The Horrorverse, Part 7: His Butler, An Optimist

London

"'ey, it's the Sandman! Get him, clowns!" A group of seven clowns drew their balloon weapons and ran to strike. To their surprise, Sebastian Michaelis landed in the middle of the group, kicking two clowns to his left and right. He quickly jabbed at a clown's balloon shield to pop it, then quickly punched his face a few times to knock him down. Sandman dealt a Ground Takedown on the clown, and when another one came up behind him, Nolan kicked back and kicked up to fling him overhead.

"Sebastian, on you!" The clown flew to Sebastian, who caught him between the legs and did a midair twirl before smashing the clown into the ground. Sebastian did a karate chop to disarm another clown, followed by a quick chop to the head to knock him out. He faced a clown that was about to cross a sewer lid, so he quickly lifted the lid, bashed the clown with it, and made him fall headfirst into the sewer. His puffy suit caused him to get stuck, but Sebastian slammed the sewer lid on his behind, anyway.

Nolan tossed boomerangs to dizzy two of the other clowns, going to beat one of them into submission. The other clown recovered, but Sebastian stylishly tossed a kitchen knife, the base of the knife hitting the clown's head and dizzying him. Nolan could then knock him unconscious, and so the only clown left was the Riddler Informant. "Give. Now. Riddles. Talk! Else! Or!"

"Kay! O!"

"If you insist." Nolan knocked him out. "Wellp, that's three groups of thugs. You've certainly seen your share of combat."

"Indeed, but it's always good to have some extra experience points."

"True that." Nolan reached into his coat and pulled out Sebastian's business card. "So… you're a Black Butler. But what is a Black Butler, exactly?"

"It is a business that was created in medieval times. I am sure, by now, you have determined I am not human. The Black Butlers are a group of demons who appear before any mortal who has gone under terrible emotional crisis. We are trained to follow any order and ensure our master's protection. We establish a contract with our masters and serve them until the day we consume their soul. Unfortunately, due to the incident with my master, King Malladus ordered the business to be shut down."

"The incident with your master, huh?" Nolan thought he could piece the rest together.

"Correct. And because of that, my contract was never completed, and I remain a servant to the Earl Phantomhive. I am the last of the Black Butlers."

"So depressing." Nolan said sarcastically. "Reminds me of these two fairies who served a 10-year-old boy. He's about 60 years old now. And he still has them."

"Oh, yes, Fairly OddParents. I despise that show. They make butlering look easy. …Now that I think about it, if we are going to be superheroes, perhaps 'Black Butler' could be my Hero Name."

"We're more like vigilantes, but that is a pretty cool name. Look sharp, Black Butler."

"As always, Sandman. By the way, I was thinking this could be my mask." Sebastian slapped on a black cat mask.

"Now you look like Catman."

Nolan heard static in his communicator. "-rk… Mr. York. Can you hear me?"

"Carol! I was getting worried…"

"It's okay. I guess you just got bad reception in that forest. Anyway, I've been monitoring the town from the satellite. I couldn't find anything on Kelvin Renbourn, but I did spot something… unusual. Go to this location."

Coordinates were marked on Nolan's map, so they grappled up buildings and flew to the spot in question. To their shock, where it seemed like a building should go, there was a large pool of wavy red goop. "If my memory serves me correctly, there is supposed to be a clothing store here." Sebastian said. The butler bent down and wiped some goop onto his fingers. "This goop appears to have magical properties. But I wonder if it cannot be simply washed off?"

"I don't know about washing, but I do have this vacuum." Nolan extracted the Poltergust 5000.

"A Poltergust? Sandman, suck in some water from the river!" Nolan looked to the nearby river and aimed his vacuum at it. A small water bubble spirit with yellow eyes flew up from the liquid and into the vacuum. "I knew it! You've just captured a Water Spirit."

"Water Spirit? Are those common?"

"Of course. Element Spirits can exist wherever there is chi. Essentially, they are concentrated forms of that chi. Why, they can even exist in your very saliva."

"Well, my head's gonna be hurting all night."

"The Poltergust is designed to capture these spirits and inherit their elemental properties. Use the water to wash away this goop. If you need more, there's plenty to spare." Nolan sighed and lightly sprayed around the goop as if he were watering a garden. Eventually, all the goop was gone.

The area began to rumble, so Nolan and Sebastian instinctively ran off the foundation. A building sprouted from the ground, the clothing store that the butler mentioned. Immediately afterward, somebody burst out of the window and landed on her feet—a little blonde girl in a red hood, holding a large paintbrush staff, and had a mustache. "WELL, if it isn't the Sandman! The Brotherhood's told me all about you!"

"Who are you?"

"SHUT UP! You'll never catch me!" The girl bolted down the street, leaving a trail of goop with her staff.

"Mr. York! That girl is the Mustache Girl! She was a prisoner in the Arctic Base!"

"An escaped convict, huh? Butler, after her!" Sandman and Sebastian gave chase, the former spraying water on the goop path. Mustache Girl ran up to a group of clowns, swiftly painting an "M" on the ground that forced the clowns to sink inside. Nolan took a moment to clean the goop and free the clowns, and Mustache Girl was Wall Jumping to the rooftops. Nolan and Sebastian grappled up and kept chasing, the two throwing boomerangs and kitchen knives to make her slow down.

Mustache Girl jumped back into the street and made quick strokes of goop along the path, catching more unfortunate clowns. Nolan took the time to free them while Sebastian continued pursuit. The butler chased her through some alleyways, easily avoiding her goop traps, and since Nolan could track their location, he took his own route overhead. Sebastian tricked Mustache Girl into running out to the street, then Sandman was able to drop on her. "'ey! Let go of me!" The child struggled.

"You're going back to prison, brat!"

"The heck I will! You haven't seen the last-a me!" The girl bonked Nolan with her staff and stroked a rainbow "M" on the ground, jumping inside. Nolan tried to spray the goop, but his vacuum was out of water.

Side Mission: Mustachio on the Loose: Clean up large pools of goop to restore buildings and catch the Mustache Girl.

Nolan held up his wristwatch and brought up Carol's image. "Carol, I lost sight of the Mustache Girl. Keep an eye out for any large pools of goop like the one just now."

"That's assuming your quest will take you to the towns she visits."

"Also, I recognize the staff she was wielding: it was the very same one Bowser, Jr. wielded 23 years ago."

"Interesting. Based on my records, April Goldenweek from Sector W7 met Bowser, Jr. during the 3-year Voyage. He took her to Prism Island in the Mushroom Kingdom, where she became a master painter."

"Hello, Mr. York." Ciel's image appeared. "Hope you're having fun on your side quests, but need I remind you of the mission at hand? Get going to Noah's Ark! And another thing… I would like you to disconnect with Carol during this mission."

"What?! Why, Ciel?"

"I don't want you to overhear anything private between Sandman and I. Do not worry. I will serve as the bridge between you two and report if anything serious happens. Is that all right with you?"

"Sigh… Fine. See you later, Carol."

"I'm sorry, Mr. York. He's really stubborn, isn't he?"

"Alright, then… let's head to the circus."

"Hm, not in this getup, certainly. We need to be dressed for the part. Thankfully, I already asked someone to prepare uniforms for us. This way, Mr. York." Sandman followed him to another dark alley, with stairs leading to a low ground. Revan was standing beside the door they were going to.

"So, let me get this straight: this butler is supposed to follow any order you give him? …Nolan, I triple dog dare you to say, 'Buttle my ***. BUTTLE IT, I SAY!'"

The door led to a small, dark shop with a counter and a strange man with long grey hair, a black coat, and top-hat. "Excuse me? Mr. Undertaker?"

"Who wants to know?" The second he turned, he seemed to shrink to half his height, and had a bigger, rounder head.

"A-A-A-ACK!" Nolan choked, immediately recognizing him.

"I was wondering if our costumes were ready?" Sebastian inquired.

"You bet! They're hangin' up right there."

"YOU'RE THAT DAMN ALIEN WITH ALL THE DISGUISES!" Nolan shouted accusingly. "Freaking Roger!"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about. My name is Alex Hammershed, and I make coffins and sell Halloween costumes to goth girls. You know any girls who would like a Jack Skellington skin suit? I got three of them."

"Here is your money." Sebastian placed the money on the counter.

"Thanks, but I also need you to pass on this note." Roger handed the butler a paper. "It's for a guy called Masque, saying 'This was not the role Gamewizard was talking about.'"

Nolan and Sebastian donned their circus uniforms: Sebastian was a mime with a small ponytail, white makeup, black eyeliner, and a skeleton suit, while Nolan was a clown with green makeup, pickle eyeliner, and pickles sticking out of his nose. "Your name is Emime, the Emo Mime," Roger said to Sebastian, "and your name is Picklehead, the Pickle-Addicted Clown." he said to Nolan. "I also wrote your backstories."

"That won't be necessary. If we follow Sandman's protocol, we will go with a stealthy approach." Sebastian left first. "Come, Picklehead."

"Yes. We have to avoid using these names as much as possible."

Noah's Ark Circus (Play "Mossrock Theater" from Paper Mario: Color Splash.)

Deep in the core of the fog, beyond the outskirts of town, stood the Noah's Ark Circus. There was a distinct archway that signified the entrance to the grounds, though one could enter from anywhere. Sandman and Sebastian calmly strolled up to the arch's guard, a boy with short brown hair, a lightweight jacket with two undershirts, and brown trousers. Only his right eye was exposed, while the left was hidden behind bangs.

"Hello. Are you returning from the street patrol?"

"Ahem, yes. …I'm Picklehead the Pickle Clown. This is Emime the Emo Mime." Sebastian made hand gestures to prove he is, indeed, a mime.

"I didn't need your names or anything. There's too many of you to keep track of." He chuckled. "…Uh-oh. It's time for my performance soon. Better get ready." He ran off.

"That was lucky. But some of these other clowns might ask who we are. Let's keep out of sight, Butler."

"Agreed. However, I doubt our Ringleader will just expose himself out in the open. Let's keep our ears open."

Nolan and Sebastian were able to stay hidden in the fog, keeping their distance from the other performers. There was a clown juggling with six arms while his upper-body slowly rotated. The duo stayed behind his head and snuck past him. They came to a small field of Fennekins, small foxlike Pokémon that were blowing flames directly upward, lifting mini hot-air balloons that unicyclists were balancing on. The flames would shrink every few moments, lowering the balloons, but they would rise up again when the flames grew larger. The heroes used that time to sneak between the Fennekins, unseen by the cyclists.

The entrance to the tent was guarded by two Siamese twin clowns, attached via their bellies. Sandman and Sebastian crept behind their own clown and performed a simultaneous Silent Takedown: Sandman used the gas from his gloves and Sebastian used a cloth of chloroform. The duo entered the tent, and the first room was filled with round-shaped clowns with tiny legs, balancing on giant, rolling steaks. Since the clowns were so round, the heroes could sneak between the steaks and move with them without being seen. They got close to an air vent on the floor and quickly slipped inside.

"Sandman, is it not weird to you that air ducts line a circus tent?"

"There are things we don't question in this job, Black Butler."

The duct became vertical, requiring them to grapple up. The duct took them to the next room, coming out on the platforms above wooden poles. The ground below was filled with spikes, and a performer appeared to be balancing on some tightropes: she wore a white dress and white shoes with white roses over the toes, and her fluffy white hair looked like roses. While keeping her perfect posture, she was flipping patties on a hanging stove with one hand and stirring soup in a hanging pot with her other hand.

Nolan and Sebastian grappled to another platform higher up the pole. They used the Line Launcher to reach the next platform, then take it to the platform above the entrance to the next room. Of course, this room was actually a long passage where trapezes were swinging over a pit while daggers were being thrown left and right from windows. Naturally, their mission was to swing the trapezes and quickly jump, lest the daggers hit them. They landed safely at the end, but found a fork in the road: another trapeze passage or a completely empty room where a girl was standing in the center.

"That room doesn't appear to go anywhere." Sebastian said.

"Wait a second… that girl is a Misaka Clone!" Nolan exclaimed.

"A what?"

"Sebastian, we have to save her. It's for a friend of mine."

"Hold on, Sandman. It may look empty, but there are thousands of traps. I recognize the smell of tripwires and infrared lasers anywhere."

"I see. I hate to say it, but sensing things is difficult without my mask."

"I recommend going to Butler School. You might find you're quite good at it. In any case, leave this to me." With that, Sebastian danced into the room and nimbly flipped and slipped past each and every wire and invisible laser.

The butler made it to the center, and Misaka asked, "'Are you the Level 6 subject,' asks Misaka, surprised by his charming appearance."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I appreciate the compliment. Remain still." Sebastian hugged and held onto her as he dodged his way through the traps once more. He made it back to Sandman and set the girl on her feet. "All finished."

"Good. Unfortunately, we need to contact GUN to take her to safety, and it'll be trouble to keep her with us."

At that instant, a claw reached down from the tent's ceiling, and Sebastian threw the Misaka into it. The claw carried her up and out of the tent. "I sent a quick text to GUN the moment you desired to save her, and demanded they get here in exactly 60 seconds. A good butler thinks ahead, you know."

"Uh… Good. Anyway, these trapezes seem to be electrified. I honestly don't see what point these have other than to hold us back."

"These shan't be too hard for me to cross. Could you perhaps cut the ropes with your boomerangs?"

"Okay." Nolan quickly tossed twin boomerangs to cut each pair of ropes. The second the ropes were cut, the electricity stopped flowing, and Sebastian seized the chance to swing the falling trapezes. Once on the other side, Sebastian pulled a lever that made a bridge stretch over to Sandman's side. Sandman joined his partner and said, "Gotta hand it to ya: you are one hell of a butler."

This passage led to a walkway outside the tent. They had view of a cliff, where young children were climbing a ladder up to another tent. Clown guards were stationed beside that ladder. "This way, children." An Irish performer said, directing the children into the tent. He had spiked red hair and wore a purple jacket. "Once you step through here, Wonderland is but a ride away. Alright, that's the last of them. No one else gets up that ladder, you two!" The man entered the tent last.

"Aye, Joker." The guards chorused.

However, since they weren't looking up, Nolan and Sebastian could easily Line Launch over. "Mr. York, isn't this an odd setup?"

"Indeed…" This entire tent was built under a gigantic birdcage. The duo shared nods and entered. At first, the tent was completely dark, until a spotlight shone on the Irish man.

"So, you're here already, are ya? Dyin' to see Father, eh? Well, don't think we'll let you come quietly, eh Doll?"

A light shone on the girl with white rose hair. "You thought a pathetic disguise like that would be enough to fool us? You should curse the person who sold you those drabs." (Play "Enamel" by Sid!)

The entire circus lit up. They were surrounded by other performers, like a woman in a revealing black bodice, a boy in black-and-white clothes and daggers, and a bald and shirtless man with torches. "Then let's start the show!" the dagger boy declared. He tossed the first blade, but Sebastian caught it and threw it base-first against his head.

The bald man, Jumbo, swallowed a torch and blew fire as he chased the Sandman, but he flipped behind the fire-eater and tossed a gas grenade to explode on him. The bodice woman, Beast, lashed a whip at Sandman, but he easily dodged and grabbed the whip, whirled the woman around the air and threw her elsewhere. Dagger tossed daggers at Sebastian, but the butler easily countered with his knives before flipping over and kicking the boy in the face.

Jumbo recovered and charged Sandman, tackling him to the ground and punching him. Sandman grabbed his arms and wrestled him onto his back, punching him with Haki twice before Jumbo kicked him off. Nolan was cut from behind by the Irish man, Joker, wielding a knife. Nolan elbowed him and yanked the knife out, then yanked Joker over with the grappling hook to deal a takedown. Beast tried to whip Sebastian, and the butler let himself be wrapped up as he danced over to Beast and gave her a deep kiss. The woman flushed and lost focus, giving Sebastian the chance to grab his chloroform cloth and knock her out.

Nolan tossed boomerangs at Jumbo, who swatted them away before swallowing another torch. When he blew the flames, Nolan sucked them into his Poltergust. He dodged when Jumbo charged at him, then Nolan blasted fireballs to knock the man out. Sebastian grabbed ten of Dagger's blades and tossed them all back at once, immediately knocking him out with their combined force. The only performer left was Doll, who stood all the way across the tent with two guns.

"Father said you two were dangerous, but… I've never seen anyone like you. You two are monsters! I won't let you get away! You'll PAY for hurting my-!"

She was hit in the back of the head by a baseball bat. Behind her was Roger. Doll tried to get up, but Roger hit her again and knocked her out. "Don't EVER insult my disguises again or I'll BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!" On that note, the alien left.

"Well… that helped." Nolan figured. (End song.)

As if on cue, the tent began shaking. "Oh, dear. I fear we may have walked into a trap." Sebastian said.

Nolan put his mask on and switched on Detective Vision. Towering over the tent were the X-rayed forms of two giants. Nolan and Sebastian peeked outside the curtains. Two more performers, a boy and a girl, were holding the birdcage that the tent was inside. "You think Joker and the others took them out by now, Wendy?" the boy asked as they walked, the cage swaying to and fro.

"Sure they have, Peter. It was two against five, and even if they didn't, there's no way out of this cage. Baron Kelvin will be delighted to see their bodies!"

The two heroes retreated back inside. "It seems we have somehow been miniaturized, Mr. York. Unless these two happen to be Giants."

"Whatever the case, it sounds like they're taking us to Kelvin. This kind of works in our favor. We'll wait in here until they decide to release us."

"Do you think we can fight them in such a state as we are in?"

"What kind of hero would I be if I couldn't?"

"Hm hm. Of course, Master York."

Renbourn Manor

Peter and Wendy arrived at a mansion in the middle of nowhere. They set the birdcage on the ground several meters away from the entrance and made some distance between it. "We're back, Father!" Wendy called. "We've brought the children! The enemies you talked about are in there, too; they should be dead by now!"

"Excellent! Now, Master Affright will bring me my prince!"

The cage shook and suddenly expanded in size, the tent returning to normal. "Joker!" Peter called, entering the tent with Wendy. "We've arrived at… eh?!" Their fellow performers were unconscious. Sandman and Sebastian ambushed the two and knocked them senseless as well.

"Let's get to the bottom of this." Nolan stated. The duo left the cage and forcefully kicked open the door to Renbourn Manor. By this time, they had changed back into their regular clothes.

A trail of candles led up a stairwell. Calm, relaxing circus music echoed throughout the home. Children were cleaning the floors and dusting the furniture, showing absolutely no soul in their eyes. The two followed the candles upstairs and found a dining room with two plates. The food was nicely prepared, but it had long gone cold. Children were doing circus acts on a stage. A boy was juggling torches—a flame burned him in the eye and his head caught flame. A boy tossed daggers to a spinning wheel with a girl strapped to it—the girl was stabbed.

"Sebastian, knock them out!" Nolan ordered. The butler swiftly dealt with the mindless kids before any more harm could befall them. "This is horrible… What on earth happened to them?"

"Ha ha ha ha! Yes! More! MORE!"

This playful laughter came from the next room. With fear building in his heart, Nolan slowly approached the door and entered.

"HA HA HA HAAAA!" Nolan had never been so disgusted: an obese man with a bandaged face and red clothes was sitting on a throne while a brainwashed child was… well, he appeared to be… "Yes! Buttle it! Buttle it GOOD! MWAH HA HA HAAAAA!"

"Ew. Nolan, I am deeply, truly sorry for making that dare." Revan said with disgust.

"Hee hee hee hee! Yes! Now, I am ready! I am ready for my prince! Now, away with you!" The child left.

"You…" Nolan felt he was unable to hold back. "You sick SON OF A-!" The minute he and Sebastian stormed in, a giant birdcage came down and captured them.

"Ahhhh, guests… honored guests… please, please come in. Make yourselves at home…"

"A giant birdcage." Nolan observed. "Very comfortable."

"Birdies are such lovely things, aren't they?" The man picked up a smaller birdcage, softly brushing it. "They long for sweet freedom, but alas, it is beyond their reach. Such fragile little things… so beautiful…"

Nolan used Detective Vision to examine the "bird" in the cage. "That isn't a bird… it's a person! And it's…!" The person's body was scanned, and a name displayed in his goggles. "HARUKA!!"

"Mr. Affright brought her to me." The man held the cage up next to his bandaged face. "An adorable little thing, isn't she? Alas, she is only a flickering candle compared to Ciel Phantomhive."

"It really is you… Baron Kelvin." Sebastian glared. "But that's impossible. My master ordered your death a long time ago. Even if there was a slim chance you survived, you would have passed away with age."

"You would be surprised what modern day witchcraft can do. This artificial body of mine was crafted by the lovely Dr. Drevis, whom was even able to transfer my very soul into it. At long last, the concept of Death will be a thing of the past. My love for Ciel was stronger than the darkness of Hell, my anger and passion FUELED me, for ages and ages, and soon, escaping Underworld Prison was no challenge! …I also had that incident from three years ago to thank."

Kelvin stood and grabbed a candle, going to a shelf that was lined with birdcages of captive kids. "One day, I met a man called Affright, and he gave me a magic fruit that granted me the power to trap people in little cages. I lured so many darling kids to my circus, praying that one of them will fill the void that Ciel Phantomhive left. Alas, they were nothing. Nothing but dim little stars! I was AWASH in agony, because I thought my Ciel—my beautiful Moon—was gone from the sky! …But what do I hear? Ciel is still alive. He is in the Kids Next Door! For 200 years, my Moon has continued shining—he hasn't aged a day! He is still radiant and beautiful!"

Kelvin reached his fingers into Haruka's cage and pulled her against the bars. "Finally, Ciel… we can be together again. I can finally fill the hole in my heart with your luscious light. I will sniff your wondrous odor, I will absorb your light into my eyes, and your unparalleled taste shall never leave my tongue." He stroked his tongue against the bars.

Nolan shot his grappling hook to catch Haruka's cage, sticking his arms through his own cage to hold it. "Haruka! Is that really you?"

". . . ." Haruka stared at him, but showed no emotion.

"It is as I feared." Sebastian said. "The horrors Baron Kelvin commits are so unspeakable that his young victims are sapped of their very being. Her soul is still intact, yet Miss Haruka is blind to her surroundings."

"You monster…" Sandman glared at Kelvin with malice.

"Master Affright told me you would ruin my time with Ciel." Kelvin came to take back the cage. "Affright said, if I don't stop you, I don't get Ciel. I will crush you like baby birds in a cage." Kelvin snapped his fingers, and Nolan and Sebastian's birdcage began to shrink. Afterwards, they felt the cage rising up in Kelvin's hands and had full view of his gigantic, bloodshot eyes and bulky grin. "Ahhhhhh… a little detective and a little butler… once I've crushed you, I'll have my precious Ciel aaaaaall to myself." (Play the Snatcher's Theme from A Hat in Time!)

Boss fight: Kelvin Renbourn

Kelvin opened a hatch on the top and dumped in some of his captive children from another cage. Their expressions dull, they attacked Sandman and Sebastian with swift acrobatics. The duo used gentle attacks to fight the kids, with Sandman shooting gas from his gloves to KO them whenever possible, and Sebastian used a cloth of chloroform to do the same. However, since the kids were barely in control of their senses, it took a moment for the gas to take effect, which was tricky when the other kids were trying to fight them.

As they were fighting, Kelvin was dropping twigs into the cage. He then held a lit lighter in front of his face and blew the flames inside to light the twigs on fire. Fire Spirits emerged from the flames, so Sandman sucked a few in with his Poltergust. Kelvin's insane eyes were mere inches from the bars of the cell, but Sandman would use this to his advantage: he blasted flames into Kelvin's right eye until he was forced to shut it, a waterfall of tears seeping out. Sandman blew fire into the left eye, and Kelvin dropped their cage as he wailed and rubbed his eyes.

Nolan and Sebastian bounced out of the cage and grew to normal size. "Get Haruka!" Nolan ordered his partner. Kelvin saw him through his tears and tried to run, but Nolan grabbed the baron and gave him unmerciful punches to his bandaged face. "CHILDREN! HELP YOUR DADDY!" Two children pounced Nolan and made him release Kelvin, and two more attacked Sebastian and took back Haruka's cage. The two shook the kids off, but Kelvin used his power to re-enlarge the other cage, catch the heroes, and shrink it down again.

The fire made Kelvin's eyes more red and furrowed, and those along with his grit teeth established his anger. This time, Kelvin took a vial of poison goop and poured it in, beginning to flood the floor of the cage. "Up here!" Nolan used the Line Launcher to link between two bars and hopped onto it, Sebastian joining him. The poison would leak out the edges of the cage and not reach the heroes.

"Hey! Get off of there!" Kelvin blew into the cage and jiggled the zipline, but Nolan and Sebastian stylishly flipped under, over, and around the rope. Kelvin stopped blowing and decided to spit into the cage in attempt to knock them off, but Nolan was able to suck one of the spit globs into his Poltergust. He then sprayed the water around the floor and washed out the poison, allowing him and Sebastian to safely get down. "Fine! I'll crush you myself!" Kelvin stuck his fingers in the cage and tried to crush his enemies.

Nolan grabbed his Explosive Gel and sprayed on one side of Kelvin's index finger while Sebastian sprayed the other side. "Eh?" Kelvin held his finger close to his eye, wondering what they sprayed on him. Nolan and Sebastian pressed their remotes and detonated the gel. "EEEHH!" It blew up in Kelvin's right eye. The angered baron tried to smash them faster, but the duo were able to dodge and spray more gel on his finger. "Not this time!" Kelvin simply wiped the gel on his shirt. He kept trying to smash them, but Nolan saw that the gel on the shirt expanded to a "normal" size. He and Sebastian smirked and pressed their remotes.

"AAAAAH!" The explosion knocked Kelvin down, dropping the cage as the heroes escaped again.

Kelvin scrambled to his feet and tried to run, but Sebastian grabbed the man by the collar and threw him against the wall. The Black Butler whacked the baron with an array of karate chops, his bandages ripping apart. Sebastian then began to choke him, and Kelvin saw Nolan picking up Haruka's cage and opening it. "I'll get you out of here, Haruka."

"NO! SHE IS MY KEY!" Kelvin cried, suddenly enlarging Haruka's cage and catching Nolan. When Sebastian looked at him, Kelvin seized the chance to kick him into the cage as well, shrinking it back down afterwards. When Kelvin lifted the cage again, the duo was given the atrocious view of his unbandaged face: his skin was peeling like a zombie, and even the upper-left of his skull was visible. "I will have my Ciel by my side! We will live the rest of our lives in peace! You do not deserve to take part in our happiness! STOP TAINTING OUR LOVE!"

"WAAAAAAHH!" Kelvin spun the cage around at a rapid pace, the heroes and Haruka bouncing back-and-forth. Kelvin finally stopped, beaming as his adversaries lay dizzy on the floor of the cage. However, he frowned when Sandman tried to help himself up. "NOOOO!" Kelvin frantically shook the cage aimlessly. "DON'T GET UP! Stay down, STAY DOWN! Ciel won't come back to me if you're still alive!"

Kelvin ceased and studied his foes again. As Sandman and Sebastian lay defeated, the butler whispered, "Don't move."

"Eh… Hello?" Kelvin lightly tapped their bodies. "Are you dead? …Yes! YES! FINALLY! COME TO ME, MY LOVELY CIEL! I have a bouquet of the loveliest blue roses! We shall get married on the moon—I have already written both of our vows! OH, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE MY BRIDAL GOWN! MWA HA HA HAAAA!"

The second Kelvin's mouth was wide open, Sebastian stood and tossed a kitchen knife down the baron's throat. The knife poofed back to normal size and stuck through the back of the throat. "UUUUUAAA!" Kelvin dropped the cage and desperately yanked the knife out. The heroes escaped the cage again, and Sebastian smacked him thrice before kicking him to the floor. Nolan grabbed the throne, leapt above Kelvin, and SMASHED it over his feeble body. (End song.)

"Oooooohhh… Ciel… My Ciel…" The baron faced up at the ceiling, reaching for the image of the full moon. "If only… I could have seen you… one more time. Just once… if I could see you… I would be at peace."

"Are you quite certain, Renbourn?"

"EH?" Kelvin flinched. For a moment, he wondered if that lovely voice was an illusion. He hesitantly turned his head toward the doorway.

"Because I'm right here." Ciel Phantomhive said.

"CIEEEEEL!" Kelvin frantically crawled over. "Ciel! My prince! My… Wait…"

Ciel glared at him with a single, scarlet eye. "Well, Baron?"

"No…No, this isn't right. Where is your rich blue eye that glimmers like the moon?" Kelvin reached his hands around Ciel's head and began to untie his eyepatch. "Surely, it's behind this, right?" The eyepatch came off, and Kelvin gasped: Ciel's right eye was a bright purple, and had the symbol of a star within a circle, with ancient letters inside the star's points.

"No…No, no, NO!" Kelvin punched the floor. "YOU'RE not Ciel! You are not my beautiful prince! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!" He grabbed Ciel's shoulders. "Give him back to me, you foul demon! GIVE BACK MY CIEL! Your eye!" As Kelvin stared at Ciel's red eye, a vision flashed of a Blood Moon in the sky. "Your eye BURNS my soul like the Fires of Hell! DEMON!" Kelvin desperately began to scratch Ciel's face. "I WILL RESCUE YOU, CIEL! LET ME SEE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE! LET ME BASK IN YOUR GLORY! GIVE ME EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR LUSCIOUS FORM!"

Ciel kicked him to his back. Sebastian then pinned his foot on Kelvin's stomach, and using the other foot, he STOMPED Kelvin's face and left it a bloody mess. He ceased struggling, for the baron was dead. The birdcages on the shelves disappeared and the kids grew back to normal size, collapsing into a pile. The same thing happened to Haruka, and when she re-expanded, Sandman caught her in his arms.

"I apologize, Mr. York, for it seems I have broken the No Killing rule."

"That rule doesn't apply to people who already died."

Ciel was panting, sweating and holding his face. Although Kelvin only dealt minimal scratches to his features, Ciel's internal scars were beginning to burn. His pain shone clearly in his scarlet eye. "Sebastian… des…destroy this place! BURN IT TO THE GROUND!"

"NO!" shouted Nolan, grabbing Ciel's arm. "We need to get these kids out of here!"

"Forget them!" Ciel yanked his arm back. "There's no saving them! Not after the horrors they've experienced!"

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I used to be one of them, alright?! Words couldn't describe the things this man did to us. Mark my words, these children are better off DEAD!"

"How DARE you call yourself a Kids Next Door operative!" Nolan grabbed Ciel by the scruff and brought him up to his mask. "The Kids Next Door is an organization of hope! They bring hope to children and adults everywhere!"

"Hope is nothing but a word! There was never any hope for me, why should I think it exists for anyone else?!"

"Then are you really a demon on the inside?!"

Ciel was at a loss for words, feeling the greatest tinge in his heart. "You… How dare you say that! What do you know about me?!"

"I know you had a very troubled past." Sandman removed his mask. "I know you've experienced terrors worse than I can even imagine. But DON'T act like you're the only one who knows what it's like to suffer! Don't act like there isn't a shred of hope in the world! The Kids Next Door is all about hope, and if you're going to call yourself an operative, you better remember that!"

Visions flashed in Ciel's mind, of Carol, of Weiss, of Raleigh, of Pacifica, his teammates each smiling. He had one more vision of a girl with golden curly hair and big emerald eyes. "…I…I…I need to lie down…" Ciel fell back and fainted.

Sebastian caught him in his arms. As he studied his master's sleeping form, his face was solemn. "Don't do it, Sebastian." Nolan stated.

"My master's word is absolute. I will burn this building. …However, he did not specifically order me to kill the children. I will give you some time to rescue them, but I must fulfill the order before he awakens."

"I'll call GUN to bring them to H.Q.. …I think Ciel should join them."

"Now, Mr. York, are there not other Kids Next Door operatives at G.U.N. H.Q.? How would they react to seeing Master Phantomhive in the state he's in now?"

Nolan was silent, knowing he was right. Sebastian began to leave, but he stopped before the exit. "You might think he is a demon on the inside… but Master Phantomhive still has the heart of a human. He can still feel fear, and not just because of what Kelvin Renbourn did to him. After he joined Sector $, what he told me was…"

"It's strange, Sebastian… I have never been around humans in such a long time. When I'm with them… when I'm talking with them… bickering with them… I almost feel like I'm still one of them…"

"Hm… My master can be very shy sometimes." Sebastian said with a warm smile. "I almost want to find a way to make him human again… but if he did, I would devour his soul in an instant."

"I don't believe that." Nolan said. "I think you're more attached to him than you think."

"Hm hm hm. You're very optimistic, Master York. But I suppose that's what makes you so interesting." With that, Sebastian took his master and left.

Nolan faced down at Haruka, her body still dull. After sending the message to GUN, he picked Haruka up and carried her outside. He set her gently in the Sandmobile and made the drive back to G.U.N. H.Q..

G.U.N. H.Q.

Haruka was lain on a bed in a medical room. With the doctors already examining her, Sandman contacted Carol and briefed the mission. "Physically, Haruka appears fine. But it seems like she's lost the will to do anything…"

"Oh, my… Do you know what we can do to help her?"

"Hopefully, she'll come back to her senses. Otherwise… I'm not sure what to do."

"I hope so, too. …What do we do now, Mr. York?"

"Look into a woman named Dr. Drevis. She was associated with Kelvin, and there's a chance she could be tied into Affright's plan."

"I'll get right to it. In the meantime, there's a ton of other missions that need solving. Sigh, honestly, Mr. York, you're way too nice to take on so many requests at once."

Nolan hung up and stared at Haruka for a moment. His encounter with Kelvin brought new fears to his mind. "Recreating a person's body… bringing someone back to life… Depending on the person in question… it could be a terrifying power."

"Geez, Nolan, be a little more optimistic!" Revan remarked.