I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews and the favorites and all that. I know some people on here reply to the reviews, but even though I don't, I still treasure each and every one of them.

Enjoy~

Claude Faustus.

Just saying that name left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The feeling could be likened unto hate, though that seemed to be too simple a word to describe the extent of emotion he held toward that man. They used to be friends a long time ago. Now that almost seemed as if it had never been. It was hard to imagine anything but a deep loathing between the two of them.

On the outside, one would only think that they only disliked each other because of their clashing personalities, however only the two of them knew just how deep the roots of their rivalry went. As the war had started, they had seen less and less of each other, but that was all about to change.

Claude had been wounded in action. A bomb had gone off near him and he had lost an arm. He was now relieved from duty and sent to the camp to work. Sebastian had been upset over the orders that warned him of it, though he had put it from his mind till today. None of the men under him knew of his hatred for the new assistant-commander who was to arrive.

Claude's arrival meant something, he was sure of it. It was foolish to think that the other man would have changed, Sebastian knew him far too well for that. The man was ambitious, calculating, sneaky. Almost like a spider that would wait for years in hiding if it meant it could catch its prey unsuspecting.

Sebastian broke free of his thoughts, casting a glance toward the clock. It was already late in the afternoon. He stood up slowly, walking to a closet in the corner of the room. The key around his neck unlocked it, and he reached inside, his fingers closing around the barrel of a gun. Slowly he pulled it out, his crimson eyes traveling over the sleek curves of the weapon.

In a time of war, one must always be prepared, for those around you are always your most deadly enemies.

The motor of the car came to a rumbling halt as the driver put on the brakes, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Prisoners who were working nearby coughed, choking on the thick dirt as it drifted their way.

The door opened and a tall, dark haired man stepped out. He was wearing the usual SS uniform, his purple-black hair partially covered by his hat. At first glance, the man was impressive, giving off some of the same power and authority as Sebastian. But though he had all of that, there was still something that simply could not be made up for. The sleeve of his right arm hung limply at his side, blowing aimlessly in the light breeze. It was the reason he had been sent home from the war. He was unfit to fight for his country.

His amber eyes scanned the scenery from behind narrow, silver rimmed glasses. With cold indifference, they come to rest easily on Sebastian who stood waiting in the distance. Without taking his eyes off of the other man, he slowly made his way toward him.

Sebastian kept his face from showing any emotion, his eyes narrowing as the other man stopped in front of him. "Faustus," he greeted, nodding his head just slightly.

Claude stared at him a moment before nodding in return. "Michaelis."

It was an odd custom of theirs. They never addressed each other by their first names. Even as friends it had been that way. It was as if they couldn't bring themselves to cut that last ties to their past.

Sebastian allowed his gaze to slide over the other man, before turning, his hand resting against the barrel of the gun he had with him. He never bothered to speak, but started walking back to the main building, leaving Claude to follow him.

Sebastian could feel those calculating eyes on him as he walked away, knowing how much it hurt the other man's pride to be forced to have to take orders from him of all people. Claude would tell him nothing, but by their greeting, he knew their old rivalry still stood. And when he had looked into those amber eyes, he seen the years of bottled up hatred ignite like a freshly kindled fire.

He was right to suppose this was far more than just a coincidence.

The sound of a motor in the distance caused Ciel to pause in his work. He dropped the rock he had been holding and looked up, shading his eyes from the sun. Squinting, he tried to make out what was going on near the gates. A cloud of dust had been stirred up, and it blocked his view for the moment. He carefully glanced around as he waited, making sure the guards were not watching him.

A man had stepped out of the car, and was now walking toward one of the main buildings. Ciel's eyes traveled past him, coming to rest on the figure he was walking toward. Sebastian. The boy's eyes momentarily stopped on the commander, a light flush covering his cheeks. As quickly as it appeared, however, it was gone. Ciel realized what he was doing and forced his gaze back to the mysterious stranger.

He could tell nothing of the man from such a distance, though his arrival was a curious thing. And what business did he have with Sebastian? The two seemed to be locked in conversation for a moment, then Sebastian turned and walked away, leaving the other to follow. Very strange.

Ciel wished he could have been closer. How he would have loved to know what was going on. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes on the place Sebastian and the stranger had been.

A rock came flying through the air, hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades.

"Get back to work!"

Startled, Ciel recovered himself and swung around, only to see the Kapo striding toward him. He bowed his head. He wanted to stand up to the man, but he knew he could do nothing against him. He quickly went back to work, hoping William would leave him alone.

He felt a harsh tug on his shoulder as he was whirled around to face the other man. Slowly he looked up into the stoic face of William.

The man was always so...cold. He never once showed any emotion, his face a mask of stone cruelty. Unlike Sebastian, who was a mystery in many ways, Ciel could understand this man. He was just like all the others. The others who had killed his father.

"What are you looking at brat?" His hand snaked out, slapping Ciel across the face.

The boy just stared up at him, his two sapphire eyes glinting with hatred. But he was not a fool. He knew he was treading dangerous ground. His goal was to escape this place alive, not in a mass grave. "Nothing, sir.."

William seemed to consider this for a moment, then let go of Ciel with a forceful push, sending the boy into the jagged rocks behind him. "Remember to keep your eyes to yourself. I'll be watching you." He turned to leave, catching sight of another prisoner that he deemed in need of his attention.

Ciel lay there a moment, his mind trying to block out the pain he felt. He sent a glance toward William, knowing he couldn't stay on the ground unless he wanted him to come back. Next time he was sure he wouldn't get off with anything less than a beating.

Easing himself to his feet, he tried to ignore the stabbing pain he felt in the places his body had come into contact with the rocks. There was blood trickling down his arm from where it had been torn on the gravel, but he paid little attention to it, trying to get back to work. Still, his willpower alone couldn't stop the single tear that streaked it's way down his cheek.

He was, after all, still a child. And a camp like this was the last place he should be.

"Who do you suppose that was?" Ciel whispered the question to Abberline as soon as they were left alone in their barracks.

The man looked as if he didn't quite know what the boy was speaking of. He had been on the other side of the quarry at the time of the car's arrival, and had also missed Ciel's encounter with William. He had been angry when he had found out about it, though Ciel had brushed it off as nothing.

Ciel realized the lack of information the other man had, and quickly filled him in. When he was finished he repeated the question.

Abberline was silent for a moment. The boy had come to know his moods over the last few days, and figured he deep in thought.

The older man finally shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't know. They get new guards all the time. That's probably all that man was."

Ciel shook his head. "No, he wasn't merely a guard. He had a car all to himself, not to mention he walked right up to Sebastian as if he knew him." For some reason, that thought left Ciel feeling a slight hostility to the unknown man.

"Sebastian?" Abberline glanced down at him oddly, his surprise for the fact that Ciel had spoken the commander's first name so casually, showing in his eyes.

Ciel felt his face heating up as he realized what he had said and how he had said it. He struggled to find some reply that wouldn't end up making him look foolish.

"Ciel I think you should sit down, you look as if the heat took more of a toll on you than usual."

The concern in the other man's voice was so sincere. Ciel turned to look at him, moving to do as he was told, though he knew it wasn't the problem. Of course Abberline wouldn't know the real reason for his reaction. He had never told him what had happened that day.

"Don't go worrying yourself over anything, alright Ciel?" A hand patted him on the back. "I'm sure if what happened today has any affect us lowly prisoners, we will know about it soon enough."

Ciel closed his eyes, nodding, though the optimistic tone in Abberline's voice did nothing to calm him. He wanted to leave this place and never look back. Find his aunt. Go somewhere far away where the Nazi's couldn't harm them. But even as he thought of that, images of Sebastian would fill his mind and he would remember the kiss. And the strong wall he had built around his emotions would slowly start to crumble.

He wanted to hate him. After all, Sebastian was a Nazi. Everything he stood for, everything he helped bring about was evil. And he did it all without mercy or guilt. How could he even feel an attraction to someone like that? Sebastian didn't care about him. He only wanted to use him. Once the man was done with that, Ciel had no reason to think he would be given any special treatment.

"I have some news for you."

The statement cut into his confused and tormented emotions, putting them on pause for the time being. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, looking up at his friend.

The older man made sure the other prisoners were caught up in their own business, then leaned down just in case he still might be heard. "I've been watching every night, and have come to notice that for about two minutes around one o'clock, there are no guards positioned outside our building."

The boy barely nodded, understanding what Abberline meant by this. As the guards rotated their shifts, they were instructed to wait for their replacement before leaving. However, the man who was on duty at one always left two minutes early. It was against the rules, but he never seemed to be caught. Ciel wasn't about to complain. It just might be the one small weakness they had been looking for.

Truthfully, their escape plan wasn't going very well. Ciel was a risk taker by nature, and
was apt to come up with rash ideas that would have gotten them both killed had they tried them.
Abberline on the other hand, was more experienced in that area having been a soldier, and he had to keep patiently explaining to Ciel why his ideas would not work. Of course escape would be dangerous no matter how they did it, but with this new bit of information, Ciel felt as if they were finally getting somewhere. After hours of useless discussion, it was a welcome thought.

Claude had arrived a mere five hours ago, but already Sebastian was sick of his presence.

He was under no illusions that Claude could be trusted even now, and had commissioned Bard, his secretary, to follow the other man around and report his activities back to him. That was now over four hours ago, and still Bard had not returned.

He bent over his typewriter, trying to get his monthly report finished and sent off. He had mentioned Claude in it, hoping to get him transferred somewhere else, though he had a feeling it would do no good. He leaned back, thinking over all that had happened in the past few months. Why would Claude simply show up now?

A knock sounded at the door, and he looked up, calling out for whoever it was to enter. The door swung open and Claude stood in the entrance.

Sebastian nodded to him, hiding the look of distaste that threatened to show on his face. "Ah Claude. Did you need something?"

The other man took the cue, sending Sebastian a slight smile in return. They'd always played a dangerous game of deception. Each acting as if they tolerated the other, when in reality they would have loved nothing more than to see each other dead.

"Oh I only wanted to thank you."

Sebastian stared at him, but said nothing, waiting for Claude to elaborate.

"It was kind of you to send your secretary to watch over me on my first day."

Sebastian inwardly cursed the fact that Bard had failed, however on the outside he looked as calm as ever. "Ah, well anything for an old friend."

There was a moment of silence, before his garnet eyes shifted to Claude's hanging sleeve. "Just think, if the bomb had gone off a bit sooner you wouldn't be standing here right now. You're a lucky man."

Claude saw right through that statement to what it really was. Regret that he wasn't killed. He raised his good arm, fixing his glasses with a graceful push of his finger. His golden eyes stared into Sebastian's as he nodded stiffly. "Yes, I am."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly wanting to be rid of him. "Did you need something more?"

"Yes, actually I did." Those amber eyes never left the other man's face. "Ash wanted me to give this to you. Seems as if he's in need of some more children for his medical experiments." He dropped a file on the desk.

Sebastian shifted his eyes to the file, reaching out to pick it up. He looked at it briefly before handing it back to Claude. "Tell him to go to the barracks and take whoever he wants."

Claude nodded wordlessly, his eyes hovering over Sebastian a moment longer before he turned and left the room.

The commander's jaw clenched as he watched him disappear. Bard would be of no more use since Claude knew for whom the secretary worked. He would simply have to find another way to discover what his nemesis was planning.

Sebastian: Oh, did you have to add Claude to this? Really.

Claude: U mad bro?