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The Dark Path	By : zoni Category: > Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji ???) Views: 3462 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters, and do not make any money from my fan fiction.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter Five

Ciel Phantomhive woke up slowly, in stages. The very first thing that he became aware of was warmth. Everything around him was cozy and safe. His bed was not as soft as he was usually accustomed to, but it was still very comfortable. He was wrapped snugly in a heavy pile of blankets. Settling deeper into them, he pressed his face against his pillow. It smelled good. Very good, actually. The scent was that of the very best tea and cookies that he had ever had, mixed with something darker and earthier - like his gardens after a heavy rain. Whatever it was, he liked it. He felt completely safe and relaxed. All that he wanted to do was go back to sleep. If it were not for the persistent, aching buzz at the back of his head then he would do just that. The distant pain seemed to be getting stronger, though, and it was tugging him toward waking. The headache was starting to spread down his body and into his arms as he woke up more. Ciel turned his head, trying to get away from the discomfort. If he could just get back to sleep, then the pain would go away. All that he had to do was just g--

"Young master?" Sebastian's voice was so close to Ciel's ear that he could feel the man's breath against his skin. Ciel considered this for all of half a second before he jolted up into a sitting position and found himself straddling the butler's hips. That was the reason that his bed was so comfortable. His bed was Sebastian. Ciel shouted in pain as the cuts on his arms protested the sudden movement. Sebastian let out a heavy sigh, reaching forward and examining the bandages on his master's arms. "I was just about to ask if you were truly awake or not, young master."

"You!" Ciel shouted, staring straight at Sebastian with a mixture of anger and confusion. "You're in my bed!"

Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Sebastian stopped his examination of the bandages to look at the boy sitting in his lap. "Strictly speaking, young master, you are in my bed. Might I remind you that you were the one who asked me to hold you?"

"Asked you to..." Ciel's face darkened several shades as fuzzy memories of the previous day came back to him. He pushed the details of the morning aside, but could not deny that Sebastian was right. He really had asked Sebastian to hold him. Surely, that had been due to delirium from his injuries. He couldn't really have wanted...

Seeing the look on Ciel's face, Sebastian smiled. "You seemed to be quite enjoying it up until--"

"Shut up!" The response was immediate. Ciel stared intently at the wall behind Sebastian's head, determined not to meet the demon's amused gaze, especially not with how read his face was. The smile on Sebastian's face widened, but he said nothing. Instead, Sebastian lifted the boy up off his lap and set him back down on the bed in an empty space. Sebastian stood. Ciel watched as Sebastian proceeded to straighten his close and pull his tailcoat back on. He fastened the waistcoat once more and put his shoes on. Ciel asked, "What are you doing?"

"Now that you are awake, it would be wise of me to go and retrieve some proper bandages from the infirmary," Sebastian said, dusting off the last of his clothing. There was a darkened area on his crisp, white shirt that looked suspiciously like a drool spot. Ciel chose to ignore that.

Adjusting his spot on the bed, Ciel asked quietly, "Are... they gone?"

Sebastian turned to look at him, his expression soft. He did not have to ask whom his master was referring to. "Young master, I would not even think of leaving your side if Edward Crowley and his tutor were still here. Would it be all right for me to retrieve the bandages?"

Silently, Ciel nodded. Sebastian bowed shortly and then exited the room. In the butler's absence, Ciel readjusted himself on the bed. He moved so that his legs hung over the edge, toes barely brushing the stone floor. He still looked like a mess, which would no doubt add to Sebastian's amusement when the man returned, but at least he was not still sitting as if he was in Sebastian's lap.

  Ciel looked down at the makeshift bandages on his arms. The strips of sheet looked clean enough from the outside, but they itched against his skin. His entire body ached and he felt groggy. The cuts on his arms hurt, but he did not really notice the pain unless he was trying to move his arms or use his hands. Lifting one arm, he studied the contrast between the color of the sheet and his own pale skin. He could recall much of what had happened the previous day. The images and sounds ran through his mind and he shivered in response. Brushing the images out of his mind, he sighed just as a swift knock sounded on the door. Without waiting for permission, Sebastian opened the door and slit into the room silently. He walked through the small space and kneeled in front of the bed. Carefully, he deposited a collection of bandages, stoppered glass bottles and rags onto the wooden chair beside him.

"What time is it?" Ciel asked.

"It is nearly four o'clock in the morning." Reaching out to take hold of Ciel's right arm, Sebastian asked, "What would you like to do about the current situation, young master?"

  Ciel watched for a moment as Sebastian began to unwind the cloth that covered the cut. The skin beneath it looked awful and Ciel quickly looked away. "The situation has not yet been resolved, obviously, and we will have to take care of it. However, yesterday's events have made our original plan difficult, if not impossible, to see through. Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier are not at the school?"

"No," Sebastian said. He piled the soiled bandages to one side, setting Ciel's arm down as he wetted a rag with astringent from one of the glass bottles. "This will burn, young master. At the moment, I could not say where they are. However, I do not believe that they are at this school or on the school grounds. As I said, I--"

"--would not leave me alone if they were. I know." Ciel's voice sounded tired as he spoke. He paused, wincing as Sebastian pressed the rag to the cut. It burned, but the burning sensation was more preferable to the alternative of an infection. When Sebastian pulled the rag away, Ciel said, "Until we know where they are, there isn't much that we can do. We should try to ascertain their location. There is the possibility that they have stayed in the local area, or they may have returned to where Crowley's family lives. At present, we have no way of knowing. That being said, our presence here is useless. We will go back to the mansion and then decide what to do from there. Make arrangements when you are done here."

"Understood," Sebastian said. Pressing the sides of the cut together, he wound a fresh bandage around the arm. After a moment, he spoke again. "Young master, you will need to see a doctor about these cuts. While I can clean and bandage your arms, this is not an area that I have much expertise in. You have also lost a considerable amount of blood. It would be wise--"

"I will not see a doctor." Though he was obviously still exhausted, Ciel's voice was firm. "When we go back to the manor house, we can find another solution."

"As you wish." Sebastian reached out and took hold of the other arm, carefully unwrapping it before he began to clean it as well.

"What happened to the cultists?" Ciel asked. "I don't remember everything, but I know there were quite a few of them in that room where you found me."

"I killed them," Sebastian said simply.

This news did not come as a surprise to Ciel. He had surmised as much, but he had wanted to be certain. "Have the bodies been found yet?"

"No," Sebastian said, "but I believe that, despite the early hour, the school may be becoming aware of the fact that the students and teachers are missing. It would be wise for us to make our departure quickly, I believe."

"We will leave immediately, then."

"Yes, my lord."

The carriage ride from Tonbridge School to the Phantomhive manor house had been completely uneventful. Even so, the ride had taken longer than anticipated. They had not arrived at the house until very late in the afternoon. Now, it was nearly time for a very late afternoon tea. Sebastian raised a gloved hand and knocked on his master's bedroom door. Not waiting for a response, he slid it open and pushed the silver teacart into the room ahead of him.

Sitting on the bed, Ciel Phantomhive watched the blond-haired man kneeling on the floor in front of him. Bard had just finished tying bandages onto the boy's arm. He clipped the excess off the bandages. While the chef's history of disasters in the kitchen made him an unlikely choice, he made a surprisingly good stand-in medic. Supposedly, the skill came from his experience in the military. People had been frequently injured and genuine doctors had been in short supply, most of the soldiers in his unit were able to stitch a wound or two. Bardroy had taken care of minor injuries for the household staff before, but never the young master. Bard collected his supplies and walked toward the door of the room just as Sebastian entered.

"Were you able to take care of his wounds?" Sebastian asked, stopping the chef in the doorway.

"Yeah. They were pretty nasty, but I cleaned them out and got 'em sewn up. Had to cut one of 'em back open, though. It had started to heal over." Bard reached up and scratched his head. "They're pretty cleanly made cuts, though. They'll heal, but they're gonna scar. No avoidin' that. He really should see a proper doctor. I'm good in a pinch, but I'm no pro."

"That's fine. So long as the wounds have been tended to," Sebastian said, avoiding the subject of the doctor. He agreed with the chef, but Ciel had been adamant against a doctor seeing the wounds. This was not the first time. Admittedly, the injuries would be very difficult to explain.

"They were," Bard said, glancing back toward the earl that was now studying the bandages on his arms. "He's pretty tough for a kid his age."

"Yes, he is." Sebastian smiled. It was remarkable that his young master was up and functioning as well as he was, considering everything he had been through in the past day. He had not once complained about pain or discomfort. Sebastian felt rather proud of him. "Bard, I have prepared some beef and set it in the kitchen. Would you please see to it that it is sliced and ready in time for dinner?"

"Got it," Bard said, nodding. He smiled brightly, gave Sebastian a thumbs-up and then walked out into the hallway.

Alone with his master once more, Sebastian turned his attention to the boy that was still sitting on the bed. Pushing the tea tray so that it sat next to the bed, Sebastian asked, "How are you feeling, young master?"

"A little better," Ciel replied. Gingerly, he reached up and took a teacup and saucer that Sebastian handed to him. The butler watched cautiously for a moment to make certain that his master would be able to handle the weight. The butler had specifically selected a lighter set of china to use, in consideration of the injuries that Ciel had received. Ciel held cup and saucer lightly and took a sip of the tea. "Sebastian, after dinner tonight I need to send a letter to the Queen."

"Very well," Sebastian said. Satisfied that his master could handle the weight of the cup, he turned back towards the teacart. "If it pleases you, I can have it delivered this evening."

"That would be fine," Ciel said. He watched wordlessly as Sebastian lifted a knife and sliced the orange-and-chocolate tart that he had prepared to go with the tea. Then, quietly, he said, "Sebastian..."

"Yes, young master?"

"What happened beneath the school?" Ciel set the teacup and saucer on the stand beside the bed and looked up at him. "I remember some of what happened before I was taken to the room with the table, but after that I don't remember much."

Sebastian watched him with a somber expression. Rather than disclosed everything that had happened, Sebastian phrased his reply carefully. "When I found you, young master, you were already badly injured. Both Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier were preparing to take your life. I was able to interrupt their plan of action. However, the cultists - seeing their leader under duress - interfered with my actions. When I had dealt with them, I discovered that both Edward Crowley and his tutor were gone. I collected you and treated your injuries. I believe that you know the rest, young master."

It was no accident that Sebastian had chosen to leave out a number of details of the previous day. While he would never lie, this was not the first time that he had chosen to omit information. At that moment, he saw no reason to mention the fact that Basil Rosier was a demon. In fact, he suspected that highlighting that particular piece of information might drive his master to determine that they would need to act more swiftly to eliminate this threat. The fact that Sebastian had brought his young master back from the dead had also not been mentioned. It had no bearing on the situation. All of these things, along with the agreement that he had struck with Grell Sutcliff, had been omitted from his retelling. His master would probably be better off not knowing. At least, not just then.

The story that Sebastian had given his master was simple but complete. Still, Ciel watched him as though he knew that pieces were missing. AS he took the small plate with the slice of tart, Ciel asked, "How is it that a single man and a boy gave you so much trouble that they were able to escape?"

"Young master, your life is my highest priority," Sebastian said. "If I had pursued Edward Crowley and his tutor at that time, it is likely that you would not be alive now."

"Fine." Ciel gave him one last skeptical look and took a small bite of the tart.

"When you find them, what do you intend to do?" Sebastian asked as he carefully refolded a napkin.

Lowering his fork, Ciel looked at the butler. "I will eliminate them."

For a long moment, Sebastian said nothing. When he spoke, the words were quiet. "Young master, you should be more careful in dealing with things of this nature."

  Ciel glared at him. He did not appreciate the suggestion that he was not capable of handling the situation at hand. Tersely, he said, "Sebastian I am perfectly capable of--"

  Ciel's irritated response was cut short as Sebastian leaned over and reached out, letting the gloved fingers of his right hand drift down the side of his master's face. Ciel stared at him, utterly dumbfounded as the light touch completely derailed his train of thought. As quickly as he had leaned in, Sebastian pulled away. He collected the dishes that Ciel had been using, bowed shortly and excused himself.

Outside of the bedroom, Sebastian slid the door shut and stared at the finely carved wooden panels. There was something disconcerting about the fact that his young master was so eager to throw himself into a situation that he did not fully comprehend. Intelligent and logical, Sebastian was used to seeing the boy research things before acting. Even when Ciel Phantomhive acted swiftly, there was usually some measure of caution involved. In this instance, where thorough research was not practical or easily possible, it would seem that his master had decided to act anyway. Something about that bothered the demon.

Most humans avoided trouble. It usually found them, rather than the other way around. Staying away from danger was instinctual. It was a sense that people were born with. In the case of Ciel Phantomhive, it seemed to be just the opposite. Whether due to his history or due to his duties to the Queen, he sought out danger. Ordinarily, Sebastian did not really mind. He was quite content to go along with whatever his master had decided to do. In fact, he often found that part of the boy's life intriguing. In this instance, as well, he would follow his orders as he always had. However, Sebastian was not anxious to see his young master in the proximity of Edward Crowley or Basil Rosier so soon after the events that had occurred under the school.

Rearranging a couple of the plates on the tea tray, Sebastian sighed. When had he become this sentimental? It had been a very long time since he had cared about a master of his. Some concern was natural, of course. After all, when the contract included a requirement that the human be kept alive, danger for his master was also danger of losing a meal. However, fear for a meal was not why Sebastian was uneasy with the thought of his master dying. Pushing the teacart forward, Sebastian went to continue his daily duties.

Several days had passed since Ciel Phantomhive and his butler had returned to the Phantomhive mansion. Ciel sat in his office and spent the evening going over papers for the Funtom Company. Despite protests from Sebastian and other members of the household staff, Ciel had started doing things for the company the day after they had returned from the school. Quiet and a lack of progress on his assignment for the Queen made him feel uneasy. He never enjoyed admitting that he had run into a dead end, but a dead end was precisely where he had found himself regarding the murders at Tonbridge School.

Originally, he had suspected that Edward Crowley might return to his family. After all, Crowley was young. Any other fourteen-year-old, regardless of how twisted they might seem, would probably go back to more familiar surroundings. However, the information that Ciel had managed to gather told him that Crowley had not done so. In fact, Crowley and his mother were on such poor terms that Ciel would never have considered that possibility if he had known the facts beforehand. Sebastian had never mentioned this. Then again, Ciel had never asked. They also had never expected to be in the position that they found themselves in at that particular moment.

It was possible that Edward Crowley and his tutor, Basil Rosier, had remained in the area around Tonbridge School. For what purpose, Ciel had no idea. He hoped that most of the cultists had been decimated by Sebastian, leaving Crowley with only a rudimentary following. It was possible that those remaining few might be a draw for the boy killer. If push came to shove, Ciel would have to try other sources of information. Lau was the usual, though Ciel had no idea how helpful the Chinese man might be in finding a teenager who was not of noble blood or involved in the drug industry.

On top of the frustration with a lack of information, Ciel had not received a reply to the letter that he had dispatched to Queen Victoria. His own letter had detailed his findings and his future course of action. A lack of reply from the Queen was not uncommon once he had completed assignments. However, this had been one of the few times that he had been made to report on a matter that had not yet concluded. Ciel had been certain that she would have some response. He had been even more certain of that since the bodies of the cultists had been discovered under the school. Their remains had caused quite a stir; one that even the school and local authorities had not been able to keep under wraps. The school had been temporarily shut down in the wake of finding nearly forty of their students and staff very literally torn to pieces in their own basement. The horror of that discovery, however, had been quickly explained and exploited by the eager press. Even though Tonbridge was a fair distance from London, the paper had received this morning discussed the subject. They seemed to believe that a cave-in at the school had been responsible for the destruction, even though no stone debris or structural damage had been found. Idiots. He stared down at the papers on his desk and sighed in annoyance. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on the office door. "Enter."

The office door opened and Sebastian stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Young master, it is time to get ready for bed."

"All right," Ciel said, "I'll put these papers away."

"Also, we have received a letter from Her Majesty the Queen."

  Ciel looked up in mild surprise. "Finally. What does it say?"

Sebastian pulled the crisp envelope from a pocket. Opening it quickly, he pulled the letter out. He glanced over it once and then began to convey the contents. "Her Majesty wishes to convey her deepest wishes that you might recover swiftly from your injuries. However, She is anxious to see the matter at Tonbridge School resolved. It would seem that, early this morning, another body was found at Tonbridge School in the same vicinity as the previous victims. The murder victim was a tutor that had been at the school. His name was John Mason. His body bore all the same markings that the previous murder victims had. She wishes to see these murders stopped as swiftly and quietly as possible, preferably without additional loss of life at the school."

"Another murder? And after most of the students have been sent away thanks to the discovery of those bodies, too," Ciel said, quirking an eyebrow. That was unexpected. "This is new."

"What would you like to do, young master? Sebastian folded the letter and tucked it back into its envelope, sliding it back into a pocket.

"The objective has not changed. We will find Edward Crowley and his tutor and we will destroy them," Ciel said. "While this new murder is not good news, it tells us that Edward Crowley is likely still in the area around the school. I needed to know where he was before I could act. Now that I know, I shall act.

"Returning to the school itself isn't a possibility. Even if the school wasn't closed at the moment, the other students and teachers are aware that I left right in the midst of the happenings. I would be suspicious. If any of them were still involved with Crowley, that would be both dangerous and pointless. On top of that, all of the classes and the like have been suspended. While some students are still on the campus, I would be stuck in a dorm all day, supposing they did allow me back in. Our surest bet will be to go to the town around the school and begin our search there. We will leave first thing in the morning. Make the preparations, Sebastian."

"As you wish," Sebastian said. "Young master, I am curious. Do you still intend to kill Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier, in light of the Queen's request for no further loss of life?"

"Yes." The answer was short and to the point. Ciel looked directly at Sebastian as he said it. "The Queen requested that there be no further loss of life at the school. Neither Crowley nor his instructor are part of or even resident at the school, therefore I will not be violating Her Majesty's wishes. In addition to this, I believe it may be the only way to stop the murders at the school."

Sebastian frowned lightly. "How so?"

"Much like with any other animal, if you cut off the head then you will kill the cult," Ciel responded. "Supposing that the cultists are acting without Edward Crowley's directive, they are likely still driven and inspired by him. People tend to follow a person rather than an idea. I will eliminate the person and eliminate their reason for acting."

"Young master," Sebastian said, "I wonder if you have considered the possibility that cutting off the head may only make the problem worse."

Pausing, Ciel looked up at Sebastian and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Humans are unpredictable creatures. They thrive on chaos. Given the opportunity and the inspiration, they can follow an idea with just as much fervor as an individual," Sebastian said. "While it is true that there has been another murder, we have little indication that this murder is directly connected with Edward Crowley or his tutor. There is little evidence to support their involvement at all. Like a dog chasing his tail, you may be chasing your own ideas rather than facts."

  Ciel frowned darkly, unhappy with being compared to a dog. "It has all the same markers as the previous murders, yes? You said so yourself. In which case, there is also no evidence to show that Edward Crowley was not involved. Were there any drag marks to show where the body was moved from?"

"There were none mentioned in the letter, no."

"The cuts were amateurish, the body drained of blood?"

"According to the letter, yes. The letter did say that this victim was nearly identical to those found previously."

"Was there any reason given in the letter to say that Edward Crowley and his tutor were not involved?" Ciel asked.

"No, young master," Sebastian said. "However, what will you do if, much like a chicken with its head cut off, you find that severing the head only creates further chaos? Supposing that you misjudge this situation, you may find that Crowley's followers are more troublesome without someone to guide their efforts."

For a long moment, Ciel stared at Sebastian and considered his words. Sebastian rarely voiced a disagreement with anything they were doing. If anything, he agreed too often. Ciel had only asked for the butler's opinion on a few occasions. This was not one of them. He did not like that. Ciel asked, "Sebastian, are you trying to stop me from killing Edward Crowley and his tutor?"

"Not at all," Sebastian replied easily. "I simply do not wish to see my young master in unnecessary danger when it can be avoided. It would seem that some measure of caution might be merited in this situation."

"I have dealt with worse than a teenage boy and a private tutor before, Sebastian," Ciel said, annoyance clear in his voice.

"This is true enough. However, I will stand by what I said, young master. It might be wise to refrain from acting rashly in this case," Sebastian said. What Ciel said was accurate. Even if he commanded the attention of an entire coven of cultists at a boarding school, both Ciel and Sebastian had seen worse over the past three years. Surely, a group of religious devotees could be no worse than an army of mercenaries hired to protect a mansion. Even the knowledge that Basil Rosier was a demon did not explain why Sebastian felt that they needed to be careful in this situation. No, it was not Basil Rosier at all. There was something disconcerting about Edward Crowley himself.

"Why?" Ciel's question was vague, but it was not difficult to guess what he wanted to know.

Sebastian looked down at him. "I do not believe that Edward Crowley and his tutor are as simple as they appear."

"Is there something that you aren't telling me, Sebastian?" Ciel asked. He was very well aware that there were times when Sebastian chose to omit information. He was certain that this was one of those times. "What is it? Tell me."

"Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier are much like you and I, young master," Sebastian said.

"What do you mean?"

"They are both dangerous. There may be more to them than there appears," Sebastian responded. His mind was on the day before, when he had grabbed Edward Crowley by the throat and thrown him heavily against a wall. The impact of such a hit could have killed a grown man, yet Edward Crowley had crawled away and still made an effort to get his dagger. Sebastian had no explanation for it, but he did not think that he had misjudged his own actions.

From his position behind the desk, Ciel watched Sebastian carefully. Feeling annoyed with the butler, he finished shuffling the rest of his papers into a drawer and stood. "I'm ready for bed."

After putting his master to bed, Sebastian finished the rest of his duties around the house. He checked the kitchen to make certain it had not been blown up. He checked to make certain that things were ready for morning. Even though the hour was late, Sebastian prepared luggage and other necessities to leave in the morning, just as his young master had instructed. Then, as he did nearly every night, he walked to his own quarters. Sleep was not something that demons required, but it was something he was capable of and enjoyed. It was a luxury. It was also part of his human charade. The other servants would have found it strange if he was never in his room for any length of time.

As he paced down the hallway with a candlestick in hand, Sebastian thought about the conversation that he had with his master in the office. The boy was frustrating beyond belief at times. Sebastian, however, was not certain why it bothered him. After all, Ciel Phantomhive had gotten himself in trouble before. Truthfully speaking, it seemed to be a hobby for him. This was not the first time that he had been in danger or had purposefully put himself in danger. It would not be the last. Even so, Sebastian could too easily picture the sight of his young master's dead body lying on that wooden table, blood dripping from his arms.

Pushing that image out of his mind, Sebastian decided that it did not matter. He would do his duty as the contract commanded and as a butler of the Phantomhive household. Reaching up, Sebastian turned the handle on the door of his room and stepped inside. He lit a lamp just inside the door and blew out the lit candle that he had carried with him. When he turned to step further into the room, he looked toward his bed and stopped in his tracks. Sitting on top of the small brass bed was the last person he wanted to see just then. Grell Sutcliff.

Author's Note: My apologies on the formatting on chapters five and six, as AFFN is currently not allowing me to format chapters when I upload them. So, they look like a hot mess. I am so sorry!
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The Dark Path