Ciel sat frozen in place for what felt like an eternity. Every part of him was on edge, his eyes darting around the room and his ears peeled as he strained to hear against the deafening silence for any sign of his butler. Tanaka still lie motionless on the floor against the far wall of the room, and Sebastain's footsteps had long faded away somewhere within the depths of his mansion.

It finally seemed as though he was alone, and that's exactly why he remained on edge.

Even though it'd seemed like the Blood Moon had passed, Sebastain's behavior still didn't seem at all normal. No cheeky smile to replace the wicked grin the earl had been terrorized by half the night, and no words from the demon himself to assure him that he was back in his right mind. The butler just stood up and left without a word.

After some time had passed, Ciel finally managed to calm himself down enough to where he was able to pick himself up and exit the room. With pistol in hand, he inched down the halls of the mansion. Every little sound made him jump, even if it was a floorboard that squeaked just a little too loudly for his liking under his weight, or the hooting of an owl somewhere outside. He felt as though he was seeing that demonic face everywhere; the red eyes glowing in every dark corner, sharp yellow teeth glinting somewhere in the moonlight, a hot breath brushing the nape of his neck, a lumbering shadow crossing his path at every doorway he came up on. And sometimes, just sometimes, he'd think he'd see a feather float down from just overhead.

Every time he turned to look, however, Ciel would find something entirely different; droplets of blood running up and down the empty corridors, a smear of maroon arching across a section of wallpaper, crimson liquid coating a select few door knobs, and occasionally a wet, sticky, red footprint for the earl to track. The realization hit Ciel like brick. Even if Sebastian was back to his normal self, he and Tanaka had still done a number on his body using the pistols, and he knew that they didn't use any ordinary bullets. They had put holes in his abdomen and practically every limb and joint, and the mess that tracked all across his house said that he wasn't healing immediately like he usually did. He was losing startling amounts of blood in a short span of time.

Eventually, the earl found himself back in the servant's quarters. He expected it to be unsettlingly dark, but found himself being guided by the welcoming glow of a burning candle coming from none other than Sebastian's room. He approached slowly, pistol raised, being careful not to make a sound until he'd pinpointed his butler's exact location and knew what state he was currently in.

The first thing to come into view was the writing desk where Ciel had found the note and pistol. Only a single, burning candle sat on it now. A few stains of blood seemed to cover the back of the wooden chair, but that was all. Next was the wardrobe where Sebastian kept his cats. It was still sealed tight, but he couldn't make out any growls emminating from it anymore.

Finally, the butler's bed came into view, and Ciel was finally able to see the aftermath of his late night fight for survival, and it practically made him vomit.

He'd seen the victims of Jack the Ripper. He'd seen Sebastian's arm nearly sawed off at the shoulder. He'd seen a man with his hands torn clean off at the forearm. He'd seen all kinds of horrifying and gruesome things between the time of his tenth birthday up until now, but this...

This was by far the worst damage that the earl had ever seen, inflicted by him upon his own butler.

The first thing his eyes gravitated to was the massive hole that had blown appart the demon's gut. Maybe all of the blood surrounding the wound made it look worse than it actually was, but all Ciel could make out from it was chunks of flesh and the tattered fabric of Sebastian's white dress shirt. His shoulders weren't any better; riddled with large, ragged holes that exposed flesh and bone. The demon's right arm lie at an awkward angle due to a bullet that had dug into his inner elbow. Niether hip was spared, though it seemed the right had faired better than the left. Both knees had taken damage, and his ankles were barely holding on at their joints. Bullet holes from the pistol riddled his back and shoulders. Some were exit points from shots he'd taken from the front, others weren't, and because Sebastian had been lumbering on all fours in that ghastly form he'd taken on earlier, his ribs, and therefore his lungs, had their own share of injuries, as well.

How the butler could tolerate lying curled in a heap on his side was incomprehencible, but apart from his grave injuries and the pain and exhaustion clearly painted over his features, Sebastian looked like, well, Sebastian. Although, Ciel couldn't help but pity the white sheets spread beneath him.

At long last, the earl felt safe enough to lower the pistol he'd taken earlier that night and quietly approached the demon.

For the first time ever, Sebastian appeared to be sleeping; eyes closed, his breath rough on account of his injuries, and his head sunk deep into the single pillow he had on his bed. Up close, Ciel was able see the demon's injuries slowly heal. Muscle and tendon reattatched and pulled themselves back together in threads, light scrapes and bruises vanished within minutes, and cracks in the bone gradually filled in and became whole again. The earl even went through the trouble of repositioning all the limbs and joints lying at odd angles so they had a better chance at healing properly.

Sebastian's let out a low moan and stirred, causing Ciel to freeze in his tracks. The demon's eyes fluttered open, locking onto his with a drained expression on his face. They were normal; the same red eyes the earl had grown familiar with throughout the past few years. They were hungry, yes, and still riddled with something coy and inherently melicious and otherworldly, but that was just Sebastian.

Still... Ciel still felt he needed to confirm it for himself.

"Sebastian?"

Some of the fog of pain and exhaustion that clouded the butler's expression lifted in attention, "Master..."

His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was his; soft, deep, and steady. Not like the warped, fiendish voice that had been beckoning to the earl earlier.

Ciel let out a slow breath of relief, calming his nerves. The Blood Moon had completely passed. His butler was back to his usual self.

"You look like hell," he commented, "Take the rest of the night to rest up. I'll see you in the morning."

Sebastian didn't give much of a response, just a tired hum before his eyes slipped closed again.

Ciel looked down at the pistol in his hands. He debated whether he should bring it back to his bed chambers for safe keeping, but opted to leave it right where he had found it. Quietly, he rounded the foot of the bed and placed the pistol back on the butler's writing desk. The young earl turned back around in time to see a small figure appear in the doorway with another lit candle. Tanaka, a little banged up and in his less useful form, but all right nonetheless, judging from the placid smile he gave along with a soft chuckle.

The earl gave one last look at Sebastian, who appreared to have nodded off once more, before following Tanaka out of the servant's quarters and back to his room. The tiny servant did his best to tuck him into his bed, though Ciel mostly did it himself, and waved him good night before disappearing back out the door into the empty corridors.

Given the night's events, it took Ciel a little while to settle down enough to the point where he could rest his head against the pillows. After some tossing and turning, his eyes finally fluttered shut and allowed sleep to take hold...

... Until a noise caused his eyes to fly open.

It was subtle, but prominent against the silence of the manor.

A lumbering sound, like the kind an injured four-legged animal would make.

Ciel's heart started beating frantically in his chest as he tried to conjure up a reasonable explanation. The Blood Moon was over! There's no way it could be Sebastian!

The click of the door knob turning from across the room made him flinch. It was probably just Tanaka. Maybe he forgot something. Sebastian had been in no condition to be leaving his bed, let alone coming up here to his room. He was just being paranoid. What had happened earlier had been traumatic.

The door to Ciel's chambers swung open slowly with a barely audible groan. The lumbering he had heard in the hall crossed the threshold towards his bed before ending abruptly in silence.

Ciel's heart pounded loudly as he heard something shuffle to the side of his bed. He felt the mattress below him shift, and a massive presence loomed over him, casting its shadow over his shoulder, and the earl desperately racked his brain for an explanation. Had Pluto gotten in? Was it an enemy of the Phantomhives trying to kidnap him again. Either of those scenarios was a million times more comforting than what he was actually thinking sat just over his shoulder.

And then...

He felt a hot breath against the nape of his neck.

Ciel lost it.

In a flash, his hands found the gun he had hidden under his pillow. Even if it would be entirely useless in this situation, it was better than nothing.

The earl drew the firearm, and flipped himself over as quickly as his tiny body could manage. His eyes met another pair that glowed in the dim light of his room like a pair of red-hot embers, and he could have sworn he was inches away from those pointed, yellow teeth.

He didn't hesitate. His pistol was in front of him in a matter of seconds, and he squeezed the trigger. A deafening pop filled the room...

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."

-William Shakespeare

Ciel's eyes were squeezed tightly shut for what felt like ages, waiting for something; an enraged, demonic snarl, claws slicing into him, a body hitting the floor. Anything. He was tired. Tired of being stalked, tired of being terrorized, tired of defening himself. From his own butler, no less. Even in death, Sebastian had said he'd always be there waiting. It would mean getting his revenge by himself, but that hardly mattered anymore. The demon could be seconds away from slaughtering him. He didn't care.

All Ciel wanted now was to be safe again.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the earl heard the curtains to his bedside window being pulled open.

"Good morning, my young lord..."

Ciel's eyes snapped open, only to blink at the blinding sunlight that came flooding in through the window. And standing by that window as he tied the curtains back was Sebastian.

The earl glanced around in confusion. There was nothing on the bed looming over him. In fact, it looked as though he had just bolted upright in his bed and aimed it at the bustling butler, who was clothed in his usual, perfectly pristine attire, and performing his duties as flawlessly as ever. There wasn't a single piece of evidence that last night had ever occurred.

"Goodness," Sebastian commented as he brought over a stack of clothes, "That must have been a terrible nightmare you were having."

Nightmare? It had all been a nighmare? But it had seemed so real, and the earl had never had any nightmares involving Sebastian or his demonic nature before. He never had a reason to fear it, because Sebastian had always been someone he could rely on.

As Ciel shakily lowered his gun, he glanced up to meet the butler's gaze. He was greeted with a cheeky smile as Sebastian lifted his hand to reveal a single bullet trapped between his fingers.

The earl had shot at him. That much had not been a nightmare; a slight overreaction, if anything. Sure, Sebastian had caught bullets at point-blank range before, but something about all of this just didn't add up.

Ciel continued to watch the butler closely as he moved about, looking for any signs of the wounds he had seen in his supposed nightmare. There were none that he could see. Sebastian walked perfectly fine, carried his tea tray and helped him get dressed perfectly fine. There didn't even seem to be any bandages that were covering where the most severe injuries had been. By all accounts, Sebastian was perfectly fine.

"Is something wrong, my lord?" the butler inquired, noting the perplexed look on his master's expression, "You've been staring at me for quite some time now."

Ciel tried to think up a way for him to try to confirm if what he had experienced last night had been real. He couldn't very well ask the demon to strip for him to try to find evidence of the wounds he had seen, and there was a chance that Sebastian might just cover the events of last night with the explanation that it had all been a terrible dream. There had to be something, some sort of proof that not even the perfect butler could cover up.

"It's nothing," Ciel replied curtly, "Clear my schedule, would you? I'm still rather tired due to my... nightmare."

Sebastian was quiet for a moment before he gave a slight bow, "As you wish."

With that, the butler disappeared out the door, shutting it gently behind him.

The door...

Ciel slid off of his bed and listened closely as Sebastian's footfalls faded down the hall. Once he was sure he was a good enough distance away, the earl pulled back his bed chamber door and looked around the other side of it.

The gouge marks he remembered dragging across the front of the door were now gone. Of course, a scratched up door would be unsightly. Naturally, it'd be one of the first things Sebastian took care of. He looked around for any signs of the feathers he remembered falling from the ceiling, only to come up empty-handed.

He checked the parlor for any signs of the salt, holy water, or the door that the demon had broken off its hinges. Again, everything was as it should be; the door had been reattached and was in flawless condition, and there weren't any gritty or wet spots on the carpet. There weren't even any disturbed patches to indicate the three titanium walls had ever been there.

There weren't any blood spots on the walls or the floors from Sebastian's retreat after the Blood Moon had passed, meaning the only place that might still hold any clues for him was in Sebastian's own personal chambers.

When he found an opening, Ciel crept down into the servant's quarters and went back to Sebastian's room. The bed and its pillows and sheets were clean and neatly made, almost as if it'd never been slept in...

Almost.

A single discolored spot on the metal frame of the bed was all the proof the earl need; a smear of blood that somehow went unnoticed.

Sebastian knew, and Ciel figured that the butler knew that he knew. He'd seen the demon's true form. He'd been attacked by it, and survived. And now, he was sure that Sebastian just wanted him to forget it ever happened. Write it off as a bad dream and move on.

So he did. Granted, Ciel knew he'd never forget what happened that night, but he saw no harm in going along with Sebastian's little charade. The demon was probably too ashamed to admit he'd nearly killed his master in a moment of weakness, and the guilt was killing him deep down. And so he settled for letting things be as they were.

If anything, it'd make great blackmail for the future.