The Case of Dr. Shaw [Black Butler - Fanfic]

Chapter 1, Part 1

          Early spring at the Phantomhive Manor is very chaotic. Baldroy is practicing new recipes that complement the elegance of the weather. Finnian is caring for the plants in the large garden extra carefully. Mey-Rin has begun the very important task of spring cleaning. Tanaka is, well, doing whatever it is that Tanaka usually does. All the while Sebastian is juggling the duties of taking care of the young Earl and making sure the rest of the servants are doing what they were assigned.

          "Here is your afternoon tea, young master. Earl Grey, just the way you like it."

          "Thank you, Sebastian," the two remained quiet for a brief moment. Until Ciel commented, "If there is nothing else, then you may leave."

          "Actually young master, there is something that you might possibly be interested in."

          "Oh?" Ciel was now curious about what Sebastian had to say since this sort of thing didn't happen very often.

          "A man was murdered yesterday. The thing is, the police can't find any evidence as to what caused his death."

          Ciel looked up at Sebastian, "It seems you have more to say." Sebastian smiled. "Well, go on."

          "A few weeks ago, there was another murder. A young girl, who didn't have any evidence of what killed her," he paused, "I believe that these murders are somewhat related."

          "So you say," Ciel took a sip of his tea. He looked out the window and saw the gardener losing control of the garden hose. Sebastian sighed, Ciel continued, "We will not take matters into our own hands yet. We will wait for orders from the Queen." He took another sip, "And make sure the other servants don't cause me any trouble."

          The butler bowed, "Yes, my Lord." Then swiftly left the room with his tailcoat trailing behind him.

                                                                                   —————

          The salty air of the Northern Atlantic Ocean stung her nose like a needle prick. There it was, England, a fine line on the horizon. Elena Vallea Astrella has been waiting for this day since she was 19 years old, now that she's 23, her dreams are becoming a reality.

          "It's even more beautiful in person, isn't it? Antonio?"

          "I suppose so," he said hesitantly, "But I don't see what the big deal is. I can barely even see it, it's so far away."

          "Yes, however, it's close enough to be able to see some of the details, to the point where I can imagine what it might look like."

          "Oh, you mean those silly little pictures in your head again?" he let out a sigh, "I've talked to you about this before, Lady Elena, books are not meant for ladies to read. They put crazy ideas into minds like your's, and gentlemen won't want to marry you."

          She turned, her back facing him. She took a deep breath, then said, "I don't care much for marriage. Someday, I'll meet a man who will have the same interests as I do. I don't want to just marry any man my father picks out for me, I want to wait for the right one to start a family with. One that I can have a happy ending with, like the ones I've read about back in Italy."

          He took a few steps forward, just enough to be able to face her. "I just can't understand you. I apologize for my behavior, but you have a wild spirit." He took her hand and held it gently between his. "It runs for miles and miles without ever stopping. Always searching for something, looking for something you can't get."

          "It's not that I can't have it. More like I haven't found it yet."

          "And what is it that you haven't found?"

          She looked up, and stared into his dark brown eyes for a moment, before she said, "I don't know yet. That's why I'm still searching."

          He let go of her hand. " Maybe coming to England will change your perspective and narrow down your options. If you don't choose something soon, you won't have a choice. It has happened once before," he paused to let the ship's horn blow, "I don't think your mother has the strength to let it happen a second time." They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. The horn blew again. "I suppose you should begin to get ready to dock. The ship will be docking soon, you shouldn't wait until the last minute to pack." He walked away without looking back.

          Elena stood, watching as the city grew closer. 'I suppose I should head back to my room now. Antonio is right, I shouldn't wait until the last second to get everything together.'

                                                                                  —————

          "Now, tell me what happened, one more time. But slower, and with more detail," Sebastian was in the kitchen, along with Baldroy, who was covered from head to toe in flour.

          "Well, I was starting to bake those desserts you asked me to make for the picnic tomorrow. And I thought it would be faster to mix it all in one big bowl, but I might have lost my grip on the bag as I was pouring it, and it tipped over." He gave Sebastian a nervous smile, but it didn't help much.

          "Seriously, I don't know how you always manage to pull these sorts of things off. It's honestly starting to impress me a bit." He looked around the room, not even one square inch of the floor wasn't covered. "Why don't you get cleaned up, while I take care of this mess."

          It wasn't a question, and Bard knew it, so he left it to Sebastian.

          'Why is it that I'm the one who gets stuck in these situations? But what kind of butler would I be if I couldn't do at least this much.' He gave himself a small smile, then looked around the room again, his smile quickly faded, and he got to work. Muttering to himself the whole time, but no one knew exactly what he was saying.