Mother Nature is no respecter of persons. She does not change because of the death of a great man, nor because of a beggar's untimely demise. She follows her seasons, never once grieving over the loss of those that live on the earth.
The day dawned like any other that had come before it, and the camp moved along with routine. Officers and guards awoke and switched with the men who worked the night shift. From there the prisoners were forced awake, then lined up for morning roll call and finally sent out to work.
It was only toward the afternoon that anyone became aware of the horrible act that had been committed during the night. The body was found by one of the medical personnel, and needless to say, it caused a great deal of an uproar within the camp.
The incident was immediately reported to the commander, although by the time it was, everyone else was already aware of it. Sebastian made sure to make the lab off limits until there could be a proper investigation conducted. He also made up a written report, adding a request to have investigators sent out as soon as possible. There was no doubt that it was a murder and it was standard procedure to call in someone else to have a look around.
In addition to reporting the matter, the entire camp of prisoners were immediately placed on lock down. Guards were on strict orders to keep them in their crowded barracks until the issue could be sorted out.
Since the body could not simply stay in the lab until the investigators arrived, it was removed and taken to another room where it could be studied and tested. When the officer had first found it, the body had been in full rigor mortis. By the greenish-blue color of the skin and the decreased temperature, the medical personnel came to the conclusion that the time of death had occurred at least fifteen hours before it had been discovered.
They were also able to identify the cause of death. The blanket that lay to the side of the body was indication of suffocation, and there had been enough liquid left in the syringe to recognize what it had been.
What puzzled everyone was why the doctor had not used the gun they found in his pocket to defend himself. That would have been anyone's natural reaction to a threat on their life. And yet the gun had gone untouched.
Clearly the murder must have been committed by someone the doctor had trusted, for had it been a prisoner, they would have been shot on the spot.
Sebastian had made sure the lab was closed and locked up as soon as they had removed the body. He even placed a guard at the door to make sure it was left untouched. But that had taken quite some time, and there were a few key elements that did not slip by unnoticed, not by the commander, and certainly not by Claude or the other men who were working with them.
Claude walked down the hall, Ronald and William trailing behind him. The two other men were simply there as a backup measure. They had received instructions to use force if necessary, but Claude knew it would not be needed. He knew Sebastian was already well aware that they would be coming.
The evidence that had been found, though vague, made him the only suspect.
Claude knocked on the door of the commander's outer office, opening it before the secretary Bard could let them in.
"You can't go in there, the commander is very busy-" The secretary's words went unheeded as he was pushed aside.
Claude opened the door that led to Sebastian's office.
The commander sat in a chair behind the desk, hands folded underneath his chin. He stared at Claude and the men he had brought, no surprise showing in his gaze. "Well well, Faustus. To what do I owe this visit?" The words were coated with sarcasm.
"You know what we found Michaelis." Claude's expression showed nothing. "You know what I am bound to do."
"Yes, I am well aware. The men I sent for should be here in three days at the earliest. Shall we not allow them to decide?" Sebastian's gaze was challenging.
"Being under suspicion makes you unfit to oversee this camp. It has been agreed upon that you shall be confined to your quarters until other authority deems it fit to release you."
Sebastian smirked, looking into Claude's impassive eyes. "And I suppose you'll be in charge while I'm no longer fit for duty. Shouldn't you be under suspicion as well?"
Claude's eyes narrowed slightly. "Just what are you implying?"
"Implying? I'm implying nothing. What did you think I was trying to get at?" Sebastian stood up as the other man refused to answer, giving both William and Ronald a look that clearly warned them not to touch him. He knew there was no point in resisting this. "Shall you gentlemen see me to my room then?"
Ciel was worried. Having no contact to the outside world, he did not know of the events that had taken place, nor what had happened to Sebastian. He could only pace his cell and wonder, coming up with all sorts of different scenarios. None of them eased his mind.
He wasn't left to starve, something that greatly bewildered him. Every morning and evening a plate was pushed under the metal flap at the base of his door. He didn't know who brought it to him, but could only guess Sebastian had ordered it done.
Despite that, he couldn't help but wonder if the commander was simply avoiding him. Perhaps his confession had disgusted the man, or perhaps it was what had happened to him. Perhaps Sebastian couldn't stand to even look at him.
Though such thoughts tormented his mind, he was no closer to finding the answers. He would simply have to resign himself to his fate. A fate of waiting until someone came to tell him what was going on.
Sebastian sat on his bed, staring across the small room. He had made no move to resist his confinement, knowing Claude would jump at the opportunity to force, or in the worst case, kill him if he attempted such a thing.
He had completely lost the respect of the men that worked under him, and had been removed from his station. Clearly he had underestimated Claude from the beginning.
He understood exactly what was going on. He also had his suspicions on who the real murderer of Ash Landers had been.
Claude was very clever. He had used everything against him, even his moment of rage directed toward the doctor. It was as if the other man had planned every little detail from the moment he started this little game.
But even the best make mistakes, and Sebastian knew Claude far better than anyone else. He would eventually mess up, and when that happened, Sebastian planned on being there to take him down once and for all.
Claude marched out into the cloud of dust that had been kicked up by the wheels of a car. He paid no attention to it however, making his way through the contaminated air to where the vehicle had come to a halt.
An older man with graying hair stepped out of the car first. He was a grandfatherly type, with a thick mustache gracing his upper lip and a heavily weathered face. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked about, telling of a man who had a keen sense of humor. At first glance, that was all one would notice, but upon taking a closer look, one could see that he held a air of experience like that of a seasoned soldier; someone who had been through several wars and was indeed a formidable opponent.
Claude carefully made note of this as he watched the man step from the car. He moved forward to greet him, saluting their Fuhrer as he did. "Tanaka Sir." His eyes shifted to the car. "Your assistant is here also, I presume?"
The older man nodded, saluting with him as was required. "Ah yes, Assistant Commander Faustus." He turned to the car. "Yes, Grell Sutcliff. Please get out of the car."
At his call, a tall, thin man extracted himself from the back seat of the vehicle. "I was only waiting for the dust to clear. Beastly stuff would ruin my clean uniform."
This man was a complete opposite of the older officer. He had short, fiery red hair and deep green eyes which were quite a contrast to one another. In addition to his strange physical appearance, he was also not wearing a standard uniform. Instead of the regular green or black, he was dressed from head to toe in deep red.
He did not even so much as salute as he walked from the car. "Ugly place this is. Glad I wasn't stationed here."
Tanaka said nothing about the other man's lack of respect, instead turning to Claude. "Where is the commander?"
Claude managed to make his expression appear slightly regretful. "I would have wired you, except you were already on your way. Because of certain evidence we have found, Commander Michaelis is under suspicion for the doctor's murder. I took the liberty of confining him to his quarters till you arrived."
The older man's eyes hardened a bit. "You overstepped yourself. May I remind you that it is my job, not yours, to decide when and where a person should be locked up."
He pushed past Claude and began walking toward the main building.
Grell glanced at the dark haired man. "That's what I tried to warn you of on the telephone, dear. This isn't going to be as easy as you expected, even with my expert help." The red head started to walk after his mentor, leaving the other man to glare at his retreating back.
Tanaka and Grell had been over the evidence that had been gathered from both the body and the scene of the crime. They still had to look the lab over thoroughly, though Tanaka felt it was more important to question the commander and release him from house arrest.
Though the small bit of evidence pointed to Sebastian, Tanaka found it quite difficult to believe the other man would have done such a thing. He realized that such an assumption was never wise, and yet, he could not help but find it difficult to understand.
Perhaps it has been foolish to accept such an assignment, for he had known Sebastian before he had been stationed at the camp. He had even trained the man some himself, and thought he knew Sebastian a bit better than most. The younger man had always been one to control himself. Tanaka had seen a good deal of cruelty in Sebastian, yet he knew it to be put toward a greater purpose. He didn't think the man would harm someone who worked under him. At least not at the risk of losing everything he had worked so hard to achieve. Something didn't quite add up.
Still, it was his job to uncover what had happened, and he would put aside all feelings and old ties of friendship for the sake of justice. He stepped inside the commander's room as a guard unlocked and opened the door.
Grell followed him inside, mumbling about the dust and how it was going to ruin his shoes. He had never met Sebastian before and only had rumors to go by regarding the man's personality. Needless to say, his source had not been the best, and he was not at all looking forward to wasting time with this meeting.
He stepped into the room carelessly, his eyes running over the bookshelves and bed, finally focusing on the man who sat behind a small table. He froze and for a moment simply stared in the direction of the dark haired man. He had been expecting a rather ugly, brutish man like so many of the others he was forced to work with. Instead he was faced with a young, handsome man, who looked both mysterious and interesting. "Oh my.."
Tanaka ignored his young assistant, motioning for the guard to close the door behind them. He nodded to Sebastian who had not moved since they arrived. "Hello Commander Michaelis. We're here to ask a few questions."
Sebastian nodded in reply. He made no indication of the fact that he knew the other man, even though he remembered him well. He barely glanced at the redhead who stood in the background, his attention focused on Tanaka who took a seat in front of him.
"Grell, please bring that file here." Tanaka glanced over at the other man with a smile, not in the least perturbed by the fact that he was so obviously distracted.
"Oh. Oooh, yes Sir." Grell kept his eyes on Sebastian as he walked, nearly bumping into the table as he dropped the file in front of the older man.
"Now, we can begin." Tanaka motioned Grell to stand beside him.
Sebastian's eyes shifted to Grell for a moment, the look he gave him akin to annoyance. He did not need to deal with this sort of thing along with everything else that was going on.
"Did you see Doctor Landers at all the day he died?" Tanaka began the questioning, watching Sebastian closely as he awaited an answer.
Sebastian turned his attention back to the older man. He had seen the evidence against himself and he knew his replies would be used against him. Yet he also knew that he had not killed Ash; a fact he was willing to fight for. "Yes, I did."
Grell wrote the answer down as Tanaka nodded slightly.
"Did you visit him in his lab, and were you there alone with him for any length of time?"
"Yes."
"As it has been found, Landers was in the habit of writing a log of daily events. There was one particular section that stood out from the rest. Most dealt with normal routine, and yet one distinctly referred to the fact that you had visited and threatened his life. Is that true, and if so, how exactly did the events take place?" Tanaka looked up from the paper he was reading.
Sebastian placed his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly. "That is correct. I visited the lab around mid afternoon. Landers allowed me inside after unlocking the door, and we spoke for a few minutes. I had been about to leave when he said something that did not set well with me. I pushed him up against the wall in a moment of rage and threatened to kill him. However, I did not go through with it. I left soon after and did not return until he had already been discovered dead."
Tanaka said nothing for a moment, looking down at the file he held in his hands. Finally he looked up, meeting the other man's gaze. "I do not need to remind you that the evidence we have found, however small, is quite incriminating. Your admission only serves to add motive to the crime. However, though there are strikes against you, I see no reason I shouldn't allow you to go about your normal duties until a full investigation has been conducted. There isn't anywhere you can go after all." He stood up as he finished speaking, closing the file and starting to walk toward the door.
Grell did not follow as his superior left the room, instead opting to stare down at Sebastian, a small smirk on his lips.
The commander started to stand as soon as Tanaka had left, his eyes shifting to meet the redhead's gaze. "Is there anything else?"
"Noo. Not anything official, but we could always improvise." Grell winked, leaving no doubt as to his meaning.
"Do refrain from so openly speaking of such things. You never know what could land you in trouble, no matter how common such practices may be." Sebastian walked past him, leaving him alone in the room.
"Why...you.." Grell huffed, tossing his head in disgust. "Well then Bassy, I was thinking on changing my loyalties, but I see I shall have to punish you for that cold refusal."
Sebastian's first priority after his release had been to check on Ciel. He was sure the boy must have been wondering why he had been left to himself for so many days. Or perhaps he had welcomed it. Regardless of the truth, he felt he should make sure the child was alright.
When he unlocked the door, he was surprised to find Ciel curled up on the bed, the blankets tossed to the floor. Closing the door slowly and making his way into the room, Sebastian leaned over, picking the blanket up off the cement. He didn't cover the boy with it right away however, instead taking a moment to watch him as he slept.
Ciel appeared so small and helpless lying there, his arms tucked to the sides of his body, small fingers curled toward his chest. His hair covered half his face, though Sebastian could still see the relaxed look that had settled over his expression. He was sure the boy could only feel such peace in his sleep. Draping the blanket gently over the boy's small body, he turned away from the bed, deciding against waking him for the time being.
He moved toward the desk at the other end of the small room, sitting down on the chair that stood behind it. His eyes settled on the papers that lay there.
Being a curious man by nature as well as necessity, Sebastian reached for the stack of papers. He took a quick glance at the boy, but seeing as he did not move, he turned his attention to what was in his hand.
After reading the first few lines, he realized how very private the words were. They were not meant for anyone's eyes, for they were the boy's innermost thoughts, his feelings, his very soul.
Had he been a better man, he might have put the papers back where he had found them, but instead he continued to read. He wanted to understand Ciel better, and this was the only way he was able to do that, for the boy was almost always silent when he was around.
The paper contained bits of memories; it spoke of the child's parents and his beloved aunt. It told of the suffering he had been forced to endure, as well as how he felt about all that had happened to him over the course of the last few weeks.
Sebastian had been able to do unspeakable things to others, simply because he did not ever allow himself to get to know them. If they were a number, a nameless face in a sea of others, it became easy to kill. It made them appear as if they were objects, not fellow human beings.
Reading Ciel's diary made him see the boy for what he was. Not a number. Not a body. Not a useless piece of human garbage. But a living, thinking, and feeling child.
He stared at the paper he held in his hand long after he had finished reading. He was unaware he had been doing it, but a slight noise brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up.
Ciel sat up in his bed, staring over at him. The boy must have awoke while he had been reading, though for how long he had been watching him, Sebastian did not know. Placing the papers aside, he raised his hand, motioning for the boy to come forward.
Ciel hesitated, then pushed the blanket off of his legs, standing up slowly. He walked toward Sebastian, his head down, his hair covering the damaged side of his face.
Sebastian leaned forward, his hands settling on the child's waist. He pulled Ciel toward him gently. The boy didn't resist his touch, though he stiffened slightly as he was lifted onto the commander's lap.
"I've brought something for you." He did not mention the boy's writing, thinking it best to say nothing on that matter.
Ciel looked up as Sebastian spoke, his cheeks dusted lightly in pink. He was always consciously aware of Sebastian's closeness, even when the man was simply talking. It was disturbing in some ways and quite thrilling in others.
Sebastian, however, didn't seem to be thinking on those terms. His hand slipped from Ciel's waist and he unbuttoned his breast pocket, pulling out a smooth, black piece of rounded fabric.
Ciel recognized what it was immediately. For some unexplainable reason, the sight of it nearly brought him to tears, and it took all his willpower to keep from humiliating himself in front of the commander. It was as if Sebastian had understood his feelings, understood what he was going through. If he still had doubts about the man's sincerity, they were all crushed by this simple gesture.
He reached out to take it from Sebastian's fingers, his own brushing the commander's lightly as he pulled the eye patch away. He stared at it for a long moment, saying nothing as he tried to collect his emotions.
"Here." Sebastian sensed his turmoil and took the eye patch from him, reaching around so that he could tie it loosely to the boy's head. He pulled Ciel's bangs over it, his fingers ghosting over the boy's cheek as he brushed them gently to the side.
Ciel stared at him a moment, blinking his one blue eye as he studied Sebastian's face. "Thank you."
Sebastian said nothing in reply, his hand slowly running up and down the length of the boy's thigh as he looked at him. The eye patch seemed out of place on such a beautiful face, yet it caused Ciel so much happiness he knew he had done the right thing in bringing it.
Ciel shifted nervously as Sebastian's hand moved a little too far up. He was glad that the man was back, but he wanted to know why he had stayed away for so long. He placed his hand on the commander's chest, pushing back a bit. "What happened to you? I was..." He had been about to say that he had been worried, but stopped himself. That was far too much to reveal, even if Sebastian had already read all of his secret thoughts.
"I thought you might have been murdered. Or that you decided I wasn't worth anything anymore because of...because of what had happened." Ciel looked down.
"Murdered?" Sebastian's eyes narrowed at the word. It was strange the boy would say that after what had happened. Especially since he could not have known.
Ciel glanced at the man, finding the look that had suddenly come into his eyes to be somewhat frightening. "I.."
Sebastian tipped his chin back, forcing him to stare up into that piercing, crimson gaze. "You what?"
Ciel swallowed slowly, knowing very well that there was no way out of this. He only could hope Sebastian would not be too harsh with him once he had heard the truth. "I heard Ash and Claude talking one night..before you had me brought here. They stopped right near the barracks and started talking about killing you. I was frightened..and I.." He could not look away, so instead he took a deep breath. "I kept the secret from you."
Sebastian let go of him, his eyes taking on a rather dangerous gleam as he looked away. "Well, this certainly complicates everything."
Ciel was unsure if he should speak, but he was curious. "What do you mean?"
Sebastian glanced down at him. "Ash Landers was found dead five days ago. He had been murdered."
Ciel didn't know how to respond. It was shocking to say the least, though he felt no sympathy for what had happened to the man. In a way, he was glad Ash had been punished for what he had done to him and countless others, though the murder left him worried about Sebastian.
"That's not all. It seems as if there has been evidence found at the scene of the crime that points to me as a prime suspect."
Ciel's eye widened and he unconsciously pulled back a bit. "You didn't.."
The commander chuckled mirthlessly. "No, I didn't. Though I did have a motive. And that's all they have to go by as of yet."
Ciel relaxed slightly, though he didn't quite understand how Sebastian could remain so calm in a situation such as this. "Who do you think did?"
"Faustus. I should have known he wouldn't be content with allowing me to simply get away with what I have done. Not only does he wish to kill me as you have shown, but I'm beginning to think he wants to strip me of everything I have before he does." Sebastian shook his head.
Ciel again wondered what Sebastian had done would create such a hatred between the two men, but kept silent. He had so many things he wanted to ask, but it seemed as if the commander had more than enough to deal with. News of Abberline would have to wait.
Sebastian was having different thoughts altogether. Reading what Ciel had wrote had made him think. It made him realize what was truly important to him. He wouldn't flatter himself by pretending he still didn't hold a deep hatred for Claude. He was no saint, not by any stretch of the imagination. But Ciel had changed something. And he didn't want the child in the middle of all of this. He didn't want Ciel to stay locked in this room for the rest of his life. The boy deserved better than that. He would have to find a way to get him to safety.
"Ciel, listen to me. I have something of utmost importance to tell you."
A/N: After a month I finally had time to write this. I'm sorry for making everyone wait so long, but as always, life leaves me little opportunity to sit down and write.
I have no idea if investigations for murder during that time would have been conducted at all, or in the way I wrote, but for the story, I'm just kinda going to veer off from being strictly historical.
In reply to the anon person who asked if Alois would be in this, I have to say he will not. I love that kid, but I didn't find a place to put him in this story.
Also, unless you do not mind waiting, it would be best if you asked any questions while logged in so that I can reply quickly. c:
Anyway, hope you all enjoy and thank you for all the reviews, faves, follows etc. I love all of you.
