Disclaimer- Still own nothing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chapter Start - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Bocchan, a letter has arrived from the queen," Sebastian's voice rang around the study, knocking Ciel out of his thoughts and bringing him back to reality, his one visible eye focusing on the tall butler standing before him holding a white envelope with the queen's insignia.
It was early morning; only around 9 a.m. and earlier that morning, while dressing him, Sebastian had informed him that he had no lessons to attend, only paperwork to fill, which he detested just as much as Sebastian detested dogs. So here he was, in his study, bored and irritable.
He had not slept well the night before, nightmares plaguing him all through the night hours, waking him from horrific scenes and blinding pain, memories of his past. He had woke screaming plenty of times and by the time Sebastian had come to wake him his throat was raw and sore and his temper was short.
Shorter then usual that is.
Last night after discovering the bloody body and willing his stomach to behave and force down the bile that had begun to bubble in his throat, Ciel had ordered Sebastian to take him home, choosing to forgo the party, even at the risk of Lizzy's tears. The last thing he had needed was to deal with Lizzy and her "antics" with something like that fresh in his mind.
And all through the carriage ride home Sebastian's words had haunted him, running through his mind like a mantra.
"This body is lacking a soul."
That's what the demon butler had said and the news disturbed him. He had wanted to discuss this matter further with Sebastian but the butler had avoided answering his questions by serving him warm milk and helping him to bed, telling him that they would discuss things later and that he needed to rest after such an adventurous night.
Now it was a new day and Ciel wanted answers.
"Read it Sebastian," he ordered, leaning back in his chair, small arms crossing over his chest as he looked up at his butler who nodded, fetching his letter opener out of his coat pocket over his left breast before tearing the letter open and beginning to read.
"To my dear Earl Phantomhive,
It troubles me to inform you that the deaths of young boys have been erupting all over England. These murders are horrific scenes to behold as I've been informed and it saddens my poor heart to hear that young children are falling victim to the hands of crime and blood.
I wish for you to investigate and bring these horrendous murders to an end by all means necessary. I expect nothing but perfection and success from my loyal servant and guard dog and trust in my heart that you will do all in your power to bring this to an end.
I must forewarn you to be careful my dearest Earl, for if this murderer is after young boys only you might be at risk. I fear that this is much more then just a simple killer wishing to spill the blood of innocent children.
I wish you luck and pray that the hand of God shall guide your investigation.
-Sincerely Yours,
-Queen Victoria."
After he was finished Sebastian refolded the letter with nimble hands and placed it on Ciel's desk, awaiting orders from his master, a dark sparkle in his eyes.
"It appears the body we found was not the first of these kinds of murders young master," Sebastian purred, red eyes gleaming, grin set in place as he looked upon the calculating face of his master.
"Yes, it appears so. According to the Queen these bodies have been found all over England. If that is the case I wonder why it is just coming to my attention," Ciel mused aloud, tapping his small fingers on the top of his desk, his other hand propping his young face up.
"The death of children is a rather… tender subject for some… Scotland Yard could be hushing the ordeal to not frighten the public my lord," Sebastian offered, the glint in his eyes never faltering.
The demon was nearly thrumming with excitement.
"Perhaps… that would make the most sense," the young Earl mused before straightening up and focusing his attention on his eager butler, arching a dark eyebrow when he noticed the enthusiasm of his butler "You seem rather… eager Sebastian… care to explain why…"
"No particular reason Bocchan… just that this case seems rather… intriguing," the demon cooed, folding his hands behind his back, mouth curling up into a mischievous smile, head titling to the side ever so slightly, raven bangs caressing porcelain skin.
He reminded Ciel of a child about to partake in unfathomable mischief.
"Hmmmm… you demons must get rather bored if this is interesting to you," Ciel smirked, looking into the dark red eyes of his servant, his demon. He always did wonder how an immortal being such as Sebastian entertained himself.
If the spark in Sebastian's red eyes were anything to go by, he was about to find out.
"Immortality can be rather tiresome but humans make it much more interesting then our time spent in hell," Sebastian chuckled, walking up to Ciel's desk and bending at the waist slightly, looking deep into young eyes, a dark smirk curling at his lips. "And the young master has made these last few years quiet interesting."
"Glad I can amuse you," Ciel sneered, leaning back to put some distance between himself and this creature of hell, not liking the way Sebastian's eyes were looking at him.
They made him feel dizzy, like he was falling into some sort of trance. Which wouldn't be a surprise considering what Sebastian was. There was no doubt it his mind that Sebastian could control him if he wanted to.
That thought alone made him edgy and uneasy.
"I want you to research the death of these boys… " He began, swirling his chair around and putting his back to the demon, turning away from those bewitching eyes and looking out the large window that overlooked his estate. "Find out how many have been killed and the ages of each. Ask their parents questions, find out any information you can. Tomorrow we will investigate further," He ordered, knowing Sebastian was taking every word to memory.
"And Sebastian…"
"Young master?"
"If you can help it… try and reframe from using your… 'special techniques'… to obtain information," Ciel ordered, not even bothering to turn. He could feel Sebastian's smirk.
"Yes, My Lord."
"You will leave after dinner, when the others are heading to bed," Ciel hummed, swirling his chair once more to face Sebastian, watching the demon bow before him.
"Yes Bocchan."
Then a tall back was straightening and Sebastian was turning to leave, heading towards the door to prepare the afternoon tea and lunch. While Ciel watched his butler exit a thought came to mind and he cleared his throat, catching Sebastian's attention and causing the butler to stop.
"Sebastian."
"Yes young master?"
"I expect answers when you return, do not think I have forgotten."
Again, he could feel Sebastian's smirk and he knew red eyes were gleaming in that way they always did.
"Of course young master."
And then he was gone, leaving Ciel alone with his thoughts once more.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
It was later that night when Sebastian returned, all the other's having headed off to bed nearly two hours ago, leaving Ciel the only one awake when Sebastian entered his bedroom, a stack of papers in his head.
"You're late." Ciel huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the taller male, rolling both eyes (after having discarded his eye patch some time ago) when he heard Sebastian chuckled.
"Gomen Bocchan, it took more time then I had first anticipated," Sebastian hummed, walking across the room with quiet steps only to stand in front of his master when he reached the bed, classic, 'innocent' smile in place.
Ciel knew the demon wasn't really sorry. He could tell by the way red eyes were mocking him.
"Che, whatever. "
He knew the ass had taken longer then usual just to make him wait. He knew he was a rather impatient child and he just loved to push all the buttons that set him off. He was really starting to believe Sebastian just enjoyed being hit or something.
Masochistic demon.
"What did you find?" he asked after calming himself, looking up at the other who was examining the papers he held in white gloved hands before red eyes fixated on him, a raven haired head titling slightly.
"These murders have been going on for a few months now, nearly a year, with each one spread out over time. " Sebastian began, handing Ciel the papers as he spoke, watching young eyes scan them as he continued, voice sounded rather loud in the otherwise quiet room. "There have been nine murders, this recent one being the tenth, the boy's name being Christopher Mylin. The locations of these murders all seem to be at random young master, at least that's what I have gathered so far."
Sebastian knew Ciel would send him out to do more investigation once they had more clues and pieces to the case. Ciel was not one waste time and use his most valuable 'knight' unnecessarily. He would send him out when he knew more. He could have gathered much more information if he had so chosen. But Ciel had not ordered it therefore he did not.
For one who tried to act so wise, Ciel was still such a child, not using his pawns to their fullest potential.
It made Sebastian smirk.
"I found no similarities in the background of these boys except for the fact that each of them had no parents and were under the care of other relatives or foster families. I also found that each boy attended church every so often."
"Hmmm…. do any of these churches they attended have anything in common?" Ciel asked, flipping through the papers before stopping when he came across photos of the boys before their deaths.
They were all so young, around his age or younger, and Ciel felt this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had seen some of these boys before.
The question was... where?
"No young master, some were Protestant, some Catholic and some were from other forms of religion, " Sebastian answered, watching the way his master's eyes scanned the boys' pictures, looking over their faces before their eyes met.
Such a small child, so ignorant to the ways of the world. Or maybe he was not so ignorant and that was what made him such a rather… dark child.
"So they all attended different churches…" Ciel mused, placing the collected research on his bedside table, feeling a headache coming on the longer he tried to process everything.
"Tomorrow we will go to the Undertaker to ask about the way these boys were killed, then search for suspects." Ciel sighed after some time, closing his eyes in agitation.
He really didn't want to see the Undertaker, the man creped him out, but he knew that if they were going to find out how these boys were killed they were going to have to speak to him.
After taking a few calming breathes Ciel slowly reopened his eyes and focused them on a silent Sebastian, his knight awaiting his next order.
So poised, always ready to do his master's bidding. But who was really the master here… him?
Or the demon before him who concealed his evil and wickedness behind a charming smile and a subservient façade?
It made Ciel's fist clench.
"Sit," he ordered, smirking when Sebastian did as he was told, just like the loyal dog he claimed to be, and took a seat on the side of his bed, red eyes never leaving his.
"Last night you said that the boy we found was missing his soul, explain."
Even before his parents deaths Ciel was always impatient, and now, having a demon at his disposal didn't help the matter much. And since he was an adult living in a child's body (as he liked to believe) he certainly did not like not knowing things. It made him anxious and angry when his butler knew something he did not and if need be he would force Sebastian to give him answers.
He was almost hoping he'd get the chance.
Though he'd doubt he'd have to really order the demon to answer him. Sebastian usually followed instructions without him having to use the contract to back the order up.
Something about 'principles' that the demon kept talking about.
"The young master might want to get comfortable first, this may take some time to explain," Sebastian smiled, but his eyes were glittering in that way that made Ciel want to snarl.
He hated how confident and sure of himself the demon was, always so cocky and smug. It made the young child want to break that confidence, to watch the demon crumble and fail at something!
Sighing, which sounded more like a huff then anything else, Ciel did as suggested and situated himself up near the headboard of his bed, using it to prop himself up so he would be comfortable and watch Sebastian, awaiting for the other to begin.
"Now as for the young master's question, being a demon allows me the ability to sense souls, since they are my meals," Sebastian chuckled, folding his hands across his lap while he gazed into Ciel's eyes.
"But how can a body lose a soul. If I recall only shinigami," Ciel began, before glaring when he saw Sebastian smirk, "and demons, can take souls."
"This is true, but they both do so in very different ways my lord," Sebastian purred, leaning foreword ever so slightly, red eyes shifting to a bright purplish-pink color, making Ciel uneasy, but he refused to be intimidated by Sebastian.
He knew the other male was just toying with him, enjoying seeing him so confused and uneasy. Knowing Sebastian he probably got some sick pleasure out of seeing his master so out of his element.
He wouldn't be surprised.
He never asked Sebastian about himself or anything that pertained to the demon so of course he'd have no clue as to the working of extracting souls and whatnot.
As far as he was concerned as soon as he
fulfilled his goal Sebastian would get his soul. He didn't care (much) about how it was done or where, just that his soul was the demons, as per their deal.
"Explain yourself demon," he ordered, glaring into those demonic eyes, growling when Sebastian's smirk only grew wider.
"When a shinigami takes one's soul they take the entire soul, leaving no traces of it behind within the body. But when a demon takes a soul…." And here Ciel couldn't stop a shiver that went up his spine at the way Sebastian was looking at him, "the whole soul does not come with them."
"What do you mean?"
"My, my Bocchan, I've never seen you so… interested in the way we demons feed," Sebastian purred, leaning even closer, causing Ciel to growl in warning. "If the young master would like I can demonstrate for him."
"Shut up Sebastian and just tell me what I want to know," Ciel ordered, watching the way demonic eyes only seemed to get brighter, a sickening sweet smile curling on the demons face.
"Very well young master"
Ciel could have sworn Sebastian's voice sounded almost… disappointed.
Leaning back just slightly Sebastian seemed to get a thoughtful look on his face, as if he were trying to figure out a way to best explain these things to the child.
"Hmmm… how to begin… well…. when a demon such as myself takes a soul they rip the soul from the human's body, leaving small pieces of it behind, whereas a shinigami can, figuratively speaking, scoop the soul out, leaving no traces of it behind in the humans body," he explained, turning his head to gaze at Ciel, the sickening sweet smile back in place. "It's almost as if the human never had a soul to being with."
Ciel suddenly felt very queasy.
"And what about this boy's soul, this... Christopher…?" Ciel asked once he regained his voice, narrowing his eyes as a way to hide the uneasiness he felt, daring Sebastian to say a word.
He could see the corner of the demons lip tilt upwards and it made him want to smack the other male and remind him of the power he held over the demon. But he reframed, choosing to ignore that smirk, for now.
"His soul was ripped from his body my lord," Sebastian answered, and hide a dark chuckle when he saw Ciel's eyes go slightly wide, his pale face losing color.
Such a smart little master he had, catching on so quickly.
"Yes, I believe the one to kill those boys is a demon, one of my kind," Sebastian cooed, eyes bright and calculating, watching Ciel intensely before the demon stood and bowed lightly. "But enough of this discussion my lord, it is far too late for you to still be awake and you have yet to receive your bath. How do you ever expect yourself to mature physically if you do not sleep, hm?"
Ignoring that comment with only a glare as a warning Ciel allowed Sebastian to lead him to his bathing chambers without a fuss over the abrupt halt of their discussion, his mind buzzing and replaying their conversation. Once there he allowed Sebastian to undress him in silence, mismatched eyes unfocused and distant.
Battling a human killer was one thing, battling a demon one was another thing entirely. And if this demon was anything like Sebastian he knew it was going to be difficult and challenging to capture it and kill it, not that he didn't mind a challenge, he was the king after all.
It was just this sinking feeling in his stomach, just like he had right before they had discovered the mutilated boy's body, that was telling him that this case was going to be much more of a challenge then he wanted.
He had a feeling that things were only going to get more complicated from here on in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Chapter End - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tell me if there are any mistakes1
Review!!
