Hello again! The second chapter is here! Hope everyone enjoys! :)
What I forgot to say last time (I guess I was too excited) is that the cover picture is made by my awesome best friend and I can't thank her enough (I bet I gave her a really hard time pushing her to work on it even when she was not in the mood... sorry :D)! It was her first attempt to draw digitally and she did her best!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).
Chapter 2: The Tutor, Assisting
Sebastian was already running through the corridor of one of the lower decks while smashing the heads of the corpses swarming the place, when he suddenly saw Miss Clark running with a relative ease right beside him and simultaneously slashing heads.
"So… Miss Clark. Am I to believe you have some deeper knowledge of the matter than the rest of us, even of Dr. Rian?"
"No, Mr. Michaelis. I know almost as much as you do. What makes you think something like that?" She responded and decapitated an undead woman who tried to grab her.
"Well… Your question to Dr. Rian and your evident relief at his answer… do not suit a person in absolute ignorance."
"Indeed. I believe you are aware of various tales and beliefs around the world concerning the return of the dead to the world of the living, and how mindlessly they seek for human flesh to devour. These stories exist for thousands of years." Sebastian could not disagree to that. "Therefore, I asked in order to know what we are up against." She said and smiled at him innocently, without losing a beat in her movements and speed.
Although Sebastian was focused in carrying out the extermination of the undead with precision, he found himself not able to resist the temptation of observing the woman beside him. She was a head shorter than him, and even though at first she looked quite small, in reality she was of average built; her slim legs seemed to be svelte and strong enough to match his stride easily and her movements resembled a light feather drifting in the wind. He knew she was not a demon, but he also knew that she could not be just a human.
"I see why my master wanted you to accompany me in my mission, he was quite right I must say. I am in awe watching your skills, my lady, and in difficulty to believe that you are just a human. If I had to I would choose the possibility of you being of divine origin." He said after a while in an attempt to flatter the woman and perhaps make her talk more. He smiled at her in his usual charming way.
"Why, thank you for the compliment, Mr. Michaelis. If you definitely need an answer to that, I will say the two of us are the same… sort of."
"I beg your pardon Miss, but I am nothing special."Again feigning innocence.
"Oh, I am deeply sorry, Mr. Michaelis, but your astounding performance in the hold forces me to strongly doubt that." A hint of irony in her voice.
They paused for a minute since they had reached the doors leading to the elevator hall and had already spotted Lady Midford, with a sword in her hand, trying to defend some other ladies crammed behind her.
"My performance? Oh, it was nothing more than what a Phantomhive butler should be able to do. I am merely one hell of a butler." Sebastian said looking at the young woman beside him.
"In that case, Mr. Michaelis… I am merely one hell of a tutor." She said and Sebastian was faced with an over polite, sweet, fake smile, imitating his own, which at the same time stated that the woman was not willing to say anything else.
Finding that, for the moment, he too had nothing to say, Sebastian pushed the doors and entered the hall, always followed by the mysterious tutor. Once he went through the doors, he jumped in the air and landed on the corpse – crashing its head of course – that was standing in front of Lady Midford; a very stunned Lady Midford, since the creature was continuing its advance although she had stabbed its body many times.
"Lady Midford. I hope you have not been injured?" He asked her as soon as the immediate threat was out of the way.
"Butler! Miss Clark!" Lady Midford cried watching the pair joining her ready to fight. "What are they?"
"I do not know enough about them myself, but there is only one way to defeat them… smash in their heads!" The butler informed her.
Like these words was a signal, the monsters started coming closer even faster and the three people began a new bloody dance. Gloved hands, long legs along with pointy and sharp swords wreaked havoc to the undead creatures leaving none standing in a matter of few minutes.
"It seems you speak the truth. So out of gratitude, I shall overlook that indecent face and hairstyle for today… that goes for you too, Miss Clark." Lady Midford announced turning her strict gaze to the butler and then the tutor.
"I am deeply obliged, my lady." Sebastian smiled at her and then turned to look at Miss Clark as she was doing the same. Their mutual question of "What about our faces?" obvious in their eyes. Sebastian was exactly as he always was and Miss Clark was a little flushed in the face and some more strands of hair had escaped her ponytail during the fight. Nothing indecent in that.
The young woman shrugged her shoulders deeming the matter of no importance, since at that moment Lord Midford and his son appeared around the corner, with their swords in hand. Sebastian reassured the family that Lady Elizabeth was safe and together with Lord Phantomhive and he himself was sent to see to the family's safety. To his surprise and confusion the humans denied his help and said that as knights in the service of the Queen their duty was to remain and fight in order to protect the innocents.
"All right. I shall continue wishing for your safety, Lady Midford." Sebastian finally gave in to the stubborn humans, although he seemed rather annoyed with them; in contrast to Miss Clark, who was looking at the three knights with great admiration.
As the pair turned to leave, a female voice at the brink of hysteria called Miss Clark. Among the ladies Lady Midford was trying to protect was the young Dankworth, Miss Clark's student.
"Selina! Where are you going? Come with me at once. Everything is dangerous on this ship!"
"I am deeply sorry to make you worry, my lady, but I am perfectly all right. I am unharmed and not in danger." The tutor responded.
"You stupid, worthless woman. I am not worried about you, but for myself. Since you seem to know swordsmanship, you will accompany me to safety and protect me, as is your duty." The teenage girl demanded.
"I do apologize, my lady, but since you are under the protection of Lady and Lord Midford, as well as young lord Edward, I believe that you are much safer than being with me. Also, as the situation stands, my duty is to Lord Phantomhive, so I will follow Mr. Michaelis." Selina Clark said and turned to leave, but the annoying voice stopped her again.
"You work for me! You are my dog, to follow me everywhere and do what I say!" Miss Dankworth screamed and the rest of the ladies tried to silence her, since her voice seemed to make the undead corpses more impatient to reach and tear up the human.
Selina Clark turned her head and looked at her lady with a very cold gaze of indifference. "I am sorry, but no. This time I am Earl Phantomhive's dog. Let us go." She finally said to Sebastian, who was watching somehow amused, and started before him.
However, before she could take more steps a deafening rumble was heard and the ship rocked violently.
"Wh-What is going on? What was that quaking just now?" The Midfords cried.
"It cannot be!" Sebastian also cried, dumbfounded by how fast the situation was getting out of control. He dashed off and got to the first class deck, followed by the humans. His eyes were met with a very ominous sight.
There were large pieces of solid ice scattered on the deck below them and the side of the ship's bow was really battered up after crashing on an iceberg that now was passing the ship. Sebastian did not stay idle for long, but ran to the wheelhouse. He found it empty; or rather empty of the living, since the captain was lying on the floor eaten up by the undead. He immediately turned the switch that sealed the watertight doors in an effort to prevent more water enter the ship, although some of the doors were already broken and the decks filling with water.
Only then he took notice that Selina Clark had followed him, because he heard her voice right over his shoulder; he turned to look at her and saw her cat-like eyes widely open and a very worried expression on her face. He was really astonished by what was coming out of these delicate lips and the fully American accent the woman suddenly had.
"Shit! This is so Titanic-like… minus the zombies! And it gets even more disturbing if you consider that I think I spotted a ginger haired figure and a blond one standing right at the edge of the bow doing the "Jack, I'm flying" thing… I mean… Seriously?" She seemed really disturbed by the last bit. She turned to look at Sebastian when she felt his red-brown eyes fixed on her. "Oh, sorry. Please, do not pay attention to my rambling." She said switching with great ease to proper British accent.
Sebastian did not have time to answer since an undead woman appeared at the door behind her, so he grabbed Selina's head and pushed her down as he was launching a kick to the monster. He then jumped over Selina, barrelled into the walking corpse with so much force that they both splashed in the ocean.
Selina found herself lying on the floor face down. She bolted up and her face was distorted by anger. "Was I just saved thanks to a demon? Dam' it!" She collected her swords and jumped all the way to the third class deck. She landed on her feet and started slashing any of the 'disgusting zombies', as she called them, she could find while scanning the water for any trace of the demon butler.
After a few moments, a pale hand with black nails appeared on deck and a totally drenched Sebastian followed. He paused for a moment as he saw the strange woman with her back to him, fighting the mindless corpses and keeping them away from where he was climbing back on the ship. He was certain that something very mysterious was going on with this woman, something supernatural, but now he felt it even more. The strange aura he sensed surrounding her when he saw her ready for action in the cargo hold was stronger now and felt like his body was drawing it in, leaving a tingling maybe even ticklish sensation on his skin. And not to forget the fleeting green light at the depths of her pupils every time her hands came in contact with her swords. He decided that, when everything was over and his master would be safe back in his manor, he should further investigate that woman.
He lightly landed on the deck and started heading towards the side of the ship where he dropped his gloves, tailcoat, tie and vest right before crashing in the water. However, the clothes were shoved in his hands by Selina, once again by his side. She tried to keep her eyes averted from him, a barely noticeable blush on her cheeks that made Sebastian smirk a little.
"Thank you very much for your concern, Miss Clark."
"Do not mention it. I found them on deck so I collected them… And I should thank you too for saving me from that monster, Mr. Michaelis." She said and now Sebastian could see that her blush had been replaced by a scowl, like she was very displeased with herself for being saved by someone else.
They headed back to the wheelhouse. Sebastian took out some blueprints of the ship and studied them as he was straightening his wet clothes. He was deep in thought and silent when he suddenly exclaimed "Oh dear. What have we here?"
"What? Would you care to share?" Selina asked as she violently withdrew her sword from the head of a walking corpse. Her voice showed she was getting annoyed, with the butler this time.
Sebastian quickly explained to her that while in water he saw the cracks in the hull from crashing on the iceberg, they were pretty extent which meant that four compartments of the ship were already flooded.
"Okay, I got it. We're sinking… very fast." Selina said and nervously scratched the back of her neck.
"Yes… in less than an hour to be precise." He said holding his chin thoughtfully. He then started putting on the rest of his clothes while talking. "The water temperature is roughly two degrees centigrade. Being in the water for too long will affect my master's health. I must go and collect him at once." He finished determined.
"And I'm with you!" Selina Clark announced equally determined.
Soon they had reached the first class hall, which was still filled with people and undead. Sebastian did not pay attention to all the screaming around him and even Selina did not waste time on decapitating any of the zombies. Their running was interrupted by the screaming voice of a middle aged nobleman, who asked them to help him in return of a great amount of money. He did not have the chance to complete his offer when the noise of hooves and wheels was heard. Two reanimated monstrous horses appeared leading a black carriage and their driver was also one of the reanimated corpses. The carriage ran over the nobleman and Sebastian moved out of its way just in time pulling Selina protectively behind him.
Selina followed it with her eyes completely shocked. "What the Hell? Horses too? He did horses too?" She said and then turned to look at Sebastian, only to see his stone cold gaze full of indifference.
"I must hurry below." The butler said in his usual cool voice, like he was announcing that dinner was ready, and then ran off, with Selina right behind him.
They reached the second class dining hall right at the moment when the air shaft screen fell down and Ciel Phantomhive landed on the welcoming arms of his butler.
"Sebastian!" Cried the surprised boy.
"I apologize for my lack of punctuality on this occasion, young master. You two are not hurt, I hope?" Sebastian asked.
"Ciel protected me, so I am fine!" A very relieved Lizzie said as Sebastian was helping her to safely get out of the shaft.
"What of my aunt and family?" Ciel asked.
"I believe everyone is alive and well. I attempted to guide them to safety, but they insisted on rescuing the other passengers…" The butler informed his master.
"That sounds like my mother." Lizzie said happily. "If they are all together they should be fine. Thank you, Sebastian!"
"You are most welcome, my lady." Sebastian slightly bowed his head to the young lady.
At that moment Ciel sneezed and Sebastian immediately took off his coat and gave it to his master. "Here young master, take this."
"I do not need it." Ciel denied vehemently. "The tails will drag behind me."
"But if your body is chilled through, your cough…"
"Do not bring that up now!" Ciel cut off Sebastian, who immediately agreed.
Lizzie did not understand the interaction between servant and master, she was about to ask when she felt a light touch on her shoulder; it was Selina who reassured her that everything was all right.
"Come. They have begun to ready the lifeboats. Let us hurry to the deck and…" Sebastian started guiding the two children towards the exit, but before they took many steps, the sounds of a chainsaw and a lawnmower were heard behind them.
Sebastian and Selina turned around and were both tremendously surprised to see a round piece of the room's ceiling falling down, carrying with it an extremely effeminate man with long, red hair, dressed in red and holding a red chainsaw; followed by a younger one with short, blond hair carrying the lawnmower.
"Oh yeah! That's exactly what we needed." Selina said with heavy sarcasm in her voice.
I know, I know! It's shorter than the first and nothing much happens, but... *evil smirk* patience, just patience. We have a really long way to go!
Thanks for reading and please review if you feel like! Till next time! :D