotting the small animal in front of the elder.
A cat. Of course it was a feline. He mentally rolled his eyes but continued to watch Sebastian in silence. His glove clad fingers stroked the sleek black fur with respectful adoration and the display shocked the Earl in a way. It was rare to find something that the demon appreciated. He took pride in his cooking and his skills, but there was never any indication that he enjoyed either of those things, but cats; the butler seemed to have an honest love for the furry beasts.
Ciel pondered the elder's affection with mute curiosity. What was it about the animals that caught Sebastian's attention? Sure, they were soft and some would call them cute, but they were also defiant and most of the time they couldn't be trained. However, nobody could say that cats had no sense of personality.
Perhaps that was why Sebastian adored them. They were defiant and each one was different.
The Phantomhive briefly entertained the thought of surprising Sebastian with a cat. The look on his face would be more than worth any annoyance the animal could cause. He'd always rejected the idea of a feline house pet under the pretences that he was allergic but in reality, his mother was the one who'd had an intolerance to the animals. She'd been extremely allergic and though the allergy wasn't passed down to him, it seemed like a reasonable excuse to avoid them at the time.
"Sebastian."
The butler looked up and smiled guiltily, "Young master?"
The bluenette sighed and let his eyes land on the small creature in the man's arms, "Let it go. You can't keep it and we have work to do."
Sebastian sighed but released the feline, scratching behind one of its black ears before shooing it away and returning to his place beside the boy.
"Maria Gale." Ciel rubbed his palms up and down his chilled arms, "She seems more trouble than she's worth." He sighed, "Sebastian are you positive that our friend will even show up for her?"
The butler looked down at his companion and smirked, "Of course, my Lord. As you know, aside from the missing organs and the penetration site beside the spine, all the victims had something else in common. He won't pass up an opportunity to finish off the last one."
Ciel glanced up at the butler and opened his mouth to reply before an ear splitting scream rang through the alley, making both males jump in surprise.
How?! They'd been standing in front of the only entrance! Nobody went by, not a single soul walked though.
The Earl raced for the door with Sebastian hot in pursuit and threw the it open, momentarily forgetting all forms of caution. Sapphire eyes widened in horror at the sight laid out before him, the sheer intensity of it all making him stop in his tracks.
Deep burgundy stained every visible surface and the young woman laid out before him was slashed open in the most brutal of ways, more so than the rest. Once blonde hair, forever stained crimson, clung to the limp curve of her throat as well as the swell of her shoulders. She was ripped apart from groin to collarbone and the pale white flesh clinging to the bones was smeared and dripping with the sticky red substance. The blonde's sternum was in splinters, the hollow cage that'd once protected her had been cracked wide open for all to see, her organs laid out, neatly organized; slick and glossy with internal fluids, but where her womb should of been was nothing but a chalice that'd begun to fill with the remainder of her life.
A drop of the hot crimson liquid splattered his face and the bluenette could feel it begin to roll down the smooth curve of his cheek while he watched the woman's fingers twitch helplessly. As the remainder of her blood began to pool around her body and into the gaping cavity, he could hear the gurgle of her lungs desperately trying to function, the hammering of her heart as she struggled and fought for life, but her fight was in vain. The steady thrum of resistance slowly dwindled as the exposed muscle lay defeated and exposed. There was no fixing what'd been done.
"NO!" A gloved hand flew over his eyes protectively and the butler pulled him backwards with a growl until his shoulder blades met Sebastian's torso but it was to late. He couldn't unsee the blood and the pain. He couldn't remove the scent of impending death from his senses. Rust and salt filled his nostrils, and the unmistakable stench of fear permeated everything around them, robbing the male of any hope for fresh air.
The boy felt his insides clench and he swallowed the bile sharply, desperately trying to keep the contents of his stomach down but the battle proved to be folly. It was to much. The sight of her broken body, the smell of burnt flesh and the feel of her blood against his skin.
He heaved and leaned over, throwing up his dinner onto the damp cobblestones between his feet, his stomach continuing to lurch even after everything had been emptied.
He unconsciously leaned back against Sebastian, greatful for the man's presence and he felt his butler pull him a tiny bit closer as his body began to tremble. The sight of her mangled body lingered behind his eyes and made him want to vomit again, but Sebastian's silky voice broke through the horror and soothed his shaken psyche, "A little over the top, don't you think? Very theatrical."
He hummed in mild amusement, "You'd think that a person such as yourself would've learned to clean up after themselves. Don't you agree, Jack?"
The lone figure lingered within the shadows, the steady droplettes of blood meeting the concrete breaking the tense moment of silence, "Or do you prefer, Grell Sutcliff?"
Sebastian took two steps back, guiding the young master with him and he smirked as the briefest flash of panic consumes the man's face before he stepped from the shadows, "N-no! I.. I heard the scream, I ran to help! T-there was so much blood, there was nothing I could've -"
"Now, now Mr. Sutcliff. There's no need for such an act. How could you ever hope to pull off such an apparent rouge looking the way you do?"
Scalding maroon eyes raked up and down the others figure with disdain, "A pitiful performance. I must say, this is the first time I've met one of your ...kind... in the form of a butler." A frown graced the black clad butler's features as he swallowed his distaste before a smirk replaced the mellow frown that'd twisted his lips, "And how the supposed mighty have fallen."
The smaller male looked momentarily offended before smothering it with a coy and suggestive smile, lime green eyes flickering to life behind the blood coated surface of his glasses, "Well, well, well~ Who would've thought?"
"Gorgeous AND smart~!"
Grell slid the stained glass down his nose with a sly grin, the smooth flats of his teeth morphing gracefully into razor sharp points as he dragged a thick tooth comb through dark brown locks. Eye catching crimson quickly invaded and took over chocolate brown, infecting every strand around it until there wasn't a trace left of the seemingly natural color. Glamors rapidly wavered, and the color red continued to consume everything in its path, leaving the once normal butler looking flashy and unquestionable flamboyant.
Long, thick waves of cherry red hair twisted and curled around the man's face, hugging his neck and trailing down his spine, ending just below the small of his back. Dark lashes framed neon green eyes, ringed by gold as they sat behind newly cleaned glasses. The sparkling red frames demanded attention as they sat perched on the redhead's nose, and Sebastian hardly contained a shutter as the feminine man in front of him accented one of his hips, persing his lips as he applied a thick layer of crimson lipstick.
"If anything, an A-list actress such as myself must remain theatric! It's in the job description, love."
Blazing green eyes dragged down the butler's body in an obvious visual caress, "But that isn't the only thing that's in my job description, Sebastian. No! Not Sebastian."
The reaper flicked the hair from his face in a dramatic swipe of the hand, "No, I do believe that I'll call you… Bassy~!"
The dark glaze of knowledge glossed over the man's eyes as his smile continued to grow until each individual sharp tooth was on display, "I'm not the only one practiced in the art of acting though, am I, Bassy darling~?"
Sebastian sighed in annoyance as he watched the reaper with disinterest, "My master made me who I am, and who I am is who I shall remain," the ravenette gave a smirk and glanced down at the boy that remained in his protective grasp, "For the time being, that is."
Grell huffed in overblown annoyance, "Oh but the hardships of being an actress! One must stay in character at all costs."
The redhead puckered his lips flirtatiously, cooing at the demon, "You've no idea how difficult it was to remain in such hideous apparel in front of a stud such as yourself."
"And what a stud you are, Bassy."
Green irises blazed with inhuman passion and Grell purred shamelessly with lust, "Delicious~"
Ciel stood in observatory silence, his stomach knotted but calmed for the most part. Grell Sutcliff. To be perfectly honest he hadn't expected it, but the Underworld was hardly what people came to expect. Even to an experienced trespasser such as himself.
The fluctuation in the supposed reaper's voice as he addressed Sebastian set the boy on edge. Perversion seeped without hesitation from the offensive voice, making the Earl grind his teeth in disdain. Unmistakable green claws of outrage viciously raked his insides as the man continued to seek his butler's attention but he stayed still, calmed only by the way Sebastian held him; as if the elder knew he'd attack Grell if the ravenette released him.
The exuberant butler pinched the bridge of his nose and dropped his head back in an over exaggerated display, "But woe is me, it can never be! For a woman hath stolen my affections." He flashed a malicious grin at Sebastian, "Where do your affections lie, Bassy~?"
The implication wasn't lost on the demon but he paid it no mind, content to direct his iniquities elsewhere, "A woman?"
The unmistakable click of soft stepped heels echoed through the alley, "Don't play ignorant, Sebastian. It doesn't suit you in the least."
The white hot grip of anger around his conscious was immediately extinguished as the unmistakable sound of his kin's voice reached his ears. The rapid thrum of his heart sputtered and the Earl within the demon's grasp froze with denial. He'd acknowledged the possibility of her involvement, but quickly discarded it in favor of the Viscount, especially after that night at the ball.
Hurt radiated from him in thick, relentless waves and time seemed to find a momentary standstill. The deception of his own flesh and blood, but also the betrayal from his ever faithful butler.
The Earl of Phantomhive prided himself on the fact that he only used Sebastian for so much. He was, in fact, the King and as the ruler of the board, it was his duty to make such decisions and to take part in the mystery. He had to earn the title of his ancestors for himself, but that didn't stop the hurt. Sebastian should have told him, should have allowed him the decency to react in the privacy of his own company. Logic and reason beat against the emotional whirlwind that tore through his conscious, but their voices were lost within the chaos, leaving the Earl detached as he pushed the gloved hand from in front of his face. The sight of his Aunt without the warmth of her smile drove the knife further in between his ribs.
The scarlet dress clung to her body, the criss crossed frills clinging to her legs lined with blood. The normal flush of compassion that played host within her features was icily absent. An unmistakable flatness colored her gaze and the coolness of her expression only drove the truth in deeper.
She was Jack the Ripper. Madame Red and her butler killed all those women. The duo ripped them open, stole their wombs and left them to bleed out in the dark. And there was nothing the bluenette could do to deny it or defend them.
"Madame Red."
"Ciel. While I'm not at all surprised to find you here, I AM surprised that your butler was able to see through Grell's disguise."
She shifted her weight to the opposite side and struck a pose that struck him as more appropriate to the Reaper than herself. Shock still rang true, but his pride and his instincts easily swallowed all other emotion. She was a killer. She had killed women in England. She broke the rules of the Underworld, and that couldn't continue. No matter who she was, he was a watchdog, and she was the intruder in his yard.
"Of course, you were on our original list of suspects, despite the fact that you didn't meet all qualifications."
She raised an eyebrow at the authority that colored his tone. Though she didn't show it, he imagined she was minorly startled that her big reveal had only affected him for a fleeting moment. In truth, her betrayal affected him more than he'd ever admit, but he wouldn't show weakness, not to her. This was his duty, and he wouldn't abandon it, no matter how unpleasant it proved to be.
"Really, Ciel? Suspecting your own kin! I feel almost insulted."
His gaze turned flat and he took a step away from Sebastian, squaring his shoulders indignantly, "I care very little for your feelings, Angelina Durless. If the possibility remained that you could be involved in any way, it was investigated. The status of friend or foe means little to me, or to her Majesty."
Sebastian reached into his coat and pulled a scrap of paper from his breast pocket, "Sloppy. Very sloppy, Madame."
Maroon eyes darted down to the bluenette before he flicked the parchment open, "Did you truly believe that we wouldn't be able to connect the dots? You laid them out for all to see, Madame." He shook his head.
Ciel felt the steel lace through his conscious as the cogs of victory over came his shock. The brilliant fire of winning drove all else from his mind and the boy embraced the power he held and pieced together the rest of the puzzle.
"Indeed. You see, Angelina, each of the victims had something in common, aside from the obvious." Ciel nodded his head towards the darkened room, "Something insignificant when compared to the violence and the missing womb."
Sebastian held up the creased paper, each name crossed off aside from one, "A small procedure. It took less than twenty minutes."
Accusing blue eyes met the cool and collected gaze of his Aunt, "You were the doctor, Madame Red. You performed those terminations."
Distaste crossed the Earl's features, "However, your alibi was perfect. Maddeningly perfect. It was impossible for you to slip out and commit any of the murder."
Sebastian flashed his signature smirk before stepping up beside the bluenette, "Impossible under human conditions."
The demon directed his attention to the flashy reaper draped in red, "But those rules don't apply to you."
Grell pouted with mocking guilt, "It seems we've been figured out, Madame Red. How unfortunate~!"
Angelina flipped her hair from her face, a brief flicker of sympathy crossing her features, the soft dwindle of light lingering in her brown eyes, "It's to bad that you didn't listen to me, Ciel. That you didn't listen to my warning about the Underworld and what you'll find there."
"I know perfectly well what I'll find there, Angelina." He gave her a pointed glare but resumed his silence.
Her eyes glazed over for a second, "I wish we could've played chess once more, but we both know it wasn't meant to be, even then."
Chocolate brown eyes searched his face for a moment before her conscious seemed to break right before his eyes. All traces of the warm woman he'd know disappeared in a flash of anger. Her features twisted in fury, "I will not be denied this time! I will not yield to you, Phantomhive!"
The rev of something heavy met the boys ears just as Sebastian jerked Ciel out of the way and took his place with ease. Both glove clad palms where on either side of the Reaper's deranged weapon. The circling blade of the chain saw was mere inches from the butler's face but he ignored it, staring the grinning red head down as he puckered his lips and blew the demon a kiss, "On your toes, Bassy~! We wouldn't want anything to happen to your darling dearest!"
A surge or exertion on the Reaper's end forced the man in black to take a step back and Grell smirked as he continued to advance. Sebastian held his ground and cast his arms down, driving the blade into the concrete in front of him, taking pleasure in the other male's brief moment of shock.
"Sebastian! What in God's name is that thing?!"
The demon pushed stray locks of hair from his face in obvious annoyance as he eyed the Reaper wielded machine with contempt, "The death scythe, if I'm not mistaken."
Though the butler had his back to the boy, he could feel the thickening of the bluenette's confusion. Ruby eyes met vivid green ones as he spoke, "Death gods have to have a way to separate souls from their deceased hosts."
A flicker of disgust flashed across his face, "Although, this one is particularly crude."
Grell blew the demon butler a kiss and hefted the blood red chain saw up against his shoulder, "I couldn't just have ANY death scythe, Bassy! I needed one to show off just how talented I really am." He winked suggestively.
The demon ignored the other male in favor of glancing down at the bluenette, "This does complicate matters, my Lord."
Ciel raised an eyebrow in question but remained silent.
The man in black sighed before returning his attention to the reaper, "The death scythe can -"
"Cut through anything, Bassy~!" Cherry red lips parted in a grin slicked with malice, "Even a yummy morsel such as yourself. It's supposed to be for severing souls from the attachment they have to their bodies. Buuut, that doesn't mean I can't use it for other things as well~."
Grell leaned forward and licked his lips, meeting Sebastian's uninterested gaze, "We could have quite a lot of fun~"
Maroon eyes narrowed as he was cut off by the other man, "Reapers are meant to go about their work with discretion and excellence. In turn, it is a butler's job to follow their master like a shadow, awaiting their orders."
He raked a dark look down the shinigami, "It appears that you lack the necessary qualifications for both occupations."
Ciel watched the banter, feeling mildly entertained before the craving for true power flooded his emotional core. The need to dominate those who stood against him, and in turn, the Queen.
Almost unconsciously, Ciel found himself pulling the dark patch from his left eye and dropping it along the cobblestones, both eyes opening and gazing at the world they found without mercy, "Sebastian."
Heat grazed the Earl's skin as the demon met his eyes, the contract seeming to glow brighter, "I order you, in the name of her Majesty the Queen to eliminate Jack the Ripper."
A devious smile curled the dark beings lips and he turned his gaze back to Grell, his eyes igniting in unadulterated amusement at the thought of making the Reaper suffer for his words, as well as his actions, "Yes, my Lord."