I'M SORRY. I've been really sidetracked! Plus I started my summer dance intensive. That's Monday - Saturday, from 9AM - 6PM, so I've been really sore and cranky. I swear I'll tr to update as fast as possible! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please continue to support my story!
Chapter 10: Neko
Ciel woke up, feeling utterly refreshed and ready for his next part of training. He heard a voice rumble distantly with amusement, and one of his eyes snapped open to glare at Sebastian.
"What?" He snapped irritably at Sebastian, whose eyes only further widened in amusement.
Sebastian gave him a smirk and smiled again. Ciel began to get suspicious. He had never seen Sebastian this amused before.
"Why do you look so happy?"
If anything, Sebastian's smile just morphed into a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat's.
"Is looking at the object of my desire not a good enough excuse to be happy, my lord?"
"Stuff it you old cow."
Ciel rolled around on the bed, before getting onto his knees and stretching his back and arms out, yawning at the same time. He heard a chuckle, and irritated, he swung around only to be greeted by the sight of a fluffy and swaying tail.
Ciel stared at it for a moment before looking to see where it came from. The seconds ticked by as Ciel traced the curve of the tail as it ended and connected to the end...of his own butt.
Yowling, Ciel whipped around to face a grinning Sebastian and pointed furiously at his butt.
"Just what is this, Sebastian? Is this another one of your little fetishes that you stuck on me in the night?"
He saw Sebastian's eyes flick up towards the top of his head, and suspicious, Ciel reached a hand up and patted his head.
Ciel's entire body froze as his fingers came into contact with a furry appendage on his head. His fingers twitched slightly, and a tic appeared beneath his eye. He stared Sebastian down.
There was absolute silence as the cat ear twitched and slightly flapped against his fingers.
Sebastian braced himself, waiting for the tantrum and burst of vulgar insults sure to fly his way.
He was surprised when Ciel's face morphed into a stoic face, one expressionless enough to match Sebastian's butler face, and got up and stood in front of the mirror.
He watched apprehensively as Ciel stared at himself. Ciel's eyes slowly traced hi figure up and down slowly. His eyes came to a rest first at his bottom. He turned around, and the tail moved with him. He hissed when the tail brushed against his bare thigh and then started wagging gently in the air. He stared at it for another moment, before reaching a finger down to stroke it. He jumped a bit when the tip of the tail suddenly wrapped around his finger. It was the same color as his hair, black with tints of blue and teal. It felt like the finest velvet, smooth and soft.
Ciel turned back to the mirror and stared at his face. At first, he seemed unfazed, but then his tail started fluffing up in size and in agitation. He hissed in surprise again when he saw his eyes for the first time. His tail started quivering and Sebastian became mildly alarmed. Ciel raised a hand up to touch his face, and shrieked when he noticed his fingers. He had claws, just like a cat. He stared at them incredulously, and his eyes grew even bigger when his claws retracted and he got his fingernails back.
He stared at his eyes again, and his nose scrunched up in displeasure. Sebastian musingly thought to himself that he had never seen anything cuter. Ciel stared at his eyes again. Well, they were the same, one blue, one red, but now they were the eyes of any cat or demon. It was a vertical slit, giving him the appearance of an open-eyed, wary, and ready to attack animal.
His eyes slowly traced up to the top of his head where his cat ears sat. A tic appeared under Ciel's eye and Sebastian gave a small chuckle. Ciel reached both hands up and put them on his ears. He squeezed them a couple of times to ensure that they were in fact real and not some stick on appendages.
Ciel looked at himself in the mirror with a blank expression before turning around slowly to look at Sebastian. His face immediately transformed into one of the sweetest, gentlest, and most child-like smile that Sebastian had ever seen in all his life. Sebastian was stunned, to say the least. Even Grell, who hated the earl, would've melted into putty at the sight of that smile. It was cherubic, angelic, and everything to do with the word "heavenly."
His nice thoughts of Ciel immediately vanished when he found himself on his back on the bed a moment later, with Ciel's eyes in blazing slits of fury and his claws poised at Sebastian's throat. Hmm, he seemed to have acquired a rabid cat's personality as well as a cat's characteristics.
Sebastian heard bones crack as Ciel flexed his clawed hand, cracking his joints.
"Sebastian..." Ciel hissed in barely restrained anger. "Why in GOD'S name have you done this to me? Why a cat? You know I'm allergic to the goddamned animals!"
Sebastian smiled and reached a hand up, before resting it in the space between Ciel's ears and gently petting. The transformation was immediate. One moment rabid neko-boy, the second a purring heap of contentment on Sebastian's chest. Sebastian chuckled, his other hand moving to bring the boy closer to himself.
"Oh, Ciel...I didn't do this to you. This is all you! You remember when you first saw me; it was in the shape of a crow? That is my chosen animal form. A human might refer to it as an, ah...like a witch's familiar. Do you get my meaning? Although..."
Sebastian paused and looked at the neko-boy.
"It seems like you've merged. Maybe you can transform into a cat later on, when your abilities improve and strengthen."
He was rewarded with a hiss and a bite on his hand. Sebastian sighed, before petting Ciel again and taking his hand out of Ciel's mouth.
"Bocchan...even as a neko, your attitude really hasn't changed, has it? Well, no matter. You have another day of training today. Let's see if you've gained any abilities with this form. Would you like something to eat first?"
"...Iwantabowlofmilkandcream."
"Pardon?"
"A bowl of milk and cream!"
A bewildered Sebastian stared at Ciel, who was glaring at him with a blush evident on his face and his tail between his legs in shame.
Sebastian's face split into a wide grin and he bowed.
"Very well. I'll be back in a few moments, my lord."
Ciel humphed and turned away from him, his ears twitching in annoyance. He heard the door close behind Sebastian and his eyes flicked towards the door. In a flash, Ciel was bounding towards the window, and he unlatched it. Right as he got his left leg hooked out of the window, he felt someone's warm breath across the back of neck and he freezed.
"Just where do you think you're going, bocchan?"
"Damn, he caught me."
"N-nowhere."
"I have your bowl of milk and cream, just as you ordered, bocchan."
Ciel turned his head away in disdain and slung his leg back into the room when his nose twitched. Aahhh, that overpowering and delicious aroma of milk and cream mixed together...wait, what? He didn't like milk! Or cream, for that matter. And the two of them mixed together? Blech!
...
Well...maybe just this once. It smelled good. Really good. Tantalizing, in fact. Oh shoot, his mouth was watering. What the heck.
Sebastian put the dish on top of a table in the room. Quick as a flash, Ciel had leapt up onto the table and down on his knees, hands gripping the edge of the table and his face a mere inch above the dish. Sebastian stared at Ciel. He had his bottom straight up in the air, and he was quivering, with that adorable tail swishing in the air.
Sebastian watched as Ciel's pink and now sandpapery tongue darted in and out of his mouth, lapping the milk and cream up in little droplets. Sebastian shuddered. He knew of other things Ciel could be licking with that tongue of his...
He watched, entranced, as Ciel's bottom began wiggling in pleasure, and as his cat ears perked up as Ciel began purring in satisfaction. Ciel drained the last drops of his breakfast before sitting back up on his haunches and licking his lips. He then turned towards Sebastian and glared at him again, clearly irritated from last night.
"Stop looking at me, you idiot."
"No."
In one moment, Sebastian had his pet pinned to the table, with one of his hands holding both of Ciel's together, and his waist pinning down the thrashing boy's body.
Ciel hissed, his eyes flashing and his pupils diverting into slits.
"Let go of me! Why do you always torment me like this when I clearly mean nothing to you?"
Sebastian leaned in close, his face right up above Ciel's and his eyes glittered.
"That's where you're wrong, Ciel."
Ciel glanced down and saw Sebastian's nose.
"Bastard...I should just bite his nose off right now, and ruin his good looks. He deserves it!"
Just as Ciel opened his mouth, he gave a strangled yell as Sebastian kissed him none too gently, wiggling his tongue into Ciel's mouth. Ciel squirmed underneath Sebastian, and he raised his hands, forcing his claws out and sinking them into Sebastian's back.
Sebastian pulled away, startled, and stared at Ciel. His lips curved into a wicked smile.
"Oh, what a feisty bocchan I have. In the mood to play, are we?"
Ciel gasped as Sebastian slid his hand under his nightshirt, before removing it and making quick work of undoing the buttons. He placed kisses all over Ciel's neck, hitting a sensitive spot and causing Ciel to moan.
As Sebastian was snaking his hand down Ciel's stomach, a voice cut in.
"It looks like I'm interrupting something."
Sebastian's eyes blazed in fury. Always, always, something had to interrupt him and come in between him and Ciel's time. Oh blast, it was his fault. Glancing at the figure, he cursed when he realized he'd left the door open in his haste to get back to Ciel.
He reluctantly climbed off of Ciel, who sprang up as soon as he was released and dashed to the bathroom, slamming the door.
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, sighing and turning towards the figure in the door. He forced a thin-lipped smile onto his face as he greeted the demon.
"Hello, Malphas."
The one known as Malphas also forced a thinly veiled smile onto his face.
"Hello there, little one. Long time no see, no?"
Sebastian snorted.
"As I recall, you were banished from ever setting foot back into Satan's castle. What are you doing here?"
A smile, a flash of fangs and teeth.
"Oh, no no no no no. You see, I was temporarily brought out of banishment by Satan himself, you see. Because no one can do a better job than me in teaching newborn demons. And as he said, I'm supposed to be teaching your tasty little morsel of a contractor. He's quite an attractive one, is he not?"
Sebastian snarled, once again getting possessive and over-protective.
"Keep your hands off of my bocchan."
Malphas smiled a sickly grin.
"Well, I could do that. But then what would happen when you're injured, and your poor little bocchan is left on his own, with no way of protecting himself? Come now, Sebastian. Don't be an idiot. I won't harm the boy! I'm merely here to, how would you say it? To refine and better his skills."
A tug on Sebastian's shirt made him look down. Ciel stood at his side, head cocked to the right and his eyes morphing.
"Who's this, Sebastian?"
"This is-"
"My name is Malphas, little one. And I'll be your instructor today."
Malphas knelt at Ciel's feet and took one of his hands into his own and kissed it. Beside Ciel, Sebastian bristled up, but Ciel merely gazed impassively at the demon kneeling before him.
"Hmph."
Ciel gave Malphas a brisk nod before turning to Sebastian with a frown.
"When are we starting?"
"Right now, actually. Let's go."
"Is Satan going to be watching again?"
"...Probably. He seems to have taken an interest to you."
"Let's go, Sebastian."
A while later, the three of them arrived at a dense forest. However, instead of the healthy green that Ciel was used to seeing, everything from leaves to flowers and tree trunks were gray, black, or decaying and rotting. Ciel raised an eyebrow at the sight and fondly thought back to his own beautiful gardens at his mansion. The perfect blooming roses, the finely trimmed trees...that is, if everything wasn't killed by Finny and his idiotic weed-sprayer.
Ciel shook his head to clear out the memories. He turned to Malphas.
"So, what exactly are we doing here?"
"Satan wanted me to instruct you on how to creep and move from place to place without being detected little one."
"Oh, and it just so happens that I'm a neko-boy, gifted with a cat's stealthy moves and agility."
Ciel's voice was dripped poison and sarcasm as he stared at his tail with obvious disdain.
"Actually, that will help, unless you don't know how to use your cat skills to your advantage. Your job is to find me within an hour and to attack me, without me sensing your presence or hearing you. Got that?"
"...I can't even dress myself, much less get used to walking without my cane, what the hell makes you think I can do that?"
Malphas sighed. Today was obviously going to be a long day.
"Alright little one. Sebastian and I will give you a few pointers first, and then we'll start. Alright?"
"That's fine with me."
The three of them moved over to the edge of the forest. Malphas paused and looked expectedly at Ciel.
"Little one? You do at least know how to jump from branch to branch, and tree to tree, right?"
There was a lengthy pause, and a sound of scurrying. Malphas sighed and looked up at Ciel, who was now perched on a tree branch and glaring down at him.
"Of course I do! There's nothing to it!"
There was a startled yelp as Ciel jumped onto a branch and lost his footing, beginning to fall. Sebastian raced to catch Ciel but stopped short when he saw Ciel right himself in the air and land nimbly on all fours. Ciel stared dumbly at the ground and then he looked up at Sebastian with an icy glint in his eyes.
"Sebastian...why didn't you catch me?"
Sebastian just stared awestruck at him.
"You...you didn't need my help!"
Ciel once again regarded himself before shrugging.
"It must be the cat in me."
Ciel stiffened when he heard "tsk"ing from behind him. He turned around to see Malphas shaking his head.
"Little one...your form is absolutely terrible. I'll show you the correct way. Up we go!"
Ciel sputtered as Malphas grabbed him round the waist and hoisted him up to a rather large and wide branch, big enough for the two of them to stand side by side.
"Now watch me, and copy my movements exactly."
Malphas positioned himself into a crouch, with his arms splayed out in front of him. He turned his head back to see Ciel awkwardly trying to shift himself into the same position. He sighed heavily before walking over to Ciel.
"No, little one. You've got the form completely wrong!"
Sebastian's eyes twitched as he watched Malphas teach Ciel. He glared jealously as Malphas placed his hands on Ciel's slim and girly waist, slowly sliding them down...no, that was his imagination. He narrowed his eyes at Malphas, ready to make a move if he thought Malphas's ways were inappropriate.
Malphas corrected Ciel's form, making Ciel tuck in his stomach and bend his knees more, and to splay his fingers out. From Sebastian's point of view, Ciel almost had his ass entirely up in the air; with Malphas right behind him, running his hands all over his lithe body. So naturally, Sebastian got the wrong impression. He growled loudly, letting his displeasure be known.
Ciel snapped his head down and growled just as angrily back at Sebastian.
"Shut it! I'm trying to learn!"
Sebastian growled, his eyes still glued to Malphas's hands, but he settled down again. He watched warily as Malphas instructed Ciel to jump from branch to branch, and inwardly winced when Ciel fell again. He didn't make a move to catch him, since he saw Ciel landing from his falls that were more than 20 feet up. After all, his bocchan was like a cat now, and cats are nimble and they react very fast.
Sebastian waited patiently for about another half an hour as Malphas instructed Ciel on how to jump from different angles and land on different places, and how to climb various plants and what to make use of.
He smiled when he realized Malphas was done. Nimbly, he leapt up onto the branch they were on, and brought Ciel over to his side just a tad hastily.
"Thank you, Malphas," he said smoothly. "But if I may, there's a few things I should teach Ciel before you actually start."
"Go right ahead, Sebastian." Leaning closer, he whispered into Sebastian's ear. "He's a real piece of work, how could you stand that for 3 years?"
Sebastian grinned.
"Why, I was merely one hell of a butler."
Malphas winced.
"Sebastian...you know, that catchphrase of yours is really overused. That, and also your 'Oh, what kind of a servant would I be if I couldn't do this?' and your 'Phantomhive butler blah blah blah stuff.' You do remember that he is your pet and servant now, right? Well, not that it's any of my business. But, carry on. I'll give you half an hour."
Sebastian watched, and sighed in relief as he saw Malphas finally leave. He turned to Ciel, who was watching a bird nearby on a tree. He watched amusedly as Ciel's nose and ears twitched as he waited for the right moment to pounce on the unsuspecting bird.
"Ciel, you're never going to cat-"
*HISSSSS*MREOW*YOWL*CRUNCH.*
Sebastian stared, jaw dropping, as Ciel returned a split second later, with the newly dead bird in between his hands. Ciel studied the bird, looking bored, before trotting over and dumping it at Sebastian's feet. Ciel huffed and turned his head away, his swaying tail the only hint of how proud he was feeling of himself.
"So?"
"...ah, sorry, what, Ciel?"
"...Aren't you going to use your half an hour?"
"Ah. Pardon me."
Sebastian knelt, and suddenly rushed at Ciel, effectively knocking him off the branch. Ciel gave a girly squeal before managing to flip in the air and stretch his hand out to catch onto a branch, halting his fall with a rather painful jerk. He sputtered as a bunch of leaves suddenly fell onto his face.
"The hell was that for, asshole?"
"Well, you have to get ready for the unexpected. And knowing Malphas, when you attempt to track him, he'll have a bunch of tricks thrown at you. Trust me, I would know."
Sebastian's tone held an irritated and dark edge. Ciel's mouth gaped.
"Sebastian...don't tell me..."
"I failed to meet his requirements when he was 'training' me, so to speak, and he's never let me live it down. That's why; I'll show you a few useful tips to help you later."
Ciel shook his head, shocked. Sebastian? Fail? That was...absolutely ludicrous.
Well. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone. Show that Malphas that even though he was a Halfling he could do whatever was asked of him, and possibly lower that ego of Sebastian's by being successful where he, an actual demon, had failed! Right. He was going to do this.
He paid close attention as Sebastian demonstrated a few tricks on how to catch yourself when you were falling, how to move quickly and quietly, without so much as a scrape of your feet, how to dodge incoming things thrown at your body, and how to listen for the sound of someone or something approaching.
Halfway through, Ciel started grumbling. He was tired, his body was aching from falling and being thrown in every single direction, and he was hungry. All of that added equaled to: an annoying neko-boy. And we all know that irritated cats are no fun to deal with.
"Sebastian, can't we take a break? I've never been this sore before! And I'm hungry."
"No. You need to learn how to do this before Malphas comes back. And you won't get anything to eat until after we're done."
"Shit."
The curse was quiet enough, but of course Sebastian's ears picked it up. His eyebrow twitched.
"Ciel, shouldn't you know by now that that is not proper language for a young earl?"
All he got in response was a snort of laughter.
"Young earl? 'Young earl'?" Ciel sputtered incredulously. "Look around you, Sebastian? Where is the mansion that a young earl should have? Where are the servants, the carriages, the fine clothes an earl should have? Where is this earl you speak of? Who is it? And where and what happened to that faithful butler who always carried out his orders?"
Sebastian stopped at Ciel's last sentence, his eyes widening as he looked back at Ciel.
"Ciel..."
"No! You listen, and you listen now, Sebastian! I didn't ask for this, alright? None of this! I got what I wanted! You got what you wanted! Your soul, my soul, seasoned and flavored over the years! Why, then? Why did you bring me back down here with you? You could have just let me die, Sebastian! I had nothing else to live for! Nothing else but yo-"
Ciel abruptly cut off, his eyes looking shocked as he realized what he had been about to say. Sebastian's eyes widened too at that last bit.
A blush began to form on Ciel's cheeks before he shook his head and walked in the opposite direction of Sebastian.
"Never mind. I'll go find Malphas."
"Cie-"
Ciel whipped around, his eyes snapping open to glare at Sebastian with the full intensity of his glowing Halfling eyes, looking doubly dangerous with his vertical slits.
"I said never mind, Sebastian."
Turning around, Ciel began to run as he shouted into the air.
"Malphas! Where are you? I'm ready!"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Malphas immediately materialized out of thin air, dropping onto the dead field with a slight 'plop'. He looked at Ciel's furious face, and back at Sebastian before decided not to probe the matter. He nodded at Sebastian.
"Follow me, Sebastian."
Sebastian gave Ciel another glance before running off with Malphas. Ciel watched as the two of them jumped off into the dead foliage, briskly making their way deep into the withered forest. Ciel slightly flinched when a booming voice rang out from the sky.
"Ciel! You have an hour to fine either me, or Sebastian. If you find me, you will engage me in battle on the spot. If you find Sebastian, he will take you to where I am. Your time begins...NOW!"
Ciel listened idly for a moment before sprinting into the forest as well. His ears twitched as they caught onto very faint noises of leaves cracking. Sniffing the air for a moment, Ciel silently crawled up a tree and swiveled his head around. He thought he caught a flash of something, so he whipped his head around. He strained his eyes, and very, very faintly, he caught the outline a figure moving swiftly away. Smiling grimly to himself, Ciel quickly slunk over to the edge of the branch he was standing out and crouched. Recalling Malphas and Sebastian's advice, he began to quickly and efficiently leap from tree to tree, branch to branch. He thought he was doing quite well until Malphas's voice boomed out again and caused him to fall out of his tree in fright.
"Too noisy, Ciel! Why, I can hear you from miles away. You have 45 minutes left. Hurry up."
Ciel grit his teeth. Cursing under his breath, he began to move slower, trying to be more careful of how much noise he was making. His neck prickled suddenly when he sensed the presence of another demon. Quietly, Ciel sunk into the cover of a leafy branch and watched as Sebastian sped by. He thought he saw Sebastian's eyes move a fraction in his direction and his signature smirk, but it was gone in less than a second. Did Sebastian know he was there? Oh well.
Ciel flipped out of the tree and landed neatly in front of Sebastian. There was a flicker of surprise on Ciel's face when he looked up, only to find that Sebastian was nowhere in sight.
"Wha-"
Ciel thought that something was wrong with his eyes when he saw the world from a new angle. Huh. It looked like everything was upside down. And he and the world were moving, too! What...?
He shrieked in surprise when he realized Sebastian had dumped him over his shoulder and was running at a breakneck place. Agitated, his tail fluffed up in size, blocking Sebastian's point of view. Sebastian sighed, as much as he wanted to stay and pet Ciel and touch his cute neko self all over, he really didn't have time for this. He brushed Ciel's tail out of his line of vision and hurried towards a clearing.
About 100 feet from the clearing of dead and dry grass, Sebastian stopped, set Ciel down, and looked around. He closed his eyes for a moment before concentrating and thinking of bending Malphas's mind. A moment later, his eyes twitched as his mind connected with Malphas. Malphas's amused voice trickled through his mind.
"I see he found you, Sebastian. Was it actually his doing, or did you give him some help by conveniently 'running' past his hideout? Oh well. I'm in the clearing, waiting. Just throw Ciel in from where-ever you are when you're ready."
"Roger that."
Sebastian straightened up and cracked hi knuckles before turning to Ciel with a nasty gleam in his eye. He stalked over to where Ciel was angrily muttering himself. Ciel shot a look at Sebastian. His expression darkened, and he slunk over to a nearby tree and ran up it, settling onto a large branch and perching on it, peering down at Sebastian.
"Ciel, we really don't have time to play games. Malphas is waiting for you in the field."
"Well, just let me walk over by myself. Go away."
Sebastian smiled.
"No can do! You see, I have orders to follow, too."
Ciel growled when he felt Sebastian's hands around his waist. Before he could bite Sebastian's head off, he was already soaring in the air towards the clearing. Choking back a startled shout, he quickly did a somersault as he approached the ground. Coughing as dust flew into his eyes; he jumped back suddenly when an object flew through the air and landed in the spot where he had been sitting.
"What in the?"
"Ciel, are you ready?"
Ciel cursed and flipped out of the way when Malphas flew out from the billowing cloud dust and rushed at him with glowing purple eyes and claws. Ciel gaped when he saw a tremendous tiger replace the spot where Malphas had been standing.
"Malphas...?"
Ciel was even more shocked when a deep, rumbling sound came out of the tiger's throat.
"Correct, little one. I am a shapeshifter. Quite incidentally, you are too...although I can't teach you how to transform. Come, Ciel! Come at me with your claws and show me what you've got!"
"You gotta be fucking kidding me..."
Ciel leapt to the side as Malphas snarled in his tiger form and charged towards him. Muttering to himself about his rotten luck, Ciel ran towards a tree and jumped onto the highest branch it had to offer. He then turned around and jumped onto Malphas's back, saddling him like he would a horse. Snarling, Malphas began to buck wildly in every direction, to try to fling Ciel off his back. Hissing, Ciel's claws extended and he dug them into Malphas's forehead as he slid over and onto Malphas's head. The lion roared as Ciel began to slash in earnest at his face, leaving a few gashes. A claw came a bit too close for comfort when Ciel nearly took his eye out.
"Enough of this play."
Malphas brought a paw up and swatted Ciel to the ground. Ciel got back on his feet and snarled at Malphas, cat eyes glowing. Malphas merely laid a gigantic paw on Ciel to keep him at bay. The lion gave a predatory grin.
"Let's see how you like being swatted at, little one."
Ciel howled in pain when one of Malphas's claws swiped and cut him across his chest, leaving a bloody cut in its wake. He hissed again when Malphas decided to dip the tip of his claw in the gash of Ciel's chest. He brought it up to his face, sniffed, and licked it. Malphas's eyes widened.
"My, I can certainly see why so many demons are drawn to you. You smell wonderful, but the taste of you...it's out of this realm. Absolutely delectable."
"Malphas NO!"
Sebastian's cry came too late as Malphas's eyes began to glow in hunger and lust. Sebastian couldn't reach the clearing in time before Malphas sunk one of his lethal and sharp claws into the gash in Ciel's chest.
Gasping from the pain, Ciel saw spots swimming in his eyes. The pain was almost too much to bear. Having a claw dig around in his chest...ripping tendons and muscles, letting precious blood seep out...Ciel soon blacked out. And his heart stopped.
And once again, for the second time that week, Ciel sunk into the welcoming darkness.
When he awoke again, he was only a little surprised to see the darkness pooling around him. Blinking his eyes a few times, Ciel sat up as he looked around into nothingness. As his eyes adjusted into the glaring black nothingness, he winced as a sudden flash of bright light suddenly burst out of nowhere.
As he blinked to readjust to the sudden change in lighting, his jaw dropped as he realized where he was, and who he was with.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..."
A guttural growl from the base of its throat was all the reply he got.
"Pluto?"
Another growl, a flash of red eyes that were clearly insane, a flash of teeth that were insanely sharp, a bit of spittle hanging from the corner of his mouth. This wasn't Pluto. This was the deranged Hellhound that Ash had manipulated. This was the dog that burned down his mansion and caused London to burn; the dog that he had ordered his weeping servants to kill. Now, was it his turn to go against the huge Hellhound? How could he, when he was only about one tenth of Pluto's size?
...
Once again, Ciel felt the urge to let Pluto kill him and finish him off. Or would he regain his will to live, the second before he perished? Would it be like last time? And would Satan show up this time to help him regain his senses?
None of that mattered, because at that precise moment, Pluto chose to strike. Snarling, Pluto's shackles were raised and quivering as he prepared to launch himself at Ciel. Ciel snarled back, willing his claws to come out and hoping for some kind of miracle to help him.
"Come at me, you great big useless dog."
Two things happened simultaneously.
1). Pluto jumped.
2). Ciel jumped.
The result?
Ciel highly misjudged his distance and ended up being squashed beneath Pluto's gigantic, snapping jaws that was mere inches above his own throat. Ciel struggled in vain, since his small body was nothing against Pluto's Hellhound form. He craned his head as far back as he could from those razor sharp teeth that were trying to tear his throat out. He winced in disgust as a stream of spit came running out of Pluto's mouth and onto his face. He hissed in surprise and pain as the spit turned out to be slightly acidic, burning him in the process.
"Get...OFF!"
Snarling, Ciel did the only thing he could. He slammed his claws into the base of Pluto's neck as hard as he could, and he began to tear at Pluto's throat with his fangs too.
Howling in pain, Pluto rolled off of Ciel and over to the side, whimpering and curling into a ball.
Ciel tried to stand up, but faltered and fell back to the ground with a heavy thump. As his eyes began to feel heavy, he fought himself.
"Goddammit! Keep your eyes open, Ciel! You're not going to let Pluto of all things be the one to do you in, are you? Get a hold of yourself!"
Ciel could only watch in fear as Pluto began to pick himself up. As the great Hellhound turned around, he saw that the dog was mad- no, beyond pissed, and he wasn't gonna shit around this time. No, sir no. The look in Pluto's eyes was murderous, and he looked absolutely ready to kill the master that had taken him in.
As Pluto stalked over, he took slow and calculated steps, like a predator going in for the final kill. As he approached Ciel's limp body, he began to smell something. Pluto sniffed the air curiously. Instead of the stench of fear that had been emanating from Ciel, he smelled something...different. Powerful, almost. He trotted over to Ciel's body and batted him once with his powerful paws, leaving another wide gash right below the gash that Malphas had inflicted on Ciel. Pluto gave a whine when he realized his new play-toy was almost dead. He sniffed the near dead neko-boy before trotting off in disappointment.
Meanwhile, Ciel's vision was becoming clouded with a veil of red. Ciel felt the adrenaline pumping through his blood, but he just couldn't bring himself to move. The peaceful feeling before dying...he hadn't felt this comfortable in a while. Then the feeling came. Ciel's back arched up and his mouth opened in a soundless scream.
Once again, the mark in his eye blazed with a ferociousness that completely beat out the previous day's pain. His mouth opened and closed, his throat constricted, but still, no sound came out of his mouth. His body twitched and convulsed. If anyone saw, it would have seemed like poor Ciel was having a seizure.
The veil of red intensified in front of Ciel's eyes. If anything, the mild red increased to a crimson, blood-red color that flashed periodically. Ciel started to feel changes. He felt his heartbeat begin to thump powerfully, and he gave another soundless gasp as his senses truly awakened. He closed his eyes once, and opened them again, seeing the world in a completely different light.
His senses had altered. In the face of death once again, he had awakened his animal form, and Ciel looked at himself in pure astonishment. The sleek, black and shiny fur that would have rivaled the finest fur in the entire world. The gigantic blue and red eyes with one thin vertical slit in the middle that held the cold, calculated gaze of a would-be murderer and predator. The ferocious claws that gleamed like the sharpest death-scythe, the tips that were perfect for ripping out throats and tearing things to shreds. The pale pink nose that was capable of picking up even the faintest scents from miles away. The ears that were able to detect even the softest of sighs, the most inaudible words.
Ciel felt as though his senses had been clouded over. He felt like cotton balls had been removed from his nose and his ears, and that glasses had been placed onto his eyes, sharpening his sight and vision. Yes, this new change suited Ciel just fine. In place of Ciel's human body, a sleek and gleaming midnight blue-black panther stood, poised to strike at anything and anyone. Ciel's eyes honed in on one sight: the retreating sight of Pluto. Lips curved back into a noiseless snarl, fangs dipping over the curve of his jaw like a saber-toothed tiger. Ciel crouched, and with a graceful leap, he soared into the air and landed roughly 50 feet from Pluto. He saw Pluto's ear twitch as the giant dog stopped and turned around curiously. Thankfully, there was a heavy mist, so Ciel could not be seen. However, he knew that he had been sensed.
Quietly, like a cat stalks the mouse, Ciel padded closer and closer to Pluto. The pads of his paws were a great cushion; they prevented any noise from being made as Ciel slowly and deliberately stalked over to where Pluto remained, dumbfounded. Narrowing his eyes, Ciel silently abided his time before the right moment came to strike. Just as the fog parted, Ciel leapt, high and mighty.
Now letting his voice be heard, Ciel snarled out a challenge as he whipped his claws along Pluto's back, successfully marring Pluto's silver-blue fur. Howling in pain, Pluto reared his head back and regarded the huge panther in front of him. They locked their eyes. Predator against predator. Canine against feline.
Both leapt for each other at the same time. Ciel went for the throat, Pluto went for the heart. As Ciel's powerful jaws closed around Pluto's throat with a sickening crunch, Pluto flailed in Ciel's grasp as he tried to hit something, anything! One of Pluto's heavy paws came in contact with Ciel's back, causing the panther to release his hold on Pluto. Snarling in triumph, the Hellhound bit down on Ciel's paw, biting it through to the bone and tearing it off with a snap of his jaw. Hissing, Ciel could only watch as one of his paws was ripped away by the dog's jaws. He watched as strips of tendon and muscle were exposed, and how his blood painted the ground in a fresh splatter.
The triumphant dog crunched on Ciel's paw for a moment before tossing it to the side, where it twitched once and then lay still. The Hellhound gave a pleased and sickly smile bared with bloodstained fangs. Ciel merely looked at the stump of his paw before calmly raising it up to his face and licking it once. Ciel calmly regarded the demon hound in front of him for a moment before the air around Ciel turned dangerous.
Pluto's ear flicked back in surprise as a confused whine escaped from his muzzle. The air surrounding his enemy had become more dangerous in a fraction of a second. Now all that Pluto could see was a swirling black mass, with a pair of glowing red and blue eyes peering out at him from the darkness. A flash of white showed Ciel's sickly sweet smile, looking like the Cheshire Cat but pointier and more, er, dangerous.
Ciel stepped out from the enveloping mass, with a regenerated paw that seemed as though it was covered in a spiked armor of sorts. Ciel's tail had fanned out, with flames shooting from his tail. (Let's just pray he doesn't fart, eh?) His claws on either paw turned a deep crimson burgundy color, implying that they were tipped with poison. His eyes narrowed and grew huge before charging at Pluto.
He swung a paw at Pluto, who ducked his head and ran to the other side of the battlefield. Pluto's neck stiffened as he felt Ciel's presence very, very close by. He yelped in alarm as he leapt to the right side as Ciel's paw came out of nowhere and grazed him faintly on the shoulder.
Ciel gave a huff. He was prepared to dive in once again to strike that idiot mutt dead once and for all, but then Pluto did something rather strange. The intense light in his eyes dimmed, and Pluto suddenly looked around as if he were confused. As his eyes settled on Ciel, the corners of his mouth started to bubble and froth. Before his eyes lost clarity, he stared at Ciel long and hard, trying to convey some secret message. Ciel couldn't read the meaning in Pluto's steadily dimming eyes. Finally, the great Hellhound succumbed to the poison Ciel had injected into his body with one swipe of his claws and toppled over, dead.
Ciel stared curiously. One swipe of his paws had done that? And also...just how many shapes did he have? His human form, his Halfling form, and this form...were there any more to come?
"Good job, Ciel."
Ciel whipped his enormous head around, ears twitching and whiskers quivering. His eyes narrowed and he prepared once more to spring at the enemy before a commanding hand settled on top of his head and began to pet him. Purring into admission, Ciel sunk to his knees and enjoyed the smooth hand running through his fur.
"Well, you certainly handed that well enough," the amused voice said. "Too bad about your paw, though...this new one doesn't look reliable. We'll see if we can regenerate your normal paw in a while. How'd it feel, Ciel? How'd it feel to be the predator for once?"
Scoffing, Ciel projected hi voice into Satan's mind.
"For once? Excuse me, Satan, but surely you knew of my role on Earth. I was the Queen's Watchdog. I was always the predator. Hunting all those pests down and exterminating them was easy enough, with Sebastian by my side. But I'll admit, it feels pretty damn good to do the preying by myself."
"I figured you'd say that. Let's get back before Sebastian murders Malphas."
"Hmph."
Everything slowly disappeared, and when Ciel reopened his eyes, he was being cradled by Satan while Sebastian stood behind him, looking murderous.
"And you refuse to let me kill Malphas why?"
"He's needed. To train others."
"YOU CALL THAT TRAINING? I would have been more than suitable to teach bocchan!"
"You're not the only one who has expertise, Sebastian. Remember that."
Sebastian silenced himself when he saw that Ciel was awake. His eyes widened before he reached over and snatched Ciel away.
"Bocchan! Are you alright? How are your wounds?"
"Hey! Let me go!"
Sebastian ripped Ciel's shirt open, only to see that there were no marks on Ciel's chest. He sighed in relief and brought one of Ciel's hands up to his face, caressing it. He stopped short when he noticed an ugly, raw wound around Ciel's left wrist.
"What happened."
Ciel gulped as he heard the anger lurking beneath Sebastian's calm exterior.
"I blacked out again. This time, I was fighting Pluto."
"In this form?"
There was silence as Ciel contemplated telling Sebastian about his animal form. No...if he told Sebastian, the man would never leave him alone.
"...I'm waiting, Ciel. There's no way you could have defeated Pluto in this form. Unless you transformed...? Tell me, Ciel, what animal did you turn into?"
Sebastian was smiling, but Ciel heard the threat.
If you don't tell me this instant Ciel Phantomhive, I will personally make sure that you never get desserts for the rest of your time here.
"All right! My word, you're a persistent fool, aren't you? I'm a panther, alright? Does that satisfy you?"
"A panther?"
Both of their heads whipped around as they saw a thoughtful Malphas.
"I haven't seen a panther demon in ages! They say that anyone who goes against one is bound to end up dead. Would you mind going for another round, Ciel?"
"OHHHH NO YOU DON'T."
Sebastian's exasperated voice cut in.
"You're just going to end up killing Ciel again."
"Killing? You mean, I died?"
"You didn't know? Ciel, your heart stopped beating! After I ran in and pushed Malphas off of you, he had already sunk his claws halfway into your chest! Your heart was torn, almost in half! You would've died for sure, if Satan hadn't appeared and stitched you back up again. Although, I doubt even Satan could have the power to fully bring back the dead..."
Satan chuckled.
"You're right, Sebastian. Ciel was the main reason for coming back alive. The boy really knows how to put up a fight when his life is in danger. Don't you, Ciel?"
"Tch."
Ciel pushed Sebastian's hand off, before climbing to his feet and adjusting his shirt.
"I'm fiiiiine. Stop being such a worry wart, Sebastian. You sound like an old wet nurse or something. I'll be –OUCH!"
Ciel winced as he rotated his wrist, making an awful cracking noise. He stared when his wrist bent at the wrong angle and stayed there. It was clear that his wrist hadn't healed properly, and was broken again.
"Useless."
He turned to Satan with a question.
"How do I transform?"
"How did you transform last time?"
"I don't know! Pluto bit my paw off and then I was surrounded by this darkness...just like the first time I turned into a Hafling."
"Maybe you can only transform when you are in danger of getting killed..."
"Hold up."
The three of them looked over at Malphas. He, in turn, was staring curiously at Ciel.
"Ciel, come over here."
Ciel warily approached the older demon.
"You said you were a panther, correct?"
"Yeah. And?"
Malphas frowned.
"Don't take that tone with me, you brat. I'm trying to help here."
Ciel snorted.
"Yeah, says the man who tried to kill me."
"Shut up."
Ciel twitched in annoyance as Malphas prodded his ears and tail. This continued for a few more minutes as an increasingly annoyed Ciel took every chance he could to swat Malphas in the face with his tail. Finally, Malphas stopped prodding him. He faced Ciel and stared curiously into Ciel's eyes for a full minute, who glared back.
He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, it's worth a try. Ciel, look at me."
Ciel looked.
"Woof."
There was a pregnant pause as Ciel stared incredulously at Malphas before sputtering in laughter.
"Woof? Woof? You think barking like a dog will turn me into my panther form? Preposterous! Where'd you get such a ridiculous idea, Malphas? Surely there's no way that could-"
*Poof*
Sebastian could only stare in barely concealed glee. Quite honestly, if he were anything less than the demon he was, he'd be shouting in joy and probably having a nosebleed like Mey-Rin. And again, quite honestly he was having some damn fine daydreams about Ciel.
His eyes ran approvingly over the stunned panther form of Ciel. He sighed in complete and total bliss.
"Ah...my life is complete...I can die happy now..."
Sneakily, Sebastian snuck up to the still shocked Ciel and tackled him. Although Ciel was about 4 times as big as Sebastian now, that didn't stop him. Ciel growled as Sebastian happily rubbed his hands all over his body and feeling up on his fur.
"Ah...such a sleek, lithe body...such grace...and such fine fur! Softer than the finest material..."
Ciel roared in surprise when Sebastian flipped him onto his back and began playing with his paws, pressing down on the pads and causing his red-tipped claws to come out. He could only stare incredulously out of his now emerald-green eyes at Sebastian, who was smiling and sighing in complete and utter satisfaction.
Sebastian was mumbling to himself, and Ciel twitched in annoyance as he heard Sebastian describe him like he would one of his favorite cats.
Yowling, Ciel swatted Sebastian off of him and stood in front of him, fangs bared and shackles raised. The meaning was clear.
Don't treat me like one of your little kitty cats you idiot.
Sebastian looked mournfully as his hold on Ciel was relinquished.
"Just one more touch?"
Ciel hissed.
"...That means no."
Ciel snorted and trotted over to Malphas. He looked expectantly at the older demon.
"What?"
Ciel prodded Malphas's chest with one of his claws.
"Oh! You actually want to fight? Alright, that's fine with me!"
Malphas sprang forward in front of Ciel, and he balled his hands into fists. The air around him began to shimmer with a dark aura, tinged with vivid green and orange highlights. Malphas smiled. Already his teeth looked sharper and his features more rugged and animalistic. Just as the aura around him intensified, Satan appeared and put a hand on his shoulder. The aura immediately disappeared, like it was sucked into a vacuum. Malphas stared incredulously at Satan.
"Excuse me, with all respect due, sir, why did you stop me?"
"Ciel has the advantage here. He has poison tipped claws, if you look at his red-tipped claws. He's already killed a Hellhound with those claws; I doubt you'd want to be next."
"Ah."
Ciel looked at the two of them, his sleek tail swishing in the air. With a sound that sounded like a snort, there was another poof and Ciel was back in his human form.
"Well, that was useless."
They stared at Ciel, who stared back.
"What?"
"Nothing...we just thought that it'd be hard to transform back too, that's all!"
"Well, it's not. Am I done for today? I'm sore. I was almost mauled by Pluto of all the idiotic things and I'm ready for a shower."
"More or less. Rest up, Ciel. Tomorrow's the big day."
"...Sir?"
Satan looked mildly astonished.
"Why, you forgot already? Tomorrow's your third day here! You're going to completely make the transformation into a little Halfling!"
"Tch. As if I'd forget something as important as that. Let's go, Sebastian!"
Ciel walked just a bit faster, clearly evident that he had forgotten all about the matter. The three demons stood staring after Ciel awkwardly. Sebastian shook his head ruefully before throwing an apologetic smile at Satan and a glare at Malphas.
"Excuse me then."
Sebastian closed the door behind him. He expected Ciel to be in the bathroom taking a bath, but instead he found Ciel on the bed with his knees drawn up to his chest and staring out the window thoughtfully.
"Sebastian."
He gave a start. He hadn't realized that Ciel realized he was there.
"Yes, my lord?"
"Answer truthfully. Will...will it hurt?"
Sebastian's eyes softened. Truly, Ciel would never fail to surprise him. He went over to the bed and sat next to Ciel. He placed his hand on Ciel's head and gently ruffled his head.
"It will. If you thought it hurt these past two days, tomorrow will be nothing compared to it. But you don't need to worry, Ciel. I'll be by your side throughout the entire thing. I won't leave you, not even for a second."
Ciel snorted and turned his head away.
"The hell you will. It's not as if I matter."
"NO."
Ciel turned his head back when he heard Sebastian's sharp tone. He was a bit disconcerted to see Sebastian's eyes blazing red.
"Ciel...! You are so interesting, and so complex, and it's because of that that I never know what to say to appease you! You have so many layers and hidden feelings...we have an eternity together and still it's as though my stubborn master refuses to let me unwrap those layers one at a time. Why can't you just realize for once, that someone actually loves and cares for you? Why can't you realize, Ciel, that I honestly and truly do care and love for you? Hm? Tell me, Ciel. Do I not spell it out clearly enough for you? I have told you this many times within our contract. Demons do not lie. I do not lie. Never to you. Now, get this in your head. Ciel Phantomhive. I love you. Nothing can ever change that!"
Ciel took this all in without so much as a blink of his eye. After a few tense moments of silence, Ciel offered his hand out to Sebastian, who took it and placed it on the palm of his cheek. Sebastian started to talk again.
"Naamah didn't poison the blade. While it's true that it can produce a lethal poison to demons, he pressed the jewel to make it instead produce an aphrodisiac. That's why you were feeling so strange yesterday, Ciel."
Sebastian drew Ciel closer to him as he spoke, gently clutching Ciel to his chest.
"And that's why...I'm glad you chose to come back to me, Ciel. I'm sorry for not realizing it last night, but I truly am happy. It means so much to me that my bocchan has finally chosen me as the one he wants to be with. And I'll cherish you always, Ciel. I always have, since the first day we contracted. I won't be like that idiot Naamah. You are not a plaything, Ciel. No, you're worth much, much more than that. So please believe me when I say that I'll be with you tomorrow. I never want to leave your side again, for any reason."
Sebastian felt Ciel clutch at his shirt sometime when he was speaking, but other than that he got no response. After a few minutes of him resting his head on Ciel's, he lifted his head up.
"Ciel...?" he inquired softly.
There was no response. Curious, Sebastian leaned back. A small smile graced his face. Ciel was clutching his shirt, his hand fisted loosely around the material. He, however, had fallen asleep, and there was just a tiny smile on his face. Looking at him lovingly, Sebastian placed a small kiss on Ciel's forehead before tucking him into bed.
"Goodnight. And sweet dreams, Ciel. I don't know when you'll be able to dream again."
Hi guys. Once again, I'm really sorry! Please do continue to support, because the story's about to get interesting. In about 2 or 3 chapters, Sebastian and Ciel will start on their journey so...conitnue to read if it still interests you! And don't forget!
Read andREVIEW.
Until next time! -Shannon 3