Warning: Temporary character death.

Disclaimer: As if, guys. As if.

Chapter 9

Suffice to say that Ciel didn't talk to him anymore.

Sebastian didn't mind too much for he knew the boy was in his room, doing whatever he was doing (probably sulking) because he was too reluctant to get out of the house. It was good to know that Ciel was aware of his boundaries.

The demon looked at the risotto he'd made for lunch. Ciel hadn't come down when he called, but Sebastian wouldn't bring a serving to the boy's bedroom door, either. He was the boy's owner, not his mother.

He left the cooling pot next to the stove and went upstairs to his bedroom. It was next to the one the Undertaker had occupied, and the former reaper's essence washed over into this room as if the man still lived in here. Sebastian who had wanted to put his clothes into his wardrobe halted in the middle of the process to angrily turn to the wall that separated the two rooms. His… negative feelings towards the Undertaker (no, he was still not jealous/envious/whatever else) were certainly taking on a ridiculous tendency.

Not that this realization stopped him from entering the reaper's bedroom.

It looked like a copy of the Undertaker's shop back in the Victorian era. Sebastian snorted softly at the display. There was a bed but judging from the lack of scent on the covers, the Undertaker had rarely slept in it.

The windows were wide open but the scent was still around. Well, it seemed like he'd have to spend some extra minutes in this room the next time he cleaned to fully get rid of that stink.

And then he would lock it. After he'd cleaned it out.

(No, he wasn't being ridiculous. It was his duty to erase the traces that the other male had left.)

The wardrobe was full of potential things for Ciel to wear. Sebastian contemplated burning them for the umpteenth time since he'd seen Ciel in them. He slightly cocked his head to the side, staring at the offensive pieces of fabric.

Longer than he'd admit.

Then he sighed.

He grabbed a few shirts and pullovers – all black – and went back to Ciel's room. Knowing that Ciel had been too engrossed in a curious kind of self-hate to actually lock the door, Sebastian simply knocked before opening it wide.

The fading scent of Ciel's arousal hit his nose as soon as he entered. Trying to maintain his control, Sebastian held his breath. He wasn't happy about the fact that he hadn't had the chance to pound Ciel into the mattress (unlike the Undertaker). He wouldn't have been willing.

At least the demon had tasted him. It was a beginning.

Ciel wasn't in his room. Sebastian put the clothes on the boy's desk and wondered how long exactly he'd been staring at them in the Undertaker's room. Calling the boy's name wouldn't help him any further; he knew Ciel wouldn't answer out of spite.

So he went downstairs again to see whether he'd taken a walk around the block. His house shoes weren't by the entrance, and none of the outdoor shoes were missing. The coat collection was still complete.

Outside it was raining.

The demon silently searched the whole house without finding the boy. The two bathrooms were the only rooms he hadn't checked. Since he was upstairs already, he knocked on the door of that bathroom, not really expecting a reply. It wasn't locked, either. Had Ciel been taking his time-consuming baths (and by now, Sebastian knew that he preferred an hour-long bath over a simple shower more often than not), he'd have locked the door.

When he stuck his head into the bathroom, his eyes were fixed on the bathtub before he looked at anything else, and as anticipated, but not quite as expected, Ciel was lying inside it, his body under water except for the tiny naked feet resting on the tub's other end and a hand that lazily hung over its edge.

Now, Sebastian wouldn't have had a problem with that had Ciel taken a normal bath, but, seeing that the boy was - presumably - dead, he did.

Remembering the postscript on the Undertaker's note from the other day, he rushed over to the almost overfilled tub – only with clear water; so the boy never had intended to take a proper bath – and took in the sight of a former noble who had drowned himself. Ciel was even wearing his uniform shirt and pants. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the demon stared down at the boy with a frown marring his face. He started thinking that this was Ciel's… unique way of coping with distressing situations.

Sebastian knew that he'd gone a step too far, even if they hadn't done anything major. It might have been his words or the refusal to alter the contract again that had brought the boy over the edge. Ciel had seemed pretty irritated with himself and maybe this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't forced the boy to come to him. On the other hand, it wasn't his fault that Ciel hadn't inquired what 'being close' included and what the consequences meant. He hadn't taken it serious when he'd gone to school that morning, otherwise he'd have asked Sebastian to accompany him.

But alas, the boy wouldn't see it from his point of view. Instead, he talked about a restriction of his freedom (and while Sebastian grudgingly admitted to this, it wasn't something he considered as grave; after all, Ciel was his property), betrayal and hate.

Betrayal and hate.

Lately, it always came down to those. And if it were any other human, Sebastian, being the demon that he was, would have basked in those burning feelings, that harsh, raging emotion, patting himself on the shoulder for another great accomplishment before devouring that person's soul. Even though his victims knew about the removal of their souls, most of the contracts ended on the bitter note of betrayal. Those unfortunate enough to live as his slaves usually had harboured a great deal of hate. Sebastian would usually make sure of that.

But with Ciel, there was the small feeling in the back of his head telling him that sowing those emotions into the boy wasn't right. He couldn't enjoy himself with Ciel's hate; the entertainment was way too short-lived for that for no clear reason.

The smile on his lips faltered. He uncrossed his arms and reached into the lukewarm water, carefully lifting Ciel out of the tub. Like that afternoon weeks ago, he took off the boy's soaked clothes and towelled him dry. It was a good thing that Ciel had forgotten to take back the allowance for the demon to touch him. Things would have been a bit difficult that way.

He carried the naked body to the bedroom and laid it on the bed. He fetched underwear and a pair of jogging trousers (grey, but the scythe and rose motif told him that those must have been a present) from the wardrobe before staring at the Undertaker's shirts and pullovers. Then he took one and dressed the boy in the clothes. He tucked him in, remembering his days as a butler. Fetching the desk chair, he set it down at the end of Ciel's bed and took a seat.

Inside the petite body he could sense the boy's soul. The contract would allow him to take it without further ado. He could just end it here. The body was ready to set the soul free, was softening its grip on the essence as if to say 'Take it; I really don't want it anymore.'

Sebastian had witnessed this the last time, to a less insistent extent, though, and he started wondering what exactly happened to people in Ciel's situation.

He didn't know what to do about the water in the boy's lungs, so he just left it in there. After all, Ciel would cough it up again when he came back to life.

He sat by the boy's side until two o'clock in the morning. Then he could observe the unnatural revival of that small body. He almost thought he could have sped up the process, or at least shortened the time between Ciel's death and revival, but since he didn't know how (how he hated that feeling), he'd just waited, staring at Ciel's corpse (which refused to go into rigor mortis, interestingly). The power of the contract washed around him as it forced the body to close around the soul like a caged animal. The boy's eyes opened wide and stared unfocused at the ceiling. His chest heaved as if he wanted to take a breath-

But instead, he bent over the edge of the bed and coughed up masses of water that splattered on the floor. When he finished, he moaned miserably before rolling back into the bed. Sebastian watched the whole scene quietly, waiting for the boy to seek him out. He'd noticed it was an instinct. Ciel looked for someone the moment he woke up, but this time, he just lay there and covered his eyes. He seemed to realize that this was one of the Undertaker's pullovers and quietly buried his nose in the crook of his covered elbow, inhaling the reaper's scent. Only then did his eyes open to search for someone in the room.

Sebastian allowed a smirk to form on his face. "Really, Ciel, the things you do…" He got up and brushed stray strands of hair out of Ciel's face. The boy who still looked like a corpse immediately became rigid.

"Don't touch me."

His hand was on fire the moment the words were said. Sebastian quickly pulled it away, not liking this little thing about the arrangement at all. "Why did you do it?"

There was a long stretch of silence in which Ciel simply breathed into the pullover and stared at him. Just when Sebastian thought he wouldn't receive any answer, he responded, "I needed to calm down."

"To calm down?" Sebastian repeated. "By killing yourself?"

The boy's eyebrows lowered. "It clears the mind. Most of the time."

And indeed, he seemed quite calm and collected. It just wasn't what Sebastian would have him do just to calm down. Firstly because even for a demon, this was rather grotesque; and secondly because the Undertaker had said something about this going 'out of hand', and Sebastian couldn't deny that he was getting the same feeling about it. However, he had to be careful with his conclusions; for all he knew, the boy might be lying to him. "I prefer you'd scream at me. If the Undertaker already warns you about your suicide trips, you should be very worried."

Ciel lowered his arm and gripped at the pullover. "This one belongs to him," he said.

"It does," Sebastian replied tersely, unhappy about the change in subject, "I decided to clean out the Undertaker's room, but you should have some of his clothes since you seem to like wearing them."

Ciel stared at him. Sebastian remembered their conversation in his apartment and knew that something just had to be wrong.

"I wish to rest," the boy said while rolling down the sleeves, transforming into a miniature of the silver-haired reaper. "Get out of my room. Wake me up at seven."

Sebastian didn't want to listen, but in the end, he guessed that Ciel needed some more time for himself. "Promise me one thing," he said as he went to the door.

This seemed to bring life back into the former earl. Sitting up, he glared at the demon. "I don't have to promise you any—"

Sebastian ignored him. "Find a sanctuary other than your dubious experiments. Take out your anger on me when it helps you clear your head. Just don't kill yourself again."

The boy gaped at him in surprise for a whole ten seconds. Then he gave a short, tired laugh. If he could see himself right now, Sebastian doubted he'd find this funny. "One note from a rival and you become all..." There, he fell silent. It was as if he let Sebastian's and his own words sink in for a second time. "You're worried."

The demon felt an ugly twitch in his insides. "I don't feel like taking responsibility for your antics, even if you are my pet. Also, I intend to gain something from you being mine, but I can't have you the way I would like to when you are nothing but a wasting body."

Again, an ugly twitch, disgusting even, as a reaction to his last words. He shoved it away, thinking nothing of it. "Good night." And he walked through the door, catching Ciel's "Bastard!" between the doorframe and the corridor.

OOO

Ciel endured the demon's gaze for almost ten minutes before snapping. "Why are you staring at me?"

Sebastian smiled, eyeing the boy for a few more moments before shaking his head. "I'm waiting for you to ask me." And because the boy was looking horrible. Horribly sick, that is. He was still very beautiful, even in Sebastian's eyes, but he looked like a wasting beauty, and the demon didn't like the tone that rang with it.

"Ask you what exactly?"

"You know."

The boy rolled his eyes and focused on his waffles. "I certainly won't ask you if you already know."

Ah, there was faint déjà-vu. Sebastian smirked, waiting for the loud ringing. It seemed that Elizabeth had made it her priority to pick Ciel up now that his 'father' was 'ill'.

When it came, Sebastian went straight for the door, not wanting to endure the sound for too long. He heard the scratch of a chair sliding across the floor, followed suit by tiny footsteps. "Okay, I'll ask you. Would you please accompany me to school?"

Sebastian nodded before opening the door. He quickly stepped aside for this time, Elizabeth rushed into the house in order to leap at Ciel and wrap her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. She certainly had more strength than necessary. "I hope you're feeling better today," she squealed into his ear, pressing her cheek into the side of his face and spreading her flowery scent all over the boy. Then her joyous expression dimmed. "You're really cold!"

This certainly caught Sebastian's attention.

"Am not," Ciel said automatically, then shook his head, still not returning the hug. "I've been taking a very cold shower today. An experiment in…. uh, endurance. Pain endurance."

Sebastian's lips curled into a smirk as Ciel gave him a You-keep-your-mouth-shut glare. But Lizzie bought it.

That girl really should learn a few things about scepticism.

"You had me worried for a second! You're gonna catch a cold in this weather, so don't try that too often." She closed her arms even tighter around Ciel's frail body. "I wanted to make our cook prepare another soup for you yesterday, but I had to go to my kickboxing lessons. You know how it is."

Kickboxing?

Sebastian supressed an undignified snort. The Middleford family traditions hadn't changed a lot. Their children still learned martial arts.

He'd just never thought of kickboxing.

Ciel awkwardly patted her back. "It's alright. Sebastian can also cook, you know."

"But I've been a bad friend," Elizabeth insisted after a short greeting to Sebastian after finally noticing his presence, not letting her friend go, "I'll come over after Aikido today."

"It'll be late," Ciel said, looking pained.

"Never too late for you!"

"Your father won't allow it."

Elizabeth looked at him with wide puppy eyes before realizing that Ciel had a point. Sebastian could see those tiny little wheels turning inside her head. "You're right. Ah, well, I'll think of something to tell him during school." This almost sounded like a threat. "We gotta go."

"Let go off me first, then."

Giggling, she let her arms drop to her sides. "I'll wait in the car for you!" She cheerily waved at Sebastian who just smiled in response before she skipped (she did that a lot) back to the car.

Ciel sighed and put on his shoes. "Sometimes I don't know why I keep her as my friend."

"You could feel guilty," Sebastian offered, knowing very well that Ciel had been talking to himself.

"Shut up," the boy said with a glare. He shook his head. "I don't want her in my house today. Maybe I'll play the sick card."

"You certainly still look like it."

The boy, sporting reddish-purple bags under the visible eye and lips that competed with his bone-white skin in colour, glared at him out of his bloodshot eye. Then he winced at something Sebastian didn't know about and turned to leave the house. "Stay close to me," he said reluctantly before joining Elizabeth.

Sebastian couldn't suppress the proud feeling in his chest that rose over another, rather upsetting one. His plan was working. Ciel had always been an unpredictable variable but despite the boy hating him, things were working in the demon's favour.

OOO

Something was definitely shifting and Sebastian couldn't help but admit that there was a great appeal in those constant changes that kept him interested. (Not that he would tell Ciel. It would only be counterproductive.) He followed the boy and Elizabeth to their classes, amused by the way Ciel would watch him from his peripheral vision during lessons, by the way his eyes would narrow in a scrutinizing manner. Something had changed in his favour and he knew it had to do with their conversation in the middle of the night. Ciel seemed to be thinking about it throughout the whole school day, eyes always focused on him as if he was searching for something that could help him find his answers.

Uncrossing his arms, the demon left his place by the window and strode across the class room, close enough for his insubstantial arm to brush against the teacher's skin. The woman was thrown off, her sudden silence alerted some of the pupils while others just continued not caring. Ciel didn't move when Sebastian came to a halt behind him, looming over the small body. The demon finally allowed a smirk to grace his lips, purposefully leaning in too close. Even though he couldn't touch the boy, Ciel stiffened as if Sebastian would, his eyes still very thoughtful and sharp. There was that fine opportunity that was offering itself to the demon. That way of thought that Ciel had, he'd exploit it.

He knew he could use it to his own benefit.


Finally a whole chapter in Sebastian's POV. Ciel's POV is more frequent in this fic...

Sebby strikes yet again! Poor Ciel, I figure it's hard to stand up against a demon that isn't in one's control.

Anyway, dears, give me some feedback! I always love to hear what you think of this fic! ^^ I don't bite =)

And who knows... I've been thinking of posting another chapter this weekend, since chapter 10 is already edited. But only if there is enough feedback until then XD