Death Watch

Chapter Seven

Every Strand

Once back at the manor, Ciel was served his dinner by Sebastian, and then retired to his bedroom to read before going to bed. Arthur had just published a new story, and Ciel was eagerly looking forward to reading it. The story was a good one, but his thoughts kept wandering nonetheless to the events of the day. In particular, he was having trouble squaring away with himself a certain troubling realization. Even more than the disturbing fact that he had actually kissed Grell, he pondered and seethed at the thought that he hadn't felt more disgusted by it than he had. Of course, that brought back to mind the fact that he had actually been thinking of the demon during it... His breath hitched at the memory of that night a month ago, with his butler. He couldn't deny it; he had to be honest with himself: kissing Sebastian had felt good; more than good, it had felt incredibly, gloriously wonderful. A knock sounded at his door.

"Master?" he heard his butler announce.

"Enter," he replied as nonchalantly as he could, the echoes of his thoughts just now reverberating in his head. Sebastian came in, wheeling the trolley with his evening's tea into the room, bringing it to the bed where Ciel reclined on the numerous overstuffed pillows he had arranged behind his back, jacket and tie having been discarded to the floor so as to be able to relax all the more. He moved to the side of the bed to sit on the edge, his feet still dangling a ways over the floor, even now.

Pouring the freshly made tea into a cup, the butler handed it to Ciel who took it after putting his book down. He breathed in the potent, flowery aroma, and sighed. "Mariage Frères?" he inquired. His butler replied in the affirmative. "Correct, my lord." He couldn't quite place the exact blend, however. The scent brought to mind a vague fragrance of Hibiscus flowers and… something else. He took a sip; most satisfactory and delicious, he sighed to himself; soothing and stimulating at the same time. Ah! "Is it… Eros blend?" "Indeed," the butler replied in a tone of praise. Ciel smiled. It was one of his favorites, but it had been a while since he'd last had it. He breathed deeply, feeling his body relax with the warm, familiar drink trickling down through him.

The butler was at the ready to take the empty cup as he handed it back to him when he had finished, placing it on its saucer and then setting it on the tray. "Would you like me to draw you a bath, sir?" he asked. Ciel shook his head. He really just wanted to finish his book, and go to sleep. He felt too lazy to do anything else.

"No, thank you, Sebastian. Not tonight." He looked up at the demon as he stood there. Sebastian just continued to look thoughtfully down at him, not leaving, and then spoke.

"Master, why did you stop me from finishing off the reaper?" Ciel thought about this, looking away as he considered it. Why had he stopped him? He wasn't quite sure. Or rather, he didn't really want to think about the reason why, so he remained silent. His butler continued.

"My lord, please forgive me, but I wish you had not have stopped me from killing that lunatic shinigami-I was just so furious! I wanted to kill him after what he did to you," the demon growled through gritted teeth. "And I fear what he may be capable of, in order to cause trouble to us again. He is nothing if not persistent, not to mention completely deranged. I really feel it may be prudent to go back and finish him off once and for all, just for good measure."

"Sebastian, are you going against my wishes?" Ciel frowned with disapproval at his butler. Sebastian remained silent, not replying.

"Sebastian, it's an order. Leave the reaper alone for now. Understood?"

"Yes, my lord," his butler answered, bowing his head, and then looked back up at him, smiling a bit defiantly. Ciel just shook his head. The demon was as inscrutable as ever to him, and there was no way he would ever know what truly went on inside that head of his. He never ceased to baffle him. Thoughts of the demon and Grell together filtered through his mind, making him cringe.

"I still just can't believe you did… such things… with him. Yes, I know somewhat of the things that men of that… persuasion do with each other. Perverted, grotesque, immoral acts that disgust me just to think about."

"My lord, they are not so disgusting as you imagine. They can actually be… quite enjoyable; quite enjoyable indeed." He smiled slyly at Ciel. "You should try it sometime."

"Why, you bloody, lecherous bastard!" spat Ciel. Thoroughly incensed this time, Ciel rose up and raised his ring-bedecked left hand to strike his butler once more, backhanded this time, wanting to inflict some real damage in his rage. How dare he be so impertinent to his master, he fumed?

To his utmost surprise, the demon did something he had never done before. He stopped him. Ciel's wrist was caught in the vice-like grip of Sebastian's left hand, and he was completely unable to even move it, much less tear it away. He eyes got wide at this daring act, and he looked into his butler's fiery eyes, blazing now with a fury that matched his own. They stayed that way for many long seconds, locked, staring at each other. To Ciel's further annoyance, he felt his cheeks get hot for no reason at all, and his body reacting in… certain ways that he would prefer it did not, especially at this juncture. It was those damn eyes, now scintillating with demonic ire, sending sparks of fire into his very soul. He felt himself being drawn into them, and immediately turned away, to look down at the floor.

"Master," he heard his butler say, releasing his hand to then transfer it to his chin, cupping it firmly, and turning it back to face him, forcing him to gaze back into those gleaming eyes once more. Damn him—damn the demon, with his oh-so-beautiful face, much too beautiful to belong to any earthly man. It was his fault-the fault of his unnatural beauty that made him feel this way. The flawlessness of his features; those eyes, those lips... He couldn't deny it. He wanted it; wanted to feel those lips on his again. He tried to look away again, but found his jaw was still held securely and immovably by the demon's gloved hand.

"Master," breathed the demon, low and barely audible, the words brushing past his face as he bent even closer. "Do you know how you tempt me?" His dark eyes glowed down into his with an intensity that Ciel had never seen before, and he felt himself being drawn into them, helpless to look away, being dragged into their blazing depths. He shivered as sparks seemed to dart down through his body, traveling as it were from those eyes down to the pit of his stomach.

Slowly running his thumb up and down Ciel's cheek the demon then brushed Ciel's fringe back with his gloved fingers to sweep the eye patch off his head, letting it fall to the floor between them. "I can feel your desire; I know what you want." The space between them was slowly, inexorably closed as the butler leaned closer, until their faces were mere inches apart. "I cannot stand immune to it. You draw me in; I cannot resist…" Ciel's eyes were now locked onto his butler's mouth that had parted slightly, and he watched, mesmerized, as his tongue ghosted over his lower lip, wetting it. The demon's other hand came out and grasped his wrist, and then slowly ran up his arm to clasp his shoulder. Ciel quivered in expectation as his heart fluttered, and his mouth opened a little in a small gasp. He knew what was going to happen, and he knew he shouldn't let it, but somehow he just couldn't bring himself to try to stop it. But he knew he had to try. He started to protest.

"Seb… Mmnnngh!" Ciel couldn't finish the words he was going to say, as his mouth was suddenly covered by his butler's lips. His eyes closed as he sunk willingly and thirstily into them, surrendering to hot, greedy kisses that consumed his body and soul. Ciel's head swam at the sensuous feel of the demon's lips drinking in his once more, sending a rush of pleasure down the length of his body. He ran his hands up desperately through the silky raven strands of his butler's hair, scraping his fingernails along his scalp, and was rewarded with a sharp hissing. He moaned at the almost painfully pleasurable sensation as the demon drew his upper lip between his teeth and ever so lightly sucked on it, and then shivered as he felt him run his tongue over his lower lip, back and forth, so lightly it tickled.

"Mmmm… mmm… nng!" he gasped at the sensation, and then immediately felt the demon's tongue slip in to lightly swipe along his own, tugging playfully at it, stroking it. He found himself responding in kind as the demon continued ravishing his mouth, laving its every nook and corner with his hot, insistent tongue.

"Master," his butler breathed between kisses, "I know I should not. Ahhh, we should… should not…"

"Yes, I... Ah! Se… Sebastian," Ciel muttered breathily in between gasps. "I… I know. We… should stop."

"Mmm," his butler only replied. "Ahh, but you taste so good… so sweet… so very exquisite."

Gliding down his neck, the demon's mouth left a trail of burning kisses that made him draw in a sharp breath and shudder with delight. "Ahh-ah," he gasped as he felt that mouth latch onto the delicate skin of the base of his neck, sucking hotly and fiercely at it. The fire was now coursing through his body, through his every vein, pooling in his stomach and groin. Grasping his butler's hair even tighter, his knees felt as though they would give, as the assault on his neck was intensified.

"Nng! Oh, god! Sebastian. Mmmng!" He moaned and writhed at the continued onslaught to his neck, clasping his hands tighter to his butler's tresses to cling to him for support. And then he was unable to saying anything more, as the demon's lips were suddenly back on his, drawing his mouth into his with kiss after hungry kiss.

Ciel tried to think what it was he had been saying, but his mind was lost in a dizzying haze of pleasure.

"Sebastian," Ciel mumbled. "I…"

He heard the demon speak for him, instead.

"Young master, order me…" he said, with breathy urgency, before placing another searing kiss on Ciel's lips. "Order me to stop, my lord."

Ciel knew it was what he had to do, as reluctant as he was. He tried valiantly to speak in between kisses. "Sebastian, I order you…" His hands wrapped harder around the demon's neck, fingernails digging into his flesh. "I order you… order you to…" He felt his determination begin to slip away, fall and crumple, to disintegrate at his feet. He heard his mouth saying the next words without actually realizing what he was saying.

"I order you not to stop. Sebastian, don't ever stop."

At those words, Sebastian gave in to him completely. He covered him with kisses all over, his jaw, his neck, then back up to his mouth. Latching onto his lips once more, he sought entrance, and Ciel gave it to him willingly, unreservedly.

Those lips then traveled back along his jaw, unbearably soft lips running so lightly against his skin it sent shivers up and down his body. He sighed as he then felt them trail along his jaw line up to his ear, making him gasp when he felt his tongue lick the outer rim, blowing hot breathe over it. He shuddered as it then dipped into the inner chamber for a moment before moving to the lobe, lips closing around it and then lightly sucking at it.

"Mnngh! Gah-ah!" he gasped, biting his lip a little to keep from crying out more.

The demon then ran his lips back over his cheek before once more capturing his lips in his, bestowing hungrier kisses then ever upon them.

He felt the demon's hands then move to the front of his shirt, where they began swiftly unbuttoning it, leaving it to fall open the next instant. Pushing his sleeves away and down off his arms, the butler then removed it completely without breaking the kiss. The demon's mouth then moved under and down his neck and along his collar bone, running the tip of his tongue along his skin as he did so. Another hot kiss was placed at the base of his neck, and then his mouth glided across his skin, licking and kissing its way to his other shoulder.

Ciel suddenly felt himself being lifted up and then gently pushed back to fall against the bed, his head hitting his pillow, as the hot breath of the demon continued to lavish warm wet kisses all over his chest. Reaching his nipples, he felt the demon's mouth take first one, then the other in his mouth, lightly nipping and sucking, swirling his tongue over it, and then blowing. The wetness from his tongue made the air feel cold on his nipples when he did, sending thrills of ecstasy through him, and making him softly cry out despite himself. He felt the demon's mouth then traveling back up his chest, over his collarbone and back up his neck. Arms went around Ciel's torso and pulled him closer against tailcoat-covered chest, silver buttons burning coldly against his naked skin, making him jerk back and gasp; but Sebastian's mouth was against his once more, not letting him pull away. His blood began surging through his veins, making him want more, making him hungry for more contact, and his hands went round to his butler's face, brushing up against his cheeks and then travelling through his gossamer-fine hair once more to grip the back of his head and neck with his still rather small hands, clinging desperately, weakly.

He felt the demon shifting his weight to climb up on the bed with him, bringing one knee to either side to straddle him, resting back very lightly against his hips. Running his hands down Ciel's chest, his gloved hands brushed against taut nipples, teasing them with his gloved fingers this time. Ciel gasped. His butler's hand traveled further down, reaching the waistband of his pants and unfastening them, to then slide farther down Ciel's legs, drawing his trousers down with him. Ciel's member sprang free, fully erect. Sebastian wrapped his hand around it, gliding a little up and down his shaft. Ciel gasped again, loudly, his eyes closing in delight.

"Ahh! Ah! Ah! Ahhh!" He opened his eyes momentarily to gaze at Sebastian, and at what he was doing to him, then closed them again in ecstasy as his shaft continued to be pumped. "Ahh, gah, oh, god, Sebastian..." he moaned. "Keep... yes... keep… oh, god, yes!" was all he could say. Sebastian suddenly covered his mouth with his again. Ciel wrapped his hands tighter around the demon's head, pulling it closer to his as he moaned out his pleasure while they kissed. So good… was all he could think.

In a sudden flash of self-consciousness, Ciel emerged momentarily from his sea of bliss to the full realization of the situation he was in. The demon—his butler—was stroking his member in his hand while they kissed each other passionately. His heart leapt with dismay as shame and embarrassment swept through him, and some other, unnamed fear; but then it was completely washed away in the next instant as a surge of sheer delight soared through him anew at the sensations he was feeling. To hell with it, he thought; his life was damned already. His soul was sold and forfeit; it belonged to the demon to devour once his work was done. He might as well go down in a blaze of glory, savoring what little of life's rare pleasures that presented themselves. He would do as he pleased; he was Lord Ciel Phantomhive, The Earl of Phantomhive for god sake, and to hell with everyone else. With this new acceptance, he dove headlong back into the waves of euphoria, to let himself be completely submerged, and to wallow in its depths.

Sebastian continued to sear his mouth with lip-bruising kisses, tilting his head this way then that as he did, his eyes so heavy-lidded that they were almost closed. With each additional languorous stroke of his butler's hand, Ciel felt himself getting nearer and nearer to his release, and began to thrust his hips up in time with each stroke. He felt the demon's body blanketing his like an enveloping aura of sinfulness, and he writhed and moaned as the demon's hand gripped his member more firmly now, delivering much quicker strokes. Sebastian's free hand snuck under Ciel's back, and tilted him upwards while the demon's mouth traveled back to his neck and chest to clamp onto his nipple, taking it into his teeth and lightly biting, to then suck hard while teasing it with his tongue.

"Gah-ah!" Ciel cried out, trembling. The combination of sensations was overwhelming.

"Mmm, young master," he said between going from one pink nub to the other. "So sweet, so soft," he mumbled as he licked. Suddenly Sebastian's mouth was back on his with savory, hot kisses that sent jolts directly down to his groin with each one.

"Mmm, ah, Sebas… He had never experienced such glorious wantonness, and he moaned and whimpered into Sebastian's mouth as he continued to pump his member. "Aahhh…" he groaned, and began to thrust with abandon as he felt his body begin to tense up, building to an unbearable height to finally crash over the edge and tumble into the abyss of ecstasy.

"Nng, uhh!" he gasped out, his seed spilling out and onto his bare stomach. His butler's hand left his member then, and along with his other hand traveled up the sides of his torso and under his arms, to then lift them up over his head, pinning them to the pillow behind them. Holding his wrists down with one hand, he ran his other up Ciel's neck to his jaw, tilting it up to receive his mouth which descended on his once more. Soft, lingering kisses were drawn out of him this time, as Ciel panted and heaved his breath out from his continued exertion and force of his climax.

"Mmm, ah, master," his butler hummed into his mouth. "So lovely, mmm…" He continued to lavish soft, sweet kisses upon his receptive if drowsy mouth while Ciel's hips gyrated and thrust up against his butler's pelvis in a last little attempt to release every last drop of lustful remnants. He felt his arms being released then, and immediately brought them down around his butler's back, to stroke over the fine wool cloth, caressing it, and then winding his fingers tightly in it. Letting out a deep sigh, he felt weariness descend upon him like a weight. He looked up at his butler, now just staring down at him with wide eyes, brows raised, and a half smile that gave him a look of confused affection. Through a daze, Ciel's eyes closed in tranquility as he felt fingers running through his hair, moving it away from his forehead and tucking it behind his ear.

Hearing the bed creak and feeling the weight of his butler shift over him, he opened his eyes to watch as the demon moved away and then lowered himself off the bed. "Hmm?" he asked. He hadn't expected him to leave so soon. But he saw that he was only heading for the wash room, soon returning with a soft cloth, gently brushing it against his abdomen to clean him off, and then depositing it in the hamper. Holding out a nightshirt, he then drew it over Ciel's outstretched arms, who had sat up, and buttoned it.

He then stood before Ciel, and bowed his head. Ciel could see that he was getting ready to bid him goodnight.

"Don't leave, Sebastian. Not yet. Stay here." He patted the bed next to him and then smiled. "Until I fall asleep." The demon smiled back at him in amusement. This familiar request was one that he had asked of his butler many times over the years until quite recently, to ease the shadows and chase away the lingering ghosts of his past that always crept up and haunted him most vividly at night, in the space before falling asleep. But this time there was an added dimension to the request, in keeping with everything else.

Instead of immediately complying, however, the demon came to stand before him, and shook his head, looking greatly distressed.

"Master, I have failed you once again. You ordered me originally, at the very beginning, to act as your butler. This is the duty and code of conduct that I have always striven to the best of my ability to fulfill, and am I ashamed of my having failed in doing so."

Ciel rolled his eyes; not this again, he thought. "Sebastian, do I not own you?" he demanded heatedly. The demon bowed in response, kneeling down on one knee at his feet and then looking up at him and smiling.

"You do, indeed, my lord; every part of me, down to the last strand of hair on my head."

"Must you not obey me? Are you not mine to command?"

"I am, indeed, my lord. Your every wish is my command; I obey your every order."

"Very well, then: it my wish and my command that you feel no remorse for our previous actions, nor any future ones." Ciel smirked at the demon suggestively.

The demon smiled back at him, and taking his hand in his, kissed it. He then trailed his lips up over his knuckles and over the top of his hand, rotating it gently to continue over to the middle of his palm, where lips lingered and warm, wet breath tingled. Pressing one last kiss to skin before releasing it, the demon looked up at the now heavily breathing Ciel.

"Yes, my lord," the demon replied with an affectionate if slightly devious smile, and then lowered himself to sit upon the bed next to him, turning his head to look at him with eyes that radiated into his like setting suns.

Ciel signaled to him with a simple flick of his hand to come nearer, pointing to the spot next to him near the middle of the bed. The demon obeyed, scooting back to sit cross-legged in the designated space. Reaching his arms out, Ciel then twirled his finger to indicate how next he was to move, pulling on the demon's shoulder with one hand, and pushing him away with the other at the same time, to gently steer him around and downwards. He could feel the demon's hesitancy and almost reluctance as he pulled his head firmly down into his lap. The demon's upside-down face gazed back up at his, glinting ruby eyes staring at him through feathery plumage of eyelashes. Bending down, Ciel brought his lips to his butler's and kissed, sweetly savoring, before leaning back up and gazing with solemnity down at him.

"Sebastian, I am sorry for making you violate the butler aesthetic. Furthermore, I take full responsibility for our actions."

"Young lord, it was entirely my fault, not yours. I did start it, after all."

"Yes, you did," he replied, remembering the fact with a smile. "But it was I who ordered you to continue," he added with a grin.

"True," was all the demon replied, smiling back up at him.

Awash now with both resignation and acceptance of this new direction his life had taken, as well as being so utterly spent, Ciel simply remained stroking Sebastian's hair with his head on his lap for many long minutes, with the demon's eyes closed and a peaceful look upon his face. The long strands slipped through his fingers as he played with them, like water in a stream, soft and flowing. Every strand… Every strand belonged to him. His to have, his to own, his to do with as he pleased. At least, for the allotted time that was left for him in this world.

Finally, no longer able to keep his eyes open, Ciel leaned back into the bed and stretched out, head sinking into soft pillows, as weariness overcame him. He didn't even open his eyes when he felt blankets being moved from under then over him, and the coverlet tucked in and around him. Feeling snug and content, Ciel felt his mind drifting and the world fading, melting away, as he slowly slipped into Morpheus's arms of tranquility.


Strolling through the mansion's high, ornately brick-walled garden later that night, the demon's black-clad figure was only barely discernible in the waning light of the gibbous moon. The white quartz pebbled-path glittered faintly in the wan moonlight as it wound its way through the myriad varieties of flowering plants and stately shrubberies. The air was crisp, but not cold, and Sebastian breathed it in deeply with relish.

"Merrrow," he heard, and felt something brushing up against his legs. Looking down, he spied a young cat, still a kitten but on the verge of adulthood; and oh! so adorable. Crouching down, he stroked its thick, soft black fur, and it purred loudly for him in response. It looked to be one of Agatha's kittens from last September, he mused, although with mid-length fur, unlike Agatha's shorter hair. Startling bright blue eyes stared up at him, glowing in the moonlight. Sebastian smiled back at him, and reaching out, scooped him up in his arms to hold and cuddle him to his cheek, pressing his delightfully delicate paw pads to see the needle sharp claws protract and retract.

"Ah, but you are a darling, beautiful creature," he told it while nuzzling his face to its fur once again. "I could hold you like this forever." No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, however, when he felt a sharp pain as those sweet little claws dug into the flesh of his thighs and arms, and with one twisting squirm, the kitten broke free from his grasp, and scampered off to freedom. Sebastian's heart gave a pang as sharp as the pain of the tiny wounds the creature had inflicted on him, but just as they had already healed instantly, he sighed in resignation as he watched the sleek creature bound away through the garden, and smiled simply at having gotten to hold him as long as he had.

Continuing to stroll through the blooms, Sebastian contemplated the latest turn of development with his current contractor. He thought back to where it had all started, with that night a month ago. He still couldn't believe he had allowed himself to go overboard with taking the rigelium, just to ease his suffering for a short spell. What had he been thinking? Demon drugs were not to be taken lightly, certainly not to be played with as he had done. He knew that, and yet still he had done it, taken it as a way to soothe his aching hunger. He had been an idiot to do so, he thought to himself; a fool, indeed. And he had suffered the consequences; had certainly paid the price. Ah, but what a pleasant price it had been to pay. He smiled softly to himself. The boy had forgiven him, of course, but he had been tortured ever afterwards that by the constant desire to engage in such an activity again, or better yet to keep going…

It was for that very reason that he had finally made the decision to go to the reaper, to see if he did indeed possibly have the information that might lead to the end of his torment; the end to this maddening hunger that was slowly driving him insane. Ah, it had felt good, he had to admit, fucking the reaper the other day. The red head's petite but lithe body was soft and smooth and his features fairly comely, it could not be denied. And, oh! So tight, that ass; gods, yeah… He hadn't actually lied to Ciel though, he reasoned to himself, as he had simply told the boy that he hadn't had any desire to have further dealings with the red head after ascertaining that he didn't have any information about the murderers. Which was true; the reaper wasn't who he wanted…

Well, he had certainly gotten more than just another taste of the boy this time; and such an incredible wonder it had been, feeling his master's body, even through gloved hands trembling beneath him; seeing him writhe and swell in fervor to reach that summit of ecstasy that he, himself, had brought to him. Ah, he could grow addicted to that feeling, to that sight, just as much as to any of the various drugs that existed in the demon world. And to know that it would likely be his to enjoy again, repeatedly, on a regular basis, now. Ah, yes indeed, this was a development of a most satisfying nature. Unfortunately, it was still only a little of what he was really craving and thus only served to whet his appetite even fiercer, leaving him once more even hungrier than ever. Gah! He scolded himself. Why did he desire this one individual so much? What was it about him that tempted him so, he wondered? His face and form were, it was true, extremely attractive, and his soul would be indeed most delicious. More than just delicious; it seemed to go beyond that, somehow.

He thought about the accusations the reaper had charged him with.

It was true he was quite enamored of the boy's soul; had been since the very beginning. He thought back to that time when he had initially made the contract with Ciel. At first he had just been intrigued by the boy, impressed by his arrogance and strength of spirit in the midst of humiliation. He would have without a doubt happily taken and merrily dined on his soul during those first couple of months, if Ciel had violated the contract by deciding he didn't want revenge after all. He had even prodded the boy intentionally to concede to such at the time, although to no avail, when Ciel had received back the title of Earl bestowed upon him by the Queen herself, as well as the role of Queen's Watch Dog. It hadn't been easy that, even for him, orchestrating all the little clandestine schemes, covert infiltrations and clever machinations of his that had been needed to make that scenario become a reality. He smiled, thinking about it. But it had been fun; most challenging and satisfying, indeed.

He had eaten many a human soul now; hundreds at least he calculated, as he probably formed on average at least twenty contracts a century. It had been more than five decades before Ciel that he had made his last one however, having finally become fed up with feeding on inferior souls, and choosing to wait until he had found a truly superior one this time. He contemplated how it had only been recently that humans had become much more interesting to him. Before that, they had had a flavor that was rough, rustic, dull… but now they had a sharper-edged flavor that he thoroughly enjoyed. Humans were still pretty barbaric of course, compared to other races on other worlds, but he just had a taste for them; he preferred them even more so than the bittersweet Talonids he had once been so obsessed with. But Ciel's soul, ah, Ciel's soul was of a quality and flavor that he had never before in his whole life experienced; a truly amazing and fascinating being. He couldn't wait to sink his fangs into him and devour him; his soul would be more than just a tasty treat. It would be euphorically delightful, better than the most excellent novel ever written; more than even the most gourmet meal he could possibly imagine. Yes, he was indeed smitten by the boy's soul; there could be no denying that.

But love… no. Love was not something he was capable of; at least, certainly not for a mortal human being. Not even for another demon-he didn't even like his own kind; never had. Each and every one of them was cold, calculating, greedy and cruel, at least by his reckoning; he had never been able to fully relate to any of them, and could not even imagine ever forming a bond with any of them. He didn't understand them, nor they, him. He looked down at the kitten, who had come back and was now entwining himself through and rubbing against his legs once more, purring madly. They could never understand his strange fascination with such things as cats, with their soft fur, big round eyes, and sweet, oh-so-squishable paws. They preferred their pets, the creatures called gortentrogs, from their own world, as hideous and disgusting as they were. No, love was impossible for him, he thought, whether for one of his kind, much less for a mere mortal creature, even if it was within the realm of the thinkable to form that sort of an attachment to such a being. So, why was he so taken with this one particular individual, then?

He recalled the rage that had gone through him when he had first seen the reaper with his master, kissing him… No, not rage, it was something else. A feeling he was unfamiliar with. It was the thing he had taunted his young master with, oddly enough. What the hell? He banished the thought from his mind. It was completely ridiculous to even think he could feel such an illogical emotion as that, the eminently rational being that he was. Ridiculous. And yet… He couldn't deny that he felt an incredibly strong allure and attraction, once could even perhaps say an infatuation, for this particular contractor. Certainly a fascination that was different from any before. There was nothing more to it, however, than how much he was enjoying playing the game of butler to the boy, as well as being a partner in the role of Queen's Guard Dog; it was strangely satisfying in many ways, much more so than he would have ever anticipated when he first took on the role. So much so that he had at times found himself even conveniently overlooking and neglecting certain avenues that could have possibly led to the end coming a little sooner than it otherwise would have. But that was not his duty. It had been stipulated by the boy himself at the very outset that as master it was Ciel's duty and his alone to direct his servant as to any courses of action. Sebastian was simply his pawn; nothing more. He smiled with amusement at this. And then frowned a little, wondering if the boy would think of that which he had overlooked, and hoping he didn't anytime soon, to his chagrin. But he knew the end was inevitable, in any case; and he would just have to carry through to that end. And as much as he was reluctant to have it come, he knew he was still sure to enjoy it immensely when it did. He felt a surge of satisfaction and excitement at the thought.

Taking out the gold watch, he looked at the time. He sighed. He should be going in now, he realized. His days always began very early, as his duties as a butler were many; and the time was drawing near…