Title: Vice and Versa
Author: ShadowTacticianVI
Posted: May 19th, 2010
Updated: July 15, 2010
Chapter Words: 2,814
Rating: T (Language, violence, eventually dark themes (that's Kuroshitsuji's fault))
Full Summary: Years back, before contracts with demons were a means to an end and at a time when the Millennium Earl's name was unheard of, two boys met across a white field and exchanged smiles. There were years of silence, years of resentment, yet in the end, simply knowing the other was there was enough. Each burdened with their own fate and curse, Ciel and Allen go through their lives—sometimes just trying to live.
Disclaimer: Not owning D. Gray-Man or Kuroshitsuji. But wow...if I did...*evil cackle* Yep, I can just imagine the fun...
2. Snow Burial
Ciel giggled and let out a short shriek of laughter as Sebastian, the manor dog, played with him just outside the entrance. He fell more than few times into the snow, but that was all right. His mother bundled him up in thick snow jackets, scarves, and mittens some 10 minutes ago. It left Ciel feeling like a penguin (all big and wobbly), but it also kept him toasty warm.
"Umph!"
"Woof! Woof!" Sebastian's tongue lolled to the side as he hopped almost excitedly around the fallen Ciel. Ciel stared up at the big dog, before giving a smile.
"Um-wahh!" Ciel laughed again as he attempted to push the dogs head away from his face. He struggled to pull his coat-covered arm over his face and wipe away all the slobber.
Eventually, his laughter subsided and Sebastian's pants quieted. Ciel gazed around the lawn, admiring the white fields of snow and pale sky. The snow stopped falling this morning, but the land was still coated white. To the left was the snowman and snowboy he made with Tanaka, decorated with a scarf his mother lent to him. Ciel flopped in the snow, and considered making a snow angel, but last time, Mother looked annoyed at all the snow he dragged in.
"Hmmm…" Ciel hummed aloud. Sebastian barked again, this time louder. Ciel's head popped up to the sight of Sebastian and his wagging tail, excitedly looking back towards the road they came from. "What do ya want, 'Bastian?"
He barked again and nudged Ciel before racing off towards the trail and occasionally dodging between the skeletons of trees. Ciel rushed to follow Sebastian, never noticing the panicked shout from behind, or the masculine voice that called out as well, one week earlier than it should've been.
As Ciel got farther and farther into the forest, his footsteps slowed into a weary walk. Finally he stopped in the midst of a clearing, a single, ominous stump distinguishing it. As he glanced around, alternately looking at his breath condensing in front of him (it was like smoke; he giggled), he realized that he had no idea where he was. Oh, well. He would just follow his footsteps home. Right? He turned to the receding footsteps, noting with a sickening feeling that it started snowing again, and worse yet, the wind was filling in his tiny footprints.
His breaths came faster, and Ciel spun around, a cry on his lips. "Sebastian! Sebastian —we're not supposed to be here!" His only reply was a distant bark, perhaps somewhere behind him. Ciel turned back and regarded his fading footprints with barely suppressed terror. Nonetheless, Ciel began trudging backwards, hoping that somehow Sebastian slipped past him and that they were going home.
When Sebastian barked again, Ciel jumped. "'Bastian?" Ciel whispered. "Sebastian?" The reply sounded from behind him again, and Ciel whirled back around and raced back toward the fading echo. The trees began to creak mournfully as Ciel reentered the clearing from which he had started. Ciel peered between the trunks, trying in vain to see past the growing storm, looking for the flash of brown that would signify Sebastian's return.
Thump! Ciel jumped up like a frightened rabbit, breathless. Nonetheless, Ciel scrambled after the fading echoes of the sound, only mildly relieved when they continued. Even as he followed this one piece of sound amidst the sea of quiet, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
As he drew closer and closer, Ciel realized the noises were not reminiscent of Sebastian's quick, light pads but more of a…dragging sound. He stopped sharply and listened to the eerie echo, before gathering the courage to peek around the large oak tree in front of him. Against the bright snow, he quickly caught sight of the brown mop of hair that decorated the top of a small figure. Behind the figure, was a much larger form…? It was clothed in a thin jacket and behind that, its skin blended in easily with the snow.
"Wh-what?" Ciel squeaked and in a blindingly fast motion, the small figure whirled around, sending a small burst of snow amidst his feet. Their eyes met and Ciel was greeted with the familiar face of a boy, barely bigger than himself. The boy's eyes narrowed and he called out sharply, "What are you doing here?"
"U-uh, I…" Ciel stuttered and stumbled out from behind the tree, giving the other a clear look at him. Now that Ciel was out in the open, Ciel realized that a little further up was a log cabin with smoke flowing freely out of the chimney. While Ciel found himself rubbing his arms, eager for the warmth it offered, he also found himself unable to step forward, unable to move away from the scene in front of him.
Surrounded by swaying trees and chilly, fluttering snow, the two boys stared at each other in equal silence. A field of silence that felt impossible to pass.
The trees moaned again, and Ciel flinched, meekly glancing at the cabin again. He was cold… "Uhm…is…is that house yours?"
Ciel stood stiffly as the other just stared incredulously at his question. The boy seemed to look behind him, look below him at the…form and then back up to Ciel with what seemed like a bewildered question just on his lips. But then he just shook his head and said, "No." Ciel bit his lip and began another question only to be interrupted with what seemed to be the boy's annoyed voice. "I asked you what you're doing here. Aren't you supposed to be with parents, or something?"
Ciel jerked as his memories flooded back, burning question set aside for the moment. "Oh! I'm lost, have, have you seen Sebastian?" The boy sent him another odd look, this time mixed with a certain level of scrutiny. When it became clear Ciel wasn't going to say anything else, the boy hesitantly began dragging the form again, heading away from the cabin and brushing quickly pass Ciel. Nervously, Ciel gave a glance back at the cabin before following the boy, hurrying with his shorter gait.
"Sebastian? Of course I would know Sebastian," he finally replied in a sarcastic voice.
Ciel perked up, "Really! He's here?" He was faced with a deadpan stare. Now that Ciel was starting to calm down, he took the time himself to analyze this new figure. Brown hair, and he believed the brunet had gray eyes from the glimpses he caught. Curiously enough, he was wearing a really thin jacket, the kind of thing Ciel would wear in the summer. It was dirty, and now he realized that the whole boy in general was dirty. His coat was dark brown with what looked like one of those tiny shovels stuck in a pocket, although he couldn't what color the coat started as. His pants were too long and ripped, and his gloves were thin and stained with mud. Past that, Ciel's eyes traveled to the side where the boy's hands were gripping the collar of a coat. A coat currently covering (because it wasn't really being worn…was it?) a man. Before he could continue his seconds of study, the boy replied to his earlier question with a decidedly amused tone.
"You really are just a little kid. That was sarcasm."
Ciel scowled, turning his focus back to the situation. He knew sarcasm just fine, and he could at least tell that was a 'no.' "I'm not a kid! You're just as little and short as me!" Ciel folded his arms and trudged angrily after the other, jerking again when sprinkling laughter sounded softly before being smothered by the wind.
Glancing up, he recognized the source as the boy. Somehow, when faced with the first impression of a scowling, suspicious and dirty boy Ciel didn't really think he'd have a nice laugh like that. It reminded him a little of his mother's, but it was covered by something sharper, something darker. "I'm…e-eight and I've been taking care of myself a lot longer than you!" The dirty boy said with a small, tricky smirk.
But Ciel's only reply was blinking confusion. "Eight? But I know someone who's eight and he's a lot bigger than you. I bet you're lying!" Ciel couldn't help but stick out his tongue, and was unprepared for the scowl that returned.
"I'm not lying! You're friend's probably just fat from rich food! You guys always think just because you have all the money in the world you're better than everyone else!" His words were heated and the lighter countenance Ciel faced earlier disappeared. Instead, the boy abruptly faced away from Ciel and focused entirely on dragging the form crossly.
Ciel just found himself confused again, and maybe a little hurt. That didn't warrant that big of an eruption, did it? "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing! Just go away back to your momma!"
Ciel protested, "But I have to find 'Bastian! And I don't know how to get out of this place!" Ciel was startled when the form was suddenly dropped from the other's hands and his scowling face turned towards Ciel again.
"Well I'm not gonna help you! Do it yourself! That's how I've done it my whole life!" He firmly turned back and struggled to grasp the form again in his hand. It was then that Ciel realized just how much trouble the boy was having. In all the 10 minutes they were having this conversation, they only progressed down the path a bit and the cabin's smoke was still easily in sight. Furthermore, he looked like he could barely stand and barely used his left hand.
Abruptly, Ciel asked, "Are you alright?" He looked up and there was confusion again in his gray eyes. Finally there a big sigh and Ciel got the impression the boy wasn't angry anymore.
There was something muttered, but Ciel didn't quite catch it. "I said," the boy repeated, "you're the weirdest brat I've ever met. Short too." Before Ciel could draw up an indignant reply, the brunet sighed again and continued. "I'm sorry, but I can't bring you back…home. I don't know where you live, or who Sebastian is, and I really have to get this done."
Ciel glanced at the load on the boy's hands and swallowed. "What…are you doing?"
He was faced with another one of those incredulous looks. "You really can't tell? I thought you were just dense back there, but you really have no clue do you?"
"What are you talking about?" Ciel huffed but eyed the form again. It looked like a sleeping man with thin gray hair, but he wasn't moving, his skin was blue, and his eyes… Ciel averted his gaze. How did the boy stand dragging it when it constantly stared up with blank eyes? "What's with the creepy…not person?" he aimed at the other.
He shook his head and stared up at the sky. Ciel twisted his head, but he didn't see anything interesting, just more snow. Creepy laughter caused him to look back down. "It's…" The boy shook his head again and looked annoyed. "…" Ciel frowned and tugged on his sleeve, gaining a quick jerk out of his hands from the boy. Shooting a mild glare at Ciel, he finally continued. "When you don't eat enough or get hurt, you're uh…soul feels bad. If it happens a lot your soul might need to sleep to get better, like you do when you get sick." He shot Ciel an odd look. "You people do get sick, right?"
Ciel gave a nod and began to tell the story about Aunt Marie and the banana but the other quickly shushed him. "So the soul goes to sleep for a very long time, and it's called dying. This guy died so I have to take care of him now."
Ciel stared, and then started slowly. "That's what a dead person looks like? Uncle Chris died… But I never hear about him anymore. Why do you have to take care of them? They disappear."
The boy stared back and some kind of unrecognizable feeling leaked into his eyes. Ciel wondered what was wrong. A crooked smile that looked out of place appeared on the boy's face as he answered. "Aunt Marie's a widow, huh? Well she's not doing a good job then. When someone dies they disappear, but that's why you have to take care of them. So that they come back one day."
Ciel looked startled, slate blue hair hanging in his face and mouth just open a breath. "Come back?"
"Yeah. Maybe you won't ever see them again in person, but they can always live in your heart, right? You can remember them, and if you make other people remember them, then in a way, they've come back. They live on." The brunet quieted for a moment, before giving a start and hurriedly finishing with, "Not that I'd know anything about that! I just hear… Someone just told me that before. And it sounds nice."
The boy looked back at the cabin before plopping down on the snow with a small shiver. "Anyway, I think this is good enough. I can't get drag this stupid load any farther anyway." Ciel didn't think that was very nice, but the boy wasn't done. "I'm borrowing this guy's house for a bit, so I think I should thank him.
"'Cause you know, some people don't ever get a single look or glance in their lives. They go about life without a care from anyone else, and to the world, they've already disappeared." He stared moodily at the ground, before beginning to part the snow with his thin, dirty gloves. When the dark brown dirt could be seen, he pulled out his tool. "When someone rich dies, they get a big funeral and it doesn't matter if all they did was drink all day or gamble away the food money. All everyone there says is good things and all the friends just want to remember the good times."
He bit his lip as he worked to peel back a few rocks. "Some people, like this guy I bet, won't be missed by anyone. He was all alone in that house and I don't even know why he had to die… But I figure, everyone deserves at least one good word. So I'm giving him a funeral, like all those rich folks and I'm going to say all the good things about him. That's why I have to do this, and can't stop yet. I have to say all the good things."
"Like what?" The boy jerked back a bit, as if just remembering Ciel's presence. After a pause, the boy began spinning his tale, all the while scraping at the ground. There were princesses and treasures and heroic deeds leaving Ciel hung on every word. Even though the main character's name was Peter Maxwell and halfway through it became Perry Martin, even when Ciel smiled patiently when the other paused to 'remember' details, and even if the story ended with the clichéd 'happily ever after' ending, Ciel still listened with wonder, returning every smile the other sent.
And when the story was done and a shallow grave was dug, Ciel said all the good things about Perrter Maxtin too, because every person deserved a nice word in their life/not-life. Ciel ended up plopped on the ground, even if he was still kind of shivering. A silence flowed between them, but it felt more comfortable and not nearly as scary even if the sun was going down. Finally Ciel interrupted their quiet pause.
"Will you give me a nice funeral when I die too?" The boy jerked his head towards Ciel, a surprised look in his eyes.
"That's kind of morbid, brat." Nonetheless, there was a shaky tone to his childish voice and the boy began to stare at the sky and snowflakes again.
"Don't call me that! You're not that older than me!" Ciel threw a handful of snow at the other, resulting a mild a snow fight before the other pushed him back down onto the snow firmly.
"How old are you anyway, Shorty?" the other teased, despite his own vertical challenges.
"Six!" The boy snorted, but there was a lighter, happier shine to his eyes.
"You're holding up five fingers."
"Pfftth! I'll be six really soon! Just promise!" There was no reply and Ciel was about to start whining before the boy finally answered.
"You're not going to ever need that kind of funeral from me. You'll get one of those nice big ones I told you about." Ciel was gently poked and he giggled, before shoving the other back with a bright smile. Bright blue puppy dog eyes looked up at the brunet.
"But you'll still say nice things right?"
"…"
"…"
"…I'll donate some high heels."
A/N: So how was that? Much longer, but you should expect the rest of the chapters to be about this length. And well… . I said this was going to be more like a series of one-shots than a story, but I'm not sure anymore. This didn't really feel like a one-shot, but the whole doesn't feel much like a story either so what is it? Hah. Anyhow, this part will be continued in the next chapter where Sebastian is found, Lord Vincent saves the day, and a promise is made. Isn't that vague? Oh and it won't be in Ciel's point of view next chapter…I wonder who's… Well hope everyone likes and keeps reading! It's so nice to get all those reviews and stuff, so keep it coming! Thanks to all the reviews, even if I didn't reply, know that I read them and appreciate every one of them!
I should also make a note that my friend seems to have gotten interested in my story and is starting to help a bit. They worked a bit on this chapter and helped my motivation get going, so cheers to Snow Lynx 95! Or at least I think that's her penname.
All constructive criticism and corrections are appreciated. Expect next chapter before the end of May if all goes to plan!