The Truth
The rain has stopped for the moment, leaving behind misty clouds and the gentle peeking of the sun. Ciel slowly opens his eyes to the soft browns of the study, sitting up fully when he finds himself in the arms of just a jacket. A man with blonde hair and playful mint eyes stares at him with surprise.
"Who are you." Ciel demands evenly, sitting up straight and leveling him with striking eyes
Aden sits himself up straighter and levels his shoulders under the scrutinizing gaze. "I'm Aden...Aden Mael...Corbiau's trusted...most trusted friend." he says with pride
Ciel looks him over and relaxes in his seat "Hmpf...didn't think that butler was the type to have friends." he mused to himself while examining the length of a stray strand of hair.
"So...you were Corbie's recent master, weren't you." Aden says slowly
Ciel nods "I was...why." he asks
Aden looks down at the polished floor as if contemplating something "And you had your soul eaten...right?" he asks sheepishly to the now narrowed eyes and tight expression.
"I did...although thats none of your business, friend or not...if there is something you need to say...spit it out...I don't like secrets." the boy says evenly
Fidgeting a little and looking at the locked study door Aden stands up and slowly walks the length of the floor in a pacing fashion.
"Okay...Ciel...what I'm about to say Corbie might kill me for but I think you should know...I think he plans on doing something stupid and it could get him and his company destroyed by the crown of the Deeps. he says gravely
"What are you on about." Ciel snaps, attention now focused "Sebastian has a company?...doing what?" he asks a little surprised
"Pretty much any and everything under the sun...its a holdings company...and one of the second best around in all of the Deeps...You may not know this but Sebastian is rich...filthy rich...and powerful." Aden replied with a little bitterness
"Go on." Ciel probes
"The Deeps are run by a seperate entity headed by the Patriarch...every century, any class of nobility or power must participate in an event that allows the Patriarch to weed out the weak from the strong, the rich from the declining and to usher in the new power and riches to the economic wealth in the Deeps..." he finishes
"And Sebastian must participate in this event?" Ciel asks, a little confused
"Yes...but not directly...for the house or estate of any demon of nobility there is a representative that oversees their entire works and wealth...this representative sees to the safety and the support of their house seal even at the cost of their lives...the livelyhood of a demon of power can be brought to naught with the wrong representative...these over see-ers are called 'Promus'...they are the ones who must battle before the crown in the War of the Classes." he finished
"What if a demon refuses?" Ciel asks picking up the crumpled invitation and looking it over
Aden shakes his head "You would never want to refuse an invite by the Patriarch...it almost always means you mean the crown harm or that you plan to perform acts of treason...you would lose everything just upon suspicion of denying the invite...in some cases, if the Patriarch feels threatened...you may just...disappear with all that ever knew you..."
Ciel fixes Aden with a frank look "Are you Sebastian's 'promus' then?" he asks curiously
Aden looks at Ciel with a look of surprise "No...I can't be a promus because I am nobility myself...I do have a promus of my own though...certain specifications must be met in order to make a being the promus of your house..." he says with growing nervousness
Ciel nods "And they are?"
"Well...first, they must have become citizens of the Deeps."
"Okay." Ciel says quickly, itching for him to go on
"Second, the demon of power who wishes for them to be the promus must kill them or have taken their lives in some way...and then they must be revived and if they manage to survive it that counts equally." Aden says quickly, growing anxious under the look of the former Earl.
A strange look takes hold of Ciel as his brow furrows and a tension builds in his shoulders. He looks clearly at the sheepish and nervous expression on Aden's face. He looks at the invitation in his hand, thinks back to the memories of the past few years... his mind turning it's gears into overdrive.
"Wh-whats the last...specification." Ciel asks, eyes lost in thought as his grip becomes tighter around the paper
"The demon must bind your soul to himself...or have consumed it completely and left a fragment...whether by accident or intentional...it still counts as the taking of a death servant." Aden finished with finality
Ciel drops the invite with a bewildered expression, a thousand questions whizzing past him in a blur. It was bad enough he had thought he would succumb peacefully to the death of his demon and not even that had been given to him...but now he found himself thrusted up from his expectations again, with the news that not only was he the death servant of his own ex-servant...but that he would be expected to perform in some battle for the sick desires of the crown!
Ciel took a shaky seat to the nearby chair.
In walks Sebastian, a tray of steaming soup and tea with bisquits in one hand and two wine glasses full on the other. He fixes Aden with a look and watching the guilty expression that ensues, turns to a thin lipped Ciel, curled up with lost eyes in the chair. Placing the food down he looks at Aden angrily "What happened." he asks evenly, advancing on his friend.
"N-now Corbie...this was for your own good...what you were planning would ha-
"What happened!" Sebastian demands
"I told him about the War of Classes!...and that he was your death servant!" Aden yelled, leaping out of the grasp of his seething friend
"You what!" Sebastian sputtered angrily, moving towards his friend with the potential for physical violence
"Sebastian." The even tone of his ex-master rides the air with command "Leave him be...You (looking at Aden)...Get out." he orders
Aden looks at his friend whose eyes are still on him and then at the striking gaze from across the room. He slips out of both their ways heads for the door, whispering a sincere apology to Sebastian's raging gaze before closing the door.
"Don't you dare leave this mansion until I'm finished, Mael." Sebastian hissed quietly
On the other side of the door Aden shivers at the use of his last name and slinks off to the other side of the hall and sits, thoroughly admonished, in the waiting chair. Immediately a crash issues forth from the room, with the sound of splintering wood and clanging glass renting the air. An angry Ciel hurls violent muffled insults and demands at the poor ex-butler who seems to take it all in stride pleading with him in return in gentle muffled tones.
"Was this your plan all along?" Ciel seethed, a leg of the broken table dangling from his hands.
"No Ciel! why would I?
"Shut up! Is this some kind of petty revenge?...because I didn't eat my vegetables that time at the dinner party?...I told you I didn't like brussel sprouts!" he yells hurling the chair at the agile butler
"Or because I made you wear the funtom bunny ears as a treat to the orphans?" he snaps angrily
"Vegetables?...bunny ears?...pft.."
"Shut up Aden!" Sebastian barks from inside the room. Turning to his seething, shaking ex-master he holds his hands up in defense
"What would you have me do?" he asks seriously
"Fix this!" Ciel yells in response
"I can't!" Sebastian yells, startling the young boy.
Seeing this he relaxes his demeanor and moves to the window letting in late afternoon light. "I had no intention of making you my death servant...thats the truth and you know we demons cannot lie...everything is just as surprising to me as it is to you...you were supossed to be dead...peacefully dead...not wandering around a puppet slave...or becoming my death servant and promus...this is all very confusing to me..." Sebastian says with a voice laced with exhaustion
Watching his ex-butler intently for any deceit, Ciel seems to calm considerably and takes a seat, begrudginly sipping at the soup and scarfing the bisquits, ignoring the man still standing before him. Pleased that hunger has gotten the best of the boy Sebastian inches over to sit next to him, finally resting after a loathing look from the boy.
In between mouthfuls Ciel fixes his weary ex-butler with a look "Just tell me plainly what all this means." he says, moving back to his meal.
Sebastian leans back thoughtfully in his chair and takes a sip from the wine glass on the tray "It means that you are now my servant until the day I die...if I should die or become hurt...you too will die...you too will feel a bit of the pain...the War of the Classes is my christening of sorts...how the Partriarch will weed out the new-comer and many like myself and get rid of the old bloods that are no longer...beneficial...You will become the representitive of my power...of my estate and of the entire conglomerate of businesses I own...you will defend me and in turn I will sustain you with my seal, my life force and my title..." He finishes with a solemn tone
Ciel looks at his reflection in the bowl of soup...Me...a servant...Earl Ciel Phantomhive...the servant...the promus...of his butler...
A bitter laugh escapes from the boy's mouth turning into a hysterical laugh that sends a frown on Sebastian's face. "Ciel?" he questions
Sighing, Ciel waves off the concern and returns to his meal..."Alright butler...there's nothing I can do when its already been done...you say I will serve you...I will represent you and your company...well, I don't ever remember agreeing to any of those demands...you think you'll turn me into the perfect promus? (Ciel sneers challengingly at his ex-butler)...Good luck." he chimes with a smirk, returning to his meal quietly
Sebastian looks in surprise at the young lord who he gave all of himself to perfect...to season and prepare...until mouth watering goodness...yes...he would take this challenge as well...
With an all too familiar smirk, Ciel looks with determination and stubborness at the raven grinning softly at his face...
"As I'm sure you probably remember, Ciel...you should prepare yourself...For I can be one hell of a tutor...
