Hello! So this is my first attempt at writing for Kuroshitsuji. I hope I got the characters down well, but we'll see. Oh, spoilers of course for if you have not seen the end of Kuroshitsuji II. Err, not really much else to say, so on with the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I'd like to of course, as I'm sure a lot of us would, but sadly, it shall not come to pass. Hence my writing of fanfiction.
He was going to end his contract with Ciel Phantomhive.
It had been just about a year now. A year since the soul that had been signed over to him was ripped from his grasp. Almost a year since his cursed existence as a servant for eternity to the one whose soul should have been his to devour had began. A year. An insignificant passage of time for a demon of course, but somehow to him that year had seemed to stretch on forever. Cursed to remain forever with such a master, it was really no wonder the days took so long to pass.
It was a humiliating thing, for one demon to serve another. As the saying went in the human realm, it was a dog eat dog world. Only the strong survived while the weak died off. Weakness was not tolerated in his world. If you were weak, you either died, or became the plaything of another, stronger demon in hopes of surviving. For someone of his status to be bound to a young, immature, newly made demon, it really was a shameful thing. And everyone knew of it, though he had only been in the human world since his contract to the young boy began. When one lived for an indefinite length of time, life became… repetitive. The misfortune of others however, was always a sure-fire way to lighten up any demon's day. As it was, gossip tended to travel fast. Yes, everyone knew of his cursed lot, and he was certain that they were laughing at him.
And that was why he had decided to destroy the contract. It was against his aesthetics, but he was not going to put up with this for eternity.
He had once thought, perhaps foolishly so, that it wouldn't be so bad. While he had been absolutely furious those first few days after his young master had become a demon, after some time had gone by and his rage had burned out somewhat, he told himself it would be okay. Once, he had acknowledged that the existence of this particular master made the tedious life of a demon interesting. Perhaps, he reasoned with himself, things would continue to be interesting. That turned out to be wrong.
He and his young master had traveled a lot during this past year. Now that they could no longer return to the Phantomhive mansion, they went wherever the young master desired. And the holder of his contract never failed to get into some form of trouble, no matter where they went. He'd thought that as a result of the young boy becoming a demon, he would no longer be such a helpless burden, but that seemed to be even less true now. It wasn't that the boy couldn't defend himself, he just chose not to, instead forcing his servant to do it for him. He'd always been able to put up with his master's stubborn behavior when he'd known that he would receive something in return for it, but now it just irritated him. In fact, everything did. He was hungry, he was annoyed, and he was not going to put up with this for all eternity.
He was going to break the contract. One way or another.
The boy was sleeping when he entered the room. Sleep was a luxury for demons, not something they needed, and like with all other luxuries, the holder of his contract indulged in it frequently. He slept as often now as he did when he'd been human.
He walked silently to the bed, his feet seeming to glide over the carpet with an elegant grace. His crimson eyes trailed over the childish form of his master. He was curled in a fetal position with one arm pressed to his chest, and the other curled loosely in front of him, like he was holding something. His lips were parted and his hair hung in front of his closed eyes. He looked like a normal, innocent human child. While he was asleep it was impossible to tell the child's true nature. Impossible to guess that behind those closed eyelids lay a shining contract and two fiery crimson orbs.
He took another step closer to his prey, his hand reaching out for the face of the child. The flame from the candle he was holding flickered once, then extinguished. The shadows in the room darkened to an unnatural black and inched closer and closer to the two in the room, heading toward his outstretched hand, as if gathered there by some force. The temperature in the room dropped drastically, the air turned frigid. A soft humming filled the room, the sound of excitement and underlying power lying close to the surface, waiting to strike.
"Se… bastian?" Eyelids fluttered open, revealing eyes that were, for the moment, a deep clear blue. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he stretched. Along with his fondness for sleeping, the boy had also retained his sluggish behavior upon waking from when he'd been human. It took him a minute to gather his wits about him and to sense the mood in the room. When he did, his eyes changed immediately to an alert, crimson red. He stood out of the bed and the flame from the candle suddenly flared to life once more, brightening the room.
"Sebastian! What's going on?" His master demanded, tone full of naïve authority. He merely smiled and reached forward. The boy frowned and with a resounding slap! smacked his hand away. The blow caused him a touch of pain, more than it ever had when his master been a human, but certainly not enough to deter him from his cause. Instead it pushed him on, compelled him to more forward with his plan.
"Sebastian! You will tell me what you are doing now. That is an order," The young boy commanded. His smile twitched. There it was again. Those damn orders. Orders from such an insignificant, weak demon that he was forced to obey. Pathetic really.
"I am breaking the contract, Young Master," he replied with a half-bow and a smile.
"You can't do that," The boy protested, sounding so sure of himself too. His smile widened. His young master hadn't even set foot in the demon world, knew nothing about contracts, and yet he still sounded so positive. His stubbornness was one of the things that had attracted him to this boy in the first place.
"But I can, Young Master. It goes against my aesthetics, but I can do it. And I've grown rather bored of this particular predicament. I do not plan on serving such a small, helpless master for all of eternity, after all," He smiled, still bowing slightly.
His crimson eyes met with those of his master and he watched as the boy broke their gaze and looked at the floor. The flame from the candle flickered and swayed, casting half-shadows on the boy's face. He watched as soft lips formed half-sentences and slender brows scrunched together with concentration.
"Is the thought really that terrible to you?" He questioned. He raised his head and his red eyes glowed. The flame of the candle rushed to life and the shadows in the room drew back as if they were frightened of being burnt. The humming in the air increased as the boy's power joined his own with sudden intensity.
"Yes, My Lord," He responded, smiling mockingly. He bowed with his hand over his heart, but this time the gesture was of subtle defiance, and both of them caught it. No longer was such an act one of loyalty, or at least a vow to work together until both of them had been satisfied. His young master's soul was gone, and he could no longer lay claim to it. Yes, the thought was horrible indeed.
"All right then. You can do it. Break the contract," He announced.
"Such generosity. I would have thought the Young Master would scream and yell," He chuckled lowly. The boy glared at him definitely and again the fire flared. The light in the room was almost enough now to chase away all the shadows between the two of them.
"But," He continued, keeping his eyes locked with the older demon's, "I want you to take my life as well." He raised his eyebrows at this request, not quite sure what to make of it.
The child laughed. His ears picked up the hollowness of it, noted that it was not one of his normal laughs. It sounded empty, strange, and the tone of it seemed to cause the room to grow colder and the shadows to grow closer. His eyes watched the young demon carefully.
"Come now, Sebastian. Can't you do that? I know you aren't supposed to kill your master, but you are already breaking the contract, so does it matter?" He questioned with a smirk. But that was off too, also strange. The shadows crept closer still.
"It is a hard thing to kill a demon, Young Master. You saw that with Claude, did you not? Without that sword, I doubt I could kill even a newly-made demon such as yourself," He responded tactfully. After having spent so long a time with his master, he had come to know when something was on his mind or was troubling him. Even so, he said nothing about it. Best to keep quiet and observe. Though he had to admit, he was interested.
"You could call that Death God and request he use his Death Scythe to do it. He would," The boy said.
"For you to suggest calling that creature here, you must truly desire death. If you would permit a mere butler such as myself to ask, what made you change your mind? If I recall correctly, you said you felt as if you'd been released from a curse," He reminded. The boy scowled.
"My reasons do not matter. I want you to do it. I am still your master, so you will kill me if I ask you to," He answered.
"Ah, but I am curious. Won't you at least allow me to know? It's the least you can do, don't you agree? After all, you did not uphold your end of our contract."
"As if I can help that!" The young demon spat. His eyes glowed fiercely and the fire roared, eliminating all the shadows in the room. The thrumming of their power became a loud buzz, and the windows of the room cracked and broke. Cold air rushed in through the now-open windows, but the fire refused to be extinguished, growing only brighter and the flames even higher. For the first time since he'd entered the room, he could see the face of his young master clearly, could see all the emotions playing across his features. Wrath, envy, a bitter hatred, delicious fear. Such a plethora of emotions spread out on the face of a demon. This boy was truly more interesting and complex than any other demon he'd met before. Another something he'd retained from his human life.
"If I could have stopped that damn contract I would have," He muttered, suddenly sitting down on the bed as if all of his energy had been spent up in that outburst. "Having this body, this strength, these powers… It does feel as if I've broken free from a curse. But existing like this is not something I deserve. I do not want to… to live like a parasite, eating the souls of others." He curled his legs up to his small body and placed his hands on his head. His eyes faded from bright red to an enigmatic blue, and now the fire seemed to become aware of its unruly state and curled back in on itself. The flames of the candle flickered dimly.
"With this new existence I have gained much, but lost more. I can no longer live in my mansion with my servants, or those foolish people who insisted on being by my side. They would notice that I am no longer the same person I was before. When they saw that I did not age they would become terrified. I have been released from one curse and thrown into another. And this time there is not even a thread for me to grasp for."
The boy paused again in his monologue and he watched carefully. He was beginning to remember what had made him fight so hard for this boy in the first place. He'd been so interesting for a human; different than most other masters he had served. He was the same as a demon. So different from the others.
"I can no longer see those people in this form, even if I wanted to. And if you break the contract, then I will no longer have you, either. So you might as well just kill me. Even if you can no longer eat my soul, it still belongs to you. You can take my life instead. I wouldn't want anyone else to do it," The child said, finally finishing. He shuffled on the bed and sat with his feet dangling off the side of it, then kicked half-heartedly at the air in a surprisingly childish gesture. He turned his head and looked into the eyes of his butler.
"So Sebastian, I order you to kill me," He uttered solemnly.
He advanced toward the young demon on the bed. His smile had faded while he listened, but now it was back in place on his lips. He stood in front of the child and watched as those expressive blue eyes turned to look up at him. A shiver ran through the small body, not a fear of death, but a fear of being alone perhaps. It excited him. Oh, he could remember why he had found this child so interesting, why he had not minded being a servant to this one. He was special not only for his high-quality soul, but for everything about him, everything that was different from all those other greedy and selfish humans. He remembered this clearly.
He bent down closer to the child, who involuntarily closed his eyes. The position was so familiar to that day long ago, that day when the soul of his young master should have been his to devour. Long before the boy had been turned into a demon as the result of another foolish child's meddling. Yes, long ago, back when things had been perfect. But now he could no longer claim that soul. It was forever beyond his grasp, and he was to forever be the servant to this stubborn, lonely, beautiful demon child.
The light from the candle flickered, and then went out once more. The darkness of the night enveloped the room and the persons within it, and the cold wind blew in from the broken windows.
He knelt in front of the bed so his face was level with his master's, and slowly pulled his gloves off. He used his contracted hand to trace the features of the boy's face, then pulled him closer and connected their lips. He felt his young master part his lips as he gasped, and he took the opportunity to explore the other's mouth.
Such a delicious taste. He could taste the emotions of the boy, could taste his lingering anger at the Trancy brat for forcing him into this existence, and at the same time could taste the sadistic joy he felt at having this form and this power. He could taste his young master's fear at being alone, his curiosity when he thought about death, his lust, his desire. He could taste the corruption in this child and the evilness there, yet could also taste the smallest hint of a naïve, childish innocence. The same innocence he'd possessed as a human even while he was used and abused and humiliated. The same innocence that drove both him and the demon Claude ravenous for his soul. For how was it that a fragile human who had gone through such hardships and hated so strongly was able to retain even a small amount of innocence? The urge to corrupt and defile it was maddening, and so they had fought, and so Ciel Phantomhive had become a demon. He tasted that innocence still, clinging persistently to the boy as though it had yet to notice he had turned into a creature of sin and debauchery, and probably never would. He tasted it all; a small sampling of what that soul would have tasted like, had he still been able to consume it.
When he'd had enough of the temptation, enough of the teasing of something he could never have, he pulled away from his young master, severing the string of saliva that connected them together.
"Sebastian, wha-,"
"Shh," He hushed, placing a finger on the young demon's lips. In the blackness of the room he could make out red eyes staring at him, trying to read him and understand what was going on.
"I apologize, but I am afraid I shall have to deny you that order, Young Master," He answered cheerfully.
"What are you talking about?" The demon asked. He could hear the suspicion lacing his voice, and could see the way his eyes narrowed in the dark. His smile only widened, and he chuckled to himself.
"I have merely remembered what an interesting young master you are, is all. I am certainly still not happy about this turn of events, but I think for now the contract should remain intact. Though I will remember your allowing me to break it, should I chose to," He explained. The child before him closed his eyes for a moment, blocking off the red glow of them. When they reopened he could tell the boy was smirking.
"Very well then Sebastian. Until you grow bored of this game, I order you to continue serving me as my butler. And when you wish to destroy the contract, you must destroy me along with it."
A smile, and the wind whipped harder around the two demons.
"Yes, My Lord."
This time, both could sense the sincerity behind those words.
Okay! So that's it then! First, some things to just mention. There has to be some way to get rid of the contract. And if there was, I'm sure Sebastian would find it. Because, much as I'd like to think he'd be thrilled to spend all of eternity with Ciel, he was totally pissed. So while writing this I figured maybe he could rip out the contracted eye and arm, and that would get rid of it. Based this idea off the fact that in the anime when Sebby's arm was gone, Claude was able to barge in there and steal Ciel's soul, so without visible proof of the contract, it was obviously weakened. So when I thought of this idea before I started writing it, I was going to imply that Sebastian was planning on getting rid of Ciel's eye, but I think when I started writing it that became less obvious. Oh well.
Next! I figured just because Ciel is a demon now doesn't mean he has to go to Hell, or wherever demons like to hang out, so I made him stay in the human world. Eh, something about the ending just sort of implied to me that he'd kind of explore some places there first or something, I don't know. Also, as you probably noticed, I very rarely used names in this little fic. Hope that didn't make things confusing. Reasoning for that was that Sebastian said demons don't really require names, and that naming something was a human thing to do. Since this was kind of written more from his point of view, I figured I shouldn't use names. If that made things confusing though, please let me know!
And the last thing before I let you go off to review (hopefully) is that again, this was my first time writing for Kuroshitsuji. I'd love to write for it more in the future, so any feedback on the characters and if they were IC would be wonderful. Was it good? Did everything seem realistic? I'd love to hear your feedback, so if you would, please review! Thank you!