Blood dribbled down flesh and soaked the pavement. Blue cloth was stained red and the ragged breathing of the dying demon finally stopped as his opponent dropped him to the floor, his empty body flopping uselessly to the pavement with a harsh smack that broke the fragile bones of the skull. It didn't hurt the small, demonic boy; nothing ever would again.

He was dead.

Sebastian didn't understand.

Ciel is dead

He couldn't comprehend the simplistic mortality of it all.

Ciel is dead

How? Why? Why wasn't he moving? Why couldn't Ciel simply slip back into his body?

Ciel is dead

The opponent was destroyed by the youngling's guardian but it was too late. There was nothing to be done except...

"Bring him back!"

The Undertaker, the most famed of all the reapers, stared at the butler with a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Bring him back, eh?" he chuckled, his eyes on Sebastian though hidden by long bangs of greying white hair. "You know what you're asking for, Butler. The little earl will never be the same again if I manage to do what you demand."

"Just...just bring him back..."

Those thin lips curved into an eerie grin and the Undertaker tipped his hat in an almost mocking fashion. "Then it shall be done but, first, my payment." Giddy with something akin to hope, Sebastian gave him every joke, every one liner, every comedy sketch he could for the next hour until Undertaker could undertake no more. The reaper took Ciel's body into his back room where he began to work on the little dead demon.

Hours passed and eventually Sebastian was ushered into the room. "He's about to awake." Undertaker sniggered as the two went into the back room where Ciel's body lay on the bed, pale and unmoving. "Just the finishing touch...the original soul..." Undertaker pushed in the little ball of light that had once held so much wonder for Sebastian, that had once been so tempting now smelled like dead flowers; still pleasant but spoke only of endings and death, rotting with darkness and loneliness.

Sebastian had little time to dwell on this however for, no sooner did those thoughts enter his mind, Ciel began to awaken. First his fingers flexed and then his eyes fluttered open, each the magnificent blue they had been as a human child until the orbs slowly clouded over with a bloody red. Undertaker took Ciel's arms and pulled him into a sitting position like the boy was nothing more than a rag doll.

"Ciel?" Sebastian dared to utter the undead's name and those eyes, those red, empty eyes looked up at Sebastian from beneath those overgrown bangs. "Ciel, I..."
"I wouldn't bother." Undertaker said and Sebastian frowned. "He's not fully functional yet. Speaking will be...a little difficult for a while. I advise you take him home."

Sebastian nodded and picked Ciel up. The boy didn't stop him but nor did he accept Sebastian's arms around him. In fact, he didn't respond at all. His small, limp body just flopped in Sebastian's arms like a useless newborn. "Ciel..." Sebastian murmured softly to the small bundle in his arms as he walked out of Undertaker's shop.

Ciel sat on the chair, staring at nothing in particular. For the past hour he had taken no interest in anything. Not blood. Not souls. Nothing stimulated his attention for longer than a few seconds. Ciel stared blankly at the elder male, barely even blinking. He was nothing more than a limp doll that sat slumped in the same seat for hours. Sebastian wasn't even sure Ciel could even move on his own.

"Ciel?"

The demonic doll looked up at his guardian for a moment, his eyes dull and lifeless, before they lowered and he stared into nothing.

Sebastian let out a sigh and stroked the younger's porcelain cheek. "You are precious to me." he murmured and rested their foreheads together. "Speak to me, young master, say something." The old one near begged but not a word was uttered by the demonic doll. The elder shook his doll desperately, pleading for just a syllable, an utterance, anything would do so long as Sebastian could hear that voice just one more time. "Please... I love you."

If this had been a fairytale, Ciel would have lifted his head as if true love had broken the spell.

But this was not a fairytale and true love does not conquer all.

The still doll didn't stir, didn't move, barely even breathed.

Sebastian let go and the doll flopped back into his seat, staring blankly into nothingness, staring into an eternal dark void of hopelessness and lifelessness.

"Ciel."

Ciel was dead and Sebastian could do nothing about it.

"Ciel..."

Ciel was dead and this thing that sat in his place was nothing more than that; a thing.

"...I love you, Ciel."

Ciel was dead and perhaps it was time to say goodbye.

But Sebastian could never do that.

As the days rolled by, movement became easier for the doll and his reactions improved slowly. His mind muddled through the recognition of Sebastian's voice, processing the various different tones his owner used. Slowly, he began to adjust and accepted Sebastian's tenderness in silence. Every affectionate touch and gesture was something to be allowed and Ciel permitted it.

Sex was also something the little doll became accustom too and the many ways their bodies responded to one another's touch. For the most part, Ciel was as silent as ever but, every now and then, Sebastian managed to coax a gasp from the younger male. Moments like that was something Sebastian lived for. Sebastian made very sure that the boy gasped and writhed beneath him, trembling in pleasure and arching into his touch. No words were needed when Ciel showed such obvious pleasure.

At the end of it, Ciel would lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling until Sebastian made it clear he wanted to snuggle. The doll didn't seem to mind and closed his eyes, slipping into an unconscious state to rest.

Mornings seemed to be the same. Ciel learned that Sebastian delighted in feeding him and brightened when Ciel responded to his own name. He fussed over the young doll, touching and cooing. Sometimes Ciel's lips moved as if attempting to speak. Little sound emerged but it made Sebastian happy to see him try to respond to the elder.

As quiet as the young one was, Sebastian's babbling made up for it. He filled the silence in place of the sweet tones of his charge's voice out of the need for some kind of noise. Ciel was still quite apathetic, his big blue eyes barely maintaining any evidence of a consciousness hidden behind that baby face. His gaze followed his guardian around throughout the day and appeared to have no other habits. Quiet and obedient, Ciel complied with the demon's whims as best as he was able but, of course, he needn't do much.

Just letting Sebastian hold him and touch him a lot was enough.

Eventually, Sebastian felt it was time to move on. The fled to Europe, to a small manor in France but the doll seemed unfamiliar with the extravagant life style, shying away from the few servants Sebastian had hired and kept to his room most of the time. It was then that Sebastian realised that Ciel didn't remember... anything.

It tore at his insides to realise that Ciel probably didn't even know who Sebastian was let alone the demon's name. It explained Ciel's watchful eyes as well as his need to keep close to the elder. He remembered nothing of his mortal life or his demon life. All Ciel knew was that he existed and that Sebastian loved him dearly.

Upon this new realisation, Sebastian kept Ciel close and tried to make the boy more comfortable in the manor. They slept in the same room, whether they had sex or not, and Sebastian insisted on bathing the younger.

Slowly, very slowly, Ciel began to emerge from his shell. At first it was just little things like holding Sebastian's hand simply because he wanted to or seeking out the elder when the doll was alone. Then there were bigger things, slight smiles and more response in the bedroom.

And then he spoke.

"Sebastian..."

And Sebastian was happy at long last.