A/N: FINALLY! Do you know how long ago I started this? I wish I had somebody to smack me upside the head and keep reminding me to finish this. It is actually 12:30 am as I am typing this and I am supposed to be getting on a school bus in about 6 hours…oops! But I love you guys too much to hold this Ciel x OC one-shot over your head for a day longer! Here it is!
Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford
June 15, 1873 – December 14, 1889
The tombstone read nothing after that. No kind compliment of the life she lived. Of her brave, stupid heart. Of her desire to make everything cute. Not even an explanation of why she died on her fiancée's birthday or of how dearly she loved him; there was nothing. It truly was a shame, she deserved something more. Today was the day after the young noblewoman's funeral. There were no more weeping parents and siblings. No more nobles faking sadness. No more strangers staring sympathetically at the mother. No more mortician and priest watching from a distance. The girl was gone and the crowd dressed in black had long since dispersed. The young girl's tombstone was invisible to all mortal eyes tonight; it was midnight and the night of the new moon. Not even the tears left by her brother on top of the stone were able to glisten in the moonlight on an evening as dark as this one.
Two men cloaked in black approached the grave in complete silence, their dark attire making it appear as if they were born directly from within the darkness and life was breathed into them. The first was quite small, about the size of a young child, and wore a long, hooded cape. The second man walked just behind him, towering above him. He too was wearing all black, making the duo nearly impossible to see. The smaller of the two approached the tombstone, kneeled down in front of it, and gently brushed his fingertips across the rough concrete surface. He shook his head and a quiet sigh escaped from between his lips; a sigh that would make the girl squeal from joy had she not been lying in an eternal rest just 6 feet below the boy.
"Lizzie…" he sighed again. "Why must you be so foolish?"
"I doubt it was a coincidence that she died on your birthday. Do you think it was suicide?" The taller man questioned.
"Elizabeth? I doubt it. She probably had a fit and ran into some trouble." He sighed for the third time.
The boy could almost feel the evil smile that was being directed towards him by his follower. "Well," his butler began, "do you think that maybe-" but he was abruptly cut off by a loud, yet delicate snore from behind Elizabeth's tombstone. The boy immediately stood up and glared behind the engraved stone.
A young lady that was about 13 years of age lay on the ground behind the grave, her long black hair flowing out from behind her head and all around her like a halo. She breathed in through her small, button nose and let another quiet, delicate snore escape from between her thin, red lips. She wore a strange short dress, which looked like it was imported from Japan. The wa-loli kimono was mainly black with crimson bows, ruffles, and ribbon accenting the neckline and shoulders. Underneath, she wore black tights that were covered in scratches which looked they had been made by an animal. She also wore sleek, black boots that went all the way up to her knees with a crimson zipper running along the side of each boot. The boy was momentarily captivated by the young woman's beauty before he regained his composure, slipped his shoe off of his foot, and poised it high above his head to hit the girl with it for being so disrespectful.
"Ah, if it isn't the young Phantomhive boy." the woman purred in a voice softer than silk as the butler took the shoe from Ciel's hand. "I wondered when you would finally visit your deceased fiancée." Her eyelids opened up, revealing bright violet eyes which were beautifully lined by thick eyelashes. "You didn't even attend her funeral; it shows just how little you cared for Lizzie, doesn't it?" She teased him.
Ciel scowled as he allowed Sebastian to slide the shoe back onto his foot. "Just who the hell are you?! And how do you know who I am?" he ducked his head down and backed up into his butler before whipping his head in every possible direction to ensure nobody else was around that might recognize him.
"Young Master-"
"What is it, Sebastian?" Ciel hissed quietly to his butler.
"Take a deep breath in through your nose." He responded calmly.
"Why?"
"Please, Young Master. Just do it." Ciel closed his eyes and did as his butler ordered. The butler and the strange woman saw his eye that was not covered by his eyepatch immediately snap open, his pupil now a slit and his eye shining a bright pink. The child closed his eyes and shook his head, the pink eye turning blue again.
The woman stood up off of the ground and smiled evilly at Ciel as she stepped around his fiancée's tombstone. "What's wrong?" she asked, feigning curiosity. "Have you yet to get used to the smell of demons?"
Ciel's eyes widened from shock, then he quickly narrowed them and moved in towards her until he was about a foot away. The woman took another step towards him so that their noses and foreheads touched and flicked his hood down onto his shoulders. "Do you still not remember me, Ciel Phantomhive?"
"Young Master, be careful around this woman." Sebastian warned.
"Why?" Ciel teased, his face burning a bright red, but still keeping his stance. "Is she a stronger demon than you?"
"Yes." His butler's words echoed in his ears as he attempted to hide his surprise. This girl was more powerful than Sebastian? She didn't appear to be, as her beautiful violet eyes stared deep into his, filled with disappointment.
"You don't remember me, do you?" she whined. "You attended my party two years ago when I returned home. We danced together, remember? And I believe that I had told you something…that sometimes the darkest truths must be kept a secret, right?" The gears in Ciel's head began turning as recognition sparked in his eyes. "Ah, yes. I am assuming that you were referring to your disappearance when you said that?" Ciel took a step back and shook hands with the young woman. "Lady Chelsea Akuma Thatcher. Your father imported clothing, books, and children's toys from Japan." She smirked mischievously.
"And now I, like you, decided to take on my father's work after the death of my parents. Do you have a safe place to stay in this mortal world, Ciel Phantomhive?" without awaiting a response, she began walking away, gesturing for the two of them to follow her. The pair shared a hesitant glance, then followed her down the dark path. She walked up to a carriage parked on the path and opened the door for the two of them to enter. Then, she walked up to the sleeping driver and gently brushed two fingers against the back of both of his hands to wake him.
"Yes, my lady?" the driver asked, his slurred words almost impossible to understand. Chelsea's eyes widened and a huge grin was plastered across her face as she began to quickly start making hand gestures at him, which he occasionally returned with a few simple gestures. The man tipped his head slightly as he asked her a question with his hands, which she mouthed as he asked it. She replied with two quick gestures and the man gave her a small bow from his seat and faced forward. Ciel and Sebastian stared at her curiously from behind the carriage door, which she responded to with a smile and gestured with her hands for them to go inside.
"May I ask you a question?" Sebastian politely asked Chelsea as they rode her carriage towards her manor.
She smirked. "You may ask as many questions as you desire."
"Before we left, you were communicating in sign language with your driver and I noticed that you mouthed one of the questions he asked you to yourself."
"…Yes, go on."
"Did you say 'And how low should I bow?' " Ciel's head snapped up when he heard this question and Chelsea nodded.
"So that rumor is true?" Ciel asked. Sebastian turned to his master, clearly confused, and Ciel answered his question before it was even spoken. "Lady Thatcher has been known for inviting very dangerous guests into her home. Rumors have stated that she used to be constantly visited by Scotland Yard and men hunting down her guests, but they no longer go to her for information. The Thatcher family has been well-known for their ability to keep secrets. The only information that ever slipped past them is by the servants. Many people claim that all of the staff members she hired when she returned suffer from some sort of disability, and they have such minor connections with the world outside of the manor, they would never be able to provide useful information, even if it was tortured out of them."
Chelsea Thatcher nodded, and Ciel continued speaking. "The only servant she has that has a strong connection with the world outside her manor is the head butler. People say he is extremely smart, but doesn't know anything of her dark affairs. They say that he would never be able to provide useful information, despite always being by her side, because he is deaf and unable to hear the conversation. They also say that when he is in the presence of dangerous guests, he is ordered to bow so low that he would never see the guests' faces."
The young noblewoman looked at the two men intently as she crossed her legs. "That is what I love about nobles and their rumors," she smirked. "because they can never seem to keep their mouths shut. You never know if their rumor is the truth or not."
"In this case, though, it is." Ciel continued for her and she nodded, locking eyes with him.
"If I may ask," Sebastian began. "what was your response to that question?"
Chelsea sharply turned her head towards the window, black strands of hair flying out gracefully before resting on her shoulders once more. "Very low."
Ciel Phantomhive could not help but stare at the intelligent, beautiful young woman. She clearly thought out everything very thoroughly in order to ensure the protection of her guests, herself, her servants, and her high social status all at once. She showed to people how kind and caring she was towards others by finding people who are usually left helpless on the street due to their disability and providing them with a job, shelter, and food. This would create a domino effect, especially since the servants would know so little about the guests that would enter her manor; they would most likely provide the guests with the best service possible without having to be asked because they would assume the guest to be as kind as they saw her to be. Every guest who enters that manor, no matter how good or evil they are, would feel safe and respected, which would create a good reputation for herself and her business because people would say that the woman who ran the business was highly respectable and employed men and women who were hard-working and kind.
It was ingenious…she created her own world in which she ruled over as the queen and everybody followed behind her, but they didn't follow her out of fear; they followed her because she treated all others with a high level of unearned respect, which gave her even more power. She created a beautiful mask that nobody could see past unless she took it off for them to see.
This was the first time they met alone, yet she was willing to take her mask off in front of her already? She made it clear to him how dark and evil she really was from the moment she began to speak to him. She made no attempt to hide the duplicitous look in her eyes, which she hid surprisingly well the first time they had met. All of the servants and nobles were all simply pawns to her, as if it was a game of chess. Even so, the thing that made Miss Chelsea so unique was the fact that she did not just disregard all of these men and women; she seemed to honestly care and worry about even the most replaceable pawns. She treated the weakest pieces as if they were rooks or knights and didn't even allow them to fall. They all felt strong under her command; they felt like they were loved and powerful.
She was practically invincible.
"We're here" she whispered, her beautiful voice breaking him from his thoughts. Ciel gently lifted the dark blue curtains that covered the windows and looked outside. This was not her parents' manor, the one where they had first met. Instead, he found himself looking at a large gothic manor accented with red and purple, much like she was. It looked so dark, dangerous, and beautiful.
Just like her.
Ciel shook his head a little. Why was he thinking such strange thoughts? Maybe he felt naturally attracted to her since she was such a powerful demon. Ugh, being a demon could be quite a nuisance from time to time. The carriage followed the curving path around an elegant fountain and stopped in front of the doors to her manor. Miss Thatcher stood up in the cabin, tall and proud, as her butler opened the door. After a moment, it became very clear to Ciel what she was doing; she was shielding them from her butler's view. It was no wonder why she was so highly respected by her guests from England's underworld. Her black glove slid gently into the deaf man's hand, and she gingerly stepped out of the carriage as her butler bowed very low to the ground, leaving his hand out for the next guest. Ciel kept his eyes locked on the butler as he hesitantly accepted the hand and stepped onto the ground, his own butler following directly after him.
The young noble woman brushed two fingers across the length of his back, which her butler immediately responded to by closing the carriage door and turning to follow his master, his head slightly turned to the side so that he could not see the guests. From up ahead, the large manor doors swung open slightly, revealing the heads of a curious-looking boy and girl who each looked to be in their teenage years. The girl had long blonde hair and dark grey eyes while the boy appeared to be the nearly the opposite, having short, brown hair and bright green eyes. Miss Thatcher flashed them a friendly, eye-closed smile and waved at the two servants. The young boy ran out the doors, giggling happily, and Ciel was almost frozen from shock.
The boy was missing an arm.
He ran towards them with his arms spread out like a bird, except one arm ended with a little stub just before where his elbow should be. The boy ran right up to his master, who stopped walking to hug him, not caring that these were unfit actions for a servant, and let him run past as he expertly hopped into the driver's seat and took the reins with only one hand. The noblewoman and her guests proceeded up the main steps to the manor, where the young maid opened the door all the way for them to proceed.
"Well, there doesn't appear to be something wrong with this servant like you said they all would be, does there?" Sebastian murmured curiously, a hint of sarcasm being clearly heard in his tone.
"It would not appear to be that Victoria has any disability because she is blind." Chelsea replied with a smirk, gently resting her hand on the maid's as she passed.
The group of demonic nobles made their way towards the main staircase, the head butler taking the lead, when another servant attempted to attract the attention of their loving master.
"Miss Thatcher!" the nobles all turned, Ciel and Sebastian's eyes filled with shock, as another maid pushed a food trolley in their direction. On top of the trolley was a man in a white apron whose body from the waist down was completely missing. "You never had something to eat before you left." He smiled, glancing at the two guests as he did.
"Ah, yes, I am a bit famished. And actually, I am a bit parched as well. Could you please have my meal and a cup of hot chocolate brought up to the library?" she glanced carelessly over at Ciel and Sebastian, a bored expression on her face. "And my guests are not hungry." She locked eyes with Ciel, smirking a little. He nodded in response.
The chef bowed his head slightly. "Yes ma'am." He twisted around, grabbing the side of the table for support and whispered comfortingly into his driver's ear, who appeared to be extremely startled by nothing at all, 'C'mon, let's go back into the kitchen' and he let his driver steer him away. Chelsea began to skip towards the main stairs happily, oblivious to the horror that her guests often faced when the saw the impaired servants running about in her manor.
Noticing she was not being followed, she turned around and saw Ciel and Sebastian's stunned expressions as their eyes followed the legless chef into the kitchen.
"Hey, slowpokes!" she called out playfully, regaining their attention. She motioned with her hand for them to follow her. "We're going to my library to talk, okay?" Without waiting for a response, she began bouncing up the staircase as if she were playing hopscotch. Ciel and Sebastian exchanged glances before following her up the stairs. "So, if I may ask…" Ciel started awkward. "How did you..." he ran up the stairs beside her and whispered into her ear "How did you become a demon?" Chelsea immediately stopped, spun around to face him and put a finger to her lips, smiling. "Wait a little longer until only the deaf can hear our conversation, okay?" Without awaiting an answer, she began to hop up the stairs again, leading the way for her guests.
"Sebastian." Ciel glanced carelessly at his butler, the two of them sitting on an expensive, plush couch directly across from the purple-eyed demon. "How do you know who Miss Thatcher is?"
The demon butler turned away from the girl and looked down at his master. "I met her in Heresy. She was on her way to the bottom of Hell and was fighting many demons to gain enough strength to enter the next ring, Violence. She was on a winning streak and I was attempting to see if I could defeat this famous new demon."
Ciel turned to the noblewoman, confused. "Famous new demon?"
Chelsea smirked at the young earl. "I had only been a demon for about five weeks when I met Sebastian in Heresy and he challenged me, which is actually quite a fitting home for him, isn't it? I have always found his views to match those of a heretic."
"She was the most powerful demon anyone had met." Sebastian continued as the hostess jokingly mimicked flattered embarrassment. "Miss Thatcher was the first demon to reach Treachery and the second mortal to enter Hell, the first being Dante." Ciel stared at the woman in shock. He had only visited Hell once with Sebastian and it seemed impossible for him to advance past Greed! He was also fascinated by how she had made it into Hell as a mortal.
"If I may ask," Ciel spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "how did you enter Hell as a mortal?"
Chelsea smirked deviously at Ciel, making him blush.
"My mother was a very greedy woman, from childhood until her very last breath. She was murdered by a cult, who was attempting to kill my father and I as well. My father, who was a demon, fought to protect us from both the cult members and the Shinigami attempting to steal my mother's soul from us. During the attack, a large crack opened up in the ground below my mother to drop her down into Hell. As she began to slip in, her last momentous act of greed was to grab me by the wrist and take me into Hell with her. Pluto sent her right to work, then looked at me in shock and told me that I was still alive and didn't belong here."
Ciel, who was deeply indulged in the storyline, urged her on and asked to continue telling her story.
"Pluto directed me in the direction of the entrance to Hell, where Cerberus stood near the gate, Satan himself mounted on his back. Nobody has to be told what Satan looks like, be it a mortal, demon, Shinigami, or angel. The pure terror that enters your heart when you lay eyes on this horrifying creature is enough for you to know that the one who stands before you is Satan." Chelsea paused for a moment, turning away and smirking. "My meeting with him still confuses me to this day…I, a living mortal, was being stared down by the ruler of Hell…I was horrified, but this immortal beast…was impressed." Ciel's eyes widened in shock. Chelsea chucked. "He was actually impressed with me. He was amazed that I had abandoned my mother with no hesitation and carelessly pushed away the greedy spirits begging at my feet. Satan wanted to see how long a human who looked this powerful would survive in Hell."
She pulled a key out of her bosom and hooked the chain of her heart-shaped necklace with the notched bit. "He gave turned me into a pure-blooded demon, gave me a key home, and dropped me in Limbo..." Chelsea stood up abruptly. "I believe it is time to retire for the night. Demon or not, I want to sleep. Please, stay the night. You may wander the halls or stay in a room, whichever you prefer. I hope to see you in the morning. If you stay until 10, maybe we could arrange a little hunting competition, no?"
Without another word, she swung around and exited the room, leaving Sebastian and Ciel confused and shocked.
Chelsea sat in fetal position on her bed, still fully clothed, examining her toes as they wiggled around in her socks. She hated talking about her parents, it made her want to go visit Lust and see her father. Whenever she talked about becoming a demon, she felt so alone. Maybe she should go visit Satan again, he was the one who opened the gate for her, after all. He asked her to visit again, but she couldn't. Something made her feel as if she needed to linger in this mortal world for a little longer before going back to Hell.
A hand gently rapped on her bedroom door.
"Come in, Phantomhive." Ciel slowly opened the door, his usual beautiful blue eye shining a demonic pink to see through the darkness in her room. The door opened inch by inch until he saw that she was still fully clothed and entered the room, closing the door behind him. The earl stood tall and proud, hands behind his back.
"If I said something to offend you earlier, Miss Thatcher," Ciel whispered. "I had no intention of hurting your feelings."
The young girl smiled and pat on the covers next to her. Ciel accepted the non-verbal invitation, stepping over her shoes and taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to her.
"You said nothing to offend me, Ciel. I just…" Chelsea hugged herself tighter. "I just start to feel lonely whenever I think about my parents. My dad is living in Lust and my mom is enslaved in Greed for the rest of eternity. And here I am, living like a noblewoman again while my parents sit in Hell. I should be down there with them, at least with my father, who decided to wait until a few generations passed and he would be unrecognizable to return back to British society." Ciel slipped off his shoes and scooted closer to her on the bed, wrapping his arm around her.
"Who cares what your father does?" Ciel replied, his voice dramatically changing to a more rude and selfish tone. "This is your life, you do what you please." Chelsea looked up at him in shock. "If you want to live on as a noble, he will have to deal with it! If you screw up or he screws up, there is nothing else that can be done about it. That's how life works."
Chelsea suddenly turned on her side and slammed her hands on the bed next to Ciel, a passionate fire burning in her eyes. She placed one hand gently on his upper thigh and leaned her head in close to Ciel's, ignoring his embarrassment and attempts to move away.
"You've got guts, Phantomhive." She purred. "I've never met a demon as stubborn and smart as you. Maybe you were the one I was missing all this time?"
Ciel began to stutter. "W-what are you d-d-doing?! Don't you h-have a fiancée?"
"He married another woman when everyone thought I was dead. I didn't like him much anyways." She replied curtly. Her hand slid down to a less uncomfortable part of his leg, near his knee. "Also, I am surprised that you did not expect that of me. I thought I made it clear that my father was a demon who resided in Lust."
Ciel backed away from her a little bit, but her hand still stayed on his leg and their faces were still close to each other. His heart was racing at a speed that would be almost unsafe for humans. It was beating fast for her.
"Chelsea Thatcher..?" Ciel's face became redder. "From the moment I met you until this very moment, I have always thought that maybe I…"
"That you…?" Chelsea urged on, her eyes filled with honest curiosity.
"That I might…have feeling for you…ones that I am supposed to only feel for my fiancée or wife…"
Chelsea suddenly pushed Ciel down on the bed, their eyes shining a bright pink. Ciel gasped in shock and Chelsea giggled.
"Of course you have feeling for me, Ciel! My father was from Lust, it was known that I would attract many suitors before I was even born!" Chelsea slid her fingers underneath his eyepatch and flipped it up, examining the contract mark on his eye. "The real question here is what do I feel for you? I am sure you are not the only man who has found me to be beautiful, but in the end, I am the one to decide, am I not?" Chelsea's eyes fluttered shut as she leaned towards Ciel, allowing her instincts to make the decision and take control of her. For a moment, her body wavered and began to sit up.
Then, much to her surprise, Ciel pushed his body up closer to Chelsea and kissed her on the lips.
Some people believe that a romantic kiss is one that is rough and almost forceful, yet wanted. Ciel was nothing like that. Despite his truly selfish and demanding personality hidden behind the act that he puts on for society, his kiss was surprisingly gentle. The earl's hands unconsciously made their way under her arms and around her waist, gently holding her body close to his own. This was clearly his first kiss, but thanks to her "experience" in Lust, Chelsea knew what to do and took charge.
In her mind, she wanted to take things further, but she followed her heart, which wanted nothing more than to savor this kiss, Ciel's first kiss, and make it be nothing more than that. They savored the moment, one that few nobles or peasants looking for a spouse were able to find.
The feeling of finding a true, honest love.
Ciel and Chelsea both opened their eyes as they ended their kiss. Then, for the first time, Chelsea saw Ciel smile. She had seen him smile when he attended her ball, but that was clearly fake. His eyes and his mouth showed her that he was happy that he spoke up and happy that she chose him.
Chelsea slid gently off of Ciel and onto her soft bed, not taking off her dress for Ciel's sake. The two young, teenage demons lied down on the soft bed together and held each other's hands as they closed their eyes to get some much unneeded sleep.
A/N: There we go! About 4,800 words filled with pure romance and procrastination! I really hope you all enjoyed. Please leave a review and don't be afraid to tell me anything you think I did WRONG! Compliments don't make me a better writer!
Also, any suggestions for what to work on next are always appreciated!
