Natsuki Reika walked down the cobblestone streets of London with an air of purpose and authority, her black, lady-like boots making clicking noises against the ground.
Reika was one of two siblings in the Natsuki family-and they were the only two members, as orphans. Her elder brother, Naoki, was very high-ranked in the English military, but had recently gone missing: Reika had searched and begged the military for information, but they had only told her that it was "classified". Knowing Naoki's branch of the military, that could only mean he was MIA and they didn't want to worry her, a mere girl of fifteen.
She had been lost and hopelessly depressed, wondering if she would ever get the last person dear to her back, when she had caught wind of something-a tiny thread of hope, something she could try to snatch onto and climb up with. There was a young boy named Ciel Phantomhive hidden away somewhere in the depths of England... and he was granting people's wishes. Supposedly impossible ones, at that.
She was willing to try anything to get her brother, who she loved dearly, back. Anything at all.
Reika stood in front of a small, worn-down building crafted out of gray stone, her white gloved hands clutched together in front of her favorite light blue dress, the hem of which fell just a little bit beneath her knees. She had to swallow down the lump in her throat, suddenly nervous and beginning to wonder why she came. Would this be the type of wish that this Ciel boy could grant? Would he even want to help her? What would he do after he helped her, anyways? Also, she had heard that everybody that he helped disappeared shortly afterwards. What happened to them?
She shook her head. No, Reika thought firmly to herself, I'm here for Naoki. I must find him, no matter what the cost. I'd give up my own soul for him if I had to. On that note, she raised a trembling hand and nervously rapped on the door a few times, before her grit would leave her.
She waited for several very long, very heart-wrenching minutes, and began to wonder to herself if Ciel was even at home. Maybe he was out at the market, in which case she would simply wait by the door-for hours on end if she must-until he came back.
Just as that thought breezed through her mind, the wooden door swung open to reveal a well-dressed, very tall man in the type of suit that butlers wore. Reika blinked. Nobody who lived in this district, in a building like this, had the money or resources for a butler... but apparently, Ciel did. She was becoming more and more curious about Ciel, what he looked like and behaved like, but all thoughts of the young man were pushed out of her mind as she got a better look at the man who had opened the door.
He looked very young to be a butler-he couldn't even be thirty!-and had pale white skin, along with messy black hair in an absolutely horrifying style that spiked out a little bit in some spots and had long bangs. Any other butler wouldn't be caught dead with such a mischevious, daring style! But the thing about this man that caught her eye, the big one, was his own eyes. They were blood red. As she marveled at his eyes and his hair, she realized that he was very, very... attractive.
She suddenly realized she was staring, and blushing a little bit at her own embarrassing antics, Reika lowered her eyes down from his face a little bit. She reached up to nervously tuck a long, slightly curly strand of the trademark Natsuki black hair behind her pierced ears as the man smiled and opened his mouth to speak.
"Who might you be, miss?" he asked in a pleasant voice. Reika blushed a bit a she realized that even his voice was smooth and handsome, and cringed at the realization she was being reduced into a giggling little schoolgirl at the first sight of this man. Gathering herself back together, she smiled and replied in a voice equally pleasant to his.
"Hello, I'm Natsuki Reika. May I speak to Ciel Phantomhive? I have... a favor to ask of him," she asked, sounding very much the part of a mature adult, even though she might be a blubbering little girl on the inside, suddenly afraid of what Ciel might look like.
The butler frowned slightly, but eased his face back into his smooth, professional mask before allowing a slight smile again. "My young master is currently working on something, but if you step inside I will go ask him if he may spare a few minutes to speak with you."
Reika smiled at his reply. "Of course."
He bowed, gesturing inside. "Please come in and wait a few moments."
Reika stepped inside, allowing the butler to close the door behind her with a click, and watched his back retreat as she stood in what seemed to be an entryway of some form. She felt very out of place as she looked around, noticing the fact that there was an ominous feeling around the entire building. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up, attempting to warn her about something as she shivered. Something isn't right here, Reika thought to herself as the butler's red eyes flashed in her memory again. I'll speak to Ciel before judging anything, though. For Naoki's sake. She prepared herself for whatever could be so eerie about the place as she saw the butler slowly coming back towards her.
"Young Master will spare a few moments of his time to listen to you, but please make it quick," the handsome male announced, ushering her through the very small, low-scale house to a room she could only guess was the study.
As the butler swung the door open in front of her, she timidly and almost shyly walked in, beginning to wonder where her bold personality so often spoken of by others who knew her had gone.
Her gray eyes met the dark blue, nearly purple, eyes of a boy who couldn't be more than thirteen who was sitting behind a desk. He had an eye patch over one eye, and hair that looked bluish gray. There was something odd about this boy... Reika assumed he was Ciel.
"I'm Ciel Phantomhive," he announced bluntly, crossing his arms. "What was your name again? Sebastian-my butler-told me, but I've forgotten it."
Reika blinked, taken aback by the boy's bluntness and the fact that he was nearly rude. By the smirk that crossed his face at her reaction, she assumed she was not the only person who had reacted this way in the past. "Natsuki Reika. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me-I'll be quick."
Ciel motioned for her to go on.
"My elder brother, Naoki, was at a very high rank in the military. He disappeared a few months ago, and they refuse to tell me any information about where he is. I know he's missing in action, even though they claim his location is just 'confidential' and he is not allowed to contact me. I've heard you grant peoples' wishes. I was wondering if you would extend this hospitality to me, if this rumor is true," Reika summarized, trying to make her explanation of why she was there quick. Sebastian and Ciel had made it obvious enough that they did not like wasting time, and by the way Ciel spoke to her when she came in it was obvious he was straight-to-the-point and disliked rambling and ramblers.
Ciel raised an eyebrow, and it looked as if Sebastian-who had not left the room-was supressing a smirk. They knew something Reika didn't, she was sure of it. So she waited for Ciel to reply.
"Do you realize what I am?" Ciel's voice sounded unintentionally threatening. She shook her head, a little bit confused as she wondered what exactly he was, because he was acting as if he wasn't human. "I am a demon, as is my butler here, Sebastian Michaelis."
Reika's eyes widened in shock. A demon?
"I'm willing to help you find this Naoki fellow... for a price," he continued, giving her hardly any time to process what he had just told her.
Reika blinked back her shock. She could fully process it later, but she would do anything for Naoki. He was willing to help her find her brother, and she would be willing to trade anything. She'd give him as much money as he wanted, do whatever he wanted. She'd even become his maid for her entire life if that was what he asked of her. She just wanted her brother. "What's your price?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"Your soul," Ciel smirked. "Make a contract with me. I will help you find your brother, ensure his safety, and keep you safe in the process. I will serve you and do whatever you order of me during the time before we find your brother. Once we find him and get him to a safe place, or find out he's dead, or whatever the hell he currently is, I get to eat your soul."
He allowed a few seconds of silence as Reika considered this.
Her soul. She would die, wouldn't she? And she probably wouldn't be able to go to Heaven or Hell, if this was the case-even if she could go to one of those two places, she was sure she'd go to Hell for making this deal. She was dealing with the devil here, treading on dangerous ground.
Was she willing to do this for Naoki?
She took a deep breath.
"All right. I'll do it. I'll make the contract, on those conditions that you just laid out."
Ciel smirked. "Excellent."
He closed in, and Reika was suddenly aware of the room spinning, her knees buckling as her world began to fade to black. Sebastian had been standing behind her, waiting for this, and she could feel his strong arms catch her as she fell backwards, Ciel still advancing...