Chapter 5
Ciel sputtered as he tried to compose himself, "What are you talking about? Sebastian is completely normal!" Raven smirked amusedly and sipped her tea as she said, "Ciel, you know two things better than anyone: One, that I cannot be easily fooled. And two, it is impossible for you to lie to me. So just tell me one thing," She stood up and walked around the desk to stand next to Ciel, she gave a closed eyed smile as she dug her fist into the top of his head, "Why would you be so moronic as to hand over your soul to a demon? No offense intended, Mister Sebastian. I'm sure you're lovely." Sebastian looked amused despite his shock that Raven figured out his true nature, and that quickly, "None taken, my lady."
"Gah! Will you stop that, woman!? I did it to humiliate the people who caused us to feel the humiliation of being put in a cage and defiled! Wouldn't you have done the same thing!?"
"Absolutely not. Do you honestly think that me or even mother and father would want this for you? We'd want you to live a full, happy, and satisfying life without worrying about those disgusting, pathetic excuses for human beings like you deserve. We didn't even want you to become the Guard Dog in the first place. That was supposed to fall on me. There is nothing that me or them wouldn't have done to make sure you had that. Don't you remember what I said to you when they separated us? Did that not get through your head?"
She stopped digging her fist into his head and he looked down, ashamed. He remembered perfectly, it replayed in his head from time to time. He looked up at his sister's face to see unshed tears in her eyes. The scene of their separation played in his head once again.
They sat in the corner of the cell. He was sitting in Raven's lap, his head resting on her collarbone. Both were nude, the sheet that Raven had wrapped around the two of them providing the only cover. Raven stroked his hair in a calming manner, and Ciel almost forgot the situation they were in. He momentarily felt like they were back at home, in Raven's bed like they were whenever Ciel would crawl in with her. But they weren't, and he knew that. Raven was humming a soothing tune quietly with her cheek resting against the top of his head. One thing that they were both thankful for. That they still had each other, despite everything, they weren't alone.
They heard the eerie creak of the cell door opening. Ciel rose his head, only for it to be pushed back down by Raven. She looked up suspiciously at the men as they walked slowly into the cell. One suddenly took a strong hold of Ciel's arm and yanked him away from his sister. He yelped in fear and tears began to stream down his face as he was thrown over the man's shoulder and carried away.
She shot up out of her spot on the floor and ran towards them, making it outside of the cell where he was being carried down the hallway. A guard managed to grab her around the waist, pinning her arms to her stomach. She struggled roughly, but never breaking eye contact with Ciel. She, too, had tears in her eyes.
"Ciel! Live! Your life does not have to be this way, nor does it have to end! You have so much to do! So much good to do! Don't let this ruin you! You're such a strong boy! Trust me, Ciel! You can make it through this! I love you so much, Ciel! Live!"
She was thrown back into the cell and the door was slammed shut and locked. She ran towards the bars, trying to look at Ciel. She continued screaming, "Live!" At him. Seconds later, Raven was out of Ciel's sight, but he could still hear her. Her words sparked a new determination within him. He would live. If not for himself, then for her. Weeks later, he did the unthinkable. He made a deal with a demon. Both obeying and doing the opposite of what Raven told him.
Ciel came back to reality and he sighed, "I'm sorry, Raven..." She sighed and sat back down in her seat and pouted, "I suppose it's normal for you to be a moron. You are the little brother after all." Ciel blushed and said, "H-Hey!" But he was relieved that they were back to the playful atmosphere that they had minutes before.
"So how did you figure out that Sebastian was a demon?"
"Well, the manor, for one. It's exactly the same. Even the stuff in my room. No one could manage that. Secondly, Sebastian's eyes kept flashing pink while he was bathing me. I don't have any experience with the supernatural, but I like to think that I'm not a fool."
'So she did notice.' Sebastian thought. Ciel glared subtly at Sebastian before turning his attention back to Raven, "I suppose I can't hide it now. Just please do not tell anyone." Raven rolled her eyes and replied, "I wasn't going to, little brother. Now, would you like to play chess again?" Ciel nodded and set the chess pieces back up. After a few minutes, Sebastian left the room to prepare dinner.
The two siblings continued playing their game of chess. Though, it ended rather quickly, Raven winning once again. Ciel sighed and leaned back in his chair, "You beat me again." Raven laughed, pinching his cheek lightly, "You'll beat me sometime, little man." Ciel gave a small smile, but quickly got rid of it when Sebastian came in, announcing that dinner was ready. Ciel sighed again and stood. He offered Raven his hand and she took it, smiling. Though he wasn't showing it at the current moment, Raven could tell that he was happy that she was back. He just didn't want Sebastian to see that.
They walked to the door hand in hand. Sebastian held it open for them, sending a smile their way. Though, to Ciel, it seemed like it was aimed more toward Raven than himself. Ciel scoffed quietly. 'Out of all the people for Sebastian to take interest in, it just had to be Raven.' he thought bitterly, not really liking the idea of a demon liking his sister. Right now it seemed like she was oblivious to his feelings, as she returned his smile with just a polite one of her own. Liking her appearance is one thing, something he accidentally made known when he allowed his eyes to flash when bathing her, but love was another thing altogether. So, Ciel decided to worry about it later.
Sebastian shut the door behind them, and trailed behind the two siblings as they chatted on the way to the dining room. He opened the door to the dining room and the other three servants were lined up as usual. They caught sight of Raven, causing them to run up and look at her closely. As in, they leaned very close to her and stared in awe, very much invading her personal space. She smiled at them brightly, finding it more adorable that annoying.
Bard, who was standing behind Mey-Rin and Finny, pulled the cigarette out of his mouth with a smile saying, "Oi, Sebastian! Who's this pretty lady?" Sebastian felt his eyebrow twitch slightly in irritation. He pulled the backs of Mey-Rin's and Finny's collars and held them up with a sickly sweet. closed-eyed smile. "This is the young master's older sister, Lady Raven Phantomhive. And you will treat her just as you do the young master. Am I clear?" With that, he dropped the two back to the ground.
Finny kissed Raven's hand excitedly and said, "Hi, Lady Raven! I'm Finny and I'm the gardener!" Raven giggled and curtsied to him. Mey-Rin clumsily curtsied to Raven saying, "I-I'm Mey-Rin, my lady! I-I'm the maid! You look just like young master Ciel, yes you do!" Raven smiled and curtsied, "Thank you, Mey-Rin." Bard then walked up to Raven and kissed her hand, his lips remaining on her hand longer than necessary, in Sebastian's opinion anyway. "I'm Bard, the chef. Pleasure to meet ya, Miss Raven." he said not, releasing her hand. Raven smiled at him and said, "It's nice to meet you too, Bard. And you two, as well." she said, smiling at Mey-Rin and Finny as well.
Bard yelled a surprised, "Gah!" when Sebastian grabbed his collar and lifted him up as he did with Finny and Mey-Rin only moments ago. Bard looked up at him and paled when he looked into Sebastian's angry eyes, which he almost perfectly masked with a smile. "Bardroy, why don't you go do the dishes and attempt to prepare an edible dessert?" Bard thought of the foot high pile of dishes in the sink and groaned to himself. But, he'd rather do dishes than make Sebastian angry any day. So he shuffled sadly to the kitchen after Sebastian dropped him, a storm cloud almost visibly hovering over him.
He then lead Ciel and Raven over to the table, pulling out their chairs and pushing them towards the table. He held Raven's hand gently as he sat her down and gave her smile which she returned. He gave a thorough description of them meal before they started eating mostly in silence. Sometimes Raven would catch Ciel glancing at her, then she would wink or make a mildly amusing face back at him. The atmospere of her home and her little brother's presence quickly making her playful personality arise once again for the first time in 2 years.
Ciel would laugh at his sister, though his laugh was mostly just exhaling out of his nose a little louder than normal, or he would chuckle. Sebastian, who was standing by Ciel, as usual, smiled at Raven's antics. He thought it was cute. They finished dessert, made by Sebastian as Bard had completely failed at cooking, as usual. Sebastian took their dishes and took them to the kitchen, giving a evil smile to Bard, who was not even half way done with the pile of dishes when Sebastian dropped more into the sink.
He walked back into the dining room just as Raven and Ciel began to stand. The three of them began to walk towards the door to prepare for bed when heavy breathing emitted from the doorway leading to the kitchen. They turned and saw a normal Tanaka, looking at Raven as he did Ciel when he first saw him again. Raven smiled and she could feel the slight prick of tears in her eyes. Other than their father, Raven had been the closest to Tanaka. They quickly met in the middle of the room, embracing each other. Tanaka had even lifted her up slightly despite his old age.
"Hey, old man." Raven said. Tanaka sighed loudly in relief and pulled away to look at her, holding her arms in his hands, "It's so good to have you home, my lady." He paused and glanced behind her at Ciel and Sebastian, who were smiling, "The light you brought to the household seems to have returned already." Raven laughed and replied, "I have that effect on people, I suppose." Tanaka pinched her cheek lightly as someone would a child, "That you do, my lady."
Sebastian cleared his throat, causing the two to look at him, "It is time to retire, my lady. Now that you're home, you will have plenty of time to speak with Mister Tanaka." Raven nodded and gave Tanaka one last hug. After they separated, Tanaka deflated back down to the small size he usually is. Raven jumped in surprise and looked to Ciel and said, "Um, has he always done that? Or is this a recent occurrence?" Ciel shrugged casually and said, "It's new to you." and walked out of the door. Raven paused, then shrugged herself, deciding to just accept it. Sebastian offered her his arm as she was walking through the door and she took it with a polite smile.
He led her back to her room and opened the door for her. He then lit the candle by her bed. He knew she preferred to dress herself so he didn't get out a nightgown for her. Instead he bowed to her and said, "I must prepare the young master for bed. Goodnight, Lady Raven, and have pleasant dreams." Raven smiled, something that made Sebastian happier and happier each time she did, and said, "Same to you, Mister Sebastian." He walked out of her room and shut the door quietly behind him.
Raven let out a loud breath. It had been quite an exciting day, after all. She took off her clothes and laid them on the back of a chair by her mirror and went to get a nightgown. A majority of her nightgowns were short, a little above mid thigh, and had spaghetti straps. She remembered that the sleeves and the length of normal nightgown tangled and twisted around her arms and legs, so she opted for those. She picked a red one that had black lace trimming on the top and bottom and slid it over her.
Her bare feet padded across the carpet as she walked to her bed. She dropped down onto it, bouncing for a few seconds afterwards. She looked around her room, then at her bed. She ran a hand over the top of her bed. The soft material of the sheet and comforter both familiar and completely strange to her. Despite her casual attitude throughout the day, it was hard for her to believe that she was home and not sitting in that dark cell. She half expected to wake up and be back there at any moment, like she was dreaming all of this. She sighed again and got under the covers.
As she leaned over to blow out her candle, she realized that she never told Ciel goodnight. Before, she would always give him a hug and a kiss before bed, so why couldn't she start that back up now? She uncovered herself and padded over to the door after picking up her small candle to light her way through the now dark hallways. She opened Ciel's door quietly. She saw Sebastian buttoning up Ciel's night shirt, but he looked up when she came in. Upon seeing Sebastian look up, Ciel did himself. He raised an eyebrow at Raven and she said, "I didn't get to tell you goodnight."
So, she set her candle down on table and walked over to Ciel, pulling him into a hug. He hugged her back tightly. She leaned her head back slightly and kissed his cheek then tapped her own cheek with a smile. Ciel scoffed, but kissed her cheek anyway. She released him and said, "Sweet dreams, Ciel." Ciel flopped down on his bed, facing away from her, most likely hiding a blush and mumbled, "You too, sister." Raven got up and turned to see a grinning Sebastian. She giggled, the sound making Sebastian's ears perk up, and said, "Do you want one too, Mister Sebastian?" Sebastian chuckled and said playfully, "I wouldn't be opposed to it, Lady Raven."
She got on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. Then she decided to hop on Ciel's bed to give him another kiss on the cheek, making sure to make it louder than necessary with a "Mwah!", if nothing than to embarrass him further. She cuddled him for a moment saying, "I love you, Ciel." He sighed in fake annoyance and said, "I love you, too. Now would you go to bed already, woman!?" Raven giggled and got up, picking her candle back up before walking out the door she glanced at Sebastian, "Goodnight again, Mister Sebastian." He smiled at her and said, "And goodnight to you, too, my lady."
Raven made her way back to her room and got back in bed. After covering herself, she leaned over and blew out the candle, effectively covering the room in darkness. She laid down and sighed, closing her eyes. It took about a half hour for sleep to take her.
It was the early hours of the morning, long before the sun was due to rise. And as Sebastian's strolled the halls of the manor, he found himself outside Raven's door. Unable to resist, he quietly opened the door, stepped in, and shut it back. He walked to Raven's bedside and looked down at her. His expression softened at the sight of her sleeping face and he trailed the back of his fingers softly down the side of her face.
She was having a nightmare, that much he could tell. She wasn't making any noise, tossing and turning, or giving any of the normal signs of a nightmare. To anyone else, it would seem she was sleeping peacefully, only a slight scrunch of her nose telling otherwise. But, Sebastian could sense her distress, and he swept his hand over the side of her face once more, causing Raven's face to relax as the nightmare disappeared.
Sebastian smiled and leaned down to kiss the corner of Raven's mouth gently before leaning back up. He gazed at her face for a few seconds more and sighed quietly. Then, he walked back out of the room just as quietly as he came. He straightened his tie and his tail coat. 'It's decided.' he thought. He was going to tell Raven about their connection soon, he didn't quite know when, but it would be soon. He continued his walk through the manner and started on his daily duties.
It was time to prepare for the next day.
A/N: And here's Chapter 5! It was extra long which I hope is a good thing. We've got some cute sibling moments, Raven and Tanaka's reunion, some flirty Sebastian, some slightly flirty Raven, a little bit of jealous Sebastian because, come on, who doesn't love jealous Sebastian? I tried to make this chapter as interesting as I could and I hope I succeeded. So after this chapter I'm going to start with the actual Black Butler story line, it will mostly be based off of the manga. I want Raven to find out about her being Sebastian's mate soon, but I don't know when it should be. I don't want to wait a long time so I was thinking after Madame Red's funeral, but if you guys have any better ideas than feel free to share them with me and I might change my mind! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and have a good day/night! Love you guys! 3