Note 01: doing some short stories inspired by songs. This one was dreamed up thanks to Lareine's Ao no Soukutsu. :3
Note 02: usually my Kuro fics are manga-based but this one is anime-based. Contains spoilers for Kuroshitsuji II, episode 12.
He sat in the midst of a wind-hushed green canvas, spattered with brilliant blue and red droplets. Beyond the meadow's abrupt edge stretched the night sky, deep indigo studded with flickering crystals. Above, the Milky Way stretched over the dark, a sparkling gash in the universe.
Red eyes took it all in, as if seeing for the first time. A blue petal tapped against his face, blown along by the cold breeze. All around him the petals rained, and within the colorful downpour was a black figure he recognized very well.
"Sebastian."
The butler did not answer, but only stared; his wine-drop eyes were clouded with a look that was less than kind. The boy reached up to touch his face, brushing away the blue petal that had become trapped against his alabaster skin. He breathed out slowly, blinking. His head hurt. He felt light, faint.
In the grass next to his folded legs was his eyepatch, discarded and lonely. He didn't touch it; something about it seemed repellent. He shivered and wrapped his arms around his slight frame.
"Where is this place?" Ciel asked, his voice softer than usual. He could smell the ocean on the breeze.
"Nowhere important," Sebastian said.
Ciel looked up at him, narrowing his eyes. His butler was certainly quite rude tonight. Either not answering him, or not answering him directly—something was clearly wrong.
He searched his memory for any hint. And finally, it flooded into him, just as the wind picked up and flushed through the evening-stained grass with a hiss. He stared at Sebastian, who stared back.
In those red eyes were reflected his own, just as bloodstained as Sebastian's.
"And so it is," Ciel whispered.
"So it is," Sebastian repeated, lowering his head gravely so that his eyes were shadowed.
In this dark expression was none of the false attention and care he showed his young master daily; his steel features were tinted with nothing but thinly veiled anger and something else Ciel never expected—or wanted—to see.
Was it hatred?
His logical side stepped in just as an uncomfortable lump formed in his throat. Of course it was. Sebastian had every right to look that way. The soul he'd prepared and guarded so closely, the soul he'd built up to the best of his abilities—it was now out of reach. Stolen, not just once, but twice.
Yes, Sebastian's reaction was justified, and Ciel knew it.
But it wasn't as if this had been his plan. He had willingly given his soul over to Sebastian in exchange for his service. This was never his intention. Ciel sighed lightly and stared past Sebastian and to the sky beyond.
"You don't have to look at me that way," Ciel said finally. "Your feelings are proper. But you're directing them at the wrong soul."
"Soul," Sebastian hissed venomously. "What soul?"
The red petals flitting around Sebastian's body only reflected the vehemence in his eyes. Ciel was calm as he stood up against his butler's uncharacteristic rage. He stepped forward, shoes flattening the shining stalks of grass, until he stood directly before Sebastian, no more than a few inches away.
His lips parted as if to speak, but he said nothing. Instead he reached up with black-nailed hands and slipped his fingers around Sebastian's tie. He straightened it quietly as the wind whipped his hair this way and that.
"You are still bound to me," Ciel said, the firmness returning to his voice. "Don't forget your place."
The fire in Sebastian's aura died down, though his eyes remained defiant. Even so, he straightened and calmed his posture, and resumed a statue-like expression as he looked down at the boy in front of him.
"This is merely another obstacle for us to cross."
Sebastian tilted his head slightly at the us. Ciel's hands slipped down and away from Sebastian's tie, but he didn't pull away. He got even closer, resting his small body against Sebastian's abdomen. He closed his eyes and breathed in, the scent of sea salt, flowers, and Sebastian's clothing filtering into his consciousness.
"I will not let you go unrewarded for your service to me."
After a long, hushed moment, Sebastian's hand rose up and settled comfortably upon Ciel's back. The touch was gentle, just like before. Ciel pressed his cheek close to Sebastian, the rich fabric of his waistcoat warming his entire body.
They stood there a long time, two black figures in a sea of blue and green.
There was no going back anymore.
