Hospital For Souls (M i c h a e l i s) [Kuroshitsuji 3]{Completed}

Chapter V : One Game of Chess

I just wanted the lonely inside me to leave...

He reminded me so much of Edward –

Ciel Phantomhive.

They would be the same age now – Edward maybe a year older. Both with the pale, pinched faces, that certain way of holding themselves that exhibited power, confidence. Dry humours, a penchant for being as irritating as possible at times.

However, Ciel was infinitely more mature than Edward. He held so much power – men spanning from a few years to decades older would filter in and out of the mansion every week, all for different purposes, all to see him. It struck me as odd, the way that he would never go to anyone else – they would always come to see him. I suppose, the status of the 'Queen's Guard Dog' was a double edged sword – it ensured that the nobles held a healthy enough amount of respect for him (see; fear), but at the same time, they would sneer, turning up their noses at the younger boy behind his back.

And as promised, Ciel had given me plenty to do... but not in the manner I expected. By night, once the servants were asleep, I was aiding him in his study; sticking up maps, bits and pieces, tacking pictures and using string to tie all of the corresponding areas together. It was incredibly boring work – office administration, almost, but I was to say nothing lest the young earl slight me down with his sharp tongue. But oh; I was frustrated on a sexual level that I had never felt before. Keeping my legs crossed, for want of a better term, was difficult in my... overly sensitized state. I was also not allowed to step foot outside the grounds of the mansion, which frustrated me greatly; so I took to teaching myself chess rather clumsily.

"That's an illegal move."

"I'm sorry?" I glanced up from the board; Ciel was standing above me with his arms folded across his chest, a book held slack in one hand. He was wearing a lethargic expression.

"That's an illegal move; you can't check white here. Sebastian."

The butler had appeared by the young boy's side in a second, dark hair damp from what I could only assume had been a bath. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Teach her how to play chess while I see to Countess Bradshaw. I shouldn't be more than a few hours. See to it that I'm not disturbed."

"Yes, my Lord." He gave a short bow at the waist, watching as Ciel turned on his booted heel and left the drawing room. Sebastian took the chair opposite me and sat. "Blacks or whites?"

"Whites, please."

"Black for myself, it is then." His crimson eyes flickered over the squares, and he grinned. "My, my, this game is quite the train wreck. Do you know what the pieces do?"

"Yes! Um. Kind of. No, not really," I admitted, flushing. "Alright, tell me then, if you must be so impudent."

"The pawns; they begin as the front line. You can start moving either one space, or two; after the initial move, you may only move one space at a time. Pawns can take diagonally. This;" He pointed to a tall piece, which I had affectionately nicknamed the 'whistle', "Is the bishop. It can move any amount of squares in a diagonal direction. Next to it is the night – the horse shaped piece, here. It can move in an L-formation; three squares across, one down..."

Sebastian slowly and patiently explained the basics of chess to me, and we held a practice game. I lost, of course. But he was kind enough to tell of the manner in which I could have won; so we set up and tried again.

After my fifth loss in a row, I was beginning to feel a little disheartened, but he had hinted a round before that Ciel was not to be roused until he was finished with the woman in his study. So I racked up the board again, leaning down on the heel of my hand with a sigh.