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Chapter Eighteen : His Thug; Stuck in a Love Triangle
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"Why would I do that? That gives you more the reason to try things and-." He interrupted softly by chuckling.
"Remember, I do want to proclaim you as my own. I had stated that as of right now you, the Undertaker, and I are in a battle of interest towards you." He had replied.
"I'm not a item Sebby." She had rolled her eyes in a retort of the males foolish outlook of things.
"No, I suppose you're not." He had smiled and slowly backed away, letting his hand fall from her cheek, leaving the touch starved female be. She knew what he was doing, and he knew what he was doing.
She had quickly lifted up her mask, stuffed her hands in her pockets and quickly walked away, in a desperate need to cool her head. Her glaring eyes looking to Sebastian as she did so, seeing the dumb smirk on his face.
It didn't matter... He had bothered her where it really wouldn't go away until resolved.
Damn him, damn Demons.
She wondered, what made him push so hard to have her? Surely it's not because she knows his secret, surely there was something else there?
Undertaker, he wouldn't lie to her, he knew her families' code and knew how to respect it... he wouldn't dare lie, right? She wouldn't know... but Sebastian was right, he couldn't lie to her. Was it a good idea to actually trust him again? She wouldn't know...
Undertaker wanted Carla to kill him, but her ultimately, and she revealed that fact to him. So where would she go now, know that Sebastian knew the truth and was most certainly going to tell Ciel? Maybe that's why he's been pressuring her with all this affection, to keep her from sliding her knife? Who knew, but one thing she did know. She was stuck, her loyalty was being tested, here and now. Phantomhives vs. Undertaker, in the end, she'd die anyway, right? She could never pull the trigger in front of Ciel, never... He meant to much to him. Why? When? What was her purpose here?
"Are you really that clueless on that?" Carla, her other half spoke.
"Well, yes, I don't know what to do, kill and run, let him live till he messes up. I don't know what lays for me once I'm back over there."
"Sebastian won't say a thing and handle you on his own, or seduce you and sway you to turn your blade elsewhere. He's crafty. But as long as his master is safe he won't disrupt your task with Ciel's presence. As long as you show no ill will to Ciel-." Red interrupted Carla in a panic.
"I'd never hurt Ciel... Never."
"Then your battle is decided, fight fire with fire. Seduce the fucker first. "
After a few more moments of silence, more so a few hours of silence Red turned and headed back towards Undertaker's parlor, seeing the door was shut and Sebastian wasn't staring at the door, so she went inside, seeing Sebastian and Ciel looking as if they're ready to leave. An Undertaker having a dorky smile on his face.
"Have everything we need?" Red asked Ciel, her hands still in her pockets.
"Yes, for now, all we can pin down is the lost children haven't been handled by him, or have they been heard of in the Underworld so-." Red interrupted, fitting the pieces together quickly and feeling a spark of hope.
"They're still alive. What are the next steps?" She then asked.
"For you... nothing, I don't think it's a good idea for you to work this case, especially since it comes to children. It may become complicated if you act rashly in response to saving children." Ciel spoke, his words half hearted.
"Every time it comes to saving someone you leave me out, I'll behave Ciel, please! I won't blow our cover..." Red kneeled down and held Ciel's shoulders, softly shaking them.
"Red... I'm sorry. Not this time... If we need your help we'll find a way to contact you, but it's best you stayed at the Manor. Or here, where you feel you'd remain the most sane until we return." Ciel had spoke, looking to the side with a sigh.
"But-..." Red began again.
"We'll talk about this more at the town house. Come." Ciel then said sternly, almost brushing off her concerns, and then walking past her.
Leaving her frozen for a moment on the floor.
'What is he saying...? This is the first case he's tried pushing me away...?'
She slowly rose to her feet, glancing behind her to see them leaving, her eyes returning to Undertaker who gave her just as a confused look.
She smiled softly, half heartedly before bidding Undertaker goodbye, her voice soft. She couldn't show weakness to him. But she was sure he'd react accordingly later.
She followed Ciel and Sebastian into the carriage and kept her gaze out the window as they went.
"Why...?"
"I told you, it's not best for you to handle this case, you get protective over children. You do the same-,"
"Same what Ciel? Everyone handles children differently? What is so bad about me being there to help with the case? I'm a Phantomhive! I'm supposed to be helping you! I'm not a doll-!"
"I don't want you reliving something! I don't want you being close to me and blowing our cover! I get you care to protect me, but you aren't needed. You aren't my Mother, Madame Red, or my sister, you're not needed everywhere I go!" He retorted, but the moment he said it he realized he shouldn't have.
"Not...Needed..."
"Red..."
"Then why am I here... How am I a Phantomhive if I'm not worth anything?"
The carriage fell silent.
"I'll show you, I don't need you. I'll solve this case, on my own. Without you..." She rose and opened the door, hanging out of the door and stepping down onto the step as the carriage moved.
"Red I order you to-."
She jumped out before Ciel could finish.
"Red!"
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"Damn it! Why did I say that? She was not the person to yell that at, it's late, and she hasn't come home. She's not at Undertaker's. Where is she?" Ciel pouted angrily in his bed, Sebastian watching him closely.
"I'm not sure Master, I cannot even find traces of her. I'll admit, she's hard to pin down, harder than I anticipated."
"We'll look again in the morning before the show-,"
"Master, rest now. She'll be fine. It's not as if she's disappeared, she just wants to prove a point. I'm sure we'll see her tomorrow night at the show. She won't wander to far away from you, I'm sure she's still protecting you even now." Sebastian cooed to the boy, hoping that would calm him enough to which it seemed to.
"I suppose... I just, wish I never had said that. Nor denied her to help us. I'm still being cautious of her, no... protective of her. She's still weary of you and now," He held his forehead and Sebastian tucked him in.
"I'll track her down, I'll find her. Need not fret." Sebastian whispered as he then blew out the candles for his Master to sleep for the night.
Once Ciel was asleep Sebastian silently and quickly left the manor, starting back at the spot she had jumped from the carriage and continued the hunt from there. She leaving barely anything for him to track her, but on the outskirts by the river he found her sitting, looking at the moon, in the soft drizzle of rain.
"Red!" Sebastian rushed over only to stop when he saw tears streaming down her face, her fingers quick to wipe them away and stand up. In an effort to run away from him.
"Red stop this," He being quick to grab her arm and turn her around, his other hand holding onto her biceps tightly.
"Leave me alone! I don't need you! I can do just fine on my own! I don't need anyone!" She had shouted and narrowed her eyes at him, gold filling her pupils.
"You know that's not true Red." Sebastian remained calm, he keeping his look soft, and his voice gentle in hopes it would counter her anger and sadness.
"Let go of me! Go back to your master and leave me be!" She demanded and tried swinging her leg but it didn't take much to stop it, he not retaliating since she was upset and probably wasn't to fond of him. But it's the more she cried that her breathing wavered and her fighting ceased.
"I don't... I don't understand..." She whimpered softly, her hands hiding her face.
"I know you don't, but you mustn't run away every time something goes wrong." He scolded her, gentle and caring.
"If I stay then he really will get hurt... right? I'm not needed, I've never really been. Ever since the beginning, I just want to be, because, that's who I was before I failed... like I'm trying to make up for failing so hard before here, before even knowing you guys existed." Her words came out soft, but her body relaxed enough Sebastian was able to release her arms and just look down upon her broken heart.
He could understand why she tried so hard, but he also couldn't, either way. He was going to enjoy taking her soul at the end of it all.
"Your time will come, it's just not now-." She interrupted.
"No, it won't. You'll handle it, with grace and beauty like you always do. Without hesitation and without failure, and I'll be there. In the background as always, this isn't my home anymore Sebastian, neither is the manor." She looked down, holding herself as her body stained with rain.
Sebastian narrowed his gaze and then forced her to look up by harshly grabbing her chin.
"Listen to me hard and well," His voice soft but also dangerous, as she could also hear whisps of other voices behind his own.
"You belong here, as you do in the manor. I will not allow you to wander off and get yourself killed and into a state of insanity. I will not permit you to be found by the Undertaker and live with him either. You belong to the Phantomhive name, wether you like it or not." He retorted but she returned his tone all to quick.
"Bullshit! All you care about is me being a toy to you, and don't think I'm stupid enough to not see you're wanting something out of me! I don't give a damn if you can't lie! I still can't trust you!" She ripped her chin from his fingers.
"What do you want from me Sebastian?" She then asked, her eyes stern.
He froze, his once angered face softened to a shocked one, seeing she and reacted back to his own act.
But he had answered.
"Your soul, it's always been. Just as my masters. That's all we demons want, that's all that we demons are." He replied.
"Then take it. Do what you want with it but don't toy with me, kill me, do what you will with it! But don't expect me to ever trust you or Ciel ever again!" Tears streamed down her face, as her body shook from the anger and the cold.
"I'm solving this case, without you!" She then turned and ran away, leaving herself open and vulnerable to any kind of attack.
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Undertaker watched the whole thing, looking down upon the demon and his mortal in interest. Wondering if it was even safe for Red to try and even kill Sebastian at this point, with her soul on the line as well.
The fact the demon did come clean of it all, was quite shocking to him. He feared Red was running out of trust to give, and love to share. He knew being told she couldn't help was a stab to the heart, but frankly, he couldn't help but disagree with Ciel. She was much more than her mortal counterpart. But now he spent it, however, she'd return sooner or later. Once the Lord's life grew to close to danger.
His eyes remained on Sebastian, who seemed frozen in shock, in confusion, and seemed to be running through his many untapped emotions at the scene he witnessed.
His prey condemning her soul to him, taunting it like a fox. He wondered if she was mad, but he couldn't help but understand her methods. She was nearly spent and done with this world and the people she had meet, all because of him, and the care his master gave her. He failed to bring her home. An from that failure he understood why Red felt so worthless and useless from her family dying, as it was the biggest betrayal she could have done. It was like a betrayal to his own master.
Undertaker smirked at the demons pain, knowing he was going through a whole wave of emotions and Red had caused it.
But, he knew Red wouldn't last the night in this weather, so it was best to bump into her along her travels.
"Goodnight Master Butler, she's won this round of chess."
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