Ciel woke again to the sound of something he couldn't quite place, but knew he knew. Slowly, he pushed himself up on his arms, looking down at the demon he'd been resting against. Slowly, he retreated his limbs that had been sent out over Sebastian's body, and he sighed in his sleep as he let his arm fall away from Ciel's shoulders.

Ciel scooted himself to the edge of the bed gently, wary as he stepped to the ground. His ankle trembled, but in no way hurt, so he pushed himself to his feet slowly. He wobbled a bit. It felt like an entirely new leg he was trying to work with, and was stiff and unfamiliar.

He did his best to move silently, but in all honesty, he was learning how to use his leg for what felt like the first time, and he wobbled and tilted uncontrollably.

He held the post at the corner of the bed for stability, looking over to Sebastian nervously as he did.

He paused, interested in how the demon slept.

Sebastian seemed peaceful, calm, but like he could wake at any moment, only lightly resting. He certainly seemed less tired than he had when Ciel last saw him awake.

Again, Ciel heard that strange sound, some kind of scraping, or maybe sliding, and he turned away.

The room let back out into the long library, chairs and tables neatly arranged, and he slipped between them to the railed landing at the other end of the room in silence, descending the stairs that accompanied it.

At first it was too dark to discern anything, when Ciel let himself down to the bottom steps. It had let out into the empty room, the one with the oil on the floor, not the one with the throne, and as Ciel watched, a dim light drew closer.

From out of the darkness, Alois skated up to the stairs, cradling a cloth-covered ball of light. He seemed tired, weary, and shoved the cloth into Ciel's arms before withdrawing quickly. He was wearing his jacket properly, now, and the sleeves were stiff and unused to being worn.

"I never ended up getting you that light." He spoke hollowly, as if it could explain everything, before spinning elegantly and skating off into the darkness.

He came back before long, observing Ciel, who, still weak, had dropped himself until he was sitting on the third step, feeling the fabric that cradled the light.

"You could've just made one yourself, you know. It's why you're sent with pearls."

"What?" Ciel finally spoke, beginning to wonder if Alois knew why Ciel was so weak.

Alois looked at him quizzically, before reaching up into his own hair. He found a pearl and freed it, dropping it to level with Ciel's face.

"Press your mouth to it."

Ciel made to protest, but knew he would yield no answers simply by demanding them, so he leaned forward obediently and kissed the pearl in Alois' hand.

It was cool against his lips, but as his own heat touched it, it seemed to warm on its own, and as he kept his mouth pressed to it, found that it was suddenly expanding, growing, and was blinded as it began to glow in its own.

He gave a surprised, disturbed cry, leaning away and shielding his face nervously, but when he opened his eyes again, found that it had stopped growing as soon as he'd stopped touching it. Alois held a fist-sized ball that was glowing with a pure, strong white light, so overpowering that it hurt directly to look at. But Alois was staring into it apathetically, breathing deeply.

"I've never seen one so bright. No wonder Claude likes you better."

He heaved a heavy sigh, and dropped the ball of light.

It hit the oily ground with a resigned thunk, not bouncing or breaking.

"At least you're still alive. At first I thought he'd killed you."

Ciel stood again slowly, his full height shorter than Alois, but at an advantage with the stairs.

"'At least'?!"

Alois managed, and then, out of nowhere, he was screaming.

Ciel could barely translate what the angel was screaming at him, about how long he had belonged to Claude, about how Claude had never liked anyone else more, about how Claude didn't love him anymore, he only wanted Ciel, and Alois buckled, hitting his knees, his screams going hoarse, until he was just crying, sobbing, falling into the darkness on the floor.

There was a rush of cool air behind Ciel, and then Sebastian's hand was on his shoulder silently.

Alois didn't seem to notice or care, holding his head in his hands, dragging his hair into his face. He was still crying, shaking, but quieter, tremors upsetting his wingless form.

Ciel made to reach out to the other angel, but Sebastian's hold was stern, and he said to Ciel quietly,

"Let him be. You cannot help him, not now."

Sebastian's hand left his shoulder, and Ciel heard him ascending the steps behind him, but he stood where he was, watching Alois cry, until he had finally quieted. Staring at the ground in front of him, holding his shoulders, he croaked out a final warning.

"If Claude can't have you, he won't stop until nobody can."

Alois shuddered in a breath, pushing himself to his feet. "It's the same thing he's done to me." He finished, turning away.

Ciel watched him stumble into the darkness until he could see him no longer, then leaned down and lifted the other ball of light, covering it with the cloth.