A/N: Wow, it has been so long since I last updated. I'm sorry, this semester has been really busy for me at school, on top of which, I've been working on a Will/Grell doujinshi with a friend. We're doing our best to finish it around the time that the new Shinigami OVA comes out.

This chapter is a lot of wrapping up loose ends, and because I don't know if I can update again for a while, I'm going to tentatively call this the last chapter. I may update with an epilogue of some sort at some point, but for now, I'm calling this an end. Thank you for reading this fanfiction and for all of your support and comments. ^_^

Chapter 14: Cura

Snake watched Ciel and Sebastian leave the grounds with a slight frown on his face. He had hoped that he hadn't done something to disappoint them as a footman that they would leave without him. It was his duty, after all, to follow the master wherever he left his home, being as constant of a presence as the head butler, at least when the lord was out of his home. But both the Earl and Sebastian had requested privacy and said that it would be a short trip, so he had been left behind. And he couldn't help but worry. Especially after the events of last night and everything that had happened, Snake found himself very much concerned for his master's well being. But he supposed he could relax, he had mister Sebastian with him after all. He thought that he would go to the greenhouse then, and attend to his dear snakes until his master returned. He could feel somehow that they were lonely.

When he reached the greenhouse, several snakes came slithering up to his feet, their hisses of delight bringing a soothing calm to Snake's emotional state. Oscar slid up his leg and coiled himself around Snake's shoulders, which was his usual perch and tickled Snake's cheek with his forked tongue. The others were content to slither around his feet, and he slowly slid to the floor, sitting next to his serpentine companions. No matter how close he would become to the servants of the manor, he would always consider his snakes his first family. They gave him a sort of calm that the other members of the household couldn't provide.

The snakes flicked their tongues out at his hands, sensing that he was slightly troubled. To answer them, he smiled and mumbled at them.

"Smile, I mean, Ciel left the mansion today without me. I'm the footman, I'm supposed to follow him wherever he goes, but they left without me today, and Mister Sebastian didn't say a word. I think I might have done something wrong."

The snakes coiled around his arms and waist, squeezing gently in reassurance. Snake smiled down at them, happy for the comfort they offered. He was glad that the others in the Phantomhive manor had warmed up to them all right. Finnian especially had been the first to get completely used to them, he was a rather sweet boy. Baldroy had been the most hesitant about them, but even he eventually got used to them. He was courteous enough to make sure they were never in the kitchen when he felt like "cooking," a gesture which Snake appreciated greatly. He would be quite devastated to come home and find that Baldroy serving charred snake to Smile for dinner. He petted Oscar along his scaly back, and petted some of his other companions.

"I know, I'm probably just overthinking it. I'm sure the young lord is fine so long as Sebastian is beside him."

When Ciel and Sebastian arrived on the scene, they found the area swarming with a crowd, a perimeter had been set, and a smell of death lingered in the air. The Yard had blocked off all civilians from getting too close to the crime scene. Ciel pushed past the crowds with Sebastian following close behind and approached Officer Aberline, who was busy at work trying to shoo people away from the area. When he saw Ciel, he gave him a concerned look, obviously not at all pleased by his presence on the scene. Ciel was almost a bad omen for the Yard, who dreaded to see the watchdog of the queen show up on the premises of any crime scene. If the Earl Phantomhive was present, then it meant that whatever it was, it was out of their hands, despite whatever they wished to the contrary. Seeing Ciel approach, Aberline stepped aside, allowing him access to the gory mess in the alleyway.

"Lord Randall, please take your men and clear the premises." Ciel commanded, announcing his presence to the head of Scotland Yard without so much as a greeting.

"Phantomhive! You can't just expect me to-"

"I'm not expecting, I'm commanding."

The older man grunted in obvious disapproval and disdain for the young earl, but could do no more than voice his obvious disapproval. The young Earl had done quite a bit in his young years to clear her majesty's distress and had the queen's favor in his arsenal as a weapon. The Yard had no official authority over him. When the Earl said jump, Lord Randall was obliged to do nothing but tuck tail and ask how high. And as a man, the Earl had become even more insufferable than he was when he was a child.

"Cursed mongrel dog, showing up to prey on the scraps..."

"And what authority have you to besmear my crest, Lord Randall?"

Growling, the older man gestured to his men to clear the area. When he received nothing but puzzled looks, he shouted at them to not question his orders, and they rushed away to help Aberline with crowd control and redirection. Lord Randall shot one more disdained scowl in Ciel's direction before leaving the alleyway himself, leaving Ciel alone with Sebastian on the crime scene.

With the area cleared, Ciel began to walk slowly towards the rotting corpse in the alleyway, the familiar scent of blood filling his nostrils. The pitiful figure of the notorious Spring Heeled Jack lay crumpled in a heap on the floor, drenched in its own blood. The smell of decay was overwhelming, but Ciel had long grown accustomed to such gruesome sights and sensations. Not budging an inch despite the foul stench that swam in his nostrils, he began to question Sebastian. Technically, the case was already closed as far as they were concerned, but Ciel found himself needing some closure on the case. He had done basically nothing himself and it had happened at such a chaotic time in his life, he could not bring himself to believe that the case was over yet somehow.

"What was he?"

"Nothing but a lesser demon, an incubus with no thought other than to satiate his beastly desires."

"Did he have a name?"

"I have forgotten, it was not worth committing to memory."

"Why did he take Elizabeth?"

"He wanted her to produce his heir."

That was a rather stark answer. Ciel hadn't quite been expecting such a vulgar motivation behind the demon's attacks, but he supposed that would explain why the demon had only attacked women. Had Sebastian been just a little too late, that could have been an unbelievably disastrous incident for Elizabeth. He was glad that he had gotten to her in time.

"What of the other women he attacked?"

"Apparently he did not consider them worth carrying his spawn, which means that he had far more victims than was reported to the police."

"Was the fight difficult?"

"It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Then how exactly did Elizabeth get in the way?"

Ciel turned to face Sebastian then, eyeing him carefully. He knew that the demon had not told the entire story last night. The demon may be bound by contract to never lie, but that didn't mean that he couldn't find loopholes. So long as he didnt lie, he could avod telling him exactly what had happened. Ciel was no idiot, nor was he forgetful. He had told Sebastian he would be further reprimanded for his actions towards Elizabeth.

"My lord?"

"You said that she was a hindrance, so you struck her. But seeing the condition that you returned in, and the condition of this corpse before us, I don't see how he could have posed any threat to you. I don't think Elizabeth could have been directly involved in the fight at any point. This means that you struck her either before or after your battle. I'm guessing after, and I'm asking why."

Sebastian supposed there was no helping it. Ciel was already in a foul mood, despite the engagement having been cancelled according to plan without much incident. It was time to be wholly and completely honest, regardless of how upset Ciel might become. He had honestly thought that that particular matter had been finished, but unfortunately, the young lady remained lingering in his master's thoughts.

"She pleaded for me to spare him."

The answer was plain and simple, but that was not the end of it. Ciel raised his eyebrow at him, silently demanding further explanation.

"Despite the trouble I went through to rescue her, to fight this lowly creature on behalf of her safety, she begged me to stop. Even when I explained what he was, what he would have done to her, she begged me to stay my hand. It was irksome and unsightly, so I slapped her into unconsciousness. That way, the lady would not have to watch me kill the poor creature."

Ciel listened to his explanation in silence, taking care not to interrupt until he had finished everything he had to say. Yet the answer had been somewhat satisfactory. Sebastian truly had no business lashing out at Elizabeth like that. As the perfect butler he was commanded to be, he should have never laid his hand on her. But would Ciel have done the same? He remembered when they were children, there was a moment where he had almost lost control, and had Sebastian not been there, he too would have struck Elizabeth for her foolishness. She had been a child then, and she had broken his family heirloom. Although she was no longer a child now, she was still an innocent. If she could beg for Sebastian to have mercy in his deeds, she would request the same of Ciel. He couldn't help but agree with Sebastian. Mercy was unsightly. He felt truly secure in his decision now. There was no one who could properly maintain this life with him as a wife. He berated Sebastian no longer, and he knew that Sebastian knew why. Saying nothing more, he turned away from Spring Heeled Jack at last.

"Burn him."

As Sebastian sparked a flame, and Ciel felt the familar scent of burning flesh reach his nostrils, he walked away from the corpse, out of the alleyway. Striding forward with long, confident steps,

"This case is over."

Kneeling at Ciel's feet, his right hand placed over his chest, he grinned and answered, as per usual,

"Yes, my lord."

Sebastian placed a cup of lightly steaming Earl Grey Tea on the coffee table in front of Elizabeth. The usual company of Ciel was missing, as he was working in his office, promising not to disturb the two of them as they met. Before the meeting, however, he had made Sebastian swear to an entire list of do's and don'ts. He was not to lay a hand on Elizabeth, whether violent or no, he was to maintain the polite distance of an English gentleman. He was also not to speak rudely to her, he was to address her properly, as a lady, and as his superior in social standing. No matter what they talked about, he was not to divulge the sexual nature of their relationship. And so many other rules had been made that Sebastian had to stop and think about what in the world he was actually allowed to do during this meeting. Honestly, sometimes, his master had so little faith in him.

Sitting down across the table from Elizabeth, not pouring himself a cup of tea as well, he offered Elizabeth a polite smile. He had to admit it was a slightly different feeling to be actually part of the conversation and not a vulture overhanging it like when he was just a butler. She wanted to speak almost like equals, but he had to remember that he was still a butler to the core, lest he overstep his human boundaries. Placing his gloved hands in his lap, he finally broke the silence.

"Now, what was it you wished to speak to me about, my lady?"

Elizabeth carefully fingered the china in her hands. Looking down into her tea, she saw her reflection in them, and she found she had trouble starting what she wanted to say. Even though she had been the one to request this meeting, she found herself still waiting for Sebastian's lead. But that wouldn't do. She had resolved to be a stronger, better woman than before. So gripping the tea cup a little tightly, she spoke.

"All this time, you've been a demon."

It wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement, and it was one that sounded absurd to her even as it left her lips. How could she believe that such things existed in this world? And yet, she had seen it with her own eyes, she couldn't just deny the facts and hope that they would fade into oblivion.

"Yes, my lady."

"You and Ciel have a... a contract."

"Yes, my lady."

"What are the terms of that contract?"

Honestly, Sebastian couldn't see how any of that mattered. The contract had been made, it was binding. The only way to end it was to carry it through. Regardless of whether or not she knew the terms, the contract could not be changed. But he decided to indulge her.

"My lord summoned me to save him when he was on the verge of death. I am to serve him as his protector and his servant until the day he completes his revenge for the murder of his family. When his revenge is complete, I am to claim his soul."

Elizabeth should have expected nothing less. Demons weren't known for their generosity. It was perhaps only natural that he would eventually claim Ciel's soul. Still, she grimaced to think of an eternity of pain and suffering for Ciel. Or if not even that, an eternity of nothingness. She didn't really care to know which one of the two it was. All she knew was that Ciel would never know peace, never know happiness. The thought saddened her, but she could think of so little she could do.

"You've been helping him all these years with his work, haven't you? The reason the Funtom company has been doing so well, the reason the queen showers so many favors onto him, the reason why nothing tragically horrible has happened to him in these years despite what happened to his parents... they've all been your doing, haven't they?"

"I am but a pawn on my master's grand chessboard. He moves me where he wills, and I can only carry out the commands that are issued to me. Some of those deeds were done on my counsel, yes, but the final decision has always been my master's."

"You speak so highly of him, even though to you he's nothing more than food."

Elizabeth almost spat out those words, tired of Sebastian's rhetoric. He knew his way around coy and soothing words that knew only how to deceive. Every word of praise he spoke of Ciel was not said in affection, she felt. Demons couldn't possibly feel such things. He had taken Ciel from her long before she had been given a chance to be there for him. And he cherished Ciel only in the way one cherished their next meal after a long fast. Lowly demon, he deserved nothing of Ciel.

"He is more than that to me."

"I don't want to know."

"It's just as well. I was forbidden to divulge such information anyhow."

An uncomfortable silence overtook them. Trying to calm herself down from her near outburst, Elizabeth tried to calmly remember why she had called for this meeting in the first place. What was it that she was hoping to get out of this conversation? What resolutions could they reach, if any? She wanted to keep herself a part of Ciel's world. Whether her parents approved or not, she wanted to become more experienced in the world. She had only seem glimpses of its darkness and that wasn't sufficient to provide Ciel the support she wanted to give him. But she wondered how practical it was to ask to be a part of the underground. One didn't simply just waltz in and expect to fit in with everyone else with no suspicions. Joining that world would also place her family in danger, her current one and the one she would surely have in the future. She knew her mother must be at work arranging a new marriage for her as she sat there. She would be given to another nobleman, one with wealth and prestige and honor. Could he be made to be a part of this as well? She didn't know. She was not like...

"Was Aunt Angelina..."

"Yes, she was."

"Is that why she was killed?"

"In a sense. But she was killed because she stepped out of line. She was hunted not by the scum of the underground, but by us."

"Were you the one who killed her?"

"I was not."

She didn't want to ask if it was Ciel who pulled the trigger. But if he had been the one to end Madam's life, then it spoke volumes about what lengths he was willing to go to in order to do his duty to the queen. Even the bonds of family would mean nothing in the face of Her Majesty's command. And Madam had been like a surrogate mother to Ciel. Elizabeth had never been so close to Ciel as Madam had been. Would he kill her as well, if she got in his way?

"Is there nothing I can do?"

The question was more to herself than it was addressed to Sebastian. He knew this, but he felt the need to answer her question anyway. He knew how much she cared for Ciel and how much of a hindrance that was to their plans. The best way for her to help would have been to stay out of their way. Unfortunately, he was bound to speak to her properly. He was also unsure of what Ciel's reponse would be. He had allowed his aunt to get involved without hesitation, would the same gesture be extended to this woman?

"I think it would be best for you to speak with the young lord about this matter. I cannot speak on his behalf, especially not on this matter."

Elizabeth nodded her head, knowing that he was right. It aggravated her that she had been born this way. She couldn't do anything without waiting for someone's approval. Whether it was her family's approval or Ciel's, she was powerless to act on her own. If only her parents had raised her the way they had raised her brother Edward. But if they had a son to pass on their knights legacy on to, there as no need to involve their daughter as well. It would only be inappropriate. That and she could feel that she couldn't be strong enough. She could only depend on others, she could only depend on Sebastian to keep Ciel safe until...

"Do you care for him?"

Sebastian eyed her carefully. He didn't think she had it in her but she had actually managed to stump him with her rather forward question. Did he care for Ciel? There was no way to know for sure. He had to admit that Ciel was different from all of his previous contractors, and that he had taken to Ciel more fondly. But it wasn't the first time he had been sexually involved with his masters. It wasn't the first time he had served as confidant and bodyguard. It certainly wasn't the first time he had been an adoring servant. He did have to admit that there was something unique about Ciel. But did he care for Ciel in the way that Elizabeth, in the way that humans cared about each other? Oh absolutely not. He had seen the depths of human affection, and he knew it could not be applied. He did not selflessly care for Ciel, he did not care about Ciel's happiness. Of course, that wasn't to say that he wasn't capable of such emotions. He had seen demons who could actually love, and he felt no desire to join their pitiable ranks. But as a demon, he cared for Ciel in the way that a demon knew how. He would keep him safe, he would fulfill Ciel's every wish as he desired, he would carry out the terms of their contract, and until he could devour Ciel's soul, he would savor him in every way he knew how.

"Yes."

It wasn't a lie. Sebastian never lied. It was just that Elizabeth couldn't hear his definition of caring. And he couldn't help her misinterpretation, which would surely assume that Sebastian cared for Ciel the way she cared for Ciel. So it went, as she relaxed, happy to hear his answer without knowing what it truly meant. She stood up then, resolving to go talk to Ciel about their future. She didn't know what she could do to help, but there was no harm in asking. As Sebastian led her up the stairs, she pulled out a small handkerchief within which she had placed her engagement ring. She was glad to have found the strength to remove it. She stopped Sebastian as they were reaching the door of Ciel's office, and handed him the handkerchief.

"Please give this to him for me afterwards, seeing as how we're no longer..."

"Understood, my lady."