Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji is the property of Toboso Yana.

Anon Review Replies for Chapter Seven:

Lauri: Aww, thank you~ I've started several books but I haven't ever been able to finish one for publishing. But to know that the fanfic feels like a novel to you makes me feel very good~ Thanks for reading!

Donna: I think he'll start growing a backbone at some point ;) As for the rest you'll just have to read it to find out~ I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises.

NamikazeH4: LOL, I'm sorry, I had to. Cliffies are so much fun to write~

Polka dot: You'll be seeing more of those things in this chapter, actually, so I hope you enjoy it~

Truth's Lie: FFF as much as I dislike Elizabeth, I don't . . . well no, that would ruin part of the plot. I'll shut up now.

Grappling banana: I'm very glad you like it! I've been slow at updating, I know, but that's my fault for working on so many projects at once. Updates will start moving faster soon~

Emily: Haha, somehow the fact that you read it all at once makes me extremely happy. Thanks for liking it so much~! As far as the guess goes . . . well, I don't want to ruin anything, but I will say that you're pretty close to some of it~

Lead-In to the Chapter:

The bathroom door flew open, hitting the wall with a force that easily cracked it and jerked the door off of its hinges. Ciel whirled around, tugging his towel tighter around him with one hand and hastily yanking his other hand up to hide his right eye from view. It was Finny, of course, standing in the doorway with a nervous but determined expression on his face; he seemed hardly phased by Sebastian's appearance before him. No, his eyes were zeroed in completely on Ciel.

"There had better be a good reason you have come in uninvited, Finnian," he hissed, feeling far too exposed in his current state. "Otherwise—"

"Young Master, we don't know what to do!" the gardener yelled out in a voice far too high and panicked for a man his age.

"What is it?"

"It . . . It's Master Niam!"

Chapter Eight: Remembrance

.

Ciel hastily fiddled with the cravat of an old red outfit Sebastian had pushed at him. Below, at the bottom of the stairs, he could hear a child's piercing wails, bouncing off of the vast walls of the manor. Sebastian walked behind him, his handsome face unreadable. Ciel himself was much calmer than he might have been just yesterday; the presence of his butler behind him made him feel more like himself . . . less vulnerable. His face belied none of the emotions rushing through his head at the moment. No one knew just how worried he was . . . and he was worried. Niam . . . Niam reminded him so much of the person he used to be, before he sank into that hellhole. At all costs . . . at all costs, he had to ensure that Elizabeth's youngest child would have a happy ending.

"It was horrible!" Finny breathlessly explained as they descended to the first floor. "He was fine one minute, and then . . . then he just collapsed! And Young Master . . . the other two children don't seem to care at all!"

Ciel's eyes, both undiscovered, darted over to Sebastian curiously. Burgundy eyes stared back, seeming to mirror his own thoughts on the matter: whatever was going on probably had nothing to do with the servants, and everything to do with the demons.

The crying was almost ridiculously louder on the ground floor; Ciel immediately turned to a hallway on his right, where the sounds were coming from. "Finny," he said firmly as he moved.

"My Lord?"

"I want you to wait in the entryway with the others."

"But Young Master—!"

"Finnian, do not disobey me. I need everyone to stay away. Do you understand?"

The blond stared at him for a few seconds, his lined face twisted in concentration . . . but in the end, Finny nodded and turned back towards the entryway.

"Have they been in the manor for as long as you have?" Sebastian demanded as they began to walk again. His tone was professional, expressing an urgent need to make sure everything would work out.

"Niam told me just this morning that Charlotte had brought them something to eat, but . . . surely if he had taken a meal he would be fine now?"

"Not necessarily. Those children are half-demons, Young Master, and the youngest is still developing. Their eating habits are going to be bipolar, you see."

"We will find out in a second, then," he sighed.

Ciel pushed open the door to Niam's temporary room without waiting for Sebastian to do it for him. The sight that met his eyes was less than pleasant; if he hadn't been though as much as he had, he might have turned around right there without bothering to help. The way it was, he flinched, mouth pulling down into a horrified frown.

Niam was clearly on the demon side of his existence, and probably in his true form; it was an odd twist between human and creature. The toddler's face was still cherubic, and at first glance he might look exactly the same as he had just a few hours ago. But his eyes were almost completely black, the only deviation being the slight hint of red rolling around frantically as his eyes jerked back and forth. His mouth was wide open, panting for little breaths of air, and Ciel could clearly see the fangs: softer and smaller than his own, but every bit as dangerous.

But that was not the worst of it.

The child's hands were twisted into grotesque claws, and though they were shorter than they might have been if he were older, they still looked far too dangerous. But . . . Niam must have been in an intolerable amount of pain, judging by his actions. He had plunged those claws into his upper arms, hands on the opposite sides, as he silently sobbed to himself.

Isaiah and Charlotte stood to the side, and as Finny had stated, they weren't doing a thing to help their brother's situation. However, the look pasted on Isaiah's face signaled that it was more likely that they couldn't do anything. The boy simply could not be consoled. Ciel jerked his head over to them, where he was met with twin glances of worry and surprise. "What is going on?" he demanded.

"M-Mother's never seen him like this," Isaiah quickly blurted. "Whenever he does this we lock his door and say we're playing, so she won't bother coming in. B-But he gets so much hungrier than me and Lottie . . ."

"More than an average demon?" Sebastian interrupted calmly.

The two older siblings glanced at him with wide eyes, likely not having expected his presence there, but they answered him nonetheless. "It doesn't help that Father used to starve him," Charlotte announced coldly. "For two weeks one time; we thought he was going to kill himself. We had to tie his hands down to his bed to keep him from doing . . . that." She pointed to the blood staining the bed sheets below the toddler. "It's my fault; I should not have neglected to bring him a satisfying meal. We all need to eat, but it is not safe . . ."

"How do you calm him down?" Ciel made to move forward, but Lottie's swift hand pushed him back, and he bumped into Sebastian's chest in surprise.

"Not by going near him, that's for sure," she hissed. "That would be just as effective as someone being out to kill you. He is violent and inaccurate . . . he is dangerous. We can only wait it out."

Ciel frowned at this; somehow the thought that Niam's two siblings did not help him made them seem less humane than he was, even given the situation. "Sebastian," he said slowly, "only the half-demons can be killed by normal means . . . am I correct?"

"Yes, unless you possess a weapon meant for killing demons, such as the one Claude Faustus possessed."

"In other words, any injury Niam does to me will not kill me?"

"Yes, Young Master."

"You can't!" Charlotte continued to protest, her eyes flickering back to her brothers nervously. "Even if you cannot be killed, whatever injuries you do sustain will take time to heal! You have not learned how to speed your regeneration rate yet . . ."

"Then I will deal with it," he responded coldly. "As I recall, when I was his age and unhappy, I always looked for comfort. Whether he hurts you or not, the fact that you are not doing anything to calm him down makes me think that you do not really care."

"Mr. Sebastian!" she beseeched, her eyes jerked up behind Ciel's form.

If there was anyone who could have stopped Ciel at this point, it would have been the butler . . . but he merely lifted one shoulder into a shrug, completely ignoring the eldest sibling. Charlotte seemed to visibly deflate after that; she stepped back to her brother's side, not once moving close to the toddler's bed. Isaiah seemed upset by the entire situation, and Ciel wanted to bet that Charlotte had forced him to stay away as well.

From the bed, Niam let out a little cry that sounded more than vaguely human, and the blackened eyes squeezed shut, his body trembling much more than before.

Slowly Ciel stepped forward, his eyes locked on the claws that were the toddler's hands. The way they were, he doubted anything would come of the child trying to hurt him; he wouldn't have enough time to do anything before Ciel stepped back. But Niam didn't move; he stayed in that exact position, moaning faintly to himself. With this sight the young devil knelt down next to the bed.

If it were anyone else, anyone at all, he would never have done something like this. He was supposed to be emotionless, uncaring . . . he never had cared much about other people. At least, not enough to do something like this. But Niam was different. It wasn't that he reminded him of himself, per say . . . but wanted to do what he could for the child until they could get Lizzy back. If everything had not happened, if his parents had never died, if he had not met Sebastian, these might have been his children. He may not be mature enough—never would be, for that matter—but at the very least he could show that he cared. A bit.

"Niam," he said quietly.

Then the toddler jerked, his hands jerking out from his arms and flinging blood clear across the room. Ciel caught a quick glimpse of puckered skin just before the demon side took over, healing the wounds until there was no evidence of where those sharp claws had just been. The claws were directed at him now, and he flinched just a bit, waiting for the painful bite that would accompany getting stabbed . . .

But no.

Instead Ciel was pushed from his position onto the floor, legs sprawling out painfully as Niam threw himself into the Earl's arms. There was no stabbing, no clinging . . . just the weight of a child wrapping arms around his shoulders, eyes wide open and teary, frightened half to death. All Ciel could do was tentatively hug back, cocking his head around to stare condescendingly at the child's two older siblings. Charlotte at least had the decency to look guilty . . . in which case, he supposed he could forgive her for the time being.

As he turned his head back around, he caught sight of Sebastian watching him. The soft smile adorning his face, the one that did not fit at all on such a thing as a demon, caused him to frown slightly, but he did not say anything to him. Instead he faced back to the front and asked Charlotte, "Will he stay like this until he eats?"

"No. He'll calm down for awhile, but the longer he has to wait to eat, the longer the spells will last. We need to feed him."

"Sebastian?"

The butler nodded in agreement. "It seems that three of you will be joining us as we return to London to find our meals. We cannot risk you being here with the rest of the household."

"What are you doing back?" Lottie demanded. "After a month, surely we thought you would stay gone. Are you going to leave again? Leave your master to sulk around like he has no idea what to do with himself anymore?"

"I assure you, my Lady, I have no intention of doing that. I have merely come back to serve my Young Master after a sorely extended stay in my home world. It was not my intention to leave him for so long."

"Just . . ." The girl shook her head sharply. "Don't do it again. The entire household was miserable because of you. Because you left him."

Sebastian bowed slightly, his face a perfect mirror of solemnity. "Should anything of that sort occur again, you can rest easy knowing that I fully intend to take him with me."

". . . Good."

The room lapsed into silence other than Niam's continued sobs. Ciel could feel the child jerking every now and then, like he was in too much pain to control it but was trying anyway. However, slowly the cries quieted, and the weight around his neck that was the toddler's arms lightened considerably, leading him to think that his hands had returned to normal. Soon enough the cries were gone completely, leaving a shuddering child in its wake, looking absolutely miserable.

"Niam," Ciel breathed quietly, hoping that this time there would be a better response.

"'M alright," Lizzy's youngest child sniffed, refusing to let go of his hold on Ciel. "'M okay now. Just . . . just so hungry . . ."

"We will be taking a trip into London shortly," he told the toddler reassuringly. "By then it should be dark enough to dine privately. The rest of us are in need of eating as well."

"Okay."

"Sebastian. Prepare a carriage for us; I will let the household know that we will be going out for the evening."

"As you wish, my Lord," the butler stated calmly and bowed. Hardly a moment later he was gone, leaving them to prepare on their own.

"I am loathe to ask one of you to do such a thing because of your positions, but someone must clean the bed sheets before one of the servants see it. We do not want any unnecessary questions."

Wordlessly, Charlotte moved forward to strip the bed.

Ciel looked at Isaiah then, gauging the child's reaction to the entire situation. Once he deemed the middle child calm enough, he asked, "Can you gather a clean outfit for Niam? He cannot go out into the streets of London with bloodied clothing."

"A-Ah . . . yeah." Isaiah turned around, opening a small wardrobe on the other end of the room and bending to dig through it.

"C-Ciel?"

He jerked his head back down to Niam. He child was looking at him with blissfully normal eyes, much more composed that he'd been just a few moments before. "Yes?" he questioned curiously.

"I-I . . . um . . . thank you." He looked away, towards his brother. "Lottie is scared of me like that."

"Have you hurt her before?"

"Mm. It was just a scratch, but I didn't mean it, a-and . . . well . . ."

"A scratch should not scare her like that," Ciel growled, training his eyes on the girl standing on the other side of the bed. Lottie met his gaze equally, but the look in her eyes was ashamed; she knew what she had done wrong. That, at the very least, satisfied him.

"Your eyes . . ." Niam whispered, and a small hand came up to brush under his right orb. "I thought you didn't want to show it . . ."

"I did not think about hiding it," Ciel sighed. This unfortunately meant that Finny had seen what was underneath . . . he was lucky the servants would not dare to question him on this. Lau, however . . . he had best avoid the Chinese man until he had the patch over his eye again. Possibly Agni and Soma as well . . .

"Here," Isaiah announced, laying out an outfit for the toddler.

As Niam refused to move away from Ciel—a fact that the two older siblings found amusing—changing him into more decent clothes proved to be a problem. They managed, however, and a few moments later they found themselves out in the entryway, waiting patiently for Sebastian to arrive with the carriage, having already alerted Finny to their trip.

"Your clothes aren't in the best shape either, Earl," Charlotte pointed out.

She was right, of course; Niam's blood had gotten onto his white cravat and slight splatters were visible beneath his light green vest. However, they were in a hurry; he had no idea how long the toddler would last before his hunger overtook him again, and he would rather that not happen in the middle of a ride to London. "It is not as bad as his was," he brushed off. "It will be dark by the time we get there; no one will be able to tell."

"How come you aren't hungry?" Isaiah questioned, cocking his head to the side curiously. "You haven't eaten anything in a month. You have to be starving."

Keeping the blush from his face was harder than he though, but he managed. "Self control," he managed to spit out innocently, though the knowledge of Sebastian's more than passionate kiss in the bathroom earlier had him glancing away from the others like it could hide the truth in his eyes.

But luckily, Sebastian appeared then, with a large carriage at the ready, and the middle child forgot completely about the question. They climbed in, Niam still gripping firmly onto Ciel's shoulders, and promptly took their leave . . . where even Sebastian pushed the horses further than normal just to get to London at an earlier time.

"How do you expect all of us to eat at once?" Ciel demanded as he climbed out of the carriage some two hours later, still holding onto a very unhappy toddler. "There are too many of us. Surely they would notice the bodies."

"Lady Charlotte and Master Isaiah have already eaten enough to sustain them for awhile," Sebastian explained. They would not need much to keep them going, so I would assume that they are going to share a soul instead of each taking one for themselves."

"They can do that?"

"You have no need to learn the trick, given your appetite," the butler chuckled. "But yes, it is quite possible. However, Master Niam will need to dine on an entire soul, as will you and I, Young Master. Therefore, we will split up so that we do not have a pile of bodies by the time we are done. Miss Charlotte, you can watch your brothers well enough, can you not?"

"Of course I can," the girl huffed. "I am quite old enough to do such a thing. Mother often lets us walk through the winter fair by ourselves so long as I am watching out for them."

"Very good, my Lady. You and your siblings shall hunt here, and I will take my master a few streets down so that we may spread out."

"Alright. Come on, Niam. Time to eat."

Apparently Ciel's comfort was second to the need to hunt for food; the toddler squirmed immediately, urging the Earl to put him on his feet. He scampered off to join his family, leaving Ciel alone with Sebastian . . .

Which he was not complaining about, of course.

The place in which Sebastian had stopped at was blissfully close to the town house; Ciel had not been there in weeks, and he was beginning to think they should check up on it before their neighbors assumed that the house had been abandoned. That, undoubtedly, would be unfortunate on their part. If a house looked abandoned, it would be robbed faster than a demon could eat a soul, per say. For the moment, however, the town house would have to be put on the back shelf in his mind. Now that he knew they were going to hunt for food, his body was on the alert, already searching for a source of food.

And then he realized . . .

He wasn't at all nervous about it this time.

"Sebastian . . ."

"Young Master?" the elder demon questioned, eyes flickering to the side and back as he began searching for a good street to take their meals on. The butler seemed hungrier than he was letting on, but as he had said . . . he had had thousands of years of experience as far as self control went. He could hide his discomfort for much longer than Ciel could.

"I believe I want to do the killing this time around," he announced with certainty.

"Is that so?" Sebastian's eyes stopped wandering around. They settled on Ciel, mild amusement and curiosity sparking in them. "Last time was a rather large failure, so I assumed that you would not be willing to—"

"I am a demon," Ciel responded after taking a deep breath. "That fact will not change now. There is nothing I can do to deny what I have become. Rejecting this is only going to hurt me in the future . . . I am certain of that. I am willing now to learn about my heritage . . . as long as you will teach me, of course."

"The Young Master is correct, as always." Sebastian wrapped an arm around Ciel's back, pushing him down the street towards a few turn offs. "However, I will not allow for any mistakes this time. If you wish to truly become like a demon, you cannot back out."

"There is no room for backing out anymore. There should not have been any room in the first place." Ciel knew . . . he'd been stronger as a human, when he knew that his life would end in death. He was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. Now he was hardly even willing to stay alive . . . and that needed to change. He needed a reason to keep going. For now, going to rescue Elizabeth would be that reason. And after he had done that—because he would, there was no doubt—he would find a better reason . . . a constant reason.

He could not keep going like he had been for the last twenty years.

"Young Master," Sebastian stated idly, "I am sure that the other Once-Human that exists at the moment went through the same resistance. I can understand the problem, of course. Eating on a regular basis is a necessity for a human, and to go from that to only dining when it is needed—"

"The resistance is not because of that at all," Ciel spat out vehemently. "There is simply a lot to wrap my head around, Sebastian. Humans are going to die . . . at some point, they will pass on, and there is no stopping that. To go from thinking that some day your life is going to end to suddenly realizing that you cannot die . . . it is hardly a fathomable concept. You are a Pureblood; from the day you were born you knew you could not die. There is a veritable difference."

"I had not thought of it that way," Sebastian mused.

"And why is your arm around me?"

A soft chuckle echoed through the empty street, followed by the reluctant removal of the older demon's arm.

Ciel cocked his head upwards as they walked, staring up at what little piece of sky he could make out. London had ruined the stars; the sky was full of smoke at all times now, and it grew thicker with each year. He could not see the stars nearly as well as he could back at the manor. "I hate London," he announced with a sigh. "It is ridiculously disgusting, don't you think, Sebastian?"

"It is only disgusting because the people make it so," Sebastian quietly agreed. "They say demons are vile, that they kill the humans and are worse than every sin in the world . . . but we have done nothing to cause the depreciation of the world. In fact, you could say that we make it better. In your case, Young Master, you remove the prostitutes and the drunkards from the streets; they destroy the world around you more than the rest. Humans are no better than the demons anymore. They have no morals."

"And demons do?"

"You have them, do you not? You will not eat the soul of a person who has done nothing to deserve death. You are refined despite your true self. All demons have morals; we are not as heartless as the humans make us out to be. But the humans . . . the humans have changed." Sebastian's face twisted into a look of mild pain. "It is becoming impossible to Contract with them, because their standards have dropped. No one ever calls for us anymore."

He looked back to the street in front of them, and he couldn't help but to begin to despise the being he used to be after hearing that. Ciel's own Contract had been made in an attempt to save what was rest of his life, to extend it just a bit longer. He had never stopped to consider why anyone else would Contract with a demon. Likely, the reasons would be ridiculously petty. Insulting to the demons. But in hunger, the demons would probably stoop that low.

The world really was sick.

"Sebastian . . . will we ever leave London?"

"I hardly believe living in England for all of eternity would please either of us. I am sure we shall traverse the world at some point in the near future."

"I should like to see India," Ciel mused. "The stories I have heard from Agni and Prince Soma have always intrigued me. And Japan as well . . ."

"Perhaps after we have dealt with the Viscount we will go."

". . . When we go, I do not want to come back."

"Young Master?"

Cobalt eyes trailed down to watch his feet move against the rough cobblestone street. "London has too many bad memories. Every time I see an alley I think of Madame Red . . . every time I see a manor I think of that Trancy brat . . . nothing gives me anything I can smile about other than my own servants, and they will be gone before long."

"In other worse, you would like to entirely start over."

"More or less."

The butler tilted his head up to stare at the sky as well for a moment, mouth pursed into a thoughtful frown. "That seems like the best thing to do, Young Master."

"You think so?" Ciel allowed a small smile to cross over his face. "Everyone here . . . I suppose if there is any part of London that does not bring bad memories, it lies with them. Still . . . I would rather not stay here until they all . . . pass on . . . Seeing them get older while I stay like this feels wrong."

"You have been thinking a lot while I have been gone."

"You have been gone for awhile." He pursed his lips, steps lagging as they turned into a smaller street. "What were you doing that kept you for so long? I have not once heard of what your home world is like, but if you were fighting then it cannot be pleasant."

"I had not thought you wanted to know," Sebastian chuckled. "You seem so averse to my kind it seemed as though you simply did not care."

"I care about what kept my butler away for over a month," he huffed. "And . . . I am sure I should not have to say this, but . . . I did miss you. Sincerely."

"The Young Master is already getting sentimental, then. Very well . . . what would you like to know about my visit to my home?"

They stopped walking, settling down on the side of the road to keep watch on a bar down a ways. "What were you fighting about? And why did you need to be there?" Ciel gingerly took a seat on a bench, eyes locked firmly on the building they were watching. "You never said a thing. Just that there was a situation."

"I shall do my best to explain. What do the humans say that hell is like?"

"There is merely the mention that there are nine circles of hell, and each is more powerful than the last. Are you going to stand there or will you sit down? We may as well make ourselves as nondescript as possible. We are already killing more than necessary tonight."

There was a soft movement as the butler moved to take a place on the bench next to him . . . and Ciel struggled to hide a faint blush as he felt their sides brush against each other. Sebastian, of course, seemed unaffected by the closeness and continued to speak. "The humans come up with the most complicated theories, honestly. There is no such thing. There are four corners: one for each of the different types of demons. And then in the center is what you would call the capital of Hell . . . this is where our ruler Satan resides. The fourth demon type—yours—was neutral in this particular squabble, but . . . many of the demons have begun to believe that Satan is ill-fit to rule us."

"Fighting over a ruler that has been on the throne for as long as you have existed?" Ciel scoffed, eyes jerked up sideways to glance at Sebastian. "That really does sound just like something the humans would do."

"Ah, but the humans do it for no reason whatsoever. The demons have a reason. You see, Satan seems to have been neglecting his duties; the demons have been rampaging all over earth, killing humans left and right without a purpose, and our ruler is doing nothing to stop it. The sides are split, of course: some of our kind, mostly the fallen angels, believe that things should remain the same way they have been. But the Purebloods, who are ultimately more powerful than the fallen, believe that we need order. The Half Bloods do not care either way as long as something is settled; they are simply tired of the fighting."

"And you?"

"I am on the Pureblood's side, of course, but . . . I was also one of Satan's personal escorts for a time, and I do know that he is a very busy demon. To be precise, I am undecided, but I would like to see a new ruler that can do a better job at ruling his kingdom."

"It doesn't make sense," Ciel sighed then, reluctantly returning his gaze to the bar. "When we visited the Undertaker you said that the fallen angels were the least powerful, but weren't they the ones who directly came from heaven? They used to be God's servants, right? Since they were the first demons, they should be the most powerful."

"Young Master, why did the angels fall in the first place?"

"Because of Satan. He wanted to take over, I suppose, and he gathered followers. But they could not defeat Him . . . am I correct?"

"That is the general idea." Sebastian shifted beside him, and when Ciel chanced one more look at him, the demon had his burgundy eyes locked firmly on the Earl's face. His expression was as serious as ever, and Ciel realized that this was very much the first lesson as a demon . . . learning his own heritage. Everything about his kind . . . it was all a mystery to him, but Sebastian would reveal it to him bit by bit. "They fell due to a temptation. Satan offered up a poisoned apple, and they accepted it willingly. They are demons because of their own weaknesses, and they have kept those weaknesses with them throughout those year. Each time an angel falls, it is because they themselves cause it. That is why they are the weakest. Any demon that is born from them knows nothing of these weaknesses. A demon's strength is not judged by their powers, but rather the strength of their hearts."

"Then . . . why are the Once-Humans the most powerful? I do not feel strong in the least . . . even if I do feel better than I did before."

"They are the most powerful because they know their weaknesses, and they know how to overcome them. The only thing, Young Master . . . is that you have to overcome them on your own. I cannot help you with this. But . . . I will say that I rather miss the person you were while you were a human. You would not let any disabilities stop you."

"And now I do," he sighed reluctantly. "I should have been looking for Elizabeth all this time, not . . . not sulking because I thought you were not going to come back. There is no telling how bad off she is now. And the blame can only be put on me."

"You are correct, Young Master." Sebastian bent down to the side, and soft lips brushed against Ciel's cheek for a fleeting moment before the butler straightened up again, the picture of innocence. "But now is your chance to correct your mistake."

"I will not let Elizabeth die. This is one thing I will succeed at, even if something happens to me in the process." He sucked in a deep breath, feeling his determination strengthen for the first time in years. "I absolutely must not fail."

Any response Sebastian might have given never made it past his lips as the bar door opened and a couple stumbled out, giggling drunkenly and wobbling off towards a house where they would likely indulge in sexual acts that they would not remember in the morning. It was a perfect meal: one for him and one for Sebastian, and no one would think twice about the bodies. They were so drunk they would likely not make a noise as they died.

Now all he had to do was kill one of them.

Sebastian rose to his feet and extended a hand to help Ciel up. As he did he said quickly, "Let your demon side out, Young Master. Their shock at seeing you are not a human will cause them to freeze, and that is your chance to kill them. A swift cut to the neck should do it efficiently." A small knife was pressed into his hand. "You get the woman, and I shall dispose of the male. Then we will eat and find our way back to the carriage."

Sebastian was leaving no room for hesitation, and Ciel appreciated that very much. If there was any leeway, any whatsoever, he had no doubt that he would want to back out again. The way things were now, Sebastian was already moving, and he needed to before their two targets sensed that something was wrong. He gripped the knife more tightly in his hand and rushed forward after his butler.

What he hated, more than anything else, was allowing his true form to come out. In this case he knew he had no choice, and he let it come without thinking about it, but . . . to him it had always felt wrong. Like he was wearing a skin that wasn't supposed to be his. And it was so awkward.

The woman caught sight of him just as Sebastian had wrapped an arm around the man's neck. She opened her mouth, letting out a soft squeak, before yanking her head back around to run . . .

But as a demon, Ciel was quicker.

If there was one thing he had caught onto immediately after he had changed, it was the speed a demon could move at. It was unnatural, and at first, completely disorienting . . . but now, Ciel rather liked it, using it as an advantage once in awhile. He used this ability now, rushing forward and in front of her in one smooth move, keeping his eyes cool and calm while he inwardly hid the fear building up. He did not let that fear take over, however, and before the woman could make another sound he had jerked the knife up, slicing it cleanly through her jugular and killing her instantly.

Still yet there was no hesitation; they were in the middle of the street, where anyone could walk out and find them, and the blood was a sure indication that something had gone wrong. Quickly Ciel grabbed the woman's body before she could bleed out on the cobblestone and then followed Sebastian into a narrow, abandoned street.

No words were passed between the two for the time being; Ciel was intent on getting the entire thing over with before he could think about what he was doing, and Sebastian seemed too hungry to care in the first place. The boy demon leaned close to the woman's dying heat, grabbing a hold of his meal swiftly and surely. Unlike the first time he had gotten his first taste of a human soul, everything he did was exact. He knew how to do everything now, and somehow that seemed to make everything easier. He was swallowing the soul without even thinking about how he was doing it . . . it was so easy.

The taste of this particular soul was nothing special, and especially not compared to what he had eaten earlier . . . but for the first time in weeks, his hunger was satisfied, and he allowed his form to return to normal with a sharp sigh of relief. He would be good for awhile now, he thought, since he had eaten twice as much as normal.

Tiredly he leaned back against the wall of a crumbling old building, averting his eyes from the woman he had just killed. Already he could feel the guilt creeping up inside of him, and he could not understand why at all; it wasn't like he had never killed before. Whether indirectly as an order to Sebastian or at the receiving end of his pistol, killing was nothing new to him. But . . . killing a stranger . . . somehow it seemed different. He did not know who this person was, nor what their goals in life had been. It did not matter anymore; they were dead.

But then, the world would not stop its time from passing just because two people had just been killed. Things would go on. These two would be mourned, perhaps, but only for a time. They would eventually be forgotten for the most part. In fact, it did not affect him in the least.

Oddly enough, thoughts like those were the ones that made him feel better.

He shook his head slightly, intent on forgetting about the incident altogether, and allowed his eyes to trail over to the opening of the alley they were in. From where he was standing he could see the lights of the bar, and he could hear the loud, rambunctious noises coming from inside. He wrinkled his nose; he never could understand why the commoners loved those places so much. Other than the bar, all he could see were the dark lanterns that lined the street, the benches lined against boarded up shops, and the flash of—

"Sebastian!" he hissed urgently, eyes jerking back to look at the butler for just a second before returning his gaze to the main street.

Somewhere beside him the elder demon straightened up, coming to stand next to Ciel, his body showing no evidence of what they had just done. "Young Master?" the butler questioned curiously.

"Someone was watching us," he growled lowly. He'd seen it, reflected in the moonlight: the flash of a person's glasses, shining only minutely before hiding in the shadows again. "They may still be."

It was subtle, but it was there: the way Sebastian's stance changed, becoming the slightest bit more stiff and his body leaning back and over Ciel. If someone had seen them, then the outcome was inevitable: they had to die. But there was no telling how much trickery or speed that could take, and the person could very well be violent. In the state he was in, Ciel could not do much to protect himself; Sebastian was prepared to be his guard. "Are you certain?" the butler asked quietly.

"There is no way someone could not have been watching us," he responded, eyes jerking back again. "What do we do?"

"We will have to come out sometime."

"Slowly?"

"They might have not realized we saw them," the butler replied evenly. "We should exit the alley as though we have no idea of their presence."

Ciel nodded, and gradually he made his way out of the alley, checking his clothing at the same time to ensure that he had gotten no gore on his person. Any mess there might have been he could not see, however, and he deemed himself appropriate enough to be seen in the presence of others. Sebastian was in his proper place behind him . . . but he could tell, from the corner of his eye, that the elder demon was prepared to fight if necessary.

Even now, he was getting protected.

Now was not the time to be worrying about something like that, however, so he turned his attention back to the street in front of him. It was empty . . . void of all life other than themselves. He frowned, turning back to face Sebastian in frustration. "I know I saw . . ."

"Young Master," the butler announced urgently. "There was a demon here."

"A demon? But . . ." No, he could smell it now, in the air: the lingering scent of one of their own kind. Whoever it was that he had seen just a moment ago . . . they clearly weren't human. And chances were, they were probably still around, watching them . . . were they on the Viscount's side? Was it a lone demon, without any ties to the human world, aiming to take them out because of how he came to be one of them? There were so many possibilities . . . but all of them ended up worse than the one before. Whenever demons were involved, he felt sure that nothing good would come of it.

Sebastian's hand on his arm jolted him from his nervous thoughts; he looked up at the butler just before his head was jerked in the forward direction. There, at the end of the street . . . two shadowy figures were scaling a middle-class house, clearly trying to get away before they were noticed. They could have been strangers . . . Ciel would prefer it if they had been. But just as the shorter one reached the top, for just a moment, the moon shone its light down on a head of blonde hair . . .

"Alois?" he hissed in horror.

"Too far away to tell," Sebastian responded, his mouth lowered into a frown. "Hannah Annafellows took Alois Trancy's soul in the end, Young Master, and he certainly had no physical body to return to once Claude Faustus had killed him. I highly doubt that demon is Alois."

"Alois was never a demon anyway," he muttered, still staring at the spot where the two figures had disappeared. "You killed Claude as well, or so you said. I was sure I had seen a pair of glasses flash a moment ago."

"Claude Faustus died by my hands, Young Master. There is no possible way he could be alive."

"So those two are just lookalikes?" he demanded in frustration.

"Just because one has blond hair and the other wears glasses, it does not mean it was them." Sebastian frowned, and the hand on Ciel's shoulder pushed forward just the slightest bit. "Assuming things beforehand is a dangerous pastime; you should not partake in it. Now, my Lord, we need to return to the carriage. We have left the children on their own, and even if they are part demon, the fact that there are others of our kind prowling London's streets does not bode well with me. Lady Elizabeth would be devastated if we rescued her and she found her children had been murdered."

Ciel obeyed automatically, though his eyes were still locked on that area where he had last seen those two. There was something about them—despite Sebastian's reproof—that reminded him so much of his old enemies. Perhaps it was the clear height difference, or the exact shade of that blond hair . . . something about it just screamed Alois and Claude. But if they were dead already . . . it wasn't possible, of course. There was no way it could be possible.

Gradually he let his eyes jerk back down to his feet as they walked back out of the side street and into the main road. Was it . . . was he so intent on his past life that he would even look to his enemies for the memories of what it was like to be human? He would embrace the life he had now, even if he did not want to . . . but he knew part of him still wanted to be what he used to be. The Trancys were links back to that old life. They were the ones that had caused his life to turn into this, of course, but at least he was still human while they were alive.

And anyway, if it was them . . . what the hell did he think he was going to do? Give them hugs for still being around? Curse them eternally for ruining what could have been a perfectly tragic end to his life? No, chances were, he would just ignore them . . . they had been fighting for his soul, and now that they had lost that . . . even if they still existed, they could care less about him. He would be a demon until the end of existence now, and there was nothing anyone could do about it . . .

Unless, of course, the demon sword that had been used to end Claude's life was found again . . .

And Ciel refused to go out in such a way. If he had to live this life, he was going to do it fully; he was not going to back out of anything. If he were to die at the end of such a blade, it would be with him fighting for his life as much as he could. He would fight to keep this life, even if he may not want it . . .

And he would, eternally, fight for Sebastian's life as well.

Despite there being more of them, the Childs' kids were already waiting by the carriage when they returned. To Ciel's relief, Niam looked content, and when the toddler grabbed onto the hem of his shirt, obviously still not willing to completely let go of the Earl, he seemed completely at ease in his body again. He skimmed his eyes over the three, noting that their clothes had no signs of what they had just been doing either. Not a blood stain in sight.

"You were successful?" he asked, just to be polite.

"We were lucky," Charlotte explained docilely. "A group of three emerged from a prostitution house down the street. We were able to take down all three without a problem, and all of us are sated for the time being."

"We should get back, then," he announced, turning to climb into the carriage. "Before the bodies are found, of course . . . and Sebastian and I spotted a pair of demons just moments ago. We should clear the area in case we are in danger."

"Young Master," Sebastian announced formally, offering his hand to help the former Earl into the carriage. "I will drive you home with all haste. Do feel free to nap if you feel the need; I will awaken you if anything goes amiss."

A sharp nod was the butler's only response before Ciel was seated comfortably, Niam beside him with his face pressed into the boy demon's side. Charlotte and Isaiah seated themselves quietly as well, and the cabin fell into silence as they started moving. Ciel could swear . . . swear that he had seen the back of Alois's head . . . even if Sebastian had tried to prove him otherwise, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that his rival had been the one standing there . . . and they had been watching. Watching as he and Sebastian devoured their meals like animals . . .

For some reason, it disgusted him.

"Ciel?" Isaiah spoke up tentatively.

Reluctantly he shook all thoughts of Alois from his mind and raised his head, staring at the middle child expectantly. "Yes?"

"What . . . what are we going to do now? Sebastian . . . Sebastian will help us, won't he? I don't want to sit around any longer . . ."

"Sitting around and doing nothing was my fault entirely . . . I apologize profusely for that." Ciel let out a light sigh, looking down at where his hands settled limply in his lap. "I should have realized what I was doing before Sebastian returned. And now . . . now we need to take action before the situation gets any worse." He raised his head, eyes focusing on each of the children before stating firmly, "We explained the situation to the other servants, but only in passing. We will need to let them know the severity of the situation . . . other than the fact that we are all demons, of course, but enough for them to know that we need to have this problem solved as soon as possible. We will talk to them in the morning . . . and they can put their heads together to help us decide where to go from there."

"What if they cannot help us?" Charlotte demanded.

Ciel smirked at the eldest of Lizzy's children. "The other tenants at the Phantomhive manor may seem like they are bumbling idiots . . . but in reality, sometimes I believe they are smarter than the rest of us. If anyone can come up with a way to help, it is undoubtedly them."

"And if not?"

He pursed his lips, sinking back down into the seat with a tired expression on his face.

"If they cannot figure anything out . . . then chances are, we will not be able to do anything . . . and we will have to deal with the consequences of our failure."

GOD. ANOTHER CHAPTER THAT TOOK TOO LONG.

I am so sorry . . . I've been having personal problems pop up all over the place, and I've just now been able to sit down and get some serious writing done. It's a little short this time around, but I hope it will satisfy you nonetheless . . . and in the next chapter, we will finally be getting to some action.

Just keep in mind, though . . . I will not be starting a new chapter until after the end of August, because I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo at the moment . . . and falling horribly behind. I need to catch up, and hopefully get ahead . . . and if I pull off what I did last November, I might even be writing again before the end of August~

Again, thanks so much for sticking with my slow ass self guys~ I really appreciate each and every review and reader I get for this :3

Thanks for reading~!

~Shadow