Disclaimer: I... could only dream of having them.
A/N: The last time I visited this website, I was browsing a crossover fanfic between Vocaloid and Kuroshitsuji when I accidentally saw a story entitled: The Maid, the Butler, and the Master (yeah, something like that). Funny, it's almost the same as this chapter's title! XD It's so happens that I already finished making this one when I bumped into it. I swear I didn't plagiarize it.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE WHO REVIEWED/FAVORITED/FOLLOWED MY STORY! *HUGS AND KISSES* Oh, and here's an I LOVE YOU to my 'Xerxes-niisama'! XD ENJOY!
Pretending is an ugly thing. I hate it, but love it at the same time. I wish... *screams* ... I just can't. (Just talking to myself. Don't mind me.) I'm still a little depressed because my freaking laptop's keyboard is still not working. I can't get any stories done and have to borrow my uncle's laptop 'cause of it. Now that I'm back at my boarding house, the rest of the days will be like hell. NO UNCLE'S LAPPY ANYMORE! ARGH! I wish my HAKUIEN (laptop) receives a miracle!
Chapter XIV: The Master, the Butler, and the Maid
It was past lunch time when Vincent and Deiderich arrived at the Phantomhive Manor. As the door opened before them, they were immediately welcomed by the Phantomhive's footman, Snake. "Welcome back, Master Vincent and Lord Deiderich, says Oscar," he said with his usual tone and deadpan stare. He has the habit of talking in behalf of his so-called cold-blooded friends, adding 'says—with the name of one of the snakes (which were obviously taken from famous authors)', at the end of his speech. This has become a constant amusement on the whole household's part, except for one strict butler known as Sebastian Michaelis. "I hope the Masters wish to rest for now, says Emily."
"That was very thoughtful of Emily. But I'm afraid I won't be doing that for now," Vincent answered with a smile as he stroked the head of the female snake. "Ah, of course I didn't forget you guys. That was a nice greeting, Oscar, and well done on your job, Snake." He did the same to the other animal and patted the young lad on the head, ruining his hair on purpose. Snake blushed from gladness and embarrassment. Vincent and Deiderich walked pass the young footman, leaving him on his work.
"That kid is kind of creepy. Why are you letting those snakes roam your mansion freely?" Deiderich asked in a whisper the moment they arrived at the foot of the stair.
"They do not bite… and even if they do, I'm certain that my servants won't allow them to even lay a single bite on my family."
"As careless as ever."
Vincent felt the need to smirk at his friend's comment. He just brushed it off when he saw his wife, together with Meilin and Finny, making their way towards them. "Vince!" By her tone, it was obvious that she had so many questions piled up for her husband. Before she even managed to continue to speak, Vincent went on ahead of her. "Just a little bit more. Ciel will be back by evening, I promise."
"Y-You've found him?" Rachel's demeanor abruptly changed from anxious to blissful.
"Almost into finding him," Vincent reassured and placed a chaste kiss on Rachel's forehead. Of course, Vincent's assurance was half a bluff on his part. He still didn't know where his son was, but now that the abductors' dead, he was half certain that Sebastian would be able to find him this time.
"I-Isn't that great, M-Master?" Meilin suddenly spoke. Vincent, Rachel, Deiderich, and Finny all turned to look at the young maid. "U-Uh… F-Forgive me, I-I didn't mean to!"
"It's alright. What is it, Meilin?"
"I-I… j-just thought that… the Master should rest n-now that… uhm…the young master is," Meilin paused, considering what to say. She just chose not to pursue any further regarding the matter and only stated something suited for her as a maid. "I-It's just you haven't… e-eaten your lunch yet, M-My Lord," she added, stammering like she usually did when talking to someone who has a higher status than her.
Vincent smiled. "Ah, how rude of me. Thank you for your apparent concern, Meilin. Could you just do me the favor of preparing something for my friend? I'll join him later. It would be fine, right?" he said, glancing at the two ladies. Meilin bowed, while Rachel asked Deiderich to join them at the Dining table. When the three went on their way, Vincent called for the young gardener who immediately ran towards his side. "Finny, can you call Sebastian and Charlotte for me? I'll have them in my study." Finnian saluted while Vincent excused himself and went up to his office to wait for his two Demon servants. It didn't take the two said demons seconds, after Finnian informed them, to arrive at the said room.
Sebastian and Charlotte stood at each side of the table, both glancing at their Master with serious eyes. Vincent traced a finger at his family ring—the rare Blue Diamond—where the contract signs of his pact with Sebastian and Charlotte could be found. Charlotte's sign was a lion with a crown sitting atop its head; since both was placed at the same item, it appeared hers was encircling Sebastian's Faustian Mark like a snake on a tree. Her Contract sign is very much different from the other demons; for as the acclaimed Princess of Hell and the Demon of Lust, it was very much expected of her to use an image bearing such nobility (although using such was awfully humorous and ironic for a high, impious Demon such as her). On the other hand, Sebastian as a Fallen Angel, only second to Lucifer, had acquired the grandest mark which was much more suited to his appearance and rank.
"My Lord, could it be that the suspects are already dead? Without doubt, their souls had been ripped out from their bodies," Sebastian said, breaking the silence between them.
Vincent told them all of the details they had gathered. The two shot him a look which consisted of confusion and interest. "I trust that you had nothing to do with it."
"There will be no way we will act against your orders, Master," Charlotte told Vincent, brushing all the doubts he had on mind.
"Very well, you have my trust." Vincent gently pressed his lips against his ring and with a serious tone, he uttered, "Sebastian, Charlotte, this is an order. Find my son and bring him back here. I leave the matter of the other abducted children on your care, as well. You have three hours to accomplish the task. I anticipate you won't fail me this time."
"Yes, My Lord. You have our word." With a swift bow, the two demons went on their mission.
Sebastian closed his eyes for the meantime as he and Charlotte stood atop a tree. Luckily, he was able to pick up signs on the air this time. He just needed a moment of silence to locate the whereabouts of his young master.
"Let's go, Charlotte," he called as he jumped at the nearby branch from where they were standing.
"Speak of the good news, dear. I want to hear it from you," Charlotte responded and followed Sebastian on his trail.
"I found him. He's fine," Sebastian answered, "but, somehow I could sense a very powerful aura lingering near him…"
"I suspect it's not a demon?"
"Yes. But still we have to be careful and take the Young Master away from it as soon as possible."
Ciel and Oz, along with the Blaire siblings, sat cozily in front of the hearth. They were having a silent time together, looking at the dancing flecks of fire in the fireplace. The stillness surrounding them was only broken by Isabel's question to the blue-haired boy.
"Ciel?" The boy instantly responded by turning his head towards her. "Why won't you just stay in bed and rest there? It would be very convenient on your part."
Ciel just shook his head, telling her that he would feel more at ease with Oz around him, considering the nightmare he just had. The four, especially Oz, could only smile at his answer. The boy, despite his small, weak body, could be very persistent and dominating.
"Your fever… I'm just worried," Isabel added.
"It's alright, I guess, Miss Isabel. I'm keeping a constant look at him." Oz gently pulled Ciel closer to him, putting his arms around the boy's waist. Ciel responded by meekly leaning his head against his chest. Somehow, the way Oz speaks and delivers his embraces reminded Ciel of Echo, and on the other hand Ciel's attitude reminded Oz of Ada. "Cold?" Oz asked as he wrapped the piece of thick blanket tighter around Ciel's body. The latter just shook his head and raised his hand, outlining Oz's lower lip with his small fingers. "W-What are you doing?"
"Ciel is like a baby." Oz looked at his side when he heard Ivenrei spoke. True, Ciel is still a kid, compared to him who doesn't need someone anymore to put him to bed or sing to him when he's scared during the night. Maybe Ciel still has those habits, like what he just did, seeing that the boy instantly fell asleep after the gesture. "And Oz is like a father," Ivenrei added which sent a blush on Oz's cheeks.
"I-I'm not that old to be a father," he defended. Indeed, he was telling the truth. After all, he was only 25, but moreover, his current appearance stated that he was only 15. The black-haired lad only answered him with a smirk. His habit of adding overstatements to his answers only led to small quarrels, so he better not say anything at all. A short silence passed by before Oz asked a question to the siblings. "Speaking of, where are your parents?"
"They both died in an accident five years ago," was Isabel's straightforward answer. "It was winter too. They were out in the woods that day. Those who saw it happened said that the ice on the river broke and they both fell on it."
"What… tragedy. I'm sorry if I made you remember."
Isabel just smiled. It was Ilya this time who asked him something. "How about yours, Mister Oz?"
Oz closed his eyes for the meantime, remembering his true status with his parents. Honestly, he doesn't like talking about parents, but realizing that he was the one who opened up such topic, he needed to respond accordingly. He opened his eyes and said, "My father, well, he hates me ever since the beginning of my consciousness." He just smiled at the comment and continued, "And my mother… I killed her."
The three siblings gasped at Oz's words. "K-Killed?"
"I don't know… I don't remember anything. My father's blaming me for her death; calling me I'm a murderer." Oz sighed. The siblings were giving him a sad, grave look. What they were thinking of was something related to child birth, but surely they weren't convinced about their deduction after landing a glance at the bundle in Oz's arms.
"Wait, I don't understand. Surely, there would be only one perfect reason for her death, which was your birth, if your father kept all the blame to you. What I don't understand is Ciel's existence. You two are half-brothers, right?" Ivenrei voiced out.
Oz felt a harsh stab on his brain. He had just forgotten about the lie he told them. And about his mother's death, surely his birth wasn't the reason, knowing that his mother died a few years after Ada's birth. He just couldn't remember how it happened. Now, he needed more explaining to do. "U-Uhm… about that… I'm sorry. The truth is, Ciel is—" The interruption came when they all heard a knock at the door. Isabel rose from her seat to check on it, only to be halted by Oz. The girl turned around, embarrassed by the sudden touch. "Wait. I don't like the feel of this," he whispered. "This place is far from other houses, right? Don't you think it's a bit unusual?" He could feel his heart bouncing from apparent anxiety. After what they had gone through, it was only natural to act that way.
"I'll go check. Make haste and run if something happen." Ivenrei walked towards the door and slowly opened it. What appeared in front of him was a couple—a man with raven hair, wearing an all-black butler suit and a pink-haired lady, wearing a high-class maid outfit. The grandness of the two individual in front of him, despite their mark as a mere servant, rendered the boy speechless for a couple of seconds. "I-Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, recovering from his thunderstruck moment.
"We are very much sorry for this sudden interruption, young lad, but we are looking for a boy… around eleven years of age, dark-haired, blue eyes," the man said, "If you happen to know something, would you be so kind and hand him over?"
Ivenrei froze. He knew who the man was looking for, but he couldn't just let them enter and gave the whereabouts of their two visitors. It was better safe than sorry. "I-I'm sorry, but, I didn't see anyone."
"A little liar, eh?" The man smirked. "Do we look bad to you? I apologize if I got you scared. Will you just please hand the young master over to us? We don't have all the time in the world. Our master only gave us three hours for this." He checked his pocket watch and frowned at the time. "Oh my, it's the ninth hour already. Young lad, where are you hiding—"
"I-I told you already! I don't know anything! Go away!"
When Oz and the others heard his scream, they immediately ran in the kitchen straight to the back door, but what awaited them there was the lady, herself. In a split second, she was able to sense a change in the atmosphere.
Isabel and Ilyasviel screamed from fright and shock, causing Ciel to wake up from the noise. Oz moved backwards, only to stop when he saw the look on the lady's face; tears were streaming down from her face. "W-What's going on?"
"Y-Young… Master…" She ran in a hurried, yanked Ciel away from Oz, and hugged the plastered boy. "O-Oh, you're safe! The master will be so glad."
"L-Lotti?" Ciel slowly looked up, too confused on what was going on; to how Charlotte just appeared right in front of him. He might be in dreamland.
"Yes, young master, it's me," Charlotte whispered, kissing the young boy on the forehead. Oz, Isabel, and Ilya stared at the scene, wide-eyed. On the other hand, the man, who was obviously Sebastian, forced his way in and almost cried upon seeing his little master being cradled by his lover. If it wasn't for his pride as a high-class demon, he would probably burst into tears now.
When Ciel saw his butler, he sprang from Charlotte's grip and dived at Sebastian, calling for the man's name repeatedly with tears leaking out from his blue eyes. Sebastian couldn't control his emotions anymore. From his long life as a demon, that would be the first time he would let his pride go and had that rare opportunity for others to see him cry while holding a little boy in his arms. With that reunion bestowed upon him, his burdens had finally ceased. He now had the face to show to his Master without any shame running through his entire system. "Ciel, you don't know how glad I am to see you," he whispered in the boy's ear. He just had the urge to call his little master by his first name. To his much relief, the boy didn't mind it at all, even at the slightest. Ciel even tightened his grip on him. When he did so, that was when Sebastian realized the high temperature enveloping the boy. "Y-Young master? Could it be that you have a fever right now?"
"Oh no! Sebastian, we better go. His asthma," Charlotte frantically said.
"A-Asthma?" Oz asked, too shock to hear the word from the lady. Isabel and her siblings gave him a puzzled look, as if asking how on earth why Oz knew nothing about it. "He has asthma? S-So that's why he looked like he couldn't breathe when we were still outside the cold. God, if I had been careless, he could have died." Charlotte just gave him a nod, while Sebastian lifted Ciel on his arms.
"Let's go, Lotti. We're taking the young master home—"
"W-Wait a second!" They all turned to look at Isabel who just suddenly yelled out from confusion. "Can someone explain to me what's going on? You just came barging in and scared the hell out of us, and now you're taking Ciel and leaving just like that? You can't just do that! It's common etiquette to at least introduce your selves. Judging from what you're wearing, you're a butler, so you should know that!" she continued, huffing for air after finishing her statement.
"My, a lady shouldn't yell like that." Isabel instantly blushed from embarrassment. "Indeed that was rude of us, young lady. But we don't have enough time for long introductions," Sebastian said, slightly bowing his head for an apology. "As you had said, I am a butler, given the name Sebastian Michaelis and the lady who is with me is Charlotte Baskerville. Did that answer your question? I apologize, but we have to leave." He turned around and walked pass the children.
"Sebastian, how about them? Didn't the Master order us to deliver the other children back too?" Charlotte asked in a whisper.
Sebastian stopped and looked back at them, as if scanning something with his blood-red eyes. "The other three are not related with the abduction, but that lad with blonde hair…" He stared at Oz, eyes widening a little upon remembering something from the past. "That aura I felt a while ago was his. So, it was all true? Who would have thought that a character would go out from the pages of a book? I can still smell the rabbit inside… but all to him now are all new." He smirked, which instantly sent shivers down Oz's spine. "A Vessalius, I see. We'll take him with us."
Charlotte immediately took Oz's hand and gently dragged him towards the taller man. "I apologize, Young Lord. You'll be heading home too with us," she explained. Just by hearing the surname, Vessalius, she already knew that the lad is a noble as well.
Oz instantly blushed when Charlotte offered him a smile. "What a pretty lady…" As soon as he stepped closer to Sebastian, Ciel struggled from the latter's grip, made his way down, and gave Oz another of his surprise embraces. "C-Ciel? What's wrong?"
"I-I'm sorry, I forgot about you! I-I was so happy… that I… forgot," Ciel explained, too ashamed for forgetting his savior like that. He released Oz from the embrace and grabbed his left hand. Sebastian got the message; he knew that once his little master got attached to someone or something, he didn't have any plan of letting it go. His stare fell on the two hands entwined together, straight to the identical bangles hanging on their wrists. Oz followed his gaze. Realization struck him instantly. That bracelet was given to him by an unknown person; after wearing it, a mysterious tune played, and then following his nightmare. The same happened to Ciel; he was certain of that, after realizing that they were wearing the same cursed bracelet.
Sebastian tried to touch the thing, only to be halted by an electric current flowing through it. It instantly sent a slight sting on his fingers, forcing him to withdraw his hands in a manner not too obvious. "Would you mind taking off your bracelets?" Without questions, the two unclipped the things off from their wrists, dropping it down on the ground. In a swift movement, Sebastian had broken it in a single stomped of his foot. "Now, shall we go?"
"A-Ah, yes," Oz answered, but before he entered the carriage, he shot the three siblings a smile and a thank you.
[Phantomhive's Point of View]
It only took Sebastian, Charlotte, and Ciel thirty minutes before arriving at the Phantomhive Mansion. They had Oz dropped down on his own manor first before proceeding home. That span of time was long enough for Sebastian. He had a hard time convincing Ciel to let go of Oz that he ended up making the young boy cry again. Upon the mention of his parents, Ciel behaved at once, much to his butler's delight.
Ciel called for his parents at once upon entering the door. Even though Sebastian told him not to scream and run because of his fever, he just didn't listen due to the joy he was feeling right at that moment.
Meanwhile, Rachel sighed for the fifth time that day. She and her husband were currently staying inside the Earl's office, drinking hot tea to relieve some stress. "Oh my. This is not good," she muttered under her breathe. Vincent tilted his head from his tea to his wife with a question at hand. Rachel put her cup down, wiping the single tear from the corner of her left eye. "I'm starting to hear things. I can hear Ciel's sweet voice calling." Vincent just gave her a pitied look. He had to admit that he, as well, had been hearing things right at that moment. He just hoped Sebastian and Charlotte managed to accomplish the task,
The couple both heaved a sigh of displeasure and resumed to what they were doing. Their full attention was just gradually caught by another call, which became louder and nearer after just a couple of seconds. Now, they weren't hearing things anymore.
"Mommy! Daddy!" It was now coming outside the door of his office. Rachel sprang from her seat, with Vincent following after her, and opened the door in an unladylike manner. When Ciel saw his mother, he said no more, not even hesitating to embrace her. The Countess almost jumped from too much joy as she held her son back into a tight embrace. The Earl, on the other hand, was speechless beyond grasp.
"O-Oh, sweetheart! I-I can't believe you're back!" Rachel cried, "I-I'm so glad to see you!"
The boy just cried with her and only stopped when he noticed his father staring at them with almost teary eyes. Rachel noticed it immediately, so he let her son go. Ciel eagerly slipped off from her and did the loving gesture this time to his father.
"Ciel, baby…" Vincent had his arms around the frail boy as he whispered the words sweetly into his ears. Normally, a father would only wish for a strong-willed son who would soon take over his legacy and that such sweet nothings weren't needed in shaping them. But, in Vincent's case, he had tolerated every childish actions of his child, spoiled him till he grew tired of asking, and told him almost all the sweet words in the world. In truth, Ciel is a strong-willed kid. Despite his young age, he had done things that normal children wouldn't do during their spare time. He's smart, can do his Latin and Greek without aid, knows how to use a handgun (though, Rachel forbid him to even touch one), economically-gifted, and one hell of a genius in Chess. But, being an eleven-year-old kid who lived all his life on a cotton wool with a silver spoon on his mouth, he has a lot of childish habits. He hates acting all mature in front of anyone. He would rather play all day, laughing at silly jokes, than locking himself inside his room and yelling at anyone who would end up disturbing his solitude. He's very prawn to crying and always good at saying sweet nothings to people to get their sympathy. That is exactly the main reason why Vincent couldn't help himself in front of him. His adorable angel could instantly take his life-long stress in just a single stare. Those who were with him starting from the birth of his son knew exactly what he had felt when the boy was taken away by those heartless imbeciles.
"I missed you," was Ciel's answer. Vincent felt his whole body melting from the simple word that escaped the boy's tiny mouth.
"I missed you too, Ciel." He placed a chaste kiss on Ciel's forehead and then proceeded on examining him. "Were you hurt by them? Did they do horrible things to you?"
Upon the mention of the word horrible, Ciel's façade instantly changed into a horrified, frightened look. Vincent seemed to get the picture; indeed, something had happened to him. He knew it wasn't easy to spat out something which would give a person a feel of uneasiness, but holding into the slim chances of the boy answering, he still waited patiently. Seconds passed before Ciel finally spoke. He told them everything, and when it meant everything—every single detail that he could remember. Although he didn't mention anything regarding Oz, his past, and to what he had done in order for them to escape due to the promise he held with the blonde.
Vincent's face grew grave from all the words he had heard. Rachel, upon hearing it, almost fainted. Good thing, Charlotte and Sebastian were there to give her comfort. The lady just buried her face on her handkerchief, crying her heart out.
"Was… that… true? They did that… to you?" Vincent asked once more, in case he just heard it wrong; his hands clutching tightly on Ciel's shaking shoulders. Ciel could only nod. The Earl's body was now trembling from rage. "How could those people…" No. They were not someone you could call a human being. They were simply beasts that really needed a taste of hell. They were the earth's most disgraceful, filthy animal. Vincent would like to send his outmost gratitude to the one who murdered those pigs. He excused himself for the meantime, hiding his tear-filled orbs as he gently hand Ciel over to his weeping mother.
Sebastian and Charlotte followed their master's actions, standing just in time when Vincent called for them. When the three of them were far enough from the two's earshot, Vincent spoke in an icy tone, not even turning to glance at the two individuals behind him. The pentacle on his ring radiated a bright purple instead of the normal blue as he spoke.
"This is an order. Find the Viscount's men," he began, his words spitting venom in each syllable. "Show those bastards no mercy and make them bleed in the most humiliating way."
Eyes changing into a tinted dark pink, Sebastian and Charlotte swore to accomplish yet another exhilarating job.
"No one messes around with the Queen's Noble Watchdog, not even some filthy field mice."
A/N: Gah! This had become longer than I had expected. There, I gave Vincent, Sebastian, and Charlotte enough screen time. I hope I gave them enough justice. *shivers* an angry Vincent Phantomhive is scary, even if he just showed it at the last part and slight from the previous chapter. I wouldn't like to anger him. Now that Ciel is back, everything will be back to normal (or is it?). There are still a lot of adventures to come. Wait till young love blossoms between certain characters! (My shonen-ai fantasies not excluded, so if you hate the major pairing, just say so and don't curse me behind my back 'cause it hurts, really. T_T) Speaking of romance, I'm still thinking of how I will commence the love square thingy for the next chapters. Oh, yes, there's a love square—or not really since it's basically a Harem. Just find out who will have all those lovely individuals~
And before I nearly forgot, I altered the death of Oz's mother! I just felt like including it. :P
Oh! How hard it was to write a chapter with plenty of character participation!