Two Steps From Hell | Sebastian Michaelis

Her Butler, Confessing

After thinking about Sebastian's eyes so much, a scream in the distance made her jump. It sounded like Mey-Rin. Leaping from the bed, she ran out and followed the direction of all the commotion. She bumped into Bard, Finny and Tanaka and joined them as they raced down the stairs.

"What the hell is going on down there?!" Bard shouted.

Once they reached the bottom, they found Mey-Rin sitting on the ground.

"Mey-Rin, what's wrong?" Bard asked quickly.

She only pointed ahead and began making unintelligible sounds. They followed the direction she pointed at and gasped. Ana's eyes widened as she quickly covered her mouth at the sight of the blood. There was a pool of it inside the cell where Barrymore had been locked up. There was also a large hole in the brick wall and the blood trailed out of it.

The cigarette from Bard's mouth fell to the ground. "He's gone... Bloody hell."

The sight of all the blood made Ana feel nauseous. She began stepping back from the group, the smell of it making her want to gag. But as she was doing so, she nearly bumped into Sebastian, who had just arrived with Ciel. He held her shoulders to stop her but that itself almost spooked her. Glancing over her shoulder, she was relieved to see that it was only Sebastian. He didn't look at her though, only moving her to stand behind him. But then Angela came running in behind her and Ana automatically held onto Sebastian's sleeve.

Angela's eyes were wide. "Where is Lord Barrymore?"

There was a banging coming from the front door. Whoever it was seemed to be desperate and so they all made their way up. Ana had let go of Sebastian's sleeve but he himself made sure to keep an eye on her. As Angela opened the door, a man fell to the floor and he was gasping and panting for breath.

"The demon hound," he said as his shoulders shook. "The great hound is here."
"The hound?" Ciel asked.

They all put their coats on and ran out into the night. Finding themselves back at the chained wall again, they saw the villagers kneeling on the ground and chanting whilst the dogs howled.

"The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad. He'll eat your flesh down to the bone, down to the bone. He'll gobble you up until you're gone, until you're gone."
"What's happening?" Sebastian wondered aloud.
Bard frowned and held one of the villager's shoulders. "Snap out of it! What you all doing?!"

A loud crash of thunder boomed as a flash of lightning lit up the night sky. That was another thing Ana was afraid of; thunder and lightning. She had grabbed hold of Sebastian's arm and cowered into his side but he didn't question it. As the darkness was lit up, they were able to see a dead Lord Barrymore collapsed against the wall. Mey-Rin and Finny screamed at the sight.

Ciel looked to Sebastian, silently giving him the order to check it out. He couldn't see that Ana was hiding behind his butler but Sebastian placed his hand over hers and glanced back at her. She understood and reluctantly let go of him. She tried to control her shaking as she watched Sebastian bravely walk over to Barrymore's body. He kneeled down in front of it and examined it to find the arm had also been bitten off.

"Oh, great demon hound!" a man yelled.
"Please! Please don't!" a woman begged. "Please!"
"Demon hound, forgive us!"

Angela gasped at the sight of her former master before proceeding to become unconscious. She fell to the ground and Finny quickly rushed to her side.

"Angela!"

Finny lifted her up and they returned to the mansion. On the way back, Sebastian noticed that Ana was lingering around him. Not that he minded it at all but it concerned him as to how shaken up she looked.

"Rose? Are you alright?" he asked, keeping up with her alias.
She looked up at him and quickly nodded. "I will be."
"Don't worry. I'm sure we will be out of here soon."

She put on a small smile but didn't say anything more. Truly, Sebastian was concerned about her. Although he hadn't known her for long, he had grown fond of her. Something he couldn't quite control. Still, he hoped for her sake that his master would finish the case quickly so that they could leave.

Once they arrived at the mansion, they gathered in one of the reception rooms. Angela was taken to rest and so Ana felt a bit more relaxed. Ciel sat on one side of the table in the middle of the room. Sebastian stood to the side where Ana was whilst Bard, Finny and Mey-Rin were standing on the other side of the table.

"Well, this is unfortunate, Master," Sebastian said before holding his hand up to his chin with a smile on his face. "To think all this is happening after the case was closed," he almost teased. "I'm sure you're a bit...annoyed?"
Ciel frowned. "Are you quite finished?"

Ana wanted to laugh but she kept it in. Seeing the frown on Ciel's face made her control herself. Sebastian could see the change in Ana, noticing that she seemed to be more at ease. It was something else he wanted to talk to her about.

"Where is Angela?" he asked the others.
"We left her resting up in her bed for now," Mey-Rin answered. "She seems tired, yes she does."
"So pitiful to watch," Bard said. "Poor bird."
Ciel then spoke. "This village isolated itself completely from the rest of society out of fear of the  demon hound's curse. I thought for certain the hound was an illusion created by Lord Barrymore so he could more firmly rule the village. But with him dead, I need to rethink things."
"He was covered in bite wounds," Bard said.
"And his arm was bitten off," Ana added before a shiver ran through her.
"Maybe the villagers are right. Maybe it really was the demon hound."
"Maybe he's upset for being blamed for Lord Henry's mistake," Mey-Rin suggested.
"Yes, maybe," Sebastian said. "For now there's only one thing we know. It wasn't human."
"The hound then," Bard spoke quietly.

Soon after the discussions, the servants were excused to get some rest. Sebastian was just about to offer Ana to remain with him but before he could, she left. She didn't want to bother him, however, Sebastian was beginning to crave her presence whenever she wasn't around.

He found it odd that such needs were developing around him all of a sudden, especially with a human. In all the thousands of years that he had existed, not once had he grown such desires for another being. He had never known of any other demon falling in love before. Either he didn't know of any or there were but it was kept hidden.

'Falling in love? What a preposterous notion. Love is for the weak. She's just another game to me. Still... Perhaps... Could I be falling in love?' He sighed mentally. 'You are turning me into a fool, Anastasia.'

After Ciel had gotten dressed for bed and having discussed the case further with Sebastian, Ciel wanted to interrogate his butler slightly. Ciel had noticed a change in his butler and he became curious.

"You're usually so calm and steady. But this case seems to have you rattled," Ciel stated with a slight smirk. "I'm interested about this issue you have with dogs."
Sebastian closed the wardrobe door and looked back at him with a smile. "You learn faster everyday."
"So, tell me. What is it that's causing you to behave this way?" Ciel pressed on. "Is it your own personal issue or somebody else's?"
Sebastian turned to face him properly. "As you know, Rose is afraid of dogs."
'I knew it,' Ciel thought. "So, that's it then. You want this case all wrapped up for her."
"I am simply concerned for her well-being."
"Her well-being," Ciel repeated. "Says the one who didn't want her around in the first place."
Sebastian smirked softly. "She's strange but I will be honest. She has certainly grown on me."
"Overnight?"
"Indeed."
Ciel narrowed his eyes at him. "There's something else going on here. Something you're not telling me. Remember, you cannot lie to me."
Sebastian sighed as he readied the bed for Ciel. "I'm afraid you will have to be more precise, master."
"Are you in love with her?"

Sebastian stood straight and faced his master properly. There was a small smirk spread across his lips as he saw the serious expression on Ciel's face.

"Would it matter if I answered with a yes?"