Hybrid
The nightingale opened her eyes, standing up from her sleeping place, in a nest. She blinked tiny, black eyes and looked about her.
The bird was at the edge of a forest, though she could hear what sounded like ocean waves distantly. The sky was not the brightness of day, nor the absolute darkness of night, with nothing but stars and a moon to see by.
The sky had always been this way. There was a word on the edge of the bird's mind to describe it, but no matter what, she couldn't think of it.
The tiny songbird flapped her wings and began to take flight, looking for things other than herself and the other songbirds.
Cat, the words flitted in the bird's mind, spotty dog, raven...
A twinge of pain filled the tiny nightingale at the last word, though she didn't know why.
After all, in this place, there were no ravens, and she knew it.
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A little nightingale awoke from her cold, hard perch. She had dreamed of being in flight again, flying through forests, cities and skies.
That was impossible, though.
All she saw, all day and every day, was a place with four walls, a tiny window near the top and a door. People would come in and out, and would only come by to either give water or food. During those times, the door would open, but never large enough for her to squeeze out and never slow enough for her to fly out.
The times of flying were nothing but the distant past, fading faster into oblivion than she could ever remember.
After all, she was nothing more than a nightingale, trapped in a golden cage.
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In the Shinigami realm, a six-foot woman walked through the archives, pulling her white coat tighter around her.
I need to find out what's going on, the woman thought, Something bad has happened. I can feel it.
Once she arrived at the proper area, she looked until she came across a book with two letters on the binding: DL.
Here it is. Now, to find out what happened, she thought as the pulled the book off the shelf and went over to a table. Once there, she sat down and opened the book, trying to find the last written pages.
Right then, a strand of the dark brown hair that was always in a tight, neat bun tickled her nose. She brushed the strand away distractedly. That was when she heard voices nearby.
"Did you hear? Something big happened in America just a bit ago."
"Really? What happened? Another terrorist attack by humans?"
"No. Spears, Knox and Sutcliffe from the England division are in the hospital ward. There was a big fight, involving those three, a couple of demons, a traitor and a human. A lot of backup was called in."
"What condition are our guys in?"
"They were burned pretty badly, and Spears is in critical condition from a Scythe injury. The crazy part is that a witness was saying that a demon and another human sang together, then changed into monsters right before shooting black fire. Sounds more like someone hit their head to me."
Her eyes, which were commonly called Reaper's green, widened with shock. She glanced at the last sentence of the last page: She fell unconscious and has not awakened since.
"Good God!" she hissed, not bothering to hear more. She quickly got up from her seat and took the book, two others and several records with her to be checked out, then left, headed first for the infirmary to pick up several vials and her doctor's bag, and then for America.
Tell me I'm wrong...this has got to be some kind of sick joke.
Once she arrived at a gray house with a screen porch, she took a shuddering breath and walked towards it.
Before she could even touch it, a shock of electricity went through her that was painful, causing her to take a step back.
What the hell?
She tried to approach again. Before being shocked a second time, she saw that unlike all the other times, there was no screen porch door.
"Damn. Did she upgrade the security or something?" she asked, then walked around the side. There, above part of the screen was a steak knife, with the blade turned downwards. But, she could sense something different about this knife...as though another being's energy was enhancing it.
I don't have time for this, she sighed and pushed up a pair of brown bi-focal glasses.
"Michaelis, Phantomhive, you come out on the porch right now. We need to talk."
There was no answer.
She repeated her order and added, "If you ever want her to open her eyes again, do as I say!"
The door opened slowly, revealing a young girl with dark brown hair and a very tattered tank top and ripped leggings. "Now isn't a good time…Who are you exactly?" The girl said suspiciously as an eyebrow rose.
"Susan Dehner, US division. I'm a doctor and one of her informants. Tell Michaelis to declare me, or she likely won't ever awaken."
"…Do you take me for an idiot? I don't even know if I can trust you." Roisa said firmly, eyes hard.
"Didn't you hear me say that I'm a doctor? I'll tend to Phantomhive as well, but Michaelis needs to declare me so that I can even get in the house."
The door opened wider and the black butler stepped beside Roisa. "You are declared safe," Sebastian stated before turning and rushing back to his master's bedroom. His white sleeves were rolled up and stained slightly with red drops. His tailcoat was missing. Roisa "humphed!" and followed him, still eyeballing the doctor who called herself "Susan" wearily.
The door appeared in the place it always had been. Susan went through it and followed the butler to the boy's current room. A look of anger crossed her face. "Because he ran to commit suicide, all this happened. Michaelis, get some warm water and rags."
"I have a name, reaper," Sebastian whispered, returning to his master's bedside, sitting at the stool he pulled over, and dragging over the bucket of water already heated, and continuing to clean the blood off of his master's ruined chest. "Deona's in the next room over."
"Check on her, please," she said as she pulled out one of her vials and cast a diagnostic spell.
"You know how to heal him?" Sebastian asked, looking at Ciel. The small demon had a rag over his forehead, his shoulders and legs up to his waist covered in blankets. His chest was completely torn open. Blood was all over the blankets.
"Of course I do. This isn't the first time I've had to heal a demon." She sighed and said, "It's serious, but I can do it. Be thankful I came prepared. Now go check on her while I tend to this."
Sebastian nodded, exiting and rushing to the woman's room. She was lying in her bed, wrapped in blankets, another rag on her forehead. Her skin was pale and she herself was very still. The only indications that she was alive was the slow rise and fall of her chest, slower than it normally would be. A single word transferred by thought: Sebastian...
Susan opened the vial and started the treatment, beginning with the broken ribs and internal injuries. Afterward, she used a second vial of medicine to close the gaping hole in his chest.
But still the demon did not wake. His chest barely rose, he was practically not breathing, He was shaking. His eyes moving rapidly under his lids.
Sebastian heard Deona's call for him. He smiled slightly taking the old rag off and placing a new cold one over her forehead.
The doctor sighed and took out a third vial. This one would speed up the replacement of blood to a safe level. With the wounds closed, she opened his mouth carefully and poured the contents down his throat, massaging carefully so that he would swallow. She then walked towards the woman's room and looked inside.
She saw the demon step back and throw the old rag in the trash can, before stepping forward and pulling the blankets farther around Deona. He turned, to go back to his master's room, when he noticed the Reaper standing in the doorway.
"I've closed his wounds and taken care of the fractures, as well as given him some medicine that will speed up blood production. He'll be weak for a few days and need plenty of food and rest. Other than that, he'll be fine." She paused and said, "Now for her. I just hope I'm wrong."
Sebastian's face darkened. "What exactly did she do?" he asked, looking between the doorway leading to Ciel's room and Deona.
Susan pulled out a book from the bag she had with her and cast the same diagnostic spell while reading it. After a few moments, she let out a breath and said, "I wish I was wrong. This..."
"This what? Tell me. What. Did. She. Do?" Sebastian almost yelled. "And what did Grell do to my master? Out contract sign seems to believe he died," he whispered, revealing to the reaper a blood mark on his hand the exact shape as the mark. As if it had burned through.
The doctor turned to him and ran the same diagnostic spell. After a moment, she said, "Bring Roisa and come to your master's room. We'll talk there."
The butler nodded, before walking out of Deona's room and calling, "Lady Roisalee? Come to my Lord's room. Now." he walked urgently to Ciel's room, followed swiftly by Roisa.
Susan came in and took a seat, "First, about your master. He ran from the party while you all were dealing with the councilman, with the intent on committing suicide. The leakage of life energy was inflicted by Ciel himself. What Grell did was to impale the boy with the Scythe at the appointed time to die."
"And then what? What did he do while I was with Deona?"
"That was all he did. Ciel is the one who stopped his own life and created his own death bookmark." She sighed and let the information sink in.
"My master is not the one to try to kill himself. He must have had some alternative motive into dying. He wasn't trying to attract the Reapers, was he? And what did Grell do while he was against the wall?"
Roisa stayed silent as she clenched her fists at her sides and looked at the floor. She was gritting her teeth and holding back tears.
"To your first question, from what I read of the Cinematic Record, that's exactly what he was trying to do. I think that girl, Roisa, had managed to convince him of otherwise. The rest, you'll need to ask him about yourself. Deona's condition, in a way, is more grave."
"What did she do?"
"Before I tell you, I want your oath that your current opinions and regards towards her won't change in a negative way."
"As a butler, I am not allowed to have open opinions. I shall believe what my master says is right. Therefore, you have nothing to be changed. My Lord views Deona as a friend of high stature. Someone he can rely on. That can not change."
The teenage girl shook her head, hair flying back and forth. "Deona is my friend too; my opinion about her couldn't ever change!"
"Good enough." She sighed and said, "Deona is not human. She never was. She lived as one all her life, and even she doesn't know. She is a hybrid. Half human, half angel."
Roisa blinked.
Sebastian sat there. His dark glance to the ground suddenly turned to a smirk and he began to laugh.
"I'm not joking here. I didn't want to believe it but the truth is in plain sight. All hybrids like her have Autism, as well as abilities of the mind. They are also capable of linking to another being. One power that all angel hybrids have is Soul Song. Another is Soul Dance."
"I'm not laughing because of her species. I sensed she wasn't human days ago. I'm laughing because when she linked with my soul, her form was, well, that of a demon."
"That's because she linked so deeply with you. That form, by the way, is now her true form." She paused and added, "Her linking so deeply means that she now will link with none other than you. Also, when Soul Song triggered in that state, it was like trying to put an ocean into a teacup. Also...you should know that she is very much in love with you."
"I am very much aware of her affection for me. As for the link, that is a very interesting topic over the matter of her true form. The other angels must be rather upset that one of their own has linked with a demon and taken a form as one."
"Once they find out, indeed. As her partner, and that is what you are now, you will need to take care of her, and she of you." She paused and added, "Also, you have a choice to make. To keep her from dying the next time she uses Soul Song when linked, she will have to undergo a process. You have two options: have her changed into a full demon. Be warned, this will wipe out her memory and identity forever. Everything that makes her her would be destroyed. The other choice keeps her identity intact...but would make her as immortal as you are."
Roisa's head snapped up when she heard this.
"I would not wish to choose either of those destinies. I've already had one I am indebted to doomed to a life like that. Immortal, not a demon. Then at least she won't be lost."
"Good. I was hoping you would say that. I will give her medicine that will restore her energy to a safe level. You have one hour to choose which of you will go into her subconscious while the conversion takes place. One at the least, two at the most. No more than two, or she will die. Parts of her soul are bound to yours, and this is permanent. While you are adjusting to this, emotional instability is likely to happen, so don't be too surprised if inner emotions surface or unfamiliar ones are experienced. The energy medicine will take an hour to take effect and I dare not start the conversion until it does. Again, use that time to choose which one or two of you will go within the subconscious. And don't worry, the instability will have passed by the time the process is completed."
Roisa had to sit down. She knew she had to, but her whole body felt numb and she couldn't move.
"I shall go, but as for the other...not Roisa...and Mikaelin is at the England headquarters with Will. My master...he could go...if he wakes up..."
"If he wakes in time and is strong enough. If he is too weak, you will go alone. I won't let someone I just healed die while saving another. I'll get her ready." She left for Deona's room, and as she did, a groan came from the bed beside Sebastian.
Sebastian practically ran to his master's side. Ciel's brow was furrowed in pain, his teeth clenching together. He was waking up.
Susan got a vial from her bag, one that she quickly poured down Deona's throat and made her swallow. "That Michaelis doesn't realize how lucky he is...and neither do you." She went to get a drink and a snack. Finding some Sacher Torte, she said, "Still a great cook."
Sebastian sat at the boy's side while he cringed against the bed sheets. The healing could only do so much, the rest was up to his body. The moment the small demon opened his eyes, Sebastian slapped him.
Roisa's eyes widened in shock. She never expected Sebastian to even raise a hand to his master. "Sebastian-"
"You idiot! What were you thinking? Why the hell would you try to kill yourself? Explain that to me, master."
Susan intentionally avoided the boy's room, letting the three talk in privacy. All things being honest, the doctor would have slapped him, too. Because of the kid's attempt, Deona was in danger of losing her life.
Ciel grimaced, before reaching weakly in to the pocket in his blood splattered and torn vest, and pulled out a letter before handing it to Sebastian. Roisa walked up more closely, almost hesitantly, to get a better look at the letter, peering over Sebastian's shoulder. On it, it read:
Dear Mr. Ciel Phantomhive,
You have given us no choice, so we have taken matters into our own hands. Your contractor Roisalee Jamie Jones's life ends tonight. It is written in her Book. We shall send Grell to collect her soul at exactly 12:04. However, we are willing to make a bargain. Kill yourself in place of her. Like we said, we must take matters into our own hands. You must do it in seclusion, make it seem that it was your choice. We shall write it in your book that you merely committed suicide out of sorrow. Consider our offer. We promise no harm will come to Roisa if you comply.
Sincerely,
The Dispatch Society
Signed,
William T. Spears.
Susan went through the Cinematic Records she had on hand: Deona's, Ciel's and Sebastian's. She counted herself lucky that Grell had not checked the latter out.
Sebastian re-read the letter again, before looking down at his quivering master who still cringed slightly in pain, suddenly feeling very guilty as to the bruise in the shape of a hand forming on the small demon's cheek.
Roisa in took a sharp, short breath when she had finished reading. She collapsed onto her knees behind the tall man and put her face in her hands, sobbing. "Ciel, I'm so sorry…" she said hardly above a whisper.
Susan came in to check on the boy and noticed he was awake. Her eyes lit up and she slapped him.
"Even with the truth I just read in the Records, you had no right to go off on your own without telling anyone the truth! Because of you, Roisa got hurt and Deona is in danger of losing her life!"
"He had no choice, if he were to break the contract, he, Roisa and I would have died."
"That's right," Roisa said, still a little shaky as she used her arm to wipe tears away, "He was just trying to save me and Sebastian!"
"I suppose, but that doesn't excuse not telling at least your demon. Or do you trust him that little?" She sighed and said, "I'll check on Deona and then see if Ciel will be strong enough for the trip. If not, you go alone. I'll let Michae...Sebastian tell you about her."
Sebastian nodded before gesturing for the reaper to leave. Once she did, he reached down and placed a freezing hand over his master's now even more bruised cheek. Ciel whimpered softly. He had given up his mask of unmoving, of an adult. He seemed so fragile, like a child.
Susan checked on the comatose woman and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God...now I need to wait for the full hour to pass before I check on Ciel's condition." She went into the kitchen and made some tea and got a slice of Sacher Torte, then went back into the room and gave both to the boy.
"I'm sorry for the slap," she said, "Deona is a very kind woman and saved my life once...so to repay her, I am one of her informants."
"I got that..." Ciel whispered, who had by now sat up and was looking over the huge scar on his chest and the large, nearly black bruises around his ribs.
"These are for you. Deona made the cake last night. She's a very good cook, isn't she? I should tell you my name. Susan Dehner, US division. I'm a doctor first, Reaper second."
Ciel nodded, gently poking one of the bruises and hissing in pain. Sebastian grabbed his hand and placed an ice pack in it, before beginning to explain Deona's condition as Roisa sobbed silently in guilt and relief.
While Sebastian explained, Susan left the room again and did not return for quite a while. When she finally did, she said, "The hour has passed." She then used her diagnostic spell again as she asked, "How do you feel? And be honest with me."
"Sore, my chest burns from side to side...and so does my back, in the same area...and my eye, the contracted one, it burns."
"I'm not surprised. Your demon said the contract believes that you are dead. How about your energy?"
"I feel tired, like I haven't slept for years, but if Deona needs us, I'll go. If all else fails I can transfer to my animal form and run as a leopard."
"I'll warn you right now...you would be within her subconscious...her psyche, for a few hours. For those under par, it can be dangerous. Are you certain you want to take that risk?"
"It's my fault that the Reapers came. Therefore, it's my fault she's like this. I'll do it," Ciel whispered.
"And I shall be with him. If he becomes too weak I can always carry him, but I have a feeling that to retrieve her, Deona must have both of us," Sebastian added, his eyes grim, staring at the blood red scar of the contract on his hand, and the red one on his master's eye.
The doctor nodded, a look of respect in her eyes. "Get him dressed, then come to her room...both of you."
Sebastian nodded, allowing the reaper to leave with Roisa close behind, before helping the boy up. Ciel nearly cried out when he stood up, but clenched his teeth and allowed himself to be dressed, ignoring the pain at the slightest touch to his back or ribs/chest. By the end he was wearing a pair of simple black jeans with a silver chain hanging from the pocket, and a simple white dress shirt and a black vest. Sebastian pulled off is own bloodied white shirt and put on a new clean one, as well as a new vest and tailcoat. They both had on a simple pair of converses on as well.
Susan grabbed two extra chairs from the kitchen table and put them on either side of the bed. When she heard footsteps, she turned to the form on the bed. Her color was back to normal and her breathing had improved, but was still a little slow. She was still in a coma. "The transformation will last several hours, and will not be completed until around noon. I'll cast the spell to deliver you both to the destination, then begin the change."
Sebastian nodded before asking, "And what will you have us do once we enter her subconscious?"
Susan smiled grimly and replied, "Besides keep her company and keep her from dying? You'll find out the rest for yourself. Keep in mind, she's had a past from hell. Some of what you see won't be pleasant, others will."
Sebastian nodded, walking beside the reaper and whispering, "Let's begin."
"Each of you, take a seat and hold one of her hands."
They nodded. Sebastian sat on one side, Ciel the other and each took one of her hands and closed their eyes.
Susan sighed and walked around the bed, chanting the necessary spell. Within moments, the spell was complete. She looked in her bag and took out a set of vials. Roisa, who had been listening by the door in the hall, walked away, eyes closed.
Please come out all right.
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Within darkness, a voice called out, "About time you came here. Open your eyes."
In front of them was a female cat, a familiar one with a white tail tip and white stomach.
Sebastian looked down at the cat, looking slightly confused. Ciel stood next to him, looking equally shocked. The pair looked around their surroundings.
They were in a schoolyard, a modern one. Near one of the classrooms stood a little girl with straight, red hair and hazel eyes. She started to play hopscotch by herself.
The cat said, "You know who I am. Caelumbra, or Cae."
Some kids, boys and girls both, grabbed an old style rope, making a noose out of it, laughing in a nasty way.
The pair nodded, before looking back at the scene playing out before them. Ciel ran forward, knowing just what memory this was. He tried to punch one of the boys tying the noose, but his hand passed through the boy, who continued on as if Ciel wasn't even there. The demon stepped back, panting.
"You're invisible, both of you," Cae said, "You know what this is, don't you?"
The kids then took the rope to the chinning bars, then grabbed the little girl, dragging her over.
"Time to kill the freak!"
"Yeah, kill the dork!"
Ciel stood up and turned around, facing away from the bars and staring at Sebastian. "I can't watch this..." he whispered, still clutching is chest in pain. Sebastian walked beside him and covered the boy's eyes before pulling him back, the butler turning away himself.
"Sorry but you do. She is showing you this for a reason." The boys put the noose around the girl's neck. One pulled the rope while others chanted, "Kill the dork! Kill the dork!"
A moment later, some kids were dragging a teacher that looked to be ill from the flu. The teacher got the noose from the child's neck and had the others stand against the wall. A voice from nowhere said, "Don't tell your parents what happened, you weren't really hurt. If you do, we'll tell them you're lying."
Ciel turned shakily around and looked in horror at the scene before him, as did Sebastian. "I'm sorry," Ciel whispered to no one, wishing that somewhere Deona could hear him.
"A lot of kids looked away, just like you wanted to. She nearly died from this. Dislocated bones in her neck, some discs crushed, rope burns. She told anyway and caught hell from the school. She transferred out in days. A year later, some boys tried to rape her, also on school grounds."
Ciel stared at the ground as if he wanted to kill every single person who caused his friend this kind of pain. Sebastian looked relatively similar, his eyes seeming to scream, "Give me the order master, they're dead!"
The scenery changed, and as it did, there was the unmistakable sound of a backhanded slap, then a male voice scream, "You lying little bitch!" "You'll eat this or I'll make you hurt for a year!" "Do as you're told, bitch, or I'll make you wish you were dead."
A woman shouted, "She's your daughter!" "Not when it's acting like that, it isn't! Just a filthy bitch that needs to be put away."
Ciel ran forward, followed again by Sebastian and Cae, to the sight before him. He fell to his knees, gasping out as he saw the events of this scene. He felt like Grell was still there, punching him over and over again.
"Shut up!" Ciel yelled to no one. "This isn't right. Sebastian, stop him!" Ciel nearly screamed. It was as though each time Deona hurt, or suffered in her memories, Ciel felt more and more pain, more and more...
"Her mother was decent, but her father, well...he was tied to a powerful family and had political clout. The mom couldn't leave or she'd lose all custody of Deona. That abuse didn't stop until she was 19."
They were in a library where Deona would take books from the shelves and either sit in a chair or lie on the floor on her stomach, kicking her feet. "Libraries and music places became a sanctuary for her."
Ciel placed his head in his hands, his eye burning, and now feeling someone was stabbing him through it. "Please...how can we stop it...how can we stop her suffering?"
Cae didn't reply, but a voice could be heard. "That girl acted nice to me and came by the store...just so she could steal those rings...everyone uses me like this...if this is what friends are like, I don't need any! I'll learn how to be tough!" That voice was very familiar: Deona.
"Now you know why she trusts almost nobody..." Cae said sadly, "Did you know that other than her mom, nobody ever liked or loved her for herself?"
Ciel sat up, his face turning dark, "That's why she doesn't open to people," he whispered. He pulled himself up, crying out slightly in pain, before his eyes began to turn red. A form of shadows surrounded him, and when they disappeared, an elegant black leopard was left in their place, its eyes a mix matched of cerulean blue and a strange purple, with a blood red contract mark. The demon lept forward, running ahead, fast. Sebastian nodded solemnly, before looking at his master who was still racing ahead.
Voices could be heard. "When I graduate, I want to go to college and become a librarian." Another voice said, "Having a disabled student is not the image that we want. We already have our token disabled student." "Even if we had jobs available, we wouldn't hire your kind!" ""Who would ever love a filthy thing like you? You aren't even human!"
Ciel's eyes turned cold. He charged forward more, pulling all the pain out of each memory and taking it into himself, subconsciously. All he could feel was the pain in his chest growing worse and worse. Sebastian sensed it, though. "Master, STOP!"
Cae said, "You better listen to him. She isn't showing you this for you to die. She sees you as a little brother." Deona's voice from the other day, "I'm more like you than I thought, Ciel." The cat said, "Sebastian, you and him don't realize how lucky you are, do you?"
"You've never seen my master's past...that is a whole other type of hell," Sebastian muttered, reaching his master's side as the black leopard stopped and turned back into the boy. Ciel's chest was drenched in red.
Cae let out a laugh, odd coming from a cat. "Who do you think you're talking to? She has seen. It's in Kuroshitsuji, and she reads it. She does know, as a result." Deona's voice said, "I think...if people are happy with what I do for them, it makes me glad." "I've got to take good care of what friends I do have...even if they don't see me as one. I think...Ciel and Sebastian probably don't reciprocate."
"Of course...we...do..." Ciel gasped out, pulling himself up and continuing forward. "And...for...your...information...Kuroshitsuji...only tells...what the author thought...was...important. There is...so...much...more."
Cae walked to him and said, "Rest! I mean it." The scene changed again and a song played in the air. It was Nightwish, singing "The Escapist". "A nightingale in a golden cage, that's me locked inside reality's maze..."
Deona, an adult, has her eyes closed as she is dancing to the song. At first the moves are klutzy, but as she stops using conventional dancing, her moves become graceful and powerful. A rapt look is on her face, but then she has trouble breathing. She stops dancing and gets an item out...an inhaler.
"Yeah," Cae said, "She has asthma, just like you. It's under a lot better control now than it used to be, so she doesn't seem like she has it."
Ciel nodded, stopping and clutching his chest. "He doesn't have it anymore...as a demon, we can't."
"I hope she gets as lucky." The scene changes again, showing Deona in her cat costume. She is on the balcony, smiling softly. "I love twilight the best, especially the setting of the sun, when it becomes night."
The scene changes again, and this time, Sebastian and Deona are in the air, singing together and changing into their true forms, with a fire dome around them.
Cae smirked as only a cat can. "This one I am showing, not her. You were pretty busy after all."
"Indeed," Sebastian nodded, staring at the image before him. Ciel, on the other hand, was dragging himself forward, still.
"This you need to see, Ciel. After all, her own true form is one you'll probably see more than once." Deona changes into the blue-skinned cat with fire hair and tail, with black wings and her voice... "Sebastian, why do you think her true form is a combination of two animals?"
"The Black Leopard and the Raven...a black cat and a nightingale. Her body was adapting to match our forms," Sebastian whispered, not noticing Ciel pushing himself forward, his white shirt and black vest stained red.
"Not quite. Her being is as it shows. She is, at heart, just like a cat...and a nightingale." Deona's form is covered by ash that disappears, showing her to be human, and Sebastian is in front of her. She says something, and this time, it can be heard clearly.
"Your voice...your wings...your form...you're beautiful...Se...bas...tian..."
Cae said, "She means every bit of that. Sit down, kid! Rest while I take us to where she presently is."
"Hell no!" Ciel yelled back, continuing forward. Sebastian walked after the small demon, asking, "Where exactly are you going, master?"
"I can feel something important ahead," Ciel yelled back, ignoring the pain.
"Obstinate, isn't he? Better carry him. I'll take us to where she is now...and we will see how well you two understand her."
"No, tell me what's ahead!" Ciel yelled back, continuing forward. Sebastian walked up to him, and placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder.
The scene changes, and so does Ciel and Sebastian. Neither are invisible any longer, and the cat says, "We're here."
At the edge of a city, near a forest, is a little white house, with the door open. Inside in the first room is a golden cage, with a nightingale inside. The bird is flapping all inside the cage, knocking it around and shrieking. Though the screams are bird sounds, it can be understood.
"Let me out of this cage! Birds need to fly, or they die!"
Someone inside says, "Let the cats in there to eat the bird!"
Ciel stared at the bird. "Deona?" he asked. Sebastian holding the boy up, looking at the bird as well.
"What happened to her?" Ciel yelled at the cat.
"Her pain from her life, and the fact that she has always been alone...that is the cage. So what will you do? Let the cats eat her or let the bird out?"
"What will happen if we let the bird out, will she become immortal or a demon?"'
"That's not it. She can't become anything if she's eaten, can she? Other than dead, that is..."
That was enough for Ciel. He ran forward and unlocked the cage.
The nightingale flew out the cage, then out the door. Cae mewed then said, "Well done. Now, you must rest outside. This next part is for Sebastian alone."
Outside is the forest, bathed in twilight. The sound of the ocean can be heard. In the air, a nightingale can be heard, looking for something.
Raven! Raven! Are there any... Where are you, Raven?
"Across the ocean is a land of eternal night. That poor bird is looking for something that isn't here. I should tell you...what is the mortal name for that land across the ocean?"
Sebastian heard the nightingale calling for him, the raven. He uncurls his true form wings and leaped into the sky, leaving his master to stand against the wall, panting and bleeding.
"Rest here, and the pain and blood will go away," Cae advises, "By the way...the other name for that land across the ocean...is also death. The other way, beyond the sky..."
The nightingale is flying, near the edge of the forest. A short distance away is the ocean.
Where is the raven? Maybe...ravens are across the ocean after all, she chirps sadly and rests in a tree branch, then continues her calling song.
Sebastian heard the calling song and flew to the nightingale's perch. "Deona..." he whispered, holding out his hand.
The bird looked up and seemed shocked, then happy. Raven! Raven! I've been looking for you!
He nodded, "And I you, Deona. Try to remember your human form."
I was about to cross the ocean to look for you. Let's fly together, you and I!
"Alright, but please try to remember yourself."
Cae spoke to Sebastian in his mind, Across the ocean is death. High above the sky is the Heaviside layer...and with it, life.
Sebastian nodded, taking flight, and leading the nightingale up higher, toward life.
Okay...Sebastian, she said, I need to tell you something when we get to the Heaviside Layer... she said as she followed the raven in flight.
The butler nodded, before continuing higher and higher in to the Heaviside layer.
As the two birds flew, everything went dark. The nightingale said, "Sebastian...aishiteru..."
Ciel also vanished into darkness.
Before Sebastian could ask anything, he felt his master disappear and the world go black.
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In the room, Deona groaned softly and opened her eyes. She turned slowly and saw daylight coming through the windows.
Darkness. That was all Ciel saw. Darkness. He gasped, unable to breathe, trying to claw his way through the black. But he couldn't. Pain. That was all he felt.
Four beings bathed in light came towards him. Cae's voice could be heard. "Well done. We will help you to the Heaviside Layer." The four then surrounded him, guiding, pulling him upwards. Another cat asked, "Can demons love? She needs it."
"No, not anymore," Ciel answered sadly.
"Her soul is mixed with his, Katzie," a male cat answered, "Not all black anymore. It might be possible."
"Demons don't feel love or hate...just interest and dislike..." Ciel yelled back, "It's impossible, he told me so himself!"
"Really, Hobbes? I'd be happy if he is interested, at least," a new voice, snooty in tone, spoke. "You would, Patra," Cae said, "Listen, this is only the second time a hybrid partnered with a demon. We don't know what is possible. Ciel, help her...help them."
"How?"
"You will know when the chances show themselves. Now...good luck...Ciel Phantomhive." Right then, the five surfaced, then vanished.
And Ciel opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of Deona's room, his chest still bleeding, and Sebastian lying next to him, the demon's wings wrapped over the boy.
"Mmm...where am I? What happened?" Deona asked. Susan hurried to Ciel and carried him to his room, bag on her arm.
Ciel could barely breathe, the pain, worse. He felt the Reaper pick him up and rush him to his room.
"I warned you that the subconscious is dangerous for those under par!" she scolded as she laid him on the bed and got out a healing vial. She then carefully had him drink it.
He nodded, coughing slightly as the liquid slid down his throat, and pulling off his shirt to see the damage. The hole was back. It looked as if he had been stabbed again. And it felt like it too. "Before you asked why I hadn't told Sebastian why I was going to try to die. If he had known he would've tried to stop me, under any circumstances," Ciel whispered, his voice hoarse.
She nodded. "I won't tell him. Now lay back and let me take care of these again."
Deona got up and tried to walk out of the room, but her legs buckled underneath her as she tried to take her first step. She fell to the floor.
"Aaaah!"
Sebastian woke up, seeing Deona fall. He lunged forward and caught her, helping her to stand. "Welcome back," he whispered, looking around for Ciel.
"Someone carried him out of the room...Sebastian, what's going on? My body feels funny..." She broke off in surprise. "S-Sebastian...?"
His wings were still open, and each were stained with drops of crimson.
She saw a wash rag and grabbed it then gently tried to wipe the blood from them. "They're beautiful," she said, "Reminds me of ravens..."
Sebastian laughed softly before turning to the sound of his master crying out in pain.
"Stay in there, Sebastian! I've got this," Susan hollered, then used another vial, this one a painkiller.
Ciel's chest wasn't healing this time. There was blood everywhere again. The boy gasped in pain as the skin tried to pull itself back together, then stretched back, turning a sickly gray color.
Susan cursed and saw what was impeding the healing. She quickly cast a dispelling spell, which pulled out the impeding mist and dissipating it. "Damn, what did you do, take someone's pain from them?" she asked.
In the other room, Cae came in and got underfoot, then swung her tail until Deona fell forward...right into Sebastian. Her lips lightly touched his.
Sebastian stepped back, slightly shocked. "Sorry," he said slightly coldly, before turning and walking to his master's room, as if nothing happened.
Ciel nodded, the sound still refusing to heal. "I didn't try to. She just had so much, I couldn't take it," he whispered, clutching his chest, which still refused to heal. Sebastian walked in, seeing the blood. "What happened, I thought you said he healed?"
"He was, and he did something that reopened the injury. I'm trying to dissipate the pain he took into himself. Give me a hand here. If you know any demon spells to dissipate the rest, use it."
Sebastian nodded, taking a step to his master and placing a hand over the bloody hole. "You know how this works, master. It's going to hurt," the butler whispered, almost grinning. "Screaming helps," he added, as if he had explained this all before, which of course, he had.
Deona slowly walked from the hallway, planning on punishing Cae for her little stunt...and to find out what time it was. She got to the clock first. It was 12:30 in the afternoon.
Susan watched and got more healing solution ready for use once the demon was done with whatever he was doing.
A scream cut through the silence of the house. Sebastian kept his hand in place over the younger Demon's wound, his hand was glowing with black energy, which was pouring into the hole, pulling together the muscles, bones, and all ruined things in his master's chest as they painfully healed together, or at least the worst of the wound. But that didn't stop the blood. Sebastian pressed harder down on the hole, nearly shoving his hand inside it, gripping the boy's skin with his nails. Ciel screamed again.
Susan looked at the clock in the room. 12:40. That meant the process on Deona was complete. She winced sympathetically. In the kitchen, Deona heard the screams and tried to block them out. She thought, Sebastian, I'm sorry. I'll punish Cae when I see her.
Sebastian held his grip, looking also sympathetically at his master. The healing process of Demons was worse than anything. He dug his nails deeper into the wound, forcing more dark magic in. Ciel screamed one more time before locking his jaw shut and arching his back, forcing Sebastian's nails and magic in deeper. Sebastian's eyes shined slightly with pride and respect for his master. A healing like this has forced Demons stronger, older, wiser and more powerful than his master to bed for the healer to stop, to cry, to fight back. But not his master.
In her room, Roisa slid down the wall, knees to her chest, clutching her hands over her head to drown out her poor demon's screams. She bit her bottom lip so hard it bled.
Ciel clenched his teeth tighter, arching his back more. Sebastian shoved into the wound harder.
Deona heard no reply to the apology, but was not offended at all. She would just apologize in person later. She put on tea, Earl Grey, and started something for Ciel. He would need something after this...whatever was going on. She felt a bit stronger, and her body still felt odd.
Sebastian continued the healing process, noting the apology Deona sent into his mind. He would speak with her later, for now he had to focus on his master. When he finally pulled his hands away, all that remained was a dark, black circle in the shape of the hole, and a set of small crescent shaped cuts where the Demon's nails had been.
Deona came in with hot Earl Grey tea, a couple of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, a small salad and a slice of Sacher Torte. "I had a feeling you would be hungry after what I heard from there...and sensed from Sebastian. I don't know how to describe this...sense."
Sebastian nodded, his eyes grateful, and he looked down at his master. Ciel was a sickly pale white, his teeth still clenched together, sweat dripping down his forehead, his breathing double rate. Sebastian looked out at the door. "Roisa, can you bring in a bucket of cold water and some rags?" he called.
"I'll get them," Deona said after setting down the food. She went into the linen closet and got all the washcloths she could find. She returned with them as well as a bucket of water.
Sebastian drenched three rags in the freezing water, placing one on his master's forehead, the other two on the black scar.
Deona got the food and put it on the table closest to Ciel. She then asked, "...Susan? What are you doing here? How did you get past the new security? And...what day is it today?"
"I let her through. She said she knew how to save you and Ciel," he whispered. "Today is..."
"I'll check the calendar later..." Her eyes widened as she remembered the costume ball, and the fight afterward. "I see. I'm sorry you had to go through the trouble for someone like me. Ciel is worth the trouble. Not me."
Ciel whispered hoarsely and weakly, "No...you're worth...it more...than a...demon..." his eyes not glowing but a faint spark of life. He cringed in pain as Sebastian rubbed the black scar with one of the rags, wiping away the blood. "Sorry..."
Deona chuckled, not really believing him. "You are a hell of a kid demon...and you really are a hell of a butler, Sebastian. Do you need anything..." She suddenly felt a little woozy.
Susan looked at Sebastian and nodded to Deona, saying, "I'll take it from here." She mouthed, "Stay with her."
Sebastian nodded. "When the black begins to peel off, yell for me, or it will reopen and I will have to repeat the process over," he said, handing her the rags and steadying Deona before guiding her back to her room.
"I think Ciel's got a fever or something. I really am not worth the trouble. I'm sorry about earlier, when I find Cae, I'll-"
"Don't worry about it now. It doesn't matter. Right now you need to rest," Sebastian muttered, setting her down on her bed, before turning to leave.
"Sebastian! There's something I want to ask you."
"Yes?"
"I never got to do that encore. After I rest, how about I do a private performance?" She sounded a little tired, but hopeful. She also thought, Could you stay near me? Just until I go to sleep.
Sebastian smirks, nodding slightly. "I'm sure the others would appreciate that greatly. I will stay by you until Susan calls for me, and then I must attend to my master."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." She got up for a moment, long enough for her to take the butler into an embrace. "Thanks."
He nodded, not moving, and waited for Deona to release him, before sitting down on the stool beside her bed and waiting for the woman to fall asleep.
At the same time, Susan said, "I did some checking into the other hybrid-demon case...and it looks like I was wrong on one point. That instability I mentioned...it didn't last a few hours. It was more like a few days, but the demon hid the fact." Deona turned on her side, facing the butler.
Ciel nodded, understanding, before looking back down at the black scar and grimacing.
"You know, those two would be good for each other. With parts of her soul fused to his, that might mean that down the line, he might develop emotions like love...especially now that she is immortal. I do know demons don't form such bonds with mortals."
Ciel shook his head, disagreeing, "Demons don't form love, they form interests," he whispered.
"I'll concede that point. I guess then that we would need to help cultivate strong interest, then? That would be good enough in this case, I think," she said with a laugh. "The only question would be how to go about it. That woman needs some happiness in her life." Her mind was plotting some plans already.
Deona asked quietly, "Sebastian...would you like it if I dressed as a cat more often?"
"Interest, to demons, is different then to a human. Intrigue, not emotion," Ciel whispered again, still trying to explain.
Sebastian looked up at Deona, grinning slightly. "It certainly suits you," he replied, before placing another cool rag on her forehead and whispering, "Go to sleep."
Ciel gladly took the tea, drinking slowly with shaking hands. "Thank you," he whispered, setting the cup down. "Is there any news about Mikaelin and William?"
"He was in the hospital ward, in critical condition. He's in better shape now. As to Mikaelin, several Reapers are viewing her as a traitor. She's gone into hiding, probably at her cousin's house in England."
Deona said, "I'll get another one, then...just for you." She makes a small meow sound as her eyes start to close, and Cae comes in, making a face like a smirk before jumping into Sebastian's lap.
Sebastian glared slightly at the small cat, but petted her none the less.
Ciel nodded, rolling over and grimacing.
Susan brought the lunch that Deona had made and gave it to him. "Eat up before it gets cold."
Ciel shook his head slightly. "I really don't think eating is a good idea right now," he whispered, burying his head into the pillow. The edge of the black scar began to rip.
Susan nodded and called out, "Sebastian! Get in here!"
Luckily, Deona is now asleep.
The raven butler heard Susan's call just as Deona's eyes shut and she fell asleep. He stood and silently ran out of the room, stepping before his master. "Just in time, Deona just fell asleep," he whispered, pulling the blankets all the way down, and looking over the black scar. The top edge, nearest to the young Demon's heart, was ripping off. Under it was what looked to be a swirling black energy.
A picture goes through her mind, one that could be seen: a raven and a nightingale, flying together in twilight. Susan asked, "What needs to be done now?"
"The scar will have to be ripped off, and then I will remove the shadows and then we will close the wound and wait.," Sebastian whispered, turning away from his master and showing her his sharp, black nails, still coated in blood.
She nodded and went to get the lunch plates, still uneaten. "By the way...there is a dish that's a favorite of hers, but she never could find the recipe. It's a Cajun dish called Blackened Chicken Alfredo."
"I can make that," Sebastian stated, still focusing on his master who was bracing himself for the pain ahead, maintaining his unmoving mask.
Roisa sat on the bed in her room as she stared at her lap, eyebrows knit together. Shifting her gaze, she stared at her open soft green cell phone. Her cell phone straps, a light pink flower charm and yellow star charm dangled off the side of the bed and gleamed in the light innocently.
All Roisa could look at though was the message glaring from the screen, filling her dark room with a blue and eerie light.
Dear Ms. Roisalee Jamie Jones,
Because Ciel ended up not sacrificing himself, we would like to inform you that you will die instead; just as planned beforehand. Due to the minor inconveniences you and your…group have caused us, we will collect your soul in a month's time.
Sincerely,
The Reaper Dispatch Society