Notes that pertain to this chapter:

This chapter is very intense/dark, as the "relationship" (?) between Sebastian and Ciel comes further into light. Several references to the Book of Revelations here. You're going to want to, but please don't hate Ciel at the end of this chapter. I promise there's a reason that he does what he does. We'll get to that...later...

On a happier note, I got my first review! :D :D :D :D Thank you, The Blind Demoness! You made my day! I'm glad you like my story. :)

*presents new chapter*

The next day was a very bad one for Sebastian. It started out with his master carelessly refusing to remove the needle in his mouth which the demon had been forced to put up with since the night before. He supposed that this was another of Ciel's methods of reminding him whose power he was in, and he did not care for it at all. It hurt, it prevented any comprehensible speech on his behalf, and it bothered him like hell. Sebastian did not really need to talk- he rarely did anyway- and he had managed to get by with pretending he had lost his voice and resorting to hand gestures when needing to instruct the servants. However, it was the principle of the matter that grated at his nerves. He hated being toyed with like this. He was a demon, for goodness sakes! Any human being should be at least slightly in awe of him, and not treat him like a dog that could be muzzled and leashed. Throughout the day, the annoyed demon repeatedly worked his jaw back and forth, yanked his tongue back as far as it would go, grated his teeth, and even made several attempts to pull the needle out with his fingers. It was useless. Without his master's help, there was nothing he could do.

As excessive as Sebastian already felt this was, it was not the only trying thing he had to deal with that day. At noon, just as he'd said, Ciel sent Meirin and Bard outside of the manor gates with orders to capture the intruder and bring them to him. Sebastian had been feeling the soul's light for several hours at that point, but just as before, he could not tell the direction from which it came. He was extremely doubtful that it would matter, considering the (lack of) capabilities of those two….but Sebastian had hidden behind the bay window curtains anyway, watching Meirin and Bard staggering about and making an incredible racket as they circled the manor perimeter, turning their heads every which way like drunken people. He had been worried, again, that the human would retreat at the sight of them, but this did not happen. Sebastian even wondered if it was perhaps laughing in amusement at the "quality help" that had been sent out to defend the manor. He wouldn't have been surprised. The human was very skilled….the hapless cook and maid never stood a chance. Still, apart from lunch and rest breaks, they valiantly kept up the search for the better part of four hours while Sebastian worked inside, feeling the soft breeze of the magna shalom soul quenching his fire, cooling his tongue. If only he could obtain the source! He loved the feeling, but hated the uncertainty of not knowing when it would subside and leave him writhing in agony again. Perhaps, the demon pondered, as he stirred an herbal glaze which was to flavor the dinner in a pot over the stove, perhaps Ciel would concede that Sebastian was the one for the job when Meirin and Bard returned empty-handed, as of course they would. Then he would have to let him out to track down the human, wouldn't he? Surely Ciel would not be willing to simply let this unknown person escape after they had spied on his property?

Every half an hour, his master called Sebastian up to his study to inquire if the intruder was still out there. He would then relay this information via telephone to Meirin and Bard, who would thereby know to keep searching. The young aristocrat pointedly ignored his butler's frequent hand signs indicating that he would very much like his master to remove the needle from his mouth, and it was a progressively frustrated demon who found himself sent back down the stairs again and again to resume domestic labor in the main manor. By the time 4:30 rolled around, Sebastian had cleaned the general hallway, straightened the guests' bedrooms, prepared breakfast and lunch, (and tea and snacks in between,) carried a whole carriage-load of medical supplies down to the south wing, fixed the numerous blunders of the other household servants, and was well on his way to finishing the preparations for the feast that night, all without making a sound. He had also managed to take his anger at his predicament out on numerous plants and cleaning supplies, which had all been handled very roughly today. When he slowly, slowly, began to sense the gradual ebb of the presence of the soul, he decided that he'd had enough. Seizing a blank piece of paper from inside the recipe book, the demon scribbled a hasty message on its surface and marched up the stairs, remembering just in time to knock respectfully on his master's study door. When Ciel called for him to enter, the demon swung open the door and held out the paper toward the diminutive young boy. Taking it dubiously, he read out loud;

"Young Master-

I am currently sensing that the light of the magna shalom is beginning to fade, which means that the human is retreating from the manor perimeter. Since it has already been established that Meirin and Bard are going to be nothing if not completely ineffectual in the pursuit of this person, I would implore you to let me go and find them, before the trail grows cold. I will bring them back to you right away, and you may question them to your heart's content. Please consider this, as I am sure it would be the best course of action in the interest of keeping the manor and those within it secure. Respectfully, your servant."

Sebastian had not considered this to be an unreasonable request at all, so he was quite unprepared for what happened next. As soon as Ciel raised his eyes from the paper, the demon's world snapped. His whole body seemed to fill with lead, and he hit the floor like a felled tree. Unbearable pain washed over him in the form of roaring fire, and he arched his back and dug his claws into the carpet, trying to get a hold on something. No, no, no, Ciel couldn't have…. He felt the piercing sensation, and whipped his ebony head around to stare wildly down his body. On his left hip, directly over the place where only Sebastian knew that there was a deep, charred mark burned into his spirit, a long, roiling shadow had begun to grow. It was shaped like a worm, and its shadowy teeth were dug into his side, directly over the mark. As the demon's red eyes grew wide in horror, the teeth sank deeper into his flesh, and the soulless worm began to push itself inside of him.

A horrible shriek rose up in Sebastian's throat, and he began to thrash around with such force that the floorboards beneath him creaked and shuddered. Desperately, he swiped at the worm with elongated, nail-tipped fingers, but his hands passed right through the ghostly shadow, and it continued to inch itself into his body. With every inch that it gained, the demon's agony was ratcheted up tenfold. Sebastian slammed his hip repeatedly against the ground, even though he knew it would be completely ineffectual- the worm was not a solid creature, it was the essence of hell, part of his eternal curse….and Ciel had withdrawn his protection from it in order to punish him….the demon tried to scream, but the needle was still in his mouth, burning hotter than ever and spitting out sparks….

"Nnnnnnn! Nnnnnnnn! NNNNNNNNNHHHHHHNNNNNNN!" Sebastian wailed, guttural noises being the only sounds he could manage to make. He tossed his head back and forth and entered into another useless sparring attempt to pull the transparent worm out of him. When this failed, the demon resumed twitching and flailing on the floor, the pain so intense, he could barely see….he didn't want to look down, didn't want to see the thing he hated most, but he could feel it, every bit of it….he had to get it out! He had to think of something, before he lost the ability to think at all! Knowing of only one thing that could possibly work, the demon managed to shove himself up onto his knees, staggering toward the dim shape of his master still sitting in his chair, extending his hands toward Ciel imploringly….make it stop, master, make it stop, make it stop! He couldn't really see, but he knew that the boy was pushing him away. But Sebastian didn't care about protocol anymore, he was desperate for release from his pain….unthinkingly, he grabbed his master by the shoulders and brought him into his arms, trying to push his way through into the expanse of the boy's soul, anything, anything to escape this torture. The next moment, the seal on the demon's left hand flared, and he found himself thrown into the wall by the force of the contract. Ciel was standing over him, looking murderous, shouting, "How dare you touch me?" and for the time being, the demon's vision unexpectedly cleared….

"Sebastian, this is an order. Lie still."

Sebastian's eye twitched; Ciel couldn't be serious? Frantically, he reached out for his master, but a swift kick from Ciel's over-shined shoe drove him down onto his back. "Don't make me say it again, or I can make this punishment look tame."

Breathing raggedly, Sebastian was forced to obey as he let his body go limp. It was horrible. Every sense in his body was screaming for him to move, but he was stuck, stiff as a log. The worm was halfway in, and it was five times as terrible when he couldn't even struggle to distract himself from its steady, crunching progress. The huge, red eyes of the demon stared up pleadingly into the single cerulean eye of his master as Ciel bent over him, gazing at the worm in revulsion. "You're disgusting."

"Nnnnnnmmmmhhhhnnnnn!" the demon choked out, gasping and moaning as he pulled his tongue against the metal restraint that bound it. He had to convince Ciel to give him back his protection, he couldn't take this! Master, what did I do?

"You think you can order me around?" Ciel asked aggressively, standing up and beginning to circle the twitching body of the demon. "You think you know what's best? It is not your place to tell me what's best! You are not my parent, and you are not my friend, Sebastian! You are a monster! Your name isn't even Sebastian! You don't even have a name!"

That's not true! I have a name. It is Sebastian. She gave it to me, so I know it's real….but she isn't here now, and she isn't you, master….that's why….I….

"This is your fault!" Ciel shouted, losing his composure and suddenly seeming to be in as much pain as the tortured demon on the floor. "It's all your fault! Mother was right! You ruin everything!" Sebastian shook his head convulsively, and a moment later, his whole upper body jerked to the side as Ciel kicked it, hard. The demon lay still, shuddering as his cursed body burned from the inside. Ciel was breathing hard, glaring down at his servant with clenched fists. Ciel, who had been taught by his destructive father and disapproving mother that this method of controlling the demon contracted to his family was perfectly normal, who had never had a problem with hurting him, because, after all, he was not human….just like every single human whom he'd ever served before, stretching out in a long, dull line in Sebastian's memory. He had never once hoped for anything better, human nature being what it was, until a certain February evening eighteen years ago….but that hope was gone now, too.

If only I'd served her a little better, tried harder to pull her back when she began to hear the call, given her more reasons to stay with me….I would be safe. This wouldn't be happening to me….if only she were here, she would be kind to me again….aaaaahhhhh!

The demon slammed his head back against the ground, arching his back what little he could and twisting around on the carpet. The worm was almost completely dug into his side, and Ciel wasn't even looking at him anymore, instead gazing out the window thoughtfully. The young boy was quite unaffected by Sebastian's mortal distress. The demon continued to moan and wail, desperate to get his master's attention, but instead Ciel was walking toward the door…..Sebastian shrieked when he realized what was going on, that his master was actually going to leave him like this. He turned back once, tossing a few words over his shoulder carelessly, as one would toss a dirty rag; "I will release you when I feel that you've been punished sufficiently. For now, I am going to dinner. You are to stay in this room and not destroy anything. Tomorrow, we can discuss your behavior and see what you've learned."

"Nnnnnnnnn! Mmmhhhhnnnnnn, nnnnnnnnnnn!" the demon cried out as the door closed sharply and he heard the footsteps of the only one with the power to help him walking steadily away. Despair washed over what remained of his senses as he began anew to jerk around on the floor, screaming even though he knew it was useless, no one would help him, screaming at the cruel irony that although he could move mountains and enchant humans and evade death, he himself had no power to escape the tearing jaws of his own worm, forever embedded into his flesh….its tail end was disappearing into his hip now, his vision was going black, the voices of hell were screaming in his ears….

Master, help me, please, don't leave me, master, no…..

Sebastian had lost the ability to see anything but darkness, and his supernatural demonic senses were completely shot, but he could still hear, a little….and it was because of this that he detected a slight thump! on the floor over by the window. When another followed the first, the demon rolled himself over to face the sound, panting as he listened for it again. A feeling that was rather foreign to him made itself known, that of vulnerability….had someone climbed in through the window? Were those….footsteps? When several more in succession proved that in fact, they were, he tried to lift himself up into a defensive crouch, but fell back almost immediately onto his side. Groaning in agony, the demon detected that the unknown person was right in front of him….why did they not say anything? What did they want? Maybe they were here to hurt him some more….what if they had a crucifix? He tried to swipe at them with his claws, but found to his horror that his whole body, laced with pain and fire, seemed to have given up on moving altogether. He heard the rustle of clothing as he waited, shivering in abject misery, for whatever they were going to do to him….

Needless to say, he had not expected the touch of two small, cool hands on either side of his face, nor had he anticipated that with this, all of his torment would cease so suddenly and so completely that it was as if it had never existed at all. He felt breath on his face, and a smell like flowers in the springtime filled his tattered senses as the human bent over him, gently stroking his jawline. The red, sightless eyes widened as a cool, soft, indulgent light passed over him….there was only one person whom this could belong to. The mysterious intruder had finally come into the manor grounds, had come into the manor itself, and she (for surely it was a female,) was touching him, and it was amazing….he couldn't feel the fire, the pain was gone, the worm had been cast out, he was safe….

What Sebastian knew of the contract told him that this was impossible, that the only human who could have restored his protection from the full intensity of his curse was his master, and this definitely was not Ciel….but he was past the point of questioning. He didn't care how this had happened, as long as it was happening. Finding that he could move again, the demon carefully reached up and wrapped his arms around the back of the human, pulling her closer and breathing her in, the scent of flowers, the light of her soul…. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt. The human did not seem averse to this kind of treatment, and gradually the demon felt a pair of smooth arms fold around him too, pulling him upright and guiding him into leaning against her side, where he continued to cling to her bare arms, her little waist. Painless. He discovered that he could move his tongue again, and considered speaking, but this time it wasn't a needle which kept him mute, it was astonishment such as he'd never felt before…. It doesn't hurt. I can feel….I….

A soft hand was placed against his forehead. As the demon tilted his head up to receive the touch, he found himself slipping down into a calm darkness with which he was not familiar. He tensed up at first, but then found that he could not resist….he didn't want to. It felt good, warm, hospitable down there, where he knew that there was nothing to hurt him….

/

The brown-haired girl watched the sleeping demon quietly, petting his silky hair as she stared out the window at the moon, overarching them both. Sebastian looked so peaceful, at long last…. It was stupid of me to come back here, but I can't help being glad…. She had already been trekking her way back through the forest when she'd heard his muffled screams, hitting a pitch which resonated clearly through her memories. She'd told herself that she was just going back to investigate when she turned around, but once she had tracked the source of the gut-wrenching moans to a second-story window, she'd found herself unable to leave again. She knew what was going on, of course she did. The demon was being punished for displeasing his master in some way, he was suffering the pain of a thousand torturous deaths without being able to die. Standing just outside the light of the window, she'd turned cold as she listened to Ciel's angry voice, berating his servant, who did not seem able to speak in his own defense. Then she'd heard Ciel leave, and the garbled, hysterical wails of the tortured creature had reached down into the garden and driven into her senses. Before she'd thought it through, as calmly as if she had come here today planning to do it, she'd found herself throwing her arms around the trellis and shimmying up toward the window. Sebastian would not be able to sense her coming, and hopefully he would not panic too much when he realized that he wasn't alone in the study. He was in bad shape, very bad shape. As soon as she saw him, she knew what she had to do.

The demon in her arms sighed contentedly, burying his face into her shoulder and continuing with his sleeping. The brown-haired girl smiled, tracing a hand over her braids pensively. Sebastian had not changed at all, in appearance or in nature. More worrisome was Ciel….he had clearly been raised to be ruthless and uncaring toward Sebastian, and how that would carry over into the rest of his life, well….it didn't bode well….

So much work to do. And father is bound to be worried that I'm not home by now. He's probably calling my phone every five minutes, thank goodness I turned it off, or the sound would give me away….speaking of giving myself away, I've pretty much done that just now….bother. Is this really going to work?

The girl inclined her head toward the sky, and closed her star-filled eyes. After a moment of quiet, she sighed and shifted the demon to the floor, tucking his limbs in at his sides in a comfortable manner. Slowly, she removed her small hands from his person, sighing again in relief when he didn't stir. Sebastian had absorbed enough of her light as to be all right for a day or so….as for tonight, he had a long night of restful sleep ahead of him. The girl smiled slightly, wondering how the demon was liking rest, a faculty of which his kind had been deprived since the fall. A few nights with the ability to sleep were hardly going to make up for millennia of forced agony and restlessness, but he would feel a lot better until she showed up again. For now, it was time to go home, reassure her father, and make plans for the final time that she would come here as a stranger. First, she had to make sure that she wasn't caught as she exited the manor grounds, although she was pretty sure that the only being around here capable of catching her was currently sleeping on the floor by her side. Giving the aforementioned being a gentle pat on the head, the girl stood up and slipped over to the window. Passing by the grand oak desk, she spotted a piece of paper lying there which her earlier hurry had caused her to neglect. Picking it up, she scanned the impeccable handwriting delicately, shaking her head as she turned it back over. So that's what brought this upon you, hmm? You'll never catch me, poor demon. I will come in of my own accord, for the time has now arrived to finish what was started back then….for now, just sleep. Be without pain, Sebastian.

There was really no point in pretending that she hadn't been in here. Even before Sebastian woke up, Ciel would know that his demon had had a visitor….he could never have freed himself on his own, obviously. Picking up the pen lying haphazardly on the desktop, the brown-haired girl scribbled a quick message- Forgive the intrusion- on its surface, and tossed it back onto the desk. Swinging herself over the windowsill, she did not bother with the trellis, instead arching herself out over the garden with a wide leap and a soft landing, becoming lost in the rush of whooshing air, running feet, and the insatiable darkness of the night. The endless song of the gleaming stars echoed above her, fell upon her, and as she ran she heard it loud and clear.

Well! I hope that didn't scare anyone too much. Now that that's over, I think we should all give Sebastian a big hug of comfort. I feel bad for him. :)