A/N: This was inspired by a drawing I saw on Deviantart of Sebastian as a Nazi. Needless to say, the writer in me made up a whole story after seeing it. It may not be exactly perfect in its historical facts, however I am trying to keep things realistic. Enjoy~
Summary: During WW2. Ciel is a young Jewish boy who is forced to live in a concentration camp along with thousands of others. He comes to fall in love with the very man who is keeping him in that prison.
Rated: M
The sun peeked out of the dark clouds, casting a hazy shine on the streets below. It was a cold day, dull and cheerless; fitting weather for what was happening in the world. War was raging throughout the continent, but the people of Germany felt it much more than the rest.
The sound of screams pierced the silence, along with the harsh clattering of doors being kicked open by the police. Houses were searched and people who were found guilty dragged out into the streets at gunpoint. Everyone knew what it meant, and all were terrified that at any moment, the soldiers or police might come for them.
Any who harbored Jews were taken as well as their house guests, though their only crime was to fight against injustice. Yet, despite the risks, many chose to do what was right.
As the sounds of the search grew louder, a red haired woman opened her curtain, looking out into the street. She was worried, for this was the first time something like this had happened to her, and she had so much to loose. By the look of it, it would not be long till her house was invaded.
Nervously she glanced back at the kitchen cupboard. Her dear nephew was hidden there behind a wooden panel that could easily be mistaken for the back of the wall. The space was just small enough for a thirteen year old boy to fit into. It wasn't much, but it was her last and only hope.
She remembered it so well, the days before this nightmare had begun. It had all started when she met the charming, young Vincent Phantomhive. He had been handsome and well to do, but he had been a Jew, and her parents had warned her about him. She had fallen in love against their wishes. However, though he had been kind, Vincent had not returned her affections. He had loved another. And that so happened to be her younger sister Rachael.
Rachael had been so happy, and since Angelina had loved both her sister and the man, she had allowed them their happiness together.
Rachael and Vincent had a child, and she had come to love the boy as if he were her very own. But as the years went by, they had begun to realize their lives were not going to be as wonderful as they had imagined it. At first the Jews were only treated a bit poorly, and most could live with that. If only it had stayed that way.
Vincent had been arrested and taken to a labor camp. They knew nothing of what happened to him. The waiting and worrying had finally killed Rachael who had always been delicate. On her deathbed she had made her sister promise to keep her son Ciel safe.
Angelina strove to keep that promise, but everyday she came closer to the dire threat of not being able to accomplish the task.
Ciel hardly dared to breathe as the sounds from the outside world reached his hiding place. He could hear the screams of people as they were torn from those they loved and forced into freight cars to be taken to a concentration camp. It was terrifying, though he had learned to live with the sound.
His body was already stiff from being in such a cramped position in the small space. He was forced to sit with his legs scrunched up to his chest, but it was a far better fate than what others had suffered.
He was not like most thirteen-year-olds. His innocence of the evils in the world had been taken from him long ago. He had been forced to watch as his father was beaten and abused by others, he had seen him torn away from his family and be sent to his death. And he had to watch helplessly as his mother died from it all. He knew what it was like to suffer.
He kept quiet, listening to the sound of his aunt pacing the floor. He worried about her, risking her life for him. He knew very well what would happen if she were to be caught. But there was nothing he could do to help her...nothing that would alleviate the pain and worry he caused every day. And sometimes, especially on days like this, he felt too scared to try.
Angelina closed the curtain, starting to pace back and forth across the kitchen floor once more. They would be knocking on the door any moment now. She took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for what was to come.
The harsh banging sounded on the door.
Angelina felt as if her breath had been robbed from her chest. She looked toward the door, but her feet wouldn't carry her toward it.
"Open up!"
The command tore her out of her fearful trance, and she walked swiftly toward the entrance, unbolting the door and opening it for the armed men to walk inside. The man who was in charge turned his attention to her.
"Are you harboring Jews in this establishment?"
Angelina looked up at him, swallowing fearfully. Her eyes widened. The nervousness she had been feeling turned into confusion as she realized she was looking into the blue eyes of Richard Barnett. She had met him almost a lifetime ago at a party, and he had professed his love for her. She had known he was a German officer at the time, but she had never expected to see him again, let alone here. The sight of him momentarily brought down her guard. "I...n-no, no I am not."
Barnett stared at her, his eyes showing as much warmth as they had when he had met her months before at the party. But she knew better than to think her troubles were over because he was here. He was on a mission, and would follow his orders no matter what. It would be foolish for her to trust him.
Barnett drew his eyes from hers and focused his attention back on his men. "Search the premises."
"Yes sir." The men began with the upstairs rooms.
The house was quite large and had been rather beautiful before the war, before it had become necessary to sell off most of what they had in order to survive. It had a look of a beauty that had become faded; an elegance that was now something of a lost dream.
Because of an order that was given by Barnett, the house was not ransacked like most were in the search. Everything that was taken out was placed back where it belonged. The men worked their way down the stairs, nothing escaping their trained eyes.
Angelina sat at the table upon Barnett's request. Her heart beat wildly as the fear of her nephew being detected took over her mind. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat from her face.
Barnett smiled to reassure her. "This will only take a few moments."
Angelina nodded slowly. A few minutes knowing her nephew was in danger seemed a lifetime to her.
The officer beside her leaned his hand against the back of her chair. "How have you been these past months?" he asked in a low tone.
She looked up after collecting her emotions. He was making it clear he still held romantic feelings toward her. "I've been fine."
"A woman like yourself should not have to live alone."
Angelina wanted to lash out at him, tell him it was his fault that the man she had relied on had been taken, but she knew she would have been being unreasonable. It was the fault of the leader of the country, not his. Barnett was just a tool used to carry out the bigger objective.
"I manage," she replied instead, sending him a shaky smile.
"Nothing to report on the upstairs rooms sir." A man said, cutting off any further conversation between the two.
Barnett nodded, his hand leaving the back of her chair. "Continue."
The men made their way to the kitchen, searching meticulously through the many cupboards and closets. They were quick, but still careful not to damage any of the furniture.
Without the distraction of conversation, Angelina found that it took all her willpower to keep her eyes from straying to the cupboard. Barnett was watching her closely, though she knew it was more from admiration than from suspicion that she was committing a crime. Whatever the reason, it unnerved her and she silently prayed for the ordeal to be over.
Ciel heard the low sound of heavy boots as the men walked through the house. A harsh comparison to the words they spoke in that hateful language the boy had grown up to fear. He wrapped his arms more securely around his legs and held his breath, trying to block out the sounds from the kitchen as they slowly but surely made their way to his hiding place.
A man knelt by the cupboard, removing the plates that were stacked there. He placed them to the side and put his head in to get a better view of the dark interior. Satisfied that there was nothing out of the ordinary, he started to pull his head out. His comrade walked by at that moment and jostled him, causing him to loose his balance and fall forward.
With a muffled cry of anger, he hit his head on the back of the wall, causing the false back of the cupboard to crack inward. He recovered himself quickly, surprise evident on his face as he pulled away the false back, revealing Ciel in his hiding spot.
"No!" Angelina screamed once she realized what had happened, immediately jumping up from her seat to run to Ciel. Men held her back as another pulled the terrified boy from the cupboard.
The next few moments were confusion.
"Please, don't, he's just a boy! Just a boy, and my only nephew. Please!" Angelina desperately begged Barnett to allow at least Ciel to go, but he paid no heed to her. Those blue eyes that had held so much warmth before, now looked upon her coldly. He motioned for his men drag her out of the house.
Ciel was silent compared to his hysterical aunt. He shook slightly as a man took a hold of him, but was determined not to show his fear. He wanted his aunt to know that at least he could be strong. It was the only thing he could give her.
He watched as his aunt was dragged into a waiting car by Barnett himself. The man seemed to be whispering something to her, though it did no good. She struggled and screamed the boy's name.
Ciel's body felt numb as he watched her being torn away, the last family member he had left in the world. He knew where they would be taking him, but now that it was happening, he felt only sorrow. He would most likely never see her again. The screams of others around him seemed to fade altogether. All he could hear was the sound of his aunt's voice echoing through his head, even as she was being driven away.
Reviews would be greatly appreciated~