Chapter 18

Days Like Gems

The interludes he spent with the demon were things of rare beauty, treasures to be admired, reveled in, and then hid out of sight, lest someone else espy them and inevitably try to steal them away. Bodies melding into each other, skin against skin gliding smoothly, hands gripping roughly, mouths meeting hungrily. They both seemed to be developing an increasing need to rush through the day, to get to that point when all tasks were done and darkness had fallen, for them to be able to once more slake their mutual thirst with each other's equally willing vessels of deliverance.

Each passing day filled Ciel with a new sense of wonder and anticipation, and an underlying current of unfamiliar joy. Now early June, the air was filled with fragrant breezes, birds singing, and the stirrings of new life woken by warm sunshine and refreshing rain. The restless, frenzied jubilation by the world around him, something which he usually despised, or at least scorned with a passion, now seemed less incomprehensible to him. Now, he could almost understand what that unnamed emotion truly was. It was happiness. And it terrified him.

Why should it though, he wondered? What was wrong with feeling good for once in his life? True, it wasn't something he was used to; at least, it wasn't something he had felt for a long, long time. He dimly recalled feeling this way once before, a long time ago; in another world, a world free from worries and cares… But that was gone now; all gone. These things had been ripped from him, torn asunder from his very soul. Such things no longer belonged to him, and it was for this very reason that he was who he was; that his life was as it was now. But why shouldn't he have a little of what he had been denied so long? A taste; just a little taste, of what he had been missing. Why shouldn't he simply accept this gift of unaccustomed joy, as alien as it was, that had been granted to him?

A nagging thought though pricked at the back of his mind, saying: this is a demon you're talking about, and a demon has only one true creed: the creed of hunger; the need to feed. He shivered at this thought, and then tossed it aside from his mind with a shake of his head. He would dwell no more on such morbid and useless musings, he resolved.

The light, early morning breeze was dew-laden and cool, ruffling through Ciel's hair as he stepped out of the manor for a bit of fresh air before breakfast. Wandering through the juniper hedge-lined path to the back gardens, he breathed deeply of the fragrant air, sharp with the scent of evergreens and damp earth, filling his lungs with a grateful sense of joy. It was almost as if every second he experienced now of life, he enjoyed with a magnified sense of clarity, perhaps due to his having come so close to having lost it all.

As he walked, Ciel glanced at the profusely scattered, silvery-white webs, nestled betwixt the blue-green branches of prickly needles, ready to catch the day's insect activity unawares the moment it burst forth upon the morning world. One particularly large, beautiful web glittered mistily in the still-weak sunlight, guarded by a fat, black spider sitting off to one side of it. Its prey had already succumbed to the trap, a small fly struggling vainly to free itself before being pounced upon and wrapped up in silky threads thus to await its demise.

I am like the fly, Ciel thought; awaiting my fate, as food for a demon. Just like it, his life would someday soon be sucked up out of him in thirsty jaws. It was the only purpose left to his life. What else was there? But the fact remained that, at the moment at least, the demon was still just enjoying his time as a butler to an earl, more interested in Ciel as a bed mate and master, than as a meal. And so they continued, the demon prolonging the contract, drawing out Ciel's life a little longer, feasting on his flesh in a different manner for the time being than he would at some time in the future.

Just thinking about such things, though, their times they spent together in the late hours of the night, made Ciel smile, and his loins twitch and swell. It was a satisfactory deal all around, he had to admit, while it lasted…

Sitting in his favorite over-stuffed easy chair in his quarters later that evening, reading and relaxing after dinner, Ciel thought once more about Will's visit a week ago, and the offer the reaper had presented him with. He still had not decided on whether to accept the privilege due to him as a soul of worth and travel to the Shinigami home world to meet with one deceased soul of his choice. He didn't know what was hindering his resolve to do so. He supposed it was that he just couldn't decide who it should be. Who was there whom he might wish to see again? The thought filled his mind suddenly of possibly choosing Madam Red-it was perhaps not the name he ought to call her, he knew, but it was the name he had always known her as, and would always continue to think of her as. It would certainly be delightful indeed to see her again, especially after all the twists and turns both their lives had taken.

He pondered some more. It was a hard decision to make; but one he was pleased to have been given, along with this second chance at life that he had been granted…

Second chance. Those words rang in his brain, bringing up a long-forgotten memory, as of a rope being pulled which led to the tolling of a bell. He knew suddenly who he wanted—no, needed, to see. Summoning his butler to his room was the work of simply saying the name, "Sebastian;" and the demon appeared moments later at his door, politely easing it open with a "You called, my lord?" before stepping gracefully into the room at Ciel's nod.

"I've made my choice, Sebastian. I know which soul I wish to meet."

"Very well, Sir," his butler said, with a smile that only barely hinted at his perhaps not having the highest level of enthusiasm for this recent decision, not even bothering to ask who that chosen person was to be.

"The only question now, of course, is how exactly to get there… Sebastian, surely you must know something of how to use this… this…" Striding over to his bedside night table, he opened the top drawer to take out the gem-encrusted monocle, hanging by its silver chain. "…contraption."

The demon paused, and looked almost reluctant to respond. "Well, I do have some idea…"

Somewhat absent-mindedly, Ciel brought the lens to his left eye, the gold rim cool against his skin, and then blinked and shook his head. Directly in front of him, only a few steps away, the air before him sparkled faintly with a barely perceptible radiance. Was he imagining things? Gazing perplexedly at the glowing miasma in the air before him, he found himself raising his hand to swish curiously at the shimmering apparition. His fingers seemed to slip through and be drawn in a little, but feeling a tiny zap that pricked at them, he jerked his hand back in alarm.

"Aaaeee!" he squeaked more in surprise than in pain. The glowing haze promptly shrank in upon itself and in another instant was gone.

"Master?" the demon queried, brows raised together in concern.

"I'm fine, Sebastian." He looked expectantly at the demon. "Well? What was that?"

"A doorway."

Ciel's brows rose in confusion. "A doorway?"

The demon nodded. "A portal to the Shinigami home world. Apparently, this device enables you to perceive the doorways to the Shinigami realm, thus allowing you to travel through them." He smiled at Ciel, seeming amused. "It is quite an ingenious device, as a human is normally unable to see such things. Most intriguing, indeed. I suspect even a blind man would be able to see the portals with it."

"In addition, I would assume that the miradim affords the bearer a protective shield that enables a human to withstand the force of traveling through a portal which their weak, fragile bodies normally could not handle without being destroyed, or at least greatly harmed. Otherwise, the reaper would never have said that it would allow you to visit their world; the shinigami mentalities leave a lot to be desired, but their sense of humor is not as bad as that."

Ciel shivered. He hoped the demon was right.

"So, we know how to use the miradim, then; how to get to the Shinigami realm." He blanched a little with this realization, and what it meant.

The butler nodded in affirmation and spoke in a somewhat reluctant tone.

"Well then, my lord, I suppose we may go at any time. When do you wish to depart?"

Ciel's breath caught a little in throat looking up at the demon's unearthly beauty and finding it just as awe-inspiring as ever. His heart jumped a little, and he reached out and caressed the demon's face affectionately as he answered in a low tone, with a little smile.

"We don't have to leave tonight, Sebastian. Tomorrow after breakfast will be fine."

"Yes, my lord," the demon smiled knowingly in return, happily drawing Ciel into his arms. They would travel tomorrow on a journey unknown; but tonight they would spend in each other's arms.

Not waiting even for Ciel to first perform any of his customary nightly ablutions, Sebastian pushed Ciel onto his bed, covering his face and mouth in hungry kisses while he stripped Ciel of his clothes with abandon. His movements seemed to be more insistent than usual, almost with a desperate edge to them. Grinding his pelvis up against Ciel's already fully engorged member that exalted in being freed of its constraint, Ciel could feel through the prickly wool of the butler's trousers the evidence of the extent of his excitement, even at this stage. Ciel gasped at the answering need that surged in him to know this.

Kisses trailed down Ciel's neck, which was then drawn and sucked on mercilessly. "Ahh… hhh… hhh," he exhaled stutteringly as the fire coursed in his veins, and then let out a wail as his skin was attacked and almost devoured, the demon drew on it so hungrily. But in just another few seconds, the pain was drowned out by a fresh wave of pleasure as lips released his neck to now lightly swipe over bruised flesh, sending sparks tingling throughout his body.

Lurching up, Ciel reacted to the sudden grasping of his overly hardened member in large, agile hands, which then stroked his length with delicacy and warmth. "Ahhhh," he sighed in appreciation of this attention.

His butler grasped his cock more forcefully now, pulling and squeezing while stroking it in semi-circular movements. "Gah-ah, Sebastian!" he called out. He wanted… He couldn't think, but his hands knew better than his mind, and went to his butler's trouser buttons, working them with unusual success for once in getting them quickly opened. His need was driving his intention; there was no room for slacking or error right now.

His reward sprang up, heavy and dripping, into his hands, and he grabbed onto it like a child grasping for a toy he had strained for and was finally given. "Mmmm," he hummed at the glorious slippery-velvet feel of his butler's cock sliding through his hands as he stroked it.

"Nnggh!" the demon exhaled with a strained surprise to his voice.

The force of Sebastian's response startled and pleased Ciel; he hadn't ever seen this intense of a reaction in his butler before.

Moving down a bit, the demon's mouth went to Ciel's right nipple, suckling on it and then biting it with teeth as sharp but as careful as a mother cat's, carrying her kitten. Ciel shuddered and moaned just a bit, feeling the butler's dripping cock trail a line a wetness down his thigh as he moved to his left breast. Choosing to look down at him just at that moment, he caught the demon looking back up at him, red eyes gleaming into blue. Mouth then latched onto nipple, and bit down softly at that one, too. The pain wasn't what startled him, however, when he did. It was suddenly seeing the ever so faint puckering of the scar on his breast, just above his nipple.

A momentary flashback of fangs sinking into his flesh sent a wave of agony through his mind, the memory of searing pain and the torn and bloody gash in his skin, as he remembered the incident still so fresh in his past.

Cringing at the string of images and emotions that the recollection triggered, Ciel pushed up at the demon's chest with both hands.

"Sebastian… Unnhh!" he grunted through gritted teeth.

The demon pulled back compliantly but with a look of confusion.

"What is it, my lord? Are you hurt?"

"Ah! Sebastian!" he cried out brokenly. "Why… How is it… Ughh! I just don't understand!" He struggled to arrange his thoughts into words. "How is it that you can so easily go from wanting to take my soul… to wanting… this? Wanting me… here and now, instead? Gah! I just can't take it! I just can't take knowing that at any moment you could simply decide to take… it; to end my life…"

"Ah, my lord." The demon sighed, his eyes radiating warmly into Ciel's. "I am not going to take your soul for a long time, most likely. But the fact remains that I will do so eventually, at some point. Have you forgotten that I am a demon? A demon needs to eat; it is simply what we are, after all."

"I have not forgotten!" yelled Ciel. "It is precisely because I am reminded of this that I am… Ugh! Idiot demon." His anger roiled in him amongst his helplessness and anguish.

Bearing his weight on one bent elbow beside Ciel, the demon's right hand went to Ciel's face, and caressed it gently. The look of concern on the demon's face softened now into a look that was almost too tender to bear for Ciel, which only heightened his state of distress.

No!" Swiping at his arm, he batted the demon's hand away from his face. "I just don't understand how… How you can do these things… act like this… when you don't really… care for me."

There. He had said it. He had said the words that would probably spell the end to everything, to all that he had been handed in this second chance at happiness, at life.

Despite his futile protest against it, the demon's arms went around him, and brought Ciel firmly and unwaveringly against his chest, his face pressed into the crook of the demon's neck. Rolling them both to the side and holding Ciel tightly to him, the demon replied in an even, gentle tone. "I do care for you. I care for you deeply, my lord. And I lust for you, as well. Not just for your body, but for your soul. But it is a lust unlike mere hunger; it is more like starvation; it is a lust which consumes, rather than simply instilling the desire to consume. It burns within me; eats at my very soul."

Ciel's heart thumped and pounded in his chest to hear these words. They frightened and comforted him at the same time, and his arms went around the demon's neck, comfort having won out. Burying his head in the demon's neck, he nodded slightly.

"I know, Sebastian; I do understand," he mumbled into the demon's chest. Looking up at the demon's face inches from his own, his eyes locked with the demon's darkly glowing, ancient amber eyes, staring intensely into his very soul, it seemed. And perhaps they were. "I suppose I cannot hold any resentment for you, nor blame you for what you are or what you will someday do. I am yours, after all; my body and soul belong to you, and rightfully so."

Even as the truth and finality of his own words fell on his ears, laying heavily on his heart, they also lifted it, with the knowledge that all was fated to be what it would be, and he was content with the way it was.

Tilting Ciel's chin up with one finger, the demon bent down to take Ciel's lips in his, and Ciel was once again lost, happily drowning in a sea of pleasure once more. The kiss grew more ardent, the demon running his hands all over, up and down Ciel's body, sending Ciel into a state of almost painfully straining need.

"Ah! Ah, Sebastian!" he whined miserably, pressing his groin up against his butler's body above him. The demon had by this point shed the last of his own clothing, as well, and his cock slid hard and glistening alongside Ciel's own erection.

Simmering wine hued eyes bore down into Ciel's, the demon staring down at him as he leaned back a ways. A small, hungry smile lifted the edge of one side of his mouth, his tongue coming out just a little to lick at the side of his lip.

"Mm, master. I have a request tonight of you, to fulfill a craving I seem to have, should you wish to do."

Ciel's heart thumped again, trepidation and wonder filling him at what the demon meant.

"What is it, Sebastian?" The demon replied by gliding Ciel's penis in his hands until it was thoroughly slickened in its own juices, and then shifted his body higher, over Ciel's hips. Raising himself up, he positioned Ciel's cock to be under and beneath him, proceeding to glide his buttocks over the tip, running it up and down between his cheeks. Ciel began to get nervous, wondering what he was going to do, and having a feeling he knew.

"I want you inside me tonight, young master, if that is amenable to you. I find myself… needing it." He smiled. "To feel you within me… filling me, for a change." His grin morphed into something that Ciel could only label as an insecure expression, as if he was unsure of what Ciel's response would be.

He needed this; Ciel could obviously tell that much. But did he want to grant it to the demon? The demon who already had so much of him, who already owned his very body and soul? The look in the demon's eyes now was one of abashment, as if he was sure of Ciel's response, and the disappointment he was to most likely have.

Ciel shook his head. But he replied, "Go ahead, Sebastian. It's… fine," he whispered, a little hesitant to agreeing to this, but wanting to experience it at the same time, for some reason. He looked up at the demon, and spoke more commandingly. "Yes. Do it. I am amenable to it."

"Ahhhh!" gasped Ciel as he suddenly felt himself be swiftly guided to the butler's hole, and then slowly shrouded in the most exquisitely wonderful warmth and compression surrounding his member that he had ever experienced.

"Nngghh!" he grunted stutteringly. "Gah-ahh!" He was then treated to wave after wave of almost excruciating ecstasy as the butler rode his cock up and down with the perfect amount of force and speed. He was soon panting and gasping in time with the undulations of this most incredible sensation, and found without even being fully aware of it, that he was thrusting upwards now in response, almost instinctively.

His whole body was awash with tingling agony, feeling that rushing pressure building up within him. His thrusts upwards got more erratic and carelessly forceful; he hadn't any thought for anyone else but himself right now, and finding that reward that beckoned so enticingly in the distance.

"Mmm, ahhh, Se… ahhh… stian…" he mumbled in his rapture. "Ahh… nnggh…" His hands gripped relentlessly at his butler's arms to find some kind of purchase to steady himself. Thrust, thrust, lunge; he continued his upward movements, helpless to do anything else. This was too good; too infinitely more pleasurable than anything he had ever experienced before in life. His face twisted into a grimace as he shuddered and suddenly went still as he released with spurt after spurt of his seed into his butler's walls.

Falling back wearily onto the bed, he felt drained of all energy, even the energy to open his eyes, and just sank into the mattress's downy embrace. Feeling a hand caressing his face, he was startled enough to open his eyes and looked upon the sight of his butler gazing down at him with the most inscrutable expression, full of a dazed wonder and unexpected gratification.

Ciel only heaved a deep breath of happy exhaustion, too tired to even try to determine its meaning, much less even focus his eyes. Reaching up in signal for Sebastian to bend down, he wound his arms around his neck. Pulling him down upon him, he delighted in the feel of his weight smothering him, drowning him in a sea of warmth and heady scent of sex and sweat.

He didn't give any thought to his butler's own lack of pleasure; that had been the most incredible experience of his life, and all he could do was bask in the glory of its aftermath. He was sure all the times that his butler had found his fill of pleasure inside him more than made up for his lack of it tonight.

After a little while, he nudged the demon up a little, signaling that he wanted him to move to have him beside him, and then curled up within his obliging frame, snuggled against his body, the demon's arms around him. Ahh, he sighed. It appeared as if happiness wasn't that objectionable to him, after all. Smiling, he relaxed into a gentle cloud of drowsiness, slowly drifting off to slumber, sweet and sound.

)))))(((((

Fury. Dark fury was pressing in on him, suffocating him. Shame filled him, at himself, at his weakness; at the world; his situation. He tried to even his breathing, lower his heartrate. With a little effort, he was finally successful.

Gah! This boy; this human; what was he doing to him? He felt the need to kill; ravage; destroy. Anything to take this feeling away. Like killing a boatload of living-dead creatures: now that was fun. When was the last time he had indulged in pure, unrestrained murder and bloodshed? Too long.

He could feel Ciel's seed, wriggling; squirming around inside him, as infinitesimally small as they were. Millions of them. Futilely swimming upstream; desperately seeking that which they were not fated to find in their current confines. He smiled wryly. Just like the humans that they would never become; struggling, straining; vainly seeking vague promises of satisfaction and happiness that didn't actually exist. Pointless, egotistical endeavors.

Why was he even waiting? He should take him now; why wait even one second longer? It was true, what he had said, what he had told Ciel. The hunger was killing him; eating away at him like acid on copper. He could only go so long; had already gone much longer than he should have, between feedings. He would need to eat, and soon. He had grown too attached to him, to his supper; that was what it was. How could he, a demon of such high self-standards, have come to this? Become so very enamoured of a mere human?

This soul was to be his crowning achievement; his triumph. It was true, what he had told the reapers. He would not give up anything for this soul, no matter what. He had lived too long, become too tired, grown too weary of this world to be willing to give up this one chance of true bliss; of sublime satisfaction. For him, now, this soul was worth more to him even than he cared to admit. A worthy soul, indeed. He wondered... Was there really something about Ciel that only the Shinigami were able to perceive that was so special-even more special than the incredible strength of spirit and all the other traits about his personality that he loved? It certainly was intriguing, he had to admit. But it shouldn't be keeping him from taking his due; the reward he had earned. So, what was it? What was keeping him from taking him, taking his soul right now, right this very instant?

The game had ended. Wasn't that what he was waiting for? Wasn't that what had kept him so enthralled all this time? The game of being a butler to an earl, of fulfilling all three of his contractor's wishes in exchange for his soul. And he had won. He had not failed in any of his tasks, although there were times when he had certainly come very close to losing… He cringed still to remember the incidences when he had dallied; the few times when he had been careless; been less than fully cognizant of his master's whereabouts, his state of wellbeing. He could have lost him; could have allowed him to… He shivered at the thought. Then scolded himself; and laughed at himself for being so terrified of such a thing, or tried to, at least. But he failed to fool himself. He had felt terror; there was no denying it, at each of those times. To have lost his quarry would have been a much greater tragedy than simply losing the game, losing a meal.

Yes, it was true he had won the game. But he would wait, at least a little more. He was simply enjoying it too much, this time while the boy still lived in his physical state. It was impossible to deny: there was something special about the boy, more special than any other human he had ever encountered. He was a worthy soul, indeed—if only to Sebastian, himself.

He thought once more of Ciel's sacrificial act on the island. That had certainly surprised him; had verily shocked and touched him to the core. Why would the boy do such a thing? Ciel, who was always driven by greed—no, he stopped himself, realizing. There were many times that Ciel had acted unselfishly towards others during the time he had known him; self-sacrificing, even—he was a complicated soul. So, no; not really that surprising. And the boy did owe him his life, after all, as Ciel himself had stated. But yet, it had touched him, it could not be denied; and this, in itself, was something that surprised him. A demon was not normally touched by such human concerns; at least, not emotionally affected by them to that extent. How could it be? How could a being such as him feel compassion; love; sadness, towards creatures that were no more than brief diversions at best; mere fodder at the least?

And yet…

Blue eyes filled his mind-eyes the color of the sky mirrored in the sea-huge, blue eyes that reflected a world gone mad, but a world then tamed by sheer power of will, and greed; and lust. Lust for power, for revenge, for… other things, now. Things that made his own human heart in this conjured form race uncontrollably when he thought of them. Bodies pushing against each other in the night, straining to get closer, to absorb, to fill and be filled…

He stared down at the prized possession he held so carefully in his arms. Sleeping so serenely, so peacefully. How dare the boy get so comfortable, he thought; so complacent and trusting of a creature like him, a being so supremely more powerful and terrifying than any mere mortal could dream of being?

And yet there he slept; chest rising and falling in time to soft whispers of expelled breath. So sweet, so fragile still; so exquisitely beautiful in every line of still-childlike softness combined with the now faintly-defined edges of budding maturity. He wanted to caress him; stroke and pet him like a cat-like one of those adorable creatures of this world that he so loved. But he daren't, lest he wake him; and he didn't wish to disturb his slumber.

And so, he would wait.

He would wait; but for how long? He certainly couldn't wait until the boy died of old age; it would have to be much sooner than that... Until the jaws of hunger within his being gnawed just a little too fiercely at his core; until he couldn't hold out any more, until the hunger outweighed the cost, and then he would…

Feed. Red eyes burned with deeply buried flames, dark as the pits of hell.

)))))(((((

The next morning dawned overcast and muggy, the late spring sun already heating up the day beyond normal by mid morn. Ciel and Sebastian stepped together out of the manor and headed for the secluded rose garden, where they would make their departure; or so they hoped.

Grasping the miradim from where it hung around his neck on its chain, Ciel slowly brought the glittering device to his left eye. Swiveling his head slowly all about, he sought the hint of any disruption of the normal appearance of the ambient air in the near vicinity.

Were they really going to do this? Ciel asked himself, suddenly feeling unsure about the whole venture. Was the information he sought really worth all this? Well, he would not back down now. No, he would see the thing through, come what may.

A spark caught the corner of his eye, and quickly turning to focus on the spot, Ciel saw the shimmering point that had appeared in the air a short distance away become quickly bigger.

"Sebastian!"

"Yes, my lord. I see it."

Bounding over they approached the spot in a few seconds, long enough however for the glowing point to have become a full meter wide, and more than two meters high in the air. How were they even going to get up to it, he wondered?

His question was answered when he felt himself being swept up in strong arms, to be shifted against the demon's body with one arm supporting all his weight. He clutched the lapels of his butler's tailcoat jacket, and held on to them tightly as the demon leapt lightly and with ease through the air into the very heart of the now more than three meters wide shimmering maelstrom.

His skin felt like it was being singed off him at the same time that it was being zapped with electrical current as they traveled through the atmosphere of the strange portal. Zinging and stinging with every cell about to burst it seemed, Ciel finally found himself deposited upon a solid feeling ground, Sebastian having lowered Ciel gently down to his feet beside him.

Total silence descended upon Ciel like a blow to the head. But then he noted a ringing in his ears that little by little receded into a low hum, and then a light hissing sound. Startled by the sound of birds chirping all around him, he finally realized he had his hearing back.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Ciel nodded, looking up at the demon. Then he looked around.

They were standing in the center of a small grassy park, which looked kind of like a town square, with trees scattered around, neat flowerbeds with stone benches, and shop-lined streets to either side of them. In the distance down the road a ways, he could see a massive, shining building, which gleamed like silver. Huge windows lined it all along the length of each of five floors, reflecting the sun which shone bright in the crystal clear blue sky above them. In and out of doors to the shops and buildings and all around them went bustling men and women, some of whom, he noticed, were carrying long-handled, lethal looking… scythes.

They were here. The Shinigami home world.

Author's Note:

FINALLY finished this latest chapter. I have no idea why it took me so long, just that I've been struggling lately with my clinical depression a little more than usual. However, I am actually feeling much better now, so I was able to finally work on my writing again. But, ohmygod, now I have to write chapter 19. Gah. Anyway, I hope people enjoy this one. :)