Dedication
For Anyone who has ever been hurt or betrayed.
You are all beautiful people,
you are not alone,
I am one of you...
"Yes... My lord." These were the last words spoken in the realm of humanity and life by a butler, dressed in black, before he fell into the abyss that was hell. The butler, now a slave to his own contract, was neither man, nor beast. He was neither good nor evil. He was of himself and empowered by the will of his master. A young man of a mere 13. This was Sebastian Michealis. Servant of the one and only Ciel Phantomhive. You may know of them. You may have heard of them through the tireless stories of old and new alike. Perhaps even through the whispers of your friends. But have you ever wondered what happened to them? Surely the story does not end on a cliff of white and blue roses does it? I can assure you, there is plenty more to be heard of the infamous demonic duo. So let your tea steep just a little longer and turn on a light or two. They may be your only saving grace from the dark depths of what you are about to read.
"Before we proceed," said a young voice. To whom it belonged to the girl could not tell. Her eyes streaked with tears from the pain that tore through her body.
"You should know, should you accept the terms of our arrangement, the gates to heaven shall forever be closed to you."
Lianna nodded, her breathing shaky as she did. She was afraid to speak for fear of her voice sounding weak and frightened. A large black wolf like dog stalked it's way around her naked body. A simple black sheet draped carelessly over her figure to grant her some level of modesty.
"You must speak the words." Said the voice. It was not a command but sounded more like a reminder. As if who ever was speaking to her was trying to comfort her in some small way. Lianna swallowed dryly. Her fear increased. But her fear was not about to control her.
"I accept the terms of our Faustian Contract. Upon my death, I relinquish my soul to the second holder of this contract." She said. Her voice clear and unwavering. She was certain this was what she had wanted. And so her voice did not crack or shake. It was firm and sincere.
The wolf stopped circling her as soon as she finished speaking. It looked her deep in the eyes and she returned the stare. It's colorless black eyes bore into her's without the slightest hint of curiosity. It's yellow teeth shown bright against the black of its snout. It almost seemed to be smiling.
"The contract is complete. Now," the voice continued. "Where will you have your mark?"
The light of morning shown through the dirty window of the small village home. The sky, thick with grey clouds, held the promise of rain. A girl sat at the window, drawing pictures in the grime of the glass. Her long red hair hung to her waist and was left to its own devices, save for a routine brushing. Her pale complexion made the dark olive green blouse she wore only seem darker. Her matching skirts hung just past her knees, even as she was seated.
Refocusing her eyes, she peered through the picture she had drawn in the dirt and spied a young boy standing on the wet cobble street below. He was looking up at her with a serious yet purposeful stare.
She leaped from the bench under the window at which she had been sitting and scurried down the old wooden stairs, past the kitchen and out the front door. As the door crashed shut as it always did, she searched for the boy but couldn't find him anywhere. Her eyes darting from face to face of the passing people on the street, she desperately searched and failed.
"You shouldn't have to search for me like that Lianna. You have the contract now." Said a voice from the alley beside her. Lianna whirled to see the boy leaning against the wall, inspecting his black finger nails.
"I'm still getting used to it." She said placing a hand over her stomach.
"Well then I would get used to it faster. Things will move along much smoother once you do." The boy replied. She glared at him.
"You don't have to be so rude Ciel." Lianna snapped back.
Ciel looked up at her with dull blue eyes and grinned. The look startled Lianna, who in turn took a half step back.
"Wh-what? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked nervously.
"So is that the name you would give me?" He asked still grinning. The young girl hesitated before nodding quickly.
"Yes, yes your name will be Ciel. After the late Lord of Phantomhive." She announced. All the fear was dashed away from her as she spoke the words.
"If that is what my lady commands, then I shall be Ciel." He said with a formal bow, one hand over his heart.
"Oh stop it. We are standing in an alley for gods sake not a ballroom. Stand up." She said. A slight blush warmed her pale cheeks and she straightened her skirt nervously. Straightening once again, Ciel, looked back at her with impassivity and asked,
"And what is on my Lady's schedule for today?"
"I have school in an hour. Then at 4:o'clock sharp I am to report to Madam Graydor for my mother. Her dress should be done before then but my mother is too sick to get it herself." She told him. Her eyes betraying the slightest hint of worry over the last. Then, as if she had come to a startling conclusion, she focused her eyes back on Ciel and said,
"Unless you can get it for me?" She rummaged through the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a cream folded slip of paper.
"Take this to Madam Graydor and tell her you are here for the dress my mother sent. It should have already been paid for." She continued handing him the note.
Ciel nodded and took the slip of paper, tucking it safely away in the breast pocket of his black over coat.
"As you wish my Lady." He only bowed half as low to her this time, keeping the gesture less formal than before.
"Will that be all?"
Lianna looked up at the windows of her home. They were dark and dirty as usual. Her mother had been too sick to leave her own bed for nearly a week, leaving the house hold chores for Lianna.
"Unless you can make my mother well again, then yes. That will be all." She said finally.
"Is that an order, my lady?" Ciel asked uncertain. Lianna shook her head.
"No it was a silly request. I don't expect anyone to be able to accomplish such a task." She answered quickly.
A small carriage bumped along the cobble streets past the alley just then as Ciel clicked open a familiar silver pocket watch.
"My Lady, it is getting late. You are going to miss your classes if you don't hurry." He said. Lianna looked at the watched and read the time. Her eyes widened as she realized,
"I've got to go. I'll be late!" And she was off. Her small brown boots cicking down the cobbled street as she burst into a run and out of sight.
Ciel grinned and clicked the pocket watch shut.
"The girl seems far more energetic than you ever did My Lord." Said a deep voice from the shadows. A man stepped forward dressed in a long black Swallows-tail coat. His black trousers pressed and crisp didn't show the slightest wrinkle or speck of dirt, regardless of the surrounding area.
"I fail to see what relevance any of this has, Sebastian." Ciel said in a voice that could easily be taken as annoyance.
"I simply wish to point out how full of life she seems. Regarding her living situation that is. And she seemed very eager to give you your old name, young master." Sebastian continued. His crow black hair swayed in front of red eyes with slit pupils.
Ciel waved off the comment.
"I have a job for you. Go and examine the young lady's mother. Diagnose her illness and take proper measures to see her well again." Then he added. "That's an order."
With a deep bow, the butler replied.
"As you wish My Lord." Before leaping to the window of the home that lead into Lianna's mother's room and disappeared inside.
Ciel took this opportunity to set off on his own task.
Madam Graydor's shop was small and surprisingly clean compared to the surrounding village. A decently sized sign hung flat against the building rather than jutting out into the street like so many others in inner London.
The bell attached to the door frame inside chimed merrily as Ciel Phantomhive entered the shop.
"I'll be there in just a moment." Called a weary old woman. Ciel took a moment to gather in the surrounding shop, but found nothing of interest among the hundreds of spools of thread and cloth that lined the walls.
An elderly looking woman with thinning grey hair, shuffled from the back of the shop to greet him.
"Well hello ther-. Ahh" Madam Graydor jumped at the sight of him, one hand clutching her chest. Then she relaxed.
"I'm so sorry dear. I thought I'd seen a ghost. You look so much like the young lord that passed away some time ago." She explained.
"I see." Ciel replied quietly.
"Well now, what can I do for you then?" She asked, changing the subject. Ciel pulled the slip of paper from his breast pocket and handed it to Madam Graydor.
"Lianna asked me to come and pick this up for her mother while she was away at school." He told her matter of factly.
Madam Graydor nodded and took the note reading it.
"Yes of corse. I have it right here in the back. Let me get it for you." She said before shuffling away.
Moments later she returned with a long box with the lid tucked neatly beneath it. Inside was a long blue house dress. Simple and clean but nothing special in anyway.
"The stitching was a little difficult to undo but the real challenge was finding a what to patch it without leaving a noticeable trace of it. I had to remake the whole bottom half." She said gesturing to the stitching along the waist.
Ciel nodded and replaced the lid on the box.
"I was told that payment had already been made." He said nonchalantly as he tucked the box under one arm.
Madam Graydor nodded.
"Yes but due to the amount of extra work, I'm afraid I'll have to increase the original price." Ciel stared at the old woman. He wasn't intimidating by any means of size or stature. But his piercing blue grey eyes were all he needed.
"O-of corse I don't mean to say that it needs to be paid this very moment. I-I mean, I trust it will be paid when the money is available." She stammered.
He nodded and turned to the door.
"I'll be sure to let the family know. Thank you for your patience Madam Graydor." He called as the door all but slammed behind him.
Back at the house, Sebastian had just poured a cup of herbal tea for Lianna's mother. Layla was her name, and she was sitting up in bed quietly looking out the window.
"Tell me again how you know my daughter." She said not taking her eyes from the grime encrusted glass.
"A mutual friend introduced us a few days ago. Your daughter is very thoughtful." He told the lie as easily as he handed her the cup of tea. Layla took the cup and sipped at its contents quietly.
"I still don't understand. You met my daughter only a few days ago and you have already taken time out of your day to help me? It's all very, strange." She said trying not to sound rude.
Sebastian smiled.
"Madam, I assure you it is of no trouble at all. Your daughter has a kind and caring heart. And I am simply one hell of a butler. My master asked that I assist you back to health and so I am here." He said gently. He stood at her bedside attentively but his eyes were drawn to the filth that had worked its way into the home from outside.
"Well then I should extend my thanks to both you and your master." She said sipping the tea again. Not long after, Layla fell into a deep sleep and Sebastin removed the now empty cup and saucer from her hands.
Not able to stand the filth any longer, Sebastian Michealis set to work doing what he did best. In mere minutes the house was cleaned and near sparkling. The floors had been scrubbed down to the lacker with lethal efficiency as the butler hated filth. The counter tops of the kitchen shown bright with their old newness as if they had been replaced entirely. The rooms were cleaned and the garbage done away with properly.
It was in the master bedroom where Sebastian found something rather disturbing.
Strewn about on various surfaces of the room was a large number of empty bottles. The room smelled of foul alcohol. Sebastian began to consider that the young Lianna and her mother, may be in a worse state than he had first considered upon meeting them. Sebastian quickly dashed away the thought and continued his work.
The front door opened just then and a familiar scent filled Sebastian's senses.
Straightening his coat, he headed down the steps to meet his master.
"My orders were to see to it that Lianna's mother is well again." Ciel said examining the room around him.
"Yes and your orders have been followed as usual. However a part of what is causing the mother's illness is the filth strewn about in this home." Sebastian said.
"If you say so." Ciel replied. "If you are finished, I'd like to leave." He continued, leaving a long box on the now spotless kitchen table. He turned for the door but was beaten to it by his butler who held it open for him.
"Yes, My Lord."
Lianna hurried home as quickly as she could, tripping over loose cobbles on more than one occasion. She ran into a man with a walking stick who swung it in her direction. Lianna, lying on the ground, was helpless and couldn't get her feet beneath her fast enough. The walking stick came down hard and fast. Liana closed her eyes and prepared for the impact. Instead, there was none.
Opening her eyes, Lianna saw that the walking stick hung in the air inches from her body. The man wore an expression of shock and disgust. Following his gaze to a hand that held his wrist. The hand was small but firm. The nails tipped in black.
"What kind of man raises a hand to a woman? Even worse, tries to beat her with a walking stick in the street?" Said a familiar voice. Lianna's eyes slid along the arm of the hand that had saved her and found Ciel. He was nearly half the size of the man he now held. The man yanked his arm free of Ciel's grip.
"Maybe you want a beating too?" The man threatened. He raised the walking stick over his head but was stopped yet again.
Lianna couldn't believe her eyes. Now standing behind the angry man was a tall slender man dressed as a butler.
"But good sir. You wouldn't want to draw any attention to yourself would you?" Asked the butler in a much louder voice than normal. Anyone who hadn't been watching already, turned to look at the spectacle in the middle of the street.
The angry man shook in the butler's grip. The butler was easily a head taller than him and had a grip like iron shackles. The man was at a loss for words. What had once been a routine whipping had turned into a performance of humiliation in only a few short moments.
The butler relinquished the man's arm and stared him down. The man shook in fear and scurried away like a frightened rat.
"Are you alright My Lady?" Asked Ciel who stooped to help her stand again.
"Yes, thank you Ciel." She turned to look at the butler that had helped them.
"And to you as well mister...?" She left the end as a question.
"Sebastian Michealis. I am a servant of Master Ciel." He said bowing low. It was the same formal bow that Ciel had performed earlier that morning.
"My thanks Sebastian." Lianna said finally. "What are you two doing here?" She asked. She continued to walk in the direction of home to which her new companions followed.
"Your mother's dress is at home and she is on her way to better health." Ciel replied. His voice sounded certain of the last which stopped Lianna midstep.
"You actually did it?" She asked stunned. Ciel turned slightly and gestured to Sebastian who had been following close behind.
"Actually, Sebastian took care of that one for me." He explained. Sebastian bowed his head slightly and gave her a small smile.
"It was no trouble. Your mother is resting and should be better within the next night or two." Sebastian told her. "Not being the cause but also no help, the home was filled with dirt and mold from the dampness of the building. I took the liberty of removing both to help accelerate her healing process."
Lianna couldn't believe it. Her mother was going to be alright again.
"I hope I am not over stepping myself but, is your father around?" Sebastian asked.
Lianna's joyful revelry shattered at the mention of her father.
"You have overstepped, Sebastian." Ciel snapped in reply.
"No, it's alright. Actually that is part of why I asked for our contract, Ciel. My father is a drunk but he's been gone." By this point she had continued to walk home. The house was just across the street now and she picked up the pace.
"He drinks constantly and never stops. After he's had his fill, he becomes extremely violent. At first it was just my mother, and then he started beating me." Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she pushed open the front door and lead them inside.
"The night we met," she was addressing Ciel now but stopped to take in the cleanliness of her home.
"You...you did all of this?" She said sliding her fingers over the table top.
"Of corse. If I couldn't do this much for my master, what sort of butler would I be?" Sebastian replied. Ciel rolled his eyes and sat at the table.
"Lianna, what was it you were saying about the night we met?" Ciel prompted.
"Right," she said, turning her attention back to Ciel, and sat across from him.
"The night we met. My father had invited some of his friends over. They all started drinking. I hoped he would be different with more people around, but instead it was worse. He beat my mother to unconsciousness and then turned to me. His friends didn't stop him. Instead they helped him." The tears came faster now causing the scarlet hair to stick where it hung to frame her face. Her eyes grew red as she tried not to cry. Ciel pulled a slate grey handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Lianna who dabbed at her eyes to dry them.
Then Ciel did something that no one would have expected from him. Kneeling before the young girl, he took her hand in both of his and bowed his head.
"Our contract states that I must remove those that would do you harm and obey your command until the time of your death." He looked up at her and continued. "This man and his friends have become targets of the contract. So it is my duty to carry out their sentence."
Lianna gasped at his words. She knew he was bound to their contract but she never thought it would actually happen.
"Give me your command, My Lady." Ciel said firmly. Lianna hesitated a moment. Her hand clenched around the handkerchief. Finally she stood, lifting the front of her blouse to reveal a pentacle tattoo that encircled her navel and spoke.
"Ciel, this is an order. Find and eliminate my father, James K. Abbot and those that had been with him the night our contract was formed." Her voice was strong and confidant. It did not shake in the slightest. Not even with rage.
Ciel stood and smiled. His eyes glowed red and his pupils thinned to slits. There was a cold glow from his wrist on his right arm where his own contract seal blazed under the order of his Mistress. With a smile of the likes no human could create, Ciel spoke.
"Yes, My Lady."