That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Reflective 2

Grell's Scythe grazed Sebastian's shoulder and cut about a millimeter deep, but Sebastian tightened his grip on the Scythe, and stopped it from cutting him any further. However, Sebastian now knew he at least didn't have to worry about Chêne over hearing his conversation with Grell. They were currently having their own confrontation with Madam Red.

"Why...?" Ciel asked Madam Red as he and Chêne stood to face the other half of Jack the Ripper. They couldn't do anything to help Sebastian, and they knew that any interference on their part would only distract him and make things more difficult.

"Why? What is the point of asking me now? When we have already become... the 'watchdog' and its 'prey'," Madam Red said cynically as she slowly approached them. Chêne tensed, getting ready to act if needed.

Chêne didn't actually have a weapon on her, since she only learned how to fight hand-to-hand from her father. He had told her once that carrying a weapon you can't use properly could actually be more dangerous than not having one at all, since you possibly injure yourself, or your attacker could easily take from you, and use it to hurt you instead... besides, Madam Red also appeared to be unarmed.

"If I don't hunt the watchdog, I will be hunted. In which case... there is only one way out!!" Madam Red yelled as she suddenly drew a knife from her sleeve and lunged at Ciel, who seemed to be too shocked to react.

"!?" Chêne gasped, her eyes widened in horror as she realized that when she had moved Ciel behind her to hide him from Grell, she had accidentally moved him closer to Madam Red, and he was in front of her now. "Ciel—!" Chêne screamed as she ran.

STAB!

"...!!" Ciel cried in alarm when he realized what had just happened. At the very last moment, Chêne had thrown herself at Ciel, shoving him out the way, but she wasn't quick enough to get herself out of the way in time to avoid being stabbed... Madam Red's knife was now piercing Chêne's stomach.

"!" Sebastian said, gritting his teeth as he watched, unable to move from his position. He still had his hands full trying to keep himself from being cut down by Grell. "Ugh—!" Chêne grunted in pain as she elbowed Madam Red in the chest, causing the older woman to stumble back, and pull the knife out of Chêne's stomach. Chêne winced in pain as she held her hand over her wound, trying to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding.

"Chêne!" Ciel yelled, concerned.

"I'll be fine... It hurts like hell, but... I'll be fine," Chêne reassured him, smiling wryly through her pain. She didn't want Ciel to be too distracted when he was dealing with Madam Red. He needed to have his wits about him. "I've survived being struck by lightening before, remember? I'm too stubborn to just keel over from something like a little prick in the stomach," she joked. Ciel gave her one last look before turning back to face Madam Red, clenching his fist.

"Madam. You are a physician. Why would you kill—!?" Ciel demanded angrily.

"A brat like you will never understand!!" Madam Red screamed as she lunged at Ciel and pinned him to the wall, holding him by his neck with one hand. "Not ever!!"

"Ciel—ugh!!" Chêne cried, grunting in pain when she tried to move. Her wound was worse than she had initially thought, and she couldn't get her body to cooperate and move.

"Ka-hah!" Ciel coughed as Madam Red choked him.

"I wish you... that someone like you—!" Madam Red said darkly, shaking slightly as she tightened her grip on the knife in her hand.

"..." Sebastian said, furrowing his brow, and gritting his teeth in frustration as he could only watch from where he was pinned against the wall. Ciel's right hand twitched to his side.