Hello all. Been a while since I've made my presence known on this site, so let's change that. I just started watching Black Butler (my first Anime series since Sailor Moon when I was 12) and this story popped in my head, and then down on my Netbook. More chapters hopefully coming soon.

And this goes without saying, but no, I own nothing. And no slash either, so please look elsewhere if you're looking for that.


It was quiet, too quiet, too silent for too long. Once he forced his eyes open and was able to see again lights swirled, faded, pulsed and glowed. For a moment he hovered in this strange state of confusion; he listened (still only hearing silence), smelled (fire, paper, wood and linens), and felt his way around (he was lying on something soft), searching for a clue to his surroundings, his condition, what form he was in or who he was supposed to be. He thought he could hear a voice, but it sounded distant, too far away for even his ears to make out.

And then there was pain. Not like the usual pain he'd experience with a combination of discomfort and bemusement and then brush off as he got back to business. This was blinding, savage, disorienting, ruthless pain that coursed through his form, setting his nerves, his core, his eyeballs and fingernails and even, seemingly, his hair aflame. He could feel himself jerk and twist in spasms, which only caused more pain as his injured form protested the sudden movement.

He felt a tinge of fear, which only made him angry; suddenly violently angry. He roared like an animal, the very bowels of hell echoing in his cry. He was mindlessly fueled by rage and excruciating pain, and he wanted to rise, to tear through wherever he was and punish those who would humiliate and subjugate him. To kill, to slash, to taste blood. He roared again, his nails stretched into claws which tore into whatever was beneath him, his teeth elongating, and he tried to force his pained form into action.

Suddenly there was weight on top of him, trying to hold him in place, which only caused more pain and made him angrier and he growled in response. But before he could truly react it seemed like the fog cancelling out noise suddenly lifted, and the distant voice cut through the red haze, sounding young, urgent, tense and above all, commanding.

Sebastian! Sebastian stop this at once! You must be still! I am ordering you to be still, to not move a muscle! Do you hear me? Do not move! Do not make a sound!

There was no reason he knew of to obey this voice, but his left hand suddenly burned and the name Sebastian triggered something in his mind. Sebastian … human …Phantomhive…butler. It cut through the confusion, the rage and the agony, and suddenly, he obeyed. He silenced his growls and cries of anger and settled, with great difficulty, back into his fully-human form and on whatever he was lying on. He was still in pain, it still made him spasm to some degree, but he found himself straining to keep himself still.

Good. Very good. The voice sounded somewhat relieved, but still very tense and masterful. I know you're in pain, but if you move it will only hurt more. You need to rest now. You will sleep Sebastian. It will help you heal. Look at me when I'm addressing you. Sebastian, look at me. He struggled to focus his eyes, to look above him, and found a pair of eyes looking down at him, one blue, one violet with a pattern over it that glowed as he spoke. I order you to sleep Sebastian, deeply, to where the pain can't reach you. Sleep now.

Not of his own accord, for he would have rather torn everyone around him limb from limb, especially whoever was looming over him, his eyes started to fall shut and the darkness he had been adrift in before began to close around him again. "Yes…Master" he whispered through his teeth, not certain why he should draw up the strength to say it but feeling compelled to do so. Soon he grew weak and still as the darkness enveloped him, and the rage, confusion and pain, along with everything else, drifted away to nothing.


Ciel Phantomhive let out a breath, allowing his head to drop onto Sebastian's chest as relief washed over him. He was straddling his now sleeping butler's waist, having leapt onto him in a likely vain attempt to hold him down and keep him from lunging off the bed in spite of his injuries and begin a rampage through the manor.

When his butler had first stirred, Ciel, who had been sitting nearby and had had some idea of what to expect by then, knew he still couldn't be entirely prepared for this. "Sebastian?" Ciel had called to him. "Can you hear me?" At first Sebastian just seemed muddled, only turning his head somewhat and blinking his eyes against the light. But then the pain seemed to wash over him, and suddenly he was very animated, twisting himself on the bed in agony. Phantomhive had tried to talk sense to him then, but it was no use. He roared, and his demonic form began to show itself in his voice and in his face as his eyes flashed red and his teeth began to stretch in his head.

In a moment of decision that was either very brave or very stupid Ciel had leapt onto him then. He wasn't certain how much strength the demon possessed in his current state, but when he saw Sebastian start to shift into his real form, he knew he had to do something to prevent what would happen next, whatever it was, not to mention that these inhuman sounds would arouse suspicion if anyone heard. Thankfully his words had broken through, and his commands had been followed. He hadn't been entirely certain they would be, but it seemed that even though Sebastian was out of his head, his contract with Ciel could still hold sway over him,

Now that Sebastian was still again, Lord Phantomhive climbed off him, taking care not to aggravate the bandaged wounds around his torso and arms any further. He drew the sheets back over his servant, then threw himself back into the chair beside Sebastian's bed, absently noting the stack of books at his feet and that the fire in the grate was nearly down to coals and would need to be stoked. He picked up another book while he continued his vigil, ensuring that the demon lying before him would remain harmless, human and healing. He suspected it would be a long night.


Hope I've caught your attention. We'll see where this takes us. Constructive comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading :)