A Peculiar Shangri-la in England
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Summary: Through an accidental incantation of both Sharak and Sanzo's respective sutras, the Sanzo party gets transported into a world far different from their own. Enter a pompous, little boy with an eyepatch on his right eye, who seemed to take an interest with Sanzo's ability to expel demons to ashes, much to the chagrin of the boy's suspecting butler—who happened to be a demon himself.
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A/N: I'll keep each chapter in alternating points of views from each fandom. First chapter was written through the Saiyuki cast, and this chapter will be through the Black Butler cast, next will return to Saiyuki POV, and so forth.
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Ciel kept his thoughts to himself as the four, odd men squeezed inside the four-person landau. Ciel had moved to sit between Lau and Sebastian, and observed the foreigners' behaviors. The priest, according to Lau, had earlier demanded for the golden-eyed boy to sit inside the landau instead of sitting next to the driver outside. The priest's reason was that the four of them should stick together in case danger might arise from the outside.
Ciel's lips curled to an amused simper, and looked at them with escalating interest.
The man with the monocle on his right eye, Ciel mused, seemed to be the one who took care of his companions, calming them down every now and then. The white dragon perched on the man's shoulder intrigued him, with its fire-breathing ability and all. Ciel wondered if it had other abilities. The man next to him, the tanned redhead with the red eyes, seemed to be more of a flirt, judging by the way he kept grinning and winking at Lan Mao. Although by the looks of it, he seemed to be close with the monocled man, often brushing shoulders with him and joking with him, Ciel mused. And then—
His visible, blue eye regarded the men sitting next to the redhead. First was the tanned, noisy brunet, flushing and hiding his face in his hands in sheer embarrassment at his current predicament about the seating arrangement. Ciel supposed it was embarrassing, to a point.
"Lau, ask them if our guests feel comfortable, especially the reverend and that young man. And tell them I apologize for the cramped space," drawled Ciel, eyeing the priest that held the young man on his lap.
Lau nodded and spoke to them, all the while, Sebastian side-glanced at Ciel with barely concealed disappointment.
"Young Master, surely you're not thinking of letting them stay in the manor?" asked Sebastian with a frown. The young earl had never looked quite excited since he met these four men. "They might be assassins by the looks of it. They already look suspicious enough as it is."
"Sebastian, please. These people are foreigners and have gotten lost from their destination. Surely, a Phantomhive servant such as yourself would not taint my name with inhospitality? Besides, I am very quite interested with them. They've killed demons, Sebastian. Shouldn't you feel at least a bit secured knowing that these people will keep evil at bay?"
Sebastian sighed, and fought to keep his voice at a normal level. He scanned the appearances of the four men in front of them. Definitely foreigners from the looks of it—wearing strange clothing and speaking in a language that only Lau and Lan Mao could understand. "I suppose so. But still—Young Master, if they would try harm even a single hair on your head, I will—"
"Earl," interrupted Lau with a smile, "the man with the monocle, Mr. Cho, says it is all right. The boy with the brown hair, according to him, says he has had much worse seating arrangements. And the reverend seemed not to mind it at all." He shrugged, "Travelers really are adaptable, don't you think?"
Ciel nodded, and looked at this Mr. Cho, and gave him a slight bow—a gesture he had read from one of the books from the East, about giving respect when it was due. Mr. Cho smiled and bowed back, and returned his attention to the redhead chatting a mile away. "They seem like a lively bunch," he idly commented, noting the way Mr. Cho and the redhead talked to each other, while the reverend and the boy spoke in hushed whispers of their own. "Sebastian, I find it really distressing not to be able to talk to them freely. Go learn their language as soon as we get to the manor. Besides, I know you are also curious about what they're talking about," Ciel huffed with a little smirk at the red-eyed demon. And when the butler nodded and forced a smile of agreement, Ciel's brow rose, and idly looked at the streets. "What a boring reaction."
Sebastian watched the reverend the most, and noted how his hand was cradled firmly around the flustered young man's waist. At one point, the carriage went over a bump on the road, and the young man winced upon having his head bumped on the folding top, and huddled close under the reverend's chin, a gesture that the latter seemed to be tolerating well, judging from the calm way he patted the young man's waist while observing the streets through the windows.
Sensing being stared at, the reverend looked at Sebastian with a passive face, and he noted the calmness written all over the reverend's mauve eyes as the young man in his hold tried to keep still.
The butler's eyes didn't fail to notice the reverend's thumb discreetly smoothing over the young man's lower back.
Sebastian turned to Ciel and whispered, about the reverend being a perfectly normal human but—
The carriage halted, and the doors opened. Lau spoke to Mr. Cho, and Mr. Cho descended the carriage, with the redhead, the brunet, and the blond following behind.
Ciel shrugged at Sebastian, mumbling, "You can tell me the rest later, Sebastian." The earl exited the carriage and stood behind the four men with a simper upon seeing their surprised reaction at the Phantomhive house. "Welcome to my household, travelers. Well, Lau, translate that to them for me, if you will?"
Lau laughed and did as he was told, and the redhead and the brunet said something to Lau. "Earl, they're saying their thanks. Also, they need food."
Ciel blinked at the straightforward request, and chortled as he looked at the now silently smiling Sebastian. "Well, Sebastian? Go and show them what the Phantomhive hospitality is made of. I will show the guests around once they've made themselves comfortable."
Sebastian bowed, and muttered a soft, "Yes, my lord," before leading them into the manor. Once inside, the butler smiled in satisfaction at the awe shown on the men's faces. Even the reverend who seemed to be the most stoic out of them, seemed mildly impressed.
The trio of servants, plus Tanaka, lined up by the stairs upon hearing Ciel's arrival and greeted them with a hearty salute and a loud, "Welcome back!"
"Y-Y-Young Master, who are these gorgeous people?" Maylene asked as they all came up to the new guests, blushing profusely upon being stared and winked at by the redhead. "Such lovely red hair he has!"
Ciel sighed and held out a hand to the four men, "These people will be staying in the manor for the meantime. They're travelers who have come all the way from China and have lost their way to India and ended up in England. Bard, I know your question, even I don't know how they ended up here. Sebastian, do your work. Lau, come with me and be the translator, as the language barrier prevents me from talking with them. By the way, where are Soma and Agni?"
Finnian, who had been admiring the golden-eyed boy's cape with awed looks, waved at him and smiled, to which the gesture was returned with much enthusiasm. He then turned to Ciel with a grin, "Master Soma and Mr. Agni won't be back until tomorrow. They said they'll be serving food to the children, Young Master. By the way, they are Chinese right, Young Master? Well, how can we understand them?"
Bard scratched his head and regarded the four men who were now talking amongst themselves, "Yeah, I mean. Sure, Mr. Lau is here, but that couldn't always be the case."
Sebastian cleared his throat and clapped once, "With Master Soma out until tomorrow, this will be of an inconvenience." He glanced at a knotted-browed Ciel, and sighed. "Very well, I will provide for our guests' needs for the meantime. The young master ordered me to learn their language, as is a part of the Phantomhive hospitality. Besides, it is only natural that a servant of Phantomhive would be able to learn the languages of the guests—especially in the presence of the highest reverend in China."
The trio of servants looked at their guests, eyes wide, and they stepped back and bowed, exclaiming in unison, "We're very sorry for our rudeness!"
The four men blinked at the servants, and one of them, the flustered boy from earlier, pointed at the servants and said something to Lau. And Lau shrugged and relayed the servants' message to them, and Mr. Cho, the boy, and the redhead bowed in return. The reverend, meanwhile, remained stoic, and regarded them with a hum.
"So," Maylene started with shaky hands as she went over to a smiling Lau, "which one of them is the reverend, sir?"
"Hm? Ah, yes. The reverend is the blond one. An eccentric, if you ask me. But a nice fellow all around," Lau finished with a laugh and patted Lan Mao's head. "Right, Lan Mao?" Lan Mao blinked and nodded once.
Finnian and Bard looked at the reverend. "He looks like he has a mix of a European in him, though. He's from China?" Bard asked Sebastian, who nodded.
"Quite so. According to Master Lau, all of them are from China. Therefore, I'll make sure that they will remain comfortable in this manor, and what better way to start it off with knowing their native tongue? Young Master, if you could, after I am done with my duties, I will teach you the ways of their language," Sebastian smiled at the earl, and Ciel harrumphed, his nose stuck in the air as he tapped his walking stick on the floor.
"What use will it be for me?"
"You can start talking to the reverend. Or better yet, I could teach them English. Two of them seem be quite the intellectuals," the butler observed with an approving glance at Mr. Cho and the reverend. "Also, Young Master, if I could talk to you in a moment, I have an urgent matter to say to you after this. For the meantime—" He turned to the trio of servants and clapped twice, and they immediately lined up in front of him with a salute. "Bard, you take care of today's food. Be extra careful of the spices that might trigger allergies or such. And don't burn everything. Finny, you're in charge of the decorations in the dining room. Make sure you prepare the jasmines and the gardenias and put them in the vases I purchased last week. And make sure you don't use herbicide as fertilizer—again. Maylene, you're in charge of giving the guests their rooms and accommodating to their basic toiletries and such. We don't want them getting lost in this manor, do we? Oh, and Mr. Tanaka, I have a favor to ask of you. If you could, could you ask them to write down their names so we know who is who? I'll ask Master Lau—Master Lau. Could you please ask them to write down their names? I'll have Mr. Tanaka jot them down and have the servants memorize them so we'll know who to address. Eastern order of address is fine—since they are from Asia."
Lau nodded, "Sure, Mr. Butler." And he relayed his message to the four men, who shrugged and didn't seem to mind it at all. Mr. Cho took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, while the reverend took out an ink brush and an ink bottle from the inside of his robes—something that mildly impressed Ciel. And they took turns in writing down their names, and handed it over to Lau.
"Ah, here they are. The 31st of China—Genjo Sanzo—um." Lau stopped and said something to the four, and they nodded and shrugged all the same. Sebastian glanced at Ciel, who shrugged as well. "I'll repeat that. The 31st of China—Genjo Sanzo."
The blond lazily flipped his hand and grunted.
Lau turned to the servants with a smile, "He is the reverend." The trio of servants nodded with their mouths hanging open, and bowed. In the presence of a holy man, they swore to keep everything up to Sebastian's standards—very much like how it went with Reverend Jeremy a while back. "But, you see, calling him like that is strange—" Lau spoke to the reverend, and they talked for a few moments, with the smallest of the four men piping up cheerfully every now and then. Satisfied, Lau turned to Ciel, "His companions say that they call him Sanzo. And it is just fine."
"Reverend Sanzo it is, then," Ciel nodded to himself.
"Son Goku," Lau read aloud, and the lively brunet waved his hand about, grinning at them. Lau nodded and looked at the servants grimly, "He is the most trusted companion of the reverend, even if the reverend doesn't say so. He has been with the reverend for years since he was a child, maybe even for a past life that they most likely shared. With him by the reverend's side, you can see that this young man will follow the reverend to hell and back and protect him at all costs. He is quite the high-spirited one, with the rare wisdom like that of a sage that equaled the heavens itself. The aloof reverend, because of his painful past, might always refer to him as a foolish boy, but in fact, he is actually quite fond of the child—even going far as to risk his life to save him more than once. I am quite sure that he and the reverend share a very unique and unbreakable bond that's quite different from the other two."
The trio of servants looked at Lau with utmost awe, and looked at the bright-eyed brunet with fascination. Sebastian, Ciel, and Lan Mao, however, remained unfazed.
"Lau. You just spewed whatever came to your mind just now, didn't you?" Ciel huffed with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms, and Lau laughed and scratched his head.
"Yah, how did you know? I'm hurt, Earl! How could you say that to sensitive me?"
The servants gasped with their mouths agape, and huddled and whispered amongst themselves. "M-Master Lau is lying? But it seems like a real and believable story!" Maylene exclaimed as the others agreed with furtive nods, and flinched when they heard Sebastian clear his throat once more.
"Master Lau. The others, if you please."
"Hm? Ah, yes. Cho Hakkai."
The man with the monocle on his right eye raised his hand with a kind smile, and Lau smiled. "He's the one who approached us in the first place asking for help. And then—Sha Gojyo."
The redhead raised his hand with a wink at Lan Mao and Maylene. Lau turned to Ciel with an amused smile, "Shall I tell you his backstory?"
Sebastian held in a snort as Ciel tapped his gloved finger on his arm in irritation, "No need. And? What's the dragon's name?"
"Dragon?" the servants asked.
"Apparently, Mr. Cho has a dragon that can actually breathe fire—I saw it earlier. Lau, what's the dragon's name?" Ciel asked, ignoring the amazed gasps of the servants.
"Hakuryuu," Lau read aloud, and the white dragon sitting on Mr. Cho's shoulder cheeped, flapped its wings, and bowed in greeting. "That's all of them, Earl."
Ciel nodded, and pointed at his servants, "Treat them well, and don't bring shame to my name. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" the servants exclaimed with cheer.
Satisfied, he removed his top hat and craned his neck to Sebastian, who already had the names of the guests in hand and gave them to Tanaka, "Well, the most we can do for now is lead them to their individual rooms—"
"Pardon me, Young Master, but I must disagree," Sebastian interrupted with a contemplative glance at the four conversing men, tapping his gloved index on his chin as he did so. "These people are in a foreign land, and, judging from Reverend Sanzo's reaction alone earlier about refusing to let Master Son out of his sight, I think it would be best if they are to be put in pairs, at least. It would take them time to adapt, and the least we could do is to not break them up. Master Lau, could you tell them if that's all right?"
Lau relayed Sebastian's suggestion to the four men, and they talked amongst themselves, fingers pointing and hushed mutterings and a few squabbles between Mr. Sha and Mr. Son, and when they finished, they talked to Lau and pointed fingers and nodded.
"Earl, they said that it is fine. Mr. Cho will stay with Mr. Sha and the dragon, and the reverend will stay with Mr. Son," Lau commented.
Ciel agreed, and once arrangements were in order, a flustered Maylene gestured for the four men to go with her, with Lau, and Lan Mao—as the second translator—trailing behind. Sebastian clapped thrice and ordered the servants to do their jobs, and was soon left with Ciel.
"All right, Sebastian. What is it that you wanted to say?" he yawned. "Prepare me my tea and cake later, by the way."
Sebastian smiled and bowed, "Understood. Very well. About Reverend Sanzo—"
"Ah, he is quite the curious case. I have never seen a cleric using a gun before, have you?"
"I am quite sure I have seen my fair share of strange priests, but not to that extent. He is a first. About the reverend and Master Son—"
"What about them?"
"Well, they seemed quite attached. Reverend Sanzo is a human through and through, but his companions are—well, I should say they are of my kind. Three of them share the same scent with that of a demon," Sebastian finished with a knowing smirk at the earl's suddenly surprised face.
"Of your kind? They're demons? Why didn't you say so earlier?" complained Ciel, and he stepped back and struck his walking stick in ire. "Are you toying with me again?"
Sebastian chuckled, amused at his young lord's reaction, "I intend to do no such thing. Seeing as you are quite interested with the reverend, I figured I should tell it to you later. And now is that later."
Ciel gritted his teeth and looked at the butler with knotted brows and an angry, blue eye—and paused with a blink upon pondering Sebastian's words. "Wait. You're saying this reverend, who is human and claims to kill demons, is accompanied by the very demons that he kills?"
"Ironic, isn't it?" Sebastian's brow rose with a lopsided smile, "Nevertheless, there has to be a reason. Master Son, in particular, has the reverend's scent all over him. On the other hand, Reverend Sanzo's scent doesn't exist on the other two, Master Sha and Master Cho."
Ciel hummed in a thoughtful look, "Oh. That's interesting. Keep a lookout on all of them, then. Learn their language as soon as possible and relay everything to me. I'll retire to my office until food is ready." And he went up the stairs as Sebastian bowed.
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It was nighttime when the bumbling servants of the Phantomhive were nearly done with their chores for the day. They were in the kitchen tidying up their mess, and Maylene, for once, managed not to drop a plate the whole day—an achievement, she said to herself.
"Our guests were pleased by our service, don't you think?" she inquired Bard, who scrubbed the pans with gusto. Not waiting for a reply, she sighed, almost lost in a dream-like state. "All of them are quite handsome men, yes? Especially the reverend—! The way he spoke was quite alluring to the ears, even if I didn't know what he was saying!" And Maylene fought the blush spreading to her cheeks with her hands, her nostrils flaring in a daydream, "He is quite young to be a reverend, and reverends are celibates—but aah, he is a cold beauty that rivals Sebastian's beauty!"
Bard barked a laugh, "Hah! Better not let Sebastian hear that. I see him glaring at that guy since lunch. Speaking of which, that kid with the golden eyes and the weird cape has an appetite that exceeds Earl Grey's."
"Master Son, you mean?" piped Finnian as he carried the boxes of produce for tomorrow. "I like him—Master Lau said that Master Son said that he liked our food! Master Sha seemed to like it as well, going as far as to fight with Master Son for it. Haha! Also, Master Lau said that Master Cho asked for recipes on what we did. I think they all like it."
"Hahah! Did you see the look on Sebastian's face when the lanky one and the kid fought over the cake, though? His face was priceless! I like them a lot. Especially that Sha guy. I'd ask him out for a bar night if I could understand what he's saying. Seems like he has a bunch of great stories under his belt," whooped Bard, chortling as he finished his chores.
Maylene agreed, and took care of the soot in the fireplace as she coughed out. "And Master Cho is so kind! I almost spilled the tea earlier, and he didn't even reprimand me! He actually helped me with pouring the tea even though we couldn't understand each other's words! He helped me with actions! Me, a mere maid! Even their pet dragon seemed to be thankful!"
And the servants talked about their guests some more, chatting away ideas on how to properly communicate with them without words.
"How about we draw pictures?" piped Finny.
"Nah, too bothersome. 'Sides, I can't draw well," Bard tutted, shaking his head in dismay. "Body language is the way to go, I think."
"How will we do that, though?" Maylene asked as she sat on the chair, and they all hummed in thought—
"How about you do the thinking tomorrow and take a rest for now? Tomorrow will be a big day—Master Soma and Mr. Agni will arrive—I really hope they won't bring children like last time," Sebastian entered the kitchen, sighing as he rotated his shoulder. "Go to rest, everyone. I'll fix up the rest."
The three cheered in delight as Tanaka sipped his tea, and they quickly bade Sebastian good night.
"Well, then. Time to do the nightly rounds," he muttered, and noted that it was nearing midnight. And so Sebastian lit up a candlestick and walked down the moonlit corridors, inspecting every room to see if they were in order. Going up to where the guests were, however—he found their doors to be locked. Sebastian hummed.
"This is quite bothersome," he muttered in dismay, and looked around the dark hallways. He took out the master key and opened the door leading to Master Cho and Master Sha's room, and found them sleeping soundly side by side on the king-sized bed, with the white dragon curled up on a plush pillow that Maylene provided on the chair beside the bed.
Nodding in satisfaction, Sebastian closed the door and went to the next room where Reverend Sanzo and Master Son were. He pushed the master key in, and opened the door, and saw them sleeping soundly under the moonlight at first glance, with the reverend and the young man facing each other.
The lazy movements of hands and heads, the muted whispers, the shallowed breathing, and the languid shuffling of limbs beneath the duvet from both parties, however, told Sebastian otherwise.
It wasn't until Sebastian saw a flash of gold—not from the coronet that the brunet strangely wore, but from his eyes—that he came to the conclusion that they haven't been fully asleep at all.
In an instant, a cudgel aimed and missed Sebastian's cheek, surprising the butler as the brunet now stood on the bed with a long baton in hand, his eyes narrowed in a glare. He noted the lack of the young man's odd and spiked, yellow cape, and noticed that the young man looked much leaner without the baggy clothes.
The boy spoke to the reverend in a muttered undertone, and the reverend, in turn, quickly turned over and reached for his gun on the nightstand and aimed it at Sebastian as he sat up.
Wide-eyed, Sebastian regarded their forms prepared for an attack.
He let out a clandestine chuckle, and hid his upturned lips with his gloved hand.
"Well, isn't this quite surprising."
The boy and the reverend looked at each other in equal surprise, and they stared at the smirking butler. "You can speak our language?" they asked in unison.
Sebastian bowed with his smirk still in place, "I have studied the language you are speaking, Master Son—as per my young master's order. It is to ensure that all of you will somehow be able to communicate freely without the hassle of a language barrier. I am the young master's loyal servant, after all." He looked at the young man with a knowing glance, then at the blond. "Also, Reverend Sanzo still has yet to tell us of his story of how and why he wields a weapon of killing. Reverend, you are a human, are you not?"
"Why do you ask if you already know the answer?" the reverend growled as he aimed the gun at Sebastian's heart. "Have you come here for the sutra?"
Sebastian's smile faltered, and a quizzical look crossed his face as his brows raised, "Sutra?"
"You came here for the sutra, didn't you? If not, then you came here to devour Sanzo," the young man gritted out, and his hold on the cudgel tightened, feet at the ready to jump on the butler.
Sebastian looked at the reverend, then at the growling young man, and back. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
Master Son's head whipped to the reverend sitting on the bed, "Sanzo, he's a demon, but I don't smell any limiter on him. He stays sane even without a limiter."
"Excuse me, but what is this 'limiter' you're talking about, Master Son?" Sebastian was completely confused now—surely this was another word he had yet to study?
The reverend tilted his head and regarded Sebastian with utmost scrutiny, his brows heavily drawn downwards as he snarled.
"A limiter is—" Master Son explained, gathering words as he went, "—a limiter keeps your demon marks and ears and powers at bay so you couldn't attack people if you go berserk." This time, it was Master Son's turn to look confused, and he studied the wide and blinking claret eyes of the butler under the candlelight. He turned to the reverend, looking lost, "Sanzo, I think he doesn't know what a limiter is."
"No shit," snarled the reverend as he lowered his gun, making Sebastian snort in return.
"I assure you, gentlemen, that I have none of this 'limiter' you speak of. I function properly and sanely without the need of such a thing. But I must say, you have quite the mouth, there, Reverend. Surely you are afraid of angering the gods with that foul mouth?" chuckled the butler, amusement painted his face as he glanced at the faint traces of scars scattered on the reverend's exposed arm.
"I am not exactly the traditional priest, so no, I don't give a shit."
"Hn, so I see." Sebastian stepped inside and closed the door behind him, "that is quite unusual, indeed. Now I see why my young master took interest in you." He placed the candelabra on the dresser near the door and went over to them, noting Master Son's cudgel that shortened in normal size, yet still aimed it at Sebastian's head. "Fear not, Master Son, I am only here to check if the guests are all right. It is customary practice around here."
"We were more than all right before you came in," came the reverend's snappy reply, and the gun returned to aiming at Sebastian's heart, his finger ready to pull the trigger. "Now you can leave."
Sebastian, amused of it all, showed the human a toothy grin, "And if I won't?"
"I'll kill you."
Silence fell over the room, and from the outside, a lone raven cawed and flew in the night—and Sebastian chuckled.
"Like begets like, I see. You and he—my young master, I mean—are alike. An interesting human, you are, Reverend Sanzo. But since I am already here and you are very much more than awake, I must ask your companion a very important question—and his answer will determine your life and death." He side-glanced at the scowling brunet with the cudgel still aimed at his head, and Sebastian's scarlet eyes glowed and turned into slits.
The room slowly fell into darkness, swallowing the moonlight whole as the butler's voice resonated from all corners of the room.
"Do you intend to harm, or devour my young master's soul?"
Master Son's face scrunched into confusion, mouth hanging agape, and when the question dawned on him, he stomped on the bed with a shriek. "No! Why would I do that! I wouldn't harm a single person or demon unless they are going to take the sutra or kill my friends! Also, I should ask you the same thing!" The cudgel from behind Sebastian's head disappeared, and the young man stood in defiance as he pointed a finger at Sebastian.
"D'you want to take the sutra or eat Sanzo? Because I won't forgive you if you do—no one gets to eat Sanzo. And I mean no one."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the demon, and the curl of his smirk widened even more. "I intend to do none of those things—if you are not to bring any harm upon this household, and especially to my young master, then I am quite pleased."
"And if you won't snatch the sutra or kill my friends or eat Sanzo, then I am happy with that, too," Master Son curtly nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. And when the room finally returned to its moonlight-bathed glow, the feisty brunet grinned and held out his open hand. "So we're good, then? Friends?"
Surprised at the young man's sudden turn of mood, the glow from Sebastian's eyes disappeared, and returned to their normal, claret hue. He looked long and hard at the proffered hand and the open grin that the other demon had. He glanced at the reverend, who shrugged.
"That's just how he is," the blond stated simply as he placed his gun back on the dresser.
Sebastian blinked, confused for a moment, and regarded the smiling brunet with a question. "If you are not here for my young master's soul, then what are you here for?"
"To make sure some demon king in India stays dead so we won't go berserk and kill people."
The tone in the brunet's voice was somber and calm, and Sebastian, in turn, nodded with the same coolness.
"If that is what you intend to do," Sebastian started with a calm smile, and he shook the demon's hand with much warmth, "then I'll support you with all that I can to get you gentlemen back to India, and hope for your successful return."
The reverend huffed, a curled sneer painting his lips as he looked at the thoroughly entertained butler. "What's with the sudden change of mind?"
The pale demon gave him a sidelong glance, draped his hand over his heart, bowing, "As long as you won't harm my young master and the residents of this house, then I, in my earnest, will do the same, and will not bring harm upon the reverend and his companions. And also—"
Sebastian inched closer to the brunet's ear, cupping a palm over his mouth as he whispered to him.
"—I will not breathe a soul about Master Son's want to be the one to devour Reverend Sanzo in a different way instead."
The golden-eyed demon stepped back and almost fell off the bed upon hearing the butler's heavy implication, face flushing a bright red dampened under the moonlight, and he tried to stutter a coherent reply, but to no avail.
Sebastian laughed, and held a finger up to his lips and winked at the still blithering young man, "It will be a secret that I will never divulge. I wouldn't dream of tarnishing Reverend Sanzo's reputation, after all."
"Hey, what did you say to him," the reverend gritted out, violet eyes glancing at the brunet's reddened face.
"Hey, Sanzo. Just let it go this time," Master Son replied with a forced smile to the blond, obviously trying his best not to squeak and spread the blush from his face further. When the reverend tried to retort, he turned his attention to the butler. "Ah, Sebastian, is it? Call me Goku. No one calls me Son anyway, it just sounds weird," he beamed at the butler, and plopped on the bed crosslegged.
"Master Goku, it is," hinted Sebastian with an amused smile, and chuckled at the confusion and the tiniest bit of pout from the reverend. He clearly wanted to ask about what the butler whispered to the golden-eyed boy. "As is such," he gazed at the brunet, "I am merely a demon and a butler, a servant of a very, ah, pampered individual—and therefore, I cannot call you by your names alone. It would be very disrespectful for someone such as I."
"Earl, you mean?" asked Goku.
Sebastian nodded, "Quite perceptive, you are. Yes, the earl of Phantomhive—his name is Ciel Phantomhive, and Earl is his title. He's the one I answer to, much like how you, Master Goku, seem to answer to Reverend Sanzo."
The hinted meaning and the playful glint in Sebastian's eyes didn't escape Goku's notice, and the brunet grinned, and scratched his cheek as he looked away, bashful at it all. "Yeah, I guess so."
The reverend, looking quite puzzled at the sudden embarrassment of the brunet, looked at both of the demons. "Hey, what's with this anticlimactic ending? And what are you implying?" He glared at Sebastian once more.
The butler bowed with a thoughtful smile gracing his features, his posture now more relaxed than moments prior. "I am merely stating the fact that you are in very good hands with your companions, Reverend. I can tell. And besides—" he turned and went to pick up the candelabra and opened the door, sparing them one last amused look.
"—I am looking forward on seeing more of you, the most intriguing vicar I have ever encountered in my long, demonic life."
.
Ciel slept soundly in his room, and he grumbled himself awake when the candlelight met his vision.
"What did you find out?" the earl mumbled with a stifled yawn, sitting up to make himself more awake. He noticed the smug smirk on his butler's face, and he frowned. "What?"
Shaking his head, Sebastian smiled, "Nothing, Young Master. I just realized how similar humans really are." He placed the candelabra on the nightstand and tucked Ciel back into bed, "You have nothing to fear, Young Master. They are, in fact, quite an intriguing group of young men. I am quite relieved that they aren't here to harm you—or me, for that matter."
Ciel squinted, his lips falling into a silent question as they parted. Sebastian waited for the earl to articulate his question, and when he did, Ciel pointed a finger at the butler with puzzlement.
"You directly asked them?"
"Just Master Goku. I must say, his reaction to being accused of attempting a murder in this manor was quite new. He is filled with emotion, like a human, but he is not human. He is loyal to the reverend—very fiercely, I must add." His lips fell in a thoughtful look, parting them as he pondered over his next words, "It is quite rare for demons to be unconditionally loyal to humans, and Master Goku is such a demon."
Ciel huffed a laugh, amusement seeping from his core at seeing the butler brood and puzzle over the same species he belonged to. "And the reverend?"
At this, a slow smile crept to Sebastian's lips, and he patted and smoothed down the duvet on Ciel, "The reverend resembles you, in a way. Very much so in his actions. I think I can see now why you take interest in him."
"Tell me you're not being sarcastic right now, because that smarmy smile isn't fooling me."
Sebastian looked at the young boy on the bed, and he straightened himself, his fist clutched onto his heart as he twisted his face in mock hurt.
"You wound me, Young Master. I am not trying to be sarcastic. I truly see you and the reverend are alike in some ways—except for the vulgar language he uses. He is quite the walking contradiction, if I say so myself. I could smell tobacco on him when I checked earlier, and he claims not to listen to gods." And Sebastian paused, and recalled the scenario he saw before he entered the room where the vicar and the demon slept.
The languid movements under the blankets and the suggestive sound of what could only sound as kissing stood out in the butler's mind.
Sebastian smiled, and his eyelids drooped and his eyes turned to slits and glowed a bright red as he looked at the stern-faced earl glaring at him from under the sheets.
"Yes. Quite a mysterious and interesting man, indeed." Sebastian's fangs bared just the slightest at Ciel's provoking glower, and he fought back a throaty chuckle. "Also, the reverend and his companion declare that they only kill demons who attack them. And seeing as I see no value in attacking them, they will not harm me."
Sebastian's knee met the edge of the bed as he bent over and splayed his palms on both sides of Ciel's pillow, trapping the blue-eyed boy beneath his towering form and his hypnotizing stare.
"Isn't that a wonderful news, Young Master?"
The gritted teeth and the menacing glare sent his way only made Sebastian smile wider.