I

The End

The smoothly gliding gondola suddenly jerked, then wallowed back and forth: they had arrived. Wherever it was they'd been punting to in this strange, otherworldly sea of memories, Ciel's very own memories, the ride was over now. Ciel looked over the side to watch the last of the scenes sink and fade, both the cherished and the painful, for better or worse they were gone now. Not even the shinigami would have them. And when those who remembered him were themselves no longer remembered, he would truly disappear, without trace.

Except perhaps, in the long memory of the being he was now intently watching.

Sebastian was steadying the boat, reaching out a hand to help him up the unexpectedly steep, rocky bank. As Ciel gained the close cropped lawn, the demon extended his other (newly reacquired) hand and placed it in the middle of the boy's back to further steady him. By habit Ciel drew breath to object, but then he caught the demon's eye, remembered, smiled and let it go. He needed to remember: he belonged to Sebastian now. He felt reasonably confident the demon would preserve his dignity without him needing to loudly demand it. Such needlessly difficult behaviour really ought to be a thing of the past for him now. He was no longer the master of his own fate.

"It's a fair walk from here, Young Master, would you care for a lift?" Sebastian smiled and extended his arms to the boy, still marvelling at the Ciel's continued rock-steady willingness and flinty determination to pay his demon what was owed. There would never be another like Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian counted himself luckiest of lucky devils to have had the privilege of walking beside him for a time.

The boy looked at the demon's extended arms and shook his head. "It isn't necessary, Sebastian. I can walk."

"I know you can, but I would also enjoy carrying you. If you have no objection, that is."

"I always felt like a burden when you did this," the boy said, already speaking of himself in the past tense, as the demon lightly hoisted his little master up into his arms, settling him gently against his chest.

"Never. You should have asked me. I would've happily disabused you of such a foolish idea."

The boy looked about him. "It's an interesting looking place, this. Does it have a name, a purpose? Is it even real? There's something about it that feels..."

"It is real enough, though not a part of your world, which may account for it having a somewhat different, 'off' feel to you," the demon explained as he began walking toward the edge of the tall, dark trees. "It does have a purpose, though. It is one of many demon havens, though a small one and therefore one not often frequented—which is part of why I like it, I suppose, but also, there are ruins here I think the Young Master might like to see. They somewhat resemble a ruined abbey or cathedral. Attractive in a romantic, though not particularly practical way, but you have enjoyed visiting similar sites in your own world from time to time, so I thought you might be pleased by it."

"You're taking me to look at 'romantic ruins'? And here I thought we came to fatten up a demon."

The demon chuckled. "That too, but all in good time. There is no particular reason your last day should be rushed, or unpleasant, or stressful, now is there?"

"I suppose not."

" So then, let us take our time. Both our worlds are behind us, our names shed, our responsibilities ended—"

"Save one,"

"Not forgetting the one, but other than the one, may we not simply enjoy this little interlude, you and I?"

The boy snorted. "And I thought you were hungry."

"One may hungry for different things, Master. I'm confident I will receive my due from you. But in truth, Ciel, we went to work together so fast and so hard from the moment we set foot on the grounds of Phantomhive manor, struggling to educate one another in our respective roles—" the demon let go a great sigh and looked away for a moment before beginning again. "Do you know when I first laid eyes on you, I was certain I'd be back in my own nest in less than a fortnight? Hah! If that long!"

"Really?" Ciel's eyes lit up and he covered his mouth to muffle the giggle threatening to burst out of him at the demon's words. A giggle: when was the last time he'd laughed like this? It pleased him enormously to think he might have worked the demon harder than anyone ever had, and Sebastian knew Ciel well enough to know it would, and was pleased to be able to give the boy that happiness.

"I've served kings I didn't work half that hard for! For a while there, I was starting to suspect some other demon was playing some elaborate prank on me and you must be some imp in disguise trying to drive me mad!"

"Stop, you're making my stomach hurt!" begged the giggling boy."I was so miserable, sore and filthy and hungry and just...just angry, and you were so intent on impressing me, god we were terrible back then, the both of us."

"I thought seriously about drowning you in your own damned bathtub, just to force you to show your horns, you unrepentant little monster," the demon smirked, watching the boy convulsing with laughter. "Be thankful I didn't follow through on that impulse."

"Indeed! No soul for you, you big brute!" They laughed quite a long time together, remembering those first few days and how rough they'd been. "I remember how furious you were with me that night. All things considered, I really have to praise you for your self-control, Sebastian. It is a wonder you didn't drown me—or worse." Ciel was thinking of that first cup of warm milk with honey that Sebastian brought him to make up for his disastrous first attempt at providing him a meal. That first warm honeyed milk- first of many-it was a wonder Sebastian hadn't magicked himself a bottle of laudanum and dumped a whole thing in it.

"Thank you my Lord. So. I trust you will understand why I have no desire to hurry. I no longer have a mansion to manage, nor idiots—servants, that is, to wrangle and it would be pleasant to simply 'be'." He grinned darkly and slid his eyes sideways to see if the boy was amused by his deliberate slip regarding the servants. He decided he quite liked making his little lord laugh.

Ciel closed his eyes and grinned, though there was something a little wistful in his expression. "I do. We really didn't have much leisure to sit and talk, or get to know one another—well, you had to learn about me but you had to do it on the fly—good thing it was a short book! You on the other hand were hardly very forthcoming about yourself and far too intimidating to ask."

Sebastian barked out a short hard laugh. "I didn't think you were intimidated by anything, my Lord."

"Well. You don't know your own power then—though I seriously doubt the truth of that statement! But I'd rather not think too hard about the manor or about those I left behind in it. Life goes on, I know, and people adjust, but still it's a little painful thinking of them getting on with life without you."

"Is it?" the demon asked, genuinely curious. Of course no human would've asked such a question. Another human would have understood without needing an explanation.

"Mm. Not for you, most likely," the boy expanded, "they're not your kind really, and even your own kind do not seem to form very close bonds from what I've seen and what you've told me,"

"Quite true."

"I doubt you would feel the attachment to them I do. Even though we weren't close and didn't have much in common besides running and protecting the manor together, I will miss them, and even though you cleaned like a demon on your last day—heh, what am I saying 'cleaned like a demon...'

"I knew what you meant, master," the actual demon smiled, quite broadly for once, letting some of his less human features show for his curious little master. He knew the boy would not be put off.

"Even though you cleaned extremely thoroughly yesterday, I'm certain you left the place and those in itbehind without a pang."

"Well, perhaps a small pang, but not over the people. I was surprisingly content there despite 'certain aspects' of the place." Sebastian glanced up at the tall dark trees as he began to walk into the very dense forest inhabiting a large part of the island. "But you see I have here in my arms the very best of the place, so I'm not suffering too much."

"You know you won't need those gloves now. You should take them off."

"Do you dislike my gloves, my lord?" he said as he tugged them off with teeth to the fingertips. The boy caught them as they came free and tucked them into the butler's breast pocket.

"I didn't so much dislike them as miss seeing your hands. You have really beautiful hands as I'm sure you know. I've always been jealous of them," Ciel confided wiggling his own rather stubby little fingers in the air. "I was always sorry that sigil ended up on the back of your hand so you had to hide them all the time."

"I still would've hidden them for the sake of the nails, though."

"Oh, we could've come up with some explanation for that...could've told them you were a native f the Amazon basin, a South American."

"Why South American of all things?"the demon asked after he stopped howling with laughter.

"Well, how many South Americans have they seen in England? How many have you seen even? Who knows but that they have faces on their bellies and feet coming out the top of their heads? Why not black nails?"

"Fair enough. Might have worked if you told it with that bold face of yours."

"Remember it for your next contract then. Might come in handy." The boy smiled. Impulsively, the demon leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on the boy's temple.

Ciel stared back, his face carefully blank. "And what was that for?"

"Just because, Ciel Phantomhive."

"Because?"

"Because I wanted to. Is that not reason enough?"

Bemused and feeling tired, the boy let his head rest on the butler's shoulder. "I suppose. Anyway too late to take it back now."

"Indeed." The demon agreed. "Tired?"

" I am, a bit. Don't know why."

The butler advanced no theories. "Perhaps I should be quiet and let you rest."

Again the boy snorted. "For what, so I'll be bright and ready to face the 'morrow?" The boy looked up and thought he saw the tail end of a frown go slipping off the butler's face. "Don't stop talking, Sebastian. I like listening to you talk. How far is it to these 'romantic ruins' of yours?"

"Oh, a mile or so now. Not in a hurry, are you?"

"Not if I get to talk to you."

"Would you care to stop and take a break? We could sit a while and listen to the wind in the treetops... it's generally quite soft and dry underneath these trees, though a bit chilly. Evergreens put down quite a thick bed of needles after a few decades. They can make quite comfortable seating, even a soft and comfortable bed if need be."

"I suppose it might be nice to stop and sit a bit. If you don't mind." The boy begins chuckling as the butler swings him down and steadies him until he gains his feet on the soft needles. "Though I cannot quite picture the prim and fussy Sebastian Michaelis sleeping rough on a bed of pine needles."

"Ah but that is the interesting thing about being what I am. I was not always the fussy Mister Michaelis, and you must take into consideration that so long a life allows for all sorts of different conditions and experiences. Mercenaries, cutpurses, highwaymen all have need of sleeping rough on occasion and I have been all of those at one time or another."

"But how often were you ugly, that's what I want to know."

"Very rarely," he replied with a strangely strained voice.

"And only when tied to the very vain, I'll wager."

"A wise wager indeed."

"I'll bet you were thoroughly miserable being ugly," the boy teased.

"They were very short contracts I can tell you," the demon sniffed haughtily.

"Bet you gobbled 'em up early, didn't you."

"...perhaps. One of them anyway."

"Wasn't an ancestor of Druitt by any chance?"

"Puh. Acted like it but no."

"You never did tell me how far back you go or how old you are. You've always acted as if you thought I'd have a come-apart if I knew your real age."

"Oh Ciel, if I ever thought that—which I seriously doubt!— I know better now," the demon laughed. "I feel certain I could introduce you to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and before the evening was over you'd have beaten them all at chess, learned to call them all by their nicknames, and relieved them of their ready cash AND their horses after a couple of scorching rounds of whist!"

"In which case I could have myself a coach and four! Though nobody but you could probably drive the thing. Think you could handle a four-in-hand?"

"Seriously Ciel? Who do you think invented it?"

"Of course...got any demon buddies you could induce to come be footmen?"

"Do you have any souls stockpiled I don't know about?"

"Hmm, well there's..."

"Would we still need..."

"They never were much..."

"But who could possibly want..."

"No one you'd ever want as footme-"

Then both arrived at the same thought simultaneously:

"The Four Horsemen!"

"They're out of work anyway."

"Well you took their horses; of course they're out of work."

"Difficult to be a horseman without one."

"Quite."

"Only fair, I suppose."

"Though I don't think 'Death following after' is likely to make a very presentable footman."

"But I'd never be bothered by highwaymen!"

"Perhaps we could get Undertaker to come be a footman as well. I wonder if I've got enough jokes..."

"How old did you say you were? Ass. You've got enough jokes. You've probably got hunting jokes that Nimrod told you!"

"He'd probably jump at the chance to hobnob with Death."

"He'd pay you."

"Lots to talk about, those two. Gog's gonads! What a pair they'd make hanging off the back of the boot!" At which point they both dissolved into howls of laughter which, had anyone overheard them or seen them clinging to one another, holding each other up, they'd have surely suspected them both of partaking a little too freely of something with one hell of a kick and having hidden the empties down in the pine needles.

"Ah Sebastian, I wish I'd taken time to do this kind of thing more often."

"What, go sightseeing at demon sanctuaries?"

Ciel backhanded him in the gut as hard as he could, knowing it wouldn't do more than make him hiccup. "No, ass. Take time out to sneak away and be alone with you."

"My Lord!"

"To talk, you filthy creature! Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Alas my Lord, In all honesty it isn't suited for anything else."

"In that case I must say you do remarkably well masquerading as a decent fellow. I applaud your monumental acting abilities."

The demon stood and bowed. "You are too kind, my Lord. "

Ciel gave a crooked little smile that still looked sad somehow. "Not really your lord any more, Sebastian."

"Yet I may still honour you as such, may I not?. Alas that I must disagree with you about you getting away like this. Even as late as yesterday, had I tried to tempt you into even a short walk in your own woods I daresay I wouldn't have been able to get you to do it, not even if I told you I'd hidden a coach full of chocolate gateau out there."

"Maybe for your chocolate gateau," The boy said, but then heaved a sigh. "You're right, of course. I ... just didn't know what I'd been missing." They fell silent then, both leaning on the same tree trunk, shoulders resting side by side, listening to the otherworldly silence. The only sound other than the steady rise and fall of the breeze high in the treetops was the single croak of a crow or raven, unseen (by Ciel at least) up in the branches of a nearby tree. Ciel looked up toward the sound.

"Friend of yours?"

"Mmm," the demon responded.

"Probably wonders what's taking us so long. Tell 'im we're busy. We'll be along before too much longer." The boy didn't stare, but he could see in his peripheral vision Sebastian shoot a furious red glare at the bird who then took off like a stone from a slingshot. "You didn't have to threaten him."

"Unfortunately where I'm from that's the only language that's generally understood."

Ciel turned to look at his butler. "You don't sound like you care for it much where you come from."

"It's hardly intended to be a pleasant place, even for those of us who call it home."

"Not looking forward to going back?"

"Earth is quite pleasant, but we are somewhat limited in needing legitimate reasons for being here, otherwise Hell would be deserted and earth a much less pleasant and far more violent place."

"I worried about you being hungry. Now I feel badly our time together wasn't longer."

"You needn't worry about me Ciel. I've managed this life...well, comfortably enough, for quite a long time now. It's just...the transitions between are a bit rough to handle sometimes."

Neither spoke for a little while.

"You were about to tell me just how long you've been managing those transitions and I somehow derailed you—or you distracted me. Tell me."

"Well, let me think..." he looked up and blew out his cheeks, trying to pull a name from his memory that would mean something to the boy. Empires, kingdoms, borders and place names constantly changing as they did over millennia didn't make it any easier. "...I can remember when Rome belonged to the Etruscans and the Romans were just a scruffy tribe of roving ruffians without a city. Vaguely."

"Hmph. Makes you positively hoary doesn't it," the boy teased. The demon smiled a lopsided little smirk, glad he hadn't dug back any further. "So what will you do when you get home—I suppose you do call it 'home'?"

"I do. I will probably go see if my own mansion still stands—always a valid question in such a neighbourhood, and if it is, go in and kick the scaly arses of whatever lowlifes have been infesting it in my absence. Then, after a thorough sterilisation—with fire most likely— I shall probably curl up and try and sleep away a few decades or so. Boring as hell, Hell is." They both chuckled at that even though privately the demon was thinking it might feel good to just keep on sleeping.

Then Sebastian extended an arm, inviting the young earl to come close. The boy stood and came to him readily enough. The demon wrapped an arm around the boy and gave him a squeeze.

"Sometimes Ciel, one is better off never discovering how much one is going to miss someone...makes everything so much more difficult."

"You make me glad I won't know anything."

"But I will," the demon said with a suspiciously congested-sounding snort. "I suppose we ought to be getting on."

"Alright. Carry me again?"

"There's no way I'd let you walk," the demon declared, gathering the boy up and holding him close for a moment, long fingers slipping through the ashen hair. "Ready?"

The young earl nodded. Somewhere high in the sky overhead they heard a croaking raven's cry. They started walking.

The opening in the trees appeared far sooner than Ciel expected. Sebastian had been right, it was a rather intriguing spot, alien-looking vines and flowers climbing up columns that held up nothing and clambering over tumbled down stonework, great blocks of stone and still half standing walls here and there along what might have been an outside wall. It really did resemble an English abbey or cathedral—what an odd thing to find on an island used strictly by demons. Maybe it was like an English folly, a faux ruin added to an estate's grounds purely for the effect, to improve the view. Or maybe it was a nod to the most sacred thing demons knew: a place meant strictly for the taking of souls in peace and privacy. Either way it was a pleasant spot to spend his last moments with Sebastian. The demon put him down on what looked like a stone pew and knelt down in front of him.

"I really should've taken this off you earlier. I'm sorry it hurt you as much as it did, but I always enjoyed seeing this mark on you, my mark, and where you chose to put it—"

"Well we sort of chose that together, Sebastian."

"You're right of course. Like most things we did, we did them together."

"We did. I liked it that way. We'll do this together too."

"Yes my lord," the demon said giving the boy his deepest bow, hand on his heart.

"It will hurt, I suppose."

"It will, but I can make an effort to be gentle and—"

"That doesn't seem right somehow. My life's been nothing but pain, ever since we made our pact—not that it was your doing, well not most of it," the boy smiled, "but painful it was. Stabbed and shot, kicked and ...I don't know what else, so many painful things, I've lost track. It wouldn't seem right to leave any other way. So don't be shy, Sebastian, I know how you feel about others' pain. Make it hurt, make it mean something."

The demon nodded silently and drew nearer, brushing the heavy bangs out of the boy's eyes. He wouldn't tell him but it would hurt enough without adding to it and for once in his infernal career he regretted that fact and meant to do it with as little pain as possible, regardless of what the boy had said.

He watched the translucent, lavender-tinted lids slip down over those glorious eyes one last time before he took hold of the boy's head and pressed his own lips to Ciel's, opening them together gently, almost like a lover, and prepared to take his payment.

And then the world went white.