Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or its characters…if I did I wouldn't be posting this on fanfiction XD
A/N: WARNING! Spoiler Alert for those who haven't read Chapter 131 yet! You have been warned! It was subtle, but it struck me so powerfully that I had to jot something down about it. It is also heavily if not completely based on Sebastian's Cinematic Record shown to us in the Campania Arc.
~Happy Reading~
His legs wobbled as he turned unsteadily away from the burning wreckage of his past imprisonment. The morning sun was struggling to rise above the rolling, green hillocks that stretched out as far as he could see in every direction. He felt more than sensed the demon follow him. It asked him where they were going, in that smooth, almost purring voice. He didn't answer.
That voice made his skin crawl; it was too similar to that rich, near-growling sneer the creature had originally used. It had been sincere in its promises at the time, as evidenced by the dead worshippers and their burning temple, but there had also been a distinct note of hissing mockery twisting what he could discern of its face.
The boy shivered, recalling the eager, bright eyes that glared down at him with hunger-narrowed slit-pupils, and the morbid amusement that had curled the edges of the monster's lips.
"Are you cold?" The voice sounded in his ear.
He yelped and cringed away. The "servant" froze, white-gloved hand still outstretched. Cold, brown eyes watched him silently as it lowered its arm, waiting.
The boy relaxed slightly as the demon stayed where it was, then considered its question.
Yes, he was cold. He was also bruised, starved, tired, scared, filthy, and angry. Oh, his anger stilled burned hot in his stomach, but it could wait. One thing at a time. The boy nodded in answer to the creature's question. It smiled then, its expression surprisingly pleasant.
"Well then, we should probably seek shelter at a nearby town, yes? Unless the Young Master's home is closer? I can take you anywhere you wish."
"I don't remember where home is," The boy replied in a flat monotone.
"Eh?" The boy was almost amused by the blank shock that slackened the devil's face.
It relaxed the boy somewhat, to see such a human emotion expressed by the foreign being. The face up until then had been too alien, too perfect, and flawless despite its obvious human structure. Studying the demon's face more closely, the boy realized that the creature would indeed pass as a human, a beautiful one at that, to anyone who hadn't seen its demonic form.
However, he had witnessed its true shape, and what has been seen can never be overlooked again. In spite of the drastic change in appearance the demon had inflicted on itself for the sake of their contract, the boy could still spot a quick spark of crimson in the cold eyes, the subtle gleam of a fang hidden by soft lips, the oily texture of ebony feathers peeking through the creature's long tresses, and a touch of famine in hollowed cheeks.
The demon would never appear "normal" to him ever; he had seen too much.
The surprised look vanished then, as the creature composed itself.
"I suggest we head for the nearest settlement, then," It said, moving to take the lead.
The boy's hand lashed out suddenly, gripping the demon's black coattails in a tight, little fist.
"Wait," The devil paused in confusion, turned to face him, and the boy released its coat.
"What is your name, demon?"
The creature blinked, taken off guard, and the boy wondered at this reaction. Did it expect him to know its name? Did it even have a name? It ought to have a name, how else could it refer to or distinguish itself from others of its kind? Oh, its kind. As in plural, for surely there were more like it, and he shuddered at the thought. He absurdly imagined being in a great ball room, surrounded by tall, ethereal beings clothed in black shadows with sharp teeth and bright eyes milling about introducing themselves like the nobility of London. They would all be in high, stiletto heels of course, sparking against the marble floors as they waltzed about.
His ridiculous, exhaustion-fueled imaginings were interrupted when the demon smiled politely at him.
"Whatever my Master wishes to call me," It responded, almost as though it were bequeathing him with some great honor.
And he supposed it was when he thought about it long enough. The creature had made it plain that the contract would mark the boy as its own, and yet the creature would serve him utterly to fulfill his wish. In a very real way, this was the demon's way of allowing the boy to place a corresponding mark of his own ownership on the monster, he realized.
The boy was staggered as the full impact of the power this being gave him over itself struck him, as well as the power it held over him. It was both liberating and imprisoning. He would direct the movements of the chessboard, the power to claim checkmate upon his enemies, yet the demon would have the final victory over the match.
He looked at the devil straight in its eagerly waiting eyes, and was still frightened by it. He recalled another large, black-coated predator that had haunted his footsteps that he had been a master over as well. That pet, that dog named Sebastian, had frightened him too, for as long as he could remember, barking in his face with flashing fangs, bothering him by prodding him sharply with its cold nose, following him all about the house for no reason.
People had remarked on its purebred beauty too.
With these thoughts in mind, the boy came to a decision. The sun's dawning rays broke over the horizon, showering them with light.
"Sebastian. Your name is Sebastian," The boy announced, a faint feeling of triumph sweeping through him, at finally having control over at least one fearsome beast.
The demon bowed its head in acquiescence.
"Then please, call me Sebastian. Was that your former butler's name?" The newly-dubbed Sebastian asked.
"No, it was my dog's name," The boy watched the demon's face carefully after that confession, but its face didn't alter from its calm visage.
"Hmm, and whilst you are the Earl of Phantomhive, I'm afraid I never caught a name?"
The boy paused as thoughts of a burning mansion, filthy cages, and a slaughtered reflection of himself carved open on a stone slab for the assembly to view passed through his mind.
"Ciel," He whispered, in a near reverent tone.
"Hmm?"
"I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the Heir to the House of Phantomhive, and today I swear to have my vengeance on those who have brought this shame on me, so that they may feel my own humiliation! And you, Sebastian, you shall help me bring about my victory!" "Ciel" declared, a fierce light shining in his mismatched eyes.
A low snicker ruined the boy's confident mood.
"What?" "Ciel" snapped in irritation, a dark scowl aimed at the tall demon.
"Oh, nothing. I just find it amusing that even though you have ordered me to never lie, you seem to be quite the little liar yourself," The butler chuckled.
The smirk disappeared from its lips when the boy failed to share in its mirth and bestowed a hateful glare on it instead. Stupid demon.
"Ciel" turned his back on the tactless servant and set off at a surprisingly brisk pace for so ill a child, and the butler made haste to follow.
It wasn't until a few months later that the boy understood that he had struck twofold in irking the demon with his naming it "Sebastian". He didn't even bother to hide his sadistic smirk as the livid, black-clad butler finished disposing of the drool-coated remains of its satin waist-coat. The culprit had been scolded soundly by said butler, then thoroughly chased off the property, tail tucked firmly between its legs, howls of panic echoing off the trees with howls of hate ringing in tune to them.
The boy remained firmly convinced that if he hadn't called Sebastian off, the demon would have chased the dog all the way to London and beyond to the Atlantic.
He truly hadn't known that "Sebastian" utterly despised dogs with every malicious fiber of his being.
A/N: I had originally thought "Ciel" had called the demon "Sebastian" as some sort of homage to his late, beloved pet, but that had never really made sense to me given that the demon serves as a constant, visual reminder for both the horrors "Ciel" suffered and of his looming demise at the starving demon's hands. Yana's new August chapter presented "Ciel's" relationship with, well, everyone in a whole new light, even the dog! I can't be the only one who was reminded of this particular scene given to us in the Campania Arc.
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