体温 － Prologue

All was quiet in the manor that evening. Sebastian strolled through the corridors, searching for misplaced items. As he neared the entrance, he realised there was a persistent rapping on the door. He opened it, both wondering and dreading whosoever could be calling at that late hour. Illuminated in the silver moonlight was a shock of crimson hair, tied neatly at the nape of the shinigami's neck. Sebastian paused, and spun on his heel, not wishing to interact with the zealous man.

"Wait, please," Grell muttered, "I really need to speak to you," he revealed. Sebastian was immediately suspicious -the shinigami was speaking with more demure than usual. "I swear I won't make a commotion, I just need to tell you something, urgently."

"You'd best come in then," Sebastian allowed, stepping aside from the door. With a nod of thanks, Grell entered the house. Reluctantly, Sebastian led the shinigami to his room. Once within, he set up two chairs.

"What did you need to tell me?" the butler queried, staring in Grell's general direction.

"I'd like to tell you about my life before I died, so that maybe you'll understand why I murdered Angelina Durless," he began. A small look of surprise flickered over Sebastian's features.

"It is not I that needs to understand," Sebastian interrupted abruptly.

"I know, but the little earl wouldn't listen to me. I was born in a farming village, just off the outskirts of London in 1318, and I grew up with my mother, father and several younger siblings. I often helped my father, in the fields, in other words, I was a peasant. When I was fifteen, I met a beautiful woman." Sebastian listened in interest, wondering how the story was going to end. "She was truly beautiful, the most stunning person I have ever laid eyes on, and that includes you, Sebastian." Grell added surreptitiously, briefly glancing into Sebastian's carmine eyes.

"We fell in love, Sebastian, I adored her. My father was ecstatic, I'd found such a striking lady, and her father was more than pleased that I was a hard and willing worker. She was a year younger than I, and we were married in the spring of 1334, and well, she was pregnant soon after." Grell laughed -and even Sebastian smiled, he wasn't entirely sure of why he felt so positively about the event.

"So our first child was born, a boy we named him…" Grell trailed off, seemingly uncomfortable. "We had hoped that he'd be more than us… his name was Sebastian," he said softly. The butler jolted, shocked by the utterance. "I assure you, I am telling the truth. He had my hair, this scarlet mess, but her features, he grew to be servant in a large manor house, from what I hear he was good at his job, but I was already dead by then."

Sebastian was completely lost for words; he secretly desired to hear the rest of the tale.

"We had four other children, three were girls, and the youngest was another boy." Grell paused, a slight tremor to his voice. "And then the Black Death came, it wiped out virtually all of us, including our families. Our children died, all except Sebastian, he was already serving the Lord in the manor. All four of the younger ones died in agony, the same as my wife," he whispered bitterly. "She died in my arms, I was sick, I was close myself, but the Undertaker came. He saw something in me, I don't know what, but he watched as my body failed, and before I could pass completely, he stopped me. I was reborn as a shinigami." Tears poured down the shinigami's cheeks, he clenched his fists.

"Since that day, I've had to collect the souls of my family."

Once more, Sebastian was at a loss for words, it was clear what the implications of the story were, and it was disheartening to see a normally enthusiastic person reduced to such a state. It appeared as if the Phantomhive's weren't rooted in the aristocracy, as Ciel believed.

"Angelina and Rachel Durless were two of the last," Sebastian offered. A nod of affirmation came from the reaper. Without another word, Grell left shakily, and Sebastian was almost inclined to help him. Almost.

Sebastian wondered how best to tell the young master about the night's events.