I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, Eternally Yours
'thoughts'
"speech"
"Demonic speech"
{setting/stage directions?}
SOUND EFFECTS
An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.
=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift
Previously:
"Did it wor—" Ciel started to ask when Chêne's eyes suddenly shot open. Her normally pale mint-green eyes were glowing inhumanly bright, and looked almost electric.
"—!" Ciel gasped, shocked.
What the hell did Sebastian do...!
The electric green glow in Chêne's eyes started to fade, and her eyes returned to normal as they closed again. Her breathing was soft and even as she slept in Sebastian's arms.
"Chêne will need to sleep for a while, but she will be just fine once she has recovered her strength. I have been told the type of transformation she just underwent is quite exhausting." Sebastian told Ciel, giving him a brilliant shit-eating grin. Ciel narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sebastian.
"What transformation...?" Ciel asked sternly. Sebastian reached out and lightly touched his free hand, the one that wasn't holding Chêne, to Ciel's cheek.
"You have become terribly chilled. Let us return to the town house at once, an I shall prepare that hot milk for you and Chêne as promised, all right? I shall explain everything once Chêne has awakened. She should here this as well." Sebastian said, giving Ciel his trademark shit-eating grin as he stood up, carrying Chêne in his arms.
"..." Ciel said as he stared at Sebastian's blood stained glove. It had been a long night, and now that things had finally calmed down somewhat, Ciel suddenly realized how tired he was. "Yes, very well." Ciel stood up, but he was a little shaky, and swayed to the side.
"Young Master!" Sebastian said, surprised when the uninjured boy almost fell, but Sebastian managed to switch his hold on Chêne to only using one arm so he could catch Ciel.
SLAP!
Ciel slapped Sebastian's hand away and took a step back from the demon butler. Ciel's brow was furrowed as he frowned at him. Sebastian stared at Ciel, slightly taken aback. He didn't think Chêne's 'change' would affect him so.
"Young—!" Sebastian said, concerned.
"Don't." Ciel said bluntly. "I am all right. I can stand on my own." Ciel said solemnly as he glanced at Madam Red's corpse.
"..." Sebastian said as he watched the young earl. Ciel didn't look 'all right' to him.
"... I'm... just... a bit tired..." Ciel said wearily.
=†=†=†=†=
{The next morning—The Phantomhive Townhouse, a guest room}
"... Ngh..." Chêne moaned as she rolled over on her back and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Chêne sighed blissfully as she sat up and stretched, enjoying the feeling of the warm sunlight on her skin.
"My, you look just like a kitten when you stretch like that..." Sebastian observed, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin. Chêne froze. She stared at him blankly for a few moments, as though she was trying to decide if she was actually awake or not. Chêne glanced down at herself. She was wearing a nightgown... which she definitely did NOT remember putting on!!
"—Why am I wearing a nightgown! Who dressed me!?" Chêne yelled, practically shooting out of the bed as she confronted Sebastian.
"Well, you certainly could not remain in your outfit from last night. It simply wouldn't do to stain the sheets with your blood, now would it? As for who dressed you and washed the blood off of you... It certainly was not the young master, and I am currently the only other servant here, so..." Sebastian said, smirking deviously at her. Chêne froze and turned blue with shock and dread.
"...D-Did you say 'wash'...?" Chêne stuttered, hoping to God she had misheard.
"Yes." Sebastian said bluntly, smiling. Chêne turned to stone, mortified. He saw her naked!? "You were covered in your own blood after being stabbed by Madam Red. In the future, when you receive a wound like that, you should say something sooner when you feel the icy hand of death upon you, instead of just 'grinning and bearing it.' Did you forget? Or did you perhaps think it was all just a bad dream?" Sebastian asked, grinning at her. She blushed cherry red from head to toe. If it really happened...Then she really did tell Sebastian that she loved him!! And—wait... didn't she die...?
"If it was all real, then why am I still alive?" Chêne asked, recovering, as she raised a skeptical eyebrow at Sebastian. Sebastian reached out and took her left hand.
"!" Chêne said, blushing. Sebastian smirked slightly.
"If you'll take a look at your ring finger, you will see one of the subtle changes you have gone through in your 'transformation.'" Sebastian told her. Chêne glanced down at her hand, confused and curious.
"!!" Chêne said, surprised. "Since when did I have a tattoo!?" She asked incredulously. There was a 'ring tattoo' on her left ring finger, like what married couples sometimes get. It was black, and it looked like it was the image of a chain wrapped around her finger. Chêne squinted her eyes as she took a closer look. No... It wasn't just a chain... they were infinity signs that were linked together all the way around her finger.
"I will explain in just a moment, but first you must get dressed for the day, so you can the young master for breakfast. He has been waiting ever since last night to hear what I am about to say." Sebastian told her, releasing her hand.
"Okay..." Chêne said. She glanced around the room. "... But where is my stuff? How come I'm in one of the guest rooms?" She asked, confused.
"I believe the young master is feeling guilty for almost letting you die." Sebastian said as he walked over to the room's wardrobe and removed a simple, but pretty green day dress. "He has decided to give you today off, seeing as you went through such an ordeal last night. Madam Red's funeral is set for tomorrow, once the Undertaker has finished preparing her."
"I see..." Chêne said sadly. "Is Ciel all right? Even if Madam Red was Jack the Ripper and tried to hurt us, she was still his aunt..."
"... He has not once cried, if that's what you are asking." Sebastian said as he handed the dress to her. Chêne smiled sadly.
"No... I didn't think he would. He said he'd never cry again, after all." Chêne said as she held her new dress to her chest, holding back a few tears of her own. She had rather liked Madam Red.
=†=†=†=†=
{The townhouse dinning room}
"How was she...?" Ciel asked when Sebastian returned to his side.
"She is worried about you, but other than that, Chêne seems to be doing just fine, so far." Sebastian said, giving Ciel a shit-eating grin. However, they both knew that would probably change once Chêne found out what Ciel and Sebastian had done to her.
"Good morning, Ciel." Chêne said, smiling softly as she entered the room. "I'm sorry about Madam Red..." She said sadly as she hugged the young earl. Ciel gently pushed her away, unable to look her properly in the eyes. He knew that Chêne might not be so eager to hug him after whatever Sebastian was about to tell them.
"...Thank you... have seat. Then we can finally hear what Sebastian has to say." Ciel said calmly as he took another bite of his breakfast.
CLINK.
Ciel's eyes widened slightly in surprise when Sebastian set a pate loaded with food in front of Chêne. Today's breakfast was eggs benedict, fresh fruit, scones, and bacon. Her stomach growled at the sight and smell of all the delicious food.
"Wow, Sebastian, it's like you read my mind!" Chêne said, rubbing the back of her neck out of embarrassment. "... You didn't... did you?" She asked cautiously. Sebastian smirked.
"No, your mind is still entirely your own. I simply knew that you would be hungry because you will still need to eat human food for sustenance." Sebastian explained, glancing at Ciel as he said the last part.
"... You mean she's still human? After her eyes glowed... I thought she had undergone a 'transformation'?" Ciel said, glaring slightly at his butler.
"What 'transformation'...? I feel fine." Chêne said, blinking in confusion before taking another bite of food. Man, was she hungry! Chêne felt like she hadn't eaten in years.
"Yes, other than a ravenous appetite, you should be feeling better than you ever have in life as a human." Sebastian said. Chêne froze, and the food fell of her fork as she stared at him, stunned.
"I'm getting a really ominous feeling about the way you phrased that..." Chêne said, eyeing Sebastian suspiciously. "... I'm not going to like hearing this, am I...?"
"That will most likely be the case, but it is extremely important that you listen to my explanation to the end." Sebastian said seriously. Chêne nodded in understanding.
"Well, are you going to tell us how you revived her or not?" Ciel asked impatiently. He had been waiting all night to hear this.
"Very well." Sebastian said, closing his eyes. "You were not conscious for this, Chêne, but in order to keep you from dying, I had to give you my blood. It is rather fortunate you are such a stubborn soul, or else it would not have worked. If your heart had stopped beating, it would not have been able to circulate my blood throughout the rest of your body." Sebastian explained. "However... in exchange for saving your life, and healing your wound, there will be some consequences..." He said solemnly.
"Consequences... like what?" Chêne asked warily.
"As a result of consuming my blood, it has bonded with yours... your body has become tainted with my demonic energy now. You are no longer a human." Sebastian said. His eyes glowed slightly.
"!!" Chêne said, flinching in shock. She... she... wasn't human...!?
"Then... is she like you now?" Ciel asked hesitantly. He had thought the consequences Sebastian had mentioned would be something he would have to bear, not Chêne... He should've known better.
"No. Chêne is neither a human, nor a demon... She has become something else entirely." Sebastian said. "You still have your human soul, however, The Grim Reapers will not be able to forcibly take it from you anymore, and no other demon will be able to touch it either. So, you have no need to fear for your soul, as I have no intention of consuming it, and you will not hunger for the souls of other humans either." He told Chêne. Chêne relaxed slightly. At least she still had her soul... but...
"You said my body was 'tainted'... what about my soul? Is it still possible for me to go to Heaven...?" Chêne asked hopefully. Sebastian frowned slightly.
"I cannot say for certain, as I have only ever heard of this from other demons, and they all consumed the souls of their quarry. It is possible... but I do not wish to give you false hope. You will most likely not be able to enter Heaven." Sebastian told her. In his opinion, her soul would probably be destined for Hell now, because whether it was done by her consent or not, Chêne had still committed a sin against God by consuming his blood. However... he had no intention of bringing her to such a place. "What I can tell you, is that while your soul has not been changed, your physical body has. Your five senses will be a little sharper now, and your reflexes will improve, but you will not gain any physical strength. You will be more able than most humans, but your senses will be nowhere near as strong as a demon's. You will also stop aging. Your 'time as a human' has essentially stopped." Sebastian explained calmly. He watched Chêne cautiously, waiting to see how she would react to this. Most human women would rejoice at the thought of being young and beautiful forever, but Chêne was not most women. She was staring at him, shocked. Ciel was as well.
"You mean... I'll basically be eighteen forever...?" Chêne asked warily. "What am I going to do once people notice that I'm not aging? I mean, I can get by for a while, since all the women on my mother's side age gracefully, but if I'm supposed to be eighty, and I look like a teenager, people are going to know something's wrong!"
"You will no longer be able to stay in one place for too long, however, I may be able to make it appear to the humans around you as if you have aged, as I too will need to do the same... but it will only be an illusion." Sebastian said calmly. "And even if they were to find out, and try to harm you, I can revive you with my blood as long as your heart is still beating. So, as long as you can avoid being stabbed through the heart, you should be just fine. You will be required to drink my blood on a regular basis anyway." Chêne and Ciel stared at him strangely.
"... Eh?" Chêne asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Why would I have to drink your blood? Aren't I already healed?"
"Yes, however, it seems that most humans, once they have consumed a demon's blood, will develop an addiction to it, and they will go mad without it. My blood is rather powerful, so you should only need to consume a small amount about once a month." Sebastian explained.
"..." Chêne said, staring at him. "So, basically, I'm like a vampire for demons?" Chêne asked raising an eyebrow. "You said 'most' so there's a chance I don't actually need your blood, right? If that's the case, then I'd rather not drink it, because no offense, but that sounds gross, drinking blood like that..." She said, wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought.
"First of all, you are no vampire. If I had to give it a name, I would say you are a 'Methuselah.' And I believe you are familiar with the phrase 'better safe than sorry'?" Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I have stated before that I heard of this from other demons, didn't I? One of the most famous and extreme cases of what can happen if you do not drink my blood, is a 16th century Hungarian countess. She asked the demon she contracted with to make her young and beautiful forever, so he did using this method. I believe she was called by the name of Elizabeth—"
"—Bathory. Elizabeth Bathory." Chêne finished for him, her eyes wide with shock.
"I see you have heard of her already." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. That would save him the trouble of explaining this part at least. Chêne had paled slightly, so she would probably heed his warning now, and listen to him in order to keep herself from sharing the same fate as the countess.
"Who is this 'Elizabeth Bathory'?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. He didn't like feeling out of the loop.
"She's basically the world's first documented female serial killer. According to legend, she became so paranoid about growing old, and losing her beauty, that she somehow got the idea that she could stave off the effect of old age by torturing and killing young women so that she could bathe in their blood. She's often associated with vampire legends because of this. It's said that this took place over a span of twenty-five years before she was caught. Her victims are thought to number in the hundreds." Chêne explained.
"Precisely. However, what you humans did not know was that the countess had made a contract with the devil, and he gave her his blood once to change her... but he neglected to tell her that she would need his blood on a regular basis, and she went insane. She knew that blood was the key to her problem, but she did not know that it had to be that demon's blood. Since their contract was only to grant her eternal youth, and he had no orders to protect her, the demon was able to consume her soul upon her death, after she was placed under house arrest. Quiet frankly, I'm surprised they didn't execute her." Sebastian said.
"And how is it that you know of such a gruesome story?" Ciel asked Chêne.
"Lacey." Chêne said simply, as though it explained everything. Ciel sweat dropped. In a way, it did. Ciel had heard enough strange stories about Lacey to know that her sanity was probably... questionable.
"So, basically, if Chêne does not drink your blood, then she will become a blood lusting, homicidal lunatic?" Ciel said bluntly. Chêne sweat dropped and sighed in defeat.
"All right, all right... I get it! I'll be a good girl and take my medicine... damn it." Chêne muttered, disgruntled.
"You are taking this surprisingly well." Sebastian observed, not that he was complaining. It would only make things more difficult if she had come to despise him for what he had done to her. "You do realize that since you have consumed my blood, your are now bound to me for all of eternity, do you not?" Sebastian asked her. She was basically considered his property now, and she would have to depend upon him for her very sanity and survival throughout the ages.
"Yeah... but I don't think the gravity of the situation has entirely sunk in yet... I'm sure I'll have a marvelous breakdown later." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "Any thing else I should know?"
"Yes, now that we are bound to each other, we can both 'call' to the other, much like how Ciel is ale to summon me through the mark of his covenant." Sebastian said, smirking.
"Hm... kind of like pager... Nifty." Chêne said thoughtfully. That could come in handy.
"..." Ciel and Sebastian said, staring at her. What was on earth was a 'pager'? It must be another strange item from Chêne's world...
"In any case..." Sebastian said as he removed his glove to reveal a 'ring' similar to Chêne's on his left ring finger.
"You are now bound to me for all of eternity, until death do us part." Sebastian said, his crimson eyes glowing as he smirked devilishly at her.
Author's note:
'Methuselah' refers to the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Bible, the grandfather of Noah. Methuselah supposedly lived to be 969 years old, and died seven days before the Great Flood. The name 'Methuselah,' or the phrase 'old as Methuselah' is often used to refer to any living thing reaching a great age. (This phrase is basically equivalent to the phrase 'older than dirt.')
I'm sorry if this is too much of a cliche, but the friend who asked me to write this asked me very nicely (more like threatened) me to make Chene more than just human somehow, but I didn't want her to be a demon or a cat-girl, so this was my solution. I hope you liked it! (^_^;)
