~*bows apologetically* I know I have taken so long to update but college had been a lot of work so I have been unable to write anything let alone sleep. I appreciate all the watchers that are still sticking with me through this whole process and I hope to give you more frequent updates in the future. Even though I cannot promise anything. I hope you enjoy this new chapter and feel free to comment below! Your comments and PM's keep my writing. Of course Kuroshitsuji is property of the amazing Yanna senpai. I really do enjoy writing these and I hope I have more time to do so. On another note I have been getting a lot of positive feedback on my work but I have also gotten some negative. I have gotten comments that I am making Ciel too vulnerable and weak. In my opinion I try to work off the phycological effect that emotions and struggles have on Ciel. It's not perfect but I am trying to emulate the Ciel I know from the manga not the anime. Which in my opinion vary greatly. Anyway I hope you enjoy! 3

~Ciel

Stranded on the Other Side chapter 5: Hidden Within

Greyish blue hair, cobalt blue eyes, a small petite figure, pale skin, flushed cheeks, and rosy lips all traits of the young Phantomhive now attained while being stuck in some sort of parallel universe. He now loved everything about the world, about this version of Sebastian, but he did not belong here. The Ciel of this world had perished somehow and now the Earl of Phantomhive was the replacement. He felt so conflicted with his desires. He shook his head lightly in dismay. He was happy for once in this life but he felt it was not his happiness to have. It was slowly crushing his heart to the point that he could barely stand. The Sebastian back home was probably in a panic as to Ciel's whereabouts and not for the reason the boy wished "where is my perfect soul? What happened to my meal?" Ciel mocked lightly. He growled in irritation and anger. That was all Sebastian cared about, "meal this…. Souls that… that's all you care about you selfish no good-" Sebastian rounded the corner when he heard Ciel's shouting "Ciel what's wrong?" The boy turned his head in shock "Sebastian I am sorry… I just." The raven-haired king sat on the bed and took one of the boy's pale hands "you do not need to apologize but I want to know what is troubling you."

Ciel looked up with big mismatched eyes and his cat ears pined to the side of his head in unease "I'm afraid to say." This Sebastian was kind and considerate. He loved Ciel and rained affection down on him all the days that he had been thrown into this strange new reality. This Sebastian was also king of Hell which Ciel could only infer that he was, well, the first fallen angel. He was still a demon. How would the demon take the news if his Ciel that he had been showering with affection were an imposter? He was afraid that it would be his head if he mentioned it. Why was he always stuck in these situations? Would he understand after explaining what his world was like? Would he send Ciel back? Would he accuse me of killing the other Ciel? These were all questions pressing on the young Earl's thoughts as he stared into ruby red eyes. Ciel had normally made it a habit to compare his demonic butler's eyes to that of a ruby or a garment; even the color of blood, but this Sebastian's eyes seemed more fiery more demonic. There was something hidden in its depths that he had not seen in his Sebastian in a very long time. The boy paused pushing his way through the confines of his subconscious, why do I call him mine? Though it was true the late Earl of Phantomhive technically owned the demon; Ciel always considered the possession as a lease of sorts. Once the payment was fulfilled the tenant would vacate the room or in this case his soul would vacate his physical body. Thus ending his mortal life.

"Ciel?" A soothing rich voice snapped him out of his reverie. He shook his head for a moment before hanging it in dismay "oh I'm sorry Sebastian I was thinking… I am fine just lost in the past" he paused "is all". He heard a slight sigh above him before feeling arms wrap around his body from behind. It was clear that the demon king was getting frustrated with Ciel keeping to himself, something he had found out the other Ciel did not do. He felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest as hot breath swirled over the top of his ear.

The demon smirked lightly as his grip tightened on the boy "You know Ciel you cannot keep anything from me, in fact I get the impression your afraid, surely you would not be afraid of me?" He felt the whole boy's body stiffened and go rigid before chuckling lightly "you did not think that I wouldn't notice did you?" Ciel gave no response but his body language said it all, he had known there was something wrong with this Ciel from the first moment he had found the boy a few days earlier "I will give you to the count of five to explain yourself to me".

Everything seemed to stop in one motion. The clock that normally cheerfully ticked opposite to the door seemed to be frozen. Everything around him seemed to freeze and slowly his own body was being engulfed by cold. His blood began to chill, his body shuttered, and worst of all it was all in his head. The psychological torture was enough to drive anyone mad. Ciel had known, in his time in the Queen's service he had gone to asylums, mad houses all searching for hidden answers on various cases. In the beginning he had mused that even the most insane patient in one of these places would have actually turned out to be the sanest of them all. Only the people around him, the oblivious human beings that went on with their everyday lives never once questioning the supernatural pointed fingers at the "insane".

1…2…3…..4…

Ciel quickly felt time start again. The demon's threatening voice was in his ear, counting down slowly expecting a response. He had to make up a lie. No, that would never work. Even in his own universe Sebastian had always stated that he could never tell lies and would know if Ciel was telling any himself. He had to tell the truth, be it on his head "I…. I was not trying to fool you." Surprised at his own choice of words he continued, "my name is Ciel, yes, but I am not the boy you took in so long ago. I come from another world where things are . . . different from here."

The demon pulled back and rested his chin on Ciel's bluish grey locks. They were just as soft as he remembered, like resting your head on a soft pillow "I see, well I am glad that you told me the truth. I knew there was something amiss from the very start, the Ciel I know would never be as composed as you nor would he build up a wall to shelter his own inner struggles." He closed his eyes before sighing sadly "I suppose I was too hopeful that my Ciel was still very much alive and well. I saw his body but when I saw you I desperately hoped I had been fooled by a lesser demon that may have tried to steal you from me. I do hope that I was not making you uncomfortable in treating you the way I have."

Ciel was astounded and slowly turned around to face the king "you not furious with me? You don't want to lock me in a dungeon and torture me to death?" He could not believe the casual tone this demon was taking. He had admitted to being an imposter, to having lied this entire time and yet his only reaction was grief for the real neko that was killed. He felt his heart begin to hurt painfully.

The king felt Ciel shift slightly and moved his head and opened his eyes in response "Why ever do you think such a thing? You have a rather gruesome and vivid imagination Ciel. I can only imagine that is due to something in your past that you wish not to discuss with me." He shook his head in dismay "I am not going to hurt you, in fact I have to say I rather enjoy your company. You are different then the boy I once knew but you still are very much alike. You say that you come from another world. How different is this world from the one you currently call home?"

The Earl relaxed immediately. He should have known that this was not the Sebastian he was so used to being taunted by "I'm just so used to" he looked off to the side, pretending that the antique Victorian floral wallpaper was more interesting then the demon that had now tilted his head in curiosity. The same velvet like voice poured over his thoughts forcing him to look up. It was a simple question, yet why couldn't he answer? He had spent countless hours, days, months, and years perfecting his façade, the fearless Earl of Phantomhive, strong, hardened, and most of all, heartless. The answer was right on the tip of his tongue "I am so used to being tortured by. . ." He was not going to say it. He was not going to give the demon, even though he was in a whole other dimension, the satisfaction of breaking him down. He was strong and yet weak? He was kind and yet evil? Who is the true Ciel Phantomhive? Without warning the words poured from his lips that he never thought he would ever say in his entire existence on this god forsaken earth "someone I care deeply for, even perhaps love. Someone that no matter the outcome I will be nothing but a means to an end to and I can hardly bare it. Someone that can not understand the complexity and importance of human emotion or compassion. A demon that not only reminds me of my demise but also how much satisfaction I will be giving him in the end when he tears the soul from my body." He looked away quickly trying to shake the weakness away. He was Ciel Earl of Phantomhive, The Queens Guard Dog, and most successful superintendent of justice within the underworld of London's darkest places. How low had he fallen? How pathetic had his emotions made him become?

He slowly reached out to pull the distraught Ciel's eyes back to his own "now I understand. In your world you have made a contract with a demon, not the other way around. He constantly reminds you of your pain and even more so now that you feel more for him then you anticipated. You hide behind a wall of indifference, revenge, and rage hoping that you will not have to show any weakness or cracks within the foundation of the walls you have built for yourself. Yet you're suffering. Ciel having and sharing emotions is what makes you human, never forsake that, otherwise…" He smiled gently and patted the boy on the head "you would be just like a demon yourself."

Cobalt blue eyes widened, not only had this Sebastian pegged his struggles but also his psychological mindset as well "there is nothing I can do, for once in my very short life I am lost. If I tell Sebastian he will kill me and eat me right away, betraying and hiding my emotions behind a grinning mask of lies and treachery is not a choice it is a mater of survival. I have no choice but to be cruel and calculating, he has made me into this…this person I don't even know, someone I cant face in a mirror or see in a photograph. I am walking the tightrope over a black precipice. If I slip I will die. If I stay on the path the rope will be cut before I reach the other side and I will fall into darkness and die. My very existence is haunted by the shadow of death, a shadow that called forth with the rage, the hatred, and the revenge inside of my soul. There is nothing for me in this world but the inevitability of a gruesome and terrifying end."

Without hesitation he pulled Ciel against him and wrapped his arms tightly around his small frame. He brushed his lips again one of the two grey blue cat ears that now adorned Ciel's head "then he is fool." He pulled back to look Ciel in the eyes. This boy was not frightened of death as much as he was terrified of losing his life and his heart to the one he trusted most in this world "He does not know or understand how lucky he is to be able to be with you. He does not know how empty he would feel when you no longer were in his meaningless eternity. It is beyond me and yet perhaps the demons in your world are akin to the angels in ours. They cannot feel or express any form of emotion. They are mindless soldiers serving their own cause. In this world so few angles have attained the full spectrum of human emotion. Those that have are known as fallen angles. You see Ciel, we treat humans differently because they are us and we are them. A human soul so twisted with despair and desire will one day become a demon. Very few demons are born they are made. I now know why you were so afraid to tell me the truth. This demon you made a contract with is my universal counterpart is he not?"

Ciel could not help but let his eyes flutter closed as he listened to the king speak "yes he is." All the tension in his body had melted away leaving only comfort and warmth. A feeling he only had with a very reluctant Sebastian and even then it felt more forced. How could they be so dramatically different? His body was so tired and weary from the stress that he felt himself lean against Sebastian's chest for support "I wish you were my Sebastian." He curled closer feeling the soft pull of darkness against his weary eyelids. Soon he had fallen asleep in a mater of moments held by warm arms before hearing a gentle whisper against his ear.

"As you wish, My Lord"

5:00 PM Undertakers Shop

Sebastian was at his wits end. He had turned over the entire mansion looking for any trace of his young master only to find a floor covered in shimmering glass shards with not even a single drop of blood. He was at a loss and now he stood in the one place that he dreaded the most, Undertakers shop. He had no time for the shinigami's games and he refused to take part in any of his antics. He growled between grit teeth in an effort to calm himself before placing his pristinely white-gloved fingers over the door knob. As if he was expected the door slowly flew open to reveal the dimly lit room hidden within. To the normal trained eye it was the typical funeral parlor that is except for the Undertakers various chemistry like vials and bottles that lined the walls. Even by a demon's standards Undertaker's decorating taste was unsavory but perhaps that was because he had been under Ciel's employment for so long that only refined, elegant, and lavish décor was acceptable "Undertaker I require your assistance." Ruby eyes scanned the room slowly before a dark shape appeared from behind the counter, Undertaker no doubt.

"Fufufufu my my what brings the ever dutiful butler of Phantomhive here all alone this evening hum?" Undertaker flashed his classic grin at the demon standing just over the threshold of the doorway. Sebastian looked especially sharply dressed as usual but his eyes betrayed his appearance. Desperation ran through those blood red eyes. Undertaker could tell the demon was straining under the pressure to keep it together "It's clear that you would never come alone therefore the young Earl has disappeared it would seem?"

Sebastian was about to light Undertaker's silver hair on fire but restrained himself from doing so. The shinigami knew more then he was letting on and it was making his anger boil very near the surface "tell me what you know and how I can get CIEL BACK NOW!" His eyes turned to slits in aggravation.

Undertaker pulled a biscuit out from a container to his right before leaning his elbows on the counter. He had never seen the Phantomhive butler so flustered and angry before, it was quite a sight to behold "Oh?" he replied with a mouth full of the dog shaped biscuit, "When did you get permission to refer to the young Earl by his Christian name Mr. butler? Have you finally felt that your contractor is a human being rather then a piece of meat?" Oh that would get the demon fired up. He knew that he would not kill him and it was just too much fun to play with a leashed dog without a master, especially one as powerful as the demon standing before him "I suppose I wont be receiving any laughs today, what a pity."

Sebastian snapped before slamming his fist on the counter, successfully cracking it in half "I don't have time for your games! Tell me were Ciel is NOW!" He noticed Undertaker's grin returning which just made his blood boil even more "I am going to give you one second to help me or I will. . ." He was cut off by huff.

Undertaker shrugged his shoulders "I can't very well tell you what happened to the young Earl if I know nothing about the situation. He has not died so therefore my information is limited, however, if you enlighten me on some details then I am more then happy to help you find your precious master."

Sebastian took a deep breath and nodded. He had never been this flustered or stressed about a contractor in his entire existence, why was Ciel so different. It was true that Ciel possessed a soul that out shown every human's by leap and bounds but that was not the only reason he felt so different. Ciel was stronger then the humans he had encountered in his youth and yet just being around him was like a light. Normally demons would shy away from it but Sebastian was drawn to it. Ciel had changed him and his outlook on human lives. He was a monster in their eyes, something he had never truly believed himself but Ciel had made him question. This master that he had bound himself to was the one he wanted the most and now he was starting to realize that it wasn't just about his soul anymore "I need to find him. He disappeared into thin air and even I cannot sense him. I overturned the estate looking for any trace but I found nothing. The only thing out of place was in his study. There were glass shards everywhere but not a single sign of a struggle or confrontation. There was no blood were he might have been cut and yet the mirror was not broken."

Undertaker shook his head. He knew exactly what this was and if it was what he so believed he needed to be shown proof of it right away. He looked at Sebastian, now calmed down and leaning his head in his hands. If anyone saw him this way he would have mistaken the demon for a normal human in desperate search of something precious that had been taken from him "I need to see this mirror you are referring to, if it is what I suspect your young master cannot be detected because he is no longer in this realm of existence."

Sebastian lifted his head. He knew of the other realms, in fact Hell itself was a realm of its own but even then if Ciel had been pulled into Hell then he would have detected it. Other realms were like other worlds; some were even created as prisons. He nodded before appearing with Undertaker in the Phantomhive study. Just as he had left it prior to ransacking the entire manor there was glass shards sparkling on the rug and the antique mirror that loomed overhead. His train of thought was interrupted by a revelation from the silver haired Undertaker who was now inspecting the mirror with a look of concern marring his inhuman features. Undertaker's long black fingernails ran over the intricate molding. To humans, or in this case, a distraught demon butler, it seemed normal and not at all a piece to raise suspicions "Where did the earl find this mirror?"

Sebastian put his forefinger to his chin in thought "I believe it was gift, however, the sender seemed very keen on getting rid of it."

He looked the mirror over again and frowned "I am surprised you failed to notice Mr. Butler that this mirror is not normal and should have most certainly realized that it's also not as it appears. You seem to have skipped over it as a minor detail or perhaps someone did not want you to see it for its true self." He eyed the carpet where the butler had first seen the broken glass "tell me what do you see?"

Sebastian huffed in annoyance "I see broken glass littering the floor just as I told you moments ago."

Undertaker shook his head in dismay "that would explain why you failed to check the most obvious place. Take another look at the glass but concentrate, use your power if necessary for broken glass is not what I see."

Ruby eyes returned to the carpet. It took a moment but the image of the glass started to shift and dissolve like paint thinner being poured over a colored canvas, washing away the top layer and revealing the second. What lay before him was not glass at all but chains, chains that had been broken. They were no ordinary chains either "this is. . ." He quickly brought his attention to the mirror once again. As the image slowly melted away he felt his heart nearly stop.

NO THIS CAN'T BE!? . . .