Promise

Chapter One: Freckles



It had been the first day of school, and from the looks of it, things hadn't gone well. Sebastian smiled expectantly behind his glasses as Ciel stomped angrily towards the car. The thirteen year old boy glared through the window directly at Sebastian, as if determined to shoot lightning from his eyes.

Sebastian took off his glasses and put the newspaper he had been reading onto the seat beside him. In one elegant swoop he got out of the limo, oblivious to the open-mouthed stares he got from the students walking past. The butler walked around the vehicle to greet Ciel, who was still glaring hatefully.

Sebastian's faint grin widened profusely, despite his lazy effort to contain it, "Good afternoon, Young Master." He bowed deeply and took Ciel's jacket before opening the car door. "How was your day?"

Ciel threw himself into the backseat and crossed his arms tightly, looking determinedly ahead.

"Good, I take it," Sebastian murmured as he closed the door and walked back to the driver's seat, still smiling lightly. As he pulled out of the parking lot he could see in the rear view mirror Ciel's moody eye staring out the window, and couldn't help but be curious about the day's events. His master was always moody, but not quite to this extent. Ciel felt Sebastian's stare and whipped his head forward, frowning.

"What is it?"

"I was only curious about how your day went, Young master. You seem to be upset."

Ciel turned back toward the window, resting his head on his hand, "I have better things to do with my time than spend my entire day in the middle of a bunch of immature, underdeveloped children."

Sebastian frowned, disappointed, "I was hoping you'd be able to relate to the students. It's not often that you get to be around children your age."

Ciel shot a menacing glare towards Sebastian at being referred to as a "child", but remained silent.

"How were the classes, at least?" Sebastian tried again, trying to find some light in this dark situation.

"Elementary," Ciel said. "I learned this stuff years ago. I can't believe these children are this far behind in their studies. And the teachers baby them like they're two years old, it's absolutely ridiculous."

Sebastian sighed, shoulders sagging, "As soon as we find out why the Queen wants you to be there, you won't have to go back ever again. In the mean time, it might be to our benefit if you make friends. Perhaps the students know something. Rumors, stories-"

"Sebastian," Ciel cut in sharply, venom in his tone, "Do you think I don't already know this? Enough."

The corners of Sebastian's lips twitched slightly, but he was able to keep the smile to himself.

"Young Master, welcome home!!" Finny, the gardener, shouted joyously at the sight of Ciel's return home. "How was your first day of school?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Ciel grumbled, walking past Finny without another glance.

"Young Master…" Finny trailed off, his expression sagging like a deflating balloon.

Sebastian followed Ciel up to his study, disapproval written clearly on his features, "You know how Finny's mood effects his gardening skills. A depressed gardener spells disaster for the yard…"

"That's not my problem," Ciel sat behind his desk, indifferent, "It's your job to uphold the mansion, not mine."

Sebastian sighed, "I'll begin preparing tonight's dinner, then." He bowed deeply before leaving. A quick glimpse of his face could tell anyone that he was slightly peeved.

The doors closed heavily behind Sebastian, leaving Ciel alone in his study. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes. He leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on the top of his desk, massaging his temples. "This is ridiculous," he spat. "I have better things to do than attend a High School." The letter with the Queen's orders seemed oddly vibrant in comparison to the other letters laying on his desk. Before his thoughts of the Queen could turn negative, he faced the facts, "It's just my luck to be of High School age…" He unconsciously traced the outline of the dark blue ring on his finger, "Even though I'm not exactly High School age. Genius transfer student… skipping a few grades," Ciel recalled Sebastian's excuse about Ciel's age to the admissions office. "Ridiculous."

There was a knock at the door. Sebastian's muffled voice could be heard on the other side, "My Lord, may I come in?"

Ciel moodily took his shoes off of the table, "What is it, Sebastian? I thought you were preparing dinner."

Sebastian came through the doors with a tray of chocolate parfait, "I have dinner in the oven right now; Bard is attending to the rest."

"Is it such a smart idea to leave Bard in the kitchen by himself?"

"No, My Lord. But I thought you might be hungry now, so I brought you this." He placed the dessert on the table in front of Ciel.

"Chocolate with raspberries," Ciel noted, picking up the glass. He seemed happy enough with it. Sebastian remained in the room though, so Ciel looked up, appearing slightly annoyed. "Was there something else that you wanted?"

"Young Master, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't attending High School mean that you have homework?"

Ciel put down his spoon and looked impatiently at Sebastian, "I'll get to it. Is that what you wanted to hear? Now go."

But Sebastian remained still. "Young Master, I can't help but think you'll put off this homework until the very last minute… I know how you disapprove of this situation."

Ciel's eye narrowed, "I'll get to it. Now leave."

Sebastian sighed, closing his eyes exasperatedly and putting a finger to his temple, "If you insist, Young Master. Please do not forget."

Ciel scoffed as Sebastian walked out of the room. "Homework!" he muttered, picking up his spoon.

His mood continued to stay foul throughout the afternoon. He tried to relax, but then he was reminded of having to wake up early the next morning and then the darkness settled around his mind once more. He noticed that his servants were more nervous around him than usual, and that only annoyed him further. Upon delivering dinner, Meirin, being clumsy as always, tripped and dropped the appetizer onto the floor. Today, Ciel couldn't help but get angry. He yelled at her, and then stormed into his room, leaving Meirin to cry embarrassed and shamed on the floor.

Sebastian didn't follow Ciel into his room immediately. He helped Meirin up and explained to her that Ciel was having a hard time adapting to his new school. She seemed to understand well enough, and her sobbing turned into a light weeping.

When Sebastian entered Ciel's room with a cart of food, he found Ciel sprawled out angrily on his bed, his eye patch tossed onto the floor.

Sebastian sighed, "Young Master, you're upsetting the entire house. The only ones left undamaged emotionally are Bard and Tanaka."

Ciel remained silent, staring at the ceiling.

"It's only school. Most children have to attend it for nearly twenty years of their life. You may only have to for a few days. Some even want to go to school. Some don't even have the chance to."

Ciel rolled onto his side, "I know. I just…"

Sebastian waited patiently. When his master didn't say anything more, he pressed on, "You what?"

Ciel's vision seemed to be focused on something far away. He raised his hand in front of him and stared at it, as if trying to figure out some secret, "I just don't fit in well."

Sebastian stood still, somewhat perplexed. He hadn't even considered that Ciel would be worried about such a thing. When had Ciel ever cared about fitting in?

"It's not that I want to be friends with them," Ciel added stubbornly. He sat up quickly, all signs of defenselessness absent from his eyes. "I'm just curious about how cliques work. That's all…"

"Young Master," Sebastian frowned, not necessarily concerned, but thoughtful, "It's normal to want friends. For any child, that would be the most important goal. It's human nature."

At that, Ciel's eyes turned dark. The light in his eyes was locked away and sealed tightly behind his defenses. "I am not a normal child. I don't need friends. I don't need anyone." He gazed out the window. It was starting to rain outside, and the light over the trees was fading. He smiled darkly. There was unhappiness behind his eyes. He turned his focus from his window toward Sebastian. His eyes were almost mocking. "I just need you - my demon. You are all I need in order to complete my goal."

Sebastian returned Ciel's gaze, his expression unreadable.

Ciel sighed loudly and flung himself down onto the bed. "I'm ready to go to bed," he stated.

Sebastian clicked back into butler mode and walked forward to close the window. "Yes, My Lord."

The next morning it was still raining when Sebastian opened the drapes in Ciel's room.

"Young Master, it's time to wake up."

Ciel groaned, "Sebastian?" He cracked his eyes open slightly and looked outside. "But it's still dark," he mumbled, annoyance entering his voice as he rolled onto his other side sleepily.

Sebastian sighed, "You must wake up. You have school today."

Ciel became perfectly still.

Sebastian pressed a finger to his temple, "Young Master-"

"Alright, alright." Ciel pushed the blankets off of himself grumpily and sat up. "Today better be more pleasant than yesterday," he mumbled.

"We are all wishing the same, believe me. Come here, you need to change into your clothes."

Ciel looked at the outfit that Sebastian had in his hands, "Do I really need to wear that? I'm not going to a meeting. I'm going to school."

"Is this too dressy?" Sebastian questioned, quirking an eyebrow. He held the outfit up for himself to analyze.

"I got a lot of weird looks yesterday, and I'd like to keep those to a minimum."

Sebastian chuckled into his hand, and walked over to the dresser, observing the clothes inside. "You can't really deny your status…no matter what you wear." He frowned, "I'm afraid you simply don't have any commoner clothing. I'll have to pick some up today."

Ciel changed into his regular clothing. After eating breakfast and getting ready, he walked outside underneath the umbrella that Sebastian held. There was a pit in his stomach, despite the food. He dreaded every second of this.

"Cheer up, Young Master," Sebastian tried as he got into the driver's seat. "Not everyday can be a bad day."

Ciel scoffed but didn't reply, already staring stoically outside. He didn't believe Sebastian - today was going to be a bad day. He already felt it.

The front of the school was already crowded when they arrived much to Ciel's dismay. Sebastian opened the door for him, and he stepped outside, feeling the stares of the students.

"Why do they have to all stare?" Ciel hissed, shoulders hunched.

Sebastian turned around, his eyebrows up, obviously unaware until now. He made a little noise of surprise, but said nothing of it. "Have a good day, Young Master. I hope you will be able to find something out today."

Ciel made a strangled noise like a disgruntled cat and walked away from his butler, who watched him leave. Ciel tried to push down the feeling of nervousness that polluted his stomach. The rain just pounded down harder on Ciel's pessimism.

I hate when people stare at me, Ciel thought as he passed a girl opening her locker who had stopped momentarily to look at Ciel. He sighed, turning into his classroom and finding his seat.

Class went on exactly as yesterday. Review from when he was six, maybe five. He rolled his eyes at the material. How could these students, who were older than he was, be this dumb? He knew that they were behind in material, but he didn't imagine they were behind this much… The teacher called on him and he didn't even have to think before responding. The whole class looked at him in awe. Ciel yawned.

Lunch time arrived. Halfway there, Ciel thought. He sat alone in a corner, as far away from everyone as he possibly could. They still stared, of course. No doubt wondering if they should welcome the new kid to their table or if they should just leave him alone. The look on his face and the threatening aura that encompassed him gave them answer enough. He took out his lunch that Sebastian had prepared for him. As he took out a container of apple pie, a note slipped out of the bag. Ciel frowned and picked it up.

The note was in Sebastian's handwriting. It read:

Finny and Meirin suggested I write you a note to brighten your day, even though I just know you are having a spectacular time. Ciel grinded his teeth. Don't forget to ask around about any rumors. You wouldn't want your day at school to be wasted, would you?

At the bottom, in especially fancy script, Sebastian signed the note:

Missing you, surely,

Sebastian.

Ciel growled out loud, clenching his fist. "You ridiculous idiot," he muttered, seething. He aggressively ripped the note into tiny pieces, startling a girl at a table nearby.

He frowned, glancing around the room trying to find his prey. He knew Sebastian was right. The students might know something. The Queen sent him into this school knowing something was wrong… but what could it be? And why couldn't she have just told him?

There was a table across the room that seemed rather empty. Only three students sat together, talking casually. He supposed he could start there. He put all of his things back into his bag, and stood up to make his way over, when the bell rang. He pursed his lips, annoyed, but grudgingly made his way to class again.

It began and ended as it did earlier that day. Not to mention yesterday…

He was the first student to stand when the final bell rang, and the first student to walk out of his classroom. He was practically running through the halls eager to get out of there, when he felt a rough hand grab his shoulder. The person's grip was tight. An alarm went off in his head. He turned around.

An older boy stood behind him. He did not look pleased. He did not look intelligent either, Ciel noted. But he did look strong…

"You're the new kid." He stated, his voice was unpleasant and could only be described as dopey. Typical bully, Ciel thought. He hadn't even considered that they actually existed in High School. He frowned.

"What do you want?" Ciel asked sharply. He had been ready to go home the second that Sebastian had left, and this idiot was in his way.

The boy narrowed his eyes, and leaned forward. "I just want to chat. Follow me." He turned slightly, making his way down the hall. His eyes didn't leave Ciel.

Ciel took a step in the opposite direction, not bothering to respond. He was in a really bad mood, and didn't have the time to spare on this moron.

But the moron was still strong. In the middle of a crowded hallway, he grabbed Ciel's arm and pulled him in his desired direction. Nobody seemed to notice.

"Hey, let go this instant!" Ciel demanded.

The boy cocked an eyebrow, "What're you - a princess?" He laughed, flaring Ciel's temper. The boy led Ciel out of a side door that looked unused. There was no one around.

"What do you want?" Ciel asked again.

The boy threw Ciel against the wall and Ciel hit the bricks painfully. "Kids like you piss me off. You come here to my school and think you own it. You think you're too good for us. You think you're better. You and your stupid attitude and your stupid clothes."

Ciel was grinding his teeth again, trying with all his might to not call Sebastian. He knew this kid was just that - a kid. He couldn't exactly justify killing a 16 year old kid because he was being a bully.

The boy shook his head. "Your eye patch. It looks stupid. Are you trying to look cool? Well, you're not." The boy grabbed it and ripped it off of Ciel's head. Ciel's hand flew up to cover his eye. The boy threw it to the ground and stomped on it, grinding it into the cement. "You're the lowest. You're dirt. I want to never see your stupid face again."

Ciel was almost gasping for breath in his rage. Don't call Sebastian. Don't call Sebastian. Don't call Sebastian.

"You're not going to say anything? Too good to say anything?" The boy spit angrily, and balled his fist up. "I've got the cure for that." He pulled his fist back and before Ciel could dodge it, he punched Ciel hard in the gut.

Ciel gasped, bending over in pain and grabbing his stomach. It wasn't often that attacks met Ciel, and he had forgotten how much things hurt. But the boy didn't stop then. He kicked Ciel as hard as he could across the head, sending Ciel crashing into the ground.

Ciel gathered his thoughts, dazed. Before anything else could happened, he decided. He couldn't take anymore. He sat up quickly and as loudly as he could he shouted, "SEBAST-"

But just then, a small figure barged through the door and caught the boy across the middle. The boy and the shadow went flying into the wall, and fell onto the ground in a tangle.

"Hey you!" The voice said in the middle of the fray. The voice was loud, youthful, and energetic, "Pick on someone your own size, you bully!"

The shadow punched the boy in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Simple as that," the voice said cheerfully.

Ciel watched in shock. That boy had been so big, but this small shadow punched him unconscious in one blow.

The shadow walked up to Ciel. He was younger than the other boy, and smaller. He had a small, delicate frame and sandy brown hair. He had freckles that littered his face, and his smile was wide and bright. He bent down and picked something up. When he saw Ciel, he cringed a little, but he was still smiling warmly. He held Ciel's eye patch out to him, "He did quite a number on you, huh? I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I wish I had come in the knick of time - you know, like that hero stuff!"

Ciel awoke from his daze and tried standing up, but gasped as he did it, his vision dancing with stars.

"Oh, careful!" The boy exclaimed, hurrying over to help Ciel. "Looks like you hit your head pretty hard. Might have a concussion or something."

Ciel stood up slowly and carefully. He balanced himself on the wall next to him, and looked up at the boy. "Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it."

The boy shrugged cheerfully, obviously very happy to get praise, "It's not a problem. I like fighting. It's fun. Especially when I get to show bullies who's boss." He punched the air while pointing to himself, grinning widely.

Ciel smiled slightly. It was the first time he had smiled in a long time. He held out his hand. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive. It's nice to meet you."

The boy energetically took Ciel's hand, shaking it vigorously, "My real name is stupid! My friends call me Freckles. I want you to call me that, too!"

Ciel chuckled and the boy laughed. It didn't matter that one's laughter overshadowed the other. The best thing about the situation was that they were laughing together. And for once, Ciel's happiness was genuine.