Akushujin: Demon Master

by Blackcat314

Sebastian has been freed from his eternal contract after much thought on Ciel's part. However, as the demon watches more of his demon ex-master, he finds himself falling in love with the boy all over again. Shota, SebaCiel. YAOI, and please note rating! One final piece of advice: all is not what it seems.

21. Of the Dream and of reality

Akushujin chp. 21: Of the Dream and of reality

Ehh….I know it's WAY TOO LONG since the last update…like I said in the last chapter, this fic is a bit of an inconstant butterfly. Kind of flits here and there…even I lost track of when the last update was! Hahaha….but no, seriously. I am so surprised at the amount of people who still continue to read, review, favourite, and follow this fic! Even when the updates are so scarce and unpredictable….! So touched, thank you all! ;w;

Disclaimer: I don't own any Kuroshitsuji characters, except for the demon OCs in this fic and the plot itself. The official characters are the respective property of Yana Toboso-sensei and the licensing production company. I make no commercial profit releasing these chapters, if you paid someone to read this, kindly report that person for plagiarism and piracy.

~ in the cold of the night~

Cielle staggered around the room, knocking things over and throwing porcelain and fine bone china all over the room in an irritated manner. She had locked herself in and ordered that no one was to disturb her no matter what they heard, it was for the good of preserving her contract with the Livingstone couple. She hadn't explained this odd phase to her "parents" either, since it would not be to her benefit to make it known that their dear friends' "son" was also a demon.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH~~!" She screamed out in agony as another decorative plate crashed against the periwinkle walls of her room. Another wave of pain assaulted her mind as the collar of sorts pulsed around her neck again. This so-called "proof" of Sebastian's "love" served nothing of the sort, it was pretty to look at but certainly did not benefit the wearer in anyway. As the tendrils of dark energy ingrained itself in her deeper with every passing day, the burning sensations increased and spread. Cielle's "parents", of course, did not question why she wore that elaborate necklace everyday. They assumed she either loved the glamour of it, or loved the reason behind it. Neither of which was actually the case, of course, but it isn't like they knew the situation behind the necklace. She couldn't take it off even if she wanted to…the goddamn thing was basically a jewel-encrusted collar digging into the skin of her neck!

Unable to stand the pain, she collapsed onto the floor, cradling her head. The first day that damned crow demon put this necklace on her, it had immediately assaulted her neck and caused it to burn, but that spread to becoming sharp stabs to her head with every breath she took. It was like the thing wanted her to stop breathing if she wanted the pain to stop! What kind of "proof of love" is this!? More than a symbol of his love, she felt more like getting over the necklace's pain inducement was the proof of her love. Not that she had any for the jackass who put this on her, mind you. Absolutely take note of this fact, that she doesn't care an ounce for the bastard known as Samael, or Sebastian, or now, "Simon". Hadn't she yet to give Simon a responding article? She couldn't undo this partnership now that he had ingrained this thing on her, but she sure as hell can get back at him for it. After all, she only had centuries to do so. Hopefully, he'll sicken and tire of it one day and dissolve this partnership on his own. Cielle refused to call this relationship a "marriage", since it is a farce to fool others, this human one and the unintentional demonic one.

'Well, I 'll be sure to give him an article he won't forget…and make it ten times more painful for all this crap he's putting me through…'Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the carpet for a moment, and the pain in her head lessened just a tad bit. "Oh ho~ it looks like maybe His Royal Stuck-upness isn't so royal after all, to be groveling in the home of a human like this~" a voice suddenly drawled. Raising her head up, she looked at the flamboyantly clad figure who invaded her room. He had long, curly blond hair, a pasty face, and disgustingly clear, blue eyes. The kind that looked clearly fake. His clothes were very bulbous, giving him a very lumpy silhouette…of course, as flamboyant and colourful as he was, he couldn't hide the fact that he himself was lumpy. Or as he fashioned a description for himself, "horizontally gifted and extremely talented in elegant, fluid movement via sliding or rolling". Multiple huge jewels decorated his cigar-like fingers.

'Tch. Of all the times to show up, HE has to come…how'd he even get in? Shit…I must be worse off than I thought….' Cielle thought as she continued to observe the offending man rant pompously. "—Are you surprised at how easily I broke through your measly barrier, Your Royal Stuck-Upness? Of course, this is the true level of my power. I only showed you a fraction of my power the last time we met, so it really shouldn't be a big surprise that I came in so easily…luckily for you, I've come to save you from disgrace. Since you're reduced to such groveling, I've come to make you mine, so that your status will be elevated. Be proud that I, Lord Soleol[1], have chosen you to become my Mate." The pompous man drawled as he waddled his way to her.

"Hmph. Don't make me laugh, small fry. You'd better disappear before I destroy you." Cielle returned with a smirk, crossing her arms as the man neared. "That's still quite some attitude, but let's see if you still have that spunk when I make you mine!" easily outraged, Soleol lunged forward with his hands outstretched. Despite his huge size, he could still move pretty quickly as long as there's land underneath him to glide on. "Hmph." Cielle smirked calmly, her eyes on a trail of shadow on the room floor. As the man neared, Cielle focused, and like before with Sebastian, sharp, branch-like tendrils of energy shot out to pierce the slug demon from behind. However, he was fast despite his body size, and he dodged at the last second. The attack only grazed his shoulder, and his lunge succeeded. He managed to pin Cielle under him, and gloating happily, laid one slimy hand on the bare, smooth skin of her neck.

"Ohoho~ what lovely skin my future queen has~" Soleol gloated perversely as he ran his slimy hands back and forth down her neck and wandered around her collarbone as she struggled underneath him. 'Ugh…gross! I am no longer the human Earl Phantomhive…I am the Demon Cat King Ciel Phantomhive! I do not have to endure such filth defiling my body like this! This vermin will PAY for laying his grimy hands on royalty like me….!' As suddenly as this thought crossed her mind, she felt a tremendous pulse from the collar around her neck. The pulse quickly spread throughout her body like a wild strike of lightning, and Cielle pushed the offending slug demon off of her. The lightning-burn of energy travelled down her arm and through her palms at the same moment, not only knocking the slug off her but also sending the vermin across the room and then pinned face-first onto the ground by the pressure. A burning barrier of crackling red energy kept Soleol groveling on the floor.

"You lowly filth…know your place. How DARE you even entertain the idea of touching me, let alone run wild with ambitions of making me your Mate. This kind of insolence is inexcusable." Cielle said in a livid calm as she slowly made her way to the groveling demon. Sputtering, Soleol raised his head, his face pitiful with snot coming out of his nose as tears of terror leaked out from his eyes. "M-mercy, My King, m-mercy…! Please, I…I being so simple-minded a creature, didn't know better than to k-keep my sentiments in check! See, it's as Your Highness said, I-I'm just dumb trash! I don't know any better…! Please spare me, I'll do anything to make it up! Here, have all these precious jewels I have! A-and when I return to the Demon Realm, I will send you more, My King! I'll also run any errand, be any kind of slave! Please spare me!" the slug demon continued to beg pathetically as he scrambled to remove all his gems and placed them in front of him as a tribute. Wordlessly, Cielle stared down at the sniveling mess ruining her carpets.

After a while of silence, Soleol became rather hopeful, and quipped, "I-I take it My Lord is well satisfied….? I-in that case, if you would free me, My L-AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Before he could finish, Soleol was no longer pinned onto the ground but dangling by a thread of energy from a seal that appeared above him. It was an odd seal that he did not recognize, but it was sending down infernal flames, that were small but slowly licked their way down the cord and burned his body. His flesh did not split, but his bones heated up and it felt as if he was set aflame from within his body. "Vermin, your meager attempts to avoid death do not please me." With that, she grinded Soleol's offering of jewels with the bottom of her heels, savouring the helpless expression of terror on his face as he witnessed his most prized possessions being ground to dust. Those diamonds took centuries of manipulating humans to gather!

"I-i-if My L-Lord so…..p-pleases…..do as you will, take my lands and domain….m-my servants too…only please s-spare me….! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Soleol attempted to beg again, as the flames became more intense and he felt his bones melt from the inside. "Hmph. Do you even KNOW how offending your ambitions are? Do not forget, you are merely a Lord, Soleol. You are demonic nobility, not royalty. I am a demon King, the progenitor of a demon race. I am demonic royalty. I absolutely hate sniveling characters who can only climb the ranks of society by trying to make familial relations of those in a higher station. Still, given the nature of demonkind, that is exactly what lesser demons do." Cielle held a smirk as she continued to ridicule the creature. "Y-y-yes, see, I always knew Your Highness w-was wise a-and all seeing….hahaha…..Your Highness u-understands….that it…is…simply the nature…..of us l-lower demons…." Soleol continued to plead while the flames continued to burn his body.

As Soleol pled, Cielle concentrated on the phenomenon happening instead. She did not recognize the seal punishing Soleol, though it without a doubt had come from her. The design was somewhat familiar, it held clear traces of being her own seal, yet there were also some differences. Some differences that she did not want to admit, but looked very similar to Sebastian's seal. The energy from it was hers without a doubt, but it was magnified. She had never felt so…grand and powerful before. Warmth was surging near her finger tips ready to be released, it was singing in her blood to unleash it and punish. Punish those who would wrong you, it seemed to pulse. The eerie glow of the seal was also something that confirmed an undeniable fact: it glowed a rich UV purple with a light edge of red…a mix of her usual blue aura and a very suspect red aura.

She was tired of all the crap that was going on right now, and she really wanted Soleol gone and to not have to hear his annoying pleas anymore. "Silence, slug. I have heard enough. For your audacity in laying your grimy hands on me, there is only one answer." Cielle delivered with an edgy calm as Soleol hung on her every word with dewy eyes. "For laying your hands and conspiring to force me against my will, my royal judgment is thus: death." She delivered regally, as befitting a demonic King. Amongst the final wail of despair from Soleol, she opened her pulsing palm and made a slicing motion as it glowed red. A wall of red energy descended from the seal suspending the slug demon, fluidly chopping off its head like a guillotine blade. As the head hit the carpet, the remains and the punishing seal shattered like glass, the seal's glittering shards raining down like a purplish-red crystal snow. All that was left of the execution was a pile of colourful glass like someone had smashed the windows of a church or cathedral.

"Hmm….not bad." Cielle was not sure what this new power was, but it was definitely hers. For that, she was happy, though not overly. "Indeed, that was a lovely execution. It seems you are fitting very nicely with the role of Queen…my Queen, that is." A clapping was heard, and the same purplish-red seal glowed in a corner of her room, and who should appear but a very familiar, black-haired figure with ruby-red eyes. "…what do you want, Sebastian? Haven't you caused me enough trouble already?" Cielle was still quite pissed, even though Soleol had been dealt with. "Simon on Earth, dear. You forget my alias is Simon right now." Simon corrected with a triumphant smirk. "Whatever. So what did you come here for, Simon?" Cielle rephrased pointedly. "Ah, well…I felt that my dear Queen was in trouble, so I rushed as quick as I could. After all, what kind of husband would I be if I left my Queen to fend for himself[2] when some other scum thinks he's good enough to touch you? Needless to say, your first execution as a Royal was quite perfect and stunning, as expected of you." Simon gloated, very much pleased with the situation at hand.

"Hmph. Of course, that is to be expected. I am demonic royalty, after all. Did you think I would be unable to handle it? That vermin is far beneath me, had it not been for your damned 'symbol of love' draining my energy, he would have been gone faster than he can breathe." Cielle replied bitterly, arms crossed and emphasizing the apparent uselessness of Simon's "betrothal gift". "Oh? Is that what you thought, my dear Cielle? My gift does not drain power, no….my gift, in its capacity, ingrains my energy into you. You should not have become weaker because of it, but stronger. That strength is apparent, as evidenced by the Royal Execution you carried out." The black haired man explained with an irritatingly calm smile on his face. "Heh, how are you so certain? As you have said before, I am still a growing demon…this could just be the blossoming of a new power I had." The sapphire-headed woman retorted back just as easily.

"As young and blossoming as you are, the Royal Execution cannot be carried out by any demon, no matter how high ranking, but us Royals." Simon pointed out. "Yeah, and? What does that prove? I AM demon royalty. Did you forget that I am the founding progenitor of the cat demon race?" Cielle challenged, somewhat displeased at where this seemed to be going. "My darling, I will never forget anything about you, from the most trivial to the deep down. While we're on this topic, I must digress a little and tell you, since it's quite painful, that flaming red underwear really doesn't suit you." Simon deadpanned, as an example of just how VERY AWARE he was of every little thing that has to do with Cielle. "W-wh-just, how? You know what, nevermind. I don't think I want to know what length of creepiness you went to find that out, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal on so many levels it's better if I don't find out. Going back to the point: I am demonic royalty, how surprising is it that I can do a royal execution? It's simply a royal killing a demon who isn't a royal." Cielled dismissed lightly.

"That is where you are mistaken, my dear. When I say Royal, I don't mean ANY demonic royalty or founding demon. I mean specifically those of us tasked with the care and rule of the entire Demonic Realm…Satan or Lucifer, and his direct family. That includes me and the rest of the Sins, and now you, my Mate."Simon explained proudly. "Excuse me? Since when did you hear me agree to become your Mate, Sebastian? I'm pretty sure I never did that at all, whether in the right of mind or not." At the mention of being his Mate, Cielle was once again reminded of how much trouble that entire matter had brought her. Not to mention that the way Sebastian acted like she was already his irritated the blue haired girl further. "Actions speak louder than words, my darling. You may not consciously agree to be my mate, but your heart acknowledged me as your mate and decided to become a Royal the moment you thought the way a Royal should: that those below us are vermin and decidedly should not, and could not, touch us." Simon explained, full pride in his voice. "And why is that? That is because we, the Royals, ARE decidedly better than non-Royals…" The jet-haired man continued in a triumphant manner.

"Then why choose to make me, a non-Royal who disgusts you so, your Mate? You're making less and less sense, Sebastian. Did such a long sleep make you senile?" Cielle sneered, all pretenses forgotten. This was absolutely personal now, and although she should keep as "in character" as possible for the duration of the contract, she found it next to impossible when the happiness for the rest of her existence was at stake. "My Darling, you have all the qualities that make a Royal…it's rare for us to come across another so fitting who is not already a Royal. You are ambitious, prideful, powerful, beautiful, ruthless, and most important of all, you do not compromise about perfection. The reason why other demons, even if they have the traits of Royals, always failed this one trait. Remember Faustus? I'd hate to admit it, but he is almost even against me in power…but he allowed for second-best when choosing prey, and he almost even tried to make YOU become less-than-best soul by toying with your memories. He was not as dedicated to striving for perfection as the rest of us Royals are…so he did not become a Royal. Our pride comes from being perfect, and this perfection is not ill-gotten. We all worked hard to achieve this perfection, so we're quite justified in being prideful. You understand, don't you? It would be a waste not to make you a Royal." Red eyes locked with clear blue ones as he stared earnestly.

That seemed to have struck something deep inside Cielle, and she couldn't help but stay silent for a while as she pondered. 'Simon' allowed the faintest traces of a predatory smile sneak on the corners of his lips. Things are going as he planned, and judging from the reaction, it seems he succeeded in confusing the young demon. 'Once he becomes confused enough, I will gently guide him onwards…and soon he will be as I want him to be, and he will see me as his most precious and most trusted again…I can't wait until that time comes! Then I shall dispose of that Chubbs…and Ciel will all be mine alone, again.' Just to make sure that he could fully persuade her, he sneaked up as Cielle was still deep in thought, brows furrowed. " Come now, love. There's nothing to ponder, is there….? Even you feel it too, don't you? The immeasurable power being a Royal brings…being able to get rid of another demon with just a swipe of hand, or maybe even the flick of a finger…erasing their existence just like that. Isn't it fun? Admit it, darling…being a Royal thrills you. Don't fight it, embrace it…..embrace that power…." He softly cooed into her ear in a hypnotizing tone.

~ and the dance begins!~

Oh ho~ what other things will Sebastian suggest to Ciel? By the way, please do read the chapter notes, it will hopefully help to explain some discrepancies.

Chapter notes:

[1] Lord Soleol ~ literally the shortened scientific name for the common land slug, Soleolifera. I couldn't find a demon whose appearance was described as a slug, so I just made up a somewhat grand sounding name from the scientific term. Ciel just attracts so many insect demons, doesn't he?

[2] "….if I left my Queen to fend for himself…" ~ I know it's odd to read this sentence, Queen being a female monarch and himself referring to a male self. I read that demons can change their gender at will, or like the Angels, actually have no gender. All seraphim are recorded either as "he" or androgynous…so I'm guessing the same is here for the demons. I would like to make clear that "Queen" here does not specifically mean a "female ruler" but rather "the partner to a King". "King" in this instance would mean not a "male ruler" but the original leader of a group. I.e. when Ciel marries Sebastian, Ciel is "Queen" of crow demons because Sebastian is "King" and Ciel is his partner. Flipping it over, Ciel is "King" of cat demons, and yes, Sebastian will become "Queen" of cat demons. Perhaps Sebastian's motive for wooing Ciel is to become Kitty Queen!?