Chapter One: Crimson
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Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji does not belong to me. Evidence: It does not have YAOI!
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Ciel was jolted awake by a faraway shriek, probably made by some tortured ghoul. He cursed in ancient hell tongue under his breath and blinked away the last remnants of sleep as he stretched his limbs. Usually, the servants would come to wake him up – but not today, it seemed. Looking out his bedroom window, he spotted the twin silver moons that hung high in the orange-red sky. One was full while the other was a crescent shape. There was no sun in hell. Still, they had two moons that waxed and waned just like in the human world.
The colour of the sky told Ciel that he had better hurry and get himself cleaned if he wanted to be on time for his own ceremony. As he threw his downy covers off, the incubus prince strutted across the marble floor. With the flick of his finger, the servant bell in his room chimed and his wardrobe flung open. His right eye glowed briefly before returning to its natural aquamarine shade. It would take a couple of minutes before Grell could reach his chambers from the servant quarters. Until then, he would select his attire for the day. There was supposed to be formal wear for this sort of event, but Ciel wasn't a conformist, not in the very least.
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Vincent Phantomhive, the king of incubi had a permanent frown etched onto his face since the beginning of dawn. Rachael, his queen, could only placate her mate with soft pats and gentle smiles. They were waiting at the gates for their second son, together with their mounts, large hell hounds that snapped their chompers at anything within range. It was the couple's duty to see that Ciel's ceremony went off without a problem. After all, offending the devils was not something any lower demon would like to attempt.
"Come on darling...stop pouting! It is not like we are never going to see him again. Where is that dark and cruel incubus king that we all know and love? Hmm?" Rachael chastised the king, daringly so. Rachael may seem kind-hearted and beautiful in front of everyone. But beneath that facade was an influential, merciless succubae that was addicted to lust and power. There was a reason why Vincent adored his mate and only saw her. Rachael really didn't like the competition.
"I know...I know! But as a parent, it is natural that I don't like seeing any of my children servicing the devils...even if it were tradition." Vincent grumbled, his black tail twitching in annoyance. This was the first time he would be sending off a son – one of his favourites at that.
"Don't worry father. I won't disappoint. I'm positive." Ciel commented rather offhandedly, walking through the door in a red and black outfit. Rachael took one look at her son and sighed dramatically.
"Ciel, please don't tell me you're going to wear...that?" The queen could hardly believe her eyes. She knew her son was hard-headed, but not suicidal. Ciel nearly chuckled at his mother's distress.
"It'll spice things up, don't you think?" Ciel had offered as a explanation. Vincent could only shook his head as his lips curved into a smile. "Let's go."
The royal family and their guard took off across the rugged terrain of jagged rocks and blackened trees. The hell hounds panted fire as they ran; leaving deep indents in the ground. Ciel looked ahead, staring at the metropolis ahead that stretched across the horizon.
Because he was the second prince, his ceremony was going to be grander than any other incubi. Devils from all over the realm flocked to the capital to watch the party. There was one thing that Ciel looked forward to in the ceremony, and those were the battles. This was the one time he would be able to fight those arrogant devil overlords and NOT get punished for it.
True, he would have to trade his freedom for it but hey- he wasn't stupid enough to forgo his life just for the sake of escaping non-consensual sex. (Demons weren't as frail as mortals, thank Satan) Plus, he couldn't be a 'child' forever. Those horns needed to go. Sex wasn't simply something demons enjoy...for the incubi, it was survival.
At the very least, he needed to secure himself a good sponsor; But who was the big question.
Weak devils or more commonly known as the peasants watched with curious eyes as the incubi royal family paraded through the 'town'. They whispered and giggled, feasting their eyes upon the sight of the beautiful incubi race. The town, despite the fact that it was the biggest in hell, was also in perpetual chaos. Bones littered across every available surface and blood stains could be spotted on the walls and rocks. Occasionally, disemboweled bodies of lower demons, such as ghouls and familiars could be seen hanging from trees as four-eyed crows scavenged on the decaying meat. It was a common sight in town. They were merely decorations. After all, what did you expect in a kingdom with no rules?
Soon, they reached a clearing where a massive crowd could be seen. Ciel narrowed his eyes and scanned the faces. Devil nobles of every possible rank could be seen; Viscounts, baronets, Infante and dukes. Devils usually couldn't tolerate the presence of other devils, but festivities such as these were exceptions. Each devil noble sat in a make-shift throne of sorts while their companions and servants, both other incubi and poltergeists surrounded said thrones.
Vincent pulled on his reins, causing his hell hound to stop in its tracks, panting from the long sprint. He flew off his mount, landing in the centre of the square, of sorts.
"Salutations!" he said, bending over into a respectful bow. "I thank you all for coming to attend my son's, Ciel Phantomhive, coming of age ceremony. As you all know, he has finally reached the age of maturity and wishes to find a master, or mistress. I think you all know what that entails hmm?" Wicked murmurs filled the stale air. It was then Ciel decided that he too should put in his two cents regarding the matter.
With one hand, he flipped himself over the head of his hell hound, Pluto, and landed gracefully on the ground as wings shimmered a little with every slight movement. It was then everyone present could actually clearly see what Ciel's apparel was.
His choker was made of thin silver wires that had diamonds bits which were used to create an elaborate design. It curved and weaved around Ciel's neck and had gone beautifully with his pale, porcelain skin. His shirt, if it could even be considered one had several holes in it that were...strategically placed. It seemed to hang only on one shoulder, showing a milky expanse of skin. Hanging off the black top's sleeves and bottom were tiny blue sapphire beads that glittered when light reflected off it. Ciel had also chosen tight shorts made of black leather. It accentuated his small waist and small thighs. To complete his assemble; Ciel wore his favourite blood red short leather boots with heels that could kill. Around his right ankle was a silver anklet with a complex design with a sapphire stone embedded in it. It was a sign of his royal incubus linage.
(Devils on the other hand, wear ancient rings to indicate their royal blood)
It was surely unconventional, but not unwelcomed, judging from the lustful looks Ciel had gained from the crowd. Some were practically salivating. Ciel smirked, knowing his own worth. He was by far, the most desirable incubus since his older sister who had her ceremony practically decades ago.
"My name is Ciel. I pride myself in ice magic- and a few others." His tail whipped to the other side and swayed seductively. He grinned. "And I simply love a challenge. Let's play nice, your honours."
There was a brief scuffle of teeth and claws as the devil nobles fought each other to be the first to have a go at Ciel. It wasn't long before there was a victor – a male devil noble who held the rank of duke; Aleister Chamber.
Ciel merely raised a brow. Oh come on~ They could certainly do better. This flamboyant one wasn't even worth half his time! But as tradition begged to be followed, Ciel smiled innocently at his first opponent and clicked his heels.
"Oh my beautiful blue sparrow! (cue shivers) So beautiful and yet so cold. You'll be a perfect addition to my entourage. I'll pamper you like no other. It's been so long since I've been completely dazzled by such perfection. So, what do you say? Will you be mine?"
Ciel deadpanned. "No thank you." Or in other words, when hell freezes over yeah?
Aleister pouted and huffed. "Oh well, if you insist." Vincent watched the exchange in humour before snapping his fingers. A spark of magic hurled into the sky, indicating the start of the brawl.
Abandoning his gaudy facade, Aleister lunged for the incubus, electricity cackling dangerously in his palm. Just when he was mere inches away, Ciel's body seemingly disappeared. The devil blinked- "What the-?" He then heard a bell-like giggle from up above.
Ciel taunted his opponent with a grin. "I have wings, remember?" Startled murmurs went through the crowd. Even with trained eyes, Ciel's movement had been too quick to detect. It was almost akin teleportation. (Such spells existed but only older demons were able to cast it) Snarling, Aleister cast a spell of levitation, leveling himself with his elusive prey.
In a flurry of movements, Aleister sent one ball of lightning after another- smacking them forward at a terrifying speed. Flashy he may be, but there was a reason why Aleister was feared. His power outstrips several other nobles- the amount of magical energy he held seemed endless.
What he didn't expect however, was how Ciel managed to deflect every single one of them.
"Ice shards. I just set them on a collision course." Ciel said. He knew it. Aleister might be a power house...but he definitely didn't have any brains. Muttering his own spell, he sent a torrent of icicles to fall from the sky. It was a simple spell, harmless to many devil nobles. However, it was definitely annoying enough to be a distraction. The devil noble could only growl and attempt to swipe his elongated claws at each falling shard while trying to keep an eye on Ciel. But one blink was all Ciel needed to escape from the devil's view and to reappear behind his back.
With a small chuckle, Ciel conjured an ice dagger and drove it through his opponent's chest. With a startling gasp, Aleister fell forward, red blood spilling from his mouth. The devil nobles stared, shocked. The incubus prince smirked. "I win." With a lick, he tasted the blood on his danger and made a face.
"Bleh. Disgusting."
Aleister wasn't dead of course, simply down for the count. Although the brutality wasn't needed, Ciel seemed to want to make a point. And he did- he was no royal pushover. That didn't deter the devil nobles though. Interest aroused, stronger devil nobles came forward to accept the challenge. Amazingly, they were outsmarted by the young incubus within minutes. These nobles had soaked in their life of luxury for far too long. Hence, they suffered the consequences of being humiliated in front of many others by a young incubus prince. Vincent couldn't be more proud and Ciel, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.
Blood splattered across the makeshift battlefield as more bloodied bodies of devil nobles fell to the ground with a sickening thud. It didn't matter if said devil noble were male or female, the young incubus showed them no mercy. Ciel was growing bored of this. He had yet to find one of them that proved to be a challenge.
And then a loud neigh caused everyone to pause. Ciel narrowed his eyes, willing his floating shards to disappear as a large black stallion that had a long horn and glowing gold eyes galloped towards the ring. One look at the steed and several devil nobles nearly recoiled in shock.
"He's here!"
"You can't be serious! He doesn't take incubi of any sort!"
"Well- not in thousand years anyway. The last one rotted away after being chased out of his lair."
"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events." Vincent murmured under his breath. Ciel shifted closer to his father and whispered harshly.
"Father. Who is this?"
Vincent blinked, seemingly appalled that Ciel didn't recognise the black horse-like creature. Then he remembered Ciel's age and the lack of news that surrounded this particular devil noble.
"Ahh..yes. This stallion belongs to Sebastian Michaelis." Vincent explained as a tall figure dismounted from his steed. He pulled down his silk cloak's hood, revealing inky black hair and glowing ruby orbs- smothering and looking straight at Ciel.
"He is the archduke, a dear friend and relative of our beloved king of hell."
Ciel stared right back, unwilling to shrink under the intimidating gaze. There was no doubt that this devil noble was handsome, devastatingly so. His movements were swan-like and fluid, befitting of a demon his status. The power he held pulsed in the stale air as the man walked forward- each step bringing him closer to Ciel.
The small grin on Sebastian's face was deceptive, fake. He was obviously after something and Ciel had a hunch of what it was.
Vincent whispered his next words words. "A renowned collector of...interesting things. He is famous for his eccentricity, astuteness and penchant for novel things. When he gets bored of them, he simply disposes them."
Ciel's eyes narrowed at that. There was no way in hell in was going to be treated like some...object (to be collected. After all, an object of sexual gratification was another matter all together)!
Sebastian came to stop mere metres away from the pair of father and son. His crimson eyes appraised Vincent before flickering towards the younger version of him, Ciel. An apologetic smile graced his face,
"Sorry I'm late."
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A/N: Told you this would come out in a week or two.. (after my last chapter of sickly sweet). I liked how this turned out...with the exception of the battle. I can never do action scenes. LOL. And if there is anyone out there who likes drawing fanart and is willing to er...make some visual representations of my version of Hell, pls message me! I don't really mean the characters, but maybe the creatures, ancient jewellery, landscape, etc. I know it is a tall order but I'm just gonna ask anyways! R&R plz!
OH YA! I also changed the prologue's title to cerise. From now on, every chapter will be a certain shade of red. Cerise because it is French for cherry...as in cherry boy. Get it? :P And this time, crimson for the blooooood...and Sebastian~