I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Shadowing 4


≤speech in Indian language≥

'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:

"..." Agni said as he stared after the English butler and his prince, panting from exhaustion, as tears of blood stained his cheeks. It was all over now... he had crossed a line, and he knew his prince would never forgive him...

"Not my poor house toooo!" West wailed miserably, totally oblivious to the pained expression on Agni's face.


{Back at the Phantomhive townhouse...}

"Amazing, wasn't he? That fellow from before?" Lau said, referring to Agni. He, Ciel, and Soma were all seated around a table that had been moved next to the fireplace, so they could warm themselves up, and Sebastian and Chêne were serving them Chai tea and freshly baked black currant scones, still warm from the oven. "It was beyond anything that could be defined as human." Lau added as he sipped his tea, and Chêne sat down too, joining them at the table. She was feeling a little tired and hungry too, so Ciel had already given her the okay to eat their snack with them earlier.

"Is he going to be okay? He was crying blood..." Chêne asked, concerned.

"He was in the state of 'Samadhi.' No one can lay a hand on him when he gets like that." Soma said as he sat in his chair with his legs crossed, leaning his head on his hand. Chêne felt sorry for Soma. He was understandably upset after what had occurred between him and Agni back at West's home.

"Samadhi?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"It has to do with their religion... Samadhi is a spiritual state of consciousness, like a trance." Chêne said, trying to think of a better way she could explain it.

"Human beings are rare creatures that can produce tremendous power derived from intense belief that gives way to a kind of blind faith." Sebastian stated calmly. Chêne glanced at him, slightly surprised. There was a rather jaded look in his eyes as he continued to speak. "The Norse Vikings of yore became berserkers in the name of their war god Odin... The paladins of the crusades fought in the name of Yahweh by invading foreign lands time and time again..." Even though they had suffered great losses most of the time, and never actually reclaimed their full former glory in the supposed 'Holy Land,' they continued killing in the name of their God. This is why humans were so...

"Oh, right, like how my mother lifted a ca—I mean automobile off of one of the neighborhood girls when we were younger, after she got pinned underneath it..." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"You mean to tell me... that your mother lifted something that would most likely take at least twenty men to lift, all by herself?" Lau asked, stunned. Ciel sweat dropped. If anyone could do such a thing, it would definitely be Pomona... He could definitely see that happening after meeting the strange woman.

"Yes. She said that she thought it was me under the automobile, since all she could see were two little feet sticking out from underneath it, and the girl and I had on the exact same shoes that day. Lacey, I, and a bunch of kids from the neighborhood had all been playing hide-and-seek outside that Saturday, and that poor girl, Gracie Henderson, had been 'it', so she was counting by our mailbox, when a drunk driver just came out of nowhere, and flipped over, on top of her, after hitting our mailbox. My mom heard me scream when I saw it happen from my hiding place, and she ran out of the house. She was so desperate to save 'me' that she actually grabbed the car by the bumper, and flipped it back over, and off of Gracie. Gracie had a broken leg, a few crushed ribs, and a concussion after being crushed by the car, but the doctors said that if my mother hadn't acted so quickly, it would've been a lot worse, because the car would've been crushing her for longer. Gracie's perfectly fine now, but we weren't allowed to play anywhere near the street after that." Chêne explained.

"Was this before or after your kidnapping?" Sebastian asked curiously.

'Kidnapping!?' Soma thought, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. Something that terrible had happened to this carefree girl...?

"After... why?" Chêne asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I was merely curious." Sebastian said, smiling. No wonder Pomona had been so quick to act... She had learned her lesson from Chêne's kidnapping, and hadn't wasted any time in running to her screaming child. "Like Chêne's mother, there are also humans who are able to make the impossible become possible, if they believe strongly enough that doing so can save a loved one. He too numbers among them." Sebastian said, referring to Agni. "Because of his absolute devotion to his 'god' and 'master,' Prince Soma... He can invoke power that is beyond human. It is a power that our like cannot boast... That which is born of belief in and love for another... A power known as 'Faith.'" Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he placed a hand over his chest, where a human's heart would be. He glanced slyly at Ciel, looking to see what the boy's reaction would be. Ciel stared back at him boredly, frowning slightly, almost as if he couldn't care less that Sebastian would never have any true 'faith' in his master. However... Sebastian noticed there was a strange look in Chêne's eyes as she stared at him a little sadly... almost pityingly...? Sebastian frowned slightly in confusion, wondering why she was looking at him like that. She should not feel pity for a demon like him. It was dangerous to sympathize with the devil. Chêne broke eye contact with him, turning to Soma, and smiling reassuringly at him.

"I'm sure Sebastian is right, and Agni was able to enter Samadhi because of his devotion to you." Chêne told Soma. "I think he was probably crying blood, because he didn't want to hurt you, but felt that he had no choice... Though he appears to be working for West, I think he is still loyal to you, and he is doing this for your sake somehow."

"Then why... did he betray me?" Soma mumbled dejectedly. "Why did he willfully abandon me!?" Soma yelled as he suddenly swung his arm out, purposefully knocking his teacup over, spilling tea all-over the white tablecloth, and sweeping his dessert plate to the floor.

CRASH!

The china shattered when it hit the floor.

"!" Chêne said, startled. Was he seriously going to break Ciel's stuff because he was throwing a tantrum!?

"...! Why, you..." Ciel yelled incredulously, jumping back in his seat to avoid the rest of the china as Soma continued to destroy the rest of the set. What the bloody hell was wrong with this spoiled brat!?

"Why!? Why does everyone leave my side!? Why!? How come..." Soma screamed. They all stared at him in a stunned silence as Soma stood, panting from all the yelling and china trashing he had just done. Without another word to any of them, Soma suddenly took off, running from the room. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Are you three all right?" Sebastian asked Ciel, Chêne, and Lau.

"We ducked, so we're fine." Lau said, smiling wryly as Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped.

"... I know he's upset, but I didn't expect someone who's about sixteen or seventeen to throw such a violent tantrum..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she stood up and removed the tablecloth. "I'll go take care of this before the stain sets in for good." Chêne said as she left the room to clean the soiled tablecloth, trying to avoid stepping on the shattered pieces of china littering the floor. "I'll bring a broom back with me, once I set this up to soak..." She said, smiling sadly. Sebastian glanced at her briefly before looking down at the blue and gold china.

"Oh dear... There goes the Haviland tea set I sent away for because I thought it would be perfect for Young Master..." Sebastian said. Chêne had also been rather attached to that particular set, since a similar one had been passed down through her family, along with a Blue Willow china set from Royal Doulton. She liked to have a cup of tea using this set whenever she was feeling homesick... "I do believe... the unruly prince needs to be re-taught his manners a touch." Sebastian said ominously. The demon looked calm, but Ciel had the distinct feeling that Soma had just kicked the hornet's nest.

=†=†=†=†=

KACHAK.

The door to the guest bedroom that Soma was staying in clicked open, and the light from the hallway cast a silhouette of the intruder across the floor. The demonic butler standing in the doorway stepped into the room, and closed the door behind him, plunging the room into complete darkness again, as he approached the bed. Judging by the large lump in the guest bed, Soma had pulled the covers over himself, and curled up in the middle of the bed, hugging a pillow. Soma, who was indeed underneath the covers, realized that he could hear whoever had opened the door getting closer, and they weren't going away. Soma poked his head out from under the covers, irritated that they were bothering him at such a time.

"You knave!" Soma yelled incredulously at his intruder, who he now knew to be Sebastian. "Who gave you permission to enter this—"

FLAP! THUNK!

Without any warning or hesitation, Sebastian suddenly yanked away the bed sheets that Soma had been curled up in, forcefully sending the prince toppling to the floor with a thud.

"...!" Soma said, shocked. "Wha!" He yelled incredulously. Soma could not believe this was happening. How dare a mere servant treat him in this manner!? "You insolent foo—"

"Which of us is being insolent?" Sebastian asked coldly.

"!?" Soma said, startled.

"Doing as you please and leaving a mess in your wake... You have made a fine pest of yourself." Sebastian said emotionlessly as he stepped around Soma and laid the sheets back on the bed smoothly.

"Wha...!?" Soma said incredulously, sweating nervously as a vein mark throbbed on his head. What was with Ciel's khansama!? How dare he treat a prince this way!?

"You are in England, at the residence of Earl Phantomhive. This is neither your country, nor your castle." Sebastian said coolly. He turned around to face Soma, looking down on the spoiled prince with disdain. "Here, in this place, you have absolutely no right to order anything of me. Here, you are nothing more than a whelp." Sebastian said coldly with a dignified air that almost made Soma feel as though he were the servant, and Sebastian was the one of royal blood. Soma flinched, startled. He started breaking out in a nervous sweat. Why was he suddenly feeling as though this man before him had more power then he, a prince...?

"A powerless child who cannot do anything unless Mister Agni is with you. And now you have also been betrayed by him, your last ray of light." Sebastian continued coolly, not seeming to care how cruel his words were. Soma hung his head in defeat, his eyes cast in shadow as they were hidden by his bangs. "Yes... I haven't anything left. I've lost it all..." Soma said bitterly.

"Lost?" Sebastian said cynically, sounding slightly amused. "Heh! What amazing persecutory delusions you have there." Sebastian said, smirking. Soma's eyes widened slightly in shock. What...? "You have not lost anything..." The demon said, grinning evilly. "... As you had nothing to lose to begin with."

"Eh...?" Soma said, stunned. He stared at the demon butler before him, frozen in fear. No... He didn't want to hear these words... He wanted the cruel man before him to stop. He wanted to run away... But he couldn't. It was as if a spell had been cast over Soma, and he was a fly ensnared in a spider's web, with no other choice but to stay still and endure the poisonous words he did not wish to hear.

"Your parents gave you your status. Your parents gave you your palace. Your parents gave you your servants. From the very beginning, none of it was ever your own. Do I not speak the truth?" Sebastian asked, smirking, as Soma stared at him in horror, seeing the harsh reality of the demon's words. "Even when it came to Mister Agni, you had an inkling of something being amiss there, yes?" Sebastian prodded, causing Soma to flinch guiltily. "But you had not the courage to ascertain the matter yourself." Sebastian continued mercilessly.

"Y...—!" Soma said, distressed, as he furrowed his brow, trying to find the strength to stand up for himself. "You're wrong!" Soma cried desperately as he ran to the door.

BANG.

Sebastian slammed his hand against the door, cutting off the prince's escape.

"Ah, but I am not wrong, am I?" Sebastian leered at the frightened prince. Soma was drenched in sweat now. He looked like a terrified animal that had just realized it was trapped in the claws of a dangerous predator. Sebastian smirked. "I see. So now that reality is being thrust in your face, you have decided to affect the role of the tragic hero this time?" Sebastian asked slyly. "Heh. You truly are a pathetic, hopeless brat." Sebastian said contemptuously, smirking deviously at Soma as he leaned closer to the scared prince. Chêne and Ciel had both been through far more terrible experiences than this, at much younger ages than Soma, but neither of them had ever acted so pathetically in his presence.

"But... But...! Everyone said they would always stay by my side—!" Soma cried.

"Lip service, of course." Sebastian said coldly. "No one serves another without a reward. Even a three-year-old from the slums knows that much." The demon watched coldly as Soma stared at him in horror, trembling. "Not a one of them ever loved you." Sebastian said darkly as he stared down at the trembling prince emotionlessly.

"I... I—!" Soma stuttered, trying to find a way to deny Sebastian's cruel words.

"Sebastian!" Chêne said sternly as she pushed open the door. (Luckily Sebastian hadn't actually been using any real strength to hold the door shut.) "I heard that, and I know how pissed off you are, but there are just some things you shouldn't say!" Chêne scolded the demon butler, frowning in disapproval. Sebastian smirked wryly as he turned to look at Chêne. So, she had decided to come ridding in on her white horse to save this fool, after all. She was far too forgiving and merciful. It amazed the demon that she had managed to survive in the human world for so long with such naive behavior...

"Oh? Was there a problem with something I said?" Sebastian asked with feigned innocence. "It is not as though anything I said was a lie."

"But you don't know if it's completely true either." Chêne pointed out as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Sebastian. "I know he's annoying, but why are you trying to psychologically damage Soma over a few broken plates!?" Sebastian blinked, slightly taken aback... She thought this was about the broken china...? That little incident had merely been the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Heh, you think I would risk suffering your wrath over such a trivial occurrence?" Sebastian teased her, smirking handsomely at her. Chêne blushed.

"Don't you dare think that you can just flirt your way out of this one, mister!" Chêne snapped at him, flustered.

"Let's leave it at that." Ciel said calmly, interrupting before it could turn into an argument.

"Young Master." Sebastian said calmly as he and Chêne both glanced at Ciel. Ciel really didn't seem to be that bothered by Sebastian's tactics, since he was leaning rather casually against the doorframe, but at least he was making an effort to intervene on Soma's behalf.

"I might've ended up just like him..." Ciel said calmly, closing his eyes. Soma panted, breathing heavily, as he stared at Ciel, confused and distressed from the psychological torture Sebastian had been inflicting on him. "—If not for..." Ciel said, closing his eyes briefly before staring straight ahead. "That one long month—" A cold and distant look came into his deep blue eyes as the young earl remembered being helplessly trapped inside...

That cage...