Sebastian is at Shadow Pont, he has a severe migraine and ended up falling asleep in bed. As he sleeps his mind flows through memories of how he had first met Claude and his childhood. This chapter gets into how Claude and Sebastian interacted at first.

I hope you enjoy,

~Kuro

P.s. I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Chapter 43: Falling

Lucifer looked at his wife and she simply laughed cruelly, "He's weak and yet you protect him," she said. Her voice was colder than usual and it looked as though she was enjoying slinging insults. Lucifer's garnet eyes narrowed, "I protected you as well or did you forget about that night?" She flinched and Sebastian slowly looked up at his father, he knew that booming voice of his was actually a very gentle one. However this tenderness was no longer extended to his mother, not after what she had done. "How can I you won't let me," she spat. Lucifer glared, his eyes seemed colder than before and he looked at Sebastian who pulled himself off the floor. "He's young, his power will grow as he gets older," he responded and looked at his wife. She laughed and pointed at Sebastian, "He brought home a disgusting thing and desires for it to be his servant. Honestly it was dying and he brought it here. Is he really fit to be a king?" Lucifer was slightly confused for a moment and looked at Sebastian. "He, I brought him here. By saving his life he is in my debt and will be forced to obey me until the debt is repaid," said Sebastian as he straightened out his clothing. "A wild mutt is what you brought to this home, a disgrace, and what will you do once he repays you and you are without servant?" she questioned. Sebastian smirked and replied, "I'm not like you mother, I won't sleep with him."

His mother flew at him and Sebastian's eyes widened with terror as he attempted to block her. He had expected her punch to land on the side of his face only for it to never come. His father's fingers were wrapped around her wrist, Sebastian looked up, his mother's face was twisted with pain and he noted the terror in her eyes. "Never touch him," said Lucifer darkly before casting his wife across the room. He was well aware she was sleeping around, which he had tolerated however he would not tolerate her beating his son. She fixed her hair and glared at Sebastian, "You should remember your place," she whispered before leaving the room. Sebastian could feel his hands tremble and he looked at his father. Sebastian looked a lot more like his father; he had beautiful deep facial features and long onyx black hair which flowed to the waist. His eyes were garnet however in the dark they seemed to have an eerie glow. Sebastian closed his eyes and awaited punishment only to feel his father's fingers pull his cravat from his neck. "That will bruise," said Lucifer as he slowly knelt to his son's eye level. Sebastian winced as his father gently slipped a strand of hair behind Sebastian's ear. "Sebastian, I can only protect you so much, you have to learn how to fend her off tactfully," he said softly as one of Lucifer's advisors entered. He held an envelope in his hands and said, "My lord, I apologize for the intrusion, it's urgent." Lucifer nodded and ruffled Sebastian's hair before turning his attention to the advisor. "There was an uprising in the north, we have suppressed it and caught the rebel in charge, what should," before the advisor could finish Lucifer looked at him coolly. "The hounds haven't been fed, I'm sure they would like something nice to eat," he said as he handed the envelope back to the man. His advisor simply nodded and Lucifer exited the room, his robe billowed as he moved. All Sebastian could do was watch his father's back, it was an unusual feeling, he was alone and yet he wasn't in that big mansion with an iron gate.

Days passed slowly, and Lucifer was busy dealing with a number of revolts. It was an unusual amount activity, even for hell, in fact it was rather concerning. Demons did have a tendency of fighting and causing issues, however they usually executed this on an individual basis not as entire clans. While the earth outside the gates was soaked with blood of fallen legions of both the anarchists and those loyal to Lucifer, the grass enclosed by them was still an emerald green. The demon which Sebastian had brought home had awoken and his wounds had healed beautifully, thanks to Sebastian refusing to leave the demon's side. Nestled in the window was Sebastian with a book in his hands and he gazed at the estate bellow. There was a click and he looked up to see a maid enter with a pitcher of water. "I apologize for the disturbance," she said softly, Sebastian noticed how she always looked at the floor and knew immediately that the maid was afraid of being abused. He didn't blame her, he was well aware that if his mother was abusing him she was abusing the staff. "It's alright," said Sebastian as he placed the book on the seat. She stepped back and looked at him in confusion as Sebastian approached her. He slowly extended his hand and she shied away from him, "Your apron is twisted," he said and she paused. After a moment she looked at her reflection in the glass of one of the cases and noticed it was in fact twisted. "I apologize for my appearance," she said. Sebastian smiled a little and said, "It's alright, how is the demon I brought in?"

The maid looked at him and responded, "He's doing well, struggling with his tasks, its noticeable that he's never really had much and isn't accustomed to working with nobles." Sebastian figured as much and asked, "Who is training him?" The maid looked at him and replied cautiously, "Victor, the master's butler." Sebastian paused, his father wasn't thrilled about the demon and yet he was willing to give him a chance. "Will that be all?" asked the maid anxiously. Sebastian blinked and looked at her, he had become lost in his thoughts, "Yes I'm sorry for keeping you from your duties," he said. She bowed and shuffled out of the room, she didn't fix her apron which made Sebastian snicker. Some how he found it enjoyable when demons displayed human traits and didn't even realize it. He sighed after a moment, it was quiet which meant his mother wasn't awake yet. There was a loud crash and Sebastian jumped out of his skin, it was fallowed by the common sound of his mother screaming at the top of her lungs. "Where is that pest! He's the one who put me in this position! I never wanted to have a child, not something as useless as him!" she hollered and Sebastian shivered. He was a small ten year old demon, there was no way he could fend off her attack. His heart began pounding wildly, and he trembled. "Find him!" she screamed. There was a ton of noise as the maids attempted to keep her downstairs, "I don't care it's his fault!" she screamed as she shoved a maid away. Sebastian could tell she was actually injuring the maids and had managed to kill four of them.

She threw open the door and Sebastian stumbled backward. Her eyes were glazed over and he could smell the souls she had consumed, her hair was a mess and her dress was twisted. It was apparent that not only was she intoxicated but she had been sleeping around again. She grit her teeth and leapt across the room, Sebastian attempted to dodge her only to find himself pinned under his mother. She laughed wickedly as she spoke, "This is all your fault, if I hadn't been pregnant with you I would have never been forced to marry him." One of her hands wrapped around Sebastian's throat, his eyes widened in terror and he struggled to force her off. "The very reason I can't get what I want," she shouted, Sebastian kicked the table behind her causing the pitcher to fall on top of her. The cold water dripped down the side of her face and her eyes narrowed. She had never been the ideal parent however this was even worse than usual. She slipped her fingers into her bust line and pulled a silver dagger. Sebastian immediately recognized its quality and screamed, "Stop, please don't." A grin swept across his mother's lips as she stabbed through both of his hands with the knife, pinning him to the floor. Sebastian screamed in agony, his eyes burned with red tears and he thrashed against her. She licked her lips and whispered in his ear, "Now to get rid of this eye sore." Sebastian whimpered as she pulled a shard from the pitcher and tore open his shirt, "I'm not going to make it easy, in fact I want you to suffer like I have for all these years," she said as she took the shard and sliced into his white chest. Sebastian's tears continued to fall and he was about to scream again until she pulled his handkerchief and stuffed it in his mouth. The taste of the fine silk terrified him as he attempted to breath. "I wanted to rule hell, not be ruled," she said angrily as she made the cuts deeper. Sebastian's hands burned as a result for the dagger made of Judas silver, his chest hurt and he laid there helpless under her weight.

Cimson red ribbons flowed over snow white skin as it was marred by a piece of china. He head became light, caused by both the blood loss and difficulty to breath. Sebastian slowly became numb and wondered it was in fact the end of him, only to hear "Madam, the Master will be home in an hour." Her actions ceased and as though she had been snapped from a spell she turned her attention to the man clad in a military uniform in the doorway. "Bael," she sang before jumping off of Sebastian. She wrapped her arms around the man who kissed the side of her neck and whispered, "I'm lonesome, how about you and I spend more quality time together." Sebastian's heart was pounding and she looked at the mess she had created of her son. A grin of pride and delight curled her lips and she responded, "Of course darling." Her heels clicked as she walked over and pulled the dagger out of Sebastian's hands, crimson droplets fell as she walked, a few landing on Sebastian's cheeks. She walked away arm in arm with her lover, leaving Sebastian on the floor.

His heart began to slow as he realized that indeed she had had her fulfillment of torturing him. His hands still burned as though he had been bitten by a snake, he was well aware that his body couldn't handle the amount of abuse it had been subjected to. His fingers slowly wrapped around the handkerchief and he pulled it from his mouth. His hair was a true mess, he was covered in sweat and smelt of blood. "It's alright, I'm here," he whispered to himself as he wrapped his arms around his body pulling his legs in, "I'm still here, I'm alright," he whispered again. He rocked back and forth in an attempt to clear the thoughts from his mind, he had selected that room because she never ventured that far, only now did she honestly hunt him down when she was intoxicated. His father was so busy with the uprisings that it was impossible for him to control his wife. A few minutes passed and Sebastian slowly got off the floor, despite what happened he had to put on a brave face, his fingers glided over the fresh wounds. "I need to find a place where I can heal myself and not be disturbed," he muttered. His wounds were still bleeding and the swelling in his hands had begun to set in. Sebastian staggered out of the room and then down the hallway, his head seemed light as air as he wandered through the house. A trail of crimson flowers fell from the red ribbons which ran down his fingertips on to the floor. He made it to the back of the house and pushed open the doors to draw a deep breath, the scent of roses and other exotic flowers put his mind at ease. It was a warm scent which oddly reminded him of his father, Lucifer wasn't like most demons, and he was harsh and ruthless in public. Yet with Sebastian he was sweet and tender, a neutering father who taught his son everything about being a demon.

He slowly took a seat on the floor and closed his eyes, the wind caressed his face and seemed to keep his eyes from burning any further. He sighed and leaned his head on the door frame, the marble floor felt cool against his burning hands. There was a trail of blood on the floor leading to the place he sat on the white marble floor. He closed his eyes for a moment and let his mind drift, his body had slowly started to heal his wounds, however, it wasn't fast enough. The dagger made of Judas silver had done much more damage than he thought, the wounds weren't healing. "Ouch," he muttered as he opened his eyes and looked at his swollen hands, "Why is it my fault, she was the one who slept around," he muttered. There was a faint slosh of water and Sebastian turned his head, as always there was someone cleaning up the mess his mother had created. He turned his attention to his throbbing hands and sighed, "I must be bad." The sound became closer and Sebastian fell silent, he didn't want anyone to know how bad he was hurting. "Are you alright?" asked a voice from behind him, it was low and oddly familiar. Sebastian rose quickly and responded, "I'm fine." He was quick to step away and nearly sprinted down the hall. "Watch out!" the larger demon called, Sebastian was confused until he found himself falling forward. Sebastian closed his eyes expecting to hit the floor only to feel something strong and warm embrace him. "Are you alright?" the same voice called, it rumbled in Sebastian's ears and he realized he was lying on the firm chest of the other demon. He opened his eyes and to his surprise noticed a soft smile on the other's lips, it was unprofessional in his mind yet somehow he couldn't berate the demon for it.

Sebastian sat up and looked down at the demon, he was clad in the uniform all of the servants wore, and his eyes were a beautiful golden. Sebastian noticed his curly hair and angular facial features and immediately said, "Oh it's you!" There was a note of surprise and happiness in his voice and then he blushed. "I mean, thank you," said Sebastian, his cheeks felt like they were on fire and for a moment he realized that he had actually forgotten about the pain in his hands. The demon sat up and nodded, "You're welcome," he responded. Sebastian placed his hands on the marble floor in an attempt to get up only to hiss with discomfort. "I forgot," he muttered angrily and the demon looked at Sebastian's hands. His eyes narrowed, Sebastian's hands were not only swollen but were slowly turning black. "That won't heal on its own," he said after a moment. Sebastian looked at him and wrinkled his nose, he didn't say a word. Claude pulled himself up further and kept Sebastian on his lap. He pulled on of his gloves off with his teeth and tucked it in his pocket. "Our saliva has healing properties, which comes in handy when it comes to healing each other," he said softly. Sebastian stared as the demon's long pink tongue caressed two fingers, coating them completely with saliva. Sebastian held out his hands, he trembled a little as the demon touched his stab wounds.

Sebastian winced in pain; it felt as though he was being stabbed again with the dagger. A searing and unbearable pain which caused him to cry, "Stop it hurts!" The demon ignored him and continued to stick his fingers in his wounds, slowly the searing pain dulled into a soothing feeling. The burning had disappeared and if felt as though the demon had rubbed a soothing lotion into his wounds. He slowly released and exhaled, "There," said the demon, Sebastian was lying against his chest and his tears had fallen from his eyes again. He hated being seen crying by other demons, it proved that what his mother had said was true. "You," Sebastian stammered, "You didn't have to do that." The other demon wrapped his arms around Sebastian and responded, "Yes I did other wise you would have lost your hands, it shouldn't scar." Sebastian hummed and the demon continued, "It's not you, my name is Claude," his voice was soft and Sebastian looked up at him. "Claude," said Sebastian softly with a smile, "Thank you." Claude nodded and watched as Sebastian got off his lap, "I have to go great my father," said Sebastian and without another word Sebastian turned on his heal and walked down the hallway, leaving Claude sitting on the floor.