His eyes traced along the occupant of the worn, decaying rock, molded into a small bench. He stood directly in front of the boy who had been carefully observing his every movement, his every breath for the past few minutes.
His hands flexed momentarily, bloodied knuckles popping audibly with the relaxing movement. He blinked slowly, cinnamon eyes morphing into a sickly shade of magenta while black slits decorated the center of his discerning eyes. His standard uniform had been tarnished by the blood of the foes that had been made his when he signed that contract.
The boy stared at him, bursting with enough emotion to rival that of the dead. His hands were speckled with black soot and thick grease from the old bridge, but none of the dirt managed to snag onto the expensive, specially-designed garments. A shiver crept through his spine from the cold, night air even when he tried to dismiss it. A speck of dirt on the button of a small, curved nose would have been considered cute if the situation had not been so morbid.
He had known that this day would come. He knew from the moment he saw the creature. It had been looming over his head since that moment.
He had spent much time and much money for that day, preparing the Funtom Company, training his servants to aid the next family head with the most efficiency possible, cleaning the streets of London with a brutally vigilant eye. But he could only prepare himself so much for this particular moment.
"Young Master," The demon began, ghostly voice insinuating the inevitable,"It is time." Hungry fuchsia met dignified sapphire when they finally locked eyes.
"I am aware." He affirmed.
Then, with a small gulp, he gave the unnecessary slip of permission. "Take it, then...your payment."
At the command, the demon stalked towards the boy, painfully reminiscent of his true nature despite the human-looking shell.
Ciel could feel nothing, no fear, no worries, no joy, no sadness. Nothing, except for the burning, unexpected reliefcoursing wildly through his veins. It made him want to sag back into the bench. A completely uncharacteristic movement. One would think that adrenaline would rush through him, making him want to run for the fear of it all. But it wasn't like that. He was so incredibly relieved that it was over. Everything, while it had not gone entirely to plan, was finished. He never had to go through it again.
Sebastian leaned forward, his nose almost brushing the boy's, "Yes..my lord." He said, fluid as ever.
Those were the final words. But what he didn't know was how soon he'd say them again.
It had only taken a few days for his service to be requested.
It had been another child.
A female in fact. One with choppy black hair that barely reached past her ears and covered the top of large, ice-hued eyes.
She looked like a worker from a salt mill. Her clothes were worn and the color, previously white, had faded to a dull tan. And they slumped around her slight form, creating a variety of wrinkles to form. He caught the scent of old lavender soap and noticed that her hair was damp. She had not been asleep when she called for him, despite the slight fog of drowsiness slowly dissipating from her eyes.
He barely cast a glance at the room around him. He already knew what the place looked like by heart, as he had been called there multiple times. The whole area was without any vibrant color, save for the abundant, falling feathers, jet-black in contrast with the white of the room.
Now fully coherent, her eyes moved wildly, examining the room with an urgency. The eery sight of feathers falling past her feet even as she remained standing gave her mild goosebumps. She then craned her neck to stare at a ceiling that did not exist and gazed downward at the nothing that supported her feet. And after she was satisfied with her inspection, an expression of disbelief manifested on her face.
He was clad in all black and held his true form of a demon.
With narrowed eyes, he began the process. "What is it that you want?"
He observed the tensing of her shoulders while her eyes widened more than they already had.
She had seen his teeth. Sharp. And capable of ripping out her pale throat without any effort. And she had heard his voice which, because of the echo in the room, sounded as if it was creeping closer with every syllable.
She took only a few seconds to respond. But in that time, he briefly wondered about what she could want.
Money, fame, revenge. Although there were many different desires that his previous masters had, each of them fit into one of those categories. He assumed that she would be no different.
Hopefully, although he was not one to believe in such things as 'hope', he would be in for another treat. He had greatly enjoyed playing with his previous master. Maybe, he could get a streak going.
She finally locked eyes with the demon, a foolish mistake."W-what? Who are you?" The young raven-haired girl gasped out, confused. It was often that her hearing was dulled by fear. And there was plenty of that available.
"That which you have summoned." He stated as if it was completely normal to summon a demon. Which it wasn't, but he wasn't going to tell her so. One did not frighten a deer if they wanted dinner.
His eyes narrowed marginally. The first few times he had done this, it had been amusing. The frighted human, the stuttering, the shivering, as if something had liberally poured freezing water upon the poorly dressed girl. Ciel had responded with such enthusiasm, such thirst for his demonic power, and he had appreciated the hiatus from the normal.
Having nothing better to do, he counted the number of times she blinked. An excessive sum. "I summoned you?" The disbelief in her inquiry was blatantly obvious, and the way her large, doe-like eyes widened had given it away as well.
He inspected the rest of her distastefully. He had lived long enough to know that looks were not to be trusted. His life as a butler was a perfect example. But he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Her soul, he knew, was high quality. He could sense those types of things. And with a small amount of wok on his part, he could manipulate it into a fine meal. But she did not reek adventure and intrigue like Ciel had.
With a bored, prolonged blink, "Yes. You summoned me because you have a wish that I can accomplish." He explained fluidly.
"What do you want in return?" She had calmed down slightly. Her posture wasn't as tense. She had begun simply acting out of curiosity.
"I will eat your soul." No point in dallying or sugar-coating anything.
Although, he had to admit, it was interesting. Ciel hadn't asked that question before making the contract; he had been too rushed during the first meeting to sort out even the simplest of details and too frenzied from fear and lust of strength to care.
"But.. you'll help me?" She confirmed, not quite believing in the remarkable situation and timing.
"Yes. Do you wish to make the deal?" He had to be sure. He didn't want to get backed out on midway. It only made the task that much more boring. (There is a joke somewhere about backing out making the task more lifeless.)
"Really?" She couldn't help herself. Her jaw dropped in disbelief and pale blue eyes went wide with happiness at the mere thought of his help. The thin ray of light peeking through the clouds. Although in truth, he was no such blessing. He would ultimately be the cause of her demise, but she couldn't begin to process anything besides the hope he brought her with his declarations of success.
He could hold his promises, he knew, but whether or not she kept hers was what he was waiting to see. Enthusiasm was nice, but endurance was better. He knew she reserved the first quality, but there was no sign of the other. There was time to discover her secrets. He had a full stomach and had brusquely learned that a little patience would pay off.
"I do not joke." Not that much anyway.
"Yes, yes, of course." Those words were uttered quickly, almost without thought as his new master was considering the endless possibilities with a demon at her side.
(A/N) Now, this story will be written as an AU about what would have happened if Sebastian really did eat Ciel's soul at the end of the first season of the anime. Like almost every other fan fiction author, I do enjoy reviews if you are willing to give them.
