Hello, my dears~

Been a minute, hm? I honestly was surprised with the feedback I got from this - it really boosts my drive when I see so many people reading my work, I wanted to make sure I got something out as a reward. Now, this chapter is short, but I tried combining it with the next chapter and it just didn't fit so well, so I decided to keep it as it's own little slice. Reviews will get the next piece up faster and I promise it will be longer.

Specially thanks to those whom reviewed the last chapter, including Guest 1, Aservis Roturier, Heavens Crow, Blackitten13, Thegraybluekitten, narutopokefan, thatonecosplayer, Guest 2, ItsRandom, cynthia2012, Guest 3, DarkShadow1215, Shimmering Pearl, promocat, Guest 4, DarkSecrets666, xoxohanaChan8998, ilovechocolatemorethanyoudo, and Picas Lei-Fur. You all are utterly fantastic and have my eternal love and gratitude for taking the time to actually give me feedback. Love you all~

Without further delay, I do not own Kuroshitsuji but onward with the story~

Chapter 2

No sunlight. No air. No sound. Nothing possible to disturb him and yet Sebastian Michaelis still found no rest.

Scowling deeply, the dark haired man rose from where he'd been lying and glanced down at the body beside him. The other didn't move, not that he expected her to.

He'd eaten her soul earlier in the evening – a foolish price she had given in exchange for merely a week of companionship. She'd given her life to be held and intimate with someone whom cared nothing for her beyond eating her soul, only to sob in misery as they'd reached the designated time and he turned to collect.

The weakness in it all disgusted him and his face twisted into a sneer as he stood from the bed and began searching for his clothing. He paused half-dressed before the mirror to examine his chest where the contract mark had been; satisfied to see the dark symbol had disappeared already.

Sighing in relief, the crow ran his left hand through his hair only to stop midway through the midnight locks, his eyes zeroing in on the back of the offending hand. Releasing the silky strands, he drew the limb down to examine closer, a certain blankness slipping over his face and his shoulders slumped.

The contract mark – Ciel's contract – still branded the pale skin of his hand, and it would continue to until the day either himself or Ciel passed on. It'd been over a century since the night he'd abandoned the boy, but not nearly as long since he'd thought of him.

No, not a single day had gone by that he didn't stop to think of his young master; wonder if he was fairing alright on his own, taking care of himself, and so on. At first, he'd been furious at his inability to keep the damned boy from his mind, but over time that anger had faded. Yet, not until it was apparently a decade too late, it seemed.

Ciel Phantomhive was nowhere to be found.

Trailing his fingers over the star pattern, the devil recalled the mark at its former brilliance; when Ciel was always near and open to his influence, when he had complete trust in Sebastian as both his butler and his friend.

Before the demon had left him to die.

For the first two years after his departure, the mark had seared with his master's anger, the order to return nearly weakening Sebastian to his knees some days. By the third year, the boy stopped calling, but his anger still burned prevalently. At seven, the loneliness set in. And by twelve, Ciel Phantomhive had somehow managed to block him, leaving Sebastian completely blind to the child's where abouts and emotions.

At first Sebastian had been relieved, thinking that he would finally be able to keep the young male out of his mind now that he wasn't constantly lingering in the back of his consciousness.

But when that connection remained closed after ten years, the demon's curiosity got the best of him. But when he reached out, Ciel's defenses were much stronger than he'd thought, because the boy eluded him completely.

And that'd when Sebastian began to lose composer.

Where the hell was his master? A century later and he still had no idea. And the devil was about to go mad.

His young master was somewhere without him, completely uneducated on how to survive as a devil and at the mercy of whatever the armies of hell, heaven and earth threw at him. And all the once-phenomenal butler had of the boy was a faded contract, memories, and the distant reminder of the Earl of Phantomhive's flesh on his tongue.

Glancing beyond himself in the mirror, apathetic vermillion eyed the body that laid dead on the mattress behind with hidden thoughts. If anything, he was glad he'd gotten the chance to eat despite how unsatisfying the soul had been. He may have only tasted Ciel's flesh, but the taste had been unforgettable, leaving anything else to pale in comparison.

The thought made the devil return to his dressing efforts with a purpose this time.

Now that his hunger had been managed for the time being and the side contract complete, he could return to his continuing search for the late Earl of Phantomhive.

Stepping out of the small loft apartment, Sebastian ran a hand through his hair as he set off down the streets Barcelona. The Spanish city had turned up nothing during his short yet thorough search, but the call of the glowing lights on the horizon – lights that only one of his kind could see – spoke more to him than anything else had the last few decades.

Odd considering that he was certain he'd already searched the city at least twice in the past, yet he knew the boy would not leave Europe if he had the choice. But something in his very instinct told him to return. And that seemed more of a lead than he's had so far.

Tugging a plain grey fedora low over the crown of his head, the porcelain faced devil left the aged place behind him with all the strength of a man determined.

He was Paris bound now.

So, what says you? Yes, I know, I know, it's very short, but the next one shall be long to make up for it... If the reviews so call for it~ With the next chapter being so long and all, I may require some... motivation... ;)

~L-sama