A/N; Thank you guys so much for the positive feedback; seeing reviews that say they want an update only makes me want to write faster~ Hopefully this chapter is okay, this story is going to go by a little slow at first. But I have a lot of shit already written out for the plot. I'll try to work on this a little bit every day. Speaking of plot…you should see the notes I have for this story. They are horrendous.

A Phantom's Canon

Written By Freedom To Rhyme

Track One; Caesura

Sleeping in late was not something Sebastian Michaelis tended to indulge in. More often than not, the young man would be out of bed no later than eight. Sebastian was not one to let hours go to waste.

However, the night prior had been a stressful one. With his rapidly decreasing pupil count, paying rent and feeding himself was becoming more and more difficult. When his only remaining pupil phoned to state he was ending his weekly lessons, Sebastian should have been more than thankful. The man was tone deaf; Sebastian was nearly convinced just listening to the man sing for an hour a week was causing his own pitch to slip.

He paid for his lessons (as useless to him as they may be) and provided Sebastian with his only source of steady income. In despair, the ebony-locked man turned toward the numerous instrument cases propped vertically against the wall. He had already resorted to selling one violin and more than a few guitars. Sighing, Sebastian came to the conclusion that if he could not pay for food, he would not be playing the instruments anyways.

It was ten thirty. Unaccustomed to waking up so late, Sebastian padded around his kitchen groggily, fumbling with the coffee maker. The unpleasant odor of cheap pre-ground coffee wafted through the apartment. Sebastian poured himself a cup and took a reluctant sip; the taste was foul, and Sebastian much preferred tea. The bitter taste, however, did wake the man from the effects of too much sleep.

Pressing his forehead against the kitchen cabinets, Sebastian calculated how much cash he had left, and whether he could manage to live off of instant noodles and stale cracker.

An obnoxious ringing sound echoed through the silent apartment. Without lifting his head from the cabinets, Sebastian pawed the counter beside him, searching for the source of the sound. Picking the phone up from the cradle, Sebastian pressed it to the side of his face. More than likely, it was his landlord calling to hassle about the over-due rent.

"Hello, Sebastian Michaelis speaking,"

"Hello, Mr. Michaelis. I'm calling to inquire about vocal lessons for my nephew? Have I dialed the correct number?," Sebastian straitened up immediately. A new pupil. A new pupil meant instruction. Instruction meant pay. Pay meant eating. Eating meant living.

"Yes, you've called the right number," Sebastian sat himself down at the kitchen table. Unopened bills lay scattered on the hard wood surface, mocking his recent lack of income.

"Perfect. I'd like to enroll my nephew for weekly vocal lessons,"
"Great. My fee is-"

"That's not a concern, Mr. Michaelis. I'm willing to pay whatever you state," Sebastian nearly choked on his repulsive coffee.

"…Alright then. I'll require your name, phone number, and preferred day and time for the weekly lessons," The young musical instructor grabbed a pen and his water bill. On the envelope, Sebastian wrote the words spoken on the opposite end of the receiver. Her name was Angelina Durless. It sounded oddly familiar.

"Our best time is on Wednesday at around three thirthy, which is tomorrow. If you aren't busy, I'd like to start the lessons as soon as possible,"
Sebastian would be lying to say he was busy.

"That's perfectly fine with me, I have a rather open schedule as of late," Would it turn Angelina away to say he was so free because he had no other work?

"Oh, if you are free today, it would be lovely to meet for lunch, so I can introduce you to my nephew. Of course, it will be my treat." And free lunch to boot, perhaps I should wake up late more often, he thought to himself.

"Yes, I'd appreciate that greatly. May I ask your nephew's name?"
"Ah, of course. His name is Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive," Sebastian froze. A pregnant silence filled the room.

"Mr. Michaelis? Are you still there?" Sebastian's lips curled into a twisted smirk.

"Ah, yes. I look forward to seeing both you and Ciel this afternoon. Take care, Madam,"

"Ciel! Come now, we're going out," Ciel looked up from his book to his aunt, raising a brow. Aunt Anne seldom took Ciel out somewhere pleasant; more often than not, he was usually dragged to a dreadful luncheon with his aunt's dull friends, or to an overcrowded mall. If this outing was to be anything similar, Ciel would much rather stay home.

"Where would we be heading?"
"To Blue Note," Ciel put his book on the table. Going to Blue Note changed everything; putting up with dull conversations about men and the newest fashion trends was a small price to pay if it meant getting a slice of Blue Note's chocolate cake.

"Are you coming?" Anne asked, though she knew the response. Ciel could not resist the temptation of sweets. Anne smiled sadly to herself; it was perhaps the only childish thing Ciel managed to keep within his grasp.

"Are we meeting someone at the café?" Ciel asked, voice monotone to hide the slight thrill he possessed. The chocolate cake was beyond good.

"Yes, but it's no one you've met before," Anne didn't mention she hadn't either.

"Hmm," Ciel said absently. He could care less who his aunt's friends were, there was no doubt that he knew none of their faces, let alone names.

Blue Note was relatively crowded; businessmen and women eating hastily while reading emails off smart phones filled the small tables. Waiters walked briskly from one table to the next, refilling water glasses whilst balancing dishes in the crooks of their arms.

"Ah! That must be him, he fits the description he gave me perfectly," Ciel looked in the direction his aunt was facing. A young man, no older than twenty-five, sat at a small 4-seater table beside a window. Black hair framed the man's angular face.

"Isn't he a bit young for you, Aunt Anne?" Ciel droned, not exactly caring who is aunt was dating. Though, take away ten years from both members of the relationship, and it would surely be pedophilic. Ciel couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

"Hush, Ciel. He is not what you think…" The two approached the table. As they drew nearer to the black-haired man, Anne added "…though I would not mind in the slightest if he were…" Ciel rolled his eyes.

"Hello! You must be Mr. Michaelis!" Ciel cringed at the over-enthusiastic tone of his aunt's voice. The black-haired man looked up to see two faces, one framed in deep red, the other covered in slate locks.

"Yes, I am. Pleased to meet you, Madam Durless," While saying this, however, Sebastian's gaze settled on Ciel. Ciel stared back without faltering. He was perplexed by the man's deep cinnamon eyes- not quite red, but not quite brown either. His own exposed blue orb bored into the eyes of the man situated across from him.
"And you must be Ciel, am I correct?" The man's lips curled into a smile. Ciel found the smile humorous, for the blatant falsification of happiness was rather amusing.
"You are correct," Ciel seated himself diagonal from Sebastian.

Ciel allowed his mind to wander as Sebastian and his aunt made small talk ("This café is very nice." "Oh yes! It's Ciel's favorite, they have lovely desserts!") Ciel sliced a section of his chocolate cake off with the side of his fork, following to spoke it with the tines and slip the sweet into his mouth. Glancing absently to the side, Ciel found Sebastian's gaze trained on him once more. Ciel found this slightly odd, but was not disturbed. He met the man's glance with a nod, and returned to his cake.

"Are you excited for your lesson tomorrow, Ciel?" Sebastian said, the first time addressing Ciel directly since he had introduced himself.

"Lesson?" Ciel said blankly, not turning his attention away from the dessert.

"Your vocal lesson,"

The sound of metal clattering against plaster was nearly deafening. The café silenced for a few, long, pregnant seconds before returning to maximum volume. Cake forgotten, Ciel shot Sebastian a glare.

"Excuse me?"

Sebastian tilted his head to one side, highly amused by the boy's expression. The glare seemed so out of place on such a youthful face; such an emotion was reserved for adults, children below the age of sixteen should not be glaring with such malice. A twelve-year-old boy, not even above the five-foot mark, trying to act so adult. It was rather endearing, and Sebastian could not help but smirk.

"Yes, Ciel. Your vocal lessons. Your aunt has drafted you to be my student. Has she not told you? Perhaps it was to be a surprise," He placed a gloved finger to his lips. If Ciel weren't so furious, he would question why the man was wearing gloves while eating. "Ah, perhaps I ruined the surprise,"

Ciel said nothing. He stood from the table, cake remaining half-eaten, and stormed out of the café.

"Ciel, running away from problems is childish!"
"Giving up singing is a choice, not a problem, Aunt Anne,"

"There you go again, living in the past! Do you think your parents would like it if they couldn't hear your voice again? Do you think they'd want you to live in misery over something you can't reverse?" Ciel shot his aunt a glare.

"You're being insensitive, Aunt. Do watch what you say," Anne glared back at her nephew.

"No, Ciel. Do watch what YOU say. I am your guardian, and as such, you will do as I say. You are attending these vocal lessons with Mr. Michaelis. Your first one is tomorrow at three thirty, and they will continue weekly until I see fit," Ciel turned to walk away, but was caught by the shoulder. "You WILL go, Ciel," She said sternly.

Ciel frowned and glared, his one exposed eye cold and harsh. He did not say no, nor did he say yes. He simply glared at his aunt until she released his shoulder. The boy walked away briskly, ascending the stairs with heavier steps than normal. The door to his room was slammed shut, and the click of the lock made Anne sigh.

"I'd be lying if I said I was doing this for you, Ciel. I'm doing this for myself…I want to hear your beautiful voice again. I want to see that smile," Her truthful statement went unheard by the furious nephew.

The vocal teacher's home was modest, to say the very least. Somehow, Sebastian had gotten a baby grand piano up the three flights of stairs and through the door of his apartment. It did not need to be said that Sebastian would not be moving any time soon, even if he had the money to do so.

Several instrument cases were propped neatly against the wall. Unlike most musicians, no instruments hung on the walls, or even stood out of their cases on stands.

Sebastian did live in an apartment, despite the abundance of musical instruments. The baby grand took up the entire living room. The remainder of the apartment was sparse and bare. A cheap looking table sat in the kitchen, making some sort of makeshift dining area. There was no couch or television. There were, however, several stools in the living room, along with the piano bench.

"How…homey," Anne managed to say. Ciel remained silent, not even bothering to feign interest.

Sebastian chuckled.
"There's no need to try to compliment. My standards of living are not so high," Sebastian offered Anne a stool, which she declined.

"I will not be staying long. I think Ciel would prefer it if I wasn't present at these lessons. Good day, Mr. Michaelis," With that, the red-clad aunt was gone.

The two remaining occupants of the apartment stared at one another. There was no awkwardness in either of their gazes.

"Would you like a seat?" Sebastian offered, breaking the silence. Ciel sat, but said nothing.

"Have you ever sung before?" Sebastian knew the answer, but there was no harm in asking. Ciel nodded.

"I've heard you were very good," Another nod. Sebastian sat on the piano bench, back to the keys.

"So what are you doing here? Why am I instructing you, if you already know how to sing?" Silence.

"You can't sing if you can't even speak,"

Ciel turned his head, face expressionless. Sebastian smirked.

"Well, it doesn't really matter to me. Whether you want to sing or not is up to you; I'm getting paid double regardless," Sebastian turned on the bench to face the piano. Placing his still-gloved hands on the keys, he began to absently play chords, singing along, as if no one was present to hear.

Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?

Ciel looked up abruptly, the familiar tune washing through his ears. The last time he had heard this song….the last time…

"Little boy, you'll sing in your cell, but not for me? I believe you need to be punished…"

Ciel bit his lip. He stared intently at Sebastian, singing the song flawlessly, playing the piano part simultaneously.

Momma won't let anyone dirty get through

Momma's gonna wait up until you get in

Momma's gonna always find out where you've been

Momma's gonna keep baby, healthy and clean…

Ciel closed his eyes. If he thought hard enough, he could feel her warm hand running through his hair. He could hear her laugh, he could hear her voice.

"Little boy, it's alright. I'll be your mother now,"

Ciel's eyes flickered open. He saw Sebastian, lost at his piano. The final line of the song was approaching. Ciel opened his mouth, and practically silent, sang beside his teacher.

Mother, did it need to be so high?

A/N;

Anyone who knows the song gets cookies. I'll say what it is in the next chapter. I won't be surprised if someone knows it, it's a pretty popular song.

Caesura- an abrupt stop in a musical composition.