Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not.

Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin.

Meeting

Summary: "It's pink."

Asmodeus led Aquila through the desert, to a small oasis amid the blowing wind and shifting sands. "This is our temporary camp," the elder demon explained. "We're working on a safe haven for all of us. The portal's up and running, but there isn't much there besides raw darkness and weird animals."

The trees sheltered a large pool of water with their spreading limbs. Aquila looked down into the still surface. He could see his reflection, a thin, tall man with shoulder-length black hair and eyes of a shocking crimson color. Aquila's white robes clashed with the aura of darkness about his face, and they seemed to be limiting his movement. The long, flowing hem and sleeves were more suited for the aerodynamics of flying, offering air resistance for gliding, and flappy enough to throw off an attacker's aim. Aquila dimly remembered the battle, and how the demons jumped around like rabbits in tight-fitting outfits that were paired with their cat-like agility and speed.
Looking past the surface of the water, Aquila tried to see the bottom of the pool, but the water just got darker and fathomless as it plunged into the earth's crust. "What's down there?" Aquila asked, irresistibly drawn to the quiet darkness of the oasis.

In answer, Asmodeus plunged into the pool with barely a ripple, parting the water with the sleek smoothness of an otter. "Hey!" Aquila cried in alarm. "Where are you going?" Asmodeus continued to swim down into the deep. Aquila hesitated a moment, and then dove in with all the grace of a giraffe on stilts.
Opening his eyes underwater, Aquila was momentarily distracted by the clarity of his vision. The rock lining of the pool was sharply outlined, and the minnows swimming around him could be counted and identified by individuals. Aquila tore his gaze away from looking and followed Asmodeus' bubble trail into the depths.
The trail vanished into a side tunnel into the rock, and Aquila wound his way through on a twisting journey upward. Finally, he broke the surface of the water and emerged into an underground cavern with tunnels in all directions. A black snake was lounging a few yards away. It gave him a Look of boredom, and then transformed into Asmodeus. "Took you long enough, little one," the other demon yawned, revealing his disturbingly pointy teeth.

"Stop calling me that," Aquila growled in response.

"Charming," Asmodeus smiled patronizingly, and whipped around once more. "Now, your brother is probably still running errands. He won't be back til lat-"

A massive screech of fury emitted from a nearby tunnel and reverberated off the walls, contradicting the other demon's words. It appeared that Aquila's brother had returned early, and was not pleased. "Asmodeuuuuuuuuuss!" the voice snarled. "Get in here right now!"

Asmodeus chuckled, unperturbed. "Honestly, he sounds like my mother..." the other demon moved down the tunnel. Aquila followed, rather nervously. In the next room, a demon with a crazed look in his eyes was twitching with anger. He was dressed in black robes lined with a deep purple color, and boots that appeared to serve double duty as weapons. From his back sprouted two massive, leathery wings, black with streaks of red. The demon was flapping them around like a harpy in a hailstorm and spitting fire, quite literally. Aquila's vision then zoomed out, and took in the room. Whoever had done interior decorating here was...Aquila let that thought trail off.

"Do you notice anything unusual about this room?" the mad demon asked, setting the shag carpet on fire, with some note of satisfaction.

"It's been redecorated?" Asmodeus shrugged. "Looks all right to me."

The demon screeched again, incinerating a wavy lampshade. "ALL RIGHT? Asmodeuuuuus, it's...it's..." Aquila's brother took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's pink." And what a shade of pink it was. Aquila was nearly blinded by the neon color. The carpet was pink and fuzzy, the chairs were pink with red polka dots and pastel purple lining, the tables were painted pink with the cheerful insanity of a madman who doesn't know he's mad, the lampshades were wavy and pink and striped with red, the ceiling was decorated with pink crepe paper and pink whirligigs, and someone had made a determined attempt to make the stone walls pink and cute.

"All right, so I added a few of my touches-" Asmodeus raised his hands, and then true fear came over him and he took a step back.

Flame roiled from the ground, turning the surrounding objects into white-hot ash. It curled around Aquila's brother in a massive sheet of fire, until the demon was nothing more than a black shadow with vermillion, slit-pupiled eyes amid the hellish scene. "A FEW! RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" The devil could not seem to turn his wrath into words, and Asmodeus dropped into a kneeling crouch of submission.

Another demon hurried into the room, saw the fireball that was her leader, and dropped into the same crouch. Aquila decided that it must be a survival instinct. It looked like an elaborate display of loyalty, but he was pretty sure the two demons were cowering in terror. Strangely, Aquila did not feel the need to follow suit. He stood there and waited for his brother to calm down.

After a few minutes, the flame died to a flicker around the furious demon, and he quivered, seething quietly. When he spoke, it was in a quiet, cold tone of voice that laid the possible consequences of disobedience out in a neat and tidy row, and promised that the recipient would not like them. "Do not...decorate...ever again. Is that clear, Asmodeus?"

"Yes, my Lord!" Asmodeus replied, trying to make himself even smaller.

Aquila's brother turned to the other demon currently kneeling. "I would not like to be disturbed, Quis. Bring the matter to me later."

"Yes, your Majesty!" the demon answered, and scurried away.

Ignoring Asmodeus, Aquila's brother turned and faced him. The anger left his face, and Aquila saw that he was filled with sadness, and he was scared. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Aquila," Lucifer said quietly. "I know Maria meant a lot to you."

Who was Maria? Aquila thought wildly. Could it be that girl I remember? And what did she mean to me, anyway?

Okay, tell me how you liked this chapter! I need some reviews, they are the food of writers. I was also slightly random when I came up with the demon Quis. Her name means Pineapple in Latin.