Chapter Fifteen
Butler, Freeloader. Bride, To Be a Mate
Big Ben was chiming through the night, snowflakes falling from the sky in spectacular white clumps. Two men strolled through the streets, clearly of Indian descent. Their skin was the colour of dark coffee, and their bodies were covered in fine silks. The first man, a young man with plum purple hair and golden eyes, spoke.
"This is gorgeous," he said, catching a snowflake in his hand. "It is so cold. Agni, what is this?"
His companion, older than him with short white hair and slate grey eyes, answered him.
"This substance is called snow, my prince. It falls during the winter in England."
The prince looked up Big Ben's clock face.
"How odd."
He looked around at the people as they passed by, and the carriages trotting along the cobbled streets.
"So this is England," he said thoughtfully. "It is beautiful."
The next morning, a crowd was gathered around a crime scene. Scotland Yard were dealing with a most unusual situation. Several men were strung up by their ankles in nothing but their undergarments, papers attached to their fronts with messages written on them.
"This is the child of craziness and laziness. England is the blasphemous country that has taken all and forced on us its arrogant ways and its rotten culture. Retribution should befall the fools of the country the hellcat rules."
Randall read this note from one of the victims, which was signed with a tongue sticking out of its mouth. He snatched it off the man and growled at Aberline.
"This makes twenty victims so far! And you still haven't caught this criminal? Explain!"
Aberline shuddered under his gaze, but bit his tongue.
"I haven't and I'm sorry, Sir Arthur!" he apologised.
Turning back to the note, Randall's hands shook.
"And Jack the Ripper slipped through our hands. That brat got all the credit," he snarled.
Aberline didn't look up from his notes as he replied.
"Brat, Sir? Who do you mean? You're speaking of Ciel Phantomhive?" He then directed his gaze to his superior. "You know, I can't help but feel he's carrying some immense burden on his shoulders. And he is still only a child."
Randall glared at him out of the corner of his eye.
"A child?"
"So, all of the victims had just returned home from India then?" Ciel said, suddenly appeared at Aberline's side with Sebastian and Marianne in tow.
The policeman started.
"You're here?!" he gasped.
"But the culprit hasn't killed anyone yet?" continued Ciel, ignoring the interruption.
He walked forward and snatched the note from Randall's hand.
"The child of craziness and laziness. This man has a way with words, doesn't he? I agree our country would benefit if all these 'nouveau riche' fresh from India disappeared." Eyeing the signature at the end, he continued. "Still, I don't like this mark."
Randall snatched the note back.
"This is mocking the Queen and all Englishmen too! He's Indian, I'm certain of it!"
Ciel smirked.
"Ah, I imagine that would be the reason I was called in. Most of the Indians who have come here illegally are staying in the criminal neighbourhoods of the East End. And Scotland Yard still doesn't know their exact number or their precise location, does it?"
His words were sending Sir Arthur more and more into a rage, but he remained silent.
"I cannot allow her Majesty to suffer such indignation." Ciel proclaimed. "Sebastian, Edward, let us go."
And so the three of them walked away, black coats swaying behind them.
It wasn't long before they arrived in the East End. They were wandering one of the streets, where people watched them pass with quiet disdain.
"I believe this is where the bulk of the Indians have settled," commented Sebastian.
Ciel nodded his head. He then found himself bumping into another man. Looking up, he found himself face to face with an Indian man.
"That hurt!" yelled the man. "Ow… You fiend! I've cracked a rib!"
Marianne placed her hands on Ciel's shoulders and drew him back towards her.
"It was clearly an accident, Sir, and surely a grown man cannot have sustained such an injury from a boy much shorter than you," she reasoned.
The Indian man shook his head vehemently.
"You fool! I could die from this!"
Soon there was a gathering of other Indians, checking their friend's safety.
"What happened?"
"What a terrible injury! He should pay you back for it."
The injured man agreed with them.
"Yes… Give us all your money, brat."
Sebastian smirked down at his master.
"What a clichéd bunch of thugs we seem to have run into. Shall I handle this?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Yes, but make it quick." Ciel ordered.
"Certainly."
The Indian man dragged Ciel out of Marianne's arms and held his cloak in his fist.
"Listen boy, you are outnumbered. Everybody within a mile of here hates you English dogs!" he snarled.
The demon flicked him away with only two fingers, and sent him flying to the ground. Sebastian smiled a shit-eating smile.
"Did he hurt you at all, Young Master?" he asked.
The boy fixed his top hat and scowled.
"He did not."
The Indian man got to his feet.
"Damned brat!" he growled, producing a knife from his cowl. "You take over our country, drag us here and then throw us away like garbage!"
"Your people have dragged your filth all over our homeland!" another man shouted.
"How about we show you the humiliation of being wronged!"
"Excuse me!" someone shouted from a nearby alley.
They all turned around and saw the Indian prince and Agni emerge.
"I am looking for this Indian woman. Perhaps you gentlemen have seen her around here?" the prince asked.
"Who the Hell are you?" the man snapped. "Stay out of this!"
The prince's brows arched.
"Oh my! Are you fellows having a duel?" he asked. "He has two khan-samas with him. Are you an English nobleman?"
Ciel frowned petulantly.
"What if I say I am?" he growled.
"Then I will have no choice. I will have to side with my countrymen," the prince replied. "Come, Agni."
"Yes, Sir."
"Defeat the Englishmen."
Agni bowed, showing his bandaged right hand.
"Jo aagyaa."
He removed the bandages from his hand and smiled.
"I shall use my holy weapon, which I given so that I might serve my master."
He darted forward to attack but Sebastian managed to grab Ciel and Marianne and pull them out of the way. The demon blocked Agni's swing with his arm, and held the pair to the floor. He leaned back when a kick was aimed at his head. Marianne watched in amazement, it was so rare to see Sebastian put on the defensive.
"He's fast…!" Sebastian gasped as he blocked all the blows that came his way.
Agni stopped for a moment and stared at them.
"I have struck many of your vital pressure points. Any normal person's arms would have gone numb by now. How are you moving?" he asked.
Ciel, having finally had just about enough, shouted out.
"We weren't doing anything but walking down the street! Are you nothing more than a reckless savage who will attack anyone who merely walks by you?!"
The prince was shocked.
"What? Tell me men, did you attack this child here for no good reason?"
Marianne decided to put in her point as well.
"Considering the fact they bumped into us for the sole purpose of threatening us with a knife to relieve us of our valuables, I should think it was obvious to see who the instigator of this was."
The prince nodded his head.
"Unfortunately, my countrymen are wrong here," he said solemnly. "Agni, we are on the Englishmen's side now."
The khan-sama nodded his head in deference.
"Right."
The thugs were dealt with quickly, piled up on the ground with bruises and numb limbs. Sebastian, Ciel and Marianne were stunned by the butler's efficient work. Agni turned to his prince.
"It is done, Prince Soma."
Soma picked up Ciel's hat, which had been lost during the chaos.
"Good. Well, there is someone I need to find. So I will be going now. Goodbye."
He threw Ciel his hat like a discus, and then he and Agni walked away.
"These English streets are like a labyrinth…" Soma commented.
"Let us take our next left, my prince." Agni suggested.
The trio arrived back at the townhouse.
"Well that was a complete waste of time." Ciel groaned.
Sebastian smiled as he removed the boy's coat.
"One of those men might be the one we're looking for," he said. "Let us wait for Sir Arthur to contact us."
Marianne looked back at them over her shoulder and nodded her head in agreement.
Just then, the other servants emerged.
"Master," called Bard.
"Welcome home." Finny greeted.
"Hello." MeyRin smiled.
Ciel shook his head.
"I will never get any peace at this rate if I am called to London for every single little thing," he complained.
Lau then came walked through the front door as if nothing was wrong with simply going in uninvited.
"Ah, My Lord. How good it is to see you."
"What is he doing here?" Ciel asked.
"And you think he would at least knock." Marianne muttered under her breath.
"How many times have I told you to send a note first?" Ciel asked the Asian man.
"Well I haven't kept a tally." Lau smiled.
Sebastian glanced down at his young master.
"Shall I bring some refreshment for our guest?" he asked. "Perhaps some tea, My Lord?"
Ciel placed his fingers against the furrow of his brow.
"Oh dear… You might as well."
"Perhaps Chai rather than Earl Grey?" suggested Lau.
"Fine, whatever."
He then looked to the door and was shocked to see Soma and Agni standing there.
"What? How?" Ciel stammered.
Lau glanced behind him and smiled.
"Oh, them? I ran into them on the street corner, they said they wanted speak with you."
"So you just come barging in here?!"
Soma smiled.
"Why, certainly. We are acquaintances now. Surely you have not forgotten me," he said.
Marianne arched a brow as Ciel spoke up.
"We met during a street brawl."
"And if you recall, I saved you."
"Saved me?! Excuse you!"
Soma and Agni then walked past the other servants and began to make their way up the stairs.
"Back home, if someone does you a favour, you offer them hospitality. Is it British practice to leave your saviour out in the cold?" Soma said with a smile.
Upstairs, Ciel burst into the room they decided to occupy, which unfortunately ended up being Marianne's room.
"Just who the Hell do you think you are?!" the boy bellowed.
Soma, happily reclined on Marianne's bed, smirked at him.
"Who am I? Why, I am a prince."
Sebastian arched a brow.
"A prince?"
Agni bowed his head.
"This is the son of the King of Bengal. Would you please extend your warmest welcome to my master, Prince Soma Asman Kadar."
"Thank you for your hospitality." Soma thanked.
The other servants had joined the trio in the doorway to observe the proceedings, and were giddy with excitement.
"A real prince in our own home! Amazing!" Finny gasped.
"Ooooh! How exciting!" cheered MeyRin, blushing behind her hands.
"What an opportunity! I've never seen a prince up close before!" added Bard.
Soma smiled.
"You may approach. I give you permission."
As the servant trio were gathered around the prince, Lau approached Ciel, Sebastian and Marianne from behind.
"I see you brought your servants to town with you this time," he commented.
"Yes, we were able to leave the guard dog watching the mansion." Sebastian explained.
"Ah, it should be alright then."
Marianne shook her head.
"Should we have left him at the mansion though? I don't particularly like leaving him to have free reign of the mansion while we are away," she said.
Ciel stared at the party.
"Sebastian, don't let them out of your sight for a moment," he ordered.
The demon bowed.
"Yes Sir."
The following morning, it seemed things were relatively quiet. Although the chances of them remaining that way were yet to be seen…
Ciel was asleep in his room when the curtains were drawn open. Sunlight poured inside and the boy struggled to remain asleep.
"It is time to wake up, Lord Phantomhive."
Ciel rubbed his eye slowly.
"What's that? Who's there?" he moaned.
He jolted upright when he saw Agni standing over him.
"Good morning." Agni greeted.
Ciel jumped up indignantly.
"Why are you in my room?!" he demanded.
Soma snuck up behind him and gathered him in his arms.
"We are going out and about, kid. You are going to show us around town," he said.
"Why should I do that?" Ciel snapped. "And don't call me kid anymore, I have a real name! It's Ciel!"
Soma merely smiled.
"Alright then. Ciel, I order you show me around."
As they were about to leave the room, Sebastian appeared in the doorway with Marianne at his heels.
"Pardon me, Prince. I am terribly sorry, but my master's day is full. Pray, there is a great deal of studying and work he has to attend to."
The day began with a music lesson.
"You'll need a tutor while we are in London," explained Sebastian, garbed in his tutor's attire. "I shall fill that role."
Ciel stood before him with a violin in his hands. Marianne was nearby with a tea trolley ready and waiting. Ciel stared down at the music sheets before him.
"Bach's Chaconne in D minor? There is no way I can play something so complex," he complained.
The demon tilted his head up to meet his gaze with the tip of a violin's bow.
"As your tutor, I make the rules. Surely you have no objections to my teaching methods, Master?" he teased.
Ciel brushed the bow away with his own. He rested the violin on his shoulder and began to move the bow along the strings.
It started out well…
"Well done. Very nice, My Lord."
But then they were interrupted by chanting in a foreign language. The trio turned to see Agni and Soma praying to a large idol statue that had been placed on top of the grand piano. It was of a woman holding a man's severed head, in possession of multiple arms, while her foot was on top of another man, and with her tongue sticking out of her mouth.
"What are they doing?" Ciel asked.
"I would say they are praying to one of their goddesses, although I've never seen a goddess quite like that before." Marianne answered.
Sebastian nodded his head.
"It looks to me like the statue of a woman, carrying a severed head. She's wearing a necklace of severed heads as well. And dancing on a man's stomach."
Agni looked up from his prayers for a moment.
"It depicts one of the sacred beings of Hinduism. She is the Goddess Kali," he explained.
"A goddess of India?" Ciel inquired.
"Kali is the wife of the god Shiva. She is also the Goddess of Power." Agni went on to explain the story in detail. "According to our faith, a demon once foolishly challenged her. Naturally, she was victorious. However, her destructive urges were not quelled. She gave herself to destruction and carnage."
He then pointed to Shiva as depicted in the idol.
"But then, in order to protect the Earth, her husband Shiva threw himself at his wife's feet. Treading upon her husband brought Kali back to her senses, and peace was once again restored to the world. The statue shows us her story, the goddess Kali walking upon her husband, and in her hand, the head of the demon she slew."
Ciel and Marianne looked at Sebastian.
"And there you have it," said the boy.
"Makes me rather think of a lovers' quarrel actually." Marianne smiled.
Sebastian rubbed his chin in thought.
"I have never heard of a goddess with such power. I shall have to keep that in mind if I ever go back to India."
His mate giggled under her breath.
"Be sure to tell me more of your travels, I'd certainly love to hear the stories you have to tell."
"I shall be more than happy to oblige… Once we are away from those who should be in bed when we talk of such things."
The girl sweatdropped.
"You have to make everything an innuendo, don't you?"
Soma then rose to his feet.
"Alright then, we are done praying now. Let us go out!"
He grabbed hold of Ciel and proceeded to take the journey out of the room.
"I'm too busy to go out, I already told you that!" shouted Ciel.
One of the later lessons in the day was fencing. Soma was laid out on his stomach, watching Ciel and Sebastian practice with their foils. Marianne stood to one side as the referee, officially speaking, because Sebastian was really the one keeping score.
"Honestly," he sighed. "When are you going to be done with all this? Yawn, what are you even doing anyway? You look like an idiot." Soma sighed.
Ciel snapped at him, never taking his attention away from Sebastian.
"Be quiet! You're distracting me!"
Soma rolled his eyes.
"Are all the English this short-tempered?"
Ciel, having finally had enough, spun around and growled at him.
"You're never going to shut up, are you?! If you need attention so badly, why not give fencing a try?"
He tossed one of the foils to Soma. The prince smiled.
"If I win, you will go out on the town with me!"
"If you can beat me." Ciel said.
Soma got to his feet, Agni watching him as he poured tea.
"Good luck to you, my prince."
The two boys faced one another. Sebastian stood as referee. He raised his arm and brought it down.
"Now, let the fight begin."
Soma immediately lunged forward and took a swing. The foil only bent backwards when it hit Ciel in the leg.
"What the-?"
Ciel smirked.
"A strike like that will accomplish nothing for you."
He parried and sent the prince onto defence.
"Wait! This isn't fair!" Soma cried. "I don't know the rules like you do!"
"A fight is a fight," said Ciel. "It's not my fault if you don't know the rules."
But when he was about to deal the winning blow, Agni stepped in.
"Your Highness, look out!"
He used an empty teacup to stop the blow, and pressed his fingers into a pressure point in Ciel's right arm. This caused Ciel to drop his foil and fall to his knees. Agni, realising what he had done, gasped.
"Sir! I'm so sorry! When I saw the prince losing, my reflexes took over. Forgive me!"
Soma meanwhile laughed at his supposed triumph.
"You protected your master well, Agni. So that is it, kid. Agni is my servant, an extension of myself, which means this fight goes to me."
"Wait a minute, that's not fair!" Ciel cried.
Marianne shook her head.
"You should have seen that coming, Master. You didn't explain the rules, so it was necessary for him to intervene. I believe this is an example of karma," she said with a smile.
Ciel scowled at her.
"I think you've been spending too much time with Sebastian. He's rubbing off on you."
Just then, Lau walked in and picked up the dropped foil.
"How interesting. Sebastian, it looks like you will have to avenge your master. Here you go."
He flicked the foil to Sebastian and left him to catch it. The demon sighed in annoyance.
"For goodness sake, Master, why did you have to provoke the bratty little prince?" he asked.
Ciel's temper flared.
"However, as the Phantomhive butler, I cannot sit idly by as somebody harms my master. That would be an absolute disgrace to my position." Sebastian said. He then checked his pocket watch. "Besides, we are a full ten minutes behind schedule now."
The boy sighed.
"The time. That's what you care about."
Soma was intrigued by the challenge, so readily accepted it.
"I am curious… Very well. I will allow you to duel." He then looked down at Agni. "Fight him, and in the name of Kali, make sure you do not lose."
Agni accepted the foil with his bandaged right hand. Ciel got to his feet and gave his order.
"Sebastian, I order you, shut the brat's mouth now!"
The two butlers got into their duelling stances and readied themselves for the fight.
"Jo aagyaa."
"As you wish, Young Master."
The fight was evenly matched. Every move one of them made, the other countered with excellent execution. One move had them both going for one another's heads, which caused them to have to duck out of each other's line of fire. There was a final move that ended the fight very quickly. The tips of their foils met, the metal began to bend with the pressure and eventually the two foils snapped in two. Sebastian caught his broken tip in his hand.
"My, my, it seems the swords have broken."
Marianne arched a brow.
"A draw then."
Soma nodded his head proudly.
"That servant of yours is indeed impressive, Ciel."
How was it a draw? He was fighting Sebastian! Ciel thought to himself.
"Agni is by far the best fighter in my palace!" Soma boasted. "I have never met anyone who could keep up with him before."
As the boy walked away with Marianne following behind him, he continued to think.
He was a match for a demon.
Agni walked away and Ciel leant up to whisper in Sebastian's ear.
"What happened?" he asked. "Agni is no ordinary human, is he? Don't tell me he is another…"
His thoughts drifted to Grell.
"No, my Lord. He is deadly, but he is human enough." Sebastian answered.
"With strength like that though, he could easily hang those men upside down." Marianne added.
Later that evening, Bard was in the kitchen getting ready for dinner.
"Alright! Tonight I'm going to make something really special!" he cried out.
Sebastian walked by behind him and swiped the frying pan out of the cook's hand.
"I'll take care of the cooking tonight. You just stay out of trouble," said the demon.
"I beg your pardon? I was planning on making something tasty for our guests!" cried Bard.
As Sebastian was preparing for the meal, Agni called out to him from the doorway.
"Sebastian, I was wondering if I could be of any service to you."
Sebastian smiled.
"I have it under control, thank you."
"Four hands can work much more quickly than two. Please feel free to ask me for anything."
The demon gave a shit-eating smile.
"In that case, I suppose I wouldn't mind a bit of help. A cottage pie and some gooseberry sauce is needed for tonight's meal," he explained.
Agni bowed his head.
"Indeed."
Bard was incensed.
"Oi! Why are you letting him do it? I am the cook here you know!" he shouted. Sebastian walked away. "Hey! Did you hear me?!"
"So much to do, so little time," said Sebastian as he brushed past Agni in the doorway, eyeing him suspiciously as he went.
Bard slumped down in his seat and threw his hands behind his head, grinding his cigarette between his teeth.
"Excuse me," said Agni. "Chef?"
The cook glanced up at the Indian servant.
"Chef? Really? Are you talking to me?" he asked.
"Yes."
Bard sighed blissfully.
"That's me…"
Agni smiled.
"I'm afraid I'm not accustomed to English cooking. Could I ask for your assistance?" he asked.
Bard smirked.
"You betcha! Just leave it to the chef!"
Bard got to work chopping onions while Agni attended to boiling the potatoes. Finny poked his head into the kitchen, following his nose with a smile.
"Something smells good!" he said. "What's for supper?"
"Young man, you are just in time. Perhaps you can help us in preparing the evening meal?" Agni said as he checked the spuds.
"Me? Really?" Finny responded. "But Sebastian said that I don't know my own strength so I'm not allowed to touch dishes and stuff in the kitchen because they'll break."
The Indian man nodded his head.
"So you're strong, huh? That's excellent." He reached inside the pot and pulled out one of the freshly boiled potatoes. "We need to mash and puree these potatoes, but that involves a lot of manual labour."
Finny was eager to assist.
"Even I should be able to handle that much! I want to help with supper! Please let me!" he cried.
MeyRin was removing plates from the cupboard while balancing on a chair. Not the wisest thing to do. As she moved, the chair wobbled and decided to fall backwards. The maid struggled to maintain her balance, but it was an inevitable end. She fell…
Fortunately, Agni was able to catch her, along with all the plates between his fingers and the bowl on his elbow.
"That was a nasty fall. Are you alright?" he asked.
MeyRin stared up at him with a blush across her cheeks.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Maybe it would be better if you took the plates down one at a time."
MeyRin turned an even brighter shade of red.
"Yes… I think you're right."
Sebastian then returned to the kitchen with Marianne following behind him.
"How is it coming along, Agni?" he asked.
Both he and Marianne looked around the room with wide eyes. The servant trio were actually staying out of trouble, and not causing any disasters for them to clean up.
"With everyone's help, I'm sure it will be delicious." Agni answered.
The girl looked up at her demon mate with desperately wide eyes.
"Sebastian, he has performed a miracle! Should we be concerned that he is some sort of Indian saint?" she whispered.
"We shall solve that mystery later, my dear. For now, we have work to do." Sebastian answered.
As the demon filleted fish at Agni's side, he spoke.
"How did you find ways for this lot to help out? It is simply incredible."
"We are usually cleaning up after them when there is a catastrophe occurring." Marianne added as she tidied up around the kitchen.
Agni smiled at them.
"Everyone is born with his or her own talent. We all have our own paths and duties set out for us by the gods. As children of the Divine Mother, we need only listen and perform our tasks."
Sebastian looked at him curiously.
"You seem to be a man of impeccable character, Agni," he said.
Marianne agreed with him, "I would almost mistake you for a saint if this miracle is anything to go by."
The Indian man shook his head.
"Not at all. I am but a student of the gods. Indeed, I was a hopeless fool before I met the prince. I owe Prince Soma more than I could ever hope to repay…"
He went on to tell his story…
"I hurt many people. Blasphemed against the gods. Committed crime after crime…"
Agni, with longer hair than he presently had, laughed cruelly at the suffering before him. Flames danced and blood stained his feet.
"And then, the day of my judgement finally came."
He walked towards the gallows, where a hanging noose lay waiting for him. A man assisted in wrapping the noose around his neck as Agni awaited his final punishment.
"I was alone and adrift in the world…"
Just then, a younger Soma stepped through the crowd gathered to watch his death.
"You there!" Soma called. "They say you are a man with the strength of a beast! I am intrigued."
The prince leapt up onto the gallows. He took out a knife from the belt of his sherwani and sliced through not only the noose around Agni's neck, but also took away his long white hair.
"The man you were is dead now. You will reborn with a new name and a new life."
"I had abandoned the gods of my homeland. I had forsaken everything."
"Now, you are Agni."
"He seemed a god to me. That day, I saw in him something divine, to my sinner's soul! His radiance was transcendent!"
Sebastian walked past him.
"Careful, your pot is boiling over," he warned.
He went to check the pot in question.
"The Prince Soma is my sovereign, and my god." Agni explained. "He took pity on me, gave me new life, so I will protect him with mine. I will do anything I can for my prince."
Sebastian gestured Marianne over and had her stir the pot, his hands trailing over her shoulders and arms.
"My desire is that all his dreams come true."
The demon tapped a gloved finger against the skin of his mate's bare forearms.
"If you ask me, the gods are a bunch of good-for-nothings we should leave behind," he muttered, never turning his eyes from the pot.
Marianne glanced up at him and nodded her head.
"I will never question another's faith, but I have a firm distaste for the Christian God and those who supposedly serve in his name. I have seen people commit crimes against humanity and everything He stands for, in the name of making the world a better place. Those who try to justify themselves by using their God as a scapegoat are the worst of all."
Her words were barely above a whisper, but Sebastian heard every word. He pressed his lips discreetly to the crown of her head.
Agni looked back at them questionably.
"Sorry, what was that?" he asked.
Sebastian looked at him out of the corner of his eye and smirked.
"Oh no, it was nothing."
Dinner was served and eaten. A fillet of fish drizzled in sauce was placed in front of Ciel and his two guests. He sat at the head of the table with Soma sitting at the opposite end, and Lau seated between them.
"How long do you intend to stay here?" he asked the prince.
Soma looked up from his meal and stared at the boy.
"We will leave when our business is done," he answered with a straight face.
Lau smiled.
"That's right. You said you were searching for someone."
Ciel looked at him sharply.
"And you! How long are you intending to stay here?" he snapped.
The Asian man cut into his fish.
"Now, now, my Lord, play nice," he chastised.
The prince continued to speak.
"I am searching for a woman."
He pulled a picture out of his sherwani. The picture was of a woman… supposedly.
"This is her, Mina. She was a servant at my palace."
Ciel rested his chin in his hand and gestured to Sebastian.
"Sebastian, do you think you can find her?"
Sebastian stepped forward and looked at the picture.
"Even I can't do too much with that," he deadpanned. "But I'll try."
Marianne, who was in the dining room with them, was inclined to agree. Hardly anyone would be able to find the woman with that picture as reference, it could hardly be considered a human, let alone a woman.
"So tell me," continued Ciel. "What is this Mina doing here?"
Soma looked down at the picture in his hand.
"I have known Mina for my entire life. She was basically my nursemaid. The only person who ever really took care of me. My mother and father barely paid attention to me. It was a lonely life… But I had Mina."
He remembered her beautiful smile and loving arms…
"She was always there for me. But then, a British nobleman who had his eyes on her kidnapped her and took her back to England with him!" he announced.
Ciel sighed heavily.
"In other words, you're here to bring this woman back to India with you."
"That is right," answered Soma. "I will stop at nothing to bring her back."
Ciel was unimpressed by his words as he sliced into his meal.
"Sounds like a lot of fuss to make over a servant."
Soma's reaction was predictably aggravated.
"No it isn't!"
He grabbed Ciel out of his chair and shook him.
"You cannot comprehend my despair at being separated from her! You do not understand!" he bellowed.
"No, I don't." Ciel said.
Soma was shocked.
"Something as trivial as that causes you great despair? You're right. I don't understand it. And I don't care to." Ciel continued.
He slapped the prince's hands away and walked to the door.
When his hand wrapped around the doorknob, he spoke.
"There are some things you can never get back. No matter how hard you struggle."
Ciel opened the door slowly, never looking back.
"But maybe you are still too young to understand that, Prince Soma."
He left the room completely.
Soma looked down.
"Too young… I am old enough to know what I want. And I do not want to be alone anymore…" he muttered.
Marianne looked at him for a moment before following Ciel out of the room.
She found him standing on the other side of the door. Ciel accepted her hands on his shoulders as they walked.
Never… No matter how hard you struggle… He thought to himself. He then looked up at Marianne. But still…
Marianne met his gaze and stroked her fingers through his hair, expressing her every emotion without saying a word. He knew her well enough to understand what she means.
Damn her for being right.
It was later that evening when Ciel found Soma sat in the parlour with Agni attending him. He tossed a pack of cards onto the table.
"Good evening, Prince," he greeted, sitting down opposite him. "Even you should know how to play Old Maid."
Soma was surprised.
"I have finished all of my work for the day. We can play cards until I am ready to retire," said Ciel.
The prince arched a brow.
"Really?" he asked.
"Please don't think it is for your sake. I'm here because I'm bored and I have nothing to do."
Ciel offered him the cards, but Soma surprised him by raising his hand in the universal gesture of refusal.
"Very sorry, I already have plans," the prince explained. "Unlike you, I am a busy man. Come, Agni, we are going out."
He stood up and proceeded to leave the room, Agni following behind him. When he was out the room, Soma laughed loudly.
"If you don't get the proper amount of sleep, you will never grow up, kid! Goodnight."
The door closed with a quiet slam.
Just then, Lau poked his head through the door.
"Ah! There you are. Excuse me, but may I ask…?" he asked.
Ciel turned his head towards him and glared at him with his single eye.
"What?" he snarled, crushing a card in his hand.
While the snow was falling outside, the night had grown later and later, so when Soma and Agni walked through the town house's doors at the end of their night time outing.
"No luck today, huh?" said the prince.
"We'll search again tomorrow, Highness." Agni told him.
Meanwhile, Ciel and Lau were playing cards by the fire.
"So they're back…" said the boy.
"I have to say those two seem very suspicious to me." Lau commented, placing down another card.
"Yes, they are odd." Ciel agreed. "But I don't see how the recent string of crimes would benefit them. They don't seem to bear much of a grudge over England's colonial rule."
He sighed heavily and shook his head.
"Anyway, if they were involved, they wouldn't willingly cross my path without a second thought. That's just begging me to suspect them."
Lau could see the reasoning behind his argument.
"A good point, My Lord. Maybe they really are just looking for someone."
Ciel threw his cards down and looked out the window.
"It's still too soon to know that for sure."
Outside, Agni stepped out into the cold, his body bundled in long cloths. He had tucked his master in for the night and was heading out again through the gates.
From the rooftop, Sebastian sat and watched him leave, eyes glowing demonically in the darkness.
"I was waiting for you to leave," he said.
Marianne was sat beside him, bundled up in her long black coat and hat.
"I wish he could have picked a time when it was warmer! It's freezing out here!" she moaned, shivering even under her many layers.
The demon wrapped his arms around her, the cold dissipating from her instantly.
"I take it Hell keeps you permanently toasty," she said, huddling herself into his body.
"It is rather warm down there. You'll see it one day."
You mean when you take me there to make me yours completely. Marianne thought to him.
He chuckled and pressed his lips to her cheek.
Sharing their thoughts was just one of the things being the mate of a demon involved…
"You mean you've been hearing my thoughts all this time?" Marianne gasped.
Sebastian gave her a shit-eating smile.
"Of course," he answered. "You have nothing to be worried about. I rather enjoyed hearing your thoughts. They were quite complimentary, I recall."
"Doesn't make it any less embarrassing!"
The demon shook his head with an indulgent smile.
"The purpose of being to hear one another's thoughts is to ascertain each other's wellbeing, and for the demon to be able to find their mate should they be in danger, much like how I was able to find you in the tower."
She smiled.
"Handy. What else is there?" she asked.
"Having my blood and saliva in your body will accelerate your natural healing, as well as strengthen the bond between us. It also allows you to become more assimilated to Hell when we go there," he explained.
There was a pause.
"You're going to take me to Hell?" she whispered.
"Do you expect otherwise?" he said.
"No… I… almost feel… glad to be going there when I am still… alive."
Sebastian smirked.
"Of course, but you won't be human then. You see, as our bond grows stronger, you will be closer and closer to becoming a demon. I'm sure you've already had a taste of a demon's wrath. Your left eye turns the same colour as mine when you use it."
Marianne gingerly lifted her hand to her left eye as she watched her mate's eyes glow their demonic magenta.
"I suppose it can be used to keep Pluto off my back."
"Figuratively, and literally."
As Agni left the grounds, the two mates exchanged kiss after kiss under the star filled sky.
You may find Marianne almost too accepting of her place as a demon's mate, but with her experience of everything on the other side of the spectrum, I think she is more than justified in choosing to descend through the Gates of Hell rather than Heaven.
Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Please read and review!
