Realizing that she had just spoken for the first time in however long it had been, Adalina pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes just as wide as Sebastian's.
Her voice. It was so much more beautiful than anything Sebastian had ever heard in his very, very long life. He had never expected that what would come from her mouth was something that practically defined beauty. And to think that his name was the first thing she said...
He slowly approached her, his face etched with disbelief which was something that he very rarely showed. "Everything?"
Adalina nodded a little as her hand came away from her mouth. She couldn't believe that she had actually talked. She almost felt a little dizzy at the elation she felt.
Sebastian's gloved hand slowly came up to caress her cheek. He had longed for this moment for such a very long time, and he was almost afraid that if he touched her, the moment would end.
Adalina leaned into his gentle touch. She now remembered why she loved it so much. She remembered every one of his gentle touches.
But she also remembered something else.
Sadness filled her eyes, and she gently pushed his hand away from her face before walking further into the gardens.
Sebastian couldn't understand why she had finally spoken after all this time, the one thing she refused to do, before rejecting him completely.
Then it hit him. The last thing that had happened before she had been struck by the paralyzing drug and her subsequent memory loss was him rejecting her kiss.
The butler quickly went after her. After all of the frustration, anger, and jealousy (even if he wouldn't admit it) he had experienced in the last several months, he was not going to lose her now.
He slowly walked up to her as she was looking at the roses. "Adalina?"
The young woman turned around but did not meet his eyes.
"Do you truly remember everything? Even Lukas and the drug?"
She nodded a little.
"Another Reaper, William, took care of him. He will no longer hurt you."
She made no movement and continued to look down at the ground.
Sebastian put his hand to her chin and gently forced her head up so she had to look at him. "Come now. You have spoken once. Surely you can do so again."
Adalina moved away from his touch for the second time. "You pulled back," she stated, heartbreak lacing her words. "Why didn't you kiss me?"
Sebastian sighed. He could sense her frustration and betrayal. And he didn't have to be a demon to hear how upset she was. The Oracle had to have seen her and told of what must happen in order for them to be together.
"I wasn't ready," he confessed. "But I am now."
"How do you know that?"
He didn't blame her for her question. If she kissed him and he wasn't ready, all chances of them being together were forever gone.
"These past few months where you had lost your memories of me made me feel an anger I am not sure I have ever experienced before. I had to put up with you being afraid of me all over again. The first time was just a nuisance to me, but this time...I longed for nothing more than to be able to touch you or even be near you again. It made me realize that I was willing to do anything if it meant I could be with you."
"Anything?"
"Anything. Whatever it takes so that you are mine and I am yours."
Adalina took his hands in hers and slowly slipped off his gloves to reveal his black nails and purple contract symbol. Though her memories had returned, she had forgotten how inhumanely cold his skin was.
"Sebastian Michaelis..." she said quietly.
Sebastian felt some kind of emotion he had never felt before fill him completely as the sound of his given name left her lips.
"I am so in love with you."
The demon butler had never felt what it was like to have the one he loved return his affections. After all, he had never had any affections to return. Not to mention he had never expected Adalina to actually say the words. But he could safely say he had never experienced such a feeling before. When those beautiful words flowed from her mouth, suddenly, he didn't have a care in the world. Nothing mattered anymore as long as she was by his side.
Adalina leaned her head up to him. Sebastian did not pull away this time nor did he even think of doing so. He knew that he was fully ready to accept the consequences of what was about to happen. For once in his entire demon's life, he didn't care about himself anymore. All he cared about was her.
Adalina pressed her lips to his before she could change her mind. Her heartbeat quickened again as she lived the moment both of them had been waiting so long for.
Despite knowing the results of her actions, Sebastian found himself welcoming the contact of her lips on his own and enjoyed every second of it.
Adalina could feel his hands becoming warmer as they clutched onto hers. When her eyes opened again as they parted, she saw that Sebastian's eyes had lost some of their crimson color, and his skin was not as deathly pale as it had been before. She looked down at his hands and smiled. His nails were no longer black, and the contract mark looked more like a scar, but even that was quickly fading.
Adalina held Sebastian's hands up for him to see for himself. They both laughed quietly.
The transformation had worked.
A clap of thunder filled the sky, and the clouds finally released the built-up water they had been storing away.
Adalina laughed as the two of them quickly got utterly drenched. Sebastian's bangs stuck to his face, and she couldn't deny that it made him all the more attractive.
Sebastian gently fondled a strand of her darkened hair.
Adalina caressed the side of his face like he had done so many times with her.
"I love you," she said breathlessly before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him even more passionately than she had previously. She could feel his hand tangle into her wet brown hair.
Sebastian lifted her up, and Adalina wrapped her legs around his waist as his arms clutched onto her back. Adalina breathlessly kissed him, greatly enjoying the feeling of never wanting to stop that she had not previously known. She hadn't realized just how much she had wanted to kiss him-really kiss him-until it finally happened. The feeling of being passionately kissed by the one she loved, knowing that he loved her in return...she could say the words now, but there weren't any to properly describe it.
Sebastian had never known the feeling of having to cease activity for oxygen, but this was to be the first of many. He set her back down, and they both took deep breaths to regain their composure, but he never released her from his hold.
"Just, uh, one thing," Adalina said to him with a small smile. "Who's going to tell the young master about this?"
The Oracle stood atop a branch on one of the trees outside the manor, completely dry even in the torrential downpour. She leaned against the trunk, her arms and legs crossed, and let out a small laugh as she watched the events unfold.
She had been keeping an eye on Phantomhive Manor ever since her talk with Sebastian and Adalina, waiting to see what choice the demon would make.
"Well done, Sebastian," she smiled.
She put her balled up hand in front of her mouth and then blew into it as she opened it up. Black and white sparks floated from her palm and surrounded Sebastian and Adalina, though the two of them were oblivious to them. Only Oracles could see the sparks.
The white sparks cast protection over Adalina so that no demon or any other supernatural creature could ever sense that she was a pure of heart being, therefore, none of them would ever attack her again.
The black sparks would give Sebastian a little something that he was missing.
After drying off and changing clothes, Adalina knocked on the door to Ciel's study, Sebastian behind her.
This was probably not going to go over well.
"Yes, what is it?" Ciel called.
Adalina looked at Sebastian nervously and took a deep breath before walking in.
"Adalina? Is there something wrong?"
"No, sir," she answered. "But there is something we need to tell you."
Ciel's visible eye widened. "You're talking."
His head maid smiled a little. "Yes, sir."
Her voice was so much more...beautiful than Ciel had expected. It was almost like she wasn't talking but singing. "Why now?"
"Well, that ties in with what we need to tell you."
"What is it?"
Adalina took another deep breath. Of all the times to regain her voice, it was right when she had to explain one of the most difficult things of her life. "Well, first of all, my memories have all returned."
"That's good news."
"Um...Sebastian and I...over the past several months...began to develop...something more than a...working relationship."
Ciel's eyebrows rose, but he didn't look surprised. "I see."
"But an Oracle came to see the both of us."
"An Oracle?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, sir, I know it sounds a bit hard to believe, but it's true. The Oracle explained that I am a human who is pure of heart, and that the only way the two of us could be together...was if Sebastian became human."
Now Adalina had Ciel's full attention. The young earl seriously doubted Sebastian had gone through with it. He hated humans, and it was impossible for him to ever consider turning into one. He didn't really understand why they felt the need to bring him in on this whole situation.
"So he did."
"Wait, what?!" Ciel exclaimed as he bolted up from his seat. He looked at Sebastian in disbelief. "You turned into a human?!"
Sebastian bowed a little. "I did indeed."
"But you hate humans. Why would you turn into one for the sake of being with one? I thought it wasn't possible for demons to love anyway!"
"As did I, my lord. But it appears that when I shared her memories several months ago, it allowed for me to feel emotions, or so the Oracle said."
"This doesn't affect just you two, this affects me as well! Why was I not informed of this?!"
"The Oracle made it clear that this decision was for the both of us," Adalina said calmly. "If you knew about it, it may not have ever worked. But while I know this changes a lot, we are willing to work something out."
"What?!"
"The two of us shall remain your servants and will help you to find whoever is responsible for your parents' death. Even after that goal is achieved, we shall continue to protect you with our very lives as Phantomhive servants. In the end, your soul shall remain intact."
Adalina usually didn't see Ciel as just a 14-year-old boy since he acted so much older, but the way he was reacting to this news certainly made him appear 14 if not younger.
"That was not the deal! Why would you even want to stay now?"
"Because, my lord," Adalina continued, "we have grown to care for you. Sebastian will never admit it out loud, so I'll say it for him, but even in your previous situation, there was a part of him that genuinely cared about your wellbeing and not just because you were his contract. The same goes for me. We wish to stay and protect you. If you will allow us to."
Ciel turned away from them and placed his hands on his desk. This was a lot for him to take in all at once. How had he lost his butler like this? To a woman? A woman he respected, but a woman all the same!
How was he supposed to fulfill his end of the deal now? He was supposed to be giving his soul to Sebastian in order to find out who killed his parents! If Sebastian helped him find his parents' killer, there was no way Ciel could hold up his end of the bargain. How was Sebastian okay with that?
Ciel never liked it when his plans were messed up, even if it was for his benefit in the end. If he had a plan, he wanted to see that plan through to the end, no matter the consequences. The plan here had been to have Sebastian help him achieve his revenge and then give the demon his soul. That was the plan! Regardless of how awful the outcome was for him, it was his plan and he didn't want it messed with.
"How could Sebastian even help me now?" the earl asked his two servants.
"While I may not possess the same skills I had before, my lord, I assure you that I am more than capable of helping you fulfill your duties as the Queen's Guard Dog," Sebastian answered. "If I couldn't do something like that, then what kind of butler would I be?"
Ciel rolled his eyes. Sebastian had turned into a human and yet his irritating speech had not changed a bit.
"We will both help you," Adalina stated. "Whatever you need, and whatever it takes. We swear on the name Phantomhive."
The young earl sighed. Such a promise was not to be taken lightly. They both knew how important his family name was to him.
"You truly wish to stay?" he asked as he turned around.
"Indeed, young master," Adalina answered. "We shall stay with you until the very end. Which now...will be your death."
"You realize that if you want to pursue this relationship, you could no longer be my servant. Sebastian could remain, but you would have to be dismissed."
"With all due respect, my lord, you don't exactly run a very traditional manor. But in order to not taint the Phantomhive name and keep up appearances like we always do, we shall keep our relations a secret from others."
Ciel sighed heavily. As much as he hated it and wished that whatever that stupid Oracle was had just minded its own business, there was nothing he could do now. Sebastian was human and there was no going back. He knew full well that he couldn't have his two best servants up and leave him because without them, the house would (possibly literally) go down in flames...again. So if they actually wanted to stay his servants, he couldn't deny them a place of work especially when he needed them so much. Not that he would ever admit that.
"So be it."
Adalina curtseyed while Sebastian bowed, and the two of them exited his study.
Ciel went over to the mirror on the wall and removed his eye patch. The contract symbol was indeed gone from his right eye. However, the vibrant blue of his left eye had not returned. His eye was now a dull gray color.
The eye patch would have to remain.
Adalina looked over at Sebastian as she closed the door. "That went over better than I expected. Are you okay with remaining a servant to him even if we must hide our feelings for one another?"
Sebastian sighed heavily. "The sacrifices I make for you, Adalina."
Adalina bit her bottom lip. She couldn't blame him if he was upset with her. After all, to remain a servant when he now got nothing out of it and have to hide his feelings for her? It was a rather unfortunate combination.
Sebastian quickly put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him with a smirk. "You are worth every one them."
Adalina smiled at him. "So now that you're human, you can choose your own name. Is there a particular one you wish to have?"
Sebastian thought for a moment. "Admittedly, 'Sebastian' has grown on me over the course of my time here. Not only that, but it has deep meaning now. This name was the first word you spoke in years. So 'Sebastian' I shall remain."
Adalina laughed lightly and kissed him softly, both of them treasuring every second of the sign of affection.
"You know..." Sebastian said once he pulled away from her. "I could really use something to eat."