Midnight Rain Chapter One

Humans spend their short, transient lives bustling about; yet few are aware of the silent watchers peering at them- never blinking, never moving. They exist, invisible to the naked eye- and have existed for many millennia past. Humans are unable to detect them, yet they hold their duty of safeguarding the soul slumbering within each human. They maintain the balance of the soul, subtly influencing their human to maintain neutrality in their actions as to not stain the precious cargo that they carry. However, not every human is granted the privilege of guardians, for humans outnumber their watchers by far. Only those with the purest and brightest of souls are given guidance.

Occasionally, humans unconsciously acknowledge their existence. When people face crossroads, unsure of their choice, they unknowingly seek the comfort and wisdom of their guardians, one on each shoulder.

Humans typically live and die oblivious of their protectors, and at their deathbeds, one of them escorts the soul to its destination beyond death. After, they are free to be assigned to another new soul; however, the two guardians must be balanced in power. If they are not in equal in power, how can the soul not be swayed one way or another?

With this question, our tale begins…

Green eyes blinked back painfully as the grit of London air blew into his eyes. Curses to industrialization, he grumbled quietly.

Perched atop a spiraling peak of a church in London, he rubbed his eyes. The figure bit back curses as he stood up and stretched. Crouching on the tip of a spire is murder on the back, he thought. Here, no being would bother him- humans rarely look up from their lives, and divine beings rarely expect anyone at this altitude- not that they would bother someone of his standing anyways.

With a snap, he unfolded his large white wings, letting them catch the wind. His wings were wide and tapered, designed for speed- not endurance. Certainly, to lift him into the air and sustain flight, they would have to be large. He was certainly not overweight, but as his bones were dense, extra effort was needed to enable him to fly. Strands of wavy ebony hair gently drifted over the wind as the figure glanced down into the streets below, where humans were bustling about like ants. He peered for a moment before brushing back his hair.

"I suppose it is time to meet my new assignment," He said with one more sigh. "I don't get paid nearly enough for this," he complained. "Damn him to hell… Wait- not hell- he likes it there."

Grumbling some more, he leapt off the tower and into crisp autumn air. He needed no directions; he knew exactly where his charge was.

In a different part of London, all was well- except for a young boy, who was decidedly against feeling well, deigning the term too plebian for him to use. There was nothing to be well about- the weather was beautiful, and instead of enjoying his youth, he was woefully obligated to learn an obscure language of no practical usage whatsoever.

'Anything would be better than learning this… this esoteric useless language,' he thought grumpily as he slouched down in his chair. On the other side of the room, his demonic butler droned on endlessly.

"Young master," the tutor said chiding, his sharp ruby eyes snapped to the boy's own gray ones, waking the boy from his reverie.

Biting back a groan, Earl Ciel Phantomhive gestured for him to continue.

"As you well know, nouns in Latin have three genders- female, male, and neutral. Each set of words have a different set of conjugations that you must remember. We have discussed some in our previous lesson. Today, we shall be exploring the conjugation of Latin verbs." Sebastian Michaelis smiled.

Ciel openly frowned, sinking slightly in his seat. The demon was not going against his orders, but he was certainly not pleased to be commanded like a common mutt. Ciel supposed this would be his version of passive aggressive revenge. Certainly, he was just following orders.

"None of that, young master. Latin is a classic language befitting of your status," Sebastian reminded his petulant master of his mandate. "You would do well to learn it. Now, verbs in first person are conjugated like this-" he gestured to word written on the handbook and on the board in front of him. "A root word and an o."

Ciel nodded slowly. That was simple enough- he could make do.

"Second person verbs are conjugated-" Sebastian continued, suddenly coming to an abrupt stop. His eyes flashed red suddenly, and his pupils turned to slits. The demon's gaze snapped to the open window behind Ciel. The unblinking focus in Sebastian's stare was unnerving. The demon stalked over to the window, positioning himself in front of his charge.

"What-" the Earl began uneasily, spinning his chair around.

"There is an intruder on the property," Sebastian said shortly. "Not of the human kind," he added with caution.

A tingle of apprehension ran up Ciel's back. Another demon, perhaps? The child's heartbeat sped up by instinct, a reaction similar to that of a prey in the face of a predator.

"However, it appears the creature does not mean harm," Sebastian relaxed minutely, the red in his eyes bleeding back to a dull brown. He flared his nose and tilted his head slightly in confusion, as if not quite believing the scent carried by the wind.

"Investigate this matter at once, Sebastian." Ciel commanded once he was sure that his voice would not waver.

"As you wish, young master." The demon inclined his head as the order took hold in his mind.

"For now, your lesson is suspended. I'm afraid you will have to relocate to your room for the time being." Sebastian said and leapt out the window.

For once, Ciel followed the suggestion obediently and retreated to his room in haste.

The angel landed softly on a dirt road in the middle of a well-kept forest. With great beats of his wings, he stirred up the crimson fallen leaves. He looked around, viridian eyes taking in the quiet nature around him.

It is a nice forest, he thought absently. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spied a falcon circling the skies, most probably looking for a meal. Insects darted into the path, and sparrows followed suit. Shrugging, he walked contently towards the mansion he knew to be ahead. His sense of direction is never wrong, though it takes a certain amount of skill for him not to take long detours. Procrastination was his forte, and he never wanted to take on this assignment in the first place.

It did not take him very long to reach his destination- the Phantomhive esate. Once he arrived, he stood a few feet in front of the steps, gazing up at the magnificent architecture. He could call it awe-inspiring if he had seen palaces from all eras in history. It was rather large for a manor, with two floors and doubtlessly many rooms. The architecture hinted at elegance and refined tastes, yet not to the point of gaudiness. Yet, the entire manor was practically covered in the dark oily feel of a demon's presence. Hidden in a forest such as this, the angel doubted if any other divine beings noticed- or cared. It was distasteful, he thought, how such a beautiful manor was covered by the filth of a demon.

"Impressive," a voice spoke behind him. "Is it not?"

The angel did not turn around; he was not surprised in the least, though he was glad that he had hidden his wings. He knew that the demon residing here would greet him, and he was not disappointed. Demons were notoriously territorial, after all. Having an angel of his power here would be enough send any demon's instincts into overdrive- though perhaps not this demon. Hiding his wings were simply good manners- a formality at best indicating non-violence. In the presence of other creatures, it was rude and unnecessary to flaunt status and power.

Instead of his usual heavenly attire of white silks and linens, he was dressed as a human in a Victorian style suit. The angel looked like any other British aristocrat- or perhaps a wealthy merchant.

"I would appreciate it more if you would refrain from giving yourself airs considering how you are the one tainting it with your presence," he said dryly without turning around. He did not feel the least bit threatened by the demon; the other creature would not attack, for that would give him the option of retaliating in self defense.

"Taint is a rather strong word; the stones are quite boring, and I am simply adding some color to them. Ah, but I am sure you did not take such a long journey to admire the architecture, Mister…" Sebastian began with a smile.

The angel waved his question away. "You must be daft if you expect me to give you my true name- as if you don't know who I am anyways. You know as well as I do that true names are not given upon introduction. As if I would hand you such power over my soul," the angel scoffed.

Sebastian's eyes flashed red in amusement. As expected of this particular angel. He would be sorely disappointed if the angel had given him his true name.

"You are correct in that I am not here merely to enjoy the view, nice as it is," the angel admitted, turning around to face Sebastian fully. "I require an audience with your master."

"I am afraid the young master is busy in his studies at the moment," Sebastian said, a falsely apologetic smile plastered on his face. The effect was dimmed by his fangs, which showed past his stretched lips.

"Unless it is proper to study in bed, I am afraid your master is not studying at all," he said drily, waving his hand easily towards the window of Ciel's bedroom.

Sebastian's smile never left his lips. Red eyes narrowed. "Nonetheless, the young mater has no time for idle meetings," he reiterated.

The angel's eyes narrowed minutely. "That was not a request. I was sent here by the Fates- all three of those troublesome women. You should have known that one day your master's situation would be rectified. He was supposed to have two guardians- now he has only one. The Fates have discovered this imbalance, hence my presence here. I have no doubts that you have guessed my purpose here by now- you should know that I have no choice in the matter. If you wish to defy the Fates, by all means do so. I would love to watch you if only for the free show since this is all your fault in the first place. Due to your irresponsible actions, I am obligated to be here."

Sebastian remained still as stone though he raised an eyebrow.

"I was the one summoned," he rebutted. "The fault lies in the summonors, not me."

"You were the one who chose to contract with that child," the angel scoffed.

Sebastian shrugged. "How mannerless I would be if I turned down a such a sacrifice?" His grin was all teeth.

"You would consider it proper to contract with a ten year old child," the angel said with a sigh. "You should have known at the time that the Fates will not allow a human soul to be so unbalanced. You have your duty, and I have mine. Neither of us have a choice in the matter, nor do I mean your master harm. "

The angel paused, then turned around to stare at the butler with curiosity. "I never thought that that a demon of your caliber would accept being leashed, no matter how delicious the soul sacrifice." the angel said with amusement. "And to think your new master named you after his dog." That particular piece of information had been included in his mission briefing for sheer entertainment.

Sebastian pursed his lips knowing that the Fates' will was absolute. "I shall notify the master of your presence and be back promptly." He pointedly chose to ignore the angel's jab at his contract, which only elicited more amusement from the irritating man.

The angel nodded regally with a slight smirk and waited patiently for Sebastian's return.

"So," Ciel said while sipping on a cup of freshly brewed Darjeeling, "What business does an angel have with me?"

The child lord slyly peaked at the mythical being in front of him. For all his supposed power, the man looked barely out of his teens, with wavy black hair and wide green eyes that spoke of innocence and wisdom far more than power. In fact, the being in front of him looked the most harmless of civilians- a bright eyed young man, hoping to make his way in the world. It was hard to admit that the person in front of him was anything but. He wears innocence well, Ciel reluctantly thought. The angel's natural ability to make people instinctively trust him was as dangerous as Sebastian's darkly sinful aura.

An angel, a different part of his mind breathed in wonder. Never had he thought that angels could be real. In his mind, he knew that as demons existed, the possibility that other creatures could also be real had crossed his mind. He had quickly dismissed the thought, opting to focus on the reality in front of him. Now, his doubts have been dragged out from the dredges of his mind and reexamined.

When Sebastian reluctantly brought news of an angel on his doorstep, he was shocked beyond words. He was never particularly religious- having a demon in employment shatters religious beliefs fairly quickly- but angels? Nonetheless, his nobility training quickly kicked in, and he had Sebastian show the guest to the dining room for afternoon tea.

"I am sure that you are content with your butler's services," the man began with a light twitch of his lips, "but unfortunately, I must insist on being here. Since you have already had contact with… our world," he waved his and towards Sebastian, "I can fully explain to you my task and what it entails."

"Humans contain souls, as you know. Every soul is born pure, and the course of their lives colors them, so to speak. Every action, every word they do affects the outcome of their soul by tainting it in a different color. At their deaths, the souls contained within humans will be released and sent to heaven or hell depending on how light or dark it is. At least- that is what happens to most souls, discounting those lost to the demons and their insatiable appetite." the angel sipped on his tea daintily. Ciel observed the angel with keen eyes- the man was raised as a noble, he thought with certainty. He carried himself as one and had manners befitting a lord.

"In order to prevent certain key human souls from turning completely black or remain colorless, two beings are assigned to watch over each soul- guardians, so to speak. Not every human has the privilege of having guardians since there are far too many humans for the guardians to monitor. In fact…" He paused, before reaching for a small book in his jacket. He ignored the slight tensing of Sebastian's shoulders at his sudden movement and flipped to a page.

"Ciel Phantomhive… You were indeed assigned two guardians at birth, but it appears they both perished in your defense roughly three years ago- on the same night your parents' souls were released. How odd." The man tilted his head curiously to one side. How curious, he thought. Demons and angels- no matter how low their rank- can hardly be defeated by mortals, but for both to perish at the same time, a powerful being must have been involved. Still, he continued. "From then on, you have been without guardians, which lead to your soul being corrupted at a rapid pace for a month until a new guardian was forcefully summoned and bound to you," he said, glancing towards the butler. Ciel's face grew stormy, unwilling to discuss That Night.

"Your butler accepted you because your soul was already corrupted, and you were without guardians to defend you. I suppose he found it intriguing that a soul as bright as yours was unbound and already quite dark." the man read. "However, that ends now. The Fates- the higher beings who are in control of the birth, death, and life of souls- have discovered this imbalance and have sent me to correct it. I believe you may know them as three old hags who love to play with strings," he snorted.

Ciel blinked- the Greeks did not make them up? He was quite certain that if they were real, they would object to being called hags.

Sebastian looked amused at the callous way the angel was insulting the gods.

The man closed the book with a quiet puff. "In order to keep the balance between the two guardians to prevent a sway in power towards white or black, the guardians must be equal in power. That is as close to a law as law exists in well, our universe. For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. Everything has a price, and the toll must be matched exactly. That is why I am here and not just some green-behind-the-ears cherub." The man's voice was laced with irritation.

"Thank you so much, for forcing me to come down here," he grumbled sarcastically under his breath. Sebastian's lips twitched upwards. Ciel looked contemplative.

"What do you mean you and not some cherub?" Ciel asked in confusion.

"Well, the task of guarding humans usually falls to the low ranking recruits of both demons and angels. In other words, the imps and the cherubs. Typically, angels run on a mission system. Older and more powerful angels get their pick of missions first before the others. Thus, the ones who pick last are usually handed tasks like these. Demons of his caliber" the angel pointed casually at Sebastian "do not usually visit Earth. Neither do angels of my rank, in fact. Missions of this nature are long, tedious, boring, and irritating for all parties involved. Normally, those who return from the missions do not like to talk about them."

Ciel raised an eyebrow, but the angel refused to elaborate.

"Normally, I would remain invisible as a guardian, but since your butler has hidden in plain sight, I will have to do so as well." The man added. "That is not to say that you are without benefits. While I will never allow myself to be bound as a servant, I am obligated to keep your soul from being completely corrupted. Of course, my abilities are different from Sebastians since the two of us are opposites in nature. I suppose with my presence here, you will not have to worry about your contract… ending prematurely." For a split second, Sebastian's eyes flashed in anger at the angel's statement, drawing a quiet snort from the other deity. As if he would let the demon have his meal before dinner time.

Ciel mused over the decision. Judging by Sebastian's reaction, accepting the offer would shift their balance in power- in a direction that would not favor the demon. Furthermore, he would obtain a failsafe in case anything unexpected happens, and his death comes early. He would be a fool to turn down an offer for even more divine power. However, the fact that he did not have absolute control over that power was troubling for the little lord.

"What would you do," Ciel began slowly, "if what is "best" for me goes against my wishes?"

The angel raised an eyebrow and set down his teacup elegantly. "I would compromise. If that fails, I would try to find an alternative solution that satisfies both situations. If that fails as well, I would allow it as long as it does not turn your soul completely back. Even if it is one shade off from black, my job would still be complete. My mission simply dictates that I am not to allow you to die before your proper time, and to keep your soul from being lost completely." The man said nonchalantly.

"How do I know you will not tell others of the Phantomhive family's secrets?" Ciel asked again, mentally adding more insurance against death on his list of benefits.

"I don't care for humans," the angel said bluntly. "If it provides you with a degree of comfort, you are free to bind me into secrecy. However, I will not allow my freedom to be confined."

Ciel mulled over the decision some more before speaking. "That is acceptable. You may live here as a part Phantomhive Household."

The angel smiled, seemingly making the entire room lighter just by his presence. Ciel's heart skipped a beat- to him; it has been many years since he has last felt such familiar warmth. Sebastian hissed lowly behind Ciel- clearly, he did not enjoy the overwhelming sense of peace and happiness.

"We shall have to find a backstory and an occupation for you," Ciel steepled his fingers. "Do you have a name you prefer to be called? What can you do?"

"I presumed that backstories are your specialty, since you managed to integrate a stranger without any sort of background or history into your family just fine," the angel said pointedly. "As for specialties, the question is, what can't I do. I doubt there is any occupation I am not adept in. I have lived for a very long time, and I do not squander my time."

"Hmm," Ciel muttered, his acute mind proposing and rejecting numerous stories and occupations for angel. "Are you familiar with academia?" He asked.

"Quite," the guest agreed. "You could name any major history event, and I could probably tell you an accurate first-hand account of it from me or one of my brethren. As for religious studies, I assure you that you can find no better tutor for the position," he said dryly. "Gabriel did say that Mary's reaction of being told of the "good news" was unexpected and rather priceless. There were tears involved. "

Sebastian chuckled quietly. Even Ciel appreciated the slight humor.

"Name wise, I have not made an alias for this mission yet," the man replied in negative. "Obviously, I cannot go by my true name without raising suspicion," the man said wryly.

He is that powerful? Ciel thought.

"I see…" Ciel wondered. "By the terms of the contract, I gave Sebastian his name, but without a binding contract, you will have to choose your own name. It should be fairly easy to find a cover story for you, though some documents will have to be forged. The household is already rather full, and the only position that is unfilled for the moment is that of a tutor. Currently Sebastian is doubling as a tutor and a butler, but perhaps you can take over some of his tasks."

"That should not be a problem, though I am sure that your butler is an acceptable tutor as well." he shrugged. "So I suppose you I should refer to you as Sebastian this time? Or would you prefer something else?" the angel snickered.

"Sebastian Michaelis, yes," The demon's lips quirked upwards.

"Michaelis? You chose Michaelis?" The angel nearly gaped at Ciel, ignoring Sebastian's smirk. The demon's last name had not been including in the briefing. Damn those clerks, he mentally cursed. It appears that the joke is on him this time around.

"He was the one who chose Michaelis as a last name, not me. Is there a problem?" Ciel raised an eyebrow at the angel's exaggerated reaction.

"Yes," the angel's face twisted into one of displeasure. At Ciel's inquiring gaze, he continued reluctantly. "It appears your demon stole my name."

There was a long silence in the hall.

"I beg your pardon?" Ciel asked hesitantly, not sure if he heard the angel correctly. Did he say his name was Michaelis?

"What kind of demon picks a name like Michaelis?" the angel sniffed haughtily.

"Then you are…?" Ciel's eyes widened as his brain rebooted.

"Michael, the archangel second only to God? Commander of the divine armies?" the angel, now identified as Michael, said sarcastically. "Well yes. What do you expect? Whoever summoned your butler was idiotic enough to pick Malphas of all demons, and the Fates demanded that someone of equal power be sent. There is no one of equivalent power to Malphas but me."

"You do flatter me so, Michael," Sebastian said smoothly, demonic eyes glowing with satisfaction and amusement.

"Don't give yourself too much credit, Malphas." Michael sniffed.

"And here I thought that true names were to be used in absolute secrecy," Sebastian rebutted.

"You know full and well that Michael is my title, not my name, just as Malphas is not yours." Michael replied.

Ciel merely watched the two in interest before clearing his throat. "You two are well acquainted?"

"Acquaintance would be putting it lightly, Young Master," Sebastian said smoothly. The angel bared his teeth at the butler.

"We have met before," Michael said. "On the battlefields," he added.

Sebastian inclined his head in agreement. More often than not, the two of them commanded the demonic and angelic armies- respectively- in their holy wars several centuries ago. It was rumored that Michael was already commander and child soldier as a mortal. Supposedly, he singlehandedly won a war and killed an immortal before he even turned twenty. Sebastian could care less about Michael's history as a mortal. Every time they met, they would both dole out their commands and clash against each other in battle. The angel was oddly fond of tearing out his spleen and kidneys- not that it mattered anyways since body parts regenerated in less than an hour.

As for him, it was practically a crime not to gouge out those brilliantly green eyes of his.

Ciel's curiosity was not satisfied, but he would have time to pry the story out of his two servants later. Perhaps he could request lessons regarding the supernatural world once Michael started teaching him. Surely, he would need the lesson in case he encounters other divine beings.

"I suppose that is a story for a different time. You still need an alias."

Michael frowned in contemplation.

"I suppose since Sebastian saw fit to borrow my name, it is only appropriate that I return the favor." Michael mused. "From this day on, you may call me Harrison Crowe, your new tutor."

Sebastian- or rather, Malphas- snorted.

"You find it quite funny, do you not, Butler Michaelis?" Harrison asked.

"As much as you do, Tutor Crowe," the demon replied smoothly.

"Explain?" Ciel half asked, half commanded.

"As I have told you, your butler's name is Malphas, the prince of hell. Since demons do not take the appearance of humans unless they have to, they usually appear as partially humanoid animals. In this case, Malphas' demon form is a crow." Michael explained.

"I see," Ciel said while appreciating the humor.

"I suppose I should add 'Young Master' to my previous statement?" Harrison asked.

"It would be appropriate," Ciel agreed, hardly believing that he had the prince of hell and the most powerful archangel in his employment. He knew that Sebastian was powerful, but the prince of hell?

"In that case, Sebastian, I trust that you will introduce Harrison to the other staff members- properly. Harrison, if possible, your lessons may start at your discretion. If there are any teaching aides that you require, you may speak to me."

"Of course, young master." The newly crowned Harrison smiled. "I suspect that it will not be a problem at all." After all, how do you illustrate the burning of Constantinople with chalk?

Mandy: This is yet another cross-over plot bunny that bit me a while ago. I will explain more about the system of Soul Guarding in later chapters along with how Harry came to be an angel. Yes, Harry kept his magic. Yes, he remembers his time as a human. Will Harry be overpowered? It's hard to say, but since he has to be equal to Sebastian in power, if Sebastian is overpowered, so is Harry.

The title "Midnight Rain" is inspired by the feeling of well, a quiet rainstorm at midnight (or more like two to three AM in the morning) when everyone is asleep, and the rain is just quietly falling. That sense of dark and quiet tranquility is what inspired me to write this story. I have no guarantees that it will be finished, but the over all plot will follow the manga. I didn't watch the anime, so as tempting as it is to add in a psychotic angel or two, I won't be doing that.

As my old readers know, I'm quite busy with real life, and I don't update often (if at all). Thus, please do not hurry me. I only write this down because a plot bunny bit me. I think I will try to continue this, but I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. Rather than let this rot in a forgotten folder somewhere, I decided to upload it.