Thompson has brought up a delicate topic as they clean the bar, and Timber seems to have issues coping with what had occurred at the Trancy Mannor, the first time they had met the golden eyed butler named Claude Faustus. However things aren't as they seem as Canterbury tells of his encounters.

Alex is waking up and goes to shower only to be called to the door.

What happened between the triplets and Claude in the past?

What does Canterbury know that Thompson and Timber do not?

What exactly when on in the Late Earl Trancy's House?

Who the hell is knocking on Alex's door so early in the morning?

I hope you enjoy,

~Kuro

I do not own Kuroshitsuji, but you probably already knew that.

Chapter 57: Arcane Scars

Timber groaned as he pulled the rag off of his head. "I'm just saying years ago he was such a bastard, remember when we worked for Trancy?" he asked as he walked over to the counter. Thompson froze and stared at Timber, how could he ever forget his former psychotic young master who had intentionally removed Hannah's eye in an attempt to get more attention from Claude. He looked as though he were about to dart, "How could I ever forget," he whispered and shivered unconsciously. During those days only Hannah had kept them sane, to think that she had abandoned them was beyond their comprehension. He could remember Claude's harsh treatment and closed his eyes, "I don't want to go through that again," he muttered and hugged himself. Timber's hands which had been busy during the time stopped and he looked at Thompson. His amber eyes were locked on the pale face of his brother. He dropped the rag on the counter and whispered, "Hey." Thompson's eyes were closed and he trembled all over, it was clear those years of service to the unstable soul of Alois Trancy and the tyranny of Claude Faustus Head Servant of the Trancy House. The door creaked open and Thompson looked over to see Canterbury walk in, he was in jeans and a tee shirt. He looked nothing like he had earlier in his suite. "What happened? Did he cut himself on a broken glass?" asked Canterbury, his amber eyes darted to the trembling demon's hands.

Thompson shook his head and mumbled, "I mentioned something I shouldn't have." Canterbury's eyes narrowed inquisitively as he looked over at his other brother. Thompson fidgeted a little and continued, "I asked him if he remembered what it was like to work at the Trancy House, under Claude." Canterbury sighed and rubbed Timber's shoulders with both hands. His touch was tender and he looked at Thompson, "Claude isn't what he used to be, he seems kinder and oddly free. It's as though Sebastian has freed him, a freedom which we all crave," said Canterbury. Thompson's purple hair swayed as he bowed his head. Canterbury looked at the bar and was fully aware of what had occurred here, he had seen Claude return with Sebastian in his arms and was taking him into the bathroom. He smiled a little before wrapping an arm around Thompson, in reality he wasn't wrong, he had every right to point out how Claude had changed. However to unlike these two Canterbury was well aware that those maniacal tendencies of Claude's weren't entirely gone. His glacial and calculating self was simply put to work in law as he outwitted the defense.

He could remember that night so long ago when he watched Claude draft his plan to kill Alois and take Ciel's soul. A grin of joy had spread across his lips, as he plotted how to obtain the rare delicacy he had desired since tasting the Phantomhive boy's blood. He would have Ciel no matter what the cost; he had planned on merging the two souls into one vesicle so he could have them both without breaking his current contract. Even if it meant tinting the boy's soul with the unsuitable taste of Trancy's soul. Hannah had asked him to see what Claude had been up to late at night; he hadn't been tending to Alois as he should have been. "Who's there," called and irritated Claude as he pulled a handful of golden knives from his pocket and threw several of them at Canterbury. At the time Canterbury was a young demon; he was no where near as powerful as Claude and was well aware of the fact that he could be killed by this demon. Claude flew out of his seat and at Canterbury, in a flash Canterbury was pinned to the wall under Claude. "You, what are you doing near this part of the house," barked Claude, his golden eyes narrowed dangerously. Canterbury's amber eyes widened as he gazed directly into the clear and dangerous golden eyes of the head butler. Claude's hand was wrapped around Canterbury's neck and he felt his iron grip around his throat. It was tight and he gasped, "Hannah." Claude eased his grip, but just enough for him to speak, "She wanted to know if you will be able to look after the young master," he breathed. Claude looked at him skeptically and pushed the smaller demon into the wall with brute force, "Oh? Is that really it?" he asked darkly. There was no way he could fool this spider, however he wasn't about to tell Claude of Hannah's skepticism, Canterbury nodded. Claude was expressionless and then chuckled, the very sound sent chills down Canterbury's spine. Claude lifted the demon off the floor by his throat and then threw him into the wall, "Tell Hannah that my affairs are none of her concern, I hired her to clean not to advise me," he said coldly. Canterbury slowly rose and clung to the wall for support, his body ached all over. "Canterbury, also remind her that if she interferes again with my orders even if it pertains to the flowers in the master's room, I will have her thrown to the street," he said coolly. Canterbury looked at Claude wide eyed and remembered the order, Claude had asked for Alois's room to be filled with roses along with the cage for the butterfly which his master had torn the wing off of. However Hannah suggested the flower be changed to bluebells. Even though the change pleased the master it clearly tromped on Claude's pride of being the perfect butler. Canterbury simply nodded and scurried from the room that darkness which was in Claude's heart was like nothing he had ever seen. It was disturbing to see what Claude was like however Canterbury was well aware of the cause.

Timber and Thompson had stopped trembling; he could feel the scars on their skin from when Alois flung holy water on them. They were simply doing their job yet Alois thought he would get more attention from Claude if he flung holy water on the two. Timber had used his body to shield Timber form the brunt of it which caused Timber to only have a burn down the side of one of his legs. However Timber's back bore the aftermath of the incident and he was confined to a bed for two weeks as the burns healed. Claude did reprimand the young master for that, however Alois had his fun with the butler, he hit Claude with an even larger vat of holy water, it covered his face hest and lower abdomen. Canterbury could remember the earth shattering scream after the incident; he had never heard Claude scream until that day. He closed his eyes and drew a shaky breath, Hannah had been attending to Claude while Canterbury cared for Timber, however one evening Alois woke screaming as usual. Hannah was called and Thompson, who had healed a great deal hobbled up the stairs behind her. She had instructed him to assist Claude, the thought made Canterbury tremble. No matter how much he disdained the butler he had no choice but to care for the injured demon. Canterbury had found himself standing outside of Claude's room. He hesitantly knocked on the door and waited for a response, it was silent and Canterbury called, "Claude?" Still silent, it was as though there was nothing on the other side of the door. Canterbury slowly pushed the door open to see the moon peaking through the curtains; Claude was motionless on the bed, his body riddled with lacerations caused by the holy water. He could smell burned flesh and hair; it was worse than what Thompson had been hit with.

In the moon light he noticed Claude's face, twisted with pain, oddly his chest hurt. "Claude?" asked Canterbury cautiously as he approached the bed, he spotted a basin of water and a rag, the water was tinted red and he could tell Hannah had been cleaning his wounds. He paused as he stood at the side of the bed, this was the first time he had ever seen Claude fully undressed, his wounds were so severe that it was impossible to put clothing on him, all he had on were a pair of black boxers. Parts of his thighs had even been burned and Canterbury hissed in discomfort. Claude shifted slightly and moaned, "Hannah asked me to look after you," said Canterbury softly. Claude's eyes opened slightly, they were dull and Canterbury froze, this wasn't the expression of the proud and strong demon who had pinned him to the wall a few nights ago. "…stian," he muttered, his speech was garbled from the pain. "Pardon?" asked Canterbury and Claude whimper, "Sebastian." The name which had been uttered with such distain now had a hint of longing and sadness. Canterbury was silent and he stared wide eyed at the man in the bed. "It hurts," he whimpered, his voice trembled. Canterbury was about to get Hannah when he heard a tap at the window. It was soft and yet heard through the entire room. The windows opened slowly and he stared at a pair of ruby red eyes which glistened in the dark, he was about to call Hannah when he noticed a white gloved hand hold a finger to his lips. "I'm not here to fight," he said as he slipped through the window. His harsh gaze softened when he looked at Claude, it was affectionate, almost loving. "Hush now," whispered Sebastian as he strode over to the butler. Canterbury stood motionless and watched as the slender butler leaned over the bed and kissed Claude's forehead. He slowly brought his hand up to Claude's cheek and touched it gently. "I'm here, I've brought something to make the pain stop," he whispered. Claude whimpered again and smiled a little, "Raven," he said softly. Sebastian smiled listlessly and nodded, "Yes dear spider, your raven is here. I can not stay however I can perch for a little while in your window," he whispered.

Canterbury watched the scene before him in confusion, Claude was cold and heartless, yet he acted differently with Sebastian. Some how it was as though Claude had managed to find light in his world of darkness, happiness no matter how brief. "He's going to think this was a dream," said Sebastian sadly. Canterbury was snapped from his thoughts and he looked at Sebastian. "What?" he asked softly and noticed the pained expression on Sebastian's face. "Claude won't remember this encounter and if he does it will be a dream," he whispered, his gaze fell on Claude. Canterbury was still as he began to figure out what to say, "You're okay with this?" he asked softly. Sebastian sighed and shook his head, "Of course I'm not, his master is psychotic, and now Claude is falling. I told him not to make a contract with him," he said angrily. He turned to Canterbury and asked, "He wasn't the only one burned was he?" Canterbury was hesitant and slowly shook his head. Sebastian looked down at the floor as he sifted through his pockets, after a moment he fished out a silver tin with a black feather on it. "If anyone asks tell them you found this outside the window, this will prevent infection, dull the pain and cause the scars to disappear. No amount of saliva could heal this much damage," he said as he handed Canterbury the tin. The demon ran his fingers over the lid and felt the raised feather and noticed Sebastian's seal on the bottom. "Won't that give you away?" asked Canterbury in confusion. Sebastian shook his head and looked at him, "How old are you?" At first Canterbury was insulted until he realized that the crimson eyed demon before him was genuinely curious. "60 years old," replied Canterbury. Sebastian smiled sympathetically and commented, "So young. My seal won't appear unless I'm within arms length other than that it will remain invisible." Canterbury opened the lid of the round tin and looked at the opaque colored ointment, there was much more in the container than her realized. He had expected it to reek, yet it smelt of wisteria. "Where did you get this?" he asked. It was quiet again and Canterbury looked up, sitting in the window sill was a broad black feather and he sighed, "You really did perch for a short period of time," he commented.

The demon slowly dipped his fingers in the ointment and began applying it to the seared skin of the butler. He watched in amusement as the wounds ceased to swell, "Cold," whined Claude in discomfort. "Sorry but the Raven told me to do this," said Canterbury. Claude looked at him, it was as though he were a child and he asked, "Did my raven fly away?" Canterbury nodded and he watched the arachnid sighed and close his eyes again. "He won't visit me for a while, not after what I will do next," he whispered. Canterbury finished applying the ointment to Claude's face and said, "I'm going to see if Hannah needs help with the young master." Claude sighed and hummed in response. Canterbury closed the silver tin and walked out of the room. He closed the door and noticed Hannah padding down the hall. "Oh how is he?" she asked. Canterbury held the tin behind his back and replied, "He's asleep." Hannah smiled sweetly and nodded, "Timber has awoken, he wants to see you," she said. Canterbury nodded and bowed before walking away; he heard the door of Claude's room close behind him and hurried back to Timber's side.

"He hasn't changed, he's always been a decent demon," mumbled Canterbury and Thompson and Timber looked at him in shock. Timber had stopped trembling and looked at him in confusion, "Claude's much more complicated than you realize," he whispered. The two looked at him baffled and Canterbury smiled slyly, "Come on then, let's get this mess cleaned up," he chimed as he walked behind the bar and grabbed a rag. Timber and Thompson looked at one another and shrugged before walking back over to the bar.

Grell stretched and looked up at the sky through the glass roof of the airport terminal, the sun had risen and he was beaming. "Christmas in Switzerland what a wonderful surprise," he cried in joy as he darted off the plane. He red coat billowed behind him and the Undertaker laughed as he slowly walked through the terminal. "Someone is excited, remember we're here for the auction, nothing else," he replied. Grell pouted and whined, "Awe, I thought we would go ice skating, have a snowball fight and fuck in front of the fire place." Undertaker looked at Grell and mussed his long red hair, "We can do that and more after the auction, which is tomorrow night, however tonight we will be attending an event hosted by Lucious d' Argent," he said after a moment. Grell froze and the Undertaker continued walking until it clicked, "Wait isn't he the owner of Dom Pergnion?" he asked. The Undertaker smiled and replied, "The one and only." Grell squealed with delight and bounded after the silver haired shinigami.

Alex stretched as she slid out of bed, tonight was the party and the premier of the new image she and Marcus had crafted. She sighed nervously, the Christmas commercial went over well, however the second one was going to premier that evening. The one which was purely her imagination run wild and she sighed. She had been nervous before but this was a whole new level of nerve wracking. The party at the Campbell Estate didn't compare to this, however she had been informed that both Lord and Lady Campbell would be attending as well as Martinez, Adam, Sterling, Plat and all of her other clients. Lucius had invited them after hearing about the campainges she had done for them. Her work had earned her a new standing, but this commercial was huge, it felt as though her life was spinning out of control. Months ago she was a college graduate with a little talent and a few pencils, now she was a top graphic designer and one of the most saught after artists. Her name was signed at the bottom of advertisments, and her work was spreading around the world. With the assistance of Sebastian and Claude she went from a poor student to a name with meaning. She sighed as she slipped out of her tee shirt and wandered into the bathroom. She prayed a shower would calm her nerves; she slowly reached into the shower stall and turned the knob. "A nice hot shower before running off to meet with the overly demanding d' Argents," she commented. There was a knock on the door and she quickly wrapped herself in a terry cloth robe. The only three people she expected to knock on her door at the time of morning was Claude, Sebastian or Canterbury. She strode across the room and opened the door and jumped back to avoid being his by the flash of red that flew into the room. "Isn't it wonderful! Oh Sebastian it's so cold this morning I was hoping to catch you as you came out of the shower!" it cried and Alex grit her teeth. She would recognize this voice anywhere, "Get the hell out of here!" she shouted angrily. The long haired red head froze and looked at her in shock. "What are you doing in here?" he stammered. Alex clenched her fingers into a fist with every intention of knocking the transvestite unconscious, "This is the room I'm staying in," she snarled. Grell held his hands up nervously and laughed, "Um, I think I have the wrong room."

Alex's ocean blue eyes narrowed dangerously and she screamed, "You think!" She pulled back with every intent of delivering a blow to Grell's face when she heard someone clear their throat. Claude and Sebastian were standing in the doorway side by side. "Grell how many times have I told you to knock and announce your preasence before entering," said Sebastian, he rubbed he forehead with his fingers and Grell pouted. "That was only as I was training to be a butler, Sebas-chan," he replied. Sebastian twitched at the mispronounciation of his name and said, "No that's common curticy." Alex stared at the irritation which had spread across Sebastian's face and snickered. Oddly she had missed this exasperated expression. "Oh come on it's the 21st century," he whined. Claude crossed his arms and pushed his glasses further up his nose before responding, "Yes and you are still in a young woman's room without permission," his voice was sharp. Grell began to retreat from the room and Alex could tell it was because he was concerned that he was about to be impaled by cutlery again. "Now that that's taken care of," said Sebastian with a hint of finality as he turned to Alex. "Lucius and Marcus will take care of the party, he wanted you to relax and get your thoughts in order before tonight," said Sebastian. Alex looked at them and stared, "I thought I would have to deal with the run through," she commented. Sebastian shook his head and smiled, "Nope, Claude and I are going to hit the slopes. We ran into Ronald and William as well this morning, interested in joining us?" he asked. Alex nodded and grinned, she wasn't much of a skier however she could do the basic stuff.

Claude smiled and commented, "Get dressed, you can't skate in a bathrobe now can you?" he asked. Alex blushed and reached over to the bed, she flung a pillow as hard as she could at Claude who artfully dodged it and laughed, "Did you honestly think that would hit me?" he asked as he crossed his arms. Alex grinned and replied, "Nope," she said before flinging another pillow. It hit Claude in the face and Sebastian doubled over laughing, "But that did," she said with a note of triumph. Claude was still and looked at her before pointing to the bathroom, "If you aren't ready in ten minutes you're going to get it," he said playfully. Alex crossed her arms and asked, "Oh?" Claude nodded and grinned deviously, "You're not the only one who can fling pillows at others," he commented. Alex blanched and dashed into the bathroom, he didn't look like he was going to let her get away.

"Did you have to scare the daylights out of her?" asked Sebastian and Claude chuckled. He looked over at Sebastian who looked more annoyed than usual, his ruby red eyes had lost their mischievous glow and Claude asked, "What?" Sebastian sighed and looked at him, there was a not of concern in his eyes, "The auction is tomorrow and the cases will be arriving tonight, you and I both know something dangerous is on the horizon," said Sebastian, he paused and looked into Claude's eyes. "Why the hell would the owner of the hotel allow both the auction and the party tonight to be booked here? If mortals get caught in this we are all in trouble," said Sebastian. There was silence between them and Claude looked at the bathroom door, "There is a reason four shinigami are hear, especially the Undertaker, I have a really bad feeling about this," said Sebastian. Claude nodded; it was too unusual for all of them to be in the same spot unless something was on the horizon. "I'll have the triplets take a look, what ever it is they will find it," he said after a moment. Sebastian's shoulders fall a little and he looked a little more relaxed, "Just tell them to be careful, we don't need them to get caught between a rock and a hard place," said Sebastian. Claude felt a hint of guilt and he sighed, the truth was the moment he had hired them they were going to be caught in the middle. He silently apologize for the pain he was about to bring the triplets again.

Alex stepped out of the bathroom; she was in under armor and a pair of jeans. Claude looked at her and asked, "Figure or hockey?" Alex looked at him slightly confused and Sebastian sighed, "Figure skates or hockey skates?" Alex laughed and looked at Claude who was grinning like a kid. "They put in a new outdoor rink last summer and I can't wait to get on," he commented as he turned on his heel to disappear and Sebastian chuckled. "Don't let him fool you, he loves winter as much as I do, so which is it?" he asked. Alex looked at Sebastian's smiling face and replied, "Figure skate." He sighed and nodded, "Wonderful, I thought so when we met however I wasn't certain," he commented. Alex looked confused until she fallowed Sebastian across the hallway, Claude had disappeared from view and she stared at the massive suite. The sitting area was filled with coaches and she spotted a fireplace which had been lit. There was a large black box which had a beautiful golden bow on it, she admired it for a moment and slowly pulled the ribbon. The ribbon fell to the floor as she unwrapped the box to reveal a blue and white and the word Jackson was written across the front.

"They're new," she whispered after a moment. She opened the box and stared at the pearl white boots with beautiful silver blades. Sebastian chuckled as her fingers touched the leather of the boots and wooden heel "They're pre-molded to your feet, top of the line and professional grade," said Sebastian, his hands were in his pockets and she smiled at him. "Thanks," she whispered happily. Sebastian nodded and watched as she tore into a number of boxes, "Are these my Christmas gifts from you two?" she asked curiously. The beautiful golden ribbon which had been wrapped around one of the black boxes floated to the floor and Sebastian chuckled. "These are just a few, there is more in store, and if you like we could go shopping later. I'm certain we could find you some beautiful jewelry as well," he said after a moment. Alex shook her head and smiled, "These are more than enough." Sebastian nodded and stared at Claude who had just gotten out of the bathroom, he was standing in what looked like black dress pants. "You're going to skate in those?" Alex asked curiously and Claude looked at her curiously and then laughed. "These aren't dress pants, they're skating pants," he commented. He looked at Sebastian who was yet to get dressed. Claude was standing in a tightly fitted black tee, and Alex could see every chiseled muscle he had. Sebastian smiled with delight as he walked behind him and wandered into the bathroom. "We bought you some things as well, choose what ever you like," said Claude as he gestured to the boxes. Alex opened each one and stared, they ranged in elegance, some looked as though they were practice dresses and others were clearly show stoppers. She looked over each dress and spotted a beautiful midnight blue dress, it was snug and yet elegant. She noticed the beautiful feather pattern which had been stitched into the skirt and the spider webs which descended the arms, they were faint and yet beautiful. "Wow," she mused as she picked it up and felt the softness of the velvet. "That was designed by Sebastian and I," said Claude nervously. Alex looked over her shoulder and noticed how he seemed to fidget, it was clear her was nervous. "I'll wear this one," she said happily. Claude was beaming and it was clear she had made his day. "I hoped you would," he said shyly before turning on his heel to retreat into the bathroom.