Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji is not mine, nor will it ever be. It belongs to Yana Toboso. I just use her characters in my fic for your and my own enjoyment.
Chapter 1: Nightmares
Rain pounded the roof and thunder occasionally echoed throughout the Phantomhive mansion. Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the lord and master of the place at only age twelve, sat up in bed with a strangled cry as the next round of thunder shook his bedroom walls. Contrary to the typical standards, however, this was merely coincidence. Instead, young Ciel had just awoken from yet another heart-pounding nightmare.
The mansion's walls were pitch black and the hall was as cold as ice. Ciel rubbed his hands together and hugged himself, trying to garner some warmth from them as he searched for his parents' room. He had heard a loud crash a distance from his room, and he had woken from his peaceful slumber. His feet left impressions in the carpet, showing the way he had come. He constantly swung his head left and right, searching. Suddenly, he lifted his head a little higher and sniffed- he could smell something burning coming from the direction of the dining room. "Mother must have singed the carpet again with her late-night cup of tea..." was his first thought. Ciel started toward the smell, eager for the warmth of some hot tea himself. As he drew nearer, his thoughts quickly changed. Nearly invisible smoke curled around him in the darkness, and he pressed forward in worry. He threw open the door, only to behold roaring flames and suffocating clouds of smoke. The ceiling was burning, along with the rest of the room, and beams slowly crashed to the floor. Ciel shielded his face with his arm and frantically searched the room for a sign of his mother or father, and what he discovered shattered his fragile heart. Both his mother and father were face down on the carpet, flames consuming their flesh. He turned and ran, eyes scanning the room for the door amidst the fire and noxious fumes. As Ciel reached his only hope for survival, he screamed in terror. Fire licked the doorframe and the inside knob had already melted from the intense heat. He charged the door, attempting to break it down, but to no avail. He sank to the burning carpet on his knees and cried his last tears. There was no escape.
As he shot up in bed, Ciel let the tears from his nightmare continue to fall. The nightmares never ceased, never faded. Each one his mind presented him with was as vivid and horrifying as the next. It never mattered which one it was- he still woke up shaken. Sometimes he relived his days in captivity, in others, he was a poor, hurt orphan after the fire. Then there was tonight's- the fire claimed him and his parents in a blaze. Of course, there was another that he vowed to never mention with a much more recent cause. In it, he lost the most precious thing to him in the world. He forever lost-
"Young Master, are you alright?"
Yes, that was it exactly. Or rather, him. His worst nightmare was losing none other than Sebastian Michealis, his fateful butler and servant ever since that day- the day he nearly died. Not the fire- that was just one of the many horrors his tortured soul concocted for his dreams. No, there was no fire in that moment. There were, however, many around him that saw him as nothing more a captive sacrifice. Instead of simply claiming his soul then and there, the demon the cult had summoned offered Ciel a choice- freedom, revenge, and complete servitude in exchange for his soul. Ciel accepted the terms in an instant, and a binding contract was formed between the new master and servant. His life from that moment on had been forever changed. He reached up and absent-mindedly touched his right eyelid to wipe another rouge tear; his closed lid currently the only thing concealing the symbol of their bond in his eye.
"Young Master?" Sebastian moved closer to his master's bed upon seeing the slight gesture. "Is something wrong?"
"No…. I'm fine. Why are you here, anyway? I didn't call you." Ciel said this as harshly as he could, because he would be ashamed if he ever let his butler see him in such a state.
"Forgive me, Young Master. I merely sensed something was up and came to see if you required anything."
The dim light of the candelabra Sebastian carried did little to illuminate the room, making it difficult for Ciel to determine whether or not his butler could see him crying. He took a deep breath, trying to force himself to sound unshaken. "Some chamomile tea would suffice."
"As you wish." Sebastian bowed and swiftly turned to make his way to the kitchen. Even though his master hadn't admitted to it, he had seen Ciel shedding tears. He shook his head and sighed. Really now- this was the third week in a row that an event similar to this one had occurred. Sebastian was troubled. He obviously knew the basics of his master's past, but that didn't mean details were divulged. In truth, nothing ever was.
Unfortunately for Sebastian, his master was as hard to read as words printed on 100-year-old parchment. Sometimes, he would let his guard down and act like the child he should have had every right to be. More often than not, though, the young Phantomhive wore a mask of haughtiness to hide the hatred and grief buried deep within. It was this mask that repeatedly confounded the demon butler. It was not that Sebastian could not read the hidden emotions…. no, that was certainly easy enough for him, particularly so because of the contract. It was that he never could figure out "why?". Why would a young boy of barely 10 years old sell his soul away in a matter of seconds, just for the sake of revenge? Up to that point, he had been miserable, wishing for nothing but death. What could have happened to him that was so horrifying that, given a chance he did not know he could have, he would go to any length for vengeance- even readily give up his soul? Ideas like these wandered around in the butler's mind while he prepared for his master the requested late night cup of tea.
Sebastian shook his head to clear away the bothersome thoughts. What on earth was he doing, thinking such things? He was a demon, for crying out loud! He shouldn't be questioning what had given him such a delectable meal to look forward to. He had obviously spent far too much time in the human world- it was making him go soft. On top of all of that, his position was that of a butler, a mere servant- it was not his place to question such things about his master. And yet, even as he knew this… Sebastian sighed and shook his head again. Nights like tonight seemed to have become a common occurrence. While the emotions radiating from the young earl alone were enough to make his mouth water, feeling and seeing them displayed so frequently was worrisome, to say the least. However miniscule it might be, there was a side to the demon that wanted nothing more than to protect his master.
With the tea sufficiently prepared, Sebastian placed it on a trolley and made his way back to the bedroom. Upon hearing no reply to his knock, he stepped just inside to see why the room had once again become filled with only the sound of thunder. To his surprise, Ciel had managed to fall once again into the clutches of sleep. What was not surprising were the soft whimpers emitting from the small body. The child was caught in yet another nightmare. Just as he was about to take the tea back to the kitchen and return to his quarters, Sebastian heard something he never imagined would grace his ears.
"Don't…. don't leave me, please! Don't go…. Sebastian…" As he uttered the words in his sleep, Ciel began sobbing, fresh tears tracing the marks left behind by his earlier crying.
The wind howled through the trees and leaves whipped through the air like small knives.
"Young Master, run!" Sebastian was busy fending off the other demon that a group of idiotic humans had summoned while dabbling in black magic. Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue, but those imbeciles had somehow managed to call forth a being of higher rank than he. That left but one option for his master- run, run as far and fast as possible until the demon was forced to return from whence he came- so long as he didn't consume a human soul, that is. If that happened, it would be impossible. The reckless bunch had fled long ago, seizing the opportunity to escape when Sebastian and Ciel's arrival distracted the evil being. The two demons continued their battle while Ciel raced through the weaving path formed by the trees. All of a sudden, a cry of anguish echoed through the countryside. The boy's blood ran cold….obviously, that final sound meant the victor had been determined. His heart beat rapidly as he ran back to the clearing where the fight had taken place. No, this….this could not be real. But it was. Sebastian lie on his back, crimson eyes still open but unblinking. There was a large and angry gouge in his chest, the fabric of his usual uniform in mere shreds. His throat was slashed and the blood had already stopped flowing. The red liquid was scattered sporadically, but a large pool surrounded Sebastian's body. Not caring, Ciel leaned down and grabbed at the body, wishing with all his might for Sebastian to simply sit up, give his usual smirk, and carry him back to the manor.
"Wake up, you blasted demon! That's an order!"
But….nothing. Not a sound, not a breath, left his former butler's lips. Heartrending sounds escaped from Ciel's mouth as he began weeping. Even with his eyes closed, all he could see was red- it was everywhere. Red splotches, drops, and spatters dotted the corners of his vision. And the red that had always been there, those dark crimson orbs, faded into non-existence.
Ciel's eyes snapped open to the red early morning glow of the sun streaming in through the curtains. Still panicked from his nightmare, he sat up and frantically glanced around his room, only to find Sebastian dozing in a chair in the corner. Much to his relief, he was clearly breathing. Ciel collapsed back down onto his mattress with a heavy sigh. It had only been another one of those horrid nightmares, thank goodness. Still, he hoped with all his being that it would never, ever, come true.
A/N: Whew! Was that a ton of angst or was it just me? XDDD I never pictured myself writing angst, but….meh. It happens, I guess. This is my first fanfic for Kuroshitsuji, and actually my first real fanfic period. Reviews, comments, and suggestions are highly welcome! You guys tell me what you think, okay? I want to get at least 5 or so reviews before I continue this, 'cause I want to make sure enough people actually like it. And also, I'm not sure if Ciel ever tells Sebby all the crap he went through in detail or if Sebby does or doesn't know. I've only seen the anime and read what's officially in English for the manga, so I'm not sure. I'm fairly certain he knows the bare basics, but I think that's it. If Sebastian DOES know or find out, can we please say that he at least hasn't yet? XDDDD
Again, reviews are amazing! 3