CHAPTER 9

The antidote seemed to work and didn't seem to work at the same time. None of the staff knew where they were at when it came to their Mistress' health. Sieglinde stayed in bed, either because she didn't want to move or couldn't, and she made a point of chasing Sebastian around more than usual. Anne was almost always in the room with Sieglinde now, sometimes even lying on her bed and reading a book while the Mistress slept.

It was a chilly February day, and Sebastian had been once more summoned to Sieglinde's room.

"Ciel wants to borrow you," the girl said. Her voice was strong and she was sitting upright. She was gorging herself on fresh cupcakes made by the demon.

Borrow. Like Sebastian was some sort of toy. The demon wanted to click his tongue in disapproval. "Does he?"

"You are allowed to go," the girl said between bites. At least she had her healthy appetite back. "Do whatever he wants you to do."

"What if he wants to tie me up and torture me?" Sebastian asked with a smirk tugging at his lips.

Sieglinde snorted. "Then you'll let him. Duh. Now leave."

Sometimes they got along. Once a year, maybe.

Sebastian didn't take the car to go to the Phantomhive manor. He was faster without, actually. Within two minutes after having left the townhouse he rang the bell to Ciel's residence. A maid with thick glasses opened the door and let him in.

"Sebastian," Ciel called. "You came." The boy descended the stairs, looking regal.

Sebastian gave a small bow and smiled. "You called."

"I've been meaning to talk to you," the boy said. "But my relatives are leaving. If you would be so kind to assist them with their luggage. That would be nice of you."

Sebastian blinked. Was Ciel joking? He'd been called here to carry bags?

As if to prove a point the Phantomhive chauffeur came down the stairs loaded with suitcases and various bags that he dropped right in front of Sebastian's feet before going up again. Sebastian stared at them. How many people had been living here?

Two, it turned out. Two blondes. One of them was stern-looking, and the other one, most likely the daughter, dressed herself in ruffles and lace. The mother spotted Sebastian and the suitcases by his feet. "You look indecent," she said with disdain.

Sebastian blinked at her. "Ma'am?"

"Are you a butler or a top model? This isn't a catwalk. Clean up or go home."

"Aunt Frances," Ciel said in a hushed voice that Sebastian could still hear with his superior hearing. "Sebastian is merely borrowed. He's the Sullivan butler."

"Why would we borrow butlers?" Frances asked.

"He's actually here for business."

"Then he should talk to me. After he makes himself look presentable."

"It doesn't concern the company," Ciel said testily. He turned to Sebastian. "Are you going to help us here or not?"

Sebastian refrained from grumbling and did what he had been told to. Once the car that would take away Ciel's aunt and cousin was loaded to the brim with the various bags, Sebastian held the door open for the woman and the girl. They climbed into the backseat with a small thank you for the help. Ciel remained by the main door, arms crossed in front of his chest.

When the car drove away, the girl loudly shouted her goodbyes, waving frantically. Ciel's expression only grew more closed at that. Sebastian turned towards the boy, interested in his expressions. Behind Sebastian, the car reached the gates and turned left. Only then did Ciel's gaze fall on the demon. They looked at each other in silence, until Ciel's chest sunk slowly with a careful exhale. Then he went back into the mansion.

"They don't live here?" Sebastian asked as they climbed up the stairs.

"Of course not," Ciel replied testily.

Sebastian thought about that until they entered the study. Ciel still seemed unhappy with it. His father's life was etched into it. Sebastian doubted it could ever become Ciel's study. "I reckon this house will be empty with your relatives gone."

Ciel sat down behind the desk. "They both distracted me from my work."

Sebastian didn't take a seat but came to a stand next to the chair in front of the desk. Not because the boy hadn't told him to sit, but because he liked to think that it irked the boy to have to look up to meet his eyes. "I heard that humans are in need of company, lest they become lonely-…"

"I did not call you here to get on my nerves," Ciel said. Sebastian knew he'd hit a sore spot.

"So you do get lonely."

There was silence as Ciel looked up at him. He had the most brilliantly blue eyes. Sebastian took pleasure in staring back, seeing the fury behind them. But instead of letting that fury out, the boy broke the gaze and gestured at the chair with much dignity. "Sit, please."

Sebastian stared at the chair now, masking the mild surprise. The boy wasn't going to take the bait. "I'd rather stand, thank you."

Ciel drew in a deep breath. "You are going to sit down. This is my house and you are nothing but a creature acting like human. Within these walls you are to obey my rules."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Oh, my. Aren't we brave…"

"I'd like to call it 'in control'," Ciel said. His eyes widened for less than a second as he realized his misstep.

"In control?" Sebastian repeated, allowing a slow smirk to grace his lips. "Do you like being in control, Ciel?"

"It's Lord Phantomhive to you," Ciel protested half-heartedly.

"Holding the reins over something like me?" Sebastian went on. He stepped forward until the tips of his feet brushed against the antique desk. Supporting his weight with only his fingertips on the desk's surface he leaned forward, closing a large part of the distance between himself and Ciel, who was resting his elbows on the desk. The boy's whole body tensed, his heart practically racing. He looked like he wanted to lean back. Sebastian almost found it admirable that he didn't. Lowering his voice he went on: "Would you like me to be your weapon?"

Ciel's eyes darkened. Sebastian allowed himself to let his true nature shine through his eyes. The boy wanted power. Sebastian was power.

"I could dismantle all your enemies, rip them apart at your order. You would have… total… control over me. And I would offer myself to you."

"I suppose I'd have to agree to a contract for that," Ciel murmured. He looked a little flustered and sounded a tad husky. Sometimes humans were too easy to excite.

Just when Sebastian wanted to go on, the boy pushed himself away from the desk and got up. He went to the other side of the room, tearing himself away from the trance that Sebastian had been trying to put over him. Said demon remained leaned over the desk, staring at the now empty seat in front of him.

This should not have happened.

"I am not interested in your offers," Ciel said. "As I have told you before. I ask you not to try it again."

Sebastian slowly lifted his head to look at the very composed boy on the other side of the room. Ciel stared back self-confidently.

"I understand that it's a demon thing to try and tempt everyone around you, but you will not tempt me. I have goals in my life that I need to reach. I will not be distracted by people like you."

People, he'd said.

"Sit," the boy ordered. "Do not make me ask you again."

Sebastian, completely – embarrassingly - stunned, took a seat.

A beat of silence passed until Ciel moved back behind the desk and gracefully sat down. With every meeting he just got more interesting. Surely he had to be somewhat afraid of Sebastian, but he pushed it all aside to tell him off. It was ridiculous. It was frustrating. It was exhilarating that finally a human was smart enough not to let Sebastian be his demise. And a young teenage boy at that!

"What is it that you called me here for?" Sebastian finally asked.

"I found a 'greedy individual' that might help lure Claude to us," Ciel said.

"Oh?"

The boy nodded. "Aleister Chambers. If my father managed to attract Claude's attention, this man will, too. My father had him under surveillance for criminal activities. I asked Diedrich what for and found out that it had to do with human trafficking and drug dealing. There is also a brothel that he may or may not own. I heard it has everything even the sickest mind cannot imagine, which is why the whole place would be shut down if the police were to ever find it. He may or may not be associated with Lau. That makes it easier. We know Lau, too."

Sebastian frowned. "You want to use this man as a bait?"

"He is the best option I know." Ciel pouted. "Of course I could take a look at other people for there certainly are many that would fit the criteria…"

"How do we use the Viscount?"

"Uncle Klaus knows Lau," Ciel explained. "Basically Lau is going to make Aleister's underground business flourish."

"Success will wake the desire for more," Sebastian concluded.

"In the ideal case."

"What if it doesn't?"

The boy looked at him oddly. "My plans do not fail."

"Your plans haven't involved a demon so far," Sebastian replied. "Unless there is something you failed to mention?"

Ciel merely sighed exasperatedly.

"In any case, the plan sounds solid. I assume we cannot do anything but wait. If Aleister's vice is great enough, he will eventually call on creatures like Claude unintentionally."

"Exactly. I want you to check on Chambers once in a while; just in case Claude has bit on already."

"Of course," Sebastian said with a nod. He had hoped for more excitement, but there was little one could do when the vice had to come from the bait itself.

Ciel opened his mouth, most likely to dismiss Sebastian, when somebody knocked on the door. The boy looked at the door contemplatively before allowing whoever was standing outside to come in.

The old Phantomhive butler Tanaka entered the study, carrying a white and black envelope in one hand. "Your mother's friend Irene Diaz has passed away. You have been invited to the funeral."

Perplexed, Ciel accepted the envelope and opened it right away. "Do we know anything about the cause of death?"

The butler shot Sebastian a look. "Well, it seems that she bore similar characteristics to other recent deaths when she was found."

"Grey veins, white eyes?" Ciel asked.

"Exactly, young master."

The boy nodded and thanked Tanaka, who left silently. Ciel looked at the card inside the envelope and sighed. "I had planned to ask her about my mother. Nobody knew Rachel as well as she did… You know, with Aunt Anne dead."

"You realize that this is a demon's work?" Sebastian prodded. It only earned him an irritated look from Ciel. Of course the boy knew.

"I just want to know if it's Claude's work," Ciel said, putting the card down.

"It could be any demon's work," Sebastian said. "It depends on the victim."

Ciel merely nodded. "Irene didn't strike me as somebody to form a contract with a demon."

"Many people don't." Sebastian contemplated adding the following bit before deciding that it was best the boy knew: "Sometimes there are no contracts."

This certainly caught Ciel's attention. "So there are demons that just take somebody's soul? Without a contract?"

While only the most uncivilized of demons did that, they were many. Sebastian himself had once simply gone up to a human and had proceeded to rip the soul out. However, the demon had quickly noticed that he had less trouble with reapers over a soul if he contracted it. He still had to avoid them lest they attack, but the souls marked as his had never been a point of conflict again. "They are wild creatures, so I ask you to be careful, Ciel."

The boy scowled heavily at him. "Do not ask me to be careful. Ensure my safety."

Sebastian tried to reply immediately, but he found himself mute. He was quick to cover it up; Ciel probably hadn't seen his surprise. "That is a lot to ask for, considering that you aren't contracted to me."

"It is not," Ciel shot back. "I am sure that you will receive an order if I approach your mistress with this concern." He leaned back in his seat. "You as my bodyguard would be very practical. I have well-trained staff, but none of them possesses supernatural abilities."

So that's what this was about. "What do I get in return?" Sebastian asked.

"What do you want?"

Honestly, he hadn't expected so much liberty in choosing. "Only your wonderful presence."

Finally, Ciel seemed thrown off. "I assume you're being sarcastic."

"I might have overdone it at the 'wonderful' part," Sebastian amended with a grin.

"Protecting me includes being around me," Ciel said slowly. "You're basically rejecting the offer of getting something in return. And you asked for it."

Sebastian shrugged. "I was merely curious if you would allow it. I am not interested in an exchange that doesn't include souls."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "We are done here. Run off to your Mistress." Maybe it had been supposed to come out of the boy's mouth rougher than it ended up sounding.

With an amused glint in his eyes the demon got up and, after a deep bow, left the study.