Chapter 11: Crash and Burn

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I've been busy with school lately and I guess you could say life just kinda 'got in the way', and on top of that I've had writer's block... Anyways, just to clarify, this chapter is back in the present, a continuation off of chapter 9, again, lack of editing since I wanted to get this up asap for you guys.

-The~Candy~Craving~Demon

"Do you remember the night of November 16th, _ _71?" Aeron asked, looking straight into Sebastian's crimson irises, his own narrowed. "I remember it so vividly that it'd be nearly impossible for me to forget, and trust me, I've tried. I remember your petty expression through it all the most, your calloused gaze staring at me like I was trash, your insecure grin of confidence, it's been etched into my brain for all these centuries, and no matter how much I try to strip it from my memory, I can't."

Sebastian's expression changed, his hand armed with cutlery slowly lowering, his brother catching him off guard. His heart contracted and he could feel guilt thrashing away at his interior. Swallowing the hard lump in his throat, the butler then uttered weakly, "Aeron I- I didn't want to banish you, I didn't mean to hurt you, I-"

"You didn't want to?!" Aeron repeated in outrage, clenching his fist. "Don't feed me your damn lies Sebastian!" Then taking on a more spiteful tone, Aeron said, "Did you know that the pain you experience before you're banished stays with you for all eternity? Do you know the agony I experienced for a millennium? Do you know how much it hurt, how many tears I shed, how much time I spent sobbing in that dark abyss filled with blue flickering hellfire? Do you know how many other fallen I was molested by during that duration of time?!" Aeron paused. "What am I saying? There's no fucking way you could ever understand you damn traitor! I trusted you, but that bond has diminished all down to nothing. You burnt that bridge to the ground the minute you began chanting."

Ciel saw Sebastian wince, and he could tell that the demon was uncomfortable, that the words the fallen were saying was taking it's toll on his butler, the words slicing through the demon's stoic exterior. He was utterly confused, and he began to become curious of what happened on that said night. However, it also sent shivers down his spine hearing those words come out of Alois' mouth, in his voice, even if that wasn't the actual blond himself.

"Aeron, I've had to live with the regret, the almost overbearing guilt, and I've hated myself since that day, but I'm more than glad that you're here now." The crimson eyed demon continued gently.

"Liar." Aeron scoffed, turning his head away arrogantly. "Liars never change, and traitors always crash and burn."

"Aeron-" Sebastian said with a hint of concern in his voice, his hand slightly outstretched towards the fallen, reaching to gently rest his hand on Aeron's shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" The lilac fallen yelled, smacking the butler's hand away violently. "Never, and I mean never, say my name again. You don't deserve to say my name aloud."

Sebastian paused, he was stunned and taken aback. He stared directly into his brother's rich violet narrowed eyes, he could practically see the rage and hate that burned within them. What bothered him most, was the fact that Aeron was giving that vengeful glare to him. Not a mundane, not a celestial being, not a fellow demon, but him.

"Can you guess why I'm here Michaelis?" Aeron asked, his tone derogatory, his patience running thin.

"I'm going to guess not for a reunion." Sebastian said grimly, swallowing hard.

"I'm here for blood Michaelis." Aeron grinned, his pristine jagged teeth glinting brightly. "I'm a blood thirsty monster, and I'm starving, but it's a different kind of hunger, it's one that only the spilling of your blood will satisfy."

Suddenly, faster than the naked eye could follow, Aeron zipped behind Sebastian and manifested a demon sword out of thin air, materializing it out of his pure hatred, holding the edge of the flickering blade against the demon's throat. The sword wavered and flickered, harboring the shape of an original sword, however it was made up of a black fume, almost like a smokey haze, an ominous aura emanating from it.

Worried, and instinctively, Ciel thrust his hand towards the butler and called out. "Sebastian!"

Sebastian quickly turned to the young earl without hesitation. Upon further inspection, undetectable to the average person, the demon could see and sense the anxiety and worry that was laced into the teenager's stoic expression.

"M'lord, everything will be fine. You needn't worry about me." Sebastian replied calmly, although he knew that with this sword at his throat, he was in a bit of a bind.

Aeron eyed between the two of them, a petty smirk beginning to plaster itself across his face. Then, in a low voice, leaning his head closer to the demon's ear he said, "You care about that human don't you?" He paused momentarily, then with a laugh he said, "I suppose I could hurt you even more by devouring this boy's soul right in front of you, while all you can do is helplessly watch. Afterwards, I'll cut out your heart myself, and force feed it to you while I call upon Cerberus to rip away chunks of your flesh."

Then chanting under his breath, Aeron summoned a shadow ghoul, one that mimicked it's summoner physically, following their every command.

With his free hand, Aeron grabbed the newly summoned shadow ghoul and violently shoved him into Sebastian's back. "Use this sword and hold it against this revolting demon's throat. If he makes any lunges towards the boy or any attempts to escape, slice off a leg. I want him to suffer for as long as possible." Aeron said sternly as he transferred the demon sword to the ghoul, who resumed the position the fallen had been utilizing.

Ciel's heart began to race and pound in his ears, louder and faster with every step Aeron took towards him, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. The bluenette quickly glanced over at Sebastian, then at everything that was around him, evaluating his options, in case push came to shove.

Aeron licked his lips as he came up behind Ciel, draping his arms around the bluenette's shoulders, peering his head around Ciel's. "You're scared aren't you? I can smell the fear emanating off your body. How precious." The fallen said teasingly, playing with strands of the earl's slate hair. Smirking, Aeron summoned a dagger and held it firmly along the hilt in his right hand. He then gently grazed the earl's fragile fair skin with the tip of the blade along Ciel's cheek. Almost instantly, garnet droplets began to form on the surface of the cut, slowly beginning to congregate and enlarge the size of the already present droplets.

Ciel winced, putting a hand to the cut, dabbing his fingertips with blood. Staring at the scarlet smudges on his fingertips, sudden jarring flashbacks shot through his head. He remembered Alois, the duel, catching the sharp edge of the sword with his hand, the blade digging into his skin, the blood cascading from his palm. The young earl clenched his dirtied hand, scowling, and glared daggers at Aeron. "What have you done with Alois you monster?!" Ciel demanded, furious.

Aeron grinned. "No worries, you'll both be together again soon,"

Ciel's expression changed, his pupils dilating and his mouth hanging slightly agape.

Striding in front of the bluenette, Aeron then continued his sentence. "...in hell. You needn't worry, I'll devour both of your souls in due time." He began to let out an evil chuckle, an annoying petty smirk plastered across his face.

Ciel narrowed his eyes once again, his jaw clenched. He then proceeded to spit on the fallen, turning his head away arrogantly. "Burn in hell you prick."

Aeron's expression dropped, his amused smug grin sinking into a tight line, his eyebrows arching downwards in a sharp slant. "I was going to toy with you a little bit longer, but I've changed my mind." Aeron stated firmly. "I'm sick of your cocky arrogant attitude, and I hate that 'I'm better than everybody else' vibe that you give off."

The lilac eyed fallen then proceeded to reequip the dagger, holding it in his right hand, he then made a quick slice through the bluenette's side, cutting through the fabric of his shirt and grazing the boy's pale skin. He then spun the blade in between his fingers, proceeding to throw the dagger at the bluenette as if he were playing darts. The dagger landed just below his right collar bone, but just above all of his major organs and arteries.

Ciel winced and let out a small vocal outcry of agony, his face becoming contorted in pain.

"That should shut you up for a while." The fallen sneered, turning his back to the bluenette and facing his brother.

"Young master!" Sebastian called concerned, his eyes widening as he slightly lunged forward towards the young earl.

Noticing this, Aeron then snapped, "Shadow Ghoul."

The phantom, then held Sebastian up off the ground by his tie, the butler shortly after, beginning to squirm and struggle, his slender fingers clawing at the cloth that was tied regrettably tight around his neck. The phantom then began to raise the demon sword to swing, but Aeron quickly stopped it.

"Actually," he said, holding his hand up, "I change my mind. Forget what I said earlier, I'd like to do the honors myself." Aeron then took the hazy flickering blade from the ghoul. The fallen then proceeded to rear back and swing forward, stopping just a few centimeters from the demon's left leg, continuously repeating the motion to perfect his aim. With a final swing for precision, Aeron reared back, and putting his shoulders into the swing, with a clean slice, there was a cut above Sebastian's knee, but just below his thighs, slicing clean through his bones and his skin. Now lying limply against the tiled floor, was the lower half of the demon's leg, blood seemingly cascaded out in large rivulets down Sebastian's 'stub' and a small puddle began to quickly form around his severed leg. Aeron smirked, an amused and intrigued look in his rich violet eyes.

As the shadow ghoul dropped Sebastian, he fell with a deep thud, the puddle of scarlet ichor soaking into his tailored suit, the very smell of despair seeping into his clothing. A few seconds later, the ghoul vanished with a subtle crackling sound. The demon gritted his teeth as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He glanced at his own severed leg, in which he could see a bone jutting out of it, he could also see a bone slightly jutting out of what remained of his left leg, the edges on both were sharp and jagged, cracks tracing down the bloodied tips of of his femur bone. The butler frowned in disgust, but he continued to retain his composure, hiding the true pure agony he was experiencing.

Standing on one leg, forcing all of his weight onto his good limb, Sebastian stared dead center into the fallen's rich violet eyes. "Aeron I understand that you have every reason to hate me. Every reason to want to decapitate me, to slaughter me, however I can't let you do that. I must protect my master, for I am simply one hell of a butler."

"So your sense of protection is higher on a measly human than on your own flesh and blood, your own younger brother?" Aeron asked somewhat irritated. Gritting his teeth, he then spat, "Go to hell."

"I'm sorry." Sebastian said weakly, solemnly, bowing his head in shame.

"Well you know what, sorry doesn't cut it!" Aeron yelled furiously, warm persistent tears beginning to pull at his eyes. "Your words are nothing more than empty promises. What happened to when we were kids? What happened to the promise you made that you'd always protect me? Apologies are just excuses. Wishes are echoes of a distant future that will always be just out of your reach. And promises are just open ended statements that the naive and delusional believe."

Sebastian staggered over to where his master was kneeled on the floor. Sebastian then firmly said, "I will protect this boy, even if it costs my life." He then held his arms straight out in a protective manner.

"So be it then. I'll let you and your bitch burn in hell together." Aeron said once again summoning the demon sword. "It's not entertaining for me to battle you all bloodied and bruised, so I'll do you a solid and reconnect your leg. Also, I absolutely despise the idea of having an unfair fight." Then under his breath he scoffed, "Unlike a certain someone." Continuing he then generously added, "So I'll grant you a demon sword as well—however it won't do you much good since we're nowhere near being on equal footing, considering the enormous gap between our demonic strength." The fallen scoffed. He then squeezed his eyes shut and held up his left hand, his fingers slightly curled inwards. A dark gray hazy aura then began to surround the severed half of the demon's leg. Once it had been engulfed by the aura, Aeron proceeded to move the limb, then he reconnected the split femur bone, as well as the skin, the two coming together with a firm click. Sebastian felt a sharp pinch in his left knee as the fallen done so, the pain he had been experiencing seemed to nullify almost entirely once the process was complete.

Opening his eyes, Aeron then summoned a second demonic blade, dropping it and kicking it by the hilt, sliding it across the tiled floor towards the crimson eyed demon.

"Let us begin. I'm becoming bored with this small talk." Aeron stated impatiently, almost instantly lunging towards the butler, sword drawn.

Sebastian held up the sword diagonally to block the fallen's attack, but almost as soon as he managed to pull the blade up, Aeron had made contact with it, the two blades interlocking with a loud metallic clash.

The fallen then jumped backwards away from Sebastian. Suddenly, Aeron seemed to vanish from thin air. "What? How is that-" The demon muttered, looking slowly and cautiously around the room, spinning slowly in a circle.

The fallen then reemerged behind the demon, making a quick slit through the sleeve of the demon's tailcoat, grazing Sebastian's skin.

Sebastian winced. Damn he's fast.

Seeing the fallen disappear again, Sebastian quickly jumped skywards in an attempt to thwart his next attack. That's when he saw the fallen, but only for a split second.

Aeron paused, standing where the demon had previously been, then it occurred to him to look up, but by then it was too late.

Doing a frontflip as he descended, Sebastian brought the blade down across the fallen's back, making a large diagonal slit. However, within this span of time, Aeron braced himself for the inevitable,he knew he wouldn't of been able to dodge the butler's attack, however he did know one thing; he could counterattack. As he felt the demon sword slice through his skin, he quickly bent backwards and brought his own blade along the demon's abdominal region.

Sebastian jumped back and put a hand at his newly acquired wound, slightly doubling over.

Aeron grinned. "Don't tell me you're already tired? I haven't even transformed into my true demonic form yet." He mocked, looking at Sebastian with a calloused gaze.

The demon let out a shaky ragged breath. "Nowhere near it, for I am simply one hell of a butler, I will not let you triumph so easily. If it is a battle you desire, it is a battle I shall give you." He stated determined, using a hint of the derogatory tone the fallen had used with him.

Sebastian then quickly sprinted towards the fallen, running in a zigzag pattern.

Aeron clicked his tongue. "You should know better than to charge straight towards me Michaelis." He then jumped upwards and to the left, dodging the demon's attack. "Are you actually even trying? I thought this would've been a bit more...enthralling." The fallen said dejectedly, studying his fingernails in disinterest.

Once Sebastian saw Aeron land back on the ground, he slowly approached the fallen. Once within range, he thrust his sword on either side of him, alternating in a pattern. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.

"Come on Sebastian! You're such a disappointment! Can you not even hit a target that is literally only four feet in front of you?!" Aeron exclaimed, an eyebrow raised and his lips curled back in disgust.

As Sebastian continued the pattern, watching as the fallen swayed back and forth to dodge, he forged an internal reply to the fallen's statement, however he dared not to say it aloud. The purpose of my movements are not a haphazard attempt to strike a blow, but a mere distraction. If I alternate from the pattern, I'll catch you off guard, and you'll never expect it.

Sebastian then took a chance, straying from the pattern, thrusting his sword on the opposite side of what was expected of the pattern. The blade pierced through the fallen's shoulder before he had enough sense to back away.

Aeron winced. "You sneaky bastard." He said shaking his head. "If you're so damn confident now, how about we play for real? Show me how defenseless you really are."

The demon's crimson pupils began to dilate in disbelief as he saw dark jet black angel wings sprout from in between his brother's shoulder blades, ebony feathers gently swirling and creating resistance against the air as they tried to push downwards, the tips seemingly being burned by hellfire, the plumage being devoured by flames before it ever had the chance to reach the ground. Dark curled ram horns began to grow from either side of Aeron's forehead, his hair and all of his features reverting to how his actual appearance looked, rather than Alois'. His hair became dark as night, his height shorter, and his jawline becoming more sharp and defined, his voice becoming deeper.

"Alright Michaelis, let's play."

Before the butler could even react, the next thing he knew, his back was slammed up against a wall. He coughed up blood. Flinching as he heard an expensive vase shatter from his impact against the display table.

Aeron continued to manipulate the demon's body with his telekinesis, slamming his body into a window, causing it burst with a loud almost explosion like sound, sending glass shards and fragments in almost every direction possible. Due to the glass, a large cut was now present across the demon's forehead, blood cascading from it in rivulets, the small streams beginning to obstruct his vision.

Sebastian gritted his teeth as he pulled himself up. "Damn..."

"It's so disgusting watching you struggle like a cat being chased by a dog. I honestly feel like my eyes are bleeding from the lack of coordination you have." He then used his powers, forcing the demon swords to melt and and reforge into twin pistols, the bullets laced with a chemical deadly to demons and fallen alike, the inside lined with holy water. The bullet would explode as soon as it made impact. "If you can't hit me with one of those, then you're a disgrace."

Sebastian paused, readjusting his grip along the guns, clenching and unclenching his hands around them, his fingers steadily snaking around the triggers. Without focusing, the demon then rapidly fired a few stray bullets in Aeron's direction, testing out the kick the gun's gave.

One of the stray bullets gently grazed Aeron's cheek, the cut gently dripping blood, small scald marks and blisters forming along the edges of it from the holy water within the bullet. Aeron grinned. "That's more like it, but the question is can your eyes keep up with me?" He chuckled, teleporting in and out of existence, moving to various places along the room.

Sebastian looked in every direction, but by the time his eyes had focused on the fallen, he had ceased to remain there. Sebastian gritted his teeth. He hated having to resort to such a blind tactic, to something so desperate. "Young Master," He called, "Take cover, get behind something wide and sturdy. I don't want anymore harm than what's already been done to befall you."

Ciel wasn't exactly sure what the butler was plotting, but he done as he was told. Sitting anxiously on his knees, worry and concern eating away at his insides. He bit his bottom lip. Don't do anything stupid and reckless Sebastian. Try not to hurt Alois anymore than necessary.

Sebastian then let out a deep exhale of breath. He then began to rapidly spin clockwise in a circle, firing the pistols simultaneously, his fingers pressed down on the triggers, the pistols firing one shot after another since the gun was semi-automatic. He then quickly cocked the guns, then proceeding to continue his seemingly fruitless efforts.

Gun shots echoed and reverberated off the walls, bullets protruded through the fancy custom artist painted wall paper, through the antique Victorian furniture, stray bullets destroying the expensive tea cups and vases and essentially anything that was made of glass or porcelain.

Suddenly Sebastian stopped as he heard an empty click as he attempted to fire the guns. "Damn. They're empty." He cursed under his breath, throwing the twin pistols down.

"A bit trigger happy aren't we?" Aeron asked mockingly. "Not even a single bullet." He continued, scoffing as he looked himself over.

Aeron then teleported behind Sebastian and stabbed him through the back with a demon dagger, barely puncturing the demon's heart.

Sebastian's breathing immediately hitched and his breaths became ragged and uneven. Within a minute he fell to his knees, clutching his chest as the thick scarlet liquid began to soak through his undershirt.

Aeron slowly approached the demon, a smug grin on his face, a devilish look in his deep violet eyes. "You're going to die within a few minutes. As we speak your heart will be unable to function properly, the heart pericardium-sac will fill with blood and stop your heart from expanding to fill itself. Also with a lack of blood, your diaphragm will become unable to cope, and you'll suddenly feel a very squeezed tight sensation in your chest, almost like you're suffocating. So before that happens, how about we have a little bit of fun in your final moments?"

Aeron slowly continued towards the demon, striding, a malevolent unsettling grin on his face. He then kicked the demon's kneecap, causing Sebastian to kick his own leg out straight forward due to the pain. The fallen then began to step on the demon's ankle, pressing all of his weight down onto the demon's skin, he rolled his foot back and forth to help advance the butler's pain. Aeron then made a chopping motion with his hand, slicing through the air.

Suddenly, blood spattered everywhere and the demon's leg was once again separated from the main part of his body, this time, a clean slice through the butler's femur bone. The fallen then proceeded to repeat the process, severing Sebastian's remaining leg. An overwhelmingly large pool of blood began to accumulate underneath the demon, spatters of the thick warm liquid staining the already damaged wall, scarlet droplets spattering onto both Sebastian's and Aeron's skin.

Sebastian cried out in agony, spasming and wriggling in pain, which only made the dagger in his back push further into his organs. The demon felt like he was choking on his own ichor, suffocating. His vision was already beginning to fade, small black specks invading his vision and wavy random streaks.

"Goodbye Sebastian Michaelis. Had you not banished me all those centuries ago, had you not summoned those archangels, had you of helped me, things wouldn't have turned out this way. We both would've been happier. You're the reason why my mentality has changed, you're the reason why I only see the world in black and white now, you're the reason why everything I do, everything I say, is venomous and deadly, why I hurt everyone I touch, you're the reason why my heart is shattered and why I'm impure. Brother, I hope you burn in hell, I hope you experience the same humiliation I did, I hope you suffer, you damn deceitful demon. I hope you crash and burn." Aeron spat scornfully. He then took his foot and stepped on the demon's abdomen, forcing Sebastian to hack up more blood. Forcing him down, Aeron then flipped the weak demon over onto his stomach. Letting out a final shaky breath, he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the dagger and began to pull outwards.

Ciel watched in fear. He was trembling, in fact his whole body was shuddering. His cobalt eyes were wide and his bottom lip was quivering as his breaths came out uneven, all while his heart was beating almost unbearably loud in his ears. I have to do something! I have to help Sebastian! I can't let him die like this!, Ciel thought as he forced himself up. He slowly staggered towards the fallen who had his back turned towards him. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but his body moved on it's own, almost as if his actions were purely on instinct. He was running entirely off of adrenaline, and he knew that this had to be fight or flight mode, life or death.

Once the bluenette was about five feet away from the fallen, he proceeded to pull the demon blade from his own shoulder. He let out a heavy breath through clenched teeth. He then grabbed the fallen by the neck and jerked him backwards, towards himself. "I'm sorry Alois!" Ciel yelled as he made a deep slit across Aeron's neck, he then took the blade and plunged it straight down into the fallen's trachea.

"DA- DAMN YOU!" Aeron yelled with fury, just before he began seizing. Ciel fell to his knees, hyperventilating, a sick nauseous feeling rising in the back of his throat.

Once Aeron quit seizing, Ciel noticed that the wings on his back and the horns on his head had receded and seemingly shriveled and disintegrated into ash, and his hair was slowly but surely getting lighter and transitioning back into Alois' platinum blond. The runes that littered his skin also seemed to vanish. His eyes suddenly fluttered open, to reveal a bright cerulean, an icy blue Ciel was familiar with.

Being back in control of his own body, Alois gently stroked the bluenette's cheek, tears forming in his eyes. "Ciel... I was so scared. Everything hurts and I can't breath. It's so cold." The blond said beginning to break into sobs. "Why- Why can't I see you anymore?!" The blond exclaimed, mortified as his vision began to become hazy, as everything slowly began to fade to black. "Ciel! I'm scared! I don't want to die like this!"

"Alois?!" Ciel exclaimed shocked, cupping his hand overtop of the blond's, a tear trailing from his exposed eye. "I missed you!" Ciel said in between quivering breaths. "I love you Alois Trancy! Don't ever leave me again!" The bluenette yelled sobbing. "Just hang in there, I'll call an ambulance! Ju- Just please, please, don't die!"

"I- I love you too, Ciel Phantomhi-" The blond began, but his hand suddenly fell limp from the bluenette's cheek. He began seizing again, and Ciel could hear he was choking, choking on his own blood, a faint gurgling sound bubbling up from the back of his throat.

From what little Sebastian could see from the dark blobs that had invaded his vision, he could see that the two were together, that Alois had regained control of himself. "My ship has become canon. I can die happily now." He murmured under his breath as he lost consciousness.

Frantic, Ciel dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed for an ambulance, his tone anxious. He spoke quickly, and within a matter of minutes, he could hear approaching sirens, as well as see the flash of red and blue lights obstructing through the ripped curtains. "Sebastian, I command for you to survive." Ciel whimpered weakly. "And Alois, you can't die. You're my oxygen, my lifeline, I can't survive without you. So promise me, promise me that you'll live through this, promise me that someday we'll look back at today and laugh it off. Alois Trancy, you're my everything, don't, don't die like this." The earl said through salty tears as he planted a gentle peck on the blond's lips, the metallic copper taste of Alois' blood on his tongue. "I love you."

A/N: First off, don't worry, I don't plan to actually kill off any characters. I like putting them in near death situations, but I honestly despise the idea of totally killing off a character (Unless I hate them or really dislike them). Anyways, I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter, so please review, any feedback is always appreciated.

-The~Candy~Craving~Demon