It was in the afternoon and Cassandra decided to go to the park to think. She was sitting on the bench, watching the birds and watching the sunset. Then Cassandra heard footsteps slowly approaching closer to her and a voice spoke to her.
"Cassandra?" She turned and saw Grell standing a few feet from her, and he started to walk over to her.
"Grell? What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to make sure that you were alright." He smiled and took a seat next to her, sitting a few inches away. "I've noticed that you've been kind of quiet since last night at the Viscount place. Did anything happen?"
"I'm fine. Maybe a little shaken up and a little angry that I got shot at. All of that for nothing. The murder is still out there." Cassandra told him. Grell's eyes widen.
"You got shot!?" He exclaimed.
"But I'm alright. The bullet missed, luckily." Cassandra assured him.
"That's good."
"Yeah." Cassandra smiled and the two sat with each for a few moments in silence. Then Cassandra glanced over at Grell. "So other than the color red, tell me something else about you?"
"I like poetry and theatrical arts." He told her.
"That sounds interesting. So, you like romantic stuff?" Cassandra asked him. Grell made a small smile.
"You can say that. What about you? How did you end up with a crazy guy like the Undertaker? What about your parents? You never really talk about them." Grell asked her then he noticed Cassandra eyes drop a little.
"I'm sorry! If you don't want to talk about it-"
"No, it's okay. You asked, didn't you? It's fair since I asked you a lot of questions." Cassandra told him and continued.
"It's not a day that I'd like to remember. It happened ten years ago. It was late in the night; my parents had tucked me in. A loud noise woke me up and I went to go wake my parents. Someone had broken into the house. I didn't get to see who it was. I don't know why they attacked. My parents never done anything to anyone. All I remember, there was blood everywhere and smoke. I heard my mother screaming and my father telling me to run. So, I did. I heard my parents screams as they were killed.
I ran and never looked back until I collapsed in an alley. The next morning, I heard footsteps coming closer towards me. I grabbed a sharp piece of glass and lunged at them thinking it was the person who attacked our home. It was Undertaker.
He told me that my parent's had been burned down and my mother and father were killed. I didn't want to believe him, but I went to see it for myself. The house was gone and so were my parents. There was nothing but ash. So, Undertaker took me in. He's the only one close to family that I have left."
Grell, listened, silently, processing the whole story. It was almost similar to the Phantomhive brat. This can't be a coincidence. He looked at her, sadly. "Cassandra, I'm sorry."
"It happened a long time ago. I don't really know what to feel. But the main thing is that I'm alive. My parents died for that, and I won't let that go to waste. And also, I got to meet you." Cassandra spoke and smiled and slowly started to slide her hand over towards Grell's. Grell quickly pulled away and cleared his throat and quickly got up, avoiding his gaze from hers. "I'm sorry I got to go. There's some business that I need to attend to."
"Oh, okay. We'll talk later then." Cassandra nodded, smiling a little.
"Sure." Grell smiled and he left, and Cassandra waved goodbye to him as he did. Once Grell was gone, Cassandra's smile dropped a little.
"I'm so dumb. Why did I think he would like me."
It was late in the middle of the night, Ciel and Sebastian and Cassandra were waiting near an alley to a building of the latest victim the killer was most likely going to strike next. Every now and then it was drizzling rain. Cassandra shivered a little from the cold air.
"I still think this is a bad idea to let you come." Ciel muttered.
"I'm not going to get shot for nothing and not know who the killer is." Cassandra retorted. They have been standing guard to the only entrance to the house and waiting for several hours and nobody had passed by.
"You're sure this is the place, right, Sebastian?" Ciel questioned.
"Yes. I've told you many times. I haven't gotten it wrong." Sebastian spoke.
"I've realized the prostitutes have other things in common besides their missing organs. Why go through the trouble of killing them?" Ciel wondered.
"Such pretty black fur..." Sebastian murmured. Cassandra blinked in confusion. Fur? She turned her head and saw Sebastian hugging a cat. Ciel saw as well, staring at Sebastian, angrily.
"Sebastian! Are you even listening to me!?"
"I couldn't help it. She was so beautiful." Sebastian replied.
"We are not keeping it! Now let it go!" Ciel shouted.
"I apologize, master, she's so soft."
Then a blood curdling scream pierced the air. "How could they have gotten past us!?"
"But this is the only entrance, isn't it? There's no way..." Cassandra questioned as well. Ciel quickly ran heading towards the door and busted it open. Sebastian and Cassandra followed behind him. Cassandra saw Ciel immediately stop.
"Ciel, why'd you stop? What's wrong?"
Sebastian quickly stopped her before grabbing Ciel, covering his eyes and quickly pulled him away from the door. Cassandra's eyes widen when she saw Ciel threw up.
"Ciel!? What did you see?" She asked about to walk towards the door, but Sebastian stopped her.
"Do not go in there." He warned her. Cassandra stopped and looked at Ciel in worry before turning her head towards the door when she heard footsteps coming towards them.
"You've made quite a bloody mess of things in there, Jack the Ripper, or rather, Grell Sutcliff."
Cassandra's eyes widen as she saw Grell step out of the house. He was covered from head to toe in blood.
"N-No, you're mistaken! I-I heard a scream and rushed to help!" Grell cried out before he glanced over at Cassandra for some help. "Cassandra, tell them!"
"Sebastian, Grell couldn't have done this. He...he couldn't..." Cassandra spoke before Sebastian cut her off.
"You can drop the innocent act, Grell. It's over. You know this is the first time I've actually met someone like you in the human world. You've played the role of helpless butler well. You're act almost had everybody completely fooled." Sebastian smirked. Cassandra looked at Sebastian, confused. Someone like you? Human world?
"Sebastian, what are you talking about?"
Then Cassandra heard Grell chuckle. "Really? You think so? How kind." Grell smiled and his teeth became razor sharp. Cassandra felt her the world shattered around her as she stared at the man, she cared about deeply, becoming less human by the second, in shock. Grell undid the bow holding his long hair and it flowed down to his waist then he pulled out a comb washing away the brown dye, revealing strikingly red hair.
"After all, I am an actress and quite a good one at that." She put on some false eye lashes. "Of course, you're not really Sebastian, either, are you?"
"Sebastian is the name my master has given me." Sebastian answered. "So that is who I am, for now."
"So, you're playing the faithful dog. Well, you're handsome enough to get away with it." Grell switched out her glasses for a pair of red spectacles with a long chain and skulls on each end. She pushed her glasses up, smiling at them. "Anyway, here we are, Sebastian, no, I'll call you Bassy! Let me introduce myself. The Burnett butler, Grell Sutcliff at your service." She blew a kiss over to Sebastian, who cringed in disgust.
"You're a crossdresser?" Cassandra stammered.
"I hated having to hide my red hair and dressing in such dull colored clothes. This is the real me." Grell said before looking at Sebastian. "Although, I'm very surprised to see someone like you. I've never met a demon playing a butler."
Cassandra's eyes widen at Grell's words. Demon? Sebastian wasn't even a human. No human could do the things he could do.
"Well, that explains so much." Cassandra murmured, softly. Sebastian glanced over at her a little in surprise before looking at Grell.
"I should say the same thing about you. I've never thought I would see one of your kind playing the role of butler, either. You're supposed to be an intermediary between man and God. A Grim Reaper." He smirked.
Cassandra's eyes widen. Grell was a grim reaper?
"Why would a divine being like you pretend to be a human?" Sebastian questioned.
"Let's just say, it was out of love for a certain woman." Grell smiled.
"And that would be-"
"Do you really need to ask?" Madame Red spoke and stepped out of the building. Cassandra's eyes widen in shock.
"I knew it was you!"
"I hadn't counted on this. I didn't think anyone would be able to tell who Grell truly is."
"Naturally, you were on the suspect list from the very beginning. But all of your alibi seemed flawless." Ciel spoke.
"You mean, you've actually suspected your own aunt."
"I was looking for a murder. Degree of relation to me does not matter." Ciel answered. "None of the humans on the suspect list could have been responsible for all the murders. But if one of them had an inhuman accomplice, then that would change the game entirely. It had to be someone who could enter and leave the room without being noticed. Someone who could travel from the Viscount's home to the east end, instantaneously. In the end, you two were the only ones who could be Jack the Ripper. You, Madame Red, and Grell Sutcliff. The victims also had something else in common besides prostitution. I've noticed that they've all undergone a certain surgery at the hospital that you work. We've made a list of all the persons, one, who was still alive was a woman by the name of Mary Kelly. We knew if we waited for the right moment, you would have come for her eventually. But we were too late."
"My darling nephew, how unfortunate this turned out to be. If you had let it go, we would have played chess again. But now...You have taken everything!" She screamed, furiously. There was a sudden roar and Sebastian quickly grabbed Cassandra and Ciel moving them out of the way when Grell lunged out wielding a chainsaw. Sebastian tossed them aside and quickly grabbed Grell's chainsaw with his bare hands when Grell attacked again and knocked her back.
"What is that?" Ciel asked.
"Grim reapers use a tool to harvest the souls of the living. That is his reaper scythe." Sebastian explained.
"Don't you dare call it that! It is so much more than a scythe! I've worked very hard to customize it!" Grell shouted. "This is a death scythe of my own design. It can hack anyone into tiny pieces. I've been far too well behaved. I'm getting out of shape. I would like to exercise my skills, so shall we play?" Grell teased.
"You should be more respectful of my position. I'm on duty after all." Sebastian frowned.
"What a stoic man you are! That makes you even more irresistible!" Grell smiled. "You know, red is my favorite color. It's perfect for hair, clothes, lipstick, so I've painted all those women with pretty red blood. So, Bassy, now I'll make you even better looking than you already are! I'll tear you up from the inside out and trust me I'll make you like it! You'll be lovely as scattered rose petals!" she winked.
"You're a grim reaper. Your job is required to harvest the souls of the dying. As a butler, your job is to follow your master like a shadow. You have violated both of these expectations and quite frankly, I've find it sickening." Sebastian glared at her. Grell smirked.
"Bassy, you wound me! You know, I'm more deadly efficient than I seem!"
"In my name and that of the queen, I order you Sebastian, put an end to them!" Ciel told Sebastian.
"Indeed, my lord." Sebastian smirked and Cassandra saw Sebastian's eyes glow red. Grell charged at Sebastian and the two started to clash with each other. Grell managed to pin Sebastian against the brick wall as he tried to hold back Grell's chainsaw. Cassandra watched still in shock and in disbelief. This all can't be real. This was a dream. This was all just a horrible dream!
"Cass, get out of here. This is your final warning." Ciel told her.
"You're not going anywhere!" Madame Red shouted, charging at Ciel and Cassandra with a knife. Ciel pushed Cassandra, knocking her out of the way. Cassandra fell to the ground and Madame Red slashed at Ciel, slicing his arm.
"You're a doctor! How could you do it!?" Ciel demanded.
"You wouldn't understand, if I told you! You're just a child!" Madame Red grabbed Ciel by the throat and slammed him against the wall, getting ready to stab him. "You shouldn't have been born in the first place!"
"Ciel!" Cassandra shouted.
"Master!" Sebastian shouted.
Then Madame Red stopped once she gazed at Ciel's face, trembling in shock. "S-Sister!" She gasped, stepping back a little. There was a sickening crunch, and Cassandra saw Sebastian flash by her, standing behind Madame Red getting ready to strike.
"Stop, Sebastian! Don't kill her!" Ciel shouted. Sebastian immediately stopped, pulling his arm back and held onto his injured shoulder that Grell sliced with her chainsaw.
"Sebastian, your arm." Ciel spoke, looking at him a little concerned, shocked to see that he was hurt.
"How sweet you are, Bassy! Really, what a prince. Sacrificing your own poor limb to save that kid. On the other hand, you are a disappointment, Madame Red. Come now, hurry up and kill the brat, already!" Grell shouted.
"I can't..." Madame Red spoke, softly. Cassandra saw that she was crying. "I loved my sister. I loved her husband. I loved their child. I can't...I can't kill him. I can't kill their beloved son."
"Really? You're getting soft hearted on me all of a sudden, after all those deaths? If you don't end him, he'll end you!"
"He's their son." Madame Red said and turned to Grell. "This child is my-!"
Grell's chainsaw plunged into Madame's Red's chest, slicing into it. Blood spurted out. Cassandra's eyes widen in horror, and she covered in her mouth. Ciel and Sebastian were shocked as well.
"Too late for that! How disappointing! What use do I have for you, if you're just another woman!" Grell shouted, tossing Madame Red to the ground. Then multiple ribbon like strands began to come out of Madame Red.
"What is that?" Cassandra asked.
"I don't see anything. Do you see something?" Ciel asked her.
"Oh?" Cassandra tensed up when she saw Grell turn to her, looking at her a little in surprise. "You can see it? How unusual."
"Is that the-" Sebastian spoke, knowing what it was.
"A part of the reaper's job is to replay and examine the memories of those who are on the to die list. From that, we determine what kind of person they were. We see from their own perspective what kind of life they lived. And we decide on whether they should live or die." Grell explained.
"Their lives flash right before their eyes." Sebastian replied.
"Oh, that's such a pedestrian term. This is so much more than that. This is the reaper's true power, the cinematic record."
Then Cassandra slowly began to reach out about to touch one of the flowing ribbons. Grell's eyes widen, slightly panicking, as she saw what Cassandra was about to do.
"Are you crazy!? Don't touch that!" She snapped. Cassandra quickly pulled her hand back.
"Why? What would happen?" She asked, frowning at her.
"Nothing that concerns you." Grell remarked. "But, if you wish to, then go right ahead. It won't be pretty; I'll tell you that much." She smirked. Cassandra glared at her.
The cinematic record began to play flashing through Madame Red's life.
Her real name was Angelina Dallas. She had always hated the color red, especially the red hair she had inherited from her father, while her sister got her blond hair from their mother. She fell in love with Ciel's father, Vincent Phantomhive, when he complimented her red hair. But in the end, he chose to marry her sister and Ciel's mother, Rachel. Eventually, Anne got married and settled down with her husband were about to have a child together. However, it didn't end the way she wanted. She lost her husband in a carriage accident and in order to save her life, the doctors had to remove her uterus and her unborn child. She could never have children again. Several years later, the Phantomhive estate was set ablaze and burned down to the ground. She had lost the man that she loved and her sister all in one day but was relieved to find that their child had survived. Ann eventually went into the medical field and became a doctor. She had several prostitutes as her clients wanting an abortion so a child wouldn't' get in the way of their work. That was all it took to break Anne. She started murdering them until one night she encountered Grell. Having the same interests, the color red and both wanting to carry a child of their own, the two teamed up together.
The record stopped and Madame Red fell to the ground with a thud, dead. Grell stepped over to her and ripped the coat off from Madame Red.
"You don't have what it takes to wear red." she spatted out disappointed and put the coat on draping over her elbows. "This is the end. Goodbye."
Cassandra stared down at Madame Red, feeling bad for her. She didn't deserve anything bad that had happened to her in life. All she wanted was a family of her own. But, then again, when was life ever fair? Then Cassandra turned to Grell as she started to walk away to leave. Cassandra slowly stood up while Ciel closed his aunt's eyes. His eyes widened as he saw Cassandra made a charge at Grell.
"Sebastian! Stop her!"
Before Sebastian could move, to Ciel's and Sebastian's surprise, Cassandra kicked Grell hard in the butt, knocking Grell forward with enough force and sending her falling flat on her face. Just right after she kicked her, Cassandra could have sworn she heard Grell let out a moan but ignored it. Grell sat up, looking at Cassandra in shock.
"How dare you!" She sputtered.
"That's for lying to me!" Cassandra shouted, angrily.
"You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Grell growled, getting up and brushing herself off.