You Can't Hide Forever

His Butler, Forlorn (part 1)

~~Lizzie's POV~~

Ciel... He disappeared after the fire. And when he finally came back to his estate... ...he had stopped smiling. I love Ciel. I love his smile. Whether it be in a cousinly way or not. But for some reason, we keep going around in circles, getting nowhere. How can I... ...see Ciel's smile again? Ciel...

My head tilted and there was a tick sound.

~~Claire's POV~~

"Take that back, Sebastian", Ciel said as he glared at Sebastian. What he said was true though. I hadn't been feeling right since we arrived here and I couldn't figure out why.

"Take what back?", he asked. His glare intensified.

"That jeer!"

"Young master, you told me you would be taking care of some trifling business", Sebastian said. "Was that 'business' to dotingly savor your wretched past and wallow in the pleasure of humiliation?" Ciel glared even harder, if possible. "Didn't you say at the frost fair that your body and your ring had already been shattered and reborn? That you were far past being afraid of shattering?"

"That's right. Don't recite my words back to me", he said. Then we heard music and Drossel's familiar singing.

"Build it up with iron and steel, iron and steel, iron and steel", he sang as Ciel and I faced the door again. Just then, the dolls burst into the room, including the one that had had sand in it. "Build it up with iron and steel, my fair lady." Ciel looked shocked.

"Was Grell defeated?", he asked. Sebastian walked over to us.

"I see, so he is controlling them with his tone", he said. "In that case..." Sebastian smiled and started to sing. "Iron and steel will bend and bow" The dolls stopped and swayed their heads. "Bend and bow, bend and bow. Iron and steel will bend and bow, my fair lady." Sebastian continued to sing as he bent the necks of the dolls and caused the metal in them to break. Some even did it themselves. Once it was done and he sang the last line, Sebastian bowed before Ciel.

"Who are you calling a lady?", he asked. Sebastian stood.

"Let us depart, young master", he said and approached us.

"No", said a voice. We turned to the door and saw Drossel standing there with a music box. "Ciel Phantomhive and Claire Toraburu are my master's possessions now."

"'Possessions'? We are not--", Ciel started.

"The proof is the ring on your finger and the one you are holding. There are two of them and two of you", Drossel said. "I can tell. The Hope piece is a present my master sends to those who will be made into dolls."

"Your master?", Sebastian asked.

"Ciel Phantomhive and Claire Toraburu will become dolls. Dolls made of silver and gold", he said. Sebastian smiled and started singing again.

"Silver and gold will be stolen away, stolen away, stolen away", he sang. Drossel looked a little surprised. Sebastian picked Ciel and I up and started to leave as Drossel tried to stop us, but couldn't do anything. Sebastian jumped out the window and landed on a nearby bridge. He put us back down and I sat on the side of the bridge for support. "Goodness me." Then, a smack reverberated through the air as Ciel struck Sebastian across the face. He looked stunned while Ciel just glared.

"What about Lizzie?! You still haven't saved her?!", he asked. "I thought I ordered you to solve the kidnappings. Saving Lizzie, who fell victim to the kidnappings, is the first--"

"An order is not the same as a contract", Sebastian said. "Just as you give first priority to orders from the Queen, I prioritize your life. I have devoted myself to your service and protection all this time. I couldn't stand for you to be stolen from me now." Sebastian's eyes turned their demonic pinkish red. I started to feel slightly weak and allowed my head to go forward some. "Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about how this is effecting another person you want to protect?" I lifted up in a flash and forced a smile, so maybe I wouldn't seem so bad.

Grell said something about making sure I stay balanced. Maybe he meant dark and light since that's what my hands look like. And there seemed to be a lot of dark magic there that I was exposed to. Maybe that effects the balance. Or maybe it's just because I'm sad about how much he seems to love Lizzie. I want him to be happy, so maybe I should back away and give them space to be together without me interfering...

Ciel looked at my forced smile for a bit and shrugged before pulling out the other ring. "Young master?", Sebastian asked. He slid the ring onto his finger with the other.

"It would seem the ring is the mark of his next target", he said. He smirked and lifted his hand. "And I have two of them. Protecting me now will no doubt require some effort." Sebastian smiled and bowed slightly.

"Nevertheless, I shall...", he said. Then we heard a howl.

"Pluto?", Ciel asked.

"I searched every corner of the mansion, but there was no sign of Lady Elizabeth", Sebastian said. I followed his gaze to a tall tower. "The only place left is that sealed-off tower." When we arrived at the tower, we saw Grell trying to hold Pluto back.

"Hey, now! What's the matter with you?!", Grell asked. Pluto continued to bark.

"You two are alive?", Ciel asked. Grell smiled, blushed, and went to jump on Sebastian.

"Sebas-Chan!", he called, but was knocked out of the air and beat to him by Pluto. Sebastian looked very annoyed as Pluto clung to him. Grell stood. "Excuse me?! Wait, could that be...a demon hound?" Grell was shaking slightly.

"You just noticed?", Ciel asked.

"Oh la la! A passionate night with a beast! How immoral!", he said happily.

"You're so wanton", Sebastian said. He turned to Pluto. "I've been waiting for you, Pluto." He started walking to the door of the tower. "Once the seal of the underworld has been placed on a door, only a hellhound can open it." As he stopped, Pluto's collar began to glow and he fell off of Sebastian in pain.

"His collar is shining?", Ciel asked. I nodded.

"So is the door", Grell said. Sure enough, it was. Then Pluto began to glow and transformed into his demon hound form and howled.

"Too, too big!", Grell said happily. The door stopped glowing and opened with a creaking noise. Pluto wasted no time in running inside.

"He did it again!", Ciel said.

"It's all right", Sebastian said. "Let's have him guide us."