THE DEVIL'S APPRENTICE
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Summary: Sylvia is a young demoness, smart, cunning, hyperactive, and eager to prove herself. Tiring of her monotonous life, the ambitious hell-spawn enrolls herself as the apprentice of a sly and ruthless older demon currently in the service of Earl Ciel Phantomhive, masquerading as the butler Sebastian Michealis. Before long, Sylvia finds herself neck-deep in the intrigue surrounding the Queen's Watchdog, and develops problems of her own …namely the romance blossoming between teacher and student….
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Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, I only own my OC, and boy, is she a handful.
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Earl Ciel Phantomhive was suffering the most embarrassing moment of his short life. A poofy, frilly, lacy pink gown swathed his delicate body, trailing behind him in the typical fashion of the day. A fancy hat was stuck on his head at a jaunty angle, hiding the eye containing his contract seal.
"Ooooh, Ciel, you look soo cute!" His aunt Angeline, more famous as the social butterfly 'Madame Red', gushed over him in adoration, locking him in a suffocating embrace.
Needless to say, the boy was not pleased by her choice of words, and rudely shoved her off. "Madame Red, please refrain from hugging me, I can't breathe."
Throwing a baleful glare at the chuckling Asian silently observing the drama, he ordered, "Don't you dare make any comments about my appearance; I'll make sure you regret it."
"Meh, the Earl has no sense of humor." Lau stretched languidly, sauntering off in search of food.
As part of Ciel's supposedly-foolproof plan to capture the Viscount of Druitt, prime suspect in the 'Jack the Ripper' investigation, the team was to sneak into the ball stealthily, corner the Viscount, conduct a swift interrogation, and leave the murderer in the hands of the inefficient Scotland Yard. How that foolproof plan morphed into a seduction mission, Ciel had no idea. He knew however, that dressing up as a girl was definitely not a part of his plan.
He sighed, surreptitiously scanning the spacious dance floor for signs of the flamboyant host. However, he was nowhere in sight.
Ciel frowned, totally dissatisfied with the situation. He was a planner, a thinker, a strategist; he preferred to leave the actual work to others, most notably his butler, Sebastian.
Speak of the devil….. (in this case literal, as Sebastian was a demon from Hell)
Said butler finally made his appearance, materializing behind him silently. As part of his disguise, Sebastian wore the tutor's outfit he strangely favored, complete with thin oval glasses.
"Have you found the Viscount?" Ciel inquired brusquely; for obvious reasons, he wished to leave as soon as possible.
"Yes, I have." Bowing low, Sebastian graciously offered his hand to the testy Earl. "Allow me to lead the way, my lady."
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A lone figure surveyed the gathering from the rooftop. "Perfect" she breathed, dropping down unto the balcony without a sound, swift and agile, lithe figure and predatory movements hinting at her inhuman origins.
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Sebastian's eyes scanned the opulent ballroom, piercing through the shadows at the far side of the room.
Ciel threw his butler a searching glance. "Is something wrong?"
Sebastian nodded softly. "I sense the presence of another demon."
"What? A demon?" Ciel frowned, scrunching up his face in thought. "It seems too much a coincidence. One demon is rare enough; but two in the same room?"
The sudden imbalance in the equation worried Ciel. Nevertheless, the Watchdog maintained a calm and collected facade. It was unseemly to panic, not to mention pointless. Pondering the matter, he mused, "It seems we have encountered an unforeseen complication. Is this demon contracted to the Viscount?"
Sebastian shook his head in response. "There is no way for me to tell, but overall I am inclined to doubt it. Despite dabbling in the occult, I the Viscount does not possess the courage or perseverance required to sell his soul to the devil. One can see clearly that he enjoys partying and beautiful company, and flaunts his pointless vanity over his appearance. He strikes me as a man who is content with life, obsessed with his flowery ideas of beauty."
Throwing a disdainful look at the subject of the discussion, the haughty demon continued, "In short, a coward with no ambition, who lacks the drive to actually set his dreams into motion, a flawed mortal who values his soul too much to sacrifice it for anything…."
"…"
Ciel opted not to comment, as his opinion was eerily similar to that of the butler.
Redirecting the conversation to the matter at hand, he questioned dryly, "Do you anticipate this unexpected participant to be a hindrance to our plan?"
Sebastian considered this. "The demon has so far made no attempt to engage in the partying, nor have there been signs of suspicious activity in the vicinity. It is safe to assume that the presence of another demon is simply a coincidence…. perhaps the demon is just looking for an easy meal, for this gathering has its fair share of off-guard souls, their senses dulled by mindless conversation and alcohol…"
Ciel nodded, satisfied. "Fine. Let things be for now; we'll see how this plays out. But keep an eye out for trouble. I expect you to react immediately if the other demon makes any attempt on Madame Red, Lau, or Elizabeth's life."
Sebastian hid a small smirk at the boy's words. Though he would never admit it, the Earl truly loved his childish and hyperactive fiancé. He attempted to maintain his distance, rebuffing her affection so that she did not get dragged into his Watchdog business. Ciel was trying to protect Elizabeth, and that weakness made him all the more interesting to the demon butler.
"No need to worry, young master. If the worst occurs, I can always deal with the intruder before we capture the Viscount. But I do not anticipate any problems."
Ciel scoffed. "How can you be so confident?"
Sebastian smirked, his eys flashed red for a moment, glittering brighter than the jewels adorning the well-dressed partygoers. "If the demon has any sense, he or she will take their master and run far away; they would not dare interfere in our hunt. The other demon's aura is clearly weaker, and I trust they do not have a death wish."
The matter settled, the Earl gave a satisfied grunt, shifting his attention back to the mission at hand.
For the first time in many years, Sebastian's words proved wrong, very very wrong. The presence he had sensed did not attempt to put any distance between the other of its kind. On the contrary, it slipped into the ballroom through the open balcony, mingling among the guests but talking to none, all the while approaching closer to the pair.
Upon closer inspection, Sebastian's senses told him that the supernatural guest was undoubtedly a demon, and most probably a young one. The demon's aura was bright and bubbly, unlike the dark and shadowy presences of older demons. He own aura resembled fine old wine, dark and rich as it oozed around his prey.
Sebastian subtly altered his position, preparing himself for any assault or sneak attack. In case the new visitor had any tricks up his sleeve, escaping with the young master would take priority over the capture of the Viscount. No matter, the butler already knew that the egoistic blond was not the perpetrator behind the 'Jack the Ripper' incidents; though he may have omitted to mention the fact to the young master. Well, sending the haughty Earl on a wild goose-chase was supremely entertaining; the latest seduction plan and associated dress-up made the butler almost lose his composure and double up in laughter.
Shaking himself from those thoughts (the incident had already ben commited to memory; Sebastian could replay it in his mind and have his private laugh later), Sebastian tried to glean subtle clues about the new guest, gauging his strength, trying to figure out his objective here. Alert and watchful, he waited for his fellow demon as he meandered across the hall, coming to a stop right in front of him.
A first glance told him that the visitor was not a 'he', but a 'she'. A very young, beautiful and eye-catching 'she'.
A demoness, wearing the form of a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, with jet-black hair held up with expensive-looking hairpins. She was wearing a figure-hugging green dress, attracting appreciative glances from the slack-jawed males and disapproving cold-shoulders from gossiping females.
'She' extended a friendly hand towards the wary butler, introducing herself with a fetching smile. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Sylvia. Well, at least I like to call myself that." The last part was said with a casual shrug, relaxed and completely unconcerned about her imminent demise.
…
Well, that was certainly unexpected. Sebastian had expected the visitor, or rather, Sylvia, as she had introduced herself, to make a slightly more dramatic entrance. Or at least give an explanation for her bizarre behavior. One did not casually chat up to higher-ranking demons, nor attempt to interfere with a demon during a contract.
"…"
Sylvia chose to break the silence first, "What are you doing here? Are you fulfilling a contract?"
Glancing behind Sebastian, the girl noticed the squeamish Earl, who Sebastian had pushed behind him while in fight-or-flight mode. "Oh, is this your master?"
Both Earl and butler were too stunned to respond, but the female took no note of the awkwardness.
Leaning closer, Sylvia studied the teenager carefully. "He's a boy, ain't he?"
Ciel gave a small confused nod, and then mentally slapped himself for blowing his cover.
"Doesn't really look like it." She sniffed skeptically. Sebastian was tempted to agree, but it would not do to irk his master.
"Why you-"
Ignoring Ciel's outraged snarl, the strange demon turned to her brethren once more.
"Well, why don't you introduce yourself and your cute little cross-dressing master?" Sylvia offered helpfully, seeming genuinely interested in striking a conversation with the baffled earl and butler.
Collecting himself, Sebastian stated in a prim and snooty voice, "We have no obligation to introduce ourselves, nor do we wish to do so."
"I'm not a cross-dresser…." Ciel mumbled embarrassedly, blurting out more than he should, "I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive, and this is my disguise for a secret investigation."
Sebastian raised a perfectly-shaped eyebrow in surprise. She had rattled his young master so easily. Maybe he should not underestimate this woman.
"Well, then, Earl, exactly what are you investigating, pray tell? Are you checking whether the Viscount would be attracted to you if he believed you to be female? Or is your target someone else? Are you spying on your lover?" Sylvia giggled at the Earl's red face; he was rather cute when he was embarrassed.
"No! we are trying to find out if the Viscount is 'Jack the Ripper'; we are not interested in his sexual preferences." In a smaller voice, he continued, "….and I do not have a lover."
"And you will never get one if you keep frowning like that." Sylvia retorted, poking the Earl's forehead. "You should smile more, kid!"
Sebastian was nonplussed. Skillfully, this girl had extracted crucial information from them, while volunteering no information of her own. He must not let his guard down.
Frowning, he made to move away from the unexpected hindrance, subtly signaling that the conversation was over. "Now young lady, or rather, miss Sylvia, we are very busy, so we would appreciate if you left at once. We do not wish to harm you."
"Busy? What are you doing?" She was insufferably curious, and made it clear she would not leave without an answer.
The black-clad butler opted not to respond, instead turning away with his master in tow. Unfortunately for him, the woman also followed.
Sebastian snapped at her, irritated. "I suggest that you leave. Should you stand in our way, I shall not hesitate to dispose of you." He put in a good deal of menace into his tone, but, as he predicted, the woman was unmoved by the death threat.
"Woah, okay, okay… someone's in a grouchy mood." She lifted her hands in a placating manner, and rolled her eyes behind their back, irritating the Earl and his butler even further.
Ciel had no time for her laid-back attitude. Embarrassed at divulging some much information, and eager to finish his task and return to the peace and quiet of his mansion, the Earl snapped harshly at the nuisance. "What is your purpose here? Why do you willingly get in the way of another demon and his master?"
"…"
Sylvia was not listening. She turned her head from side to side, scanning the room as her comrades had done not minutes ago, absently humming to the music.
"Pay attention when people are talking to you." Sebastian reprimanded stiffly, quite unused to the blatant disrespect shown by this child. In normal circumstances, he would have enjoyed Ciel's childlike anger at the girl's rudeness, but not today. Now, he had a job to do, and this woman-child was distracting him from this work. Besides, though Sebastian had on issues with her impoliteness towards the young master, being treated the same way left him mildly offended. He was quite used to being fawned on by over-eager females, and Sylvia's indifference was frankly far from gratifying.
The remembrance of his objective made him scan the area once more, zeroing in on the Viscount's willowy frame. Good. The victim was occupied in socializing, and was not paying attention to their little drama. If they quickly wrapped this conversation up, the young master could close in on him, and Sebastian could return to his overdue chores.
But Sylvia showed no signs of leaving. In fact, she didn't even look the least bit apologetic for taking up their valuable time. Turning to the male demon distractedly, she stated in a flat voice, "I'm hungry. Where's the feast?"
"…Feast?" Ciel echoed blankly. Was this really why the girl was detaining them?
Sylvia nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I figured that since another demon is here, he must have come to the party to find some tasty souls. But I suppose that's not right, since you're here under your master's orders…"
"There is no feast, this is a stealth operation." A tic-mark formed on Sebastian's forehead, his voice lost its polite fawning edge, leaving his irritation clear as day. If the three idiots were here, they would have informed Sylvia that it was time to hurriedly agree and do whatever Sebastian expected of you.
However, the female was unperturbed by his anger. This in itself was quite noteworthy; however, her obnoxious yawn was the icing on the cake.
Sebastian fumed silently, trying to shoo her away. "Aren't you disobeying your master by talking to us?"
"I just finished my contract; my master is now dead~" she giggled softly, relishing memories of how the proud woman begged for mercy, clutching the hem of Sylvia's dress as she kneeled in prayer, remembering god only at the last moment, when the inescapable consequences of her contract loomed over her, raising her hands in supplication when she was damned to hell.
"You do realize it is foolish to linger in the human realm after completing your contract. Besides, if you have already fed, why are you so hungry again?"
"Ah, it was just a snack. Barely enough to sustain me."
Ciel shook himself to clear his thoughts. For a moment, he had forgotten that his companions were in fact discussing about souls, not their late-afternoon tea.
"Well, there's no feast here. Please go hunt elsewhere." A clear dismissal from Sebastian, one that left no room for argument.
Apparently, Sylvia did not get the message.
"Awww…." she whined, almost begging them to change their minds. "Can't I simply tag along, and consume all the souls that you don't want? I am tired of roaming about Earth, yet I do not wish to go back to Hell."
She didn't want to go back? What an odd demon. Sebastian opened his mouth to enquire further, but quickly reminded himself that it didn't matter to him either way.
Sylvia placed a hand on her chin thoughtfully, debating her options in a soft speculative voice. "Perhaps I could get some temporary job here in the human world….. I won't tell anyone that I am a demon, just that I am extra-ordinarily strong and smart….humans would pay a lot to have an ally like that, wouldn't they?"
Sebastian sighed. "Are you really that desperate?"
Sylvia pouted, but she could see the sense in his words. Stooping to the level of a pitiful human might be a bit overkill.
Sebastian shook his head, and stated flatly, "You are an insult to the entire demon race."
"…"
Sylvia made no response; she was thinking very deeply. The butler had a sudden sense of foreboding, a premonition of doom. He attempted to shepherd his young master away from the source of his unrest, but their escape was halted by a joyous exclamation from the woman.
Sylvia snapped her fingers as the perfect solution struck her. "I know, let me become your apprentice! That way, I can learn all about contracts and being a good demon, and you have someone to assist you. When I'm with you, I can hog as much as I like, the Earl gains a new co-conspirator "
Sebastian was stunned, a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. This girl! Does she think becoming the apprentice of a high-ranking demon such as myself is an easy task! This isn't the kind of thing you can decide at a moment's notice! And also, me as a demon master….
"…Apprentice?" Ciel questioned, but he went unheard in the intense eye-battle between the two stubborn demons.
In a dangerously polite voice, Sebastian hissed out, "I am not sure what you have in mind, young demoness… but you have quite misunderstood the concept of demon apprenticeships. A retired demon takes a single pupil, to pass on his knowledge of the ways of demons and the secrets of contracts…."
"Training in trickery and deceit, lies and seduction, lures and traps, word-games and mind-screwing, the list goes on and on, I know." She waved an airy hand, staunchly refusing to acknowledge the seriousness of her proposal.
This enraged Sebastian even further, till he was almost frothing at the mouth. "You say you are aware, yet you appear unfamiliar with demonic customs. Only retired or very old demons take apprentices, and I am neither of those."
"No?" she arched an eyebrow artistically, her tone sly and mocking. "You certainly fit the bill, especially with your fancy-ass glasses."
Sylvia pushed further. "It's a good deal; come on, don't refuse without even considering it! Just by looking one can tell that your master is a stuck-up boy who wants things to go exactly the way he wants it, and will not tolerate failure. I'm sure he's working you to the bone. A helping hand would be very welcome, I should think."
Sebastian glowered at the insult to his appearance, but reminded himself to stay level-headed or risk jeopardizing the mission. He needed to have a cool mind to deal with this infuriating toddler who didn't realize just who she was dealing with. Besides, his glasses were quite elegant and sophisticated; her comment was merely bad taste.
"…"
The momentary distraction cost Sebastian dearly. Having successfully silenced her male counterpart, Sylvia cleverly began to suck up to the boss, the one in power; in this case, the Earl.
Grinning cockily at the youth, she asked, "What do you say, Earl Phantomhive? Would it not be advantageous to have another demon at your beck-and-call?"
Sebastian's head swiveled around at these words, and he threw toward the demoness the darkest look he could muster without permanently traumatizing an unsuspecting human passerby.
Damn her! She had already discovered his weakness; he could not refuse a direct order from his master. By appealing to the boy's sensibilities, she effectively countered a direct confrontation with Sebastian.
He grudgingly admitted that it was some quick thinking. But he was not so easily outwitted.
Trying to regain his lost footing, Sebastian edged in before Sylvia could fully present her case. "Ah, but you would not really be under the master's command, would you? As my apprentice, you would answer to me. That means that if I tell you to kill the master, you will."
He snickered, as if the very idea was ridiculous. "I doubt the young master would be so fool-hardy as to trust a demon that is not contract-bound to obey his wishes."
A light glinted in her eyes, a subtle acceptance of his challenge. She seemed to consider this verbal sparring as a way to prove her worth. And sadly for Sebastian, she pulled out her trump card.
Deliberately drawing out her words, she murmured, "Hmmm…let me put it this way. If I become your apprentice, then the young master would not have to endanger himself by dressing up like a girl and seducing the viscount."
Ah. With just a few simple words, she had won. Both demons could clearly see the cogs turning within Ciel Phantomhive's complicated brain; and they instinctively knew his answer ever before he knew it himself.
Decision made, the Earl turned towards his faithful demon, lifting his hat a fraction to show his glowing contract seal.
"Sebastian, I hereby order you to take Sylvia as your apprentice."
Sebastian sighed, but made no more protests. After all, an order is an order.
"As you wish, young master …Or perhaps I should say, young lady?"
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A note to my dear readers: This fic is purely a side attempt, and I shall not prioritize it over other stories. This story was lying around in my computer, written in a burst of enthusiasm before other stories took precedence, along with a ByakuyaxOC story I haven't published yet. (3,000 words gathering dust in a little file, just random scenes without a proper name).
I decided to post this completed first chapter, based on the logic that something is better than nothing. I find that even if stories are abandoned, they still prove good reads, and the rest of the story is left to your imagination!
It was actually pretty difficult to decide how to do this. I wondered whether to stick to the storyline or spiral away into fresh cases. It was a hard decision; so many 'what if's; but I decided to stick to the plot and add side cases to bring something new to the mix. I was tempted to concur with the anime, as it offered a definite ending; but in the end I latched to the manga, as I actually follow it, and haven't seen the anime.
To cut a long story short, I cannot guarantee regular updates, and fate decides whether I shall continue with this fic or not. Don't keep hopes up.
That said; being the ungrateful hypocrite that I am, I shall unabashedly ask for reviews and favorites, since what's the harm in trying?
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P.S. Did you find this funny? My forte is romance plus comedy, or at least, that's what I like to think. Please tell me your opinion through a review.
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Oh, and on another note, I have written a little Kuroshitsuji ficlet 'Wisdom Tooth'. Please check it out; I tried to make it as funny as possible.