Sun In The Ruby Sky

A/N: Although I have payed homeage to the series Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji in many ways, this story is supposed to be read as a stand alone piece of literature. Please also bear in mind that I am just a fifteen-year-old who was told to write this for English homework...

"Rachel."

A young woman, likely in her mid-twenties, turned her head away from the open window at the sound of her name. She smiled gently at the young man who'd spoken (her husband) and brushed her blonde fringe out of her pale face as she walked across the room to him.

"Vincent," she replied, "Have they found us another case today?"

The dark-haired man nodded at his wife before handing her two folded letters to read. The petit woman skimmed over the first one for what was perhaps a couple of minutes before giggling light-heartedly at its contents.

"You see, Vincent, your writing was perfect as usual; the public are still just assuming that the detective-duo, Soleil and Ciel, are two men."

She quickly read over the second letter before commenting, "Ah, another suspected murder? I can't believe how many of those we've been getting as of late."

Rachel made her way over to the other side of their consultation room and lifted the small bell from its place on the drawing-board, ringing it gently to alert a servant of the manor to send in the client. A mere thirty seconds later, a well-dressed, middle-class gentleman entered through the grand double-doors. The first thing that she noticed about him was how he nervously fiddled with the ruby ring on his right ringer-finger. He nodded out of courtesy at the blonde woman before striding over to extend a hand to Vincent.

"Thank you for allowing me your time today, sir; I take it you are the Soleil who's the talk of England?"

Rachel held back a snort as she watched the interaction from a distance.

Vincent cleared his throat before replying, "Actually, I would be Ciel, the companion. It would, however, be a great pleasure to introduce you to Soleil, though."

The man appeared embarrassed for a moment before cocking his head to one side in confusion.

"Forgive me, sir, but I was under the impression that Soleil would be here prior to my arrival. Shall I wait here for him to arrive?"

By this point it was an absolute miracle that Rachel was managing to keep her laughter silent. Their guest glanced over at her with a baffled expression, obviously unaware of her identity.

"That won't be necessary; Soleil is already here in this room," she informed him, taking a few steps towards their client.

"I don't understand..."

"He does not exist, but she is standing in front of you."

The client's mouth fell agape as realisation sank in. The silence that had filled the room was broken by the flustered man's embarrassed cough.

"My apologies... May we begin the consultation?"

Rachel nodded and led the two men over to the three extravagant armchairs that resided in the far-right corner beside one of the windows. Taking her own seat immediately, she gestured with one hand to permit their guest to take his chair as well.

"I am Lord Dominick Midford." The young gentleman cleared his throat again. "I am here today for answers about my elder sister, Lady Isabelle Midford, who died yesterday evening after visiting a doctor only hours earlier.

"Yesterday morning, she awoke unusually early and had already fully dressed herself by five-thirty. She told me to think nothing of it, and I believed her, but I should have enquired further. Isabelle wasn't a sickly woman so when she told me that she was going to see a doctor I was rather surprised to say the least. When she returned later on she refused to talk to me, or anyone for that matter, and kept her arms crossed in front of her stomach for the rest of the day. I should have realised something was up from her constant wincing and how she quite clearly wasn't wearing her corset. It wasn't until relatively late in the evening that I went to check on her, and by that point it was too late; she was stone-dead with blood staining her abdominal region."