Episode 1: His Butler, Beginning


A crystal blue sky is the backdrop for today's story, with yawning white clouds floating aimlessly by a gentle spring sun. An elegant manor stand proudly on a clearing, with towering trees idoling it on all sides as the monument of beauty casts a lazy morning shadow on the graceful yard. Lush, healthy flowers lace the ground as numerous as the pink petals on a sakura tree, while perfectly cut grass oozes clear, cool morning dew -the liquid leaking from the tips in silent drip drip drips.

Such a lazy morning

Such a gentle breeze

What grace, what ease,

Yet, with the screech of May-Rin, we find ourselves with a-

"-WARNING!" A certain red-headed maid wailed as she scrambled down the majestic corridors with her clumsy feet. "Young Master, the lord, Trancy, has sent a warning!" She howled, her shrill voice echoing throughout the entire mansion. When she finally reached the door to her master's office, she grasped the mahogany doorknob and ripped it open like a Band-Aid to find -WHACKsykufgb...

She blinked a few times to find herself in complete darkness. The first thought to go through her head was that she had suddenly gone blind. Of course, this must have been the lord Trancy's warning -To turn everyone in the manor blind! Oh no! The young master would surely be blind, as well, and it was all her fault because she couldn't get to him in time to deliver the message and now he would never see anything again an- No! Now Ciel would never see his he wouldn't even see his wedding and Lady Elizabeth would be so sad if she found out her future groom could not see her in her beautiful dress and would definitely break off the engagement whichmeanstheyoungmasterwouldbeheart-brokenandsure lymostdefinatelydieofabrokenheartanditwasallherfau lt! She began to sob and shake her head as she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles.

"May-Rin?" A familiar voice called softly as the figure before her backed away a bit. She opened her eyes to find gentle light and hardwood floors beneath her.

Oh...

...

She wasn't...

...

May-Rin blushes as her eyes settled on two firm boots, up two long black trouser legs, a hidden crouch (Which she held in a nosebleed for) a broad chest covered by and expensive vest and coattail, and finally the sharp, dashing face of none other than Sebastian Michaelis: The Phantomhive Estates' notorious butler. The one and only raven butler. The Black Butler.

"Ah haha... Heh... That was... Well, you see... Erhm... Uh... *Sigh*... Here you go, Sebastian," She stammered, finally slumping her shoulders at the end and handing the butler a creased and wrinkled envelope bearing the Trancy insignia. Sebastian took it from her leisurely and watched as she sulked her way out of the room. An odd woman, she was, all because of silly glasses.

Sebastian shook his head and turned around to face his master's dull face, encompassed in the paperwork on his desk. With soundless strides, he strolled over to the younger's work area and stood before the earl with perfect posture. When no attention was given to him, he leaned over a bit as he outstretched the envelope in front of him with a devilish smile. The boy did not look; he merely pretended not to notice as the annoying white paper that blocked much of his view of the paperwork. Finally, he heaved a sigh and peeked up at his servant with only his eyes in an aggravated glare. The butler had succeeded.

"What is it?" He questioned him. Sebastian's grin seemed to widen, even curling in fiendishly.

"It seems to be a letter from... Let's see... A Mr.-" Sebastian began. The boy waved him off.

"Throw it away; I don't want any guests today -Even though Lau, Madam Red, Elizabeth, Prince Soma... Gah... Just eat it or something," He rambled bitterly, shaking his head of the developing headache in his head. The butler nodded, smile increasing 6-fold, as he headed for the door.

"You are right, Young Master; Lord Trancy would be nothing but a nuisance to have around." He chuckled when the earl burst from his chair as soon as 'Trancy' slithered from his lips.

"Trancy?! Damn that Alois... What does he want?" Young Phantomhive snapped. The butler continued toward the door.

"I guess we'll never know..." He teased.

"Sebastian! Give it back!" The younger of the two retorted. He did not stop.

"My master ordered me to dispose of the letter by ingestion. Therefor..." Sebastian teased more as he held the envelope above him with an open mouth. The earl ran after him and hopped, reaching for the message.

"Give it to me know, Sebastian; That's an order!" He hissed. With the same grin, he handed the piece of paper over to the boy, who snatched it from him and tore it open. Eagerly pulling the paper out, his hands tripped on themselves to unfold it -his eyes were impatient to see what obscenities awaited him. When he did, he slumped and dropped his face. On the page was an obscure drawing of a penis, and an arrow pointing to it read 'I drew you a picture of it! You should feel it someday!' Lord Phantomhive clutched the paper into a wrinkled mess in his palm. " Damn him..."

Ever since the new queen made Alois a guard dog, they'd been spending more and more time together -Way more time than he felt was necessary (Like, no time at all). Alois was always saying something crude to him, and he tried so much to 'get in his pants' (Whatever that meant). Though, Alois had one important asset to him: He was the eyes and ears of the queen, and knew more about the underground than even Lau. Rumor has it, Alois even found out who the last person who killed his parents was. He promised that one of these years, he would send him a letter regarding the name of that indivisual -but sometimes he felt he was just playing fool.

That person... Until he killed that last person, he wouldn't ever have his revenge (And Sebastian would go hungry). He'd killed the queen, the macabre angel, and the members of the cult... He just couldn't seem to figure out who was missing. Who else could possibly have been involved with this? No matter how much he tried to wrap his head around things, they never seemed to make any sense, and not even Sebastian could bring him comfort in such a nervousness. Who knew how long it would take the Trancy boy to finally tell him who did it; He hadn't planned on getting married, having children, going through a mid-life crisis... He hadn't even planned living to his fifteenth birthday. Yet, here he was at fourteen-year-old, with his demon butler well at bay, and his engagement safe in contract. Contract... Yes, the lady was a bit of a demon child...

"I do believe there is a post-script, Master," Sebastian noted. Reluctantly, the boy unwrinkled the paper and searched for "P.S: By the time you're reading this, I'll already be at your door!"

"What is this nonsen-"

"CIEL!" A sudden cry rang out after the door to his office burst open. In came a purple-dressed boy with thick blonde locks of hair and bright blue eyes. The boy lunged at the earl with his arms stretched w- THWACK! He was immediately stopped in his tracks by the booted foot of the house... In his face. "Ow!" The blonde whined, holding his gushing nose.

"I do apologize, but my master doesn't wish such grotesque obscurities to grace his fine features," The butler grinned as he brushed the rotten contamination from his glove.

"Huh?" He replied, when a certain spidery butler reared his head in the doorway. It was Mr. Salt himself: The spider butler, Claude Faustus.

"Ah, Mr. Faustus; Shall we attend to our matters while they to their's?" Sebastian greeted him. Claude nodded silently as they retreated from the room and Ciel chased after them.

"Sabastian! Wai-" Click. "Curses..." With that, he layed his head against the door and closed his eyes. Great... He was alone... With Alois...

QUE OPENING SEQUENCE
(Monochrome no Kiss)

"What do you mean 'The queen's dove'?'' Ciel snapped. The two boys sat across from eachother on fine velvet seats as they engaged in their intimate conversation. Ciel leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hair drenching his face, eager to learn more from the vile blonde.

"You know, the new kid," Alois sneered. He gave a giggle.

"Enough with your antics, Trancy," Ciel warned. Alois made a childish pout.

"Oh, Ciel, you treat me oh-so mean! But fine, I'll tell you anyway. You see, his circumstances are similar to mine: He came out of nowhere, claiming to be the son of a duke or something without any proof... And do you know what he had with him?" Alois narrated. Ciel waited for the answer, and when he didn't get one, he nodded. The blonde giggled once more. "If you want to know, I'll need a kiss!" He teased with a wink. Ciel made a disgusted look and kicked the boy in the face as soon as he lunged to kiss him.

(Meanwhile with the butlers)

Sebastian strolled down the halls of the manor beside Claude as they caught, placed, and polished the random flying objects from the loony servants that ran back and forth wreaking accidental havoc. As they saved the mansion from total destruction, they chatted about something very similar to their masters.

"So the queen has herself another guard dog, eh?" Sebastian asked, catching four flower pots and placing them on the window sills around them.

"No, it seems they call him the queen's dove," Claude replied, stepping on Finny's face after grabbing the birds that found their way in and built a bird cage to hang from the roof.

"Dove?"

"Yes, his job is to organize the churches and make 'unclean' areas better; however, I've heard that he has a mysterious circumstance..." Klause went on.

"Oh? Does this happen to involve a case I should know of?" Sebastian asked, catching the roof as it collapsed onto him, pushing it back perfectly into place.

"A butler..."

Sebastian shot him a look and mouthed a word. Clause shook his head and he relaxed.

"He's not under a contract, but his butler most certainly isn't human..." Four Eyes mumbled in his monotone way of speaking.

"What is he?" Sebastian asked. Klaude almost smiled as he thought of his responce.

"As soon as you hand your master over to me, I'll be happy to tell you," he replied.

"Ha, like I'd let your low class fingers even grace the hair of my master's succulent soul," Sebastion answered, almost passive aggressive. The other scoffed.

"Just because you're a rank higher than me doesn't mean you can call me low class..." Klause grumbled. Sebastian chuckled.

(Back with the Masters)

Ciel sat up from his chair and paced the room for a moment, his cane in hand behind his back as his wheel turned, before he stopped and faced the blonde once more. "So this boy has a butler... What is he? An angel?" He asked. Alois shrugged his delicate shoulders and put his left leg over his right as he fiddled with the rings on his fingers. The two had known each other for almost two years, and in that time the earl had become accustomed to the boy's idiosyncrasies -And this reaction meant he wasn't going to get much further with him.

"How should I know?" He huffed. Ciel sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment, his headache becoming more prominate. "All I know is that he came out of nowhere, and yet everyone believes he is the late duke's son. Ha ha, that stupid blind boy's got all the money in the world! The bitc-"

"Blind?" Ciel commented, That was an odd abnormality in one in such a place as he and his 'companion' (that term used loosely). "How do you know?" If the boy really existed, there wasn't a chance someone would freely divoulge such an alarming defect to a member of high society... Especially not Alois.

"I've seen him! He's real pretty, you know..." The Tramp -er, Trancy boy replied coyly, almost seductively. Ciel rolled his eyes and pretended not to have heard him; Alois was almost always saying or doing something perverted, and hd was used to it, more or less, by now. "But he's always got his eyes closed..." he continued. The raven's eyes widened in interest as Alois continued on about the macabre things he would do to his eyes to get them open.

A boy from nowhere, thought to be dead, returns to seek a fortune left behind by his late relatives with a mysterious butler by his side... Such a story bares not a human butler, and with closed eyes claiming blindness, something was being hidden...

"Alois, you idiot!" Ciel grumbled. The other child stopped rambling and stared blankly at him. "Don't you realize he's hiding his contract seal under his eyelids. There's another demon butler out there!" Alois lit up.

"You mean I can have another friend to play with when I'm eaten?! Oh, Ciel, we'll be having a threesome in Klaude's stomach!" He chirped as he tossed his tea against the wall beside Ciel. The earl Phantomhive growled and whacked him up-side the head with his cane.

"Stop throwing my stuff, you little brat!" He hissed. "And Klaude is never going to eat my soul!"

"You bastard, always treating me so poorly -why, I don't even know if I WANT Klaude to eat your grumpy soul anymore!" Alois whined.

"Good, then leave me alone!" Ciel retorted. "Go mooch off of someone else, you stupid patasite!"

Abruptly, the door opened shakily, a face with large round glasses peeking in. "Master Ciel?" May-Rin called. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine, May-Rin... You may leave now, as may you, Trancy."

Alois opened his mouth to object, until Ciel jutted him out of the room with his cane. Once they were out and the door was locked, he rubbed his temples and heaved a great sigh. What was he going to do with that boy? The only reason he dropped everything he was doing to read the nobleman's letters was because ge promised that one of these days he was going to tell him who tge last person tied to his death was. Though, sometimes he felt the boy was more trouble than what he was worth...

Now, about that 'new kid'...

~Intermission of smooth jazz~

Later that day...

Sebastian strolled through the door of his office with a silver platter perfectly balanced in his palm. "A delivery for my young master," he announced. Ciel peered up from his desk work to see the platter open to reveal the royal letter. "Might I say that this new queen is very eager to make changes; this is the third letter this week..."

"I agree; she's putting her dogs to use... It seems we shan't ever get a breathing break..." Ciel mumbled as he peeled open the letter. "Dear Ciel (she sure does have less pleasing penmanship... Heh, it is impure...), I have decided to give you all a break. I have arranged a vacation for the three of you in order for you to get to know eachother better (I think I have gotten to know Trancy too much already). A carriage will pick you up and take you to the surprise today! P.S, Instead of the derogative term 'dog', I shall assign you all different names. You, Ciel, are my raven; the protector from supernatural impurities. Alois is my spider; My eyes and ears where harm may dwell. And, finally, -, my dove; the spreador of light and peace! I do hope you like yor title! Your Ashelia," Ciel read. "That's odd..." he mumbled. "The dove's name is scratched off..."

"That is peculiar..." Sebastian agreed. "I suppose you'll just have to wait until you meet him face-to-face. I know how patient my young master is..."

"I'm being toyed with..." Ciel groaned. His face fell serious. "This boy, he has a contract with his butler." Sebastian Gave a grin and took the small desert off of the tray he had beside him, taking his tea cup with his pinky and pouring the steaming delicacy into the cup.

"Is that so, m'lord?" The butler replied, thinking on his earlier conversation...

"The boy's butler is a nuetral..." Claude mumbled. Sebastian had given a chuckle and shook his head.

"Ah, I see, one of those," Sebastian replied.

"A creature with never any place to go, and neither side will take it. Quite pathetic, really. But it seems that this one's found a side..." Claude grumbled.

"Is he friendly?" The Phantomhive butler asked.

"His master is -The poor thing is blind and sickly," The Trancy butler answered less than sympathetically.

"Blind?" Sebastian smiled.

"I'm not quite certain...")

"Do you think he may be trouble?" Ciel questioned his faithful servant. "You know, another demon running amuck? I don't think you want more competition..."

Sebastian grinned and shook his head, placing his desert and tea on the desk. "Today we have a nice pound cake drenched with a generous helping of strawberries with sugar sprinkled delicately on top. It is Le Fur de Souget. We also have some German tea."

"I am concerned, Sebastian..." He sighed. "I'm so close to avenging my parents... And now this boy pops up..." He mumbled. "Sebastian..."

"Yes, Young Master?" His butler replied.

"Is there a God?" He chuckled. Sebastion gulped, quickly recovering himself with a smile. He turned back to the tray and began heading out. "Sebastian... You didn't answer my question..." Sebastian frowned and gave an exhausted sigh.

Later...

In the drive way of the manor, three fine white carriages pulled in with graceful white stallions. In the bright afternoon sun, the carriages sparkled and gleamed as if they were from a cinderella story. Ciel peeked out of his office window and sighed.

It was true that he would be able to finally put his fears to rest upon meeting the duke's son... However, that didn't mean he would be harmless; if he was, indeed, out to get him, that would mean he would have more to watch for... Well, Sebastian would, anyway. Yet, even though he was a superb butler, he didn't have six eyes, and somehow Ciel always got himself kidnapped. There was that drug dealer, the doll maker... The angel... Ciel shuddered. If it weren't for that damn angel, he wouldn't ever have had to go through any of this.

"Master, your carriage is waiting," Sebastian called, poking his head through the door. Ciel nodded and headed down stairs, Sebastian carrying his suit cases right behind him. Once in his yard, the young Phantomhive turned back to see all his four servants throwing their arms back and forth to bid him farewell. Even the real Tanaka stood there, wishing him safe travel and good rest. Ciel would smile, but instead masked his happiness with a roll of his eyes and continued walking. Sebastian placed his items in the carriage, careful not to make a mess of the inside contents (Ciel enjoyed spacing his materials out so that Sebastian would have to be extra careful to place them in such a way that, when he opened his luggage, everything would be exacrly as he put it). Afterwards, he helped his young master in and placed himself inside as well.

"Are you excited, Young Master?" Sebastian asked, placing his hand on his shoulder. Ciel wriggled him off.

"Why would I be excited to see a boy and his demon butler? Why , I have had enough of Tranc-"

"I meant for the vacation..." Sebastian corrected him. Ciel blushed and turned to his window. "Why is this so heavy on your mind, Master? Does my lord not trust in my abilities as a Phantomhive Butler?"

"No, of course not... It's just that..." Ciel trailed off.

"Sir?" He called. Ciel hung his head and looked at the ring on his thumb.

"Why now? Why, while I'm so close to achieving my goal? Maybe I would be alright with it if this happened previously... But why now?" Ciel lamented.

"Remember that God you spoke of?" Sebastian replied. He nodded. "He's toying with us..."

Eventually, the three carriages stopped at another mansion. Ciel lunged ove Sebastion to his window to see whoes estate they had stopped at... Disappointment settled in when he found a blonde boy riding on the back of his emotionless butler as they placed their things in their carriages. He settled back down and looked off to the dark forest on his side. Sebastian's smile burned into the boy's skull.

"I apologize, Master; Excited was not quite the word... More like frantic," The butler chuckled.

"Shut up," Ciel hissed. Sebastian patted his head. "Besides, can you blame me for being alert when there's another demon around?"

"Of course not..." He whispered.

Four hours passed, and Ciel had fallen asleep against his window. Sebastian watched him as he slept, a rare treat that met him with drooling lips. He was so vulnerable when he slept; his skin was so white and soft, his plump lips were parted slightly, and his eyes wriggled and shimmered under his eyelids. It made him hungry that much more for his soul... It also made him smile. The only one Ciel ever let see him in this state was him, a demon. It was humorous on many levels. He sighed and rested his hands on his stomach.

A few minutes later, the carriage began to slow down. Sebastian listened closely, sitting up and looking out the window to see what was going on. The three carriages were stopped in a line as a man in a black cloak spoke to each one. Finally, it was their cart's turn. The man opened his cart door. He couldn't see his face in the darkness of the night, and the black coat that cloaked his entire body, but the gloved hand that came out to beckon him told him all he needed to know.

"Ah, you must be the butler to the Dove," Sebastian greeted him. The man nodded.

"Yes. My master would like me to ask you if he can stay in this cart with you," the cloaked man asked. Ciel jolted up from his seat and stared at him.

"Why would he want to share with us?" He asked.

"It's cold this evening, and my master gets sick very easily. My body heat alone is not enough, as the cart is large," he replied lowly. Ciel locked eyes with Sebastion for a moment, dim red clashing with warm blue, before turning to the mysterious butler and nodding. "You have our thanks, Mr. Phantomhive." With that, he turned back to his cart, disappearing in the thick fog that had emerged with the sudden rain. The smell of clean mist filled the air.

"Sebastian..." Ciel whispered. The said butler placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He seemed to calm a little at the contact. "If Alois was bad... Who knows what this one's like... And being the queen's 'purifier'? I don't think we need another one of them..." He sighed, his hand travelong to his forehead as he thought of the possibilities of torture. "Besides, I think I've had my fair share of admirers." Sebastian chuckled.

Soon after, the butler returned, carrying a feeble child wrapped in cloth head-to-toe. He stepped inside the carriage and sat his master beside him, closing the door. Ciel stared at the cloaked indivisuals. Sebastian smiled -for some reason, the other butler wouldn't look back at him.

"um..." Ciel mumbled. This advent meeting was proving to be a bit of a let down... Except, the cloak kept him guessing just what type of psycho was underneath it. "I'm Ciel Phantomhive... You are?"

"I'm afraid my master is asleep..." the dove butler replied. Ciel's expression dropped.

"Oh, yes... Of course..." He sighed, laying against thewindow once more. Sebastian outstretched his hand to the man who sat across from him.

"My name is Sebas-"

"Sebastian Michaelis. You're approximately 6 feet and 2 inches tall, have dark black hair and red eyes, and are a demon..." The other interrupted. He paused; In the new found moon, the cloaked butler's pupiless eyes could clearly be seen, and it clashed briefly with piercing red ones. "Of a butler to the Phantomhive family. You are renowned for your skill'" The stifling air didn't seem to settle, however, as Sebastian made a devilish grin.

"You're well-informed. I suppose you aren't NuEtRaL to that sort of thing, are you..." He jutted back. "So, how are you and your master getting along?" the other man glanced at the sleeping cloth beside him. He then glared at the other.

"What are you getting at?" He growled. Sebastian narrowed his briefly, then smiled.

"I mean, you've only just recently began your employment with him, yes? Or am I mistaken?" He reiterrated. The man Nodded, yet he did not relax.

"You could say we are inseperable... Much like you and YOUR master," He began. Sebastian grinned an 'oh really...' grin. "Except, in a different way... You see, my master is very illness-prone and needs constant care. I am his only servant," He finished. Sebastian nodded, although he knew that there was something more to their relationship.

"Are you paid for your services -Being the only servant and all must be tedious work," He asked. The man didn't seem to like this question, the air becoming thicker.

"Are you paid for your's?" He snapped. Sebastian chuckled. Somehow he knew the man knew the answer to his own question.

"Not with material goods... But with something more than all the wealth of the world..." Sebastian replied leisurely. The other butler scoffed as he whispered something offensive under his breath. "Pardon me, in all this conversation, I've forgotten to ask your name. You know an aweful lot about me... I'm afraid I don't even know your name... Please enlighten me."

"Exious," He replied. Sebastian chuckled lightly. "What is it?" he asked. "Aselas..." He whispered inaudibly. Sebastion frowned, his grin faultering, glaring at him. "Is something the matter?"

"No... It's just that your name... Are you Latin? Your name means Middle Ground..." He asked, regaining his compossure.

"So you speak the language?" The dove butler replied. Sebastian nodded. "I'm impressed. You must be a genius." His voice sounded sincere, however, Sebastian knew all to well the sarcasm that rested in the tone.

"No, no... I'm simply one hell of a butler," He grinned.

"I'm sure..."