Even Demons Bleed:

A/N: Fate. What is that? It's just a silly piece of red string.

Summary: Mankind lost the war, and now demons have taken over their lives. A rebel group of humans rise above to claim back what once was theirs. Ciel finds himself torn between allegiances and puts his soul on the line. AU

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) and all related characters belong to their respective owners, the author owns none of the rights reserved.

*Many thanks to thenamelesssoul (TNS) for beta-ing this chapter!


Even Demons Bleed: Chapter 1

~xXx~


[8pm, Institute of Research and Intelligence Sciences (IRIS, London Headquarters)]

The news had already begun to spread.

The doors of the lift slid open as a group of researchers stepped out, making their way down the hallway towards Sebastian. The demon kept his eyes trained on the lift, ignoring the apologetic and sympathetic glances from the rest of the group walking past him.

Two female researchers heading towards him fell to the side of the hallway, pale faces framed by their dark lush hair, heads bent as their crimson eyes glittered in amusement as they trailed each and every step Sebastian took as he walked past them.

"Did you hear? His experiment failed again. Such a waste."

The brutally strong claw lashed out from the swirling darkness, grasping the her neck and pinning her back against the transparent glass surface, her head connecting against the hard material with a sickening thump.

"Top medical researcher, wasn't he? Must be a big joke."

The fingers curled inwards, crushing through skin and into sinew and muscles beneath, sending showers of fresh blood spewing to the glass walls, painting it red as she raised her brown eyes to him. Pleading, begging.

"He shouldn't even be in this field. With a face like that, he'll be earning bigger bucks as a model than a medical researcher..."

Black shadows enshrouded her body, wrapping around her torso, fondling her breasts and the darkness squeezed, sounds of bone snapping and splintering around the small room, echoing loudly to the world outside.

The two women glanced shyly up at him, and exploded into fits of childish giggles as they blushed. Everyone knew of the ethereally handsome medical researcher from the eleventh floor. He was tall and slim in built with a slight muscular structure, his pale skin and jet-black hair that always seem to fall across his face. And that smile, the smallest twitch of his lips could send a female, demon or not, melting into a wanton puddle.

Crimson eyes darkened as the demon continued his way towards the lift. Disgusting, he thought to himself. Sebastian lifted a finger, pushing the button as it forced the silver doors to slide open again. Stepping inside, Sebastian sighed as the doors closed, sealing off the whispers behind. Pressing the last button at the bottom of the panel, the lift jerked to life as it descended downwards. Slumping to the back of the lift, Sebastian ran his fingers through his jet-black hair, closing his eyes as the haunting images of countless of broken corpses invaded his mind, the smell of freshly spilled blood, the taunting whispers of his fellow research team hounding him to just give up and move on.

Her last gasp, the shock of her death made her widen her eyes as she crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. Her lifeless eyes, staring...and staring...and…

Ding! Sebastian flinched as he slowly opened his eyes, shrugging his body away from the side of the lift. The bright sound of the bell pried Sebastian out of his thoughts. He quickly stepped out before the doors close on him.

Footsteps echo around the long, empty corridor as Sebastian made his way towards the end, his hard eyes never leaving the massive iron frame of the door as an intricate web of locks and bolts surrounded it. White lights illuminated his path, whitewashed walls surrounding him, blending in with the white laboratory coat he wore and white linoleum tiles echoed his footsteps. The air smelt of disinfectant. It was all too clean, almost too pure. He had to do it. He had started the whole mess, and he had to be the one to finish it.

Sebastian was going to stain his hands with blood again tonight.


[8pm. London, England]

Darkness came very quickly these few days. Temperatures had continued to drop throughout the month with little signs of snow, and despite the upcoming festive season, the night still seemed to arrive before it was meant to be. As they neared the end of the street, the street lamps flickered on, throwing pools of ugly orange light onto the pavement as it merged together with the blinding store-lights and cherry Christmas music blasting from each shop. Each playing a different song, blending together into a cacophony of noise, sound, lights and demons.

Ciel shifted on his feet, trying to keep warm in his old coat. It was freezing. Jostling through the crowd, he tried to keep up with Alois. Trying his hardest to follow the blond demon, Ciel used Alois' bright violet coat and striking golden hair as a marker amongst the deep sea of dark coats and glowing eyes; his contacts starting to burn as the cold air made his eyes drier than ever. But already he was wishing he hadn't come. It was wrong. Stupid even. Why had he ever agreed?

Alois huffed, blowing against a stray strand of blond lock that had fallen in his face and pushed his way through the pressing crowd. The familiar sign of the bar rose up from the end of the street and Alois crowed in delight.

Alois reached out behind him, grabbing on Ciel's hand.

"We're here!"

Alois seemed to sense the younger male's discomfort and turned towards him, a questioning look on his face.

"What? Thinking of going home already?" He teased, the edge of his lips drawing upwards into a cheeky smirk as his eyes blazed in amusement at Ciel's misery. Humans. No wonder they had lost the war.

Because I'm cold. Because my eyes hurt. Because anyone can come up to me and kill me right here, right on the spot. That's what Ciel wanted to say, but the words didn't come. Ciel just shrugged.

"I'm just bored." Ciel countered, trying to defend himself as slipped his hand away from Alois' grip and leaned back stubbornly to rest his back against the wall beside him.

Two women walked past and glanced at him disapprovingly with their glowing crimson eyes, probably thinking he was up to no good. The way Ciel was leaning against the wall- one foot on the ground and the other propped against the wall. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets and a scowl on his face. It made him look somewhat dangerous, making him look older than he was.

Alois rolled his eyes and grabbed Ciel away from the wall, pushing in the glass doors and they stepped in. The smell of alcohol assaulted Ciel's nose, making him wrinkle it in distaste. Dim blue lights illuminated the bar as soft music played slowly on the background. There were not many customers patronizing the bar, some demons choosing to sit alone at the bar, or along the far corners of the dark room. It was warm inside, and Ciel felt himself shrugging out of his worn, brown coat. He was grateful that Alois had chosen this place each time they met. The darkness of the bar hid the colour of his human eyes.

Ciel tried to relax. It was an adventure, wasn't it? A few hours from now, he'd be back. But he was uneasy. Ciel gulped, suddenly remembering what awaited him. Visions of Alois sobbing and wailing on his seat as he drowned himself with shot after shot of alcohol, sharing how his life sucked and how the person he liked didn't reciprocate his affections immediately assaulted him. His stomach tightened and his guilt worsened.

Alois needed him. And Ciel needed Alois as well.

Ciel had never told the young demon that he was sharing the information gathered from their tours around the city with the Resistance. The young male felt bad for exploiting the demon, especially when Alois had been so kind as to keep his secret, but that was the way their worlds worked; eat or be eaten. The Resistance needed the information to take back what was theirs. And Alois was a willing pawn in this game of chess.

"Can I get you anything?" Alois asked, dumping his violet coat upon an empty booth situated on the lonely, quiet end of the bar. Ciel slid across the velvet chairs, folding his coat upon the remaining seat beside him.

"Uh...something warm I guess?" Ciel replied, turning to look at the menu before looking back at Alois again. He had always been ordering a glass of juice, courtesy of Alois, each time they visited the bar after their little tours around the city. Ciel wanted a warm drink to defrost his frozen insides, and alcohol was out of the question. It might hamper his mission. He was in the danger-zone, and needed a clear mind to make his way out alive.

"Do they even serve tea here?" he asked and mentally slapped himself for asking such a stupid question.

The young demon grinned and nodded his head. "Yup. Does Earl Grey sound good to you?"

Ciel smiled softly and nodded his head. Earl Grey tea would be lovely.


The little boy wrapped his arms around the tall man, cradling against him as they slid down to the floor. Looking up at him, he wanted to lift up his tiny hand to brush off the man's pale cheek, wanted to tell him that everything was fine.

The demon leaned in, closing his crimson eyes as he sighed softly. His breath tickling the light hairs on the boy's neck.

"I'll make it as painless as I can..." His murmured softly, his words caught his tongue as he wondered if he had ever given a name to Subject 666-4243 - a human name. Sebastian inched his hand down to his lab coat's pocket, slowly drawing out a syringe as his fingers flipped off the rubber cap.

Subject 666-4243 was the next project he was developing. An upgrade of 666-4242 if he could call it as such. His experiments were birthed from an artificial womb, fusing an artificially created human sperm and human egg. This artificial life grew up just like a healthy human child albeit at an accelerated growth and maturity rate. And when they were of considerable age, they had to undergo the final test. Their souls would be 'tested', partially devoured for research purposes. A success meant the survival of the experiment, and the subject would be taken away again for Stage Beta, the extraction and harvesting of its soul for society's use.

But for now, Stage Beta was the least of Sebastian's worries. He had been stuck at Stage Alpha, facing continuous failures.

The little boy closed his eyes as Sebastian held him tighter, humming a broken melody from his memory.

Hush little baby, don't say a word...

Subject 666-4243 was no older than five. Just barely an infant a few weeks ago.

Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird...

Sebastian smiled, remembering the lyrics of the human lullaby. True, he was like their father in a way. He had grown attached to all his experiments, watching them from birth till their death. A great weakness for a demon, but still, he was reluctant to change.

And if that diamond ring turns to brass...

Fingers tighten around the syringe as he pressed the tip against the boy's arm, pushing the entire liquid contents into his bloodstream. The young toddler barely flinched.

Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass...

Sebastian dropped the syringe, hearing it clatter to the ground as it rolled away, gathering the young child into his warm embrace. He could already feel the boy's heart accelerating, fluttering like a hummingbird's wings in his small chest. It would soon be over.

"You could always kill it the faster way..."

Sebastian froze as a familiar low voice ghosted in his ear, the warm breath sending a chill down his spine. A hand shot out towards the boy. And with a sharp twist, a sickening crack resounded in the cold cell. The small body lay broken, and Sebastian sucked in a sharp breath.

The boy was dead.

Claude sighed and rose from his squat behind Sebastian.

"Honestly. What's gotten into you?" he muttered to himself, pushing up his glasses again as he turned to walk out of the room.

Claude had his suspicions that Sebastian was showing human emotions around his experiments, showing them mercy. He was looking for that man, after receiving orders that there has been a sudden change in plans. And Claude knew Sebastian would be here. The whole room had been decked out to resemble a human nursery. Colourful pictures were pasted on the wall and toys scattered all over the floor to entertain the little monster they had created when they had no need of it. His crimson eyes darted to the far corner, searching. Mey-Rin, the nurse wasn't at her usual place. The bespectacled woman had been hired to take care of the artificial humans in Sebastian's absence. The sentimental fool must have sent her away, Claude mused, a wry grin on his lips.

Claude's foot tapped on something round, sending it rolling slightly on the ground. He bent to pick it up. A syringe.

He smirked to himself and tossed it back to the floor, ignoring the figure hunched over the ground, still cradling that piece of filth in his arms. And he was right. The top researcher in this new world, a high-ranking demon, was succumbing to human emotions, being merciful to those disgusting creatures, those filthy humans.

It was laughable, and downright pathetic, Claude thought and he would personally see to Sebastian's downfall.

"Oh, and by the way," he said casually, not once looking back at the other demon, "we will be bringing over a new test subject in an hour. Clear the room and get ready for it."

Claude stalked out of the room, the sharp beep and hiss of sliding doors indicating that he was gone.

That bastard.

The body was growing colder by the minute. Crimson eyes trailed over the broken form of the young child before lifting a hand to close his glassy, accusing eyes. Sebastian dropped the body on the ground as he stood up to leave. It was just a body now. Mey-Rin would no doubt be notified of the change in plans. It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered, not anymore.


Ciel propped his head against his arm, lazily stirring the teaspoon in the cup. Alois was still going on about his life on Earth. How it was better than living in their previous hellhole. How everything was so beautiful on Earth. Ciel scowled to himself. Obviously. They stole it from the humans.

Ciel glanced at his watch and froze, scrambling to his feet.

"Excuse me... I need to use the restroom! I'll be back!" The words rushed out as Ciel made a beeline for the room situated at the back of the pub. Alois snapped his mouth shut and frowned in anger at the sudden departure of the boy just when he was getting to the good part of the story.

Ciel burst through the door of the restroom and ran into one of the vacant cubicles, slamming the door shut. Frantic fingers dug through his pockets as he fished out a new phone from his pocket, something that was always replaced and disposed off with each mission. He quickly dialed a number and waited with baited breath as the monotonous dialing tone connected with the other line.

The beeping ended as someone picked up.

"It's me."

"You're late."

"I'm sorry...I got carried away." Ciel whispered despite knowing that there was no one in the toilet to listen in on the conversation.

"No matter. Report what you have found."

"Nothing much. They have started preparing for Christmas. It's crowded. We may be able to blend in with the crowd. And the disguise that demon had given me worked perfectly."

"Good." The voice at the other end replied. "Get him to pass you more of it. The lenses may be of great use for our future infiltration missions."

"I understand."

"Be careful."

Ciel paused.

"Will...William..." He quickly said before the line could be disconnected. The man remained silent, waiting to hear the young male out. Ciel could hear the voices of the Resistance scrambling to talk to him in the background.

"I..It's nothing. I will be waiting by the 36th lamp-post on the right in a hour's time." Ciel said and cancelled the call. Turning the phone over, he quickly dismantled the phone into pieces, flushing the smaller parts down the toilet and dumping the rest into the trash. No one would be able to trace their calls now. The Resistance always took great precaution in covering their steps.

"What took you so long?" Alois whined, drowning the last of his drink unhappily as Ciel slid back into his seat.

"Stomachache." Ciel replied nonchalantly and stirred his tea, never noticing the small film of white foam on the brown liquid as he finished off the rest of his lukewarm drink. Ciel cringed. The tea was bitter. He must have left the teabag soaking in the drink for too long.

"Ciel."

The young human looked up, his heart stopping in his chest as he found himself inches away from the demon's face.

"I like you. I really do." Alois breathed, a haunting grin on his pale features as his eyes blazed once again. Ciel felt himself drown in the twin pools of churning crimson. He was falling into the demon's endless, soulless eyes, he couldn't look away. His heart started with a steady throb and burst into a fluttering sprint, the organ was beating too fast. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. His mind felt numb.

Then, everything went wrong at once.

Ciel felt himself falling to his side, his vision giving way to blurred shapes and colours. His heart was pounding erratically, the sound amplified in his ears. His stomach lurched painfully as nausea overtook his senses. Ciel squeezed his eyes shut as his mind rolled lazily in circles.

"Alois..." He found himself choking out before the darkness overtook him.

He could not...he betrayed me...He...

And Ciel was gone, his body stilled as the drug pulled him under.

The blond demon stood up from his seat, smiling to himself. A taller figure stepped up behind the younger male, having spotted the blond immediately at the far corner of the bar as he entered. He raised his fingers to push his spectacles up.

"Good job."


Reviews appreciated, updates every weekend!


THE ADVENTURES OF LostBunny AND TNS:

xXxLostBunnyxXx: I think I died a little in this chapter. Oh my poor heart... What do you think TNS?

TNS: Williaaaaaaaaam, Claaaaaaaaaudeeeeeee! Let me glomp you, my darlings! *coughs* Ehem, I mean, is there anyone reading the end here? Don't you guys think that the whole lullaby Sebastian sung sounded like Eminem's Mockingbird? *inserts image of Sebastian in rapper-gear*

xXxLostBunnyxXx: Anyone wants Sebas-chan to rap hahahah? And if you, dear reader, made it this far, I apologise if Sebby is acting a little...or wayyyy OOC. But it'll be explained in the next chapter.

TNS: Be right back, getting ready to kill a little blond bratling! *sharpens machete*

xXxLostBunnyxXx: *grabs Alois and hides him* Don't kill him, he needs to appear in the next chapter!

Alois: *sweat-drops*

TNS: I don't care! *ominous music plays* How dare you end the story with a two-way double-cross! Cieeeeel, it's okay, I'll save you, my little munchkin! *runs off into sunset*

xXxLostBunnyxXx: We hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to send your questions in under the review button, I want to help you understand this story as well! I'll be happy to answer them. And reviews for the story or the plot are again, greatly appreciated. A big shout-out to the six lovely readers that reviewed the previous chapter! Thank you!

TNS: That's it for this chapter! Review if you want Ciel to be saved! *blows kisses*

xXxLostBunnyxXx: Sayonara! *waves*