Kuroshitsuji: The Beginning Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Butler, Beginning

The small boy looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, eyes that would eventually learn to give looks that could quite literally kill. The demon had heard what the boy had had to say and why he wanted to make a contract with him but, quite frankly, he was a little taken aback. All of his previous masters had been a good deal older than this slip of a boy; old men on their death beds wanting to seek revenge on someone long forgotten, women with unruly desires and in some cases men and women who were simply bored and wanted something to entertain them. However, the prospect of such a young, ripe soul had the demon's mouth watering. The boy had made his choice; the demon accepted his proposal and the deal was made. There was no turning back now.

With a few flicks of his wrist and a lot of screams of agony, the demon destroyed the men that were trying to harm the boy and released him from the small cage he was being kept in. With a little help the boy stood up and looked into the demon's eyes. Although his true form was something to be feared the demon had learned that humans preferred it when he himself looked human, they were more comfortable around him that way. When he'd first started to make contracts with humans he'd found it much too difficult to gain their trust in his demon form and so he used a human 'skin' to conceal himself. And so he stood before the boy as a tall, dark-haired man in his late twenties wearing nothing but a long, black coat.

The boy looked a little scared; not as scared as some of the demon's masters had looked when they'd first made their contracts, but scared enough to shake from head to foot. The boy kept reaching his shaking fingers to touch his right eye, the eye that now held the mark of the covenant and the demon touched his own mark on the back of his hand as the boy began to speak,

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive," he pulled at the tattered remains of the shirt that barely covered him, "What do I call you?"

The demon stared at him for a moment. It was the first time any of his masters had asked him that. They'd all simply snapped their fingers when they'd wanted his attention or, in one woman's case, called him 'dog'. He'd quickly devoured her in the most gruesome of ways. He cleared his throat and licked his lips as he prepared to speak in the human language,

"You may call me whatever you wish," his silky voice echoed in the large room.

"Very well," Ciel straightened his shoulders and looked into the demon's dark eyes, "Your name is Sebastian Michaelis."

The tall creature considered his new name for a moment and then closed his eyes and bowed at the waist, "Thank you."

Something warm and smooth licked at Ciel's bare foot and he looked down to see an expanding pool of something dark and smooth gathering around him. Blood from the men Sebastian had killed was gathering around their feet, leaking between Ciel's toes and filling the air with its sickly scent. Ciel swayed and then staggered forwards into Sebastian. The small boy's body went limp; exhaustion and the trauma of his time with the wicked men had caught up with him and his body had finally given up. Sebastian scooped him up into his arms and walked out of the room, stepping over the bodies of the men he'd just murdered.

~ o o O o o ~

The cold breeze of the night teased at Sebastian's black hair and swept it across his face as he walked through the deserted London streets. Ciel remained unconscious in his arms and the demon could feel him shivering. He would need to get the young master inside soon or he would certainly catch a chill; the shirt that the young boy was wearing did nothing to chase away the harsh night air.

A young woman in a dress that could not be called decent emerged from a dark alley to Sebastian's left. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she took in Sebastian's lean frame and sculptured features; he had the kind of face that could look kind one second and terrifying the next. She sauntered over to him and smiled with broad red lips, revealing blackened teeth,

"Lookin' for a good time, Mister?" Sebastian curled his lip in disgust and strode past her, much to her annoyance, "Hey! I'm talkin' to you!"

In one smooth movement Sebastian stopped and spun to face the woman. He picked her up by her throat with one hand whilst holding Ciel in the other and began to squeeze. The woman's eyes bulged and her rotten mouth sagged open as she gasped for breath. She clawed at his hand but her efforts were futile, Sebastian squeezed a little tighter and something inside the woman snapped loudly. She slumped forwards and the demon dropped her useless body on the cobbles. He stared at her carcass for a brief moment and clicked his tongue,

"My, my. Humans are so fragile."

As though to prove that statement Ciel began to cough quite ferociously and Sebastian returned his attention to his new master. The small boy's eyes fluttered open; one a clear blue like the sky in spring, the other a shimmering cerise etched with the mark of the covenant. Just looking at that mark made Sebastian feel the invisible chains that now bound him to the boy and he was relieved when Ciel held his hand over it.

"Young Master, where would you like me to take you?"

Ciel looked confused for a moment, as though he'd perhaps thought the whole ordeal had been a dream. His eyes searched the street, looking for something he knew he would never get back, and he squirmed in Sebastian's arms. Finally he looked into the demon's scorching eyes and frowned,

"Home. Take me home."

Sebastian's returning smile showed just a little too much teeth and Ciel cowered away a little as the demon bowed his head,

"Yes, my Lord."