(optional) A/N: Hello again! :D 'Tis me with another chapter! Enjoy! -SeaweedNeko

"Young Master." Sebastian gently shook Ciel's shoulder. "it is time to wake up." Ciel slowly opened his eyes, aware that his pillow was… not that comfortable. He lifted his head and looked down to see that his pillow wasn't white like usual.

"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes, then looked up again to see his butler's face centimetres away from his own.

"WHOAHH! SEBASTIAN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON MY BED?!" Ciel instinctively pulled himself away and nearly fell off the bed in surprise. More importantly, why was he using his butler's leg as a goddamn pillow?!

Sebastian blinked innocently. "Sometime during your slumber, you said 'stay with me' and 'please don't leave me', though it seems that the young master has mistaken me for someone else." Ciel's head pounded and his face began to heat up. He watched as Sebastian stood up and opened the curtains as if nothing happened.

"Now…" He approached Ciel. "It's time about to get dressed for Viscount Druitt's ball." Ciel covered his burning face with one hand.

"This is an order! You're going to forget what happened just now!" He demanded, glaring at him. Sebastian smirked.

"Yes, my lord."

~A while later~

"Urgh, I'm so glad that I'm not dressed up like a little girl like last time." Ciel muttered as he checked himself in the mirror.

"Indeed." Sebastian adjusted his glasses.

"Why are you dressed up as my tutor again?" Ciel looked up at him. He looked down at his master and smiled, bending down to tighten the ribbon around his neck.

"Madam Red is no longer around to escort you, and I cannot simply let my precious young master go to a huge mansion alone. Also, butlers are most likely not welcomed to a grand ball such as that due to their social status, but I believe personal tutors are." He smiled again. Ciel sighed, then turned away from the mirror.

"Let's go."

They both walked outside the mansion and got onto a horse carriage that was waiting for them. On the way to the Viscount's mansion, Sebastian watched as Ciel looked out of the window, looking a bit dejected. They were silent for the whole journey.

"Ah! If it isn't Mr. Ciel Phantomhive! I have been awaiting your arrival!" As soon as Ciel and Sebastian stepped off the horse carriage, Viscount Druitt welcomed them warmly, holding a glass of wine. It started to rain a little bit, barely enough to make a mark on the ground.

"It's been a while, Viscount." Ciel looked up and smiled at him. He looked back down at him and stared into his eyes.

"These eyes… They remind me of a charming little robin I once met last year at the end of summer." Ciel hid his expression of disgust while Sebastian smiled in amusement. "She was a young girl so beautiful and captivating, but I never asked her for her name. I must find her and ask her for her name, then afterwards dance for an hour or two, and then…" As he ranted on, Sebastian quietly took Ciel's wrist.

"Shall we go inside?" He nodded and they both snuck past the ranting Viscount. "Here comes more trouble." Sebastian whispered. "Brace yourself, Young master." Ciel saw the trouble coming and quickly shielded himself.

"CIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" A ball of colour flew at Ciel and latched itself around his neck.

"Elizabeth… Can't breathe…" Elizabeth Midford stepped away quickly and smiled brightly. She was wearing a red and white masquerade mask with a matching dress that was so wide that it forced people to give her a huge circle of space.

"I can't help it because my fiancée is so cuuuute~~~" She nuzzled against his face, the mask scraping his cheeks. Suddenly, a short memory cut through his mind.

"Hold still, brat!" The white-hot branding iron waved dangerously close in front of Ciel's face. When Ciel opened his eyes again he saw a group of masked men all sneering at him.

"STOP!"He cried out as something seared and burned his back. No matter how hard he struggled, the pain would not go away.

"STOP!" Ciel opened his eyes and saw Elizabeth leaning against Sebastian, looking hurt. Her mask was on the ground.

"…Ciel?" Her eyes began to blur. "Why did you push me?"

"Lady Elizabeth, I apologise for Mr. Phantomhive's behaviour. He is feeling unwell, that is all." Ciel watched, wide-eyed, as Sebastian comforted her and helped wipe her tears. "Mr. Phantomhive, Shall we go now?"

Ciel did not reply. At seeing the mask on the ground, his legs wobbled and gave away. Before his head touched the ground Sebastian caught him, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him back up.

"Young Master! Are you all right?"

A small crowd began to gather around them.

"Yeah, I'm fi-" Ciel's heart throbbed painfully when he looked up and saw a crowd of masked people looking at him. "…no." He wrenched himself out of Sebastian's grip and stepped away. "No." Ciel bumped into another person and turned around to see another mask looking down at him. "No!" He pushed past the crowd and towards the exit of the mansion. "NO!" He ran out into the rain and just ran, away from the mansion and deeper into the forest. His eye patch loosened and fell down onto the muddy ground, but he ignored it and just kept running.

Even though he tripped over several times, he immediately got up and continued to run although he wasn't even sure of what he was running from anymore. He simply just ran.

Eventually, he was unable to run anymore and stopped, panting heavily. He found a rock to sit on and hugged his knees. Knowing that he was alone, he let a few tears escape as he relieved his terrible past, and tried to suppress the whimpers that were beginning to bubble up. For what seemed like ages, he just huddled on the rock as he cried, oblivious to the rain that was now pounding down hard on his shoulders and soaking into his clothes.

It was cold. Ciel could not find any comfort in rubbing his arms and sighed to himself, closing his eyes.

"Come, Sebastian." He whispered. When he opened his eyes again he saw a bright pair of ruby eyes silently looking up at him, waiting for an order. "Bring me back to my mansion."

"Yes, my lord." Ciel visibly relaxed when he heard his butler's familiar voice as Sebastian gently picked him up and cradled him in his arms. He was too tired to complain about the way he was being held anyway. Ciel wrapped his arms around Sebastian's neck and closed his eyes as they headed back to the Phantomhive household.

A/N: What did you guys think? :3 Critique will be greatly appreciated! And thank you for still reading 33 -SeaweedNeko