A/N: Well then, long time no see, I guess I can say readers ^^; An absolutely HUGE Gomenasai to ALL of you! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to abandon you all, I promise! I've just been so caught up lately with finals and some roleplaying I just go into. My muse temporarily left me. However, she came back, and with a vengence! I hope this was worth the wait, I really do! Due to me wanting to get this to you quickly, I'm sorry to say it hasn't been BETA-ED so there will be my mistakes in there and I'm really sorry for them. I'm utterly hopeless. I'm sending this to my Editor right away and will put the beta-ed version up as soon as it has been done.I tried to keep them as in character as much possible but without my Editor's tweaks I have no idea how I did now though, just enjoy please~

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji nor hold claim to any of the characters in this fic other than my own. I only own this plot and all my OCs. I also do not own Submersed or the lyrics featured in this chapter, they were merely my muse :)

Warnings: (Possible)OOC-ness, future yaoi/yuri content, AU and any OC's that pop up along the way

Tonights defense,
Stands at the gate.
It's your move now,
I sit and wait.
(I'm not going down, I'm not going down)
I sit and wait.
(I'm not going down)

- "Better Think Again", Submersed

Chapter 2: His Butler, Stirring

Ciel

It was absolute nonsense, this shenanigan of dinner parties and swanky houses. Absolute and utter nonsense. Ciel hated it all. All this messing around and preparing for the sake of only a few hours, putting on a fake smile and appearance for the sake of his parents. What was the point? He honestly didn't know. He could quite happily have been using this time to be doing something more useful and entertaining. Like practicing his music piece for the up and coming exam he had, or finishing his art folio. Ciel had far too much school work to be focusing on right now to have the time to be prancing around in some wealthy moron's house, sipping wine, and being stared at. It was practically driving him crazy.

Wishing very much that he could scream at the person beside him, whom was chattering away cheerfully, to shut up, Ciel swallowed his anger, pushing the glasses he was using as part of his disguise further up the bridge of his nose. It was a good thing the lenses were the weakest possible strength or else he'd probably have been getting irritated by now because of them as well. Damn these stupid extremes he had to go to just to satisfy his family. It was too much. So stupid and pointless.

Inside his head, the teen was ready to rip apart this man limb from limb. However, for the sake of everyone else, he kept a smile on his face that was gentle and calm, staying the character he knew he had to be tonight. He had to be a gentleman and nothing less or else there would be hell to pay. The last thing he could allow himself to do was put a bad example on his family's name. It would be unforgivable and his parents would never let it go. He just had to stay neutral and believable. That was all there was to it.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look almost double of your wonderful mother?" The man beside him asked with a smile, "Such a pretty face."

Ciel turned to him, angling his gaze at the speaker, warmth and honesty tugging his lips into a friendly mask. "No, they haven't. Thank you very much." He answered, having gotten used to idiots like this guys unnecessarily complimenting him. It was a reply that he'd said more times that he could dare to count, because he'd probably explode. It was so fake. Anyone could tell just by looking at this man -Ciel recalled absentmindedly he was some sort of university historian that had a PhD in this, that and the other, and clearly thought he was a big shot- that he didn't give a hell about Ciel or his family. His only aim was to get into his good books and probably gain some status. How pathetic, Ciel found himself thinking, they're always the same. It so entertaining to watch them practically break their backs just to be nice to me. So stupid.

The man gave a grin, nodding cheerfully, but his jaw was clenched as he did this, giving away that he clearly was unhappy by such a simple response. In his head, Ciel tsked, then chuckled.

What did you expect, idiot? A sponsor or something? Yeah right. Try again in about ten years when I might have heard of you, Ciel grinned back, a darkly amused glow in his violet eyes.

Clearing his throat, he excused himself in the proper and respectful manner, standing and pushing back elegantly from the exquisite dining table. Sparing a minute to glance back at his parents, whom gave him a hesitant nod, meaning he was permitted to stroll around for a bit, Ciel strode straight out of there. He couldn't tolerate being in that huge room any longer knowing just about every single gaze in there had been fixed on him in intrigue and interest. It was like he was some sort of specimen in a science lab and it bugged the hell out of him. Hadn't anyone ever taught any of them it was rude to stare? Jeez…it was just so annoying.

Walking through the closely packed bodies of handsomely dressed people -all probably high class and doing something big in their own businesses, Ciel was sure, just to even get into this party- the teen found himself wandering up a set of huge, grand stairs in search for some place with a mirror or a bathroom where he could take a breather. He had to check these damn contacts to see if they were alright and replace them if necessary.

Eventually he found one, after trying a few thick oaken doors that had appeared to be locked, twisting the gilded latch and heading inside of it callously. Luckily it was empty which meant he'd be safe for now and might just get a moment to himself. Pressing his back against the door, it closed with a heavy click and he gave out a relieved sigh. The sound echoed, which Ciel wasn't really all that surprised with, considering this space was huge. It appeared to be something of a grand old library with floor to ceiling stacks brimming with books of every kind. Quite the sight, Ciel had to admit, flopping onto one of the pretty velvet loveseats that were arranged throughout the space and drawing out a small compact from his pocket. He was loath to admit he carried such a girlish item -it wasn't his in the first place. He'd borrowed it from Lulu- but it was essential with the way his own eye whacked out on him. Clicking the small mirror open, he removed the spectacles from his nose and set them aside, peering into the glass in wonder. To his relief, the colour of his contact lenses appeared to be fine and just as bright as they had been when he'd put them in over an hour or so ago. Their deep shade of crisp amethyst was still intact and that was a whole load off the teen's mind. He didn't have to worry about it now for a little bit, which meant he could focus on other things, like keeping calm.

Snapping shut the compact, he slipped it back into the pocket of his dress pants and worked on straightening his tie so that it was perfect once more, leaving it to sit atop his black silk button down shirt comfortably when he was done. Ciel put an arm over his eyes and sighed. Doing this sort of thing took it out of him so much. All this extra effort he had to put forward just to be the kind of person his parents could smile at and be proud of, instead of the screw up Phantomhive brat he could be every other time of the day. It was so frustrating living as three people, and yet, he still did it anyway, switching constantly. From Ciel Phantomhive, the school kid, in the morning whilst at school, to just Ciel in the afternoon, able to smile at his mother hen maid, Lulu, to the sophisticated Ciel Sinclair that his parents came home too and discussed their business with. It was all such a bother. It made him wonder why he put up with having so many personas.

Picking up his glasses and twiddling with them in his fingers, Ciel tried to seek the answer to his question in his own mind, getting lost in his own thoughts. However, nothing came to mind, like always. It was as if he was still searching for a part of himself, something lost, that could somehow pull all the pieces together and explain all of this craziness to him. It was as if something was missing but he couldn't recall what it was. It had something to do with that night…the night he'd tried to-

The night I tried to kill myself…damn, I've thought it a thousand times and yet, I still can't say it out loud because it doesn't make any sense.

He couldn't recall a single thing from that night. It was all such a massive blank and it was more frustrating than anything else because he couldn't understand why he'd do such a thing. Ciel knew his life was a mess but it wasn't so bad he wanted to die. He'd never do something so reckless and stupid. It just wasn't him. He couldn't explain at all why six months ago the police and emergency services had found him in an abandoned building with all the doors locked whilst it was burning to the ground. He couldn't. He couldn't explain what they had found at the scene or the weird symbol that plagued his nightmares every night. Ciel had no idea what any of it meant. Pentagrams and fire and suicide. None it made any sense to him. To the teen, it was almost as if it had never happened, it was that hard to recall.

Closing his eyes, he tried once more, for what seemed the millionth time, allowing his body to relax and the stress to pour away. He went back to the afternoon of that night. It had been average with nothing at all memorable, just school and the works. Ciel remembered that on that particular day he'd felt a little odd -sort of lost, and floating along- and he'd been a little dazed, but it had been a Friday afternoon so that was normal, right? The day had just sort of dragged. It had felt like it had lasted an eternity and he'd been a little more distant from his friends than usual. Other than that, nothing had been out of the ordinary. Then…he had come home and had a cup of tea, like normal. Lulu always had a cup steaming hot for when he came in -the joys of having a mother that was from the British capital- up and ready, along with a slice of whatever cake she happened to have baked that morning. Ciel recalled it had been some sort of pie this time, sweet and delicious and he'd accepted it with a smile. Later on after that he'd decided he wanted to go out. Ciel couldn't remember for the life of him why he'd wanted to go out, but he knew that it had been a need, like it was urgent or something. He'd had to go out. He'd had to leave, even if he didn't know where he was going. Then…nothing.

Everything after the moment he stepped out of his front door…it was gone. As if it never even happened.

In this instance though, Ciel tried to push on. He shoved angrily against the stupid barrier in his mind that was stopping him from knowing. He hit it hard and harsh, praying for some form of response or anything to tell him what had happened. His brow furrowed with his concentration, until he suddenly gasped in pain and a wave of agony clouded his mind. The teen clutched his head in anger and annoyance and disappointment, shaking when the only image that came through was that same one of an odd star-shaped symbol. Covering his right eye with his hand -again, this was a reflex he could not explain, for he just seemed to do it without even thinking about it whenever he tried to think about that night- his lashes fluttered open slowly and he cursed, putting his arm down. His fingers came away damp with moisture. Ciel realised his right eye was watering, liquid spilling down his cheek.

What the hell? Ciel panicked, rapidly pulling back out the compact mirror and bringing it up to his face to look. He found himself gasping once more. Just as he had thought, his right eye was watering. It looked like he'd been damn crying. That, and all of a sudden, his contact had turned pure clear, revealing the natural deep violet underneath -it was a shade lighter than the contact so the comparison was faint but Ciel could tell the difference easily- as if it had always been there. Was it him though or did it also look like it was glowing or something? No, that couldn't be right at all…that wasn't normal. It was probably just the light or just a hallucination from the pain he'd felt. It was nothing.

His mouth folding into a grimace, Ciel quickly and skilfully changed contacts, installing a fresh one into his right eye before blinking and checking it, staring at the clear one that sat on the edge of his finger, perplexed.

How the hell? It had been fine a few minutes before. I know it had. But…then again, the colour is so similar to the lens. Maybe I just didn't look carefully enough. It is kind of hard to tell, even if I've been doing this years. Stupid freaking contacts always spazzing out on me. I seriously need to start buying them from a different brand, man.

Snapping shut the compact again, Ciel groaned, shoving it into his pocket. He interlaced his fingers behind his head, his brow twitching in irritation. The teen had completely forgotten that he'd had to tie up his hair for his disguise. His collarbone length locks had been drawn up into a small ponytail behind his head. Ciel had totally blanked about that. Oh dear…he really was distracted, after all. Now that was a worrying thought.

I can't relax here and forget who I'm supposed to be. I have to carry on and stay focused until this stupid thing is over. As annoying as that is.

Sliding his glasses back onto his nose with a breath, Ciel almost jumped out of his skin when the door of the room opening quietly. His gaze automatically snapped up to the one who had entered but he lost interest quickly. It was just a girl. Granted, she was stunningly pretty, but Ciel was hardly interested in her. She was probably frivolous and whiny like all the other girls that came to these sort of dinner parties. All they did was annoy him.

Her hair was a brilliant shade of blue, tied loosely in the middle of her back and she had pretty lilac flowers slid into the sides, a magnificent jewel sitting in the centre of her forehead and giving her a tropical allure. An identical jewel was sat between her breasts and she wore a frilly, off the shoulder dress that was so short, Ciel dreaded to think about what he might see should she bend over. She wore a pair of heels with her dress and was looking at him curiously with bold, aquamarine eyes, rimmed with thick lashes.

"Oh…Hello." She said with a smile, "I didn't realise someone was in here."

Ciel grimaced internally. I wish you hadn't found out. Now I have to pretend to be nice to you when I really don't care. I don't know you from Adam.

The teen gave the girl a pleasant smile, rising from his seat. "I was just taking a breather." He told her, approaching the door and hoping he could get out of there swiftly. Maybe find some other free room to sit in until this dinner party was over.

"I can understand that." The girl said, "Things downstairs can be very hectic. It can get a bit much for anyone. I was just rounding people up for the entertainment. It's supposed to be starting in a few minutes."

Entertainment? Ciel mused, I wonder what that will be. I've been to other parties and it's usually a musician or something. It might be worth my time, just to maybe pass the minutes.

"I take it you live in this house then if you're being tasked with collecting the guests. How tiring. There's got to be over a hundred people here."

The girl smirked, "One hundred and fifty seven to be exact. I should know. I had all the invites sent out and had to hand sign them all for my parents. Not to mention have my servants run around endlessly making calls for this, that and the other. It was what you might call strenuous."

Ciel's eyes widened. And at last we see your true colours. So she's the daughter of this house that Lulu told me about before I left. She said it was probably in my best interests to talk to her or something and to make a good impression. I guess I never expected the heir of such a respectable family to be dressed so…

"Miss Aoi, I presume, then? Or is it, Aoi-san, in your native tongue?"

Miss Aoi blinked, her pretty, almond-shaped eyes, glittering with some sort of surprised admiration.

"Yes…" She breathed, "That is me. How did you know?"

Ciel rolled his eyes in his mind, groaning. You just freaking gloated about your servants and the preparations and you're honestly asking me that? What are you, stupid? What a moron.

"Just a hunch." He shrugged, attempting to walk around her. The teen almost cursed when he was stopped by a pale and delicate hand encased in lace gloves. Her fingers had wound around his jacket sleeve and were preventing him from leaving.

"Who are you?" She asked, "Sorry. You seem to know me but…I have no clue who you are. I don't remember seeing you here before at any of my parent's other parties."

I wonder why…Ciel twitched. Being pleasant as always though, the teen plastered a nice smile on his face and offered her his hand welcomingly.

"Ciel Sinclair." He introduced himself, cursing himself internally when he almost let Phantomhive slip from his lips by mistake.

The blue-haired girl's lips formed a little O in her surprise as she stared at Ciel in shock. Within seconds, that stunned light from her being caught off guard had vanished and had been replaced by an excited sort of awe. "Oh my god, really? You're Ciel Sinclair? It's such an honour to meet you." She grinned, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "Your parents are brilliant."

Oh dear lord, here we go again with the damn compliment stream.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to meet you. My parents are always talking about the business your family does and how successful they are. I…hadn't ever thought I would get to come face to face with you. Not in a million years."

Ciel pulled his hand free of hers, wiping it against the back of his trousers without her notice. "Yes, well, my studies keep me very busy. I don't usually have to time to intend these sort of gathers."

The girl nodded eagerly. "Of course. I mean, you are a genius. With parents as brilliant as yours it's no wonder that you'd be amazing too. Um…please allow me to introduce myself properly." Taking a little step back, Miss Aoi clasped her hands together as if she were in prayer, bowing her head low respectfully. "My name is Safaia Aoi. Please treat me with kindness."

Watching her a hidden distaste, Ciel fought the unbearable urge he had to roll his eyes at her and walk away. She was blowing this well out of proportion and acting like such a fool, just like everyone else here. The were treating him like some sort of king and he was far from it. How irritating. If only they knew his true self. Not that they ever would. He barely knew himself let alone them. Putting his hands together and replicating her actions, he was relieved when she righted herself, grinning brightly.

"Well then, may I show you downstairs? It would be a shame for you to miss the entertainment, especially when it was prepared in honour of your family's success today."

The teen nodded to her, gesturing for her to lead the way. She did so with a very obvious pleasure, her heels clicking all the way down the hall and her hips swaying as she walked in a very gentle sort of excitement. Every few minutes she would glance back at him, much to Ciel's discomfort, and he would see that same smile she had gained since finding out his name still firmly in place on her face. How irritating. He sincerely hoped that she wouldn't attempt to stick with him all night. The last thing the teen wanted was an annoying cling on pestering him.

Safaia lead him swiftly around the other guests that had somehow all managed to crowd into the huge parlour, bunched into a loop of bodies murmuring and whispering to one and other, sipping their drinks and no doubt gossiping. In such a crowd, Ciel spotted his parents easily but he chose to ignore them, dipping behind as many people as he could in order to remain a shadow to their vision. Luckily enough, the girl clearly hadn't seen his family either and so was taking him in the direction completely opposite to them, to a small and free location populated with plush seats and extravagant decorations.

She gestured for him to sit, budging up awkwardly, although there was plenty of room, and patting the space beside her. Ciel's fingers twitched at the prospect of sitting so close to this girl. She'd irritated him enough already. Seeing his momentary hesitation, the girl gave him an encouraging, friendly smile that made him internally groan, repeating her gesture. The teen stifled the aggravated sigh that threatened to shoot from his lips, stiffly taking the seat and not looking at the girl or that stupid puppy dog stare she was giving him.

What a pest. God, she's like that idiot, Finny.

"I hope you will enjoy the entertainment, Ciel. I made sure it was the best we could get. Given that it was such a last minute party, I'll be honest, we couldn't hire a professional but what we do have is just as good, perhaps even better."

Ciel arched his brow at the girl, "Really? You have that much confidence?"

Safaia continued to look at him with that smile on her face, however, the did not miss that slight darkening off her aquamarine eyes that same when she answered his question. "I never doubt my servants. That would be…stupidity, especially in their case. They are more able than the average person."

Ciel was about to enquire as to what she meant by that but he didn't get the chance, for at that moment, the room's lightening began to slowly decrease, fading to a black dimness that had the entire room erupting in chatter and anxious gasps.

"It's starting." The girl informed him.

Sliding his glance away from the girl, it befell to the centre of the room instead, where a single shadowy form could just be made out if Ciel squinted and focused all his concentration on that spot, one body in a mass of space that had been created by the crowd to create a simple stage. He couldn't make out much from the shadow due to it being veiled in black like everyone else, so he sat patiently, awaiting what was to come, none too surprised when the loud thumping of a drum suddenly began echoing in the room, filling the parlour with tribal sounds and music. He couldn't quite put a name to it but the sound was distinctively of an Arabian descent. It was hypnotic and rhythmic, like that of a snake charmer.

Slowly a light began to lift, revealing to the world the form that had been still, bathing the stage in beautiful gold and silver hues. The figure was distinctively female, her smooth and pearly back facing Ciel from where she was sat on the floor, her lower half spilling with crystalline white and ruby red fabric, clinging to her jewelled hips. Even more ivory pooled from her head in thick, wonderful curls which were clipped away from her face with exotic pins and ribbons.

At the sound of the music, she began to move, reaching behind slowing with an enchanting grace, leaning back over her hand to face her audience, briefly, lifting her skirt with her other. Ciel's eyes widened a little at the shocking scarlet colouring of her eyes and they way they burned with a fiery passion before snapping back and her assuming her starting position, timing every movement to the beat of the drum. Her body moved in perfect liquid synchronicity to every extended note of the music, as if it pulled her very being like a threat. The dance seemed to give off almost a seductive deadliness, like that of a black cat, leading it's prey to a dark alley and it's doom. Some movements were slow and others rapid, hitting each pulse with strength, like that of a heartbeat. When at last she did rise, Ciel could recognise the accents of Egyptian belly dance she had thrown in, her body moving as if it were a flowing stream, fluid and alluring. He was throw into the lands of Arabia and the such immediately, almost smelling the sweet aromas of fragrant perfumes, seeing the bright colours of veiled dancers and exquisitely weaved carpets. It was an odd feeling, almost as if she really were hypnotising him, beckoning so he could not turn his eyes away. Her skirt was the fluttering of a butterfly's wings, twining and rippling, dripping in elegance. Her spins and rotations reminded Ciel of petals blooming in spring. Her skin shimmered with luminance.

I've seen exotic dancers before but none of them have ever been this enchanting. I wonder what it is about her. She seems to just give off the very essence of Egypt and Arabia. Her charm and grace…they're almost otherworldly. It's…hard to look away…even for a second.

The crimson ribbons that twined her arms flowed and twirled with her every grace, almost leaving trails of magic and allure where they sliced the air, gliding through with little effort. The bells attached to her hips and jewelled belly top jingled harmoniously, giving off a real calming effect. Ciel could tell he wasn't the only one here who was struggling to keep drag his eyes away. Other too had their gazes fixated to this one brilliant girl, this one captivating Cleopatra, following her every moments, her every pulse and flow, her magnificent story hidden within her movements.

She finished her dance with a single sharp flick of her hips, running her hand down her chest and setting that palm strongly against the flat of her stomach, the other the small of back, lifting with chin with a proud smile, looking into the distance.

Everyone burst into a cloud of applause at her performance. He supposed he couldn't blame them. He too gave her a small clap of appreciation. It truly had to been something spectacular.

"It's called Aida." Safaia told him, snapping his attention to her.

"I'm sorry, what?" He blinked, truly still a little dazzled. Ciel had barely even heard what she had said over the racket the crowd were making.

"The dance she did. It's called Aida. Normally she also does it with the use of a veil as well but she must not have wanted to tonight."

"I see." The teen answered, clearing his throat and regaining his composure. The dancer herself had disappeared from the stage and had gone god knows where, the lights having gone back up without him even noticing. "It was spectacular. I don't think I've ever seen a dancer quite like that before in my life."

Safaia nodded. "She and her brother are really skilled in that sort of thing. Music and dance are their specialities. They're very good at their expression. Perfect, even. It was her sibling who was paying the music, up there."

The girl gestured above to a small secluded balcony that sat atop some columns, a pair of glass French doors leading back into a room that was curtained with thin veils. If the musician had been playing up there, he certainly wasn't now. The location was baron and empty. Not even an instrument case had been left. How odd. It was almost as if they'd both disappeared into thin air.

"Siblings, huh…?" Ciel pondered, "Did you hire them together? A show like that was bound to have been expensive."

Safaia giggled. "No, not at all. Those two didn't cost me a penny. They're my personal servants. They did this because I told them to."

Ciel stared at her in surprise, narrowing his eyes. Servants? That's some mighty talented servants. Makes me wonder how she acquired them. It can't have been easy and I doubt it was with her money. With skill like that, why would people like them waste their time serving a rich family when you could be earning millions doing other stuff? I'm willing to bet that if they had had news coverage here, that young girl would get herself famous in no time at all. It doesn't make any sense. Same with her brother. He's make a fortune in the music industry playing like that.

The girl was blabbering away, gloating like she had been before. "-it's not even all that unexpected she'd be good at this sort of thing. I mean, they're native to Egypt and the like so I suppose it would be natural-"

It's an odd appearance too to say they're natives. I don't believe I've ever heard of Egyptians that are albino. Why do I get the feeling with them that they shouldn't be taken at face value. As lovely as her dance was, it make me feel quite uncomfortable as well. Something inside me kept telling me to look away and I don't know why. Something was tell me something was wrong.

Ciel was suddenly tossed out of thought process when more music began to play, filling the parlour once more. It wasn't the same kind as the last. It was just normal ball music that he was used to. It was normal that at dinner parties like this they always had a formal dance. He guessed it was starting which meant there was not that long left until the party ended. For some reason this music seemed rather meagre and mediocre. It didn't have the same depth it's predecessor had, or quite the same deep meaning and pull. How disappointing.

The teen felt the seat beside him unexpectedly rise, it's occupier standing and tucking a lock of her blue hair behind her ears.

"It appears mother and father arranged for them to do the waltz tonight. Ciel, do you want to dance?"

Ceil felt the blood run out of his face and a shiver of fear and awkwardness fill him. He paled, clearing his throat and staring with a horrified look at the hand she was offering him. Dance, yeah right. Ciel had never been any good at such a thing. He'd been good at a lot of things at been alright with others, but dancing? No, that had always been an absolute disaster point with him.

"U-Uh…I'm afraid not, Miss Aoi. I'm not a very good dancer. I'd hate to embarrass you. "

The girl blinked at him, breaking into a grin. "Embarrass me? Don't be silly. A gentleman as wonderful as you isn't going to embarrass me. Come on!"

She grabbed his hand, dragging him in the direction of the parlour centre where everyone else had started taking their positions. Panic tightened Ciel's chest and he skilfully slipped his wrist of her grip, making her look back with a curious look and a frown.

"I'm really sorry, Miss Aoi, but I really am hopeless as a dancer. Please ask someone else."

With that, he broke away from the crowd, ignoring that kicked puppy disappointment that had filled her features. He couldn't really care less if he'd hurt her feelings. He was not going to humiliate himself like that all for the sake of some silly rich girl that refused to take no for an answer. There was no way. Storming back towards the steps where he hoped he would be able to find that room he had been in earlier again and take another rest until the end of the party, Ciel wasn't really looking where he was going and so never even noticed when he unexpected collided with another person, dressed all in black, and ended up dropping his glasses on the floor from the force of the bump. The teen cursed internally, wondering what kind of idiot would just walk into him like that. Sure, he wasn't looking where he was going, but surely they had been and would have seen Ciel was clearly not in the mood to play dodgems. He needed to hurry and find a place to hide before that girl came running after him, if she was planning, which Ciel hoped she wasn't.

Idiots. Everywhere I go there are always idiots that piss me off. I'd feel so much better yelling at this moron, but I won't, because that would be pointless. Shouting won't make this person not walk into me.

Bending down with an angry grit of his teeth, Ciel reached out to pick up his glasses, his eyes widening in surprise when another's hand was placed over his own. It was gloved in white leather and the sleeves of his jacket jet black. Something prickled his skin the moment they touched and the teen ripping his hand free instantaneously, drawing it back.

"My apologies." A smooth and enchanting voice said, distinctively male, "Please, allow me, young master."

The man's gloved hand picked up the glasses, stylishly holding them between his fingers. Ciel shivered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and tingling the moment he felt something touch his face, another gloved hand tilting his chin to make him look at the one he had bumped into. The man had a devilish sort of smirk tilting his lips and his accent held a slight English lilt to it. The old style English that Ciel had heard his mother speak in all his life. It was the same tongue he tended to occupy when he was forced to go to these parties in order to sound more proper. He hated it when his mother's accent came out in him but he supposed it couldn't be helped so he'd lived with it. He just tried to avoid said accent coming out at school.

The man's eyes were a deep and luxurious red, like velvet, intense and scrutinising. Staring into those eyes, Ciel felt as if the man was staring right into his very being. He was completely frozen to the spot, completely frozen in that gaze that was looking so deeply into him. Ciel lost the angry works he was going to say to this idiot for bumping into him. They left his mind and left him blank and reeling. For the first time in his entire life, the great Ciel Sinclair was left speechless. His words had left him. His course of action was nothing. All he could see was this man dressed in black with eyes like velvet.

Reaching up, the man slid Ciel's glasses back onto his face for him, pushing them up the teens nose and adjusting them so they sat perfectly.

"How careless of you to just walk into people." The man chuckled, "How on earth did you expect me to see you? You are such a little master, after all."

Ciel blinking. Did he…did he just call me short?

The teens eyes narrowed angrily at the insult. "How dare you!" He exclaimed, slapping away the man's hand with disgust and standing up abruptly. "How dare you insult me. You're the one who bumped into me, you idiot. How about you just watch where the hell you're going." With an annoyed tsk, Ciel stormed off, strutting down the hall and stopping only once to look back at the raven-haired man, his eyes narrowing as he clenched his fists in irritation. "And I am not short."

He left quickly after that, leaving that stupid guy to sit and fester with a puzzled look on his face, holding his hand to his chest. What an idiot. Insulting him in such a way! How dare he! Commoners in school didn't treat him that way so the hell to anyone who tried to whilst he was at a party of this kind. It was true he had to be polite and gentlemanly but it was also true most people were bending their backs to get in his good books. No normal human being would be out to piss off Ciel Sinclair. It was a grave mistake on their part to say the least.

Grumbling all the way, the teen was able to find that room he had been in earlier and opened the door in a rush, slamming it shut with a loud bang of frustration once he was inside. Leaning back against the door so nobody would come in and disturb him, he found himself sliding down and sitting on the floor, breathing hard.

Damn. I didn't even get the moron's name. If I'd have gotten his name I could maybe have- pfft, I don't know. I don't even know what I could have done. I'm not thinking straight like this. H-He just riles me up so much for some odd reason. I don't even know the guy and already he's pissed me off more than most people that I've known for years! That stare as well! What was with that? All he did was bloody look at me and I forgot what I was even going to say, and then there's this annoying feeling in the back of m head that, even though I have never met him before in my entire life, I know him from somewhere before! Something about that guy…is somehow familiar…yet…I can't place what…

Maybe it's just the eyes. That girl who danced tonight, she had eyes like him. They had been red too, and had that same kind of fire in them…that same kind of look…it reminds me so much of flames…so much of-

Ciel gasped sharply, an agonising pain suddenly erupting in his right eye and knocking the breath right out of him. He cried out in pain, his hand flying up to his face. His hands were shaking as he ripped the glasses off his face, stiffening in shock and searing pain.

W-what is this? I-It feels as if someone shoved a white hot poker through it…

He clutched at his face in desperation, willing the pain to go and stifling his screams of ago. He couldn't make such a racket in such a place, not without attracting someone's attention. Biting his lips, he felt hot and salty blood spill down his chin from the pressure, panting. His mind was shot and he couldn't think straight with this agony burning his eyeball right out of his socket. Thrashing to distract himself from the unbearable stinging that was killing him, the ribbon from his hair came loose, fluttering to the ground, his bangs falling forward and into his face.

His breath was seeing through his teeth and, as it slowly began to subside once more, an unbelievable urge overcame the teen. The urge to check. Without even realising he was doing, the teen leaned his head back again the door, reaching into his pocket to pull out the compact mirror he had been carrying all night. He clicked it open, an unreasonable fear gripping his chest and clenching his lungs as he brought it up to his face and stared at his reflection, his eyes the size of planets and completely and utterly afraid.

No…no, it can't be! I-It's not possible! It's not!

Staring back at him in the mirror was a pair of eyes like none he had ever seen before, ones that couldn't possibly be his but he knew without a doubt they were. Staring back at him was a single blue eye, wide and round and full of fear, like that of a child's, and another violet eye that was undeniably glowing bright amethyst, embedded with a white hot symbol that had not been their before.

It was the sign of a pentagram scribbled with symbols.

The same symbol he remembered from the night he'd tried to kill himself.

There you have it. The next chapter in Exorcising Innocence! It took me a lot of time obviously and a lot of effort to get it right. I redid it so many times it's ridiculous but I think I'm happy with it finally ^^ As always, tell me your thoughts and feelings towards this. I can't continue if I don't know you want me to! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Good, bad, I don't care. Just tell me what's (or perhaps not) working. I will try and update ASAP but depending on what happens with my Roleplay facebooks and home and such, I can't promise it will be exceptionally quick, though I will make a HUGE effort not to repeat the length I left this story ever again. Questions, queries, etc, message me and I'll clear them up for you when I can. A big thank you to all who read this!

Right now to thank the HUGE amount of you who reviewed, etc. A HUGE CYBER BEAR HUG TO Y'ALL!

+ Velvee - Thank you for the Favourite Story. Muchly appreciated ^^

+ AnimexXxGoddess - Thank you for the Favourite Story, Story Alert and review. Really? Thanks so much! *crosses fingers* Here's hoping so! Tell me what you think of this chapter you waited so long for ^^

+ Ayano131 - Thanks for the Story Alert. Muchly appreciated ^^

+ Animegeek123 - Thank you for *deep breath* Story Alert, Fave story, Fave Author (Really? Awwwww~ Thank you~ I feel so honoured) and, of course, you're review! Thank you so much. I hope you had happy holidays too!

+ Neli - Thanks so much for your review. You really think so? Awww~ You're making me blush. I'm happy to hear that. I do try. I make it my perogative to speak to my readers and let them knew exactly how much I love them for doing this for me. I hope this was up to scratch ;)

+ Mudkiprox - Thanks for the review. You're response made me laugh so much! LOL, Yes! Starla and Bailey are a tad non-humanoid, no? I believe I messaged you with all of your answers to your questions. I hope they made sense and you understood. Sorry for the confusion ^^

+ Sebastian Hiwajima - Danke for the review! And... O_O Are you joking? *dies from praise* Really? Thank you SO MUCH. I try. I can't handle all the praise you give me LOL! To answer your question, yes he did in a way. He exorcised his soul and sealed his abilities in a way so in a way, he did give up his demon side to become human, but in some ways not because he has every intention of getting it back, as you'll see. A little of both I think ;) For now, Ciel is fully human. Don't worry, he'll be back to his old self eventually, hence why no black fingernails ^^ No probs about the mention! Oh look! I mentioned you again LOL!

+ FlameSpear - Thanks for the Story Alert. I appreciate it so much!

+ Awkward Assassin - Thanks for the Favourite Story.

+ Isthisparadise - Thank you for the review! I'm glad you get so much out of this! Yeah...his parents are a little bleh, huh? You got your wish though ;) Did you like the way they met up again? Sebby is definitely in da house now people XD I plan to do Sebby's point of view in the next chapter so watch out for that! You will see EXACTLY what our favourite butler went through. All in good time mwahahahaha~

+ Promocat - Thankee for the review~ Indeed ;)

+ KitsuneMagic84 - Thanks for the review! Do you still love it? Sebby is finally here hehehehe. Da bitch is back! Thank you~ I tried to make my OCs likeable. I'm happy you got that from them. See? I didn't forget you! I never could! Sorry I took so long~ I hope this was worth the wait ^^

+ BendyOStraw - Thanks for the Story Alert!

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+ QueenLoveless - Thanks so much for the Story Alert, Fave Story and Review. Really? Thank you *bows*

+ what the gaaah - Danke for the Story Alert :)

+ VeganVampy - Arigatou for the Story Alert ^^

+ BROOMSTICKZ - Thanks for the Fave Story. Can I say, I laughed so hard at your penname. It's brilliant XD

+ Yana5 - Thanks for the Review :) Danke *bows*

+ Freya9505 - Arigatou for the Fave Story & Story Alert

+ Gingerbird - Thanks for the Story Alert :D

+ Peppermint twertle - Arigatou for the Story Alert, Fave Author & Review. Girl, you are like my number one stalker nowadays LOL! God, I love you! Don't ever leave me, will you? I look forward to your reviews ^^ I like Safaia too~ LOL, one must always be wary of vegetables XD

+ Kuso-baba - Danke for the Story Alert :D

+ MiramelRose - Danke for the Story Alert ^^

+ Fedski - Thanks so much for the Review & Fave Story. Exactly. There's no rush, however, Sebby came in, just as requested ;) I was gonna bring him in later but with so many requests, I figured, why not? I hope this made up for all the info last chapter ^^ Your wait is over my friend ^^

+ DuzellVisalia -Thanks for the Story Alert ;)

+ Broken-Paige - Arigatou for the Story Alert, Fave Story and Review. Thanks so much. I'm really glad you like my writing. LOL I'm afraid simple storylines never roll very well with me. I like 'em complicated ;) I'm sorry you don't like my OCs, but to be blunt, they ARE there for a reason. I didn't put them in for no reason as you will see later on~ All of them are necessary. I hope you can come to like them. About my writing style, you'll find in a lot of published books nowadays it's very popular to put the name of the character who's view you're writing in at the top of the chapter. I do it as I see fit. Also it just smashes any confusions. I'm not one for pointlessly saying full names. It's just the way I am. Sorry. I'm not really doing this to be proffesional so I don't worry about that sort of stuff at all. This is for fun and the enjoyment of others only. Oh, would you look at that? I thanked you at the bottom of my chapter like you told me NOT to. ¬¬ I'm sorry this bugs you but this is how I roll. I don't have the time to message everyone and besides, who doesn't appreciate having your name mentioned? They should feel pride for reviewing and I'm not shy about publishing my appreciation. Word count means little to me, sweetie. Like I said, this is for fun only. Thanks for the tips and all. I appreciate it, truly, unfortuantly, I'm stubborn LOL So~ please don't take it to heart if I ignore your advice. Your critique was honest and for that, I am UBER grateful. Thank you so much ^^ and I did update, see?

Wellll~ I guess that's everyone. Finally *phew* Seriously though guys, keep these reviews coming. I love to hear your thoughts. I appreciate all of you that took the time to read and even more so if you took that bit extra to review too. I hope this was all worth it and you enjoyed it ^^

~NightshadeTwiningTheRosary~