Sebastian paced across the penthouse. He had (reluctantly) followed Mandy's suggestion to go clean up in Ciel's room. The room, void of his Ciel, didn't make him feel better about the current circumstances. The view of New York was beautiful from the top floor. He stared out the window, hands pressed against the glass, crimson eyes searching for a sign or something... It was so big though, this city. How would he be able to find one very small and helpless boy? It had been hard enough back in the 19th century when Ciel had wandered off. However, he had been able to trace the Earl by tracing the location of the contract and he didn't have the luxury of that ability anymore.
Sebastian would have to ask humans for help. That hurt his pride but there wasn't another option.
He caught sight of his reflection in the window and frowned. Honestly, he looked terrible. Perhaps a shower and the luxury of some sleep would help him feel slightly better. Sebastian realized that he forgot to bring clothes with him. There couldn't possibly be anything that would fit him in Ciel's closet, right? He would check anyways.
Each wall was lined with color coordinated clothes. He ventured further back into the closet. There were two hangers both holding two unusual outfits. One was a suit (Sebastian noticed that it would fit him) and the other was a pure white wedding dress that cascaded onto the ground. These must have been Ciel's parent's clothes that they wore to their wedding. He must be keeping them as a memento. Ciel did have a bit of a sentimental side. Sebastian bit his lip. It would be wrong to wear it.
He noticed a box on the ground and kneeled down to check it. It was labeled- "Stuff Alois and Claude have forgotten here". What? How long had Ciel known Alois and Claude together? Sebastian dug through the box. As unfortunate as it was, he was closer in size to Claude than Ciel. Though it made him sick knowing exactly how the clothes had been left in the penthouse. A thought ran through his head, an unfortunate visual of Claude and Alois in one room and Ciel in the other, reading a book or something, and trying to ignore the two of them.
Sebastian sighed. He pulled out a long sleeved shirt, a vest, and a pair of black slacks. Everything was wrinkled but it would have to do for now. Ciel was resourceful, however, so perhaps there was a dryer in the penthouse. Sebastian walked around a little more and found one (along with a washer) in an adjourning room to the kitchen. He checked his phone. Still no response from either Ciel or Claude, which wasn't entirely surprising. It was close to noon. There would probably be enough time to wash the clothes as well. Sebastian set the clothes to be washed on warm for good measure. Now that he had found clothes, he headed for the shower with some enthusiasm. Ciel had a nice bathroom, but it was rather cluttered with several bottles of blue hair dye at various levels of use, a pile of clothes, and various other toiletries.
He stripped out of the clothes he had been wearing for the last twenty four hours since Ciel had disappeared and stepped into the shower. The spray was freezing cold at first and then it warmed up. Sebastian scrubbed shampoo through his hair, thoroughly enjoying the hot water running down his back. He turned up the heat and sighed as steam rose about him. Ah, it was so nice...
He lingered in the hot water for a while then reluctantly shut it off. Sebastian slid open the glass door and reached for a fluffy blue towel that he wrapped around his waist. He felt entirely refreshed yet even more tired. Sebastian rubbed his eyes. Ugh. He hated these occasional bouts of human-like desires.
A squeak sounded from the living room area, from one of the comfortable couches and chairs. He frowned and carefully walked over.
"Hello?" he called.
Mandy sprung up from the couch, beet red at his mostly naked appearance.
"Ah! Oh- I'm so sorry, Mr. Michaelis! Ack! You are naked! I will leave!"
Sebastian frowned. What was with humans and nudity? It irritated him.
"You're fine. Now, was there something you wanted to tell me?"
"Um, yes! There will be a press conference at six. What are you planning on doing until then?"
"I was just about to rest for a while."
"Okay, great! So, I'll come back an hour and a half before and you can talk. I'll be going now."
Sebastian nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course." She headed to the elevator. "Hey, don't worry. We will find him."
"I'm sure."
The exhausted demon headed directly for Ciel's bed, climbing under the silken navy sheets. He turned on his side and as soon as he closed his eyes, Sebastian was sound asleep.
Everything hurt still. Ciel didn't even dare to move or turn his head for fear of this burning, piercing pains shooting through his body. He had awaken in the bedroom with Hannah taking care of him. She had helped him drink a glass of water, explaining what Claude had done.
"He's injected you with a poison that halts and slows many human functions. You have a limited amount of movement, about enough to write. You won't be able to speak or move beyond that."
He couldn't even change his facial expression to match his distress. And, oh, how he wished to have a good cry, yet no tears came to his eyes.
"There's also hallucinatory side effects."
Yes. Yes there was. They came to him in the form of spiders, eight-legged arachnids that crawled towards him in an undulating wave everywhere he looked, crawling on his skin and down the walls and he couldn't move to smash them off his skin to rub away the awful sensation and he wanted to scream, scream, scream! no sound came from his lungs, his vocal cords refusing to obey. And so he stared at Hannah, hoping he was able to covey his desperation and terror through his eyes because there was simply no other way.
Ciel was handed a pen and a pad of paper which he managed to grasp clumsily in his slightly responsive hands.
I hurt everywhere. Why don't you just kill me off or whatever and be done with it?
Hannah spoke, answering his question and they continued on in this manner.
"Claude is working on a way to retrieve the reincarnation side of you, as well as the memories that you share with the present Alois. It's a delicate process and one misstep could destroy both you and Alois. We are not Grim Reapers and this relates to the Cinematic Record in several areas. Claude doesn't want to tamper with that, as it is a power not in our control. You should be thankful- Alois wants some of your soul to survive. Otherwise, he would eat your soul and that would be a simple solution, but it would cause many more problems for Alois to fix."
That was interesting- that Alois was willing to spare him. The way he had acted earlier said otherwise. Alois was quite bipolar.
What was I like in the past? Ciel was curious. After all, if this past version was so important, he should know something about himself.
Hannah shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person. I did not know you as well as say, Alois. The demon who knew you best is Sebastian. If you ever get the chance, you should talk to him."
'If'. That was not entirely encouraging.
Could you tell me about demons, then?
She read his writing and then nodded.
"Your hearing may start to fail so I'll write this information down." She took the pad of paper and intently began to write at an inhuman pace. Ciel's hearing faded and he could no longer hear the scratching of pen on paper as he watched the illusory spiders crawl all over Hannah. He wanted to shiver, to look away in horror and disgust, but his body was paralyzed and there was nothing he could do.
Several minutes later, Hannah handed the notepad back to him. Shaking hands flipped through the pages with little illustrations that explained the workings of demons and their hierarchy.
A demon can choose to make a contract with a human. This is binding and unchangeable. In exchange for their soul, the demon will help them complete a task - usually revenge of some sort. Demons don't often make contracts, unless they are willing to wait for a more delicious soul.
Demons are beings that feed off of pure energy. That being said, a soul is the purest form of energy. They constantly feed off of some form of energy in order to continue their existence. Demons can eat human food, but since our taste is refined to energy, it tastes bland. However, if needed, it can provide us with some energy. The demon body is like a nuclear reactor - it must be fed the correct fuel, souls, and anything else will simply be disintegrated.
Demons are designed to take souls. Our saliva can numb a human so they do not feel anything or it can cause intense pleasure or pain, depending on how it is used. Our talons are sharp enough to easily rip open a body.
We have souls and we have emotions that are much stronger than human ones. Demons typically do not have an identity, but like Sebastian and Claude, they can have established existences. There is a slight hierarchy in Hell, judged by a demon's age, amount of souls consumed, and the amount of wings, three being the highest, signifying that the demon is closest to the satanic Lord.
Ciel finished reading the information that Hannah provided. It was really quite fascinating. He didn't doubt the existence of demons any longer.
Hannah cocked her head, as if listening to some sound he couldn't hear. She wrote on the paper again.
I'm going to go talk with Claude and Alois and see how they're progressing. I would suggest that you continue to sleep.
Ciel watched her walk out of the room, the floor and walls seemingly shifting about her. He closed his eyes, falling back asleep.
"Mr. Michaelis... Mr. Michaelis... Sebastian?" He faintly hear a voice calling to him but chose to ignore it, snuggling deeper into the blankets.
"Ugh! Sebastian! Wake up!" It felt like his shoulder was burning... No, that was real heat! Sebastian was startled awake, his crimson eyes slit-pupil. The person touching his shoulder had a flame surrounding her hand. He slapped the hand away, glowering at the offending person. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen this kimono-dressed, amber-eyed, female with long auburn hair. She had five fluffy fox tails that moved of their own accord.
He snarled at her, "You must be very brave to disturb a resting demon, fox-girl."
"Excuse me? I told you I was going to wake you up. You should have been expecting this at some point. And I'm a Kitsune, not just a simple fox."
"Mandy?" Sebastian asked hesitantly.
"Are you being slow because you're exhausted? Or are you just daft? Hello, Mr. Demon, it's Amanda. Remember? China? In a ravine? A half-dead fox girl that you and Earl Ciel Phantomhive rescued? Or is that too far back for you to remember?"
"Oh." Sebastian felt quit daft, indeed. "You seemed familiar."
She tossed Claude's cleaned clothes at him and flounced out of the room, changing back into her human form.
"I feel insulted, Mr. Demon."
He responded as he slipped the borrowed clothes on, "It's been a rather difficult twenty-four hours. Please excuse my lapse. Now, are you a reincarnation or have you survived this whole time?"
"I'm not a reincarnation. I've lived this whole hundred years, watching from the background. Oh, the humans have been quite amazing."
"That they have. I almost am impressed with their creativity."
Mandy sniffed indignantly. "I am definitely impressed."
Sebastian sighed. It was pointless to argue with her.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes. Do you have an idea of what to say, Mr. Demon?"
"I believe so."
He followed Mandy out of the penthouse and into the elevator. She stared up at him, at least a foot shorter.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Those clothes suit you." She giggled at her own pun.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "What's the robin tattoo for?"
Mandy held out her hand, looking at the ink embedded into her skin.
"It's a reminder. That no matter what happens, I have a responsibility to Mr. Phantomhive. From then, to now. Since this happened, I think that this is somewhat of an opportunity to pay him back, somewhat, for everything he's done for me. Even if he's not the same person as he was, I still consider it an expression of gratitude. I could never hope to repay either of you."
They exited the elevator into a hallway. He followed Mandy into an large room filled with a crowd of people with cameras everywhere he looked. Immediately, questions were shouted at him. Mandy turned back and touched his arm.
"Hey, don't answer them or acknowledge them yet. Just explain what happened and I'll pick the questions to answer."
Sebastian nodded. They went to a makeshift stage with a podium with several microphones stuck to it. Mandy left him standing there and sat down in an empty chair to the side of the stage, giving him a thumbs-up of encouragement. He looked over the crowd of humans, the room silent except for the faint whirring of the cameras recording. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"I am Sebastian Michaelis, personal assistant to Ciel Phantomhive. Yesterday morning, the CEO of Funtom was kidnapped. We do not know who committed this crime or what their motive was. I implore you, if you've seen Mr. Phantomhive or have any information about his location, please let the authorities know. Myself and Mr. Phantomhive's personal security team will be working with the New York police department in order to find him as swiftly as possible. His appearance is rather unique-" the audience laughed at this, "but I'll remind you anyways. Please look for a short male, about five foot four, with black-blue dyed hair. He wears an eyepatch over his right eye. I am unsure of his dress, but it should be something gothic. Thank you very much and we will keep you updated on this unfortunate situation."
He bowed and Mandy joined him on the stage, leaning in front of Sebastian to speak.
"We will now take only a few relevant questions."
A twig of a man stood up and shouted out his question, "Where was Mr. Phantomhive last seen?"
Sebastian answered. "He was last seen in his apartment. We will be searching there first."
A short, blonde woman with her hair in a bun was the next to ask.
"Are you absolutely sure it was a kidnapping and Mr. Phantomhive hasn't decided to go off communications for a while?"
Mandy took this question. "His cell phone was found in a clothing store he frequents. The employees of the store were found unconscious and tied up. That is a direct sign that something suspicious has occurred."
Reporters continued to ask questions, with Mandy and Sebastian answering them to the best of their ability without revealing the supernatural elements of the kidnapping.
"Hey! Look Claude, Sebastian's on TV!" The older demon looked up from his laptop, where he was typing up the various options to fixing Alois's soul. The calculations were complex but he felt like he was getting closer to the perfect solution.
"I'm gonna go get Hannah and Ciel. I think he'd love to see all of this."
Claude nodded and went back to typing. They didn't have much time left, until the search parties began. It was maybe enough time to finish the calculations, but there was absolutely no way he could begin the ceremonies and preparations in time. They would have to wait until another time to finish the deed.
Alois returned, with Hannah carrying Ciel. The boy seemed rather vacant with a look of terror upon his face. She set him down on the unoccupied couch and sat on the right side of him. Alois sunk into the cushions to the left of the CEO, crossing his legs dramatically and leaning back.
"Look, Ciel! Isn't it nice to see the fuss they're making for you?"
Ciel watched the screen, trying to ignore the spiders that crept around the monitor. Sebastian was speaking now and he looked upset. Ciel couldn't hear what he was saying, still, but it was probably something useful. Mandy was there too, the receptionist for Funtom. She looked distraught as well.
"We're running out of time, Alois." Claude spoke softly, noticing the blond's crimson eyes narrow in frustration.
"Oh, come on. They aren't going to find us that quickly."
"Alois, we cannot let them find this building. We must move Ciel as soon as possible and then return here - without him."
Alois pouted, "Then was all of that for nothing? We didn't succeed."
"Yes, but we didn't fail either. I gained some significant information as well. This was worth it."
"I'll accept your reasoning, this time." He paused. "But we must fix me."
"I know, your Highness, and we will - in due time." Claude closed the laptop. "Here's what we'll do. Tonight is the last night we can keep Ciel here. Tomorrow, we'll have to figure out what to do with him."
"I suppose." Alois stood up. "Hannah, return Ciel to his room. Claude and I are going to bed."
She nodded, scooped up the vacant boy, and left.
"Your highness... it's only seven thirty." Claude stated, confused.
"I know! And that gives us plenty of time before we get serious again."
He removed his glasses, setting them on the end table on top of his laptop.
"Come here, then." Claude patted his thighs.
Alois ran over to him (already flushed) and wrapped his legs about Claude's waist. His kiss was more like an attack on Claude's lips, not sweet but greedy. The demon's hands slid down Alois's spine to squeeze his ass. Alois broke the kiss, looking away with a measure of embarrassment.
"What is it? Why have you stopped?"
"I dunno. I apologize." He ran his hands through Claude's hair, eliciting a sigh from the demon. "I'm just worried."
"For now, forget your worries, my highness. There is only you and me in this moment and that is what matters. Forget your cares and... let go."
A/N- Please follow, favorite, and review!