"I've been meaning to ask, demon."

He looked up.

"Why didn't you protect Miss Rose?"

He remained quiet.

"I put her in your hands and you allow her to be murdered in cold blood. And for what reason?"

Sebastian allowed a growl to rise from his throat.

"Because you allowed her to be brought back into this manor in a time you knew that you would not be available."

He stood, feeling the ever present burning presence in his contract seal. Staring at the cold body hadn't caused it to cease.

"Because you wanted her near you. Even though it put her in a considerable amount of danger."

"You ridicule me, yet you fail to remember who of us her guardian angel is…"

"I will have none of it. You were the one who allowed her to be killed. You were the one who left the door unlocked."

His eyes widened.

"Even so. Even after she had been killed and her spirit had risen to hope. Do you wish to know what she said?"

The divine being who had been circling him smirked at him.

"She wanted to go back."

"….go back?"

"She'll be waking soon. Surely she won't want to see you in such a state." He heard Matarius snicker, "That would scare her, to remind her of a past she doesn't remember."

"What have you done to those memories?"

"Sealed them away, so they wouldn't harm her."

"Then why leave her in my care?"

He only earned a chuckle.

"Toying with a demon isn't in your best interest."

"But it is fun."

"…why are you allowing her to return?"

"Her tormentor hasn't been punished yet, has he?"

"Can you not punish him?"

"If I remember, you were the one who wished to tear his head from his body, if that would even slightly suffice quelling the hatred in your body for him."

"It would not."

"Then returning her would make it even more so of a reasonable act."

"…when will she wake?"

"Tomorrow. Returning a soul isn't as easy as stealing one."

Well, that was true.

"Probably sometime during your funeral, if I were to guess. However, we'll make sure to keep her safe, unlike you could."

"We'll?"

"Gabriel and Michael were a little furious with my actions to leave her with someone so incompetent."

"Poor Divine being."

"I don't need your mockery. I've done you a favor." The angel called. "Now you'll do me one back."

"What makes you think I would listen to you?"

"You can't disobey her. You will protect her."

"I only listen to my master."

"It's as I said, you can't disobey her."

Before Sebastian could respond, the Angel moved in between he and the body resting in the bed.

"Use that power on her."

"It will break her."

"It'll be the only way to get the answers you want."

"It will break her." He repeated in a growl. "I will not submit her to that!"

"You will have no choice."

§

Sebastian was pleased he was able to calm down before the funeral preparations. It was very little a time that he'd ever fallen to his original form due to emotions.

Even less to an emotion such as grief.

Anger, he understood, but grief was such a pitiless emotion, he didn't quite understand what part of it had caused the change.

After informing the Young Master about what had happened, the Earl had gone to the Undertaker with the ruse of perhaps Miss Rose was still alive. Luckily, the giggling death dealer had accepted the ruse and played along, sending the Young Miss back with the two of them. Currently, she was resting in a guest room, as he thought that if she woke in his room after what had happened, she may be frightened.

The sting of the contract seal had dimmed significantly, leaving just a blistering ache. This meant easily that it was connected to the death of the Young Miss, as he has expected it did.

It was only he and Bard still awake now. Bard was busily working on some personal project, to which he wasn't intrigued with knowing about. He himself was busily working a knife through a length of chocolate, preparing them for the chocolate sauce that he had paired with the cake. It was a sweeter version of the cake Miss Rose had once eaten after the young Earl had discarded it. She had seemed to like it then. Perhaps it would suffice as an apology in the simplest of forms.

"Hey, Sebastian, d'you really think Rose is gonna wake up?"

Sebastian stirred the melting chocolate before answering the cook, "Yes."

"But she was dead, I mean, I carried her cold body."

"Just because someone is cold, does not mean they are dead."

The room fell to silence once again. Sebastian's hands worked quickly to put the entirety of the dessert on the serving plate. Pricking and polishing it until it was perfect, his hands continued to move.

"Is that why you're making that?"

"Miss Rose enjoys t-"

He paused.

The echoing sound of a cry of confusion was brought to his ears. His lips rose in a soft smile. The Young Miss had indeed woken. The Guardian Angel had indeed done him a favor, regardless if he intended to return one.

"Bring me the cake within five minutes, Bard."

"Where are you going?"

Sebastian grabbed his coat, slipping it on and buttoning it quickly. "Miss Rose has woken up." He called simply, starting down the hall swiftly. "That cake best be intact."

He wasn't interested in listening to a reply that the cook had to give to him. Sebastian continued down the halls until he'd reached his destination. His boots came to a stop as he neared the door, his covered hand rising to the closed door preparing to knock.

"Miss Rose," He called softly, knocking quietly, "May I come in?"

Before he got a reply or he was able to state anything else, the door beneath his knuckles was thrown open, revealing a shaking young miss in nothing more than a night gown. Her hair was messy, and there were tears streaking down her face.

He couldn't help a chuckle, "Miss Rose, your hair is quite-"

"Are you okay?!" The Young Miss interrupted. "I heard you were killed-are you well-what happened?"

"Breathe, Miss Rose." He chuckled again, "As you can see, I am fine. I am more worried about you."

"Stupid butler." He heard her murmur.

"That I may be, however, it's in your best interest for us to talk in the room, instead of the doorway." Sebastian commented with a slight smile on his face.

He brought his hands to her shoulders, touching her gently, and leading her back into the room. He shut the door behind him, motioning her back to the bed.

Once Rose was sitting safely back on the bed, he turned, his feet carrying him to the middle of the room. Sebastian turned back to her, placing his hand across his chest and kneeling down in front of Miss Rose.

"I apologize greatly for allowing harm to come to you."

"…Sebastian?"

"I failed to keep you safe."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He looked up.

"Are you talking about the nightmare?"

Sebastian stood. If the Guardian Angel could alter memories, it shouldn't come to him as a surprise if he had altered the memory within Miss Rose's mind.

"It was….frightening."

"My apologies, Miss Rose." He drew closer to her once again. "Is there anything you would have me do to ease it?"

The contract seal's burning had died completely.

"….stay?"

Sebastian turned to look at the young miss. "Stay?"

"Don't leave me." The Young Miss held her nightgown tightly in her scarred hands. "P…promise me you'll stay here… until I go back to sleep."

"Miss Rose, you sound like the Young Master." He chuckled, kneeling at her feet. "But if that is what you would like, I will."

"Thank you."

Ah, words that had rarely escaped the young Phantomhive's lips. The demon looked up at the frightened face of the young miss. Her blackened strands fell over her face, blocking her quivering lip from the light.

"Miss Rose, are you still frightened?" He called softly, reached up his hands, gently tucking the hair away from her face. "What else would you have me do?"

Amethyst eyes stared back at him.

"There is very little I cannot do, Miss Rose. All you would need to do is order me to do whatever it is that you need."

"Order….you?"

"Yes, Miss Rose."

"I don't….want to."

"But then, Miss Rose, how am I to know what you want?"

"You're….a demon…can't you just read minds?"

He smirked.

"I just want you to stay…until I fall asleep."

"But it doesn't take a mind reader to know you want something else." He called, standing and motioning her to scoot over.

The young miss stayed silent.

Sebastian sat on the bed beside her, "Would it be alright if I gave you a 'hug'. Humans need physical contact. Although considering your past, I wouldn't wish to trig-"

His words were interrupted with the colliding movement of the small framed girl. Her shaking arms wrapped around his waist, her face buried in the folds of his tailcoat. A smile was brought to his lips; his arms moving to hold her gently back.

"You could have just asked, Miss Rose." Sebastian chuckled.

Sebastian allowed those to be his final words as he fell to silence. His covered hands moved to softly rub small circles into the young miss's back once again. It was the same motion he'd done before, still not exactly knowing where it had come from. Surely it'd been something he'd discovered in his research on humans while learning for the Young Master.

Either way, once he was sure that Rose had succumbed to sleep, he shifted and tucked her underneath the warm quilts. However, a problem arose as she hadn't released her hold on his waist just yet.

Perhaps it would be alright to stay with the young miss a little bit longer.

"So, is this a bad time to bring the cake?"