Chapter 19: Phone Call
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Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. If I did, it would already have a yaoi warning splashed across the cover page.
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There were very few things in his life that Sebastian was unwillingly to admit. But one of those was how Claude Faustus had been a thorn at his side since their first meeting all those years ago. Even as children, they were forced to compete with each other by their relatives. Grades were just the tip of the iceberg. Sebastian was thus pressured into taking up additional classes and workshops outside of school; including violin, piano, art and even martial arts. And somehow, Claude had managed to excel in everything that was demanded of him. Being slightly older, Sebastian had the advantage of age and time…but Claude had always been a few steps behind. It irked him then- it irked him now. Not to mention Claude had played a vital role in the events that led Sebastian to cut blood ties with his family.
All in all, a competition like this would certainly not settle things between him and Claude. He didn't even recognise the faces of the judges that were present, implying that the event was put together much too hastily and they had failed to employ reliable and experienced judges in time. The results of this competition could even be falsified to generate buzz in the media. No- the battle between Claude and himself was personal… no outsider was meant to judge.
In other words, this competition was merely a small battle that was inconsequential to the war between his cousin and himself.
But still... a win was still a win. No matter how small.
It was, however, a nerve-wracking moment for everyone else as the judges sampled the two cakes. Ciel's fingers twitched and fidgeted by his side as he watched the discussion between the three judges grew heavy. Sebastian, on the other hand, was as still as a statue. Claude was also the perfect reflection of his rival while Alois was close to combusting into smithereens on that very stage. But finally, the results were in. The main judge, an old man with a round belly stood up, causing the crowd at present to hush. He thanked a helper as the latter handed him a microphone. Looking down at the card in his hand, and then up at the chefs on the stage, he began speaking into the device. His amplified voice seemed louder than it should be, much to the chagrin of the young pastry chef.
"It has been a truly eye-opening event. Never have I seen such skill, speed and ingenuity. Even the apprentices, as young as they are, display nothing but raw talent, determination and knowledge as they assisted their tutors. We applaud them for their hard work. The heavenly tastes of the cakes were complex, but wonderfully blended. Sebastian Michaelis and Claude Faustus have truly earned their reputations as skillful maître pâtissiers. It was truly a difficult task for us to decide the victor of this event… but we have finally come to a decision..."
Ciel leaned forward unconsciously; ears perked to pick up the first sound that left the judge's lips. But then, something else alerted his other senses as he doubled over and coughed. Ciel's eyes scrunched up as he fought back the natural reaction of tears. In an instant, he recognised the scent- but someone else had called out first.
"FIRE!"
Heads turned as people shrieked at the sight of large puffs of smoke rising from one of the faraway stalls. People started pushing and shoving, tilting over displays and table stands. The staff's attempts to calm their visitors were fruitless as their words were lost over the sounds of thundering footsteps and the wails of babies and toddlers. Their panic wasn't unwarranted; for anyone could tell the fire wasn't a small one and would soon spread if left unchecked. As there weren't sprinklers put into place either due to poor planning or lack of budget and the massive crowd prevented help from reaching fire extinguishers that could have been nearby, there weren't immediate solutions to douse the fire.
Ciel would barely believe what was happening as he took in the sight of scrambling spectators and panicking personnel. Then, a familiar hand latched onto his wrist, pulling him towards the stairs that led off the stage.
"Sebastian! Where are we going? The competition-"
"-isn't going back on." Sebastian had answered and heading back towards his own stand. He had to fetch his idiotic staff before it was too late. By the time Sebastian looked back, Claude had already disappeared along with Alois.
He glanced to his side where Ciel was coughing harshly. The ordeal the young boy had gone through when he was young had permanently damaged his lungs, causing him to be hyper sensitive to irritants in the air. They needed to get out of there, and fast.
"Mr Sebastian! What is going on? I heard a 'BOOM' sound – and it freaked me out! What's with the smoke? Why are people shouting?" A terrified (clueless) Finny flittered about, holding several bowls and wooden spoons in his arms. In a panic, it seems as though he had grabbed random (useless) things around the kitchen and ran around like a headless chicken.
"Fire. Get your things and leave. Where's Grell?" Sebastian asked while grabbing his valuables. It would be a pain to lose everything in a fire.
"Grell? I don't know... I thought he was watching the competition…" Finny replied, and then took a double take when he digested the information Sebastian had nonchalantly presented him with. "FIRE?"
"Yes. Now we have to leave." Sebastian threw his bag over one side of his shoulder and bent over to check Ciel. The boy was now in a daze, struggling to breathe. His eyes were scrunched shut and he was forced to lean against Sebastian's hip. Damn it…Sebastian knew that he shouldn't have forced the boy to jog all the way there. Picking his charge up bridal-style, he turned to Finny and said, "It's best to leave through the staff doors, lest you want to be trampled." Sebastian had to assume Grell was aware of the disaster and had already left. He held Ciel tightly to his chest and began jogging away while Finny could only follow blindly behind.
Somewhere along the way, the boy's eyelids slid shut as blackness overwhelmed him.
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Sebastian watched over an unconscious Ciel as the boy lay stiffly on the hospital bed. It seemed Ciel had fallen unconscious by the time the trio had managed to get to a safe area. Once outside, Sebastian saw several fire trucks properly aligned to douse the raging fire. It had been worse than he had imagined. A minor explosion due to gas had occurred in one of the kitchens and it triggered a large fire that had spread rapidly. There were severe damages to the surroundings, but Sebastian could hardly care less.
Fortunately, Ciel was safe. The main reason he fainted was because of fatigue from working rather than breathing in too much smoke. However, the latter was what that had pushed the boy to his limits. It was just like the boy to work tirelessly without complaints till he couldn't hold on any longer. Sebastian gave a small smile as he threaded his fingers through silky locks. The boy was truly too precious for words.
And then, his phone vibrated against his hip. Sebastian sat up, almost startled. He had completely forgotten about the device and instantly took it out to switch it off- that was, until, he spotted the name of the caller. He cast the boy on the bed one glance before standing up to leave the room. Phones were discouraged, after all. As the man exited the room, he missed the small twitch of Ciel's hand and movements beneath the boy's eyelids.
Once outside, Sebastian pressed the receive button and pressed the phone to his ears.
"Talk to me."
"Mr Michaelis? I've done what you've asked me to. My apologies for taking so long...I had to take a trip to Britain. It is….interesting to say the least."
Sebastian didn't like the sound of it, but went on nonetheless. "So? What about it?"
There was a sigh on the other line before the other's voice cackled through the phone. "It seems that the Phantomhive family is a British family with noble roots…old money, if you will. They had immense power in the past…but now, conflict within the family had reduced its wealth to shambles. Or at least, that was how it seems to the public."
"What do you mean 'seems'?" Sebastian asked, perplexed at the new information.
"Well, I have reason to believe that the money is kept somewhere…or sealed. Millions of dollars couldn't have disappeared into thin air. But I couldn't find any more information about that."
Sebastian's eyes furrowed. "Is that all?"
"No no! About your enquiry on Madam Durless…it seems that her sister, Rachel Phantomhive was heavily involved in the conflict. She wasn't simply a member of the Phantomhive family…but the matriarch."
Sebastian's eyes widened. "Continue."
"Her husband, Vincent Phantomhive passed away shortly after their marriage. It seems she was suspected of murdering her husband due to the timing of it all. That was when hell broke loose. Their business dealings start to fall through because departments within the company were at odds. This was partially because each department was headed by different members of the Phantomhive family. Rachel held on as long as she could while living in solitude in the countryside somewhere in United Kingdom. She shut herself away from the rest of the family…claiming that she was deathly ill and was suffering from depression after the death of her husband. At this time, she allowed her sister and her husband's brother to take the seat of chairman of the company, acting as co-chairpersons. However, major orders were still issued by her. She even participated in some meetings through videos. It seems fishy to me…but she passed away five years ago regardless. The news report claimed that Rachel Phantomhive lost her life to illness…but to me, it's simply too sudden. No more information could be found about that… But…there's more."
Sebastian's grip on the phone tightened. "Which is?"
"Initially, Madam Durless had decided to sell the house in which Rachel Phantomhive was living in prior to her death. It seems that she didn't even visit it…until a year ago. I've asked around and the neighbours claimed that they saw a lady with red hair paying regular visits to the old couple that now occupy the house. Apparently...she made some discoveries."
"What were those discoveries?" Sebastian asked in a voice that seemed nonchalant. But dread filled him…if his suspicions were correct…
"It seems that there was a child involved. The neighbours even say that they would sometimes spot a blue-haired child playing in the fields while being watched over by Rachel five years ago. It was also mentioned that Rachel was ready to take a vacation to France and had requested neighbours to watch over the house while she was gone…. but she passed away before she could leave the country."
"Blue-haired child?" Sebastian's voice nearly broke- but the man on the other line didn't seem to acknowledge.
"Yes…and the neighbours even knew the name of that child….Ciel, I believe. Rachel Phantomhive called him that when they were seen in the gardens."
There was silence for a few seconds before Sebastian found his voice. Oh good lord- why was this happening now? "So…Ciel Phantomhive is the heir of the Phantomhive family?"
The speaker on the other line replied easily. "Yes- that would be the natural conclusion. I would have to request for a higher pay, if you don't mind. This case was quite… expensive."
Sebastian didn't waste any time. "Yes. I will mail you the check. I appreciate the excellent work you have done…and I will double the amount."
The voice cheered up on the other end. "Thank you! Oh and one more thing- this may not be important but I'll pass it on anyway. The Head of the Phantomhive family will carry a piece of jewellery to signify their status- a sapphire ring."
Sebastian's mind stilled to a stop. There was no doubt about it now.
"A sapphire ring… I see…yes, thank you."
"You're welcome! Good day to you sir." The voice then cut off on the other end as the phone call ended. Sebastian leaned against the wall and covered his face with his palm. It was all too much at once.
"Sebastian?" A weak voice echoed the empty hallways as the man froze. He looked to the side and saw a conscious Ciel peering at him with confused eyes. Did he..?
"Who was that? I heard my name." So, he had heard.
Sebastian didn't answer. He couldn't…wouldn't; but he knew he simply had to.
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A/N: There you have it! THE NEXT CHAPTER-FINALLY. Thanks for waiting! Hellfire will PROBABLY be updated before next week as well! It seems a lot of people liked the intermission…I will probably do something about that too! ENJOY! Sorry for not replying to individual reviews..too lazy XD.