Trails of intertwined stars: Chapter 56

~Chapter XIX: The Final Cinematic Record of Michaelis~

The butler stepped out of the Phantomhive Manor, to retrieve the newspaper for his young lord to read like every morning. The demon frowned, noticing something else at the door, which had used Ciel's newspaper as a blanket. Lying on the marble porch, was a frail, bloodied and dirty figure. It looked to be a child. Sebastian stared at it for a moment, as though assessing it. Blue hair, twisted and turned into a mess. And the blood seemed not only their own, but someone else's. Sebastian drew a breath, recognising the scent of the blood. Some of his own. The demon flinched, stepping back a little. That reaper had mentioned something about his children, but there was no chance it could be true. Sebastian crouched to the side of the child, turning them slightly to face him. Trembling, drawing short breaths and unconscious. Not only that, but their wings were torn and twisted into agonizing directions. No doubt, that was Hikari. Though the last time he'd seen her, she was only a couple of weeks old at least. And he'd only briefly seen her, and he was the one who had named her. So that meant it was all true. Yun Jin was dead, Lilith was dead. How he despised Kami. Sebastian swiftly took the newspaper off the child, carrying her in, hiding her.

"I won't hurt you..."
The demon watched sadly as the child glared at him from under the bed, blinking around confused at the new sights.
"You don't recognise me," Sebastian sighed.
Hikari blinked at him, as though trying to blink away some sort of haze to see him properly. Yet she stared at him still, as though some strange man that could easily be the same as most adult men she'd met. Sebastian sighed, sliding away from her as far as he could, trying to reassure her he meant no harm. The girl blinked, confused, gently slipping out from under the bed. Sebastian said nothing, not wanting to scare her away again. Hikari slowly, and hesitantly, shuffled over to his side. The demon softly held out his hand, the girl instinctively flinching at first. She blinked at it, through a cloud of tears, before gently setting her hand on his. Sebastian smiled, softly. Hikari looked up at him, before glancing away.
"I'm Sebastian, your father."
Hikari nodded.
"You knew?"
Hikari nodded, softly, glancing back at him.

Hikari wrapped up in a towel after Sebastian had pried her into a bath to remove the blood and dirt covering her. Sebastian frowned, searching through his wardrobe. He had no clothes in her size, for obvious reasons. Hikari swiftly tugged one of his shirts off, slipping it on. It was baggy on her to say the least. It reached all the way to her ankles, and covered her entire arms. Sebastian chuckled.
"That suits you."
Hikari stared at it, blinking.
"Here," Sebastian crouched down, gently buttoning it up to keep her warm.
The demon's gaze warmed, seeing the child smile softly, contently.
"Comfy?" Sebastian hummed.
Hikari nodded, nuzzling it.

Sebastian put Hikari in his bed, reassuring her until she fell asleep. He then made himself comfortable at his desk, deciding to just read to pass the nightly hours. He frowned, pausing, hearing groaning sobs. Sebastian gently stood, making his way over to the bed, where a lump had formed in the centre; where Hikari had buried herself into a hiding spot. He sympathetically traced his hand over where her back would have been, the blanket flinched with a yelp. She ripped part of the blanket off, so she stared up at him wearily, with a tear stained face.
"It's just me. Was it a nightmare?" Sebastian whispered, crouching down to her height.
Hikari nodded, gripping the sheets, refusing to look at him.
"Here," Sebastian hummed, reaching out to ease her down," Lie back down and--"
Hikari yelped, slapping his hand away. Sebastian blinked, startled. The girl glared at him, panting. As soon as she realised what she had done, her expression faltered, trembling. Sebastian stood.
"I shall be at my desk if you need me."
The butler turned around, going to return to his desk, before he felt something grab his tailcoat tail. He blinked, glancing back at her. Hikari gently tugged him so he sat down beside her, her eyes filling with tears.
"I see," Sebastian nodded, sitting patiently on the bed," Then I shall stay here, the entire night. You don't need to be frightened. Nothing will hurt you anymore."
Hikari stared at him, unsure. Until, hesitantly, she settled back down into bed. The girl gently reached out for her father's hand, her grip softly grazing his. Sebastian's eyes softened, smiling, gently as he watched her slowly fall asleep.

I promised you something you, long ago. That I would never leave your side again, and that I would make sure you would live properly and happily...no matter the world...

Sebastian's gaze snapped back, no longer stuck in the cinematic record. He saw Malice's outstretched arm, lunging forward with a roar; blood choking his throat as he cried.
"SEBASTIAN!" Malice cried.
The demon swiftly thrust himself at her, grabbing her hand firmly, scooping her into his arms. As he hit the floor, he rolled away, clinging onto Malice closely.