A/N: Hello and welcome to my multichap "Lay me to rest"! It won't be a very long fic, probably around ten chapters, but I hope you'll enjoy it!

Rating: M for gore (varying in its graphicness) and sexual situations (not too explicit, but still quite present)

Pairings: Sebastian/Ciel WILL be the main pairing, just not yet...

Warnings: Overall: Shounen-ai, shota (only physically, since, well, Ciel isn't an actual boy anymore. I'll refer to him as such, though, because otherwise it'd just become complicated), yaoi, and blood.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Chapter 1

He'd never thought a single city could be so full.

Humankind was treating itself a little too well. Who was he to complain, though, it made soul hunting so much easier. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of humans in London startled him. Indeed, he hadn't visited such a great big city for too long, hunting in small towns and villages throughout the world. Here, though, the people flooded the streets (he must've arrived at a busy hour), their souls carrying scents to startlingly varying degrees. Other scents, such as the sweat beneath cologne and perfume or the smell of human food in every corner overwhelmed him additionally… It was almost nauseating.

Unfortunately, demons liked to hunt with a scent in mind. So he tried his best to get used to the many different odours.

While walking down the streets, the demon in human form recalled every single store that had been there in the nineteenth century, not seeing the actual malls and boutiques in his nostalgia.

Almost one and a half centuries had passed since his last stay in London. He felt strangely alien, probably because of his faint attachment to earlier times. His most entertaining master had frequently strolled down the city's streets, cane in hand, with his aloof attitude and beautiful appearance.

The demon had even kept the name he'd been given by him.

Clearly, he was attached. Still attached.

It might have been a bad idea to return.

Grinding his teeth, he continued walking. The scent of corruptible human souls was stronger than it was in towns or villages, but despite his hunger, he had no particular interest in them after having to endure all those odours along with his memories.

Until he sensed it.

The scent he'd so often smelled years ago. The hatred that had almost been all-consuming, the need for revenge and the scars from abuse were a very faint construction that threatened to fall. Sebastian came to a sudden halt, his train of thought clashing violently with a wall in his head that was a memory of a young noble.

It couldn't be.

So he didn't entertain the idea for too long.

He turned around, ignoring the people who shot him angered looks, searching for the source of the smell. Somebody with even the hint of a scent such as this one possessed a soul of good quality. If he helped the ripening process along by every possible means of temptation, the soul would taste even better...

When he inhaled again, the scent was gone.

He felt as if something had just ripped out his intestines.

With a small sigh, he resumed walking. And for the rest of the day, he did just that, taking in modern London.

Every single place he came by smelled of Ciel Phantomhive.

It was maddening, not only because the scent made him aware of the last years he'd spent without a meal, but because the young Earl was long dead and his body rotten to the bones. Not to mention that every recollection of the boy's soul spoilt his appetite despite fuelling his hunger. Sebastian found himself in a very contradicting position. He shouldn't have returned but how weak must he be when he couldn't even pass a candy store without thinking of a child that had died almost one and a half centuries ago? He was a demon. It was imperative that he acted like one, too. There was no room for the deceased. So he just had to stop thinking of them.

By night time, he found himself in front of the Phantomhive townhouse, much to his annoyance. He stared at the house in dismay, as if his attachment to a dead boy was its fault. Then he sighed, giving up. Maybe, if he indulged his memories a tad, he could go hunting properly afterwards (he was getting used to the smell, after all, and the appetite should return after that). He took slow steps towards the building, catching that scent again. By now, he simply told himself that London was full of potential prey and nothing more. The possibility of the boy being alive was absolutely ridiculous, thus he refused to think about it.

Inside the house, the lights were burning, but Sebastian couldn't sense a human being behind those white walls. He wondered whether he could enter the house, see what had changed and what hadn't (though he guessed that only the exterior remained), when the front door opened and a silver-haired man left the house.

Sebastian stared.

The Undertaker looked around as if searching for something. When he caught Sebastian's eye, he did a double take, brushing his bangs aside before his usual grin slowly crept onto his lips. He came over, hands in the pockets of a black trench coat. His legs were clad in his leather boots that ended somewhere underneath his coat.

"Long time no see, demon." The Undertaker's grin widened. "What brings you here?"

"Souls", Sebastian answered. "I didn't expect you here of all places."

The ex-reaper turned to look at the townhouse. "You mean in a normal street instead of a mortuary? These days it is frowned upon to live there, not to mention sleep in a coffin among corpses. I'm merely adapting." He sighed wistfully. "It is a shame, though, having to cut the hours spent with my dears."

"Times change", Sebastian said politely.

"Indeed they do." The Undertaker tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, leaving the whole rest to hang irregularly into his face. Sebastian wondered whether he should recommend hair pins to him. "Care to join me for a walk? Four eyes see more than two."

"Are you looking for something?" Sebastian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. You see, my ward has decided to run away again." The Undertaker started walking at an unhurried pace. "He tends to thoughtless experiments when alone."

"Thoughtless experiments?" Sebastian repeated.

"Such as jumping off buildings." The mortician raised his head to check the roofs. "Or trying to drown himself."

"He's suicidal?"

A cackling laugh rang through the neighbourhood as if he'd just told the best joke in a long time. "Not at all, demon, not at all. This one has never tried committing suicide per se. He thinks of it as an experiment." He grinned widely. "Isn't he amusing~?"

Sebastian found himself unsurprised at the Undertaker's choice of company. He couldn't say that he thought of it as humorous, but he definitely found it interesting. So that ward couldn't die? How come?

Before he could ask, the former reaper spoke up again: "I see you have kept the same appearance, but which name do you go by these days?"

"Sebastian Michaelis."

Faint surprise traced the other man's feature. "Still?" Already, the grin pulled at his mouth. "You have remained entertaining, despite the chagrin you've inflicted on that young Earl."

"So, you don't wish to kill me anymore?" Sebastian inquired with a feigned pleased tone to his voice. "I'm glad."

A look into his direction, oddly calculating. "I haven't decided yet."

He smiled, taking a deep breath, when he sensed the scent clinging onto the Undertaker's person. He came to an abrupt halt, masking his surprise quickly. The scent didn't belong to the Undertaker himself, but it was there nevertheless, smelling so strongly of Ciel Phantomhive's essence that he almost couldn't control his human form. What was going on here?

The Undertaker ceased walking, regarding him with curious eyes. "Is there something? Did you find my ward?" He raised his gaze to the rooftops. "Or is he hanging from a tree again? Did he manage to get himself shot?"

In the back of his head, Sebastian wondered what kind of freak this ward must be. He shook his head. "I didn't see him. I merely noticed a special scent on you."

The Undertaker didn't stop grinning, though the raised eyebrow said something else. "Are you coming on to me?"

Sebastian blinked. "No."

"Too bad", said the Undertaker, cackling, "too bad."

Then he continued to walk as if nothing had happened.

Sebastian entertained the thought of leaving, staring at the Undertaker's retreating back, but then decided against it. If the man carried this scent around him like a second skin, he must have access to a truly delicious soul. Maybe, if Sebastian stayed close, he'd get close to it.

After two hours of silence, Sebastian picked up another source of the same scent. That ward…? But immortal beings didn't possess a soul. It couldn't be.

The Undertaker held a finger to his lips upon spotting the figure on the roof of a ten-storey apartment complex, facing the backyard. It was so small, Sebastian would have never seen it without his enhanced sight. He still couldn't make out the face, though, but if the boy were to come down one way or the other, he'd see it.

Instead of making himself be seen, the Undertaker pressed himself against the wall; his hair was only a tad lighter than the grey behind him. He waved for Sebastian to join him, which the demon did after a second's hesitation. "He's never been that high…"

"Why don't you help him?" Sebastian asked, not knowing whether to be annoyed or –admittedly, since he wasn't human - only mildly shocked. He'd never have let his young master do that. "You're encouraging this behaviour."

"He'll stop sooner or later", said the Undertaker, strangely solemnly. "He'll understand and then he'll end this hobby." Cue the head scratch. "But it'll be very boring."

The moment was over. Sebastian barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

The boy chose that second to jump.

He fell headfirst, as if diving into water. The Undertaker didn't even twitch, clearly entranced by the eerie image.

Sebastian thought he saw an eye patch.

Before he knew it, he was moving, running towards the falling boy, jumping into the air and catching the body with perfect timing. A blue eye widening, the boy flinched violently, turning as if wanting to finish the fall and have his skull spread across the backyard.

Sebastian pressed him closer to his body and landed without making a sound.

When the demon's feet touched the ground, Ciel Phantomhive finally looked at him. So did Sebastian, feeling his former master's small fingers digging into his shirt. The scent of his soul assaulted him, but he realized that it didn't possess its full aroma anymore. It was like smelling a freshly baked treat through a closed door.

"I killed you", he said.

The boy's eyes narrowed. It was the only warning Sebastian got before his former master started thrashing around, ordering him to put him down.

The demon who was no longer his butler didn't listen, too surprised at the feeling of the smaller body wriggling against his, so real, so alive.

He remembered the satiation he'd felt back then. His mouth against the boy's, ripping his essence out of his body, biting at full lips until he'd drawn blood. He had consumed that soul.

Yet it was still there.

Sebastian didn't know what to think anymore.

"You know", the Undertaker piped up, approaching them languidly while taking in the height of the building, "I sometimes do think that you are trying to kill yourself. Remember the time when you tried to drown yourself in 1990? You were out for three days –"

"Why did you bring him with you?" Ciel yelled, still struggling. Sebastian didn't give in, wanting to bite that little finger attached to the hand that was currently pushing at his face. "Why are you here, anyway? I told you to stop following me."

The silver-haired man blinked. "Such harsh words…" He giggled. "I am your guardian, have you already forgotten?"

Finally, Sebastian found his voice again. "Please calm down, young master, I wouldn't want you to injure yourself", he said patiently.

Upon hearing his former title, the boy went rigid, giving him a look that screamed all the insults he wouldn't say aloud. "Put me down this instant."

This time, Sebastian obliged. He watched the boy glare at him once more before walking over to the Undertaker. "We're leaving."

With a shrug, the mortician followed Ciel without objection. "See you around, Sebastian."

The boy's shoulders twitched, but he didn't give any other indication of having heard the Undertaker.

The demon watched them go, at a complete loss for words.