Warning: Character death

...

'It's about time you realized that it was me.'

Alois, h-how are you still here? I thought you-

'Died? No – I didn't die, I only went dormant but thanks to Alice, I'm now awake.'

But you can't be.

'I am and I'm in you – I am you.' His words are enticing and hypnotic.

You are me. I repeat as if under a spell.

'I am you.'

You… are… me.

A searing pain shoots through my head.

I clutch my scalp as I writhe in agony on my bed in an effort to try and ride it out. I can't, it's unbearable.

I hear Alois giggle, his voice chimes out in between my ears, it echoes and deafens me. I lay on my side, on top of my bed, as I grasp my head and squeeze tightly - I can't seem to silence him.

'Call him, I must call him.'

No – don't, stop.

"S-Sebastian..." I feel my mouth move and I hear my voice feebly mutter as I continue to hold my head. These are not my actions and these are not my words. "Sebastian, please..." I cry out, weakly. No, Alois please stop; I don't want him to see me like this.

"What is the matter?" Sebastian inquires as he enters the room and approaches me. I can't feel my head in my hands or my body lying on the bed, the only thing I can feel is the constant thumping and throbbing of my head.

"My lord?" His voice is low, almost whispered as he bends over the bed and hoovers in front of me. I want to speak but I struggle to get the words out.

He puts his hand on my forehead as I look up at him; he seems worried as he studies my face and sees that I am completely unresponsive. How can I be? I'm not in control of my own body but I try to fight back to regain control over it.

"H-help me." I utter, finally, I am able to control my own voice again. In one swoop, he scoops me up and presses me tightly against his chest. "What's happening to me?" I whimper as I now feel my body but it goes weak in his arms.

"Ciel, tell me what's wrong." His voice is calm but he is worried, I can tell, he is addressing me by my name.

"My head – it hurts."

"Your head?"

"I hear – I hear them." I stutter.

"Who? Who do you hear?"

"All of them." I breathe.

"All of who? Who do you hear?" He inquires as I groan in agony.

"S-Sebastian, please. Please take me to Marie."

"No, I will not allow you to see her." He says firmly.

"P-please, she can help me." He doesn't respond to my request but the pain is so intense, I feel like I'm going to black out at any moment. I am desperate, "Sebastian, this is an order, take me to see Marie. If this contract means anything, will you honor it?" I demand, barely able to hear my own voice as it speaks – the others are are far too loud in my mind.

I feel him squeeze me securely against his torso as his body shifts from the bed. He then releases me as he lays me down and quickly goes over to my wardrobe, pulling out my hooded cloak. Coming back over to me, he puts his arm around my waist, to brace me and drapes the cloak over my shoulders. Laying me back down – his nimble fingers tie the strands of ribbon together around my neck. I watch him as he does this so dutifully, is he actually taking me to see her?

Once done, he scoops me up again, cradling me in his arms and we take our leave.

He is fast as he darts through the empty streets of the French Quarter until we arrive at the front garden of Marie Laveau. Sebastian stops dead at the wooden gate, grunting, as he seems unable to move any further.

"Very clever witch." Sebastian hisses as he sits me down on the ground.

"What is the matter?"

"Unfortunately my lord, I cannot go in, it seems that she has put a temporary curse on these premises, which is blocking me from going any further."

The front door creaks as it opens and Marie appears and stands in the doorway, folding her arms as she leans into the doorpost. She is smiling sardonically at Sebastian but with a scowl.

"That's right demon Michaelis, you won't be chokin' me now." She scoffs. Turning to me, her face brightens up. "Well, hello mon petit chou, come in, come in. I have tea already made up for you." She waves to me, I look over at Sebastian who has a glower firmly etched into his brow, and I know he doesn't approve of my coming here but at least Marie had the sense to put up a barrier. I wasn't about to ask how she thought to do so – she was an oracle, I'm sure she knew that we would be coming.

"I will be here, waiting. The moment that barrier comes down though-"

"We'll be quick." She interjects sharply as she closes the door and ushers me in.

As soon as I step through the threshold, the voices stop and I feel instantly relieved, like a weight has been lifted and my head is completely clear. I wish I could live here; I would spend all of my waking moments here and live in complete peace. However, I know I cannot stay long and I know that Sebastian is waiting, so I sit down instead.

There's something that I want to say to her, something that has been bothering me since the other day but I'm too afraid to ask, perhaps I don't want to know the answer.

"He knows how to break the contract chéri, he is choosing not to."

"W-what?" She knew what I was thinking.

"That is what you want to ask me, non? I know you heard us, I know you know." She is standing in front of me but I can't bring myself to look at her. My empty mind is flooded with thoughts of Sebastian – I now realize that he is keeping me. He is keeping me like a pet and I never knew it. I know Marie is reading my face, I can't imagine what it must look like but I know I am crestfallen. "He is a demon mon petit chou, what did you expect from him?" I am not sure if she is trying to console me.

"He swore that he would never lie." I still keep my face down, but I feel the fabric of her dress as it sweeps across my tightly clasped hands that are on my lap.

"Before or after the mark of the contract?" Her voice is kind.

"After." I exhale; I know I'm trapped in semantics. I decide to look up at her; her wide brown eyes study me as they flicker back and forth.

"Well, there you have it. If he told you going in that he could break this contract at any time you would not have taken it." She stops for a moment and kneels down in front of me, she casually places her right hand on my cheek, "perhaps you would have." She concludes. "The contract is for you, not for them. They will honor it but most don't have too – I'm surprised you survived this long, chéri."

"Why?"

"I have told you before, there is a deep darkness in you, it must have been more than that demon could bear not to devour you whole." Maries' eyes narrow as they look into mine. "I can see your past and I know your future – you may be a demon but you do not have to let the darkness consume you. If you do…" She drifts off, still staring into my eyes but unwilling to share what is going through her mind.

"Is that what is happening with the voices in my head?"

She nods as she stands to her feet, groaning slightly as she hears her knees creak and crack.

"Oh, mon dieu, I am gettin' old." She sighs, "In any case, he could have broken your contract all along but because he can manipulate your feelings towards him, he has chosen to stay. You Demons - curious creatures."

"What do I do?"

"Break that bond between you." She holds out her hand for me, my time must be up. "Break the bond, only if you want to and then you will be free."

"Of course I want too."

"Of course, of course." She nods. "You must go now, that barrier won't last much longer and I can't keep him out but can you come back tomorrow night? I will need some time to gather some ingredients together and put things in place."

"For what?"

"For an exorcism – I will try and release them from you." She pokes my head as my eyes widen.

"You can do that?"

"I do not know and I do not know what will happen but I promise you this – I will try." She smiles. I can't help myself, I lean forward and grab her, pulling her into me and I embrace her, she smells like lavender soap, I will try to always remember this scent. Marie pulls away and places both of her palms to my face, "This darkness within you – I just need to get to it before he does and lets it consume you." She warns. "Oh, before you go, I want you to take this." She glances over to the table and picks up a small leather bag with strange writing on it, "Do you have that amulet?"

I nod as I fish it out of my pocket and hand it to her. She accepts it in the palm of her hand and squeezes her hand around it as she closes her eyes and brings her hand to her head. She then flicks open the pouch and puts it inside along with a few other small objects that she crams in, closing the pouch.

"What is it?" I wonder aloud as she hands it to me.

"It's gris-gris, a talisman, this will protect you – never lose it."

"Protect me?"

"Mon petit chou, I do not know what will happen in the exorcism but know that when you have this, you will have me." She smiles. I hold the gris-gris tightly in my hand and step into her, holding my face into her chest. I can her hear chuckle slightly and feel her hand running down the back of my head. "You are very strange demon, you know that?" Her voice is soft and sweet as she continues to stroke the back of my head. "Come now, the barrier is down and it is only a matter of time before he comes."

I step away from her and nod. I had better go for her safety, Sebastian could not be trusted around her and I know that if he were to come in, she might not make it out. I rush to grab my cloak and tuck the gris-gris away in my pocket. I wave good-bye to Marie as I start to leave the house and as soon as I open the door, I can see Sebastian stood on the front porch waiting for me. He is sulking as I approach him, his narrowed eyes never leaving Maries' as I pass by him.

"Come, Sebastian." I call to him over my shoulder.

We arrive back home.

I refused to speak to Sebastian on our walk back. It was easier to just be silent and rationalize everything in my, now clear, mind. What I truly want to do is throw him against the wall and batter him repeatedly but as I haven't fed, I know that I am weak against him. I opt to do nothing, nothing but walk home and think about my next move.

Sebastian holds the door open for me as I walk through. We have only just arrived home but the tension between us is unpalatable. I tug at the ribbon holding my cloak together at my throat, unraveling it and taking it off. Sebastian holds his hand out to take it from me but I ignore it – he frowns at this as I make my way through the foyer, with him closely behind, almost on top of me.

"So, you know." He decides to break the silence.

"Tch. Yes, I know." I hiss as I stop, my hand grips the staircase banister so tightly it could go right through it. "All this time..." I speak softly through gritted teeth. "All this time you made me think it was me."

"I have my reasons for keeping you."

"Break the contract." I demand.

"No." He replies flatly.

"I don't need you anymore and I don't feel anything for you – so break the contract. Give me my freedom." I growl as I can feel the wood of the banister start to splinter under my grip.

"No."

"Sebastian, I order you to break the contract!" He grabs my wrist from the banister and pulls me into him, wrapping his other arm around my waist and holding me still. I refuse to look at him but he lets go of my wrist and puts his hand under my chin, moving my head to face his.

"Oh dear, my haughty little lord has given me an order?" His voice is sarcastically languid as he speaks and holds onto me tighter. I wriggle and struggle but I can feel my ribs almost start to give and crack under the strain, so I stop. "Well, you and I both know that's not what you really want and until you can convince me otherwise – I'm afraid you still belong to me." He purrs as he stares straight into my eyes. His words shoot through me, they would seem sweet to some but to me, the tone was undeniably sinister.

"What do you want from me?"

He doesn't reply. All he does is loosen his grip and just hold me as my body goes limp and drapes over him like a rag doll.

I don't know what to say.

I want to move but I don't. I want to run but I won't. I want be free of him but I don't know if I can ever be, he is a part of me and he has been since he marked me. On that day, I become his.

My mind goes blank.

I wrap my arms around him and press myself in to him, holding him close to me and inhaling his provocative scent – so warm, so comforting.

'Oh Ciel. Ciel, Ciel, Ciel... Can't you see?'

Alice.

'He keeps you around, to punish you.' her voice deepens as she whispers in between my ears.

To punish me?

'To punish you.' She repeats.

"To punish me." I say again out loud.

"Young master?"

"You keep me around to punish me." I respond, speaking directly into his ear. My voice devoid of any emotion as I break away from him, keeping my eyes down as I start to make my way towards the staircase.

"Is that what you think?" He asks as he takes my wrist, halting me. I glance over to his face; he seems disappointed by my comment. I snap my wrist out of his grip and continue to walk up the stairs. I don't know what I think but I know he is keeping me.

"You have no other reason to keep me around other than to play with me – to use me as I have used you in the past. Well, I'm not playing this game with you Sebastian." I leave him and walk up the stairs to my room.

'You have to break the contract.' Alices' melodic voice is breathy and sparse.

I understand.

Yes, I think I understand.

The following night could not have come soon enough as I spent the entire day locked away in my room. Sebastian had tried to see me a couple of times but I refused, I knew he would take one look at me and see that something was up and most definitely not let me out of his sight. He is incredibly perceptive – especially when it comes to me, all of those years of being my butler has given him more insight to me than even I probably realize. I grab my cloak from the wardrobe and wrap it around my shoulders, instead of using the ribbons, I opt to use my favorite silver clasps with the cross that just dangles from it. Pinning it together, I sit back down on the bed.

I have a plan.

I am going to sneak out of the house through the window as soon as darkness falls and make my way to the French Quarter. Unfortunately for me, I am feeling pretty feeble and weak. I haven't fed since I first meet Marie and she told me to stop eating souls, needless to say, I was starving. I don't really mind not eating; it doesn't really have that much of an impact on me, especially considering I don't really need it to survive but it is a necessity to keep my strength up.

Although, strangely, even though I don't mind not eating them, souls have become something I deeply crave and the craving makes me more than just hungry – I lust after them, salivate at the thought. I thought that I had fully become a demon but there are some things that I still don't know or understand. In any case, that will all need to wait – I need to take care of something first, I need to get rid of Alice and Alois.

I go to the window and quietly open it. The night air wafts through my hair as I make my way out of the window and down the iron drain pipe. I'm not very good at scaling down the walls; this wasn't anything I had done ever before, especially when I was human. My hand slips and I fall to the ground with a horrible thud. Shit, I hope Sebastian didn't hear that. It doesn't matter; I race through the back garden into the empty streets and cover myself in the shadows.

I arrive at Maries' house and she is already waiting for me in her doorway, she steps aside to let me in and shuts the door behind me. There was something different about her, she wasn't dressed in her typical long black dress but in head to toe white, from her shawl to her head wrap. The smile on her face is gone and a melancholy disposition in its place. In all of my time that I have spent with her, I have never seen Marie look quite like this before.

"Is there a barrier this time?" I ask as I unfasten the clasp on my cloak and take it off. I sling it over the armrest of the davenport and take my usual seat.

"Non, not this time." She replies solemnly as she walks around the front room, lighting the various candles littered throughout.

The room is dark and only lit through the candles that she has lit. There is a smell of burning in the corner, I turn my head to look and it's a bundle of herbs that have wrapped together and set alight. The smoke from it permeates my nostrils and into my nose, it's entrancing as my eyelids struggle to stay open under the weight of my heavy lids. Marie sits across from me and takes my left hand in hers and holds it on her lap, I look up at her, I can feel that my eyes have shifted to demonic ones but I can also feel my right eye burn as the contract appears. Marie reaches over and places the palm of her hand over my right eye as they both close.

I hear her mutter something in a rhythmic fashion as I start to lose conscientiousness. Through the smoke, I could pick up the smell of lavender, the bundle of herbs, patchouli and him.

Sebastian, he's here.

I black out.

That smell.

That fragrant, delicious and familiar smell – it's the smell of beginnings and endings.

It's the smell of blood.

I struggle, there is a heavy weight on my lap as I try to shift, I'm on the ground – how did I get here? I wonder as I try to open my eyes. It must have worked because my mind is completely clear and I am relieved.

Keeping my eyes closed, I crawl up to my elbows but the weight isn't shifting. Amongst the familiar smell of blood, there was the ever-present scent of Sebastian, which I can pick up on my lap. I will my eyes to open and I take in the room.

Everything is destroyed.

The windows are shattered, the furniture broken into pieces which along with everything else, are scattered about the room – all covered in blood. I look down on my lap – no… no… no… NO! Soaking wet in the fresh crimson blood that seeps through the white fabric of her dress - it was Marie.

"I told you not to come back here." He growls.

I could hear the cracking of glass as he treads on top of it; he is slowly making his way over to me. I try to move Maries' body but it isn't budging.

"I-is she – is she-" I try to get the words out but I can't.

"She's dead." He replies bluntly as he appears in front of me. This shape, this repulsive, horrible form – I have seen it before. He appeared like this to me when we first met, when he was purely a demon.

"What have you done?"

"Only what was necessary."

"Y-you killed Marie?"

"No, I didn't, my lord. You did."

"No. I couldn't have." My voice is empty. Did I? Did I kill Marie?

"Yes and I could not have been prouder. I was here the whole time and I watched it all unfold. You were magnificent in your true form, the way you ripped her to shreds, absolutely exquisite. I had to stop you before you brought the whole house down." I could see his smile through the billowing shadows that envelope him. I can't speak, I'm just in shock. "Now, you must go home – you've created quite a racket here."

"Home?" I know I'm speaking but the words seem foreign in my mouth. Sebastians' arm reaches out to grab me. He pulls me up and Maries' lifeless body falls off me and hits the floor with a heavy thud. He retrieves my cloak from the wreckage and wraps it around my shoulders. As he does this, his natural form surrounds me as if it were an embrace.

What did I do?

I look over at Marie and in this moment, I wish I could cry – I wish I could mourn for her but I can't. Instead, I do as instructed and I leave, not looking back at the damage I had done to the house or the woman who did nothing but help me.

I am so sorry, Marie.