A/N: All's well that ends well. I had fun writing story, so I hope you enjoyed reading it :) See ya.

Chapter Twelve: Dark Horse

Peering out from behind rusted iron bars, Alois felt a bitter resentment towards that arrogant brat Phantomhive, of whom was simply calmly watching the blonde sulk in silence. It was strange that Alois would be quiet for such a long time, seeing that he was usually quite the chatterbox. Well. Maybe the unruly child was finally using his brain for once and actually thinking before a cyclone of words would tumble out of his mischievous mouth.

The blonde-haired boy sat Indian-style with his skinny legs crossed and arms folded, his icy blue eyes unwavering. Now... How would he get out of here unscathed...? Well, the truth seemed to be a sure path out, but...Did Ciel really deserve to know the truth, after all he had done to him...? And that wasn't the only thing...Oh, there wasn't just one or two, but there were so many truths...! And Alois didn't know which truth that boy wanted to know...

Oh, well. Best to just ask and get out of this hellhole as soon as he could...He was still working on successfully senerading Claude to dance with him and Alois needed all the time he could get for those kinds of things...

"Ciel darling," Alois croaked, grimacing at his hoarse voice, cracking shamelessly from his sobs.

He was met with a narrowing of the eyes.

"What...?" The young master demanded.

"What do you want to know...?" Alois scoffed quietly, glaring at the cracks on the rigged stone floor.

"Well. It isn't exactly going to erase your death sentence, but...depending on the information you can provide for us about a case we shall enlighten you upon shortly, we may be persuaded to delay the execution...Sebastian and I are not feeling particularly unreasonable today..." Ciel articulated, absently examining his gloved fingers.

"No matter. You lot may proceed, I suppose..." The blonde muttered irritably.

"You might want to show some respect towards the young master...considering that your fate does lie within his very hands..." Sebastian suggested, offering a polite smile.

"-Anyhow, let's not waste any more of our precious time. You see, over the past week or so, there have been unexplained murders of both Caucasian servants and Chinese sailors who work for the Eastern Trading Branch. These victims were slain in the same way, their faces heavily distorted; the cause as a matter of fact, simply pouring boiling water upon the skin. After further investigation, we discovered that these victims willing killed themselves."

He paused briefly to determine if Alois showed any sign of recognition. No implications whatsoever. Well. This brat was quite the actor.

"-We were at a standstill, temporarily anyways, but we soon came to discover these victims were under the influence of drugs. Western drugs to be exact. Now it's your turn to tell us every little detail you know about this case...That is, of course, if you don't want to die..." The butler smirked humorlessly.

A defensive glare skid across the icy blue eyes.

" the bloody hell are you asking me about this information...?! Whatever implied that I had anything to do with this?" He snapped sharply.

Ciel smirked and took out a couple small articles from his jacket pocket.

"We were going through some dead animals who had ingested the same drugs the sailors had eaten and we found this..."

He tossed the dirtied handkerchief into the cell. It hit Alois square in the face.

The boy unfolded and flattened the scrunched up material and his eyes widened at his own initials.

He smirked to himself and a tired look crossed his eyes.

"What are you giggling about?" The young master demanded, impatiently.

"Oh, hold on a second, Ciel darling! How can you even be sure that this is mine...? I don't suppose I'm the only one in town with these initials..."

"Well, is it...?" Ciel snapped.

Alois grinned sweetly.

"You're lucky. Terribly lucky, I must admit...! Turns out it is mine. But...it is most certainly outdated...I don't use this one anymore. See, I've got this pretty new one, in deep plum velvet!"

He chirped, waving a square of violet cloth with a slender hand.

He grinned wide, watching Ciel trying to hide his seething anger as time continued to tick by. Alois liked to challenge danger, dancing upon the threads that kept his head just inches above the water, then make a narrow escape from the tumbling currents just before he drowned. Life was more exciting that way.

"Well. Won't you show me that other article you're holding so delicately in your fingers...?" Alois laughed.

The young master shrugged and hurled the piece of jewelry at the boy's head.

"I found this in my manor just this late morning..."

Alois ducked out of the way in the nick of time and watched with glee as the jewel hit the wall and shattered into a dozen shards of red glass.

Ciel grimaced but Alois only smiled.

"You don't need to worry about it, Ciel darling! That isn't even mine. Well, not anymore, anyways..."

The young master's eyes hardened at the last sentence.

"What exactly do you mean...?"

Alois laughed and clasped his hands together like a doll.

"Ah, let me explain! See, the Trancy manor has just been overflowing with so many useless family heirlooms over the years...They're everywhere and their purposelessness really drives me over the hill. I thought to myself and wondered...why not make some easy money selling these silly antiques at overwhelmingly unreasonable prices? Some idiot's got to have enough screws loose to buy a few, wouldn't you think? See, this is just another one of those games I play when I'm bored and Claude wants nothing to do with me... Ah, t'is the way of life I suppose..."

"And...?"

"And so, one day, while I'm off in the manor doing God knows what, someone happened to buy that piece of jewelry. Seeing that the gem is such a brilliant shade of crimson, I suppose you know what happened to it..."

Ciel narrowed his eyes.

"So Madam Red is the culprit...? Well, seeing that she is familiar with Western drugs and medicine, I suppose that isn't the most surprising conclusion-

"-No, my lord. The killer is not Madam Red. I have been keeping close tabs on her from the start. After we got back to your manor, I left briefly to search through the Royal Hospital, particularly in Madam Red's offices. I did not find anything suspicious, therefore, I am certain that it is not her. Though, whether or not she is involved in the overall case, I cannot be sure..." Sebastian trailed off, contemplating his own thoughts.

"It's just as your darling Sebastian suggests, Ciel dearie. I had not finished my story yet, so let's please remain patient, shall we? Now, where was I...? Ah, yes. Don't you want to hear how the handkerchief connects with the jewelry...?"

"Of course. Continue immediately," Ciel ordered plainly.

"Well! It's been a while since someone paid such undivided attention to me...! You know, if I wasn't stuck in prison, this could be quite pleasant...Anyway, I believe that I was using that cloth to clean some of the other jewelries I found around the house and...it just happened to get separated into the old family heirlooms I was selling. Claude informed me that the same person who bought the red jeweled necklace took the handkerchief along with them! So, simply put, the person who had the handkerchief and the jewel, is the same person; they're just not me,"

Ciel observed Alois's satisfied look carefully. Then he sighed.

"About how much of that crap was complete bull, might I ask...?"

There was silence. Alois glared at him in disbelief as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

"You. Do you think I actually want to have my head chopped off...?! What kind of an idiot do you take me for?! Why would I lie to you when I could die from it...?!" He shrieked as salt water trailed endlessly from his eyes.

He charged towards the iron bars and gripped them, rattling them furiously with his closed fists, knuckles stark white.

"Is this some kind of sick game to you?! Bloody hell, I don't even -You arrogant brat...!" Alois exploded, unable to control the long strings of saliva flying from his mouth.

Then he just stood there, breathing heavily in puffs, panting and wheezing as his tears fell and stained the ground, his head hanging limply, parallel to the floor.

He coughed bitterly and turned to walk into a dark corner of the cell. He sat down with his back facing Ciel. He would not speak.

A few moments later, Alois burst into an episode of cold, hysterical laughter.

They left Alois after he refused to give any further information. Sebastian talked briefly with Claude to see if the blonde brat had at least given them a tidbit of truth. Turns out, only one thing was certain: Madam Red was not the killer, but she had something to do with it all.

Ciel was most certainly displeased at their failure to find the culprit, but, Sebastian seemed strangely optimistic. They had thrown a lot of death threats at Alois but never once did he falter into saying he was the culprit. Well. If that didn't clear his suspicion, Sebastian didn't know what did. He had held a gun at the boy's head and actually fired, though he missed by a few precious inches, in the nick of time and watched as the bullet sliced through the brick wall. Not even then did Alois admit that he had anything to do with it all.

When they arrived back at the young master's manor, Ciel grumbled that all he wanted to do was sleep and hopefully never wake up again. Sebastian went off to prepare afternoon tea and scones.

By the time he came back to check up on the young master, however, Ciel was in a very odd mood.

"I'm not hungry. I'll dine some other time," He muttered, waving everything off.

"I must object, my lord. You didn't even have a sufficient breakfast this morning! There is no way I will allow you to skip-

"I don't want it-

"Sir, don't be disagreeable-

"Get it out of my face...!" He exploded slamming the tea across the room.

The ceramic cup smashed into the opposite wall and the piping hot liquid splattered all over the calendar that hung from it. Ciel glared at the butler with dagger-like eyes and fell back down onto the mattress, very furious, his face almost twisted purple, his fingers grasping at his hair.

"I hate this! I hate it all! I just don't understand why we can't solve this bloody case...! We're always so close and then before you know it, we're back to the start! This is complete bullcrap!"

Sebastian stood there motionless, waiting patiently for his master to calm down. Then he sighed and poured out another cup of tea.

"You know, my lord, I believe this is the finest tea I've brewed in a while and I would hate for it to go to waste. So if you don't mind-

"-Have at it," The boy snapped, flatly. "-You can down the whole bloody teapot for all I care."

Then Ciel turned so his thin back was facing him. He was silent.

Sebastian shrugged and decided to do so; he didn't have anything better to do anyway. There was seldom time in the day when he could do nice things for himself, so why turn down an opportunity that had been placed in front of him just like that?

He sipped slowly from the cup he had just filled nicely to the brim and thought it tasted so pleasant, he just had to have another. It wasn't long until Sebastian had finished his third cup of tea, and somehow, the taste of it just kept on getting better and better. It was unbelievable, most certainly, his best tea yet...! He sighed mockingly, how unfortunate that Ciel would not get even a drop of this tea! Now, usually he didn't fancy human nourishments but, well, there was a first time for everything, no?

Ah, yes. It was turning out to be a lovely day after all. The sun was shining, the sky was a nice azure and the clouds drifted by like sailboats bobbing along with the gentle waves of the sea. They would solve this silly case by tomorrow afternoon, he was sure of it.

Sebastian had never felt so peaceful in years.

So peaceful, that when he collapsed upon the floor motionless, he didn't notice a thing at all.

He could hear a soft tinkling of laughter in the distance.

Yes, it was her. He knew her voice like the back of his hand.

He smirked. Well, this was a while back, yes, many, many years before he met Ciel.

This was when he was young. Truthfully young.

And stupid. Hopelessly stupid.

She was human. Strange, he doesn't remember her name, or where she came from, but what he did remember, he would never ever forget.

There was a warm, soft sensation within him that shouldn't have been there. He felt. Yes, that's how he would put it. Somehow, defying all the odds, she had managed to make him feel.

Feelings. Now that wasn't something he experienced every day, now was it?

Well, no time to think about that now, there she was, running towards him, swiftly yet gracefully.

Oh! Well, here she was, in his arms, her soft golden brown tresses, her warmth melting into his as they tumbled onto the grass, a tangle of limbs.

She had a certain sparkle in her eyes that only shone when he was there and it fascinated him endlessly.

After they laughed and playfully tackled each other enough times, she calmed down and they sat together, her head leaning into the comfortable space between his shoulder and his neck.

It felt comforting and warm, like curling up close towards the fireplace as your eyes became weary and heavy. He thought she smelled like the sunshine on a brilliant summer's day, which was a bit strange since the sun wasn't supposed to smell like anything. Oh, well. He had plenty of time to figure it out later, he was too busy wondering about things he couldn't seem to articulate.

"It's such a shame," She mumbled, averting her gaze away from the horizon.

"Hmmm? What is it, love?" He asked softly, turning his head so he could see her face.

"It's just so ironic...People who spend their lives trying to do good things...trying to change things...always meet terrible ends and then, it seems as if the rest of the rotten world just lives forever. It really makes me wonder, if it's some kind of message...Maybe we've got it wrong. Maybe humans were never meant to do good things. Maybe the sole reason we were created was to drown in our own turmoil to our dying days..."

"Ah, since when did you get so melancholic...? Did you catch some stray influenza of some sort?" He chuckled quietly.

She lifted the side of her head off his shoulder and just looked at him darkly.

"Don't humor me. I'm being serious, for once..."

"Alright, alright. Sorry. But I'm being serious too. Where is all this cynicism coming from?"

She sighed heavily and knocked gently on his head with a closed fist.

"Where else would it come from? You're all clad in black, for crying out loud..."

But her voice slowly regained its gentle, joyful lilt he was so accustomed to.

Sebastian gave her a wry smile.

"Well. It isn't my fault that I detest a wide range of things in this world, is it? With the way it is, if you think about it, there really isn't much to like..."

"True. But I must admit, despite all things, I really do like you..." She spoke softly, the last few moments of sunlight being reflected in her eyes.

"Well. Lucky for you, so do I. It's amazing how much we have in common, isn't it?"

She shook her head and laughed.

"Good Lord...pray heavens that I never get sick of you and your sardonic jokes..."

They fell back into the thick grass and watched as night fell, casting a dark shawl full of lights over the endless, depthless sky.

Sebastian woke up to find himself lying on a cold, hard hospital bed, several familiar individuals peering desperately over him. Relief flooded their eyes when they discovered that he was alive. Madam Red was in a white lab coat, holding a clipboard and jotting down notes furiously.

From the far corner, Ciel Phantomhive sat on a comfortably cushioned chairs, looking triumphant and pleased. He smiled and got up, walking calmly towards him. It seemed his light footsteps echoed on the white, stone floor, almost melodious.

"You've done well, Sebastian. The case has been solved. I couldn't have done it without your help,"

Sebastian gave him a strange smile.

"What do you mean, my lord? Was my temporary death all part of some lengthy, complex equation...?" He chuckled, amused.

The young master smiled, smug.

"I suppose you can call it payback for all of the times you've done similar things to me...But that's a matter for another day. Anyhow, don't you want to know who the culprit is...?"

Sebastian laughed and got up from the bed, straightening his wrinkled attire. He smoothed his hair back into place and crossed his arms.

"But of course. I wouldn't want my close killing to have been for naught, now wouldn't I?"

"Well, then-

"-Ah, truly sorry for interrupting. It isn't you, my lord, is it?" He inquired, chuckling.

Ciel frowned, lifting his chin.

"As a matter of fact, it isn't. Sorry to disappoint you, but you don't get off that easy...Anyhow, the culprit is him." Ciel announced, pointing towards an English man who seemed in his late thirties "-Adam Turner,"

He wore a white lab coat, and glasses and had dark brown hair that fell over his pale grey eyes occasionally, making him seem younger than he actually was. He didn't look like a murderer at all. He seemed almost...apologetic and full of regret.

"Adam Turner is one of the renowned surgeons here at the Royal Hospital. Very rich, very experienced, he has access to essentially every nook and cranny in this place. The underground facilities are entirely at his disposal. If you remember, when we first talked with Madam Red, she mentioned a highly well-versed surgeon accidentally killed one of his patients when trying to perform Caesarean section. It was such a shame we did not catch on that the event was completely unusual and suspicious."

Sebastian smirked. As he reached back into the depths of his memory, he could faintly recall such an event being mentioned.

"The reason she died was because he used a new anesthetic he had created with the maids in the underground facilities. It was supposed to numb pain and ease stress, leaving the patient in complete and utter calm. He first began to test them on some zoo animals he bought with his spare money. They reacted well with it, being peaceful and almost tame, for several days on end. So, from these tests, he confirmed that the anesthetic was safe. So he tried it on a patient, who unfortunately suddenly woke up from this drug and died shortly. On the same day, the animals began to behave very strangely. He had them secretly shipped to Asia, where he hoped a hunter would shoot them and then these creatures would hopefully be erased from the planet."

"What actually happened, then?" Lau inquired, strolling into the room, with his uncle close behind him.

Ciel grumbled and sighed, unhappy to be interrupted.

"They were shot to death and used as food on the ships where the Chinese sailors of Lau Fong's company worked. That explained the strange behavior of the sailors,"

Sebastian grinned, almost impressed.

"But how did you discover all of this, my lord?"

Ciel smiled, proud.

"It was the tea. I was constantly getting horrendous headaches, which almost mimicked the symptoms of the drugs that the sailors had induced. First, I would pass out. Then there were terrible hallucinations and the idea of death and despair was constantly being replayed over and over again. I had you drink the tea to test whether I was going mad from stress or actually onto something. While you were passed out, I went into the kitchen to examine the teas you had brewed over the past few days. All of them were from a wealthy company named Turner Teas, which his half-brother, Anthony Turner owns. I called Madam Red and that name immediately rang a bell. It just so happens that he mixes his personal affairs too much with that of business, he was helping Anthony develop new teas and somehow some of the drugs got combined into the packages..."

Ciel paused and chuckled, a little bitter.

"You know, if I wasn't rich we may never have solved this mystery. Turner Teas has very expensive products even though they are of high quality...Without the tea and constant migraines, we may have ended up running in circles to the end of our lives..."

"And how did you make him confess all of this?" Sebastian asked, fascinated.

"Guilt. Madam Red contacted him first because she was familiar with him and I explained what had happened to you after you drank the tea. I also described my own experiences. It's such a shame because, Adam Turner isn't even a bad person, he is a good fellow, just careless and ignorant of his actions and the consequences that would follow suit. He was so focused in moving forward, he let his work consume him and forgot about safety. He may have even tested the anesthetic on a couple of the maids..."

The man did not object to anything Ciel had said. He just seemed to shrink inwards more and more as his shame grew. It was truly unfortunate. The murderer was an unsuspecting, almost innocent man.

"Well. Looks like the case is closed. I'll be heading off then-

"-Not so fast," Lau spoke, a sharp edge to his voice. " - It appears we still have unfinished business here,"

"-What do you mean-

"He couldn't have tested the anesthetic on nine of his maids. That's beyond wasteful and unnecessary," Lau argued.

"Yes, he is right," Adam Turner spoke for the first time. His voice was soft and timid. " - I only tested it on two of the maids and both of them were already past their prime,"

"Lau Fong, you know for certain your workers collaborate with these maids to make your products. You must have been immediately suspicious of them. You probably interrogated them fiercely and when they would not answer you, you killed them the same way the sailors had died,"

"How did you know this...?!" He exploded, in disbelief, beads of sweat trailing down his neck.

"How could I forget?" Lau shifted his clothing to reveal a long, faded scar that curved and extended from his lower back to just below the back of his neck. " - Revenge was something you never grew away from,"

Sebastian grinned and Madam Red's eyes widened.

"So there was more than one murderer. Lau had been right from the beginning..." She spoke, slowly.

The two men just stood there awkwardly as silence filled the room. Nobody really had anything else to say. The Sebastian turned to Ciel, smiling.

"So, what was with the Alois business?"

Ciel chuckled.

"It was just a game, like he said. I knew it wasn't Alois, but I just wanted to see if he could actually give us any information when he was put into an emergency circumstance. Plus, it was fun teaching him a lesson after all he's done to me,"

"The jewel and the handkerchief?"

"They both had Adam Turner's initials on them. The reason the jewel was found in my manor...Madam Red, maybe you can explain that..."

She blushed, sighing and shaking her head.

"I found it in my purse one day and it was probably a makeshift proposal of some sort. I rejected it though. I might have tried to get rid of it at your manor and somehow I suppose, it ended in your room,"

Ciel Phantomhive shrugged and looked proud like before.

"Funny, how things turn out in the end. Anyways, back to business, Alois's execution has been canceled and his imprisoned position will be replaced by those of Adam Turner and Lau Fong. We must get them there immediately,"

It's not a moment past noon and Lau was situated, leaning comfortably with his back against the wall, chuckling to himself. He and the rest of the gang were near the entrance of the jail cells, as Ciel made final check-ups on the sentences and charges.

Madam Red noticed and shook her head in dismay.

"Your hatred towards your uncle is incredible. You've never looked so proud in weeks..."

"Oh, it's not just the fact that he's finally in prison...He's going to stay there for 39 years...!" He chirped, with a smirk.

"Ah, yes. Incredibly long time to think about what he's done. I'm surprised he wasn't executed. First degree murder shouldn't be taken so lightly," Madam Red muttered quietly.

"That isn't the point. The point is, he gets out of prison in 1914..."

"I'm sorry...But I don't follow..." She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"14...Oh, that may as well be the unluckiest number in the Chinese culture. May bad luck follow him forever after...Ah, life is bliss," He chuckled, peering up at the golden lit walls.

"I never thought you were the superstitious type. Well, whatever suits you, I suppose. I couldn't care less. As long as I'm not dying from the tea that I drink, I'm as good as anyone..." She decided, relieved.

"My lord?"

Ciel turned, tiredly.

"What?"

"How about Adam Turner's punishments...?"

"38 years in prison and a crap load of charges of which I have already forgotten half of...Let's just say he's lucky that he's got ample money to throw around, because by the time he's been dealt with, he will need the rest just to make ends meet..."

The butler smiled and they all proceeded outside into the warm, welcoming sunlight. It was getting chilly in autumn, but the leaves were brilliant colors and they swirled across the sky with a grace that made the harsh wind worth bearing.

"So, my lord. Now that our case is closed, how about preparations...?"

Ciel rolled his eyes and waved a limp hand.

"Do what you will. While you work, I'll catch up on a few decades worth of sleep..."

Sebastian ruffled the boy's hair of which was not well appreciated.

"Very well, my lord. Let us be off then,"

"I don't remember inviting him," Ciel spat, glaring at the happy blonde as he danced his way into the dining hall. Claude, an emotionless pillar with glasses, followed monotonously soon after.

"Sentencing him to a fake death was a bit harsh, don't you think? Why don't we make it up to him by having him join us in a delightful dinner in honor of the autumn festivities, like a British Thanksgiving of some sort? You wouldn't want him stabbing you in the back at some point in the near future, would you...? He isn't exactly a predictable child..." Sebastian added with a grin.

"Whatever. I don't even-

"Hey, Shorty...! I'm back!" A familiar, hyperactivity happy voice burst from the front door with the unmistakable jingle of bangles and the searing perfume of incense.

Prince Soma broke down the door and started jumping around and hugging the young master as if they had been twins separated from birth. His humble servant Agni just stood there, carefully observing the prince's wild antics.

"Oh, I know that Shorty just loves solving cases! When I was making my way here, I discovered a dire emergency that only you and Sebastian can figure out..."

"I've had enough-

"The mystery...of my horrendously empty stomach...! Ha, ha that was a good one...Agni! Go cook up as many pots of that fabulous curry of yours as there are Hindu Gods! Tonight, I'm planning to eat until I just burst!"

"Yes, Master Soma!" Agni declared with true gusto.

He raced into the kitchen with Sebastian following, asking if he could be of any assistance. The Indian servant obliged gratefully. Prince Soma scampered away into the living room to lounge about and do whatever he always did.

Ciel headed to the master's bedroom. He had enough mysteries for one day. Now, was the time to rejuvenate and recharge.

The mystery of Prince Soma's empty stomach. Now that was a case Sebastian could handle on his own. And there was nothing Ciel could be more thankful for.

The End