A/N: I saw the dub of the last episode of Kuroshitsuji I yesterday and was really inspired.
If you find some of the quotations familiar, yes, they are taken directly from the anime. I mixed both the dub and sub quotes. (That shouldn't make a whole bunch of difference, though, since Funimation did an awesome job at dubbing.)
Disclaimer: If I owned Kuroshitsuji, Sebastian and Ciel would be mine. Forever. Ah well, at least I have pins. I didn't have enough money to buy the plushies from AnimeNEXT this year. T^T
Finis (End)
Written by Fenikkusu
Part 1 – Perire (To Die)
"Young master, can you survive long enough for me to count down from ten?"
"Yes," I answered, gritting my teeth. What did he think I was? I'm no mere child, and he knows that. I am the Earl of Phantomhive, Ciel. I serve the queen. I am the head of the Funtom company.
The winds from this height threatened to throw me into the cold waters below, but I knew I wouldn't fall. No, not now. Just to make sure, I tightened my grip on the metal above me.
I heard him count. I heard the angel scream. And in spite of it all, I smiled. It was all finally coming to an end. I was finally avenging my parents. It had been three years of being the Queen's Guard Dog to take me this far. I witnessed crimes no other human of my age should see. I've solved mysteries that have stumped London's greatest detectives. For some reason, though, I still felt empty.
"It's over, young master." His voice brought me out of my thoughts. I sighed before looking up. The expression on his face surprised me. His sienna-colored eyes held no malice, no trace of the demon who had just murdered the fallen angel. His lips twisted up just slightly. Was it possible for a demon to experience emotions? Did he care? No, it wasn't possible. I was… merely getting my hopes up.
Nothing changed the fact that he was smiling at me. That's all I needed.
I bet that he was surprised when I let go, giving him a true smile of my own. My Cinematic Record exploded from my chest, and that made my smile widen. I felt calm; at least I could die in peace. I gasped as my back hit the water, and that forced me to swallow some. As the darkness of the water began to encompass me, I closed my eyes. There was no need to keep them open, now.
Then I heard a splash from above. "You're a liar, my lord. You promised me you'd live until I got to ten." Damn.
"I lied." I felt his arms wrap around me, and we began to rise to the surface.
"I won't let you die yet." How ironic. Just keeping me until you can devour my soul? That's all I am to you – a meal. I guess it can't be helped. You're a demon, after all, and you must be starving.
"That's right… you don't lie." I paused before speaking again. His grip was unusually tight, and if I inquired, he would probably reply with something about the water pressure being too heavy for him to lighten his hold. "There's something I want to ask you."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Who are you right now?"
The demon chuckled. "Don't you know? Whatever the occasion, when I stand before you, I am ever and always one hell of a butler."
When we were on the gondola, I spared a glance up at my butler. He was busy looking forward, steering the boat with his remaining arm. That's right, he lost an arm for me in that battle, and every time I looked at it I felt guilty. I don't want to die with that guilt.
Instead, I turned my attention to the water to my left, catching sight of a deep blue flower. "It's a ring," I mused after I plucked it out of the water. I heard a clank when the oar fell to the bottom of the boat. I didn't bother to look to my left as he knelt next to me. If I looked, I might rethink my decision to die. Not that it would have mattered anyway.
"How very familiar it looks. Please, allow me." Again, with surprising gentleness, he took the ring from my hands and attempted to put it on my thumb. I laughed to myself; for once, it appeared that he was having a hard time! The joy abruptly faded as I realized why.
"That must be… extremely difficult for you," I whispered. I retrieved the ring, sliding it on with ease. Come to think of it, this was one of the few times I had done something by myself. My butler was always there, clothing me, bathing me, teaching me, and doing so much more for me. It was only for the contract, right? I needed to convince myself of that.
"I wanted nothing more than to be a superb butler… But I failed," he said with an apologetic tone in his voice. Pain flashed across his eyes. I came to a realization, then. Demons cannot feel emotions. They cannot weep, they cannot sympathize, and they cannot love. Instead, they only feel pain, perhaps lust as well.
I paused my thoughts and continued, "This flower does not define us."
"I think it suits us, master." I stiffened. Even then, he continued to defy me.
I took a deep breath and raised my hand, the blue ring glowing with the light of the moon behind it. "This is me. Ciel Phantomhive." An ironic grin spread across my lips. "I am not more than I could have ever been."
"Here, young master." I pulled my face away from his shoulder to see the ruins of some kind of castle. I nearly laughed. What a fitting end for a king like myself, to die in a place like this.
"So, this is where it ends?"
"Yes." My butler placed me on the stone chair which faced the former entrance of the castle. I tried to relax, to no avail. Perhaps it was the feeling of eyes on my back. I turned a glare to a crow that sat above me.
"That bird is eyeing me," I commented as I narrowed my eyes more.
"Yes." He sounded amused.
I turned back to the demon, "After you've taken my soul, give it what is left." What was a body without a soul, anyway? It was completely and utterly useless. Might as well give it to some starving scavenger.
"You're as kind as ever, young master." Silence encompassed us again.
"Will it hurt?" I continued after a few moments.
"It will, a bit. I'm sorry. But I shall endeavor to make it as painless as possibl—"
"No," I interrupted. "Go ahead and be brutal. Etch the pain into me. It'll be proof that I had a life worth living." At my response, I saw his eyes widen. However, he quickly curbed his surprise into a small smile… a genuine one. This certainly wasn't the smirk I was used to seeing from him. There was also an emotion that I can't quite place.
"Yes, my lord." I leaned back against the stone as he peeled off his remaining glove with his teeth. I caught a glance of those sharp canines. Would those rip me apart? I could only stare as he walked up to me.
With his remaining arm, he brushed away the bangs covering my right eye. My eyes became wide with the surprising gentleness he took. (Was he only doing this to humor me?) His skin, though, was as cold as ice. That cold hand moved to my eyepatch and slid it off with practiced ease. Neither of us paid attention as it fluttered to the ground.
I took a moment to look directly at him. The last thing I saw was the crazed grin of a demon.
"Now then, master," I heard before cold lips touched mine.
And I knew no more.