I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Hi, everyone. I usually write Grell romances, but I decided to try something new surrounding his vicious side. I hope you all enjoy the story.

Warning: Later chapters will contain graphic, bloody violence. The rating will end up changing to M within the next two chapters, so if you like this story you may want to add it to your alerts.

Edit 10/27/12: I noticed several inconsistencies within this story, so I went to fix them. Upon doing so I changed a few things. For the most part the plot is still the same, just a few details and events have been changed a bit. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited the original draft.

The usually level-headed shinigami gaped at the carnage before him. He knew the brutality his subordinate was capable of, for he was the one who supported Sutcliff during his Jack the Ripper trial a year prior, but this was a new extreme.

What used to be the bodies of those despicable creatures were mangled and dismembered beyond recognition. Their true identities would never be claimed from the remains marinated in their own blood. For once William T. Spears, one who despised all demons, felt sorry for the two lower creatures.

The two other members of Will's department accompanied him to the crime scene of their own free will. It was a move that both immediately regretted for Eric was currently consoling Alan who had just vomited for the third time since setting eyes upon the aftermath. Murder was too calm a word to classify that massacre.

Several higher ups, including those on the investigation team, had arrived on the scene. The investigators closely inspected what remained of the bodies in hopes of finding any clues to lead them to the recent happenings.

The shinigami usually allowed demon deaths to go for they often interfered with reaping missions leaving the reapers with the sole option to kill in self-defense. However, the wounds on these creatures screamed overkill. The last thing they wanted was political disdain between the shinigami and demons. Unless the criminal responsible was properly punished then a supernatural war might come to pass. The one to blame for the slaughter was the one who proudly wore that blood color.

The mentioned grim reaper stood over to the side, soaked in blood, only a tiny subset having been shed from his own skin. The blood had soaked into the cloth to the point that it was difficult to determine which was the original color of his attire and what formally belonged to the demons. By the end of the Jack the Ripper case it was obvious that Grell Sutcliff had began to feel sorrow for what he did, but now that scowl plastered on his porcelain face proved the red reaper felt no remorse for his recent actions.

Shuddering beside the blood-drenched reaper was a smaller one in both size and age. Splatters of blood decorated Ronald's clothing. Large black and purple splotches covered the left side of his face and he nursed what appeared to be a sprained wrist. He sat with his knees under his chin, dumbfounded, and refusing to look at the other shinigami. That detail disturbed William more than the murders as Ronald was the only one he knew who willfully admired Grell.

The head of the investigation squad approached Spears.

"Sir," he said with a half salute. "We will need to take both Sutcliff and Knox in for questioning."

"How bad does it look?" William asked in his usually cool manner.

The investigator gave him a half smile. "The good news is that if Sutcliff is smart, and since these are demons, we can possible dismiss this as a case of self-defense." The pause clued William in to the unmentioned "but."

"But?" William asked.

"But," the detective said, pausing, hoping to delay as long as possible. The impatient tapping of William's scythe hurried his speech. He had heard from eyewitnesses that William had a tendency of whacking shinigami over the head with that pole and was not eager to find any merit to those rumors himself. "But from the look of the bodies, it might be harder to convince the judge that these murders were not in cold blood."

William sighed. "Very well," he said. "But I want to be there during the questioning."

The other reaper agreed. "It might calm Knox if a familiar face was present," he reasoned.

At the mention of the younger shinigami's name both sets of eyes drifted over to where a medical examiner sat crouched down in front of the blond. He spoke in a calm voice, but Ronald looked straight through him, as if he were invisible. The EMT ceased speaking and continued to check Knox.

As his hand approached Ronald's bruised face the latter whimpered and recoiled into himself, wincing at the immediate protest from his ribs. Grell snarled at the sound and pounced, grasping the EMT by the throat. The glower from his narrowed yellow-green eyes filled the other with fear. Grell extended his fingers, ready to summon his scythe.

William, along with several others, surrounded the two, various weapons pointed at the infamous shinigami. They called out his name countless times. By the thirtieth time, along with threats, did Grell realize what he was doing. His eyes widened and he released his hold on the innocent man. The EMT's hands gently massaged the pain out of his neck, inhaling sharply. He glanced up at the shaking reaper who recently seized him by the throat.

"Forgive me," Grell whispered loud enough for only the one it was meant for to hear. He turned his head in the direction of Ronald to see him with his eyes tightly shut, shuddering, and fighting to keep himself from breaking down again.

"Sutcliff," a voice said from behind him. Grell glanced over his shoulder to see the detective approaching. "I—it's time t—to go," he stammered. Before Grell could register what was happening he heard the familiar sound of the shackles clamping about his wrist.

William Spears and Detective Norton stood outside the interrogation room watching the redhead shinigami from the two-way mirror. He had yet to show any sign of remorse. William wished with every fiber of his being that his worst fears of Grell's murderous tendencies had not returned. After the long hours of rehab he endured after the Jack the Ripper trial (as part of the sentence) William hoped that kind of brutality would never return.

Ronald had been transported to the hospital to treated for his various injuries. Physically he suffered two cracked ribs, a broken wrist, a busted lip, and a few bruises to the face and abdomen. Still it was the mental trauma that the physician most feared that would permanantly wound Knox. Both William and Norton were anxious to hear what happened regarding Ronald, but for now they could only hope that Grell was willing to cooperate.

Norton cracked his neck then reached for the doorknob. William placed a gloved hand on the investigator's shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

"As a warning," William began. "Sutcliff can become violent when enraged."

"Thanks," Norton said recalling what happened not forty minutes ago. He quickly checked his pocket for the tranquilizer pistol just in case it was needed. He turned the knob and entered with William in tow.

Grell greeted the visitors with a scowl. William let out a calm sigh that no one caught. It relieved him to see that familiar smile on his employee. What defined Grell was not entirely gone.

"Sutcliff," Norton said taking his seat in front of the shinigami in questioning. Grell nodded, not removing his gaze from his perfect nails. "I have a few questions for you concerning the crime scene."

"Ask whatever you wish, I have nothing to hide," Grell stated without making eye contact.

Grell was acting as rebellious to authority as always, another sign that he was not a total psychopath. William chose to stand beside Norton just in case Grell's temper escalated and he needed to intervene. He knew Grell was aware of that thin line that he must not cross, but after what they just witnessed, he hoped that was rang true.

"So are you admitting to killing those demons?" Norton asked.

"Is that what you left me in here all alone for?" Grell asked angrily.

"Just answer the question, Sutcliff," William commanded.

Grell's yellow-green eyes landed on his boss. Usually when he looked upon William his heart was bursting with lust, yet retained respect for the older man, now he showed him as much contempt as the detective.

"Will, dear, I thought of all people you would be most supportive," Grell said.

William sighed. It was going to be a long night. "While it's true I see nothing wrong with defending oneself against demons, I don't approve of attacking out of cold blood." It's too risky, he added silently in his head.

"And what would you know of that?" he asked. If Grell's eyes were flamethrowers they would be burning a hole into William's face from his fierce stare. Grell scoffed then added, "You think this is just like Jack the Ripper?"

"Is it?" Norton asked.

Grell glared at Norton, but said nothing.

"Sutcliff," Norton said in a demeaning voice that earned him yet another of Grell's famous death glares. It was true he was the scariest of all the shinigami he had ever encountered. Norton swallowed then added, "We can't help you if you don't tell us what happened."

"You don't want to help me," Grell retorted. "You just want to protect your precious dispatch from any more bad publicity on my behalf." He clenched his fist as the memories of the night's events replayed behind his eyes. "If you had seen Ronnie then you…" Grell trailed off when he realized he let more slip than he wanted to. The look in his eyes was so vicious, yet so sincere at the same time. It scared and lured both men to Grell's testimony.

"Knox?" William asked, genuinely interested. "What has Knox to do with this?" Even though he asked he was somewhat afraid to know the answer.

"It—it doesn't matter," Grell replied. He inhaled deeply and allowed the calmness to reside over him once more.

"Sutcliff," William said in a soft voice. Grell made the mistake of meeting William's eyes with his own. "Please." He paused then added, "Please tell me this isn't like last time."

Grell's eyes momentarily darted away from Spears'.

"What's the most important rule of the dispatch?" Grell asked William.

The dark-haired shinigami was about to ask what that had to do with the present matter when he recalled the rule. The look on Grell's face told William that he was waiting for the answer.

"Always look out for your partner," Norton answered. His eyes widened and he gasped. "Wait, did something happen with Knox?"

The brief switch to sorrow on Grell's face clued the two in that the detective guessed correctly.

"Sutcliff, what happened?" William asked. The once annoyed tone had switched to a mix of curiosity and concern.

Both higher ranked shinigami waited to hear Grell's tale of that night's events. And while both were used to the sight and mention of blood in their everyday work, this was going to be one that would haunt the dreams of both for some time.

That ends the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed. If you like it, or if you have any criticisms, please leave it in the form of a review. The next chapter will be arriving soon.

End Note: I'm not sure how medical emergencies were handled during the Victorian era, but since this is the reaper dispatch that have advanced technology for that time, I think it's believable that they would have an emergency response team similar to medical units of today.

Until next time!