£~Third Person~With Ciel Phantomhive~£

Ciel sat at the table with a sigh, looking at Madam Red and Lau. "As much as I hate to admit it, we might need professional help with this case", he said suddenly. "Professional help? What do you mean?", Madam Red questioned. "Sebastian, send a letter to the Queen's Fox", Ciel said. "Pardon, young master, but who is the Queen's Fox?", Sebastian questioned. Ciel sighed.

"The Queen's Fox is Her Majesty's personal assassin. I've had little to no contact with Lady L/N, but she is one of my resources in the underground", Ciel explained. "An assassin? Is that wise My Lord?", Sebastian questioned. "Don't question me", Ciel barked. "Just do it", he added. "As you wish, young master", the demon said with a small bow.

£~With Karma~£

Karma was humming to himself while cleaning in his casual clothes, when, all of a sudden, there was a knock on the large doors. He opened the door with an annoyed expression, to see a messenger.

"Umm, a letter to Lady L/N", he said, holding it out to the demon. Karma quickly slammed the door, then reopened it, only this time, he was in his black and red suit. He smiled, an obvious fake smile. "Thanks for the letter", he said, snatching it from his hand and slamming the door in the messanger's face.

£~Y/N~£

There was a knock on my door. I looked up, slightly annoyed. "Come in", I said. Karma came in with a letter in hand. "A letter, M'lady", he said, holding out the letter to me. I took it and grabbed my letter opener.

Quickly breaking the seal, I read over the letter quickly. My eyes widened in shock, so I read it again. Same reaction. I smirked slightly after reading it for the fourth time.

"Well, well, well. It appears we're being summoned by the Queen's Guard Dog", I said. "Why would Lord Phantomhive be sending for us?", Karma questioned. I shrugged. "Something about a case that he needs help with. Professional help", I explained. "Murder case?", the red headed demon inquired. "What else will be need my assistance?", I questioned. "I'll prepare a carriage right away", Karma said, bowing to me before leaving the room.

£~Third Person~£

At the Phantomhive townhouse, Sebastian stood outside while a carriage pulled up. Sebastian walked up to it, once it stopped, and opened the door. First out was Karma. After he was out, paying no mind to Sebastian, he held out his hand for Y/N to grab. Once she had stepped out, Sebastian closed the door and led them inside.

"Right this way. The young master has been expecting you", Sebastian said, opening another door. Karma walked on first, the current residents of the room, those being Ciel, Lau, Grell, and Madam Red, not noticing him. Y/N walked in directly after, still unnoticed.

"Young Lord, your guests have arrived", Sebastian announced the two's presence. At that, everyone in the room turned around. Ciel and Madam Red's eyes widened at who was standing barely inside the room.

"Hello Ciel. I see you've been doing good. Madam Red, I see life has given some fortune after all", Y/N said, smirking at them. Madam Red was speechless, while Ciel got over his shock quickly.

"Y/N, I didn't expect to see you here. Are you an aquintence of Lady L/N?", Ciel questioned. "Oh Ciel, for how smart you are, you can be extremely dense, sometimes. No, I am Lady L/N", Y/N shrugged, still smirking. "Now, once you come back to reality, let's get down to business. We can catch up later over a game of chess", Y/N said, finally snapping Ciel and Madam Red out of shock. "First, though, I think there is somewhere we need to stop by first, don't you, Ciel?"

£~At the Undertaker's~£

"We're here", Y/N said, stopping in front of a weirdly decorated building that has a sigh saying 'Undertaker'. She and Karma walked right in, Ciel, Sebastian, Lau, Grell, and Madam Red following suit. "Are you in, Undertaker?", Ciel called out.

"Hee hee. I have been expecting you", said a voice,coming from seemingly nowhere. "I bid ye welllllllcome, Lord Earl." A shady looking figure came out of a coffin,scaring Lau, Grell, and Madam Red. "Has your lordship finally decided to step into that coffin that I've made specially for you!?", the Undertaker asked.

"Sorry, but Ciel won't be stepping into a coffin anytime soon", Y/N said, smirking widely at the Undertaker. "Oh, Lady L/N, I didn't expect to see you here as well. Have you brought more company with you?", Undertaker asked. "Sorry, not today. Last target was cremated. Were here to talk about some of your other recent company", she stated.

"Ah, I see. Well, she wasn't a 'customer' in the 'ordinary folk' sense of the word. See, I cleaned her up riiiight nice and pretty", he said. "We want to here about that", Ciel stated. "Then let's have a little chat. I'll make some tea or something", Undertaker said, quickly getting together a little something, while everyone except Y/N and Karma, who just sat on random coffins, looked for somewhere to sit.

"Now then, you want to here about Jack the Ripper, yes? The Yard's starting to get their knickers in a bunch about it now, but this isn't the first time I've had a customer like that", Undertaker reported, surprising Madam Red, Grell, Lau, and Ciel. "Not the first time? What do you mean?", Madam Red questioned, weary out of surprise.

"In the past, there've been a number of cases involving murdered BLEEPS. But the intensity and cruelty with which they're being done in continues to escalate. The Yard failed to take notice because the murders weren't terribly bloody at the outset, but all the prostitutes killed in Whitechapel had a little something in common", Undertaker reported. "Something in common, you say?", Ciel questioned.

"Well, what could it be? What ever could it be? Wouldn't you like to know?", Undertaker queried, a mischievous edge in his voice. "I see. That's how it is. Being an undertaker is only his facade for normal society. How much do you want for the information?", Lau asked. "Ah, here it comes. Karma, be ready", Y/N said, Lau, Grell, and Madam Red looking at the two in curiosity. "How much?", Undertaker asked in his creepy voice. "I do not desire a single one of the Queen's coins. Now M'lady, give it to me", he said, leaning over Y/N and Karma, both unaffected. "Bestow upon me the choicest of 'laughter'! Then I shall give you anything!", he demanded.

"That creep", Ciel deadpaned, sweat dropping. "Please, allow us to handle this, Ciel", Y/N said, smirking, with Karma at her heals. "Please, everyone, step outside and please, no matter what you hear, don't come in", Y/N said, a threatening edge at the end.

Everyone else stepped outside, not wanting to face the wrath of the female assassin. They waited for a few minutes in silence. Suddenly, they heard, who they presumed to be the Undertaker, laughing so hard, the sign hanging above the door lost its hold slightly. Once Karma came out, telling them they could come in, they heard Y/N finishing whatever was so funny. "...and then I said 'Nice to meet cha'", she finished.

"Well, to get back to the matter at hand", Undertaker said, out of breath and drooling slightly. "I'll tell you anything you need to know", he finished, getting his breath back and sitting up. "For a while now, I've occasionally had clients, who are, how should I say, lacking something", he vaguely told. "Lacking?", Sebastian questioned. "Yes, quite lacking", the Undertaker started. "Their innards, that is." This shocked everyone, only Karma, Sebastian, and Y/N just raised an eyebrow at the news. "Before my customers can rest easy on their beds, I must get them nice and clean, yes? And examining them as I do my duty is a little hobby of mine, you see", Undertaker continued. "More like play with them", Y/N muttered under her breath.

"So they were lacking a kidney or some such? In that case, the killer is a loan shark or the like", Lau theorized. "Chinese seller rats think up the most disturbing things! That's not what I meant. It is something only a prositude...a girl would possess", Undertaker clarified, while irking Lau. "So each was missing her uterus", Y/N stated, piecing the pieces together. "Yes, lately, I'm seeing a rise in such 'customers' and their crimson 'rouge' is becoming gaudier by the day", Undertaker said.

"Even with passersby, committing murder on the street, moreover in the dead of night, would it not be difficult for an amateur to cut out the womb with the necessary precision?", Sebastian questioned. "Right, the bright candle, aren't we, master butler? I've considered that myself", Undertaker said, making Y/N come to a conclusion. "So you presume a professional did this, right?", Y/N asked, just to have her thoughts confirmed. "Yes, the 'skill' involved and 'the lack of hesitation' points to a professional. And most likely someone of the 'underworld', at that", Undertaker responded.

"That is why I knew you would come here, M'lord", Undertaker said in that creepy voices of his, practically leaning on Ciel. "If there were a possibility that the killer belonged to the 'underworld', I expected you to be summoned here without fail", he said, practically stating the obvious. "Heed my words, another will die. And so will the murders continue, until someone stops them", Undertaker warned. "Can you stop the killer, 'Aristocrat of Evil', Earl Phantomhive? The Underground has its own rules. It's residents do not kill those on the other side without reason, and they do not invade polite society using the powers of the Underground", Undertaker, once again, stated the obvious, at least for those who know the Underground this time. At the same time, Sebastian was putting Ciel's coat on his master, while Y/N puts her's on herself.

"By our family coat of arms, I vow to eliminate without exception, all who defile the Queen by any means necessary", Ciel proclaimed seriously, while Y/N just barely supperesed an eye roll. "Excuse our intrusion, Undertaker", Ciel parted, walking out the door with Sebastian on his heels. "Don't worry, Undertaker. The next target I go after, I'll have sent strait to you~", Y/N said, in an all too happy, sing-song tone.

£~~£

"Based on our conversation earlier, we can now simplify our list of suspects", this time it was Ciel who stated the obvious. "Yes, quite. First, we have 'someone well-versed in medical science and anatomy'. Among them, 'someone with no alibi on nights of murders'. And, as the perpetrator has a absconded the uterus of each victim, 'someone involved with a secret society or cult of black magic' is also a possibility", Sebastian listed off. "Hold on a moment, Sebastian. I see where your coming from for the secret society there and, while it still is a possiblity, it's highly unlikely. I think the murder, unlike how their given title suggests, is female", Y/N said, adding another way to hopefully thin out the number of suspects. "Why would you say that", Madam Red queried "I say that because 'Jack' could simply be killing these women out of jealousy or a grudge. I mean, look at what happens to the victims, they all have their uterus cut out. Unless 'Jack' is highly perverted, it makes sense that 'Jack' is female", Karma clarified.

"Ok, I see where your coming from, but how can you call this 'simplified'? Just how many people do you think gather in London during the Season!?", Madam Red exclaimed.
"Not only must one consider the doctors of London, but also the family physicians that aristocrats have brought over from the countryside. Furthermore, medical school graduates who never became doctors. Not to mention orientals like Lau who are skilled in the use of needles and are familiar with the human body", Madam Red elaborated. "The Season will be over in less than a week. And the family physicians will return to the countryside, then we need only investigate before the Season ends", Karma stated, wide smirk present on his face.

"Come again?", Lau questioned in disbelief. "We need only pay a call to each individual and verify his alibi prior to the season coming to a close", Sebastian agreed. "Verify their alibis!? Even though we don't know their exact numbers yet!?", Madam Red exclaimed, not believing it was possible. "Please, leave it to me", both Karma and Sebastian said in sync.

"I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that I can manage something as trivial as this", Sebastian said, placing his left hand over his heart. "I shall make a list of suspects and call each of them immediately", Sebastian continued, stepping toward the door of the carriage. "Suck up", Karma muttered, but Sebastian still heard. Next thing they knew, he opened the door, ready to jump out. "Mister Grell, was it not? Please drive safely back to the townhouse", Sebastian said. "Eh!? Ah! Yes!?", Grell shouted, surprised. "Now, if you will excuse me", that was the last thing Sebastian said before he seemingly dissapeared.

"Haah, Sebastian and Karma made some pretty lofty claims, but...", Madam Red began. "Wait, where is Karma, anyways? Wasn't he just here?", Madam Red questioned. "He just went on his own search and to get our resident python to make the search for suspects go faster", Y/N said, nonchalantly looking out the window. "Our butlers said they would take care of it. I can't speak for Sebastian, but I know that Karma won't come back empty handed", Y/N said, seemingly overconfident about Karma's abilities. "Sebastian will not return empty handed, either. All we need to do is sip our tea and bide our time", Ciel responded, also seemingly overconfident in his butler's abilities.

"You two have great faith in your butlers, hmm", Madam Red stated. "No, not really. It's just that he never lies. Ever", Ciel stated, looking out the window. "Karma is efficient when be needs to be. Besides, he know what will come to him if he doesn't deliver on something he said he could do. I highly doubt he would want the others teasing him again~", Y/N stated, sporting a small smirk.

£~~£

"We've finally made it!", Lau exclaimed, relieved. "We had to take the long way 'round because Grell got lost!", Madam Red shouted in exasperation. "Come come, Madam Red. Let us have a spot of afternoon tea and take a...break", Lau was shocked into silence seeing Sebastian and Karma standing in the doorway. "Welcome home. We've been waiting for you", Sebastian said, bowing slightly. "Your afternoon tea is ready. A cornmeal cake of pears and blackberries will be accompaning it today", Sebastian reported. "Wait, why are you two here, and who's he!?", Madam Red shouted, pointing at a blue haired male standing next to Karma.

"Hm? I returned in advance because I had finished my assignment", Sebastian curtly replied. "Your 'assignment'! So you already have a list!?", Madam Red shouted in shock. "Not quite, you see. I simply compiled a list based on the characteristics we discussed earlier and paid individual on that list a visit, that was all", Sebastian continued to report what he had gathered together, leaving Grell, Lau, and Madam Red in shock. "Karma, you have a list of suspects, right. He got done what he said he would, right Nagisa?", Y/N asked, a dangerous edge in her voice. This caught the attention of the other three in the room, Sebastian reading off his list to thin air. "Of course, you and I both know that Karma definitely doesn't want Rio teasing him any more than she already does", Nagisa reports, smiling.

"Looks like you really don't want to be teased. Good work. You may do as you please", Y/N said, dismissing the two. "So who is...this?", Madam Red questioned, noticing that 'Nagisa' had already left. "That was just another one of my manor keepers. He mostly keeps Karma in line when I'm not around", Y/N explained. "Here's your the list, M'lady", Karma bowed, handing over a thick scroll for Y/N. "Thank you. You are dismissed", Y/N said, shooing away the demon.

"I have narrowed down the list of suspects to but one individual. Let us discuss the details after tea", Sebastian finally finished, bringing the attention back to him. "How in the world did you manage such a thing, Sebastian?", Madam Red questioned. "Are you really only a butler? Are you sure your not an
O.H.M.S.S or something as well?", she continued. This caught Sebastian's attention, then he smirked slightly. "No. I am merely one hell of a butler", he responded.

To Y/N, Sebastian in general was suspicious, and the fact that he got a full suspect list almost as fast as Karma only made her suspicion about him grow.

£~~£

Later on that night, Y/N was getting ready for bed when Karma walked in. "So, what do you think of Earl Phantomhive?", he pondered. "Ciel has changed drastically from two years ago, and I'm highly suspicious of Sebastian. I doubt he's human after how fast he got that suspect list together", Y/N revealed. "Hmm. What do you mean has the Earl has changed drastically from two years ago? Did you know him before you meet me?", Karma inquired. "Of course I did. Ciel is my little brother after all", Y/N replied.

Hey, Shadow here. Now I'm pretty sure so didn't read the author's note last chapter, so I'll repost it here.I just want to say that, from here on out, updates will be slower. I'm not going to set anything in stone, with school and all. That said, I should be able to update every 2-3 weeks, depending on how life goes. Alright, that's all for now. Let your lights shine bright and your shadows grow darker. Shadow out.