J-C: Okay, so I've recently gotten into this anime and I absolutely LOVE IT! SebaCiel is my 2nd fav pairing of all time! *insert fangirl squeal*

~Sasuke~ Yea, so instead of updating her most popular fic, Broken, starring yours truly and the dobe...

Naruto: HEY!!!

~Sasuke~ She allowed the plot bunnies to control her and has decided to write this fic instead...

J-C: That's right and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Now, I'm SUPER excited about this fic and I wrote this chappie in about 3 days so I hope that it's good enough for whoever chooses to read it! So please enjoy my ficcie, One Hell of a Master!

Naruto: Wait J-C! You haven't done your disclaimer or warnings!

J-C: *sighs* Fine...Disclaimer and Warnings, YOU'RE ON!

Disclaimer: If I owned Kuroshitsuji...let's just say that it would definitely contain a lot more than just shounen-ai hints *wiggles eyes suggestively*

Warnings: Contains graphic stuff (blood, gore, etc) so definitely not for people with weak stomachs, and some slight OCCness (even though I worked super hard on not making anyone OCC). Also, this will be a YAOI fanfic, which means boyxboy love so if you aren't into that...well...why are you still here?

J-C: Also, thoughts look like that, XXX is a scene change, emphasis is like...this, and "regular conversation" looks like that! Alrighty, NOW enjoy my brand spankin' new ficcie, One Hell of a Master

One Hell of a Master

By: Junjou-Chan

Chapter 1: The Deal

It's so dark. I can't see anything; not even my hand that's directly in front of my face. How do I know my hand is in front of me? It's simple really…I just lifted my arm to see if there was any light in this darkness. But there isn't.

There hasn't been any light for so long…

The last light I saw before I was swallowed up into this darkness was the harsh light coupled with the scalding heat of fire. I know that it was a fire for I can recall the noxious smoke choking my lungs and causing tears to instantly well in my eyes. At that point, I had wanted to escape that light and had taken great comfort when a masked man had taken me away.

I wish more than anything that I was in that light again.

The place where I am currently located has absolutely no light. I can't see what's happening around me or what's being done to me. I know that there are others here but none are going through the torture that I have been experiencing for…

I'm not even sure how long I've been here…in this darkness. All I know is that I want to leave this place…or at least die. A few months, years? ago, I would've never even considered dying. I had lived such a humble life. I had a mother and father who had loved me dearly and we lived comfortably in our one-story home.

Ah, home.

I've lost the ability to remember its exact scent, but I know it was a very comforting and loving scent. I remember that we had a dog and he would always lick my face whenever I would return from school. I remember my father coming in from the field and rubbing my head lovingly with his earth-caked hand. My mother would always scold me for trying to steal little bites of food from whatever she was preparing, but she would always gather me in her arms and hold me close whenever she saw tears well in my eyes.

No one's here to wipe my tears away. But that's okay now for I believe I've lost the ability to cry. All I can do now is scream.

And wait for death.

XXX

Rain drops made little trails of water, almost like tears, down the cool glass surface of the window. A single candle lit the otherwise dark and drab room but that source of light was soon to be cut off as well.

"Master, are you ready to retire to your quarters?" called a polite voice from the other side of the door. A sigh could be heard from the person who was being asked about and the servant took the hint that the answer was yes. The door slowly opened and an elderly butler was revealed in the doorway to the depressing room. The butler took a step inside before taking a look around the room. The butler adjusted his spectacle before shaking his head with a resigned sigh.

"Master Michaelis, you really should try to liven up this room a bit. I can literally feel my mood drop the minute I step foot in this space," the butler commented disapprovingly. A chuckle could be heard coming from the chair that was currently facing away from the old butler and toward the dreary weather outside.

"Perfect. I wouldn't want this room to do anything but depress people. It makes doing business so much easier. Ne, Tanaka?" a charmingly deep voice replied.

Tanaka the butler sighed before shuffling toward the young man in the chair. The light from the candle he held wavered a bit as he placed it on the corner of the large oak desk. The man placed his hands behind his back before bowing slightly.

"Yes, Master Michaelis. Is there anything else you would like for me to do or get for you before I ready you for bed?" Tanaka continued. Another sigh was Tanaka's response as the large chair swiveled away from the window and toward the obedient servant. The dancing flame from the candle eerily illuminated the young man's unnaturally red eyes as he tiredly ran a gloved hand through his surprisingly messy and unkempt black hair. The young man sitting before Tanaka could be described as breathtakingly beautiful and many potential suitors (both female and shockingly male) hadn't missed the opportunity to point this fact out. The fact that his skin was unnaturally pale and his hair was as black as the midnight sky seemed to only contrast perfectly with the being also known as Sebastian Michaelis.

But those suitors also didn't realize that looks could be quite deceiving. Although Sebastian looked to be about the age of a healthy 25 year old male, in truth, the person lounging lazily in the red plush chair was actually much older than that. How could this be possible you inquire? The answer is quite simple.

Sebastian Michaelis was not human. Far from it actually.

He was a demon.

Now, based on what I described this demon as, you probably would've never guessed that he was a stereotypically evil and supernatural being. Perhaps the only thing that could possibly give away his true self were his unnaturally sharp canine teeth, but those barely showed for this "young man" barely smiled widely.

However, as Tanaka stood patiently in front of the demon, a smile that revealed the deadly looking teeth slowly spread onto his face. He pressed two gloved fingers to his forehead while leaning back in the oversized chair.

"Could you get me a new life please? Complete with not having to deal with worthless humans' day in and day out?" Sebastian asked with mock hope in his voice. The supernatural being knew the answer to this question without even having to ask. A small smile spread on the old man's wrinkled face before he bowed apologetically.

"You and I both know that isn't possible Master Michaelis," Tanaka replied good-naturedly. The demon revealing smile vanished from Sebastian's face and was replaced with a childish pout and crossed arms. Tanaka softly laughed at the much older man's behavior before going to stand behind the office chair. He reached behind the back of the chair and his old, skilled fingers began to gently knead the demon's shoulders. Sebastian released a pleased sigh and Tanaka continued the relaxing gesture as he worked the tension out of the pale man's body. A content silence settled over the two and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the old grandfather clock's ticking and the soft pitter patter of the rain drops on the window.

Without warning, the antique clock loudly proclaimed the hour, causing Tanaka to jump and come quite close to having a heart attack while Sebastian chuckled at the old man's reaction. Tanaka risked a glare at his master who merely waved at the old gentleman with a dismissive hand gesture.

"Ah, come now Tanaka. You know you would've laughed too if you could've saw your face as the clock chimed midnight," Sebastian said teasingly as an open-mouthed smirk developed on his perfectly shaped and unblemished face. Anger momentarily forgotten, the old butler began pushing the back of the large chair, causing the demon to chuckle once again.

"Tanaka, what's the rush all of a sudden?" Sebastian asked as he purposefully shifted his weight to make the task of moving the chair even more difficult. Tanaka grunted his disapproval at both his master's antics and the fact that the chair was not bending to his will as he unsuccessfully attempted to move his master out of his current position.

"You should not be up so late Master Michaelis. You have a full schedule tomorrow and you have not even completed the work from today so that makes your schedule even fuller than it already is!" Tanaka grunted desperately. The pale man rubbed a gloved hand under his chin in thought before turning to face the struggling butler.

"Ah ah ah, Tanaka. Fuller isn't a word," Sebastian said with slight disapproval as he wagged his index finger from side to side. Tanaka rolled his eyes with annoyance and continued in his fruitless attempt to move the unnaturally heavy person.

"Yes it is Master Michaelis. I am not one to make up words, nor condone lateness!" Tanaka added as he pointedly glared at the now pondering young man.

"Really? I never anticipated fuller being a word…does that mean funner is a word as well?" Sebastian asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side.

"Master Michaelis!" the elderly butler cried urgently, causing said Master to sigh before moving from his perch. The loss of weight caused the poor old butler to fly forward, nearly smashing his face on the imported oak floors, but a black boot clad foot stopped the painful collision from occurring. Sadly, Tanaka still got a mouthful of boot on account of the fact that his mouth had been open when he had fallen. The old butler resisted the urge to gag from the taste of leather and shoe polish as he shakily removed his mouth from the shoe and his body from the floor. Sebastian made his way to the large door as he tapped his chin with one finger.

"Alright, alright, Tanaka. I understand your point. But be sure to add finding where it states in writing that fuller is indeed a word and whether or not funner is considered a word as well to tomorrow's schedule," Sebastian yawned as he exited the dreary room, leaving poor Tanaka to try and catch his bearings. The elderly man fished a cleaning cloth out of the pocket of his black button-up jacket as he cleaned his glasses. He placed the pieces of glass firmly in place and exhaled a shaky breath.

"I really am getting too old for this job," the old butler commented wearily. As he began placing the various bits of furniture back into position and organized the miscellaneous pieces of paper that Sebastian had so kindly left for him to put into order on the old writing desk, he couldn't stop a slow smile from spreading on his face. He reached for the solitary candle and made his way to the doorway, but paused before exiting. He turned to glance back at where Sebastian had just been sitting moments ago and released a soft chuckle.

"And to think that that demon is older than me!" Tanaka said wistfully as he closed the heavy office door.

Little did Tanaka know, if he had spent just one more second near Sebastian's work area, maybe he would've noticed the lone horse making its way down the cobblestone pathway.

Maybe not.

XXX

The last thing I remember was the feeling of coldness and mind-numbing pain.

And of course, the last thing I saw was darkness.

XXX

"OIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! Master Michaelis!!!!!!" a loud voice called from down the dark hallway. Sebastian swiftly side-stepped and avoided the collision with the orange and yellow blurs that raced past. A loud crash could be heard from the end of the hallway and Sebastian sighed and rubbed his temples with the tips of his fingers as he walked in the direction the blurs had flown to.

"Must you two behave this way, every time you see me?" Sebastian asked tiredly as he took in the two tangled lumps of people covered in metal from the now destroyed knight's armor. A boy with orange hair grinned happily up at the annoyed demon while the blond-haired man merely huffed and turned his head to the side to face his companion.

"I told you he wouldn't like that kind of greeting Finny. But did you listen to good ol' Bard? Noooooooooooooo," Bard drawled and Finny shot him an apologetic look complete with tears as he clasped his hands in front of his face.

"I'm soooooo sorry Bard! I thought that maybe Master Michaelis would come around to liking our greeting…but I guess I was wrong again," Finny finished dejectedly. Sebastian sighed at the younger boy's theatrics as Bard awkwardly tried to comfort the now depressed gardener.

"Now that you two have somewhat greeted me, I have something that I would like to ask," Sebastian cut in as his one eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Even though the demon had all the time in the world, ironically, he hated wasting it. He preferred to have everything run smoothly and precisely on a detailed schedule and he absolutely couldn't stand for events or people wasting his precious time.

Finny and Bard both looked up at their master; Finny with a look of hope and admiration and Bard with a look of WTF and why am I still here?

"Would you two care to tell me why exactly you are wandering the hallways at this time of night? Shouldn't you mortals be asleep now?" Sebastian added distastefully. Bard winced at the insult but Finny completely ignored the second comment and leaped from his position on the ground, causing the various pieces of the knight's armor to fly in several directions. Lucky for both Finny and Sebastian, none of those heavy metal pieces touched the immaculate demon.

"Yes Master Michaelis! We're just patrolling the grounds one last time just to make sure that there aren't any intruders or thieves around!" Finny replied enthusiastically. Bard nodded his agreement as he moved from his position on the floor to stand next to his fellow servant.

"But what about you Master Michaelis? Why aren't you asleep at this hour? Don't immortals need their beauty rest?" Bard asked sarcastically. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the disrespectful tone of the cook's voice before chuckling darkly. Both Finny and Bard simultaneously shivered at the sound demon's chuckle.

"You both know that an immortal, let alone a demon, doesn't require something so fruitless and… time-consuming as sleep," he answered darkly. Bard gulped and mumbled an apology but Finny snapped his fingers as an idea popped into his head.

"You may not need sleep Master Michaelis, but you should rest!" he declared with a wide smile. Bard had a face-palm moment while Sebastian merely shook his head. Sebastian sighed as he saw the red-headed boy's hurt expression and a grimace flashed on his face before being quickly replaced with a smile.

"You're right Finnian. I shall follow your advice and go…rest now," Sebastian said smoothly as he turned on his heel and made his way down the dark hallway. Finny blinked at Sebastian's reaction to his suggestion and Bard merely groaned and rubbed the new bump that had formed on the back of his head.

"Master Michaelis!" a scratchy voice suddenly yelled from farther down the hallway. Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as a young maid came darting the hallway. Bard and Finny turned around to see what all the commotion was about. Maylene the maid was running straight toward the demon when she suddenly stepped on the loose shoelace of her boots. She shrieked and wildly flailed her arms as she tried to stop herself from falling. Her impact was cushioned by a strong chest and she blushed nearly purple when she realized that she had been caught in Sebastian's arms. Maylene looked up and locked eyes with Sebastian, causing her blush to darken to an even darker shade of purple.

"You really should be more careful Maylene. You might cause great harm to yourself or the people around you," Sebastian commented as he helped the girl back onto her feet. Maylene nodded so fast that Bard and Finny simultaneously thought that her head might pop off.

"Y-Y-Ye-Ye-Yes M-M-Master Michaelis! P-P-Please forgive m-my clumsiness!" Maylene stammered nervously. She was still trying to get over the fact that she had just been touched by Sebastian. Sebastian continued to stare at the girl with a question in his eyes as Maylene stammered unnecessary apologies.

"Maylene," Sebastian cut in sharply but with a hint of kindness. Maylene instantly snapped her mouth shut and stammered out a quick sorry before clearing her throat.

"Right Master Michaelis. There's someone at the door," Maylene said with a hint of urgency. Bard and Finny exchanged a confused look at one another and Sebastian frowned slightly.

"A person you say?" Sebastian asked noncommittally. Maylene nodded once in confirmation and Sebastian raised an eyebrow. He reached into the pocket of his black vest and pulled out his pocket watch.

"At this time of night?" Sebastian inquired with a hint of interest. It was very rare for someone to visit the Michaelis manor at nearly one in the morning. This piqued Sebastian's interest for a moment.

"Unless this person has a just reason for calling on me at this time of night, tell them to come back at a more suitable time tomorrow morning and I will try to see if I can see to their needs," Sebastian told Maylene with a formal tone. The supernatural being began to walk past the panting maid when he suddenly felt someone grip his arm. His eyes widened and he turned to look at Maylene with surprise clearly present on his pale face. Bard and Finny watched open-mouthed as the normally shy and clumsy maid grabbed their master's arm with a vice-like grip. Sebastian looked into the maid's eyes and saw nothing but determination and slight panic.

"I really think you should see this person right at this moment Master Michaelis," Maylene said with a hint of hysteria. Sebastian resumed his normal mask of cool indifference and began to pull his arm out of the younger girl's grip. He frowned when he found that the girl wasn't letting up. He opened his mouth to order her to release him but she cut him off.

"It's an emergency Master!"

XXX

Sebastian and Maylene made their way down the long staircase accompanied by Bard and Finny. The two male servants couldn't resist the urge to follow the two when they had witnessed one of the rare scenes of a servant disobeying a master. This person clearly had to be someone of importance for Maylene to cross such a line. Sebastian could've chosen to blow off Maylene's words and continue on his "merry" way, but something told him that something interesting could occur from meeting this person. Call it demon's intuition, but he just couldn't resist the opportunity to possibly have something interesting happen for once.

Maylene had her hands twisted in her white apron and she bit her bottom lip as she led the three men towards the front door. Sebastian didn't even have to look at the woman to know that she was clearly nervous and slightly fearful of whatever was on the other side of the front door. He could just feel her emotions radiating off of her.

Another benefit of being a demon.

At the bottom of the stairway, Sebastian felt Maylene shaking beside him and this only served to heighten his interest in whoever was present at the front door. By this point, the rain had shifted to a full blown storm and the door was rattling from the force of the wind. The faint rumble of thunder was heard by only Sebastian as the four made their way to the entrance to the Michaelis manor. Maylene gulped and turned to face her fellow servants and Sebastian. Sebastian raised an eyebrow and Bard and Finny exchanged a bewildered glance at each other.

"U-Um, I'm not sure how I should present him to you," Maylene said unsurely and Sebastian resisted the urge to laugh at the bumbling maid.

"Just open the door for me Maylene so that I may see who is calling on me at this time of night and in this sort of weather," Sebastian requested with a hint of sweetness. The look on Sebastian's face caused Maylene to blush and she quickly nodded her head in understanding. She turned away from the demon and took a deep breath as she touched the door handle. She slowly turned the knob and paused again, trying to ready herself and give time for her companions to prepare themselves as well. With an almost inaudible gulp, Maylene suddenly threw open the door. At the exact moment the door unlatched and revealed the person on the doorstep, the harsh flash of a lightning bolt blinded the three servants. Sebastian's eyes instantly adjusted to the sudden addition of light so he was technically the first one to see the figure on the doorstep. Sebastian's eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the anonymous guest.

For one thing, the person was not standing at his doorstep, he was lying there. Another thing, the boy was dead.

A strangled cry could be heard from Finny and Bard turned his head away from the gruesome sight. Maylene covered her face in her hands and released a sob as Sebastian calmly took in the appearance of the dead boy.

The boy's body was twisted in a way that suggested that his back was broken and Sebastian could see the bones from his skeletal system through the several holes in the ripped material that the demon assumed were his clothes. His legs and arms were covered with several gashes and bruises and Sebastian noted that some of those wounds were still bleeding. But perhaps the most haunting thing about the body on the doorstep, besides the overwhelming amount of blood pooling around the broken body, was the facial expression on the dead boy's face. The demon's eyes widened slightly when he saw the unmistakable look of complete calm and even a hint of happiness forever fixed on the body's face. It was almost as if this boy was happy that he was dead.

The boy would've been considered beautiful if not for the several scratches and bruises that covered his otherwise pale and unblemished face. Sebastian's mouth twitched as he saw that there was a hole in the side of the boy's face, revealing a row of smashed teeth.

Sebastian took a step towards the boy's body and the three servants could only watch in awe and amazement as their master made his way over to the horribly disfigured body. Sebastian kneeled beside the corpse and reached out a hand to touch the side of the boy's face that didn't have the hole present.

"No master! Don't touch it! You'll become dirty!" Finny suddenly screamed, causing both of his fellow servants to jump with fright and shock. Sebastian's hand jerked to a stop but a calm expression found its way onto his face. He looked into Finny's eyes and managed a small smirk at the gardener's statement.

"Me? Become dirty from touching this dead human? You amuse me Finnian," Sebastian said without a hint of amusement present in his cold voice. Finny bowed his head in shame and Bard took a final look at the boy's body before looking at the demon bent next to him.

"You really should come inside Master Michaelis. You may catch a cold," he suggested as the demon continued to be drenched by the torrents of rain. Bard's words were either completely ignored or unheard by Sebastian for now he had fixed his gaze on the boy's exposed chest. His mouth twitched as the saw the obvious stab wound that had been directed to hit dead into the boy's heart, instantly killing him. Sebastian's red eyes traveled up to the boy's thin neck, where he could clearly see the still red marks of a man's fingers. His eyes continued to roam the abused and broken body and his eyes flickered to the boy's raped entrance before he glanced at the side of the boy's head and found a cracked skull that was covered by the corpse's dark black hair. His unnaturally colored eyes finally came to rest on the boy's haunting face. The boy's cheekbones were clearly seen and gave him the appearance of someone who had been starved for quite a long time. The boy's lips were very pale and were turning a bruised blue color. They were severely cracked and there was a thin path of blood still running from between the dry lips. Sebastian closed his eyes and slowly stood up from his kneeling position, but not before he ran the back of his gloved fingers across the bruised and cold cheek of the corpse.

Tears were present in all three of the servant's eyes and Sebastian inwardly mocked the human's weakness. Clearly, they had never seen a dead body before but to Sebastian, it was like looking at another person walking down the street. In fact, before he had ever made contact with any humans in his current form, he probably would've been the one to cause such a death to a mere mortal.

"From what I can see, which is quite a lot, this boy hasn't been dead for long. He was clearly starved and could've possibly died from dehydration," Sebastian said without a hint of emotion. A confused expression flashed across Maylene, Finny, and Bard's faces and Sebastian resisted the urge to slap some sense into all three of his servants.

"Dehydration means a lack of water. Humans cannot live without this for long periods of time. Now, he was beaten quite recently and it seems that he has been receiving beatings for quite a while. He also has been raped frequently and recently." Ignoring the servant's gasping, Sebastian continued without pause as his eyes took in the appearance of the dead body, piecing together the boy's final moments.

"After being raped for the umpteenth time, he was probably trying to get away and had his head smashed against a hard surface, causing him to have a fractured skull. This probably stunned and paralyzed the boy momentarily, allowing his killer or killers, the opportunity to go for a second round," Sebastian paused for a breath and took in the boy's bruised wrists and ankles, suggesting that he had been held down.

"Finally bored with their little game with this victim, they began to strangle him. Deciding that he wasn't dying fast enough and he could possibly live even after having his windpipe crushed, his killer or killers, decided to break his back by also slamming it against the edge of a hard surface, like a stone table for example," Sebastian said as if telling the weather. His eyes had wandered down to the fatal wound on the boy's chest that had clearly ended his life. Finny and Maylene were both reduced to tears at this point and Bard was fighting to prevent any tears from escaping his tear-filled eyes.

"So, in order to quickly end his torturous life, the killer plunged a large knife into his chest, aiming for his heart, in order to kill hi-" Sebastian instantly cut off his speech and his eyes widened in complete surprise and amazement. The three servants thought that perhaps the horror of the boy's killing was finally getting to the demon but they were way off the mark.

It had been very weak, and very shallow, but Sebastian swore that he saw the boy's chest rise and fall. Attempting to confirm what he had just saw, Sebastian instantly got down on one knee and placed two gloved fingers to the boy's bruised neck and placed his lips directly over the boy's own, suggesting that he was about to kiss him.

There was no denying it.

"He's alive," Sebastian said with confidence. Maylene and Finny's eyes widened to comic proportions and Bard dropped the cigarette that he was about to smoke.

"I-Impossible! You said so yourself Master Michaelis that he was stabbed directly in the heart!" Bard loudly protested. Maylene and Finny nodded their heads in agreement and Sebastian's eyes narrowed at the trio.

"He still has a very faint and fleeting pulse and I just witnessed and felt him breathe. Are you calling me a liar Bardaroy?" Sebastian asked dangerously. Bard gulped and rubbed the back of his head in a nervous gesture.

"I would never doubt your word Master. But it's impossible for someone to survive the ordeal that that boy has went through," Bard replied anxiously. Sebastian looked down at what he thought was a corpse before locking eyes with Bard.

"I agree with you Bardaroy. I was merely going to categorize this as another death threat on my life, have Finnian bury him somewhere, and return inside to have a warm bath. However, this boy has proven both of us wrong. He is still alive, barely," Sebastian added. Footsteps could be heard coming from the staircase and the three servants plus Sebastian looked as Tanaka made his way down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and called out to Sebastian.

"Master Michaelis. If you will forgive me for asking this question, but what do you intend to do with the knowledge that you have just learned?" Tanaka asked respectfully. Bard, Maylene, and Finny turned back to look at their Master. Sebastian ran a hand through his wet hair and glanced down at the still alive boy at his feet. He got back into a standing position and looked at his servants with no expression present on his face.

"Absolutely nothing," he said with a deceivingly pleasant smirk on his face. Maylene and Finny's eyes both widened in shock and Bard narrowed his eyes at the demon while Tanaka merely wiped off his glasses. He readjusted them on the bridge of his nose and locked eyes with his master.

"Is that what you truly wish Master? It seems like such a shame to waste such a perfectly corrupted soul. And he looks as if he was such a beautiful boy too," Tanaka commented sadly as he slowly shook his head. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly at Tanaka's words and he looked down at the rain drenched boy. The demon tried to imagine the boy without all the gruesome wounds and bruises and found that what the butler said could possibly be true. Beauty aside, what had really caught Sebastian's attention was the fact that the butler had mentioned the boy's soul.

Ah, souls.

Sebastian hadn't had a quality soul in such a long time. His mouth watered at the prospect of finally being able to actually eat real food. Sure, the mortals fed him what they considered food, but what the demon truly thirsted and hungered for were souls. Not just any soul, but a thoroughly corrupted one. A corrupted soul was like a feast in a demon's eyes. To be able to eat one after being denied for so long seemed truly wonderful. However, there were certain procedures that a proper demon has to follow and Sebastian wasn't sure if it was worth it.

While the demon was having his own private debate with himself, Tanaka and the servants was all thinking of a way to save the astonishing boy's life. Each individual mind went through all the possible routes to save his life and each servant ended up agreeing with the exact same thought. The servants locked eyes with each other and the trio locked eyes with Tanaka, giving him the go ahead.

"Master Michaelis, perhaps you should bring in the boy and at least allow him the dignity of dying on a bed," Tanaka remarked tactfully and Sebastian's head snapped up as he was jerked out of his mental thought process. His eyes traveled back to the boy's face and he watched as a rain drop mixed with the blood on his face, giving the appearance that the boy was crying bloody tears. A small smirk developed on the demon's face.

"Ah, you are quite right Tanaka. Ready a bed for our…guest," Sebastian replied smoothly, causing Maylene, Finny, and Bard to breathe a sigh of relief. Tanaka placed a hand over his heart and bowed.

"Yes, my lord." Tanaka exited and made his way to one of the empty spare rooms while Bard, Finny, and Maylene followed behind him, leaving Sebastian and the broken boy alone on the doorstep. Sebastian sighed before tiredly smiling at the unconscious boy. He got down on his knee and gently scooped the boy up into his arms. He positioned the boy so that there wasn't too much pressure on his already broken back. In case he wanted to have the soul of this boy, he didn't want to accidentally split him completely in half. He shifted the boy's head so that it was resting against him and he firmly held the boy bridal style as he made his way to the room Tanaka was preparing.

"You really are causing a lot of trouble…but I guess you are bringing a little excitement into my otherwise drab life," Sebastian said to the barely alive boy. Compared to Sebastian, the boy was pretty much drowned in water and his dark hair seemed to be permanently attached to his sickly pale face. The blood from his body dripped onto the floor as Sebastian walked towards the room. The demon looked down at the boy's destroyed yet strangely peaceful face. Sebastian chuckled softly as he stopped outside the door to the hurriedly prepared room.

"I wonder if your soul is worth all the trouble."

XXX

"You can't be serious," Sebastian asked with a hint of surprise as he stared with an incredulous expression present on his face. Finny stared back with a defiant expression and both Bard and Maylene had looks of determination on their faces. Tanaka was the only servant that had an otherwise neutral expression in the whole room. Sebastian looked from the broken boy back to his servants and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Why are you three going so far for a complete, nearly dead, stranger?"

"Because no one should die like that Master Michaelis!" Finny instantly replied back. Bard suddenly stepped forward and locked eyes with Sebastian.

"As you know Master Michaelis, I fought in the army before I came to work for you. I've seen many of my fellow comrades and even close friends die from the shot of a bullet or the stab of a knife. At that point, I thought there was no crueler way for a human being to be killed than to be killed in war. But after hearing what you think may have happened to…to that boy…it's just not right not to let him live. To not let him have a second chance at life," Bard said passionately. An open-mouthed smirk developed on Sebastian's face and he released a short laugh.

"That, Bardaroy, is what you don't understand. If I choose to save this boy's life, he won't have a second chance at life. He will forever be bound to me. His body, his emotions, his mind, his soul…everything," Sebastian said. Maylene looked at the broken boy still bleeding on the white sheets and resisted the urge to cry. Tears wouldn't help when making a deal with the devil…or at least something close to the devil.

"But Master Michaelis, it wouldn't hurt to have another servant around the house! We will take care of him and we will teach him everything he needs to know!" Maylene reasoned desperately. Sebastian openly laughed at that statement.

"You three truly amaze me. You can barely perform your own tasks without messing up in some way. You would render this boy completely useless to me," Sebastian replied with a deceivingly sweet tone of voice. The three servants winced at Sebastian's words and hung their heads in shame and defeat. Tanaka cleared his throat and all eyes once again focused on the old butler.

"Master Michaelis, I will not lie to you. I am getting old. Every day that passes by brings me closer to my death. And with my…current situation, I am completely useless during the daytime hours. So perhaps taking that boy on as my replacement during the day, and perhaps later on when my time comes, would be in your best interest. I will teach him everything he needs to know about being a proper butler and servant and I will even go so far as to teach him subjects such as English, Math, and some of the fine arts so that he won't be a bumbling idiot in your presence," Tanaka bargained calmly. Sebastian rested his chin in the palm of his hand and sighed.

"You too Tanaka? And just when I thought that at least one of my servants would understand," Sebastian said with disappointment. Tanaka bowed before he continued to speak.

"I fully understand what will happen to that boy if you save his life and restore him to complete health. He will have to sign his soul over to you and when he dies, you will have possession of it. During his lifetime, if he is to have a lifetime, he will be owned by you and will be forced to do your bidding until the day he dies. He will have to serve you faithfully and loyally and will never be allowed to leave your side, not even when he dies," Tanaka said seriously. Sebastian crossed his arms in front of his chest and allowed his gaze to pass over all four of his servants.

"Do you understand what kind of deal you're making? You are pleading with me to have the right to sign over this boy's soul to me. If I were to save him and tell him exactly why his soul now belongs to a demon and who gave me the right to have control over his whole life, he will hate you for his entire life. Are you four really willing to accept the hate of one boy for ruining his life instead of just letting him die tonight?" Sebastian turned away from his servants and looked at the still bleeding body on the now stained red sheets. The eerily peaceful expression on the boy's face looked even more haunting from the dim light of the single candle by the bed.

"Yes, Master Michaelis. We can accept that that boy will hate us for what we are trying to do for him. I can accept the hate of another of my kind, but…I would hate myself for not attempting to save a child's life when I have the opportunity to do so. And to me, that's the worst kind of hate," Finny commented seriously. Sebastian turned away from the broken boy and turned back to face his loyal servants.

"Please Master Michaelis," Maylene threw in as a last ditch attempt. There was nothing more that the servants could say to try and change Sebastian's mind. A smile that showed the demon's animal-like teeth spread onto Sebastian's face and each servant had to resist the urge to shiver in fear. All of a sudden, the room's temperature dropped to near freezing and all light ceased to exist in the room. Maylene's sharp eyes caught the sight of black feathers descending to mask Sebastian and everything else in the room and a bone-chilling laugh suddenly filled the room.

"So, you really do wish to form a contract between this boy and I? Well, I accept the offering of this boy's soul. He will serve me faithfully and his body, mind, everything, now belongs to me in exchange for saving his life. You four, Tanaka, Maylene, Finnian, Bardaroy, are the replacement signers for this contract. On the day of his death, his soul will forever belong to me and he shall descend to Hell with me, with no chance of going to Heaven. While he's living, you four will have absolutely no say in what I do to him or how I treat him. If he comes to you covered in bruises and blood, you will not attempt to try and tell me I shouldn't beat him. You will only have a say in this boy's life when I say you may have a say or if he asks you about petty things. These are mine conditions for this contract. Now…Bardaroy, Finnian, Maylene, Tanaka. Do thine still wish to form this contract?" Sebastian's cold and fearful voice rang throughout the entire room. The four servants exchanged looks with one another and each one solemnly nodded their head.

"Yes, Master. Form the contract!" Tanaka replied. A dark laugh that instantly struck fear in the servants' hearts filled the darkened and chilled room. Black feathers raised up from the floor and came to develop around where Sebastian was previously standing in his human form. The only thing that could be seen behind the curtain of feathers was Sebastian's demon revealing smile.

J-C: There it is folks! My new ficcie! Soooooooo what did you guys think?! *looks with hope shining in eyes*

~Sasuke~ It was pretty dark...

J-C: AND?!?!

~Sasuke~ And what?

J-C: *falls out of chair anime style* What did YOU think Naruto?

Naruto: I want ramen-covered Sasuke...NOW!

~Sasuke~ WHAT?!?!?!

J-C: Argh, you guys are no help! Alrighty readers (do I even have readers O.O) I'm turning to you! I'm not sure if I should continue this ficcie so I would really appreciate if you could review this chappie! You can even flame cuz I'm really cold right now so they will only be used for heating purposes. ^^ But on the off chance that you guys REALLY like this ficcie, maybe you could tell other readers on this site about it...? This community really needs more love cuz this anime is so freaking awesome and I can't wait for the 2nd season! So I hope that I helped to add to the love and didn't take away from it! Of course, the only way I'll know is through reviews so plz REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Arigato gozaimasu (thank you very much) for reading my ficcie!

Ja ne for now! ^^