Break my suffering Bonds (kuroshitsuji season 3)

Chapter One: Difference

Sunlight. It was unbearable these days. What was once a promise of a new morning, full of new surprises and peaceful familiarity, had now turned into the promise of nothing. There was nothing to look forward to once the sun decided to bless them with its light. Sunlight . . . it blinded the truth right out of peoples' eyes.

"Young Master, you have slept for long enough." The soft voice of the butler roused his master from the depths of rest, though he refused to move. He wanted to relish what little bit of time he had left before returning to his world of eternal darkness.

An annoyed sigh. "Ciel, get up. Have you already forgotten your plans for the day?"

The sharp sound of curtains being opened echoed through the too-large room, and the blinding sunlight filtered through everything . . . even Ciel's fiercely closed eyes. He moaned angrily, yanking his cover over his head unhappily. "Close them back," he complained unhappily.

"Not until you give up on the pretense of being asleep," Sebastian replied in a voice lilted with amusement.

This, at least, felt normal to Ciel. Even as a human, secretly he had enjoyed the attempts Sebastian made at getting him out of bed and ready for the day. They no longer went through the process of changing his clothes; in the two decades Ciel had existed in the world as a demon, he had by now learned to dress himself. But he still refused to get out of bed until Sebastian was there to prod him, and he continuously went to sleep every night just for that one semblance of regularity.

Today, however, was important, and he could not afford to play this morning. So with a soft moan, the boy threw the covers off of his nightshirt-clad body and sat up, blinking fiercely into the light from the window. "Please close the curtains," he complained. "I don't like the light coming in through the window."

"As you wish."

Ironically, the Phantomhive town house had been cleaned out as soon as Ciel's death was "official". Soma and Agni had packed up and moved into the manor along with the servants, and the town house had been left to collect dust in the middle of the street. The demons had been pleasantly surprised at this revelation, and without further ado moved in. Of course, that choice had not been without trials; all of Ciel's old supporters had come by at some point to visit that old house with tears in their eyes. Luckily Sebastian's powers—ones that Ciel still had yet to understand—could restore the new furniture to the old. No one had found out about them.

"Before you get dressed this morning, perhaps you might suggest any ideas you have for obtaining new leads?"

"I feel like we've checked every available option at this point . . . other than one." Ciel glanced up at his companion solemnly. "Sebastian . . . we have to go back. If there is anyplace that holds an opportunity for breaking this contract, it is where our friends and false family are. Do you understand?"

"Ciel . . . do you mean you are 'retracing your footsteps'?" Sebastian seemed . . . slightly shocked by this proclamation. It was something the boy had avoided for too many years now . . . something Ciel was certain that his butler had not expected him to encroach upon.

But Ciel knew . . . now was not the time to run from his past. If he wanted to permanently sever the contract between them, he would leave no stone unturned. Hat meant facing his fears.