Chapter One

Annoyance and Photographs

The drumming of fingers against wood resounded in the luxurious study. Pale fingers tapping on a desk surface in quick succession hinted at irritation. Sitting in a plush red velvet chair was a boy of thirteen; his hair was thick and blue-black, his fringe falling in his face and partially obscuring the right side of his features. He had flawless porcelain pale skin, though his cheeks were tinged pink with anger. His full lips were pressed into a thin line, and his rose blue eye was blazing; his right eye was hidden beneath a black eye patch, and both eyes were rimmed with obscenely long black lashes. He stood four-foot-two, with a svelte, feminine-esque figure. By his appearance alone, one would not assume that such a young boy would be the head of the manor. Ciel was, in fact, the head of his estate, the Earl Phantomhive.

At this point in time, Ciel was livid. On his study door hanged a 'Do Not Disturb—and that means you, Sebastian' sign, warding off any who wished to intrude on his brooding. None desired to incur his wrath, except for Sebastian, perhaps. Ciel kept playing yesterday's events in his head, growing more and more irate. It had been an utter waste of time; at first, he had employed Mey-Rin (the klutzy maid), Finnian (the airheaded gardener), and Baldroy (the so-called "chef") to discreetly photograph Sebastian. Ciel admitted (to himself) that it was foolish to enlist such buffoons to do that task, however menial it might seem. All their attempts had been complete and abject failures. Even with the help of Lau (and his… er, Ran-Mao), they still had several unsuccessful ventures. The one picture that they did successfully capture (it took all the servants, Lau and Ran-Mao, and Ciel himself to even manage) was burned to ashes by the bothersome demon hound, on the orders of Sebastian.

It was time to heal his pride, Ciel decided, leaning back in his seat, crossing his left leg over his right, and propping his cheek upon his fisted hand. His elbow rested on the arm of the chair. A plan began formulating in his head, and a small smirk twisted his full lips. Why had he not done this in the first place?

Sebastian had been standing outside of Ciel's study, leaning against the polished walnut door. Every minute that passed with the incessant thrumming, Sebastian grew more and more tense. He knew Ciel was upset, and an unhappy Ciel was a dangerous one. Sebastian clutched the tea tray tightly in his gloved hands. When the drumming finally ceased, Sebastian relaxed slightly. He checked the tea; it was still hot. He straightened, faced the door, and cleared his throat. Before he could knock, a muffled, "Come in," sounded from inside the study. Sebastian opened the door and stepped inside the dimly lit study, the door sliding shut behind him.

"My Lord," he murmured, bowing his head. He set the tray down, filled the cup with tea, and handed it to Ciel. "Today's tea is Oolong. It is complimented with an almond and berry cake." He sliced the cake and put it on a plate.

Ciel sipped his tea, his eye closed, appearing thoughtful. "Sebastian, it is a bit dark in here. Light more candles," he waved a hand.

"Of course, my Lord," Sebastian replied silkily. He went off to grab a ladder.

Ciel ate his cake and drank his tea as Sebastian lit each and every candle in the chandelier. Once the room was bright and the ladder put away, Ciel folded his hands in his lap. Sebastian stood in front of him, pushing his bangs behind his ear.

"Is that better, Young Master?" Sebastian inquired.

"Indeed it is. In fact," Ciel paused, looking up at Sebastian's face, with a cruel smile. "The lighting is perfect, would you not agree?"

Sebastian tilted his head to the side. "Perfect for what, pray tell?"

Ciel pulled open a desk drawer, removing a camera from its confines. The camera was from the Talbot Collection, the last camera made by William Henry Fox Talbot. This particular camera was unusual in that it not only photographed the subject, but whoever was most important to said subject, would appear in the photograph once it was developed. The exact camera, in fact, that Sebastian had taken Ciel's picture with while he slept in his chair. The one that showed that Sebastian was most important to Ciel... just thinking about it made Ciel angry. The blasted fools, all of them, Ciel thought scornfully. The only reason that Butler is important to me is because I need him to exact my vengeance. Nothing more… or so he told himself. Ciel banished the dark thoughts, instead turning his mind to the task at hand.

Clearing his throat, he set the camera on the desk, staring furiously at Sebastian. "Sebastian, I command you," Ciel removed his eye patch, opening his right eye, which blazed violet, the black pentagram flashing white. "Hold positively still for fifteen seconds."

As Sebastian froze, wide-eyed surprise on his face, Ciel threw the black cloth over his head, removed the cap from the camera and slowly counted to ten for the exposure. One… Two… Sebastian's raven black hair was parted exactly down the middle, silky black tendrils framing his pale face. His skin was even paler than Ciel's. Three… Four… His wide eyes were like melted chocolate, tinged with red. His lips were parted slightly in surprise. Five… Six… His arms were stiff at his sides, and he was tall, about six feet. Seven… Eight… Sebastian was perfectly motionless. Ciel was willing to bet that he wasn't even breathing. Nine… Ten… Ciel capped the camera and flew out of his chair, almost sprinting out of the study and down the hall. It made his lungs ache, but asthma be damned; nothing was going to stop him from developing this photo. He made it halfway to the dark room before Sebastian's arms wrapped around his waist.

"My Lord, please… I beg you. Do not develop that photograph." Sebastian's voice was urgent. He knew the two most important things to him. The mix could turn out badly. Very badly… embarrassingly so.

Ciel almost gave in, but he shook his head. "Unhand me," he demanded, and Sebastian had no choice but to comply, his pentagram burning white-hot as if someone had branded him.

Ciel continued to march down the hall, Sebastian hot on his heels. Once in the dark room, he slammed the door shut and lit a candle, carefully placing a see-through red cube over it. The room was awash in dim red light. He took out the film and placed it in the chemical bath, periodically swirling it around. The picture began to develop, and excitement coursed through him. Finally, he would see what was most important to Sebastian. Ciel could see the outline of Sebastian, growing slowly clearer. And next to him… he could barely make out a slim figure…

And suddenly, his eyes were covered. "Young Master, I insist, this is a terrible idea. You do not want to see this… Please." Sebastian's voice, which sounded so unnaturally worried, somehow unnerved Ciel.

"…All right." Ciel allowed himself to be guided from the dark room and back to his study. Though he replaced the camera in the drawer and locked it away, the burning curiosity never left his thoughts. What is so bad about what Sebastian cares for most, that I cannot be allowed to see it?