Black Swan Rising - A Black Butler Fan-Fic

13 - Such a Beautiful Demon

We followed behind the Viscount Druitt and his hired hands, silent and observant. The "entitled" man of the hour strutted to the front of the group, nose pointed in the air with dignity. I was furious at the casual way he strode down the hall when lives were being snatched up and dropped into the cold sea.

"Should I try to steal it from him by force?" Sebastian inquired of the young lord under his breath.

"Operating such a machine is difficult even for us," I pointed out to the butler. "We would have no idea how to work it even if we had the chance."

"Quite," Ciel replied. "Let's wait for him to activate it."

An unmistakable laugh erupted from the men carrying the machine. As if he were carrying a casket, Undertaker was supporting the device on his shoulder. Naturally, he was cut out for the job.

"Undertaker?!" Ciel cried, asking the obvious question we were all burning to address. "What are you doing here?!"

The man replied with a sing-song "Hya~" and waved to the three of us. He went back to carrying and focusing on the route. "While I was escaping, I was asked to help carry this," he explained in his rough and wavering voice. "And then you did that 'Phoenix' thing again."

"Forget that right away!!" the young lord demanded. After calming himself, he leaned toward the man and whispered in his ear. I focused hard on his words so as to hear him. "By the way, do you happen to know how to activate this?"

The man gave a knowing grin and responded with childlike deviousness. "Who knows? How will this thing be of any help, I wonder."

We continued down the hall, and I started to feel a bit anxious again. My vision was sharper than usual, and I was afraid that it would blur. Trying desperately, I tried not to go into a panic. Now wasn't the time to pass out.

"Be calm," whispered Sebastian into my ear.

I blushed and dipped my head, closing my eyes. Sighing deeply, I nodded and pulled myself together. "Sebastian?" I asked softly. "If something happens to me, please take care of the young lord as if he were your family, your blood." I looked up at him, eyes wide and innocent and truthful. He seemed shocked. "Ciel deserves love."

I saw the young lord's shocked and doubtful face past Sebastian's and remembered he was still there. I swallowed thickly and paled. "M-my lord, I didn't mean to—"

"Not now," he said, looking ahead. "We have more pressing matters to attend to."

Nervously, I faced forward once more and nodded, continuing down the hall. Our small ensemble of people made our way to the first class lounge area, and the men stepped gingerly down the stairs to place the machine at the landing halfway down.

"Please be careful," the Viscount chimed in. His nagging was rather unhelpful. "That's worth more than your lives."

"Are you going to activate it?" Ciel asked impatiently.

"Not yet," the man responded. "The cast is still incomplete."

The young lord and I were confused into silence. Sebastian repeated his words, trying to understand the meaning behind it. We didn't have to wait long before Ryan appeared at the edge of the balcony, cursing and demanding answers for his missing device.

"Welcome, Ryan," the Viscount announced, holding his arms out as if he were presenting a play. "I was waiting for you. Tonight the empire you built will collapse like Pompeii. And in its place, my new realm will be born!" Ryan's evident shock was enough to put us on edge. "With the power of this device, I will create a new empire!!"