Episode 4 Continued - Make it Mine
I watched Sebastian suspiciously as his back was to me, and he gracefully got the cups and spouts together for my morning tea.
I sat at the tea table in my garden; it was a warm day, so I didn't want to spend it inside. That's just preposterous.
My lashes lowered when he continued putting tea leaves in the pot, and then adding a cup of boiling water right afterward.
"Master," Sebastian said then, making me stiffen, "do you have something to say?"
I just gazed up at him. "What on Earth are you going on about now?"
"Your eyes have been burning into my back for the past ten minutes, my lord," he stated, smiling a little.
I just narrowed my gaze at him. "Sebastian, what are you planning?"
He just continued preparing the tea. "Must I always be plotting something, my lord?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me," I snapped, glaring at him. "I'm not stupid."
He hid his eyes then, hard shadows covering the upper half of his face, but my lashes lowered when I saw a smile split his lips.
"Oh, I know you're not stupid, young master," he said then. "If I thought you were, then I'd be underestimating you."
"I know your secret," I said then, glaring still. "You've been hiding it for ages, but I see it now."
"As I said before, young master," Sebastian continued attending to the tea, "you figured it out, clever girl."
I watched him in suspicion. "You chose me for a reason, didn't you? There're so many souls out there you could've chosen, but you chose me."
"Indeed," he replied, "I did."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Your soul is rich in flavor, my lord," he answered smoothly.
I glared at him then, gritting my teeth. "I thought I told you to never lie to me. Are you breaking the contract?"
His lips curled at the corners. "Never, my lord. And I didn't lie."
"But you're not telling the whole truth either," I answered, glare sharpening, "why did you choose me, Sebastian?"
"Why didn't I?"
"I order you to answer the question honestly," I hissed. "Do not dodge it."
He just gazed up, eyes glowing a dark red as he kept the smile. "Order me? Now I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
I continued glaring at him.
"Are you aware of certain religions?" Sebastian said then, stepping over to me and setting my tea down. "Are you aware of the basic need in a religion? The most common one every religion has to keep its people stable, to ease the human's greatest fear."
I glanced up at him suspiciously. "Death."
"Indeed, my lord," Sebastian said, bowing in front of me. "Clever as always, aren't you?"
I just narrowed my eyes. "Your point?"
He just smiled and gazed up at me, a dangerous look in his eyes. "What is the Hindustani religion's take on death?"
"Are you quizzing me now?" I said, teeth gritting. "I ordered you to answer the question, Sebastian."
"But I am, my lord," he said smoothly. "Now, do give an answer. What is the Hindustani's take on death? What happens after death?"
I played along then, still watching him carefully. "In some religions, they believe in an afterlife. A place you go after death. Hell, heaven, the underworld. Some say that you change dimentions. Others say that there's another entity that determines the place that you go. Hindustani religion, though... is about reincarnation." I narrowed my eyes at him. "When a person dies, their soul will transfer to another living being, and they will continue their life from there. It is also said that there is a dharma, which means that every soul has a purpose that they must fulfil in their life."
"Indeed, my lord." Sebastian smiled, eyes still glowing a dark red. "Now that you understand that aspect, let me tell you this about your ancestor, Ciel."
I narrowed my eyes.
"I signed a contract with Ciel Phantomhive in the late 1880s," Sebastian explained, still smiling. "And in that contract, he made a wish, and I would act as his loyal servant until his wish was fulfilled, and then eat his soul. He was twelve years old time, the poor little boy. His parents were murdered in a fire when he was ten, and he was sold off to a cult afterwards, tortured for months... until he called me."
I kept my eyes narrowed, breathing slowly.
"I just wanted his soul, yes," Sebastian explained, pupils shifting into their cat-like slit. "It was ripe and confident... sweet and savory. I didn't want any other soul than his. I tried so hard to get it for years... he was ten when I signed the contract with him. He wanted similarly what you wanted, a fool's revenge."
I thinned my lips.
"I thought he'd give up at some point," Sebastian explained to me, lips curling. "He wanted this revenge, and he knew it would take decades to get it. I thought that the anger would wear off because his wish was in the heat of the moment, and was arrogant, but the thing was... Master Ciel knew he was arrogant, but he was smart about it. He signed the contract with me and never let go of that wish of his. And then something unexpected happened, something that had never happened before."
I kept my eyes narrowed.
Sebastian just smiled. "I got attached to the boy, but I didn't know it. I was at his side every moment, every second. I healed him when he was sick, I helped him when he was scared. I cared about him. In a way I had never cared for someone before." His eyes kept glowing a deep red. "But then he got his revenge, and the time came."
I watched him suspiciously, breathing slowly. "And you ate his soul?"
Sebastian just chuckled. "No, I did not." He lowered his eyes to mine. "No matter how hungry I was, I couldn't bring myself to."
"So what... he left you?"
"No, I remained his butler until the end, master," Sebastian told me, still smiling. "And I tried to eat his soul then, to keep him with me forever... but..." his eyes darkened, "it already left him."
My lashes lowered.
"A demon's way, master," Sebastian said thoughtfully, eyes locking with mine. "We might be hungry creatures, but we do have emotion. We have untouchable souls, life stories, energy, and hearts. Sometimes..." he said, eyes darkening, "in order to hold onto the things we care about, we must keep them with us forever... because nothing lasts forever. Especially when a demon is immortal, and the soul is not."
I just watched him. "Get on with the point, will you?"
He just smiled, his lips curling at the edges. "Master, this is my point. With that aspect of Hindustani religion in mind, remember how I told you that you and Master Ciel were very similar? You love similar foods, drinks, and aspects of life. You have similar personalities, similar traumas, similar wishes, desires, goals, wants and needs. Everything about you is almost the same. And Master Ciel left me before I could keep him with me forever." He smiled then. "So... it's only safe to assume... that you are basically the same as him, Master Yumi. So have you ever considered the possibility that you have the same...."
His eyes flashed red.
"Soul?"
I immediately froze, staring into his dark eyes as his smile remained there. "What?"
He just bowed before me, gazing up seconds later with his eyes glowing red. "Your tea is getting cold, master. You should drink it before it's too late."
He stood then and walked back over to his utensils, gathering them back on the plate.
"So what?" I demanded. "Are you saying you're in love with me?"
Sebastian's lips just curled as he chuckled. "My, my. Jumping to conclusions, are we?"
I just glared at him. "I order you to answer the question. Are you in love with me?"
He just kept the smile, the shadows casting over his eyes again, shielding them from me. "Master, you're a clever girl, so I think you already know the answer to that question. You—in fact—figured it out earlier this morning, didn't you?"
I just gritted my teeth, breathing shakily. "You just want to eat my soul, Sebastian. So you can be with him forever. You don't want me."
"Master," Sebastian said, chuckling as he stood fully, and he watched me with amused eyes, "you don't seem to understand. You are him. So, yes, it is you I want."
"I am different from him," I said then, seething. "I am a girl, for one! And it's more than a century later, for two! Surely, his soul was reincarnated before! Why are you going after his soul so long afterward?"
Sebastian just chuckled. "It's your soul now, my lord. He is gone, and now I want you. And to answer your question, I couldn't find it until I found you, master. Souls go everywhere, all over the place. It took a while to find it... and... it's curious how it found its way back in to the Phantomhive family, isn't it?" His eyes were dark, dangerous.
I just breathed shakily, glaring at him now. "We had a contract."
"Indeed, we did," Sebastian answered calmly. "And I'm not withdrawing. I will still grant your wish, my lord. Your revenge will still be found, we will solve all these crimes together, I will heal you when your ill, and I will remain your faithful demon butler... until the end."
I glared at him. "I know what you want, and I won't give into you."
He just chuckled, covering his mouth with a fist as his red eyes locked on mine. "Master, you are so clueless, aren't you?"
I just glared. "What?"
He lowered his hand, lips curling. "You claim you don't want to give into me, but the truth is...
"You already have."
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