Kuroshitsuji: Seventh Sin

Fraud and Treachery

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The eighth and ninth circles of hell are reserved for the fraudulent and treacherous. They are condemned to be in an icy, unrelenting grip for all eternity.
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Felix, Sebastian, Ciel and I all stand, startled by what has happened. After a breif period of pure confusion, we leave, heading back toward the city center. A snowy gust of wind has rolled in.

We walk along the avenue, silent. Then, I trip and fall. "Ow! Fuck! God! Damn!" I'm still trying to make sense of all this. I don't have much patience. 

I don't have much time to worry either. When I rise, a gun is pointed at my head.

"Felix?" I blink, choking. I find it hard to breathe. This can't be true!  The weapon at my temple isn't held by one of the priests, a lone survivor, someone that mysteriously got away. It's by my husband.

Sebastian and Ciel stand on either side of him. I'm at a loss for words- for anything, as he starts to speak. 

"I can't do it."

He drops the gun and it slides across the icy pavement.

"You have to!" Ciel barks. "It's what you wanted." 

"I- I can't." Felix hangs his head. "She's not- I- I love her."

This makes Sebastian's eyes narrow, but Ciel remains indignant. "This is what it takes! The only way for this to end is for there to be some sort of compensation. Do you want her to become a demon, or don't you?" 

Felix turns on Ciel. "No!" Ciel backs away. "I thought maybe when Sebastian informed me that we could fulfill contractual demands this way he was telling the truth. I thought she and I could possibly be together un-obligatorily. I thought-"

"I'd expect someone like you to know better."

Sebastian steps in. He hasn't moved any further away from me. "He's not actually incorrect." He exhales. "I thought if they tried this method, it could work. It still can, so I've discovered." He sighs, then smiles. "There's something in this for me too, Brenna." He looks down at me. I'm still utterly lost. I don't have the strength to stand. 

"What do you even mean?" I scoff. "Do you want something from me?" 

He smiles, shaking his head. "No. You merely set a precedent." 

"What?" I repeat myself. "What does that even-" 

He cuts me off. "I've made appeals on your behalf." Sebastian exhales, clearly annoyed. "I hate working with them, but I've spoken to Grelle Sutcliffe and William T. Spears." Ciel has already relaxed, listening intently. The trust between them is remarkable.

"The grim reapers?" Felix is just as confused as I am. 

"Yes. I thought that they could get clearance from the divine to make you-" he pauses, glancing swiftly around, like he's almost embarrassed to continue. "To make you human."

"What?! I begin to stammer for a moment, before swearing one final time. Then, I look up, intently, almost admiringly at Sebastian. "That's possible?"

"It is. Demons can make deals as well. I intervened as minimally as I could." He nods to Felix. "My apologies for your stabbing."

"I- I still don't understand."

"If you were to properly abide by the statutes" he pauses, looking at Ciel, then back at me. "In spite of your obvious judgement, demons do have a semblance of a code of law." He continues. "then you would be free of your contract." He helps me stand, lecturing me as kindly as possible as he does so. "You agreed, in your new bond, to expereince all seven of the mortal sins. One of them is treachery. None of that would be possible without some improvisation. I've been involved to a degree, again, for my own reasons, and I wouldn't know how to make that little outburst possible without ignorance on both of your parts. While, a long time ago, he agreed to kill you and make you a demon rather than consume your soul, I knew he couldn't go through with it. The sin is fulfilled, and you're free. You can leave now, or, you can try something else." 

"Why would you help me?" I shake my head. I don't even mind at this moment that I was lied to and conspired against. I also don't care in the slightest if Ciel was in on the whole charade as well. "It makes no sense." 

"I told you, there's someting in what you've done...for me." He looks at his master. Ciel looks away. I take Felix's hand. "Futhermore, I-" Sebastian's explanations are cut off by an intense scream as a figure, clad head-to-to in shining red, drops from the sky. He groans, but I can see a small flicker of relief cross his eyes. I think back to what I used to muse over when I lived with Felix, when I remembered the hospital, my earlier, hopeful beliefs, about the good in evil, the light in the darkness of the world. Perhaps I was more right than wrong. 

"Sorry I'm late, Bassy, darling." I hate the way he said that. Felix sours, too. I make a mental note to heavily chastise that nickname in the future, if we get though this. 'Will gave me some trouble, so I left him behind."

"Did you get through to the Divine, Gelle?" Sebastian is instantly cold and rude. "You know I hate working with you." 

"Ah yes, for the little tart who's caught your interest." The reaper, who I take to be the Grelle Sutcliffe Sebastian mentioned, leans over and wiggles around in front of Felix. "I never knew how handsome you were." Felix moves closer to me. "But, not as delicious as my dear Bassy, here."

"Please, stop." Sebastian looks disgusted. "Just tell us if it worked." 

 He flips through his ledger booklet. "The girl seems to have renounced him." He points at me. "He's not happy with you, missy. No no no."

"But!" I protest. "That was part of the deal!" I look to my right and left. "Right, Felix? Sebastian? Right?" Grelle laughs. 

"Ah yes, but God can be confusing, as I'm sure you humans know well and dearly." 

"So?" Felix steps toward Grelle. "I can...we can-"

"Forgiveness is a common thread in my boss' sewing set." Gelle pouts. "I wish I had met you sooner, Felix. You're so mouthwatering." He begins touching his hips and wiggling back and forth. Felix exhales, turning slightly to look at me. I hold in a laugh. That's another sweet nothing he won't ever use with the same fondness ever again. 

Grelle turns to Sebastian. "But I still have you Bassy! I get to be with you, immortal for all eternity. Oh the fun we'll have! Looooooov-" Sebastian stops Grelle before he can continue. He places a hand on his shoulder, and squeezes it, surpisingly affectionate. 

"Thank you, Grelle."

The unexpectedly effiminate, twirling, chipper messenger of death shoots ten feet into the air as blood rockets from his nose. He then passes out.

Suddenly, a light shines down on us, and Felix is at once enveloped in it. Slowly, he is drawn upward into the air, and an enormous flash fills the sky. People from all over the sleeping city peer through windows at us, not sure of what to make of it. They won't ever know what really happened here. When the glow fades and my sight returns, I see Felix, standing in front of me, arms outstretched, his freckled face a little less perfect, his stance a little less solid, and I run to him as his arms encase me.