Hello once again! I'd like to thank the following people for their kind reviews last chapter:
-James Birdsong-
-DarkKitty44-
-Pokemonflower9379-
You guys are awesome! ^3^
Disclaimer-I do not own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler!
.
Chapter 9-Vulnerability
.
Ciel's condition worsened while he cried and squirmed in Sophie's lap, his face streaked with tears of pain and growing fear. The carriage was being pulled as fast as possible, and Seiren had told Sebastian to keep the horses running until they reached the town.
"Ciel please tell me where you feel pain, I can't help you like this." Sophie said softly, trying to calm the ill child. Ciel felt the pent up frustration rising and the need to calm down was almost nonexistent. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain.
"I won't go!" Came Ciel's reply.
Seiren was beginning to grow irritated as Ciel continued yelling and almost screaming over and over without rest. At this rate he would make himself ten times worse than before. Seiren knew Ciel had once dealt with asthma as a child, if he were to panic enough in this state, he'd surely have a relapse.
Seiren sighed and sat on the floor of the carriage, taking a distressed Ciel from Sophie's lap and laying him on his legs. It was a tight fit, but luckily Ciel was tiny enough to be comfortable. He stared teasingly at Ciel, as Sophie looking on in confusion.
"You're acting like a newborn babe, Ciel." Seiren teased, rubbing Ciel's chest. He needed to know where Ciel was hurting and do something about it, otherwise the boy would never stop crying, and with Ciel's weak lungs and respiratory system, he could easily pass out.
Ciel did not react to Seiren rubbing his chest, nor did he cease his sobbing when Seiren moved to his head. He did however react when Seiren prodded his stomach, writhing at the pressure and swallowing thickly. His stomach was extremely upset and the motion of the carriage was making him nauseous.
"It's your stomach that hurts then...very well." Seiren mumbled, thinking.
Seiren pulled Ciel up into a standing position and sat down on the cushioned seat, dragging Ciel to his lap. He forced Ciel to breathe evenly, keeping the chance of Ciel having an attack as low as possible.
The rest of the trip consisted of both Sophie and Seiren taking turns holding and comforting Ciel, who eventually calmed down and was no longer throwing a fit. Ciel was an exhausted mess once they reached the hospital, and though he tried fighting the two adults off, he was too tired to do anything but cry silently and allow himself to be carried into the large, newer looking building.
The couple was recognized right away by the receptionist and the family was led down a series of hallways to a closed off area and into a private room. The room looked almost like a simply designed bedroom save for the cabinets and counters that were lined with medicines and the crisp smell of sanitizing oil in the air.
Ciel did not protest as he was laid down on the bed and covered in a thin sheet, but his head was getting foggy and he didn't want Seiren to leave, so he grasped the man's hand and refused to let go.
Ciel could tell he was worried, but Seiren kept smiling as Ciel laid still and silent in the bland room.
A few minutes later a doctor entered the room, apologizing for the late arrival and collecting some things from the cabinets before coming over.
The man looked plain enough, he appeared to be at least 30, with kind eyes and dark hair. What made Ciel unsettled though, was the orange coloring of his irises, almost the same color as Seiren's, but at least three shades darker. At first glance they would have appeared brown.
"Well, well," Said the man pleasantly. "So your the boy my brother keeps bragging about."
Brother?
Ciel looked between Seiren and the doctor and almost fell over. How could he not have noticed?!
"Ciel, allow me to introduce you to my elder brother, Roland. He is also an elemental." Seiren told him. "Roland, this is Ciel, my son."
Roland smiled and extended a hand, which Ciel hesitantly accepted.
"Pleased to meet you..." Ciel mumbled automatically. His head felt a bit better and he managed to
speak without pausing or stuttering, which he was prone to do when he was ill.
"Now then, I understand you aren't feeling too well today. Would you let me do a quick examination of you?" Roland asked him.
Ciel felt the panicked feeling creep back up but he managed to nod and sit up, his weak arms barely supporting him.
"Please don't push yourself." Roland told him, taking hold of his shoulder and pushing him back down. "It'll only take a moment."
Ciel was confused but let himself be lowered onto the bed once again, watching closely as Roland took the sheet off of Ciel and held his hands over Ciel, his eyes flashing for only a quick, discreet moment.
His hands then started to glow with a green light, and he lowered his hands over Ciel's chest, making Ciel tense up and squirm.
Seiren's hand gripped Ciel's in a silent act of comfort, which helped Ciel calm down enough for Roland to continue running his hands over his chest, stomach, head, and legs. He felt absolutely nothing, besides a soft, warm feeling from the man's hands, and when he finally pulled away, Ciel could only wonder just how powerful an elemental really was.
"There." Roland said finally, removing his hands and dimming the glow till it was no longer visible.
"He has a high fever, but luckily it is not dangerous. His stomach is also in a great deal of pain caused by cramps and has a bit of fluid in his lungs." Roland recited, now turning to Seiren. "Has he been vomiting?"
"Yes." Seiren answered, watching as Sophie moved closer to Ciel and talk to him softly.
Roland nodded and looked thoughtfully at Ciel, who looked slightly fearful and tired, his eyes red from his fever and tears as he listened to Sophie's voice.
"All signs point to a stomach virus, which, if not watched carefully, can become a bad case of influenza. I sensed a weakness in his lungs, if he is not watched carefully, under extreme circumstances he could have his previous disease relapse." Roland told Seiren and Sophie, who nodded sadly in unison.
"I highly suggest he stay here for the night, that way we can actively try to lower his fever and give him the necessary medications." He said, watching Ciel huff in disagreement and sit up. Despite his puffy eyes and cute, slightly chubby face, he still managed to scowl with authority.
"No. I'm not staying." He whined. "I don't want to, and you can't make me."
Seiren saw the amusement in Roland's eyes and grew more irritated, standing up and pushing Ciel back down onto the sheets. He had never been a patient man, and when Ciel acted up he was more than ready to use his authority. He stood tall over Ciel, his eyes shining.
"You are staying, no arguments." Seiren said, his eyes glittering angrily.
"No!" Ciel snapped in reply, his eyes just as challenging.
"Yes."
"I won't!"
"You will. Do not argue with me."
Ciel squirmed under the single hand that still held him down, his legs kicking in the air. He'd be halfway back to his mansion if Sebastian had been the one in front of him, but with an elemental who didn't take orders, he just seemed like a childish brat rather than a feared noble. He glared up at Seiren hotly, but he knew he had been defeated.
"I want Sebastian! I'm going home, with or without you! You can't make me stay!" The boy argued.
"My my, what a ball of pure energy." Roland remarked, chuckling. He pulled out a medication distributor and filled it with a sleep formula before coming to stand beside Ciel.
Ciel looked away from Seiren's stern face and saw Roland's sympathetic one as he all but shoved the squeezer into his mouth, pushing down on the top and causing liquid to flood into Ciel's mouth. Roland took the object away once it was emptied and clamped his hand over Ciel's mouth, his kind and reassuring smile never wavering.
"Come on Ciel, just one big gulp and it's gone." Sophie assured him, petting his hair as she did when Ciel was to take medicine at home.
Ciel fought to escape the hand that prevented him from spitting out the foul tasting liquid and glared at the doctor, his eyes full of hatred. His cheeks were red with indignation and embarrassment, but his eyes glared a thousand daggers at Roland.
"Don't look so scary, it's just something to help you sleep." Roland told him. Ciel finally gave in and swallowed the liquid in his mouth, shuddering at the taste.
"Well done." Seiren praised, covering Ciel with a heavier sheet and a blanket.
"Try to rest now Ciel, you did very well today." Said Roland, his eyes glowing along with Seiren's.
"But I don't want to sleep...I want to go home...I want...Sebastian..." Mumbled Ciel
Ciel fought the tug of unconsciousness as best he could, but it was futile with the medicine now inside him. He gave one final 'Sebastian...' and closed his eyes, falling sleep instantly.
Yay another chapter done! We're getting to the finale now, if you want an epilogue, review or pm me! I'll need at least 5 people who want one before I actually start typing it up, so if you want it done before I end this, review please! we only have two more chapters left after all!
-Priscilla
