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Chiaroscuro Chapter 27

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~"Raging Storm, Brewing Steadily"~





Cadencia wasn't sure what to make of his attempts. Since Sebastian had disappeared, Claude had all but taken his place as her butler. Granted, she didn't allow him to do much for her, as had been the same with Sebastian, but the Spider Demon had begun to create schedules typical for an aristocrat, as Sebastian had also previously done. Latin lectures at twelve, violin lessons at three……it was the same, and yet it was not. She appreciated what Claude was doing for her, but she knew it was only because he hoped she would create a contract with him. She couldn't understand why he lingered for that reason. She had made it quite clear that she couldn't promise her soul to anyone until she accomplished her mission she had set for herself.

A mission that might as well have been impossible, a mission that might kill her. It was very likely she would die before she completed it. Even so, Claude was still determined to stay in the hope that she eventually decided to create a contract. She did not, in anyway, understand why he would do that. Even Sebastian had abandoned her because she wouldn't create a contract…how did it add up? Sebastian didn't linger around, so why did Claude?

It was hard to believe nearly a whole week had gone by since Sebastian's departure, and Cadencia also couldn't understand why she was growing increasingly heartsick for him. Every time she thought of him, a dull ache would rise unto her throat. Surely, he was a dear friend, despite his demonic origin, but still, that kind of pain shouldn't be felt for a friend. It was the kind of pain you would read about in a romantic tragedy, when two people deep in love were torn asunder.

She blinked, and felt her cheeks grow hot. But….Sebastian and I weren't….. She thought about it. Were we….?

Cadencia shook her head. If Sebastian had been in love, he wouldn't have simply abandoned her. It clearly was only her who felt that way, and it was because she had let her feelings run unchecked for awhile.

Sebastian was a demon. Humans were simply a meal to him. She could liken it to how a human views a bowl of soup. Humans are simply sustenance; something to merely be eaten, and shortly forgotten.  There was reason at all why he should have had any genuine feelings for her, and yet it hurt terribly to acknowledge that fact.  Why?

She thought back to the day they had left Andromalius' mansion, and went to the big hill. She had tried to teach him how to have fun, and it was probably the most stupid thing he'd ever heard of. Moreover, she had been an idiot to assume that what a human calls "fun" and what a demon calls "fun" would be similar at all.  Nevertheless, Sebastian had gone along with it anyway. Even though he had kept his composure and maintained his usual expression, for some reason, he had been somewhat nervous under it all. She was certain of that much. It all seemed to vivid; the face he had made when she pulled him down the hill, the expression he wore as he came tumbling down on top of her, and….

The memory flashed through her head luridly.

The look on his face…when he had asked if she would lay her head upon his shoulder; that apprehensive face which had almost been afraid….it was hardly like the Sebastian she had known up until then.  It was that face which made it so hard to believe he had never been genuine.

She drew in a tired sigh, and decided to get up and walk around the mansion, as usual. She detested simply lounging around. Where was Claude, anyways? She had eventually made her way through the entire mansion, and hadn't seen him at all. Did he go out somewhere? It seemed strange that he hadn't informed her of it first. Not that it mattered to her, but he was the type to do it. Perhaps he was in the cellar?

Cadencia ventured back through the kitchen to the east wing, where the door to the cellar was located. The cellar was deep, and ran the length of the entire mansion. Mostly, it was just empty space, save for the wine storage. All the same, Cadencia didn't like alcohol, and she never went down there because it was the morbid home of many huge spiders.

Still, Claude was probably down there, given that she couldn't find him anywhere else. She gripped the brass handle and gave the sharp heave necessary to budge the heavy oak door. A dismal creak resounded noisily from the rusty hinges as she pushed it open fully. They hadn't been oiled since her father was alive, and he had servants attend to the household maintenance. She would make a note to learn how to fix it herself later on.

Although she thought it impossible, the wooden stairs were even creakier than the door. She hoped that they wouldn't give way under her weight as she descended down into the darkness. She picked up the small, one-candle candelabrum that was always left at the end of the stair railing. Quickly, she struck a light, and ignited the candle's wick. It provided only enough illumination to see just a few feet ahead. She thought it odd that if Claude were down in the cellar, then why didn't he take the candelabra?  Well, she reasoned, he was a demon. Maybe he didn't need it. Perhaps he could see in the dark.  Nevertheless, although Cadencia listened carefully, she could only hear the sound of water dripping intermittently somewhere far off. She gave a sigh.

"Maybe he's too far away to hear me?" She wondered. "I….I guess I can go a little farther…before the idea of big spiders freak me out too much…." She winced, realizing she had just made the thought apparent. "Oh! I've just psyched myself out…."

She shook her head and set her vision forward, determined. "I can't let a thing like that stop me." She said.

She took a single step forward, and noticed some slim, fine thing glinting in the candlelight around her. She frowned, unsure for a moment of what it was, until she saw the long-legged thing dangling upon the end, not a mere inch from her nose. Cadencia's complexion took on a rather noticeable blue shade, and she let out a piercing scream.

"KYAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

She ran frantically in circles, screaming the entire time. "No! No! A thousand times, NOOOOOOO!!!"

Somewhere in the darkness, there was an amused chuckle. "As expected from Milady…."

She stopped cold. Slowly, she turned towards the direction in which the voice had come from.

It…..it can't….be….

"O…okay! That's enough, brain! Time to stop imagining things and making me think I'm crazy!" She exclaimed to herself.

-"Milady, please stop. You are not crazy. And your brain is not a sentient thing. There is no possible way it could purposefully be attempting to make you insane."

She couldn't believe her ears. "…Sebastian?"

-"Yes, Milady?"

His voice answered, clear as a bell.

"Is that really you??"

-"But of course."

"Well….hurry! Come here so I can see that it's really you!"

-"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

"Why?"

-"Regrettably, I am rather….tied up at the moment."

She frowned. That struck her as odd. What could possibly restrain Sebastian??

"Well, then….I'll come to you!" She said, decidedly. "Are you all the way at the opposite end?"

-"I believe so, Milady. When you struck that light, it seemed quite far away."

"All right. Hold on. It sounds like I'm getting closer to you."

Through the pitch-darkness ahead, she was just able to make out a figure. Each step brought her closer and more clarity. There! She could see clearly that it really was Sebastian. Although she was beyond relieved to see him, his current state alarmed her greatly. By the wrists, Sebastian was shackled to the wall against of which he was braced, and his clothing was badly torn; she could see straight to his bare chest, which was marred by many deep, bleeding lashes, as was the rest of his body. Gently, she brought her hand to the side of his face. To her horror, she realized he must have also had some sort of head wound, for though it was dried now, there was blood trailing down the side of his face in thick rivulets.

For quite a lengthy moment, she could find no words to say.

"Se….Sebastian….." She swallowed. "Where….where did these injuries come from….?"

"I got into a bit of a skirmish with Vassago. He fought underhandedly and caught me off guard." Sebastian shook his head. "Please, forgive me. He was left to his own devices with you in his possession because of my failure."

She shook her head quickly. "N…no! I'm…I'm sorry you got hurt…."

"Milady, please, tell me you didn't form a contract with Vassago. Tell me that he didn't manipulate you…" He said, almost hurriedly.

"No, Sebastian. I told him quite pointedly that…." She paused. "…That I couldn't give my soul up to anyone."

He looked considerably relieved. "Thank  goodness."

"Why?"

"That vermin told me that he was very close to getting you to create a contract with him, and that he told you I had abandoned you."

"Ah! He did say that! All this time…I thought you had moved on….but this is where you really were, and….in this state….." She said, a bit tearfully, and threw her arms around his neck. "Forgive me, Sebastian…."

"Milady, I should be the one asking for your forgiveness. I left you defenseless with that underhanded obscenity."

"Absolutely not! For you to even of apologizing to me is just plain wrong! It is my fault, completely, that this happened to you."

"Milady…." He said softly.

"Anyways, Andromalius said that demons have enough strength to stop a moving train with nothing but their bare hands…..why couldn't you get free?" She paused. "And….where exactly did those shackles come from? I'm almost certain they haven't always been here….or were they? Now I can't remember…." She sighed.

"These….these were brought along by Vassago, with the sole purpose of binding me here until he could create a contract with you, or until you perished, it would seem…"

Cadencia looked mortified. "He intended to keep you down here….for that long?!"

"I am afraid so, Milady. These shackles are made of silver."

"What does mean?"

Sebastian paused for a moment. "Demons….we are composed of the same elements as humans; oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, but there is one element which comprises our bodies that does not exist in a human's. That element is called 'Bacillium.'"

Cadencia frowned. "'Bacillium?' I've never heard of that element before…."

"It does not exist on earth, Milady."

"Oh…." She said.

"When exposed to one another, silver reacts with Bacillium. For a demon to simply come into contact with silver, it severely weakens them."

"I see…." She said, not unconcerned. "Just hold on, then. I'll get you free."

"Milady, it is impossible. You require the key which Vassago keeps secure in his breast pocket."

"I don't know how, but I will do it!"

"How do you intend to do that?"

"I'll pry the cuffs open, or something!"

"A human's hand is not nearly strong or resilient enough to accomplish such a feat, Milady….I'm certain you know that."

"Maybe so…" She began, raising her arms up so she could grasp the right shackle. "But it's my fault you're in this position, so with my own hands, I'll get you free!"

Sebastian wasn't quite sure of what to say in response.

Cadencia gripped the cuff and squeezed it with all her might.  After a moment of the same action, there was a dull crack inside her left hand, at the index metacarpal, but, giving a wince, she shook it off and continued to apply pressure to the cuff. The edge of it cut into the flesh of her palm, and blood began to trickle down her wrist.

"Milady…!" Sebastian exclaimed. "You must stop-"

"I….won't!"

"Milady-"

"This is nothing! It may hurt at first, but it'll always heal!"

A sharp jolt ran through her entire being. Oddly, she could feel strength gathering in her hands, rather than draining away. With one last, mighty squeeze, a hairline fracture split through the cuff, and more quickly followed, breaking it apart completely, and freeing Sebastian's wrist. Instantly, he felt a considerable amount of his strength come surging back. The demon rotated his hand, and flexed his fingers, stretching them. Quite honestly, he was in a bit of awe that she actually had been able to break the cuff, as she'd sworn.

Still…that's Milady for you. Sebastian felt an odd, unfamiliar smile shape his lips. It was happy.

"All right…" She gave a little pant and grinned. "Let me get the other one now, okay?"

Sebastian shook his head. "That will be unnecessary, Milady, thank you. I believe enough of my strength has returned." In one movement, Sebastian clenched the remaining cuff and crushed it.

Though she smiled, her expression became serious. "Mister Faustus….do you know where he went?"

"I do not, Milady, unfortunately. I did not even know that he had left. When you first came down, I assumed that you were Vassago….until you made all that noise over what I can only presume was a spider."

Her cheeks went red. "How did you come to that presumption??"

"I don't believe there are many other things that can make you react in such a way, correct?" Sebastian said.

She was silent for a moment. "Eerrr….well, I suppose not…at least, I haven't met anything else that's ever made me freak out so much. Perhaps I have arachnophobia."

"Perhaps."

"Well!" She said after a moment. "Shall we go upstairs? You probably want to stretch your legs."

"Indeed." He admitted. "What should be done if we run into Vassago, Milady?" He flexed his fingers again.

"We'll….we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She paused. "I'll put you right on bed rest for your wounds."

Sebastian smiled appreciatively. "I believe it will be unnecessary. Now that my body is no longer in contact with silver, my full strength has returned, thankfully."

"But….it will still take awhile to heal….won't it?" Then again, he was completely healed the next day, after I first met him….

"Demons heal at a much faster rate than humans, Milady. Please, do not be concerned."

"You say that…..but I will still be concerned, regardless."

"As expected." He smirked. "Well then. Shall we retire to the parlor? Milady is most likely expecting her afternoon tea."

"Oh, stop joking around." She grinned. "You know I'd never expect a thing like that."

"I know."

"Right then, we should probably get upstairs, then. Preparations are most likely in order for whenever Mister Faustus returns, right?"

"Yes, I should say so."

Cadencia nodded, and turned about on her heel. This time, they ventured back through the darkness together, and she had no concern about spiders.

"Are you….are you two going to fight?" She asked finally, for the question had been eating away at her.

"Milady, I have no wish to fight. However, Vassago seems to be quite determined to have you. Therefore, I shall fight to keep him away from you."

"I see." She said, solemnly.

Sebastian frowned, clearly able to see that this troubled her.  "Why do you inquire, Milady?"

"I don't….I don't want to be a reason for unnecessary fighting." She replied quickly.

Sebastian said nothing in response, but quickened his pace, so he could follow closely behind her.

Once again, the dismal creaks of the stairs resounded, louder this time, as the both of them went up at the same time. Cadencia reached her hand out to the doorknob, and gave threw her weight into the door, but to her surprise, the door opened easily, or rather, too easily. The wooden door was yanked open from the other side, and the Marchioness was sent stumbling ahead into the chest of a very displeased Spider Demon.

Claude wrapped his arm firmly around Cadencia, pulling her tightly to him, and preventing her escape. Through his glasses, Claude narrowed his eyes.

"Ah. It appears the crow has been set free."

Sebastian's expression bore a dark glower, and giving a nod, he replied. "Indeed, and it appears the filthy spider is still skulking about."

"I suppose you won't be compliant this time either, will you?"

"You have supposed correctly."

"Then there is only one solution. You know quite well what that is, don't you?"

"Certainly."

"Are you willing to go that far, Malphas?"

"Yes." Sebastian adjusted his tie, and smoothed his hair, which had been messed up rather badly. "To keep Milady away from you, I oblige to Circiensis."

Hurray~! Sebby's back in the story~! It felt weird writing it without him.

But next chapter, it's a fight to the death; Circiensis!

I don't own Claude, or Sebastian ^ ^

Chapter 28~>[link]
© 2012 - 2024 TheGirlWhoDid
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HrrrDragon's avatar
YEY!!! Sebby is back!!!

Wow, the funny thing was that my friend and I just got another person hooked on Kuro and we're planning a cosplay group with a Madame Red, Ciel and Meirin for a convention in May :3