Thank you to everyone who's reviewed! This chapter is dedicated to you lot. As I said before, this fic might be my very last Kuro long-shot (maybe even story), so it means a lot to know that at least a handful of you enjoy it, even if it's an AU that doesn't have much shipping.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji


Elizabeth was the glue that held this group together. Bard was sure of this now- she was the sun in Ciel's sky and that demon was some strange vagabond pet they collected along the way. That was honestly the only explanation he could come up with for their trio. He was more accustomed to the cockfight's ending the second time around- that same helper came out to mark Sebastian while the audience scattered to rummage over their winnings. And while all that was happening, he watched Lizzie walk on down to Ciel's side.

Then, as if no one was watching them, they embraced- it happened so fast Bard couldn't tell who started it. He saw the boy whisper something, likely an apology, into her ear and the blonde run her fingers through the strings of his eyepatch.

"Romantic, isn't it?"

Bard nearly jumped out of his skin. When did that thing get behind him!? He frowned, turning to see Sebastian leaning over his shoulder, looking smug as ever, which was a real feat given the fact that the demon looked like absolute shit. It wiped a smear of blood from the corner of its mouth. If Bard wasn't so sure that was Sebastian's own blood, he would have assumed the demon had just finished eating some poor bastard.

"Humans will always find something to cling to, a species so full of pride and shame- it's fascinating, almost terrifying. Don't you think so, Bardroy?"

Sebastian made that name sound like an omen. Bard stepped away from it. "I don't know. We like smokes and drinks- s'all I really need."

The demon replied with what might have been a laugh, but Bard was too off-put to pay it much mind. Thankfully, the children rejoined them by then. Ciel tossed a roll of bandages at Sebastian, and uttered a grunt of disappointment when it failed to hit the demon in the head.

"Bind your wounds. If Lizzie has to do it again, I won't be lenient."

"Of course, master." Sebastian offered the girl a grin. "And welcome back, young lady."

Lizzie responded with a mock curtsy.


The atmosphere seemed to change completely with Lizzie's return- Bard didn't mind. There was a warmth about her, something vaguely familiar to him but long lost. Must have been the feeling of almost finding home. That was it. He was so used to living in mud that he'd forgotten what it felt like, if he ever had at all. It almost made him forget life was all downhill for them.

With the cockfights out of the way for the time being, he didn't mind their little group so much though Sebastian still unnerved him with good reason. Ciel was tense and closed off as ever, but he seemed to have gotten used to Bard's presence by their fifth night together. Well, nobody was itching to kick him out of the abandoned church or anything. Then again, Bard never really talked to them. Most of the time, he just sat in a corner or on the front steps with a bottle of brandy or a blackened cigarette. The only time he really interacted with the children was during meals, like some kind of dysfunctional family.

Ciel and Lizzie were the ones who really stuck together. They even slept on the same pew. And Sebastian- the demon had an annoying tongue. Lizzie laughed it off, Ciel took every quip as a personal affront, and Bard took every word as a coded threat. But other than that, the demon kept to itself, usually huddled at the door or sitting behind Bard on the steps, thinking about who knows what, probably the Black Plague. On the night of the last cockfight, Bard recalled seeing Sebastian sneaking off to cough up blood on the streets but he hadn't said anything and the demon hadn't brought it up either. Maybe it was his imagination, but Bard felt there was some mutual understanding there.

Bard wasn't going to let himself get used to this- that was fool's thinking. He could keep Ciel as a "business" partner, but living with that lot wasn't something he planned to do long term.


"Kicked out? Are you kidding me?"

Bard almost threw his cap at the innkeeper. He hadn't even been gone that long. The old man wiped his horn-rimmed glasses and shook that gaunt head. "Sorry, lad- it's been too long since you paid me."

"Well, I can pay you now!"

"Already rented it out- get your things and go."

"What kind of shoddy joint you running here!?"

"It's called getting by. Something someone like you wouldn't understand. I know what you're like, yankee, everyone 'round here does."

"Oh, and what's that?"

The innkeeper held up five fingers and began counting down. "Gambling addiction, prostitutes, drunkard, violent, pyromaniac."

"Pyro- that was one time! An accident!"

"You burned down my wife's stove!"

"I paid the hag back, didn't I!?"

"Do you know how hard it is to buy a stove now, one that works!?"

Bard threw up his arms in exasperation- it was like talking to a rock. "Fine, fine, forget it! I'll get my things and get out of your hair- won't catch me coming back here!"

He turned away roughly and went up the inn's wooden stairs on angry steps. The place had leaking pipes, bad ventilation, and creaky wood anyway, the kind of hellhole that was equally terrible year-round. And the only time a room cleared was when someone outright died or ran out of pennies to pay. Bard wasn't sure which one he was, though he did remember the murder of the tenant before him- stabbed in the gut by the bed or something, explaining the brown stain on the wall.

He entered the room and sighed. Cramped, messy, and slightly stinky. Home, sweet home. Bard didn't own many clothes but he'd been stuck in this set for too many days. After a quick change, he began packing what little he owned into a drawstring burlap sack. Clothes, matches, spare hats, the extra lighter, old photographs, and... magazines. He rolled up the sheets and took them too. They didn't belong to him, but he figured the children could use them. There was also that handgun in his drawer.


Bard made it down three blocks before Vanel's men pounced him. It was the two he busted up, and they took pleasure in pinning him to the alley wall. Vanel spent that time rummaging through the sack and sheets. Finding nothing of value, he tossed the contents on the ground. He spat on the ground and smirked.

"Well, yankee, glad we caught you today."

"What gives, Vanel? You were just lurking around my home?"

"I told you- what's owed me, I always get back."

"I already paid you back, you bastard!"

His response was a clout that sent his vision spinning. Vanel grabbed him by the collar and squeezed, tight. "That bitch took the attention last time we met, but my memory's not terrible. You killed my man and I want compensation." He rubbed his forefinger and index together. "Monetary. What else you got?"

"Nothing. That was it."

"Search him!"

Bard felt them slam him on the ground next and as they prodded his pockets and groped through his clothes, instinct told him to act- he had one chance to escape and the consequence never even crossed his mind. He pushed against them as hard as he could, shoulder blades screaming as he dug into his jacket. The safety came off. He pulled the trigger. Once, twice. Three time's a charm.

Dizzy, he stared at the smoke from the gun head, then at the blood on his pants. He looked down, the two roughs now slumped over one another, blood streaming from their heads. Then straight ahead- Vanel was staring at him, from the ground, eyes glassed over, a bleeding hole in his chest. Bard counted to ten before it dawned on him. Guess I killed them.

He'd expected it to sting more if he ever had to kill anyone again. But save a vague nausea, he didn't really care. He pocketed the gun and stared some more. Old habits die hard, he supposed. He stooped to gather his belongings. The sheets were stained with blood now- so much for that gift. He thought of what the innkeeper said: a violent gambler, everyone knows. Those children had little enough- they didn't need him to drag them down further-

"You're more skilled than you look."

Bard did jump this time. That voice. "Dem- Sebastian, what are you doing here!?" Where the hell had he come from? In plain clothes and a brown cap, the demon could have passed for any downtrodden bastard on the street. If it wasn't for that sadistic smile.

"The master ordered me to follow you- we have to make sure you don't betray us, after all." It put a finger against its mouth. "You're the first outsider who knows this much about my master and the little lady."

"I don't know anything about them. And the less they know about me, the better."

"Yes, young master does like to keep to himself. He forgets how young he is... how very young."

"Tell him to remember- it's no fun getting old." Bard went back to packing the bag.

"Tell him yourself." Sebastian gathered the sheets into its arms, the shadow of its cap momentarily hiding those red eyes. Almost human. "As I said, he's very young. They both are. It'd be good for him to have an older, stronger companion around."

"Thought you fit that shoe." Why am I still talking to it?

"I'm more like a tool. And even if that weren't the case." Sebastian circled Vanel's corpse hungrily. "There are many things I could never understand, being what I am."

The demon wrapped Vanel in the sheet with a flourish, layering the body over and over with dirtied white.

"Now what are you doing!?"

"You don't want any of these men coming after you again, do you? Hand me a match."

"Wait a minute, how long were you standing there when they were roughing me up? It'd kill you to help out?"

"From beginning to end. And not, it wouldn't have been difficult. It's just funny to watch you struggle."

Sebastian was a demon, alright. Begrudgingly, Bard pulled out a matchbox, scraped a stick, and tossed it in Sebastian's direction. Sebastian caught it and dropped it on Vanel before sucking in a breath and blowing the flames lightly. The fire trailed towards the other two bodies and trapped all three in a cage of bright orange, like a deranged firecracker that turned all into smoke.

Entranced by the stunt, Bard was unable to look away. It was as if he was back on the battlefield, and there was nothing but him and the smoke rising from burning bodies. He wondered if he was shaking, or maybe he was still rooted in place.

"You know, I was a soldier once," he said. It wasn't for Sebastian, but there wasn't anyone else around. "I don't really know why. I think- I just wanted to get out of that town. America's no better than here."

He'd been fifteen that first year in the army. Never had a mother. Asshole of a father. And when consumption took his sister- that was the final straw. Enlisted and never looked back.

"It was kind of like drinking- it had its ups and downs. I hated it but I needed it. And in the end, I fought for nothing." He nudged the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Yeah, I fought for nothing. Think I envy you. You're fighting for something at least. Those two- they need you."

At that, Sebastian said nothing, didn't even look in Bard's direction. And across the street, Bard saw a figure staring at their bonfire, features too blurry to make out, or maybe it was the long white hair draped over the face. It was an undertaker. Bard wondered if he saw an uneasy grin before the undertaker walked on. Just a crazy old man. We've all lost it one way or another.


Thanks for reading! Again, reviews are always welcome and the best motivation ;)

Next time, Grell returns and things may or may not take a turn for the worse.

guests: Yes, we'll see Ranmao fight at some point but not in a cockfight. Lau relies on drugs, not fights haha. I also love the Lizzie in this story and hope it continues to do her justice! And William has a bit of a complicated backstory too, but for now, I'll say yes, he happens to be both a sinning saint and a doctor.