Darkness Falls

Disclaimer : If Kuroshitsuji was mine then I wouldn't write this story.

Pairing : Mainly Sebastian x slightly older Ciel with some minor pairings on the side.

Summary : AU – When the business situation is getting bad, as the owner of DT Company, Sebastian makes a work contract with Ciel, the owner of Phantom Company. But soon their contract is no longer between businessmen, for Sebastian and Ciel have a secret of their own.

Warning : A slightly older Ciel is here. Lots of minor OCs, yet important characters will show up as the story goes along. Rating might go up for the angst and dark themes as the story progresses.

Beta Reader : saphirablossom.

Beginning of the World

For me, everything began on that day, the day when I saw what one would never even think of seeing in one's worst nightmares.

And believe me, if you knew what I had witnessed, you would never, ever want to be me.

It hadn't been a pretty sight at all.

It had been bloody, messy, scary, disgusting, and very brutal.

But all I could see was how beautiful, how magnificent, how elegant the whole gruesome thing had been and it took my breath away.

In the field filled with blood and scattered limbs, accompanied by screams of pain and the sound of devilish laugh … in the darkness where red eyes couldn't see, the place where the black and white wings couldn't reach … I fell in love.

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Sebastian Michaelis was frowning. On his table, the monthly report about the situation of their market was not satisfying, again. It'd been 3 months since the last time they'd reach the company's goal. Sebastian read the report again before he put it back down, his frown deepening. The business situation was starting to look rather disastrous. He reached over towards the phone and pushed one of the buttons.

"Yes Mr. Sebastian?" the silky voice greeted him.

"Schedule a meeting for tomorrow."

"Of course Mr. Sebastian. Is there something else you'd like me to do?" That's what he likeed about Adeline – his secretary, she could understand his demands immediately even if they were sometimes vague. She was also a hard worker, disciplined, a fast leaner, and an efficient person. And more importantly, she never talked more than she needed to.

"Yes, cancel my dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Arthur tonight." He did not need to give any reason, Adeline would do it for him. One more plus point for Adeline. "And Adeline, I'll be back early today."

"As you wish Mr. Sebastian. I shall bring the important documents you have to sign today shortly." Said Adeline. "And Mr. Sebastian, please call me Adel."

Sebastian can't help but smirk. Adeline only wants to be addressed as Adel. She did not tolerant anyone calling her by anything other than that. Even himself, her boss, made no exception. Every time Sebastian called her Adeline, she would always remind him to call her Adel instead. Sebastian always wondered how she could ask him to call her Adel with such a polite yet commanding tone. Sebastian didn't mind it at all, it had become some kind of game for him, he was waiting for the time when she did not realize that he'd called her Adeline or get too tired to correct him. It'd been 2 years since the start of this so-called game, and until now Adeline had never failed even once.

Sebastian got up from his chair and walked to the glass window behind his desk. He could see many skyscraper buildings around, the street was so far down and the moving black dots must be people walking around. His company, DT Company – or often called DTC – is one of the successful companys in England, dealing with money transactions and directly influences the UK's stock market. in an official and unofficial way.

The sound of the door knocking put a stop to his train of thought. "Come in." he answered.

Adeline came in with some documents in her hands. She set the documents on the desk and waited until Sebastian had turned around to face her. "The meeting will be held tomorrow at 10 and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur are asking for a re-scheduled appointment in your company."

Sebastian didn't say anything "And I said your schedule was full for the next two weeks." Adeline continued and a smile began forming on his face. Hadn't he said it? It was as expected of his secretary. He should consider offering a life-time contract to Adeline to become his secretary forever.

When Adeline left his office, Sebastian watched her figure. Adeline was a pretty woman, she was not as beautiful as other woman Sebastian had met, but she had her own beauty that he couldn't find in those other woman. Her figure was not perfect yet it was nice to look at. There was nothing so special about her appearance, but her voice, her voice was very silky, melodious, and made many ask her why she did not become a singer. Not to mention what that voice could do to a man. But one mustn't be mistaken, Sebastian did not have any sort of affair with Adeline, there was never anything romantic going on between them. Even though they both knew each other's traits by heart, they were just never interested in getting involved with each other. Besides, outside of their work relationship, they were nothing but friend.

Sebastian stopped his thoughts about Adeline and walked back to his desk. It was time to finish his work.

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The next morning, the meeting did not run smoothly, the business situation was worse than he'd expected it to be. But of course, as of late, the economic situation of England had been shaky; it seemed as if his company had finally gotten affected. Oh, the affection wouldn't do much to DT Company, but Sebastian was still bothered by it, he was nothing but a perfectionist after all. He of course had a good reason for that: his company had more than one rival, waiting for any open opportunity to devour them like a hyena. He couldn't let that happen. Not to mention the CEO of one of the said rival companies was someone he avoided at all costs. He'd always wondered how William managed to work with Grell.

Grell Sutcliff was a big pain in ass, or so to speak. A stalker, narcissistic to the core, with no understanding concerning the word 'no', Sebastian wasn't interested in having any kind of relationship with him. Not before, not now and he quite suspected, not ever. But no matter how often Sebastian refused him, sometimes doing so in an openly rude manner, Grell just never learned to back away. No one could stand Grell, and the only one who could stop him was William, as Grell was scared of him. Sebastian did not like William either, but anyone who could keep Grell away from him was worth four plus points in Sebastian's eyes.

If only they didn't know each other's true identities, it would be very easy for him to get rid of them. Too bad it would take too much trouble to do so, and Sebastian wasn't interested in testing the odds. Besides, it just made life as a businessman more challenging. Oh yes, Sebastian loved games very much; that's why he'd chosen to reside in this world. There weren't as much fun and interesting games in the other world.

Sebastian was a player and he didn't like to lose. He had to do something to stabilize DT Company's situation. It'd been 8 days since his last game, he had to start another one soon.

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Reeve, his right hand man entered his office in the evening and Sebastian quickly ended his conversation with one of the clients, since Reeve never visited him uncalled or unannounced unless something important had happened. He put the phone down. The look on Reeve's face always told him whether the news was good or bad. And Reeve's face today said it was bad news.

"You're not gonna like this, boss."

It was not good, Reeve only called him boss for two reasons: first if something really bad had happened, second was when he was joking around. This time it was definitely the former reason. "What it is?"

Reeve took a deep breath before saying, "Grimm Company, Penn Inc and Sivel Corp decided to join hands, or so to speak. They've merged"

The heavy silence that followed only lasted a few seconds before Sebastian blurted out, "What?"

"It's still just a rumor but it's come from one of my trusted sources."

Sebastian didn't say anything yet the look in his eyes said everything he would ever need to and it made Reeve nervous. God, Sebastian was really scary. "Look, I can't say it's 100% certain, but I did triple check on it and the possibilities set off the alarm bells, if you know what I mean. If this is true, than DTC is, for lack of any other way to put it, officially screwed."

Sebastian slowly closed his eyes for almost a full minute before opening them again "Gather more information, I don't care what methods you use, nor how much it'll cost."

Reeve put his hands in his pockets, "I'd like to say its takes three days, but since I know you wouldn't wait that long, I already started investigating the matter. Tomorrow evening the results will on your desk. Shall we schedule another meeting?"

"No, that won't be necessary for now. And Reeve, I want it fast but no big commotion."

"Of course, not one word will leak out." After delivering the bad news, Reeve went back to his usual easy going self. He sat on the sofa "But for three of our rival companies to join hands? Am I the only one who's not aware of the fact that the world is going to end soon?"

Sebastian became relaxed too "Don't worry, if time really reaches its end, I'll tell you. Given the fact that you'll still be alive, of course."

Reeve laughed at that "Thank you for the offer but just like your last offer, I will say nay. Sometimes ignorance is a bliss."

"And what was my last offer?" It wasn't like Sebastian to not remember, he just liked playing around with his friend.

"That you'd open the gate of hell for me should I wish for it." Reeve said while smirking "You do realize your words mean you definitely will go to hell don't you?"

"It's mean I have full access to the gates. I'm offering you a tour and a nice place to stay if you choose to stay. If not, you could always visit, hell is not as bad place as you think."

"That's one of things I'll never understand about you. I'm never fully sure of when you are joking and when you are being serious. Really, one of these days I'll believe you even if you say you are a demon with that face of yours."

Sebastian only smiled at that.

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The next evening, as Reeve had promised, the results were already in and they weren't good at all. Three of their rival companies really were going to join hands, and that meant DT Company had to do something before that really happened.

"We have to act fast, it will be too late for us if they announce their companionship." Said Reeve, frustrated.

Sebastian just stayed silent and read through the report on his desk again. "There is only one thing we could do in such short time." He said.

"You mean … beat them before they beat you?"

"Exactly."

"…but Sebastian, that means we have to join an alliance with some company before they do. To have forge something like that is not something that can be done in such a short time. It's a reckless thing to do. The board will go against it."

"Then do you have another solution to this problem?" asked Sebastian calmly.

Reeve did not answer, he couldn't.

Sebastian reached for the phone "Adeline, call for a board meeting as soon as possible."

"Certainly, sir. And please call me Adel." That brought a smile upon Sebastian's face.

"Really, that Adel, no matter how important the situation is, she never fails to correct you even once, doesn't she?" said Reeve amused. "Someday you'll have to accept your loss and call her Adel instead, Sebastian."

"'Give up' is not in my dictionary."

"You really are persistent about some things, aren't you? But just so you know, I'm on Adel's side. What kind of gentlemen would I be if I did not stand on a lady's side?"

"A kind of gentlemen that makes bets with other workers of when I'll give up."

'So he knows. As expected of him.' Reeve thinks as he smirks.

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As Reeve had predicted before, the board was against the idea. But once again Sebastian managed to amaze him with his skillfully placed arguments and persuasive yet confident smile. Further protest was silenced by a death glare, even though his mouth never stopped smiling. Really, Sebastian was very scary when he needed to be. Sometimes Reeve thought Sebastian was too perfect to be a human, it made him think about ridiculous things like the fact that Sebastian maybe isn't a human after all.

He'd known Sebastian for almost 2,5 years now. Sebastian was a perfect man with a very handsome face, very rich, very smart, and very charismatic. There was something inside him that captured anyone's gaze. No wonder there were so many women and men trying to capture his heart and so far, not one had ever succeeded. Some were lucky enough to catch his attention but it was only for a short time. Sebastian was never serious about anyone, Reeve had watched many men and women come and go, all of them only staying for a month or two. Sebastian changed partners so very easily. He kept his shoes longer than he kept a lover.

Reeve was grateful to god that he was straight and had no romantic interest in Sebastian. He knew they wouldn't have become friends if he did. There was one thing about Sebastian; he would only be friends with someone that he had no intention of being involved intimately with. And as far as Reeve's experiences had gone so far, it was better to have Sebastian as your friend than your enemy. Sebastian was a very mysterious person and until now, Reeve realized that he hadn't gotten any closer to figuring Sebastian out more than Sebastian let him.

"Did you hear me, Reeve?" Sebastian's voice pulled him from his musings.

"Ah, sorry, what was that again?"

Sebastian was still smiling, "I asked you about the company you want to recommend." His voice was smooth and calm but his eyes gave a silent warning, telling Reeve that Sebastian was in a bad mood, and Reeve had better pay attention or else.

Reeve flinched a little at that and quickly handed Sebastian the file he'd already prepared. They might have been friends for years, and Sebastian might be used to Reeve's behavior, but when it's about something serious or important to him, Sebastian is not tolerant. Like now, DTC is about to face a serious situation after all.

"Phantom Company?" asked Sebastian as he read the file Reeve had given him "It's a confectionary toy company if I'm not mistaken."

"Number one confectionary toy company in England. A growing enterprise that rapidly expanded in under 3 years." Reeve explained, then remained silent, waiting for Sebastian to finish reading the file.

"Ah, I see. It's a company that Penn Inc has been trying to bring down for the past 2 years yet has never succeeded. One year ago, Sivel Corp requested to join business with them, and yet Phantom company refused. Sivel Corp did not give up but after 6 months of trying, they finally backed away." Sebastian met Reeve's eyes, "But I heard that that wasn't really how it happened."

A smile rose on Reeve's face "Sivel Corp's requests were becoming forceful, and Phantom Company struck back by blackmailing them to stop their actions, or the black market Sivel Corp runs would become public knowledge. In short, Penn Inc and Sivel Corp, along with Grimm Company aren't only searching for DTC's downfall."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. What an old saying." Sebastian chuckled lightly "But I respect anyone who dares to face Penn Inc, Sivel Corp, and Grimm Company at the same."

"So, you agree to this?"

Sebastian's gaze returned to the file "What do you know about the owner of Phantom Company, Ciel Phantomhive? I don't think I've ever met him before."

"He's a very mysterious and private person. He almost never attends any parties except a few very important ones, he never shows himself in public, never lets any picture of his filter through in any media and very little people know what he looks like."

"There is a rumor going on that he's very young." Said Sebastian.

"Um, my sources say that he's about 16 years old." Reeve said hesitantly.

It caught Sebastian's attention. "16? Are you sure?"

"90% certain."

Sebastian remained silent for a second "I'll read some more. I'll call you tonight."

Reeve nodded before leaving Sebastian's office. There was an 80% chance that Sebastian would agree, so now he just had one more problem; finding out how to contact Ciel Phantomhive before Sebastian called him tonight.

In his office, Sebastian was looking at the particular name "Ciel Phantomhive." He whispered, rolling the name off his tongue. "I have a feeling that our meting will be an interesting one. It will be a pleasure meeting you, Ciel Phantomhive."

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Wow, the first chapter is longer than what I intent to, dunno why. Anyway, the idea to write this one is just suddenly ramming into my head one night and since then it never go away. Nothing I can do but write this story so my mind can be satisfied. A big help from saphirablossom by Beta-ing this chapter for me and not only that, the kind of company Sebastian's runs was also coming from saphirablossom.

Sebastian is more like human here, doesn't he? Since he own the company and have some people he called friends. Does it seems strange or too much OOCness in his character? I hope not, I like Sebastian in the way he is. Oh, and Sebastian is still very well a demon here, his friend just didn't aware of that fact. Ciel is not make appearance yet, but soon. Actually using a business world as the background of the story is not in my field, so please understand for the mistake I made. Anyway, how was this one? Like it? Hate it? Give your opinion please.

Next :Reeve's problem, Undertaker's laugh and Ciel's appearance.

"Welcome, Mr. Sebastian. Please follow me, Mr. Ciel has been waiting."