Notes pertaining to this chapter:
I am aware that one of my characters has a cell phone, and that cell phones did not exist in Victorian England. There's no need to tell me this. :) However, since they use cell phones in both the manga and anime adaptations of Kuroshitsuji, (the chapters where Ciel gets kidnapped by the Italian gangster and Sebastian rescues him,) I felt that it would be all right to fit them into my humble story. ^.^
I largely derive my understanding of what a demon is from Christian theology, since that's what I know, and I don't have time to go messing around studying other theories that say that they're aliens or descended from half-mortals or something like that. So in this story, demons are what they traditionally are; fallen angels. Hell is their place of punishment, and although they aren't confined there all the time (however, they can get stuck there for some time,) they are cursed by having a portion of the fires of hell attached to their spirits permanently, which they have to carry with them everywhere they go. This is very painful for them, and their main goal (aside from obtaining human souls to 'eat',) is to find some temporary relief from their eternal curse. Basically, demons are very powerful, but it still kind of sucks to be one….poor Sebastian. :'( Many of the spiritual/demonic aspects that I include in this story have been gleaned from the Bible and other religious texts, such as the 'restlessness' of demons (they can't sleep) and the 'worm of hell.' Others I will have simply made up, because I'm a writer an I can take creative liberties. :) Anyway, sorry for long author's note. On with the story!
Eighteen years later
Sebastian Michealis did not have to wake up, as he was incapable of going to sleep to begin with. Instead, the demon slowly extricated himself from his regular nighttime post by the large window in his room, and began the process of preparing for yet another day. It was going to be a troublesome one, given all the Phantomhive relatives that had been coming around lately….Sebastian sighed, brushing a lock of silky black hair out of his face. He preferred to be left alone here, and he knew that his young master preferred it that way as well. He hoped that this would be over soon.
Slipping on his black swallowtail jacket in front of the hallway mirror, the demon observed himself in its stoic glass. His ageless, pale face peered out from under a cover of almost shoulder length black hair, while the hair nearer to the back of his head was shorn at a shorter length. His eyes, deep, blood-red, cast slowly over his immaculate butler's attire, not a wrinkle in sight nor a button askance. Satisfied with his appearance, he left the mirror behind, treading noiselessly down the hall to a room in the back of the servants' quarters. There, half-asleep on the table, as always, sprawled a gardener, and cook, a maid, and….Tanaka. Even Sebastian wasn't sure what the elderly, forgetful old man's function was here anymore, but Tanaka he was all right with, oddly enough. The other three, however….
Clapping his white-gloved hands authoritatively, he jolted the four of them out of their half-slumber and fixed them all with a stern gaze. "Everyone, I know that the past two weeks have been trying at best, but please attempt to refrain from sleeping when you should be alert. That said, today we will be entertaining more of the Phantomhive relatives, so the manor must remain spotless. Meirin, I want you to see to the linens and wash the floors at the bottom of the grand staircase." The red-haired, clumsily dressed maid jerked her head up and down in a nod, blushing slightly. "Finnian, the south garden requires weeding and watering." The child-like eyes of the blonde, thatch-haired gardener widened eagerly as he nodded. "Bard, prepare the meals, as per usual." The slightly older, muscular man grunted in assent, scratching the back of his head. "And Mr. Tanaka….it would be good if you would go and have some tea." Laughing in an absent sort of way, the gray-haired man with a monocle in one eye smiled at the demon. "Provided that you have understood your duties, off you go. Step lively, and no more dozing!"
Hollering, "Yes sir, Mr. Sebastian!" the three younger servants steamrolled out of the room with perhaps….too much alert enthusiasm….while the gray-haired man tottered out after them with a bemused smile still on his face. The door swung shut after them, and Sebastian found himself left alone in the servants' dining room. Drawing in a settling breath, he walked over to the narrow window and stared outside, trying to discern the owners of the carriages which he could see gradually pulling up at the front steps. Bother this family of vipers and their ceaseless coming! He knew perfectly well that all of them were only here to protect their share of the inheritance, assuming that the decrepit old man really was going to die within the week. Why he'd requested to take up residence in the south wing of the Phantomhive estate while he lay dying, the demon would never understand. It probably had something to do with some sort of sentimental feeling for the place, given that he'd been raised there. But it would have been scandalous for his master to refuse the last request of the dying patriarch of the family, so the old man had moved in about two weeks ago….and the storm of greedy relations had hit the manor with full force. Humans were so pitiful.
Biting his pale lip, Sebastian glared out at the carriages in supreme annoyance, preparing himself to go upstairs and begin obediently serving their inhabitants, damn them. But as the demon turned away, something made him stop. Something in the atmosphere….it had snuck in so quietly, he hadn't noticed it before when he'd been moving and speaking. Only now, when he held still, could he really detect the change….the spiritual pressure in the air had changed. It was thicker, and suffused with light. It almost felt….tangible, like he could touch the light….astonished, the demon placed his hand to his chest, where he could feel the ever-present burning subsiding. His curse was being diluted by what could only be the expansive light of a human soul. Nearby. But that didn't make sense, he had served each and every one of the people here today many times before, had laid eyes on their souls, and none of them had possessed anything that even came near to this. If he was right, then this was a phenomenon that he had not seen for hundreds of years, at least….Sebastian pressed his face against the window, scanning the aristocrats and their servants as they disembarked from their carriages and proceeded up the steps. Normal soul, normal soul, normal soul….they were all normal souls, about the size of an acorn and with the light intensity of a burning candle. Where was this light coming from? It shimmered tantalizingly all around him, but the demon couldn't discern the human source without laying his eyes upon them. He had to find them. Whirling around, he strode out the door of the small dining room, marveling at the freedom from pain which he hadn't felt for a long, long time….the fire, which was always a burning agony inside of him, had been diluted to a level of almost-manageable hurt. What would happen if he could actually touch the source….? Quickening his steps at the prospect, the demon hurried down the corridor and vanished up the drab staircase in a matter of seconds.
/
Outside of the manor gates, a springing leap brought a spry young figure to a thumping landing in the grass. The young woman immediately hunkered down behind a rock, gazing though the wrought-iron bars into the perfectly manicured manor grounds. Tutting under her breath, she brushed a piece of bark out of her chocolate-brown hair, caught from the tree branches which she'd been climbing along moments before. Wide blue eyes watched the proceedings inside, as pairs of aristocratic nobles moved nonchalantly up the steps and into the great house. After them, remaining humbly several steps behind, followed a doctor, a squadron of nurses, and a coroner, holding what looked to be pictures of headstone designs for the selection of the invalid. They all breezed into the manor. From her clear vantage point, the girl behind the rock could see a tall, black-clad figure bowing them inside. A tiny smile broke over her face for the barest flicker of an instant, followed closely by a wide frown as she observed several nurses running, not walking, down the hallway toward the south wing. The double doors closed, and the outside was still and silent once again.
"So that's the way it's gotten to be now, has it?" A light, musical voice murmured as the young girl pulled a small phone out of the pocket of her forest-green dress. With a cursory glance around her, she flipped it open, scanned the screen and began dialing, muttering quietly to herself as she did so; "Sorry father, but it seems like things are moving faster than you hoped."
/
Sebastian was being driven mad, not quite literally, but almost. He simply could not figure out what was going on. As a contracted demon bound to serve the master of the manor, he was also bound by order to the manor, and while he could not leave without permission, he could sense everything and every presence contained within the house and its grounds. Throughout the course of the morning, he had managed to find an excuse to approach every single human presence within this range, from the dying nobleman to the lowest servant accompanier. He had looked at all of their souls, and seen absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. They were all completely normal. Despite this, still the light continued to cascade throughout the air. It was present in every single corner of the manor, and its power sent thrills down the demon's spine. He had to find it, but what more could he do? Where else could the source be? It was impossible for a human to hide from his awareness as long as they were within his range, so why couldn't he find….?
Sebastian paused in his dusting of one of the many sitting rooms, wandering over to the window and staring out fixatedly. It was quite a distance from the house's border down through the grounds and out to the wrought-iron fence that signified the end of Phantomhive property. Was it possible….that the source could be out there? Could it be? That would have to be a simply huge soul, if its light had the ability to reach from out there all the way up to the manor. He wouldn't have even considered this thought, except that it seemed to be the only possible explanation at the moment. But why would such an extraordinary human have come to the Phantomhive manor today, and why would they refuse to enter the grounds, but simply hang around outside the gate? What did they want? And how was he supposed to find them, when he had no way of knowing which section of the gate they were positioned outside of? Sliding open the window latch, the demon had just decided that the best possible way to go about this would have to involve circling the entire perimeter of the gate, when a scuffing of shoes behind him caused him to turn around. The red eyes widened, and he bowed deeply, inclining his head to the one before him. "Young master."
The diminutive figure of the well-dressed young boy crossed his arms, staring up at his demon out of a single, cobalt-blue eye. "Where are you going, Sebastian?" he inquired, flaxen gray hair falling in his pale face as he tilted his head. Although the phrase was a question, the boy intoned it like a challenge, and the much taller demon lowered his eyes to the floor submissively.
"I thought that I would circle the perimeter of the gate and gather some flowers for the sitting rooms, young master. This whole business of having a dying invalid in the manor has made this place feel too gloomy, don't you agree?" It was not a lie, as the demon never lied to his master. He would return with flowers if his master desired them. Ciel Phantomhive stared out the window for a moment, and then nodded his head with a frown.
"Go ahead then, but be back soon….I want you around to make sure our 'guests' don't bother me. I am entirely sick of them and their simpering condolences." The boy's eyes narrowed with the distaste of an adult as he glanced behind him toward the south wing of the manor. Murmuring, "Very well then, young master," the demon pushed open the window and stepped out, falling gracefully to the earth and skimming over the grass toward the main gates. Looking back, he saw his young master leaving the window, and he smiled slightly, relieved that the boy had let him go. It would have been beyond frustrating to be kept inside, unable to investigate his theory….reaching the main gate, he peered out of the bars into the woods beyond, and saw nothing. Frowning, he began to walk slowly along the perimeter, red eyes scanning the woods and searching, searching….he was definitely hoping that he would just come upon the human leaning against the gate somewhere. If they were located a ways back in the woods, he would not be able to find them if he couldn't see them. Normally, he had no trouble tracking down humans of any kind- he was a demon, after all- but all of them always possessed merely normal souls, much, much tinier than their physical bodies, easy to sense and pinpoint. However, this human was surrounded by the light of a soul that stretched on for an apparently unbelievable distance, and the human itself could be anywhere inside that distance. Unless he laid eyes upon it, he would not be able to pinpoint the possessor of the soul, as the light did not betray its source in that way. It merely hung in the air, washing over him and cooling his pain….
After he had passed the last of the side gates, the demon began to suspect that this human was not merely hanging around outside, hoping to be invited in. They would have been at the gates if that was the case. No, this human was watching the manor for some other purpose, which meant that they were probably hiding in the forest. Bother. Tuning his ears accordingly, Sebastian meandered slowly near the bars, listening for any human-sounding rustlings emitting from the trees. He had no idea what he planned to do if he heard them, since he could not go past the bars, but maybe he could talk them into coming out….but would they come out? A human with a spiritual side as intense as this was no doubt already aware of his demonic nature. He would just have to find them, whether they wanted it or not. In case his master was watching from the house, the demon stooped down every so often, gathering a bundle of miscellaneous flowers in his arms. When he reached the main gate again, Sebastian stared around in frustration, biting his lip. Even on the entirely opposite side of the grounds, the soul's light was just as strong as inside of the manor. What was this mysterious human made of? And where were they hiding? Twice as determined now, the demon began to circle the perimeter a second time, walking even more slowly and listening so intently that he forgot all about gathering flowers. The grasses and trees slipped by him, each one a possibility as he listened for the scuffing of feet, the whoosh of breath, the beating of a heart….
/
The green-clad girl had dove behind the stump of a fallen tree when she'd seen the black-clad figure descend from a window. She had not been alarmed at watching the figure of a man fall down out of a second-story window, for she knew this figure well. However, she scuttled back into the forest and found a little knell in the ground, covered in bushes, into which she crouched as she observed him gliding over the grass toward the gates, black hair blowing in the wind. From here, she was certain that she could see without being seen, and sure enough, he passed her by on his first round. Now he was coming back for another, however, red eyes flicking back and forth like a dark predator. She knew what he was searching for, had expected this to happen once she'd made up her mind to come here today….she wasn't sure exactly how big her soul was, but she knew that it was greatly expansive. Evidently large enough to reach into the manor from here, and of course he'd sensed it, and now he was searching for it as an antidote to his pain. The girl knew of the demon's suffering, but still….it would not do for her to be seen right now. Even so, half of her mind was calling for her to come out, to say his name, to talk to him again….but it would not do. Perhaps the demon could sense her turmoil, though, for he paused directly in front of the forest entrance to her hiding place, peering out through the bars in absolute silence. Bother. She couldn't just stop breathing, or stop her heart from beating, and someone like him would definitely be able to hear these necessary sounds…. Nervously, she prayed for squirrel chatters or birdcalls or anything natural to obscure his hearing, but they did not come….and then she knew that he had located her when he moved forward suddenly, gripping the bars in both his gloved hands and leaning heavily up against them. His red eyes were looking directly at her hiding place, could he see, did he know….?
"Human, come out. I do not intend you harm." The demon called softly into the undergrowth, causing a flood of relief to flow into the girl's chest. So he knew where she was, but not yet who she was….that would save her a very awkward encounter. However, Sebastian was a perceptive demon, and any words she spoke or indications she made would immediately tip him off. Since he could not see her, she stayed exactly where she was and said nothing.
"Are you afraid that you will be punished for being here? No one knows except myself, and I will say nothing if you come out. Who are you? Why have you come?" the Phantomhive butler continued in an encouraging voice, as if he were trying to cajole a little bird into stepping into his palm. The girl remained silent. So he was still forbidden from leaving the manor grounds, just as he'd always been. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't use his demonic powers to disturb their surroundings enough to force her to emerge….and then he would know. Before he could decide to resort to this, the girl began to scoot herself backward through the bushes, still crouching. She didn't care if he heard her, as long a she could remain unseen. She felt a little guilty about leaving him, for she knew that once she got far enough away, his pain would return. However, she would be back soon...and she had important things to take care of back at home. Her father must be told about what was happening.
/
Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he heard the creature begin to back away through the undergrowth. His voice became more insistent. "Come out, and I will let you inside. I will not hurt you. Come here, I promise you'll be safe…." He reached his hand out through the bars, feeling the uncomfortable sting which was the result of such disobedience. Still, he had to endure it. The human was slipping away, and he didn't want to scare it, but he didn't know what else to do. It clearly was not interested in discussing anything with him. He called to it twice more, and received no answer except the rustling of bushes. Consequently, Sebastian proceeded to hurl several silver forks at a small tree branch above the bushes, causing it to crack off and tumble downward. He was hoping that it would force the human intruder to leap into view….but the next moment, his eyes widened at the sound of a thundering crunch. Several pieces of the now-demolished tree branch wafted toward him in the wind, as sticks and twigs scattered everywhere. The human had now retreated far enough into the trees to be able to stand up without being seen, and the demon's keen ears picked up the patter of rapidly retreating footsteps.
No!
In desperation, Sebastian wrenched his hands against the bars of the manor grounds, trying with all his might to break the power that bound him from crossing this perimeter, or at least stretch it a little. It was to no avail, and the demon writhed and hissed in pain as he felt the needles of his contract dig into him, hard. The needles were sewn with sharp thread, cutting into him, binding him, hurting…. He had slumped over against the bars, trying to regain control over his trembling body, when he noticed that the footsteps had stopped. The forest was silent. He raised his head, and called into the trees, "Come back! Come back, I promise I don't want to hurt you, I only want you to ease my hurt. I will protect you, I'll give you anything you want, in return. Do you understand? Do you know what you are, human?"
For several minutes, the forest was enveloped in a long, deep silence. Sebastian waited, staring intensely in the woods as though his mere gaze would compel the human to return. Finally, the footsteps began again, but they were not coming toward him. They were walking away. The demon yowled and shook the barred fence in pure frustration, pressing himself up against it and trying, trying to get through….but it was useless. Without permission, he couldn't take a single step outside. He was pinned down, bound too tightly by the contract he had never wanted….but once it was made, there was no way out. He wouldn't have minded at all, if only he could have kept this human near to him. Souls like this were the rarest of the rare, and though he had encountered a few before during his immortal lifespan, not a single one had ever been this vast, this tangible, this soothing. He would never find a human like this again, and this one was getting away! Abandoning his fruitless attempts at escape, the demon slumped against the bars in exhaustion, listening to the last gentle footfalls before they faded away into nothingness. Why had the human been here, and where were they going now? Why had they run away? Immediately, he began thinking of plans to try to locate them again. He could search the town sometime when he was sent out to run errands, but he had no idea what the human looked like, or even what gender it was. And since it had been hiding out here in a very covert kind of way, it was improbable that anyone inside the manor now would know its identity. He would have to wait and see if he felt the presence of that soul again somewhere….but what if he never did? Of all the damned things, he had been hoping for a soul like this to cross his path for thousands of years, and now when it was literally a few feet away from him, he just had to be under the influence of a separate contract! Certain that he was being mocked, Sebastian glared at the sky while he righted himself, biting his lip, for he knew what was coming. Even a gigantic soul like this one had borders, and when the human center point grew far enough away from him….
The demon's body gave an agonized jerk as he literally saw the light in the air begin to dissipate, the golden color fading and taking its healing aura with it. At once, like a raging tempest, the flames which had been tamped down roared up inside him again, and his gaze darkened. With the fire came that, the gnawing, clawing, biting, digging feeling….the shadowed echo, the worm of hell which never died was resuming its feast on his cursed spirit. Clawing at his sides, Sebastian fell over sideways at the foot of the fence, twisting and jerking about in the grass. Damn the grass, damn the trees, damn the world that could exist without this all-consuming agony, while he could never ever ever be separated from it! It was even worse now that he'd tasted what it was like to have it suppressed. Since he knew that it didn't matter what he did, the writhing demon rolled back his head and screamed at the sky, inhuman, animalistic shrieks of pain and disappointment and horror. They rolled out over the hills and penetrated the trees, where they fell upon the ears of a certain retreating human. The brown-haired girl put a hand to her mouth in sudden sadness as she determinedly continued to wade through the river she was crossing.
I have to go, Sebastian. I know you don't understand. I'm sorry.
It was the second time that she had said these sorrowful words to him.
Review...hopefully? :)
