Kuroshitsuji: The Contract from Birth [Ciel Phantomhive]

[6] Her Butler, At The Funeral

All the indiscreet murmurs and evident whispers floating around the church were not only becoming obnoxious, but rather gratuitous as well. Friends and families who should be crying and mourning the loss of a loved one where instead mumbling about how her life was wasted being a doctor, about how she could have had an extravagant life and another wealthy marriage with her beautiful appearance. Sitting in the pew behind me, I could hear a woman speak to her husband about how scandalous the whole affair with Madame Red had been and how she completely wished Angelina would have just accepted her fate of not being able to become a mother. Apparently, no one really knew how she had passed away, which fed their hunger for gossip. Oh, how she would have loved to be among the others to join in with the whispers.

"Did you place the flowers?" I asked Rodric with a small sigh. I felt his hand pull the dark veil out of my face, and I was able to see the red roses clearly now. They adorned her coffin and contrasted beautifully with the bleached scenery, though I couldn't help but cringe. Madame Red would not have loved the lack of... well, red. Luckily to aid this abnormality, Rodric had skillfully arranged the roses to be placed throughout the inside of the church. At the front of the aisle, right in the center was a girl with long, blonde curled ringlets of hair tied in two pigtails. She was sobbing softly, and her handkerchief continued to dab her tears dry as her muffled cries echoed in the large room. I had never seen this girl before, though she seemed to have been rather fond of Madame Red. Listening to the priest begin to speak once again, I lowered my veil. My scar had not healed yet and I was not in the mood to be bombarded with questions about it. However, there was still a certain problem I needed to address that pestered me more than the scar and the mysterious blonde girl; Ciel Phantomhive was nowhere in sight.

"She has departed from us now, as all mankind must leave earth, as someday we all must." he continued as Rodric and I bit back our smirks, amused at the blind faith these foolish citizens had, "Her flesh will turn into ashes, but her spirit will remain with the Lord."

Even through this amusement, I continued to scan the cathedral for the boy with the beautiful blue eyes and eye-patch.

"May God watch over her eternal soul, and keep--"

The doors to the church flew open at that moment, abruptly cutting off the priest. Every head turned towards the entrance to see who could be interrupting this depressing event so dramatically, and as the wind from outside blew the petals off the scarlet roses Rodric had placed, the person everyone was searching for appeared.

"You're here..." I mumbled, letting a small smile grow upon my lips. Ciel Phantomhive.

"Is that the Phantomhive boy?"

He walked down the aisle coolly, holding a bright red dress in his arm while Sebastian waited at the doorway, seemingly hiding from the public eye. All attention was now towards Ciel, and he paid no attention to anyone else.

"With a scarlet dress..."
"How inappropriate."

The clicks of his shoes with each step further silenced the people within the church. As he approached the middle of the aisle, the more noticeable his expression was: devoid of emotion, just as Sebastian seemed to be as he looked on inside from his post at the door. There was a red rose pinned to the front of his black suit, and half of his hair was gelled back, his eye-patch seemingly matching the entire attire. It was clear he was ignoring the undue whispers, as his only focus was getting to his deceased relative. I stood up along with the rest, noticing his determined gait.

"Not so. Think of how she loved the color red."

Finally, Ciel reached both women and paused, his shoulders square as he looked into the casket. He did not grace the sniffling girl with a second glance and instead jumped over the first few steps where she had been bent over in tears, landing beside the intricate box. He looked down at his beloved and departed Aunt Angelina, now expressing a sorrowful and desolate smile.

"White flowers and plain dresses didn't suit you in life, and they don't now."

"Poetic," I mumbled, then waved my hand to Rodric, indicating to go and play a part in Sebastian's task. He bowed his head and stepped out of the pew quietly, slipping out of the church without a sound.

"You belong in red," Ciel continued, taking off his red rose and tucking the flower into her ruby hair, "the color of passion, the color of spider lilies..."

I felt an ache deep within my chest as Ciel spoke. Yuki had looked at me with the same expression when my mother had died. I understood what it felt like to lose someone special.

"Farewell, Aunt An," Ciel spoke, pulling me out of my thoughts. The girl with blonde curls gazed at him, her hands clasped tightly to her chest. She turned to watch everyone when her eyes locked onto the entrance, where again the petals began to float inside. Only this time, it was clear that Sebastian, Rodric and a man with incredibly long gray hair and dark robes were to blame for this beautiful scene. There was a small coach filled to the brim with red roses, and everyone watched in awe. Ciel had outdone himself.

...London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down...

Why would children be playing nearby a funeral service? My eyes strained to see past the small carriage and find the source of the nursery rhyme, but it was to no avail since I had the laced headdress on. Breathing in deeply and brushing off the odd tune, I calmly stepped out of my pew and into the aisle, stepping towards Ciel. The girl made room for me as I reached for the casket and even Ciel moved away as I pulled out my own red rose, placing it in Madame Red's hands and clasping them shut.

"Repose en paix1, Madame Red," I mumbled.