Blackest of Nights chapter 16, Final

I killed james before he could fuck me again, and kept going on through the castle. There were a lot of flors but sebastian didnt show up again so it was fine, but suspicious. I got to the last floor withiout seeing bathory or ildi or anyone, so it was no surprise when it turned out bathory was on the balcony, on the roof, holding the limp bloody body of ciel phantomhive in her arms. He was really, really bloody. But at that point, that didnt really phase me. Things were going to work out in the end anyway, sebastian wanted to save ciel too and obviously if i couldnt do it he was gonna try next. There was basically no getting around a happy ending, so theres no point in telling you about the part where i created a red dagger with my demonic witch powers, and threw it with telepathy at bathory's neck.

Like i expected, it didnt kill her. Which was fine, because ildi showing up made it easier to deal with the situation alltogether. She clapped her hands, slowly, but all it did was make me angrier, and want to see her blood on the ground. It began to rain. "You didnt get this far because your skilled, taro." she said. "You made it this far because of me. Remember that. It was silly of you to come all this way, especially to betray me. Because i can just do this."

Ildi made a fist, and the wound on my stomach started bleeding black blood, ciel was too dead to notice, so nobody cared but me. Especially not sebastian, who showed up at about the same time ildi did. "With your lifeforce in my hands, you cannot defeat me. You cant even dream it, you silly boy. I will make sure that my ward, elizabeth bathory, lives for several more years to come, because the souls of her victims give me strength beyond measure. Compare to me, your just a simple worm."

Sebastian look at me, not really looking like he wanted to, but because he had to. "There is only one way left to kill elizabeth bathory and ildi inaba, and save the young masters life. You with the powers i gave you, are the biggest asset to her. We cannot kill her until that power supply is gone. So ive been looking forward to saying this for a long time without ciel getting on my ass but taro redgrave, its time for you to meet your grave, and go to hell."

I thought that was fine, there was no point in me being there anymore anyway, i did my part. If ildi died at this point then so would bathory, so it was okay. Besides, i betrayed ciel. If he came back it would be no use, trying t face him again. So i nodded and jumpt off the roof as ildi laughed, because she thought i was in despair, and didnt know i had a plan. I got impaled on the fence and died eight seconds later in a lot of pain, excrusiating pain, but it was okay, because that was my punishment. And then sebastian could kill ildi offscreen, win, win.

When i died, i went into a phantom world, which i assumed was limbo, for lost souls. It was all white where i was, but i found a few white feathers on the ground, and searching for their owner, i saw a boy sitting on a bench, a ring in his hand. It was Ciel, if i could kill myself in limbo, i would have. Ciel seemed happy to see me, though, which made me taken aback. "Taro...if your here, then you must have..." he trailed off, probably thinking of a good way to call me a baka.

"I killed myself, off the building, so that ildi would be weak enough for ildi to kill. I weakened bathory enough that if ildi dies, she will die, too." i explained, but i looked away from ciel, because i didnt want to see his hurt over me betraying him. "Sebastians at full power nd ildi is week. Its a given that hell win, then hell probably journey into hell to save you, or something."

Ciel was quiet. "I remember the day, when you gave me this ring back, from off the streets." he said. "I recognized you from somewhere, and i remember. Your parents...you were very prominent, high society members. I met you at a function, your three years older than me. But, didnt they die two years ago? How did you end up on the street, not remembering me or anything...?"

I was shocked at this, but it didnt matter, i was dead anyway so info about my life wasnt important anymore. "I dont remember. I think maybe ildi was trying to get her hands on me, before sebastian even lended me some of his powers, with that stupid rose. She must have been scouting me out, and got rid of my parents, and my memory, to make me easier to manipulate. She knew i would be a valuable ally, like james, if she could manipulate me." I was quiet for a minute. "Tell me more about the time we met, i cant remember it."

"I remember you, because your eyes were shining. You were a very bright boy, offensive to the eyes, even. You stood out, and i avoided you at the time, because i was intimidate, but i had a respect for you. You seemed like someone, the opposite of me. Someone that i could have been, if my parents lived for longer." Ciel said. "But, im glad that i finally got to meet you, in life. If not for you, we would have never discovered the secret between bathorys immortality. She would have kept killing little girls, for years to come. And...it was great having some company over, for once. Someone other than Lizzie.."

I was about to tell ciel how i felt, and explain how sorry i was for the betrayal, but he disappeared before i could. I got dragged back as the white around me turned into black. I felt flames tickle, against my back. Fitting, that i would go to hell for my sins. Ciel was always too good for me, anyway. But if me going to hell mean he could live, if only for a little bit longer, before sebastian took him, then it was worth it.

-epilogue—

Ciel sat with lizzie in the garden, on a nice spring day when the flowers were blooming, and the air smelled fresh. Finny the gardener was working hard on some hedges, nearby, while the australian guy whos name i forgot was making tea. Mey rin shot a gangster from the roof, because he looked like he was scoping the place out. "Its such a great, spring, day!" lizzie said. "And im happy to be spending it with you, ciel!"

"Yes." said ciel. "I wouldnt have it any other way. No one would make for better company, than you."

Sebastian new that ciel was putting on a front, because it was impossible that he was being sarcastic. After that taro boy was eliminated from the picture, and striken from everybodys memories, there was no way ciel could have been referring to him. It was an intentional choice, on sebastians part, to get rid of those memories for everyone. Ciel would be whiny, and sad, and avoid lizzie if taro was dead and he knew it, and sebastian was a vengeful, jealous sort, so of course he was gonna do it.

Sometimes he gave thought to bringing the boy back, though, if only to make ciels mood a bit more agreeable. But he decided not to.