I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Superhuman


≤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:

"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... that cage...


=Flashback=

{Phantomhive Manor, three years ago...}

"Somebody!" The ten-year-old Ciel cried as he ran through his family's home, checking every room, trying to find his mother, his father—anybody. "Heey! Where did everyone go!?" Ciel yelled anxiously.

He was starting to get really worried now. Something was definitely wrong. Why couldn't he find anyone? There wasn't even a single one of their servants in sight! Ciel stopped running, and bent over as he held his knees, panting from all the yelling and running he had just done. Then he heard it. There was a low growling sound coming from one of the rooms a few feet away, around the next corner of the hallway. It sounded like his dog, Sebastian. Then he heard a yelping sound. Someone was hurting his dog! Ciel ran to the room, and threw the door open, prepared to defend his pet, but there was no one in the room... the culprit must have escaped before he got there. Ciel's eyes widened in shock when he realized what was lying on the floor in front of him. It was Sebastian. The body of his faithful dog was lying there on the floor in front of him, illuminated by the light streaming in from the open door.

"Sebastian...?" Ciel said, shocked. The poor dog was lying in a pool of it's own blood, and it wasn't moving. Ciel reached out and tried to pet his dog, too shocked to realize that it was probably dead already. He stared down at his hands, horrified, when he saw the blood that was now staining them from his dog... and also... he had finally noticed the golden lock of hair that was lying on the floor, just beyond the reach of the light from the hallway... his mother's hair. There, not too far from Sebastian, were the bloody bodies of his parents, just barely visible in the darkness.

"Father! Mother!" Ciel screamed in horror when it finally sunk in through his shock. "Someone help me! Everyone's going to die!" He screamed as he ran out of the room, desperate to find someone who could help. Ciel, in his innocence, did not stop to think that maybe his parents were beyond help... or that someone had wanted to kill them. Ciel kept running and running, until finally he saw Mister Tanaka, the Phantomhive Family's head butler.

"Tanaka! Help me!" Ciel cried desperately, relived to have finally found someone. The old Japanese man turned to Ciel, startled to see the boy still in the manor, when it was so dangerous.

"You must not come over here!" Tanaka yelled in alarm. "Please run away. Lord Ciel... This is too awful for y—" Tanaka's eyes widened in shock and pain, and he paled as he coughed up blood, and started to fall.

"Tana—" Ciel yelled, alarmed and concerned as his butler fell on top of him. Ciel's eyes widened in shock and terror when he saw the dark figure who had snuck up behind Tanaka, and stabbed the old man in the back, as they both fell to the ground. The next thing Ciel knew, someone was covering his eyes, and he felt a sharp pain as his vision started to fade.

"Let's take him with us. He'll fetch a good price." Ciel heard someone say sinisterly as he lost consciousness. "There's this thing called idle curiosity, and it's got deep pockets."

=†=†=†=†=

"Ohh... What have we here!" A well-dressed old 'gentleman' said, blushing excitedly when the curtain over the cage they were keeping Ciel in lifted, and he stared at Ciel through the bars of the cage like he was some kind of rare animal on display in the zoo.

"Rare, right?" The same voice he had heard before he woke up in this horrible place said from somewhere off to the side.

"This is more than two persons' worth!" The old pervert exclaimed greedily as he purchased Ciel, paying double the price to ensure he didn't lose Ciel to someone else.

"Cheers, Guv." The sinister voice said as Ciel heard the sound of coins changing hands.

=†=†=†=†=

"I shall brand you with the mark of the Noble Beast." The old pervert, who turned out to be the leader of a black magic cult told Ciel wickedly as he pressed the burning brand into Ciel's fair skin.

"AAAAH!" Ciel screamed in agony as the brand seared his flesh. 'Let me out. Let me out. Let me out of here.' Ciel silently prayed, begging God to help him.

"See, you've gotten so much lovelier now." The cult members told Ciel wickedly as they laid their filthy hands on him. Ciel soon found himself back in a cage again. He huddled up as far into the back corner of his new prison as the chain around his ankle would allow.

'Father, Mother, God. Please.' Ciel begged silently as he buried his head in his arms, hiding his tears.

=†=†=†=†=

{About a month later...}

"Let us begin the noble mass once more this evening." The cult leader said grandly as he and his masked followers gathered around the cage.

'Why? Why must we be—!' Ciel thought, full of despair as he huddled in the back corner of the cage, covered in filth, bruises, and wounds. 'No one's coming to save me.' But then, a miracle seemed to have occurred, and a strange girl appeared before Ciel and the cult when they tried to use him as the next sacrifice. The girl walked determinedly towards the cage.

"Where's the key for this thing?" She asked boldly.

"W-What do you think you are doing?" the leader demanded, outraged by her lack of respect.

The girl looked at him as if he were a complete idiot.

"Freeing him, duh." The girl said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ciel's eyes widened. He was... saved...? The leader turned an interesting shade of purple.

"Freeing him!" the leader shrieked, outraged. "What kind of demon are you?" The girl frowned in confusion.

"Demon? Who, me?" The girl asked pointing to herself. "What ever gave you that idea? Any way you look at it, I'm human." The girl said, crossing her arms.

"You came through the summoning circle!" The leader exclaimed. "If you are not a demon, then how else could you have done it?"

"How should I know?" The girl said, shrugging. "This is just a dream anyway. It doesn't have to make sense. This is my dream, so I can do whatever I want, and I want to free this kid, so get out of my way." But it was not meant to be. Ciel should have known it was too good to be true. They stopped the girl, whose name he would late know was Chêne, before she could help him.

"You impertinent wench, I'll turn this 'dream' of yours into a nightmare!" The leader said, signaling to another member to bring him the brand-iron that was still conveniently sitting in a pail of hot coals. Chêne's eyes widened when she realized his intentions. Ciel watched helplessly as the leader and his fellow cult members surrounded and restrained her. The boy was filled with agonizing despair as he watched them brand Chêne, just as they had done to him when he first arrived in this wretched place. All hope was lost now. Ciel struggled as they dragged him to the altar. It was his turn now. Chêne was screaming now, begging them to spare him, but the two children's cries fell on deaf ears. Ciel watched, horrified as the leader raised the ceremonial dagger above him. Why—Why did he have to suffer!? What did he or any of the other children do to deserve this!? Why did God give him hope, only to crush it completely!? Ciel's desperation was turning into rage as he felt his life draining from him.

'Why should we have to die!' Ciel thought and grit his teeth in anger. 'There is no such thing as God in this world!!—KILL KILL KILL KILL—!' Ciel screamed in his mind as two glowing crimson eyes watched him.

"—Oh? Well, well. What a tiny master this is." A dark, seductive voice mused. Heels clicked on the floor as a figure, shrouded in shadows paced the room. Circling, like a predator. "You have summoned me. That fact will not change for all eternity... and the sacrifice that has been made will never return. Now! Make your choice." The demon said to Ciel, smirking like a Cheshire cat.

"Hey, kid…" Chêne said gently, but firmly as she cautiously approached Ciel, despite the demon. She gently placed her hand on the side of his face, cradling his head. "…Ciel?" Ciel's head snapped to side, and he stared at Chêne.

"…What … did you call me? Ciel asked her.

"Ciel…that's you're name, right?" Chêne said, looking relived that he could still talk, smiling gently at him.

"Yes … my name is Ciel…" Ciel said slowly. 'That's right.' He thought. 'I am Ciel Phantomhive. No. I am now Earl Phantomhive.' Ciel's eyes hardened as he remembered. He was a nobleman, and someone had dared to murder his parents and burn down their home. Someone had dared to humiliate and debase him, selling him off to this cult, like an animal. Ciel glared coldly at the cult members scattered throughout the room. He looked the demon right in the eyes. His decision was made.

"I command you!!" Ciel yelled, and a glowing pentagram surrounded by a spiked circled appeared in his right eye. "Kill them all!"

=End Flashback=

Ciel lightly touched his eye patch, feeling a slight tingle in his hidden eye, as he recalled those horrible memories.

"—C..." Soma said nervously as he stared at the young earl, wondering why he was making such a scary face when he had just been staring off into space for a moment. "Ciel..."

"My... family was murdered, my home burned to ash... and I myself was subjected to humiliations unfit for even a beast." Ciel said emotionlessly, managing to keep his voice steady as he clenched his fist. "I was a powerless... child." Chêne bowed her head sadly, knowing that the kind of trauma Ciel endured had left him with a scar that had never fully healed. She wanted to comfort Ciel, but she knew he wouldn't appreciate being coddled, especially in front of Soma. "Thus, I returned to Phantomhive, so that I might inflict the same humiliation upon those who made me and mine suffer. If the Phantomhive was an obstacle to those who dispatched its previous head three years ago, they will eventually target me again if I stay on as Earl." Ciel continued calmly. "I'm waiting... for them to come here and make an attempt on my life."

"Why... would you go that far..." Soma asked, distressed. Why would someone who had been through such a horrible experience, purposefully make themselves a target for the people who had caused their suffering again...?

"Despairing, grieving, standing still... what good will they do?" Ciel asked calmly as he straightened up from leaning on the doorframe and slowly approached Soma. "Even the dead can stand still. But here I am... alive and standing on my own two feet, with my own strength." Ciel said, his blue eyes full of steady resolve. "If I'm going to die at some point anyway, I'd rather do so without regrets. I won't make any lofty claims about trying to avenge the previous head. I'm simply doing this for my own diversion. Them or me, Earl Phantomhive. This is all just a game to see who wins." He explained coolly. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Ciel was giving Soma a speech that was rather similar to one Chêne had given him before. "Even if I'm made to stand on the edge of despair in a hellish place... I won't give up. I'll grab the spider's thread if it'll help me crawl up out of there. We humans posses that kind of strength." Ciel stated determinedly as he held his hand out, clenching his fist. Chêne smiled softly at how strong Ciel had become. Chêne had not really approved of Ciel's little revenge game, but she had realized early on that even if it wasn't the best path for Ciel, he still desperately needed one. The boy had lost sight of his purpose in life the night he lost his parents, and it was better for him to have a reason to live and to get stronger than nothing at all... That was why she had decided she needed to support him. To help him along, until the day he no longer felt the need to play this dangerous game, and was able to smile freely again. Soma and Sebastian stared at Ciel, slightly surprised by the thirteen-year-old's commanding presence. Sebastian smirked. It seemed Chêne was a much more positive influence than Ciel often cared to admit. It had been surprising to see how much he resembled Chêne when he spoke like that. "To grab that thread or not, however... is your own decision, and yours alone." Ciel concluded. "Enough of this prattle. Sebastian, Chêne, I want to talk to you about West. Come." Ciel said calmly as he left the room, trusting them to follow.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said, bowing, as Chêne smiled, before they both followed after their young master, leaving the prince behind to have some time alone to reflect upon Ciel's words. Chêne paused briefly in the doorway and glanced back at Soma.

"There's just one thing I'd like to add, Prince." Chêne said, smiling sympathetically at him. "About what Sebastian said before... Here's a piece of advice my grandfather gave me once, 'If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be.' Please consider that as well when deciding whether or not to grab that thread." Soma stared after them as he replayed Ciel's words in his mind.

'To grab that thread or not, is your own decision, and yours alone—' Soma thought as he stared down at the floor. He clenched his fist. Soma knew what he had to do.

=†=†=†=†=

"My, your grandfather was quite the romantic philosopher..." Sebastian said, smirking at Chêne. Chêne shrugged and smiled fondly at the memory of her Papère.

"Well, he was a smart man. He raised my father, after all." Chêne said, grinning proudly.

"That is amazing... considering he was so normal and sane, compared to the people around him..." Ciel mumbled, seat dropping.

"Ciel...!" Soma yelled from behind them, causing them all to stop and look back at the prince as he ran down the stairs to catch up to them. "I...! I am ashamed of myself." Soma said earnestly, panting as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm seventeen, but I'm still an unseasoned fool next to you and Chêne." He said apologetically.

'Wait... why was I included in that just now?' Chêne wondered. It sounded as though Soma thought she was younger than him...

"I was a spoiled child in the nest that parents granted me... and never even once tried to understand others." Soma said as he hung his head in shame, and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself. "I knew Agni was troubled, but I didn't even try to talk to him about it." He said, full of guilt and regret. "But now I want to know. I want to confront them and ask them why they left my side." Soma raised his head, with a determined look in his eyes, as he started to approach Ciel again. "So please! Please let me join you in—"

"I decline." Ciel said flatly, holding up a hand in a 'stop' gesture as the prince froze in his tracks, stunned by how quickly and bluntly Ciel had rejected him.

"..." Soma said as he stood there, frozen in shock. Now what was he supposed to do...?

"I have no desire to babysit a charge as naïve as yourself. See yaaa." Ciel deadpanned, giving a little wave as he turned to continue on his way. Chêne sweat dropped. Ciel was obviously getting even with Soma for when the prince had treated him this way before.

"..." Soma said, still frozen in shock. Seriously, what now?

"... That said... My parlour door has never been locked." Ciel said, his back turned to them. Chêne smiled wryly. That Ciel... it was so cute when he got embarrassed over doing a good deed.

"..." Soma said as he stared at Ciel, and little angels played trumpets around his head when he realized what that meant. "Ciel~!!" Soma cried happily as he suddenly launched himself at the younger boy, glomping him.

"Uwah!!" Ciel yelled, surprised by the sudden invasion of his person space. Ciel sweat dropped. "I should've kept my mouth shut." Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. Why did everyone insist on hugging him!? Was there a sign taped to his back, or something!?

"Oh, yes." Soma said, releasing Ciel, much to the young earl's relief. "Ciel, I apologize for breaking the cups earlier when I snapped. Please forgive me." Soma said earnestly. Chêne smiled. It looked like Soma had already started growing a little more as a person. Maybe Sebastian's... scolding... had done some good after all. "And..." Soma said, glancing at Chene and Sebastian. Soma froze when his eyes landed on Sebastian, and he seemed to shrink slightly as he cautiously shuffled behind Ciel, using him as a human shield. "I... I apologize to you and Chêne too..." The prince said nervously, shaking, as he peeked over Ciel's shoulder at them. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Yeah, Sebastian had definitely traumatized the poor kid...

"Not at all... How amusing." Sebastian said, smiling wryly at the scared prince. This had worked out even better than he expected...

"Just don't do it again, and everything's forgiven..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "By the way... just how old do you think I am?" She asked. Chêne had a feeling she might regret asking, though...

"Hm? Aren't you fifteen?" Soma said, slightly puzzled as to why she was asking this. Chêne stared at Soma, blinking.

"Well, that's actually better than what people usually guess..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. "I'm nineteen, even though I don't really look it..." Some stared at her, shocked.

"You're older than me!?" Soma yelled incredulously in disbelief.

"You don't have to act that shocked!" Chêne yelled back, chagrined.


Author's note:

I know this is a little different from what I had before for when they all met, but this is meant to be just Ciel's flash back, after all, and it was choppy in the manga too, so I tried to keep it like that... I hope it was okay. ^_^;