A/N: WOAH! first off, let me say, I LOVE YOU GUYS! I asked for 60 reviews, and you guys gave me 70! :"""D Thanks so much! See? I promised a faster update if I hit 60(heh. 70 reviews...*all giddy*) reviews! ;3 I wasn't lying, my dear readers! I am in fact true to my word, for here's the next update in Vinculis Infectum!
I was going to publish this on the 9th, but hey, finished early, might as well update!
In this chapter, and possibly future chapters, it will go back and forth between Ciel's location and situation, to Sebastian's, and vice versa. It shouldn't be confusing, promise. Now since it worked so well last chapter, I will review uber quick WHEN I reach 80 reviews. 80 reviews, fast chapter update, so that means about 10 of you simply need to drop a review, and boom, faster update!. And might I just thank all you who read and leave such lovely reviews, it makes me happy and motivated. Also, I will add in this little tid bit. This story is far from over! ;) We have such a long way to go, readers!
As stated before, sooner my review count hits 80, the sooner I update, so obviously; Reviews appreciated!
It was still hard to comprehend, in fact Ciel as still utterly confused about whom to now trust. Should he trust Sebastian, or this Alexus man? Deep in his heart, he felt doubt against his butler, for the demonic man had never told him that Ciel himself was nothing more than an outlet for sex. But at the same time, he had a feeling Sebastian cared for him. But now, he just didn't know.
"Ugh. This place is utterly and dreadfully boring." Ciel mumbles. Since being let out of his constraints, Damien had so kindly escorted the young Phantomhive teen around the place Ciel had come to notice was a manor, telling the teen he was free to anything in the manor.
Currently, Ciel was in the manor's library, lounging in a chair with an old, tattered book. Normally the little demon detested reading and studying, but the book he has was not only interesting, but also taught him a lot about being a demon.
"'Chapter One; the creation of demons. Although there is no real source as to who the first demon was, it is very well known that there is no way for a demon to be born. The only two ways one would become a demon, is you are either turned into one by a fellow demon, or you are what was once a fallen angel." he starts to read under his breath.
"A fallen angel is most surprisingly the rarest of the two ways. After the demon and angel war in the 'Ancient times' the head angels, who are called the fates held a meeting with the head demon at the time, and had both decided after the treaty that only so many angels would fall as punishment, for the angels were concerned about the demons growing power, and obvious growing numbers.' ... Well what did they expect?" Ciel pauses, scoffing. That was ridiculous. If angels didn't want the demon numbers to rise, maybe they should've thought of a better way to punish the angels that broke the laws. With a sigh, the Demonic teen goes back to reading.
"'So it was then decided that the only way an angel would have it's wings ripped off and thrown to earth was doing the unthinkable crime; killing a fellow angel out of pure malice and hate. As soon as such an angel would hit earth, it would become a demon, but at the same time still retain some of it's angel abilities, which makes the being stronger than the average demon, and much more dangerous. These type of demons, though their kind be rare, are more powerful than the average demons.' Ugh. This is so dreadfully boring. Sebastian technically told me these things before, although not in as great detail as this." Ciel mutters, setting the book down to stand up and stretch.
"Learning anything, child?" Said teen turns around to see Alexus walking into the room, holding a cup filled with odd but delicious smelling tea. "That book you're reading is filled with nothing but boring words. Damien insisted that I read it when I was in your shoes. You don't have to learn about such things Ciel. You are lucky, and Damien said he would help you be reborn. In other words, make you like me." Ciel knits his brows, unsure what to think of Alexus yet. He hangs around Felix and Damien, who are wanted for murder under the "queen's" order. But on the other hand, he said he used to be Sebastian's master as well. Did Ciel care about the rebirthing nonsense? No. He just wanted to know about Sebastian.
"What did you make a deal with Sebastian for?" he inquires, his eyes traveling to the cup of tea, and then quickly back up to Alexus's face. He didn't know why, but that tea was making him utterly famished. His technical ancestor chuckles, handing the boy the cup.
"Careful now, there's a soul in there." he warns.
Ciel pauses before going to take a drink. A soul. He doesn't remember ever eating one before now, but then again Sebastian may have slipped him one. But Ciel would have known, wouldn't he? As he takes a sip, the taste of the soul bursts with delicious flavor on the boy's tongue. It was sweet, and with the tea it was in, it tasted even better.
"Well. I see that you like it." Alexus smiles, before taking the book Ciel once held and walking to the shelves to put it back in the place where it belongs. "Now, to answer your question, yes. "Sebastian" was once my demon. You're lucky, because back when he was mine, he was so dreadful. He would always run off. He… was the worst butler ever. Of course, I hear that changed." The Phantomhive blinks, nodding once. Sebastian, a bad butler? It was unthinkable.
"So… What did you name him?" Ciel asks after a moment. If Alexus was his master, he had to have given Sebastian a name. Alexus gives a little laugh, nodding.
"Well of course I named him. I gave him the name Nicolai, after my father. Tell me," He grins at the teen, "Where did the name 'Sebastian' come from?" Ciel blushes faintly, looking a bit sheepish.
"… I named him after my dog." He mumbles, which causes Alexus himself to burst into laughter.
"A dog?! Oh, how fitting!" He chuckles, calming down. "Do you know the reason 'Sebastian' hates dogs so much?" Ciel shakes his head. "It's because Damien's demon form is a dog. So it's just so…perfect that you named him after a thing he hated!"
"…For someone who says Sebastian is worthless, you keep talking fondly of him." The demon teen observes, causing the other man to stiffen up.
"I do? Heh… well…" Alexus looks down, smiling with a melancholy look in his eyes. "Well, I don't hate him. You need to understand little Ciel, that he isn't really any good. Especially when it comes to other's hearts. He… he'll do it to you, as well. Especially because he was cheated out of your soul. I bet as soon as he found out he could no longer have your soul, he started acting cold towards you, didn't he?" Said teen frowns, hesitating in his response. He knew Alexus was going to try and convince Ciel that Sebastian's a horrible person, no matter who it came to. Ciel didn't want to believe his immortal ancestor, but he was really starting to doubt everything.
"Yes. He did." He finally answers, "but-"
" I know what you're going to say." Alexus interrupts. "You were going to try and convince me that it's different with you too. I hate to crush your dreams, little Ciel, but I used to think the same thing. And I bet you let him sleep with you as well, didn't you?" The Phantomhive nods sullenly, a deep blush on his face for admitting it. Alexus shakes his head and sighs.
"You'll end up just like I did if you stay with him. Fire him as your butler. If you fire him, he'll leave. Come with us, Damien will take good care of you." He gushes, taking the young demon's hands in his own. " Damien isn't bad like 'Sebastian' thinks. He's been kind all these years. When he got Felix, that's the only time he really decided to contract someone. He even changed Felix himself, and doesn't mind that he's forever stuck as Felix's servant. In fact, their relationship is kind of the other way around. Felix adores him so much that he does what ever Damien wants."
As Alexus rambled on, Ciel had been staring at the ground. Leave Sebastian? Could he do that? Did he want to do something like that? The Phantomhive teen felt torn. What he was being told made sense, and worried him greatly. But at the same time, he didn't want to believe any of it.
"I-"
"Oi! There you are Ciel!" Said Earl looks up, finding that Felix had entered the room with Damien right behind him. "C'mon! I'm going to show you around! Stop letting Alexus bore you with his sob story!" he declares, taking Ciel away from Alexus before dragging him out of the room, not giving Ciel even a second to protest.
Making sure that the two demon boys were completely out of earshot, Damien looks at Alexus with a smile.
"Well then, I didn't think you would be so fond of the kid who owns your old flame, Alexus." He chuckles. "Why, I was coming in here expecting to pry you away from his body that you had mangled. You are quite a jealous person." Alexus scowls slightly, giving the other man a glare.
"He's family. I don't kill family, no matter how jealous I might be." He mutters. "I'm trying to convince him that he'll be heartbroken like I was when he finds out that the demon doesn't really care for him at all."
"How sweet." The silver-haired man sneers, "It doesn't matter. 'Sebastian has two options. Leaving, or dying. And I've already set up an assurance to give us a bit more time so little Ciel can make his decision." Alexus frowns.
"Damien, what did you do?" Said demon grins.
"I simply just spun a little lie to the shinigami. They'll take care of 'Sebastian' for now…"
Ciel was gone. Sebastian had been so wrapped up in his memories; he had failed to sense the danger his young demon master was in. His master was gone, and it was his fault.
Damn it all! I should have known something was wrong! Alex was a traitor! I... DAMN HIM. I knew there was something off! I should have known he would help his brother when he had the chance! I can't let this happen all over again!
Sebastian had spent the last day and a half searching all over, looking wherever he could, trying to find even a HINT to where Ciel was taken. Everything seemed like a blur to him as he traveled farther and farther away from the small town of Axebridge. If he didn't find his master soon, they would kill the boy. Sebastian could never let it happen. He wouldn't let Damien have what was his. Not again.
What worried the demonic butler the most is that his master had yet to call for him, and the mark signalizing their bond and contract between them remained dull and inactive.
Ciel was either in a place where he couldn't call for Sebastian, or he was unconscious. It had to be one of the two.
Sebastian had eventually stopped at a river a few miles away from the town of Axbridge, needing to recoup, and more importantly, calm down. With out really meaning to, Sebastian had demoned after he took off to look for the Phantomhive teen. He had even killed a poor male that had simply been in his way. Oh well, it was too late to take that back now.
The demonic man looks down at his reflection, calming down, and turning back into his full human form. With a sigh, he stares up at the sky.
"Young master...Where could you be?" He mutters.
"Oh Bassy, you're free of him yet you still worry about that kid!" a voice giggles. Said demon looks up, and much to his now ever growing irritation, sees a group of about twenty Shinigami standing on the opposite end of the river, with Grell and William heading the front of the group.
Great... Just what I needed... Pests...
"What do you all want, I'm a bit busy." He demands briskly, eyes flashing red, which makes the red-headed Death God squeal.
"Oh come now Sebas-chan!" The chain saw wielding man purrs, "You shouldn't be busy, you should be all happy! You'll be free soon enough, that fine looking silver-haired demon is going to kill the brat! No more contract for you!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Sebastian snaps angerily, unable to really hold himself to act like a butler at this point. To Grell, Sebastian's anger was amazing, and he tries so desperately hard to run to the demon, but fails, with Will holding him back in irritation.
"Calm down now demon. Your kind shouldn't show attachment towards humans," Will calmly begins, pushing Grell back with ease. "It's the inevitable. Ciel Phantomhive will die, and frankly you can't stop it."
"And I suppose you pests are going to stop me from reaching them?" Sebastian scoffs. His comment causes a murming uproar from the now upset divine beings.
"Now, We're not the pests here, Mr. Michealis." Will scoffs, adjusting his glasses. "We are simply doing our job. Now, stop this ruse, and turn back before we are forced to take action agaisnt you." Sebastian growls in response.
"What is that poor excuse of a demon bribing you with?" he demands to know, taking a step towards them. "don't make me get past you all by force." he then threatens, removing a glove. He was on borrowed time, and these divine beings werent helping at all.
"Now Mr. Sebastian, that would be a poor mistake." Will warns. "If you kill even one of us, you will be the cause of a war, and you know the angels will get involved as well. Is that child really worth a war?" he questions, ignoring Sebastian's first question.
"Hmph. I demand to know what he's holding over your heads!" the demon snarls, his aura beginning to flow around him as he grows more and more impatient.
"Fine, you really want to know, demon?" William says, eying Sebastian calmly. "Damien has promised us Alexus Blackcale's soul."
Sebastian freezes, his aura flow completely stopping in his slight shocked state. Alexus was still alive then. It had to be. And damien... was using the Blackcale as a bribe.
Without saying a word to Willm the demon recovers from his shock, and smiles at Grell, who was still on the ground after being pushed by his superior.
"Grell... Come over here. I would like a word with you." He says, faking a sweet tone in his voice.
Before his co-workers could prevent him from doing anything, Grell quickly appears in front of Sebastian.
"Yes Sebas-chan?" He cooes. "What, want to leave the brat for me?" he winks. Forcing himself not to shudder, Sebastian keeps the smile on his lips.
"Let's make a deal..."