Reincarnation

Chapter 19:

Ciel took one last look at the full moon outside the window before replying to his butler who had just expressed his fondness for his master.

"Let's go home."

The pair walked home side by side down the street. The rain from earlier on in the day had stopped now and instead a cool wind blew through the trees and Ciel's hair, revealing the contract pentagram on his right eye. He flattened down his hair in an attempt to cover in before he got home.

"Do you have any regrets about taking over your descendant's body?" Sebastian asked interestedly as they walked along.

Ciel frowned and ran a hand through his grey blue hair.

"I have the opportunity to be with you again so I do not regret it. Ciel was not happy with his life and being forced to take over Funtom as he had other interests. I wish that there was something I could do for him in return."

As he spoke Ciel stopped dead in his tracks and groaned. He had just recalled something that he had seen in his descendant's memories from earlier on in the day.

"I think we should stop off at Alois Trancy's reincarnation's house. He is planning to run away tonight."

Sebastian raised as eyebrow quizzically. "Do we have to go?"

His master groaned again. "Ciel the second would not want his best friend to run away alone. If we cannot persuade him not to run away, we can just say good bye and thank you."

The butler gave him a strange look, surprised that the words "thank you" had made it out his mouth and that he wanted to say it to someone called Alois Trancy.

"Thank you for being annoying?"

Ciel shook his head. "I have been through Ciel's memories, he is not too annoying- he just has a poor taste in fashion. He was only acting annoying in front of you so that you would prefer Ciel and become closer to him."

"I suppose we should give our thanks," Sebastian sighed. "Was I really manipulated by a pair of 15 year olds?"

"You have lost your touch," Ciel smiled and started walking again.

As they neared the Trancy residence Sebastian sighted Alois Trancy waiting outside in the street. The boy was sitting on his suitcase and staring out into the distance, or rather an endless vista of tall buildings and bright lights. The light from the streetlight above him bathed his blonde hair orange.

"He is there," Sebastian whispered. "Remember to act like your descendant- a modern teenager. If you don't, I have no idea what he will do."

Ciel nodded. He could act like his descendant and a modern teenager. All he had to do was use some abbreviated forms of words, drop his refined accent and slouch his shoulders a little.

Alois spotted Ciel as he approached and waved happily. The blonde stood up and ran towards him before throwing his arms around him.

"Ciel! I thought I would never see you again."

Then he caught sight of Sebastian who was standing on top of a nearby wall, blending in well with the dark sky due to his black outfit. Alois let go of Ciel and looked at him sharply.

"What is the demon doing here?"

"To cut a long story short, the Grim Reapers are going to leave us alone and Sebastian is going to stay with me," Ciel answered in what he hoped sounded like his descendant's voice. As Trancy's reincarnation looked exactly like the original it was hard to look at him kindly.

"For how long is the demon going to stay with you?"

Ciel glanced at Sebastian. "A while," he replied.

Alois shot him a suspicious look before continuing his interrogation. He knew there was a way to test if it really was his best friend that was standing in front of him.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary..." he quoted.

Ciel recognised the quote immediately as he had owned some of Edgar Allan Poe's works.

"The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe."

"That's nice," Alois said vaguely before hardening his gaze. "What have you done with my best friend?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not him. You're the other Ciel Phantomhive!"

Sebastian jumped off the wall he had been standing on and stood at his master's side to reprimand him.

"Your descendant did not know who Edgar Allan Poe was. You just gave yourself away by talking too much."

Ciel glared at Alois and turned to Sebastian. "I knew this was a bad idea. This is the last time I am ever doing anyone a favour."

Sebastian smirked at his response before making a helpful suggestion. "Perhaps it would be best if you resolved this situation with Master Trancy before you resolve not to do any unselfish acts in the future. Trancy is clearly annoyed with you."

Ciel sighed heavily before switching his attention back to Alois.

"I am going to make this as fast as possible as I cannot stand seeing your face again even you are not quite the same person. If I give your friend his body back, the contract that he made with Sebastian will take over my current one, meaning that the Grim Reapers will have control again and will take both of us way. I take it that you do not want this to happen."

Alois' eyes widened at the implication and he searched for a comeback in his mind. It seemed so unfair that his best friend had been used by everyone and his soul had been thrown away and someone else was residing in his body.

"It's just that... it feels that we've all been manipulated by Demons and Grim Reapers that have too much free time on their hands and they play with the human race to ease their boredom for a while."

The teenage Earl could not help but agree. It did seem that some otherworldly beings did have too much free time and interfered in human events to entertain themselves. He shot a glance at his demon butler to check his reaction. The butler caught his glance and smiled back.

"That's not quite right, Master Trancy. The Grim Reapers manipulated this affair out of necessity due to their desperate situation and they broke the law in order to reincarnate you."

"Why are you involved?" Alois spat back. "You could easily get souls without making contracts."

Sebastian wrapped his arms around his young master and sniffed his cheek.

"Because I desire my young master of course."

He planted a kiss on Ciel's cheek and tightened his grip when the red faced boy tried to wriggle out of his arms.

Alois raised his eyebrows at the demon's confession to a human.

"So you are planning to stay with him for an eternity?"

"Yes."

"He is a human, he will die. You also can't turn him into a demon- that's what caused all the trouble last time, wasn't it?"

Ciel winced. "You read my journals."

"Ciel enlisted me to help him so he let me read the parts that involved the other Alois Trancy and I only read a few parts so I don't know everything, but it seems to be the fact that you no longer had a soul that could be consumed that drove Sebastian away from you 100 years ago which led you to formulate this plan. You are just going to repeat the same events."

"Trancy, I have just awoken into a new body and survived being attacked by Grim Reapers, I cannot be bothered to deal with your hysterics at this present time," the Earl waved his hand dismissively. "You can leave London if you like. Sebastian, let's return home."

"Yes, my Lord."

Ciel turned to go.

A peal of laughter burst out from the blonde teenager behind him.

Ciel turned back. "Have you gone insane, Trancy?"

Alois smirked. "You won't last trying to take over Ciel's life. The way that you speak is too condescending and old fashioned as well as the way that you hold yourself. Your parents- I mean Ciel's parents, will notice the change immediately as will everyone at school. You won't last."

The teenager Earl opened his mouth to retort sarcastically , but Sebastian answered for him.

"That is no matter, I will tutor the young master. There is nothing to be concerned about."

At these words Alois' grin grew wider. "I'm afraid that you are also a little stuck in the 19th Century, Sebastian. Just face it."

"What do you suggest I do?" Ciel enquired. "I cannot return this body for the reasons that I previously stated."

"Souls can be merged," Alois suggested thoughtfully. "It was mentioned in your journals. Your soul was merged with my predecessor."

"It was done forcefully and it didn't quite work as I was always confused about who I was and Alois Trancy was able to take over. I do not think that your idea would work."

"Ah yes, but it would not be forceful as Ciel the second is the actual owner of the body and you have already taken ownership. You also have similarities which would make the process easier and you already have his memories. All that we need is his soul," Sebastian interjected. The merging that had occurred in the 19th Century hadn't been carried out with the same intent; Claude Faustus had just wanted Ciel's soul and his body with some memories that belonged to Alois Trancy.

Ciel's eye widened. "Are you taking Trancy's side now?"

The demon smiled down at him. "He has made several valid points to his cause. In addition, I found hearing the words "thank you" come from your descendant very mollifying. He was very well mannered and considerate. You would have better manners if you merged."

"That's your true motive, is it not?"

"Maybe, but the decision is left up to you, young master. Remember that you will not be lost in this merging. Your descendant will be a part of his life too."

"Yes and you might also be able to look at my face without having the desire to kill me," Alois chipped in cheerfully.

"Be quiet, Trancy," Ciel snapped.

He knew that it wasn't morally right to take over a body that wasn't his, but the Grim Reapers had done worse; they had created and raised the boy like a pig raised only for slaughter so what Ciel had done paled slightly in comparison. However that didn't mean that it was the right thing to do.

Ciel closed his eyes.

"Sebastian, Trancy, if this does not work I will find some way to kill both of you," he said and took off the ring, but kept hold of it.

His butler reached out and caught him before he fell.