Whassup, my peeps? Okay, never doing that again. The point is, this is a Vocaloid/Kuroshitsuji crossover! Really sad, depressing, and a little bit disgusting. Read, read, read on!
100 years before the Phantomhive tragedy…
A young boy was crouching in an alley, gnawing on his first meal in ages. You wouldn't think this interesting, except the food the boy was gnawing on was a poor human's soul. And boy was a demon. His bright hair contrasted with the darkness around him. He licked his lips with satisfaction, then felt a strange tugging in his gut.
Am I… being summoned? The small demon had only been born a few weeks ago, and had never formed a contract with a human. He felt himself being pulled out of his body and flew towards the source. He laughed gleefully as the wind rushed past him. He stopped when he arrived, hovering over a person below. He had an anxious expression on his face, and looked up as if expecting something. Oh! He must be waiting for me!
The boy took a deep breath, and whispered in a breeze-like tone, "Why have you summoned me, mortal?"
The man jumped, then cleared his throat. "You- are you the demon?"
"Yes. Do you wish to make a contract?"
The man seemed to almost relax when he heard the boy's response. "You have a marvelous voice," He said.
The boy chuckled, pleased with the compliment. "Thank you."
"Surely you have a form to accompany your voice." The man crooned. "You may be a devil, but you sound like an angel."
The boy blushed deeply, then relented. "Well, yes. I do."
"Oh, then please show me," The man begged.
The boy felt something in his mind, telling him not to. Everything will be fine, he told himself. "Very well." The boy floated down to the ground, taking a form that was almost human; one he used when he wanted to scare people without revealing his true form.
"Oh!" The man gasped. He circled the boy, taking in every angle. "Your hair! Such a beautiful shade of violet. And your eyes… A mixture of colors; blue, green, red, yellow." The man piled flattery upon flattery onto the boy, until he couldn't take it any more.
"Yes, I am quite beautiful. But, why did you summon me? Surely not to look at me."
"Oh, no," The man agreed. Then, his smile turned into something completely vile. "I brought you here so I could catch you."
"What-?" The boy tried to jump away from the man, but his feet were held fast. The man chuckled.
"Don't you think I would be prepared if I was summoning a demon? This spell is more than powerful enough to contain you."
The boy's eyes flashed red, his pupils turning into slits. "Let me go," He said in a voice much deeper than before. The man simply smiled.
"Ah, yes. Those horns will be very good, I think. Perfect." He grabbed the boy's arm and began to pull him away.
"Where are you taking me?" The boy demanded. Try as he might, he couldn't change back into either his true form or full human form.
"Don't worry," The man said. "I've already gotten a friend for you, so you won't be alone when you perform."
The boy was led deep into the woods. When they arrived, the boy had already figured out where they were. A circus. The man through him into a cage, and he landed next to another form.
"Ichibanme Akuma, meet Nibanme Akuma." He laughed as he slammed the cage door shut. "Have fun! Oh, and please don't eat each other."
The violet boy rolled over, finally able to move. He sat up, and the other person sat up, too. He was a young boy was well, but with bright yellow hair. The violet boy held out his hand. "Hello."
"Are you… a demon, too?" The yellow boy asked.
"Yes." The violet boy nodded sadly. "Why does he want us?"
"We're his 'monsters'. He calls us his 'Singing Devil Children'."
"Why?"
"Because we are supposed to sing for him."
"Sing?"
"Yes. Well, for him and all the people that come to see this circus."
The violet boy gulped. "Do you… know what sort of spell he used?"
"Sort of. The source of the spell is inside an altar in his tent, but no one is allowed near it. The spell makes us do whatever he says, and we can't harm him in any way." The yellow boy shrugged. "I see he caught you in half-form, too."
"Yeah." The violet boy stopped. "What's your name?"
"First Devil is what he calls me."
"No," The violet one shook his head. "Not what he calls you. What's your real name?"
The yellow boy shrugged again. "I don't have one. I was only born a few weeks ago."
"Me, too." The violet boy had an idea. "Well, then, let's make up names. Names we can call each other by."
"Alright…" The yellow boy thought. "I guess I could be…"
"You can pick any name you want."
"...Claude," The yellow boy said finally. The violet boy nodded.
"And I'll be… Sebastian." He smiled slightly at the thought. "Yes, I like that name."
"It's a very nice name," Claude encouraged.
"Yes, it is. And so is Claude," Sebastian added. Then he began to look around at what was outside of the cage. "Who are the others?"
"They're just humans," Claude said with disgust.
"Humans? But… they don't look like humans."
"That's because the people mutated them." He said this almost gleefully.
"How?" Sebastian's eyes widened. He didn't actually care much about the children, but humans did sort of fascinate him.
"You see that one?" He pointed at a strange figure clutching at the bars of its cage. "A brother and a sister, but they only have one body." The figure's head rose, revealing a sad-looking yellow boy. "His sister is the other head." Another head rose; that of a smiling, almost insane-looking yellow girl.
"Oh…" Sebastian watched, because he didn't want Claude to think him strange, but was inwardly disgusted by the thought.
"And that one," He pointed to a slumped figure, who seemed to be gnawing on something. The boy's blue hair was the only thing visible. "He's got the brain of a dog. He eats human flesh." Claude grinned. "And the girl," He pointed again to a shivering heap in the cage closest to them. "They replaced her legs with the legs of a goat. He makes her dance and prance about."
"That sounds terrible," Sebastian murmured. Then, he looked up and saw something on Claude's face. "What is that?"
"Oh," Claude gingerly touched the festering wound on his cheek. "There's this… liquid. If we don't do what he wants, he throws it at us. It burns the skin, even on me."
"Ow," Sebastian grimaced at the thought. Then, he thought of something else. "We don't have to eat, but what does he feed the children?"
"Why do you care?" Claude rolled his eyes. "I think rotten fruit, if they're lucky. If not, stale, moldy bread."
"Wouldn't that kill them?"
Claude shrugged. "I suppose. If they do die, the Master can feed their corpses to the dog-boy." He paused. "What is this interest in the humans? They die; it's what they do best. You should be more worried about escaping."
"How can we escape?" Sebastian asked, trying not to mention the humans again. Claude shook his head.
"There's no way. I've tried everything."
"Oh…" Sebastian trailed off, and the two demons spent the rest of the night in silence.
"Psst…" Sebastian called out to the green girl in the cage next to him. He glanced over at Claude, to make sure he was asleep, then called out again. "Hey… girl…"
The girl looked up, surprised. "H- hello?"
Sebastian waved weakly. "Hi. I'm Sebastian."
"My name is Miku," She said in a hoarse voice. "Are you… are you the demon Master caught yesterday?"
"Yes," He admitted. The girl's eyes widened.
"You're a real demon?" When he nodded, she got excited. "Then… you're strong enough to break out of here, right?" He shook his head sadly.
"I can't do anything Master doesn't tell me to."
"Oh," She said, her face falling.
"I'm sorry," He tried to comfort her, but he knew he couldn't. She just nodded.
"Oh, it's fine," She said, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. "I know we'll never get out. I just..."
Sebastian tried to change the subject. "So… do you know the others?"
Miku nodded. "Yes. I met them right before we came here." She pointed to the blue boy. "His name is- was Kaito." She smiled sadly. "He was so nice before they took him away…" She cleared her throat, wiping her eyes. "The twins over there. The boy is Len, and the girl is Rin. Len tries everyday to come up with a plan to escape, but he always fails. Mostly because Rin won't go with him. She… she's beginning to go mad. She acts like this place is so much fun, and says she never wants to leave."
"What's wrong with Len's…?"
Miku saw what Sebastian was staring at. "Everytime he tries to escape, Master takes him into his tent and…" She trails off. "I don't know what happens, but every night I hear screaming. It might be that acid Master throws at us."
"And… that cage over there?"
Miku looked over. "Oh. That's Rinto and Lenka's cage. They were Rin and Len's cousins, but they were turned into beasts."
"Like Kaito?"
Miku nodded. "Except they have the minds of lions. They do tricks for the people who come to see."
"Oh." Sebastian couldn't help but stare at the girl. "Miku… why did they do it?"
Her eyes filled with tears. "I- I don't know!" She began to sob. "They- they took me away and locked me in a white room. One by one, we were led out and never came back. When I woke, I was locked in this cage with the others."
"I'm so sorry…" Sebastian said soothingly.
"And it hurts! It hurts so much…" She whimpered. "And I can't say a word about it! Master always wakes up with a terrible hangover because he drunk too much the night before. If we so much as look at him, he beats us. We're not children to him, we're monsters. Misshapen devils, unholy creatures of deformity." She sniffled loudly. "Sometimes… sometimes I wish I could just die. Just end all of this."
Sebastian couldn't think of a single thing to say. He had never encountered a human he felt sorry for, but now he just wanted to help all of these children. But I can't do that locked up. He sank down onto the dirty ground, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep; the sound of soft crying staying with him until morning.
"On your feet, akuma," The Master kicked Sebastian's side hard. He winced, but stood. "Come on, we have a show tonight and you need to learn your song. I won't have your friend be the only one doing his job around here."
As the three entered Master's tent, Sebastian noticed the strange stains on the walls. They were dark red. Hidden behind boxes, he could make out what looked like a black altar. He glanced at Claude, who nodded. Sebastian would have tried to destroy it then and there, but he had figured out that Claude would have done that a long time ago if he could. So, he stood before the Master's desk, where a small harp sat. The Master plucked a few strings, making sure it was in tune, then turned his cold gaze onto Sebastian.
"Now, sing this note."
Sebastian tried his best, but couldn't quite reach it. "I'm… sorry, sir. I can't."
"Did I tell you to give up?" The Master reached across the desk and cuffed his ear. Sebastian winced. "Maybe that'll make your hearing better. I said, sing this note."
Sebastian tried at least five more times, the Master hitting his every time he missed, until he finally got it.
"Good. You're not a complete idiot." The Master then gave him another note. Sebastian sang it. The Master played a scale, and Sebastian hit every one. The Master nodded. "Now, sing this.
"Deep in the woods, far beyond light of day
Is the most wonderful circus
The attractions will wipe all your tears away
Drop by and see,
See the Dark Woods Circus"
Sebastian sang along, getting almost every note. The Master applauded, then stood and walked around to stand next to him. "Good." Sebastian had no time to react as the Master grabbed a glass beaker from the desk and splashed it across the boy's face.
"Agh!" Sebastian cried out, unable to stop himself from falling to his knees. The liquid burned his face, his eyes, his nose. A bit dripped into his mouth, and he felt like he was choking on fire.
"...if you were trying to fail!" The Master continued, his face twisted into a malicious grin. "Now, listen closely, little akuma," He knelt by the boy, a knife appearing in his hand. He shoved it under Sebastian's chin, forcing him to look up. "When I tell you to sing something, you make no mistakes. No mistakes, is that clear?"
Sebastian gurgled, trying to answer. "Y- yes…" He coughed, blood dribbling down his chin.
"Yes what?" The Master dug the knife deeper, cutting the boy's pale skin.
"Yes… sir…" He gasped as the Master stood back up.
"Good." He went back behind his desk. "Stand up!" Sebastian scrambled to his feet. He looked to Claude, but the other boy's face was expressionless. The Master plucked another string on the harp. "Now, sing this. And remember," He waggled the knife right in front of Sebastian's eyes. "No mistakes this time."
Day after day, the "monsters" practiced their parts. Day after day, the Master punished them. Night after night, the people came and laughed at them. This continued for weeks.
Sebastian, whose hair was once shiny and violet now was caked with dirt and dried blood. The young demon who had once loved every shade of any color now despised everything colorful. The circus lights were too bright at night, and every time he tried to sleep all he could see was the flaring, bright colors. He hated them, hated this place, hated the Master. But still, he tried to comfort the others. Every night he would speak to Miku, and the two would keep each other from breaking down.
Then, one day, someone different came to the circus. A man with lovely brown hair came to the circus. He took one look at Miku, and then disappeared into the Master's tent. A few minutes later, he emerged with a key. The door to Miku's cage creaked open, and the man held out his arms to the girl.
"Who- who are you?"
The man smiled gently. "My name is Kiyoteru. I'm here to take you away."
"What…?" Miku stammered, but slowly stepped out. The man gave her his arm, and led her to a carriage. Miku glanced back as she passed Sebastian. "I'm sorry I can't take you," She whispered.
Sebastian's eyes were stinging. His only friend was leaving. But he wiped his eyes and smiled bravely. "Don't be. Please have a good life, Miku."
She stepped away from Kiyoteru's grasp for a second, and reached out to Sebastian. He leaned close, so his face was pressed against the bars. She bent down and kissed his forehead. "Goodbye, Sebastian," She said, then turned and left with the man.
Even after she had driven away, Sebastian stood by the bars, staring into the distance. "Miku…" He whispered.
"You idiot!" Claude spoke up. He weakly smacked Sebastian across the face.
"What?"
"You could have grabbed her! Held her until the man let us go! Something!"
"I- I didn't…"
"Because you weren't thinking about escaping. You were thinking about her. That's exactly what ruined our only chance!"
"I'm sorry," Sebastian hung his head. Claude rolled his eyes, flopping down onto the ground.
"Well, you should be. Now we have to think of something else to get us out."
"And by 'us', you mean all of us, right?"
Claude shook his head. "No. I mean us two. I'm not going to waste my opportunity on some mortal."
"Why not?"
Claude glared. "Because I don't care about them. And neither should you." The rest of the day was silent.
Timing can be very convenient. Not one week after Miku had been rescued, a disease broke out among the children. One by one, they were taken away in the night. The first one to go was the girl who handed out tickets; a girl named Gumi. Then Kaito dropped in the dead of night, letting out one last howl before he fell silent. Slowly, one by one, all but Rin and Len died. And then, one morning…
"Hmm…" Sebastian rolled over in his sleep. Then he sat up, remembering what had happened the night before. Len had started coughing uncontrollably, and Rin began scratching at her skin until it bled. He looked over at the twins' cage, only to find it gone. "No…" He sat up. "Claude! Claude! They're all gone! They've all…"
He turned, and saw nothing but a small pile of straw. "...Claude?" He called out louder. "Claude!"
"Quiet!" The Master came out of his tent, carrying a pile of boxes. He nearly threw them into his carriage, then unlocked Sebastian's cage. "Come on, we've got to move."
"What- where's Claude?"
"The other demon?" The Master sighed in annoyance. "Dead, just like the rest of them. Dropped dead last night, along with those poor excuses for twins."
Sebastian's eyes widened, but said nothing. As the carriage began to go, he felt his anger rising.
Claude couldn't have died from that disease! He's immortal. So that means he escaped. Sebastian ground his teeth, his fists clenched. He left me behind! That two-timing, backstabbing, dishonest little-
He pulled at his hair, groaning. Now I'll never be free.
"I said quiet, you little rodent!" The Master called back. "I don't want to hear another peep out of you!" Sebastian could hear the grin in his voice. "You've got to save that voice of yours for tonight."
The show was starting. The Master was pushing Sebastian, trying to get him onto the stage. Sebastian knew it would probably cost him a world of pain later, but he wouldn't go on.
"I can't! I need Claude!" Even though he hated the other boy for leaving him behind, Sebastian knew he couldn't sing without him. Claude's voice stood out more and made up for the occasional mistakes Sebastian made. "Please don't make me go out there!" He dropped to his knees, begging.
"You get out there right now, you little piece of trash!" He whispered fiercely. He gave one final shove, and Sebastian went sprawling onto the stage.
The restless crowd fell silent as Sebastian shakily got to his feet. He shut his eyes, unable to move. He couldn't sing. He couldn't.
"Mama!" A voice cried out. "He looks like a demon!" Sebastian cringed as the other people in the crowd began murmuring.
"He's terrifying, alright."
"Those horns can't be real, can they?"
"They look real to me!"
"Ow!" He cried as someone in the audience leapt onto the stage and pulled hard on his horns.
"Oh, they're real." The boy called, jumping down before he could get in trouble. "He must be the son of the devil himself!"
Sebastian collapsed, his shoulders shaking. Tears stung his eyes and burned his festering skin as they fell onto his deformed face.
"Get up!" Someone in the crowd jeered.
"On your feet!" Another yelled.
"Worthless monster!"
Sebastian raised his head at a familiar sound. "Rinto… Lenka…?" The growling got louder, then an unbearable pain tore through his body. His shirt ripped under the lion's sharp claws.
No… they're dead.
"Get up, Nibanme Akuma!" Master called out. The lion scratched him again, deep wounds running down his back. Sebastian felt his blood surging through his body. He let out a deep growl, his eyes starting to glow. "Oh, no you don't!" Master grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and held him out to the crowd. "Do you know what I've heard? If you throw enough rocks at a demon to make him bleed, he'll turn into a butterfly!"
The audience roared with laughter, some of the rougher boys already picking stones off the ground. The Master quickly tied Sebastian's hands behind one of the support poles for the curtain. "Come on, then! Let's see if it works!"
The hail of stones came on the young boy in heavy waves. He shut his eyes tightly, blood, tears, and sweat running down his face. He didn't dare call out for help; who would help a devil child, anyways? The pain was so terrible, he soon slumped to the ground, nearly unconscious. The Master turned back to the crowd.
"I am deeply sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but it seems my singing devil is feeling a bit ill tonight. But, I promise you he will be fine tomorrow!" He gave an extravagant bow, smiling broadly. Then he waved for his helpers to usher the crowd out. He bent down next to Sebastian and untied him.
"Get up," He muttered, kicking at the boy's broken form. Sebastian slowly rose, his legs nearly giving out beneath him.
They both walked into the Master's tent, and the Master closed the flap behind him. "Now," He said, turning to Sebastian. "What am I going to do with you?" He shook his head, almost smiling. "You are a disgrace!" He snapped. Sebastian shivered as the words cut him like a knife.
"I- I-"
"Oh, what am I thinking?" He turned away for a second, and brought back a glass vial. "You must be thirsty. Here, have a drink!"
Sebastian couldn't hold it in any longer. He screamed as the acid burned his skin; long and loud. He screamed until his throat gave out, and even then he tried to scream more. He screamed out all the hatred he had held in for the last three months, screamed for all of his friends he had watched die before his eyes, he screamed at Claude for leaving him in this place, he screamed for all the pain he had endured and for the fear he had every night before he fell asleep. But, most of all, he screamed at his tormentor whom he would never escape. Never, never, never. He screamed for a full five minutes before he fell to the ground, sobbing. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. He could hardly breathe. All he could do was sit and sob.
"Pitiful," The Master scorned. "A powerful, feared being like you, reduced to this. The least you could do is-"
He stopped, his head whipping around to meet a young boy with light blond hair peeking into the tent. One of the boy's eyes was covered in a bandage, but the other one was bright blue. "Oh… hello little one. Are you lost?"
The boy nodded. "I was trying to find the others I came with, but I couldn't. I was hoping you could-"
"No!" Sebastian managed to cough out. "Please… run…"
"What-?" The boy stepped into the tent, his eye full of curiosity.
"What's you name, boy?" The Master asked.
"Oliver," He said.
"Ah. A wonderful name."
"Oliver!" Sebastian cried from his place on the ground. He remembered something had seen the first time he had entered this place. "This man will try to hurt you. But please, if you want to get out of here then push over that black altar back there!"
"Black what?"
The Master lunged for the boy, but Sebastian pounced on him. He held on tightly. It didn't matter what happened now. He had to make sure the Master wouldn't take anyone else. Oliver saw what Sebastian had described and ran over to it. He strained and grunted, but managed to topple the altar.
"No!"
Sebastian felt a surge of energy course through him. His vision went red, and he felt himself rising off the floor. The Master tried to back away, but Sebastian wouldn't let him. The air filled with the sound of the Master's screams. Sebastian chuckled, feeling powerful once more. "Your screams are like music to my ears, sir." He reached for the sniveling man, and felt his fingers wrap around his throat. He squeezed, tighter and tighter, until he heard a sickening snap. Then he began tearing at the limp body of the Ringmaster. Each piece that flew off was revenge for each person he had tortured. After this was finished, he reached deep into the man's chest and began to devour his soul.
Finally, Sebastian's vision cleared. He stood in the midst of a unrecognizable pile of skin and bones. He turned, and saw Oliver standing in the corner, staring at him with a terrified look on his face.
"You- you-"
"You're safe now," Sebastian lowered his voice. His form was now fully human, so as not to scare the boy any further.
"But-" Oliver gulped. "What- what are you?"
Sebastian smiled grimly. "I am one hell of a circus monster." He turned away, knowing he was making the boy even more frightened. "You'd best run. Run away and never look back."
Sebastian fell to his knees, exhausted. All he could think of was the unearthly screams he had released earlier, and what had caused it. He couldn't live with these images. He stared down at his hands, then nodded slowly. He would end this form. He couldn't live in peace if he stayed like this.
He dug into his skin, the flesh tearing and bleeding. He ignored the pain and kept on, until every single trace of his old form was gone. Then, he stood carefully. He glanced in the mirror leaning against the Master's desk. The person who was reflected had no resemblance to the old Sebastian. This person looked older. His hair was no longer a bright shade of violet, but a dark black. And his eyes, once so full of life, a dull, lifeless brown.
He looked at himself for a moment, then turned and ran out. He never looked back, not once did he glance behind him.
Because he knew if he did, all he would see would be the screaming faces of his friends.
A few weeks later, Sebastian felt himself being summoned again. This time, he was very cautious. But who had summoned him was the biggest surprise of his life.
"...Miku?"
The green girl was lying on her bed, blood everywhere. She looked up and saw him as he materialized. "Se...bastian?"
"What happened?" He asked, kneeling next to her. He notice then her arms were gone, as well as her legs.
"I told you…" She whispered, "I knew I couldn't… take it…" She took a shuddering breath. "I couldn't… live like that. I… finished it."
"No…" He stroked her face, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You look… different." She smiled sadly. "More… sad. And… dark."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you," He choked.
"Sebastian…" She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please… finish it. I can't… it hurts… so much…"
He closed his eyes, all the weight of his breaking heart resting on his sigh. "I…" He nodded. "I will end it for you, Miku." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispering into her hair, "Your sorrows are over, my friend."
She sighed softly, closing her eyes. Then, she was gone.
Sebastian left then. He couldn't bear to stay. But he cried for so long afterwards that he forgot what it felt like to be carefree.
Okay... really depressing. Yeah. Sorry if I made of you guys cry. I know I cried when I wrote this. Please review!
Also, I know the names Claude and Sebastian were given to them by their masters, but I didn't want to make you confused and I didn't know what else to call them. The names just fit, ya know?