A/N: I shouldn't be starting another multi-chapter when I'm already working on 'Crescendo' and an original story, but I just can't resist the temptation of inspiration XD So, here you go. This fic will contain maybe ten chapters, give or take one or two, and it will be updated biweekly to monthly (Mondays). It will definitely be lighter than 'Lay Me to Rest' or 'Crescendo'. I hope you enjoy it!

Title: Hymn for The Living

Rating: T

Genres: Friendship, Hurt/comfort, Angst

Warnings: Demon!Ciel and human!Sebastian, AU

Disclaimer: Kuro's not mine and will never be.

Chapter 1

This is not what he expected.

When Ciel (that's the name his parents told him to use, anyway) leaves the church in which he ironically has arrived, he is confronted with so many ugly, sweating, stinking humans that he thinks he'd rather spend a few more moments staring at coloured glass and a crucified man. It's the time they call summer in the city they call London, and the weak humans are walking round in short skirts and t-shirts, fanning themselves with newspapers or their hands as they sweat and moan about the heat.

Ciel doesn't feel anything.

Dubiously, he looks up into the blue sky, too dumbfounded and fundamentally shocked to scrunch up his nose at the indecent stench of chemicals and natural body odour. This certainly is a clash of cultures, a hard one on top of that, and while he feels stared at by the Jesus figure on the altar in the church (his overactive imagination, of course), he can't bring himself to descend the steps in front of him, to move with these lowly creatures that will soon end up as his food.

He doesn't even know which part of London he is at.

And his parents certainly never told him about this noise.

Humans are loud and plenty, like a herd of elephant demons on the run. Undisciplined, without any grace whatsoever, and simply…. strange. Weird. Different.

Ciel finally moves away from the church. It's not as if he feels good in its proximity. It's quite nauseating, actually. He doesn't understand the point of religion.

He checks his appearance in the hand mirror his mother has given him. His facial features are those of a boy, barely into what humans call puberty. It is better than what he has looked like before coming up here. After all, he is just an infant in demon terms, barely able to eat 'solid food' as his mother likes to call it (even though souls are anything but solid). His father has fed him pieces of a newly acquired soul until now. Ciel liked the sound of the word 'no', so he started using it regularly. No, I don't want to stay with you. No, I am old enough to do as I please and I don't want you to dote on me anymore.

No, I don't want to be fed anymore.

He must be the youngest demon to walk the earth.

And apart from what his parents have told him, he has no clue what to do with himself.

He silently curses himself, feeling that he should have thought about this more thoroughly. Here he is, young, talented, in control of his human form, and he doesn't know where to begin. He wants to come back to Hell with a soul in his stomach, and he wants it to be good and sweet like the one his parents usually hunt for him. There are certain actions that make human souls sweet or spicy, depending on what they are doing and how their mind-set is. 'Sin,' they sometimes call it, maybe 'crime'.

'Fun,' is what his parents call it.

And Ciel merely shrugs at both, not caring about definitions but rather about the outcome, which is why he knows that he has to find a certain person with a certain mind-set that has done certain things so that the outcome is going to be a sweet and desirable soul that is going to keep him full for the next decade.

Here is what he does: He steps into the stream of people and walks aimlessly, opening his ears and his mind, a young predator in its instinctive element. He knows what he has to listen for, he will know when he's being called, and in this century, the callings are as numerous as they can possibly be. He doesn't know whether he's fit enough to stand up against other demons, to fight them for a contract, to mark his territory that will be the human. But if a human doesn't call, then how can he know that he is needed? (Does he want to be needed?) Maybe he should listen for the quiet exclamations, the ones that might not catch enough interest… but a soul that other demons aren't interested in is unworthy of Ciel's attention. The young demon has developed high tastes, he is picky and usually he knows that he can afford to be frowning at a lowly soul since his parents have always fed him the best, but he already fears that he might have to make a few compromises. He also knows that he refuses to do that. Ciel wants the highest quality of souls because he knows he deserves it.

He follows a group of people into an Underground station, clumsily pays for a ticket at the automat without really understanding what should be done with it –

(but his father has told him that without a ticket, he will get undesirable attention which he can't afford; in fact, Ciel has a whole list of things he can and can't do (and things he can do but should be careful about) saved in his head, ready to be called up when needed)

- and gets on the next underground train that arrives. It is obnoxiously loud as it comes to a halt, and stays loud as it continues its way. Ciel wouldn't be surprised if his hearing failed him soon.

He is being gawked at by another man in the carriage, and while young, Ciel has an idea of what he is thinking of while staring at a pretty boy in shorts. Unfortunately, men like this taste slimy and bitter, so he doesn't act upon this lowly human's desires.

He's too good for this, anyway. Besides, his mother would not approve.

He waits until the man leaves the train and then exits at the next station. Still ready to receive callings from humans, he leaves the underground station and feels a pang of worry assault him. The emotion crawls underneath the demon boy's skin and rests there. He is too young to understand it, he thinks, and too different from them to ever feel it like they do. He just knows what worry smells like and knows his body's automatic reaction to it, telling him that this is not a soul he's looking for.

Nevertheless, he turns his head. There is a stern blond woman who outwardly doesn't appear worried in the least. On the inside, though, she's a storm of emotions, and Ciel feels his interest rising. He doesn't know who she is, and he doesn't really care, but he wants to know what she's so worried about, so he follows her discreetly.

The woman rounds one or two corners and enters a large building that reeks of sickness and chemicals that Ciel can already perceive from where he is standing.

When he passes the entry, he hears children laughing, crying, whispering behind the doors, in the corridors, men and women – old and young - talking in friendly tones and oh, he thinks, this is a hospital.

Faced with a new predicament – how can he get in here without identification and as a child no less? -, Ciel frowns as he observes the woman greeting another female at the hospital reception. He figures he can follow her for now. After all, she is the reason why he's here.

He only makes it to the first storey when he's stopped by a middle-aged nurse. "Are you looking for somebody?"

Her breath smells strange, and Ciel's reaction is to lean back a little, but he keeps his facial expression unmoved.

"Actually, I am," he says, but he doesn't know how to continue from hereon.

His eyes fall on the framed pictures of doctors working on this storey. On one individual in particular, that is: He's got black hair and wine red eyes and his smile is warm. Sebastian Michaelis, the name beneath the picture says, and Ciel forgets about the woman who has already disappeared into the second storey. This man, he feels, shall be his.

"Is Sebastian Michaelis working here?"

"He sure is," the woman says with a grunt. She reminds him of a dog his father has once drawn for him… A pug it's called, he thinks. "But the doctor's busy right now and he doesn't have time for you if you don't have an appointment. Where are your parents, anyway?"

Ciel lifts his chin, looks her up and down in a better-than-thou manner and says, "He's my father."

Now, he knows that this might not be the best thing to say without having any information on a person whatsoever, but he needs to see this man, he needs to see whether Sebastian Michaelis is what he's looking for. And since he can't say that he's got an appointment and since he's also too proud to apologise, leave and wait for the man to come out, this seems like a good excuse to see him right away.

The nurse's eyes widen. "You're his son? Right, and I am his wife."

Ciel stares at her, the horrified question 'You are?' threatening to spill over his lips when a door opens behind her and Sebastian Michaelis steps into the corridor, holding a clipboard against his chest.

And among the smell of decay and innocence washing out of the room, Ciel also receives this wonderfully sweet scent of sin ("Fun," his mother says in his head). Doctor Michaelis has done and experienced all the right things and emotions to make his soul delightfully sweet, to cause the young demon to almost salivate where he's standing (not that he would actually do it, but Ciel must admit, he's quite close). Ciel has little time to act, so he thinks of a way to convince Sebastian Michaelis of making Ciel his 'son' while looking like a human boy to everyone else. The theory lessons with his father help somehow, for he knows that happiness is what people feel when seeing a beloved one. He guesses that fathers love their sons and the other way round. Therefore, it must look natural when he smiles and laughs and waves, loudly calling 'Dad' as if it's the most normal thing on earth.

The nurse turns around with a quizzical expression on her face, and Doctor Michaelis draws his eyebrows together (a sign of confusion, Ciel's brain supplies) before scanning the floor for this father the boy is calling.

How unfortunate that it is him.

Ciel brushes past the nurse, reminds himself that humans aren't as fast as demons can be. His cheeks already hurt from smiling so widely, but he just keeps on doing it, for it must be expected of him. He jumps, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and his legs around his middle, and Doctor Michaelis has good reflexes, for his free arm is quickly supporting Ciel's weight in him. The young demon grasps him a little bit tighter. "Play along, doctor, and I will answer your questions."

"I sure hope you will," the human mutters, sounding displeased as he drops the arm that has been squashed between their bodies.

And then he smiles.

Ciel blinks at him. That human is good.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I wanted to see where you work," Ciel replies automatically, smirking at him since his back is turned to the nurse. This human smells so good that demonic instincts are trying to come to the surface. He wants to slice skin with his nails, wants to bury his teeth in flesh, but he can't because demons like him don't do that without having formed a contract (he couldn't care less about the fact that this is a public place).

"You should be at home." The doctor sets him down. "Besides, you've come quite a way just to see what I'm doing. What if you got lost?"

"I didn't." Ciel wonders what children would do now and fails miserably. Is there anything they would do? He doesn't know. So he stands still.

"Doctor," the nurse begins, "I didn't know you had a son."

"I don't," Sebastian says carefully. "This is my nephew. He just likes to call me dad because he knows I don't like it."

The woman blinks. "Oh. He clearly referred to you as his father, so I assumed... Well, it's quite unusual."

"We all have our quirks." Sebastian grins widely at her and grasps the boy's shoulder. "Let me bring him to my office. The two of us need to talk, am I right, young man?"

Ciel just looks up at him with his usual expression, wondering if children look apathetic at this statement. His father has clearly not explained everything to him. But he must have thought that Ciel wouldn't take this course of action to get to a human. After all he hasn't been called by the doctor. Yet he knows that somebody with such a sweet scent must want something. The vain and greedy always do, don't they?

This soul hasn't called Ciel, but the demon boy will make sure that when he's done with Sebastian, there will be a contract and a prospect for a wonderful meal. It is a soul that fits Ciel's tastes well. And with his status in Hell, he is sure that he can get any soul whether having been called or not. Humans should be throwing themselves at him. But then again, prey isn't that stupid.

As soon as the door to the doctor's office closes, both Ciel and Sebastian's happy smiles fall off their faces. The young demon lazily scans the room, all that white, and sighs at the blandness.

Doctor Michaelis takes place behind the desk. When Ciel doesn't move, he raises an eyebrow. "Sit, please."

Ciel smirks and hops on the desk.

The doctor sighs. "Tell me who you are."

"Call me Ciel."

"Surname?"

The boy blinks. "I don't have one."

"Are you an orphan?"

"I and my parents left each other. However, they aren't dead."

Confusion, his brain supplies again when the man in front of him frowns.

"What do you want from me?"

"I'm here to offer a deal," Ciel says haughtily.

"A deal," the doctor repeats, unfazed.

"My services for your essence."

"Your services for-" The man interrupts himself with a short chuckle. Then he pats Ciel's knee and the boy wants to hiss at him. How dare this lowly creature touch him? "Listen, kid, I think you should go home. Call your parents."

"You think this is a joke."

The man smiles at him, and he seems irritated behind the aesthetically pleasant stretch of his lips. "Yes, in fact, I do." A pause. "It was nice meeting you, Ciel-without-a-surname, but my shift is over right now and I'd like to go home."

Ciel stares at him. Why isn't this human jumping at the unique opportunity? Could it be that he doesn't know who Ciel is?

"I think you don't know who you are talking to," the demon boy says and raises an eyebrow. He knows he can't let this soul slip.

"I do," the doctor replies smoothly, "I'm talking to a young boy who is trying to pull a prank. It's okay, I'm not mad at you, I did that too when I was your age."

"I am the son of Lucifer's counsellor!"

The man narrows his eyes. "Maybe I should drive you home. Can't have you walking around in that state of mind. Wait here, don't move, I'll just change clothes real quick." And he disappears through the next best door, leaving a bewildered young demon in his wake.

Ciel remembers his father having mentioned how humans don't believe in the existence of demons anymore. They value other things now. Ciel is sure that he would have received the respect and fear appropriate for someone of his rank in another, earlier century.

He wonders how he can convince the man. As soon as the human believes him, he will form a contract, right? Ciel is sure that this will happen; a young man like Sebastian yearns for a good career, doesn't he? Don't they all want money and youth and beauty? Or maybe he wants somebody dead without becoming a suspect? Revenge, possibly? Ciel is ready and won't hesitate to fulfil the man's wishes if he only gets the soul at the end.

When Sebastian returns, he is dressed in regular men's attire, much like those Ciel has seen in the city. The man pushes his purse into the back pocket of his trousers, then brushes a hand through his hair and smiles at him. "Are you going to come with me or are you going to go home alone?"

"Which option is less dangerous?" Ciel asks.

The man shrugs, still smiling while emitting waved of irritation. "If you come with me or not, I don't care."

"I'm coming with you, then."

They leave the hospital in mutual silence. Sebastian's car doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary. Ciel climbs in the passenger's seat with much hesitation, for his father has told him about those things, but in the end, the demon boy has never sat in one. It is more of a metal prison to him, and he thinks of how his father likes to make fun of the humans' laziness whenever he gets the chance.

His mother calls it unfortunate progress. Whatever that means.

When the engine comes to life, Ciel flinches badly, shocked at the tremors going through the vehicle. The doctor has the audacity to chuckle.

"What, have you never been in a car, mighty prince?"

"Precisely," Ciel answers irritably, "but that's none of your business, anyway."

"Of course not." The car is moving. By the circles of H- "Don't forget to fasten your seatbelt."

"My what?"

The car stops and Sebastian reaches over, fastening the black belt. Ciel stares at it.

Then he blushes.

He can't stand this world, he decides. Full of things that he doesn't know about. He's just making a fool of himself, really.

Sebastian resumes driving. "So, where do you live?"

Ciel scoffs. "You can't reach that place."

"Why not?"

"Because I live in Hell." The young demon shrugs. "We're going to your place."

"I'm not taking you there," the doctor replies. "Tell me where you live and stop joking, please."

"I'm not joking!"

They arrive at a red traffic light. Sebastian, seemingly annoyed, turns to him. The summer sun is going down slowly, painting the skies in red and orange, and Ciel finds that the colour goes well with this human's unusual eyes. His appearance must be easy on the eyes of his species.

"Do you need proof?" Ciel asks.

"No, I don't need proof because I know that this is a prank. Please, stop it." The car is moving again and Ciel looks out the window, wondering how he can convince the human.

Actually, he thinks, it's quite easy.

He waits for the next red traffic light and just when Sebastian starts – "I'm going to drop you off by the next bus stop, hopefully you have money" – Ciel interrupts him.

"Look at me."

The doctor obliges.

Freezes.

Pales.

Ciel can hear the human's heart hammering in his chest. He can see how the hands are gripping the steering wheel harder.

What wonders a pair of glowing red eyes can do.

Ciel turns them into the blue colour from earlier, smirking as the man watches the small change.

He will have this soul.

"We're going to your place and chat, aren't we?"

The man gulps. "We are."

So, this was chapter one!

Don't forget to tell me how/whether you liked it =D