Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not.
Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. In this chapter, I'm going with the idea that there's more than three or four humans on Earth.
Tree of Life
Summary: "On second thought, I'm not hungry," Aquila backed away hurriedly. He couldn't possibly do that. No way.
The two demons paused on the edge of the desert, before crossing into a wide savannah. Oryx galloped by in their herds, and Aquila was surprised that they didn't appeal to him as food. In front of him, Asmodeus lifted his head and sniffed the air.
"Smell that, mon ami?" he asked. Aquila carefully took in a tiny whiff. Carried faintly on the wind was the smell of something sweet and delicious. His stomach clamored at him, craving this sweet-smelling thing. Aquila felt his eyes shift, the pupils narrowing to slits and the rest glowing bright, light red. Instinctively, he dropped into a hunting crouch, balancing gently on the balls of his feet.
"Bit early to be doing that, mate," Asmodeus cautioned. "You have to get closer first." The elder demon led the way, running on his toes like a cat. Aquila copied him, all thoughts narrowed down to one: Food. Food to stop this pain.
They had only been running for a few minutes when they came across a human village. A few poorly constructed huts were arranged in an orderly fashion. A few young women had meat cooking over a communal fire. Children ran around and played a game that was known only to them.
"You aren't suggesting we steal?" Aquila shot an appalled glance at Asmodeus, but the demon wasn't paying attention. He was watching two men leaving the group of huts with slings and stones in their hand. In that instant, Aquila remembered another bit of memory.
"Oh, you don't want to hear that story. It'll give you nightmares," Tsala chided her children. The two young angels nodded with excitement. Scary bedtime stories were their favorite.
"Alright, fine!" Tsala held up her hands in mock surrender. "Legend tells of what would happen to an angel that falls into darkness," she began. "They become demons, monsters that exist only to feed on humans. They have many names-akuma, hellfiend-but they are known far and wide as...the soul-eaters!"
The short story sent chills up the young angels' spines. "Do any exist?" asked the older one.
"Of course not, Lucifer," Tsala replied, smoothing his red hair back on his brow. "There are no demons."
Aquila's breathing stopped. No, he thought. No way. "On second thought, I'm not hungry," Aquila backed away hurriedly. He couldn't possibly do that. No way.
Asmodeus gave him an almost pitiable look. "Just let instinct do its job, little wild one."
Aquila wanted to scream at the elder demon that there was no way he could do that. He wanted to shout that he'd rather die. But he wasn't sure if he could die. And his stomach was attacking again, craving something to dull the acidic pain.
Shakily, Aquila closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and that sweet smell washed over him again. Through vermillion eyes the demon hunted, watching the two young men part ways and go in different directions, searching for their food. The demon that was Aquila crept onto a rock, watching one of the men come towards him, a deer unaware of the panther. Any real deer that wished to survive would have stopped and scented the air for danger. But this was a human, and their noses were not nearly as advanced. But they had other senses as well. As if he detected the presence of a creature of fire and darkness, the man glanced over his shoulder. A sudden wind had sent chills through him that had nothing to do with the chilly breeze, though he didn't know why. Shaking off the feeling, the man continued.
High on the rock, the demon began to purr with anticipation. Closer, foolish human. You think you are the hunter, when you are the hunted. You think yourself a predator, when you are my prey.
The man stopped in the shadow of the rock, stealing a moment's respite from the blazing sun. The demon pounced, sinking his razor fangs into the man's neck, feeding on his blood and soul. The man gurgled, too late to scream. The demon devoured his soul with purrs of happiness, its stomach relinquishing the siege. Aquila regained control of his own mind, and sank into the blissful taste of innocence and bravery. This was the fruit of the Tree of Life, the human soul.
His stomach retreated from being ravenous, and now it felt like someone was digging knives into its lining. "I'm still starving," Aquila told Asmodeus with a puzzled look on his face. Blood dripped from his elongated canines, and without thinking, he licked them clean.
"Ah, I'm afraid we are always starving, little wild one," Asmodeus sighed. "No amount of feeding will change that. It will dull the pain for only a little while, before returning. You should only feed if you are ravenous."
"Now what?" Aquila asked Asmodeus.
"You should come and meet the others," the elder demon answered. "I expect that you haven't seen your own brother since that day."
Whoo yay chapter 2! Please read and review, plot ideas welcome!