Fire.

Even with his eyes closed, Ciel immediately recognized the acrid smell, the foul smoke that threatened to circulate in his lungs and suffocate the young earl. Jerking upright, he flung a hand over his mouth and instinctively screamed, "Sebastian! Sebastian, come at once!" As he took in his surroundings, he saw that the fire had already consumed half of his room—most notably, the door leading to his room was gone as well, eaten by the flames now licking at his feet, begging for a taste of human flesh.

"Sebastian!" he called again, removing his hand long enough to wail at the top of his lungs.

What was going to happen to him?

This wasn't near how he'd pictured dying, as the Contract clearly stipulated otherwise, but if Sebastian didn't come save him in time…

No, this wasn't the time to be thinking of things like that. If Sebastian wouldn't come, he'd simply have to find his own way out. He turned toward the window, wondering if there was any way he could reach it before the inferno devoured it, along with his only other escape route.

Let's see. If I could just step right there, and jump to that spot, I might have a chance yet… With the rest of his room ablaze and the smoke threatening to asphyxiate him, however, Ciel could barely concentrate on the task at hand. Not to mention the window was a good four stories up from the ground. A graceful drop for a demon butler like Sebastian, but little more than a death wish for a certain thirteen-year-old boy.

"Sebastian!" After another dreadful minute of waiting, Ciel sighed and placed his foot on one of the remaining spots of untouched flooring. He supposed jumping was better than burning, though one thing kept nagging at him in the back of his mind.

Where was Sebastian at a time like this?

Sebastian had never failed to save his young master before, so what could be so important that he couldn't hear his lord's pleas for help this time?

Sebastian, why aren't you coming for me? Ciel thought angrily as he hopped from one spot to the next, the flames licking at the edges of his night clothes. It's well past time for you to be here!

"Sebastian!" he coughed out once more, this time much weaker than his previous shouts for help. He clutched the window frame tightly, unlatching it carefully and looking down, as if hoping Sebastian were there would make him appear like magic. Instead, nothing but grass and gravel was there to cushion his fall.

He was so going to make sure Sebastian paid for his sudden absence.

As he crawled out of his bedroom window, he shut his eyes, the thought of falling making his stomach lurch. He, Ciel Phantomhive, had never been afraid of anything before, so how was this any different? Yet he continued to clutch the window frame until his knuckles turned white, unable to bring himself to let go.

"Sebastian Michaelis! Where are you?!" he snapped, losing his grip on the window frame and plummeting toward the dark, uninviting ground. He kept his eyes shut, knowing if he opened them for even a split second that fear would overtake him. Ciel braced himself, waiting for the pain, the broken bones, the sprains and bruises, that would come with his rough landing. If he lived, anyways, as fragile as the young boy was.

But the foreboding agony never came. He suddenly felt two silky, strong hands underneath him, cradling him close as the figure swooped in to catch him while he fell. The smell of death, mingled with the sweet scent of roses, grazed Ciel's nose as he opened his eyes and saw who his rescuer was.

"You saved me, Sebastian," he breathed, coughing from the pungent fumes that had painstakingly found their way into his lungs. No chastising remarks, no sardonic interrogations like he'd earlier planned; just silent appreciation overcame the young earl as he nuzzled ever closer to his demonic savior's chest and continued to cough.

"Well, my lord, it simply wouldn't do to have you falling out of windows if I'm not there to catch you, now would it?" Sebastian charmingly stated as he carried the raven-haired boy further and further away from the burning mansion.

Ciel made no effort to reply, as Sebastian knew he wouldn't. By the time they'd reached a place to stop for a few moments, Ciel's coughing had almost completely subsided. Sebastian slowly began to sit him upright, but Ciel, for once, refused to let go.

"No. Sebastian, don't put me down," he ordered, gripping Sebastian's sleeves and staring defiantly into his thirst-filled eyes. "Not right now. Not tonight." Not ever, Ciel silently added, but would never admit to even thinking of in front of the red-eyed butler.

Sebastian sighed, seemingly expectant of his young master's demands. "As you wish, my lord," he said, continuing to hold the blue-eyed boy in his arms.

After a few minutes of unmoving, unnerving silence, Ciel finally spoke up. "I…I don't quite know what I was thinking when I decided to fall like that. All I could think of when I saw the fire was what had happened before… to Mum and Dad. So I tried to escape, before the flames could swallow me up, too…" Ciel trailed off, glancing up to meet his butler's gaze.

"Sebastian, what happened?" he asked, a stray tear defiantly streaking down his pale face. "And why did it have to happen a second time? Haven't I lost enough already, or need I lose my sanity as well?"

The fear, the anguish, the despair: every heartrending emotion Ciel had ever felt was now exposed for only his butler to see. Such a raw display of emotion struck a chord deep inside Sebastian, as he slowly realized this boy was more than just another soul he thirsted after.

Maybe Claude was right; maybe his obsession over Ciel's soul was more than any normal demon's should be. But was there really more to his intense attraction toward the boy that he wasn't quite letting on?

Sebastian cleared his throat as he tried to give the young earl a satisfactory answer. "It seems that Baldroy had decided to surprise you by making breakfast, but, as you can see, things went… slightly awry," he replied, his voice quavering slightly as he broke eye contact with the miserable Ciel.

At the mention of Bard's name, Ciel's ears perked up. "Oh, how are the others?" he asked, catching Sebastian off guard with the question.

"Well, they all made it out in time, as far as I can tell you, my lord," he answered, looking into Ciel's eyes once more, this time noting his earnestness and concern.

"That's good. I'm glad they made it out safe," Ciel mumbled, a weak smile crossing his face as he leaned closer to Sebastian.

At this point, Sebastian no longer knew what to think as Ciel kept leaning closer and closer to his face. Never, in the three years he'd known the young master, had he seen such a plethora of emotions coming from the boy like he did tonight.

Once Ciel had reached his ear, he softly whispered the butler's name. "Sebastian?"

"Yes, young master?" the butler replied, curious as to his lord's newest request.

"Don't ever leave me like that again. You're the one person I can't stand the thought of losing," Ciel murmured before dropping his head and curling back into Sebastian's chest, asleep within seconds of shutting his teary eyes.

"As I've told you many times, my lord, I shall stay with you till the very end. Should it take days, or even years, you are my soul alone to keep." With that being said, Sebastian leaned down and pecked Ciel's cheek before taking off toward the other servants, who were undoubtedly beginning to worry about their young master.

One day soon… thought the raven-haired butler, but the more he thought of that day, the less appealing it became to devour Ciel's soul, and he couldn't begin to understand why. Was he really beginning to care about and have feelings for this mere human boy? No. No, he simply couldn't.

Demons were devoid of most emotions, especially one as finicky as love.

Weren't they?

A/N: I know it's fairly short, but I do hope it was enjoyable. :) I dedicate this fic to a good friend, videogamenerd101, a fellow fan of "Black Butler" whom I love very much. ^.^ I know I'm pretty rusty in my writings, but this one's for you, Sissy!