Chapter Seven:

"C... Cold..." Ciel murmured, wrapping his arms around his chest. Aries grinned at him, bouncing up and down where she stood. "Even if this is a poor area, and even if my normal clothes attract attention—"

"The clothes you are wearing right now isn't enough, right?" Sebastian asked, "And it looks like it's about to rain too." Ciel noticed that Sebastian unbuttoning his coat, but Aries placed a hand on his gloved ones.

"No, no, no Sebastian," she tsked him. "Giving him your jacket will only attract more attention." Aries looked back at the house and giggled again, "Although, it'll look kinda funny, don't'cha think?" She winked at Ciel and continued to jump and move erratically.

Ciel rolled his eye, "If we were to stand guard that guy would really come, right?"

"Mm," Sebastian nodded, buttoning back up his jacket. "Because there's only one entrance, and this is also the only path." Aries began to giggle again.

"So the murderer's next target is Maria Gale, who lives in that room?" Ciel asked, peeking over the wall to the lone door they stood by.

"Yes," Sebastian answered. "I've told you many times; I haven't gotten it wrong."

"It's true that apart from missing their internal organs, they do have something in common."

"I wonder why they started murdering people," Aries inquired.

Ciel gave her a strange look, "What do you mean?"

"Why did the killer do it," Aries continued and giggled to herself. "Murderers are so silly to me~! Why do it in a messy way that would have them tracked back like this? If they wanted to murder prostitutes, then there could be much easier ways to do it. Killing someone in a bloody, messy fashion just is strange. They could've poisoned them, kidnapped them, or silently murder them, but rip open their insides and steal their organs? Doesn't that seem a bit... Much? This murderer is so... Peculiar! Why prostitutes and why their organs? If they had been ripped open the way they had, there was no way that it'd be salvageable for money. Besides, why go through so much effort to resell the organs of a woman after sewing them back up after murdering them? Such a messy, uncalled for murder... It's almost as if they wanted us to find them...?"

Ciel stared at her, his eyebrow ruffled as he processed her words. "Interesting theory," He murmured. "It makes sense t—" A scream of bloody murder nearly shocked him out of his skin. "Wha...?! But, no one went inside!" Ciel said, turning the corner easily.

Ciel barged through the door, and his blue eye turned to a saucer. "Don't look!" Sebastian said, clamping a hand over his eyes, but the damage had already been done.

Ciel's hands shook, his knees buckling at the sight of some much blood. He even felt a bit of it slowly drip down his cheek. The warmth of it made him feel more sick than he had already felt.

Sebastian looked over at Aries, expecting to find her in the same paralyzed state, but instead, she was smiling. Her eyes wide with excitement, darting over the woman's body, searching and scanning for deductions she kept in her mind. At a different, more proper time, he would ask her why she was so immune to such a gruesome sight.

But for now, he turned back to the murder scene, his hand hadn't budged from his young master's eyes, "That was rather over the top." Sebastian commented smoothly, "It's all over the floor..." The outline of a silhouette could be made out of the darkness of the room. They were tall, and the gleam of round glasses shined in the moonlight that pierced through the room. "'Jack the Ripper', no... Grell Sutcliff."

The brunette butler finally stepped out, his face full of guilt and sadness. There was blood staining his clothing, and face, which had a innocent countenance displayed, but it hasn't fooled Sebastian or Aries for a second.

"No–No!" Grell stammered weakly. It began to drizzle lightly, making the cold air drop a few degrees, "I heard cries and when I got here it was already—"

"Already what?" Sebastian stifled a mocking laugh. "We were always right outside the only door. Just how did you manage to get into the same room as the deceased? Do you still plan on pretending the state you're in? Isn't it enough, Mr. Grell? No... Even 'Grell Sutcliff' must be fake." Sebastian let a small smirk stretch his lips. "Please stop the act, Mr. Grell. I must say its the first time I've encountered a human like you," Aries' grin stretched at his words. Whatever he had said pleased her somehow. "Didn't you act unconvincingly?"

There was a small pause. Then, Grell grinned. It was sharp-toothed, resembling something of a shark, and dangerous. His murderous intent tainted the air like red coloring in a glass of water. "Heh~. Is that so—?" Grell began to take of his clothes, revealing red clothing peeking underneath with every layer. "That's correct! I'm an actress! And a top-rate one at that~!" With every movement, Grell began to change, his innocent, thick-headed, butler personality dropped as easily as the fake eyelashes attached to his eyes.

In seconds, the false butler was replaced with a redheaded person with long hair. The brown coat was replaced with a crimson red one that hang loosely around his shoulders and unbuttoned. He also wore grey vest on the inside and a pinkish button up shirt. "But aren't you the same, Sebastian?" Grell asked, turning Sebastian's question on him, but it hardly rattled him.

"This is the name Young Master gave me," Sebastian replied easily. "I am 'Sebastian' at the present."

"Oh the role of a faithful dog!" The man laughed as he replaced his glasses with rectangular ones, "Even though the handsome man of the faithful dog is rather nice~. Then, I am allowed to introduce myself Sebastian... No. Little Sebast~." Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the unwanted — and unneeded — nickname. "I am the butler of the Bennett family, Grell Sutcliff!" After a second, he puckered his lips, winking at the man, "We're both butlers so, hello~!"

Sebastian looked completely unamused with the strange compliment — if it could even be called that. "Ah~! I can finally appear before you in my real form, because isn't it embarrassing to appear before a handsome guy without makeup~?" Grell giggled to hisself, "It was my first time seeing a demon as a butler, so I was very surprised when I first saw you~!"

"Are you not the same?" Sebastian countered, ignoring the pouring rain that sent streaks of water down his face. "I've lived long enough. I've never hear of 'that kind of person' becoming a butler. You should have stayed neutral between God and humans... Death God." A chill rang through the air as the words left his mouth, and Aries couldn't stop her smile from widening. "Why did you chose to become a butler?"

"Don't say it like that," Grell scolded in a teasing matter, but brought his finger to his chin, trying to remember why. "Oh right! I was captivated by a woman~."

"And that woman is...?"

"You don't really have to ask, do you?" A feminine voice said and soon after, Madam Red herself stepped out of the home. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her expression was sour. "Sebastian."

Ciel moved Sebastian's had from his face to look at his aunt. "... Madam Red," Ciel said, his voice cold and emotionless.

"My calculations were wrong," she mused, her red lips turning upwards to a smirk. "Who would've thought that the person to uncover Grell's real identity would be someone by your side, Ciel."

"... From the beginning your name was on the list of suspects," Ciel finally spoke up. "However, Madam Red, your alibi was really quite perfect."

"How terrible Ciel," the woman mocked dryly. "You would really suspect one of your own?"

"As long as there is a possibility, I don't care whether that person is a blood relative or a friend," Ciel replied. "In the list of suspects, any 'human' couldn't have done it... But, if the co-criminal was 'not human', then that is a different matter. To be able to access Maria's room without us noticing, you'd should have the ability to murder scene from the Viscount's place, right? And then to disappear from the party for a few minutes is something people wouldn't notice. The ones able to be 'Jack the Ripper' would be both of you. Madam Red and Grell Sutcliff.

"The victims of Jack the Ripper, apart from being prostitutes and being left with no ovaries, also had one thing in common. They were all your patients at Central Hospital where you work, and all underwent a 'certain surgery'. The patient list setting out the operation where they'd all undergo, are here," Ciel pulled out a sheet with all the names crossed off on the list with the except of one. "The order at which the victims died correspond exactly with the patients on your operation list. The only name left in the list was Maria Gale. I thought that if I waited here, she would appear. However," Ciel turned his gaze to the ground and Aries rose an eyebrow. "... I could not save her..." Aries frowned, did he really think that they would be able to save her?

A soft, almost sad look, donned Madam Red's face, and she casted her gaze to the ground. "How unfortunate... My cute nephew... My sister's son... If you hadn't discovered this, we still could've played chess together... However," she clenched her fists into a tight ball. Aries grinned, things were finally getting interesting. Anger spread itself on Madam Red's face, tinting it a light shade of pink. Her nostrils flaring furiously, "I am not going to go easy on you anymore!"

A weapon appeared in Grell's hands on a circular formation with sharp blades around the edges. It was loud, like a automobile's motor, and had a red bottom that Grell firmly held unto. Grell swiped his lethal weapon at Sebastian, who moved Ciel behind him, and Aries sidestepped out of the way. Sebastian caught the strange weapon between his palms on the flat sides, keeping it inches away from making contact with his face.

"Wha—?! What is that!?" Ciel exclaimed, staring at the peculiar, loud weapon.

"In order to capture souls, all death gods have their own tool," Sebastian explained, as Grell broadly flaunting off his weapon. "It's name is death god's scythe. The death god's scythe is a really troublesome thing. I've only seen this sort of thing for the first time..."

"A regular scythe is so old-fashioned, don't you think?" Grell purred, "The death god's scythe I'm using will play a duet with a soul's last moments! Of course, I guarantee it's be first rate!" Grell bragged, raising the weapon to his face. "This is a tool used by gods to slice through anything!" Grell's face changed to a seductive one, blowing a kiss to Sebastian. "I've always been downright honest, to the point where my body's gotten slow. I really want do a vigorous exercise with you~!"

Aries giggled madly at this, "If Silly Ciel ordered it, then he would~," Aries said, wiggling her eyebrows at Ciel, only to receive a disgusted look from him and his butler.

"Can you not say such revolting things? I'm working too," Sebastian deadpanned.

"Mm~ you're so unfun!" Grell complained with a girlish whine. "This part of you I can't take anymore!" Then, his lips curled upwards into a toothy smile. "Oh little Sebast~ I do love red the most! Hair, clothes, lipstick! I love them all to be red!" Grell admitted, but his confession took a morbid turn. "That's why I love using fresh blood to make up for all those ugly women! The more flamboyant a woman is, the more she's as beautiful as a poisonous flower, right?" He sighed at the thought of such a woman and continued.

"A cool man would use the colour of wild roses to dress up would definitely beautiful, little Sebast," Grell continued darkly. "I want to make you that beautiful wild rose colour, and tear your body up to its deepest core, little Sebast~!"

"Death gods should quietly capture their souls that are about to depart from this world. Butlers are supposed to follow their masters like a shadow," Sebastian commented. "To violate these two principles like you have makes me want to throw up."

At the insult, Grell threw a fit, "Hey! I really tried my best as a butler to serve my master! I even worked without my make up or dressing up!"

"How shocking," Sebastian drawled, "And you still call yourself a butler?"

Grell smirked, "Heh, even if I'm like this, I'm still a butler of death!"

The tension rose at this statement, but Ciel was unaffected. "In the name of Her Majesty and my own wretched name, I command you! Capture them!" Ciel commanded, and Sebastian smirked, pulling his glove own with his teeth.

"Yes, my Lord."

Aries began to giggle, "Finally, something interesting gonna happen!" Sebastian rolled his eyes as he peeled off his tailored jacket,  then rested it on Ciel's shivering shoulders and head.

"So that you won't become cold," Sebastian said. "When we return to the mansion, I'll prepare hot milk for you. I'll add honey or brandy to sweeten it."

"Oya~!" Grell moaned, starting his strange motorized weapon again. "I won't let you three go easily! Lately, I've only been encountering unsophisticated prey. My scythe and I are unsatisfied." Grell jumped high in the air, landing in between Senastiam, Aries, and Ciel. "If I am the one to be hunted down, I'd rather be the one to be doing the hunting, little Sebast~! Let's play a wonderful game of hide and seek!!"

Sebastian and Grell began to fight, doing a rather odd dance of cat and mouse. Sebastian evaded nearly every lethal swipe of Grell's scythe, but one of them grazed his shoulder. A strange cinematic record-like trails spewed from his arm, showing glimpses of the mansion, and Ciel's servants, including herself. 

Aries rose an eyebrow, what a peculiar weapon. "Why...?" Ciel muttered to his aunt, almost dejectedly.

"Why? You're asking me now, how do you expect me to answer?" Madam Red mocked, yet her posture was stiff. Her hands tightened around the knife that glinted in the moonlight, despite having wet droplets of water covering it. "You and I... Have become 'guard dog' and 'sinner'. If you weren't the guard dog of this place and became the hunted one instead... Then there would be only one path for you!"

Madam Red came charging at Ciel. There was a flash, and then, the knife she held clattered on the ground with her arm twisted behind her back, and her body bent to Aries' level. "You are a broken human," Aries muttered into the woman's ear. "You lost your child, your husband, almost your social status. Everyone around you died, but, I'd expect no less from a false doctor who murderers her patients. After all these years, you repay your family — your sister — with this? With murdering innocent women? Do you know what goes on in their lives? Do you know what those woman think? Selling their bodies to men so that they may have the slightest chance in feeding their families at home?"

"You don't know anything!" Madam Red hissed, struggling against Aries' hold, glancing at her discarded knife.

"It's quite the contrary, actually," Aries giggled, "I know everything. And I know a helpless bitch when I see one. You think you're special because you can't bear children? Why resort to murder when you could adopt a child? You're selfish, but I suppose it is only in your nature as a imbecilic human, of course." Aries pinched her upper spine, making the woman stiffen, then turned Madam Red's head so she'd look at her. "What might your sister say, seeing you murder woman in spite of their own choices?"

Madam Red pushed Aries to the ground, grabbing her knife immediately, she plunged it into the girl's chest over and over and over again, "You don't understand!!" She screamed. "You don't! You'll never know how I feel!!"

A gun cocked behind Madam Red's head, "Huh, I knew you'd attack me, but didn't think you'd actually try to kill me!" Aries said behind the woman, keeping her weapon trained on her head. The woman gaped at her as she spoke, "Didn't think you'd have the heart to~. Hehe, this is why you're such a naïve murderer. So messy~, who would've cleaned that up?"

"But I—" Madam Red looked down, seeing the dead girl before her eyes, blood staining the damp streets making it extend. "You're dead, I just—"

Aries giggled, "Hehe~, nope! Hallucinations are fun, aren't they? You could make any one see anything, hehe! Unfortunately, that one'll only last a few more seconds. But, while I do have your attention," Aries stepped around the ridged woman, squatting down to her level, the gun still aimed at her. "I have a name that needs a bit more explaining before you die, so do you mind helping me out a bit?"

"Why would I help you!?" She spat, her hands gripping around the knife.

"Why because we're friends, silly," Aries giggled. "Friends don't kill friends, last time I checked, so here's the deal: I won't send a lead bullet through your inactive brain, and you don't attempt to embarrass yourself with that pitiful sheet of sharpened rock you called a weapon. Then, we exchange information and I'll be on my merry way~, hehe!"

"You don't have anything I want."

"Are you sure? Because, I believe the information of just who exactly sabotaged your carriage, murdering your husband and," Aries tapped the end of the gun on Madam Red's stomach, "... Offspring would be a great baby gift, don't you think?"

Madam Red's eyes widened and her grip on the knife loosened a hair, "Wh–What are you talking about!? The carriage wasn't... Nobody would—"

"Hey, why this person would do this isn't my problem," Aries shrugged carelessly, leaning over on Madam Red, ignoring her attempt to push her off. "Is it a deal, or do I have to paint a picture on the ground with your brains? I mean, I'm sure they'll be put to more use than they are in there," Aries tapped the woman's head with her gun. "Fertilizer, and all."

The woman stared at the ground, before swinging at Aries. Aries moved, but the knife still hit her collarbone, creating a large gash from her shoulder to the middle of her collarbone. "Do you really think I would believe your lies!?"

Aries sighed, "Well... It was worth a shot." Aries fired at the woman, but the bullet skimmed over her upper shoulder, just missing. Aries giggled madly, "Get it!? Shot! Heheh, I'm hilarious~."

Madam Red glared at her, "Missed."

Aries giggled, "Nope! Try again."  Grell shouted in pain behind Red. She whipped her head around to see him holding his arm, glaring at Aries, who was grinning maliciously and wiggled her fingers at him. Sebastian took this advantage to counterstrike against him, but it was no use if he still had that weird motorized weapon.

Madam Red lunged, at the girl, and Aries held her gun out to her, ready to shoot. Before she pulled the trigger, she saw Ciel staring at her, his bicolored eyes wide, expressing so much emotion, so much fear and terror. It differed from his usual monotonous face, that it startled her.

Aries hesitated, giving Madam Red the chance to plunge the knife into her lower abdomen. Aries winced as she fell on one knee, clutching her waist tightly. Her gun clattered to the ground as she pressed both hands firmly to her abdomen. Madam Red smirked at her, kicking her gun far away with her heeled red shoes.

"Not so talkative now, are you?" She hissed, kicking her in the chest. Aries coughed several times, blood staining the stone before her. Deciding that she wouldn't get up anytime soon, Madam Red, strode over to her nephew, clenching the bloody knife in her hand.

Aries yanked her shirt, struggling to tear it apart into strips, with the amount of blood she was losing, she'd fall unconscious in three minutes and be dead in ten, according to her calculations. She tore a long strip and quickly tied it around her abdomen. Aries pulled it tighter when she winced at how tight it already was.

Aries repeated the process several times until the shirt was reduced to useless shreds. Aries hit herself sharply in the face, in a weak attempt to keep herself from falling unconscious. She could hear the others talking, and someone screaming. Aries groaned, going into her Mind Garden for safety.

Everything was quiet. Birds still chirped softly in the air, small animals skittered from hedge to hedge. The sunshine warming Aries' dark skin, but not hot enough to blister her skin. She took a step, but winced, the blinding pain didn't seem to disappear like the chaos around her did.

Aries limped to the wall, grabbing unto the leafy branches for dear life, and began to pull herself along. She needed to stabilize her mind before he would be able to penetrate it again!

Aries moved as fast as she could — which hadn't been very fast, in her condition — trying to get to her most protected area in her Mind Garden. She didn't think he was able to infiltrate that, but... At this point, she truly didn't know what to think. He had gotten far past her greatest defenses, worked three steps ahead of her. He had a trap at every corner and she couldn't do anything about it except suffer!

Aries shook the thought out of her head, she didn't have time for that now! She knew she was almost there, the path was beginning to look very familiar. Just a few more steps and—

A sharp pain struck Aries' face and she flinched, immediately being ejected from her Mind Garden. It was a defense mechanism she created, if she was in pain, she'd be forcefully released. Aries hated it, but it certainly was a necessary evil.

Sebastian knelt before her, "Finally. I called you almost a dozen times, Miss Aries. You may be injured, but surely you aren't deaf." His tone was teasing, but Aries' eyes went wide, she could feel herself being pulled back into the darkest corners of her mind and locked away again.

"No! No! No!!" She screamed, but no sound was emitted from her. Instead he stood before her, his mouth curled upwards, and his dark eye gleaming with malice. Aries kicked herself for falling into another one of his traps! She should've ran faster!! Now she was going to die — again and again and again and—

"Don't worry love! Burning flesh is a great source of nutrition!" He bent over, picking up the bottle of alcohol and pouring it all over her. Aries trashed on the table, but with her arms being tightly bounded by the leather straps, it was futile. She could only watch as he lit a match and held it towards her face. She could feel the heat on her skin and she instinctively twitched away, making him cackle loudly. "Scared, are we? Don't worry! Don't worry! Burning is fun! Smoke is good for the lungs, yeah? Helps you grow strong and smart, haha~!" He dropped the flame on her nose and near instantly Aries' entire body engulfed in flames.

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I'm sorry. I haven't updated in forever. I was working on a speech for my debate class and... Ugh... I feel horrible :c! I love my bby so much too! I'm sorry for neglecting you~!

Well, I hope you enjoy the updates! (Sorry again) I'll see y'all next time, and remember...

Don't melt~!
~ Happyritas

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Edited: 3/18/17