Hi! This is a one shot I wrote originally for the 100 Theme Challenge (17. Blood), but after reading it over I decided to make it a fanfic about Alois and Angela Blanc. Hope you enjoy! :D

~UniChloe

All I can see is red.

It clouds my vision, blurring out reality. The taste of it burns my tongue as it quickly fills my mouth. Drops of crimson stain my grime-covered clothes, one at a time. I feel weak and defeated, lying crumpled on the floor. I faintly hear my name being called from what seems like miles away. The monotonous voice drones on, chanting my name until it rattles in my skull. I scream in agony, coughing and sputtering puddles of blood onto the floor. Stop, I shriek in my head. Please.

Suddenly, the voice stops, allowing me a precious moment of silence.

A woman with snow white hair and dressed in a beautifully-made white silk dress crouches down, staring deeply into my terrified blue eyes with soft, knowing, violet ones. I hear a faint rustling of feathers. A bright light flashes behind her.

No, not light…wings.

I become mesmerized by the angel's brilliant white wings. They wrap around us, cradling my limp body, giving us a private space that blocks out the world. Her feathers brush my cold, pale skin. They feel smooth, like the most precious velvet.

"Don't worry." Her voice is calming. "Your body is being cleansed. You will be healed from your sins, from your impurity. There is nothing to be scared about anymore, Alois. I can change your horrible past, and make everything okay." she says slowly, quietly.

I want to believe her, that she can change everything, simply take away the sadness I've been running from my whole life. But I know better. I can see the darkness seeping through her words, the blood staining her wings. All I can do is try to blink the shadows away as I listen to the sounds of death playfully teasing me. No one is going to save me. Claude is not going to burst into the scene, rescuing me from my pain.

For the second and final time in my life, I am all alone.

"Who…are you?" I manage to choke out, spitting blood onto the floor. The angel smiles, amused.

"You do not know who I am? My dear Alois…I am your 'guardian angel'. I am your savior." She takes hold of my hand. "I am Angela Blanc."

I'm falling.

I can feel the bitter cold wash over me, nibbling at my soul. The darkness swallows my body, delving me deeper into the night. Suddenly, my fingers intertwine with something soft. I am no longer falling, but lying in what feels like a patch of damp grass. The feel of it along with my shredded clothes disgusts me. Surrounded by towering trees, I sit up, searching for some sign of light.

"Claude?" My voice is hoarse, cracked, and weak. It's pathetic. The silence that follows confirms my thoughts: that no hero is going to save me this time. I glance up at the dark sky. A lonely moon hangs low, glowing dimly behind a curtain of grey clouds.

Something bright catches my eye. Between the overgrown brush and trees I can clearly see a small village. But it's not the village that caught my attention; it's the fire. An orange gleam emanates from the town, creating a blazing heat. I run toward it, knowing what will happen, wishing it would be different. Finally, I reach the small, winding river that separates the forest from the village.

A familiar small, dark figure appears in front of me, slumped against the cold ground, unmoving.

"Luka…" My eyes fill with tears, streaming down my dirty cheeks, as I look upon the broken body of my younger brother. A terrified expression is printed across his face. My heart stops when I gaze into his eyes. They are cold, empty, like his soul is all but gone. The warm, kind, curious light that I knew so well in those simple brown eyes is gone. Stolen. I fall to my knees, sobbing, covering my face with my hands. I start to shiver uncontrollably, despite the heat from the nearby fire.

"Don't leave me…please," I whisper. "Don't leave me."

"It's okay." The sound of his voice startles me. I look up to see Luka, completely unharmed, smiling down at me. Suddenly, we are no longer in the damp forest. Instead, the scenery changes into a billowing field, lush with green grass and bountiful with roses. A warm breeze blows through, rustling his bangs out of his wide, deep brown eyes.

"Don't feel sad that I died," he speaks again.

"What…happened?" I ask, bewildered.

"It's okay, Your Highness," he repeats. I wince with sorrow. "I like it better here. No one to throw stones at me, no one to hurt me, and everything looks beautiful. Just like you wanted, right?" I nod, one last tear rolling down my cheek. He laughs in delight. "Don't be sad anymore, okay? You're pure."

Pure. That word rings an unwelcome bell in my head. Pure. I can't help but remember what Angela said: "You will be healed from your sins, from your impurity." As much as I want to stay here with Luka, playing like we used to, I know deep in my heart it isn't true.

"No," I reply. "I can't." His smile disappears.

"But…Jim…"

"Don't call me that!" I shout, seeing tears in his eyes. His figure starts to fade, confirming my thoughts: none of this is real. It is just an illusion, created by a demon-like angel.

"Eat shit," I mutter, despite how much it pains me to say it. The last thing I see of Luka before he fades completely is his expression: surprised, hurt, and defeated.

I am instantly pulled into a sea of light, the tide ripping me away from the fields and back to the sickening sound of drops of blood hitting the floor, along with a small rustle of feathers. Angela shrieks in disgust.

"You're just like him! Like that filthy, impure, Ciel!" She moves away from me as if I were some kind of slug. I probably look like one too, with my hair caked with mud, clothes in tatters, and dried blood covering cuts along every inch of skin exposed.

"Still, I must snuff out the unnecessary, the unfruitful. I'll have to kill you if you do not want to be saved," Angela says quietly, stepping toward me. I scramble to my feet, suddenly feeling weaker than before. She pulls out a knife, seemingly out of nowhere, and steps toward me once more. Out of the corner of my eye I can see a tall man, with long red hair and an evil smile, watching my death unfold. I smirk, laughing a little.

"Rot in Hell," I say before she swings the knife at me. I feel the blade penetrate my chest, only a bit to the side of my heart. I fall, choking on blood and feeling an enormous amount of pressure on my shirt. My vision quickly fades to darkness as my breathing slows rapidly. I laugh with what little breath I have. Rot in Hell, I repeat in my head. Rot in Hell.

"What a pity," Angela mutters. "I missed." I grin, releasing my last short breath into the cold, damp air. My body goes numb as I am lifted into an endless dream.

I smile and join my mother, father, and little brother.