CHAPTER 1 - "CHRISTMAS QUARREL"

"You are being unreasonable, brother," Lukas said, as a small bump in the road shook the carriage the pair were riding in, as Sebastian rode it through the cobblestone streets of London. They were returning home from an afternoon of shopping. The Christmas season was upon them and gifts were the status quo.

Ciel did not answer. He sat proper in his seat opposite Lukas, his eyes closed in an apparent retrospective moment. He often shut himself out of the world if things did not immediately concern him and Christmas was no exception. His 13th birthday had already past, but this season brought back old, bad memories. Three years priors on December 14, 1885, Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive were murdered in a still unanswerable mystery that contained many facets. Scotland Yard kept the case open, but the trail had run cold and Lukas could not provide anymore information of his involvement, only that he and other children, under Bryon Kelvin's brainwashed influence, had set fire to the Phantomhive mansion.

And while Lukas did not have a vivid recollection of his parents, he had his own haunted memories of this time of year. He had been stolen away, his parents told that he had died during a surgery that would fix a deformity in his face and then brainwashed and trained as an assassin and forced to commit unspeakable crimes, including from what he was able to piece together, murdering his own uncle Chlaus Phantomhive because Bryon Kelvin had wanted everyone associated with his father's "Aristocrats of Evil" eliminated. Ciel had forgiven Lukas for everything because he was not in his right mind at the time when the acts were committed, but it did not abstain the guilt.

Since their reunion only months back, Lukas had tried to help Ciel open up, to cease with his anti-altruistic authoritiveness, but Ciel refused to concede. In fact, Ciel had fallen deeper into himself. He did not laugh and he did not smile, and Lukas did not know if he could change his brother from the person he had become accustomed to be for the last two years. But he refused to concede himself. He was just as stubborn.

"The holiday's is a time for family and I have not had a true family in over seven years, I wish this Christmas to be something special," he continued. "All I ask is for the mansion to express a little holiday sentimentality and cheer with a few decorations."

Another bump. Ciel kept his eyes closed, the right eye covered with an eye patch to conceal the demonic covenant between himself and Sebastian, his butler. On the night of a secret ceremony arranged by members of the Inner Circle, a group of men with their own agenda to usurp the Crown from the British monarchy, Ciel had brokered into a Faustian contract with Sebastian if he would kill everyone who did him wrong. On that night, all but five members of the Inner Circle were slaughtered by a demon who came through a gateway that the Inner Circle opened, sacrificing children to a demonic entity for secrets of the universe. In exchange, Ciel promised the demon his soul. And In the last two years, they had succinctly gone through a serial of men who had associations with the Inner Circle including a group of Fallen Reapers, Reapers who had fallen from grace, which during these recent events, brought Ciel and Lukas back together.

But there are still more individuals out there who wronged the Phantomhive family, Lukas knew, and Lukas had willingly joined in his brother's plight to find these people and make them pay, including Bryon Kelvin, who remained elusive and in hiding.

However, once everything was done, Sebastian would take Ciel's soul, and devour it like a dog with a bone. And this was the sad thing of it. Lukas would lose his brother.

"And your repeated askance have been denied, as thus will this one will be," Ciel answered, looking.

Lukas narrowed his eyes smugly. "A duel then? Too see who decides. It is my home as well." Ciel rolled his left eye in annoyance, but did not say anything. "Indeed, another gentleman's game, perhaps? But without the violence of pistols. Chess? Or would you prefer Old Maid?" Lukas chuckled.

"You mock me, Lukas."

"Just some light-hearted humor, dear brother. You should really learn to smile more, Ciel. Life need not be all frowns and sorrow. Life is for living, and I have reclaimed mine. So I am happy."

But Ciel remained straight-faced.

It took about twenty minutes across open country to reach the mansion, and when Sebastian pulled the carriage up to the front entrance of the Phantomhive mansion, another carriage was already parked in the turnaround with its driver caring for the horses. Sebastian acknowledged the man and hoped off the seat, opening the door to the carriage for Ciel and Lukas.

"What is she doing here?" Ciel asked of Elizabeth's carriage. Lukas smiled, he always liked Lizzie's company, even if Ciel found her rather childish and obtrusive at times.

"Does she need an invitation, my lord?" Sebastian remarked. "She is your fiancée."

Ciel slipped something into his pocket, a small, wrapped box, that he had purchased for Elizabeth, as Lukas stepped out of the carriage after him.

"I will put away the carriage and see to the horses while you two greet Lady Elizabeth," Sebastian said as a father would order his son to obey his instructions.

Ciel took offense to this order, but didn't express a retort. Instead, he and Lukas entered the main vestibule and was immediately greeted to - in Ciel's eyes a horrid sight, but in Lukas's eyes a glorious one. The entire mansion was decorated with Christmas decorations and three musicians stood in the main hall next the main staircase with violins, playing classical music of an appropriate, seasonal nature. There were also other men busying themselves putting up more decorations, even a large Christmas tree set in the corner.

Ciel's eyes widen with utter shock.

Lukas smiled. "Impressive," he said. "She must really love you to go to all this trouble. I like it."

Ciel attempted a reply, but all he could do was stutter his shock. "M-my mansion!"

Elizabeth had done something like this before, beautifying the mansion during a visit months back. Lukas had only heard of it, unfortunately attending a scheduled appointment in town after Ciel and Sebastian had dropped him off. Most recently Ciel had allowed him more responsibility when it came to the family business - Funtom Co. - and Lukas was setting up a new distribution market in Spain for their toys on that day and the next. He had heard that the entire mansion was pink and Lizzie had dressed up all the servants in pretty costumes. It made him laugh every time he thought about it. Regardless of the odd beginnings of their day, he also heard that Ciel and Lizzie had a very pleasant evening, dancing the night away.

"Cielllllllllll!" came an excited streak from the second, smaller vestibule abroad, and Lizzie can running out with her hands stretched out wide. "And Lukas! You are finally here!"

She hugged them both. She was stronger then she looked, folding them both into the other like an accordion as she squeezed with loving embrace.

"Lizzie…I…can't…breath!" Ciel mouthed breathlessly.

She let go. Ciel inhaled a large breath, even Lukas inhaled a breath. She obviously did not know her own strength, and Lukas would hate to see her angry.

"This is wonderful, Lizzie," he said, and then gave Ciel a sideways glance. But he found Ciel looking somewhat disappointed, frowning. "Brother? What's wrong?"

"Don't you like what I did, Ciel?" Lizzie asked.

"Change it back now!"

Ciel's tone was very harsh. "Ciel, don't be rude!" Lukas chided. "She put a great deal of effort into - "

"I will not have my mansion looking like a circus!"

"Circus?" Lukas and Lizzie both said in unison. The violins stopped.

"Your mansion, brother?" Lukas said.

"Yes!"

Lukas eyed Ciel with abhor, but he maintained his composure. "I see. So, even after being reunited, you still hold true to your convictions of a single heir. You're unwavering, unstoic and stubborn!"

It was then Elizabeth began to cry, but Ciel seemed indifferent to her tears especially when they were in the privacy of the mansion where none of the social masses could see their tiff. "I have told you before, Elizabeth," using her given name and not her nickname of Lizzie, "and my reasons are sound."

"And what are you reasons?" Lukas demanded.

Ciel gave him a glare of annoyance. "Keep the holidays in your own way and I will keep them in mine." Sebastian had just returned from minding the stable and only caught the last part of their conversion, coming to the main vestibule from a rear alcove. Ciel had obviously seen him. "Sebastian, I will be in my chambers. See to it that everything is removed and returned back in order."

Sebastian looked at the decorations briefly, then at Elizabeth and Lukas in a semi-look of surprise. But he could not disobey an order from his master. Sebastian bowed, "Yes, my lord," as Ciel climbed the staircase.

When Ciel disappeared onto the second floor, Sebastian turned to the pair. "Explain to me what this argument was about this time, Master Lukas," he asked.

Ciel and Lukas were always having a difference of opinion.

They were fraternal twins who looked near identical due to Lukas having plastic surgery when he was younger to correct the deformity of his face. The surgery was successful, but it was not without a high cost, costing Lukas seven years without his brother, kidnapped by Bryon Kelvin and forced to do his will through brainwashing and manipulation. Lukas was able to escape, but it had been a rouse by the nephew of Bryon Kelvin to lure Sebastian into a trap, so Fallen Reapers, possessing human bodies, including Mathu Kelvin, could extract chemical information from Lukas's brain from years long past, that somehow Lukas possessed and the Fallen Reapers knew he had, that would restore their real bodies taken away from them by the Reaper High Council because they chose to defy the higher establishment. How Lukas had this information was still a mystery, which Sebastian now had. It was a form of chemical transference from person to person, and Lukas was apparently the only individual left alive who had possessed it.

In the battle for supremacy, the Fallen Reapers lost, but it left Lukas's face scarred, and a two inch long gash ran diagonal over his left eye, eye brow and cheek, although not impeding any vision. Before hand, he looked like Ciel if he did not have the eye patch. But Lukas didn't feel any self-consciousness about the scar. In fact, it added character to his face - for a thirteen year old. A battle scar.

Lukas supposed Ciel had grown accustomed to being the last of his family line, and when that changed, perhaps he felt cheated, and didn't want to share the power he had so greatly mustered alone? Therefore, hence the arguments the two continuously had on almost any issue or topic that they felt split on. Ciel wanted to keep all the power he had collected.

But Lukas didn't want Ciel's power. All he wanted was his brother and to be part of a real family again.

"Ciel is being mean again," Lizzie said, sniffing and wiping tears from her eyes. Sebastian pulled out a white handkerchief from his breast pocket and gave it to Elizabeth. She blew her nose. "Ever since he has returned from his ordeal three years ago and the death of his parents, he has not celebrated Christmas."

"There is a reason," Sebastian said. "Nor has the master organized any lavish parties and invited any of his parents' guests for the holiday's; the social elite have not been surprised after what Master Ciel has gone through, but it does hurt his social standing. Christmas is very close to his birthday when - "

"We must change that, and I will," Lukas said quickly, to stop Sebastian from saying anymore about Ciel's ordeal - it's trueness that Lizzie didn't know. All that she was aware of was about the fire, not of Ciel's torture or near-death experience by the Inner Circle. "I will ignite the family flame again for the holiday's. Ciel once said to me, to stop living in the past and live for the present, and I agree. But I am concerned for him."

"Indeed. I have observed Master Ciel has begun to withdraw from the public and is spending a lot of time in his private chambers."

"Yes, it is a rarity that he frequents the dining room these days."

"Notwithstanding, it is around this time, he becomes melancholy."

Both Lukas and Lizzie seemed to understand without it being said. December 14th was Ciel's birthday and on that day, on his tenth birthday, Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive were murdered and Ciel was taken, tortured, and then later returned a completely different person. Lizzie had mentioned his smile was gone, and until the Phantomhive mansion was rebuilt, he had stayed with her, accompanied by Sebastian.

The guilt of what happened still haunted Lukas, and all he knew was he had been apart of his brother's life changing. It would be something he would carry for the rest of his life despite not being of sound-mind when it occurred. He did not remember anything other than he and others had set fire to the mansion; others he did not know names of or faces to place them. But who had killed Vincent and Rachael Phantomhive still remained a mystery, and he was of strong-mind that it was Bryon Kelvin or someone associated with him.

"I will speak with him," Lukas said smiling sweetly at Lizzie, assuring her in a calm voice. "Do not fret. My brother may be a cad sometimes, but he does care for you." He hoped. "And if he ever did you wrong, if you would allow me the honor, I hope you would do me the privilege in accordance to our families' covenant, to be my wife - " He slapped his hands over his mouth and his face flushed with embarrassment. He lifted them to say, "Please, forgive me! I did not infer -"

Lizzie's eyes widened with shock, but then they softened with a smile quickly. "That is sweet, Lukas. But I am Ciel's fiancée. I am sure you will find a lovely girl to ask to marry you."

Lukas gulped. "Please forgive me, Elizabeth."

She laughed. "I am not offended, Lukas. I know that if Ciel does not want me, it would fall upon you to do honor by your station and become my fiancée. That is how it works."

"T-that is all I meant, E-Elizabeth," he stuttered. "I never meant to insinuate that I was interested in you." He slapped a hand over his mouth and felt his face flush with embarrassment once more. Now he felt he had just insulted her that he didn't like her. He looked to Sebastian, his eyes widened in a signal for help.

Sebastian smiled thinly. "I believe the young master is only trying to say, Master Ciel enjoys your company as well, Ms. Elizabeth."

Lukas nodded quickly, lowering his hand.

"I know he does, even though he often doesn't show it." She looked around the main vestibule. "I hope Ciel changes his mind about the decorations. But I must be off. I have lot of shopping to do."

She gave Lukas a little peck on the cheek, and then with her maid servant Paula, left.

"My word, that was embarrassing," he said.

"May I inquire, have you developed a crush on Lady Elizabeth, Master Lukas? I have observed you eye her fondly whenever she is around. Or am I mistaken in my observations?"

Lukas gulped. "Y-you are mistaken, Sebastian," he stuttered his words somewhat. He looked at the tall, posh butler. "But I won't tell if you won't? Ciel would be jealous."

Sebastian smiled, tilting his head slightly to the left. "Of course, sir. My lips are sealed."

To be continued…