Black Butler: I Never Asked You

I Never Asked You: Chapter 34

The heaven-sent rain soaked the ground. "Come on!" said Ciel. "Everyone needs to help!"

"But she'll kill us!" said the woman who had given Wolf a lift.

Ciel's voice was commanding. "If Wolfram doesn't succeed we will die anyway."

Trembling, the guests crawled out from under their chairs. Every last one went. Except for Diedrich. 

"What happened? Where am I?"

"Come on Diedrich. We need you."

"I can't. I'm old and fat!"

Ciel put his face close to the German's.

"Come on Uncle. For me." He batted his long black lashes.

"AAAAAH! You look so much like him. Very well." He stood with some difficulty, huffing to his feet. Ciel did not offer him a hand up. He knew the German was too proud.

Banshee Lizzy held her swords out. They glowed with the same fire around her hair and her eyes. With them, she obliterated the garden shed. Sheathing her swords, she picked up a piece of broken metal, and held it to her chest with her elbow pointing out.

"UNH!" She flung her arm out to the side and sent it spinning through the air on its side. It curved right towards Flower, cutting her off. Lizzy dispatched another, and another. The metal missiles sank in the ground and cut her off her left and right sides. The only way out was to face Banshee.

"You are a weed that needs pulling!" snarled Banshee. "Stop acting the maggot and stand still!" Green fire licked along the ground toward the plant-human hybrid.

Flower leapt up and over the metal and headed for Sieglinde.

"Divil wench!" Banshee cursed. It was then that she became fully Banshee. Her hair flowed and crackled around her, her dress was old and tattered, her limbs long and gray. A hellish mouth yawed full of sharp teeth. "Leave the wee lass alone and face me!"

Even though Diedrich was old and fat, he was still strong as a bull. He and Wolfram picked up an end of the beam and charged Flower. Sieglinde was on Wolf's back, arms around his neck, whispering encouragement in his ear.

"Raaaaaaaa!" A furious Banshee blasted green fire at Flower.

"Oh!" The light blinded Sieglinde and Wolf and she lost her grip on his sweaty neck. She fell to the ground. "Go, Wolf. Go!"

Flower smiled. They meant to wrap the beam around her. It would be so easy. One leap over the beam and Sister would be dead. Then Father would have no choice but to love her.

The plant girl executed a perfect flip, twisting her body to avoid the magic fire. Still, it seared her left side as she arced over it. It hurt terribly, but she willed away the pain. She plunged toward Sieglinde, pointing the family dagger - which Flower had stole in the commotion - at the girl's heart. 

"No!" screamed Wolf.

"No!" shouted Ciel.

"Gotcha," said Sieglinde as her metal legs opened like a pouncing arachnid. Flower went right into them, the dagger deflected out of her hand. It spun harmlessly and stuck in the ground. Instantly, Flower's strength was gone.

////

When Ann died, her barrier spell was broken. Kimura wanted to fly to Flower and Diedrich. But she merely fell on the ground. "I can't fly!" Her ornate robes and hair were gone, replaced by regular clothing and hair. It was like her whole body had fallen asleep. She could hear terrified humans screaming.

Kimura cried, she felt so helpless. After what seemed like an eternity, she could move, wasted no time and ran to the garden.

"Hana! Hana!" She skidded to a stop when she saw Flower, who had become weak in the metal claws. Diedrich and Wolf were getting rope to lash her to the beam.

"Yamete! Kanojo wa watashi no musume desu!" She ran to Diedrich. "Diedrich, stop. Let my daughter go!"

Diedrich stepped back and stared at her. "This creature has no mother. She was created in a lab. Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"No, before anyone experimented on her she was just a normal girl."

Normal girl ... normal girl. The words resonated in Sieglinde's psyche like a gong.

"Look around." Diedrich gestured to the bodies and the destruction. "Did a normal girl do this?"

"Miss," said Wolfram, "we are taking her to a safe place where she cannot hurt anyone else.

"No. No! She's been all alone for so long! Don't make her go back there!" She broke into sobs.

"Wolf ..." Sieglinde laid a hand on his arm. "She did not ask to be made into this monster. She was manipulated just like they manipulated me."

"Herr Diedrich," said Wolfram. Give her to the mother."

"I can't. She's a bioweapon."

"She's a child."

"I don't like children," he growled, glaring at Ciel. Instead of a grown man, he still saw an insufferable brat. But he also saw his old friend Vincent. And Diedrich could never deny his feelings very well.

He sighed. "You can both come and live with me in my estate. It is secure and far from the city. I need someone to help me around the house. My butler is rather old."

"Thank you. Thank you." Wolfram handed the unconscious child to Kimura.

The muddy and shaking servants and guests got up.

"Is - is it over?" said Percival Pennyworth.

"Not yet," said Victoria, emerging from the house. The rain had finally stopped and morning's light was kissing the edges of the sky. "It has been a long night. You all came for a wedding, and you shall have one."

"Not so fast," said Ciel. "Two. You shall have two. I cannot wait any longer to make you my wife, Eli-" the words died on his lips as he beheld the ghastly Banshee.

Francis pushed forward. "I was the one who summoned you. Thank you for helping us, Banshee." Her voice shook. "Please leave Lizzie and go back where you came from."

"Not so fast," hissed Banshee. "It's been so many hundreds of years since I've been in this mortal plane. I like it here. I like this strong, young body." She pointed at Francis. "You've been playing with Druidry you don't understand. Did you know once the sun comes up I can stay in this body forever? So, boy, do you still want to marry me?"

TO BE CONTINUED 

Language notes:

"Yamete! Kanojo wa watashi no musume desu!" - Stop! She is my daughter!