Chapter 2: Unconscious
Ciel sat in his study, staring blankly at the mountain of paperwork that had been growing on his desk over the course of the past week or so.
In no particular mood to finish it today, the young Phantomhive earl rang for his butler. He could at least have Sebastian prepare him a dessert while he let his mind wander until his dancing lessons at four. Yet, ten minutes passed without the butler showing, and Ciel forced himself to ring a second time. It wasn't normal for Sebastian to fail to show within ten minutes… or even five. But usually this was the time of day when Sebastian was helping Finnian—the gardener—outside in the garden, so perhaps that was the reason he was taking so long.
Another ten minutes passed, and Ciel had rung three more times, and Sebastian still hadn't shown up, and Ciel began to worry. It wasn't like Sebastian to be this late. As a butler, he always stressed over time and tried to remain on schedule. Even small things, like tying an undone tie, or tending to a pair of undone shoelaces were done within an acceptable amount of time. To be twenty minutes late for a simple bell was unheard of.
Ciel knew the only way to solve this matter would be to get up and search for Sebastian himself
However, before Ciel could rise from his desk, the door to his study flew open. He momentarily thought it was Sebastian, until he caught glimpse of the strawberry-blond hair of the gardener, Finnian.
The young teen skidded to a halt in front of Ciel, not bothering to give himself the time to catch his breath before trying to explain what was wrong.
"Hurry… Sebastian… garden… fell… not waking up…!"
Ciel took a firm hold of the gardener's shoulders, "Calm down, Finny! I can't understand you when you can barely breathe."
Finny looked shaken. His eyes were wide with fear, his limbs trembled, his face was drained of color, and his breaths came out in sharp, high-pitched gasps.
"You have to hurry…" Finny stared out slowly, "Sebastian… he was trimming the rose bushes in the garden when suddenly he just fell down. Mey-Rin and I tried everything, but he's not waking up!"
Ciel found himself caught slightly off guard. There wasn't a weak bone in Sebastian's body, and even if there were, it certainly wouldn't consist of falling… for any reason! The thought was enough to make him worry him slightly.
"Take me to him!" he ordered.
Finny nodded and led Ciel out of the mansion and into the garden, moving in the direction of the rose patch. It was abnormally hot for June, and the heat made Ciel tired and woozy. For a moment, it was understandable for anyone to pass out in these types of conditions.
But Sebastian wasn't just anyone…
How bitterly wrong Ciel's thoughts were as he saw the house maid, Mey-Rin, kneeled down beside Sebastian, who looked as if he had simply collapse where he'd been standing. There was no indication that heat had been the primary cause of his collapse. His face was white; completely drained of color and his hair was a mess from the attempts Mey-Rin and Finny had made to wake him.
Ciel knelt down beside Sebastian and rested a hand on his forehead. His skin was neither hot nor cold. It was clear that this wasn't some sickness a demon could contract. For a moment, Ciel figured Sebastian was merely playing another joke on him, since the butler had his own ways of entertaining himself. But that assumption was dashed when he tried to reach to Sebastian through the contract symbol that had been carved into his right eye when the two had first met, and all he sensed was blankness; no such awareness that his service was needed. That, on its own, would have been enough to snap the demon back from even the most pitiful state. And that, on it's own, was troubling...
Ciel could feel tremors fill his chest. It shamed him to think he was afraid, since he had always referred to Sebastian as just one of his chess pieces; a pawn... or a knight, and nothing more.
He forced the tremors out of his voice as he spoke.
"Take him inside and settle him in a bed in one of the spare bedrooms. That's an order."
Finny and Mey-Rin nodded, although they were not entirely sure how they would be able to move the larger, better built man back into the mansion.
