Author's Note: Hi Minna-sama, this is my very first fanfic! Hmm... So basically this REALLYY long prologue just marks the beginning of Sebastian's fate. I will be using the anime version of Kuroshitsuji 2, episodes 1, 4,5 and 6 for close reference. From 6 onwards, I will alter the rest of the storyline to suit my own whims. For those who hate fanfictions that are mirroring the animes, please bear with me for the early chapters. I promise it will get interesting towards the end! As you have probably guessed from my title, my fanfiction will be about Child Butler. Just a hint: Kodomoshitsuji will include OCs.
A Nod Of Gratitude: Offering my thanks to MahoganyShadow and Mikage123 for your constant support to guide my story from Microsoft Word to here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. All rights and ownership of characters are in the possession of the great Toboso Yana.
Prologue: Web Of Scheme
A strong gust of wind swept across the bleak land. The young head of Trancy household stood at the balcony as he braced himself for another gust of the merciless wind to whip at his cheeks. His ice-blue orbs met the darkening horizon and billowing dark clouds. Darkness. Darkness. He shivered. And more…
A tremendous flash of lightning lit the pitch-black sky, illuminating it for a mere second before everything sank into the whirlpool of darkness. Alois Trancy stared at the tall, bespectacled butler standing faithfully beside him. Claude. The corners of his thin lips tugged upwards into a smug grin. The butler's black suit and his slick, ebony hair blended with the foreboding weather. The oak trees swayed with the ruthless gale, their trunks bending dangerously overboard. Twigs and leaves were brutally stripped away. The howling of the wind must have beckoned the torrential downpour. Within minutes, relentless rain started to pelt down onto the rooftops of the huge Trancy mansion.
"Master, we should get inside. You may catch a cold," the butler advised, sounding as though he was worried. On the contrary, his stoic face spilled not a trace of concern.
Darkness envelops me… I am caught in it. And the blades piercing my body suck me in until I am consumed completely, leaving not a single drop of blood. Yet, I want it…
Let my scream penetrate this darkness.
I WANT YOU!
A storm was coming.
A violent one.
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KNOCK! KNOCK!
Claude's demonic hearing sense picked up the faint knocking on the Trancy mansion's front door. Halting, he wondered who it could be at this hour. As soon as the front door creaked open, the flickering candlelight from Claude's candlestick shone onto a drenched, mysterious man. He was quite tall, almost as tall as Claude himself. The heavily cloaked man was dressed in black from head to toe, looking almost like a black fragment from the shadowed background. His face was barely visible; he hid the lower half of his face behind a high-collared cloak and a black top hat shadowed his eyes. Only his long, black fringes were visible. He had pure white gloves on both hands, and in his left one was a large, brown suitcase.
"A storm has come, and a violent one indeed," the man spoke in a deep, velvet voice. Lightning flashed, thunder roared and rain pounded down harder, all as if to reiterate the terrible weather.
"What brings you here in the middle of the night?" Claude asked frostily, voice dripping with hostility.
"I was caught in this storm. If you don't mind, may I ask you to give me shelter for the night?" the man asked politely.
Claude stared hard at the stranger; his lips were pressed into a thin, hard line. Alois suddenly appeared from behind Claude and he bounded up to the man eagerly.
"Wow! You're so dirty, just like a rat from the sewage!" Alois blurted out, a fake awed expression plastered on his face. The stranger did not flinch at the brat's scorn. "But," Alois tiptoed to make himself taller, his left hand rested on the stranger's shoulder as Alois whispered seductively into his ear. "You smell nice. What's your name?"
Turning back to Claude, the Trancy earl smirked at the brief flash of annoyance on Claude's usually stoic face, "I'll allow him to stay. That's alright, isn't it, Claude?" There was just a tiny flicker of displeasure in those golden orbs, just a tiny flicker.
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After a simple yet delicious meal of some leftovers, the mysterious man sat in silence on a clean bed in a guest room. He still had not removed his black cloak. The harsh silence was broken when someone knocked on the door. A beautiful tanned maid with the bottom half of her long, pale lavender hair braided pardoned herself into the room. Her head tilted down, avoiding eye contact with the guest with only one eye; her left eye was bandaged.
"Whatever happened to your eye, my dear? It must be hard to work like that, I presume?" the cloaked man asked. However, no concern for the maid's injured eye seemed to be implied in his question, just cold mockery that the maid could not even properly do her job.
"Hannah?" A voice drawled from the door. The maid immediately straightened up, trembling slightly in fright. "Why are you here, Hannah?" Alois Trancy waltzed in, heading towards the quivering maid.
"I… came to change the hot water," Hannah whispered, shaking so badly that she dropped the basin of hot water in her hands.
"Oh… So you came here with that bandage, looking miserable. Weren't you just trying to attract this traveller's attention?" Alois' cold voice drawled on. SLAP! "Get out of here, you slut!" Alois yelled hotly, giving the maid a forceful push and a hard kick that made her fall on her knees. Hannah gasped out loud in pain. Still, she stood up and bowed once before briskly leaving the room. "Tsk!" Alois glared at the maid with cold disdain through narrowed eyes.
As soon as Alois turned to the cloaked man, his expression turned a hundred and eighty degrees. "Hey! Mister Traveller, what do you have in that suitcase?" Beaming cheerfully, he danced over to the man's luggage. "Clothes? Sweets?" Then the young Trancy earl quieted down. "I envy you. It must be fun to travel around and see many places. I'd like to travel, too. This mansion is so boring."
"Boring?" the man's velvet voice had a tinge of disbelief. He hid a soundless titter behind his high-collared cloak. Then changing the subject, he continued, "I hear there is something interesting in the cellar of this house. If you show me that, I will show you what is inside this suitcase." The man grinned smugly, but his grin faltered as soon as Alois was busy celebrating in his own world.
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"This way," Alois directed the cloaked man into the underground cellar. Meanwhile, he kept a close eye to ensure the traveller was following him.
The duo passed rows of shelves with expensive-looking wine bottles and high quality tea leaves. Alois shone the candlestick at each and every shelf in the dark cellar until the man stopped in his tracks at one particular shelf.
"It is that one."
Alois put down the candlestick and tiptoed to reach for a container the traveller pointed out at the top shelf. "It's just tea." Alois remarked disappointedly, while scanning the dusty tea container for anything interesting.
The cloaked man tilted forward for a closer inspection. "New Moon Drop. It is said that tea leaves picked on the night of a full moon have a clear, sweet scent, but this is quite the opposite. The leaves were picked on the night of a new moon; hence they have a vague scent reminiscent of fathomless darkness. It is also known as the… Dance of the Soul." He smiled as he reached for the tea container.
"Not yet," Alois pouted slightly as he held the container out of the man's reach. "Don't worry, I'll show it to you. But first –"
"But first, you shall hand over that suitcase." A voice interrupted behind the man.
Startled, the cloaked man whipped around as golden knives flew towards him at top speed. His top hat fell off and his cloak was ripped apart, exposing a handsome face framed by long, flying fringes. His reddish-brown eyes narrowed as he was forced to take a few steps back.
"Sebastian Michaelis!" yelled the voice that belonged to Claude Faustus, butler of Trancy household. Following his master down to the cellar had indeed been a good idea after all. He took out more golden knives from his butler suit, ready to send them flying towards Sebastian at any move he made.
Sebastian simply flung his cloak as a shield for the knives and took this opportunity to snatch the New Moon Drop away from Alois. Picking up his suitcase, he made a dash for the exit. Without being told by Alois that Sebastian was running away, Claude followed hot in pursuit, constantly flinging golden knives at Sebastian who dodged them with ease.
"Don't kill him! You mustn't kill him, Claude! Catch him, alive!" Alois ordered. Claude nodded as he shoved his glasses into his breast pocket.
Sebastian leapt out from the underground cellar, making his way to escape as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Claude caught up with Sebastian and aimed three knives at the suitcase. Sebastian instinctively shielded the suitcase with his body, though he failed to prevent it from accidentally slamming onto the hard wall. The three knives embedded deep in his flesh, causing him to wince slightly.
"So, that suitcase is more important than your own life." Claude noted. His golden pupils trailed to the suitcase, sparking with interest. Sebastian's glare at Claude hardened. "In that case…" Claude closed in on Sebastian.
Tossing two plates at the suitcase, Sebastian narrowly missed them due to his injuries that slowed down his movements. Grabbing the suitcase, he continued with his escape. However, the hinges of the suitcase must have cracked from the impact of the previous slam. Not having a firm grip on it either, its lid was thrust open, revealing its contents.
"Ciel Phantomhive!" Alois squealed in the most annoying manner as he came running in wonder and delight to see his prize. "I finally have you, Ciel!"
"That will never happen!" Sebastian growled, pulling the knives out of his shoulders and flung them into Alois' stunned face, which Claude caught skillfully. Closing the suitcase, he smirked. "I will not let you touch him. My young master would be sullied if an inferior, dirty brat such as you were to touch him." Sebastian emphasized on the possessive pronoun as he glanced at Claude, instead of Alois. Before the Trancy earl could react, Sebastian jumped onto a nearby food trolley and sped away.
"Stepping on a tool used to convey food with one's shoes on…" Claude muttered in disgust. "That is hardly something a butler would do!" He was hot on Sebastian's heels, and left his offended master behind, yelling indignantly at Sebastian's insult.
"How can you say that? I'm one hell of…" Sebastian paused suddenly with an index finger silencing his smirk. "Well, it is still rather early for that."
Sebastian soon arrived at the main hall. He slid down the handle of the right stairway while Claude used the left one. Nearing the end, Sebastian abandoned the food trolley and leapt up onto the chandelier dangling at the ceiling with the suitcase. Claude just somersaulted and landed steadily on the ground. He glowered up at the chandelier, golden orbs meeting the sadistic reddish-brown ones.
"This is your way, is it not? 'Day into night, sugar into salt, dark blue into gold.',"a sadistic smirk snaked its way to Sebastian's thin lips. Putting his right hand over his heart, the glint in his sadistic reddish-brown eyes pledged a silent vow. "Then, I will turn gold..."
"Into black."
CRASH! Glass fragments showered down from above. The split second Sebastian smashed the chandelier and broke through the glass window, everything was engulfed in darkness once more. Not even the silvery rays from the bright moon could penetrate the veil of thick, black clouds. The only noise other than the shattering of glass was Alois' shrill scream.
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That dream again. In the end, the blue butterfly always got trapped inside the sticky web of a spider. Ciel… Ciel Phantomhive. You shall be that blue butterfly! Helpless… Alone… And pathetic… You should melt into the darkness!
"–ster, Master are you alright?"
Claude… He is calling for me. Opening a bleary eye, Alois tried to blink away all drowsiness.
"Master, you fainted after the blac–," Claude informed the earl when all of a sudden, Alois threw his arms around him.
"I was scared, Claude, that you would leave me alone. Please don't leave me alone, Claude!" Alois whimpered, tears falling steadily onto Claude's shoulder.
Claude glanced down at the sobbing brat. Not a hint of empathy crossed those golden orbs. Only a look of greed and insatiable hunger filled them to the brim. He took out his glasses from his breast pocket put them on. Cupping Alois' face gently, Claude murmured, "Master… You are always dual-natured. Day and night, sugar and salt, living and dead, impurity and purity. You are my master; I am your loyal servant. Even if you do not seek it, I will always crave you…"
"…until the end."
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"Hannah Anafeloz, also known as Sinmara, you are the sheath for the demon sword Laevateinn. Sin meaning 'sindr', 'cinders' in Old Norse. And mara meaning 'nightmare'. What a suitable name for you. Beneath that tanned skin, you have an even darker inner. Thus, only you can cloak Laevateinn in eternal darkness. " Claude pushed up his glasses slightly.
"What do you want, Claude?" the maid's indigo eyes narrowed, knowing that Claude would always use her real demon name to address her whenever he planned to involve her in his scheme.
"To give Sebastian Michaelis a pain more intense than death, simply taking Ciel Phantomhive away from him is not enough," Claude's glasses glinted in the dancing candlelight. An ominous smile formed on his face. "I shall use that to take his demonic powers away and let him have a sweet taste of helplessness when he fails to rescue his precious Ciel from our Master."
"Oh… Claude, so you intend to hide that within my body? Even if it is I–" Hannah protested.
"That will not be a problem. You must be ravenous as well, Hannah. It has been such a long time since you had a proper meal. You just need souls to sustain your demonic energy. Kidnapping a kid or two is such a simple matter for The Queen's Spider –Trancy household– who will covertly erase all evidence." Claude smirked, concocting a perfect scheme that would definitely trap Sebastian in his web.
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Sebastian opened the suitcase containing his precious young master. While holding him up, Sebastian noticed that the young earl of Phantomhive certainly looked like a doll with that small, slender physique and white, porcelain face. He fondled with the unconscious Ciel's greyish-blue hair, staring intently at his peaceful face for what seemed like an eternity. Just staring at him will do me no good. I am just wasting time and everything will fall out of schedule. It's time I put this on him. Well then, let's begin a butler's daily routine... Sebastian shook his head as if to clear his mind before putting the young earl down into a sitting position onto a bed of wild lilacs. Sebastian took off the lid of New Moon Drop and ripped its wrapping apart. Inside sat the deep-cut sapphire ring the Phantomhive household had passed down for generations. Sebastian slid it into his young master's left thumb and it glowed blue faintly under the slowly rising sun.
"Well then, Young Master. It is time to awaken."
Author's Note: Apparently, according to the Old Norse Mythology, Hannah Anafeloz's real demon name should be Sinmara since she is the sheathe/keeper for the demon sword, Laevateinn. In the Henry Adams Bellows' translation of Fjölsvinnsmál, Sinmara is mentioned three times.
Fjolsvith spake:
"Vithofnir his name, and now he shines
Like lightning on Mimameith's limbs;
And great is the trouble with which he grieves
Both Surt and Sinmora.
Lævatein is there, that Lopt with runes
Once made by the doors of death;
In Lægjarn's chest by Sinmora lies it,
And nine locks fasten it firm.
The sickle bright in thy wallet bear,
Mid Vithofnir's feathers found;
To Sinmora give it, and then shall she grant
That the weapon by thee be won."
-Sources: Wikipedia and The Poetic Edda:(By Henry Adams Bellows) translated from the Icelandic with an Introduction and Notes. Princeton University Press. American Scandinavian Foundation.-
Hope I got things clear with Hannah's demon name. However, "that" will be revealed in later chapters, just to keep you guys in suspense. I sincerely thank you very much for spending your time to read my fic. Please do leave your reviews and comment on where I should improve. Watashi wa gambarimasu!
