Chapter Nine

What a strange sight.

While his master was far from lazy, very rarely did the boy deign to do menial tasks. He preferred to deal with the paperwork and the planning and yet…

Here was his young master seated with the youth he'd been assigned to room with, deft fingers peeling potatoes as if he'd been doing it his entire life. As he worked, the child beside him rattled on, the young earl nodding indulgently. It was jarring.

Wrong.

Beside him, the reaper stilled as well, tilting his head for a moment as he observed the children. For a moment, he thought the creature would speak, yet something like grief passed through his bright acid colored gaze and he walked away. The youth speaking to his master grinned then stood to hand in his finished potatoes, the incognito earl following.

As the two left his master glanced at him, then over his shoulder. It stalled then just a moment, then the two were gone.

Curious he turned, only to find Blue standing behind him staring in the direction the boy had gone. Sensing his gaze, the man glanced at him, then moved over to sit with a group of performers.

Carmine eyes narrowing, he glared only for a moment before joining one of the groups of workers to help with the morning meal.

What a strange morning.

*/*

Complacent.

Trembling as panic and hatred and fear coursed through his very being he couldn't help but hate his own foolishness.

In the wake of the competition and his reunion with his family, the nightmares that he'd faced in this life had taken a back seat, his burning hatred cooling slightly until it was buried under everything else. It had made him complacent and yet for just that moment in the bathhouse, he'd been back there.

Back in that place, hands grabbing and taking as if he were less than an animal, something to be owned, beaten, broken.

Humiliated.

And with the nightmare, the phantom touch of hands that had no right to touch him, came hatred. Scorching in a way he'd rarely felt in his past life yet had always known he was capable of, and cloying, choking him.

Stifling.

What else could he do but run?

A hand entered his field of vision and he jerked back, slapping it away.

"Don't touch me!" The words ripped themselves from his throat, wounded and shattered, even as his single visible eye locked with his demon's carmine one.

"Bocchan-"

He shook his head, looking away even as the last bit of panic worked its way through his system.

"I'm fine." He stood unsteadily. "What have you found?"

Sebastian eyed him, then sighed. "As far as I can tell, Joker is the leader and Beast is in love with him. Also the shinigami are on this case as well. Blue, Joker, Beast, Dagger, Wendy, Jumbo, Snake, and Peter are the first string. Blue and Snake joined recently, however the others have been a part of the Circus since its beginning."

Heaving a shuddering breath, he nodded. "Freckles left our tent last night, just after midnight.I was able to follow for a moment, but once they passed the gate I couldn't get any further without raising suspicion. However, I can confirm that everyone but Snake and Blue left with her."

Something flashed in his butler's eyes at the mention of Blue , but he ignored it, hoping he would be able to maintain his composure just a little while longer. Instead, he continued speaking.

"According to Freckles, their adoptive father owns the circus, but when I asked she clammed up. I want you to find out who their father is. If we find him, I am willing to bet we'll find the mastermind behind the kidnappings and consequently where they're keeping them...if they're keeping them."

Sebastian bowed slightly. "Yes, my lord."

Ciel turned to leave, stopping when Sebastian reached for him. The demon fell short of actually touching him and he glanced at the hand then the demon, who wore an uncharacteristically hesitant expression.

"Bocchan," He stopped, then shook his head and walked away. "We should get to rehearsals."

The young earl watched him go and shook his head. "I can't wait until this is over."

Taking a step, he sighed. "Kisame." He greeted without turning and it was like coming home, feeling the man step into his place at his side.

"You're investigating Joker and the others."

He glanced up at his former lover, feeling the way the man's chakra twisted and intertwined itself with his own.

"I am. Are you going to stop me?"

The swordsman shook his head. "You know I won't."

Nodding sharply, he locked away the new tide of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. "We should get to rehearsals."

"Itachi-san-"

"Later, Kisame." He snapped, his voice breaking unbidden. "Please."

The older man stared at him, then sighed. "Later." He agreed leading the way to where the others were rehearsing.

"You know, Mr. Black warned me that I should stay away from you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yep. Is he your father in this life?"

He felt his expression shut down, flashes of flames of painhumiliationPleaseSomebodyHelpme raced through him, though he let none of it show on his face. Especially not to him.

"No."

Neither of them spoke again.

*/*

He was so cold.

Itachi had never been the touchiest person and yet, in the few moments that he'd managed to observe him and spend with him...it was like meeting a whole new person.

He couldn't help but wonder what his lover had faced in this new world for him to have grown so cold so early in a world where children his age should be in school or protected by their parents.

As they reached the rehearsal area, his gaze found the other part of his problem.

Mr. Black.

While he wasn't sure what Itachi's relationship with the man was, he didn't like the possessiveness he saw in the man's carmine hues whenever they landed on the teen. Nor did he like the fact that the man seemed keen on keeping them apart. Even now as they entered the big top together, the man's gaze tightened and he waved off Suit in order to join them. Worse, Itachi automatically moved to the man's side. Scowling, he went to practice with Jumbo, watching as the two worked seamlessly, as if they'd been working together forever.

He looked away, hating the ache that the thought brought to his heart, and irritated by his own weakness. Instead he resolved to ignore them for the rest of practice, even as his thoughts continued to ponder the changes to Itachi and what to say when they finally had a chance to speak. By the time the rehearsals ended...he still had no answers.

*/*

He was going to kill Sebastian.

Coughing slightly, he made his way to the tent his butler shared with Ki- Blue and the reaper, his lungs constricting in a way that was painfully familiar.

As he entered he paid no mind to Kis-Blue and the reaper, glaring at his bonded. "You knew I was in there when you released those snakes."

The demon smiled, guileless, the bastard and he coughed, hating the chill raveging his body.

"Of course. I thought you would appreciate it if the game had a bit more...thrill."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned against the bedpost, lips curling when the reaper dared to tap his shears near his feet. "You are three inches into my territory. If the master can't follow the rules then it is just as bad as its dog."

Feeling the familiar burn of chakra rush through his eyes, he quickly stamped down his irritation at the being turning his attention to Sebastian, vividly aware of Kisame's presence only a few feet away.

"Sebastian, we'll talk outside."

Nodding the demon followed him. Once they were outside the tent, he leaned against it, coughing harshly. Holding his hand over his mouth, he began to relay what he'd found.

"I found a letter in Joker's tent with my name in it. It had my name, my position, everything, even a biographical sketch. Addr-cough, cough- addressed from the 'Tom, the piper's son."

Concern flashed through the demon's gaze, but he continued as if he hadn't heard him cough. "The mysterious father, perhaps?"

He nodded, lungs burning as another bout of coughing shook his small frame.

"It was- It had an emblem. A horse under a stylized K. If we find the person owning the emblem-"

"We find our kidnapper."

"We'll stay here o-one more night, th-then we'll go back to -cough, cough, cough- the town...townhouse and-" He was cut off as he dissolved into a coughing fit fierce enough to send him to his knees. Coughing harshly, he removed his hand as a mixture of bile and blood left him.

"Bocchan!" Sebastian cried alarmed and he reached for him as his vision began to darken. Over his shoulder he saw Kisame approaching, pain and fear bright in his amber eyes and he reached for him, only for the darkness to swallow him.

"Itachi-san!"

*/*

"Asthma?"

The doctor nodded as he placed a cold cloth on the ailing teen's head, and Sebastian felt something dark building in his gut. In the four years since he'd saved his master, he'd never known the boy was sick and yet here he was ailing from something he couldn't protect him from.

It was a feeling of failure that he wasn't used to.

Beside him, the same helplessness flashed in Blue's eyes, the shark-like human glaring down at the boy as if he could glare the illness into submission.

"I've lived with him for years, this is the first time I've seen him have such an attack."

The doctor went to speak but Blue cut in before he could. "He probably has had them before and hidden them. He hates when others see him vulnerable."

"How would you know that?" Sebastian asked dangerously, a paternal sort of fury coiling beneath his skin at the strongman's familiarity with his master.

A soft cough broke in, and they both looked down at the boy, who was staring up at them.

"Smile, did you have asthma before?"

The incognito earl stared at him, gaze fever bright and distant in a way he'd never seen it. "M-Madara-sama…"

Blue jerked, his gaze sharpening. "Itachi-san?" That single feverish hue slid to him. "K-Kisa? Mizu…"

The hulking man easily slipped the pitched from the demon's hands, ignoring the frown it gained him, and fed the other a few sips of water. Accepting it gratefully, he coughed once more, blood flecking his lips, and slipped back into the arms of morpheus.

"His mind is muddled. We'll need to bring his fever down." The doctor rolled toward the door. "I'll get us some ice."

"The man you're looking for is Baron Kelvin. He's Joker and the other's adoptive father. I don't know what you're investigating here and I don't care, but I do know that Joker and the others are doing something they don't want anyone else to know about."

"How do we know you aren't luring us into a trap?"

"You don't. But why would I?"

Sebastian eyed the man for a moment, then nodded, tapping his young masters arm gently. The boy woke, staring up at him blurrily.

"Sebastian?"

"Master, Blue and I have found the name of the man in the letter. Shall we get you home? We can go after him tomorrow once you've rested."

The younger stared at him uncomprehendingly then nodded, and looked up at Blue.

"Coming?" He whispered.

"Someone has to take care of you."

"W-Will...stab...you." He replied, annoyance clear and despite himself Sebastian snickered while Blue smiled gently.

"Sure you will. When you're better. Until then, rest."

Curling in on himself, the other faded back into oblivion, remaining still even as Sebastian wrapped him in the blankets and picked him up.

"Who are you?" He asked the blue man, now completely certain that he was missing something between the two. After all, his master didn't trust easily and yet he'd not only revealed their case to the man, but fallen asleep in his presence. Blue smirked.

"Name's Hoshigaki Kisame. You?"

He stared at his companion then at his bonded and nodded decisively. "Sebastian Michaelis. Head butler of the Phantomhive Household."

No recognition flashed in those amber eyes and as they left the tent he couldn't help but wonder how they were acquainted and how Hoshigaki would react to his master's true nature.