-:- Subject 13's Butler -:-
.:A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction:.

Author: AoUsagi

Summary: Ciel takes the leap into Oblivion, only to wake into a strange white-washed world of beeping machines and white-coats doctors. The only thing that seems real is Sebastian, who steals him away from the hellhole laboratory to save him from the sick sake of science.

BeforeNote:

I want to apologize for something. It's not for the lack of updates or even the fact that it takes me so long to get them out.

It's that i'm no longer consistently replying to reviews.

I want to, and I read them all and fall apart with blushes and giggles every time someone says something nice, and I used to make every effort to ensure I at least replied, if not tried to keep a conversation of sorts rolling. Because I love talking with you guys. But lately my internet has been screwing around and running out too fast (I blame the life-and-soul-sucking force that is Tumblr), so I only have enough internet to upload. The review I see from my phone, but my phone doesn't allow me to reply to them. My life has gotten pretty hectic and busy, with work and a new relationship and birthday gifts for people (SO MANY PEOPLE ARE BORN IN SEPTEMBER WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?) and I even went traveling this weekend just gone – my beloved best friend-turned-boyfriend/all round soulmate redradrussian took me to Sydney for the weekend. This is me, who is terrified of public transport and has never ever ever been on a plane before, always doing her best to stay hidden in her out of town dwelling in a town at the very bottom of WA – seriously. If you kept going south, you'd hit antarctica. I wish I was kidding. Anyway. I really wanted to get another chapter out before I went away for the weekend, but I've been scrabbling a bit for inspiration and ideas. That and the undying guilt of no longer replying to reviews, it's just kinda gotten all on top of me.

I hope you can all forgive me, because I love getting and reading what you have to say about the story, but I may/may not keep responding. I'll do my best 3

- Mercy

Today's Song of the Day is Kiri by Monoral, the opening song to Ergo Proxy. I have now finally seen it, and redradrussian had promised it'd bring tears to my eyes and that's the sort of anime that I like. Black Butler, Ghost in the Shell, Spice and Wolf – those are the sorts of anime's that really tug my heartstrings. I had high hopes for Ergo Proxy and all things considered it did not let me down.


Chapter Forty-Nine: Nearly Just a Lazy Day

-:-

Elizabeth had proven very difficult to handle.

Then again, Ciel reasoned, it wasn't exactly something she could really control. He had been sitting with his back pressed against a cupboard across the hallway from the room they were keeping her in, listening to the racket going on inside. From what he had heard, Mey-Rin sounded like she was close to tears. That wasn't good.

From within, Sebastian had been speaking, slowly and calmly, but then came the high-pitched shrieks again. There was a crash, and Ciel had winced as he imagined a dresser being tumbled over, the wooden draws cracking and splitting under their own weight. He could hear footsteps, something thudding against the wall, and more crying. It wasn't Mey-Rin – it was Lizzy.

She...hadn't taken his explanation all that well.

That was yesterday. All night long she'd cried and sobbed hysterically, never calming and never able to be comforted. She'd yelled obscenities at him until he'd backed out of the room, hands in the air to defend himself as she tried to throw anything she could grab at him. A pillow. A box of tissues. A lamp. Even the freshly cleaned clothes that had been set neatly on the side of the bed were hurled uselessly at him. Ciel had closed the door behind him and faced Sebastian, who had dashed upstairs to find out what the noise was about.

Ciel hadn't been back into the room since then. Sebastian had ushered him downstairs to calm him down, seeing him visibly shaken, and had attempted to calm Lizzy down himself. But the screaming and the crying had persisted, and there had been one point at about three o'clock in the morning when she seemed to have tired herself out, and the whole beach house was silent, and everyone slept warily for about four hours before the sobbing started again. It started with whimpering, and soft whines that woke Ciel from where he was sleeping next door on the top bunk of the double-bunk bed room, Finni in the cot beneath him and Pluto and Bardroy in the other bunk beds across the room. Soon they were all sitting up and rubbing their eyes, murmuring softly about what they should do. Mey-Rin had knocked, said something about trying to offer Lizzy something to drink, but had returned about fifteen minutes later after they'd heard scrabbling next door and quite a lot of protest – she was covered in the orange juice she'd tried to give Lizzy and there was a bruise on her collarbone. Lizzy had thrown the glass at her.

Breakfast was a somber affair; no one spoke as they poured themselves cereal or buttered their toast. They were all still listening to the unrelenting howls coming from upstairs. Sebastian had told them to leave her be for a while more, in hopes she'd wear herself out again sooner rather than later.

Then it was midday, and save for the racket coming from within the room across from him, the whole house had been quieter than a graveyard. Bard and Finni had gone on a surveillance run, and Pluto was back on guard down at the entrance to the property. Paula was still unconscious downstairs, but she'd woke briefly earlier and Ciel had gingerly helped her to readjust a bandage that had come loose. He had a strange feeling that she wasn't really sleeping or unconscious, but silently listening to Lizzy's barrage above her. He wondered what she would do if she were able, to try and calm Lizzy. He still had no idea why Lizzy had taken so badly to facing reality; he could understand if she were in shock unable to speak, but fighting against every little thing that was said or done was something he'd never anticipated. Truth be told, he didn't think anyone had anticipated it. But at least Sebastian was staying calm in the face of this new problem.

The door had opened, and Sebastian and Mey-Rin emerged. Ciel heard something crack behind them, and Sebastian had quickly wrapped his arm around Mey's shoulder and hauled her through in front of him – a second later, several large shards of mirror were thrown right at the spot where her head had been, denting but bouncing fairly harmlessly off the wall instead of catching her across the side of the face. The doctor had swiftly closed the door behind him, and Mey-Rin had sighed.

"She's turned into a psycho in there, the whole room's a complete mess," she'd said sadly as she shook her head. "She keeps wanting to see you, make you tell her you made all that up and that it's all a bad dream."

"Me?" Ciel raised his eyebrows, and the two of them had nodded. He got up, and brushed himself off.

"It's not advisable," Sebastian cautioned, and Ciel nodded.

"I didn't think so."

There was a moment of silence, and he realized just how restless he felt since they had emerged. It was like they had given up – and by the looks on their faces, defeat altogether hadn't been too far away on the horizon.

"But what can we do?" he had asked, and they'd looked to him. "Come on – there has to be something."

Another silence. They looked at each other, and with a silent nod from Sebastian, Mey-Rin had stepped forward and pulled Ciel into a hug. "We don't know sweetheart. We've tried everything we can think of in a direct approach."

"We need time to gather ourselves and consider other possibilities." Sebastian had added, and Ciel looked up at him over Mey's shoulder. "The most we can do right now is, once again, let her alone and hope she runs herself ragged enough that she settles, at least somewhat."

"Can't we sedate her or something?" Ciel asked. "Just to calm her down? Like, like those sleeping tablets you gave me for the trip here. What about them?"

Mey-Rin had glanced at Sebastian. "We do have those antihistamenes in the first aid box..."

"No," the dark-haired doctor had shaken his head. "We don't want to give her the wrong impression; if she thinks this is some terrible nightmare, no matter what we try she may end up not trusting us at all. The last thing we need is to try and drug her and have her try to escape."

There had been somber agreement, and then Sebastian had asked Ciel if he wouldn't mind accompanying him to the grocery store in town; not only to fetch a few things but also to get Ciel up and moving about. The doctor has said it was bad for Ciel to be weighed down with thoughts of the inconsolable Lizzy. Two hours later, they were back, and met at the door by Mey-Rin.

"You're not gonna believe this," she was smiling broadly, and they exchanged looks before Ciel looked past her – the couch where Paula had been resting up was empty. The beach house was silent.

"W-where's Paula?" he asked with alarm, and Mey-Rin raised a finger to her lips and motioned for them to follow her upstairs quietly. Following her up, they snuck down the upper hall to the end bedroom, and then very carefully poked their heads around the doorframe.

Paula was sitting up, stiffly and obviously in pain, but she wore a gentle smile and had her arms wrapped around Lizzy – who had finally allowed herself to be embraced, and appeared to have cried herself to sleep in Paula's arms. The Keeper seemed to notice their presence, catching sight of their pale reflection in the window, and she turned her head to greet them.

"Good afternoon, boys," she whispered, and Ciel couldn't even begin to stifle his smile. He was so glad that Lizzy was quieted, even if Paula was straining herself to do so. "Could someone bring me the bag I had in the car with us? There's some sedatives in the small rectangular blue box, I think they might help keep her quiet."

Mey-Rin looked to Sebastian, who nodded, and she disappeared from their side. Paula motioned for them to step into the bedroom, and they gingerly stepped around the shards of broken mirror that still lay scattered on the floor, Sebastian bending to pick up the large pieces and set them aside on the dresser as Ciel crossed over the floorboards to the bedside, kneeling carefully and slowly next to Paula, as if any sudden movement might stir the blonde child in the Keeper's arms.

"How long has she been like this?" he whispered, and Paula smiled.

"About forty minutes. I couldn't bear the sound of her throwing herself around anymore, and I asked Mey for some help to come up here. The second Lizzy saw me, she stopped. She just sat there and stared at me," she murmured, gently stroking her fingers through Lizzy's hair. "And then we just sat like this til she fell asleep."

Ciel nodded as Sebastian stepped over to them, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the raven-haired doctor. "Didn't you say you didn't want to give her any sedatives?"

The doctor smirked. "I did. However I am not Elizabeth's Keeper – and since she's already quieted, she won't know the medication is being administered, she'll continue to rest. But I am not the one responsible for her survival; I will do my damndest when Paula is unable to, just as she would for you if or when I am not there for you. Keeper's do not interfere with each other's charges," he said softly. "That was an oath we all took three years ago."

An oath that Claude Faustus clearly disobeyed, Ciel couldn't help but think, remembering Pluto's words about the Dream Chair and how he'd found Claude linking Ciel and Alois up to it. Alois' memory flickered through his mind, and he had to bite back the words before he spilled the secret.

"Yes," Paula nodded, derailing Ciel's train of thought. "But some of the Keeper's have already broken the oath."

Something tightened in Ciel's chest – did she know about the Dream Chair incident?

"What are you talking about?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow, and Paula sighed.

"When I got back to the facility after contacting you about two or three weeks ago, there was already movements happening. Keepers were being shuffled around; since the death of Subject Ten and the disappearance of Keeper Annafellows, and then with my brief disappearance too, they assumed I was a deserter. They were organizing to pull the Keeper from Subject One and have him take over from me, become Lizzy's Keeper."

Sebastian's eyes widened. "Hernandez?"

"Yes," Paula nodded, her gaze dropping to Lizzy in her lap. "They were going to put Subject One in stasis...they said he's not..." she trailed off, suddenly glancing at Ciel.

"Not what?" he asked, and she swallowed hard.

"Not...like you. Or Subject Twelve, or even Lizzy. He doesn't have the same sort of...well, strength...like you and the others do...it's been a miracle that he's pulled through this far. But if he's put into stasis, he'll just end up like Luca Macken, Subject Ten."

Ciel felt something lodge in his throat. "He would have died?"

"He'd have become braindead, at the very least," Paula replied. "It's unlikely he'd be able to survive without constant medical attention to his mental state; if his mind and consciousness deteriorates, his physical state would just collapse."

Sebastian's hand was on his shoulder again, rubbing the base of his neck, and he leant into the doctor's leg. He didn't want to think about what it was like for Luca before he had died. Probably dark...and cold. A shudder ran through him as he remembered the feeling of being removed from the isolation tank – like he was being torn limb from limb. It was the kind of sensation he would have expected from having the Sebastian of his old life tearing his soul right from his body as the demon claimed his prize. Drifting through a freezing black nothingness must have been just as bad for Luca. If he had even been aware of it.

"It's all right," Sebastian's voice drifted down to him, bringing him out of his reverie. "We'll figure this out."

Ciel swallowed hard, realizing that he felt something like tears threatening to build up behind his eyes. He wrapped his arm around Sebastian's leg and held on, watching silently as Mey-Rin reappeared with the box Paula had asked for. The Keeper took a vial and a syringe from the small box, drew out some of the liquid from the vial, and ever so gently administered it in the crease of Lizzy's elbow. The child murmured, sighed, and nuzzled her face deeper into Paula's lap, but she didn't wake. Ciel had to look away as Paula withdrew the needle; he didn't like seeing the similar scarring on Lizzy's arms just like his own, from the numerous syringe marks and needle pricks. Sebastian sat gingerly down on the floor next to him, and pulled him up into his own lap, and for a while, so long that Ciel lost track of time, both Keepers just sat silently and held their charges. No words were needed, but the embraces they gave spoke louder than any words.

-:-

There had been some debate, later than evening, on what would then happen to Elizabeth and Paula. The beach house was a safe haven for them whilst Paula recovered and Lizzy was kept quiet, but it lacked the equipment and supplies to be able to manage them, especially a set of medication that Paula had Lizzy on that she no longer had constant access to, and they were beginning to run low of supplies for the first aid kits. Ciel was not privy to much of the discussion, as he stayed upstairs with Lizzy while she dreamed the hours away, but he could hear snippets of the conversation floating up the stairs from where Sebastian, Paula and the others were all gathered around in the dining room.

He sat in the silent bedroom, most of everything that had been knocked around and broken from the blonde girl lying at his side's earlier rampage now tidied and cleaned away. He was perched up on the bay-window's ledge, looking out at the shrubbery and rocky outcroppings that protected the back of the beach house. His gaze had slowly followed the sinking sun til it was nothing more than a brilliant yet fading red glow on the ridges, everything cast in orange and red light, silhouettes and shadows stretching down through the garden. It was dark by the time Finni came up to see them, carrying a plate of food for Ciel. He took a seat next to Ciel as he handed him a knife and fork; Bard had prepared lamb and vegetables for dinner.

"What's going on downstairs?" Ciel asked quietly as he stopped idly stroking Lizzy's hair to eat, and Finni sighed, but he was smiling thoughtfully.

"Well, it's been decided that once Paula's wounds have healed a little more, she and Lizzy will move on to another location – Sebastian's arranging the Heathrow safe house for them now all the fumigation stuff is done, and he even called up your Aunt Red; she says she'll organize a private room under a false name so they can keep Lizzy there and protected til she's stable, so Doctor Landsdale has access to more of the medicine and stuff she needs for Lizzy." Finni explained as Ciel chewed his mouthful of roast potato.

"I see," he nodded. It saddened him, to know that he probably wouldn't see Lizzy all that much for a while, but he also knew that if it were for the best, if it were for her best interest and safety, then it had to be done. "Do you know how long it'll be before they go?"

Finni looked up to the ceiling for a moment as he thought. "Hmm – I'm not sure. I think Doctor Landsdale wants to get moving as soon as she can, because she knows the more people there are here the bigger a target we are, but she might not be well enough to go for at least three days. It's hard to tell."

Ciel nodded again, and let the silence wash over them for a while. The blonde intern picked up the conversation again, filling in the time with idle chatter until he had finished eating, and by that time Ciel could hear the sounds of cutlery and crockery being clattered around downstairs – dishes were being done, and there was sounds of easier conversation now. Bantering between Bard and Pluto, Mey-Rin and Paula were laughing softly about something. Finni yawned and stretched before taking up Ciel's plate. "All done?"

"All done," Ciel smiled, and Finni gave him a sweet grin before heading downstairs; moments later, he returned with a bowl of ice cream.

"Bard's treat from our run earlier today," the intern smiled before skipping off again, leaving Ciel smiling down at the bowl of cold dessert covered in a sticky caramel topping. He ate slowly, his mind wandering again, and as the room got darker as the night began to close in, his idly fumbled for the bedside lamp switch – soon, the soft glow illuminated the room, catching glints of Lizzy's hair and playing amidst the strands. They still felt dry and slightly oily to the touch, but Paula had reassured him there was a spray-in shampoo that she could use to simply comb through Lizzy's hair without having to completely bathe Lizzy and risk waking her.

The evening wore on, and he meandered downstairs a little later to deliver his now-emtpy bowl to the sink. Bard was the only one about, still doing dishes.

"Cheers," the doctor muttered as Ciel handed him his bowl, and the ceramic crockery disappeared underneath the steaming bubbly water. "Ow's Lizzy doin'?"

"She's all right, from what I can tell," Ciel replied, leaning against the kitchen counter, watching as Bardroy scrubbed the bowl before rinsing it and sliding it into place on the drainer with the other bowls. "Where is everybody?"

"They took Paula down to see the beach; she's not great on walking on her own yet so they dug out a wheelchair from the under-stairs cupboard."

"There's an under-stairs cupboard here too?"

"Heck if I know." Bard grunted, but the small smile on his features softened his words. Ciel found himself smiling too, and he scooted himself up onto one of the bar stools behind the counter, resting his head on his arms as he continued to watch Bard. The blonde doctor glanced back at him and lifted an eyebrow. "You tired?"

"Mm," he murmured in response. Now he thought about it, he really was tired. Having not had all that much sleep the night before from Lizzy's constant disquiet, plus the slow events of the day...he just felt so lethargic.

He heard Bardroy chuckle as he let his eyes closed. He'd just rest them for a moment. Wait until the other's came back in and then he'd wander up to bed. He hadn't meant to fall asleep entirely, and he wasn't even aware of the rough hands of the blonde doctor gingerly gathering him up into the man's wiry arms and carrying him upstairs. He wasn't aware of being tucked in, hearing the window being pulled quietly shut, or of the light being turned off. Ciel just slept, blissfully unaware of anything.

-:-

Brooding wasn't a word that Ashe Landers liked to use all that often. It made him think of chickens sitting on clutches of eggs. Chickens and their foul stench, the smell of dusty feathers and fresh shit. Revolting. But, the fact was, he was brooding. More so than he knew he should have been.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

In stepped Claude Faustus. The bespectacled Keeper bowed low to him. He hated seeing the topside of Claude's head as he bowed. He didn't even know why. There was something about seeing the taller, dark-haired Keeper bow that reminded him all too much of Keeper Michaelis. The first deserter.

"You called for me?"

"I did." Ashe didn't move from his seat as he stared out the window. He watched Claude out of his peripheral vision whislt looking out over the green field below him out the window of the multi-storeyed building. The grounds were extensive, and in another building not too far away from the main one, there were two white-washed sheds. Extensively clean and meticulously taken care of. Those buildings housed everything Ashe had ever prepared for and worked towards in the last three years. What was kept within those walls was going to make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Only if his subordinates wouldn't cause him so much trouble.

"And...what exactly am I here for?" Claude's voice was like gravel. With a glance Ashe could immediately tell that the Keeper was nervous. He hadn't slept. Sounded like he was in need of a glass of water. He fidgeted and shuffled from foot to foot and it irritated Ashe no end. That's all Faustus was, at the end of the day. An irritation.

"I heard there was a run-in two nights ago now." Ashe began slowly, and he could almost hear the rustle of Claude's clothes as the man stiffened. "And I was told you were right in the middle of it."

"...What else were you told, sir?"

"That the so-called deserter Doctor Landsdale had also returned; although it's now clear her return was somewhat brief." Ashe finally turned to face Claude directly. "And that her second and from what I can assume to be-permanent desertion this time was aided by none other than you."

He saw no expression cross the Keeper's features. The man had an incredible poker face, but he knew it was all about to come crashing down. After all. Claude was only human.

"And do you know what else I heard?" he continued. "I was also told that when she derserted us once again, she also smuggled away our one and only Subject Eleven. Our third most successful Subject. Gone. All because you helped her."

Claude swallowed.

"Now, I can understand the death of Subject Ten. Hell, I even expected the deaths of Subject's Two, Three and Five. Four surviving up til now has been a miracle. All thanks to her Keeper. Our entire operation here is dependent on the Keepers. There's only so much whip-cracking Angela and myself can do, Keeper Faustus. You must understand that. You do understand that, don't you?"

A slight furrow in Claude's brow. A chip in the perfect facade. "I do understand, sir."

"Good." Ashe allowed his voice to drop to a low purr. "Then you must also remember that when Keeper Michaelis deserted us three years ago, I informed every single one of you that if any of you were to also desert the project or even consider it, I would personally remove you from the project myself."

"...I remember."

"And yet Keeper Landsdale is gone. Might I remind you, once more, because you assisted her."

"Yes sir."

"Do you have anything else you'd like to say?" Ashe had reached down to where his shoulder-holster lay slung over the arm of his chair. His handgun was in his grip. He would give Faustus a minute more, no less, and then he would irradicate the impure pest. But something pulled up a little short. There was now a victorious, almost smug smirk on Claude Faustus' face.

"Yes, actually."

"...Go on," Ashe growled.

"You said to us if we were to desert the project, or if we even considered it, you'd kill us. I took that oath you made us swear back then and I have upheld it to this day."

Ashe raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Landsdale is gone but I am still here. I am not the deserter. I only gave her what she needed to escape."

Something akin to blind fury was welling up inside Ashe. There had been a loop-hole. Keeper Landsdale was long gone with his precious specimen and yet the one who had helped set her free was still standing right in front of him. He'd never catch Keeper Landsdale now. He had set his sights on taking out the traitor. He'd thought the traitor was Faustus. He'd been so sure.

It didn't matter now.

He was on his feet and drawing his firearm before Faustus could realize what was happening. One, two, three shots rang out. Then another three. Click. The chamber was empty. Ashe let his arms fall, taking in the messy sight before him. Four bullets had ripped holes right through Claude's white lab-coat and were now blossoming with red blood stains. There was blood and bullets buried in the wall and door behind him. Keeper Faustus coughed, choked, his eyes wide, and staggered. He turned, stumbling for the door, and Ashe watched him go. He set down the gun as the dying Keeper dragged his corpse from the office. It wouldn't be worth chasing him down. Claude was already as good as dead.

-:-

Morning came a little earlier than usual, and the first thing the suns rays hit was the stained red grass outside the main Hospital facility. There was a snuffle, a grunt, and then a snout nosing its way along the bloodied, limp hand and wrist of the late Claude Faustus. The fence between his body and the pig that was sniffing his corpse over was electrified, a high-voltage wire running across the top and middle strings.

He had made it so far. And then he had died. An autopsy would later confirm dead from bullet wounds and electrocution.

And now, there were more pigs meandering over to snuffle around his hand, which lay just under the fence. Footsteps approached, and the grunting, snorting pigs backed off as a couple of guards approached and began to drag his body back so they could pull it into a body bag, and then onto a stretcher. The bag was zipped, then lifted, and what little was left of Claude was taken away.

-:-

Somewhere in a dark, frightening place, Alois Trancy woke from his nightmare screaming.

-:-


AfterNote:

YOOOOOOO DID I JUST KILL CLAUDE? that wasn't meant to happen til the end. But HEY. Also whoops, did I just drop a BIG CLUE as to what this whole experimentation thing is going to be? ...maybe. Maybe I did indeed. Maybe I didn't. Maybe i'm just trying to confuse you. Maybe i'm just really sorry I haven't updated in AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGES and I'm hoping you'll all forgive me with this new chapter. I love you all, please review. I was going to make this a double-update so you'd get two chapters in one, but I couldn't put off posting this any longer SO HERE YOU GO.

GO FORTH. BE BRAVE. DRINK TEA. LOVE LIFE. STUFF.

- Mercy