Hi, there. A new story with lots of new, weird challenges coming up... This story (or rather: single images and scenes and pieces of dialogue) has been on my mind for a real long time. It's featuring Sebastian's cousin Charlie and his girlfriend Josy, whom I introduced in my first "Kuroshitsuji"-fanfic. But this is *not* a sequel. You don't need to have read "Chains of Command" to follow this story and (hopefully) enjoy it. All I'm saying is that if you've already met and liked them, you'll probably enjoy "Siren Call", too. If you didn't like them - well, it's only fair to let you know: They are going to have a lot to say.
After all, they're about to get married.
Let's not keep them waiting.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Kuroshitsuji", I hold no rights to the characters (Ciel, Sebastian et al.), and I do not make money out of this.
+++Chapter 1: A Wedding Spoiled +++
On a clear, sunny morning in spring, Ciel Phantomhive and his butler went through the earl's mail. The procedure was always the same: Sebastian announced the sender and delivered a summary of the letter's contents. Whereupon Ciel decided whether the reply must be composed by himself or could be delegated to his butler. It was dull business that Ciel tried to get over with as quickly as possible.
"Lord Barton asks for a convenient time to receive a group of orphans at Phantomhive manor," said Sebastian.
"Again?" Listlessly, Ciel poked his spoon into his dessert, crème caramel with coconut-orange compote. "Wasn't it just yesterday that they came and consumed a year's supply of chocolate and cake?"
"It was around Christmas, young master." Sebastian snickered. "You hoped to bail out of the obligation to donate a day's production of toys for Christmas presents."
More poking. The crème became a mashed blob with the stewed fruit. "It didn't work, did it?"
"It grieves me to say so, but - no. It didn't work. You still had to send presents." Sebastian's eyes were on the earl's plate. The only thing that obviously grieved him was the sight of the maltreated dessert. "If the coconut-orange compote is not to mylord's liking - "
"Dessert's fine, Sebastian." Ciel put out his hand and accepted the letter, sighing. "What else?"
Sebastian looked at the next card, "An invitation to a charity concert."
"Charity, huh? Is Her Majesty involved in some way?"
Sebstian turned the envelope over, searching for some kind of clue. "No, young master."
"Send them my apologies. I am a busy man. I can make a donation, but I cannot be expected to waste my time. Sebastian? That was only between you and me. Of course you don't answer them like that!" Ciel's gaze bored into his butler's glinting eyes. Turning back to his dessert and shaking his head, he grumbled, "Demon."
"Beg your pardon," said his butler, smiling. "I thought mylord were dictating out of mylord's head."
"Stop being silky, and let's read the next – what?" Ciel watched his butler's expression change significantly, going from a smug smile to a look of wide-eyed surprise. "What is it?"
"It's an invitation." Sebastian turned the letter over and checked the back of the envelope. "Young master, it's for me." The demon, who'd never received any personal mail that Ciel could remember, seemed downright baffled.
"Well, who's it from?"
"My cousin."
"What, from Charlie?" Ciel craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the handwriting on the card. "Well, read it already! What does he write?"
Sebastian scanned the message, "It seems he's planning to get married. To Josy."
Ciel was silent for a moment. He remembered both, the nonchalant demon and his girlfriend, a rather practical, down-to-earth bar maid from the East End. Charlie had come to London some time ago and caused a lot of trouble, having let an ancient artefact fall into the wrong hands. As a result, a handful of would-be conjurers put a spell on Sebastian, even temporarily managing to turn the demon against his young master.
Charlie had been fair (and needing a distraction from his relationship problems) enough to protect Ciel, fight off Sebastian, and eventually help them break the spell. During their collaboration, he explained to Ciel that Sebastian and he were not blood relatives in the human sense of the word. But they considered themselves 'cousins', due to being of roughly the same age and having the same intents in their dealings with humans.
Even though –
"Charlie is about to make a contract?" asked Ciel. "He told me he'd never bound himself to a human. He seemed sort of proud of it."
"He didn't. Contract a human being," said Sebastian, recovering from the surprise. "And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't consider it now. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd rather expect we owe this invitation to Miss Josy getting her way."
"I didn't know your kind could go and take the Holy Vows of Matrimony?"
"Charlie's found a simple solution," said Sebastian, re-reading with more mental equilibrium. "The ceremony is going to take place on a ship. A ship's captain is entitled to marry a couple on his vessel. Since Charlie has recently joined the seafaring folks, he probably knows a captain or two who's willing to do him the favor. No church, no priest, no Holy Mass."
"Are you going?" asked Ciel.
There was a lost expression in Sebastian's eyes as he said, "I probably should. He's family."
"Sebastian? Do you think I could come, too?"
"I think... Charlie would appreciate it." Sebastian looked at the invitation. There at the bottom, written in neat handwriting like a spider's footprints, was an additional line. It read: "And bring the cubby if he asks, which I am sure he'll do because he's an obnoxious brat. Tell him we'll have cake."
Like most couples, Charlie and Josy wanted their wedding to be something very special, an occasion to remember. And they didn't want to be disturbed by passing ships, the dock police or, in Charlie's case, the tolling of one of London's hundreds of church bells.
Therefore they had decided to anchor their wedding ship off the coast of Canvey Island, east of London. As soon as Sebastian had accepted the invitation, Charlie sent another letter offering to provide transportation, "that big, ebony affair with the four black horses, you know what I'm talking about? Them animals that strike sparks as the travel at the speed of stormwind? Somebody owes me a favor, so - "
Sebastian had torn the letter before Ciel's eyes and burned the remains. ("You are not going anywhere near that carriage, if I can hinder it, mylord.")
On the appointed day, he gathered his young master up in his arms and set out to cover the distance in his own way. Holding his top hat with one hand, Ciel watched the landscape rush by. Five minutes later, they passed the dubious black carriage on the road. Seeing the ferocious horses that seemed to breathe fire at him, Ciel involontarily fastened his grip on his butler's shoulder.
"Young master?" said Sebastian beside his ear. No trace of effort, not even a hitch in the demon's breath. "You're tensing? Surely, mylord isn't scared?"
Ciel brought his lips close to the demon's ear. He knew he didn't have to. But the wind seemed so loud, it was only natural that he should shout to make himself heard, "I couldn't help thinking: If those pitch-black beasts race like clouds driven by the stormwind – how fast are we going, then? Thunder? Lightning?"
"Not nearly." Sebastian laughed softly. "This form is limited. And yours is even fragile."
"Don't let me keep you," said Ciel, a little cross.
"I do, lest you'd suffer considerable inconvenience." There was a farmstead in Sebastian's way, and he overcame the obstacle by leaping on the low stable, up on the crest, sliding down the far side of the roof, and finally using the kennel of the madly barking dog as a springboard to cover the fence. All that without missing a step or slowing down, while he explained, "It's not a matter of body size, but something about acceleration and gravitation that human bodies on the whole find difficult to endure."
"Urgh!" said Ciel. "Never mind. Just get us there, while I hold on to my breakfast."
They reached the coast line and proceeded to float over the glittering blue sea. Of course, Ciel knew that they didn't really float; that it was only Sebastian leaping out high and far. They had done it before. But it invariably felt like being carried by a big, black bird. A little ahead, Ciel saw the large sailing ship that was their destination. Down below, he made out the rowing boats that ferried the other guests over. The sailing ship's rigging rushed up to catch them. Sebastian used the shrouds to break his momentum. With only the tiniest scraping sound of his heels, he landed right behind the bride. A couple of guests gasped.
Josy, however, didn't seem in the least surprised that someone should drop straight from the mast. She merely smiled and turned to see who it was. She wore a shoulderfree, off-white dress with lots of frills. Her blond hair was pinned up and adorned with a comb of finest mother-of-pearl. A wreath of flowers completed her outfit on her day of honor. "Earl Phantomhive. Sebastian. I'm so glad you could come."
"Hello, Josy," said Ciel, putting his feet on the deck, and, "Good day, Miss Josy," said his butler. And then, a little more affectionate, "Well, hello-oh!"
Astonished, Ciel turned just in time to catch his butler in the act of staring openly at the bride. More to the point: Sebastian's gaze kept alternating rather indiscreetly between her upper endowments and her tiny waist. It was the kind of look a bar-maid often got and usually knew how to counter. But coming from her fiancée's cousin, Josy returned it with a thin-lipped, nervous smile.
Ciel jabbed the demon in the ribs. "Hey! Don't gape at her like that."
"I can't blame him," said a voice from behind. "It's obvious that she's the most beautiful female your species has ever come forth with."
Ciel turned to find that the bridegroom had come over to meet them. Come over, or materialized. For Charlie, it was one and the same. He was a handbreadth taller than Sebastian and wore his wavy brown hair in a ponytail. He was dressed like a sailor, if an old-fashioned and romantically overdrawn sailor. A privateer from the movies, but with a few extra brush strokes: As Josy had learned about and accepted her lover's true nature, Charlie no longer saw a point in concealing his black nails, his sharp canines or reddish eyes. Not in the melting pot of the East End where stranger things were everyday business. He wore his demonic attributes as if it was the most normal thing in the world, to the result that most people had come to view them in this way.
Besides, he also had this special charisma that seemed to pat everyone's shoulder and say, well, human, of course I could be out to get you, and you wouldn't stand a chance. But I'm not, so why don't we get along and share a drink? Or two? I know just the right place...happy hours, no questions.
Charlie was a demon with a special gift at socializing.
He seemed not in the mood to apply it now.
"Hi, Charlie," said Ciel.
"Hi, cubby. Nice to meet you, cousin." There was pure ice in Charlie's tone. He put his hand possessively around Josy's shoulder. Sebastian actually took a step backward.
"Back off another step, and it's okay," Charlie told him. Josy gave her fiancée a puzzled look.
"Hey, hey," Ciel threw up his hands. "No need to go through the roof! Sebastian wasn't touching her or anything - "
The two demons looked at him, equally amazed.
"Why would he touch her?" asked Charlie, and, "Charlie is just a little nervous," said Sebastian.
Charlie turned to him, sounding a little plaintive, "No, I'm not. I'm going to be - "
"Yes, you are," nodded Sebastian mildly. "Shut up."
"Well, if you'll excuse me," said Josy, trying to clear the situation. "There's another friend of mine boarding and - " She started forward, then stopped. "Charlie?! Could you let me go, please, love?"
"Er... sorry." Charlie pulled back his hand. Rubbing the red clawmarks on her shoulder, Josy left to greet a human couple who had just climbed over the ship's rail. The demons looked after her, attentively watching her every move.
"You hurt her," observed Sebastian.
"I didn't mean to," said Charlie.
"I think I'm going to hurt you very badly, Charlie," promised Sebastian mildly.
"Whatever. Later. Just don't stare at her that way again." Charlie took a deep breath, then he turned to Ciel, "Sorry for the curious welcome, cubby. I guess I am just a bit antsy, after all."
"It's okay." Ciel had spotted the cake and was beginning to sidle off. "I understand."
"No," said Charlie. "You don't."
Ciel looked up, offended, "Just because I'm only thirteen - "
"Yes, yes, and don't you wish you were fourteen already?" Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. "But seriously, Sebastian. I don't know if I can handle this."
"You're neither the first nor the last," said Sebastian, rather unsympathetic.
"But I've never made a pact before," complained Charlie.
"Don't worry." Sebastian shrugged. "This one is for beginners. Just say 'I do', when you're asked to."
"I'm so excited. I won't hear the question."
"Well, you're a demon after all." Sebastian's eyes followed his master: Ciel was heading straight for the cake. "Chances are you'll know the right moment by instinct. Now, if you'll excuse me? I have to serve my master some cake."
Charlie looked doubtful. "Say, is it fun? This butler thing? I mean, you've been pulling it off for – how long? Three centuries? Four? Feels like... "
"It's been hardly three years," corrected Sebastian, "and it's not about fun. The young master and I, we have a contract."
Charlie looked puzzled. "Why does one make a contract, if it's not about fun?" he asked.
"Get married," Sebastian advised him and hurried after Ciel.
One hour later, the captain ordered the ship's bell to be sounded. The guests took their seats, and the wedding ceremony started. Ciel felt relieved as he was finally able to slide into the row of benches. He felt he did not really belong among the assembled crowd, the sailors, day laborers, dock workers and bar maids.
He had hoped to encounter other demons, just to see what they were like and maybe catch a glimpse of his butler's background and past. But Sebastian kept telling him that there were no other supernaturals present.
"Try looking at it this way," the demon said, as he took his seat beside his master. "Since Charlie is obviously reluctant to present his bride to others of our kind, it is an unique honor for me - and subsequently for you - to be here in the first place."
"An honor? Maybe. But something about it just doesn't feel right," said Ciel. "Can't you tell?"
Sebastian surveyed the crowd. "I've come to consider it the normal surge of paranoia when being in my cousin's presence."
"Is it usually founded?"
"There's no such thing as 'usual' in dealing with Charlie." Sebastian's gaze flickered to the makeshift altair where the bridal couple stood side by side, facing away from the audience.
The captain cleared his throat and started to recite the opening lines of the ceremony. He talked about a sailor's love for the blue sky and the deep sea, for his ship and the starry nights when he held lonely vigil at the steering wheel, guiding her through the sleeping waves... He went on, drawing a line to love and two people's decision to set sail together, weathering the storms of life...
Charlie ceased listening before long. He was ready to grant that the sky was blue and the sea deep. But more importantly, there was a party coming up, and champagne enough to last far into the night, be it starry or not. Casting a longing glance at their supplies, Charlie noticed a movement: A tentacle had noiselessly slid over the rail. It was white like the belly of a dead fish, and the suckers had a rosy hue. Like a snake or an elephant's trunk it danced and curled over the cake. Eventually, it chose a chocolate muffin and, rippling happily over and around the sweet, pulled back.
"Uh-oh," mumbled Charlie. More tentacles appeared and abducted the wedding cake. A noise from above caused Charlie to look up into the rigging, where a flock of seagulls had settled.
"UH-OH!"
"What is it, Charlie?" His bride gave him a puzzled look.
"Josy, love, I'm sorry," he told her. He seized her, lifted her up, carried her over to the rail and dropped her into the sea.
"Don't worry," he called after her, wondering if she heard him over her own shrieking. "I'm the one they're out for."
At Charlie's unexpected action, a collective rustle and gasp ran through the guests. Some men – and even one or two women, those people weren't too prim and proper – moved as if to dash forward.
None of them got very far.
"What's he doing?" Ciel asked, amazed. "Sebastian? Why did he toss her overboard?"
He stopped, only now noticing the giant squid that was trying to get on deck. There were tentacles everywhere. They weaved up the masts, they swished and slithered across the deck. The ship's structure moaned. People all around were panicking, running for their lives and jumping overboard.
"But that's Ramón!" Sebastian stepped forward, right into the moving mass of tentacles. He touched his gloved hands to one of them. "Young master, you asked whether there was another demon attending. Well, here is one: Ramón is one of the Beasts of the Last of Days. He's foretold to terrorize the North European coastal line, when The End Is Near." He looked over his shoulder to his cousin. "Didn't you state that you accidentially got him eaten by a sperm whale when you were treasure diving?"
"I thought I did," replied Charlie. "Hi, Ramón. So you survived? That's nice. How's the terrorizing?" He put out his hand, trying to follow Sebastian's lead and pat the monster. The tentacle wrapped around him and without fuss, started to break his ribs. The demon gasped. "Still bearing a – oof – grudge, are you?"
"Er," said Ciel, when Charlie was swept off his feet and waved about wildly. "Sebastian? Aren't you going to - I don't know - help? Or something?"
"Do you order me to intervene, young master?"
"No, I just thought – with him being family and all?" Ciel dodged Charlie's legs as the demon was swept past, and added, "Your family."
"Which makes him a vicious beast before anything else." Sebastian gave his cousin's plight the briefest of looks. "He'll live."
"Yes, but why is he holding his hands to his ears?" Amazed, Ciel watched Charlie's strange demeanor. Yes. He, too, heard a curious noise, almost like a human voice. It seemed very high-pitched, barely audible, Ciel's eyes moved to the birds in the rigging. "Are they making this strange noise? It's giving me a headache. Sebastian?"
"I'm sorry, master."
Ciel turned just in time to brace himself for Sebastian's hands grabbing him, lifting him and tossing him overboard.
Well, I really could've seen this coming, couldn't I? Ciel thought. He caught an impression of a white, amorphic mass below that floated like a huge inflatable dinghy and sprouted all these terrible arms. It had eyes, though, glowing red orbs of the size of saucers. Josy had saved herself on to its back, and she gave a shriek and scurried out of Ciel's way.
Impact was harder than Ciel had expected. Of course. Even squids had something to stabilize their backs. It was called 'cuttle bone'. The irrelevant information flashed into his mind and got mixed up with Josy's excited cry that he was bleeding.
From above he heard Charlie's voice, shouting, "Josy? Take care of the cubby!"
And Josy, screaming back, "Charlie? There's blood coming out of his damned ears!" Her voice was shrill and angry. "Charlie! I'm wet, I'm scared, I'm you fiancée! Get down here this instant!"
"Be right there. Just a sec."
"Gosh, Josy, you've got to contract him already," mumbled Ciel. "Demons acting on their own free will are no good to anybody except, maybe, themselves."
Then he passed out.
Aboard the ship, Charlie let his demonic powers surge and relocated out of Ramón's hold. "Alright, fun's over," he informed the monster as he materialized on deck, and, "Ramón, stop," echoed Sebastian. Charlie hated to admit it, but it seemed his cousin's order rather than his own that truly stayed the squid's attack.
Sebastian was on his knees beside the rail where he had dumped his master. Charlie went to kneel beside him and clutched him by the shoulders. He could taste the blood on his own tongue, so he was prepared for the sight when Sebastian looked up. There was blood trickling from Sebastian's nose and ears, and even his eyes seemed affected.
"Demon huddle, come on." Charlie offered support which his cousin accepted. "We need to talk."
"Talk?" asked Sebastian, leaning on Charlie's arms. "I can hardly hear my own thoughts." He stopped. "You look terrible!"
"I guess I do." Charlie touched his finger to the blood under his nose, "But I'll return that compliment."
Sebastian moved as if to look over the rail, "Mylord - "
"Relax. He's safe. He's with Josy."
"Charlie? What is that noise? That terrible singing?"
"They're sirens." Charlie nodded at the flock of eight seagulls in the rigging. "Not much we can do, actually. Their voices can kill. Er. That look -?"
"I didn't seriously expect to get an answer to my question," said Sebastian. "But I should've guessed you had one." He looked up at the birds. Only three of them were singing, and those that paused stared back at him with intelligent, knowing eyes. "What do they want?"
"Er, this is a little embarrassing," said Charlie. "But you see, these ladies' mistress and I, we were more than just good friends. Once. Some time ago. Well, actually not that long ago. I knew she was of the jealous type. But I honestly didn't expect her to send in her servants to ruin my wedding."
"Charlie," Sebastian said, as sensibly as it was possible for him and under the circumstances. "Why did you bring me here?"
Charlie answered just as plainly, "Because I hoped you'd know what to do."
Sebastian let go of Charlie's arms and stared at his cousin. Every three seconds or so, he blinked in a very slow, controlled way.
Charlie said urgently, "Come on, you know you've always been the resourceful one... the one with an ace up your sleeve... and I'm going to be married."
Suddenly, Sebastian held silver knives between his right fingers.
Charlie squinted at the sight of the shining metal, "That's an awesome bunch of aces and a pretty literal way of keeping them up one's - "
"You," said Sebastian slowly, "knew this would happen. And yet you made me and the young master come here. No, not 'and yet'. You did it because you knew this would happen."
"No. Yes. Maybe. Listen, you wouldn't kill a bridegroom on his wedding day?" Charlie ducked as his cousin flung the blades. But Sebastian had not aimed at him. To the noise of Charlie's shocked cry, "Are you nuts?!", the knives cut though the air and hit the singing seagulls square in the chest. Shrieking, the birds toppled to the ground. The effect was remarkable: As one bird, the survivors broke into song. Sebastian gasped. Blood burst from his nose. The second handful of knives clattered harmlessly on to the planks, as he groped for the something to hold on.
"Oh, crap," breathed Charlie, feeling his ear drums go 'pop' like air bubbles on the surf. He watched Sebastian struggle against the onslaught of the siren's voices until his cousin's eyes slid back in his head, and he sank to the deck. Charlie sensibly assumed that Sebastian had already passed out by the time his head touched the planks.
He also assumed that he was doing the same, because he could see the rail slide past, then the sky overhead, a few twinkling stars that could not really be there.
Ramón's tentacles moving in.
And then – nothing.
+++End of Chapter 1+++