Under the Blossoms:

Chapter 5:

A blanket of silence spread over the grove as Ciel stared horror struck at Sebastian. The only way for him to win the bet was for Sebastian to fall in love with him. That had been the last thing he had been expecting, to be more precise he had never considered it. He was a male, it was forbidden for two males to be in a relationship.* A thought of what the Queen's reaction would be passed unbidden through his mind. He would have sullied the Phantomhive name forever.

"I regret to say that I have not fallen for you, young master," Sebastian said and reached out to stroke his cheek. "I admire your fortitude and intelligence and I enjoy watching you outwit others and I also enjoy watching you when you are at your lowest. However I do not hate you, but I do not love you either."

Ciel recovered his speech if only to blurt out. "So I have lost? What about my order?"

Sebastian's face twisted into a scowl. "Yes, that order. I do not think it has taken effect. You see, I do not feel anything when I do this."

As quick as lightening he pushed Ciel up against a cherry blossom tree, knocking his eye patch and bent his left arm back which broke with a sickening crack. Ciel cried out in pain and fear. He was going to be killed by the one person who was supposed to protect him unless he did something to fight back.

"The order did not cover breakage of limbs, I still may have won," he managed to say in a level voice that showed no sign of his unease.

Without saying another word Sebastian broke his right leg causing Ciel to scream again and the demon's hands moved up Ciel's body and wrapped themselves around his neck.

"I win, young master."

The boy choked as his butler's hands began to squeeze and constrict his airway and his vision started to fade.

"It would have been more fitting to stab you with some Phantomhive silver considering the number of people that I have killed on your behalf or to rip your head off, but I want to see the light leave your eyes."

Ciel's grip on consciousness started to fade and he waited for the end, his only regrets being that he had not found the ones responsible for his parents' deaths and he had not managed to outsmart Sebastian. Then he felt the grip around his neck loosen and his vision slowly became clearer.

"Why can't I do it?" Sebastian whispered and let Ciel go, causing him to sink to the ground with a thud. "I do not love you."

"The or-"

"A demon cannot be ordered to love anyone," he cut Ciel off.

Ciel tried to sit up and winced. His left arm was hanging uselessly at his side, but most importantly he was still alive. It did make sense that Sebastian could not be made to love him through an order. He cleared his throat.

"I will forget what happened today if you never try to kill me again."

"That will not do!" the demon snapped back. "The bet must have a conclusion again."

Ciel knew that he had to tread carefully as Sebastian was clearly angry. Nevertheless he preferred to win the bet and keep the contract and demon. Sebastian was supposed to protect him, not try to kill him and make creepy bets under cherry blossom trees which had been giving him sleepless nights. He was not acting befittingly of a Phantomhive butler.

"I won. You cannot bring yourself to kill me. Therefore I go free and this bet ends. You have lost, Sebastian. Accept it."

He was not going to be the one to mention the other factor. They were both males for heaven's sake. Unthinkingly an image of Grell Sutcliffe popped up in his head and he groaned inwardly. Maybe it was something normal for Grim Reapers and demons.

"I have not lost!" Sebastian argued and approached him and loomed over him, blocking out the sunlight. "It was just a moment of hesitation."

The teenage Earl stared up at him defiantly, the sight of his butler losing his unusually unruffled demeanour giving him confidence.

"Do it then. If you can."

Fortunately for Ciel, this time Sebastian went straight for his neck without stopping to break anymore limbs and he stopped choking him sooner this time before his face turned blue and his vision faded.

After releasing his chokehold for the second time, Sebastian dropped to the ground next to him and gave him a small smile.

"You win, young master."

Ciel coughed delicately, extremely unwilling to ask the unspoken question, but he could not leave the issue unaddressed.

"...Do you love me?"

"I must do if you have won the bet," he raised one eyebrow suggestively, seeming to return to normal. "Do you love me in return?"

Upon hearing that line, Ciel instantly flushed a deep red.

"Of course not! You are the same gender as me. It is forbidden."

Sebastian leaned forward. "I never thought that you were one to follow the law, young master. What are all of your underworld acquaintances for then?"

Wordlessly Ciel squirmed away from the smirking demon who was clearly enjoying himself and hit his broken arm against the trunk of the tree accidentally, bringing Sebastian's attention to it. He gently picked it up and examined it as if he was not the person to cause it.

"It's a clean break fortunately and the same goes for your leg. You will have to have a break from your dancing lessons and social events for a while, young master. I am sure that will be a nuisance for you."

The Earl glared balefully at him. He had won the bet and was not going to die today, but he had broken limbs and a butler who was in love with him.

"Never try to kill me again, that is an order," he informed the demon tartly. "Or break any more of my body parts or make any other bets with me."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian bowed before straightening up. "You need to return to the flower show before Lady Elizabeth raises the alarm and goes on the warpath."

He picked his master up delicately, being careful not to touch his broken arm or leg and they left the grove of cherry blossom trees, both intending to never return. On seeing her fiancé's condition, Lizzie had been quite upset and had cried all over Ciel's sleeve, but she had not asked any questions much to his surprise. Instead of returning to the manor Sebastian and Ciel went to the townhouse due to his injuries where Soma and Agni cried all over him, wetting his clothes with nasal secretions. Ciel was not looking forward to seeing the idiot trio who were bound to get even more upset when they saw him.

Sebastian found his contractee asleep on top of the covers on his bed when he came to check on him after coming up with a plausible story for the Lady Elizabeth and for the prince and his servant.

He gently shook him awake and watched his eyes slowly open to reveal one cerulean blue eye and once marked with a pentagram. He definitely preferred his master alive than dead. Who else was going to challenge him on a daily basis and provide as much entertainment as he did?

"Young master, you need to change clothes before you go to sleep," he reprimanded him lightly.

Ciel yawned and stretched one arm out and let himself be pulled up so Sebastian could change his clothes.

"Will the fact that you... love me change anything?" he asked hesitantly. He wanted to know if he had to be on the lookout for any romantic behaviour.

Sebastian smiled. "It should not. I am not going to start making you heart shaped cakes or write you love letters."

Ciel shuddered at the image and moved on. "Are you still going to take my soul?"

Sebastian looked thoughtful. "Yes, but there is not a time limit. We could find those responsible for your parents' deaths and I could wait until later to take it. Or I could never take it and wait for your soul to be reincarnated."

"Isn't there a story like that?" Ciel asked suspiciously. "In any case, do as you like, just do not try to kill me, make any bets or break any more of my bones. You have certainly not been 'one hell of a butler' today."

"I apologise, young master. I will not do it again," he paused. "It is more fun to watch you squirm when I mention the reason for you winning the bet than watching you die."

For that he received a dirty look from his master and he changed the subject by pulling back the bed covers and helping his master get comfortable. He blew out the candles and was about to leave when he heard the boy call out his name sleepily.

"What is it, young master? Surely you do not need me to stay with you now that the nightmares are gone."

"I have an order; make sure that I never see a cherry blossom tree ever again."

The demon smirked. "Of course. Is there anything else?"

He heard his master yawn again and he sounded half asleep when spoke again.

"You are right. I have never been one to obey the law and I do not mind breaking it if it is with you."

Sebastian's smirk stretched into a genuine smile and he returned to his master's side to give him a light kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you, young master."

The End

*: This is actually true, but women were allowed to have a same sex relationship. However it was due to a lack of understanding at the time.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and subscribed to this fanfiction. I wrote it because it is darker than what I usually write and I fancied a change. The bet comes from Tokyo Babylon by CLAMP and the main character loses the bet and has both his arms and legs broken first. I only took the bet and symbolism from it. If I had followed it exactly there would be some eye gouging.

I didn't make this full length as I have one going under a different name. My next Kuroshitsuji fanfiction will be full length and much lighter in tone.