Okay. Arnold Palmer tea and two weeks of school left. I can write this chapter. Just…need…motivation.

Meh, that, Celine Dion, and the Muppets seemed to do the trick. Yeah, it's not that long, but I'm not fucking Johnny Depp and I can't make chapters appear out of thin air. Don't ask me why I thought J-Depp would be able to do something like that, it just seems like a natural ability of his. Anywhoo~ One more week of school left! Then I am D.O.N.E.

Unfortunately, that means studying all weekend for finals for me, so the next chappie won't be out probs until after next Friday-the Wednesday following that at the latest. Sooooo, it's looking like another two weeks before a new chapter. Boo, I'm a whore.

Though, if you follow me on twitter, I'll try to keep you updated on the status of the chapter and such (and may even give out spoilers!) but other than that we should be good and square. Our lunch table is having a party tomorrow, so I have to run out and grab Jimmy John's sandwurches. Fuck yes, sandwurches.

TTFN, see yous in a two weekkkass!

~Enjoy!~

And after the storm, I run and run as the rains come.

And I look up, I look up,

On my knees and out of luck,

I look up.

One day when Joker was out for the night, Beast visited me. At first, I was mortified. I thought she was going to kill me. But instead, she surprised me.

She told me that the police were on to their operation and would be arriving any day now to arrest them. Beast said that when these things happened, that they usually burnt down the building and fled the scene. But with me, she said, there was a very high possibility that Joker would take me with. Since she didn't want that, she knew she had to get rid of me somehow.

But she couldn't kill me, she relayed, because it would be too obvious to Joker who had done it. Instead, she said that her and Snake had formed a plot to make it look like I had escaped during the fire. That way, I was free and out of Beast's hair.

I agreed to the scheme, and she gave me the details of when this was taking place and what time either her or Snake were coming to get me before the place burnt to ashes.

I waited patiently for a whole week until it was finally the day that the entire plan was going down. Promptly at 6 p.m., Snake came by with a pack containing a change of clothes, a few water bottles, a week's worth of food, a couple knives and a gun. There were also a few small things, like a compact first-aid kit and other personal care items.

He had snagged the key to the cage beforehand, and let me out, before rushing me to the door. Joker was elsewhere in the giant mansion, and I was pretty sure that I could make it out in time without him seeing me. When we got to the east staircase, Beast met with us and told us which path to take in order to avoid the guards and members of the gang. She said that she had directed all the others in the opposite direction so that they would out of our way.

We scampered obediently using the directions Beast had obstructed us. We had made it to the kitchen, on the verge of escape, when disaster struck. There was a sudden knock on the front door, and it was obviously the police.

Many of the gang members rushed down the stairs, catching me and Snake off-guard. We managed to get separated, but I luckily found somewhere safe. I would have been able to continue on, had someone not spotted me on my way out.

I was going to go out through the last entryway while I heard gunshots as the officers were shot down. Suddenly I was grabbed by the back of my neck and thrusted up against the wall. My eyes widened in fear as I realized that it was Dagger, grinning at me with a sadistic smile plastered onto his face.

'Where do you think you're going, missy?' he chuckled and tightened his hold on my throat. I felt my breathing hitch.

'Let me go!' I demanded.

This only made him squeeze my neck tighter. Suddenly I got a great idea.

'Hey Dagger, you know what's ironic?' I taunted.

He looked confused. 'What?'

'That your name's Dagger….' I smirked.

He didn't get it, but I snatched my knife and dug it into his gut.

'….And that's what you're going to be killed by,' I laughed with an air of accomplishment. I retrieved the dagger and stuck it back into my belt. I still hadn't found Snake, so I decided to go on with the plan without him.

I easily made my way out the front door since all the previous commotion was over and everyone had since gone back to relaxing. I knew that Beast had already lit the match so it wouldn't be long before that peace was broken. I took my time craftily sneaking to the front gate, and when I was opening it, I heard my name being called.

I looked back in horror, to see the house already erupting in flames, and Joker was standing there. In his hold was Snake.

'Hello, there, Seul!' he called out cheerfully.

I didn't respond.

'Come back now, I can't have my pet leave me~!' he laughed maniacally.

I seethed at the word 'pet.' I didn't belong to anyone, least of all this pedophile.

Joker took my silence as reason to laugh even more, and answered once again. 'Alright, it looks like this game's going to have to get a little dirty,' he sniggered. 'If you don't come back here in the next minute, I will kill your little friend here.'

He held up a gun to Snake's head, but the boy shook his head at me. 'Get out now, Seul! Don't you dare worry about me! If you get out, at least one of us will survive!'

I looked frantically from Snake to the gate and back to Snake again. I tried to apologize to him, but he shook his head profusely and motioned for me to go on. I opened the gate and watched as my friend's head was blown to smithereens.

Suddenly, Joker came after me in an angry bout of rage. Fortunately for me, a large column fell from the burning building and fell flat on him."

"That's it? You just escaped?" Sebastian questioned.

"Well, kind of. I traveled day and night, and using the few bits of money I had, I bought a train ticket back home after finding a station. When I got back, everyone was so relieved to see me again. They all cried at the sight of my dirty figure. I didn't, though; I walked right into the backyard and joined Ciel on the swings. It took him a little while to notice that it was me, but he was so overjoyed to see me. I asked him why; I hadn't been gone that long. He told me I had been gone six months.

I was shocked to learn that I was already halfway through the new school year and that I had been gone such a short time. When I was there, it felt like it had been years.

Everyone asked me what had happened and where I had been. My parents even sent me to a therapist. But I refused to speak; I refused to relive any of that awful experience.

Finally, everyone found out when the police did an official investigation of the Noah's Ark Circus gang and found my name listed under the groups of kids that had been taken from Los Angeles. They told my parents about what had gone on and why I had been taken.

Then they scheduled an interview with me. They said that all the members of the gang had perished in the fire, but the financial backer and supporter of the group was still on the run. They were especially interested in knowing why I hadn't lost any limbs and/or died during the time I had spent there. Most of the kids died within a one-two month radius. But I had survived six unharmed.

I didn't talk, it was their business anyway."

"So the leader of the entire operation is still out there?" Sebastian queried.

I sighed. "I guess, but I doubt he knows I exist. And if he did, why would he even care?"

"I wouldn't know," Sebastian replied.

"So, following that, I went to school for the duration of the year, but I couldn't handle the stress of staying in that same area. I needed to get out. So, I transferred to London with Ciel, and we attended separate boys and girls schools there. It was better, and I didn't have to deal with the fear that that man was still out there.

Even there, the girls at my school found out eventually somehow about how I was a sex slave to creepy old men. They would always make fun of me for it and those three that beat me up the one day you came to my rescue were the ringleaders of the rest."

"You don't seem to have any sort of Post-Traumatic-Stress from Joker's form of abuse," Sebastian noted.

"With you, I didn't feel…afraid," I pondered. "Us having sex, it didn't affect me in the way I thought it would. I guess I'm affected by my months in captivity in more different ways."

"Like your disbelief in the emotion of love," my boyfriend pointed out.

"Exactly so," I nodded. "If anyone had loved me, they wouldn't have left me there for so long. If Beast really loved Joker she would have shut down his child sex-slave assembly and not have punished them for her jealousy. If I hadn't been so naïve, and trusting, and so goddamn stupid, this never would have happened.

It's all my fault."

I suddenly felt Sebastian's soft lips on mine. "Love, you can't blame yourself for the evil in the world. It's no one's fault for what happened to you. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could've happened to any other kid, in fact it did happen to other children. Don't beat yourself up over things that have happened in the past. You can't be born again, but you can change as you go on."

I didn't say a word, but simply hugged Sebastian's warm body.

I felt myself smirk against his tight chest. "Can we go take a shower? I feel kind of gross." It wasn't just the physical feeling of being gross; it was also the eternal memory, stained in my mind, making me feel forever gross.

"Yes, luckily the bed is still pretty clean. There are no stains, at least."

I looked around the room for the first time. "Um, Sebastian? I think we just had sex in Alois and Ciel's bed."

He chuckled. "I don't think they would mind. I think you might, considering that they are a couple who claim to be in love."

Sudden realization hit me like a fresh whiff of garlic. "Holy shit, who knows how many times they've fucked in this bed? My brother has had sex in this bed! Okay, we are taking that shower NOW."

Sebastian laughed at my disgust and followed me into the bathroom.

We both disposed of the few garments remaining on our bodies and stepped into the freezing shower. I embraced the wonderful feeling of freshness and clean. I shuddered at having to face my brother and his boyfriend after when they got home. It would just be…too awkward.

Sebastian took the massage soap bar in the shower and started soothingly rubbing it on my back. "That feels really nice…." Was what I was about to say, when I suddenly heard a loud slam of a door from the front of the apartment.

"Seul! We're home, bitch!" Alois shouted excitedly.

Oh shit, I thought. I turned to look Sebastian in the eyes and turned the faucet off. "Don't move from here, I'll deal with them and try to get you enough time to escape."

Confusion crossed Sebastian's face. "Wait, you didn't mention to them that I was staying as well?"

"Um…" I looked down at my feet nervously.

"Seul, you fool, what were you expecting? That I just stay away from them the entire trip and fail to tell them you have a boyfriend?"

"No," I argued, but I heard Alois's voice come again. "Look I gotta go, we'll talk about this later."

"All right."

I snatched a towel and quickly wrapped it around my sopping wet form. "Hey Alois!" I greeted. He enraptured me into a crushing hug. "Alois, I'm only wearing a towel, remember?" I paused. "Hi Ciel," I nodded my head in his direction.

Ciel waved and dropped his bags off by the door. His expression suddenly became one of bewilderment as he noticed a pair of men's shoes next to mine, and an extra suitcase.

"Seul, whose stuff is this?" he asked.

"What are you talking about, honey?" Alois bounded over to find what he was pointing at.

"Seul, do you realize these are size 12's? In men sizes?" Ciel interrogated.

"Um, well there's something I forgot to tell you guys," I admitted shyly. "I'm actually a transvestite."

"In clothes that are sizes bigger than your own?" Alois quizzed.

"Uh, yeah," I lied unconvincingly.

"That is such total bull," Ciel pointed out. "Why can't you just tell us that there's someone else in this apartment."

"There's no one else but-!"

"—Me."

Sebastian appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, all-dressed and fixing his tie. His hair was dry and perfectly combed back. He looked like he hadn't just walked out of the shower.

I gave him a menacing glare, to which he smirked.

"Who is this hottie?" Alois questioned enthusiastically.

"Yes, why don't you tell them?" Sebastian aided unnecessarily.

I sighed deeply, realizing the corner I was trapped in. "Ciel, Alois, this is Sebastian. He's my….boyfriend." I hung my head low in a defeated stance.

"Aw, that's so cute! Why didn't you tell us about him?" Alois jumped on my back.

"Looks like the girl who claimed she would never fall in love, has." Ciel said as a smile played upon his lips.

I shook Alois off of me. "First of all, we've only been dating for a week and a half. Second, I don't love him, and he knows that. He's just here with me so I didn't have to travel alone. Third, Alois, I'm still wearing only a towel! Stop jumping on me!"

"Just wait, Seul," Ciel mocked. "Sooner or later, you'll give in to your feelings like the rest of us."

"Never happening," I corrected, folding my arms of my chest. Sebastian walked over and held my hand in his. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and told him to go clean up in the bedroom really quick. Ciel and Alois motioned me over to them and it looked like they wanted to talk in private.

When I got over there, Ciel went right to the point. "I don't like him."

"What? Why?" I responded.

"Seul, that man looks like he's fucking forty!" Alois whispered loudly.

"He's twenty-three," I corrected. "And besides, I thought you two were happy for me."

"We were pretending, doll," Ciel rolled his eyes. "I don't like him one bit."

"Nor do I," Alois joined in.

"C'mon guys, give him a chance. He's not all that bad," I convinced.

"No, there seems to be some sort of aura he gives off that makes me want to leave the room. You should stay away from him, Seul. For all you know, he could just be pulling the same stunt Joker did," Ciel added uncaringly.

"Don't you dare bring that into this conversation! He is nothing like Joker!" I contended. Woah, wait. Was I actually sticking up for Sebastian? …Nah. I was just following the rules of our contract like a good little demon guy's girlfriend.

"Whatever, don't say we didn't warn you," Alois gave in, flipping a piece of his golden hair to the side.

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders whilst walking back to the room. Sebastian was standing at the bed, carefully fluffing the last pillow.

"They don't like me," he answered smoothly, not a single tone of feeling in his voice.

"No…that's not true," I responded. Technically I was telling the truth. They didn't dislike him, they hated him.

"Darling," he soothed, approaching me with slow steps. He leaned in close to me and whispered in my ear. "You seem to forget the fact that I'm a demon quite often. I have a sharpened sense of hearing, so I was able to hear your entire conversation with Alois and Ciel."

I forcefully pushed him off and plopped down on the freshly made bed. "Well, I can't blame them for not liking you. If only they knew half the shit I put up with."

"Always making yourself out to be the victim…" Sebastian commented. "Anyway, it didn't seem like you were showing signs of dislike for me when you were talking with them."

"I was just trying to get them to like you so I wouldn't have everyone bickering the entire vacation," I explained, rolling my eyes.

"Although, I can't blame them for loathing me. It seems almost natural for a person to take an instant abhorring to a demon like myself."

"That explains so much. Now I know why I detest being around you so much," I deadpanned.

"You sure didn't detest being around me last night," Sebastian grinned.

"I'll say this only once," I warned sharply. "You will never again bring up the events of last night unless I have done so first. Got it?"

"That's fine," Sebastian agreed with an almost sickly sweet tone. "Though, will I be able to mention those events when we do them the next time?"

"There won't be a next time," I growled.

Sebastian chuckled. "You say that now, but it won't be long before you're begging for more."

"Is that what usually happens with your regular run-of-the-mill girls?" I asked with a piercing gaze.

"Why ye-"

"I though we'd already established that I'm not like those 'regular' girls. So don't make pitiful suggestions about me when you don't know a single thing about me."

"Come now, you're not that hard to figure out," he laughed darkly.

"And you're so much more complicated," I questioned sardonically. "Don't make me laugh; I know what you're all about. Sex, souls, watching people suffer. It's actually a rather drab lifestyle if you ask me. No wonder you're incapable of love."

"I thought you didn't believe in love."

"Even if I did, you would be the complete opposite of it."

"To a nefarious being like myself, that's actually a compliment."

"I hate you."

"Kiss me."

"Of course."

Lips locked instantly and amount of raw fervor was unmistakable. There was no gentleness in this kiss, only violent moving of faces, hands, and other parts of the body. We would have continued longer had my cockblocking brother not interrupted us.

"Ahem," Ciel cleared his throat. "If you two are done, Alois and I are going out to lunch and we would like to invite you to join us. That is, if you're not already busy," he added, narrowing his eyes at me.

"No, it's fine. We'll be out in a sec," I answered. "But first, I gotta get the hell out of this towel and dress myself."

The air was nice and the sun was beaming down on my scarily pale skin. A soft indie song played from a nearby shop on the boardwalk and I held a hand up to shield my eyes from the sun.

I had dressed in a loose light blue crop top and ripped jean shorts. A braided leather headband was tied around my forehead over my light blonde locks. It was nice to be dressed in warm clothes again; winter had grown tiring over in England. In California, the weather always seemed to be a perfect eighty degrees.

"Damn, I love sushi," I commented, feeling full from my recent meal.

"Yeah, you missed out Sebastian," Alois added, trying his best to be friendly.

"I'm quite alright," Sebastian assured us, sliding his arm around my waist and pulling me close.

"You want a taste?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows mischievously.

"Of you? Definitely," he affirmed. He leaned in and gave me a swift kiss on the lips, then slid his tongue in quickly before I could pull away.

I could almost feel Ciel's disgust emancipating from his body. "Alright, you two, we still have things to do."

I broke the kiss and kept Sebastian's gaze before moving onward. I latched Sebastian's hand in mine. "Where were you thinking of going, Ciel?" I asked curiously.

"Do you want to check out the new surf shop where Alois works?" he suggested. "It's fantastic."

"Ciel, you know I don't surf anymore," I stated languidly. "Besides, I'm not even all that good."

"That's fine," Sebastian joined in. "A few minutes ago you said that you were thirsty after lunch. There's a smoothie shop across from the surf shop. I'll go along with Ciel and Alois into the shop. We shouldn't be too long."

I reluctantly agreed and accepted some cash from him to buy a drink. I had just sat down at a stool at the bar when I found myself looking at someone very familiar.

"I see that you've taken a liking to my sister," Ciel remarked, catching Sebastian off-guard. He was currently flipping through a couple books lying on the counter that had been left behind accidentally.

"Why yes, I have," Sebastian smirked, trying to conceal his amusement.

"I don't particularly like or trust you," Ciel started. "But I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. If only you'd seen her before you were in the picture. I've only been around the two of you for a couple hours, but I can definitely see a change, just in the way she walks. She's different around you; I just can't figure it out."

"She's unique, undeniably," Sebastian rejoined. "I haven't any more clue than you as to how she functions. Seul reminds me of someone I used to know."

"She may put up a tough appearance, but really, she's fragile," Ciel explained. "She's been through a lot of shit, and she doesn't need some guy to fuck around with her feelings, so you better be sincere with her. Don't play games."

"I'm aware of her hardships," Sebastian retorted. "All I can focus on is helping her find a better future."

At this, Ciel burst out into laughter, confusing Sebastian.

"Cheesy; I can see now why Seul likes you," he chuckled. He playfully punched the taller man's arm and strolled out of the shop. "Just take care of her, alright?"

"I'll try my best," Sebastian said solemnly, nodding his head. He turned to go check up on Seul, when he saw a young man with shaggy light reddish-brown hair approach her.

"Seul! That can't possibly be you, can it?"

I looked up and saw a face I hadn't seen in a long time. I gave the boy in front of me a quick hug, and then invited him to sit.

He looked the same as always; unkempt umber brown hair, lean surfer body, colorful board shorts. A frolicsome grin danced upon his face as we exchanged looks once more.

"Luka! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed. Luka Macken was an old childhood friend of mine, one who I had played with often while growing up. Nearly everyday before my 'incident' we would go to the beach and hang out. He was big into surfing, I knew that, but that was about it. I hadn't really kept up with him after I got back from being in captivity. I had fled the country almost as soon as possible, and before that, I was emotionally shut down to everyone and everything.

"I live here, actually, remember?" Luka smirked. "Or have you forgotten, since you never visit?"

"Shut up," I tried to say with a straight face, but before I knew it, a smile was making its way on my lips. "Plus, I've visited like two times. Both times you were gone on vacation or something like that."

"Then let me know next time! You never give me any forewarning!" he laughed.

"I literally decided to fly out here last minute," I informed him. "And I arrived this morning, so you can give me some slack about not contacting you earlier. I'm here, so you'll just have to deal with me."

"Ugh, I forgot how hard it was to deal with you. Remember that time in fourth grade when you refused to talk to me for a week because I buried you in the sand and then forgot about you and went home?"

"Yes!" I shouted excitedly. "God, I was furious. Then you tried to make it up to me by buying me a snow cone."

"-Which you threw right in my face," Luka finished for me.

I guffawed loudly. "Oh my god, and there was this little piece of blue ice that stuck in your hair, but I didn't want to point it out because I was still infuriated with you."

"So you thought it would be a better idea to just push me headfirst into the water to get it out," he completed.

"Hey," I managed to get out in between laughter. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"At least it made us even," Luka shrugged. "And I learned never to make you mad again. Shit, you sure had a thing for revenge."

"Still do," I chipped in cheerfully.

"Oh, I feel bad for Ciel. How is he doing by the way? Your mom told me about the situation at his school and everything," Luka sympathized.

I made a face at the mention of my mother, but decided to answer his question anyway. "He was vacationing here before I arrived with his boyfriend, who has helped him out tremendously at his school. Though, they don't have to deal with teenagers anymore seeing as they just graduated." I thought pensively. "Right now, they're on the boardwalk somewhere; I don't know exactly where."

"That's fine," Luka assured me. "I wouldn't have seen them before today seeing as I just got back from a surfing tournament in Malibu."

"That's cool," I smiled. "I see you've still stuck with riding the waves. How'd you place?"

Sebastian watched as the two young people exchanged playful conversation. He didn't want to admit that he was jealous, just overprotective, he convinced himself. For all he knew, that man could be the exact same as Joker. Though they seemed to be on a friendly basis, Seul was pretty naïve and more apt to get herself into a troublesome situation. Either way, he should probably go check it out.

"So, you've been living with the Brits?" Luka questioned. "What's that been like?"

"Different," was all I could say. "You should come visit me and then maybe you'd know."

"Damn girl," he remarked jokingly. "Don't you know I'm so broke? It would take months to save up to buy a plane ticket to see you."

"Then save up," I advocated. "Think you can have enough money by next May? Then at least you can see me graduate."

"Ugh," Luka faked a groan. "You're so needy. You'd drive any boy insane. Though while we're on the subject, have you got yourself a boyfriend?"

"I-" I started, but I felt a hand clap on my shoulder.

"Yes, that would be me," answered Sebastian from behind me.

That damn demon. Why couldn't he keep his jealous self away for two seconds while I tried talking to an old friend? Didn't he realize that every boy I talked to was not out to get me? Really, he was the only one that posed a real danger to my delicate figure.

I rolled my eyes. "And now you've just met my nuisance of a boyfriend, Sebastian."

"Going international? Nicely done, especially from the girl who insisted on Purell-ing her hands every time after touching me when we were ten because she claimed I had 'cooties.' And now you're all grown up."

I twittered lightly. "It seems I'm the only grown-up one in this relationship. Sebastian, here, still acts like a jealous bitch, even in his old age."

"It's six years, Seul." Sebastian corrected. "That does not qualify me as 'old."

"Protest all you want, it's the facts~" I teased.

"Six years?" Luka raised an eyebrow. "As I said before, not bad. Not bad at all."

"See, Sebastian?" I gestured to Luka. "Perfectly harmless. You didn't have anything to worry about."

"You always say that before finding yourself in some kind of peril," Sebastian said grimly.

"That's right," Luka laughed. "She's basically a magnet for disaster. She's the most faithful person I know, but when it comes to a dangerous situation, she always finds herself in the middle of it. Shit, there was that one time with the hurricane…"

Luka brought himself back on track. "You may want to strangle her more times than not, but she's worth it. You're lucky that you found her."

I ruffled Luka's hair sportively. "Aww, you're too kind, Lukie."

He grimaced falsely at the annoying pet name. He turned to look at Sebastian one more time. "Oh, and one more thing. Seul likes to give out annoying pet names."

At this, Sebastian actually loosened up and smirked. "Trust me, I've already found that out. Most of the time, they're not even half-creative."

Luka chortled back. "I know right? She just adds –ie or –y to the end of your name."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not even here!" I objected, crossing my arms. "And those are damn good nicknames. They come from the bottom of my heart." I glanced over at Sebastian. "Except for yours. Those I just came up with off of the top of my head."

"I'm glad to hear that I'm appreciated," Sebastian answered impassively.

"Oh stop it," I headbutted his chest. "You realize I'm joking."

"Sure, sure. But you'll have to convince me."

I knew what he was suggesting, so I gave him a smart kiss on his pink bow-shaped lips. "You little bitch," I complained.

I was about to give him another smooch, but I heard another loud voice shouting in our direction.

Still not ownin' After the Storm by Mumford and Sons, nor will I ever own Kuroshitsuji. *sob* Meh,,,,, I jus' wanna sit and watch Titanic and cry right now. Titanic! Why you no be on TV?

Blarhar. - how most of the convos between my friends and I end up. I'm on a cucumber.

Review, my little sheepherders.