Summary: The journey back on the freighter from the Campania. Sebastian is extremely weak and a dark glimpse into Aurora's time before being brainwashed.
For All Eternity
Sebastian Michaelis was waiting patiently alongside Aurora, Ciel and the Midfords to be seen to by the medical staff onboard the freighter. The group of them were sitting on crates, Sebastian and Aurora on the floor, leaning against the wall of the ship, and the demon's head resting on the angel's shoulder. His breathing was laboured, and it was beginning to worry his angel. She could feel his breathing begin to weaken and quickly adjusted him in her arms. "Sebastian..." Ciel glanced over, a worried look in his eyes as he caught a glimpse of his butler. Sebastian was weak. Weaker than Ciel had ever seen him. The demon was swaddled in a blanket, and being held by the blonde haired angel. Ciel noticed Lizzie beside him, she hadn't let go of him since he'd gotten on the boat. There were doctors swarming the deck. They tended to him first before going to Sebastian. A worried look crossed the doctor's face at the sight of the wound. He stepped aside with Ciel and the Midfords'. "The wound went all the way through, the chances of survival are slim. I doubt he will survive the night." Lizzie gripped Ciel's arm. Ciel glanced back at Sebastian in Aurora's arms. He knew clearly Sebastian would not die. Even if he did, the demon would still be Hell, obeying his every command and would return should his master ordered it.
The doctor went over to Aurora, "Miss, it would be best if we moved him to a bunk to rest." Aurora nodded, "Yes, of course. Let me go with him, I studied to be a doctor." The other doctor nodded, and Ciel watched with Lizzie and the rest of the Midfords' as the other nurses loaded Sebastian onto a stretcher. Ciel caught a glimpse of the demon butler's crimson eyes. He saw how utterly spent he was. Ciel felt silently horrified as the demon's arm dropped from the stretcher. Aurora quickly moved to catch his fallen arm, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Ciel watched them leave, staring after them shocked. Lizzie smiled sweetly at him, "Don't worry, Ciel." She said, "I'm sure Sebastian will be fine." Ciel nodded, "Yes... I'm sure he will be just fine."
Sebastian was laid down on a bunk by the medical staff before they left to tend to another patient. Aurora moved close to her beloved demon the moment the door to the bunk shut and they were left alone. Tears filled her eyes as she held his hand tightly to her chest. "Malphas...." Sebastian coughed and squeezed her hand. "I'm fine, Angelica... I will be." Aurora leaned over him and began undoing his shirt, eliciting a strained chuckle from the demon, "Looking for a little action my dear? I am afraid I must decline. I fear I will be unable to satisfy you this evening." Aurora rolled her eyes, "Must you always think of sex?" Sebastian smirked, "I am a demon, darling. And I'm the Lord of Lust." She sighed, "I fear for the day you become King Desideriis." Sebastian frowned, "Let us hope it doesn't happen for some time. Being king would make me unable to leave Hell as often. It is why any kings appearance is such a big deal." Aurora ignored him and ripped open his shirt to survey the damage. She choked a sob at the sight of the scythe wound. It was deep, so deep she could almost see right through him. He must have been in agony.
Noticing her tears, Sebastian took her hand. "Darling. I'm fine." Aurora shook her head, "No... No your not..." She removed her gloves and moved her hands over him. Sebastian frowned, "What are you doing?" Aurora looked up at him. "What does it look like?" She said, "I'm going to heal you." Sebastian sighed and pulled her into his arms. He held her for hours. Aurora lay curled in his arms, against the bandages placed there by the doctors earlier, watching as his wound slowly began to heal. The demon's arm was wound tightly around her, and she felt the pain and guilt eating away at her like a ravenous infection. They had lost so much tonight... She closed her eyes and inhaled his musky scent. If only he knew what happened on that dreadful ship. She couldn't tell him now of course, she feared the grief would cease his healing process. And she herself hadn't even known about her condition until after it happened.
She was thankful her wing was covering Ciel's eyes the moment the cinematic records came out of her body. It was only after she saw her own, did she see the much smaller record. She had flown in one spot, shocked at what had happened. In the moments Sebastian's own record played, everyone in the room was frozen. Ciel was unaware of what had transpired, though he peeked out from the angel's arms only to have her quickly bow his head. He didn't see the look of horror on Grelle's face, the look of shock on Ronald Knox's face, and the look of crossed horror and shock on the Undertaker's briefly. Aurora was unable to believe this change herself. She was surprised she hadn't sensed the unborn child. Now, it was too late. Time had resumed suddenly and Sebastian collided into both his young master and the angel. She and Ciel had panicked while waking Sebastian, ensuring he was alive, then, once the demon had fully awoken, the battle resumed.
She was pulled back to the present by a knock on the door. She slipped out of Sebastian's arms, the demon now resting silently, a soft snore escaping him as he slept. She opened the door and found Grelle. The red reaper looked at her with the same panic and alarm from the Campania. Aurora's breath caught in her throat, and she carefully stepped outside the bunk to speak to the reaper. Almost immediately, Grelle pulled her into a comforting hug. Aurora squeezed the reaper tightly in her arms, needing the reassurance her friend was there to offer. She broke into soft tears then, the red reapers arms pulled tightly around her and hushed her, Grelle even beginning to shed some tears for the angel. It wasn't too long after they were in the bunk with the sleeping Sebastian. "You can't possibly keep this secret from him." Grelle said. "He needs to know, Aurora." Aurora flinched, her hand pausing mid stroke through Sebastian's silky black locks. "If I tell him I could risk hurting him even more so. I want anything but that." Silence. Grelle spoke after some time, "I'm sorry. For what you lost. I know it must be rather difficult for you right now." Aurora nodded slowly. "Yes... But is a pain I would rather keep to myself for the time being."
She looked over at the demon on the bunk and continued to watch over him. Grelle spoke again. "What will you do know? Will you be alright? Keeping such a thing to yourself?" Aurora nodded slowly. "I've kept worse secrets." She clenched her fists and began to tremble. "Secrets I may never share... Secrets that haunt my dreams every time I sleep..." Grelle frowned, "Do you need to talk about it?" Aurora shook her head, "Talking about it only makes the trauma more real." Grelle sighed, "Surely reliving it once and being rid of it is better than seeing it over and over again." Aurora sighed, "Do you know what they did to me when I returned from seeing Malphas? When I came back from Schon Brohn they were all waiting for me." She shuddered and tears began to fall. "They did everything they told Malphas and more. They nearly killed me before brainwashing me and then telling me I had been in an accident. That I had flown to fast into a building." Grelle stared at her as she began to cry.
"I was so scared. So afraid. I prayed he would come and find me but he never did. They even fed me false hope that he was searching for me." She choked a sob, "Malphas was angry at me once for abandoning him. Is it not possible I felt the same? Is it not possible I loathed him for years because he left me alone to suffer? Is it possible that I feel responsible for everything that has happened? Is it possible that I blame myself every waking moment because if I had been a little more stronger I could have escaped Heaven and gone to find him in Hell so then we could have run away and lived happily ever after? Is it possible that I blame myself so much I constantly debate whether or not to impale myself with own rapier and just end it all?"
She broke off into sobs and Grelle immediately moved to embrace her, shushing her gently as she cried. "Oh darling, or Rara I had no idea!" Grelle took the angels face in their hands, looking into the tear filled grey eyes. "Oh so that is why your eyes are constantly shifting from silver blue to a dark, bleak grey! You poor darling, you are absolutely miserable! Have you tried explaining some of this to Bassy?" Aurora sniffed, holding on to the reaper tightly. "I do not wish to worry Malphas. He has seen enough." She sniffled. "Besides, if he knew everything that had happened, would he even still want me? I doubt it." Grelle frowned, "Now your talking nonsense, Rara. That demon is head over heels in love with you. If you don't know that by now then-" Aurora cut the reaper off. "I know he loves me. I just... after everything I don't know how he could. I-I'm nothing like other women he's used to." She sniffed, "I'm not like the nun, I'm not like Beast, I'm not like Lilli, I'm not like anything!" She looked at the sleeping demon sadly. "How can he, a demon, love an angel like me? When I've been nothing but a thorn in his side?"
Grelle hugged her. "You are anything but a thorn in his side, darling. Bassy adores you." Grelle smiled, "Besides, he loved you enough he proposed to you. A girl can only dream that a hunk like that would want to marry them." Aurora nodded slowly, "I suppose you are right..." Grelle chuffed, "Darling, of course I am right. When we were on that damned boat and there was danger, Bassy pushed you with that little brat out of harms way. And then he carried you off to safety- even though you did return to join the fight." Grelle stopped there, not daring to go any further. Aurora sighed, "I wonder what would have happened if I had stayed on that life boat." Grelle shrugged, "The kid and your demon could both be dead. Your involvement might have saved their lives." Sebastian began to moan in his sleep and shifted, his face grimacing in pain. Grelle stood, "I'll take my leave," Grelle glanced back at Aurora from the doorway. "Rara." Aurora looked up. Grelle smiled, "Congratulations on the engagement. I know you'll both be very happy." Aurora smiled, "Thank you Grelle." The door clicked shut just as Sebastian began to stir.
She smiled and turned to the demon, "Hey." Sebastian smiled sleepily, "Hello, darling." Aurora smiled and held his hand. "Are you feeling any better, mon amour?" Sebastian smiled and reached up to thread a hand through her hair. "Yes. Much." His strong arms reached out to circle around her waist, pulling her towards him. Their bodies pressed, her comforting warmth against his chilled skin, and they began to exchange breathtaking kisses as Sebastian leaned back down on the bed, taking her along, letting her straddle him while he slipped off the tailcoat of his from her shoulders and then quickly followed by her dress, though they didn't go anymore further than heated kisses and roaming hands. As much as he would have enjoyed making beautiful love with his angel, both of them were far too exhausted to go over their limit, and so they lay there in that small, one-man bunk, in a mess of tangled legs and sheets, listening to each other's breathing and the rolling of the sea against the ship.
Sebastian stared at the ceiling while he coiled his slender fingers on her pale blonde tresses. Her head was lying on his broad chest, her fingers skimming the rough edges of the bandages on his torso.
"Darling..." he whispered to her without tearing his gaze on the blank ceiling, "...about when I got stabbed?"
It took a long while for her to respond, but when she did; her voice was barely even a whisper, as if she didn't want him to hear at all. "Yes?"
"Were you afraid?"
There was an even longer pause, but then replied in that same soft whisper. "Yes..."
Another wave of silence grew between them. It was so long that it felt like hours before he mustered the will to ask, and by then, a loud honk reverberated within the walls of the rescue ship, signaling that they were closing in on land.
"Did you think I would die?"
As he stared on, waiting for her answer, he remembered at one point back in the Campania, between the few seconds when the Undertaker's scythe left his body and his hand grasping his young master's outstretched ones, he had thought of his beloved angel, and how she would react if he was never able to make it. He knew that the death scythe could possibly kill him. If it did, would she break down and cry? Or would she move on and try to burn the memory of him in the back of her mind like her horrific past, only meant to rise in nightmares and broken dreams? Sebastian would not deny that he was just as afraid at the fact that he would never be able to see her at the end of that day...would never be able to hold her in his arms like right now and try to free her of her worries.
He was clutching her left hand with his right, and when she gripped his fingers in what was clearly anxiety, he squeezed back in reassurance.
"Yes."
And then her strong resolve broke down, and Sebastian now held the fragile side of Angelica Aurora Laverne. The side that was broken apart in her fear of losing him. She already lost his love once before, and the memory of that horrible day when they were separated was forever etched in her mind. Back then, there was nothing she could do to stop what fate had in stored. Maybe that was why she didn't mind sacrificing half her energy to heal him. Maybe that's why she'd rather carry the burden of taking care of him even when he didn't need taking care of. It was the only thing she could do for him: to heal him of his wounds was enough for her to heal the shattered pieces of her heart.
"Shhh. I'm here. I'm alive." He kissed her head, his nose taking in the scent of her light blonde mane, as she continued to weep silently on his shoulder. This powerful but fragile Fallen Angel – his future mate, his lover – was definitely the most stubborn being he had ever met, because she still failed to realize after all these years that he was there to mend her broken heart on his own way – To heal her fears and worries with his strong arms around her and his lips pressed to her soft ones. She didn't need to carry the pain by herself. He will always be there for here as she is there for him, and not even Death will stop him.