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. Oh, and the Middle Northern Quadrant, East District, Zone 3, refers to Europe, specifically the eastern side, in the area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Portal to a New Life

Summary: Bell blinked, managed a tiny evil grin that was somehow extremely terrifying, and mumbled, "Mmfdeadweight."

Aquila blinked back at his brother. He had a feeling that Lucifer's mood could go from affectionate to seething while in the middle of a sentence. Down to a letter, if conditions were right. Asmodeus seemed to figure largely in this problem. But as of right now, his brother's face was tired and scared, although the fear seemed to be fading. Aquila gave Lucifer a questioning look.

The red-haired demon took a shaky breath. "I thought they were going to kill you," he whispered. "It took all of my friends' combined strength to keep me on the ground. And maybe death would have been better. But that is what they want. They want us to despair, to seek out Death and thus exterminate ourselves." Lucifer's hair fell over his eyes as he looked down. He appeared a bit depressed. "They took away the things that we cling to, those emotions that enable us to forgive and forget. We are cursed with immortality and almost limitless power. Forever starving to death, and unable to die of it. No faith. No hope. No love. No mercy. No compassion."

Aquila could tell that Lucifer was trying to carry the pain of all the new demons by himself, trying to help them along by lightening their load. He was trying to comfort them, keep them safe from their friends and family, those who loved them one minute and cursed them to suffer for the rest of their lives the next. Mothers and fathers that shunned their children to suffering that could last thousands of years. No wonder the demons hated the angels. They had taken all that was good and kind from their lives, and had also created their own worst enemy.

"Why don't you show me around?" Aquila suggested gently, trying to pull his brother out of whatever darker place he had submerged into. "Your friends didn't know me very well other than a name."

Lucifer seemed to warm to the prospect, and chuckled dryly. "They all have peculiar tendencies now. It's a side effect of the Deadly Sin they are a patron of. Me, for example. I am Wrath and Pride. A nasty combination. I've learned never to put Envy and Greed within ten feet of each other. They were fighting over the chandeliers the other day..." Aquila's brother kept up a steady stream of chatter, probably to hear the sound of his voice. His other side was coming out.

Lucifer led Aquila down a narrow corridor that came out in a nicely furnished room. A girl with shoulder-length, dark violet hair was leaning against the opposite doorframe, making notes on a clipboard. Slightly inside the room was another girl dressed in a stylish black maid outfit. She appeared to be making a report.

"...the demon hounds are keeping the Ka out of the construction area, and that young Hades has been assigned to the Middle Northern Quadrant, East District, Zone 3. He's got his own special hound, one of those nice three-headed ones, I believe he's calling it Cerberus..." the maid was saying.

The purple-haired girl looked up and spotted Aquila and Lucifer. "Hey-o, Luke! Azzy's been bugging you again, hasn't he?" she asked sympathetically.

Lucifer nodded regretfully and grimaced. "He tried to decorate the parlor again. I incinerated a bit of it, but it will need a cleaning crew. He uses a rather stubborn paint for the walls..." Lucifer rubbed his forehead in irritation.

The girl waved at Aquila cheerfully. "Yo. My name's Leviathan, but please call me Vannessa or Tay-tay. Mon, it is so not fair that you can wear that color green and pull it off!" The purple-haired demoness added over her shoulder to a demon that had just walked into the room. He was wearing a deep green jacket and his hair was brown, giving him a rugged, laid-back feel around him. He seemed annoyed by Vannessa's statement. Frowning, he growled in annoyance and stalked right back out.

"That was Mammon, Patron of Greed. I'm Envy. Don't mind Mon, he's a bit stingy around me," Vannessa waved him away dismissively. "So, who are you?"

"Erm, I'm Aquila. I'm his brother," Aquila motioned to Lucifer, who seemed to have the nickname Luke.

"Hey, it's little Aqui!" Vannessa's face lit up. "I remember you! Oh, and here's Bell. Belphegor, say hello to Aquila!" she called to another female demon, one dressed in deep blue pajamas and black slippers.

Bell yawned and rubbed her eyes, padding forward to look sleepily at Aquila with her feline pupils. "Mmf, 'lo, Aqui. Wisshyshmfblorgzzzzka'meepPILLOW...zzzzz," Bell managed to say, before glomping Vannessa's arm and passing out.

"Patron of Sloth, in case you couldn't guess," Vannessa added, trying to shove the sleeping Bell off of her.

Bell blinked, managed a tiny evil grin that was somehow extremely terrifying, and mumbled, "Mmfdeadweight."

"Waaargh!" Vannessa yelled as she was pulled to the floor by the suddenly limp Bell.

"Mmmmpillowsleepysleep..." Bell's sentence, if it could even be called that, trailed off into a series of snores.

Lucifer sighed. "As I said, they all have peculiar tendencies. Now, most everything else here is just private rooms, and a meeting hall. What we are working on is down here." Aquila's brother lead the way down several flights of stone steps that appeared to have been literally clawed out of the rock. The two emerged before a small dock at an underground river. Several sturdy gondolas carved from black wood were tethered to respective posts. Lucifer pointed to one, which Aquila climbed into. Despite the boat's flimsy appearance, it remained perfectly balanced on the still water, broken momentarily by slight ripples. Lucifer hopped neatly onto the stern end of the boat, where a small platform barely encompassed his feet. Picking up the gondola's paddle, he untied the craft from its moorings and pushed off smoothly. Just ahead, spinning lazily in the air, was a violet vortex, about the same shape as one of the spiral galaxies in the sky. It hummed cheerfully, and Lucifer edged the gondola's prow through the center of it. It promptly began to twirl violently in a dizzying tornado, and sucked the boat and its passengers into it.

All was purple around Aquila. Worlds flashed by, stars and planets and endless empty space twined around and through him, then sped past, trailing stardust tendrils down his arm. Finally, the purple light faded, and the cosmos that was separate and yet a part of him left as well. The new world appeared, shifting into focus like eyes adjusting to things in the dark. There was a deep, black river flowing into the distance. There were lanterns and dozens of small shapes flitting around, spitting fire.

"What are they?" Aquila marveled as one perched on the gondola's edge, folding four leathery, dragonfly-like wings onto its back. It looked like some kind of lizard, with iridescent scales the color of the sea, and small, intelligent eyes of a warm amber. The entire thing was no longer than Aquila's hand, from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. It sneezed, and a little flame shot out of its nostrils.

Lucifer shrugged. "They were here when we found this world. They come in bigger shapes as well. There are lots of strange creatures here-white horses with cloven hooves and long horns, horses with angel wings, even a peculiar class of demon. They keep to themselves mostly, and call themselves djinn. We are calling these little firebreathers dragons, after the insect they resemble in their wings."

"Do you remember the cat?" Aquila asked softly. Complete silence settled over the gondola, and the only sounds were those around them, the little zips as the dragons flew through the air.

It seemed that ages had passed before Lucifer spoke. "Yes, I remember the cat." The two demons sat in the boat, lost in times when they knew what happiness was.

"Look, little Aqui, and you too, Lucifer!" Tsala laughs, bringing the carefully crafted figurines closer to the young angels. They are about 15 years old. "Your father's going to let you paint and name these!" There was a medium-sized bird, standing proudly on its talons, head tilted to the side, a mischievous look in its eyes. There was another bird with long, trailing tail feathers, and a furry, pointy-eared creature with a long snout and muscular legs. Last was a small animal that looked similar to the panthers and lions that had been created, but it was sweeter, with a dainty little nose and wee paws, and thin, wide ears landing in soft points. Its tail was wrapped around it protectively, and it sat on its haunches and gazed imploringly into the distance.

Gently, Aquila moves this last animal, and the medium-sized bird, in front of him. Lucifer takes the other two, and they begin painting. Aquila paints his bird with glossy, blue-black feathers and sparkling green eyes, to match his own appearance. He paints the other animal with lots of white, and patches of ginger and brown and black. An animal that will always be a "her". Calico. It was a nice word to describe the animal's pattern. Lucifer's bird was green all over, but the tail feathers were marvelous colors. The big animal he painted grey, with a black nose and yellow eyes, tough and courageous.

"They look lovely," Tsala says happily, smiling fondly at her two children. "Don't you think, Gabriel?" she calls over her shoulder to her husband. The reddish-blond angel smiles at the little group in the middle of the beautiful garden. His eyes crinkle in that way unique to doting fathers.

"I'm going to name this one Quetzal," Lucifer says, pointing to the bird. "And this one is Wolf."

"My bird is called Raven," Aquila adds. He considers the little calico panther curiously. "And this...this is Cat."

The four new animals are brought to life with a breath and a few words from Gabriel, and the first cat rubs affectionately against Aquila, purring sweetly. Every day, the two angels play in the Garden, and the cat comes and goes, playing with Aquila, and with the little animal called Mouse. The wolf follows Lucifer faithfully through the garden, and plays with the cat on occasion. They are not enemies at this time, the cat and the mouse, the wolf and the cat. Everything is peaceful, and everything is perfect. Humans do not exist, demons do not exist. No one dreams of what will happen at the end of a span of ten years. No one thought that it could happen. After all, Lucifer was so nice to everyone...

Phew! I apologize for the lack of updates. I haven't had a lot of time to write recently, what with my annoying science project for chemistry to do and all. Mondays without school, when nobody will be home all day, are officially my buddy. Please review! Or I'll sic Azzy on you to decorate everything pink (just kidding)...