The dark shadow of the great manor loomed over the small dark haired boy holding his mother's hand and a small suitcase. He looked uneasily at his mother who smiled at him.

"Don't be nervous dearest this is a fresh start for us" Rachel said ruffling her six year old son's hair. The young one looked at the manor…There where vines growing up the now almost grey brick walls… They frightened the blue eyed child….In his mind they where snakes…hideous green snakes ready to devour him the minute he entered the place. Softly Rachel urged him on. The great iron gates opened ….Onwards they went…Up the stone path to the front door of the house…Ciel gazed around in awe, the garden was incredibly large but the gray sky above had washed away the color from the fragrant freshness of flower beds, the dazzling green from lofty trees and the voices of tiny robins…huddling now in their nests frightened of the rain that was ready to fall from the sky. Ciel's thoughts were interrupted by his mother pulling him towards a tall man who stood proud and dark in the opening of the door.

Rachel smiled brightly when she saw him.

"You are finally here Rachel" The man said, his voice was smooth and deep. The blond woman rushed forward hugging the man.

"Oh Damian…" She said softly. He hugged her. "We will pass though this together my love, don't you fear" He said hugging her tightly.

The little one watched them…

"Mother?" He asked with his soft angel like voice. Rachel stopped hugging the man named Damian and run to Ciel.

"Damian this is my son Ciel Phantomhive" She said guiding the little boy closer to the man.

Ciel walked closer to Damian and gazed at him. He looked so much like his daddy, dark brown hair white skin, apart from his almost carnelian eyes….His daddy's eyes where brown not red like his. But Ciel new that this man wasn't his daddy…His daddy had gone far..far away, at least that was what mother had said that daddy had gone to the land of the angels. Ciel had asked: "Mother can we not go visit Father where he is? Is the land of the angels far from here?" Rachel had started crying with this. "Why are you crying Mother?" She smiled sadly. "Because my darling…It's…very far away…so far away that maybe it will be very long before we see him again". And Ciel had just nodded.

"Pleased to meet you young man my names is Lord Damian Alexander Michaelis" Damian said holding out his hand to Ciel.

"A…a pleasure to meet you sir" Ciel said shaking it. Damian knelt down and smiled. "As long as you're here there is no need to call me sir, you can call me Damian if you like" He said rather cheerily. Rachel smiled … "You two will get along very well you'll see".

Damian stood. "Well do come in…we can't have you standing there can we?" He said motioning for them to follow him within the manor.

Ciel hurried holding onto Rachel as strongly as he could…

Once inside Ciel once again gazed all around. There was a gothic atmosphere around the heave ornate manor, the grand staircase was covered with a red velvet cloth…the staircase itself was long and winding leading up to god knows how many rooms. Damian motioned for mother and son to accompany him into the drawing room.

Ciel sat down next to his mother on the sofa, his eyes on his lap.

"Do have some tea it is terribly cold outside" Damian said smiling.

Rachel nodded.

"Damian don't you think Ciel and your son should get acquainted?" She asked.

Damian sighed.

"Oh my of course! Ciel I have not introduced you to your new brother do pardon me for a minute" Damian said departing from the room.

"Brother?" Ciel wandered gazing at his mother searching for some answers to the whole mystery of their visit. Feeling almost guilty Rachel tried to explain.

"Darling mommy is marrying Mr. Damian and it so happens he has a son of his own". Ciel looked at her confused.

"Does that mean that Ciel won't get love anymore?" The little boy asked almost sadly.

Rachel hugged her boy laughing.

"Oh silly billy of course you will get love you will get love from three people me, Mr. Damian and your new brother".

Ciel's face lit up.

"Ciel has a little brother!" He said making the cutest face one may ever see.

"Um..Ciel I never said he was younger than you."

The little one stopped and stared at his mother.

"Rachel, Ciel may I present my son Sebastian Michaelis" Damian said entering the room followed by a nine year old boy.

Ciel hid behind his mother, the boy looked incredibly tall in his eyes as well as handsome. He had an intelligent face silken black locks that where quite messy, white skin and hypnotic red eyes that seemed to glow un-naturally so.

Rachel got up forcing Ciel to stop hiding behind her. Damian gave his son a nod to speak yet the boy just looked down not knowing what to say.

"Good afternoon Sebastian" Rachel said nodding a hello.

"Nice to see you again miss Rachel" The boy said quite formally. His voice was soothing and deep just like his father's.

"Sebastian this is your new brother Ciel, do make him feel welcome will you" Damian said smiling at his son.

"Yes father" The boy said softly.

"Sebastian why don't you take Ciel to your room and show him your marvelous sketches."

Sebastian blushed making Ciel blush too.

"I, um…" He mumbled.

Damian laughed.

"Forgive him Ciel it is not in his nature to show off, he is too shy of a boy if you ask me" He said giving his son a pat on the head.

Sebastian sighed.

"Come with me" he said giving his hand to Ciel.

A reassuring nod from Rachel told Ciel that it was okay to follow Sebastian. The blue eyed boy took Sebastian's hand following him up the staircase.

"Your room will be next to mine" Sebastian said as they made their way up the staircase. Ciel didn't hear him; his attention was on one of the many grand portraits hanging on the stair wall… The portrait of a young woman with long flowing black hair who wore a dark red silken crinoline, around her neck was a black satin chocker bearing a fiery ruby at the end.

Sebastian's gaze softened as he looked at the distracted child and he smiled slightly.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" He asked stopping to gaze at the portrait himself.

"Who is she?" Ciel asked fascinated. Sebastian sighed.

"That's my mother". The nine year old boy said softly. "She died when I was five years old".

Ciel nodded sadly.

"Mother is marrying your father, you know that don't you?"

Sebastian nodded, "I knew that he would father and Miss Rachel where far too close anyway" he said shrugging.

Ciel stopped and gripped his arm. "Mother couldn't have been close she loved father! She loves me!" He said angrily.

Sebastian knelt down and cupped Ciel's cheeks gazing into his blue eyes. "It's not appropriate to shout on the stairs, let's go" He said smirking.

Ciel blushed a bright pink. This nine year old boy seemed far to mature for his age…

Sebastian's room reflected all his intelligence maturity even at the age of nine. A huge bookcase filled with poetry, literature as well as several books on art, a desk covered with amazingly detailed drawings of the simplest things and finally a four post bed with black draperies with what appeared to be a night bat flying across the sky carved into the wooden headboard. Altogether the room was a mixture of grimness and warmth that Ciel couldn't explain.

"Sit down" Sebastian said motioning for Ciel to join him on the bed.

"Now tell me what do you mean?" Ciel said sitting down…Blue eyes focused on velvet red ones.

Sebastian sighed.

"Your mother is marrying my father because your father is gone…"

"I know that he's gone, he's gone to the land of the angels mother said so, he shall be back!" Ciel said assuming a proud look on his face.

Sebastian shook his head:

"No Ciel he won't, the land of the angels means he's gone to heaven and when you go to heaven you never return down here" He said hugging Ciel's shoulders protectively with his arm.

Tears flooded the little one's eyes.

"Daddy…" He whispered holding back his tears.

"I'm sorry for your loss Ciel I really am" Sebastian said making an attempt to comfort Ciel. The nine year old boy remembered, he remembered what it felt like…

(Flash Back)

"Sebastian... come here" Damian said motioning to the five year old boy playing alone in the great hall. He turned around and run to his father smiling.

"Daddy? Didn't mommy come downstairs? Is she better now? May I go see her?" He asked looking around and not seeing her.

"Be still Sebastian" The man commanded firmly.

The boy stopped and fell silent.

"Sebastian, your mother is dead…Her illness got the better of her, she's gone" The child's eyes widened.

"No! It…It can't be true! Mother….Your lying!" Tears begun running down Sebastian's eyes.

"That is enough! Your aren't allowed to cry! You're a man now! Be strong! Hold your head high! Be proud!" Damian said firmly.

Sebastian was shaking…

"Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"SEBASTIAN! SEBASTIAN COME BACK THIS MINUTE! DON'T YOU DARE GO UPSTAIRS UNTIL I TELL YOU!"

He ran away up…up the stairs and into his mother's room… at the age of five Sebastian Michaelis knew what a dead body looked like, his mother's body laying on the bed covered with a satin sheet, her black hair spread out on the pillows like silken ripples, her soft lips closed, never to smiled again...Why did she look so peaceful? Sebastian touched her cold hand and kissed it then he carefully placed a silver brush in her hands.

"Someday mother, someday I shall become a great artist, I don't care if father wants me to run the company I'll please you first…Mother…

(End of Flash Back)

But surprisingly Ciel pushed his arm away and looked at Sebastian severely.

"Promise me…" He said his voice shaking a bit. "Promise me you won't ever leave me, promise me!" He said gazing into the older boy's eyes.

Sebastian looked at him bewildered for a second before smirking.

"You're a cute brother aren't you" He said stroking Ciel's damp check.

"D-don't call me cute" Ciel said flushing.

"Oh but you are, and your commanding my like a little lord, how positively adorable Ciel." Sebatian said chuckling. Ciel laughed as well stiffening himself up and assuming the face of a high and mighty lord.

Sebastian laughed but suddenly stopped.

"I promise you, no matter what, I shall follow you to the darkest pits of Hell if that's what fate brings…Young Master" He said placing a hand on his chest and bowing". The raising his head added. "Now order me like a proper Master."

Ciel smiled and nodded.

"Sebastian I order you never to leave my side."

The nine year old boy smirked, eyes glittering like rosy fire:

"Yes, My Lord".

No sooner had these words been spoken Sebastian felt a sharp pain on his hand and so did Ciel and on his left eye.

"What….what was that Sebastian?"

"I ..I don't know".

Sebastian gazed at his hand there was an outline of a circle on it….