The boy in the cage

It hurt, dear lord it hurt.

Ciel wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry due to the pain in his chest as his lungs constricted around the smoke that wanted to smother him, but he needed to find his parents. He did not have to look for his brother, he knew that with so many servants and intruders running around his brother would have hidden in his shadow. It was his favourite place for keeping close to Ciel while hiding from those around him; no one noticed its slight darkening.

He ran, screaming and coughing, through the halls in search of anyone he knew, calling for his parents to answer. Even his brother's presents could not calm his panic about his mother and father's safety.

And then he opened the door to his parent's sitting room.

The stench of blood hit him first, closely followed by the smell of cooking meat. He stared in horror at the sight of his parents; soaked in blood as they held each other with bodies that were no longer whole. His stomach heaved as the light from the flames danced over their corpses giving the impression that they were writhing in pain.

Eventually he became aware of someone tugging on him, pulling him away from the room. He fought at first but then he became aware of the words that were being called in his ear.

'Ciel! Ciel you have to go, you have to get out of here!' the panicked tone was not something he could ever remember heard in that voice.

'Brother?' He was confused, his brother was not able to leave his shadow if there was a chance someone would see them together. He realised his brother was trying to pull him to his feet when he had no memory of landing on his knees.

'Ciel, I know this is bad and I know that it hurts but you have to run! Forget about what you just saw, you can think about it later but for now you must get out of this place!'

Slowly what his brother was saying sunk in and he rose to his feet, his first steps were unsteady but his brother held him up until he got his balance. Once he was sure that Ciel would not fall he sunk back into his shadow as the boy resumed his desperate search for help.

Finally he found Tanaka, but even as he was calling out in confusion he heard the warnings, just too late. He saw the shadows plunge a knife into his father's butler and heard words he would never be allowed to say come streaming form his shadow as the men grabbed him and dragged him away.

Not even his brother could protect him from this.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

The cage was cold and damp, he was aware of the people moving around him, but all he cared about was his brother's arms around him. He was thankful, thankful that his brother was there despite the many people around them. He realised that he must be using some sort of trick to avoid notice.

He wished that trick worked on him, but his brother would have used it already if it did.

His voice was horse from screaming and he was week form hunger, what little food there was they forced down his throat, nearly choking him in the process.

For a month he lived like that, only surviving from the warmth of his brother, only keeping his sanity from the hushed comforts whispered in his ear by the child who shared his face.

Then even that small shred of hope was torn from him.

They grabbed Ciel's wrists and dragged him from the cage. He tried to struggle, tried to scream but he did not have the energy. He heard his brother calling to him, crying denials as he was torn from his grip laid out on an altar. This was different; normally they just beat him on the floor. Then he watched them raise the knife and he understood. He tried to fight, but he had been week to begin with and after a month of starvation it was not possible, he tried to return to his brother who was screaming for him.

Then everything changed.

Suddenly he was the one in the cage watching his brother struggle on the altar, suddenly he was the one who was screaming and crying for them to return what they had taken.

Then the knife fell.

Pain, agony, like it was his heart that had been pierced, and anger so pure it shocked him. A deep seated hatred at the injustice of them taking away the only thing he had left.

As the blood dripped onto the floor the shadows began to writhe. A creature emerged horrible enough to rival his night mares; yet somehow it radiated and elegance and majesty that no earthy ruler may know. Ciel watched as the people swarmed around him, saw as it ignored them to instead turn to him.

A smirk spread across its face revealing teeth sharp enough to strip flesh from bone.

'Well, aren't you a small master.'