IT BEGINS

The boy's legs trembled as they lost their fight to stay upright, landing at the shadow's feet. His arms shook under the weight of his body as he leaned against them, weak and staring at the ground.

Slow steps were taken towards him.

Feet appeared in his line of sight. The boy gasped, deeply and desperately. He moved a trembling hand onto them, pulling close in search of some form of comfort. He tried to speak but only a shaky breath escaped his lips. The creature knelt over him.

The boy looked up, trapped in cold and darkness but refusing to let go, his body still clinging to the shadow.

Cold hands caressed his cheek and held his face. They were dripping with blood.

The boy's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to scream before a wave of terror and darkness took over him.

A bloodcurdling scream bubbled from deep inside Ciel's chest and choked its way out his throat. His body violently lurched forward in search of some form of escape from the terror that clouded his mind. He was still screaming and struggling as Sebastian dashed to his side and held him close.

"Ciel, it's ok, Ciel." He whispered in a calming tone. The boy's struggling weakened as he opened his eyes, his shrieks turning to sobs. His entire body trembled.

He hid his face against the crook of the demon's neck and held tightly onto the fabric of his shirt.

"It's all my fault." He cried disconsolately. Sebastian hushed him softly, brushing his fingers comfortingly through the boy's hair.

"None of it was your fault." His voice was gentle and certain.

"He wanted me!"

"And Alois knew that." Ciel gasped for breath and curled up even tighter. "He knew the danger, but he still wouldn't leave him. It was his choice."

"Sebastian…"Ciel sobbed, complete distress still choking his heart. Sebastian wrapped his arms around him even more, as if he was trying to hide Ciel from the rest of the world.

And how he would like to do just that if Ciel would allow it. He would keep the boy away from anything and everything that could ever cause him pain, away from all the lesser humans who did not deserve to even gaze upon him. Ciel, whose soul was a precious jewel among piles of dust.

Carefully the demon sat down on the bed and allowed the boy to crawl onto his lap. He held Ciel tightly as he cried, rubbing slow circles on his back.

"All those times you had nightmares as a kid…" The demon whispered in Ciel's ear. "I could never reach out to you… no matter how badly I wanted to…" The boy's grip on his shirt tightened, and Sebastian buried his face against those blue locks.

"Sebastian…" Ciel sobbed, clinging to him desperately, hungry for his comfort. "Sebastian…"

A few meters away, at the other side of Ciel's door, Rachel Phantomhive stood with her hand frozen in a knocking position. Her eyes were wide with horror as she listened to her son undeniably cry out the name she had been fearing for years.