With my head low and my eyes focused ahead, I jogged away from the manor, hoping I could catch up with Sebastian. In the cold night, I could see my breath. Part of me felt stupid for not getting a carriage but he would've heard that coming from miles away. My lungs were burning already, burned by the cold air and my running. I stumbled, feeling extremely weak again. To be honest, I don't recall being this weak. I was able to actually run and do simple tasks without feeling like Death had just come and grazed me with the edge of his scythe. After what felt like years, I had managed to end up near town. Stopping to catch my breath, I put my hands on my shaking knees, gasping for breath. Looking up, I thought I saw a person in the distance, their tall figure illuminated by the moon. Silencing my gasps, I crept towards them, trying to get a better look. They were indeed very tall and walked with inhuman-like grace, one arm positioned in front of them and the other at their side. As cautiously and as quietly as possible, I tried to get closer. It was possible they were my butler but I had to be sure. However, one can only be so cautious and I stumbled slightly, kicking a few smalls rocks across the path. The person stopped, looking to the sides. I swore under my breath and quickly crouched behind a large bush just as they turned around. It was a painful silence. I held my breath as to not alert them. But this was my chance - I had to check their face. Bracing myself, I looked around the side of the bush just as they began turning around. My hand flew to my mouth as I stared with wide eyes at my butler as he continued his walk. I had managed to catch up. And he seemed to be taking his time as if he wasn't worried someone - his master in particular - would come after him. Meanwhile, back at the manor while I continued to follow Sebastian, the Undertaker had decided to stop by for a visit so late in the night.
(Switched P.O.V.)
"Almost got it..." Hydria muttered to herself as she stood on the ceiling, cleaning absolutely everything. She was trying to clean the one spot of dust that continued to taunt her from its place just out of her reach. Limits to her power caused these kinds of situations; she only had enough power to stay glued to the ceiling but not enough to move or will the cloth towards the dust to clean it. Biting her lip, she looked at the floor below, 'Well,' she thought, 'I could just drop down... But that might damage the floor.' Groaning, she put a hand on her forehead, "Why do I always end up doing this to myself?" she asked aloud. There was a knock on the door. 'Strange,' she told herself, 'Who the heck could it be at this hour?' A realization hit her; how was she supposed to get down to answer? They knocked again. "One second please," Hydria called, looking around for a way to help her return to the ground. While distracted, she hadn't noticed the last of her power disappearing. "Gah!" she yelled, dropping from the ceiling and scrapping her side against the chandelier before crashing onto the polished floors, just barely missing the stairs. At the exact same moment, the doors opened; "Oh? What do we have here~?" With a groan, she pushed herself up off of the floor, turning to look at the guest. He chuckled, "This is VERY interesting." The Undertaker closed the door behind him, "Very interesting indeed." Hydria raised an eyebrow as he approached. She knew who he was (Though she never met him). He crouched in front of her, "Hello there, little Shifter~" he greeted. "Yeah, hi," she said in return, flinching as she got to her feet. The Undertaker rose with her, a smile on his face, "You aren't hurt," he told her, "Shifters like you don't get hurt when you fall."
"I think I would know that," she growled and he put his hands up, chuckling, "Of course, of course~" Examining the large tear on the side of her clothes for a second, she frowned, noticing a small wound on her skin. With a sigh, she returned her attention to the giggling Undertaker, "Ciel isn't here right now," she informed him, "You'll have to come back tomorrow or leave a message." He put a sleeved hand on her shoulder, "Oh, I'm not here for the little earl. I'm here for you, hehe~"
(Normal P.O.V.)
God! How far was he going to walk!? I had followed him for a good 15 minutes and still nothing out of the ordinary. He occasionally stopped to look at the displays in shops before continuing on. Perhaps I was wrong about him... Or he knew I was following and was trying to trick me into believing he was just going out for walk. More time passed and, finally, something interesting happened. Sort of. Sebastian stopped then stepped into a sweets shop. Not wanting to risk bumping into him, I waited in the alley beside the shop, shaking from the cold and my own body's increasing weakness. If he just made this quick, I could go home before I collapsed again; which is exactly what I felt like doing. There was a ding as the shops door opened and Sebastian stepped out, looking down into the bag in his arms, a small smile on his face, "Ah, master will like these," he said softly before continuing on. I put my hand on my forehead, feeling extremely guilty. He was just...getting me a treat. There was no reason to be suspicious at all! Wanting to slam my head into the wall, I followed after him. One more minute of watching just to make sure then I'll be home. It is pretty late so Hydria might be asleep already. Oh well, it's not like I should expect her to stay awake and wait for me. Sebastian stopped walking in the center of the plaza by the fountain and I rushed into the nearest alley, poking my head around the corner. Someone else was there, sitting on the edge of the fountain and staring into its waters. It was strange since he was alone, no wonder Sebastian stopped. Then, to my surprise, he got down on a knee, "Forgive me for taking so long, Master." My eyes widened and threatened to pop out of my head. Why was he calling him 'Master'?!
(Switched P.O.V.)
Hydria raised an eyebrow, "Me? What about me?" The Undertaker removed his hand and twirled away, "I recognized your power right away, Shifter."
"Yeah, and?"
"Ah, you don't get do you~?"
Her eyes narrowed, "Get what?"
"I know your mother~"
Hydria's blood ran cold and she was in front of him in a second, glaring, "What did you just say?" He chuckled, completely unaffected by the threatening tone in her voice, "Well, not exactly your mother. Your ancestor."
"How old are you?"
"Secret~"
She sighed, putting a hand on her forehead, "You were just messing with me weren't you?" He put a finger to his lips, grinning, "Who knows~" Frowning, she crossed her arms, "What do you want with me anyways?"
"Just to become your friend, Hydria," he said, "And friends ask friends questions." The Undertaker, leaned against her, "So! Any questions?"
"Um... No..."
"Well I have one~!"
"I figured as much," she mumbled. The Undertaker looked down at her, "Why'd you come to Phantomhive's place anyways?" She raised an eyebrow but sighed, "Was in the area, helped his butler take out a demon tree, asked to work for free. That's basically it." He nodded, still grinning, "I see, I see. Does he know of your power?" She nodded and his grin grew, "Good! You know," he said, bringing his voice to a whisper, "I've known the little earl for a while now. You can ask me anything about him~" Hydria would have instantly said "No thank you" or "I'm good" but, instead, she hesitated. And this made the Undertaker giggle, "Well~?"
"Has Ciel always been so...confusing?"
He paused, "What do you mean?"
"Well," she began, "I mean, he's pretty awkward sometimes and always extremely grumpy. But he can be occasionally nice at times and stubborn at others. And he's angry a lot... I don't get it. Plus, I don't know how to react or act with him. Heck, I don't know what to say most of the time. He's so..."
"Bipolar?" Undertaker suggested, "Complicated? Socially awkward?"
"He seems so closed off from the rest of the world," she said, "So, he can't ever express one emotion at a time." Hydria pondered this, also strongly considering Undertaker's final suggestion. With a chuckle, he put both hands on her shoulders, "You're worried you're doing something wrong~"
"Sort of..."
Twirling off and towards the door, he said; "Don't worry about it, Shifter. You are right about him being closed off from the world. I mean, the kids parents were killed after all."
"HUH?!"
"But, by the way you described him," he continued, acting as if nothing happened, "it seems like he's accepted you~"
"Really..?" Hydria asked, walking towards the doors and holding one open for him. The Undertaker nodded, tapping her on the nose with his finger, making her blink in surprise, "It just takes time to make him trust, so, don't worry your little head over it~" Stepping outside, he said; "Just... Be there for him." Hydria's eyes widened slightly. The joking tone in his voice had vanished. "Um... Okay..?"
"Good! Buh-bye, Hydria~" he said, walking off, "Until next time~!"
(Normal P.O.V.)
I watched Sebastian and the man intensely, my heart pounding like crazy. Why would Sebastian call a random man 'Master'? Unless... He wasn't so random... Argh! It made no sense! Still, I watched. And listened; "I hope you were not waiting long," Sebastian said, looking up at the man. The man chuckled softly, "I wasn't." I stumbled forward, putting one hand on the wall in front of me and the other over my throbbing heart. His voice... Why was it so familiar..? Taking a breath, I listened again, peeking around the corner. Sebastian rose to his feet and extended the bag to the man, "As an apology, I got you some sweets. I know how much you like them." I couldn't see the mysterious man's face but I could tell he was smiling by the way he tilted his head, "Thank you, Sebastian. I appreciate it immensely." Sebastian nodded and dug into the bag, removing a small package, "Forgive me for asking, but you like strawberries, correct?"
"I do."
I frowned. What the hell was this? I like sweets, I like strawberries. Was this guy just like an older me for Sebastian to obey? As I watched, a pain in my head grew, burning just behind my eyes. The man looked at the water again, "Sebastian..?" he asked softly. My butler bowed slightly, "Yes, my lord?"
"Where do your loyalties lie?"
I held my breath. He asked the question I had been aching to ask. There was an agonizing pause before Sebastian spoke again, "Why, it is quite simple."
"Oh?"
'Oh?'I mentally questioned, squeezing an eye shut as a spike of pain shoved itself through the side of my head, forcing me to grab at the wall for support as my knees threatened to give out. "Of course," Sebastian responded, "My loyalties lie with the Phantomhive household."
'Yeah?' I demanded to myself, 'Then why are you here, you damn lying demon?' The man chuckled faintly, "That is a relief." Wait... What? I checked around the corner again just in time to see Sebastian taking one of the man's hands, "I swore my loyalty to the Phantomhives," he said clearly, "The true Phantomhives. I promise to never leave your side, Master Phantomhive." Wait, wait... What is happening? The "true" Phantomhives? I'm all that's left of the Phantomhive family. So why is Sebastian calling this man 'Master Phantomhive'? Was there someone else? The man sighed in relief, "I am glad, Sebastian. I feel safe with you." I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall and looking down at the ground. So did I... I felt safe with Sebastian as well. I feel safe with him, even if he has been so sketchy lately. Even now, if he just held me in his long arms and told me I was safe, I would believe him. "But..." the man said slowly, "What about the other?" I stiffened at this, focusing on them again. "The other?" Sebastian questioned, "Surely you don't mean the fake." I gasped in spite of myself, a hand quickly flying to cover my mouth. Fake? A fake? There's no way! I can't be a fake! I am Ciel Phantomhive, watchdog to the Queen. I'm the real deal! "I wish you wouldn't use such harsh words," the man scolded gently, "But, yes, the fake. Do you have any loyalty to him?"
"Of course not."
I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt my own physical pain increase and my emotional distress stab me in the chest. Was I a fool for thinking, for believing, that in this world, there was still someone looking out for me? Saving me when I needed a hero? "He is breaking," Sebastian continued, "You are the only, and the real, existing Phantomhive."
"Thank you, Sebastian," the man said, "I am relieved. However, it is getting late and you really should return."
"As you wish."
"But, I will call for you later."
"Of course. Please rest easy, my lord."
That man was the only Phantomhive..? I am...breaking..? If I'm not really Ciel Phantomhive... Who am I? Then I ran.
I ran out of the alley and back towards the manor, not caring if Sebastian and the man were alerted. My cape fell off while I ran but I didn't stop. Right now, I couldn't tell the difference between reality and a nightmare. Tears streamed from my face but I couldn't register why. All I knew was that I had to go home. Or to where I thought home was. I had to hurry before... Before... Before..?
Well there you have it. Sorry for the lack of updating; I was on vacation with family.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. I am quite proud of this whole thing and I apologize if I didn't match Ciel or Undertaker's personality very well. But I had fun writing this.
For those who really did like this, fear not. I hope to make this into a series-type thing.
Until next time!
-ShockScythe
(p.s. I'm sorry if I used too many squiggles when Undertaker was talking XD)