Chapter four

The Questions

Sebastian groaned softly as he opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in his cat form, which wasn't surprising. Any time a half-blood passed out, their bodies switched into their other form. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying on a cot in the medicine den. He was curious as to how he got there, seeing how Ciel wasn't strong enough to carry him, and Sebastian couldn't have walked.

The last thing he noticed was that his left arm, chest, and forehead were wrapped in bandages, no doubt the work of Liz.

"Well, speak of the devil," Liz chuckled softly, walking over to Sebastian. "You're awake."

Sebastian's eyes flashed at her little joke, but he showed no other forms of agitation. "How long have I been here?"

"Two days," Liz murmured, moving over so she could face the wounded demon. "I have to change the bandages and put more medicine on, now stay still."

Sebastian did as she said, lying still, not attempting any movement. Her hands were swift and skilled as she worked; pulling the bandages off and gently re-applying more medicine before putting on new, clean bandages.

"Liz, who has been caring for my bocchan?" Sebastian asked curiously, wincing slightly as she ran her fingers across the bandages.

"I have," Liz replied. "He hasn't left the den since I carried you in here." She motioned over to the spare cot in the corner where Ciel lied asleep, twitching every so often with his dreams.

Sebastian raised his head for a moment, and then lied back down. "How much longer do I have to stay here?"

"If you were a normal half-blood, I'd say 3 weeks. But, since you're a demon . . . 3 days."

"And what am I to do until them?"

"Rest." Sebastian frowned angrily at her response, but Liz just laughed. "If you're really desperate for work, you can help me an' Lizzy with the other patients."

Sebastian attempted to roll onto his back, wincing as he did so. Thinking about her offer, he sighed. "Fine."

"Just be careful," Liz warned him. "You don't want to over work yourself before you're ready." Looking around, Liz's eyes fell on the dark tunnel leading farther into the den. "Do you think you could follow me down there?"

Sitting up and flinching, Sebastian nodded. "Yes."

"Follow me." Liz switched into her cat form and paused by the tunnel, tail wagging from side to side slowly.

Mustering his strength, Sebastian switched into his cat form, jumping off the cot to follow her. He moved at a slow, irregular pace, the bandages making it so that his left front leg was hard to bend and his back legs had to stay straight. With his awkward, rabbit-like movement, Liz thought he looked like one of the Manx kittens, but not nearly as fluffy or cute.

Making their way down the tunnel, they soon came to a huge cave-like space, filled with small, smooth pebbles. Liz and Sebastian descended down a hill of pebbles, making their way to the other wounded soldiers, who lie on hospital-like beds unlike the cots Liz used in her main den.

The cool, water-like scent of the large cave was new to Sebastian, yet it was almost calming. Soft. It reminded him of his days as a cub, when he used to romp and play with his older brothers and sisters. It reminded him his loving mother and father...of times long past...

A loud voicing of displeasure snapped the half-blood from is memories. Turning his head in the direction of the howl, Sebastian sighed as he realized who made it. It was Grell, howling loudly in pain.

"Aroo~!" the husky trilled, letting out a deep wail. "That hurts!"

"I know," Liz sighed as she applied more medication to Grell's deep scratches. "But lions have all kinds of nasty things in the grooves of their claws. It's not your fault, and it's not theirs. It just makes their scratches a hard thing to clean."

Grell cried out in pain again, but he brightened as he noticed Sebastian. "Sebas-chan!" He woofed, wagging his tail. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Sebastian's tail lashed back and forth, and he looked down. "Same." Flinching, he sat down a bit awkwardly, spreading his back legs out in front of him and putting his front paws between them. "What happened to you?"

"Stupid lion clawed me deep," Grell muttered, lifting up his foreleg to show the scratches. They still oozed a small amount of blood, but it wasn't anything more than a few drops that littered his cream-colored chest. "It got my ears too, and my tail." Grell flicked his ears and wagged his tail for emphasis. "And what about you? I only saw you pass out."

Now slightly embarrassed that someone had seen his little episode, he turned so Grell could see the bandages. "They don't hurt much," Sebastian told him, lying down awkwardly. "They just make walking a real pain."

Grell fell silent, and it was then that Sebastian noticed Will sitting at the husky's side, his eyes cold and hard as he looked at Sebastian. Turning, he ran his long, soft tongue over Grell's ears. "Do your ears still hurt?" Will asked, worry tingeing his voice.

"They're fine," Grell replied, looking over at him as Liz moved on to the next soldier. Sebastian could see the softness in Will's eyes as he looked at Grell, and if he hadn't known before, he knew then. Will was in love with the red-furred dog, even though it was obvious that Grell didn't return his feelings. That was why Sebastian hated dogs. They tried over and over again to win the affections of the one they loved, even if they were trying for a lost cause. Many people thought of this to be perseverance, but Sebastian thought of it as disgusting. Who needed love? The demon half-blood had given up on love after his mother and father were killed. How could love exist in a world where people killed one another for the silliest reasons?

He was snapped out of his daydreams by a familiar voice calling out, "So you're awake Sebastian." Turning, Sebastian realized that it was Ciel, standing at the entrance to the cave. Making his way down the hill of pebbles, he reached Sebastian and grinned. "I was almost afraid you'd died and she'd buried you without me knowing."

"Did you really have that little faith in me, bocchan?" Sebastian asked, faking curiosity as he tilted his head to the side, reddish-orange eyes sparkling.

Ciel clicked his tongue. "Of course not." Sitting beside him, Ciel studied the bandages wrapped around Sebastian's chest, torso, and forehead.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian mumbled softly. "I failed you."

"You haven't failed yet," Ciel told him gently. "There will still be opportunities to kill Claude."

Sebastian's ears flicked back against his skull. "I know. Nonetheless…"

"You're upset because you couldn't do something you thought you could." Ciel finished the sentence for the black and red cat.

Sebastian paused for a moment, before nodding. "Yes."