Chapter Three


His whole being was about to spring forth like a trap had it not been for the familiar voice that drifted through the narrow corridor. The tension left his body and an old, friendly smile curved his lips.

The thousand year old vampire appeared not a second later, goofy-grin and long robes still in place just as Sebastian remembered. Silver hair cascaded down the older male's back, long black nails clicking as pale hands rubbed against one another. "Wha-? No formal greetin's, Sebastian?" the vampire giggled with a toothy grin. "Even after all these years?"

Sebastian smirked and crossed his arms. Behind him, he could sense Ciel's curious yet wary gaze settle on their guest. "Hm. I'd never thought you'd miss me so much, Undertaker. It's only been two centuries."

Said vampire sidled up to him, wrapping a friendly arm around his shoulders, his amusement clear as day. "While 'tis quite true that I missed yer company, I have to say that you've done poorly to hide yer scent." He poked the younger creature in the cheek. "Must say that I thought I taught you better."

Red eyes rolled. "I've been occupied otherwise to think of such things."

Unseen eyebrows rose. "Oh? Heehee…you mean the boy over there?" He pointed and Sebastian watched for a moment as blue eyes averted from their sudden and combined attention.

"That among other things," he replied coolly, finally breaking their half embrace in order to give himself some space. As nice of a reunion as it was, Undertaker was certainly the last person he'd expected to run into.

The elder man took their parting in stride, acting independently and aloof as he strolled right over to his newest toy. Sebastian observed curiously, trusting Undertaker not to do anything too funny with the boy.

As Undertaker approached, Ciel scrambled to press himself as closely to the wall as possible, the fruit he'd eaten earlier lending him some energy. However, the escape was futile and the older vampire knelt gracefully before the boy, his dark robes and trinkets moving fluidly with him. Long, pale fingers reached out slowly, silently telling that he meant no harm, and Ciel seemed to turn to stone as his chin was gently snatched. Grotesque fingernails traced along pale skin, and what could be seen of Undertaker's face revealed concentration.

"What's wrong with his right eye?" Sebastian asked inquisitively, coming closer to the pair when he noticed Undertaker's attention to be on said eye. He recalled being puzzled that night when he'd pulled off the boy's eye patch. It didn't appear injured.

"Hee ~" Undertaker chuckled, pulling away. "Seems the boy's blind in one eye!"

Sebastian was about to remark on the confirmation, but Ciel cut him off, a hand flying to cover said eye. "It's nothing I did," he claimed in an odd, unexplained outburst, sounding almost as if he were defending himself. "I was born with this defect."

The eldest stood and turned to look at Sebastian, acting as if Ciel hadn't said anything. "What's strange is that it didn't turn into a lazy eye; the muscle control is in perfect condition," he explained, sounding astonished. "That's why it appeared as if nothing were wrong."

Leave it to Undertaker to know such peculiar human anatomy facts. Granted, he had told Sebastian that he often posed as a doctor to those who could not afford real ones. So taking advantage of the chance, he educated himself with his meals. Sebastian inwardly chuckled at the other's abnormal and obscene antics.

Raising a hand in gesture to follow, Sebastian started to move to the back portion of his temporary home. He quickly checked Ciel, but turned his attention back on his friend, switching to the ancient language. "So, what brings you out here?"

The elder creature followed closely behind. "I could ask you the same thing, but I'll explain myself," he replied, the moist heat from the small springs they passed warming him. "Ultimately I was just wandering around in the first place. You know, seein' the sights. Then I caught yer scent just outside the town's limits an' thought I'd drop in to say 'hi', which of course led me to catch a whiff of that boy – good choice, by the way ~ heehee."

"Naturally," Sebastian agreed with a bit of arrogance, ducking under a low part of the ceiling and coming to where the rocks conveniently formed into two benches. He quickly lit candles and they both sat down. "It's been a while since you last moved around. You were stuck in Amsterdam for a time –"

"No thanks to you, of course," Undertaker cut in good-naturedly. "But you seem to be managing just fine without me. Yer not a hopeless case after all." He glanced around with a chuckle, stretching his legs out. He caught sight of the hole in the ground. "Heehee ~ you lose yer coffin?"

Sebastian shook his head. Undertaker knew of his strange habits pertaining to good hygiene and tastes of luxury. He'd almost drove the man before him crazy with them. "I found myself an abandoned home a good couple miles from this parish; I must've let something slip for those damn church-goers to start snooping around." He glanced at the scars across the other vampire's face and neck, inwardly grimacing. "I would have brought it with me, but they came sooner than I thought they would, and it would've been a hassle in the end."

Undertaker waved his hand. "Bastards are popping up everywhere now, but if you wait 'em out long enough, they'll get discouraged. 'Tis human nature, after all."

"That's what I'm hoping," Sebastian said, "I honestly hate it here. The only thing that makes it even the slightest bit bearable are the springs, but even then, groups have scouted this area out two or three times already."

"'Ow much killing 'ave you been doing?" Undertaker inquired, and Sebastian already knew what track the other's mind was taking.

"Once every week or two," he replied, giving a sheepish smile. "I know, too much."

Undertaker snickered. "Ah, yer still young yet, but at least you realize that. Don't need to be bringing on yer own death with some pathetic girl's; or boy's, as it seems yer tastes have changed." He dug into his pockets for a moment, and then slid out one of his favorite treats. Shaped much like a dog bone, Sebastian didn't understand how the man could eat something so…plain, so human. There was absolutely no value in it, as neither blood nor meat were part of the recipe. However, he had to wonder if those treats were what staved off Undertaker's hunger for blood, having gone six months without a proper meal once.

The elder offered him one, and with a polite smile, Sebastian declined.

"Suit yerself," the older vampire said with a shrug, biting the treat in half. "So…what's with this boy of yer's? Didn't I tell you it isn't wise to keep pets?"


With some relief, Ciel watched as the pair of bloodsuckers rounded the corner, going out of sight. Then he made the mistake of glancing at the entrance, and panic swelled within him. What if there were more…?

Pushing such thoughts away, Ciel lowered his hand that had stuck to his face with a shaky breath. How on earth did that "Undertaker" pick up on the fact that he was half blind? Had he previously been a doctor?

Trembling, Ciel wondered whether or not his outburst had been considered. He had told the truth; he was born half blind. His family's physician had been stumped by the fact that he'd been able to hang onto muscle control, but had recommended he wear an eye patch anyway. He hadn't minded it much, yet to keep it from going lazy, Ciel often worked the muscles just before bedtime in the mirror, partly just to have something to be proud of since everyone had been so surprised and awed.

But now his fears festered within him like an angry wound that had gone untreated. Undertaker had proved to be smarter than he looked, and the wide grin and look of deep interest frightened Ciel down to his marrow. Surely Sebastian wouldn't give him up that easily, right?

Before he could even begin to understand what that thought meant, a loud shriek bounced off the walls, causing Ciel to flinch. From the entrance came another, much more hair-raising screech, and not a second later a light brown bat peculiarly speckled with white flew in. His nerves dissipating, Ciel watched almost contentedly as the small mammal flew this way and that, ducking every now and then when it swooped too close for comfort.

Eventually it clutched at the wall, appearing to be resting. Its large dark eyes stared unwaveringly at Ciel, and he could feel dread starting to pool in the pit of his stomach as he recalled something important.

If nothing else were to be, he really hoped that this part was myth.


Sebastian and Undertaker were heading back to the entrance when the former froze in his tracks upon hearing a muffled cry mixed with the heavy scent of lilies. Undertaker laughed behind him and slapped him on the shoulder, telling him not to worry.

"I told 'er to meet me here lest I forget the time," he explained, feeling the muscles under his fingers tighten. "You remember Angela, right?"

Gritting his teeth in resentment and resisting the heady urge to let his nails and canines extract, Sebastian simply shrugged off Undertaker's hand and continued down the corridor with a quicker pace, the older creature hot on his heels, obviously amused and all too aware of the mutual hatred between the two younger vampires.

He nearly saw red and he snarled when he came into the larger space only to see a large mass of white in between Ciel's legs, cuddling up and scenting him out. Sebastian couldn't help himself as he stormed over and snatched the female's collar and flung her back as if she were a doll. Angela landed gracefully despite the harshness of the throw, a playful smirk tugging on her thin lips, her violet eyes burning. "Hello to you too, Sebastian. Long time no see."

Ignoring the older vampire and somewhere thanking an unknown force that she wasn't his maker, Sebastian quickly checked Ciel over despite his and Undertaker's previous discussion. The boy had curled into a ball, protecting himself. It was hardly in his interest to make the boy more than he already was. Ciel was here as an extended meal, nothing more. When he was satisfied to find no other bite marks, he turned back to Angela.

"You should learn to keep your hands to yourself one of these days," he snapped.

Angela clasped her hands together, rolling her eyes at his anger. "It wasn't like I was going to steal him away, you imbecile, relax already." She moved back towards Ciel, but Sebastian blocked her way. She crouched down to the boy's level instead, peering between the other creature's legs. "I'm just surprised you found a meal so adorable. If I were you, I don't think I'd be able to help myself; he looks so delicious."

Sebastian gave a small growl of warning. Even though he knew she was telling the truth, he still didn't like to entertain the idea of someone else touching his things. "Just know that he's mine."

A hand slapped onto his shoulder and burgundy eyes spotted a large grin. "You've made yer point. Now how about going out 'efore it's too late and cover yer scent like I told you to?" You'll be gettin' a lot more visitors sniffing out the boy if you don't," Undertaker suggested rather logically and Sebastian sighed.

"Alright," he said, yielding to the older vampire and shooting another warning glance at Angela. "I'll be back in a minute."

Ciel stared wide-eyed as Sebastian left, leaving him alone with the two strangers. He had resorted to keeping his mouth shut and being resistant, but it didn't appear to deter the two in the slightest. If he had to be honest with himself, the silver haired man didn't seem to be as threatening as the female did now.

With a quick glance over her shoulder to the entrance, the one named Angela crept back to him, a caring look in her gentle eyes, but he still felt rather unnerved. Poofing into her current body from a bat's was one thing. She hadn't even introduced herself, instead choosing to pounce on him at first sight. She took his hands in her cold ones, clucking her tongue as she glanced down to his shackled foot.

"Hm, that Sebastian, tying something so cute and defenseless up," she said, one of her hands cupping his face much like any mother would. "He isn't a very nice guy, is he?"

It was clear as day that she was trying to tug some reaction from him, but Ciel remained stubborn and averted his eyes. Angela turned to the man strangely named Undertaker. "I can see that he's half blind, but he's not mute too, is he?" she inquired, dropping her smooth, pale hands from his face.

A drooping sleeve concealed half of the man's smile. "Heehee ~ he's not," Undertaker replied, "You're just scaring him is all. I told you not to chop all that 'air off. Boy probably doesn't know whether yer a lady or a lad." Angela fumed and the other vampire laughed at the blow.

"Shut up," she quipped, touching her light hair, and Ciel could see her razor sharp fangs glisten as her anger bristled. "No one asked you." To Ciel's relief, she stood up and moved away from him in order to confront Undertaker.

The two were suddenly speaking in another language that Ciel couldn't make out. It sounded old and brittle, yet all the same the unknown words rolled off their tongues smoothly. A large grin remained on Undertaker's face while Angela only seemed to become more annoyed and red in the face as he assumed the older continued to insult her.

As he watched the two, Ciel could feel his head starting to feel light. He wondered whether or not all this was real; it seemed almost too surreal as he watched the vampires quarrel.

'When I wake up, I'll be back home, with Lizzy, with my parents, safe in my bed,' Ciel tried to reason with himself, his vision starting to blur. He quietly urged the darkness to come faster as he cradled his head in his hands, the two creatures continuing their petty argument.

Ciel felt as light as a feather, the last sliver of memory being the two vampires sharply turning and eyeing him as he fell into softness.


A/N: I was really hoping to have this posted earlier this morning, but my brother and his friend were blocking/sleeping in the way to the computer. Ah well. Hope you all enjoyed chapter three, any feedback would be very appreciated!