Hey everyone!
So I've always been somewhat fond of Halloween, the cute kid consumes make me smile, the yard decorations often make me laugh, and the candy that goes on sale after this massive holiday is truly a wonderful thing:D However I have never actually attempted a halloween related story before, I just could never find the interest nor the inspiration.
However, I absolutely love contests and so when a halloween contest came up in a Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji fangroup I just had to enter. Thus, this rather dark and slightly random Halloween oneshot was born!
I am not personally a fan of horror related stuff, and this is quite a bit outside of my comfort zone and not a style I've ever written in, so I would highly appreciate any feedback you guys might be able to give on how I portrayed this:)
The OC that appears in this story is my OC from a multichapter story called Legacy if you want to check it out:D
TRIGGER WARNING: This was written for a Halloween fanfic for a fangroup contest on DeviantArt, and for my fanfic I chose to take the horror/suspense route. This is not a slasherfic, as I've always felt that the most impactful and terrifying Halloween storylines were psychological horror kinds, so while there will not be graphic depictions of violence or sexual content this will be a very dark and (hopefully) creepy story.
If subjects such as ghosts, ghost possessions or death in general upset or bother you I would avoid this fanfic.
You have been warned...
For those of you who enjoy these kinds of stories or have decided to try this kind if story out for the first time, I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
All Hallows' Eve
Darkness covered London and the surrounding countryside like a blanket, murky fog covering the roads and rolling fields outside of the grand city. A lone howl could be heard, echoing over the silent countryside as the moon slipped in and out of the clouds.
In a room lit by one single candle a man stood, cloaked in black and face hidden as he gazed upon a book titled "The Days of Spirits and of Men".
"All Hallows' eve. The time for all the little ghosties and spirits to come out and plaaay~"
Undertaker giggled as he gazed down at writing so old that few immortals could even read it, admiring the large and beautiful runes.
"I-"
He abruptly cut off as the clock began to toll, listening as it rang in the time.
It was eleven o'clock at night. The veil between the spirit world and the human world had officially vanished.
Outside he began to hear soft moaning and wails as some of the spirits began to rise out of the ground, fragments of spirits from people who's souls were unable to be fully separated from the body due to their desperation to hold onto life.
"Let the fun begin~"
Kira Phantomhive, the nineteen year old illegitimate daughter of Vincent Phantomhive was sitting on her bed watching out the window when the clock tolled eleven and a jolt went through her as her half demon side sensed the veil between realms go down.
She looked over at the smaller clock in her room and yawned, more them ready to turn in for the night.
"Hopefully Ciel's nightmares stay away for tonight. I just want to sleep."
She shrugged off her robe before blowing out the candles and sliding beneath the covers, eyelids heavy as sleep began to pull her under.
DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!
Kira's eyes snapped open as she heard her clock toll in the time Eleven oclock...for the second time in less then ten minutes. Her eyes stayed open as she strained her demon enhanced hearing for any sign of something amiss but noticed nothing and was about to close her eyes once again when a piercing young male scream split the air and she shot into a sitting position.
There was a moment of silence before the scream sounded again and she instantly was on her feet, up and out of her bed before running out of her room and reaching Ciel's door just as Sebastian did.
He moved to open the door when it was ripped open by a wide eyed Ciel.
"Ciel! A-?!"
"Kira! What's wrong?!" He gasped, sounding startled and worried.
Kira was brought up short by his enquiry.
"...what?"
He gestured towards her.
"I heard you screaming! What happened?!"
Kira and Sebastian exchanged looks of sheer confusion.
"What are you talking about, I never screamed?"
Ciel blinked and looked to Sebastian for help and the demon butler shook his head.
"The only person I heard screaming was you young master."
The three of them stared at each other in confusion for a brief moment before a hollow boom was heard and the mansion shook.
"What the hell?!"
A soft breeze blew through the hall and Kira reached out, grabbing Ciel's shoulder and pulling the twelve year old closer to her instinctively.
Then it began.
A soft laugh could be heard, causing Ciel to flinch and Sebastian to stiffen. The laughter grew louder, and deeper, the sound beginning to fill the halls. A maniacal sound that made the hairs on the back of Kira's neck stand straight up.
"K-Kira what happening?!"
Kira's eyes flicked from side to side as she scanned for danger.
"I don't know."
As the last word left her lips a second "voice" joined the laughter, a soft high pitched one that echoed her last words.
"~know, know, know..."
"Sebastian. Is this one of your games because if it is I swear-..." Kira's threat trailed off when Sebastian shook his head, eyes beginning to glow slightly red as he shifted into a almost protective stance next to them.
"I am not the cause of this."
They stood still in the hallway silently, Kira's grip on Ciel tightening as she moved to wrap her arm tightly around his shoulders.
"...FAULT!"
Kira jumped and Ciel let out a strangled gasp as a deep sounding disembodied voice let out a enraged shout.
"What-"
"WE ARE DEAD AND IT IS YOUR FAULT!"
Thunder crashed, drowning out Ciel's whimper and lighting lit up the room, illuminating the dark hallway.
Kira let out a half shriek and stumbled back, taking Ciel with her as the newly lit hall revealed a scene like out of a nightmare. At the far end of the hall was a small mound...of bodies. Every single second that passed caused that mound to grow and the gore on those bodies made even Kira flinch as she stared in horror at the scene in front of her.
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Kira shouted, yanking Ciel towards the stairs as she backed towards the only means of escape.
"I do not know but we must leave this hall at once!" Sebastian ordered, forcing Kira and Ciel to turn to face the stairs before giving them a small shove to get them moving. They half ran, half stumbled down the stairs, fear filling them as they fled the scene behind them.
"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE US, WE WILL HAVE OUR REVENGE!"
A moaning noise could be heard from the hallway they were fleeing from and soon Kira could hear the sound of something dragging towards them. Instantly Sebastian reached around and scooped Ciel up, running beside Kira as they fled.
They reached the lower landing and Sebastian turned, flicking his hand out towards the grand staircase they had just come from and the hall at the top. A single black feather appeared, flying through the air towards the top of the staircase before freezing midair at the top and expanding, to cover the entire mouth of the hallway.
Kira gaped at Sebastian.
"I created a barrier to hold them. Come, we must leave this place at once."
They turned towards the front door only to freeze at the sight of a shadowed figure standing in front of it.
"Leave? But the fun has only begun! You cannot leave now!"
The shadowy figure stepped into the weak light from the window and Kira swore. It was Madam Red.
"Surprised to see me? You really shouldn't be. After all, I did die because of you. All these spirits have come to say hello, all these spirits who have lost their lives because of your meddling."
Madam Red then smiled.
"Oh don't worry darling nephew," She cooed. "We'll be gentle. Or at least, more gentle then our deaths were."
Ciel was shaking and he clutched tightly to Sebastian's coat as he stared, horrified at his aunt.
"N-no. Leave this house! You are not welcome!"
The words fell heavy in the tension filled enterance and Madam Red's face twisted with fury.
"I am not WELCOME?! HOW DARE YOU SAY I AM NOT WELCOME IN MY OWN FAMILIES HOUSE AFTER ALL I HAVE BEEN THROUGH! AFTER WHAT YOU MADE GRELL DO TO ME!"
As she shouted her features began to twist and pull away from her face, her whole form rippling and slowly changing as she yanked open the top of her coat to reveal a gaping wound on her chest. Ciel gagged and turned his head, pressing his face into Sebastian's coat as he and Kira turned and ran in the opposite direction towards the back door.
"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE OUR WRATH FOOLISH CHILD, NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU NOW!"
Behind them a shadow was cast on the wall that steadily grew as the sound of suctioning skin and cracking filled their ears.
"Go!" Kira shouted, shoving Sebastian who was holding Ciel slightly in front of her as they all but flew across the massive entryway to the closed door of the hall that led to the ballroom, the kitchen, and the servants quarters.
Kira reached out and grabbed the doorknob, fumbling slightly but managing to get it open so that Sebastian, Ciel and her could get in before she slammed it, locked it and dragged one of the ornamental tables from against the hall wall against it.
Her whole body was shaking as she looked over at Sebastian. For once he was also showing a bit of emotion and was clearly startled and even slightly unnerved by what had been happening since eleven o'clock rolled around.
"We need to wake the servants so we can all get out of here." Kira said hurriedly as they rushed down the hall towards the servant doors.
"Agreed. I will take Bard and you may do Finny and Mey-Rin."
Kira rushed to the young gardeners room, banging loudly on the door before ripping it open to see a quivering lump under the covers.
"Finny? It's me, Kira. We need to leave."
A blonde haired head popped up and large tear filled blue eyes met hers.
"W-what's happening?"
"All Hallows' eve has released spirits into the world and it seems they've decided here would be a great place to take up residence until the veil between our realms comes back down and they're yanked back. We need to leave the mansion."
Finny climbed out of his bed and shoved his feet into his slippers before rushing over to Kira, practically attaching to her side as they left the room and went across to Mey-Rin's room.
Kira shoved open the door and saw that Mey-Rin was already up and dressed, fully alert and holding one of her guns.
"Lady Kira." She greeted softly, her glasses removed so she would be able to shoot if necessary and her large Violet eyes revealed.
"We need to go, grab the guns you might need and come on."
Mey-Rin gave a sharp nod and gripped the gun in her hand tighter before following Kira and Finny out into the hall where Sebastian and Ciel were waiting with Bard. Upon joining up with the boys the six of them rushed into the kitchen to the back door.
Bard was the first to reach it, grasping the door handle and trying to open the door.
Nothing happened.
"Bard, stop playing around and open the damn door!" Ciel snarled.
The cook turned back to them, eyes wild.
"I'm trying! The door won't open and the doorknob just keeps turning! It doesn't stop!"
A shrieking cackle could be heard and everyone flinched before looking around.
"You cannot leave this place, there is no escape!"
As Kira heard those words her lips lifted back in a soundless snarl, revealing pointed fangs as she shoved Bard out of the way and body slammed the door, hope filling her as the door shuddered.
She took several steps back before doing it again, ramming it with all her strength and desperately wishing that the servants knew of her demon heritage so that she could shift into her more powerful panther form and really give the door a good hit.
She backed up and was about to do it a third time when a deep male voice spoke.
"One by one, you all will fall. First the souls of trail and pain, the mortal souls of darkness."
As that ominous statement echoed through the kitchen Kira saw two shimmery yellow blobs seep along the hallway floor into the kitchen. And straight towards Bard and Mey-Rin.
"Mey-Rin!" Kira shouted, her voice frantic.
The sharpshooter cried out in alarm and attempted to scuttle back from the yellow mass but it latched onto her feet and began to climb her, while holding her in place. Bard let out a shout and swore as the second one used him as a climbing post.
"This...is not good." Sebastian stated calmly before backing away and moving towards the hall with Ciel in his arms.
The yellow mass reached Mey-Rin and Bards chests right over their heart before beginning to sink into their chest.
"M-Mey-Rin! Bard!" Finny cried.
Kira watched with jaw agape as the spirits completely joined with the cook and the sharpshooter and their eyes turned glowing yellow before they turned to face Ciel in sync as if moved by invisible strings.
"You cannot escape us. We are everywhere. You will join us, all of you will."
Finny let out a wail and Kira gave him a gentle push towards the entrance of the kitchen.
"Go-AHHH!"
Several bangs in rapid succession could be heard and it was only her skills as a assassin that saved her life as she saw the gun and instinctively dropped to the ground, the bullets whistling overtop of her.
"GO, GO NOW!" She screamed as Finny and Sebastian with Ciel bolted into the hall.
Kira scrambled to her feet before fleeing the robotic shooting of Mey-Rin and Bard who was reaching for his flamethrower. She reached the hall where Sebastian, Ciel and Finny were standing.
"There's no other way out!" Ciel cried, his head whipping side to side frantically.
"Yes there is. The ballroom windows."
Sebastian nodded in agreement to Kira's words and the four of them ran to the door, Kira shoving it open so that everyone could get in before she closed it and locked it before turning to face the ballroom and sucking in a gasp.
The windows were gone. All the massive windows that lined the ballroom were gone and instead had been replaced with massive mirrors that reflected the tiny bit of light in the room around and thus allowed them to see mere feet in front of them.
Dread filling her, Kira spun back to face the door only to find that it had vanished and been replaced by another mirror.
"That...is not a good thing." She whispered before turning back towards the dimly lit figures of Sebastian, Finny and Ciel.
"Sebastian, can you sense any way out of here?" Kira asked in a overly calm voice.
"No. There is no way."
Kira nodded, stepping away from the door and straining her eyes to look around as she swallowed the rising terror.
"The period in which All Hallows' eve allows spirits to cross over is from Eleven at night to twelve o'clock which marks the beginning of all saints day and thus the veil comes back down, correct?"
Sebastian nodded.
"Correct."
"Then all we can do now is sit this out. We don't have much longer I assume."
She sat down next to Finny and watched as Sebastian removed a pocket watch from the inside of his coat, the dim light reflecting off of his watch.
"You assume correctly."
Kira nodded and tried to relax as she listened to the moaning outside the door. This whole All Hallows' eve thing had become a complete nightmare and from here on out was going to be her least favourite day of the year.
They sat quietly for mere moments, Kira's eyes absently dancing along the walls when she stopped upon noticing some sort of glowing light in the mirrors.
"Hey, look at the mirrors."
The others looked around and Kira slowly rose to her feet with Sebastian, exchanging looks with the male demon before turning back to the mirrors.
"All of the mirrors have different shaped forms in them."
The boys also stood, each turning to a different area of mirrors, both curious and edgy.
Kira's brows furrowed she approached the first one, staring intently at the figure. It came closer and closer until it's appearance finally became distinct and Kira felt her throat close up.
"Mum..." She whispered, her eyes growing glassy as the looked at the kind woman who had taken in her husbands bastard daughter and cared for her like a daughter.
The figure smiled gently and reached a hand out as if to touch Kira's cheek and as if in a trance she moved her own hand to touch the extended hand. Just as she was about to touch the glass a look of terror overcame the woman's gentle face and she pulled back with a silent scream. Kira stared in shock before her eyes were drawn downward to the woman's feet as a flickering light caught her eye.
"NO!"
It was fire. Fire that was licking at the feet of the woman who had raised her, that was slowly climbing her legs as her mum writhed and wailed soundlessly.
Kira stumbled back from the image, before her head flew to the side and she let out a strangled cry at the sight of her father in the mirror next to her mothers suffering the same fate.
The skin charring, the bodies burning, the absolute terror and agony in their eyes and faces, the soundless screams. Kira sobbed but was unable to tear her eyes away as the orange flames creeped up their torsos and arms, the skin burning and blackening as the fire continued it's deadly path.
It was her nightmares after that fated day all over again in full colour and it all became to much, Kira collapsing to her knees with her hands plastered over her face as she sobbed.
Behind her she heard two young male screams but Kira barely payed any kind as her body shook and she tried to fight away the full colour images of the people she viewed as her parents burning alive.
"...Kira..."
Burning. Charred black skin.
"...Kira!"
Screams of terror and pain. Them clawing at the air and writhing in agony. Her helplessness and inability to stop it from happening.
"KIRA!"
Kira felt someone rip away her hands from her face and then a cracking sound filled the air as she was slapped with enough force to snap her head sideways.
"Snap out of it! I already have two boys that are beside themselves with these mirror hauntings, I do not need a hysterical half-demon on my hands!"
Kira stared at Sebastian uncomprehendingly for a moment before his eyes flashed red and he leaned in, their noses less then a inch apart.
"If I have to hurt you to snap you out of this, I will not hesitate to do so. Take some deep breaths."
Kira dragged in several rasping and uneven breaths, hands automatically coming up to grip the lapels of his coat as she fought her emotions back under control.
"Good. Now fight the fear. It is not natural, it is the effect of the spirits in the mirror, your demon blood allows you to overcome the enchantment that is placed over you."
Kira stared fixedly into his steady red gaze and used it to ground her and drown out the visions of her parents burning as she swallowed hard and began to slowly but surely shove the emotion down. But as she shoved, nothing happened.
"Do you trust me?"
Kira nodded and Sebastian leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. There was a warmth, and then the crippling fear vanished. Kira gasped in shock as Sebastian straightened once again, leaving Kira as clearheaded as she had been before getting into the ballroom.
"What did you do?!"
"There is a enchantment cast over this room. It takes your worst nightmares and exploits them and causes a out of control terror response. I simply removed it."
Kira nodded and with another deep breath released Sebastian and peered around him to see Finny and Ciel huddled in the middle of the floor shaking.
She and Sebastian hurried over, dropping down next to the terrified boys, Kira avoiding looking up at the figures in the mirrors that she could see moving around.
"How much longer?" She murmured as she reached out and gently smoothed a hand over Ciel's head before moving to stroke Finny's back.
"Any time now."
Kira relaxed slightly and watched as Sebastian kneeled down next to her and pulled Ciel into a sitting positing, shifting him to sit and lean against Sebastian so that the black clad butler could lend some sort of comfort to the child.
As they sat there, listening to to moaning and creaking outside of the ballroom and the ragged breathing of the younger boys both Sebastian and Kira were on edge, waiting for anything that could possibly happen in these last minutes.
But nothing did and finally, finally the clock began to ring in the twelfth hour.
"DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!"
Six strong tolls. And then it stopped. Around them the air shimmered and the ghostly light from the mirrors began to pulse.
"What-Sebastian what's happening?!"
Sebastian seemed to freeze in place before reaching into his coat and yanking out his watch, flipping it open before giving a flinch. .
"The time. It's going backwards."
Kira's eyes went wide with horror and below her Finny let out a whimper.
"Backwards?!" Kira whispered.
Sebastian gave a short nod and showed her the watch face. Kira watched, almost unbelieving, as the minute and second hand slowly began to move backwards.
"B-but how?! There has to be a way to stop this!"
His face was tight as he shook his head.
"I have never seen this happen before. I know nothing of how to stop this."
Kira fought down the panic that was threatening to rise, not panic caused by a enchantment this time but caused by the mere idea of reliving the past hour over again.
"Please let this stop..." Ciel whimpered.
Sebastian opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by the suddenly extremely loud sound of the second hand moving, a sound that echoed through the entire room.
Both Sebastian and Kira's heads flipped as she stared down at the pocket watch that was moving in the proper direction once again. Around them the mirrors pulsed brighter and the house began to tremble, moaning and shrieking growing louder with every second that passed.
"Sebastian!"
His eyes flicked to her and they made eye contact, allowing Kira to watch as in a moment his eyes went from their human version to narrowed, glowing and quite inhuman.
"Prepare yourself."
Kira tensed and instinctively pulled Finny into her, her arm wrapped protectively around the gardener as Ciel burrowed further into Sebastian's side.
Sebastian closed his eyes and the light in the room began to bend towards them, floating towards them at the call of Sebastian. The light reached them and slowly formed a shield around them, making Kira's eyes widen as she watched.
As the milky sphere of light sealed around them the shaking grew worse before the mirror covering where the door had been exploded inwards, shards flying everywhere and bouncing off the shield making the boys both cry out.
From that now open doorway spirits like out of a nightmare began to flood in. Bodies with limbs missing and blood covering them, insides revealed to outside view. Spirits that trickled across the floors and up the walls.
DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!
Kira flinched at the booming noise of the clock at one end of the ballroom and closed her eyes instinctively before her eyes snapped open as Sebastian's startled intake of air. Her head tilted up before her own jaw dropped as she watched a eerily glowing dot on the roof slowly expanding and creating a vortex of spinning and rotating smoke and shadow.
DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!
"W-What the hell?!" Kira's head shot up and she stared over at the clock, Sebastian doing the same and staring over at the clock as deep and loud gonging noises from the clock.
The clock continued to toll, the deep noise making the floor shake even more then it already was. Mere moments passed of this before a second clock joined in from out in the hall, and yet another one joined that. One by one more clocks joined into the cacophony, the dark ringing sound creating a piercing sound that made Kira let out a soft sound of pain, her already sensitive hearing making the piercing noise worse.
"S-Stop!" Finny sobbed below her, his hands coming up to clutch his ears.
Kira wrapped her arms tightly around the gardener, seeking to comfort the gentle, child-like, happy go lucky and kind boy that was shaking and crying in her arms.
Sebastian kept one arm securely around Ciel in a protective manor and looked over at Kira who's face was screwed up in pain.
"W-What is happening?! I just want this to end!" She borderline shouted.
Sebastian said nothing but reached over and pulled her into his side, allowing her to press her face and one ear into his coat, muffling the sound somewhat.
It went on for what felt like ages, the whole house shaking as the spirits were sucked into the vortex with screams and cries and the clocks that didn't stop tolling. Kira felt like her head was being split and just when she thought that she wouldn't be able to take it for any longer, everything fell silent.
The vortex and the spirits vanished, the clocks stopped chiming, the house stopped shaking. Everything just stopped.
Silence.
The mirrors that had covered the windows vanished and once again they could see out into the outside world where small stars twinkled in the night sky and a cool breeze blew in through the ballroom.
"Is-is it over?" Kira whispered, hesitantly pulling her head out of Sebastian's coat to look around.
"I believe so. I cannot sense any spirits left in the house."
Kira straightened and looked around warily, reaching out with her senses to look for anything unusual, finding nothing.
Carefully Kira shifted, gently moving Finny into a sitting position before rising to her feet and gently tugging Finny to his as well.
"All Hallows' eve is over. We can leave the ballroom." She said gently to the shaking blonde to his feet.
Sebastian didn't even bother trying to get her little brother to stand, merely scooping him up and looking to Kira as she pulled Finny to his feet and tugged him in the direction of the door.
Finny latched onto her arm, his grip tight enough to be painful, but Kira ignored it in favour of allowing the gardener the simple comfort of contact after the night they had all just had.
"Should we check on Mey-Rin and Bard?" Kira asked Sebastian quietly as they emerged back into the hall which looked like a tornado had gone through it. Her slippered feet crunched on glass, as did Finny's and Sebastian's shoes.
"We gotta! What if they're hurt?!" Finny cried.
Kira sighed softly and Sebastian nodded.
"We will check."
They carefully approached the kitchen, Kira pushing Finny behind her protectively and gesturing for Sebastian to allow her to enter first since he was holding her brother.
When she looked into the kitchen she saw that the maid and the cook were both alive and relatively unharmed, but were cowering under the table with their arms wrapped tightly around each other in terror.
"Mey-Rin? Bard?"
They looked up at Kira and Mey-Rin's eyes filled with tears.
"I'M SOO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SHOOT AT YOU!"
Kira relaxed upon realizing that both were completely back to normal and stepped fully into the kitchen, approaching the table and reaching out to gently pull them both out from under it.
"It's fine Mey-Rin. I know you weren't under your own control. Please relax. Both of you are fine now, it's over. All Hallows' eve is over and it is now all saints day."
Sebastian with Ciel an Finny entered the kitchen and Finny gave a wail before running at Mey-Rin and Bard, launching himself at them in tears.
"I WAS SO SCAAAAAAAAAAARRDD WHEN YOU GUYS WERE POSSESSED!"
Kira stepped back with a sigh as the she watched Mey-Rin and Bard catch him and hug the crying boy.
"I'm fine Finny! See?" Mey-Rin said gently.
"Yeah, we're both ok. So stop the crying!" Bard added, uncomfortable.
Kira smiled slightly before clearing her throat and watching as they turned to her.
"We all need to turn in and get some rest. You have no set time that you need to be up by, just sleep until you wake up. Tonight was a little more then any of u were ever prepared to handle and I think that's enough excuse to take the day off. Ciel and I will be doing the same."
The servants all nodded and Kira gave them a exhausted smile.
"That settled, have a good sleep you guys."
She then turned and followed Sebastian and Ciel down the hall, through the entrance hall before stopping at the stairs and looking up at the landing above.
"I don't particularly want to go up there, but we need to go and get some rest."
Sebastian sighed.
"Come on."
Kira grumbled and followed him up the stairs, sticking closer then she usually would, although she would never admit it.
Once they reached the upper landing Kira stared at the hall, the dark coloured marks on the carpet, the wallpaper that looked like something with large claws had ripped apart. It all spoke of a nightmarish scene that Kira didn't care to ever repeat.
"I'm so glad that Tanaka wasn't here today, but was in town visiting a old friend. We could very well have lost him..."
Sebastian hummed in agreement to her words before leading the way to her brother's room, pushing the door open and striding briskly in with Kira on his heels. He reached the massive bed and placed Ciel down gently.
"There you go young master. Shall I leave you to sleep?"
"No. You will stay here in the room with me. Go sit on one of the chairs or something, I don't care what you do but stay here."
Sebastian gave a half bow and stepped aside, allowing Kira to approach the bed, remove her slippers, and climb on. Her brother looked over at her sharply and she knew he was about to protest that he didn't need a caretaker or whatever crap so she cut him off before he could start.
"I have just lived a night that took all of my worst nightmares, combined them into one and forced me to live through a hour and a bit of it, plus gave my nightmare factory a couple of new subjects. I do not want to sleep alone and you are going to have to deal with that fact." She stated calmly before moving around him to curl up under the covers on the left side of the bed.
Once she was settled she looked over at Ciel with a slightly challenging look and her brother simply blinked before sighing heavily and lying back, sliding beneath the covers and moving in so that he was curled up next to her.
Sebastian vanished into the shadows and both siblings ignored him as Kira wrapped a arm around her now unprotesting brother and pulled him close as she closed her eyes and tried to allow sleep to claim her.
"Who did you see in the mirrors?"
Kira opened her eyes in surprise at Ciel's question before hesitating.
"I saw father and mum-your mother."
Ciel was silent for a moment.
"I saw Freckles. I-I saw her die painfully like the ones who came here to fight the servants that night."
Kira could feel him starting to tremble again and she soothingly stroked his arm as she waited for the question she knew was coming.
"Kira, when I left you to...take care of her...what did you do?"
"I gave her a peaceful death. I brought up the image of the things that gave her some last bit of comfort and happiness in her mind and I put her to sleep. Her death was painless and her last moments were happy as she relived her best memories in her head. She did not suffer."
Kira felt Ciel shift to bury his face in her shoulder and the fabric slowly dampened although he made no sound.
"There is nothing you could have done for her Ciel. Had she been left alive she more then likely would have lasted for not much longer then a year before killing herself in grief and hurting many more back at the circus. Her death was the easiest and least painful way for her to go. You did her a favour, not a disservice."
Ciel did not respond but she felt him relax slightly and she to relaxed, moving to rub his back in a comforting manner. Eventually she felt him relax completely as his breathing evened out and he finally fell asleep.
Kira lay awake for a little while longer, battling what she had seen in her head. Seeing her parents in that mirror had been one of her darkest nightmares come to life for her, and she knew it would plague her for a very long time.
"Kira."
Kira shifted her head to look over her shoulder at where Sebastian had seemingly materialized.
"What is it?"
"If I may, I can help you push those thoughts of what transpired tonight away and sleep undisturbed."
The idea of having a restful night greatly appealed to the now exhausted half neko demon and she nodded, grateful for his offer.
"Please."
Sebastian reached out with his contract marked hand that was surprisingly enough sans glove and placed it on her forehead, his skin cool. She felt a soothing sensation spread through her a moment later and instantly her eyes began to drift shut, her body happily complying to Sebastian's power.
Kira's head dropped away from the hand as her muscles began to feel heavy, coming to rest just above Ciel's as her bother cuddled closer in his sleep.
Just before she was completely pulled under she felt Sebastian draw the blanket further up, fully tucking her and Ciel in before a hand gently smoothed some stray hair off her forehead and soft lips ghosted over her temple.
"Sleep well kitten."
So what did you guys think? Reviews are welcome! Flames shall be laughed at, posted for others to laugh at, and ignored as I continue the story.
