Black Menagerie

by PhantomBlacke

First came love. Now comes marriage. All that's left is the baby carriage, but will happily ever after really come so easily? Ciel and Sebastian are so ready to leave behind their blood-soaked pasts, but karma isn't skipping over them as they'd hoped. When evil comes knocking once more, the duo fight tooth and nail to salvage the life they've built together. Love conquers all . . .

1. Author's Note

Hello, my beloved friends, old and new.

I hope everyone is doing as well as they can. I know it's been a very trying year full of loss, grief and suffering. Whatever state of mind you're in, however you're coping: I'm proud of you for staying strong and as safe as you can.

I was supposed to launch this sequel at the beginning of this year. I actually did, but then I took it down because I knew I wasn't ready to commit. Then Covid happened, and life changed for everyone in a big way . . .

I wish I could fix myself to say that all of this has made me a better person, but it hasn't. I'm still the lazy, procrastinating, self-absorbed person I've been for many years. I'm still trying my hardest to change.

It's easy to look back at all the wasted months and wish I utilized them. I've been unemployed since February, so I truly have no excuse for not having completed this project already. But I can't go back. I can only go forward and stop being immature.

Here's my first step: posting this author's note as a vow to starting this and seeing it through to the end.

Thank you all for the love and support you've shown me throughout the years. I wasn't on top of my game the way I should have been. I'm going to change that, no matter how long it takes.

Allow me to take this moment for some disclaimers:

I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

This is an AU, with an OlderDemon!Ciel (even older than the previous story).

This is Lemon Scented (there won't be any explicit scenes in this story. I'm pretty set on this, but we'll see how it plays out, cause my stories tend to sprout legs and gain a will of their own, heheh . . .).

This is a sequel, but you aren't required to read the previous story. BUT . . . if you find yourself at all confused during any point in this story, then I strongly recommend you read Black Christmas first.

My knowledge of Kuroshitsuji spans up to season 2, but neither the manga nor the anime has any bearing on this story. Any OOCness isn't intentional.

Once again, special thanks to my veteran readers, and welcome to any new ones to come!

Enjoy the show~