Chapter 10: A Story.
Morning came and Sebastian prepared to leave for the Phantomhive estate.
He looked down at the sleeping girl whose small body was sprawled out across the bed. He chuckled lightly to himself as he leaned over her and placed a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose.
"I hate to leave you..." He whispered silently into her ear, "But I shall return as soon as I can."
He then stood up straight and walked into the hallway as he made his way out of the mansion.
"It's time to get up, my lord." The butler spoke, waking the young earl from his slumber.
"The sun has hardly even risen, why are you waking me up?" Ciel grumbled, rolling over on his stomach and pulling the covers over his head.
"My apologies, Young Master." He drew back the drapes, allowing the blinding rays of the rising sun to enter the room. "But if I let you sleep in any later, you won't want to get up."
"I have an empty schedule today." The boy groaned, "So why don't you just take the day off and let me sleep?"
Sebastian rose a brow, "What do you mean by that, my lord?"
The bluenette's voice was muffled from the blankets, "I mean exactly what I said."
The raven-haired butler smirked ever so slightly as he then bowed, "Very well, then." He said as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Cassie's eyes fluttered as she noticed the butler straightening out his tailcoat. She sat up as she rubbed her eyes, "Sebastian?"
"Did I wake you, my lady?" He asked, turning to face the girl.
She shook her head as she crawled to the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Why haven't you left yet? The sun's already up."
He smiled as he stroked her silken navy hair, "I left earlier, but my Young Master told me to take the day off, so here I am."
She tilted her head as she looked up into his piercing crimson orbs, "So you'll be here the whole day?"
He nodded, "Is there anything special you would like for me to do?"
"Tell me a story." The girl requested in a groggy voice, fatigue teasing her with tired eyes and a yawn sitting in her throat.
The demon chuckled softly as he sat down on the bed beside her and looked deep into her cerulean eyes, causing her face to flush, leaving a light pink blush resting on her cheeks.
"Well..." He begun, wrapping his arms around the girl's small frame, holding her close. "Once, there was a man. He had a family, friends, neighbors, everything someone could hope for. He had a simple life, but one day..." Sebastian swallowed hard, forcing a light smile and continuing in a soft tone. "One day, there was a group of people who came from an enemy country. They took the man's family, and they hurt them, oh so badly. Right in front of him..."
Cassie's eyes widened slightly, her heart heaving more and more with each word, yet she didn't understand why.
It was just a story, right? So why was her heart reacting this way?
"And right after they had hurt the man's family, they killed him... Or, they tried to, at least. You know what anger does to a person, my dear Cassie... And the anger you felt the day you called for me... the man felt the same pain. But worse. Millions of times worse. He felt anger, then sorrow, then back to fury again just to return to depression all within seconds. And when overcome with such pain and sorrow, it can change someone. But maybe not for the better... The man's eyes glowed a bright fuchsia, his fingernails turned black and grew out into huge, razor sharp claws. He had no clue what was going on, but he didn't care. The man took revenge for his loved ones that he couldn't save. And once the deed was done, a black fog appeared in front of him. 'I have given you a power unlike any other humans,' the voice said, deep and hoarse, as if it had been swallowing glass just before they'd met. The man was given two choices by the aura." He paused as he took a deep breath.
"One, return the powers he was given and return to life as a human... Or, keep the powers and use them in any purpose of his choosing. Well, the man had no home to go to, no life to return to... So, he kept the powers, and he began his new life as a demon. This man wandered countless lands and encountered billions of people. But no one he cared about nearly as much as his family. The man lived such a lonely life, he resorted to relying on others' pain for his own amusement. He believed he didn't deserve to love, and that he'd never find it again in his life. Until one day he was summoned by a little girl, trapped in a cage and covered in so much blood, she couldn't remember where it came from. A girl with stunning aqua eyes and navy hair that fell in front of her face in the cutest way... The loneliest man in the world finally felt needed... wanted... loved. And although the man had done countless things wrong in his life, and continued to mess up repeatedly, the girl would forgive him every time..."
Sebastian's voice began to crack as he gently pressed his and Cassie's foreheads together, maintaining eye contact. "...Even when he doesn't deserve it."
Her eyes glazed over with tears. She'd never heard anything about Sebastian's past, and she'd never suspected it would have been anything like this.
What was there to say? No words can explain the emotions Cassie felt. So then there were only actions.
She leaned in slightly, interlocking their lips, allowing the kiss to linger as long as she could before finally pulling away, looking deep into the glassy auburn eyes in front of her.
Warmth filled her heart as she then smiled lightly and spoke in a quiet, comforting tone. "I love you."
"I love you too." He spoke, cupping her face in his hands. He smiled as he closed his eyes and remained soundless, cherishing the moment.
"Sebastian." The girl spoke silently.
The demon continued to sit there with his forehead against hers and his eyes shut, "Yes?"
"Why won't you let me form a contract with you?" She asked, her voice distant and sad.
His eyes immediately opened and a feeling of uneasiness washed over him, "Is it necessary for you to ask that? I could never forgive myself if I deprived you from the paradise that comes after death."
She sighed as she pulled away from him and looked down into her lap, avoiding his gaze at all costs. "It wouldn't be paradise if I couldn't spend it with you..."
He reached out to take her hand, "I'll stay by your side until the very end, my dear."
She looked up at him as she held out her other hand, pinky out. "You promise?"
He wrapped his pinky around hers as a small smile claimed his lips, "I promise."