THE END IS HERE... OR IS IT?

Ciel watched his reflection as it brushed his teeth. Looking slightly to the side of it, the boy watched Sebastian as he walked from one side of the bathroom to the other; hanging the wet towel Ciel had just used.

"Howcm I cnsee you?"

"Spit that out before you speak."

Ciel leaned over the sink and did just that. A bit of toothpaste stuck to the corner of his mouth.

"How come I can see you?" He repeated. Sebastian made eye contact with him through the mirror.

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Isn't there a weird mode with supernatural beings having no reflection?"

"You're comparing me to a vampire again."

"Not my fault I've been brainwashed by the media." The boy continued his brushing. He turned on the faucet, cupped some water with his hand, and sipped.

"Make sure to swish it through your molars."

"Mhm!" The boy made an annoyed sound. Stop acting like my mother! He signed.

After a few seconds, Ceil leaned over the sink to spit out the water, but made eye contact with Sebastian who raised an eyebrow. The boy rolled his eyes and kept the liquid in his mouth for a few seconds longer.

That was when Sebastian tilted his head to the side, listening to something.

"Your cellphone is vibrating." They both knew what that meant.

Ciel took that as a sign to spit. He sighed, whipping at his mouth inefficiently. Sebastian moved to his side and held his chin up before whipping with his thumb at the toothpaste that had persistently stuck to the boy's lip.

"I was wrong." Ciel stated. "You are more my mother than my own mother."

The demon gave him a soft smile before pulling away.

"I'll be back soon." Ciel hummed in response, looking away. He put the toothbrush back into its glass cup on the sink.

I wonder how fast it'll be this time…

The boy walked back to his room. He intended to head to his desk to work, but lost motivation almost instantly. Instead he threw himself onto his bed and buried his face against a pillow. He stayed like that for a few seconds before turning onto his side. His eyes landed on his nightstand, where his cellphone was. Not having anything better to do, Ciel leaned over his bed and took a hold of the apparatus.

He winced at the brightness before his eyes quickly adjusted to it. He opened Alois's newest text. He expected a word or two, but the message was quite different.

Ciel frowned as he quickly sat up.

"Sebastian…" Forgetting that he wasn't alone at the house, Ciel began to call out as he ran towards the door. "Sebastian!"

He rushed past Mey Rin, who he did not even notice. The maid squeaked as she barely saved herself from crashing with the boy. Confused, she watched him exit the house.

"What did he say? A name? Se-sebastaian?" She was quiet for a second before panic filled her. "MY REPLACEMENT!"

Ciel slammed the door closed, Sebastian already waiting for him outside.

"What happened?" He asked, having heard him from inside the house.

"Alois's text… I don't think Claude is coming here." Ciel read it out. "Something has gone wrong. Meet me at the park that is 2 streets away from my house." Sebastian frowned.

"That sounds…. Awfully suspicious."

"Let's try looking at it as if it was genuine first, ok? What could have happened? Do you think Claude found him out?"

"I do suppose that is possible."

"Damn it… if that's the case, then Alois needs our help." Sebastian did not look happy at that comment.

"You'd put yourself in danger for him? Remember he facilitated Claude's access to you."

"It's not that! Think about it: If Claude found out, then he might convince Alois to use his "friendship" with us for his own benefit. We won't know whether we can trust him or not. Whatever the situation, Alois is probably no longer useful to us but we can't let him become a threat."

Sebastian was quiet for a second.

"I agree that something must be done, but I don't want you involved." Ciel scowled at that.

"What do you mean?! Of course I'm involved!"

"Ciel. Even if this really is Alois in need of assistance, Claude is most definitely involved. Even if this wasn't his plan, you are what he wants so it would work all the same. You need to stay here."

Ciel felt frustration pile up more and more inside of him. The memory of the last few days spent staring at his textbooks and walls made him angry.

"No. I'm done not doing anything." The boy began to walk towards the ground's exit.

"Cie-" The boy turned around, hands on his hips.

"I'm not asking you, Sebastian! I'm going! You're contracted to protect me, right? So let's go!"

The demon stared at him for a long time. Although Sebastian did not agree, he couldn't help feeling a spark of excitement at Ciel's determination.

Silently, he signed to the boy-

If you insist.

Long after the boy and the demon had left, Mey rin slammed the door open. She walked out with fists clenched and head high.

"Leave now, Mey Rin! While you still have your d-dignity!"

Ciel was once again in his spot on Sebastian's arm. They didn't know exactly where the park Alois had texted about was, so Sebastian focused on following Claude's scent.

"It is strong. They are both together."

Ciel frowned. That could only mean trouble.

"Stop at a distance. We should observe them before deciding our next course of action."

The demon tightened his hold on Ciel, and the boy looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Red eyes were narrowed, and he looked ready for a fight. It was obvious that the demon was more than unhappy to have Ciel so exposed to danger.

I needed to come in case talking to Alois was necessary, but now… It's most definitely a trap… no… I must admit I'm not sure what's going on…

"It's here."

Ciel blinked out of his thoughts and realized they were looking at a park from above a building.

"Where are they?"

"At the most tree covered area."

"… The most hidden area? The one of hardest access?"

"Not for a demon…"

Ciel was quiet for a moment.

"The one a human would be less likely to walk into." A sudden thought came to the boy. "Can you hear them?" The demon was silent for a moment.

"Only Alois. I cannot distinguish what is being spoken. He sounds distressed."

The boy felt both confusion and determination.

"Let's figure out what's going on, then." He lifted his hands. "From this point on, it's safer to sign."

Sebastian nodded before jumping off the building. Ciel tightened his hold around the demon's shoulder.

"Remember: you might not be able to hear or see Claude." Sebastian gestured with his free hand.

Ciel frowned. That definitely complicated things. He nodded in acknowledgement.

Sebastian dropped through the trees. Ciel felt his own heart beating faster as they neared their destination.

Don't think too much, just be ready for anything…

That was when he heard it: Alois calling out.

"-on! Please talk to me!" The blonde said with a fearful tone. Sebastian finally stopped moving. He kneeled down behind a heavily grown bush with many meters of distance, and trees, between them and the blonde. It was still close enough to clearly distinguish Alois's silhouette.

To Ciel, the boy was yelling at thin air, but he knew better. Alois gave a frustrated cry, and he looked like he was in the verge of tears.

"Th-they're not going to come! It's too suspicious! Please!"

Beyond Ciel's sight, Claude finally turned to look at his boy with contempt filled eyes.

"If you can't even do that for me," he began, eyes narrowing. "Then I truly have no use for you."

Ciel watched as Alois's eyes widened in horror and pain. Then the waterworks started as the boy fell to his knees, clinging onto something that was invisible.

"Please don't leave me! You… you're all I have left in this world… all I care about... " Claude looked down at the boy, his expression becoming suddenly unreadable.

"Don't say such ridiculous things-"

"But it's true!" Alois leaned his head against Claude's leg, tears rolling down his face mercilessly. "You are the only one… That I truly need… because I... I..."

As Ciel saw the way Alois's face lifted up and his eyes widened in surprise, the blue haired boy's quick mind concluded that Claude had gotten onto his knees and was holding the boy's face in his hands.

Claude stared deeply into those electric blue eyes.

"A soul capable of loving a demon…"

He began to lean in towards the blonde. A flash of utter relief and joy shone through Alois's eyes before he leaned in as well.

Ciel heard the cracking of Alois's skull much before his brain registered it. His mouth opened in a silent scream. He saw the heavy, red, drops fall onto the boy's lap before Sebastian could cover his eyes and pull him against his chest. Suddenly Claude's voice was audible.

"…can hardily work my appetite."

Instinctively, Ciel threw his arms around his demon's neck. Sebastian quickly picked him up and moved away from their location as fast as he could.

"We need to put as much distance between us as possible." Sebastian muttered. Ciel's face was buried against his shirt. "Killing your marked human has consequences of its own." Ciel only half heard him as the other part of his mind was paralyzed with shock. He clung onto Sebastian like a lifeline and did not let go until they had stopped moving.

"Ciel." The boy's tense limbs felt suddenly loose, exhausted. He let go of the demon, landing on a patch of grass.

Another park...?

"We're away from the city. I thought it would be best in case things become dangerous."

That was when he realized he was trembling. Ciel stayed quiet for a moment, trying to get his swirling head in check.

Alois… He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself back.

"You said something about consequences. For Claude?" The normality of his voice surprised even himself.

"Yes…" Sebastian stared into Ciel's eyes. "We should sit down. He wont be here for a while."

"And it would be useless to keep moving since he will go after us."

"Yes."

"Therefore… it is better to wait for him away from sight…" Ciel almost felt like laughing. "…And there is nothing we can do but wait." Ciel walked towards a tree and took a seat, leaning against it. Sebastian did the same. "Look at you: Sitting. You were even the one to advice it in the first place. We've come far."

"All thanks to your influence."

They sat in silence for a moment. Ciel stared at the sky as he spoke.

"Consequences...?" He asked again.

"If a demon kills a human they contracted with, they become cursed."Sebastian began. Ciel looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"From that day on they will always be visible to humans, meaning they can never have a peaceful meal again. " The boy nodded. "Their movements become much less agile, but much more violent. They become more volatile and unreasonable. They can never mark a human again. Also, their essence becomes tainted. It is something any demon can recognize immediately and will automatically despise."

Ciel spoke absentmindedly.

"I wonder if it was worth it…" Sebastian stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Killing Alois…"

"You're stil thinking about that."

"How could I not?"

"It wasn't your fault." The boy remained silent. "Ciel." He looked away. "It wasn't your fault."

"And even if it was, who cares... it's not like you can do anything about it..."

Then something in the air changed. Sebastian stood up, body tense and ready for battle. Ciel tried looking at the direction Sebastian was, but saw nothing. A few seconds later, though, he gasped.

Claude was walking calmly towards them, almost like the day he first saw him except that this time there was a dark and twisted aura curling around him. It brought a chill through Ciel's very soul. Sharp red eyes landed on his, and Ciel felt as if his breath had been forced out of him. Those eyes looked at him with hunger but of a different kind: vengeance.

Sebastian quickly got in the way, bringing those eyes to meet with his. Claude smiled, his teeth now sharp.

"How did you enjoy the little show?"

Ciel felt his blood run cold.

He knew we were there…

Of course he did! If Sebastian could sense him then so could he! Then another though hit Ciel. Did he… wait for us to get there before killing Alois?

"Leave now." Sebastian ordered.

"Why? Specially now when I've done so much for this soul…" Claude raised his arms. "I mean, look at me…" Then, without warning, he released a storm of sharp "needle-like" weapons. Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ciel and shielded him with his body.

"Sebas-!" The sound of sharp metal piercing skin made Ciel gasp. Before he could panic, though, Sebastian pulled away and looked at Ciel with a calm smile.

"I will handle this. You stay right here." They stared into each other's eyes for a second, seeming to gain strength from each other. Ciel nodded. With that, Sebastian left his side.

He was the first to attack. Even though it was all very high speed, Ciel could now tell when hits were Sebastian's and when they were Claude's because of the corrupted demon's aura. Neither was backing down at all. Claude, though, seemed to be laughing all the while. Suddenly he began to yell.

"I no longer want his soul, you know! I'm going to waste it! I'm going to make sure he dies without you ever getting a taste!"

Sebastian's teeth clenched and, out of anger, stopped his attacks to harbor in energy for a single stronger one. In that moment, a light sparked in Claude's eyes and a single needle-like knife flew right past Sebastian…

… Efficiently going straight through Ciel's lower abdomen like a gunshot.

"CIEL!" Sebastian turned towards the boy, but Claude forced him back into battle.

Ciel hadn't even registered the weapon heading his way until he felt it. Eyes wide, the boy crumpled onto the ground face first. He laid there, bleeding out onto the ground, as he listened to Sebastian's struggles.

"You want to go back to your boy, huh? I think it's best if we just let him die in peace!"

Die…?

Ciel's mind was fuzzy, and his entire body felt cold and numb.

I'm… dying…

This realization brought the memory of the death he had witnessed a moment before, and the closing phrase that had gone with it.

"…is hardly worth my appetite."

Appetite… Sebastian… I wonder… my soul…

His thoughts were cutting up, but something forced Ciel to focus. Weakly at first, his fist clenched, scratching at the dirt under his fingers.

I want to die as a soul that he would wish for…

Sebastian kept trying to shake Claude off, to no avail. A pool of blood was gathering under Ciel, and Sebastian couldn't waste another minute.

Suddenly, that red liquid caught Sebastian's eye. It began to move, slowly taking the form of the seal of their contract. Then Ciel's eyes opened. Painfully slowly, he moved his arm toward his face until he used all his strength to rip off his eye patch and call out.

"Sebastian!" The demon felt energy flare inside him. Ciel's purple eye pulsed. "You are contracted to protect me! Get me away from here!"

And suddenly a relaxed smile appeared on Sebastian's face because what Ciel had asked him to do, which had seemed impossible a second before, was the most plain and simple of tasks- and one that must be done.

In seconds, Sebstian gave Claude 3 major hits that's shocked and damaged the demon long enough for Sebastian to reach Ciel's side and carry the boy away.

"You'll have to forgive the methods I've taken, but as that saying goes, it is quite a desperate time." Sebastian said this as he bandaged Ciel's torso with resources he had stolen from the local pharmacy.

"I think I can look past it just this once." Ciel whispered, feeling drained.

The demon had taken him back to the city to better treat his injury. Ciel looked over Sebastian's shoulder at the view they had from such a tall building. Sebastian noticed.

"This is the tallest building in the vicinity. No one will notice anything that happens here." His tone was almost cheerful.

"You sound confident." Ciel muttered, trying to focus as he looked into those red eyes.

"You've ordered me to protect you, therefore I will." He stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Somehow it seemed that way now.

"Claude…"

"I know what must be done to defeat him. We cannot spend another second wasting our time with him in your condition." His eyes softened. "How are you feeling?"

It was taking all of the boy's willpower to stay conscious. His vision was constantly becoming blurry but he blinked it off. He made a quick calculation in his mind.

"You have 10 minutes." He stated as unfazed as he could.

"That's more than enough." Sebastian said with a nod. Then something in his eyes changed. "There is… one thing I must ask of you."

Ciel watched him in silence, knowing that whatever the request was; he would follow it.

"To defeat this enemy I've decided to take my true form. I've realized that in his cursed state he can never take it again." Sebastian spoke calmly and softly and never took his eyes off Ciel. "I want to ask you to close your eyes. I don't want what you could see to… change your impression of me…"

Ciel watched him for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Ok."

He expected to feel Sebastian leave his side, but the demon seemed to stay watching him for a moment.

"Ciel…" The boy almost opened his eyes out of instinct. "Promise me that you'll hold on."

That was when Ciel realized how heavy his limbs felt and that if he actually tried to open his eyes it wouldn't be as easy as he had first presumed. He could feel his body intending to shut down.

"…I promise." He would fight it.

If I didn't have the strength to do that… then what would my soul even be worth?

He received no response but felt lips press lightly against his forehead.

"10 minutes." Sebastian reminded him.

"It's 8 now." Ciel corrected.

Then the air began to change, and Ciel knew Sebastian was taking his true demon form. For some reason, he felt no curiosity at what it looked like.

Sebastian is Sebastian…

A few minutes later, his bleary mind registered the feeling of Claude arriving. The demon's tainted essence caused a shiver down his spine, which made him curse under his breath at the pain the movement caused on his side.

6… Thought Ciel.

There were no conversations this time, just a genuine fight to the death. Ciel knew Sebastian would win... he just hoped he would do it on time.

5…

The sounds were not pleasant. Loud and inhumane screeches were coming from Claude.

Then one particular impact was so strong it caused a wave of energy that sent even Ciel flying. He reached the edge of the building but instinctively held onto it before falling, his body dangling and efficiently stretching his injury painfully.

"Ciel!" He heard Sebastian yell. The boy was breathing heavily, forcing his body not to give in.

I can't die… not before he takes it…

"10 seconds!" He managed to yell at the demon.

Finish him!

And in the next 10 seconds Ciel heard the most vicious battle… that was more one sided than anything…

With only one seconds to spare, Ciel felt himself be pulled to safety. The boy released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He allowed his eyes to open and look at Sebastian with a tired smile. That was when he noticed the demon's appearance.

His eyes were not red, but a mix of bright pink and purple. There was blood splattered around him, but it wasn't that that made Ciel's eyes widen. It was the look Sebastian was giving him: one that he had expected when he had found out Sebastian's true nature and intentions but that he hadn't ever truly seen until now…

Hunger.

The demon sat Ciel down, never taking his eyes away from him. Slowly he traced a finger along Ciel's cheek.

"S-sebastian?"

The demon's eyes were soft but the ferocity that had been released in the prior battle, lingered in them. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to the boy's ear.

"It is time, Ciel…"

Ciel breath caught in his throat.

Oh…

Sebastian pulled back, and Ciel stared into those eyes that looked at him both like he was the only thing of value in the universe and like a poor and helpless animal of prey.

"…Ok." The boy said, the surprise in his eyes being replaced by something soft. Sebastian cupped Ciel's cheek and the boy tiredly leaned against his hand. He wasn't scared or saddened by Sebastian's decision, if anything he was feeling glad.

I did it… this was what I held on for... Ciel thought as he still felt himself slipping away from blood loss. I just didn't think it would happen so soon…

"Will it hurt?" He asked, immediately regretting his words: This was Sebastian's moment and he didn't want to make it tedious for him with stupid questions.

Concern flashed in the demon's eyes and for a moment they looked almost back to normal, but the tint of hunger remained.

"I promise to make it as painless as possible." Ciel smiled against Sebastian's hand.

"No… make it as painful as you can. I want to feel every second of it."

Sebastian watched him for a moment, fondness in his gaze.

You shouldn't look at someone like that when you are about to kill them… Ciel thought with humor, yet something pulled at his chest that made him feel wetness in his eyes.

Then determination took over Sebastian's gaze. As he began to lean forward, Ciel wondered if (once the high he was on went away) the demon would regret his actions. Not the fact that he took his soul, but that he did it so soon.

We could have been together longer…

And Ciel thought of all their years together and wondered if he was paying a fair price.

The boy's vision was darkening, and he was suddenly upset that maybe he would not be able to stay conscious for such an important moment.

"Sebastian…" With absolutely no strength left, Ciel's eyes began to close. "I hope all these years were worth it…"

And Ciel was thankful that the last thing he saw were those eyes…

5 year old Ciel sat up from his bed crying out. He immediately curled in on himself and began to tremble with sobs.

"S-sebastian! Sebastian!" He had stopped calling out for his mother a few years back.

The demon was immediately on his knees, trying to be at face level with the boy.

"Look over here, Ciel." Sebastian voiced so the boy would uncurl and look at him through tearful eyes. "You had a bad dream?" He put emphasis on those words to remind the boy that what he had seen was not real. Ciel nodded his little head.

"There were s-shadows chasing me… they made ugly sounds…"

Sebastian's eyes softened. He tried never to think of it, since there was no helping it, but he always hated the fact that he could offer the boy no comfort beyond that of his words.

"But you are awake now, and all is well." Bright blue eyes stared into red before small fists rubbed tears away.

"Will you tell me a story?" He asked hopefully. That made Sebastian's smile twitch: the fact that at such a young age he had learned not to take anything for granted, especially any form of comfort or affection.

"Of course. I always do, don't I?" The boy smiled at that and nodded. Sebastian let a small chuckle escape him. "Alright. Let me think…" He put a hand under his chin. "Hm… What about "Ciel in Wonderland?""

"That's like Alice in wonderland! But with me!" Ciel said cheerfully.

"That's right. It all centers around you." It surprised Sebastian how true that statement was in so many ways: how his own existence pretty much centered all around the boy now. Ciel frowned suddenly.

"I don't want to wear a dress." He said with a pout.

"You wont, just something deserving of your high status." Ciel watched him eagerly, nightmare forgotten. Sebastian smiled.

"Once upon a time, in a large home in england..."

The sound of a heart monitor.

That was what Ciel awoke to.

It took him some time to register that fact… you know… that he had awakened at all. As he gained consciousness, his thoughts were all messed up.

I shouldn't be awake… right?... something happened…no?

Then he remembered.

Sebastian.

"Sebastian…" His eyes were too unfocused to understand what was before them. Ciel felt a hand land softly on the top of his head.

"I'm here." A familiar voice answered. Ciel blinked hard and forced his senses to function. He turned his head towards the voice, just to find his demon looking down at him with a soft smile. "You've been lazying around for quite a while now."

Blue eyes widened as they took in the demon's form. He couldn't even acknowledge the joke.

"Sebastian…? Why?" Ciel whispered. That was when he took in his surroundings. He was in a medium sized hospital room. It was full of flowers, "get well soon" balloons, and different editions of the Funtom company's "Bitter Rabbit".

"Elizabeth sent most of it." Sebastian explained. Ciel looked back at him.

"That's not what I want to know!" The boy said with light frustration. "Why- why didn't you…" Sebastian's eyes softened.

"You are right to be confused. I had every intention of taking your soul. The spur of the moment took control of me…" Ciel had suspected that, which was why he was so confused. "What happened was… you passed out before I could take your soul. You were fading fast and that realization suddenly rendered me useless. It's quite embarrassing to admit that I may have panicked."

Ciel wondered what his reaction should be. Should he be laughing? Was this something worth making fun of? Should he be relieved? Angry? For some reason Ciel felt none of these things, and instead could not label the emotion clawing at his chest.

"Then… something extremely remarkable occurred." Sebastian's gaze was so deep that Ciel thought he might never be able to look away. He was ok with that.

"What?"

"Again, it is something hard to explain to a human. It is a very, very, rare occurrence: Our essences bonded." Ciel blinked in both surprise and confusion.

"There isn't an exact explanation for it, but when a soul is as formidable as yours it is possible for it to act on its own accord. Instead of me taking your soul, your soul reached out to me. Remember how I once told you that the contract made us one and the same? Well now it goes far beyond that."

Ciel stared at him unblinking. He needed to know more.

"What do you mean? What happened to my soul?"

"It is now inside me, but it is very different than if I would have eaten it. Right now your soul is circling in me, active and vibrant. It fills me with more energy than eating any soul ever could: I will never feel the desire to feed again."

"If you had eaten my soul…"

"It would only lie dormant in the shadows."

"But… if my soul's in you…"

"Then how are you alive? Like I said, your soul is truly remarkable. It is active inside me and it has the strength to keep influencing your body." He was silent for a second. "Now, this is the important part…"

Ciel had considered everything that had been said important, meaning the next few words would be life changing.

"Since your soul is no longer in your body, you will continue to exist even after your body stops functioning."The boy blinked in shock. Waiting for Sebastiant to keep talking before he made some ridiculous assumption. "Even when you die, your soul will continue to live in me. You will simply "awaken" by my side once more. This being, of course, for as long as I live- which could very well be for eternity."

Those words hit Ciel hard as he finally realized that he had understood correctly.

"Eternity…" He whispered.

"Yes. So you will live your life as a human for now, then accompany me for some time afterwards."

Ciel didn't understand what he was feeling, only that the heart monitor was beeping very fast and that his body was trembling. Ciel looked back up at Sebastian and once again noticed the way the demon was looking at him. This time it was purely that strange devotion Sebastian held for him, and Suddenly Ciel was sure that Sebastian would have regretted taking his soul if he had.

For all eternity... The boy cleared his throat, coming back to his senses.

"You know I'm ok with it…" Ciel muttered. Sebastian smiled.

"Of course. It was your soul that reached out to me, after all."

"Hey it could have been an instinct of self preservation." And yet Ciel knew himself well enough to be certain that he had been instinctively trying to avoid Sebastian's regret. "Sit."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, humored. He sat at the edge of Ciel's bed where the boy let his head fall onto the demon's lap. Sebastian ran his fingers through those blue locks.

"Eternity, huh? You sure you can handle me for so long?" Ciel teased as a thought crept into his mind.

Being immortal by yourself can probably be a little lonely…

"We'll see about that. But first, there are other things we need to deal with." Sebastian began to stand and Ciel made a questioning sound as he was forced to lift his head from his "pillow". That was when his mother walked into the room. She gasped.

"Ciel!" Immediately she ran to his side, Sebastian moving back to give her space. She took one of his hands and cupped his cheek. "Oh thank heavens you are awake! I was so scared!" Tears brimmed in her eyes. Ciel felt slight panic at the sight.

"I-Im ok, mother! Really!" At least he thought. He didn't actually know anything about his condition. "A-actually…" He bit his lip. "What happened?"

It would be easier to pretend he remembered nothing, and see what his mother knew or suspected. Mrs. Phantomhive looked pained.

"You can't remember? Oh, sweetie… I don't know If I should be glad…" Ciel frowned. She petted his head. "I was out when I heard they found the body of a young boy at a park… I knew it was stupid of me to be worried but I called the house anyway…" Ciel's eyes widened.

Alois…

"No one answered! Not even Mey Rin! I started getting really scared but I decided not to jump to any conclusions until I made sure you weren't home. I went back to the house to find it empty. I called your cellphone but you wouldn't answer. It's already been found… beside a large pool of blood…" She started to cry then. "I didn't know anything then, but I was just sure that something bad had happened! I called Mey Rin's cellphone and she said you had left during the afternoon! It had been so long ago! She got worried too and we both called for help to look for you. It was not until I called a public hospital that I was told you had been brought in in an ambulance a few minutes before! Someone had found you on the streets with a stab wound!"

On the streets? Ciel turned to Sebastian as discretely as possible.

"I placed you where I knew someone would walk into you. They called for help." The demon explained. Ciel looked back at his mother as she continued.

"I couldn't believe it! They said that you were in surgery and I just… I was just so…" She started to sob, and Ciel suddenly found himself holding and comforting her.

I'm pretty sure the one on the hospital bed shouldn't be the one doing this… He thought with a humorless smile.

"The p-police say it's too much of a coincidence for two boys of around the same age and social status to have been attacked on the same night… they say it was probably the same person… d-do you know… anything about the other kid?"

She looked up at Ciel, and for a moment he thought that Alois deserved the truth. He deserved a witness... A friend...

"Don't think about that. Not now. You need to focus on yourself, Ciel." Sebastian said. Ciel took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

"No mother… I don't know what you're talking about." He finally whispered. She nodded at him.

"I'm sorry for bringing this up so soon. Maybe I should have waited for you to have been more rested."

"No it's fine. I was the one who asked."

"The cops might come later to-" The door to the room slammed open and a familiar squeaky voice was heard.

"Young master!" Mey Rin ran inside, crying. She threw herself at Ciel and hugged the boy tightly. "I'm so sorry I left! If only I had stayed at the house I would have answered your mother's phone call and we would have looked for you sooner! This is all my fault!" She was crying rivers and Ciel was actually panicking.

"N-no! It was not your fault at all! P-please calm down…" Mey Rin suddenly looked up at him and took off her large and useless glasses to make efficient eye contact, which surprised Ciel.

"I was just so s-sad because I'm being replaced… Y-you're my family..."

Ciel blinked.

"Replaced?" He looked at his mother, who seemed just as confused.

"We aren't going to replace you, Mey Rin."

"B-but what about that S-sebastian?" Ciel felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. He looked away as his mother's eyes widened.

"W-what do you mean…?" She almost whispered.

"I heard Ciel calling out to a Sebastian! I-I thought he was my replacement…" His mother turned to him with horror. Ciel forced himself to act unaffected.

"There's no way we'd ever replace you Mey Rin! So dry your eyes and take a breath."

Ciel clenched his hands into fists as he waited for his mother to comment on what Mey Rin had said. He knew she had suspected that he was still "seeing" Sebastian after all these years, but she had no true evidence... until now.

Some interesting times lay ahead… Ciel thought bitterly.

That is it for "Imagine Madness"! But... there will be actually be TWO "spin offs" for this "series" if you want to see it that way.

There will be a sequel called "Imagine Eternity" going from cute one-shots of birthdays, problematic fiancees, and confused servants, to intense arcs of worried mothers who make bad decisions, and other things Ciel and Sebastian need to deal with before they start thinking about eternity!

There will also be a prequel called "Imagine Innocence" with all the moments that didn't make it to the flashbacks! Who wouldn't want to hear about that time 11 year old Ciel sang for Sebastian's "birthday"? There might also be a bit of Alois and Claude in there from time to time.

So it's far from over! What happens is already pretty much set in stone in my head, but if you have any questions for prompts you'd like to see, like "what would Sebastian do when Ciel got sick?" or "seriously! where's this kid's father!?" Then I'll be happy to include that story!