p class="p1"span class="s1"A/N: The God of Kuro Fanfiction (who is now on hiatus) spoke to me and said that I had too many characters in my story, so I'm gonna cut down a little. 50% of the characters are going to die a horrible, food poisoning related death within the next chapter. No, just kidding. (Or am I?) But no, seriously. She was right, there are too many damn people in this story. So just in case you're wondering why every single person isn't popping up at random times…starting in the chapter after this…then that's why. Also, Chibi-Moko Chan aided me in the ideas for the completion of this chapter, because I literally had fifteen minutes to write per week. Senior year of high school sucks, no matter what everyone may say. "It's the best year of your life!" Shut up. It is NOT and you KNOW IT! …So about chapter 9…Yes…it's shorter than the others, but at least it's something. Right? So if by some miraculous twist of fate, people were actually waiting for me to update…then I apologize for this unusual lateness. But if by chance nobody was waiting for this, then more power to me because at least I won't have to practice running from an angry mob. Anyways, thanks for continually reading this crap guys. Here's chapter nine. I think./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"FLASHBACK:/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"em"Reaper Sutcliff, put your shoes on this instant," Will adjusted his shining spectacles, expressing embarrassment and annoyance at his frolicking co-worker. "Honestly. To think you would partake in such nonsensical activities during a professional job. You're an embarrassment to soul reapers everywhere. Now stop fooling around, there's work to be done…not to mention overtime…"/em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"emThe red haired offender paid him no mind as he leapt blissfully through the woods. "Oh, Will…it's not like someone's going to use my footprints as evidence or something!" Grell pouted when the other showed no signs of changing his mind, so he reluctantly grabbed his crimson boots and slapped them onto his feet. "I still don't see why you're making me put these back on, I was having so much fun and here you are, ruining every-" His filibuster was interrupted by extreme silence – Will hadn't even accosted him with any sharp objects yet – and Grell found that he was alone in the woods; the other male had left already. "You can't be serious! Will, come back! Don't abandon me here!" With that, Grell escaped into the air, leaving a single footprint behind in the malleable earth./em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"em—/em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The floor squeaked rhythmically as Ciel tapped his sneakered foot vigilantly against it. Damn…when is he gonna get here? He glanced nervously at the clock every few seconds from his spot at the edge of the bed, sinking his pearly teeth into the nail of his thumb when the numbers changed from 6:59 to 7:00. "Damnit! He's late." Just as the teen was about to walk to school, he heard the familiar hum of Sebastian's engine in the driveway. Skipping over a few stairs on the way down, Ciel exited his house and opened the car door, feeling slightly perturbed. "You're late."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Sebastian did not respond at first, instead staring straight ahead with furrowed brows. "We found traces of reapers in the area this morning. They're puppets of the Volturi and could have been looking for you, – put on your seatbelt – but we looked everywhere until we were certain they were gone. I apologize for the lack of punctuality on my part as a result of this." As they drove away, Ciel's breath caught in his throat. "Everything is fine now, though. They're gone."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So you expect me to just pretend it never happened?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""As Ash said, my family will protect you from them." Sebastian had not looked at the boy once the entire time. "I just wanted to make sure that you were aware to keep on your guard." Finally pulling up to the old school, he parked the car and got out, forcing himself to look calm among the humans./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""But," Ciel started, stumbling out of the passenger side. "What am I supposed to do about these reap-"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Despite the crowd of stragglers that was making its way inside the building – a few had stopped to witness Ciel exiting the same vehicle as the Sebastian Michaelis – the infamous male blanketed the younger one's mouth with his hand. "Shh. Don't talk about them here. People might…what the Hell are they staring at?" About ten kids were stopped in their tracks, gaping in his direction./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Mmmbe iff becuuss oof yoor hhnd…" Ciel narrowed his eyes, forcibly displacing Sebastian's palm from his immobile lips and stared back at the small crowd; the students were now whispering hastily to each other without taking their eyes off of the two males. "Nope. They're still looking. HEY! Get your eyeballs out of here before I staple them shut!" At that, the group of onlookers took off running into the building, immediately after Ciel overheard "Do you think they're together?" from a short brunette girl./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""What!" The teen's face twisted abnormally at the theory as he screamed into the now empty parking lot – aside from Sebastian./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Just ignore that too…come on, we're late for class."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel stood there for a moment after the older student had walked ahead, brooding over the comment. 'Together? Me…and him?'/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Phantomhive, come on!" Sebastian waved him over from the top of the stairs as the warning bell tolled./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Right! I'll be right there." 'Nah. Impossible.' He thought, rattling his dark hair as he shook the thought away and criticized the possibility. Without letting the idea slip back onto his train of thought, he sprinted towards the impatient demon as the final bell reverberated in their ears./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"em—/em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So! I heard that you and Michaelis are an item now." Elizabeth spoke matter-of-factly while she crossed her legs over Ciel's gaming chair./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The boy slapped a hand over his face angrily while enduring the snickers emitted by Finny, Bard and Mei. "No," He gritted his teeth together before taking a deep breath. "That is not the case. He just drove me to school because there're no wheels on my truck, that's all."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh really?" Dark magenta locks invaded his personal space as Mei snaked towards him across the basement floor. She inspected Ciel's irritated pale face for signs of a lie. "You know, Elizabeth, if what you said turns out to be true, Bard and Finny would owe us twenty bucks! So tell us Ciel! Quit lying so we can get our money!" She shook him rather violently until he kindly removed her arms from his shoulders./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"'They made a bet…about us…being…together?' A violent shudder traveled through Ciel's body; he hardly noticed as Bard motioned to the two girls with an upturned palm, smirking as he thought about being twenty dollars richer. "Shut up it's not even true!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh stop it! You know it's true, I see the way you look at him." The blonde girl pursed her lips at Ciel, teasing away his sanity while the other two boys shook their heads in disagreement./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Bard spoke first. "You two are gonna be really disappointed when you both have to give up your money to us. It's obvious they're just friends, you two need to get real already."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Come on, even a blind person could see that they're obviously together!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah, a blind person who was also blind to a little thing called common sense. You should look into getting some for yourself, Elizabeth."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Ha ha. Very funny Bardroy, but guess what! I'm not the one who exploded the science lab with a flamethrower last week, now was I?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Bringing his hand away from the short stubble of his chin, Bard stood, intentionally invading the girl's personal space. "That was nothing. Do you want to take this outside and see what that blowtorch can do to your pretty little pigtails?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Lizzy stood quickly and thrust her hands onto her hips before she unfastened the large hoops attached to her ears. "Oh NO you didn't! Mei! Hold my earrings!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel sat helplessly below them and watched the scene unfold until the quarrel made his ears bleed. "That's IT! EVERYONE OUT!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"As if nothing had happened, the two ill-tempered blondes turned towards him and frowned. "Aw, but Ciel, we just got here." The girl's glossy lips puffed out in protest./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I don't care! You fools are making my ears bleed! Now leave before I go deaf." Despite everyone's reluctance, Ciel rose and herded the crowd straight out the door./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Bye Ciel! See you tomorr-" The rest of Finny's sentence went unheard as the door slammed in his schoolmates' faces. Exhausted, Ciel leaned against his end of the door, knowing that they would all forget about what had happened by the time he got to school the next day./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"'Ew. School.' The thought of the place took every last ounce of energy from his body as he dragged his feet up the stairs and fell face-down on his bed, ready to have peace and quiet once again./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Then, his phone rang./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""AGH! What now?" After dropping the phone once, he answered, wishing it had broken when it had hit the floor so he wouldn't have to answer and become subject to another series of embarrassing questions. "Hello mother…"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Hi baby how are you! Guess what? Your stepdad got a promotion and he's almost done for the season anyways, so that means you could come back in a few weeks! Isn't that great? I know, it's wonderful. Right? I miss you so much my cute little baby-butt! Don't you miss me back? What a dumb question, I know you miss your mama. So are you ready to move back here or what, because I know when I was there that horrible weather made me feel like sh-"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Mom! Calm down!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh, I was doing that thing you said not to do again, wasn't I?" The woman laughed nervously into the phone as she heard Ciel sigh./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Maybe I'd be able to actually talk to you if you didn't speak a thousand miles per minute…"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Sorry. Heh…so anyways, what do you think? Ready to leave that wretched place and come back to me?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"As much as he wanted to live with his mother again, there was something that prevented him from leaving. "Actually…" He paused, putting the nail of his thumb into his mouth as he thought about how he would tell her. "I miss you guys, but I think I want to stay here."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"There was a thirty-second pause before Rachel responded. "…WHAT?" The sound of her loud footsteps reached her son's ears as she paced around the room in disbelief. "You can't be serious…are you? Just days before we drove you to the airport you were on the verge of throwing a tantrum in order to stay at home, and now, you don't want to leave?" Rachel bit her nails too as she thought. "Oh, I see."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"At this point, Ciel felt the irrational thought radiating through the phone before she even opened her mouth. "…Mom?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""You got someone pregnant, didn't you? See, I knew making you live with your father was a bad idea! Why didn't I give you the talk already? I'm so stupid!" She slapped a hand against her forehead repetitively until a new idea formed. "No, wait…don't tell me you've become involved in a drug trafficking ring! Oh Jesus, Ciel! Drugs are not the answer! If you need money, sell cigarettes to minors or something, anything but drugs!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Rachel! Stop it! I'm not doing any of those things, don't be ridiculous. That's really bad advice by the way. I wouldn't suggest telling anyone else you said that. But anyways…it's just that…I might have met somebody interesting." As soon as the words left his mouth, Ciel wished he could take them back in./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So my little boy has a girlfriend? How cute that's just adorable. When's the wedding? You invited me, right?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""No that's not…exactly it…" Just then, there was a light tapping coming from somewhere outside. "Uh…hold on." He sat still, listening to see if he heard it again. The noise sounded once again as a small object percussed on his window. Before he could get up to see what it was, a small rock came flying at him after shattering a portion of the window. "Holy shit!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Ciel? What happened?" The worry was apparent in the mother's voice as she began to think the worst./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"He ran over to open the window fully before sticking his head outside, keeping the phone at his ear. "You can't be serious…" He inspected the area below, finding none other than Sebastian with another rock in his hand, ready to throw it at the window. "Dude! What is your problem!" Ciel whispered below him, gesturing to the cellphone in his hand as Rachel's rant became loud enough for the other to hear. Sebastian dropped the stone after seeing the unintended damage to the boy's window. "Mom," The teen started as Sebastian motioned to open the door. "I gotta go. Everything's fine. It was just a…rat or something, I don't know. Okay? Love you, bye." He took the rock that had skidded across his floor and dropped it back into the yard. Then, he threw the phone onto his bed after hanging up and stormed downstairs./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Pulling the door open, Ciel put his hand on his hip and scowled at the demon. "Damnit Sebastian what did you think you were doing? You broke my window!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Hey, I was just trying to get your attention. It seems to work perfectly fine in the movies…" The agitation burning within the boy became increasingly evident as Sebastian stood and inspected his shirtsleeve. "I mean…sorry."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel rolled his eye. "You're so lucky Vincent's pulling an overnight shift at work right now." He stepped aside, allowing the other to pass. "Well, come in. You must've wanted something extremely bad to have to break my window, right?" The teen led the demon up to his room to show him the damage./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Don't worry about it I'll pay to have a new one put in by tomorrow. And yes…you forgot your glasses at my house the other day." Sebastian held out a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses and waited for the boy to take them./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Um…Sebastian? I don't wear glasses. Besides, with this," He pointed to the black silk on his face. "I wouldn't even be able to wear glasses anyways."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Damnit Lao…Sebastian understood everything very clearly now. Earlier, the oriental male had given him the pair of glasses, saying that he swore they belonged to Ciel and needed to be returned immediately. Sebastian had stuffed the spectacles into his pocket. As he thought about Lao's deceptive nature and his constant need for entertainment, he realized that giving him a random pair of glasses was a ploy to get him to visit Ciel late at night. 'He's probably laughing at me right now.' At this point, the demon really didn't mind the excuse. He had wanted to check on Ciel anyways. "Right…well I also came because…I wanted to…you know, see if you were safe." Scarlet eyes shifted sideways to find the floor when Ciel smirked./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Aw, how considerate of you. Well, as you can see, I haven't been torn to pieces by any reapers yet so you can stop worrying about me for now."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The demon watched Ciel take a seat on his bed and breathe deeply./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So…since you're here you might as well help me with this English crap. I was just gonna turn it in blank but since you're here…and, you were technically supposed to let me borrow your book."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I thought that was just a cover up to get the girls off your back?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Well, at first it was. But now that I think about it…I'd rather keep an A in English. So will you help me?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Sebastian rolled his eyes before nodding and settling next to the teen as Ciel reached across from him to get the blank paper from his backpack./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"An hour later, Ciel was face-down and snoring between the pages of a literature textbook while Sebastian typed the essay Ciel was supposed to be writing himself. "You better thank me for this." He said softly, stopping to watch the subtle rise and fall of the boy's shoulders as he slept. Traces of the frigid air penetrated the hole in the window, and Sebastian reached for his phone as small vibrations ran up his leg. However, once he pulled the device out to find that it was off, he glanced over the laptop to see that the tremors were a result of Ciel shivering next to him./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Pages of the subjunctive tense crumpled under the teen's cheek as he unconsciously curled his face into Sebastian's side, just beneath his arm./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The demon grew rigid, afraid to wake the boy with the slightest movement. "Okay…" He whispered to the sleeping teen. "How am I supposed to type with you in the way?" After positioning his arm awkwardly above the azure strands that fell over the other's closed eyelid, Sebastian stopped typing mid-sentence. 'You can't be serious…' The older male sighed in disgust as Ciel's nose pressed deeper into his side and drool began to leak out of the human's parted mouth. 'emSplendid/em. This night is turning out to be simply marvelous.' Sarcasm dripped from his thoughts in thicker quantities than the liquid that pooled at his side as he sighed once more, attempting to ignore it as he finished the paper./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"In the few minutes that Ciel spent waking from his sleep, he began to feel that something was drastically different about the room. Part of the abnormality stemmed from his dream about making Sebastian his butler and forcing him to do all of his homework and murder his enemies with kitchen utensils. But, something else was extremely peculiar, Ciel noticed. He refused to open his eye and be blinded by the persistent sun's yellow rays, so the pale lid remained closed. As he inhaled deeply, a captivating yet displaced scent overwhelmed his senses, and as he stretched, his arm was caught by something unnaturally firm. What the…Ciel froze and furrowed his brows as his left eye peeled open. After gaping at the sight before him, Ciel toppled off the bed in a tangle of navy sheets. "What in the actual fuck! Sebastian? What are you still doing here?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The said male moved the laptop onto Ciel's desk as he shook his head crossly. "If I remember correctly, I was the one that wrote and perfected your two hundred page essay while you were sleeping, so you should be thanking me. I was just about to print it out for you as well. I would have finished much sooner if you hadn't drooled all over me last night."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel stood and routinely wrapped the sheets around his body, even though he was fully clothed. Something about being in front of Sebastian immediately after waking up brought him minor discomfort and made him incredibly self-consciousness. "Oh…uh, sorry about that…and thanks."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah. Don't mention it. Ash will get someone to fix the window before Vincent gets home. Since I'm here already I might as well take you to school now, so get ready. I'll be outside." Sebastian grabbed the essay from the printer and mumbled something about an extra shirt in his car as he passed the shell shocked teen./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"'Wait.' Ciel considered once he was alone again. 'Does that technically mean we slept together?' He frantically brushed at his disheveled hair with his fingers, hoping to comb the thought out of his head in the process. 'This is getting more and more ridiculous by the second.' After throwing the crumpled sheets back on his bed and changing into fresh clothes, Ciel rushed downstairs with his backpack, shutting his speculations in his room as he closed the door behind him./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"It was now Friday, and Sebastian was driving Ciel home. Even after Vincent had replaced the wheels on the ugly red truck, Ciel opted to travel with Sebastian. It was easier that way, he had said./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So I still can't figure out where those glasses came from."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""For real? I bet Lao bought them just to make you come to my house or something dumb like that."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah, you're probably right. He always does stuff like-" Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud thud against the roof of the car. Sebastian hit the breaks immediately, skidding to a stop on the road's shoulder./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""What was that!" Ciel gasped, hearing what sounded like footsteps on the roof./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""There they are!" A shrill voice screeched before the voice's owner hopped down from Sebastian's car. A curtain of red fabric billowed down the windshield as the person landed with cat-like reflexes on the street. "We've been looking for those damn spectacles everywhere and-" Grell Sutcliff paused as he pressed his face onto the glass, startling Ciel. "My my…aren't you a handsome devil. I do believe we've met once before…Sebastian, was it?" The intruder stalked around to the driver's side and tapped on the window while Sebastian lowered the window and made an effort to draw attention away from the human. "Anyways," Grell started. "Those glasses belong to Ronald – he lost them in the woods somewhere, apparently by your house - and Will sent us out to look for them."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""You mean these things?" Reaching up to unhitch them from the mirror, Sebastian held up the black glasses. He would have never guessed that they had belonged to a reaper./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yes! Those are the ones. It's been quite the struggle let me tell you; a lady shouldn't be forced to be on her feet all day like this. Don't you think?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"With a tinge of hostility building in his actions, the demon pressed the bifocals into the red-haired reaper's palm./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Well, I guess I'll be going then. It was nice to see you again, Bassy."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Then, Ciel sneezed./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"In that same instant Grell swung around, getting closer to the car once more as Sebastian rolled the windows up in Ciel's defense. "Hiding a little snack, were we?" The reaper's blood red hair brushed against Ciel's window as the human faced forward and ignored him per Sebastian's orders. "I almost mistook the little one for a demon…but silly me, demons don't sneeze."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Do not touch the human or I will rip every last strand of hair from your head. He's with me."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Grell placed an expertly manicured finger to his lips and sighed. "What a shame…protecting this delicious soul that you don't even plan to eat. It's not like your kind to do such a thing. I know how hungry you demons can get. Are you sure I can't have a small portion of his soul?" He twirled a red strand around his finger and pouted, begging Sebastian to let him sample Ciel's vital force./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The persistent reaper was wearing on the demon's patience quicker and quicker. The entire time that Grell was winking through the glass, Sebastian was looking straight ahead and grasping the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn a furious shade of white./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"When each of Grell's attempts to be noticed failed miserably, a scowl spread across his thin lips. It was apparent that he would not get what he desired. At least, not by asking nicely./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So, Grell…" Sebastian forced the words out through closed teeth, his mind ceaselessly reminding him of his own negligence. 'You let them find Ciel. It's your fault.' The demon tried to block out his conscience and resisted the urge to color the road with Grell's blood, but refrained. If he did that, then the others would be sure to avenge him. "Shouldn't you be going?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yes…Ronald will be quite disappointed if I don't hurry back with his spectacles. It's not very appropriate to keep a grim reaper waiting, you know." Each word was etched with malice as the double meaning slipped through. "I'll see you later, Bassy!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Grell waved enthusiastically and then skipped off to Sebastian's disgust, but the demon's fingers finally released the wheel once the other being was out of sight./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""That…was weird." Ciel let out a sigh and reclined into the passenger seat. "If I didn't know any better I'd buy some bug repellant to keep these people off me. They're like mosquitoes, am I right or am I right?" The teen shook his head with a smirk as he kicked his boots onto the dashboard and flipped his hood up. He hardly picked up on the uncertainty that was radiating from Sebastian as they drove away./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Not too far behind, the red reaper grimaced at the sight of the soul escaping from the side of the road. A faint essence trailed behind the demon, just enough for Grell to become greedy. 'Next time…' It was already hardwired into his head that he would claim the soul for himself. Even if the orders from the Volturi stipulated that Ciel must go to them, the temptation was too strong. Completely engrossed in ways to capture and kill the teenager, Grell shrieked as someone jabbed a finger into his back. "Ahh! What is it!" Behind him, Ronald grinned in satisfaction./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I see you found my glasses…among other things." The younger reaper took a moment to savor the faint scent. "Sempai, we need to follow them." Ronald proposed after glaring devilishly at the spot where the human had been just moments before./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I appreciate the suggestion, genius. As if I wasn't going to do that already." Grell rolled his bright green eyes and moved to slap the other across the face but held back. "Come on, let's go. I'm growing impatient." He dashed off swiftly, his red jacket billowing in the wind as he ran./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Wait, Sem-" Without warning, Ronald's face was accosted by the cold, hard metal of a lamppost. "Damnit, Grell! My glasses!" He cursed as he brushed himself off and ran towards the other. The light from the post became blurry in his sight while Ronald continued to stumble around, picturing his spectacles hanging idly from Grell's coat pocket./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Something doesn't feel right." Sebastian adjusted the rearview mirror to see a blur of red in the distance. At that moment, his premonition was confirmed. He swerved onto a narrow portion of the road and glanced at Ciel from the corner of his eye. "Call Vincent." Sebastian demanded. "Tell him we're going to be late."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Wh—what?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Just do it." Sebastian urged./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Is that awkward red guy following us?" Ciel turned to check out the window but didn't see anyone or anything on the barren road./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Although Sebastian couldn't distinguish the infamous flash of red behind them anymore, he felt a lingering need to stay alert. Impulsively, he changed direction again and began to speed down an empty back road. "Call him. Now." Sebastian repeated./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Alright, alright. " Ciel sighed, surprised at Sebastian's suddenly serious tone. He fidgeted through his pocket before grabbing the phone and hastily dialing his father; his fingers shook at the urgency of the demon's request./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Sebastian unconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror every few seconds, but every check produced the same results. They were alone, but the disquieting feeling that weighed heavily in his chest wasn't going away. The reapers would be back./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Trees sped past in Ciel's view, the trunks becoming thicker and the canopy of leaves above the speeding car becoming darker and wider with each passing second. "Um…Sebastian? Where exactly are we going?" He asked calmly as he gripped the seat to keep from toppling over as they jostled over numerous branches and small hills./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Not sure yet, but we have to take a little detour so they don't find you." Sebastian explained./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""But what about-" The dial tone cut off as his father answered./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Hey kid, what's going on?" Yawning slowly, Vincent shifted the phone to his other ear. "You need me to come home or something?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""What should I tell him?" Ciel mouthed to Sebastian, even though the older male was concentrated on avoiding a collision with the dense trunks of the trees./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Just say you're going out early tomorrow and won't be back until late that night. You said he was doing an all nighter again tonight anyway."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The whisper was just barely audible to Ciel's human ears, but nevertheless, the teen relayed the misinformation to his dad./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh," Another yawn interrupted the chief's sentence; it wasn't likely that he would even notice that Ciel was gone due to his lack of sleep. "See ya when you get back then. Goodnight, kid."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah…see you later. Bye." Skepticism pulled at his vocals as he said goodbye, and Sebastian's uneasiness finally caught up to him. As his thumb contacted the end button, his eye darted in the driver's direction. "What if…what if we don't come back?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"It was silent for a moment as Sebastian weighed their options, and the human interpreted the wordlessness to signify the worst. "I'll protect you," He finally affirmed, and Ciel ran a hand through his hair before watching the trees streak by in the darkness./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Above those trees, at the jagged wooden tips that were invisible to the two below, the reapers followed hungrily overhead without taking an eye off of their ill-fated human prey./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"A/N: Woo! Another chapter down. Happy Mother's Day everyone. Now that I think about it, what would Sebastian's mother be like? Does the guy even have a mother? Who knows. Anyways, I won't take so long to put this stuff up next time. There's action in the next chapter, ooooh, action. So, review this chapter and I will update sometime within the next forty-three years./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"FLASHBACK:/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"em"Reaper Sutcliff, put your shoes on this instant," Will adjusted his shining spectacles, expressing embarrassment and annoyance at his frolicking co-worker. "Honestly. To think you would partake in such nonsensical activities during a professional job. You're an embarrassment to soul reapers everywhere. Now stop fooling around, there's work to be done…not to mention overtime…"/em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"emThe red haired offender paid him no mind as he leapt blissfully through the woods. "Oh, Will…it's not like someone's going to use my footprints as evidence or something!" Grell pouted when the other showed no signs of changing his mind, so he reluctantly grabbed his crimson boots and slapped them onto his feet. "I still don't see why you're making me put these back on, I was having so much fun and here you are, ruining every-" His filibuster was interrupted by extreme silence – Will hadn't even accosted him with any sharp objects yet – and Grell found that he was alone in the woods; the other male had left already. "You can't be serious! Will, come back! Don't abandon me here!" With that, Grell escaped into the air, leaving a single footprint behind in the malleable earth./em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"em—/em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The floor squeaked rhythmically as Ciel tapped his sneakered foot vigilantly against it. Damn…when is he gonna get here? He glanced nervously at the clock every few seconds from his spot at the edge of the bed, sinking his pearly teeth into the nail of his thumb when the numbers changed from 6:59 to 7:00. "Damnit! He's late." Just as the teen was about to walk to school, he heard the familiar hum of Sebastian's engine in the driveway. Skipping over a few stairs on the way down, Ciel exited his house and opened the car door, feeling slightly perturbed. "You're late."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Sebastian did not respond at first, instead staring straight ahead with furrowed brows. "We found traces of reapers in the area this morning. They're puppets of the Volturi and could have been looking for you, – put on your seatbelt – but we looked everywhere until we were certain they were gone. I apologize for the lack of punctuality on my part as a result of this." As they drove away, Ciel's breath caught in his throat. "Everything is fine now, though. They're gone."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So you expect me to just pretend it never happened?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""As Ash said, my family will protect you from them." Sebastian had not looked at the boy once the entire time. "I just wanted to make sure that you were aware to keep on your guard." Finally pulling up to the old school, he parked the car and got out, forcing himself to look calm among the humans./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""But," Ciel started, stumbling out of the passenger side. "What am I supposed to do about these reap-"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Despite the crowd of stragglers that was making its way inside the building – a few had stopped to witness Ciel exiting the same vehicle as the Sebastian Michaelis – the infamous male blanketed the younger one's mouth with his hand. "Shh. Don't talk about them here. People might…what the Hell are they staring at?" About ten kids were stopped in their tracks, gaping in his direction./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Mmmbe iff becuuss oof yoor hhnd…" Ciel narrowed his eyes, forcibly displacing Sebastian's palm from his immobile lips and stared back at the small crowd; the students were now whispering hastily to each other without taking their eyes off of the two males. "Nope. They're still looking. HEY! Get your eyeballs out of here before I staple them shut!" At that, the group of onlookers took off running into the building, immediately after Ciel overheard "Do you think they're together?" from a short brunette girl./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""What!" The teen's face twisted abnormally at the theory as he screamed into the now empty parking lot – aside from Sebastian./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Just ignore that too…come on, we're late for class."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel stood there for a moment after the older student had walked ahead, brooding over the comment. 'Together? Me…and him?'/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Phantomhive, come on!" Sebastian waved him over from the top of the stairs as the warning bell tolled./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Right! I'll be right there." 'Nah. Impossible.' He thought, rattling his dark hair as he shook the thought away and criticized the possibility. Without letting the idea slip back onto his train of thought, he sprinted towards the impatient demon as the final bell reverberated in their ears./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"em—/em/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So! I heard that you and Michaelis are an item now." Elizabeth spoke matter-of-factly while she crossed her legs over Ciel's gaming chair./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The boy slapped a hand over his face angrily while enduring the snickers emitted by Finny, Bard and Mei. "No," He gritted his teeth together before taking a deep breath. "That is not the case. He just drove me to school because there're no wheels on my truck, that's all."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh really?" Dark magenta locks invaded his personal space as Mei snaked towards him across the basement floor. She inspected Ciel's irritated pale face for signs of a lie. "You know, Elizabeth, if what you said turns out to be true, Bard and Finny would owe us twenty bucks! So tell us Ciel! Quit lying so we can get our money!" She shook him rather violently until he kindly removed her arms from his shoulders./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"'They made a bet…about us…being…together?' A violent shudder traveled through Ciel's body; he hardly noticed as Bard motioned to the two girls with an upturned palm, smirking as he thought about being twenty dollars richer. "Shut up it's not even true!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh stop it! You know it's true, I see the way you look at him." The blonde girl pursed her lips at Ciel, teasing away his sanity while the other two boys shook their heads in disagreement./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Bard spoke first. "You two are gonna be really disappointed when you both have to give up your money to us. It's obvious they're just friends, you two need to get real already."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Come on, even a blind person could see that they're obviously together!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah, a blind person who was also blind to a little thing called common sense. You should look into getting some for yourself, Elizabeth."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Ha ha. Very funny Bardroy, but guess what! I'm not the one who exploded the science lab with a flamethrower last week, now was I?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Bringing his hand away from the short stubble of his chin, Bard stood, intentionally invading the girl's personal space. "That was nothing. Do you want to take this outside and see what that blowtorch can do to your pretty little pigtails?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Lizzy stood quickly and thrust her hands onto her hips before she unfastened the large hoops attached to her ears. "Oh NO you didn't! Mei! Hold my earrings!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel sat helplessly below them and watched the scene unfold until the quarrel made his ears bleed. "That's IT! EVERYONE OUT!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"As if nothing had happened, the two ill-tempered blondes turned towards him and frowned. "Aw, but Ciel, we just got here." The girl's glossy lips puffed out in protest./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I don't care! You fools are making my ears bleed! Now leave before I go deaf." Despite everyone's reluctance, Ciel rose and herded the crowd straight out the door./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Bye Ciel! See you tomorr-" The rest of Finny's sentence went unheard as the door slammed in his schoolmates' faces. Exhausted, Ciel leaned against his end of the door, knowing that they would all forget about what had happened by the time he got to school the next day./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"'Ew. School.' The thought of the place took every last ounce of energy from his body as he dragged his feet up the stairs and fell face-down on his bed, ready to have peace and quiet once again./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Then, his phone rang./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""AGH! What now?" After dropping the phone once, he answered, wishing it had broken when it had hit the floor so he wouldn't have to answer and become subject to another series of embarrassing questions. "Hello mother…"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Hi baby how are you! Guess what? Your stepdad got a promotion and he's almost done for the season anyways, so that means you could come back in a few weeks! Isn't that great? I know, it's wonderful. Right? I miss you so much my cute little baby-butt! Don't you miss me back? What a dumb question, I know you miss your mama. So are you ready to move back here or what, because I know when I was there that horrible weather made me feel like sh-"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Mom! Calm down!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh, I was doing that thing you said not to do again, wasn't I?" The woman laughed nervously into the phone as she heard Ciel sigh./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Maybe I'd be able to actually talk to you if you didn't speak a thousand miles per minute…"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Sorry. Heh…so anyways, what do you think? Ready to leave that wretched place and come back to me?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"As much as he wanted to live with his mother again, there was something that prevented him from leaving. "Actually…" He paused, putting the nail of his thumb into his mouth as he thought about how he would tell her. "I miss you guys, but I think I want to stay here."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"There was a thirty-second pause before Rachel responded. "…WHAT?" The sound of her loud footsteps reached her son's ears as she paced around the room in disbelief. "You can't be serious…are you? Just days before we drove you to the airport you were on the verge of throwing a tantrum in order to stay at home, and now, you don't want to leave?" Rachel bit her nails too as she thought. "Oh, I see."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"At this point, Ciel felt the irrational thought radiating through the phone before she even opened her mouth. "…Mom?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""You got someone pregnant, didn't you? See, I knew making you live with your father was a bad idea! Why didn't I give you the talk already? I'm so stupid!" She slapped a hand against her forehead repetitively until a new idea formed. "No, wait…don't tell me you've become involved in a drug trafficking ring! Oh Jesus, Ciel! Drugs are not the answer! If you need money, sell cigarettes to minors or something, anything but drugs!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Rachel! Stop it! I'm not doing any of those things, don't be ridiculous. That's really bad advice by the way. I wouldn't suggest telling anyone else you said that. But anyways…it's just that…I might have met somebody interesting." As soon as the words left his mouth, Ciel wished he could take them back in./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So my little boy has a girlfriend? How cute that's just adorable. When's the wedding? You invited me, right?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""No that's not…exactly it…" Just then, there was a light tapping coming from somewhere outside. "Uh…hold on." He sat still, listening to see if he heard it again. The noise sounded once again as a small object percussed on his window. Before he could get up to see what it was, a small rock came flying at him after shattering a portion of the window. "Holy shit!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Ciel? What happened?" The worry was apparent in the mother's voice as she began to think the worst./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"He ran over to open the window fully before sticking his head outside, keeping the phone at his ear. "You can't be serious…" He inspected the area below, finding none other than Sebastian with another rock in his hand, ready to throw it at the window. "Dude! What is your problem!" Ciel whispered below him, gesturing to the cellphone in his hand as Rachel's rant became loud enough for the other to hear. Sebastian dropped the stone after seeing the unintended damage to the boy's window. "Mom," The teen started as Sebastian motioned to open the door. "I gotta go. Everything's fine. It was just a…rat or something, I don't know. Okay? Love you, bye." He took the rock that had skidded across his floor and dropped it back into the yard. Then, he threw the phone onto his bed after hanging up and stormed downstairs./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Pulling the door open, Ciel put his hand on his hip and scowled at the demon. "Damnit Sebastian what did you think you were doing? You broke my window!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Hey, I was just trying to get your attention. It seems to work perfectly fine in the movies…" The agitation burning within the boy became increasingly evident as Sebastian stood and inspected his shirtsleeve. "I mean…sorry."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel rolled his eye. "You're so lucky Vincent's pulling an overnight shift at work right now." He stepped aside, allowing the other to pass. "Well, come in. You must've wanted something extremely bad to have to break my window, right?" The teen led the demon up to his room to show him the damage./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Don't worry about it I'll pay to have a new one put in by tomorrow. And yes…you forgot your glasses at my house the other day." Sebastian held out a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses and waited for the boy to take them./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Um…Sebastian? I don't wear glasses. Besides, with this," He pointed to the black silk on his face. "I wouldn't even be able to wear glasses anyways."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Damnit Lao…Sebastian understood everything very clearly now. Earlier, the oriental male had given him the pair of glasses, saying that he swore they belonged to Ciel and needed to be returned immediately. Sebastian had stuffed the spectacles into his pocket. As he thought about Lao's deceptive nature and his constant need for entertainment, he realized that giving him a random pair of glasses was a ploy to get him to visit Ciel late at night. 'He's probably laughing at me right now.' At this point, the demon really didn't mind the excuse. He had wanted to check on Ciel anyways. "Right…well I also came because…I wanted to…you know, see if you were safe." Scarlet eyes shifted sideways to find the floor when Ciel smirked./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Aw, how considerate of you. Well, as you can see, I haven't been torn to pieces by any reapers yet so you can stop worrying about me for now."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The demon watched Ciel take a seat on his bed and breathe deeply./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So…since you're here you might as well help me with this English crap. I was just gonna turn it in blank but since you're here…and, you were technically supposed to let me borrow your book."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I thought that was just a cover up to get the girls off your back?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Well, at first it was. But now that I think about it…I'd rather keep an A in English. So will you help me?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Sebastian rolled his eyes before nodding and settling next to the teen as Ciel reached across from him to get the blank paper from his backpack./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"An hour later, Ciel was face-down and snoring between the pages of a literature textbook while Sebastian typed the essay Ciel was supposed to be writing himself. "You better thank me for this." He said softly, stopping to watch the subtle rise and fall of the boy's shoulders as he slept. Traces of the frigid air penetrated the hole in the window, and Sebastian reached for his phone as small vibrations ran up his leg. However, once he pulled the device out to find that it was off, he glanced over the laptop to see that the tremors were a result of Ciel shivering next to him./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Pages of the subjunctive tense crumpled under the teen's cheek as he unconsciously curled his face into Sebastian's side, just beneath his arm./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The demon grew rigid, afraid to wake the boy with the slightest movement. "Okay…" He whispered to the sleeping teen. "How am I supposed to type with you in the way?" After positioning his arm awkwardly above the azure strands that fell over the other's closed eyelid, Sebastian stopped typing mid-sentence. 'You can't be serious…' The older male sighed in disgust as Ciel's nose pressed deeper into his side and drool began to leak out of the human's parted mouth. 'emSplendid/em. This night is turning out to be simply marvelous.' Sarcasm dripped from his thoughts in thicker quantities than the liquid that pooled at his side as he sighed once more, attempting to ignore it as he finished the paper./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"In the few minutes that Ciel spent waking from his sleep, he began to feel that something was drastically different about the room. Part of the abnormality stemmed from his dream about making Sebastian his butler and forcing him to do all of his homework and murder his enemies with kitchen utensils. But, something else was extremely peculiar, Ciel noticed. He refused to open his eye and be blinded by the persistent sun's yellow rays, so the pale lid remained closed. As he inhaled deeply, a captivating yet displaced scent overwhelmed his senses, and as he stretched, his arm was caught by something unnaturally firm. What the…Ciel froze and furrowed his brows as his left eye peeled open. After gaping at the sight before him, Ciel toppled off the bed in a tangle of navy sheets. "What in the actual fuck! Sebastian? What are you still doing here?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The said male moved the laptop onto Ciel's desk as he shook his head crossly. "If I remember correctly, I was the one that wrote and perfected your two hundred page essay while you were sleeping, so you should be thanking me. I was just about to print it out for you as well. I would have finished much sooner if you hadn't drooled all over me last night."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Ciel stood and routinely wrapped the sheets around his body, even though he was fully clothed. Something about being in front of Sebastian immediately after waking up brought him minor discomfort and made him incredibly self-consciousness. "Oh…uh, sorry about that…and thanks."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah. Don't mention it. Ash will get someone to fix the window before Vincent gets home. Since I'm here already I might as well take you to school now, so get ready. I'll be outside." Sebastian grabbed the essay from the printer and mumbled something about an extra shirt in his car as he passed the shell shocked teen./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"'Wait.' Ciel considered once he was alone again. 'Does that technically mean we slept together?' He frantically brushed at his disheveled hair with his fingers, hoping to comb the thought out of his head in the process. 'This is getting more and more ridiculous by the second.' After throwing the crumpled sheets back on his bed and changing into fresh clothes, Ciel rushed downstairs with his backpack, shutting his speculations in his room as he closed the door behind him./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"It was now Friday, and Sebastian was driving Ciel home. Even after Vincent had replaced the wheels on the ugly red truck, Ciel opted to travel with Sebastian. It was easier that way, he had said./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So I still can't figure out where those glasses came from."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""For real? I bet Lao bought them just to make you come to my house or something dumb like that."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah, you're probably right. He always does stuff like-" Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud thud against the roof of the car. Sebastian hit the breaks immediately, skidding to a stop on the road's shoulder./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""What was that!" Ciel gasped, hearing what sounded like footsteps on the roof./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""There they are!" A shrill voice screeched before the voice's owner hopped down from Sebastian's car. A curtain of red fabric billowed down the windshield as the person landed with cat-like reflexes on the street. "We've been looking for those damn spectacles everywhere and-" Grell Sutcliff paused as he pressed his face onto the glass, startling Ciel. "My my…aren't you a handsome devil. I do believe we've met once before…Sebastian, was it?" The intruder stalked around to the driver's side and tapped on the window while Sebastian lowered the window and made an effort to draw attention away from the human. "Anyways," Grell started. "Those glasses belong to Ronald – he lost them in the woods somewhere, apparently by your house - and Will sent us out to look for them."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""You mean these things?" Reaching up to unhitch them from the mirror, Sebastian held up the black glasses. He would have never guessed that they had belonged to a reaper./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yes! Those are the ones. It's been quite the struggle let me tell you; a lady shouldn't be forced to be on her feet all day like this. Don't you think?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"With a tinge of hostility building in his actions, the demon pressed the bifocals into the red-haired reaper's palm./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Well, I guess I'll be going then. It was nice to see you again, Bassy."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Then, Ciel sneezed./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"In that same instant Grell swung around, getting closer to the car once more as Sebastian rolled the windows up in Ciel's defense. "Hiding a little snack, were we?" The reaper's blood red hair brushed against Ciel's window as the human faced forward and ignored him per Sebastian's orders. "I almost mistook the little one for a demon…but silly me, demons don't sneeze."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Do not touch the human or I will rip every last strand of hair from your head. He's with me."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Grell placed an expertly manicured finger to his lips and sighed. "What a shame…protecting this delicious soul that you don't even plan to eat. It's not like your kind to do such a thing. I know how hungry you demons can get. Are you sure I can't have a small portion of his soul?" He twirled a red strand around his finger and pouted, begging Sebastian to let him sample Ciel's vital force./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The persistent reaper was wearing on the demon's patience quicker and quicker. The entire time that Grell was winking through the glass, Sebastian was looking straight ahead and grasping the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn a furious shade of white./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"When each of Grell's attempts to be noticed failed miserably, a scowl spread across his thin lips. It was apparent that he would not get what he desired. At least, not by asking nicely./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""So, Grell…" Sebastian forced the words out through closed teeth, his mind ceaselessly reminding him of his own negligence. 'You let them find Ciel. It's your fault.' The demon tried to block out his conscience and resisted the urge to color the road with Grell's blood, but refrained. If he did that, then the others would be sure to avenge him. "Shouldn't you be going?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yes…Ronald will be quite disappointed if I don't hurry back with his spectacles. It's not very appropriate to keep a grim reaper waiting, you know." Each word was etched with malice as the double meaning slipped through. "I'll see you later, Bassy!"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Grell waved enthusiastically and then skipped off to Sebastian's disgust, but the demon's fingers finally released the wheel once the other being was out of sight./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""That…was weird." Ciel let out a sigh and reclined into the passenger seat. "If I didn't know any better I'd buy some bug repellant to keep these people off me. They're like mosquitoes, am I right or am I right?" The teen shook his head with a smirk as he kicked his boots onto the dashboard and flipped his hood up. He hardly picked up on the uncertainty that was radiating from Sebastian as they drove away./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Not too far behind, the red reaper grimaced at the sight of the soul escaping from the side of the road. A faint essence trailed behind the demon, just enough for Grell to become greedy. 'Next time…' It was already hardwired into his head that he would claim the soul for himself. Even if the orders from the Volturi stipulated that Ciel must go to them, the temptation was too strong. Completely engrossed in ways to capture and kill the teenager, Grell shrieked as someone jabbed a finger into his back. "Ahh! What is it!" Behind him, Ronald grinned in satisfaction./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I see you found my glasses…among other things." The younger reaper took a moment to savor the faint scent. "Sempai, we need to follow them." Ronald proposed after glaring devilishly at the spot where the human had been just moments before./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""I appreciate the suggestion, genius. As if I wasn't going to do that already." Grell rolled his bright green eyes and moved to slap the other across the face but held back. "Come on, let's go. I'm growing impatient." He dashed off swiftly, his red jacket billowing in the wind as he ran./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Wait, Sem-" Without warning, Ronald's face was accosted by the cold, hard metal of a lamppost. "Damnit, Grell! My glasses!" He cursed as he brushed himself off and ran towards the other. The light from the post became blurry in his sight while Ronald continued to stumble around, picturing his spectacles hanging idly from Grell's coat pocket./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Something doesn't feel right." Sebastian adjusted the rearview mirror to see a blur of red in the distance. At that moment, his premonition was confirmed. He swerved onto a narrow portion of the road and glanced at Ciel from the corner of his eye. "Call Vincent." Sebastian demanded. "Tell him we're going to be late."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Wh—what?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Just do it." Sebastian urged./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Is that awkward red guy following us?" Ciel turned to check out the window but didn't see anyone or anything on the barren road./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Although Sebastian couldn't distinguish the infamous flash of red behind them anymore, he felt a lingering need to stay alert. Impulsively, he changed direction again and began to speed down an empty back road. "Call him. Now." Sebastian repeated./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Alright, alright. " Ciel sighed, surprised at Sebastian's suddenly serious tone. He fidgeted through his pocket before grabbing the phone and hastily dialing his father; his fingers shook at the urgency of the demon's request./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Sebastian unconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror every few seconds, but every check produced the same results. They were alone, but the disquieting feeling that weighed heavily in his chest wasn't going away. The reapers would be back./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Trees sped past in Ciel's view, the trunks becoming thicker and the canopy of leaves above the speeding car becoming darker and wider with each passing second. "Um…Sebastian? Where exactly are we going?" He asked calmly as he gripped the seat to keep from toppling over as they jostled over numerous branches and small hills./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Not sure yet, but we have to take a little detour so they don't find you." Sebastian explained./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""But what about-" The dial tone cut off as his father answered./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Hey kid, what's going on?" Yawning slowly, Vincent shifted the phone to his other ear. "You need me to come home or something?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""What should I tell him?" Ciel mouthed to Sebastian, even though the older male was concentrated on avoiding a collision with the dense trunks of the trees./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Just say you're going out early tomorrow and won't be back until late that night. You said he was doing an all nighter again tonight anyway."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"The whisper was just barely audible to Ciel's human ears, but nevertheless, the teen relayed the misinformation to his dad./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Oh," Another yawn interrupted the chief's sentence; it wasn't likely that he would even notice that Ciel was gone due to his lack of sleep. "See ya when you get back then. Goodnight, kid."/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1""Yeah…see you later. Bye." Skepticism pulled at his vocals as he said goodbye, and Sebastian's uneasiness finally caught up to him. As his thumb contacted the end button, his eye darted in the driver's direction. "What if…what if we don't come back?"/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"It was silent for a moment as Sebastian weighed their options, and the human interpreted the wordlessness to signify the worst. "I'll protect you," He finally affirmed, and Ciel ran a hand through his hair before watching the trees streak by in the darkness./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"Above those trees, at the jagged wooden tips that were invisible to the two below, the reapers followed hungrily overhead without taking an eye off of their ill-fated human prey./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"span class="s1"A/N: Woo! Another chapter down. Happy Mother's Day everyone. Now that I think about it, what would Sebastian's mother be like? Does the guy even have a mother? Who knows. Anyways, I won't take so long to put this stuff up next time. There's action in the next chapter, ooooh, action. So, review this chapter and I will update sometime within the next forty-three years./span/p
