Chapter Four

Prince Soma was an interesting character. His personality was something of a mix of Naruto's mischievous nature and naïve innocence and Sasuke's posturing and arrogance, calling to the big brother in Ciel in a way he hadn't felt since before the massacre in his last life.

He found himself meeting the prince's antics with a patient smile, although he was firm in how he handled the child's disrespect and bratty attitude, the harsher parts of his personality making themselves known when the boy trampled over people's feelings without care or threw temper tantrums.

As he was doing now.

"But this betrayal, why would he do it?! Why do the people close to me always leave?!" The child cried shoving the entire tea set before him to the floor, shattering it. Jumping to his feet, he began to cry and rushed from the room.

Ciel stared at the tea set, stone-faced, vaguely aware that Sebastian was speaking.

He wanted to feel bad for the child, he truly did, but he couldn't. For all that Soma was older than him, the prince seemed to see everyone around him as little more than possessions, showing little to no real care for those around him, even though he knew the child had a good heart.

He could easily see that Agni was in a position similar to his own, betraying those he loved to protect them, and he refused to let Soma endanger the man more. Feigning exhaustion, he excused himself from the room and made his way to the Prince's bedroom.

The child was already in bed, the blankets pulled over his head and he pursed his lips.

"Get up." He ordered sharply and the bundle on the bed jolted, a head of purple hair peeking from under the blanket.

"Ciel, I'm trying to sleep."

"Get. Up. I will not repeat myself again, Prince Soma." The teen replied impassively and something in his tone made the older boy obey.

Ciel stared at him for a long moment.

"You are hurt and angry right now, and that is completely understandable. However, you seem to have forgotten that you are a guest in my home, an uninvited one at that. Please refrain from damaging anymore of my property and treating my workers to as slaves. I have been nothing but lenient and hospitable, but I refuse to continue allowing you to act like a child. Am I clear?"

Speechless, the older teen nodded and Ciel's impassive features softened.

"Very well. Good night, Prince Soma."

He said leaving the room. Soma stared after him long after he was gone.

*/*

"What are you doing here? Where is your Sebastian?"

Earl Phantomhive smiled at his questions, seated delicately on the edge of his bed. Had he not seen how ruthless the child could be when "working" he'd be fooled by his innocuous appearance. His long slate gray hair was pulled back into its usual low tail, purple nailed hands clasped in his lap as his one visible eye met Agni's own.

He'd been wary of the child Earl since he and Soma had met him, something about him setting his senses off. At times, he acted much older than he was, his eye aging when it seemed no one was watching. Others he seemed every bit the arrogant child lord he appeared to be, flying through masks and acts with the grace of someone who'd been doing so since birth. He was world-wearier, less innocent than Agni's own charge, despite being several years younger and there was little doubt in the butler's mind that the boy was well aware of the darker sides of humanity. He wouldn't be one of countless others who'd underestimate him for his appearance.

"Sebastian is unaware of my absence as of yet. As for my purpose here, I am only here to tell you a story."

Agni frowned. "A story?"

The child hummed, cold blue eyes clouding over as he stared at something only he could see.

"A story. One quite similar to your own. Hopefully yours will have a better outcome than the tale I'll tell."

Taking a seat beside the child, his curiosity getting the best of him, despite everything in him telling him to return the child to his butler, who would no doubt be worried.

Earl Phantomhive, didn't seem to notice, his voice soft as he began to his tale.

"Millenia ago, before the formation of the countries we now know, there were the elemental nations. Like their name suggests, the nations were name after the elements. There was Hi no Kuni, the Land of fire, Tsuchi no Kuni, the Land of Earth, Tetsu no Kuni, The Land of Iron, Kaminari no Kuni, the Land of Lightning, Mizu no Kuni, The Land of water, and Kaze no Kuni, The Land of Wind. In these lands were the five great shinobi nations. Hi no Kuni, the most powerful of the nations had Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden by Tree Leaves*. Kaze no Kuni had Sunagakure no Sato, The Village Hidden in the Sand, Kaminari had Kumogakure, the village Hidden in the Clouds, Tsuchi, Iwagakure, The Village hidden in the Rocks, and Mizu, Kirigakure, The Hidden Mist."

He paused and Agni found himself entranced by the world the child was building. He also wondered how extensive his imagination was if he could create such a world.

"Konoha, was strongest of the five great nations, as previously stated and had proved its might by producing some of the strongest shinobi the world had ever seen. A man who could move so fast, he was able to cut down over five hundred men in a single battle. Another who's prowess was legendary, even after he was shamed for failing a mission that led to a war. A woman who could create craters in the earth with single punch and heal someone near death in the next breath. Most infamous of all was a man who turned on his best friend for power, able to control the strongest of demons with eyes the color of blood. My story is centered around one of the man's descendants who was in a position much like your own.

You see, Konoha was founded by the man and his friend, their clans the two strongest in the village, but rivals all the same. His clan, while powerful always seemed to come second to their rivals and they resented that fact deeply. When the most powerful of demons attacked Konohagakure, his clan was blamed due to their rumored abilities and that resentment festered. The village leader placed the clan under surveillance only strengthening their growing hatred for the village and soon the Clan head came up with the idea of a coup d'état. He had two sons, the younger of who was only a toddler. The older child, however had already began his shinobi career having graduated much earlier than any of his classmates."

"Isn't that good? Education is important."

"Not when it leads to a seven-year-old child being sent out to battle. The academy was to teach the children the shinobi arts, clan heirs were required to attend, civilian children were not, but many did so anyways, in love with the notion of being a hero and earning prestige and glory. Upon graduation, they are given a hiate braded with symbol of their village as proof of their allegiance to their village's military. Once they pass the final test given by their designated team leader, they are legally adults, no matter their age. The shinobi villages were not democracies, they were military dictatorships and the Kage, the leader, had final say in all decisions. Shinobi are tools for their village and their kage, to disobey results in execution or exile. The boy graduated at seven years old, officially an adult in the eyes of the village and he advanced through the ranks quickly. By age eleven he was a part of the village's elite assassination squad, a fact his father reveled in for it meant he had another pipeline of information to the village.

Unbeknownst to his father, however, he and the other spy planted in the village weren't only feeding him information, they were telling the Hokage of the impending coup d'état and trying to work out a solution to stop it. The boy had seen the war that had only ended a few years before the demon attack and had grown weary of it. He wanted his brother to have the childhood he'd been denied and knew if his father's plans went through the result would be a civil war and possibly even another Great War, both of which would taint said brother. For two years, he worked as a double agent for both his clan and his village before finally his fellow spy found what seemed to be a perfect solution."

He stopped and stared at Agni for a long, long moment and the butler found himself wondering what he was looking for. Before he could ask, however, the boy continued his tale.

"It didn't work. And the other spy entrusted his friend with one of his most valuable possessions before forcing his friend to watch as he committed suicide. In doing so, he helped the boy unlock one of their clan's most feared secrets, one he, himself had already possessed. When informed of the failure, the village elders forced him to make a choice. Die with his clan, including the little brother he cherished the most, or kill his clan, and allow his brother to live. He chose the former…and as a result killed 398 people in a single night. He allowed his brother to come home and find him standing over their parents' bodies, bloodied blade in hand and by sheer force of will, put on an act that, until his death, all but one would believe. In doing so, he led his brother onto the path of their clan's cursed hatred, bearing the brunt of it to preserve the image of their family in the boy's eyes as well as prevent a war that would've led to the deaths of thousands. He left his village an international criminal and joined an organization with criminals of the same rank, with crimes just as heinous. For years he served as his village's spy in the organization until finally his little brother became powerful enough to accomplish the goal he'd set for him."

Agni's brow furrowed. "What was the goal?"

Ciel smiled, a warm thing that contrasted the words he spoke.

"To kill him."

The butler gasped. "B-but why?! He was innocent!"

"If he died his brother killed him, their clan's honor would be restored and his brother would never know the truth."

"What happened?"

"His brother killed him."

Agni stared at him, understanding what the moral of the child's story was. He had done the same as the boy in the story, betraying his most precious person to save him and to spare him from the pain the truth would cause him. In doing so, he'd hurt him, and made him believe he was his enemy.

"Did his brother ever find out the truth?"

Something sad flashed in the teen's single eyes, making them seem older and wearier than he'd ever seen them and suddenly something clicked in Agni's mind.

"He did. It destroyed him, and he turned his grief and rage in the village in retaliation. Do not make it so that Soma feels the same."

The child Earl stood to leave and the question escaped before Agni could stop it.

"Were you the older brother or the younger?"

His lips quirked, yet he didn't seem surprised at the question.

"The elder."

"What was your name?"

"Itachi."

TBC…