R.C.: *yawn tiredly* Hello everybody…..
Ichigo: *glances at Rachna* It's 1:30 in the afternoon.
Kaname: Yeahhhh why are you up so late Rachna-chan?
R.C.: Well I don't have school for two weeks so I don't have to wake up at 7:00 anymore. Which means I'm going to wake up whenever I want to :) No more waking up ridiculously early, tremendous amounts of AP homework, or all the stress.
Ichigo: Yay! More chapters!
R.C.: Weeelllll . I wouldn't exactly count on it. I'm going to be on college tours for most of the two weeks but I'll try and write more so I don't make my readers wait for another 8 months :D I'm gonna have an awesome time writing the next couple of chapters! Oh and I have a question Kaname.
Kaname: *looks up* Hai?
R.C.: What exactly are you doing killing all the purebloods AND leaving Yuuki all by herself?
Kaname: *looks away* That's for me to know and for you to find out. Besides I don't know. Mayuri-sama has to write the rest of the arc so I don't know what exactly she has planned for me.
R.C.: Ooook. Anyways I'm happy to see that I already have earned 80+ reviews. I honestly wasn't expecting that many. I was thinking of writing another story I had in mind but I think I should just focus on this story. I have a really BAD habit of procrastinating when I don't know what to write. AKA I have writers block A LOT. But I'm trying really hard not to have any writers block because my blocks last for a long time. So I'll try and keep focused just for my readers and you guys :)
Disclaimer: As I stated before, I can't focus on more than one story at a time because I'll just procrastinate on it. Obviously there is no way I can handle ownership over such a great story like Kuroshitsuji. That honor goes to Yana Toboso. I hope you guys enjoy chapter 6 of He's Back!
*JUST AS A HEADS UP, I LITERALLY PULLED AN ALL-NIGHTER TRYING TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF I MADE ANY GRAMMATICAL ERRORS OR ANY OTHER MISTAKES! I WAS FAR TOO TIRED TO REVISE THE CHAPTER CUZ I WANTED YOU GUYS TO READ IT ASAP!*
Sirens could be heard in all directions of the forest. Policemen were shouting inaudible things to each other as they fought their way through the forest to locate the frightened boy. They hadn't the slightest inkling as to where he could be located; for all they knew, whoever broke into his house could've taken him by now. Or even worse. But they couldn't give up. They hadn't a more desperate voice than Ciel's in all their years working together as a squad. This was going to be difficult. Judging on the voice, the boy was probably in his early teens. And he was scared shitless. They could only hope that they wouldn't be too late to save the boy from whatever fate had planned for him.
The loud wailing sounds from the sirens reached Sebastian's ears. But that wasn't going to stop Sebastian from reaching the child first. It only fueled his being to find Ciel before they did. No, he wouldn't let any mortal touch what rightfully belonged to him. Not after everything he'd done just to get to this point.
Branches were mercilessly torn from the trunks of trees as Sebastian jumped from branch to branch at a demonic speed. The ever so intoxicating scent of Ciel's blood was growing stronger with each step Sebastian took to close the distance between him and his prey. He could just taste it on his lips. Ciel would be his. He'd see to it that it happened.
Sebastian landed on a firm branch and crouched down, eyes glaring at his prey's lifeless body. He squinted his eyes towards the boy and unconsciously licked his lips. But they almost immediately returned to its burgundy red color. He felt his breath stop; his world stop. In the demon's mind he hadn't thought that he'd find Ciel in this bad of a condition.
His lips that were once rosy were now the exact color of his navy blue hair, stained with red. Blood was practically gushing out of the boy's mouth at a surprising yet disturbing rate. His body wouldn't stop shaking; he was losing blood and warmth by the second. Except for a few scratches on his face, Ciel's face hadn't suffered any serious damage. But his legs and arms were an entirely different story. There were multiple scratches that spanned the length of his calves up to his knees. Even on his arms were multiple bruises that were turning into a dark purple. His right wrist was twisted at an ungodly angle with something inside it sticking out where it shouldn't have been. Sebastian stared silently at Ciel's trembling form even as the boy remained unconscious. The demon's red eyes watched as Ciel's forehead furrowed, his normally peaceful face looking troubled. The boy's breaths were extremely shaky and his coughs were rather sporadic along with his wheezes for air.
Before Sebastian could make a move towards his beloved, multiple police officers poured into the clearing and surrounded the boy. Damn! They beat him to Ciel. A male police officer grabbed his walkie-talkie from his shoulder and spoke into it.
"This is Team 1. We've located the boy but he's severely injured. Bring the ambulance around to the front gate; we'll meet you there," the officer said quite urgently, worried that the boy wouldn't make it with all of his visible injuries. How on earth did he end up in such a dire state? Was it even possible to acquire all these wounds?
"Roger," a deep voice resounded from the device. Once the order was confirmed, the police officer gently picked Ciel up bridal-style while another officer wrapped him up in a warm blanket. The boy let out a painful groan causing a deep growl to resound from Sebastian's throat. No one was allowed to handle his prized possession except him. No one was allowed to even touch the boy. But he couldn't attack the policemen. He'd have to allow Ciel to be healed for now. Without a moment to lose the police reeled around and scurried back down the hill to hurry Ciel to the hospital.
Once they got to the bottom of the hill, the EMT's gently took Ciel's injured body and set it on the stretcher and rolled him into the back of the ambulance. Once he was properly situated, they closed the back doors and without another second to spare, the truck zoomed away, rushing to reach the hospital.
XXX
The truck came to a halt. The driver hopped out of his seat and ran back to the end of the vehicle and hastily pulled open the doors and pulled out the ramp to allow the nurses to safely roll him out. They ran alongside the stretcher into the building and immediately headed towards the operating room.
A brunette suddenly turned around and immediately chocked when she saw her son bleeding out from several cuts on his body. Rachel cried out and ran towards the rolling stretcher and latched onto Ciel's hand.
"Ciel? Ciel, oh my god my darling, can you hear me?" Rachel desperately called out, tears already blurring her vision. She clutched onto Ciel's hand, shaking it hoping it would illicit some kind of reaction or movement from her unconscious son but to no avail. How could this have happened? There were cuts scattered all over his body; he looked as if he'd been put in the middle of an intense wrestling match.
"Ma'am!" a female voice called out. But it didn't reach Rachel's ears. She wanted Ciel to be okay. She wanted her son just to open his beautiful blue eyes to reassure her that he was alive because based on his appearance right now, she didn't have much hope for her only son and it scared her that even she wasn't faithful.
"MA'AM!" a nurse called out. She roughly grabbed Rachel's arms and detached her from her hold on Ciel's hand. But she immediately put up a fight.
"NO! No, let me go to him! Let me be with my son!" she cried out. Tears poured down her face in huge amounts. But she didn't care if her makeup was getting messed up, her son looked like he was just barely hanging onto the threads of life and she HAD to be there with him. She struggled in the nurse's tight grip on her arms as she tried to break free of her hold; she'd even tried to elbow the nurse. She didn't care where, she just need to be with her Ciel. But her struggling bore no fruit.
"Ma'am I'm terribly sorry, but they have to operate him A.S.A.P. before he loses any more blood," the nurse said in a quick, yet surprisingly calm tone. She held Rachel's shoulders until the woman calmed down and her breathing even out. She watched as the doctors and nurses ran further and further away from her with Ciel in their care. They burst through a pair of swinging double doors, and then she saw them no more. Please be okay Ciel. Please don't leave me by myself. I need you! Rachel continued to sob as the image of Ciel's bloodied body kept replaying in her mind. "Ma'am, while they're operating on your son, I'll need you to fill out some hospital papers," the nurse said in a calming voice. She patiently waited for Rachel to wipe her tears with some tissues from her purse until she was in the right mind to be filling out important documents.
"Y-yes. I'm ready," Rachel said in a small, hesitant voice. She took one last look at the double doors before the nurse guided her to a waiting area to fill out papers.
*2 days later*
Ciel's head lazily lolled to the side as his eyes gradually opened up to a glaringly bright light streaming in through the white curtains. Ciel groaned, extremely uncomfortable with the amount of light filtering in his room. He didn't remember his window being so close to his bed anyways. He….he surely didn't remember his bed being so small and confining.
That's when all the memories started to flood back. Sebastian broke into house…..his house was broken into! He…he was hiding in his room until Sebastian came in to find Ciel. But he had jumped off his balcony. That's right. He jumped. Oh, he'd been really stupid. It was an incredibly mindless and rash decision and Ciel had a hard time believing he actually resorted to such an action. Sure he was trying to escape the clutches of a psycho butler but jumping off his balcony? That was just crazy!
His mind traveled to the man behind it. It still didn't make sense to him no matter how much he'd pondered it. Why was the man Ciel had been dreaming about so frequently decide to come and attempt to kidnap him? It was odd, sure, but it made sense. Surely it wasn't all a coincidence. He wanted to know how he knew Sebastian because those dreams obviously meant something otherwise Ciel wouldn't even be in this mess.
Ciel didn't notice the heavy footsteps in the distance. He allowed his thoughts to travel from his heavy resentment of Sebastian to the multiple wounds on his body. As soon as his mind was focused on his injuries, a sudden stinging pain shot up through his body, starting from his leg leading up to his head. Tch. His breathing began to come out in short breaths and he started panting, taking in deep breaths to rid his body from the excruciating pain that seemed to have crept up on him. That's when he noticed the clear mask that was placed over his nose and parted lips. Where am I?
Ciel looked around the room. When he saw a machine situated right next to him measuring the rate of his heart beats, he realized he was in a hospital. He was surrounded by white walls with another room, which was probably the bathroom. A refrigerator was situated in the corner of the room on his right. Chairs lined the walls on both sides of the room, probably for visitors. He looked at his own body to see stitches in several places though he was extremely grateful to see that he was no longer drenched in his own blood.
The oak door suddenly flew open, hitting the adjacent wall with a loud bang. Ciel jumped from his position and instantly curled against the corner of the twin bed thinking Sebastian, Meirin, Bard and Finny had come for him again while no one was around. He was positive that whenever he'd hear loud noises, he'd instinctively start thinking kidnappers were out to get him even if he were in a safe environment. Stupid Sebastian. But when he looked up from behind his bangs he saw his disheveled mother giving him a longing gaze followed by a female nurse and a male doctor. Rachel gasped before she immediately sprinted to his side and threw herself on him.
"CIEL! Oh, Ciel, my darling boy!" Rachel flung her arms around Ciel's shoulders and started sobbing in the nook of the boy's neck. The tears came flowing down her face in waterfalls and stained Ciel's shirt. Her body was violently shaking, just like Ciel's had when he couldn't stop throwing up blood while trying to escape Sebastian. When she finally looked up at Ciel, her eyes were watery and were blood red. Ciel felt his heart drop and a lump formed in his throat. His mother probably didn't sleep a wink since she heard her son was hospitalized hence why her eyes were so red. Dark circles had formed under her pale blue eyes confirming Ciel's theory. What had he done? The last thing he wanted was to worry his mom and now look what he did. He really didn't have himself to blame but if he weren't hospitalized than Rachel wouldn't be crying as much as she is now.
That's right. This shouldn't be his fault.
It's Sebastian's.
If he hadn't chased Ciel to the point where Ciel was on the near brink of death than he wouldn't be here with his mom squeezing him so protectively like she was about to lose him. He wouldn't have multiple injuries scattered across his body. He wouldn't have to jump every time someone opens a god damn door. Every time he stays home alone his mind will default towards the nightmare of Sebastian breaking into his home. He was pulled out of his thoughts when cold, pale hands gently yet roughly cupped his cheeks and forced his face down towards a wet face.
"You've no idea how much I've worried Ciel," Rachel said, tears still streaming down her face. She really was a mess. Her hair was tangled in so many places to the point where Ciel could see each and every knot in her beautiful, chocolate brown hair. Sweat clung to her forehead, sticking to her bangs. So many thoughts filled Ciel's mind to the point where he felt as if he'd break into a million pieces. He wrapped his arms around his mother's waist and pulled her in closer, digging his head in further into the crook of her neck. He felt his own hot tears trickling down his cheeks and onto his shirt. His shoulders started shaking as he tried to control his tears but failed.
"…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I made you worry," he whispered to Rachel in a choked voice. They continued to cry in each other's arms, in the comforting silence. Ciel was so overcome with guilt that the only way he could find a little bit of relief was through his tears. But seeing his mother's tears countered the relief. A few moments passed by before a cold hand slightly touched Ciel's shoulder to remind him that there was another presence in the room.
Ciel looked up to see a man in a white lab coat with both his hands tucked away in his coat pockets, patiently waiting for the mother and son to finish with their reunion. Behind him was a nurse carrying a clipboard in her right hand and a white basket with what looked like a syringe and multiple band aids.
"She missed you a lot," the doctor said in a deep yet calm voice. His eyes looked encouraging and he wore a small smile. He hesitated before speaking.
"…I know. Thank you for looking after her," Ciel said in a small voice. He was still trying to collect himself together. He couldn't appear to be weak in front of his doctor as well as his mother. He needed to be strong so he could support her. That was the only way he was going to get through anything, emotionally and mentally. He needed to be tough enough to stand up to Sebastian when the time came. He knew perfectly well that he'd meet the red-eyed man sooner or later; it was inevitable. He was after Ciel for a reason and the boy was eager to know why. Out of the millions of boys in the world to take, Sebastian chose him. It obviously had something to do with the dreams. He didn't know what just yet. But he made the decision that he needed to stand up for himself. There was no other choice. Another slight cough pulled him from his sea of thoughts.
"Now that you're awake and conscious we need to take care of some things before your body starts rejecting your medications," the doctor said in a serious tone. His brow furrowed in a worried manner. It made a lump form in Ciel's throat as the boy started worrying over….well whatever the doctor was worrying about. He slightly turned his head towards the nurse's direction and motioned for her to come over. She scurried over to the night table and took out the syringe along with some blood packets. Ciel looked up at the doctor with a concerned and worried look. What were they going to do with him?
"No need to look so scared. Allow me to explain everything. From the time when the police found your body to the point where you finally arrived at the hospital, you had already lost quite a bit of blood. Actually if my calculations are accurate, your body lost one-twenty-sixth of its blood which is more than a child of your age should lose." Ciel gasped. One-twenty-sixth? Jesus, it was no wonder he felt weak as shit. He thought maybe it was because of the injuries, but he'd lost one-twenty-sixth of his blood! The boy was suddenly panting, trying to breathe in more air to calm his nerves down that had suddenly shot up. Rachel softly squeezed Ciel's hand as reassurance. He looked at her with sad eyes but tried to reassure her with a small, tight smile. But the worry in his eyes didn't go by unnoticed.
"..H-how did I lose…so much?" Ciel asked, not making eye contact with the doctor. He wasn't so sure he wanted to know, but he was desperate for answers nonetheless. The doctor sighed.
"Your body kept regurgitating large amounts of blood. We're still trying to figure out why however. It's unusual to be rejecting so much healthy blood since you don't have any viral infections of any sort. There was some amount lost through some physical injuries but it was mainly lost through you throwing it up, hence why your abdomen will probably feel extremely soar." The doctor waited to hear Ciel's response but the boy remained silent. This was probably too much for him to take in in such a short amount of time. "We'll need to inject some blood into your body in order to restore it to its normal, healthy state. Your whole body will start to feel soar and numb and there will be other side effects like exhaustion, but rest assured it's to be expected."
With that the nurse stepped forward and gave Ciel a reassuring smile. Like she really meant it. She wiped Ciel's arm with a disinfectant cloth, making sure to cover the expanse of his antecubital fossa (1).
Ciel sat very stiffly in the examining room. He was a nervous wreck, jumping at every little noise that he heard. His fists clenched and unclenched, nails scraping his palms. He felt bile rise in his throat, but he forced it back down. The nurse took the syringe connected to the blood packet through a long, clear tube and carefully stuck it in his vein.
Ciel watched in horror as the needle pierced his skin as she injected into his body. It burned and it HURT. It felt like the she was forcing melted silver into his veins. His limbs suddenly started feeling very heavy and numb and he soon realized he could barely move his arms and legs. He craned his neck over to his mom and squeezed her hand for support. She smiled at him reassuringly but she was still crying at the pain her precious son was being forced to endure. He truly didn't deserve to sit through all this agony. Especially not after everything he's already been through.
Ciel's head started to feel extremely light-headed as it lolled from side to side. It felt like he was carrying a 2-ton bowling ball as a head. His eyes started closing gradually but he fought to keep them awake. He couldn't afford to fall asleep right now. What if something happened while he was unconscious? No, nothing would happen. He was in safe hands now. He had nothing to worry about.
The nurse grabbed what looked like orange tape from the basket and taped the syringe in a comfortable position on Ciel's arm. It would take a long while for Ciel's body to replenish the blood as well as accepting the new blood. They could only wait until Ciel's body showed signs of improvement. Right now his skin was still pale and cold like a vampire's. His lips were a bluish purple though they were gradually returning to its pink hue.
"Well then, our job here is done. It will take quite some time for Ciel's body to regain its strength and for his injuries to heal. Until then he'll have to stay here while he continues to receive treatment," the doctor said. He glanced at Rachel and smiled at her before walking out of the room with the nurse following behind him. But before walking out, she turned around.
"You're welcome to spend the night with Ciel, Ms. Collins. It won't be a problem. I must tell you ahead of time that tomorrow afternoon police investigators will be coming in to question Ciel about what happened," she said. Rachel looked up and sent her a tight smile. Taking the sign, the nurse left.
Rachel returned her full attention to her son. Even with the multiple scrapes and scars marring his porcelain face, he was still perfect. He'd still be as beautiful as always. She cupped his small cheek in her palm and gently rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone. Ciel flinched when she brushed over a bruise but he groaned and fell back asleep. Rachel immediately retracted her hand and instead held Ciel's hand.
Two days ago was only supposed to be like any other day. Rachel was going to go to work, call Ciel every couple of hours, finish her meetings and come back home. That was the daily routine. The same one she went by every day of the summer. And it'd worked. Every day Ciel was safe at home whenever she'd called. But this one day when she failed to call him because her workload was piling up by the second and the amount of meetings made her head spin. She didn't have the time to call and check in on her son. Really, what was the probability that on the day she didn't call, someone would break into her house and try to hurt Ciel? This was all her fault. She could've done so many things to prevent this from ever happening. She could've taken the day off to spend quality time with Ciel. Or she simply could've taken a break from work and called Ciel to check in on him. Had she realized there were intruders she would've called the police station sooner than Ciel had. And that's when it dawned on her.
She turned the alarm system off.
That's when tears came spilling out. Oh, but she hadn't mean to! She had every intention of turning it back on! She had to turn it off a couple of nights before when Ciel went out shopping for groceries only so he could back in without sounding off the system. Oh gosh. This really was her fault. If the intruders broke in, the alarm would be set off and Ciel could've made a run for it. Rachel dropped her head into her hands and sobbed continuously. She'd never forgive herself for this. Ever.
Rays of sunlight permeated through the white curtains and into the room. The strings of sunshine fell on the sleeping boy's face illuminating his perfectly carved face. The boy groaned as dots of bright reds and oranges penetrated through his eyelids. He gradually opened his eyes and glared at the sunlight. Oh how he hated waking up in the morning. He tried to sit up but not before a huge pain shot up his abdomen. Tch. He was gonna let this pain get the best of him. He quickly sat up and winced in pain as parts of his body screamed out to him. Fuck. He let out a harsh sigh and turned his head to the side to see his mom sleeping on a chair.
He smiled. A true, happy smile.
After his dad left, his life was thrown into a dark world. He was forced to grow up in a world with no paternal support or guidance. He had to grow up watching other kids and his classmates spend quality time with their dads while he had no father to be with. It was like there was a hole in his heart that could never be filled. Not even his mother could remedy it even though she'd tried countless times. She'd take him fishing, to sport games, or to play airsoft with friends. The things that guys like to do. But it never helped. Sure it brought out Ciel's masculine side (though it was limited) but there was no paternal figure to guide him. But…as bad as Ciel felt, he was glad his father never was there. Vincent had abused both him and his mother, got drunk to his heart's content and never spent quality time with either of them. It was for the best that Vincent didn't get to be there with Ciel as he grew up. He would've just made everything worse.
Ciel groggily got out of the comforting confines of his bed and groaned as he struggled to throw his legs over the bed. The cold floor sent shiver up Ciel's spine as he clutched the blanket even tighter around his fragile body. He simply stared at the floor, eyes almost void of any emotion, except pain. It was to be expected after everything that's happened but he most definitely wasn't mentally or even emotionally prepared for it. He most definitely wasn't prepared for the physical pain either.
But what bothered him most was that somewhere in the back of his mind he felt as if he'd been betrayed. It didn't make sense to him. He had no reason to feel as if his most trusted person in the world had turned their back on him. He had no reason to feel empty. But he did. And it pissed him off.
He steadily rose off the bed and tried to maintain his balance so as to not fall over and create even more injuries on his face. He grabbed his crutches from beside his night table and limped over to his bathroom.
There was a painful pounding in his head that refused to subside; it felt like he had gotten hit in the head with a boulder swiftly flying at him a million miles per hour. He made a mental note to take some Aspirin after he ate breakfast. Flicking the light on, Ciel looked into the mirror to see a hellish looking version of himself staring back with solemn eyes. His unruly hair still had blood stains from his reckless jump, but it looked like his mother bathed him while he was still unconscious as he had a fresh pair of pajamas on. How embarrassing. It seemed as though Rachel had a hard time washing the stain out of Ciel's hair; it was still slightly damp but the stain still lingered. He could even smell the metallic scent. He lifted his shirt to see a white bandage wrapped around his torso with slight blood stains bleeding through. Must've been a friction burn from the jump. Under his pants were multiple bad-aids and creams to try and cure the dark purple and blue bruises.
All of the pain only served as an unwanted reminder of the events that took place two days before. But Ciel would just have to deal with it. This one incident could possibly be one of many to come as much as he hated to admit it to himself. He had the feeling that someone like Sebastian, even though he didn't know him all that well, wouldn't just give up just because he couldn't achieve his goal the first time around. It scared Ciel shitless to know that he would have to face Sebastian more than once so much that he wanted to cry. Just the sound of the man's voice calling out to him sounded so terrifying yet…so alluring. It sounded so familiar yet frightening.
Ciel let out a sigh. He'd admit to himself that he was scared of what would happen from this point on but he couldn't let it get to his head. He walked out into the bedroom to see his mom replacing his sheets as well as his pillow. The dark circles under her eyes had pretty much gone away though she still looked tired as hell. She at least looked more refreshed than she did the night before. Once she finished tucking the bed sheet, she raised her arms above her head and stretched her muscles around, trying to crack them. As she turned around she finally noticed Ciel standing in front of the doorway to the bathroom.
"Ah Ciel!" she exclaimed. She rushed over to her son, ready to give him the biggest hug of his life, that not even Lizzy could compare to, but she stopped herself. His body was still recuperating from all of the injuries. He was having enough trouble as it was trying to remain standing. His body was visibly shaking from the pressure but he still stood anyhow. It really was an incentive for Rachel to start crying all over again, but she had to remain strong for her son. If she started breaking down in front of him than both his and her resolve would diminish. "How are you feeling?" she asked instead. Ciel looked up at her and then his eyes roamed around the room.
"I'm okay…I guess. My whole body is in pain like…I got hit with a 3-ton boulder or something. I'm still light-headed and I feel like I could faint any minute now. My eyes are sore for some reason or the other and whenever I look around it hurts," Ciel said in a groan. Even talking took away his strength. He trudged over to Rachel, leaving his crutches in the bathroom, and laid his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He missed her warmth. It reminded him of all the times when he was a child he'd cuddle up next to Rachel and she'd hold him protectively. The good times when they'd snuggle next to each other while watching a movie and Rachel would fall asleep halfway through. Ciel could smell her spicy cinnamon and lavender scent from her hair and clothes. It was the most comforting smell; it always reminded him he was safe.
Ciel felt Rachel return the hug by wrapping her arms around the small of his back. It was like of all his tension melted away by being with her. His sole protector.
A knock suddenly broke the silence and Rachel and Ciel turned their attention towards the opening piece of wood as the nurse walked in followed by two police officials. They both had stern looking faces, like they were about to shoot someone. Ciel never liked them. Whenever Vincent came home late driving drunk, the police would always catch him by the time he got to the house. Every time they would make eye contact with the boy, they'd glare at him as if he just committed the most heinous crime in the world. Like it was his fault for the being the son of his drunk father. Something about them always gave him an uneasy feeling.
"Excuse the interruption but the police officials would like to talk with Ciel now, if that's alright with you," the nurse said in a small, kind voice. Ciel immediately looked at Rachel with a worried look evident in his eyes. But Rachel cupped Ciel's cheeks and sent him a reassuring glance. Everything is going to be alright. I'll be here with you, don't worry.
"Yes, that's fine. Please, come in," Rachel said in an encouraging tone. She took two of the chairs lining the room and brought them next to the bed for the men. Said people entered the room and sat down in the chairs while they prepared for their interrogation. The nurse smiled and left the room silently, closing the door behind her. Ciel climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to his chest and held his pillow against his chest as if to shield himself from the police. Rachel slipped her shoes off and climbed into bed next to Ciel. Feeling the sudden, unexpected warmth on his left side, he leaned on Rachel's shoulder as they both watched the police officers prepared for the interrogation. Both officers had a notepad with which to take notes. The one sitting on the right had a tape recorder which he set on the night table to Ciel's right. Everything was making him nervous but he had to remember to keep his cool. He didn't do anything wrong in the first place so he had to keep it cool.
"Before we carry on with the interrogation, I just want to let you know some things first," the officer on the right said. "First off, I'm Officer Thompson, and this here is my partner, Officer Timber (2). We've been assigned to this case of finding out who tried to break into your house, their motives and any other information you can provide us with. We want to catch these criminals as soon as possible so you may be free of any lingering worry. Are we clear?" he asked. His voice was stern and confident. His appearance didn't really seem like that of an officer, neither did his partners. They both had purple hair which fell on the sides of their faces. They both had burgundy colored eyes…just like him. It was going to be difficult to take these officers seriously with their appearance. They looked the exact same. But looks aside, they were still police officials.
Ciel nodded. "Yeah, I understand." Officer Timber nodded in acknowledgement and turned the tape recorder on. Here we go.
"At approximately 5:00 July 30th2011, four intruders broke into your house. Three males and one female, yes?" the officer asked and looked up at Ciel for the answer. Ciel simply nodded. Officer Timber raised his brow and eyed the tape recorder. Ciel followed his line of sight and spotted said device. He forgot the conversation was being recorded.
"Y-yes. Yes that's correct," the boy said in a small, nervous voice.
"Can you provide us a description of these four?" Officer Thompson finally spoke up and asked. Even their voices were damn near similar, if not the same.
"Uh…yeah. There was a small looking kid, probably around his low 20's. He had blond hair, green eyes and had this garden hat tied around his shoulders. He was wearing a plain white shirt and these really odd pair of plaid pants. He was probably a bit taller than me; around 5'5". The other male was much taller…maybe around 5'11". He had dirty blonde hair and blue-grey eyes from what I could tell. He wore this….white chef uniform and black boots." Ciel paused. It was probably for the best that he not mention the rocket that Bard used to break into his house or the face that he nearly burned down his kitchen. He didn't want to create an even bigger mess than he was already in. "Um…and then the lady. She was about 5'5". Her eyes were a golden-yellow. She was wearing this…typical maid outfit. A blue dress with a white apron and white pinafore with ruffles around her shoulders, brown knee-high boots." Officer Thompson snickered under his breath but his partner elbowed him in the ribs and he immediately shut up. Ciel rolled his eyes. How mature. "And she had a concealed gun that I could see but only one," Ciel concluded. He glanced over at the officers to see them furiously writing at their notepads. It seemed like they were going to break the paper considering the pace at which they were writing. He looked over at his mom who squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture. She smiled at him and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.
"You're doing fine. Just answer their remaining questions and it'll be over," Rachel whispered in Ciel's ear, soft enough that the officers wouldn't have been able to hear. After a few more moments of writing, both Officers looked up at Ciel silently. Neither party spoke for a few minutes. The silence was starting to make Ciel uncomfortable. He'd answered their questions right? So why were they looking at him like they were expecting something more?
"You described to us three people. Our question was to describe four. You forgot to mention the fourth person," Officer Timber piped up after sitting through the suffocating silence. Ciel's eyes widened. That's right. He did forget. In the midst of trying to explain the appearance of the Meirin, Finny and Bard, Ciel let Sebastian wander away from his mind. He was the most important of the four, how could he forget?
What was he supposed to say about Sebastian? That he's a tall, young-looking adult with beautiful jet black hair, and mysterious yet enticing red eyes that drew Ciel in? That he's been haunting his dreams since the beginning of the summer? That in every dream he sports a butlers outfit consisting of black trousers, a tailcoat, vest and tie along with a pocked watch with a chain? That he called out his name in such an angry yet desperate voice? That he's after him because they shared something unknown in the past that Ciel still isn't ever remotely aware of?
But what would the police do with any of that information? They'd just laugh at him and think he's mentally ill. Some 14-year old boy is spouting nonsense about having dreams about his kidnapper. He'd surely be a laughing stock. They wouldn't take him seriously. Then what should he say? He did want Sebastian caught as soon as possible right? That way he'd be out of his life and he wouldn't have to worry about him trying to kidnap him again. He should be spouting every last detail about the man that he knew so the police could catch him. So why was he hesitating? Come on. Say it. Say it. Just say it Ciel….do it!
"I don't know," Ciel said in a rush, but the police officers still caught on to what he said. Wait, what? No, that's not what he meant! He did know! He knew details about Sebastian that would be so helpful in their investigation. Come on mouth, say something!
"What do you mean you don't know?" Officer Timber asked. He was beyond suspicious of the boy as he squinted his eyes in an accusing manner. He seemed to be doubting the boys words.
"I…really don't know. I-I didn't get to see him as well I did the others. His face was concealed w-with a mask. I don't what he looked like; his hair color, his eye color, nothing." No! No, this was all wrong! He did know. He knew all of this. Why couldn't he say a single, damn word? What was there to be afraid of? Him.
"Well could you at least provide his approximate height?" Officer Thompson asked. His height?
"5'8". He looked to be 5'8"," Ciel responded. What? That was nowhere close to his height and the boy knew it. Sebastian was probably close to 6'0" at least. Why was he lying? He tried to open his mouth to say something more but no sound came out. What was wrong with him?
Both Officers wrote down some more notes in their notepads for a few more moments before Officer Thompson reached over to the night table to turn the tape recorder off. Ciel let out a breath he didn't realized he'd been holding since he'd finish speaking. Looks like they were done with the interrogation. He'd expected more questions but he wasn't complaining. He didn't want to be here a minute longer in this suffocating silence.
"Well, we thank you for your cooperation. We'll take these notes into consideration and try to track these people down as best we can. We'd suggest not attracting too much attention to yourself. For all we know, these four could still be out there looking for you so keep your eye out." With that, both officers walked to the door and left but not before looking back to Ciel and Rachel and giving them a short nod.
Ciel's body visibly relaxed once the officers left. That was too much. He'd made so many mistakes in that interrogation which he knew he was going to regret later. It was going to come back and bite him in the ass and he was never going to forgive himself for withholding valuable information. Why he didn't tell them anything was beyond him at this point. But he knew now that the police didn't know anything about Sebastian, Ciel was going to have to be wary of what happened from now on. But how? He wouldn't know when the man would suddenly decide to 'surprise' Ciel.
"You did well," Rachel said reassuringly. She could see this whole situation was clearly making Ciel extremely uncomfortable. She knew if she asked him anything she wouldn't get anything useful or even remotely helpful. She would just have to be as supportive as she possibly could. Ciel looked up and smiled.
"Yeah. It's hard to talk about something you're unsure of. It happened in such a short amount of time that I feel like I didn't have time to blink." He knew that wasn't true. It all happened far too slowly. He'd wanted it to end. He was far from scared. No, he was petrified to the 10th power.
"Well, it's over. Don't worry about it anymore. You won't have to deal with this anymore," Rachel said confidently. She hugged him from the side as he slid onto his left side to make it more comfortable to lay his head on her shoulder. Hopefully things would get better. But somewhere in the back of his head said otherwise.
XXX
It had been about two weeks since the officers came in to interrogate Ciel. Everything had gone to normal. He had to get shots practically every day to replenish his energy. The nurse would come in to replace the blood packets while the doctor would take Ciel's blood pressure and some other measurements.
His mother took some time off work. But when she wasn't working endlessly on her laptop, she'd act like her normal, crazy self. There'd be days when she'd bring in her oh so famous eggplant lasagna. Though Ciel extremely disliked his mother's eggplant lasagna, he'd eat it anyways just to please her. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss it's icky, disgusting, revolting smell. But it reminded him of home. That things were back to normal with him and his mom. He'd just have to keep telling himself that until things really were.
Today was the day he was finally getting released from the confines of the hospital. In a way it felt like a prison, but it protected him from the outside world. At least that's what he thought.
"Ok, remember Ciel. You must take your pills every day, every 24 hours. Don't forget. Otherwise you'll find yourself back in that bed and I think we both know how much you'd like to avoid that," the doctor said jokingly as he handed his boxes of said pills to Rachel for safe-keeping. Ciel simply smiled. It was cheesy but it make him smile nonetheless.
"Well, thank you so much for looking after and taking care of my little baby boy here. I don't know what I would've done without him," Rachel said as fake tears starting forming in her eyes. She gave Ciel a death hug as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her into her deep valleys of plush and fluff.
"Mom! Quit!" Ciel scolded. Ok never mind, he took it back. He most definitely wasn't happy that Rachel was back to normal. He struggled to escape the confines of the ungodly grip of her arms. He straightened any wrinkled on his shirt as he looked away from the nurse and doctor. "Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom right quick."
"Oh my, I think I embarrassed him," Rachel said teasingly, knowing fully well that Ciel heard her. He quickly went back into the room and entered the bathroom locking it behind him. He looked into the mirror and released a huge breath. He definitely looked better than the first time he looked at himself when he first arrived at the hospital. Most of his bruises were gone and his face looked almost flawless. His legs didn't hurt as much as they did when he walked around. He didn't require the use of crutches over the span of the past two weeks as his wounds healed themselves much to his relief. He was finally glad to be moving about without the use of those wooden instruments. They really killed his armpits whenever he put too much pressure on them.
Ciel walked out of the bathroom after turning the light off and closing the door behind him. He was about to leave the room when something out of place caught his attention. On the bed was what looked like a black rose. But that was impossible right? There were no such things as black roses. Ciel furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. He walked to the edge of the bed and picked the rose up and examined it thoroughly, careful to avoid any thorns. He turned it around in his hand and inspected it. Visually, it looked real. It could fool anyone. He rubbed a petal between his fingers to find that the petal was indeed real. Odd. He'd never seen a black rose before. They only made them in laboratories. Why would it be here then? It wasn't here when he left only an hour before.
He looked back down at the bed and saw a small note. Ciel hesitantly picked the note and read it. Almost immediately did his body temperature rise to a towering height as his heart felt like it completely stopped. No.It couldn't be. Ciel's head shot up as he scanned the room for any signs of him. But there wasn't a soul in the room except for Ciel. His breaths started coming out in panicked pants as his heart started pounding against his chest.
It's not over yet.
S.
"Ciel? Honey, we have to leave!" Rachel called out from the hallway. Ciel hesitated. What should he do? He quickly ran over to the window and opened the plastic barrier. He forcefully threw the rose out into the atmosphere, not caring if it got run over by cars or torn apart by the wind. He just wanted to get rid of it. He watched the rose get tossed around by the breeze at it descended to a point where it was no longer visible. Ciel pulled his head back into the room and shut the window. He took the note and ripped it into tiny pieces so that no one would possibly be able to put them back together.
Sweat clung to his forehead and stuck to his navy blue hair. He ran to the door and out into the hallway to join his mother. He wouldn't let that bastard get inside his mind and mess his train of thought. He had to be strong. And he'd be damned if he let Sebastian get his way.
It was August 24th. Which meant it was the day before school started. Or rather the night before school started. 9:30 p.m. and Ciel was ready to get a good night's sleep. He'd finished his summer reading of a Midsummer's Night Dream. It was interesting to say the least though Ciel was never a fan of fantasies or anything of the sort. It had nothing to do with reality and putting oneself under the false impression that such idiotic things like fairies and unicorns actually existed just proved how pathetic children these days really were. Aside from the reading, he'd been cleaning other untouched parts of his room and putting away boxes upon boxes of his old things in the attic.
Since he'd left the hospital, he'd stopped having those dreams of Sebastian, fortunately. The man didn't even permeate his daydreaming or his thoughts even. But the few times the man had actually made his way into Ciel's mind was when the boy pondered over the meaning of the flower. The black rose to be more exact. What could it have meant? Didn't black really represent death? And hell? Associating that with a perfectly blooming rose really was ludicrous but Ciel still failed to grasp the meaning behind the purpose of a black rose.
And then there was that note. That note had bothered him the most. 'It's not over yet'. It gave him the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it. It was an obvious message that Sebastian wasn't going to give up in his attempts to kidnap Ciel. To Ciel, it meant that the damage which Sebastian had already inflicted upon the poor boy wasn't enough. Yes it was an unfair way to think of it, but just the way it was worded had many interpretations and Ciel just happened to take in a rather harsh manner.
But no matter, Sebastian wasn't going to be bothering him anytime soon. He had to believe that the man's note was a bluff that he wasn't going to do anything to Ciel.
Ciel climbed into his bed, leaned over to turn the lamp off and then settled back into his bed. He pulled the covers up to his neck and snuggled under the layers of blankets while cuddling with his pillow. Tomorrow would the start of a new year; maybe even a new life. He could forget about all the events that took place during the summer. Sure he'd be bombarded with question after questions, especially from Lizzy but the sooner he talked about it, the sooner Sebastian would be out of his mind.
XXX
It was around noon when Ciel finally arrived at school. He didn't really fancy the idea of missing the first half of school especially since it was the first day and all. Lizzy wouldn't let him hear the end of it. And then she'd go on about how the first 3 hours of the first day was fantastic and how she'd made so many friends and then show off all the cute clothes she'd bought over the summer and blah blah blah. Alas the appointment was inevitable anyway so there was no point complaining about it. His life kinda depended on the appointments. If he could avoid the hyper blonde than he'd be willing to do literally anything.
He walked to through the doors of the school and continued down the halls towards the office. Blue and yellow tiles disseminated the floor on either side of the ground. There were posters on the walls advertising fundraising events, encouraging people to join clubs, food drives and spirit week.
When the exchange students came, they'd paint the ceiling tiles which covered a good three-fourths of the ceiling, which to Ciel looked gaudy. In the main lobby, there was a poster that hung a good two feet down saying, "WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!" in bright blue and yellow colors. Random printer-sized papers scattered across the walls in the hallway with drawings and cute sayings like 'Let's have another fun year at CA!' or 'Keep up the spirit! Ciel somehow felt like his school took the whole 'back to school' thing to a complete higher level than most other schools in the district. They definitely got an 'A+' on the unnecessary amount of spirit and wasting trees for useless events. He really saw no reason for students to get so riled up for school spirit. It's not like it counted for anything towards one's academic grade.
As he neared the office, he tried to turn the handle but was confused to see that it was instead locked. It was the middle of the freaking school day and the office was locked? He tried twisting the door handle around but it wouldn't budge.
"Hello?" Ciel called out as he began to knock on the oak door. "Ms. Edelstein? Hello? Is anyone there?" There were supposed to be three staff members in the office, Ms. Edelstein being one of them. Surely at least one of them would hear him. After a few more minutes of continuous knocking on the door and calling out to the staff members, Ciel gave up; his knuckles were too red already. He sighed. What was he supposed to do? He'd get a detention if he didn't sign in and give them the doctor's note. Rachel would flip if she heard her son had received a detention on the first day of high school. Well he couldn't help it. The stupid staff people weren't even in the office so that would be his argument. And besides, serving another detention with Alois for two and a half hours didn't exactly tickle his fancy.
He reeled around and walked towards the freshman hallway to drop his backpack in his locker. He walked to the end of the hallway but realized that all the doors were shut; not a single door was open or even left ajar. He walked to the nearest door and once again tried to knock on the door. Still no response. He looked down and realized that the lights weren't even turned on. He glanced down the hallway and noticed that none of the classrooms had the lights turned on. He furrowed his brow in confusion; today was the first day of school wasn't it? He couldn't have gotten the date wrong. Otherwise Rachel wouldn't have been jumping off the walls that morning, yelling out for the world to hear that her precious son was finally starting his first day of high school. Well he'd just wait until classes were over. Maybe then he'd demand an explanation as to why none of the teachers were opening their doors to him.
He walked down the hallway until he found his name on a top locker towards his left. He undid the lock from the combination taped beneath said object, though it took him a few tries to do so. With much difficulty, considering Ciel's height and meager amount of muscle, he hauled his bag into the small, claustrophobic space. It was crazy how many textbooks he was required to carry around to each class; his calculus book, biology book, Spanish book, English book and history book. Each one felt like it weighed more than just 10 pounds. He was going to be a hunch back by the end of the year if this nonsense continued. He tried to close his locker but the straps kept popping back out and half the backpack was practically falling out.
Well then, he'd just have to complete it the hard way.
He struggled to force all his body eight, though it wasn't much, on the locker in order to close it to the point where he'd be able to put the lock back in the hole and lock the damn thing. Once he heard the click, he regained his breath and glared at the locker. And he was gonna have to deal with this shit for the rest of the year. Great. Just great. Well there was no point moping about it. He'd find a way to get through it all without being late to classes.
Without further ado, Ciel walked back towards the office and attempted knocking at the door one more time, but doubted that anyone would answer. He was right. Just as he was about to walk away, he heard distinct whispers; they were barely audible, but he could still hear them. Was that someone crying?
"We can't just leave him out there. The poor boy!" the voice cried in a slight whisper. She was sniffling loudly to which the others around her had to shush her. "He could still be out there! What if he does something to the boy? The kid is completely defenseless! He isn't even aware of the critical situation at hand!" The room went into silence until another voice broke it.
"We don't have a choice. He could be using the boy to infiltrate the office. We can't let him in," the stern voice said. Ciel was stunned. What was the situation at hand? Was that why none of the teachers were opening their doors to him? And who's the other person they're talking about? Whoever he was, he sounded dangerous. Well he wasn't going to just stay our here and wait to find out.
"E-excuse me. Um...my name is Ciel Collins. I came late because I had a doctor's appointment in the morning," Ciel said in a hushed tone, but loud enough for the people on the other side of the door to hear. His hands nervously messed with his T-shirt as he eagerly waited for a response. Why weren't they answering? They suddenly went all quite. He could feel through the door the room growing tense. "Um...I also have a doctor's note to prove it if you need to see it for verification," Ciel added, hoping they'd consider letting him in.
"It's him," a voice whispered nervously.
"I know! Let him be. If that man really is looking for the boy, then let him have the boy. They'll encounter each other sooner or later. We just need to make sure the rest of the students are safe," another voice said in a rather rude, uncaring tone. While Ciel's mind was slightly confused as to what was going on, he couldn't help but notice that there was a bad feeling lurking in his body. Leave him out with whom? What was going on? Who was he going to meet sooner or later? His mind was beyond the point of confusion. This person sounded eerily familiar. This lockdown….could it possibly be the doing of…? Dare he think it? Sebastian?
The night Sebastian had escaped from the clutches of the police, Ciel had expected to have pleasant days and even pleasanter dreams. Instead, he had nightmares that involved both him and Sebastian in that typical role of a kid Earl and butler engaging in erotic activities. The young boy would bolt up in his bed and find that he couldn't fall back asleep. More importantly a certain part of his lower anatomy would be seeping wet. The thick liquids permeated his pajamas as well as his blanket causing Ciel's face to heat up. Heart pounding and bags under his eyes, Ciel would have to sit up in his bed and wait for his body to lull back asleep and for his erection to calm down. He'd try to purposely yawn just to get his body even more exhausted and try to shut his eyes. He'd try to count imaginary stars but his mind would default towards Sebastian. By that point, it would be time for him to get up anyway as he spent a good portion of the night trying to fall asleep. Hence, why Ciel had been so tired for the past two months. Even when it was time to sleep, Ciel couldn't do so without experiencing a nightmare and having to cut his sleep time to wait for his body to shop shaking from the pain.
His serene face took on a disturbed look at the thought of the man. Sebastian could be expected to break into his home any day now. Ciel truly believed the minute that male stepped foot through the front door of his estate, the boy's life would be turned upside-down. He shuddered at the thought of their last encounter before the man had departed. He brought his hand up to his eye patch and let his mind wander. He wasn't too sure why his eye had abruptly burst into pain, like it was being jabbed with a thousand, sharp needles. He couldn't even provide a rational explanation for why it would bleed. Even the doctors couldn't explain it.
A feeling of fear formed in Ciel's chest at the thought. He dropped his hand from his eye and proceeded down the hallway. He couldn't let past events ruin his life. His father's departure had already taken its toll on him and Rachel and he wasn't going let his mother worry even more than she already has. The last thing she needed to worry about was her own son.
As he neared the end of the hall, he pushed the double doors open and felt the wind breeze past him. He walked to the top of the brick steps and stopped. He glanced out onto the QUAD to take in the surroundings. It was usually filled with friends mingling amongst themselves, sitting on the grass or the benches. There were always games of football and ultimate Frisbee taking place yet there wasn't a single soul to be seen. It was rare to see the QUAD so desolate; so lonely. The only time it was ever like this was when there was a Pep Rally or tailgate. But considering it was the first day of school there wouldn't be such an event today of all days. Something wasn't right and Ciel was going to get to the bottom of it.
He walked down the brick steps and looked around trying to keep an eye out for any people. He had a bad feeling forming in his gut. Like he wasn't supposed to be out here. Despite it being in the middle of the day with the sun shining brightly, it felt like he was in a haunted house full of creatures that would come out of nowhere and scare the living daylights out of you. The suspense it keeps you in while you wait to be scared and your heart leaps up to your throat. That's the feeling that was creeping up on Ciel now as he looked around.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Adrenaline suddenly shot up through Ciel's body. He jerked his head towards his left. In the distance, just in front of the library were two figures. There was a mysterious-looking man holding onto a woman as he viciously sunk his fangs into the woman's neck. Life gradually eased away from her body until she stopped struggling and went limp. Her upper body drooped down like a lifeless doll as her knees buckled beneath her. She went limp in his arms, her skin turning a deadly pale white. On the crevice of her neck were two deep puncture marks, leaking what was left of her life essence down her face and onto the grass.
Ciel's breath was caught in his throat. All he could do was stare at the horrifying scene taking place. A woman just died and all the boy could do was stand paralyzed in his place and look at her lifeless body. The hairs on his body stood up as goose bumps traveled from head to toe. The frightened boy looked up at the man who was still holding the woman by her waist. He was sporting a long-sleeve black shirt, black slacks and even black dress shoes. He had messy black hair which fell on the sides of his face and cupped his cheeks a little too perfectly. He looked a little too familiar; Ciel was certain he'd seen him somewhere before.
The man finally dropped the woman onto the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his sleeve. It smeared against his chin and cheek leaving behind a sickly crimson stain. He was panting, allowing for his meal to digest in his body. He could already feel power emanating from his being; but it wasn't enough. No, it would never be enough. Not until he got a taste from him.
Sensing another's presence, his eyes hungrily scanned the QUAD until he saw a small figure hiding behind a large pillar. Shit. Someone saw him feeding. He squinted his eyes at the cowering boy, trying to get a better look at him. Was that…? Yes, it was. At long last.
Ciel suddenly felt his blood go cold. No it couldn't be. But there was no mistaking it. That was him.
It was Sebastian.
Ciel immediately began to feel dizzy and light-headed. His body temperature shot up until his body felt like it was burning. To say that the boy was terrified at the sight of Sebastian would be the understatement of the century. He could feel his whole body shaking from the irrational fear that Sebastian was here for him, to try and kidnap him again. He'd desperately hoped that their encounter at his house would be the first and last time he'd ever see the man but somewhere in the back of his head he knew that they'd meet again; it was inevitable. Was Sebastian the reason why the school was under lock down? That would surely explain why all of the classrooms were locked. But what did he do to elicit the school to lock down? He was only one man, surely he wasn't capable of causing any havoc to a whole campus of staff and students.
The demon gazed longingly at Ciel as if it'd been centuries since he'd last set eyes on his mate.
"It's been so long," Sebastian whispered to himself. The hunger inside of him twirled and rolled through his body. Images of young, warm, silky skin under his touch caused an ache to grow amongst all the jumble of instincts he possessed. It had been two months since he had ventured into Ciel's home and that time frame had been nothing but agony. His eyes changed into its demonic purple glow but it didn't go unnoticed by Ciel. The boy was scared out of his wits. It looked like the man was possessed from where the boy was standing.
Obsession could be a terrifying truth and when Sebastian struggled to neglect his obsession it only grew worse. The hunger raging war and havoc created chaos in his mind and body until the point of starvation and a fixated need. No longer able to contain the building passion for the boy, Sebastian started walking towards Ciel. His eyes were glued to his prize, like a moth to a flame. He wouldn't let the boy get away this time. He'd made an exception last time but he'd obtain what rightfully belonged to him.
Ciel seemed to be glued where he was standing because his legs were frozen. They wouldn't move; his whole body was paralyzed. It didn't even seem like he was breathing even though his heart was ramming against his rib cage. His eyes didn't blink as they were fastened on the intimidating man who was fast approaching, his own eyes pasted on the quivering boy. Move Ciel. Move! But he couldn't. Those red eyes seemed to draw the boy into its fiery depths, as if they were entrancing him, hypnotizing him to do their bidding. RUN!
Ciel immediately turned around and ran to the door of the high school, hastily pulled it open and dashed inside. He raced to the main office and tried to open the door by twisting and yanking the door knob around. He knew perfectly well it was locked but he had to try nonetheless. Some psycho…butler was after him and he wasn't about to let Sebastian have his way with him.
When Sebastian's figure became visible, though barely, through the glass pane of the door entrance, Ciel gasped and started panicking. He started banging on the door with his knuckles to the point they turned red.
"Hello? Someone please help me!" Ciel cried out. "Don't leave me out with him!" The boy continued banging on the door but to no avail. The staff inside sat quietly, listening to the boy's pleas for help but they couldn't do anything. They simply couldn't risk their lives saving him. "Please just let me in!" Ciel tried turning the door knob again and again but it still wouldn't budge. Of course it wouldn't. They weren't going to let him in any time soon.
He twisted his head towards the door to see Sebastian standing outside the only obstacle separating him from the boy. His eyes were still their dark purple color while his pupils were dilated like those of a snake. Sebastian tilted his head to the side as he observed Ciel through the glass. He narrowed his eyes at his prey as his hand slowly came up and rested on the glass. Ciel furrowed his brow in confusion. What was he doing? Did he not know how to open the door? The demon's stoic face suddenly smirked and before Ciel knew it, glass shards from the door started flying all over the hallway. Ciel fell back from the impact and covered his head with his arms. He remained in the position for a while until he started feeling wet liquid all over his body. Not again.
He opened his eyes to see broken pieces of glass all over the floor. They had cut through his jeans and cut his legs which were already leaking blood all over the place; the same could be said about his arms. Cuts were everywhere, though they were minor. What just happened? The shaking teen looked up to see the glass from the door gone and Sebastian standing behind it with a triumphant grin.
"Really now, did you think you could get away so easily?" His smirked showed a toothy grin that made Ciel cringe in fear. He watched in terror as the man's canines elongated to form vampire-like fangs. That's it. That's all the incentive he needed to get up off the floor and start running away from the man. He dashed to the end of the hallway without another glance behind him to see if Sebastian was still following him. The only thought running through his head was the fact that he needed to place as much distance between him and Sebastian!
The boy raced to the open entrance on his right and dashed up the winding staircase. His breath came out in panicked gasps as he sprinted up the stairs. How did he do that? One minute Sebastian had his hand on the glass and then it exploded into small bits. And he didn't even acquire any scratches from the sudden blast. Something wasn't right. He looked behind him and felt his heart jump when there was no sign of the psycho. Hope and adrenaline pumped through his veins as he continued to run up the stairs. If he could get out of this part of the school, he had a higher chance of actually escaping alive. Blood pounded in his ears; his eyes darted around wildly trying to figure out where to go.
He took a sudden left and ran into another hallway, trying to get to the end so he could escape through the flight of stairs that led outside. That would surely be his ticket out. But the boy stopped in his tracks and once again his heart jumped to his throat. What? How was that possible? In front of his only escape route was Sebastian casually leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets, looking incredibly bored. Like he'd been waiting there for a long period of time. But how was that possible? He was downstairs just seconds ago! There was no way he could've climbed all those flights of stairs from where he was. It should've taken him twice as long to get up here. It was just…impossible! And yet he didn't look disheveled or exhausted. He looked perfectly fine; no sweat was clinging to his brow.
"How long do you intend to keep up this wild goose chase, I wonder?" he asked casually. He smirked at Ciel's state. His hair was clinging to his perspiring forehead, he was panting from the long and tedious run up the stairs, and his chest rose up and down as he tried to suck in more air to calm his body. But even though Ciel looked as if he was about to faint, Sebastian saw past all that. The boy's perfectly carved porcelain face, rose-pink lips, small petite body frame with some muscle in his abdomen and biceps, beautiful navy blue hair, and best of all, those cerulean blue eyes. Sebastian could get lost in their depths and lose his sanity. They drew him in every time he looked at the boy, even when he had first formed the contract with the child all those years ago.
Why was this happening to Ciel of all people? Because he'd been having those stupid dreams that Sebastian was somehow always a part of? There were plenty of teenage boys Sebastian could chase after and terrorize, yet he chose Ciel. Why? What was so special about him that made him different?
"Why?" Ciel gasped out, still trying to regain his breath. He had far too many questions since Sebastian first broke into his house and it was about time he earned some answers. He couldn't go on like this with so many 'Why's' circulating around his head to the point where he was dizzy and light-headed just thinking about it.
"Why what?" Sebastian asked, feigning innocence. How cute. The boy was probably beyond confused by now. He could just tell by looking at him that he had a million questions permeating his mind. But he couldn't answer any of them just yet. He had to wait. It wasn't time. He just needed to proceed with his plan without leaving behind any traces of either him or Ciel. If he could that then he and his little pet could have a nice little chat.
"Why me? Why are you coming after me?" Ciel asked, his voice quivering. His cerulean blue eyes bore into Sebastian's violet ones, as if searching for an answer. But all he received was a proud smirk adorning his face and a somewhat sad look in his eyes which Ciel couldn't quite understand given the situation at hand. He waited what felt like ages for the man's answer until Sebastian opened his mouth
"I'm surprised you're asking me that question," Sebastian simply stated. He brought his hand up to his face and pretended to examine his black nails. "You know why I'm coming after you, Ciel. Don't deny that somewhere in the back of your head, you know," he said. But he didn't say it in his usual bored tone. He squinted his eyes at the boy as he spoke in a serious, persuasive tone. Like he was trying to get Ciel to understand something he didn't comprehend. Or rather something he didn't want to comprehend.
Sebastian got off the door frame and started walking at an agonizingly slow pace towards the boy, his hands still buried deep within his pockets. When Ciel spotted Sebastian slowly advancing towards him, he started taking a few steps back to maintain the long distance between them. He didn't want to be any closer to Sebastian than he had to be; he just wanted to be out of there A.S.A.P.
He'd thought that he'd stand up against Sebastian the next time they met; he'd even made the resolve to do so. But he just couldn't take this anymore. Not when he didn't know why Sebastian was after him. The man said he knew but he didn't! Ciel didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't have asked in the first place. He wouldn't be as scared of Sebastian as he was now.
Ciel turned around and ran back down the hallway and back down the stairs from where he came. Sebastian's eyes widened when the boy immediately retreated from his advancement and a nasty growl instantly formed in his throat.
"CIEL!" the demon cried out. His fangs showed brightly and his eyes transformed from their deep-violet hue to a sickly, gory, crimson red. That was it. He wasn't going to let his prize keep running away from him every time they met. First when he broke into Ciel's house, the boy ran away in fright. The second just minutes ago downstairs and just now he ran away due to Sebastian's approach. That's it. Three strikes and you're out my little pet.
Ciel's pace quickened down the stairs as soon as he heard his name being yelled. He knew he'd made Sebastian mad by running away but who cared? His well-being mattered more than him and all he wanted to do was to get out of school and find a way to go home. Even though it seemed as though Sebastian toyed with his mind, there was something else to it. Surely he wasn't doing this just to mess with Ciel. In that case he wouldn't be trying so hard to come after him. Based on Ciel's dreams, he and Sebastian had something going on between them. Something scandalous and…well wrong. But it was right though it shouldn't have been. Ciel suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Perhaps Sebastian is trying to reignite something from the past that's been dormant?
No that sounded conceited. But…it was one possible answer. One that would explain a lot of things. Ciel pondered it a bit further until he heard heels tapping against the tile floor a few meters behind him. His breath caught in his throat and shivers traveled the expanse of his spine. His body started to visibly shake and Sebastian clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was clear that he was nervous and frightened of Sebastian and after what happened from the past events he had every right to be. But Sebastian couldn't and wouldn't allow the boy's fright to get in the way of his plans. He'd been dreaming about this day for the past 10 years and he couldn't stop now. Not when his beloved was ripe for the taking.
Ciel slowly and hesitantly turned around to find his vision blocked by black cloth. He gasped when he realized that he was only a hair's breadth separated him from Sebastian's chest. But he didn't step back. No, he had to stand his ground and be confident. Even though he was pretty sure that Sebastian could see, probably smell the boy's fear. His eyes traveled the expanse of Sebastian's torso until he finally met the man's own eyes.
He swore there was something more behind Sebastian's façade. It'd been there since he spotted the man in front of the library. It looked like…well Ciel could be wrong about this as he wasn't one to judge another's emotions. But it looked like Sebastian was dreadfully lonely. The way his eyebrows were positioned and the certain glint in his eyes made it seem like he was missing a part of himself. Ciel witnessed as Sebastian's once frightening deep, blood crimson eyes reverted back to its normal bright red hue. It looked like he'd calmed down. So even behind his outer layer, there were flaws that made Sebastian weak. Ciel could use that against him, but he just couldn't. Not when Sebastian looked that pitiful. He couldn't be that heartless.
Ciel's voice caught in his throat as he pondered over Sebastian's situation but he stopped in his thoughts. No he couldn't be fooled by this man. He was trying kidnap Ciel for heaven's sake; he couldn't just take pity on him just because the position of his brow made him look sad. Ciel pulled his eyes away from Sebastian and tried to look for the words to distract the man so he could make an escape. But he realized a minute too late that he'd run into a dead end. There was no exit from this hallway and Sebastian was yet again blocking his only other escape route. He was always one step ahead. Tch. Great.
Ciel let out a sigh. Was this it? Sebastian was just going to take him away just like that? Without answering any of his questions? Without letting him say goodbye to his friends and family? That's when realization dawned on the boy. If Sebastian took him now he wouldn't even get to see Rachel. He'd just be gone in the blink of an eye leaving his mother alone. No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't possibly leave his mom. Not after his dad had left the house without a second thought. He couldn't do that to her. She'd cry for weeks, even months knowing Ciel had been taken away from her protective shelter. Ciel would never be able to live with himself knowing he just left his mom. I wouldn't even see her again.
Sebastian eyes widened down at his beloved as tears started forming on the corner of Ciel's eye and threatened to fall out. The boy looked away as the hot liquids trailed down his face. He didn't want to leave. Not that he did in the first place, but this just gave him another reason to want to stay. He didn't want to be with Sebastian. Who knew what he had in store for him. This was all just happening way too quickly and all at once. It was far too much for Ciel to comprehend and he didn't even know where to start thinking about the situation. A cold hand suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts.
Sebastian gently grabbed Ciel's chin between his fingers and brought his face to look at his own. His hand let go and slowly traveled up Ciel's face, feeling his smooth and flawless skin, until it reached his eye-patch. He caressed with the tips of his fingers like it were the most delicate and finest china. He knew perfectly well that the piece of black cloth hid his contract. The symbol that would always bind him and Ciel together, even in death. It reminded him that even though he and Ciel were different beings entirely and they weren't exactly in a favorable situation, this mark, his mark, would always be a reminder that Ciel belonged to him. And it would always be that way. He'd stay with Ciel until the ends of hell. That's why it pained him to do this. Seeing his beloved cry because of him was enough to tear the demon apart. If he could, he'd have already grabbed the boy and smashed their lips together in a passionate and needy kiss. He'd shower his body with butterfly kisses to reassure the teen that everything was going to be fine. But now wasn't the time nor the place to be engaging in such activities. And the demon was painfully aware of that fact. He had to get Ciel out of here and back to that place, even if he had to resort to hurtful means. He had every right to do so. Ciel was his and he'd do whatever it took to get them back together.
"Make no mistake, Ciel Collins. No matter where you run or even hide, you can believe that I will always find you," Sebastian said in a dangerously low voice, but with both sadness and confidence evident in his eyes. It pained him to do this. It really did. The demon took in a deep breath of air before he raised his hand.
Before Ciel would even comprehend what Sebastian had said, he felt a stinging pain suddenly hit him on the back of his head and before he knew it, his world went black. His body gave way to unconsciousness and nearly fell to the floor before Sebastian skillfully caught the boy in his arms. He picked Ciel up and carried him bridal-style as he casually walked out of the school building. He entered the school parking lot and neared a black Lexus RX SUV. He opened the back seat of the car and carefully placed Ciel in the seat and buckled the boy up. Ciel's head lolled to the side as his hair fell over his contracted eye, his mouth was slightly ajar, sweat still clung to his forehead from the chase and dry tears were still evident on his face. Sebastian tucked the small portion of hair behind Ciel's ear and cupped the boy's cheek, wiping away any wet tears.
You will be mine, Ciel Phantomhive.
(1) For those who don't know, your Antecubital Fossa is the area located directly behind your elbow. So it's that expanse of skin which folds when you bend your elbow.
(2) I was debating on whether or not to use these two characters but if you don't remember, Timber, Thompson, and Canterbury were the triplets in the second season of Kuroshitsuji. I just thought it'd be neat to use them but I ended up not using Canterbury (sorry Canterbury. I'll try and find room for you!)
R.C.: AHHH DONEEE! *wipes sweat from forehead* Ceeeeeeelebrate good times COME ON!
Ichigo: *hits R.C. over the head with zanpakto* You're so useless you know that? You left your adoring and impatient fans waiting since October. OCTOBER! And you say you want to celebrate. Hmpf. Well I'm sure you're so proud of yourself for breaking the November deadline you'd set for yourself. And then the Christmas one too.
Kaname: Ichigo-kun is right. But I'll give you points cuz you finally made Ciel and Sebastian meet.
R.C.: I know! Even I was getting tired of not having them meet after all the suspense. I'd be pretty mad if I were a fan. But I'm happy since I at least accomplished that FINALLY after everything I put everyone through! But I want to thank all my fantastic and loyal readers for waiting so patiently for this fanfic to be updated! I can't even tell you guys how much I appreciate you guys reviewing the chapters. It really makes my day and makes me uberly happy! It really improves my stories when you guys give me reviews! I encourage everyone to criticize my work and don't be afraid to give me suggestions; I won't take anything to heart! I can't really tell how I'm doing with the story if I don't get reviews so that's why it kinda takes me awhile to write cuz I don't know what you guys want to read or what you're expecting (yeah I'm really new to this .)
PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO WORK ON! Thxxx :D