I have another chapter completed for those who have been so patient and supportive with my updates. As a fellow writer on this site, I can sympathize dearly with you and dealing with pushy, even rude reviewers or critics including writer's block. Fret not; you are not alone in this. On another note, I am recently been axed out of college for a low G.P.A. However, there is a silver lining in this cloud of infamy; I now can do the things I have planned to do but couldn't because I was too busy with college.

Another note, thank you once again for the reviews I have received for the previous chapter. I say next to camping, driving, and working, this is proving to be the highlight of my day.

Sad news today: My grandpa died last night on May 3, 2013. Not the best way to start the new month. May he rest in peace forever and ever.

Juxtaposition: An act or instance of placing close together; compare and contrast. In this chapter, we will be taking a momentary break from Ciel to focus on other characters. How are they handling the situation with Ciel? For the term, it will mainly concern the differences between Sebastian's and Soma's feelings on the situation.

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji and its main characters do not belong to me. It is the sole property of authoress Yana Toboso. The only aspects that do belong to me however are the characters and their backgrounds for which I included myself.

Warning: O.C. Characters, bastarly Sebastian, mentions of anorexia, and a surplus of drama.

Chapter 13: Juxtaposition of Follies

The entire month and a half since Ciel's commitment, the atmosphere surrounding the Phantomhive Mansion had changed exponentially. Not to say it wall sunshine and smiles to begin with, it felt more…foreboding. No news on Ciel and his condition had made it out to the London public; courtesy of the Earl's only existing relatives: the Middleford's. Now the mansion in question was currently taken under wing by a certain dark haired butler named Sebastian Michaelis. Yet, even that was not enough to cease the contention that abounded the place. Now an ignorant individual would say it was because the Earl was not present. However, the more likely reason was because said butler was making things super difficult for the other servants.

(In the mansion)

The past month and a half had been overwhelming for the residents at the mansion. More so was it for Mey-Rin, Finnian, and Bardoroy while Tanaka only remained ignorant and jovial. The three excluding Tanaka had been bearing the brunt of Sebastian's temperament. He was no longer was lenient when mistakes were made, big or small. Instead, any folly was punished with a harsh lecture or mental and physical abuse. Why just last week, Mey-Rin was clumsily carrying a stack of plates in her arms failing to carry them safely to the kitchen when she tripped over a snag in the carpet. The fall resulted in the very expensive china plates to break into a million shards. The few that didn't break fully had several cracks in them, thank god. Much to the coffee haired maid's dismay, Sebastian was right there on the scene. Before she could beg for pardon, the butler proceeded to scold her harshly about her clumsiness causing the poor girl to break into a sobbing fit. Finnian who thought to confront him called the man a "pale-faced bastard" and "tyrant asshole", which granted him a harsh smack with the back of Sebastian's gloved hand. Finnian's defiant gaze met with Sebastian's impassive yet dangerous gaze. (1) The dark-haired one retorted to the younger about being grateful for the life he was given and that it is Ciel who is keeping him here and not on the streets. He then left leaving an angry, humiliated, and devastated gardener. He had failed to defend his friend's honor. Bardroy since he was slightly older than Mey-Rin and Finny, was able to handle the butlers assaults, claiming he had dealt with bigger bastards on the battlefield. One day, he was busy prepping dinner since the Middlefords made periodic visits to the mansion just to keep face. Naturally, the pyromaniac decided to "speed things up" with a flame-thrower that nearly burned the kitchen to a crisp and almost destroying the dinner in the process. Sebastian normally would have berated him in his ever so emotionless way. He did the opposite. Just as Bardroy doused the last of the flames with a fire extinguisher, he suddenly found himself pinned against the wall. No he was not held up by anyone; rather to his horror, sharp knives surrounded him. The ex-soldier's eyes bulged from their sockets. Sebastian just literally tried to seriously kill or maim him.

"You…You…You fucking mad?!" he sputtered breaking out of his shock. "You bloody almost killed me! When young master Ciel finds out about this…"

"You mean when he finds out how you and your comrade's idiotic incompetency's nearly destroyed the mansion more than once and how you haphazardly destroyed his relatives dinner in the process?" the butler retorted staring at him with one eye; challenging him to speak. Bardroy could only glare and grit his teeth at the sarcastic jerk. The butler smirked. The blonde chef had nothing to say in his defense. Sebastian rolled his eyes and removed the knives surrounding the blonde with apt precision. Bardroy was then sent off by the butler claiming he had to fix the Middleford's dinner. Needless to say, Sebastian was not one to cross paths with. A certain red-haired shinigami learned that lesson the hard way.

Sebastian was up on the high ladder washing up the last of the big windows in the main hall. It was the only thing distracting him from his increasingly bad mood; due to the stress of managing a large mansion and keeping tabs with incompetent employees not including Tanaka all in lieu of his absent master. Just as he was de-streaking the last of the glass window panes, an obnoxious, over-exuberant voice called out to him.

"Sebastian! Yoo-hoo!" The cat call came from none other than the red-haired nuisance himself; Grell Sutcliffe. The red-head in question was running up to him really fast in an animated fashion, hearts fluttering around him and appearing to float on air.

"Just great" the demon groaned inwardly. Sebastian veered to face Grell with deadpanned eyes. Just before Grell reached the ladder, he accidentally knocked over the extendable mop into the window that Sebastian happened to be washing causing it to shatter. The next instant, the death reaper was thrown out the very same window.

When William T. Spears interrogated the butler about the incident, his only response was a blasé shrug. (2) The Management Supervisor left it at that as he was in no mood to discuss things with the "fiend". Not that he ever wanted to in the first place. No further contact was made between the demon and shinigami. The rest of the month involved the mansion dealing with periodic mood-swings of the butler, the efforts by the other servants to avoid incurring his wrath, and visits by the Middleford's. That is if it was still standing by the time Ciel returned.

The nighttime fog hung over the mansion like a thick blanket. It was barely a quarter to ten though still late enough for the outside air to produce any form of condensation. All daytime activities came to a halt as the servants chose to turn in early. Sebastian on the other hand chose this time to do last minute cleaning. There was no need for sleep as the butler didn't require it. Sebastian sighed as he carefully dusted the fine china. It was certainly strange not having the young master bark orders every few minutes. He certainly was not used to the quiet as he would often occupy himself with tending to the Ciel's every whim. However, with that stunt the young master pulled, everything was now mixed up. It made him very angry that not only had he not caught up on it sooner but that the Earl had inadvertently tried to kill himself and end their contract. And damn it all, no pun intended, if he were to be robbed of such a soul. Imagine if he were to devour a soul from a sickly person? Like eating diseased livestock and not knowing it. The very thought made the demon's stomach turn.

He thought back to the other servants. In the past, he had held back his harsh words and cruel demeanor on orders by the Earl saying it was better to catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. Pish-posh! He always said what was on his mind and never feared of how it affected others. Ciel included. Yet, upon seeing the adolescent's prone emaciated form on that hospital bed, a confusion of emotions ran through him. Just as his refined mind processed what they were, his sharp elf-like ears perked up at the sound of horses. Strange? There was no reason for a carriage to be rolling on the cobblestone streets of London this time of night unless someone had a good reason? And from the sound of it, said carriage was steadily approaching the mansion. He laid down the tea kettle on the counter and went to investigate.

He ventured over to the iron gates just as the suspected buggy screeched to a halt. The footman opened the doors of the buggy to escort a figure to the outside. It was hard to tell who it was because the face of the figure was concealed by the red bonnet atop her head. Sebastian was about to interrogate until he saw exactly who the woman was.

"Lady Elizabeth, the butler greeted, 'what may I ask are you doing here so late an hour"? Elizabeth reached into her ornamented satchel and handed the coachmen and footmen a couple coins to pay them for the troubles. She turned to Sebastian with a somber expression. "Good evening, Sebastian. I am terribly sorry for coming here unannounced but you see…I had to come here. There are things…things I just need to get out. If you will allow me?" she stated in a small voice with her hands clasped. Sebastian unlocked the iron gates to allow the blonde haired woman in. Once they were safely inside the mansion, the butler offered to take the lady's coat or purse but was politely declined. The older man stated that he would make her some tea to warm her while she waited in the library. When the tea was finished he handed it her. Elizabeth gave a small smile and took it with shaky hands. It was in the light of the fire that he could clearly see her up close. Her face looked gaunt, her eyes slightly sunken in, and her hair wasn't held up in their usual pigtails, though she still had that cowlick thing (A/N: Think Ino Yamanaka from Naruto).

"Pardon me, Lady Elizabeth for noticing that you appear rather…thin, more so than usual?" Sebastian commented more than asked, trying to choose his words wisely. Elizabeth stared at him with morose jade eyes. She sighed sadly. "I guess that..with Ciel…I figured…if I were to looked…half starved…they would put us together. After all..we..we are to be married once we come of age. Oh, it chills me to the bone when I think of all the riff-raff he is forced to mingle with in that place". Sebastian fought the urge to roll his eyes. Seriously now, even at a time like this she was still a major drama queen. Rather than critiquing her on her foolishness, he chose a more subtle method.

"Elizabeth, he began in a deceptively gentle voice "I do not believe what you are doing is wise or healthy. Also, master Ciel would be quite horrified to learn his betrothed to be was not taking proper care of herself. (3) At the rate you keep on going, you won't be able to have any children when you get older. Not to mention, you won't be able to fit into your wedding dress". The blonde haired woman's eyes widened as the realization of what was just told to her sank in. Elizabeth shadowed her face in shame.

"Oh, Sebastian, I have been a true fool. All this time, I was feeling depressed over Ciel that I have neglected to remember why he was at that place in the first place. As his fiancé, I need to be strong, for both of us. Wasting away to nothing certainly won't do. Thank you, Sebastian for making me see the error of my ways", she replied gratefully. "It is no problem at all, young maiden. I wouldn't be a butler of the Phantomhive household if I didn't know how to provide comfort to guest. Plus, if the bocchan were here, he would berate me non-stop about why his own cousin looked such a sorry sight". With that Elizabeth drank the last drop from her tea cup before setting it down on the tiny plate. Sebastian placed the cup on the serving tray for later pick-up. Then a thought came to his mind.

"By the way, how goes your brother Edward? I have not seen much of him since he went off to college", the butler said. Elizabeth gripped the arms of the chairs tightly and grimaced. Of all the subjects she wanted to converse with the man, that was the one exception. Sigh. "Edward's still away at Kingston tending to his studies. Personally, I think it is just an excuse to avoid mother. You know how she can be. I mean, father or Mr. Middleford as you know him, is still miffed about the incident from the last month and he barely talks about Edward anymore. I on the other hand, do write to him occasionally, to let him know what is happening back home. I have only received a few letters from him; asking to make amends with me. I am debating whether I should. What do you think I should do, Sebastian?"

Sebastian's back was turned to her, his arms akimbo. What could he say to her about her family problems? Nothing. It wasn't his place to begin with. Still, the elder was bound by his master to tend to his family regardless of his protests. But he knew that if he wanted to avoid a pounding headache from the shrill cries of the Middleford child, he had to be quick to answer her or there would be a flashflood real soon. An idea struck his brain.

"Well, if were in your position, young miss, I would wait a while to write back to your dear brother. Instead, use your spare time to write a letter to Ciel instead. It has after all been a while since any of us have last heard from him. And since bocchan is not going to take the initiative to write to us anytime soon, that would be the more plausible option right now. The servants and I will get started on that first thing tomorrow evening. I will come by your house tomorrow to pick up any letter you may have for him and deliver it to the postman so he can mail it straight to the clinic". Elizabeth's face beamed gleefully. "You would do that?" she exclaimed happily with unshed tears of joy. Sebastian gave a catlike grin.

"Am I one hell of a butler?" he asked. Elizabeth shot up and spun around, joyfully chuckling as she did so. She stopped with her hair somehow still in place. She then hugged the butler in her infamous vice-like hugs. If Sebastian wanted to get her off, he didn't show it. Thankfully, she let him go.

"Thank you so much for the talk, Sebastian. It is because of you that I can go through this ordeal with renewed hope and vigor. Ciel will see that I too can be strong and confident in body and mind. I shall sleep heartily knowing my words to him will assist him in this harrowing ordeal. And once he gets out of that god forsaken place, I shall reward him with a party to congratulate him! She waved the butler with a night greeting and rushed back to her buggy. And so Sebastian was once again left to tend to his duties.

In Bengal, India…

The hot sun shone over the glistening walls of the palace. In the vast expanse of the tropical desert, some would say it was a great jewel to behold. To a traveler, it could almost be mistaken for a mirage. To those who lived inside the palace, it was considered no less than a blessing to be among such luxuries. All that was missing was the sole ruler of place itself: Prince Soma. The prince was currently being sought out by his faithful servant, Agni. He was not a happy individual right now. All morning he had been trailing up and down the large palace trying to spot the young kshatriya. He inquired every servant but each time, the lead would turn up empty. He growled in frustration. He swore that guy was going to be the death of him someday. However, he sort of knew the reason the prince had made himself scarce.

It had been last month that a letter from Tanaka stating that Ciel was sent to the Great Britain Rehabilitation Clinic to undergo treatment for his eating disorder. When the two Indian's gotten hold of the letter, needless to say Soma didn't take the news too well. Agni too had taken the news pretty hard but none so much as Soma. (4)To help exercise their grief, they turned to prayer and meditation in the name of their chieftain goddess, Kali. Still, it did not cease the pain that was felt for the young noble. These days following Ciel's "imprisonment", Soma would spend his days confined to his room. Agni groaned when he remembered the last time, the noble had done something like this.

It was a little after Meena had left. Of course, Soma was in low spirits upon finding out she was "kidnapped". However, to all including Agni knew that was not the case. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that she was a two-faced bitch who was only concerned about upping her social status. (5) It would be difficult for her in Indian society for her to do so because of the fact she was servant caste. He would know since he himself had been born of Brahman caste. If escaping her pitiful existence; as she had bluntly told, meant marrying a wealthy outsider, so be it. It made the white haired man's blood boil whenever he thought of all the times that woman brought his master grief. She was also the reason Soma had nearly teetered on the verge of self destruction.

Flashback 5 years ago…

Agni was all sorts of worried. For nearly a whole month, he had begun noticing the significant changes about his master. No longer did he reach for the food that was set out during supper time. Nor did he gobble it up like a starving dog. Instead, he would just take several bits of fruit and a goblet of milk. He would also spend his days, sitting in a meditative pose without a shirt on, under the shade of a tree in hot humid weather. He would do it to the point where he sweated profusely until he collapsed from the heat. It was those times Agni would gather him up and get the prince inside to rest. The behavior itself wasn't bad in itself. It was the consequences that came with it.

The day the prince finally collapsed as a result was enough to take several decades of his life away. He was making his rounds at the palace, checking to see all was as it should be when out of the corner of his eye, he finally found him.. He was not alone as he was busy conversing with the maid servant, Meena. Agni sneered to himself. He had never truly liked the girl personally. Around the prince she would act all cheerful, kind, and sweet, almost motherly with the child. Behind his back, she would scrunch her nose up in disgust like she had just inhaled sewage. Her deceit and mean-spirited nature went a step further by mocking him alongside some of the servants. Agni had caught wind of it and threatened to turn them over to the King for insulting a member of the royal family. Fear of execution overrode their cockiness and dared to never insult the prince ever again and also was made the mission (on their part) to avoid Meena like the plague because they wished to keep their jobs and their heads.

Back to the present, the she-devil and Soma had gone their separate ways. Agni coyly approached the younger his hands behind his back. He saluted him.

"Good afternoon, my prince. And how are things faring for you?" he asked. Soma returned the greeting. "Very good actually, I was just on my way to my studies", he replied mutually. "Meena is so great. She gives really great advice and knows just the right thing to say always". Agni resisted the urge to vomit. The right things to say. What a joke!

"Well…be off on your way then and be careful" he commanded gently to him. Soma nodded. Agni barely made it seven steps before he heard a…THUMP! Agni turned around and to his horror the prince had collapsed face-first on the floor with his arms on either side. PRINCE SOMA! Wasting no time, the former Brahman scooped the prince up to take him to the palace infirmary. It was hours before the physician even allowed him to see Soma. It was for the first time he actually got to take a good look at the prince's physique. (6) It shocked him to no end. How could he have missed it? For instance; his skin was several shades lighter, his ribs were more pronounced, his face was tad gaunter, dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was quite dry. Above all, he was way too undernourished for someone of his age. At least his hair remained unfazed. Yet as Agni ran his fingers through it, it felt like straw. He heard the bed shuffle; the prince was beginning to stir.

Soma's golden eyes fluttered open. A groan slipped past his cracked lips. How long had he been out? Telling by how dark it was, it must have been night time. He turned his head to the right to meet a pair of angry blue eyes. Soma lifted himself from the bed and looked himself head to toe and realized he was in nothing but his pants. His eyes widened upon realizing his secret was out.

What were you thinking young prince? Don't you know you could have killed yourself? Why would you do such an awful thing to yourself? I know it's your duty as the prince to be perfect and what not, but that is no reason to…" he stopped mid rant when the prince suddenly buried his face into his hands and began to sob uncontrollably. Agni's anger faded into worry. After a few seconds, Soma straightened his posture and faced his confidant.

"I..I…I-I just-thought…if I was p-p-p-perfect…perhaps…just ma-maybe…my mother and father both w-would love me and even…want me around too" he broken down once again. Tears ran down his face like streams. At this, Agni felt sorry for he now knew the root of his problems and his desire to be surrounded by people. He was really just a child after all. Soma continued. "So I asked Meena for some tips. Sigh. She said the secret for getting people to n-n-notice and like you even was if you lost as much weight as possible!" Soma opened his one eye to see what the man's reaction would be. Agni spoke but didn't look up at him. "That…is probably the most foolish thing I have ever heard" he retorted plainly. The prince hitched up his breath. Agni lifted up his hand. Soma clenched his eyes shut expecting to be struck. Instead, he felt the hand on his bare shoulder. He slowly opened them to see Agni staring at him with eyes of concern not anger. What was this?

"If you truly wish to perfect your body's physique, I will gladly help you. But first, I want to see you eating your fill at dinner time. I am not saying you should stuff yourself but I still want to see you in a healthier state. I know many exercise that do the body real good. Perhaps that can work for you. I have seen it work for others". Soma clasped his hands letting the offer sink into his mind. He faced Agni and nodded. He had ultimately complied.

Flashback ends…

Agni had been so relieved to see the prince grow from a skinny adolescent to a well built adult. It was the least he could do for the royal since he had saved his life from utter annihilation. Despite the problems that concerned Meena, it had not stopped Soma from recovering completely. Agni shook his head. Even dead, that Mara (devil) still had an impact on their lives. Getting back to the matter at hand, he resolved to check the prince's bed chamber. If there was one place he could be, that was it. He reached the gold plated doors when he heard a frightened scream. Agni needn't ask twice who the scream belonged to. He thrust both doors open and ran inside. Soma had been sleeping soundly when he had been struck by a horrendous dream. Or was it a vision? Whatever it was, it was enough to make him break out in a screaming fit.

"Prince! Prince! What is it? What has disturbed you so?" Agni asked frantically coming to the frazzled prince's side. Soma's eyes were widened, his face was sweaty and flushed, and he was shaking. "Agni. I just had a terrifying vision. It was Ciel. He-he-he was inside a cell and he was conversing with a mirror spirit of some kind. I-I-I'm not sure what it was per say, but I could sense it was evil!" Agni's eyes widened. Dammit. He too had sensed something was wrong. It didn't take a psychic to tell you when something was amiss overseas. And it had everything to do with the Earl.

"Well what do you say, your majesty? Should we write a letter to Sebas- NO! Absolutely not!" the violet haired man yelled. "It will be a cold day in Bengal before I set foot near that…that…fiend ever again. He is the reason that poor child is even in that wretched place". Soma knew he was probably being a little childish but he needed to rant about something. Agni rolled his eyes. "I know, but Sebastian happens to be the only link we have to the Earl. Besides, even if we were to venture to the clinic, there is no way they would allow savages like us to enter"

0_0

"Their words not mine" Agni retorted when he saw the appalled look on the royal's face at the word: savages. Soma breathed heavily. Agni was right. The only they would even be allowed to see Ciel was through connections on the other side. "Alright Agni you win. When and how fast can we make the journey back?" he inquired.

Agni stood up. "It can't be tomorrow as you have that appointment with the trade agreements with the neighboring countries. We will have to make our return trip to England next by the end of the month. Perhaps seeing old faces will aid in renewing the health of our dear Earl". They both nodded to one another in agreement. Yet it was so clear from the looks on their faces that it would not be an easy journey.

I hoped you enjoyed that chapter as I did writing it. This is pretty heavy stuff, I tell you what. Getting into the characters head and figuring what they are all about is the trickiest thing about being an author/authoress. Elizabeth and Soma are real drama fantasist arent' they? What was exhibited here was something called sympathy symptoms. Also, Elizabeth's feelings toward the residents at mental clinics is actually not too uncommon for someone of the time.

I read that in the mid 19th century, that children who were born disabled or deformed would either be disowned or thrown into isolation. Sad really. This happened in America also. Did you guys like how I depicted Meena? A real bitch isn't she? Well, I wanted to portray her that way. She got what she deserved in the end. Isnt it funny in horror movies, that it's the sluts who die first?

I know I made Sebastian act really O.C. what with him being super harsh with the servants then turning nice guy around Elizabeth. Well, tell me what you think and I will return with a new chapter for everyone's enjoyment.

Chapter Footnotes:

This is not far from the truth actually. In a way Sebastian pretty much saved their lives and is the reason they even got employed at the mansion in the first place. Finnian from being experimented on (Chapter 44, page 31), Bardroy from a war wound (Chapter 33, page 33), Mey-Rin; a former sniper turned maid servant after she was caught sneaking around the mansion (Chapter 23, page 15)

William T. Spears occupation as a shinigami.

One of the many consequences of eating disorders like Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa

Kali is the chief goddess for some of the people in India next to Buddhism.

In India, people are often divided based on their caste; Brahmanas-scholars, priest, philosophers (via monks), kshatriyas- warrior caste, vaishyas- merchants and farmers, shudras-lowest caste including peasants and menial laborers. Excluded from this are pariahs and chandalas-most degraded and discriminated against. Getting touched by one meant you were octrasized for life.

Anyone seeing a pattern, here?

Next Chapter: We now turn our attentions to the other residents of the clinic and see flashbacks of how they ended up there. What was it that caused them to be the way they are today? Stay tuned for the next chapter.