It dawned cold and windy. He had been right in lighting the chimneys during the early morning hours. He was finishing placing the tea in his Young Master's cup when he felt it.
For a brief second, Sebastian was paralyzed by a sensation so unique that he almost spilled the tea. Only for a second. He recovered his composure almost immediately. He could not afford something so unlike his ability. Even with the reflection of the sensation tickling in his body, he forced himself to continue with his daily work. He had an agenda to fulfill. It could not be delayed.
His young master had spent the whole night awake signing papers of the company and advancing work that had been delayed during their long foray into Germany. He entered his office after announcing himself.
"Good morning, I brought you breakfast. Earl gray and as an accompaniment I prepared french toast, scones and cakes."
He laid the tray on the large oak table on the side of the mountain of papers waiting to be checked. If it were not an absurd task, he would have admired the will that the child put in directing the company.
Ciel remained engaged in the document he was reading, apparently oblivious to his presence. Sebastian took the silence to recite the agenda of the day when he was suddenly interrupted.
"Have you had any news about him?"
Ciel had not looked away from the paper in his hands but the demon knew he was attentive to his possible response. As if it were an electric shock, the sensation returned to traverse his body in a painful reminder. None of that was reflected in his face.
"None, my lord. I have consulted the owners of stores close to his and the nobles who had contact with him, but no one has seen Undertaker since the Campania episode.
The young earl remained silent for a few seconds. Sebastian saw the paper between his hands wrinkle slightly.
"Keep looking. He can have an important role in our investigation."
"Yes, my lord."
During the rest of the day the sensation came and went at times. It showed itself while cutting the vegetables for lunch, again watering the white roses and one last time at sunset while polishing the silverware. In spite of his apparent indifference, he had to show a huge self-control not to respond to it on each and every one of those occasions.
What he was doing was certainly against his nature.
Remain still although his master was in danger.
By nightfall, his patience was touching his limit. Once he had clothed the young Count and sent the servants to rest in their respective rooms, when the mansion was calm, it was that he was finally able to wait.
Standing on the stairs that led to the entrance of the mansion, with his body rigid and his eyes fixed on the doors, the demon might have looked like a statue in the darkness. His mind, on the other hand, was far from resembling the passivity of his body. His thoughts swirled in a frenzy of questions and possible courses of action, yet he was not tempted by any of them. His words had been clear.
"Today will be an interesting day. No matter what happens, you must stay with Count Phantomhive, it is an order. "
In the case of any other master, he would have openly rejected that order. He could not follow directives that endangered the contractor's soul. However, that particular circumstance deserved it ... and he was not any master.
It was not until the clock struck three chimes that he deigned to move. A slight nod
At that moment the doors of the mansion opened wide, letting in the wind, the rain and the figure of a seriously injured Shinigami. Every step he took towards the interior of the mansion was followed by a trail of blood. What remained of the black robes hid much of the wounds, but even so it was possible to indicate that he was seriously wounded.
Undertaker focused his eyes on him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"I'm lucky to meet you here, demon." He smiled briefly before collapsing on the first steps.
Sebastian could not prevent a grimace of displeasure from crossing his features. Blood on the carpet. It would take days to remove it.
"Sebastian! What ...?!"
The count had left his bedroom alerted by the loud sound of the doors opening. He was about to scold the demon, when he noticed the scene in front of him. The wind entering the mansion with a furious whistle, the blood in the hall, Sebastian standing in the middle of all that scene and in his arms, nothing more and nothing less than the fugitive Undertaker.
"What is this?! What happened ?!"
Ciel hurried to them but could not help but look away from the deep cuts that the former informant was carrying.
"He has arrived during the morning." Sebastian answered without stopping watching the unconscious Shinigami in his arms.
"Judging by the wounds, it is possible that he had an encounter with the Death Scythes of others of his kind."
The young man hesitated a moment without knowing what course of action to take in the face of such an unexpected circumstance. However, he soon recovered.
"Fix him up. Do not let him leave without first having questioned him."
Sebastian smiled.
"Yes, my lord."
The butler took the unconscious God of death into one of the rooms and closed the door. Once he had left him on the bed, he looked in one of the cabinets for the instruments he would need. He deposited the thread, the needle, the bandages and the alcohol on the bedside table. Then he opened one of the cabinets and took a small scissors. With a quick movement he cut the shreds of clothing that still enveloped his body. Once this was done, he took a distance to contemplate him.
It was the first time he had the chance to see him that way. Fragile, vulnerable, at the mercy of what could happen to him ..
The Death Scythes had really made a mess. The pale, slender body was the scene of a carnage. Deep cuts opened the skin in multiple directions. It would take time to finish the job. The demon sighed, trying to appease his growing frustration. He took the bottle of alcohol and practically bathed the Shinigami with him. Not so much to disinfect the wounds (he doubted that he could die of an infection) but to wake him up to the painful shock.
Undertaker regained consciousness as soon as the liquid made contact with his body. For a brief moment, he seemed bewildered to see Sebastian. However, he soon seemed to be aware of time and location.
"I'm really lucky to find you here ..." The voice was just a whisper twitching with pain.
Sebastian did not respond immediately, just starting to sew the open wounds. Great cuts opened the Shinigami's flesh. The fact that he could still remain conscious after the loss of so much blood was due exclusively to his supernatural nature.
"That was what you ordered." The butler finally answered with feigned calmness, without giving any hint of the troubled afternoon he had had to go through his cause.
Undertaker looked quickly at the door. Sensing where his thoughts were going, Sebastian clarified:
"He is in his bedroom. He has pretended that he did not care, but your state has left a deep impression on him. I doubt he will approach you until I has fixed you".
The Shinigami briefly closed his eyes satisfied with the response.
"You do not seem very happy .."
"You know what I think about all this. You should not have confronted the entire office alone. But you never cared what I think .."
Undertaker smiled ominously.
"You should have seen how they were after the battle" He lifted one of his hands, which still wore a lock of red hair.
Sebastian raised one of his elegant eyebrows at the sight, then cut the thread with his jaws.
"I suppose I should thank you for that. I will not have that annoying guy chasing me everywhere."
Undertaker issued his characteristic laugh which soon became a moan of pain. Unintentionally, he had forced his abdomen. Sebastian rejoiced in his small victory. If he was not going to listen to him well..
"Oh, don´t think I don´t know that you're enjoying every moment of this!" He let the other take one of his hands to bandage it. "You're all the same ..."
Sebastian finished bandaging the limb to focus on some cuts on his forearm. They were not so deep to be sew nor so superficial to leave them unattended.
"Have you ever had dealings with other demons?"
The question would sound carefree to the ears of anyone ... of anyone but him. The devil could pretend indifference all he wanted, but he was aware of his peculiar nature. Possessiveness was an unalterable feature of his kind. It was the Shinigami's turn to savor his triumph.
"This body is just a shell for you. What happened to it is anecdotal. I've had enough dealings with your kind to understand that you're only interested in one thing in this world.
The demon could not refute the claim, however the other was wrong to think that his injuries left him indifferent. Although superficial damage would not harm the soul, no one touched what was his.
"Oh! What are you doing?"
Sebastian had taken the pale forearm to his face and then proceeded to lick it in its entirety. Warm steam came out of the wounds as his tongue moved along its path.
"I am cauterizing the wounds. In this way the recovery will be faster. "The response was efficient, devoid of emotion, as if his behavior was the most logical.
"Mmm .."
Undertaker pretended to believe him, suddenly too exhausted to judge his intentions. For a while, he let himself be done, just feeling how the demonic tongue healed the wounds of his body.
It was not especially strange that the demon sought intimacy with him in one way or another. He would usually have rejected any such approach with one of those creatures, but Sebastian was special. He deftly denied his intentions and his need for contact in such a way that even he, seemed to be surprised at his need.
For his part, that behavior amused him more than it bothered him. He was sure that in his long existence the demon had never made such a contract. His need to contact, on the few occasions they saw each other, could be due to that. He had never been away from his contractor, much less pretending to obey someone else's orders. That reminded him ...
"By the way, I must congratulate you on your performance in the Campania."
Sebastian stopped his action on the other's skin, suddenly aware of the mute pain still throbbing in his chest.
Ah, the Campania ...
That ship had been the scene of one of the most overwhelmingly painful moments of his entire existence. Even after so many months, he could still feel the Detah Scythe cutting him with its sharpness.
"I hope you don´t hold a grudge for that happy episode." Undertaker continued as if he was oblivious to the tribulations of the other.
"You see, I did not trust you. I had to make sure that you were completely suitable for the task I had entrusted to you."
For a brief moment, Sebastian felt the anger turn his eyes red. However, he did not allow his anger to be noticed. Almost instantly, he made an animated smile appear on his features, while taking the needle and thread again to close the wound that opened the Shinigami's abdomen.
"So, can it be said that I passed the test?" He sank without any delicacy the needle on the flesh "Do you trust me now?"
The Shinigami sensed the pain at the sudden abruptness of the other, but made no sign of discomfort. If he did, the game they kept would end at that moment and he wanted to be the winner.
"Oh God! Of course not!" He exclaimed with a dramatic gesture of his hand as discarding the idea.
"But I trust your hunger." He winked. "I know that even you are not so stupid to miss an opportunity like this"
The soul of a Shinigami.
That prize was reason enough to submit to any mandate that the God decided to give him. Sebastian had never had occasion to taste such an exquisite and exotic soul.
The Gods of death were creatures who never dealt with demons. Their souls, still in limbo, were too close to Salvation to even think about the possibility of a contract. Their species only mixed on the battlefield. With a few exceptions, of course. There were always the eccentrics. The rares. Those who defied all rule ...
The insanes..
When he was summoned and the first order that came out of his lips was "Follow the orders of a child" was the first thing he thought.
Was the Shinigami insane?
What kind of master calls a demon only to follow the orders of someone else?
Who would negotiate his soul in exchange for the protection of a sickly child?
Until now, his questions lacked an answer. He never talked about himself, his motives, or the relationship he could have with the young Count Phantomhive. Only one thing had revealed of his person the day they made the contract.
His name.
A name that he hid so jealously of others, that it was never uttered aloud. A name that he hid with such suspicion, that not even his beloved Count knew of it.
It was that same name, which the devil used to make the contract that united them. He could not have thought of a more intimate part of him.
A furious scream filtered through the window. Outside, the storm seemed to have taken its toll on the garden of his young master.
"The Count wants answers. When I finish sewing you I will have to interrogate you"
Undertaker closed his eyes returning to outline an enigmatic smile.
"Indeed, you will try to get the answers from me using all possible means .."
Sebastian remained silent. He was sure that sooner or later they would culminate in that situation. The orders of his "two masters" would come into conflict and everything would be complicated. The Shinigami would not reveal his plans and he would be forced to torture him for information. All his work trying to mend his skin would be ruined again.
The demon was finishing examining the wound in his abdomen when he was suddenly taken by the lapel of his suit. A movement as fast as unexpected. Sebastian reproached himself for finding his guard down. Even in those conditions, that subject could be as dangerous as a demon.
"You will do everything that Count Phantomhive asks of you because that is what I have ordered you to do. If you can´t do it, the contract is canceled. "The tone was serious, far from its characteristic inflections. His true voice.
Sebastian, without being intimidated, smiled showing his jaws and approach his face to kiss him. Their lips made contact a brief second. Then, the demon moved his tongue away from his mouth to lick a wound in his cheek.
-Yes, my God.
End