A/N: This is a oneshot of when Sebastian and Ciel first make the contract and their first few days together.

Screams. I'd been hearing their screams for a while now and I'd done nothing. That was all right, really, since I had screamed and they had done nothing. I had cried, screamed, begged them stop what they were doing, begged them to let me go…It was their turn to scream.

I was glad that all I could see right now was blackness. Before, I could see their bodies, all their blood, and the flames that were slowly overtaking everything. As the flames became larger and burned hotter, I drew away. I could not stand another fire.

"It is best if we do not stay here, young master," I heard as the sound of wings approached.

Before the sight could become too overwhelming, black feathers obscured my vision and surrounded me, blocking out everything else, even sound. All I could hear was the sound of feathers in the wind and all I could see were black feathers around me, hiding me and keeping me safe. I was cradled in feathers and carried away by them.

"Young master?"

My eyes opened. In front of me was…the Phantomhive manor. It was perfect in every detail...it looked as if it had never burned.

"The manor is rebuilt, my lord."

I turned my head and looked up into the strange eyes of the man who held me. He looked like my…my predecessor, as I'd ordered. I could see that he'd taken on the appearance that I'd ordered, and until the contract was fulfilled, I knew that he would be someone called Sebastian Michaelis, my butler and faithful servant.

It was true, then. I hadn't dreamed it. I'd made a contract with a demon. In exchange for my soul, he would follow every order I gave him.

That thought gave me immeasurable satisfaction. He would follow every order and protect me. He would not kill me for my soul until I had my revenge.

"It is a cold night, my lord," he said, heading for the front door. "We should get you inside where it's warm."

I let myself be carried inside and upstairs. It was surreal...the last time I'd seen these halls and these rooms, they'd been in flames. The demon knew which room had been mine, and he carried me inside and set me down on the bed, kneeling down so I could see his face.

"I've prepared a bath, my lord," he said. "After your recent experience, I thought you'd like one."

A bath. After a month of horrors, I needed a bath more than I needed anything else at the moment. "That would be perfect."

I knew that the room around me was real, and the hot bath I felt immersed in was real, but I still had trouble believing it was real. I sat in the tub like a doll and I didn't protest as Sebastian washed me. Feeling the water move around me as he scrubbed me and then feeling it poured over me to rinse was calming and I welcomed it. As if he knew that it was calming, he scrubbed me again and rinsed again. I could feel the tension leaving my body and for the first time in a month, I started to feel...well, not like myself, but I was beginning to feel better.

"There we are, young master," he said, pulling the plug out of the bottom of the tub to let the water drain away. A moment later he wrapped me up in a towel and began to rub me dry. His hands were gentle, as if he were afraid I would break. Rather than bothering me, I found the thought comforting. At least he knew that I was human and that I could be hurt if he wasn't careful. I'd seen his demon strength firsthand, and I knew he could shatter my bones just by touching me.

A nightshirt appeared from nowhere and he dressed me and carried me to bed. It looked just like my bed from before the fire and I welcomed the familiarity.

"Are you hungry, young master?"

I thought about his question. Was I? My captors had fed me, of course, but the food had always made me feel odd and sleepy and after a while I'd stopped eating. Once they'd noticed that I no longer touched my food, they'd stopped giving it to me. "I don't know."

"I know enough about humans to know that if they haven't eaten in a while, then they should eat," Sebastian said. "Let's start slowly, shall we?"

A cup of water appeared in his hands, and he helped me drink it slowly, sip by sip. Once the water was gone, two slices of toast with butter appeared. He fed me both slices bit by bit, breaking off a piece and holding it to my lips until I opened my mouth and took it. The taste of toasted fresh bread with warm butter was like ambrosia after a month of rough and scanty food.

"How is that, young master?" he asked as I swallowed the last of the toast.

"Good," I said, leaning back into the small pile of pillows behind me.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, holding the cup up to my lips again. "More water, my lord?"

After I'd swallowed another cupful of water, Sebastian set the cup aside and pulled out an apple and a small knife. I heard him slice into the apple and a moment later he held a wafer-thin slice of the fruit up to my lips. "I shall trouble you to eat just this much more, my lord," he said.

Slice by slice, he fed me the apple and the sweetness of it filled my senses. Five slices into the apple I found myself shaking. One of the things I'd wished for during my captivity was a cool, crisp apple...

"It is all right, Bocchan," Sebastian said, setting the apple and knife aside and taking a seat beside me on the bed. "Your tormentors are not here."

"I know they're not," I said crossly. "I don't know what's the matter with me."

"You have come through a difficult experience and a great deal has changed in your life in a very short time," he said calmly. "That will take some getting used to."

Thankfully, he did not try to comfort me the way some might try to comfort a child. Instead, he waited for me to grapple with my feelings and to get myself under control. Once I stopped shaking and he saw me relax, he continued to feed me. Within ten minutes, I had swallowed the last of the apple and I was calmer.

To my amazement, he pressed back on my shoulders until I was prone and he pulled the blanket up toward my chin. My own parents had put me to bed in such a way many times, practically every night, and I was amazed that a demon knew how to do that. "How...?" I trailed off, not even sure what I wanted to ask him.

He waited.

"How did you know how to...put me to bed? How do you know how to take care of me?"

"I have lived a long time, and humans are interesting," he said. "I've observed them ever since they first piqued my interest. During my observations, I've seen humans caring for their children. I've simply been doing what I observed."

"I see." I should have thought of that, but then, a new thought occurred to me. "Do demons like you have parents the same way humans do?"

He smiled. "A question like that is why I find humans so interesting! Do you know, young master, that you are not only the youngest master I've ever had, but the first to ask me such a question?"

I shook my head.

"You are quite an interesting master," he said. "I think I shall enjoy serving you. As for your question, we have parents, but they are not like human parents. For a demon, a parent is someone who gives you life, not someone who protects, nurtures, or teaches you. You must learn to survive and thrive on your own."

"That sounds lonely," I said, surprising myself.

"We do not feel loneliness the way a human would," he said. "So, it rarely troubles us."

"Do you have emotions?"

He smiled again. "Yes, but they are not human emotions. Oh, we have the full range of feelings, the same way a human has the full range of feelings, but we experience them in our own way."

I accepted that. I wasn't sure if he could explain it any better than that, so I let it go.

"You should sleep now, young master," Sebastian said, picking up the candle that burned on my bedside table.

"No," I said, immediately sitting up. I knew that as soon as I slept, I would have nightmares, and I'd just woken up from a living one. I didn't want to dream one, as well.

"You need rest, Bocchan," he said. "You are exhausted."

"I feel as if I haven't slept for a month," I confessed. "Every time I slept in that place, something would happen to wake me, and I know I slept earlier today, but I kept seeing them..."

"That can hardly have been restful," he said. "I will stay until you are asleep."

I stared at him. How did he know what I wanted before I even knew what I wanted? "You will?"

"I will remain by your side always, Bocchan," Sebastian said. "You have given me more amusement in a day than I've had in a century. You are a very interesting master, and if it pleases you to have me remain with you until you are asleep, then I shall do so."

"I hadn't thought a demon would care about something like this," I said.

"We often surprise ourselves," Sebastian told me. "We have our reasons for what we do in the end, young master. If you like, I could even tell you a story to help you sleep, or sing you a lullaby. I've heard many."

"Now you're being ridiculous," I snapped, but then I hesitated. Would he be angry with me for snapping?

"Oh, but I'm not, Bocchan," he said kindly. He sounded almost fond of me, which was something that was surprising. "I've had several masters who enjoyed hearing my stories, and more than one would listen to me sing when they could not sleep."

"Can a demon story or song keep nightmares away?"

"Sadly, no," he admitted. "However, I can make you sleep without dreams. Your sleep will be deep and restful, and you will wake in the morning refreshed. All I would have to do is place a hand on your head and will you into sleep. Would you like me to do that?"

A sleep without dreams sounded perfect, but I didn't want him to leave me alone once I was asleep, either. "Will you stay with me while I'm asleep?"

He smiled again. "If that is your wish, then I will be glad to."

"Please," I said, settling back into the pillows.

"Then close your eyes, young master," he said, reaching forward with his hand and placing it on my forehead. "And sleep."

My eyes closed of their own accord, and I slept.

"Bocchan, it is time to wake up," I heard.

My eyes opened. As Sebastian had said, my sleep had been without dreams and I felt refreshed.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Very well," I admitted, sitting up.

"I have brought your breakfast," he said, setting a tray across my lap. "I thought it would be restful for you if had it in bed this morning. Also, I've located Mr. Tanaka, as you ordered. He is in the kitchen, drinking tea."

"Where did you find him?" I asked. I had been worried about our butler...

"He was in the gatehouse. From what I saw on the table, he's been writing to various places, trying to find you. However, I told him that you are here and well and that you will come downstairs later to see him. I think he needs some time to get himself under control. He was quite relieved to hear that you are all right."

"I'm glad that he's all right, too," I said, turning my attention to the tray in front of me. There was toast with butter, a glass of water, a sliced apple, and some grapes. Aside from the grapes, the meal was virtually identical to what I'd been fed the night before. An unpleasant suspicion cropped up in my mind. "Sebastian, do you know how to cook?"

"It was not something I was required to do with previous masters," he admitted. "However, I am sure that I will manage. There are books on cooking in the library and in the kitchen."

I hoped he was a fast reader and made a start on the toast. "Today you'll have to arrange for my...my predecessors' tailor to come out to the house and make me some new clothes. All I have to wear are this nightshirt and the clothes I was wearing last night." I was reluctant to put them on, but it was better than staying in a nightshirt all day. "Come to think of it, where did this nightshirt come from?" It was not one I remembered, so where had it come from?

"I borrowed it for you," Sebastian said evenly. "I shall clean it today and take it back where it belongs tonight. I have already sent to London for some items that are ready-made, but they won't be here until this afternoon. Until then, we'll have to make do."

"Quite," I said, taking a sip of water.

Breakfast didn't take me long and because I wanted one, I had another hot bath. I soaked for a long time in the tub and then allowed Sebastian to wash and dress me. I went to the kitchen, saw Tanaka, and spent a few moments fending off a hug. I couldn't believe that he'd lost his composure so much! He really had been worried!

"This is Sebastian, Tanaka," I said, introducing my new butler. "I've hired him as a butler, but I would like you to stay on to advise him from time to time."

All Tanaka could do was shake my hand and give me a weepy smile. Adroitly Sebastian managed to get him to go back to his tea so I could go back upstairs.

Sebastian and I were in the front parlor when my aunt, Madame Red arrived. We heard her carriage pull up, her running through the house, and crashing through the doors into the room where we were. She stared first at me, then at Sebastian, and then back at me before running at me and throwing her arms around me. She wept and cried how happy she was to see me, but I could tell that the changes in me surprised her. She tried to insist on examining me to make sure I was all right, but somehow, Sebastian managed to convince her that I was fine. She left once she was certain I was all right and that I wasn't going to talk about what had happened to me.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair once she was gone. "That was awkward."

"She was worried about you, young master."

"Oh, I know, but I would prefer not to have her know what has happened to me."

"Yes, my lord. If you would care to go to the dining room, lunch has been prepared."

I was hungry, so I went with him willingly. Somehow during the morning, Sebastian had managed to make lunch. I sat down at the head of the table and he set a meal in front of me, which looked delicious. I took a large bite and...and I wished I hadn't. I managed to swallow it, but the taste, for some reason, made me so angry that I threw the plate at Sebastian's face!

"You managed to make it look like real food, but taste is another matter," I said flatly.

"My apologies, young master," he said. Amazingly, even with food dripping down his face, his expression didn't change. "I shall see to this matter at once." He bowed and left the dining room.

"Stupid demon," I muttered. Still, I was surprised that he hadn't become angry. Any human would have been angry at having a plate of food thrown at them, but he didn't seem angry. Perhaps this was his demon emotions he'd mentioned? The thing that surprised me more was my behavior. I had never, in all my life, treated anyone so rudely before. My parents would have never allowed it, and I wasn't inclined to behave that way in the first place.

Your parents are dead, I reminded myself. They died in the fire. It's possible that someone murdered them and had you sold to those people who tormented you. You must get revenge for yourself. From now on, you are the head of the family. It is all up to you.

Yes, it was up to me. That meant I would learn a great deal about life and the world around me that I would not like. It meant that I would have to make hard decisions, decisions that I wouldn't have considered making before the fire. I would have to do what it took to restore whatever honor I could and to see to my revenge. I couldn't behave in a way that would let people think I was vulnerable. I had to make them think that if someone struck against me, then I would strike back.

It felt as if something inside my head slid into place. I had to be the Master of Phantomhive and not Ciel. I was no longer just Ciel, I was Ciel Phantomhive, head of the House of Phantomhive. Like my father, I'd inherited a legacy, one that I had no choice in taking up.

I was the Master of Phantomhive, Ciel Phantomhive, the head of the House of Phantomhive, and the Queen's Guard Dog.

Sebastian's Thoughts:

I never thought I would serve such a very small master, but here I am. In exchange for my service and protection, I will receive his soul once he has gotten his revenge.

This should be interesting.

He is so small! When I look at him, he seems so tiny in comparison to me! With a brush of my fingers, I could crush him. Not that I would. Oh, no. His soul is too tantalizing to waste.

He's looking around now and seeing the carnage I caused in response to his order. If he cannot bear seeing the aftermath of his orders, then he shouldn't give them. Really, he seems almost lost in what he's seeing. What? Burn this place? Well, if that's what he wants...

Perhaps I should have warned him to hide his eyes so he wouldn't see the flames. After all, hadn't he lost his parents in a fire? He seems paralyzed. With a sigh, I wrap my wings around him so he can no longer see, and the two of us leave. He's nestled in my wings, close to my chest, almost asleep. Wait, he has gone to sleep. Hmm. His recent experiences must have exhausted him.

We arrive at the ruins of the Phantomhive manor. Yes, there was a fire here. He wishes me to rebuild it but to leave the present ruins where they are...Ah. I know.

Within very little time the new house is built and the ruins are still where they should be. The house is perfect in every detail, and suddenly I am impatient for my young master to see my work. Odd, I can't exactly remember wanting a master to approve of my work before. It must be because he's so small, although why that should make a difference is beyond me.

He is very quiet when he wakes and looks at the house. Very, very quiet. He stares at it and then looks up at me, as if uncertain of what he's seeing, but then he remembers who I am. Yes, I am a demon, and we do have a contract, young master. Ah, those eyes. Your normal human eye, and the one with the mark of our contract on it. I am sorry for the pain that caused you, young master, but it was necessary. Because of that, I shall always be able to find you, so I will always be able to protect you...and I will not lose track of my prey.

He is still quiet as I carry him inside and upstairs and as I begin to do what I'd seen countless humans do for their children. I bathe him and he seems to relax in the water, as if the water is able to wash away all he'd experienced this past month. Seeing that he enjoys it, I wash him again before wrapping him up in a towel and dressing him. I can practically smell the exhaustion on him, and yet, he's trying to stay awake. That won't do. That won't do at all.

He's reluctant to sleep and he has very good reasons. Still, sleep is a necessary human thing. For demons, it is a luxury that is enjoyed from time to time, but for humans, it is needed. I do what I can to persuade him to sleep, but his questions surprise me. I had never been asked how I knew things, if I had emotions, or if I had parents. For the majority of my masters, I'd simply been given orders, and that was all. However, this master, this young Ciel Phantomhive, had questions.

Most interesting.

In the end, he asks me to send him to sleep and to stay with him while he sleeps. I remain, and he wakes up once sometime around dawn, but then he falls back to sleep again. Since he has woken up, that means that I no longer have to stay by his side, and I am free to take care of a few tasks. I wash and dry his one set of clothes, order a few things from Harrods for him, arrange breakfast, and I go to see who it was prowling around in the gatehouse. Ah, it is the former butler, the man my young master had asked me to find. Mr. Tanaka. Hmm. He is also interesting. Well, I am happy enough to let him remain. I might have to consult him since I have very little idea what a butler does beyond the few things I've already done.

Mr. Tanaka is overjoyed that his young master is alive and well and he practically falls apart with relief. I leave him in the kitchen with enough tea to drown in, with the hope that eventually he will calm himself down.

When I wake my young master, he is content to have breakfast in bed and while he eats he gives me further orders. They are practical concerns, but for a human, sometimes the practical can be of paramount importance. He enjoys another bath and has me dress him before going to see Mr. Tanaka. His joy at seeing the young master is something I can't understand: the man already knows that the young master is all right, so why this display of emotion? I calm Mr. Tanaka and send him back to his tea so the young master can make a stealthy getaway upstairs. I can tell that Tanaka's strong reaction has unsettled him, and he needs some time to himself.

It is not to be, however. A woman arrives not long after that, a Madame Red, by name. She is my young master's aunt and she peppers him with questions about where he's been, what happened to him, and how he has hurt his eye. Ah, I see I shall have to get a proper patch for that eye, those bandages are unsettling to the people who knew him before.

In the odd moments between attending my master and his guest, I have managed to prepare lunch for him and I am quite proud of what I have managed to make. The dish looks just like the illustration in the book.

Apparently, I have gotten it wrong. It looks right, but the taste is all wrong. He throws his plate at me, I apologize, and I go to the kitchen to rectify my mistake. As I work, I reflect on the matter. I know nothing about the taste of human food-the only taste I know is the taste of human souls. How can I guess that the taste of the food isn't right? Ah, I shall have to learn, I suppose. I follow the instructions in the book, I check and double-check myself, and at the end of an hour I have something that looks like the illustration in the book but smells quite different from my previous attempt. Hmm.

I carry the new dish to my master and place it in front of him. "Perhaps this will be more to your liking, young master," I say. He is still sitting in his place at the table and I can tell that somehow, he is different. It seems as if he has come to be at peace with himself in the short time I've been gone.

I fight down a smile. That is good. That is very, very good.