Author's note: Ok second update for today! This is the second of three updates for today to make up for the hiatus!
Story so far: Sebastian has given into the sigils and gone insane. Now Sitri and Ciel must find a way to pin him down so they can remove them. Meanwhile, Rachel has been taken captive by the angels and is going to meet the mysterious 'leaders' of all this! Can Ciel save Sebastian and solve this mystery?
Warnings: Blood, gore, swearing, Sebaciel (at least a kiss from a crazed Sebs anyway) and mention of child abuse.
That Butler, Clinging
Ciel felt his nails dig into the palms of his hands hard as he watched the demons fight.
"Oof! Come on now, Malphas! Omph! Stop-argh- stop being such an- OW!- pain in the arse!" he listened as Sitri berated the maddened Sebastian between blows. Ciel watched Sitri constantly try to pin the other down, try to get near enough to remove the sigils. But every time, Sebastian would lash out and break free of his grip, as difficult to hold onto as smoke.
Ciel listened as Sitri cried out in frustration,
"Come on, Malphas!" the demon prince whined, receiving a snarl in response. The fight had left Sitri with deep cuts all over his arms and torso, his shirt ripped to shreds and gouges in his legs. Ciel sighed,
'This isn't working, Sebastian seems relentless! The draining effect of the sigils is now being overridden by the madness! There must be another way, some way to pin him down' Realisation dawned on Ciel abruptly and he looked over at the Research building. 'In there, those chains!'
If they could Sebastian back downstairs, they could use the chains that the angels originally used to tie him up. It was a gamble if they bumped into the angels on the way, but then they'd have a maddened demon they could use to their advantage.
Now he just had to tempt Sebastian towards the building,
"Sitri! Chase Sebastian this way!" he called, starting to run towards the building.
The demon prince turned to look at the boy,
"Huh?" he muttered then saw where Ciel was running to. "Ohh…" he said, realising the plan. A flash of snarling black shot past and Sitri realised Sebastian was now after Ciel.
"Oh shit!" he swore, giving chase after the pair.
Ciel reached the doors and tugged hard, relieved they weren't locked. He looked back and saw Sebastian bearing down on him, fangs glistening wetly and mad eyes shining, snarling.
For a minute the boy froze, screaming in his mind at the sight of the raging demon, then his feet took off down the hallway of their own accord.
Sebastian followed, tearing off the doors in his desperation to get Ciel, and skittering down the hallway. Sitri raced after them, following the trail of destruction.
"Oi, slow down both of you!" the demon hollered, panting. "I'm getting too old for this…"
Ciel could almost feel Sebastian's breath on his back, the panting demon hot on his heels; he pushed his body harder, cursing his lack of activity for his slowness, as he sped down the corridors. He didn't recognise any of the rooms he saw, continuing to run blindly around the building.
'No…' the boy thought, desperately, as he felt the brush of claws on his coat. 'No!' He suddenly heard a whoomph of noise and risked a glance back; he saw that Sitri had landed on Sebastian. The taller demon held Sebastian's arms back and, using his tail, opened the door to a random room. He quickly threw Sebastian in and slammed it shut, leaning on it and ignoring the human screams of fear and pain that followed. Ciel noted that even Sitri seemed to be panting with exhaustion now, he managed to smirk,
"Get…getting tired… old man?" he mocked, cocky despite how weary he also felt. Sitri harrumphed at the jab and grinned,
"Just a little out of breath. But try not to keel over on me just yet, Little Slow-As-A-Snail Lord. Jez'll have my head if you do!" the demon jeered back, causing the boy to scowl. He then noted the silence that now echoed from the room beside them.
"Looks like break's over. You better run, Ciel" Sitri stated, bracing ready. Ciel nodded and took off again down the corridor, just as he heard the door explode into splinters behind him followed by the snarling that meant the demons were fighting again.
Ciel raced as fast as he could down the corridor; his lungs burning and his legs aching as he pushed them. He stopped at a darkened corner, wheezing terribly and giving great, hacking coughs as his asthma kicked in. He coughed and vomited before managing to get his breathing back to normal. He looked up, wiping his mouth, and recognised the corridor he was in. It was the barely lit corridor they had snuck down previously. He looked down and grimaced at the bloody floor again.
'At least the stench here will slow Sebastian down' he mused sourly as he trotted down the corridor to the secret door.
Finding the same small metal button, he flicked the switch and stood in the doorway to consider his options.
'Getting Sebastian down the stairs and into the room shouldn't be too difficult, I can just have him chase me in, but how to get him into the chains? Sitri won't be able to put those on as well as fight' Ciel froze as he heard the howls of his crazed butler and saw the distorted shadow creep ahead on the end of the corridor. He heard the scraping and snuffling as Sebastian scratched at the bloodied lift, entranced by the smell of death.
'Sebastian…' He felt a pang of sadness for his butler before the flame of determination rose again. 'I promise I'll get you back to normal somehow!'
The boy watched as the dark figure appeared around the corner, feeling his heartbeat quicken when the glowing eyes spotted him. He tensed, ready to run, as the figure crouched low and growled.
"Come on…" he muttered through gritted teeth. "Come on, Sebastian!"
Sure enough, the demon roared and sprung, leaping the corridor in a single bound, with claws outstretched to snag the boy. Ciel waited for the last possible second then darted down the stairs, into the festering smells and heat, and feeling the rush of wind behind him.
'I just have to keep him following me for a few more minutes!' he thought as he half ran half fell down the stairs, the demon just behind him.
He jumped to the bottom of the stairs and cried out in dismay at seeing the lock on the door had been replaced.
"No!" he yelled, rushing over and pulling on the door. It was locked shut. "No, no no, no!"
'Just when did that get replaced, this shaft has been disused for ages!' he pulled furiously.
Hearing the low growl, Ciel froze in his efforts. He turned and saw Sebastian on the stairs above him, glowering in the shadow.
'Oh God…' the boy pressed up against the metal door, wishing he could meld through it, as the demon towered over him.
At this proximity, Ciel could see the toll the fight with Sitri had had; Sebastian was bleeding profusely from various wounds, deep scratches running all over his torso and face. Blood ran from his mouth and Ciel noticed he seemed to be limping slightly, one leg looking disjointed. However, the maddened stare was completely fixed on him, those glowing eyes shining brighter and more haunting than even when they first met. At that time, they had been a beacon, something to focus on in the desperate chaos that had been the culmination of those months; now, Ciel wished he could take his gaze off them. And yet, he still hoped that some part of his former butler remained, looking out at him, trapped in the mind of the beast.
"S-Sebastian…" he croaked out, throat dry and sore with fear and exhaustion. He noticed the demon shifted on the stair; small, darting movements. It was almost like of a wild beast when they were afraid. Sebastian was… scared? Ciel blinked and looked hard at Sebastian, ignoring the image fear had put up for him to see. Yes, Sebastian looked scared. He looked hunted and confused and vulnerable. He knew how much Sebastian hated to show weakness of any sort, including losing control, and here he was in the thick of it, acting like a rabid beast.
'He must hate this' Ciel realised, 'he must absolutely hate this loss of control. One brought on by someone else's hand, one he has no power over'
Ciel knew how that felt; how it felt to be used and abused by those with power. To have your vulnerable inner self exposed for all the world to laugh and jeer at whilst you could do nothing but lash and cry out. At that point, you would attack even those trying to help you, out of fear of being abused again. No wonder Sebastian had tried to attack him.
But, at the same time, you desperately craved someone to reach out and help. To offer a hand even if you tried to swat it away. To give you that spider thread of hope to cling to.
Ciel reached forward; Sebastian darted back from the hand, snapping. Ciel ignored this and pressed forward.
"Sebastian… it's okay. I'm here and I'll help you" he used a soft soothing voice. "You can fight this! You've been used by those bastards like a pawn but you can rise above this! Cling to that thought Sebastian! Like a spider thread of hope, cling to it!" The boy watched as the demon whined, the turmoil clear on his face. The beast and the demon were in conflict now but Sebastian still needed more to push him. Ciel bit his lip and decided on a different tactic,
"Sebastian!" he commanded, his voice sounding booming in the confined space. He tore off the eyepatch and allowed the contract in his eye to shine out. Sebastian stared at it, riveted. "I order you to fight this! You must fight these markings right now and come back to me! You are my butler, my demon, I will not accept anything less from you!"
Ciel glared down proudly and noticed a shift in Sebastian's expression. For a split second, a smirk graced those lips before the face distorted into a furious snarl again. Ciel felt his resolve waver for a moment, unsure of this plan, and watched as Sebastian rose to his full height to tower over the small teen. Ciel continued to stare determinedly into the eyes of the demon and noticed the claws extend.
'Please Sebastian, please fight!' he was struggling to keep up this stare now and felt his eyes water with the effort to stay open.
Suddenly, Sebastian sprang with claws out, roaring and caused Ciel to fall back with a yell.
'Was I actually wrong? Has he actually gone too far to come back?' Ciel's thoughts reeled as he fell onto his back, the demon now straddling his waist and bringing his face closer. Ciel gulped as he felt the fetid breath roll over his cheeks, shivering with fear.
'I guess this is it…'
Sebastian seemed to regard him for a moment before letting his head dart forward. Ciel winced then felt a clash of teeth and soft lips cover his own.
"Mmph? Mmph!" the boy mumbled as he felt the lips crush against his, heat and the smell of blood filling his senses, his mind reeling too much to react. He felt the arms encircle him, trying to press him as close as possible.
Then, as suddenly as it happened, the demon was gone. Slashing through the locked door with ease, he rushed out into the warehouse, roaring. Ciel laid on the floor, listening to the snarls and terrified screams, as his mind spun with thoughts. Had Sebastian… just kissed him?! No, it must've been a moment of weakness and the demon was trying to consume his soul. Perhaps the beast was going to eat him but changed his mind thanks to Sebastian?
Ciel sat up, conflicting emotions running rampant through his mind, and saw Sitri come jogging down the stairs. He decided to push these thoughts aside and glared at the demon prince,
"So much good you've been! I could have been slaughtered just then!" he growled. The demon stopped and helped him up before smirking,
"At least you would've been quiet then!" he quipped back before looking serious. He ignored Ciel's cry of "What!" and continued, "I was looking for Jez; I can't find her! I couldn't sense her upstairs at all! I'm worried something might have happened to her"
Ciel stopped, realising the weight of these words. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen his housekeeper in a long time. Had she known he was in danger from Sebastian, she would've no doubt jumped in to rescue him, and for Sitri to state it so matter-of-factly…
'My first concern has to be Sebastian right now. Rachel will have to wait!' he thought, pushing aside his other concerns.
"I'm sure she's fine! Probably just helping the students and teachers escape! The effects of what the angels are doing here must be affecting your senses now!" he bluffed, feeling guilty for choosing to ignore the obvious. "We have to focus on getting those sigils off of Sebastian first! Then we'll go find her"
Sitri opened his mouth to argue and then saw the look on the boy's face. He sighed reluctantly, accepting defeat for now.
The pair went through the doorway and into the now empty warehouse, some bloodied bodies remaining of the workers. Ciel's eyes scanned the room for Sebastian, ignoring the bloated forms in their vats now. Ciel ran along the metal walkway towards the office and noticed the door to the room Sebastian had been kept captive in was now burst open with claw marks.
'Could it be he wants us to capture him?' Ciel pondered, gesturing to Sitri to follow. They raced over to the darkened doorway and paused, each on either side of it.
'There could be anything waiting for us in there, we haven't seen any angels yet. They're most likely expecting us to rush in here and it's definitely a trap' Ciel knew this wasn't ideal at all; they were outnumbered and outgunned, he was exhausted and Sitri was beaten up, Sebastian still needed to be captured and brought back from madness and Rachel was missing. Going against the angels now was suicide.
Ciel looked up at Sitri, who seemed to be thinking along similar lines, their eyes locking for a moment.
'But then, what choice do we have?' Ciel pulled out his handgun and nodded to Sitri before they rushed in.
A wall of white; that was what greeted Ciel. The boy blinked and looked around, Sitri was gone and so was the room that had been there last time. No cage, no humans trapped, no altar. He cried out and found his voice sucked away into silence.
'Where… where am I?' he thought, bewildered. He looked behind him and saw that the door had vanished too. There was nothing but pure blinding white.
Suddenly, a familiar laugh pealed through the room, piercing- in what had once been total silence. Ciel instinctively looked up and saw the figure crouched up high, beaming down at him, mussy long white hair covering his green eyes.
"Undertaker!" the boy cried, running towards the cackling ex-Grim Reaper. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Long time no see Earl! And still so full of questions! Don't worry, you'll wake up soon and all will be answered!" the man crowed, standing up.
Ciel paused, staring at the figure,
"What?" he asked, but as he said this, darkness suddenly rush at him and swallowed him up.
"W-wha!" he cried out as the world disappeared.
Woohoo second update away! So now we've seen the Undertaker is involved somehow! What does he have to do it? And just what happened to Ciel? Find out soon! Please take the time to review, leave a like/ kudos and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you guys so much! In the meantime, take care!