Thorns

Summary: Semi-AU. Sebastian, an aristocrat of the Michaelis family, one day came across a small, frail boy allowing himself to die on the middle of a pathway. Taking him in, he learns about the boys true past and his life-threatening illness.

Rated: T+

Chapter Seven

"Ciel?" Sebastian paused, chapping the door lightly. "I'm coming in!"

Opening the door slowly, Sebastian frowned when he didn't see the boy spread out across his bed, sleeping with his head tucked in his chest. He glanced round the room, noticing the files the queen had given him were still on the desk, apparently half-read. Looking towards the bathroom door, he noticed it was slightly ajar.

Walking over, he placed down the teapot and the teacups, peeking his head round the door before he opened it fully.

Ciel was lying on the ground, breathing raggedly as he choked lightly. This would be the third time in two weeks that he'd collapsed through the night. Kneeling down quickly, he picked the frail child up and took him away from the cold bathroom floor, laying him down on the bed.

"Idiot…" Sebastian stopped, raising an eyebrow. "I am perfectly capable… of looking after myself…"

"After seeing you like that, it's clear you are not." said Sebastian, clicking his tongue. "I brought up some earl-grey tea for us to drink, but if you'd prefer, maybe you would like water-"

"Tea is fine." muttered Ciel, swatting Sebastian's hands away and sitting up slowly. He clutched at his stomach lightly as he looked upwards, looking at the files on the desk. "Can you pass them to me?"

"Certainly." said Sebastian calmly, pouring a cup full of warm liquid as he gathered the papers up. "I hope you were not up all night doing this, Ciel."

"It is not your concern on how much sleep I get at night." Sebastian checked him over, his eyebrows knitting together. His eyes looked dark, tired. You could tell he was tired since he had forgotten to cover his eye up, but he wasn't going to mention it. He looked beautiful as he was.

"Sebastian, what the are you looking at?" said Ciel abruptly, causing Sebastian to snap out of his trance. "Is there dirt on me?"

"No." he said, shaking his head and smiling lightly. "Although, you should get washed and dressed, you said you wanted to go into London and investigate about the Phantomhive Manor?"

"Of course." said Ciel, sipping his warm drink and closing his eyes. "It'll be too risky walking in there and going 'this is my manor, get the hell out of her demons', now wouldn't it?"

Sebastian chuckled. So young, so sarcastic. He glanced down and looked at the file that was laid on the bed, an eyebrow raised.

"John Anderson?" Ciel opened his eyes and gave the raven a questioning look.

"He's the demon who has apparently taken over my manor." said Ciel, yawning lightly. "Do you know him?"

"He owns a trading company like me." Sebastian knitted his eyebrows together, reading over it. "He's more a person who does 'on-land' trading, while I do mine by shipping."

"Perhaps you are thinking of another John Anderson." said Ciel, handing over the photograph he found somewhere in the files he was holding. "Does he look familiar?"

Sebastian scanned it over before nodding. Dark brown hair, brown/red eyes and a trail of freckles down the left hand side of his face. It looked as if he was smirking, but it was hidden behind an innocent smile. Handing the photo back, he wracked his brain, trying to remember the last time he had actually saw this man.

Around two years ago.

"Make preparations for the cart. There's something I'm not getting." said Ciel suddenly, getting to his feet.

"What is it you are not getting?" asked Sebastian. "If you were not in the manor, then-"

"My parents died in that manor." cut in Ciel, his facial expression hardening. "The question is, how is he in property of a manor that was nearly burnt fully to the ground?"

"Phantomhive Manor?" the lady said, causing Ciel to nod. "It was a bloody miracle that one! I checked it out! One day it looked beyond repairable, the next it was like it was spick-span new I say!" Ciel looked at the lady, the temptation of rolling his eyes growing harder with each passing second.

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it? It's hard to believe that such a manor could be repaired so easily." Ciel ignored the glare the woman gave him. He was here to get information and that was final. Looking to the side, he saw Sebastian asking a male who was loading up a cart for information too. Hopefully they could get this over and done with quickly.

"Everyone thinks it's a miracle!" she said angrily, bristling as she walked away. Ciel rolled his eyes, sighing as he listened to Sebastian's conversation.

"Ah, so you are delivering some oil and grain to the old Phantomhive Manor?"

"Nah, it's known as the Anderson Manor now. He's the one who repaired it, and since that kid can't be found, he just took the land for his own use."

"I see, so Ciel Phantomhive's body was never found?"

"Apparently so. But to tell ya the truth, the Queen's got a new watchdog, apparently he's the spitting image of that kid! Perhaps it's his spirit taking over some poor, helpless child?"

"I doubt that very much, sir."

"Who are ya anyway? It's not often an aristocrat just stops and talks to some random street worker."

"Ah, of course. Allow myself. My name is Sebastian Michaelis and-"

Useless. He was having meaningless chit-chat now. Looking round, he walked up to the man and then tapped the back of his shoulder. He didn't turn, but he still replied.

"Anything I can help you with, sir?" he asked pleasantly, but Ciel's mind suddenly started whizzing.

"I was wondering if you could give me information on the Phantomhive-just-turned Anderson Manor." asked Ciel, eyeing the man cautiously as he started chuckling, tilting his hat forwards.

"Can I ask who you are, little child?" he said, turning round as Ciel's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"My name is Ciel. I work for the London press." he muttered. "And I am not-… a little… child…"

Brown/red eyes looked him over, a smirk still crossing the males face as he stared at the eye patch on Ciel's face, making him take a step back. Glancing backwards, he saw Sebastian still talking to that same one person and bit his lip. If he was here, he could have identified the man immediately!

"You are not a little child?" he smirked, leaning down and cupping Ciel's chin roughly. "I don't even think you've grown half-an-inch since the last time I saw you… Ciel Phantomhive."

It wasn't safe to be here, it wasn't safe at all. Ciel tried to pull back, but he felt his arm being grabbed and he refused to make a sound. It would be unsightly if he yelled in public. Sebastian still hadn't noticed what was going on! And to think he was meant to have those stupid demon-like abilities after the seal was made.

Perhaps he was just deliberately ignoring them? It didn't seem like it. Pulling his arm, Ciel frowned when the man wouldn't let go.

"Let go." growled Ciel, blue eye glinting. "I do not have time to play your petty games. Ciel Phantomhive is dead."

He froze the next moment, feeling his eye patch getting torn away from his face. It was instinct reaction, but his other hand reached up to slap the male across the face, but it was stopped instantly. His one eye was wide as he clenched the other shut.

"If you are not Ciel Phantomhive, then why are you afraid of showing me your eye?" Ciel remained still, turning his head round and then blinking when he noticed Sebastian wasn't even there. Where the hell did he run off to? Did he seriously just go to the manor without him?

He let out a sudden yelp when he felt a thumb go over his eyelid and pry it open, leaving a glowing purple orb in its wake. The man before him chuckled, his brown/red eyes glinting and glowing lightly.

"It appears you've already made a contract with someone." he said. "A pity…"

"Let go of me!" Ciel was beyond panicked, his eye had already picked up that he was a demon and that he was John Anderson simply from the look of him. He smirked, spinning Ciel round and then grabbing him by the throat.

"You do not understand how long I have waited to find you. Two years of searching and you've been here all along." whispered the male quietly, causing Ciel to go rigid. "I was meant to find you first and have the lovely contract you can offer demons, but since your seal is with a demon so strong, it would be impossible for me to get one too. I need to eradicate him from your memory."

"Let… go…"

"Oh, I will. Soon enough."

Sebastian clenched his fists, his eyes glowing brightly as he looked round for Ciel. It was as if he had just vanished. He was talking to a woman one moment, and when he left with the cart man when he was trying to explain where the manor was, by the time he returned… Ciel was gone.

He could see some horrified expressions on the faces of prostitutes, and as he approached them, they all paled.

"Are you his accomplice or something?"

"Please don't kidnap us too! I have children to feed!"

"Someone phone Scotland Yard!"

Sebastian was confused. What the hell were they talking about? Accomplice? Kidnapping? He wanted the answers now. Bowing low, he gave off that signature smile that made everyone calm.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I do not know what you are talking about." said Sebastian, looking up and staring at a blonde woman. "Can someone please explain the situation?"

"A young boy 'ere was kidnapped!" they all screamed, running round in circles as Sebastian tried to stay calm.

"Can you explain what this boy looks like?" asked Sebastian, one red-headed prostitute (who was the only one calm at this point) approached him, a sorrowful expression on her face.

"I think it was that boy came here with, Mr. Sebastian." she said quietly, her eyes focused on the ground. "The man who took him away kept rambling on about searching and seals and Phantomhive's. I don't really understand what was going on, but he knocked the boy out and took him away! No one could stop him since we don't know where he vanished off to!"

Sebastian nodded. It was a bit obvious, Ciel Phantomhive had been kidnapped by the demon who had taken over his manor.

Snapping his eyes open, Ciel sat up abruptly, clutching at his stomach and hissing as he looked around the room. He paled instantly when he recognized where it was. It looked… exactly like his old bedroom…

Sliding off the bed and standing still, he looked round, biting his lower lip as he stared at the half burnt photos around him.

He couldn't look. It hurt too much. He couldn't bear the thought of looking at his parent's faces after all this time… The last time he saw their faces, they were burned, bloody, ruined.

He walked over to the door, pulling on the handle, and unsurprisingly, it was locked. He could just out the window, but that would result in a painful, painful death. He used to live in this house, so he knew there were no secrets passages. His bathroom was located in the far corner and the toys he used to play with were still sitting where they were from when he was younger. Was this John trying to make a replica of the home he used to love so much? Or maybe he was trying to make him insane?

Now that he thought about it, perhaps being trapped here isn't so bad. He did have to get this manor back under her majesty's orders, but... The question was if he could survive long enough to do as she requested. He was determined not to become the weakest guard-dog out there, but he as a normal, breathing, human... was weak.

He also needed to figure out what this John meant by searching for him for so long. Did he know he was alive the whole time? Or was it himthat killed his parents and ensured he survived?

First of all, he had to attract attention if he wanted that man to show up again. Grabbing the nearby oil lamp, he hurled round and smashed it through the window, earning a lot of servant's shouts as his door was unlocked moments later. John Anderson stood with his arms crossed, a smirk crossing his face as he looked at the boy before.

"Ah, that took me a lot of time to build." he said, faking a tragic expression as Ciel glared.

"Probably only seconds, Demon." spat Ciel in return, his hands clenching. "Now explain why you have brought me here without killing me!"

"Hmm..." John seemed to contemplate it, before a sinister smirk crossed his face. "Really I only want the seal you willingly gave away to Sebastian Michaelis, but it's going to take a while for you to drop it."

"Why would I give the seal to you?" snapped the younger, his purple eye snapping open and glowing brightly. "I gave the seal to someone who deserved it! You are just an arrogant creature that doesn't care for humans at all!"

John chuckled, Ciel glared. He approached the boy before him slowly, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look up.

"That may be true, but I always get what I want in the end." he said, laying a hand over Ciel's right eye as his own eyes shimmered, his orbs swirling a dangerous red. "Sebastian Michaelis is a tamed Demon who can control his urges due to you. His powers are at a sharper and more demonic level since he gets fed a part of your soul per day. Eating your soul would give me power, but not for a long period of time. That is why I want the seal."

"You are not getting it." said Ciel defiantly. "I gave it to Sebastian since he deserved it and I know he would never hurt me. He's a demon, but not one who only craves power for their own use."

"I see." said John, his expression darkening. "I believe if I use enough force, he can hear you in his thoughts?"

"I haven't gotten to such a level that I can-" Ciel stopped as his blue eye suddenly clenched shut, a loud cry escaping his throat as it felt like his eye was being burned out. He was about to fall back, but a hand kept his head up, therefore keeping the rest of him up. "W-What are you doing? S-Stop it!"

"Just sending a message to your befriendeddemon."

Ciel felt his vision flicker as he felt his throat constrict from the screams he let out. He felt weak, horribly, horribly weak. He felt himself going limp as he slumped forwards, closing his eyes as he fell into the awaiting arms of the enemy. He internally flinched, feeling John pet his head while chuckling lightly.

"Indeed, a strange one you are, Phantomhive."

A/N: *eye twitch* Have I just created an OC that I already want to SLAUGHTER?

Ok, I think I'm going to kill him soon, but who do you think should kill him, Ciel or Sebastian? *see's bloody things in head* Muha ha ha ha!

Hope you enjoyed the chappie, adios!

~Sky~