Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler or its characters.
Original Post date: 8/15/2018
Grammar editing: 9/27/2018
Story Editing 11/14/2018
Editing: 07/25/2019
Editing: 06/03/2020
Updates for this story on my profile, otherwise enjoy, and please review.
Chapter 9
"Sebastian," I turned in our bed so that I could cuddle up to his side. My head was resting on the juncture of his shoulder and chest. Sebastian is oddly gentle. He even spent the night in bed with me even though he doesn't sleep.
"Yes, Mafdet." Sebastian moved his arm so that it would be around me, cuddling me back, pushing my head forward a bit as he shifted in bed.
"Is there a way to get something from my world and bring it here?"
"Where there's a will there's a way, as they say. Why?" Sebastian moved his head down so that his cheek was resting on my head.
"mmm, Well, I wanted to bring the books about you all here."
"What would you do with them?"
"I have a good memory. But I want to make sure I have all the details down."
"You were brought here by playing with a summoning book, were you not?"
"Yeah." Me and my curiosity, I swear.
"Then, I suspect that if you do something similar, you could." Sitting up in bed, I sat cross-legged.
"Then, seeing as you can make things appear, can you get me something?" Sebastian had been rather accommodating since I got back, I guess he's still trying to win me over. Fat chance of that ever happening, Undertaker was an essential part of my life.
"Anything for you, my dear." Sebastian sat up and pecked me on the cheek. "However, what on earth did you use to open the doorway here? Saying a demon brought you here doesn't explain that entirely."
"I don't know what the demon did. All I did was pick a name from a book and experimented." Shrugging it off, I stretched my arms over my head. "I shall need Parchment, A red candle, matches, salt, bowl of water, chalk, incense, and you." Sebastian raised a brow but complied.
"Is there a reason you need me for this?"
"Not you as in your person. It's just a hunch, though." Taking the things I needed from Sebastian after he made them appear as if nothing had happened, I got up in all my naked glory. Moving over to the middle of the floor, I placed everything down for now. Taking the chalk, I made a circle around myself, leaving an opening.
"Oh yeah, I need a blade." Before I even could ask for one, Sebastian placed a blade with a black handle into my hand. "Thank you."
"I didn't think you would attempt this now." Sebastian watched me closely. While he was familiar with witches and what they could do, Sebastian had stated before that he never had any real run-ins with one outside of a passing hello while on contracts. Though I'm sure a hello for Sebastian means he started something.
"I have it on my mind now, so of course," I stated matter of factly. Sebastian nodded his head at me as he backed away from me. "First is concentrating the salt and water. If I remember right." Touching the blade to the salt, I started with a basic chant.
"I consecrate and cleanse the salt that it be purified and fit to use in this, my sacred circle. In the name of the Goddess and God, I consecrate this salt." I Visualize energy flowing from me to the blade and blasting away any negativity from the salt as I spoke, doing the same for the water.
I slid my eyes to the side to glance over to Sebastian and noticed he had now placed himself on the far side of the room, in a corner watching. He didn't look scared or anything, but he did seem to be uncomfortable. One could suppose that by banishing negative things, it could affect him too. He was, after all, a 'negative' thing.
Taking up the salt and starting at the North, sprinkling it around the circle moving deosil. I Visualized the salt purifying and sealing the circle I had made on the floor Against undesirable influences and negativity. Saying another chant as I went.
"Here is the boundary of my circle where naught but love shall enter in, where naught but love shall escape from within. This I charge with the power of the earth." Completing the circle, I put the bowl of salt down in the middle of my workspace. Next took up the incense. I am repeating the same prosses with all the other elements, starting with each appropriate direction. Incents for air and East. Red candle for fire and South. Water for West.
Sitting cross-legged now in the center of my circle with each of the element items around me in there right spots, I doubled checked that Sebastian was still in his corner. Feeling content, I got back to what I was doing.
I was feeling and sensing the circle around me. I reached out to whatever spirits were there in the circle, welcoming them, feeling their presence and, attempting to communicate with them. Feeling the energies and visualizing the circle glowing, growing in power. I felt my skin sting and could only assume that it was my demonic blood, now awake, trying to work against the magick I was trying to do. I recalled a book explaining the difference between the concepts of light and dark witch. If I didn't want to feel that stink of my demonic blood, I would need to do things differently in the future.
Taking the parchment and setting it in front of me, I sliced my palm, allowing the blood to spill on to it. Focusing on the energies I had gathered. Pulling strength from the blood of Sebastian, that was inside my body from consuming it. I vaguely heard Sebastian growl in the background but ignored it.
I visualized a door opening to my world. Pouring the energy into making it happen. After what felt like hours, my body started to prickle all over, the uncomfortable sting waining. Much like the time when I came here.
Focusing on pulling all my Black Butler manga and art books through the door, almost like a mental tug. Seconds later, I felt something crash down right on top of my head, Breaking my concentration entirely.
To my amazement as I shielded my head, my entire collection of Black Butler manga fell from the space above me. Once the waterfall of books stopped, I looked at the manga, a grin on my face. I had done it, which means I could find my way home.
"Next time you use me as an energy source, warn me," Sebastian growled out from his corner, slumped over. Waving him off, I picked up volume one of the Black Butler manga. I was doing my best to hold in the giddiness I felt at being able to do such a thing. While it felt similar to the time that brought me here, It wasn't nearly as strong. Id probably need a lot more power to be able to go back or bring someone over.
"You're fine, Now do you want to read these with me?"
"I'm not stupid enough to go anywhere near that circle or you until you close it out." Sebastian corrected his posture smoothing out his pants. While I was watching him straighten out his pants, I noticed his contract mark was glowing.
"Is there something wrong with my circle?"
"My dear girl, You're a lot stronger than you think. I rather not be accidentally banished by your protection circle."
"What about your contract mark?"
"It is reacting to the fact you are using me as energy to open your doorway."
"It might be fun to experiment on how much you can take." Sebastian let a warning growl out, making me chuckle.
"Fine."
I quickly worked on closing the doorway and banishing each directional point I had called upon, in a similar way that I had invoked them, only in reverse. Once I had done that and opened my circle, I cleaned everything up. Placing what I had used on Sebastian's desk. Sebastian had gathered all the volumes of Black Butler and stacked them in order on the bedside table by the time I finished.
"I think it's safe to read up till about chapter twenty for now." Sitting down next to Sebastian on the bed, I pulled the covers over my lap while my hair fell forward, covering my chest.
"It is quite intriguing." Sebastian handed me volume one.
Taking the book, I opened the first page that showed the Manor in a black and white illustration. Putting the book down a moment, I looked at Sebastian.
"How much energy do you think would be needed to send a person through that kind of doorway?" Sebastian looked at me and narrowed his eyes,
"Are you planning on departing this world?" I smiled and leaned against Sebastian, cuddling up to him.
"No, I made you a promise, Plus, There's nothing there for me anymore." Which, in a way, is true, the family I left behind there I was never very close to except one person. Sebastian didn't respond, but he did move his arm around me, pulling me into his lap, chuckling I brought my attention back to the book in front of me. Starting to read it out loud to him as I showed him the illustrations. Sebastian chuckled at the part with the Chinese fighter, then grimaced at the part he had been given the lemonade.
"Sebastian, you look cute in that bonnet." The look on his face matched the manga illustration perfectly.
"You know, if the others had known about what had happened, this scene with the ring would be a dead give away."
"Indeed, it would." As we continued reading, we came to a picture in the manga. Pointing to the picture, I looked at Sebastian.
"That's kind of creepy; you know that, right?" Smirking back, Sebastian turned the page for me.
"Not any more 'creepy' as it is reading all this." Coming to the part were Ciel was kidnapped, I couldn't help by to comment on it.
"I don't know about others, but when you say things like that in moments that should be serious, it cracks me up."
"I'm assuming 'cracked up' means you find it amusing."
"Sorry, I sometimes forget I'm not in the 21st Century anymore."
"No need to apologize, my dear." Completing Volume one, I stare at the picture of Sebastian than at him. "Yes, my dear?" Practically shoving the manga in Sebastian's face, I point to the picture.
"Make this face." Chuckling Sebastian took the volume form me.
"Are you partial to this face?"
"Maybe"
"Perhaps later then." Picking up volume two, Sebastian handed it to me.
"Okay, but later better mean within the day." I pouted at not getting my way as I flipped open volume two and started reading. Getting to the part in chapter six where Undertaker is introduced, I smiled warmly.
"He seems more menacing in these illustrations."
"He does, doesn't he." He seemed to have a contemplated look on his face before reading a bit further into the volume; eventually, Sebastian stopped me so that he could comment on the word choice.
"Why is it that it clearly says 'I'm just a butler,' but you read it as 'im simply one hell of a butler.' "
"Oh, that's because the saying in Japanese is a play on words. the characters used can be read in a few different ways."
"So, the translation to English is simply off?" I looked down at the volume in my hands. This Particular volume was in Japanese, as some of them were. I read both English and Japanese, so it didn't matter to me. Sebastian doesn't seem to be familiar with Japanese, or its very possible that the characters have changed since the last time he dealt with it, language over time does change and evolve.
(A/N: credit of this explanation goes to The Vampire Blog ©2013-2019. /2010/08/kuroshitsuji-2/)
"Um, In Japanese, Your catchphrase—'I am just a butler'— reads Aku made shitsuji desu. Here, by substituting Akuma de for Aku made in the writing of the phrase, the literal meaning becomes, 'I am a devil and a butler,' or 'I am a devil of a butler,' even though it is pronounced exactly the same."
"Interesting"
"The difference can't be heard when speaking it out loud. You only notice it in writing, a matter of shifting the spacing of two letters. So, every time Sebastian - you-, the butler of 12-year old Ceil, perform some miraculous feat, and you're asked, "What are you?!," Sebastian -you- smile and say "I'm just a butler." But the joke is that there is no way for us -the audience- to tell if Sebastian -you- are saying you're just a butler or, in fact, confessing that you're a demon. Plus, both are true because Ceil has sold his soul to you in exchange for preserving his life until he has had revenge on those who murdered his parents and sold him into slavery." I took a breath before I kept talking.
"Of course, the joke is not as funny translated into English. The clumsiest translation I've seen is, "I'm just a demon and a butler." But that's no fun at all. The manga translation goes with, "I'm a devil of a butler." Better, but not excellent. I was satisfied to see that the translator for the subs used my favorite: "I'm just one hell of a butler." or "I'm simply one hell of a butler." Sebastian covered my mouth before I could keep going with his hand.
"So you just read it in the way you like given that the translation to English varies due to the play on words?" I nodded my head, seeing as his hand was still on my mouth. "I see, please continue." Sebastian removed his hand from my mouth after saying that, While I really wanted to complain right now, decided the adult thing to do was just to continue as he has asked. When we reach the end of chapter fourteen, where Sebastian is depicted as licking Icing off his finger, he spoke up again.
"It would seem that many illustrations have me giving some suggestive pose."
"Yes, Yes, there are."
"You seem to enjoy that fact."
"So do millions of Black Butler fans that fantasize about you."
"... Humans..." As we finished up chapter twenty-two, I quickly close the manga. Raising a brow at me, Sebastian seemed to connect the dots instantly.
"Sebastian, Promise you won't peek at any of these."
"I wouldn't dream of it." putting the manga down, content with his word, I laid back down.
"We have to get up soon."
"It's also your first day back." Sebastian moved his fingers through my hair, making me relax fully into the mattress.
"Even though I've been home a whole week already." Sebastian laid down next to me, pulling me back into a cuddle.
"I had to de-scent you." Narrowing my eyes at him, I huffed in mock annoyance.
"You had all week to make me truly scream, and you haven't." this time, the annoyance was real.
"We will get there, my dear girl." Grumbling, I slide out of his arms, getting out of bed, taking a moment to stretch so I could show off my body to him. The growl he let out was satisfying as I walked into the washroom to get a bath ready.
OoO
Today was productive despite the odd looks from the other members of the household. Forgoing my usual uniform, I was wearing a pair of Undertakers slacks that he had sent back with me. This morning I had Sebastian tailor them to be form-fitting on my figure. For my shirt, I picked out one of Sebastian's white dress shirts, which he fixed to fit me better alongside the slacks. The buttons of the shirt were also swapped out for ones that looked like little chibi skulls. I really liked the whole soul eater's skull thing, so yeah, with a demon that can snap just about anything into existence, I absolutely requested it. The usual gloves and shoes were paired with my outfit of choice today. Deciding to be lazy about my hair, I just put it up into a high pony. Over my white dress shirt was a corset, the kind that is underbust but comes up over the shoulders too, with buckles in front. Think code: realize Female lead, Cardia.
"The only thing left to do this afternoon is serving Ciel tea, but Sebastian will do that."
"What is it I'll do?" Sebastian came right up behind me, pushing the tea cart.
"Speak the devil's name, and he shall come."
"What form of 'coming' depends on you." A suggestive smirk crossed his face.
"Careful, your human is showing," I smirked back.
"Then perhaps you rathered I drop the aesthetic?" Tilting my head to the side in thought, I stepped out of his way so he could make his way to Ciel's study. Myself following behind him.
"Honestly, perhaps, I would."
"Oh?"
"Maybe it would trigger something in me?" The curiosity was evident in my tone.
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"Luckily for me, I have a handsome demon keeping me safe." Making it to Ciel's study, Sebastian knocked.
"Enter" was all that was said by Ciel. Entering Ciel's study with Sebastian, I stayed by the door as Sebastian served the tea.
"There a reason your hiding over there?" Ciel's tone told me he was in a foul mood.
"I'd never dream of hiding from you, young Master." I put on my best fake smile for him. Ciel waved a hand to Sebastian.
"Sebastian set up my chessboard."
"Yes, young Master."
"Come, Mafdet, Play a game with me."