Experimentation

Chapter Four

X Days No Accidents

Days after the invasion of Elizabeth on the Phantomhive manor, things fell back into a smooth pace.

Until the mouse infestation.

For the past few days, the manor staff have been trying to catch the mice that found their way into the building.

Well . . . Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin were dealing with them. Sebastian and Charlotte had more pressing matters to attend to.

Charlotte stood in the library of Earl Ciel Phantomhive, cleaning, when she spots a small grey mouse scampering across the floor.

With every fiber of her being, Charlotte had to resist pouncing on the rodent and play with it.

~Damn feline instincts . . .~ she mumbles in the back of her mind.

Shaking her head, she went back to doing her job, listening in on Ciel's meeting in the billiard room next door.

There were six people there in total, Ciel included, and Charlotte felt herself snarling at some of the words that were being exchanged. The people were speaking in a coded language, but Charlotte was quick to catch on.

There was a rat with in the room, and needed to be dealt with.

Now, Ciel had already learned about who the rat was, but he wanted Charlotte to listen in and confirm his thoughts even more with her abilities. With her hyper sensitive hearing, she was able to listen to their voices, and heartbeats, albeit faintly. A walking lie-detector test.

A loud clank was heard, another pool ball being hit, and by the sound of the voices, Ciel finished the game. Taking this as her signal, she silently left the library after the billiard room emptied to report to Ciel.

Meeting the young Earl on the way, Ciel remarks, "Did you find anything of interest while cleaning the library?"

The house keeper smiles softly. "Yes I did, sir. You have a vast collection for me to learn from."

"As expected. Did you narrow down to which book you will cover next?"

"Yes."

"Excellent, follow me and I will have Sebastian collect more on the subject."

The two pass the Phantomhive staff, still chasing after the mice, with some help from Sebastian.

"Ah, Young Master," Sebastian greets, giving the young lord a small bow.

"Send a carriage over to Lord Randall's mansion tonight," Ciel orders. "We will be hosting a party this evening."

Sebastian's red eyes narrow, locking with Ciel's. The communication was clear.

"Very well, sir," Sebastian says, that cold smile returning to his lips. "Once I have made arrangements for the carriage, I shall bring your afternoon tea to your study."

Nodding at this, Ciel continues down to his study, with Charlotte following behind.

The two step inside, and Ciel lets out an exasperated sigh. "Why can't those other three be more like you and Seba-"

The young Earl was cut off by a large hand holding a handkerchief covering his mouth and nose.

Charlotte suffers the same fate, but her feral instincts kick in, and she throws her arms behind her, frantically clawing at whoever had her. She had only one thought in mind. Save Ciel Phantomhive.

But having the hyper senses were both a blessing and a curse. Whatever was on the handkerchief, most likely chloroform, made Charlotte very light headed and prone to falling unconscious.

Hearing Ciel's fighting grunts slowly fall into heavy breathing, Charlotte knew they were both about to plunge into darkness.

Feeling her eyes grow heavy, the house keeper's dual color eyes droop down, falling into the sea of sleep, not sure where she will wake up.

*~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~*

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.

Lying on the floor of a carriage wasn't exactly comfortable, no matter how many layers of clothes a person has on.

Charlotte woke up not too far into the carriage ride, but kept her eyes closed, and her breathing even as not to draw any unwanted attention from their captors.

"He only wanted the brat! Why'd you get the girl?!" one voice hisses to another.

"Didn't want to have a witness, now did we?" the other retorts. "Besides, you see that bird's eyes? Two different colors! The boss will love that. She'll sell for plenty."

The words sent a steady stream of shivers down Charlotte's back.

Still keeping up her unconscious act, Charlotte meticulously moved her hands, testing her bondage.

Just below her breasts, the housekeeper noticed multiple, belt-like, restraints wrapping around her middle. They pinned her arms behind her back at an awkward angle.

~Just where are we going?~ Charlotte wonders in the back of her mind.

But it seems like she was getting an answer sooner than expected.

The carriage gently begins to slow down, until coming to a complete stop. The men who spoke earlier in the carriage grunt as they rise and climb out of the wagon.

"You grab the brat."

The second one laughs. "You just want to feel the maid up."

"I don't deny anything."

Biting back a growl, Charlotte continues to feign sleep as the thug allows his hands to roam.

"Man, wonder if the boss will let me get a crack at her before he sells her." There was a wicked smile in his voice. "You know, test the fields."

"Let's go," the second sighs, carrying Ciel inside.

They enter the house, climbing up a couple flights of stairs, until the two were unceremoniously thrown to the ground.

Ciel groans as he hits the floor, rousing him from his sleep. Charlotte does the same.

"Where . . . ?"

Looking up, Charlotte bit back another snarl as her mix-matched eyes fall onto Ciel. Feeling her hair stand on end, the housekeeper's eyes scan over the young master. Apparently the men took it upon themselves to "rough" Ciel up when they took the two from the manor. But nothing life threatening.

Blood smears were across Ciel's face, and a small stream of blood coming from his nose, but even with these minor injuries, Ciel's blue eyes never waver from their captor's face.

Charlotte snarls and glares up at the ring leader's face, making it clear that she was not happy.

Azzurro Vanel. The rat.

His ebony hair was pulled back into a half pony tail, allowing the large scar across his face to stand out. The scar began on the left side of his forehead, crossing over the bridge of his nose, and ending under his right eye. At least to Charlotte's perspective. Then above his right eye, there is a piercing on his eyebrow.

"So it was you," Ciel glares up at the man.

Azzurro lets out a small chuckle. "You know, little Phantomhive, here in your country, it is very difficult for us Italian Mafia to conduct business." The Italian saunters back over to his desk, leaning back against it. "You Inglesi all have tea stains on your brains! Think about it. What do you think is the best way for people like us to make money?"

~Kidnapping and holding people for ransom?~ Charlotte thought viciously.

"Not murder, not smuggling . . . Not women, not organs . . ." Azzurro's eyes scan over Charlotte. "But of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule, no?"

Gritting her teeth, she glares up at the man.

In relations to the room, Azzurro's men threw Ciel and Charlotte dead center. This allows for Charlotte to hold up her end of the bargain of her job. Protect Ciel Phantomhive.

"Those two color eyes will fetch plenty with some sellers, you know . . ." Azzurro praises, looking at his men. "Nice find."

But he finally leaves her alone and looks back at Ciel, who is sitting behind his housekeeper. "That would only leave drugs for us, yes?" Lighting up a cigar, the Italian leans back against the desk again. "But one we arrived here, there was not even a whiff of mellow fragrance in this country, thanks to the Watchdog," he snarls at Ciel.

"It is by the order of the Queen that dealers and drugs are controlled," Ciel recites, just looking up at Azzurro lazily.

Azzurro chuckles softly. "Oh dear, what a prude," he muses. "There you have it! The reason I hate the Inglesi!" With every following word, he lazily waves his hand around. "Mama this, mama that! You are nothing but a bunch of mama's boys!" The Italian lets out another round of laughter.

The rest of the room was quiet, save for Azzurro's laughter, which made the noise all the more eerie. "Still . . ." Azzurro continues. "At the end of the day, you and I, we are two of a kind. We would like to make some money with you, if possible."

Ciel's eyes never wavered at the offer. "I have no intention of colluding with a filthy sewer rat."

"So you say, but I wonder about the other followers. Maybe they are just afraid of the watchdog, and are sitting tight for the time being . . ." Azzurro let's out a deep breath, the cigar smoke billowing out past his lips. "In fear of Ciel Phantomhive, sweeper of the dark . . . I was especially careful to not deal those drugs in Italy, so it surprises me that you found me out so fast."

Charlotte lets a ghost of a smile come across her face, knowing that she helped Ciel nail this bastard as the rat.

"I didn't think you would use Chlaus to get the drugs," Azzurro murmurs, before looking over at Ciel. "Now, you understand what I want, yes? If you tell me where the drugs are, I send you, and your maid, home alive."

~Maid!? I'm a housekeeper, Mister Drug Lord,~ Charlotte chastises in her mind.

Smirking, Ciel leans back as much as his restraints allow him to. "If I fail to return, Chlaus will hand over the evidence to the government." The young boy laughs softly. "How unfortunate for you!"

Rage flashes across Azzurro's face, before he picks up a pistol from the table and aims it at Ciel. "One must never look down on one's elders, you snot-nosed little noble!"

Charlotte growls loudly, and moves in front of Ciel, glaring at Azzurro. Her threat clear. He's going to have to go through her.

Azzurro sighs and motions to one of the goons behind them. Said goon that carried Charlotte into the house came over and grabs the girl around her waist and pulls her away from Ciel. The woman didn't go without a fight, but she did still when the man's hand decided to go south for a feel.

"Ah ah," Azzurro calls out. "No touching the woman, I am a man of my word." Looking back at Ciel, he continues to point the gun. "I already have my men over at your mansion. Where are the drugs? If you don't spit it out, I shall kill your servants one by one, and then let him kill her in front of you!"

The young Phantomhive tenses up at the threat, but he quickly relaxes and smiles. "I do hope your precious pet dogs know their way around a game of 'fetch'."

The Italian sighs heavily, lowering the gun, before taking a step forward to the captured teenager. Looking down at Ciel, Azzurro suddenly draws his leg back and slams it into the side of Ciel's face.

The image burns into Charlotte's corneas, the image of Ciel being kicked by this rat, and rage takes over. Thrashing in the man's grasp, she throws her head back and slams the back of her head into the nose of the man holding her, and when he releases her, she uses her momentum, and kicks off the ground towards Azzurro.

Opening her mouth wide, Charlotte feels her teeth elongate into sharp canine-like teeth, and sink them into Azzurro's leg. When blood makes contact with her mouth, she begins to shake her head, ripping and tearing flesh from the Italian's Leg.

"CAZZO DI MERDA!" Azzuro screams out, before punching Charlotte on the side of her head, forcing the girl to break contact with his leg.

Grabbing the phone, Azzurro pulls the piece up to his hear and snarls into the receiver, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Groaning from the hit, Charlotte moves to sit up, only to freeze when she hears the gun shot over the phone. Heart slamming against her ribs, the housekeeper fears who was shot. A certain raven haired butler floats into her mind, making her heart pound even quicker.

~Please . . . everyone be okay . . .~ she prays.

But then, over the phone, her ears pick up another message. One that eases any pain she gained earlier.

"I missed!"

Azzurro slams his fist down on the table, cursing. "YOU WHAT?! YOU USELESS IDIOTS! THIS IS WHY TRASH LIKE YOU-!" The Italian couldn't finish rant.

A long scream echoes from the phone, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"What, have you seen a bear or something?" laughs Azzurro, not thinking much about what his men could have seen.

But the screams become more panicked, more terrified. "IT'S NO USE! IT'S HERE!" The line falls silence for a heartbeat before, "GYAAAAAAA!" a terrifying scream comes from the phone.

"What's going on?!" Azzurro screams back into the phone when nothing but silence follows the scream.

Both Charlotte and Ciel begin to softly chuckle, knowing only one person could cause that level of terror in that short of time.

As Azzurro turns to look down at them, Ciel's laughter grows in pitch. "It would seem that your game of 'fetch' was a failure."

Azzurro quickly begins to advance on Ciel, resulting in Charlotte trying to lunge to the young Phantomhive, but her plan was cut short when two of the goons grab her by the back of her head, a fist full of hair, and yanks her backward. Once she was in their grasp, they pin her to the floor, forcing her to watch the scene unfold.

"This is pay back for biting the boss' leg, you bitch," the goon hisses down at her, making sure to dig his knee into her back, effectively pinning her to the ground.

Azzurro stands over Ciel and begins to stomp on the Phantomhive, screaming for him to shut up. Ciel's blood splatters over Azzuro's white shoe, tainting the material. Satisfied with his accomplishment, the Italian grabs the phone and yells, "GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT OR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU MUTTS!"

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end of the phone could have been choir music to Charlotte.

"Hello?" repeats Sebastian. "I'm a servant of the Phantomhive family. Might the young master be there, with our housekeeper?" A long pause follows, where nobody said a word. "Hello? Is something wrong, sir?"

On the other end, Azzurro was shaking like a leaf. Who was this man and how did he erect such a terrified reaction from his men?

"Woof!" Ciel barks out, smirking as he laid on the floor.

Sebastian merely chuckles. "Understood, sir. I shall be there to collect you and Miss Charlotte straight away. And I must thank you, Miss Charlotte, for protecting the young master this long. I will be there shortly."

Charlotte groans from her spot on the floor, but the movement makes her hiss as the assailant's knee presses against her ribs. "Then do hurry Sebastian, my ribs can only take so much more of this."

Not expecting this, the cold voice on the other end of the receiver made Azzurro shudder, and the housekeeper to look up at the sudden change in Sebastian's demeanor.

"Of course, Miss Charlotte."

A dial tone echoes from the phone, the threat of an angry Sebastian following it's wake.

A/N:

Finally! I finally was able to sit down and work through the writer's block!

Anyway, I'm not proud about how long this chapter took me, but I am proud at the end result! Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Please review it and let me know your thoughts!

Much Love,

ShadowLegacy11