Author's notes: *crawls in* I'm so sorry with how late this chapter is! I finally saw the consultant (who said there's a bleed in my eye and I need injections, bleh!) and I've had to sort out uni and work etc. Boring stuff which kept me away from writing! Thank you as always to my lovely reviewers, jenmoon1 and Moneera! I truly appreciate the support, even if it doesn't look it with my tardiness!
So Ciel and co have seen the angels and it's turned out to be the Queen's Secretaries, Charles Grey and Charles Phipps! Ciel has to now figure out how they go about facing an enemy so powerful and close to the Queen! And is the Queen herself involved? What has happened to Sebastian in the meantime? All will be revealed!
Warnings: Sebaciel (implied), gore, torture (seriously this might trigger some people), demons wanting to eat people and swearing
That Butler, Observing
Sebastian groaned as he awoke, feeling his head thump in pain. He tried to remember what had happened,
'I had left the Young Master's room to find Sitri and then…' Nothing. A flash of white followed by intense pain and he woke up here. He hadn't even sensed them, whoever they were, but they had obviously been watching him.
Sebastian opened his eyes; he felt sluggish and tired, to his surprise. He tried to get up and flinched when he realised his arms were trapped. He looked down.
Thick dark chains, similar to the ones he'd seen on Rachel, were wrapped up his arms with cuffs at each wrist. He followed their length up his arms to the collar clamped around his neck and down to the cuffs on each ankle. Aside from this, he was stripped bare, save for a small loincloth, and had been covered in painted markings. He recognised some of them as ancient sigils designed to subdue demons.
He growled low as he struggled against his bonds; who would dare to cage a powerful demon like him this way?
'Whoever it is, they certainly know what they're doing' he mused, giving up his struggle for now.
'These chains are draining my strength. For now, I'll have to sit here and observe'
Standing as best he could, Sebastian scanned the room he was confined in. He was trapped in a large metal cage placed on a pedestal off the floor, like he was an animal on display. He scowled at this thought and continued his observations. He was in a large warehouse, somewhere underground; electric lights above dimly lit the area and he noticed the floor was littered with blood and rotting meat. He wrinkled his nose at the pungent smells.
'I doubt I've been taken far, I'm most likely still within the college grounds' he reasoned, looking at the brickwork above him. It matched the brickwork of the school buildings. 'So, the college was really being used to cover this job? What is it they plan to do then?'
In the far corner, he noticed cages that were filled with humans of varying ages. They seemed to be staring emptily at the walls. None of them made any movement or sound. If it weren't for the rise and fall of their chests, they could have been mistaken for dead. Sebastian regarded them with disinterest and looked around at the blood splattered everywhere. He sniffed and recognised it as human; it made him remember how starving he was.
'No doubt they are doing something illegal; all those humans caged and that human blood. Delicious… blood…' Sebastian found his mind slipping for a moment in his hunger and his form changed, fangs lengthening and body growing dark. The humans in the cages seemed to stir; acknowledging something out of the norm was happening.
They looked like fat lambs ready for slaughter. Sebastian licked his lips and his cat like eyes focused on them intensely. He was so hungry and surely no one would notice if he just-
He heard a door slam somewhere, snapping him back to reality. He suddenly realised what he was doing and resumed his human guise again. The demon shook his head hard and berated himself,
'These chains seem to sap mental strength as well as physical. I have to escape soon' he realised, ignoring his stomach now rumbling loudly. The humans returned to staring at the walls as well, seemingly unperturbed by the hungry demon they just saw. Sebastian blinked rapidly, trying to rid his mind of intrusive thoughts. Like eating those delicious human souls just sitting there…
"Get a hold of yourself!" he barked angrily at himself, scanning around for something to take his mind off his hunger.
A bloodied altar with a large painted sigil around it helped Sebastian guess just what this place was designed for,
"So… they're sacrificing humans" he muttered, remembering how he had met his young master at a similar event.
But what for? They already had a demon captured; why try to call another?
"Unless I'm not the demon they wanted?" Sebastian realised, looking around again.
On the opposite wall he could see camera screens, showing various parts of the facility. In small dirty poorly lit rooms, he saw people being tortured in experiments: some were being operated on whilst awake, others being drowned and brought up on the brink of consciousness before being drowned again and in some were people being tied upside down and having tubes shoved into their mouths, filling them with fluid. There were various other means designed to break the human will and body as well, but Sebastian grew bored of looking at these; he'd done far worse himself in his time.
He noticed in other rooms, ones that were better kept, that there seemed to be lectures; Sebastian focused his keen eyesight to make out the words on the blackboards.
Purge. Perfection. Salvation.
He found the chains were draining his heightened senses as well and he could only make out a few words, but they told him enough.
He narrowed his eyes in contempt,
"So… they're culling humans they deem imperfect? How arrogant" he stated out loud, scanning the room again, certain of who his captors were.
'That sounds just like something they would do' Sebastian thought to himself, looking for a particular clue. 'Sitri had mentioned they had something planned, but I hadn't realised how far they'd come'
Sure enough he saw it, nestled on the floor among the rotting waste; a single pure white feather, bright as snow in the gloom. Sebastian glared at it,
"Angels…" he growled.
He heard a door open and looked up, watching the pair that entered. He glared at them as they approached him, swords gently swaying at their sides. He forced himself to smirk arrogantly at them, despite how tired his body felt.
"Ah so Double Charles are also double crossers?" he mocked as the white haired men stopped in front of his cage. Grey nodded to Phipps in silence as they approached; Phipps stopped a short way from the cage, turned to a lever and pulled it without a word.
Suddenly, Sebastian found the chains holding him pulled tight, splaying out his limbs like a starfish and leaving him exposed.
He grunted in pain, but forced himself to look up into the face of Charles Grey, who was regarding him like he was a mere fly; a nuisance that they had to deal with.
Sebastian continued to smirk, which seemed to aggravate the Queen's Secretary further, and he received a hard punch to the jaw for this. Sebastian took the hit and glared back, eyes now glowing pink,
"You're in no position to make any remarks, Fallen One" Grey spat out the term like it was a curse as he grinded his fist into the demon's jaw, causing the skin to redden. Sebastian grinned despite the pain; it was easy to get under the hot headed Queen's Secretary's skin.
"Oh? Was I right then? Or shall I soon have the pleasure of Her Majesty's company? I'm afraid I'm not properly dressed to meet royalty however" Sebastian continued, gesturing to his body as best he could. Grey snarled,
"Shut up!" he yelled, standing and kicking Sebastian hard in the head. "Like we'd ever need the help of something as pathetic as a human!"
Sebastian grunted in pain from the kick and turned to look at Phipps, who was watching passively.
"So I take the Queen doesn't know about you two?" Sebastian persisted, watching carefully. Phipps' face remained neutral but he shook his head, eyes firmly locked on Sebastian's,
"No, Her Majesty is unaware of our true nature" Phipps explained. Sebastian grinned,
"I see. So she currently doesn't know your whereabouts either? Or this little venture you're both running? I take it then that she also doesn't know that my Young Master has been sent out here too, then?" the demon's eyes flashed for a moment, still tracing the taller man for any signs. Phipp's face remained blank of any emotion,
"No, she does not" he replied. Grey tutted angrily and waved a hand at Sebastian,
"Why are you bothering to answer this filth? All creatures like him know is how to eat and fuck! They ruin everything they come in contact with and love doing it! If you give him any information, he'd only twist it until it meant something else! Something he could use to ruin those around him" the angel glared with utter hatred at Sebastian. The demon beamed back,
"You flatter me" he replied coyly. The angel growled in frustration and pulled Sebastian up by the collar, causing the demon's limbs to stretch agonisingly. However, Sebastian was careful not to let this show.
Grey glared into his face,
"Make no mistake, Filth, I'm going to enjoy wiping this planet clean and then slowly torturing you for centuries to come! I will peel the skin from your body, starting with your eyelids" he menaced and spat in Sebastian's face.
Sebastian scrunched his nose at the saliva now dripping down his cheek, but swiftly recovered and grinned.
"At least buy me a drink first" he joked, his voice low and flirtatious, licking up the saliva with one flick of his tongue as he held Grey's gaze. Grey shuddered at this act, much to Sebastian's delight, and stomped away,
"Let's go, Phipps! Leave this revolting creature to hang for a while!" Grey called over his shoulder. Phipps nodded, glancing back at Sebastian briefly, before following Grey.
"So I take it, with all your business here you haven't had time to keep up to date with the Phantomhive estate?" Sebastian called out casually. Phipps paused and turned back to him, Grey also looked over in surprise,
"What do you mean?" the man demanded, confused, with the first show of any emotion on his face. Sebastian smiled casually,
"You haven't been monitoring the estate recently then? Say in the last month?" the demon elaborated, still keeping his voice casual. Phipps narrowed his eyes in suspicion,
"Let's go, Phipps! It's probably some stupid mind trick! All that wingless dog can do is talk now he's tied up anyway!" Grey called out. Phipps eyed Sebastian, who continued his unwavering smile, before he spoke,
"We're well aware that your servants are more than they appear. However, they will prove no match against us" the man retorted carefully before turning away. The angels failed to notice Sebastian's victorious grin,
"Now, we must leave. There is much we have to prepare" he replied. Grey brightened up and smirked,
"Oh yeah, that's right! We have to prepare to entertain the young Earl Phantomhive!" he mocked, looking back at Sebastian.
Sebastian cursed himself for reacting, but the chains were draining his usual strength and he couldn't help the protective snarl that came out. Grey laughed at this,
"Oh don't worry, Butler. We'll take plenty of good care of him in your stead! I can't wait to hear his screams!" He jeered, unsheathing his sword. He licked it long and slow, staring at the demon as he did. "His blood will taste delicious on my sword, no doubt"
Phipps reached the door and they both looked back. Grey waved at Sebastian,
"Bye, bye you worthless trash!" he called cheerfully and, with that they were gone, leaving Sebastian alone.
Sebastian relaxed as the door slammed shut, panting with the exertion it had taken to maintain his demeanour.
'So… they don't know about Rachel and Sitri? That's good. They won't expect the Young Lord to get in so easily or to have help' Sebastian smirked with eyes aglow, chuckling to himself. 'And they certainly won't expect two demons here'
As he let his head loll forwards, determined to reserve his energy and work on an escape plan, he heard a shrill cry,
"No! Let me go! Rachel, call him off!" The familiar voice echoed, sounding desperate. The demon's head snapped up as he realised who it was,
"Young Master!" he cried out, looking around frantically. His eyes caught something on the screens and his body went cold.
He saw his Young Master being lofted into the air by one arm by Sitri, whose eyes were glowing with silent fury. Rachel seemed to be bringing her face closer to Ciel's, who was kicking madly.
'Do they intend to tear out that piece of Rachel's soul from him right now?' He watched in horror, helpless, as the boy seemed to go numb with fear,
"Young Master!" the demon called, straining on his bonds. "Ciel!"
'Please, Young Master! Fight it!' the demon begged in his mind, staring desperately at the screen. 'You're so strong! You can't be beaten like this! You must fight!'
Sebastian watched in amazement as Ciel seemed to rally and knee Rachel in the chest, forcing her off. He couldn't help the swell of pride as he watched the boy snap at the housekeeper with his usual determined look before turning to order Sitri to put him down. Sebastian watched as the boy was lowered gently and heaved a relieved sigh. He smiled affectionately up at the proud expression on the boy's face,
"Oh Ciel… to think you could control two such powerful beings, even in my absence. You truly are an exceptional soul…" the demon murmured, watching as the pair bowed to his young master in deference. The demon's eyes glowed brightly,
'I can't wait to make you mine'
Ciel nodded with satisfaction at the pair's obedience,
"Much better. Now let's not speak of this again" he ordered before facing the ominous door.
He felt his nerve weaken slightly but steeled himself as he silently approached it. He strained to listen for any footsteps or voices on the other side, both hoping and dreading what he might hear as well.
He gripped the handle so tight his knuckles turned white and Ciel realised he was still shaking.
'Get a grip! You are Ciel Phantomhive! And right now, Sebastian needs you! You've faced far worse things than this' Ciel breathed deeply to calm his nerves and looked back at the other two. He nodded, gesturing for them to get ready. Rachel nodded in understanding and crouched into a defensive position with eyes aglow whilst Sitri casually flexed his claws in preparation.
"Ready… set…" Ciel mouthed, bracing himself against the door. The tension was palpable at that moment as they all remained still, readying themselves.
Ciel wrenched the handle down and kicked the door hard, causing it to fling open and hit the wall beside it. Rachel launched herself through the opening, poised to attack, and was quickly followed by Sitri and then by Ciel, who had his handgun out.
All three blinked at the emptiness of the room and stared around, dumbfounded at the lack of security.
"Well… that was easy!" Sitri spoke up cheerfully, relaxing back into human form. Ciel scowled at Sitri's nonchalance and started looking around, leaving the pair. Rachel gazed into the corner further ahead of her,
"There are people in those cages" she observed, pointing and walking towards them. Sitri cocked his head at them with general interest, following her,
"They're probably part of the groups being killed and sold off" Sitri explained casually, regarding them like one would sheep. "Probably been down here for weeks"
Rachel noted how motionless the caged group were and stepped closer to them, observing how they didn't even turn to look.
"Are they actually still alive?" she asked, sounding doubtful. Sitri nodded,
"Yeah, I can hear their hearts beating" he replied. Rachel looked saddened as she drew nearer to one, a young woman. The woman stared and raised a hand weakly,
"Food..?" she croaked out. Rachel shook her head and the woman turned away to continue her blank stare at the wall. Rachel looked at the woman pitifully,
"They're barely people anymore…" she spoke. Her tone was similar to one used in a graveyard; quiet and respectful. She moved away from the cages and back to Sitri, who perked up,
"Does that mean I can eat them?" he asked, with a smile full of hope and teeth, and received a smack in response.
"No!" the girl cried, annoyed at the demon's attitude. Sitri shrugged, continuing to grin,
"Worth a shot" he quipped.
Meanwhile, Ciel strode around the room with purpose, eyes darting around until he spotted who he was looking for. He spotted Sebastian on the other side of the room, held high up in his cage on its pedestal and dashed over,
"Sebastian!" the boy cried, stopping in front of the bars.
"Young Master! To come all this way for me, I feel truly touched" the demon teased, despite his position. Ciel flushed,
"Shut up you idiot! Are you ok?" he asked, panting slightly from the pent up adrenaline. He looked over his demon; limbs splayed, chained up and currently naked. Ciel felt his cheeks heat up at this last part but forced it away, focusing on trying to find a means to free his butler. Sebastian noticed the blushing and smirked,
"Never better, my Lord" he replied happily and wiggled his rear to attract the boy's attention back to certain parts of his body. "And do I take it you are enjoying the view? I never thought the Young Lord would enjoy bondage at such a young age" the demon chuckled low. Ciel spluttered,
"Damn demon, can't you be sensible even for a minute! How do we get you out of there?" Ciel snapped, scanning the cage for weaknesses.
"Of course, my Young Lord, but where is the fun in that? However if you wouldn't mind pulling that lever behind you, I would greatly appreciate it" the demon replied, still smirking. Ciel blinked,
"Lever?" he spoke, turning around. He quickly spotted said lever and pulled it back hard. The sound of gears whirring filled the room for a moment and Sebastian fell to his hands and knees as the chains relaxed.
The demon stretched lavishly and grunted, massaging feeling back into his muscles. He made sure to moan too, watching the young earl flush at his display. He smirked, leaning close to the earl through the bars,
"Have you missed me, Young Master?" the demon purred, making Ciel turn even redder. The boy struggled to recover and glared at him,
"Like a hole in the head. Now hurry up and get out of there!" Ciel shot back. He turned away to cover his embarrassment and noticed Rachel and Sitri were approaching now. Sitri whistled as he looked over the chains and markings, grinning at Sebastian,
"Not a bad look on you, Malphas! Although I could say the chains are a bit dated" he joked. Rachel shot him a venomous look before staring the sigils on Sebastian's body.
"These are some powerful marks. I don't think they'll come off easily" she explained softly, touching one of Sebastian's arms and examining the painted mark closer. "Ancient Enochian script…"
"Enochian?" Ciel asked. Sebastian nodded,
"A script associated with angels. Mostly used by the upper hierarchies, My Lord" he explained. Ciel grimaced as he realised who had probably done this to his butler and what it could mean.
"and you're sure you're feeling well?" the boy pressed, staring intently at the demon. Sebastian beamed,
"Perfectly fine, My Lord. Of course, if you wish to examine me fully, I won't object" the demon flirted, receiving a tut in reply. Rachel stood and turned to Sitri,
"I think Sebastian might need some help getting out, Sitri. I recognise these marks and they're designed to reduce both a demon's mental and physical strength. So these, along with the chains, have probably weakened him greatly" Rachel suggested, moving away from the cage. Sitri nodded,
"No problem. Stand back, Little Lord" the demon prince replied, cracking his knuckles as he waited for Ciel to dash back from the bars. He then gripped the two front bars and tore them out of the cage with ease. Ciel tried to hide his awe, he sometimes forgot just how strong demons were, and adopt a look of indifference. Sitri noticed all the same and looked smug as he casually tore the dark chains free of their more earthly moorings, tearing the chains from their cuffs and the collar as well, and scooped Sebastian up bridal style.
"Ta dah!" he announced, gesturing to the now freed Sebastian. Sebastian calmly set about untangling himself, ignoring his current position, whilst Rachel continued to examine the markings on him. Ciel snorted derisively,
"Bloody show off" he muttered. Sitri pouted and flicked his tail at the lack of enthusiasm for his efforts.
"Hmph" he sulked at the lack of enthusiasm, putting Sebastian down, and brightening again. "So think you can remove them, Jez?" the demon casually asked, looking at the housekeeper. She gave him an annoyed look at the name and nodded,
"With time and Sebastian's help, no doubt" she replied, scanning over the ones on Sebastian's chest. Sitri watched for a while, as Sebastian continued untangling himself and Ciel looked around for any more evidence of those involved. He then smirked evilly, an idea creeping up on him.
"You seem awfully keen to start now, you know" he started, walking over to stand behind her. Rachel pointedly ignored him and continued to examine the sigils. Sitri grinned at this before leaning in close to the girl's ear.
"Or do you enjoy being so close to Malphas' naked body? Should I be worried?" he whispered, in a teasingly low voice. It caused the girl to blush and jump back upon realising how close to the demon butler she was. She spun around and glared at Sitri,
"S-shut up! You're just jealous that no one is paying you much attention!" she snapped. Sitri grinned at this and was about to speak when they heard the doors slam shut in the other room, along with unfamiliar voices.
"We have to leave! Now!" Ciel hissed in whisper, rushing back over to the group.
Sitri looked at Sebastian before grinning,
"Feeling ready to get back to work?" he said, eyes flashing pink briefly. Sebastian smirked in response,
"But of course" he replied, his smirk widening. Then they each offered a hand out to the humans, Rachel taking Sitri's whilst Ciel took hold of Sebastian's and they both pulled their partner close. Black winds rushed up around the group as the demons' eyes glowed their menacing bright pink and in the blink of an eye, they had gone.
Wow. Ok this chapter ended up being massive! Please let me know if this would have been better as two chapters rather than one. Also, reviews and likes are always appreciated! Next time, we find out what Ciel's plan is for now and what do those markings have in store for Sebastian? Until then, take care!