Author's notes: Hello to all! My first Kuro fanfic and my first time writing in a few years! It's based just after they return from Germany, so it will include points from the manga that aren't in the anime. I hope you all enjoy it! Please leave a review to tell me what you think
Pairing: Sebaciel, OCxOC
Warnings: Nothing for this chapter, but it will get more sweary and gory later on.
His Butler, Beaten
So close now… so close…
He felt himself sailing through the dark sky. The thick grey clouds parted to reveal a large mansion. The gardens and water features common in Victorian stately homes, the curved stone stairs leading up to the main door.
Inside now, the plush red carpet of the grand hallway that snaked up the staircase and along the landing to a deep mahogany door.
A moment's pause.
Then through the door into a dressing room that was fitted out with functional yet clearly expensive furniture and green carpet. Through the next door and there sat a sumptuous four poster bed, on which fine cotton sheets had been laid. The usually crisp sheets were ruffled, no doubt by their occupant.
Here… it's here…
Now approaching the bed, the occupant became clearer. A teenage boy, quite young, with pale porcelain features and navy hair slept soundly. His body, Ciel Phantomhive. The Queen's Watchdog and current master to the demon he had named Sebastian. Closer inspection revealed the violet mark in his left eye.
A contract…?
Ciel gasped and sprung up in bed, desperate for air. He panted heavily as he remembered where he was and slowly his breathing came back down to normal. He touched his left eye, where the mark glowed.
"A dream…?" he murmured, still unsure. Knocking at his bedroom door brought him out of this reverie and he looked up. "Yes?"
"My lord? Are you alright?" came the muffled voice of his butler, Sebastian. His demon butler. The one who he had made a contract with in order to get his revenge upon those who had brought shame upon his family name. He thumbed the blue diamond ring on his left hand, beginning to mull over this scenario as he had done many times before. However, the persistent knocking broke off his train of thought,
"My lord?" came the slightly more concerned tone. He felt he would almost smile at that tone. A demon concerned about a human, it was almost laughable. He sighed quietly to himself,
"Yes, fine. It was just… a strange dream" he replied, still replaying the events in his head. 'And yet, it felt so real' He shuddered at the thought and pushed it from his mind as the door opened. In came his butler, dressed in black with dark hair and crimson eyes that were currently filled with concern. Ciel took in the form of his butler as he approached the bed, stopping next to him.
"A strange dream, my lord?" the butler enquired, gazing at the boy's passive expression for any sign of upset. Ciel shrugged slightly at Sebastian's implied worry and looked away; the intense stare that his butler had developed was too much for him to keep up nowadays. He feigned indifference,
"Just a dream that I was… looking down at myself sleeping" he quipped, acting like it was nothing. He smirked slightly "You seem worried"
Sebastian watched how his master acted casual, usually a sign he was hiding something. However he knew better than to broach this topic when his master had awoken from a nightmare. He scowled slightly at the teasing tone
"I worry because you woke up distressed" he suddenly smirked "You are usually so pitiful when you awake from nightmares, needing me to stay watch until you fall asleep, that I felt I should enquire if you needed a lullaby as well this time" His smirk widened at the glare this got him. His face dropped back to being concerned "You dreamt that you were looking at yourself, Young Master?" He watched Ciel relax back, looking at his hands.
"Yes it was… strange. Like someone was walking through the mansion, searching for me" he shuddered involuntarily at the thought and was surprised to feel Sebastian place a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the demon, who smiled back warmly.
"You needn't worry, Young Master. I am here to protect you, just as you ordered me to on that fateful day. I will never let any harm come to you" he murmured, noticing the boy visibly relax. He tucked Ciel back under the soft eiderdown and proceeded to head back towards the door.
"Sebastian…?" came the soft beckoning voice. He paused, looking back at the bundle of bedclothes. He walked back, smiling to himself and knowing the request that was to come. He bowed, hand across his chest,
"Yes, my lord?" he murmured.
Ciel clutched the sheets tighter and looked firmly away from the butler,
"Would you… that is… would you still protect me, even if I hadn't ordered you to?" came the feeble question. Sebastian was taken aback; he hadn't expected that. He composed himself again and grinned,
"Is the Young Master doubting my concern for his welfare?" he mocked, knowing the reaction this would get. Ciel huffed and turned away, burrowing deeper into the covers,
"Idiot. I know you care about me alright" he spat hotly. "Waiting eagerly for your dinner like a starved beast that is" With this he shuffled further into his pillow, signifying the end of the discussion. "You may leave now"
Sebastian chuckled to himself and bowed,
"Yes my lord" he proceeded to leave, quietly closing the door behind him. He grinned wider as he thought about his master's reaction
'Oh little master, you do not understand at all"
As he walked away, he neglected to notice the shadow that danced across the lawn.
"Uwaaaah! Mr Sebaaastiaan!" The chorus of cries resounded through the early morning, causing the demon to sigh heavily. He scowled at the trio of servants, all in various dishevelled states that would allude to why they needed his help. He stared at Bardroy, the chef/ pyromaniac who currently had a scorched face and blackened singed hair, and raised an eyebrow.
"Eehhh well… I wanted to speed up making lunch… so I thought I'd try out my new flamethrower…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Sebastian sighed and turned his attention to Meyrin, the housemaid who was both short sighted and dim-witted. He noted the bubbles foaming gently on her head and how she was nervously twiddling her fingers,
"Well I uh… I wanted to wash the linens like you told me to, Mr Sebastian, yes I did! But I misread the label for the washing powder and accidentally put in too much! Oh please don't be mad, Mr Sebastian!" Sebastian restrained the twitch he felt in his eyebrow and turned to the last of the three. Finnian, the gardener/ human wrecking ball. He could tell from the dead roses in Finny's hands, that this would no doubt involve him replanting the entire bed of tea roses that he had picked especially to suit the Young Master's tastes. He waited patiently for Finny to stop sobbing,
"Uwahh… M-Mr Sebashtiaaaan!" the blonde wailed. Sebastian sighed more forcefully and handed him a hankerchief,
"Clean your face and take a deep breath. Did the weed killer pour out everywhere again this time?" he hoped against hope that he wouldn't be greeted by a barren wasteland like last time; there was only so much he could cope with. Finny blew his nose noisily and hiccoughed,
"Well uh… n-no sir… it sort of… just hit the roses. B-but then I… I tried to… fix it and I tripped and I sort of-" he stopped as Sebastian held his hand up.
"It will just be easier for me to look for myself" he said, proceeding to the back doors. Distressed, the servants followed, preparing to be scolded harshly. Sebastian opened the door "Honestly, I don't know how you three managed… this…" Sebastian stopped, dumbfounded at the sight before him. He stepped out to take it in easier.
The lawn was a uniform shade of green, manicured so that not a single blade of grass was out of place. The rose bushes, fat and heavy with scent, were trimmed into oval shapes that displayed each rose head perfectly. He looked out further; the water fountain gleamed like brilliant white marble and there was not a single leaf out of place on the trees.
He then heard rustling and rushed to the side of the house followed by the others. There, flapping gently in the breeze, hung the freshly washed linen on the line. The kitchen had also been rebuilt, looking like there had never been any kind of damage. The house seemed peaceful, content, like nothing the destructive trio he dealt with on a daily basis had ever occurred.
Had he been alone, he would have gaped openly. As it was, he quickly remembered himself and turned to the trio. They jumped slightly in fright and braced themselves.
"Well I believe I must commend your talents. It seems you corrected the problems yourselves" Sebastian stated, keeping the disbelief from his voice. The trio waved frantically,
"Oh no sir! This wasn't us sir! We never!" Meyrin and Finny babbled, stopping to stare in wonder at the pristine estate. Sebastian frowned slightly,
"Well then who did?" He asked. His question was answered by a small cough behind him, causing him around.
There, standing quietly was a young woman dressed in a black maid outfit. She stared impassively at the butler, who looked lost for words. She curtsied low and smiled,
"I hope you would not mind the intrusion. I was walking past and noticed that you looked in need of assistance" Her voice was steady, not showing any signs of how she had managed to rebuild half a house, regrow an entire garden and redo a house's worth of linen. Sebastian blinked
"Walking past…?" he asked, staring in disbelief at the woman. She blushed slightly,
"Ah well, when I say walking past… I mean that I was coming up the path. You see I am recently unemployed and was hoping to find work- eh?!" she broke off as the servant trio leaped forward.
"Wow, you seriously fixed all this by yourself? That's amazing! Where did you come from? What's your name? Were you a servant before too?" the tirade of questions left the girl blinking.
"U-uh… well I-" she began, only to be cut off by Sebastian this time.
"That's quite enough of that" he chided, pulling the trio away and glaring at them. "Bardroy, if you have time to stand around like this then I am to presume lunch is full prepared?" He ignored the babble of excuses the chef came out with and turned to Meyrin, "Meyrin. Do I take it the silver has been polished and the carpets in the main hall are all cleaned?" He took the maid's twiddling fingers as a no. He finally turned to Finny "Finny, since this girl has been kind enough to do your work for you, I understand that you must have lifted all the firewood into the storeroom then?" He glared at them as they fumbled for answers "If no then get back to work!" He watched as they shrunk back and madly scrambled away to do their tasks.
He turned to the stranger currently watching this. He stared at her, seemingly trying to weigh up his options.
'Just how could she have done all this? No doubt she is not human or at least not a normal one…'
Deciding his course of action, he straightened up and coughed discreetly.
"I appreciate your help with the… events of this morning. However, our Young Master is not looking to hire more staff at present" He stared emotionlessly at the girl, waiting for her response.
The girl looked saddened,
"Oh? Is that so? Then I apologise for interrupting your work. I shall take my leave " she said mournfully, walking past the butler. Sebastian watched her back.
"I just have one question" he called after her. She turned back to face him "just how did you-"
An explosion tore through the building again, covering Sebastian, the girl and the fresh linen in dust and rubble. From further in the sound of Bardroy remarking on how he might need to try less dynamite next time floated out to them. Sebastian felt a small part of his spirit leave him and sagged slightly, giving in to whatever the fates had in store for him.
"When… when can you start?"
That's it for now! I hope you enjoyed it! More exciting stuff will happen in the next chapter! Please review! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want to see more of! Until next time, take care!