Chapter 9

Sebastian always followed Ciel faithfully, even when they hit a rough patch, Sebastian cared too much about this human to simply let him slip away. After everything they had been through, he always managed to get his Master back, everything would simply return to normal in a matter of moments and the ordeal would be quickly forgotten… so why now of all times was he worried, obviously Ciel had lost his memories before but it was nothing compared to this, he knew this time there was actually a chance he'd loose him.

So as he kept following his angered and somewhat frightened Master down the lengthy corridors of his mansion, he knew loosing someone he actually cared about wasn't an option. Ciel occasionally turned his head slightly, Sebastian walked so quietly that half the time it seemed he wasn't being followed at all… but he was always there, with a worried expression. Angrily, Ciel turned which made Sebastian stop in his tracks and switched at him.

"Stop following me!" He screamed, after which he turned quickly on his feet and began running, but one thing Ciel didn't realize was that running from a demon was like running away from a cheetah, they were quick, agile and they always caught their prey. However, Sebastian had already decided that letting him get away with this much was okay, but he wasn't going to allow him to leave the mansion, not after what happened last time.

Ciel reached the hall in no time at all with his speed, he wasn't that far ahead of Sebastian but he did believe he could be outside and away from him in the next couple of seconds, but before Ciel was moments away from opening the door, Sebastian was already there… towering over him and glaring at him worriedly, he himself feeling pained for openly disobeying his Master, but what else could he do? Letting Ciel go outside would be the worst mistake he'd ever make. If the situation got a little out of hand, then he'd probably have no choice but to lock Ciel in his room until he had calmed down a little, much to his own disliking… but even so he would literally do whatever it takes to keep his Master safe.

Ciel almost skidded to stop himself from running into his butlers arms; his face was even redder with anger and disgust. "Move Sebastian!" He said, almost growling. Sebastian simply stared back at him and remained poise, unnerved and silent. Ciel still continued to push him aside and tug at his coat in order to move him away from the door, but Sebastian was weighing himself down, so even pulling, pushing, shoving… anything of the sort was pointless.

"Why do you want to leave Young Master? It's getting late and cold, where on earth do you want to go in such a hurry?" Sebastian questioned, it was pretty suspicious how his Master just up and decided to leave the mansion with no clear reason. If he wanted time apart from Sebastian he could have just sent him away somewhere or he himself could have roamed around the mansion, so there was obviously something he wanted to do whilst he was out… or, somewhere he wanted to go.

Ciel stepped back, taking a deep breath… he relaxed and focused himself "I just want some fresh air, I feel like I'm suffocating in this mansion…" He said. Sebastian was unsure whether to believe him, but still he remained silent and allowed him to continue.

"It's not like I'm running off, I will be coming back later… I just need some alone time, away from the mansion. Surely you should know that your master can make his own decisions without your input, right?"

Sebastian had pretty much been beaten, even though Ciel had lost his memory… he hadn't lost his confidence or wit. As he was about to give in and allow his master to leave, other worries came to mind, Claude and Alois mainly. He figured they might have had something to do with this, maybe they put him up to leaving. He did remember that incident early this morning when he had found Claude talking to Ciel in one of the empty rooms… he could have revealed everything to him.

But what if he was wrong and they hadn't put him up to this? What if they came across Ciel, alone and defenceless and they decided to kidnap him, or even worse… kill him? With that worry plaguing him further, Sebastian's mind was made up and he knew exactly what was right. Without hesitation he picked his master up and cradled him in his arms, pinning him against his chest and his head against his shoulder. Ciel was unable to conjure up a reply and instead struggled out of his tight grip, he even tried slapping him and pushing himself away from his butler's chest, but his grip was too strong and he remained stuck. "Let go of me!" He struggled continuously "I want to go out for a bit! Stop disobeying me!" He said. On a complete whim he bit Sebastian on the neck and quite hard too which shocked him enough to release him from his tight grip, giving Ciel the opportunity to escape and this time, he was successful. Sebastian inspected the damage and noticed that Ciel had managed to draw blood from the wound. With a sigh he turned around, looking towards the door which had been left open in Ciel's hasty escape. Quickly, he cleaned up the wound on his neck and made his way towards the door, intending to follow Ciel on his journey.

By now, Ciel had managed to reach the edge of the estate following the road; he stopped just at the gate and turned to check to see if Sebastian was following him, he was expecting the butler to show up at some point, but he was hoping that he would at least complete his task before that happens…

Feeling at little more at ease seeing that Sebastian hadn't found him or even caught up to him yet, he continued on down the road, running as quickly as he could and hoping that he would be able to find the place he was looking for. Although his memory was still pretty crap, he was relying on it quite a lot to help him find the Trancy Manor, although he was really hesitant about going, he needed more answers and he hoped Claude would be able to help, he did find it a little suspicious that he knew quite a lot about them, but he decided not to think too much into that, it wasn't his biggest concern.

He found himself eventually out of breath and coming to a stop at the end of the road where he had reached a crossroads leading in three other directions. Unsure of which way to go he thought hard and tried as best as he could to remember which way he had to go, at this point the sun was fully hidden beneath the hills and the atmosphere had turned cold, silent and eerie. None of this really mattered to him that much, not even the chance of him being mugged, raped or even kidnapped bothered him… he was just too keen on finding the Trancy Manor that all of his thought and concentration was fixed on finding the way in his memory.

He was also unaware of the fact that Sebastian was following him, hidden deep within the trees that surrounded the crossroads, he was unsure how to proceed, he could just bolt over and carry Ciel back to the mansion against his will… or he could just stick close by and see where he was going in such a hurry. The latter seemed more entertaining and certainly more interesting; something seemed strange so Sebastian was definitely keen on investigating. After a few minutes or so, Ciel finally made a move and turned right. Instantly, Sebastian knew where he was going, there was only one Manor at the end of that treacherous road… and that was the house of Trancy.

Even so, Sebastian followed him diligently, jumping through the trees and trying to stay one step behind him just to make sure he could follow Ciel exactly and watch out for any changes in directions as such, there's still a chance he may head somewhere else, so there was no point in rushing off to the Trancy Manor.

Along the way Ciel constantly stopped, at first Sebastian believed he was growing exhausted and dizzy from all the running, but eventually he begun to think worse… there was a theory that if someone ran continuously for a lengthy amount of time there was a chance they could vomit and it appeared that Ciel was heading that way. Each time he stopped he leaned over slightly and clawed at his stomach, he would cough violently and it would almost sound like he was about to puke up something other than his guts. Even after all this, it did not deter him as he still continued to run.

It wasn't long however, until Sebastian's theory was proved. Ciel collapsed to the floor, puking the contents of his stomach. He had seriously overexerted himself and Sebastian was considering leaving the secrecy of the trees to help him. But his own gut told him to hang tight and believe that his master would be okay, eventually… And with some luck, Ciel was back on his feet, wiping the sick away from his face and from then on walking to the Trancy Manor instead to avoid further problems.

Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief and continued following his master but in the sanctity and secrecy of the trees. It was some time before Ciel had reached the Trancy Manor, from forcing himself to remember he shivered just looking at the place, remembering that he had been here a few times in the past and had absolutely despised setting foot on the grounds, but even though he felt that, this time his naivety was at an all time high and he somehow felt he could trust Claude, he seemed intelligent and certainly knowledgeable of Sebastian's kind and in Ciel's time of need, he really needed someone who he could talk to. Ciel approached the Manor, heading over to the main doors at his usual pace. As he did so, he admired the gardens and fountains that were placed out front and certainly felt like he was back at his own Mansion, but he did admit that his was far more beautiful and less creepy.

Sebastian abruptly stopped and realized that if he proceeded any further towards the Manor, Claude would undoubtedly notice him, which would definitely make things worse. Even so, he knew Claude would even be able to sniff him out from the distance he was currently, but he knew he wouldn't make much of a big deal out of it, so long as he waited and allowed his Master to do as he pleased. He watched his Master so easily walk into Claude's trap, unsure of what to do he tried his best to wait patiently but every so often he found himself inching closer to the Manor. He was so eager to find out what Ciel was up to because he could actually feel what little of his life he had already, falling to pieces… for the first time in a hundreds of years, he was heartbroken and distraught.

Sebastian remained calm and vigilant however, deciding that he was more over intrigued by what his master was up to and why of all places did he decide to visit the Trancy household. At this point, Ciel had stopped at the main doors; he knocked a couple of times, almost too quietly for anyone to hear and waited for someone to answer. He didn't expect Claude to answer the door at first but it certainly made things easier for him when he opened the door a couple of seconds later.

"Ah, Ciel Phantomhive, are you here to see Master Trancy? It's a little late isn't it?" Claude questioned, he did seem quite unsurprised by his visit and he couldn't help but give a little wicked smirk, knowing that he had been able to lure Ciel in.

"No, I'm not. I'm here to see you, Claude" He replied simply, Claude looked around to make sure nobody was looking and invited him inside. While from afar Sebastian watched in grief and strain, his temptation to dash over and steal his Master back was far too great, but he held himself back as best he could.

Claude led Ciel down many corridors, passing various rooms and windows until they eventually reached Claude's room which Alois had gratefully given him, although sleep and other things valuable to humans were only served as pleasures for demons, so sleep was highly unnecessary. In the corner of his room by the window, were two comfy looking chairs, facing each other. Claude invited him to sit in the one whilst he sat in the other. With doing so, Sebastian could just about see what was going on and was even more angered by the fact that Ciel was actually talking to Claude and not to Alois.

"So, Ciel… Why exactly are you here?" Claude said, jumping straight into the conversation. He quickly came to realize Ciel's missing eye-patch, but none the less his eye still remained closed, feeling that having it open would let Sebastian know of his current location.

"I looked underneath my eye patch, you were right… about everything"

Claude smirked; he couldn't help but feel… proud? No, pleased was a better way to say it. Ciel loosing his memories was the best thing that could ever happen, in his opinion anyway. "I see…" He said, straightening himself up. "What else happened?"

"I argued with Sebastian, a lot… and ran away. He tried to stop me but there was no way that I was staying in that Mansion, I must admit, I will a little… scared" He said harshly.

"My, my… You've certainly changed since this morning haven't you? You were once defending him and now you're saying such horrid things about him, but I do suppose that seeing is believing and what better proof of that is your contract with him symbolized through that mark on your eye"

"Yeah… about that, I was wondering if there was anyway… well, anyway possible to break or revoke the contract?" Ciel replied, Claude had never heard such a question from a human as each one should know that there is no going back once it's done. He must of lost more than his memories, but common sense too. "I don't know if I can ever trust Sebastian now, since he failed to tell me the most important thing about us" Ciel added.

"Break the contract? Such a thing is unheard of, I doubt there is anyway to do so, even to revoke or cancel it is out of the question. When you make a contract with a demon there is no going back. I'm afraid your stuck with Sebastian until the contract is complete" Claude replied, he himself became angered by his own words, Sebastian did notdeserve Ciel in the slightest, he was weak and had even grown a strong attachment towards the child, Claude couldn't care less about Ciel… but his soul.. now that was a bigger, different story.

"What!" Ciel shouted "No way! I don't even remember why I even made the contract…" He said angrily, he started rubbing his head to try and remember some of the memories before his accident, but everything was coming up blank in that part. Claude was still in shock by his sudden outburst, was he really serious on breaking the contract and with a demon? That path is one way only, there really is no going back once you've made the decision, and everyone must live with that. But Claude also knew that Sebastian was now less keen on taking Ciel's soul, he had noticed it a while ago when Sebastian would appear more caring and over protective of his Master, it was so unheard of and by far a strange thing for a Demon to do and Claude was really unable to understand why he was so overprotective and caring of him. "Is there really no way to break it?" He pleaded, almost praying.

Claude sat back in the chair and thought… it didn't take him long to think up another brilliant scheme. "Well, you can't break your current contract with Sebastian, but there is no law against forming a contract with another demon. That way you could send the second demon after Sebastian, kill him and thus your contract would be cancelled"

"Another demon? But wouldn't the second demon come after my soul then?" He pondered.

"Not necessarily, if you found one that wasn't interested in the souls of children and whom actually cared about them instead you wouldn't have to worry at all." He replied, judging by the look on Ciel's face he appeared to be considering his theory, just one more push and he'd have him completely. "I know what Sebastian is like, we have met a few times in the past and he is rotten to the core, he even has a favourite typeof soul, young and innocent… and unable to defend themselves. "I think you dealt with something pretty bad in the past and he came after you, persuaded you to make a contract with him" Claude explained.

Ciel sighed and looked out the window, he was completely unsure what to do, he didn't want to have his soul taken by any demon. Even if there was a demon out there, somewhere who was willing to stay by his side and not take his soul, that's a lot to take on considering it's what they live for.

Claude noticed that Ciel had gone silent for quite sometime, he had been watching him stare out the window and felt something was wrong. "Don't consider doing anything drastic for now, if you try and run away Sebastian will hunt you down. He'll probably kill you right then and there and take your soul without even completing the contract"

"He can do that?" Ciel turned his head frantically, his mouth gaped open in shock "Oh god… he's going to take my soul!" He stood up, pacing around the room to try and ease his stress.

"Well you're welcome to stay here if you'd like? Or…" Claude paused; a new plan had come to fruition.

"What? Have you figured something out Claude?" Ciel stopped pacing and walked over.

"Listen, I've dealt with many demons in the past. Master Trancy at the moment is having a demon problem of his own and he asked me to protect him to my best extent. But I feel more and more demons are surrounding him, and they're much stronger too… I don't think I can protect him much longer" He looked away dramatically… "When Master Trancy leaves this world, I would very much love to serve as your butler, that way I can protect you from Sebastian. I could even try and get rid of him for you. You wouldn't have to enter into a second contract or anything rash like that. But that way I can keep an eye on both you and him and make sure you're safe in the comfort of your own home." He explained.

Ciel's face lit up like a kid in a candy store, he unexpectedly hugged Claude and pranced around the room "You'd really do that for me? Seriously?"

Claude smiled and nodded. "I know this may be hard for you to do, but you must return home and try to act naturally around Sebastian. He won't do anything to you unless you step out of line. Just give me a couple of days and I'll be round.

Ciel looked at him, pained with what he was being told to do... he was really unsure about going back, he had hoped that Claude would let him spend the night as well as becoming his butler. But he realized that maybe the intention was not give cause for concern to Sebastian and to pretend that everything was normal. "Okay…" he reluctantly replied.

"Don't worry…" Claude said. He stood up and ruffled Ciel's hair with his hand, comforting him in the best way possible. "I won't let anything happen to you. I actually owe you a lot, but now is not the time to discuss it" He said, looking at his watch and realizing how late it actually was. "I'll get the servants to bring a carriage round for you. They'll accompany you home to make sure you're safe as well. If anything happens, let me know as soon as possible"

Ciel nodded understandingly and followed Claude outside, where a carriage had quickly been brought round, accompanied by the triplets.

"One of them will sit with you inside the carriage, is that okay?" Claude asked.

Ciel nodded again and was helped inside the carriage. Once the door was closed they said their goodbyes to each other and the carriage left the manor, fading quickly as more distance grew between them.

Claude turned away and smirked demonically as he walked back towards the main doors, closing them slowly behind him…

"I'm in…"

Sorry, I'm such a dickhead.. I left if for so long and then when I decided to get some done today I realized that I didn't have much left to write for this chapter! xD … ah well.

Any thoughts?