Chapter: 14: Red

O

O

O

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to the fantastic Yana Toboso. I'm only sorry that I'm using her magnificent characters to make up naughty nonsense such as this XD.

O

O

O

The news of the fall of Vincent Phantomhive spread like wildfire, passing from the tongue of one poltergeist to the next. Shocked gasps left the lips of loyal servants while giggles poured out of those with nefarious plans, obviously pleased with this turn of events. In the skies, the double-eyed crows of hell cawed and cackled as they tore through the bloody sky, as though celebrating the death of one of those wretched demons that plagued their lands. In a fortress not so far away, a young incubus prince's sapphire eyes snapped open from deep slumber. Something...wasn't right.

Ciel hopped out of bed, naked as the day he was born, and headed for the balcony, surveying the skies and the desolated landscape. Visibly, there was nothing out there that was amiss...but he could feel his soul being pulled in the direction of his old home... his family. Did something happen? But what could it possibly be? And then, a silk blanket was draped over his shoulders as a strong chest pressed against the small of his back. Ciel breathed in, somewhat comforted by the heady smell of smoke and musk. However, it was unable to completely quell the uneasiness that bubbled within him.

"Is something wrong?" Sebastian inquired, pressing his nose against the tuft of bed hair that was just too adorable to ignore. Ciel shook his head despite the frown that lined his features. "I'm...not too sure. My head is telling me that it is probably nothing... but my soul is disturbed." Ciel closed his eyes and concentrated, allowing his magic to fan out and test the trails of...somethings in the skies. Sebastian winced as he felt the drop in temperature and immediately willed another blanket over to cover their naked skin. Ciel was quiet for a few seconds before his eyes snapped open once again- confusion swirling in deep azure depths.

"I can feel...mother calling me. But she never does this unless it's absolutely necessary. But why only her? Where's father?" Ciel spoke, more to himself then his master. Sebastian frowned at this. He knew that the incubi are incredibly perceptive creatures. They have tighter bonds between each other than compared to other demon races. There was a very good chance that this wasn't just a "feeling", but rather, a signal.

"Go." Sebastian told Ciel, who turned to look at him with a bewildered expression. The devil stepped back from his embrace, turning to collect the scattered clothing that was strewn messily across the floor.

"What? But..."

Sebastian chuckled. "My dear pet, have you forgotten? We live in a world where death is commonplace...even though we're almost immortal."

At this, Ciel's eyes widened like saucers. He dashed towards the wardrobes, tugged on his newest travel wear and trotted towards his master who was now dressed in his own dark slacks. A half beat of his now unfurled wings allowed Ciel to drape his arms across Sebastian's shoulders and wrap his legs around Sebastian's chest. Their eyes met for a short moment before Ciel devoured his master's lips in what was now known as a customary thank-you kiss between them. Moans and grunts echoed in the room as driblets of saliva trickled down their chins. Hands moved over delicious curves, both hard and soft. Ciel released a keening whine when Sebastian dragged his thumb over concealed nipples. The former opened his eyes to shoot a glare at the other who only smirked in response.

"I apologise for the slip of hand."

*MA Portion edited out. Please refer to A/N below for uncut version.*

Ciel grinned and nodded. As he sashayed towards the balcony (knowing that his master's gaze was focused on his pert behind), he licked his lips one final time and unfurled his inky black wings. "Thanks for the treat. Don't wait up." In a flurry of motions, Ciel darted out into the sky as the devil watched- an unreadable expression on his face as his pet disappeared into the horizons.

Another chess piece has moved. But it was still anyone's game.

O

O

O

Ciel soared through the skies. At this pace, he would reach the castle within the hour. With every beat of his wings, he could feel his mother's presence slowly getting stronger. But somehow...it felt different...twisted. If he didn't know any better, it felt like someone else's soul. But Ciel knew he would never mistake his mother's soul for another. But that wasn't the main problem. Up till now, he was unable to sense his father. Could...could Sebastian be right after all? The prince's brows furrowed and sped up, forcing his wings to their limits. Why couldn't Sebastian be wrong for once?

Minutes later, Ciel breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his old castle...still standing strong. In the worst case scenario, it would have been burnt down. His mother's soul felt alive and well...but his father's was still absent. As he drew closer, he saw a flurry of small black wings at the front of the castle. One pair was notably larger. Soon, Ciel realised they belonged to his older brother- the crown prince, Edward.

"EDWARD!" Ciel bellowed from the skies, plummeting as quickly as his wings would allow him. Edward Phantomhive turned towards the skies, watching as his younger brother descended.

"Ciel. I knew you would come." Edward greeted his younger brother with a hug. Ciel returned the gesture, feeling awkward at the similarities of their heights. As Edward had yet to take a mate, he was still in his immature form. But despite that, he was already at Ciel's fully matured height. While Ciel had taken after his father in his looks, he had inherited his mother's small stature. The opposite was true for Edward, who obviously had his mother's looks but Vincent's physique. They looked nothing like each other...but nonetheless, the bond between the brothers was close.

"What happened? Is mother alright? And why can't I sense father?" Ciel's questions tumbled out of his mouth like water down rapids. Edward seemed hesitant but decided to answer in the most tactful way he knew possible. Unfortunately, Irene, his younger sister, chose this moment to be... helpful as she threw herself between the two brothers.

"Ciel! Ciel! Papa won't wake up! Mama locked herself in her room and won't speak to anyone. What's happening? Why is everyone saying that Papa died? What does that even mean?" The little succubae cried and whine, not realising that her beloved brother was stunned with shock. An older succubae stepped forward to retrieve her younger sister from the arms of her older brother. She nodded at Edward and left the both of them alone. All of them knew that Ciel was the closest to their Father.

"How...how did it happen?" Ciel whispered.

Edward bit his lip. "We aren't completely sure...but Mother seems to think that a jewel sucked out his life force. The jewel was embedded in a fruit that was served to Father during his meal. It was said that Mother had forced a servant to pick the jewel up...but the servant died as well. It's...something that was unforseen."

Ciel's fingers curled to form a tight fist, his sharp claws biting deep into his skin-almost deep enough to draw blood.

"And the kitchen staff?"

"Mother spent hours interrogating them... but she found nothing. That was when she forced one of them to touch the jewel. After that...Mother tore the castle apart. I gathered the family out here to keep them in a place where I can see they're all safe. And like Irene had said, a servant just told us that Mother had shut herself off in her room, refusing to speak to anyone." Edward explained calmly. Ciel admired his brother for that. Despite the death of his parent, the older incubus prince stood strong. He knew that his Father's passing meant Edward's immediate accession to the throne. He couldn't show any weakness. The incubi kingdom was his responsibility now.

"I'll go speak to her...you deal with the family." Ciel told Edward, who immediately agreed. Now that Edward would have to shoulder all royal responsibilities, the matter of Vincent's death was in Ciel's hands for his brother would be too busy attending to their...devil associates about the matter.

Ciel entered the castle, ignoring the torn curtains and overturned tables that littered the scene. A powerful succubae on a rampage like his mother was not one to be trifled with. The air felt cold, steely and foreign. He shivered. This was not his home... not anymore.

When he reached the royal bedroom, he was almost shocked at the deep claw marks that could be seen on the front of the door. He could feel his mother much better now. Her soul was in obvious turmoil, anguish and sadness. Ciel even had to pause for a few moments, unwilling to let his mother's torrent of emotions affect him. Someone around here had to keep a sane mind.

"Mother?"

His call echoed in the empty hallways. As he had expected, it was met with silence. However, he could feel the subtle shift in his mother's emotions. She recognised his presence.

"Sleep. I will speak to you in the morning. I will be with you every step of the way in this...and I promise you, we will avenge father's death."

At his declaration, Rachel's soul quieted down a bit and almost too quickly, slipped into slumber. But Ciel didn't blame her...after the day's events, even the most powerful devil would tire.

He turned on his heels and stalked towards the dining hall where he assumed his father's body still lay unmoving and cold-dead. With every step, his sorrow mounted. Tears of ice started to roll down his ashen cheeks, bursting into sparkles whenever they fell against the cool marble floor. But Ciel didn't care for them. He ignored the whispering poltergeists servants that lingered in the hallways. He ignored the blood that was now flowing freely down his palms. Ciel saw nothing...nothing but red.

O

O

O

A/N: *Dust cobwebs for the umpteenth time.* Hiiii guys..I'm back from Korea. School starts in two weeks and I'll be...attempting to churn out as many chapters as I can until then. Some notes:

Red: Red is used as a symbol of guilt, sin, passion, and anger, often as connected with blood or sex.

Edward: NOT Edward Cullen okay? XD This is Edward Midford, Ciel's older cousin and Elizabeth's older brother in the manga.

I'm hoping it was worth the wait...see you guys in a couple of days over at Sickly Sweet!

One more thing..my old email had a locked down a couple of weeks ago and I had forgotten my deviant art password -_-. I've decided to put all the chapters for Sickly Sweet and Hellfire in google docs..since they're the only active stories. The rest can still be accessed in my inaccessible deviant account I guess.

PLEASE GO TO MY PROFILE FO LINK TO THE UNCUT VERSION!