Chapter Five:

Aries stifled a giggle as Sebastian walked past her, her eyes filling with amusement as he mumbled to himself.

Once he passed, Aries opened up the door stepping out of the closet, and hurrying down the hall, turning the corner sharply. "Hehe, you silly Sebasti—" she came to a halt as she found Sebastian before her, a irritated, forced smile plaguing his lips.

"There you are, Miss Aries," Sebastian said grabbing her hand with his iron grip. "As I have told you several times before, you are ill, which means you should be in bed."

Aries sighed, "That's no fun~," she whined. "Can't I do something fun, Se-bast-tian~." Then, she gasped, "Let's go to the city, hehe~ we can play deductions, and—"

"No," Sebastian said firmly, pulling her into her room and sitting her on the bed. Aries began to giggle as he left the room, "I'm locking you in here."

"Hehe~, you'll have to get to the door first." Sebastian gave her a strange look, opening his mouth to question this when suddenly his feet were entangled in a trap, raising him up, and hanging by his legs.

Aries giggled madly as his bewildered and furious expression. Aries jumped out of the bed, tapping his face, and giggling. "Hehe, sorry Seb-ast-ian~! Looks like I beat you this time, hehe~..."

Sebastian glared at her, flicking a butter knife from out of his sleeve and easily slicing through the makeshift bedsheets ropes.
Aries took as step back as he fell down easily, "I do believe you are—" he didn't get to finish as his feet were tangled up in yet another trap, dragging him under the bed.

Aries cackled loudly, and quickly slipped out of the room before Sebastian could say anything, locking the door behind her.

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"Ciel! Ciel! Hide me! Hide me!" Aries screamed, running into the young Earl's office.

The blue-haired boy glanced up from his work, "Wha—? Aries? What are you—" he didn't get to finish because she slid behind him, crawling underneath his wooden table. He could hear her stifle a giggle, but doing horrendously at it.

The doors to his office opened, revealing a rather disheveled Sebastian. His usually calm expression had been replaced by irritation, his strained smile twitching. "Pardon me, my Lord, I am looking for Aries who seems to be especially disobedient today. Do you happen to know where I can find her?"

Ciel pointed to his desk, "She's hiding under there," he said, and then moved his chair away. Aries pouted as Sebastian swiftly came over, grabbing her by the collar, yanking her out.

"There you are," Sebastian's voice was eerily calm, making the girl giggle. "Since you have this much energy to fool around, I am sure you'll be equally as energetic to clean all the washrooms, help weed the garden, and wash the dishes."

Aries groaned in displeasure, "That's boring! Let's do something fun instead!"

"No," Sebastian said firmly, "This is your punishment for not following directions." Aries froze as still as a statute. Had Sebastian not been able to hear and feel her heartbeat — which had drastically increased in those few seconds — he would have assumed she was dead.

After a near minute of complete silence, Aries seemed to come back to life, as if a flip had been switched, "I wanna do something fun~ let's—"

"No," he began to march out of the room, dragging the girl by the arm behind him.

Ciel stared at their retreating figure, but mainly at Aries, who had been grumbling about Sebastian being boring. What was that? Had she just... 'Shut down'? Why did she stop like that, almost as if she were remembering something.

His hands folded over his face as the realization dawned on him of how little he knew about his new servant. Curiosity filled his head as he wondered about her background, where she was from, who her parents were. Or more importantly: exactly what had been chasing her the night they found her.

Ciel soon came to the conclusion that if he wanted to know anything about the girl, he would need to research, which he would need his butler to do for him.

Ciel smirked, "Exactly who are you, Aries?"

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"Yay~ I love the city, hehe~," Aries giggled, bouncing in her seat. "This is going to be fun, I can't wait!" Aries turned to Ciel, "Where're we going again?"

"The townhouse, Aries," Ciel replied, but she ignored him going to the window.

"Yay~ we can play deductions again!" Then, she began to rattle off facts from people she saw on the street. Some had been short and abrupt statements. He was married with three kids, she was in a unhappy relationship. Others, however had been much more complex and interesting. She was a murderer, having had her last husband poisoned so she could relish in his riches while she 'mourned'. Or a man who used to be a abuse victim, but now he was rich and all he cared for was money.

Finally, the carriage stopped, and Aries hopped out, not bothering to take Sebastian's outstretched hand. She watch the people who were causally walking by with amazement and curiosity. "Ciel! Ciel! Look, she's a singer, but lost her voice a few days ago! Oh, and he used to be a farmer, but married into wealth! This is so fun, hehe~!" The trio walked in side, both Ciel and Sebastian ignoring Aries' ramblings and helpless infatuations over the public.

Once they stepped foot inside, Aries began to giggle, "Ooo~ I like new people!" She cheered, but the two other males had still been ignoring her. They all seemed to halt when they heard a crash from the kitchen. Aries began to giggle madly, as they approached, hearing two voices inside.

"Geez, where do they put the tea leaves in this house!" A woman's voice said.

"I can't seem to find them either," replied a male with a Asian accent. Aries began to giggle as she stepped into the room. The entire kitchen had been ransacked. Pots scattered the floors, dishes all over the counter. Nearly every single one of the cabinets that hung on the walls were open and bare.

Three people were in the room; two men and a woman. The woman wore a oversized, bright red dress, that matched her huge hat and her short, bob-cut hair underneath it. She had unnatural red eyes as well.

One of the men, who were Asian by the looks of it, wore a turquoise-blue traditional Japanese hakama.

The other man, who had been in the back and practically unseeable over the mess, wore a black coat that reached his knees, along with black slacks and black boots. He had a red ribbon tied around his neck, making a bow in the back, and a pinstriped ribbon in the front. He had brown hair tied back in another red bow and striking green eyes, which was full of what looked like anxiety and shyness. Aries narrowed her eyes at the man, her giggling stopped. Something definitely was not right about this man.

Sebastian and Ciel looked at the room in shock, "Madam Red!? Lau?! What are you doing here!?" Ciel demanded, his face hot and angry.

"Ah... He came back so quickly," the woman, Madam Red said, unfazed by his anger. The woman stood and gave the boy a coy look. "Since my cute, little nephew is in London, how could I not come to visit?" Madam Red said innocently.

"Hey Earl," the man, who Ciel addressed as Lau, spoke up after her. "I've heard many interesting things happen here."

"We had no idea guest were coming today," Sebastian said with a smile, ignoring Ciel's grumbling under his breath. "I apologize for not accommodating your earlier. Aries and I will go prepare tea for you immediately." Sebastian grabbed Aries' arm, who was still staring at the other unnamed male, and pulled her into the other room to help prepare tea.

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"Today's tea is a Jackson's Earl Grey," Sebastian announced.

"This aroma is nice," Madam Red complimented. "What a unique way of steeping."

"It's the same type of tea, but yet the way you make it makes such a difference," Sebastian answered, setting out the tea. Aries say on a chair beside Ciel, humming a unknown tune to herself, twisting a ringlet of dark, unruly hair in her finger.

"Grell, you should follow by his example!" Madam Red commented, taking a sip of her tea.

"Y... Yes," Grell said softly, keeping his timid gaze on the ground.

"Anyways," Madam Red continued, then grabbed Sebastian's backside firmly, making him jolt in surprise, the teapot and cups jumping. Aries began to giggle as Madam Red talked, "No matter every time I see you, you're still so handsome!" She grinned broadly, her red lips parting to reveal pearly white teeth. "Why don't you quit working here and serve me~?"

Aries took much amusement in Sebastian's uncomfortable, stiff position, giggling madly in her seat. Ciel, on the other hand, dead panned, disgust etching on his impassive features. He cleared his throat loudly to gain the blushing woman's attention, "... Madam Red." Finally, the woman stopped her fondling of Sebastian's butt, and gave her attention to her nephew. Aries, too, quieted her giggles down to look at the Earl, who crossed his legs, folding his hands in his face.

"Let's talk seriously now," Ciel began. "I've heard about the case of prostitutes being murdered on the streets lately."

"You mean what's been going on the news lately? I've heard of it," Madam Red replied. "However... What are you planning?"

"This isn't just some ordinary case," Ciel explained. "The killer's way are very special — no, should I say, abnormal. That's why 'she' is so concerned about this."

"What do you mean?"

"The murdered prostitute was called Mary Ann Nichols. The wounds looked like they wee some kind of sharp tool, using quick cuts, with a painful death," Ciel paused to take a bite of his fruity, lemon cake — topped with raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries — before beginning again. "The other police and prostitutes call the murderer... Jack the Ripper."

Aries grinned at the talk of a serial killer, excitement filling her body. "I just wanted to know the circumstances sooner, so I rushed to London too."

Lau, who had been strangely silent, chuckled, "Fufufu... The Queen's Watchdogs have already been dispatched. But I'm not interested," Lau sipped his tea with a grin. "Do you have the guts to go to a crime scene?"

Aries giggled at the man, he was amusing. "... What do you mean?" Ciel asked, and Lau's grin broadened. He got up from his chair, slowly moving Ciel's way.

"I smelled a wild beast at the crime scene," Lau said. "The murderer is definitely an abnormal madman." Lau cupped Ciel's face in his hand, "Will you... Be scared, Earl of Phantomhive?"

"I came because I was worried for my fiancée," Ciel replied, narrowing his eye coldly. "I do not need to answer your pointless question."

"... Not bad," Lau said. "The look in your eyes is good." Suddenly, Lau's dark attitude changed to happy as he grabbed Ciel's arm dragging him to the door. "Then come take a stroll with me!"

"Wait a minute!" Ciel shouted, making Aries giggle as they ran past her, before stopping near the door.

"Seriously! I rarely ever get to have some afternoon tea with the Earl, but I can't even enjoy it in peace?" Madam Red sighed, before setting down her cup. "I want to go too. Lau, where is this crime scene?"

"Don't you know, Madam?" Lau smirking coyly, but then shrugged a shoulder, "Don't ask me. I don't know the way either."

Ciel deadpanned and Aries giggled, grinning, "You talk so arrogantly yet you don't even know where it is!?" Madam Red demanded.

As the two bickered, Ciel sighed, "Calm down," he spoke up, making the two adults quiet down. "I know there has to be at least one person that's been to the crime scene."

Both Madam Red and Lau looked surprised at this bold statement, "Eh?"

"At the time, many people gathered to see what was going on," Ciel explained. "But it's too troublesome for me to ask the police."

"Then what should we do?" Madam Red asked, confused.

Aries began to giggle again, "Hehe, I haven't seen him in forever~..." She said to herself, although nobody was listening to her.

"Earl... You couldn't be suggesting..."

"There's no other way," Ciel said, almost reluctantly. "It's bothersome to meddle in this case, but I can did someone who works on the this case."

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Aries giggled, staring out the window as the carriage rode down the heavily populated streets of London. Madam Red, Lau, Ciel, and Sebastian, were talking about the case as Aries made silent, amusing deductions to herself. She wasn't listening until she saw Madam Red motioning to her.

"I do not believe we have met," Madam Red said kindly. "Hello, I am Angelina Dalles, and—"

"Female. Thirty-three years old. Doctor. Former alcoholic. Widow; husband murdered in a carriage accident. Only other relative is Ciel Phantomhive. Vegetarian. Self-conscious. Unable to con—" a hand clamped over her mouth, muffling the rest of her sentence. Sebastian was giving a closed-eye smile at Aries, but it was wary and dangerous.

"That is quite enough, Aries," Sebastian said coolly. Madam Red's face had paled, her scarlet eyes widened as Aries words replaying in her head like a broken record.

Finally, the woman spoke up, "H... How did you know that?" She asked.

"She... Has this skill. Deducting, she calls it," Ciel explained slowly. "She looks at someone and deduces everything about them based on their physical appearance. She's also crazy—"

Aries somehow managed to shove Sebastian's hand away, "I'm not crazy!" She hissed, glaring. "I'm a sociopath."

"Madam Red and Sir Lau are our guests, Miss Aries," Sebastian began to scold. "Keep your deductions to yourself, it is rather rude and unbecoming of a Phantomhive servant." Aries glared at him, but Sebastian spoke before she could protest. "You're Young Master's servant and you should learn your place."

Instantly, Aries froze, her face turning serious and impassive all at once. She had barely been breathing as her eyes glazed over, looking at him, but somehow not seeing him. The carriage went silent, only being disrupted by the noisy chatter outside. The carriage had remained that way, until they had finally arrived at their destination. And even then, Aries hadn't snapped out of whatever trance she was in.

"Leave her," Ciel said once everyone had left the carriage. "We'll come for her after our work has been finished." Following his Master's orders, the others left, and Sebastian shut the door.

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Sebastian had taken Aries with her when he went to go investigate all the physicians, and easily placed her in the guest room once he finished his work. Not an hour later, his Young Master had arrived at the manor with his guest and the four of them reviewed their findings. They decided to go investigate Viscount Druitt, Lord Aleister Chambers' party, which was surely to be the last one of the party season. Their last chance to investigate the most suspicious physician.

It had been around two when they received information, meaning they would only have about five hours to prepare for the party and plan. Which had been more than enough time they would need.

Madam Red offered to go shop for dresses for Ciel, saying how she needed a new gown herself — which Ciel suspected was a lie, ignored it. Meanwhile, Ciel, Lau, and Sebastian brainstormed their plan in the townhouse.

It had been nearing three o'clock when Sebastian heard a sharp gasp from upstairs. Excusing himself, he went to go check the sound. He heard ragged breathing from the guest room he had placed Aries in, and easily opened the door.

Aries was sitting up, a hand to her chest. Her dark hair wild, almost giving her a look of a frightened, wild animal. Her eyes were wide, breathing greedily, as if her air supply was scarce. Her entire body trembling, as if she were scared of a unknown threat. Perhaps it was the man she mentioned from time and time again, Sebastian mused with himself.

He cleared his throat, making himself known — since he hadn't so much as spared a glance at him since he entered the room. She already looked on-edge, he wouldn't want to give her a fright her, no matter how much it tempted him.

If Aries saw him, or even acknowledged his presence in the room, she made no action of doing so. Instead, she began talking to herself — again. "That... That one was hard to get out of. Damn, wild hellhounds and drowning...? That's low, even for him..."

Sebastian rose an eyebrow, what was she talking about? Hellhounds and drowning? No matter, she would be needed for their plan; surely she'd be a great asset. "Miss Aries, I am glad to see you have awoken. Are you—"

"I can't take another one of these...!" She said, her voice was borderline paranoia. "They're everywhere! How!? How did he do it?! Ugh, it's so clever," she grabbed fistfuls of hair in her hands, her face stressed and wrinkles crinkling her brow. "How many had he put in!? And how had he gotten past my defenses!? That's impossible! And now they're practically invisible!! Impossible to find, that's so... So like him, aurgh!" She grabbed a pillow, shoving her face into it and screamed.

Of course, the downy pillow had muffled the sound, making the scream much softer than it would have been. But, the pillow hadn't hid the intensity and frustration of it, which amused Sebastian. Aries, who seemed unshakable and always confident, almost to the point of being over-confident, was somehow being outsmarted. Seeing the dark skinned girl so frustrated and annoyed made him smirk.

He quickly schooled his expression, if Aries hadn't been mentally capable, then he would leave her here tonight. He was rather sure she could make it by herself, but she hasn't seemed unstable — well, not that unstable — but more enraged, furious. Soon, she would calm down, no doubt, and actually be of some use to them.

"Aries, are you alright?" The girl stopped talking to herself. Then, she looked at Sebastian, and grinned.

"Silly Sebastian, what are you doing here~?" Aries asked, her voice regaining its childlike, teasing tone, but somehow it had changed. Although it had decreased significantly since her minor breakdown, almost to the point of being nonexistent, he was still able to smell the fear on her. At least for an instant, before it completely decreased, and replaced by her random attitude.

"I asked if you were alright," Sebastian said, and Aries slipped off the bed. Her feet softly pattering on the wooden flooring. The nightgown he changed her in shimmered around her body. "You seemed rather detached earlier. Did something happened?"

"Yes, of course, silly!" She giggled into her hand, "You almost killed me!" Sebastian's rose an eyebrow, almost killed her? He had been no close to almost killing her. In fact, he had the chance several times to do so before, but restrained himself because it would be very unbecoming of a Phantomhive butler. But today? All he had said was a sentence, hardly something dangerous that would kill her.

"Never mind that," Aries said, waving a careless hand in the air. "When's the party? Ooo~ I want a flamboyant dress too~! Although she would pick pink, I don't think it'll be good on silly Ciel. Maybe yellow? No, no, blue would be much better! It's his favorite color after all~! Although he wouldn't admit it! Silly Ciel, so helplessly stubborn~..."

Aries giggled like she were talking to him, and it was then that Sebastian realized that Aries was most certainly back. Whatever had been bothering her had been thrown away with, and now she was just as insane and... Ridiculously chatty as ever.

How delightful.

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Late night update. I thought Aries deserved a bit more love, so here ya go!

I'll get back to writing Soaring On Chain's new update and Free-Falling. I'm almost done with SOC, but I've been... Dangerously procrastinative(is that a word? The red thingy under it says no, but I think it should be). I've just got to get a bit of inspiration, but what ends up happening is that I do, then I reread what I have so far—which is a little over 9,000 words—then I literally say, "... Eh, no, I don't feel like doing this right now..."

... This is an issue.

Maybe I should start updating a few of my smaller stories, like A Dash Of Magic or Ninjas in the Pride. I've actually been working on NITP, but I just gotta finish the second half if that. It'll be done soon, I love writing for Diata~...

Well, that's all for now! I'll see you next time my little Ice Pops, and remember...

Don't melt~!
~Happyritas <OOO

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Edited: 3/17/17