General Story information.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or any of the characters.

Also the cannons are intentionally going to be OOC.

Set AU

Would also like to point out that there will be a lot of violence and foul language from the start.

Also some content of a sexual nature.

Some sensitive topics touched too.

Any characters that are presumed dead in the anime/manga, or are dead in the anime/manga are not for the purpose of this fic. Unless I decide that they are.

Read at your own risk. It's rated M for a reason.

Though if you do decide to read, please enjoy.

Note: it will take a few chapters for the story to get going, so I apologise if, for now, the story doesn't seem to fit the title I have given it.

Chapter 1

"Stop running you little fucking prick." The voices called, chasing the panicking boy as he ran from the group. He ran. Ciel ran, as fast, and as far as he could possibly run.

The moon was set high in the sky, as the sound of running steps came ever closer to the boy, but Ciel kept running, he had to get away. He didn't want them to catch him, he couldn't let them catch him.

The sound of his breath was harsh against the cold bitter, winters scenery, the snow crunching underfoot as he took a sharp turning into a local park. He didn't know how much longer he could keep running, his chest was getting awfully tight, and breathing was becoming more of an issue, but Ciel ran through the park and into an alleyway on the opposite side.

I lost them the boy thought, hoping that he had lost them. Or that they had given up the chase. Either way he hoped that the bastards were no longer behind him.

He crouched to the ground hugging his knees to his chest, trying to steady himself as he became weaker and more breathless. He tried to right his breathing. Not that the boys panic-ridden state was much help to that. He hyperventilated slightly, trying with all his might to calm. But he soon found himself having to run again.

"He went this way boys!" a loud voice shouted as Ciel struggled to his feet, he needed to keep running. More footsteps could be heard coming towards the boy as they trampled on the freshly fallen snow.

Ciel was going to collapse, if the boys didn't catch up with him any time soon, he could feel it, each and every breath causing a sharp stabbing sensation in his chest as his lungs failed to fill to their optimum capacity.

Fuck Ciel thought to himself, I can't go on anymore. He slipped into another side alley and hid between a couples of bins. Crouching down again, and curling up into a ball hoping for the boys to just run right past him. His breathing paining him more. Why can't they just leave me alone?

"Where did the little shit go?!" one boy screamed as the group reached a small clearing, the one downside to that clearing, there were three paths Ciel could have taken.

"Crap" Another hissed. "We'll have to split up in order to find him"

"Well what are you standing around for?" The ringleader snapped. Several of the other lads made move to go and search down the alleys.

"Why don't we just wait?" The shyest member of the group spoke up. "He's asthmatic, and the weathers cold. If we listen carefully we could hear the wheezing that is his breathing, if he's having trouble breathing that is. If not then we wait for any movements in the snow. After all if he can hear our footsteps then we can certainly hear his."

"Who asked for your opinion" The one who was the loudest member of the group snarled, looking to the boy ready to backhand him.

"Wait" the ring leader said, stopping the other. "He has a point." The other looked at the boy.

"Fine" He somewhat sighed melodramatically, not really happy with having to wait around, the fact that it was snowing made this more tiring. "The boy can't wait forever." He hoped at least that they would have the boy before any of the group contracted hypothermia.

Ciel, upon hearing the conversation that the boys were having, clamped a hand over his mouth, trying his hardest to not make a sound, and to keep his breathing under control. It managed to work, for a while, but his body began to become numb from the cold. It was no good, he had to move again. He shifted, standing quick, though not as quick as he would have liked due to the numbness that seemed to be creeping up in him quickly, as soon as he stood up he ran again, his footsteps alerting the group after him.

"Catch the bastard" the ringleader screeched as he saw Ciel run off down the alleyway, several of the group run after him, not long after that, Ciel collapsed, breathing erratic and body completely numb, he couldn't keep running, not any more, he was exhausted.

Naturally the group took advantage of that, running to the boy and pinning him down in the snow. The ring leader walked up to Ciel, a knife in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. Whilst two others stood beside him, one with ropes, another with a whip.

"Let's see what this whelp is made of" the ringleader said, motioning for those pinning Ciel to stand him up. The boy managed a baneful glare at him only to be backhanded roughly. A small whimper-like-hiss leaving his lips as the contact of the hand against his cheek left his skin red and stung from the winter air. "Now. Just how strong are you." He chuckled, a small smirk graced his lips.

"Just leave me alone" Ciel somewhat pleaded. "I… I haven't done anything to you."

"Really now" the other said, "Just being born is enough for me to hate you." Ciel managed to scoff despite himself. The ringleader growled at Ciel, before looking at the boy with the rope.

"Tie the Phantomhive brat up" he said with a maniacal gleam in his eyes, as Ciel saw that gleam and the other advance on him he started to struggle against those holding him.

"Now, now, now..." the one with the rope said, "why don't you just behave for a tad? It would make life so much more simple." He added punching Ciel in the gut, sending the boy to his knees. He whimpered and coughed a bit, but refused to cry, not in front of these boys, not in front of those who tormented him on a daily basis. The boys then moved and bound Ciel tightly not taking any care for his wellbeing, the ropes digging into his skin and rubbing it raw as he strained against them.

"Let me go!" Ciel hissed at them. Only to be met with a whip impacting with his chest. The boy gasped but didn't stop struggling, a burst of adrenalin from the anger that was welling up inside of him the strength behind that.

The ring leader chuckled. "Stop struggling" he sapped motioning for Ciel to be whipped until he bled, and not just a mere scratch on the skin. The boys had Ciel whipped to the extent that the wounds were life threatening, but naturally they didn't care. Ciel barely let a scream leave his lips, however that wasn't enough for the boys after him. They wanted to hear him scream. They wanted to hear the boy's pathetic cries and pleas for help. So he was whipped some more. Leaving the boy even bloodier.

But they didn't stop their either. The ringleader poured the bottle of water down Ciel's throat. Then gagged him in order so he didn't spit it back out.

"Torture enough for you." He chuckled. Not waiting for Ciel to give a response. "Shame really." He mused, going and groping Ciel to his displeasure, "you really are too cute to kill" he added, sarcasm dripping in his voice, as he took the knife and drove it into Ciel's body, before turning and walking away. The other boys who came with him dropped Ciel into the snow, and left him there. To die.

To that group of boys Ciel was nothing but a burden, nothing by a pest that needed to be gotten rid of.

Ciel was left, beaten, bound, bloody, blood seeping out of the wound from where he was stabbed, and the water that was poured into his mouth before he was gagged was starting to freeze as the temperature that night plummeted dramatically. If no one found Ciel, he was surely going to die.

But…

Sebastian had become worried about his lovers whereabouts. He knew Ciel had been getting a rough time, especially at his University*. But he also knew that Ciel brushed it off a lot. To him it was nothing, just another day, another beating here and there, he expected it, and he had grown not to care. Oh it hurt Ciel, and on the inside the mental turmoil the boy was left in was enough for Sebastian to know that Ciel was in pain, it's just the boy didn't show it. And when he did, well Sebastian knew that things had gotten out of hand.

Sebastian was pacing around the flat that he and Ciel shared, worried half to death. Ciel had told him that he would be gone 10 minutes, half an hour max, he was only going down to the shops. But that was some 3 or 4 hours ago. "What could be taking so long? Where is he?" He muttered as he paced, his phone firmly gripped in his hand, he had left 18 messages and called him every 5 minutes after 40 minutes had gone since he left the house. He'd kill me for being so over protective of him Sebastian thought as he finally gave into his worries and went out looking for Ciel. The one problem with that. He had no idea where Ciel could be, or what state he was in. The guy walked out of their flat, drawing his winter coat closer to him as he hissed slightly at the cold weather, as he set off into the night in order to find his lover.

As Sebastian traipsed through the snow, at a small running pace, he tried to call his lover again.

"Crap!" Sebastian cursed, as the phone continued to ring until it hit voicemail. "Where the fuck is he." If he's in trouble, why didn't he call me? Why? Why didn't the fool let me know he was in trouble? Oh how Sebastian was going to chide the boy when he found him, if he found him. He continued to run about glancing at his watch every now and then to see just how long Ciel had been missing for, and just how much longer could he possibly survive.

Once it had reached 5 hours of not knowing where he was Sebastian finally decided to call upon a friends of theirs. He dialled the first number and placed the phone against his ear

"What is it Sebs…" The female voice on the other end of the call answered, she knew something was up, Sebastian never called her otherwise. She had her nickname for him, and he did for her. Nothing ever went on between them, despite the heart-throb he was, the icon that every girl dreamed to date.

"Liz" he began, "Have you seen Ciel at all"

"Hmmm" Elizabeth replied, looking at her nails. "Haven't seen him since lectures today" she mused, "you lost him again" she added with a sigh, almost like it was a common occurrence to her.

"Not intentionally. Look I'm really worried about him, you remember the state he came back in the last time he disappeared like this. Plus it's snowing outside, he's not wearing a coat, you know what his health's like" Sebastian said quickly. He wanted Ciel back, he wanted the boy in his arms where he knew he was safe.

"Alright" Liz said with a small sigh, "I'll come help you look, but you've got to help me with some coursework then as payment."

Sebastian pretended to muse over that. "A fair compromise." He agreed. "you take the side of town closest to you, don't forget to check down the alleyways, if someone has hurt him, or been after him, then he might be down one hiding…" he didn't finish the sentence though, he hoped that Ciel wasn't dead.

"Okay." Elizabeth replied, "I'll drag Ed with me too for some extra manpower." She chuckled ever so lightly before hanging up and going and getting Edward, dragging him into the local area.

Meanwhile Sebastian called an associate of his. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Sebastian Michealis." The voice on the other end of the phone called.

"Let's drop the formalities." Sebastian snapped a little, the urgency in his voice.

"Oh, lost someone have we." It replied, "that's just more trouble. I already have enough work to do without having to go and look for your blasted lover."

Sebastian's attention seemed to have snapped to as he heard his associate say that. "You've seen him haven't you?"

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't." the voice replied without an emotion. "Even if I have, I have no intention of helping you."

"He's never done anything to hurt you. Neither have I." Sebastian replied, a little pissed to say the least that the dick wasn't even giving much thought to it. "Anyway, think of the times we've helped you. Off our own backs. We didn't want anything in thanks." He continued. "Come on William, for once can you please just let go of what others have done to you and help me."

William seemed to muse over it for a while. "Yes. I saw Ciel, he was running into the park." He said with a sigh. "He was being chased by a group of lads, you can probably imagine the group I'm on about."

"I know." Sebastian said almost with a growl. He knew those boys were nothing but trouble. And he cursed the fact that he didn't make Ciel take him with him.

"Well, have you contacted Lizzie?" William asked.

Lizzie? Sebastian thought to himself, Liz never lets anyone call her Lizzie, its only Liz or Elizabeth. He shook that thought from his head, it was merely a shock than anything, after all he knew William has a crush on Lizzie, it was just William didn't have the courage to admit that.

"Yeah I have" Sebastian replied, managing to get his thoughts in order.

"He was running in the direction of her house." William said, "I'll meet you at the entrance of the park, that way we can cover more ground, you know what the alleyways are like."

"Alright, thanks Will." Sebastian responded, and ended the call, he sprinted towards the park, hoping that he would be able to find Ciel soon.

6 hours had passed, 6 hours and Ciel had been missing, it wasn't looking good for the boy.

Sebastian met up with William outside the park and the pair began to walk through the fluffy snow that had covered the tracks Ciel and his attackers left. William had his flashlight with him. Shining the light in front of them, he noticed something, after all the boy was a clever chap.

"Hey. If you look carefully at the snow, you'll see that there is a discrepancy with the levelling." William commented.

"We're in a park Will, the grounds not even" Sebastian said with a sigh that only caused William to roll his eyes.

"I mean, considering that this park is pretty much deserted, and it's the dead of the night, there shouldn't be a dip like such in the snow, it's clear, in addition to the fact that the ground beneath us is slightly slippery underfoot, someone, or rather some people have come through here, within the last few hours."

"So…." Sebastian replied, all this worrying about Ciel was meaning he wasn't thinking things through as much as he should.

William slapped him upside the head. "If we follow this trail, we should be able to find the location of Ciel." He said with a sigh. Well that seemed to perk Sebastian up a bit, he snatched the flashlight out of William's hand and began to run ahead. "Hey wait up" William called out after him, chasing him so that he was sure nothing bad came of him.

"Hurry up then." Sebastian called back, just wanting to find his mate.

As they ran through the park and into the alleys Sebastian just had this sinking feeling, I'm too late. I know it, he thought to himself as he raced on. I'll never forgive myself, he continued to think. What kind of boyfriend a- his chain of thought was cut short as… smack… he ploughed into Elizabeth and her brother.

"Sebs." She gasped slightly.

"sorry" he replied, helping her up. "any luck?" He asked, cutting to the chase quickly.

"No, sorry." She said with a sigh, not down this way, she looked to her right as she heard a slight panting and a light. Edward was coming along that alleyway, Lizzie looked at him. "Did you find him."

"No, he's not down here." Edward replied catching his breath slightly. Sebastian frowned, turning to the other alleyway that lead from the cross roads they had seemed to have met at.

"That leaves this way." He said, starting to walk down there. The others followed him, all worried about Ciel. Even if they never admitted it openly.

As they walked down the alleyway the air seemed to grow colder, almost as if death was lurking around the corner, ready to claim its next victim in the night. It made Sebastian visibly uncomfortable, the guy was starting to lose his composure. William walked beside him.

"He'll be fine." He said to Sebastian, putting a hand on his shoulder, "he's strong, and you know that."

"But…." Sebastian said, his bottom lip quavering, "It keeps happening, he keeps getting hurt. Yet he won't do anything about it."

"Maybe he thinks it'll get worse if they see him get the police involved." William said softly. "Do his parents know?" He asked as an afterthought.

Sebastian glared coldly at him for a moment, but then William wouldn't have known, "They're missing, no one knows where they are, and police said it was more than likely that they were dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry" William replied, "I didn't know."

"It's alright, no one other than I kn- CIEL!" Sebastian cut his sentence short and screamed his lovers name as he saw his limp and lifeless form lay in the snow just ahead. He abandoned the small search party running to the boy and falling to his knees behind him.

"Ciel..." he whispered, his hands hovered over the boy, his mind raced. He finally picked the boy up out of the snow, and cradled him close, trying to find a pulse, even if it was a weak one, he needed to know that Ciel was alive.

Elizabeth and William, followed not long after by Edward came to where they were.

"We need to get him to a hospital. Now!" Sebastian somewhat snapped at the three, they didn't care though, they knew he was worried. Lizzie went and pulled out her phone, she dialled '999' and was about to hit the call button when William stopped her.

"You know what he's like about hospitals. They'll ask questions and call the police about it." He commented quietly. Lizzie nodded and put her phone away,

"Sebs." She began. "Get him back home, I'll bring my aunt over, she'll be able to tend to him, she won't ask questions."

"Alright." Sebastian replied, untying the ropes that bound Ciel and removing the gag. He gasped slightly when he noticed the water in the boy's mouth from where it had been forced down his throat, Ciel was unable to swallow it, and as a result the water that remained had stated to freeze in his mouth, it was obvious that Ciel was in a hypothermic state.

Sebastian gently pulled the knife out of Ciel's side, and bandaged it up the best he could with his trembling hands, before shrugging off his winters coat and wrapping the boy in it. He stood up, carrying the boy. "Please hurry" he whispered to Lizzie, as he turned and walked back to his house, William trailing after him. He honestly was worried, he had never seen Ciel end up in this state before.

As soon as Sebastian got Ciel back to their flat he ordered William to turn the heating on and to grab him some blankets. William obeyed without question, grabbing the blankets as Sebastian lay Ciel on the bed they shared stripping the boy of his wet outer clothing. William passed him the blankets then went and turned the heating up. All the while, Sebastian tried to warm ciel up as much as he could to get him out of the hypothermic state, if he could do that before the doctor arrived then half of today's battle would have been won.

Liz, please hurry he pleaded in his thoughts, he couldn't let this boy die, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. Then there were the parting words from Ciel's parents to him.

' "Take good care of Ciel whilst were away." Rachel said to Sebastian, and Vincent smiled warmly at him,

"don't let him get in trouble." His voice was smooth and soft. And Sebastian agreed wholeheartedly to take care of their son, to love him, like someone would love their boyfriend. '

Sebastian seemed to visibly sadden slightly as he remembered that. He let out a small sigh before doubling his effort to try to 'save' Ciel.

"I promised your parents the day they left on that business trip that I would look after you." He said to the unconscious boy. "Please don't make me break that promise to them." They might be missing, and as he had said to William, the boys parents might even be dead, but until Sebastian had conformation that they had passed on from this word, then in his eyes there was every chance that they were alive.

Author's notes

*University – it may seem like a common place to put Ciel education wise, but I chose this to be his level of education due to the fact that I, myself, am a University student. (Pssst, I study Law :))

General chapter note – I am elusive to the names of those who are targeting Ciel as I want them to be revealed slowly as the story goes on.

Just a mere introductory chapter, explaining what's happened between the protagonists for trouble to brew.

Please read and Review. Comments and criticisms welcome.

-Phantomhive Child