This is my first Kuroshitsuji story, and I hope it makes sense. This story, to me, seems a little disorganized and disjointed, but it could be just me. If you have any suggestions as to how I could improve this story, feel free to tell me. Also, if Sebastian is out of character, do tell me. Feel free to flame if you want.

Dislcaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Sebastian was many things. A demon, a bodyguard. At times a lover, or an assassin. He could even be a butler – indeed, one hell of a butler – as he had discovered during his current contract.

But patient and forgiving, he knew he was not. Especially if the person who had offended him was another demon. Especially if it was another demon whose name happened to be Claude Faustus.

Sebastian Michaelis – butler of Ciel Phantomhive – and Claude Faustus – butler of Alois Trancy – had three things in common. They were both demons. They both had contracts. They both had black hair.

But that was where the similarities ended. There were only differences after that.

Sebastian cared about Ciel. They had a strong bond. Definitely stronger than the one Claude and Alois had shared. Especially since Claude had killed Alois before their contract had been fulfilled.

The demons who broke their contracts were the scum of the earth. They left a bitter taste in his mouth. What was worse than Claude breaking his contract with Alois was the fact that Claude had broken his deal with Sebastian.

No one liked a demon who broke a deal. Of course, demons were known to lie and cheat, but that was beside the point. Claude had deliberately broken their deal. He himself had stated why he had killed Alois.

To get to Ciel Phantomhive.

Sebastian wondered if that had also been the reason as to why Claude had formed a contract with Alois.

It seemed like everyone was after Ciel, and Sebastian did not like it.

Ciel was his contract, his soul. He shuddered to think of the other demons who had touched the boy with their filthy hands.

But Claude was a better demon, when one paused to ponder it. He blatantly lied. He shamelessly cheated. He errantly stole. (Not that Sebastian hadn't done those things. He just knew better than to try to steal another demon's dinner.)

Deception was only part of Claude's game. Deceive Ciel into thinking Sebastian was the bad guy? Very easily done by mixing Ciel's and Alois's souls. Their pasts were similar. Very similar.

Both had lost their families to murder. Both had lost their homes to fire. Both had made contracts with demons.

It was an ingenious plan, Sebastian had to admit. But Claude had gone too far.

He had muddied Ciel's soul with Alois's soul. He had stolen his young master.

That was what irked Sebastian the most. Claude – the deceitful, conniving demon – had turned Ciel against him.

"Disappear from my sight."

The words still echoed in his head. He could still feel the horror those words had instilled in him.

His precious young master – his precious soul – had begun to think that he was the enemy.

There had been little Sebastian could do at that point besides obey his master's order, no matter how much he desired to disobey.

Sebastian abhorred – despised – detested – hated – loathed – Claude. Every fiber of his being called out for the demon's destruction.

His first instinct was to rip Claude to shreds and burn him, yet he was unable to do that. Claude had practically taken a permanent residence by Ciel's side, and as long as he was there, Sebastian did not dare enter Ciel's sight and defy his order.

To have done so would have made him no better than Claude.

And so Sebastian was left to bide his time, plan his revenge. He ached to have Ciel safely within his grasp once more.

Ciel was tainted, however – at least in Sebastian's eyes, and not in the way that he had hoped to taint the young Earl. Those demons had touched him. Claude had defiled Ciel's soul and memories – his body, too, perhaps? It sickened Sebastian, and he desperately wished – hoped – that he could get his hands around their necks and snap them like twigs.

But he had to wait.

The young master had given him orders, and he had to abide by them.

Sebastian feared, however, that Ciel was too far gone. He kept glancing every so often at his left hand, relieved to see the contract seal still tattooed there.

As long as that remained, he still had a chance.

A chance at what, though? Claude was constantly beside Ciel, breathing lies into his ear. There was no way he would allow Sebastian an opportunity to steal Ciel back.

Not that Sebastian could appear in Ciel's sight, anyway.

Sebastian cursed Claude to the very depths of the earth. That deceitful snake. From the beginning, he'd had no intentions of keeping the deal they had made. He'd only been waiting ever so patiently for the opportunity to lure Ciel away from Sebastian's side and feed him twisted lies. Once that had happened, it had only been a matter of time before Hannah had joined in, trying to lay claim to Ciel, as well. More accurately, she just wanted Alois, whose consciousness had been combined with Ciel's.

In the end, both Claude and Hannah had gotten what they deserved – death. Really, though, they should have known better than to try to snatch Sebastian's meal. He wasn't one to share, and deal or no deal with Claude, the only demon who would be feasting on Ciel's soul would be Sebastian himself. (Yes, Sebastian had not planned on keeping his end of the bargain, either, but who could blame him? He'd spent three years raising that soul to his liking, and no demon was going to steal it away.)

The events that had transpired after Hannah had confused Ciel even more still left a bad taste in Sebastian's mouth.

Ciel Phantomhive – his young master – had been transformed into a demon. Now Sebastian was no longer just a demon butler. He was a demon's butler, chained for eternity to his young master. The soul he had longed for – the soul he had carefully raised – was within his grasp, and yet so very far away.

But now...

Now – now everything had changed. In the blink of an eye, his young master had been transformed from a mortal human into an immortal demon. His soul was no longer fit to be devoured.

Sebastian abhorred – despised – detested – hated – loathed – what he had become. How had he gone from being a powerful demon – able to beguile and charm and entice and seduce anyone he came across, male or female – to being an ever-dutiful butler to a mere child for all eternity?

In his centuries of life as a demon, not once had he ever lost the soul to which he was contracted. Oh, no. Sebastian had always claimed what was his. He had always feasted on the soul of his master, down to the smallest morsel, the tiniest crumb. After Ciel had exacted his revenge on the fallen angel Ash, Sebastian had been ready to take the boy's soul. He was ravenous, having refrained from consuming any other souls during the time he was contracted to Ciel. The disappointment he had felt after he'd leaned in close to take Ciel's soul – only to realize that it was gone – was by far the worst moment of his life. The anticipation of eating that mouth-watering soul had quickly faded into disappointment and rage. That soul he had carefully raised had been stolen by someone else. The hard work he had put into it had all been for nothing. Even after he had slipped the blue ring onto Ciel's thumb, his soul had returned, but his memories of his revenge were missing.

That had not deterred Sebastian for long, however. He knew that if Ciel achieved a second revenge, his soul would taste sweet once again. The demon had hope that, in the near future, he would be able to feed upon Ciel's soul, and finally be satiated and satisfied.

Now, instead of satisfaction, there was only disappointment and regret and resignation and hatred. Whenever Sebastian saw his young master, he was reminded of what he could (should) have had: a tasty soul, a delicious meal to appease the hunger raging inside of him. But no, that had been stolen from him the second Alois – having gained control of Ciel's body – had formed that blasted contract with Hannah.

And now Sebastian was stuck – locked into servitude, with no means of escape. He had acknowledged Ciel's order to be his butler until his soul could be taken. Seeing as how Ciel was now a demon, that was impossible. Yes, he could leave, but that would be useless. Ciel could simply order him back. Besides, Sebastian would be breaking his own aesthetics if he were to leave Ciel.

And Sebastian learned that there was something that he could not be. He could not be a demon's butler. Especially if his master was an inexperienced little brat who believed himself to be far superior to the older demon. His master was a conceited demon-child who couldn't be bothered to listen to what an older, wiser demon said. He did whatever he pleased, regardless of the consequences. And since he had become immortal, the risks he took were greater. That in turn caused Sebastian to be under more stress, more watchful of him.

Ciel was quite content to put himself in harm's way to test his healing abilities, whether it be gunfire, a bomb, or a leap from a considerable height.

There were now times that Sebastian had to bite his tongue to refrain from saying something that his young master would not like. Especially when the haughty young boy – no, demon – would act like he was the most important thing to ever walk the earth, and that Sebastian was beneath him. It was moments like that that made it difficult for Sebastian. How he longed to prove to that conceited child that he was not powerful. That there were, in fact, other demons who were stronger than he was. Demons such as Sebastian himself.

Sebastian often allowed himself to think of what might happen if he spoke those thoughts aloud. He could definitely prove to Ciel that he was indeed stronger and faster. He would fight against the demon-child and he would win. He would crush the younger male's head and take back his freedom.

But those plans never came into fruition. Instead, Sebastian resigned himself to an eternity of servitude. Eternity. Before, that word had brought with it a sense of boredom, whereas now it just brought a sense of hopelessness.

Sebastian wasn't entirely sure what was worse: boredom or hopelessness. At least with boredom, he could find things to amuse himself with. Hopelessness was a different story altogether.

Yes, there were definitely times that Sebastian hated his master. He hated Claude. He hated Hannah. And he hated himself, as well. But that hatred never came to light. He kept it to himself, bottled deep within. Every time Ciel would do something that greatly annoyed and irritated Sebastian, he filed it away, his hatred and disgust growing.

Yes, Sebastian was many things. A demon, a bodyguard. At times a lover, or an assassin. He could even be a butler – indeed, one hell of a butler – as he had discovered during his current contract.

But patient and forgiving, he knew he was not. A demon's butler, he was not.

And yet he was.