A Mere Child {Sebaciel} ON PAUSE

Chapter 11

Ciel threw the door of the manor open. Finnian jumped back in fear, "M-master?"

Ciel ignored him and continued on. Mey-Rin popped her head out and looked at Finnian, "What could be wrong with the master?"

Finnian shrugged, "Maybe, he is upset because he hasn't been receiving any sweets."

Mey-Rin looked at Finnian, "Oh..."

The watched together as Ciel disappeared down a hall. He was walking fast and with a purpose. He looked at the floor as went, but it reflected back spotless. Ciel cursed. If Sebastian wasn't in the basement, he was back to square one of searching through the alleys and streets. Ciel shook his head. He could not let his mind be dragged back by fear or doubt.

He grabbed a candelabra off one of the hallway tables and lit the three candles with matches from his pocket. The door to the basement sat closed in place. It intimidated Ciel's hope of Sebastian being held somewhere inside. Somewhere wrapped and hidden by the shadows. Ciel took a deep breath and stepped inside. The light of the candles made the shadows dance along with delicate movements.

Ciel took each step slowly. His feet restraining themselves with hesitance. He was anxious to find out the answer. He wanted to stall as long as he could because he did not want to arrive at the conclusion that Sebastian was not there. Once he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the shadows seemed to pulse. They seemed to watch him with hungry malice. The shadows prowled in, but the light of the flames whipped them back.

Ciel walked into the darkness. Very little light entered from small slit windows. He couldn't see much however, and his frustration was starting to eat away at him. So, Ciel closed his eyes and breathed. Then, with closed eyes, he walked. His feet remembered what his mind had forgotten, and what his eyes couldn't see. But that is the way you have to enter things sometimes, no? Sometimes, something in you remembers something dear, something the mind has forgotten, and in these moments it is best to let that part of you, guide you. That is what such fond memories, an undependable mind can't hold, become; they become a part of you. Like your heart. Sometimes you forgot that nasty easily-hated thing keeps you alive and it sits there, without a command, secretly reminding you every day one thing, to live.

Those memories, those parts of Ciel, had secretly kept him going all those years. They had influenced many things he may not have noticed. They had guided secretly and now they guided him to one spot in the basement. A spot that he himself couldn't remember, but, when his feet finally stopped, he opened his eyes. There it was. There he was.

The same lantern sat heavily and tiredly in its spot, but it did not flicker with its dancing light. The window was a few feet above with the shadows of the rose bushes mingling on the glass, only allowing dim light through. Finally though, there he was, curled up in the same bloody ball Ciel had seen many times before.

Sebastian did not move, but, with the way he had yelled at Ciel, Ciel was surprised he wasn't up and running away, slipping away from him once more. Ciel set the candelabra down quietly on the brick floor, and his feet carried him surely to the small bleeding form.

Ciel kneel down next to Sebastian. He still did not move. Sebastian's lustrous long dark hair fell over his face in light messy wisps. His black long lashes flat against his pail cheeks.

Ciel placed a hand delicately on Sebastian's arm, "Sebastian, are you okay..?"

Sebastian didn't move. He didn't reply. He didn't even pull away from Ciel's touch and hissed at Ciel his anger.

Ciel took Sebastian into his lap. Sebastian was cold to the touch, but that was a disturbing dark contrast to the warmth that stained Ciel's lap with blood. Ciel immediately took Sebastian into his arms. He stood and ran.

Had it not been for the memories being engraved so deeply into Ciel. Had it not been for his feet remembering what his mind could not retain. Had it not been for any of this, Ciel would have been lost in the shadows, for he had left the light behind. Ciel's own mind was full of shadows. Blotches where memories were meant to be stained his brain. Fear and anger poisoned it and rotted his mind into a black ugly mess, yet, when it came to Sebastian's sake, Ciel always managed to be more than okay.

In no time, he was upstairs. He ran up the stairs to his own room, yelling as he went to all the servants to bring medical supplies. He desperately yelled for Tanaka's immediate assistance.

The whole manor's staff ran in a confused mess to Ciel's room with bandages, hot water, needles, alcohol, iodine, and other medical supplies. On the bed rested a small thing. They couldn't make out exactly what it was. It looked limp and broken. When they got closer, they realized it was the lost Sebastian. Ciel stomped his foot, "Don't just stand there! Give Tanaka what he need to save him!"

Tanaka adjusted his monocle, "I will do my best."

Minutes ticked by into hours. Ciel watched with nervous anticipation. When Tanaka pulled away Sebastian lay on the bed shirtless with bandages covering his stomach and a few on his arms.

He bowed to Ciel, "I did the best I could in accordance to the extent of my knowledge. From what I can tell, the wound cuts straight through him, but there seems to be no major damage on the inside. I am afraid however, his wound do not seem to be clotting right. He may bleed to death if this continues. He is already in a grave state as it is."

Ciel went to the bed and sat at Sebastian's feet. He looked at Sebastian's pail sleeping face. His voice was quite as he spoke without turning away from Sebastian, "Get out."

Mey-Rin, Baldroy, and Finnian all began to argue, "But master―"

Ciel pounded a fist on the bed canopy posts, "I said out!"

They all jolted back except for Tanaka, who placed a comforting hand on Ciel's back. Tanaka then ushered the group out, and he himself followed suite.

Ciel took the bloody clothes and threw them into the corner. He yanked the curtains shut. Then, he grabbed all the blood stained supplies and threw them angrily into the bathroom sink, but, when he went back to Sebastian's side, his face held nothing but brokenhearted sadness.

Ciel laid himself down next to Sebastian. The curtains were shut, but the dim light still allowed for Ciel to make out Sebastian's face. Ciel tugged the sheets up onto them both. Ciel cupped Sebastian's cold cheek. He placed a kiss on Sebastian's other cheek and whispered into his ear, "Demons don't sleep. Demons are meant to heal fast... Demons aren't meant to be loved and cared for, as I do for you..."

Ciel watched Sebastian sleep, one hand cupping Sebastian's cheek and the other holding his small hand under the warm sheets. He watched him and waited for Sebastian to open his eyes. He waited and waited, but his own eyes closed before Sebastian's could open.