This will be the final chapter of this story. It has taken a long time, but I wanted to get it done. I hope that you all like this chapter just as much as you liked the rest of the story.

XXXXX

Late in the night, Sebastian awoke to the soft sound of tapping against stone. He opened one eye, a little annoyed by the sound, but in no way concerned. It was a very soft noise, and it was likely that there was just a bird or a squirrel on his roof. Even so, it was interrupting his rest. He let out a growl to scare off whatever creature was up there, and after a moment of silence, closed his eyes again.

The peace was short lived, however. It was barely a minute before he heard a familiar voice echo through his head, and before he knew it, Sebastian was zapped across the cage against his will. The tapping resumed, but this time it was coming from right behind the door. Well, this was quite the development. Smirking, he pried open the door to reveal the clearly annoyed young earl standing on the other side.

"Did you just growl at me, Sebastian?" Ciel gritted. He crossed his arms and glared up at his butler.

"Of course not, my lord. There was a pest trying to sneak its way into my home. Surely you understand."

He was met with a glare, but thankfully, Ciel was far too tired to argue. It had been a long trip, a long day, and a long, long week.

"Let me in, Sebastian. I didn't come all this way to stare at you."

"And what exactly did you come here for, young master?" Sebastian asked, moving to the side to let him in.

"Shut up, Sebastian"

"Have I said something to offend you?"

"It's none of your business."

"What have I told you about being short with people, my lord?"

"Are you making height jokes, Sebastian?!"

"I wouldn't dare. I simply want to know to what I owe the honor of your visit."

Ciel crossed the enclosure and sat on one of the rocks in front of the cave, and Sebastian was quick to follow him. The boy stared into the pool of lava beneath him, watching it bubble and venturing to toss in a small stone to watch the resulting explosion.

"I'm fed up with those idiots you abandoned me with."

"Has living with Agni and Prince Soma not met your expectations?"

"They're relentless. I couldn't stand to be in that house any longer." He muttered, tossing another stone into the pit.

"I am flattered you would choose to join me here. I am sure Lady Elizabeth would have gladly allowed you to stay at her home." Sebastian responded, picking up a stone himself and throwing it in after his master's. It skipped across the surface of the pool, circling around Ciel's stone before dropping into the molten rock.

"Tch. You must be joking." Ciel said, hiding just how impressed he was with his butler's ability to defy the rules of physics. He picked up another stone and attempted to copy Sebastian's exact motions, disappointed when it fell straight down.

"Am I to believe that spending a night in the zoo with me is preferable?" he smirked, skipping another stone, this time in the shape of a triangle.

"No!" snapped Ciel "I simply didn't have time to write and ask for permission to stay"

"You didn't write to ask me either."

"You're my butler. I shouldn't have to ask you for anything."

"I suppose you are correct, my lord. However, it appears there may be a slight problem in your plans."

"And what is that, Sebastian?"

"Merely that, when you generously had this habitat built for me, you neglected to prepare for our current circumstance. There are no accommodations fitting for a human."

Ciel looked around. Right, this enclosure was entirely made of rock. Sebastian didn't need to sleep, so there wasn't even a bed he could use. The young earl sighed and looked up at the butler.

"Is there nothing you can do?" he gritted.

Sebastian went over possibilities in his mind, but aside from their clothing there was nothing even remotely soft in the enclosure which could be used to make a bed. It was that or feathers, and he very much wanted to keep away from using parts of his body to construct a place to sleep.

"There is nothing I can do, my lord. I apologize."

Ciel's saw went slack at his servant's words. When had Sebastian ever been without a solution? He had never failed before. Perhaps it was all this time he had spent away from the manor, his skills as a butler were on the decline. Perhaps, even as a creature from another world, a seemingly perfect specimen, the demon had become just as exhausted with this situation as he had.

"Sit with me, Sebastian." Ciel murmured, sliding down a nearby rock. The butler obliged, and the two sat in silence, watching the lava pool bubble and spit molten rock. Now that things had finally calmed down, Ciel was beginning to realize exactly how tired he was. His eyelids began to droop, and he felt himself leaning unconsciously toward the demon beside him.

"I'm beginning to tire of this endeavor, Sebastian" he confessed.

"Young master, it is not like you to end something so soon. The month is very nearly over."

"That doesn't matter. I wish for it to be over. I cannot stand those two any longer."

"Are you suggesting that you miss me, my lord?"

Ciel gave his shoulder a weak slap.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sebastian. I could easily keep you in here for years if I had someone more competent."

"I thought you found Agni to be quite-"

"Be quiet, Sebastian. I'm tired and your yapping is keeping me awake."

"Of course. Sleep well, my lord."

With that, the boy drifted off to sleep, his head rested against the demon's shoulder. Sebastian, in spite of his recent negative encounters with human children, wrapped a wing around his master's shoulder. It might not have been the cleanest thing for his appendage, but his master's comfort was infinitely more important than his own. Besides, he figured that he should stretch them while he still had the chance. If all went right, he would be back to his job as a butler soon enough.

Sebastian gazed at the pool, watching in appreciation as it crackled with heat. Despite his master's cruel and greedy intentions, he had taken the time to consider the important details in building the butler's personal Hell. He could tell already he was going to miss this place when it was gone.

Still, he had to agree with Ciel. This had gone on quite long enough.

XXXXX

The next morning arrived slowly, and the outside world remained calm for quite some time even after the sun came up. Perhaps the world had stopped caring about the demon on display. Visitors came later, and there were fewer than there had been in the past. It could have been the aftermath of the kidnapping; perhaps news hadn't spread that Sebastian had returned to the zoo. Whatever the reason, it seemed like the ideal time for an early departure.

"Young master." Sebastian said, shaking Ciel's shoulder gently. "It is time to wake up."

The young man groaned and swatted at his butler's hands. In return, Sebastian pulled back his wing from behind Ciel's back, causing him to fall over.

"Sebastian you-" he growled, but withheld his insults when the demon offered a hand to help him up. He no longer had the energy to argue with the butler.

"Shall we return home, young master?" Sebastian ventured, his voice unusually gentle and soft.

"Fine" Ciel sighed, "If you can no longer handle this simple request to stay in the zoo, then I suppose we will have to." He walked toward the door and kicked it until the employee on the other side opened it. He kept it open until Sebastian followed, which went unquestioned. After all, one would be mad to question Earl Phantomhive and his demon butler.

"And the reaper? He will erase all memory of this?"

"Yes. The party you are to perform at is next month. You will give him a worthwhile performance, do you understand?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that."

"I do." Ciel responded, giving Sebastian a look which signaled him to answer nonetheless.

A dark cloud surrounded the demon as he sunk to one knee. All at once, his attire changed, his wings vanished, and when the darkness cleared all that was left was the Phantomhive butler and those often spoken words to mark his loyalty.

"Yes, my lord."

XXXXX

"There you are" Ciel dropped a bag on the zoo manager's desk with a heavy thunk. "That is my percentage of the money you earned from my demon. I am taking him back home with me. This is far too stressful for him."

The man looked back at him in utter confusion.

"Demon?" he asked "I… I'm not sure I… what money?"

"The money that you owed me, since I donated my demon to you. I am giving it back since I took him back early."

"What demon?" he asked again.

"My…"

"Does this have to do with that blonde man? He came here earlier with a lawnmower, is this a joke?"

Well, apparently reapers worked faster than he thought. The memories had already been erased.

"Well… I…" Ciel looked to Sebastian for assistance. The butler gave a slight nod.

"This is a donation" he stated, "We are concerned with the state of your leopard habitat and believe that your leopard would be much happier in a larger space. Perhaps you could use that empty rock enclosure to build a new home for her."

"The leopard? We just built a new enclosure last year for her."

"Sebastian, I don't think that cat is-"

"This is of dire importance. She is very unhappy. She has been growling at patrons."

"Well, she is going to be territorial. After all, she is expecting cubs…" he said, pausing for a moment to think.

Ciel could visibly see his butler's heart (if he had one) begin to melt, and there was no way to reach him now.

"Well, maybe you're right. With the new babies, she will need more space" the manager smiled "Thank you for your thoughtful donation, Earl Phantomhive. Do you mind if we name one of the cubs in your honor?"

"That won't be necessary…" Ciel grumbled. The last thing he wanted was to share his name with a cat.

"Oh it's no trouble at all."

"Do what you want" he conceded. "Sebastian, let's go."

The manager thanked them again for the donation and made Ciel promise to come visit 'his' leopard in the future. Reluctantly agreeing, out of manners along, Ciel left the office, followed by his dazed butler.

XXXXX

"Well this was a completely pointless idea" Ciel complained, mounting his horse. He wished now that he'd at least brought his carriage so he could rest. Sleeping in a rock enclosure hadn't done good things for his body.

"Now, young master. It couldn't have been entirely without purpose." Sebastian sang, ensuring that the saddle was buckled on correctly.

"It was! I had to live for nearly a month with those idiots, I have weeks of work to catch up on, and now I have to visit that stupid cat!"

"Youn-"

"Sebastian, don't you dare say it."

"Of course not, young master." The butler sighed and shook his head slightly. Cats are intelligent, whether Ciel wanted to hear it or not. "Did you want to stop by the townhouse to say goodbye to Agni and Soma?"

"No. The sooner we are home, the sooner this will be over with. I just hope that the manor is still intact."

"I am sure it will be" Sebastian assured, leading the horse down the path. Even if their memories had been erased, the three servants at home were still frightened enough of him that he could be sure of that much.

As the two walked further and further from the zoo, they remained in silence. Both had been spread far too thin over the past couple of weeks, and it would take quite some time to put this incident from their minds. And without any evidence of what had happened, it truly did seem like a pointless endeavor. Perhaps it was. No one would remember that there had ever been a demon at the zoo, and it was likely better that way. The world didn't need that sort of knowledge.

However, no matter what, nothing could erase Ciel's memory of the demon. The one he could control, put in a cage, order around. The one which, although he could never admit it, he could not survive more than a few weeks without.

Perhaps, whether either of them recognized it or not, there was a point to this endeavor. A reminder that, while a monster can be caged and controlled for a time, at some point, every demon must be freed.

The End

~ Crow-of-Murders