Cielle the cat part 1

Summary: When the demon refuses to get rid of his cats the earl refuses to be in the service of a cat fanatic which causes the butler to be at a loss. But when he returns and Sebastian realizes he's sick his duties are restored until he suddenly is incapacitated.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Sometimes it is all that I could do to hold myself back in that household. Every ounce of my self-restraint is spent on controlling my anger and frustration for the efforts of preventing my demonic powers from taking over. Oh, how easily it would be to dispose of them. The 5 who cause me nothing but misery in this most recent, unusual existence are quite the bunch. There is the clumsy housemaid, the pyromaniac chef, the crybaby gardener,their titles all of which are questionable due to the poor quality of their work, or lack thereof, and the house steward who does nothing except drink tea. However, the worst is that stubborn, self-centered, overly-dependent, little boy who constantly demands such mundane tasks of me: tending to his personal matters, providing an endless supply of elegant sweets to his liking, and creating the perfect ambiance for hosting magnificent affairs.

I would lose my mind but fortunately our other activity of pursuing the mysteries of London provides the excitement and the appropriate usage of my abilities. Despite the binding contract which forces me to stay by his side and not leave, there is another reason I stay in that place with those imbeciles: my cats. Ah, just thinking about it makes me forget about all those annoyances. My collection of glorious felines kept hidden in the mansion reaches over 15, I believe, and certainly I'm not particular when regarding which type of cat I own: Siamese, Burmese, Scottish fold, Oriental, Shorthair, Longhair, Persian, Manx, Bobtail, Russian blue, Sphynx, Turkish or what fur patterns they display: Color-point, Tabby, Tortoiseshell, Calico. Even so, I must admit, there is one I favor above the rest: it is the Turkish Van who is my most recent addition. She came to me a few days ago and I instantly fell in love with her.

Of course I have not forgotten about my first, that gorgeous beauty with her black fur and amber eyes, however this cat was perfect. A glorious bundle of solid white fur of a long length, cute pink nose, incredibly soft paws and the unique combination of one blue eye and one green eye, a trait common with this breed that reminds me of my own little kitten. Still she is so friendly and cuddly I could forget myself in playing with her all day, which is exactly what happened. I opened my pocket watch and after glancing down at it, saw the time was well passed his expected tea time. It was devastating to leave my darling, however I could never displease my young master. I managed to assemble the necessary accouterments and deliver them quickly though when I knocked on the door of his study to receive an irritated grunt in response, I knew he was kept waiting too long.

"And just where have you been Sebastian?"

"I have been preparing your afternoon tea just as always, young master."

"Really, then why are you late?"

"My sincerest apologies, the preparations took a bit longer than I had envisioned but I suppose that is what I deserve for trying something new. I have for you a dessert called floating island and the crème anglaise needed time to come together in addition to the meringue requiring-"

"Enough. Just come over here and put it down."

"Yes, my lord."

I walked across the room over to his desk with the same cheerful smile I put on, grateful he did not realize no matter how elaborate the delicacy, it can quickly be produced with my skilled hands. As I placed the bowl of dessert with a spoon, the full tea cup and saucer down in front of him I noticed an unusual behavior coming from him: he had a hand brought up to his nose and was rubbing it slightly. The reason this action was atypical for him came as a result of the refusal to touch his face under any circumstance, except for removing his eye-patch, since he described it as an infallible indicator of a child and he was certainly not a child. I tried not to pay heed and allow him the peace to eat however the instant he dipped his spoon into the floating island, I heard a series of sharp inhalations coming from him. Before I could question, he abruptly turned to the side, pulled out a handkerchief and sneezed. For the first time since the two of us became intertwined but unfortunately not the last, I was surprised if only for a moment, by something he did and even though he glared at me immediately afterwards I could not keep from commenting.

"God bless you, young master."

"Hmph, what do I need god's blessings for? It never has done me good before."

"Then perhaps you will accept mine."

"A demon's blessing won't do me any good either. Just leave it alone," he bitterly demanded and the issue was put to an end once he finished dabbing at his nose before moving onto his snack, only to stop again except this time for a different reason, "Sebastian?"

"What is it?"

"The cream is good but not the meringue. Make it again next time with something else."

"Understood, are there any suggestions?"

"P-perhaps you c-could- haa… haa… hatchoo!"

"Bless you, again."

"Stop looking at me like that!"

"I am merely wondering if you are well."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine."

"Your nose would suggest otherwise."

"It's none of your concern."

"Oh I disagree. I believe as your butler and soul protector it is of my highest concern. Allow me to determine if you are running a fever."

"Sebas-"

"I will not take no for an answer."

"Do what you may," he permitted with the fact he gave in so easily proved suspicious however I went through with the task of placing a hand against his forehead after removing my glove to check for a temperature though after assessing for the necessary amount of time my expected prediction turned up false and I backed away to my spot next to him then met his victorious gaze, "See I was trying to tell you I don't have a fever but you wouldn't listen."

"In that case, if I might inquire, what is bothering you?"

"Well if you're so intent on knowing, my nose itches is all."

"Perhaps the aroma of this tea is-"

"No, it's my allergies."

"Allergies, young master?"

"Oh you didn't know," he questioned in a confident tone, clearly pleased with the glimpse of surprise he did manage to catch on my face this time, "That's strange. I thought you knew everything about me. Guess there are still some secrets I have from you. At any rate you probably are anxious to find out what I'm allergic to."

"I am merely interested to find out the cause in order to eliminate it and ease your suffering."

"Of course you are. I might as well let you know. It's cats."

"I… beg your pardon?"

"Cats Sebastian, cats. For as long as I can remember they always have overwhelmed me and caused me to sneeze. But why would my symptoms occur now? Don't you find that peculiar?"

"It could be possible you developed other allergies, to a different yet equally common item."

"That's unlikely. Come here Sebastian," he ordered which gave me no choice but to do follow it even though I was experiencing a great distress from the irony of this situation that had to be kept inward and he pulled on my suit jacket while giving me a sour look, "Did you know there's something wrong with your uniform today?"

"Is that so? I do not believe-"

"Stop with this nonsense! If you look down to examine your clothes, you'll discover they're covered in cat fur."

"No, it is not that. Instead this is fur from Pluto which happened to end up on me."

"I'm tired of playing this game with you. I know you're keeping several cats in my mansion. Admit it!"

"You are wrong. I-"

"Enough Sebastian, I specifically asked you not to lie to me. Speak the truth now!"

"Meow."

"Se-Sebastian how could you do this?"

It became a turn of bad luck that I was unable to confess since my cat felt it necessary to enter the room at that moment and announce herself to him. She could not be blamed for her miscomprehension of the situation due to the lack of being trained properly and if only to incriminate me further, she walked over to me, clawing at my legs with the intentions of climbing up my body unless I picked her up first. I thought how was it possible for anyone to resist such an adorable, affectionate creature, as she rubbed her head against my neck while I cradled her in my arms. No wonder my black uniform was covered with her white hair though it was worth the trouble because she looked so content and began purring as an indicator however in spite of that, he remained unmoved. As a matter of fact, he had gotten out of his chair and was standing right in front of us with an exceedingly livid expression which made me imagine he was about to grab the poor cat then throw it out the window.

I tried to remain impartial and prepared myself for what would happen next except suddenly all the fury left his face, replaced with a blank expression that changed again. His gaze became distant, head tilted back, nose twitched and lips quivered until finally he succumbed to a harsh sounding sneezing fit. He was violently pitched forward from the force and it would not have mattered if I wanted to help because with all that cat hair on me it would only increase the severity of his allergy attack. Once it subsided and he finished rubbing his nose through the handkerchief, he looked back up at me though the intimidating, authoritative effect he hoped to achieve was ruined by the way he was wavering, barely able to keep on his feet. I chose not to speak this time and permit him to overcome the lightheaded feeling he must have had before addressing me calmer than I imagined.

"I would be angrier if not for the fact I'm too exhausted so I shall make this simple: no cats."

"Please young master, be reasonable. There are treatments for allergies such as medication or injections."

"Do you honestly believe I would be willing to take pills or have shots?"

"For your information, young master, the reluctance towards those methods is often present in children."

"It doesn't matter. I'm still not having them and for your information, it's not just because of my allergies. I despise cats."

"Well I do not believe you. Cats are very enjoyable and the only reason you do not like them is a result of your unfortunate, negative reaction."

"No you're wrong. Cats are disgusting, useless, pathetic creatures. They do nothing for themselves yet constantly expect such a high quantity of attention, quickly turn on their owner if they're not pleased and that superior attitude cats have as they observe everything from a distance truly is annoying."

"Those qualities sound familiar to me."

"What's that supposed to- hatchoo!"

"Bless you. It meant nothing of course however; there is one similarity between you and cats, particularly this one. Observe young master, her eyes are two different colors."

"Why should I care? I bet it didn't have one of them changed because of a mark from a demon."

"Oh you would be surprised the interesting lives cats lead."

"Hmph, I doubt it."

"It is true. You see everyday Cielle experiences-"

"Sebastian, what did you just say?"

"I was explaining that Cielle has a very fascinating life in which you and I can never hope to comprehend because cats are mysterious."

"No that's not what I meant and you know it. Tell me what you named your cat."

"She was such a perfect cat, I had to choose a suitable title therefore I named her Cielle."

"You can't do that. It's my name."

"That is incorrect, young master. In spite of the similar pronunciation, her name is spelled C-I-E-L-L-E to make it more appropriate for a sophisticated lady."

"Ugh, this is making me sick. How can you be so attached to that thing? I'll say this one more time; I won't tolerate any cats in my house. You'll have to get rid of them all immediately. That's an or-"

He was interrupted when I abruptly swung my leg across his feet to knock him down, after safely setting down my cat and just as he was about to hit the ground I grabbed his arms to hold him up a centimeter above. As I loomed over him with my eyes glowing, my pupils slitting, and my nails growing sharp to pierce his skin the frightened look on his face was satisfying though I could not be blamed for losing control. No one can come between me and my precious cats. I was staring down at him with a short distance separating our gazes and though I knew he remained in a sound state except for being terrified which proved he could retaliate at anytime, I needed to communicate just exactly what I was thinking in that calm, collected manner I so characteristically utilize.

"I am afraid, young master, that this is one order I cannot obey no matter the consequences. In that case, since you already initiated it, I must implore you to revoke it and give me permission to keep my beloved cats in your house. Every day I am subjected to complete a series of ridiculous, never-ending tasks all while I bide my time until the moment I can capture your soul. This one, insignificant request of caring for them is the single factor which allows my sanity to be preserved. Go on, speak the words I desire to hear from you already."

"Se-Sebastian… you should have known b-better than to get up… this close to m-me with all that… f-fur on you to trigger my- haa… haa…"

"No wait, please do not-"

"Hatchoo! Hatchoo!"

In spite of my attempt to hinder the occurrence by moving back, he was quicker and sneezed right in my face, twice. Even when I was sitting up away from him, I became too distracted scrubbing off what he so generously imparted onto me that I had not realized he leaned over to grab my tie and blow his nose into it. He had situated himself over the rest of my body so I could not move though if I really wanted to I had the ability to escape being used as a handkerchief and I let him finish, shortly removing the defiled article after he was done. I possibly felt a slight pity for his suffering with it lessening once he sighed with relief to offer the completely opposite reaction of his anger I predicted.

"I feel much better now. That was too tickly."

"Young master, that was-"

"Your fault, you made me sneeze and shouldn't have done that. Under no circumstances are you to touch me like that again. The only reason I'm allowing this time to go without punishment is because you most likely will void the contract and rip out my soul right now for not listening to you."

"That sounds about right."

"Very well, you can keep your cats here then."

"Are you being truthful?"

"What choice do I have Sebastian? This is preposterous anyway, making such a big fuss about a bunch of cats. I don't care about this. You can do whatever the hell you want. In fact, I'm not bothering with what you do anymore because I'm not having you as my butler from now on."

"I beg your pardon, young master?"

"Yes, you heard me. You're not my butler anymore."

"What about the cont-"

"Hatchoo!"

"Bless you, young master."

"Shut up. The contract is still preserved but I don't want you around me. I refuse to associate with someone who has such an affinity to those vile creatures. You can reside in the mansion, bide your time and play with your cats but stay away from me. That's an order."

"Yes, my lord."

Even though I had accepted his command, I could not keep from finding that request strange and wondering why he would go that far to exhibit such childlike behavior, pushing someone away when they do something disagreeable to them. He glared at me one last time, making sure to grab his dessert and tea before storming out of the room which left me at a loss since I also did not expect him to be the one to leave. However, once I felt Cielle rubbing against my legs, begging to be played with I scooped her up into my arms and that entire unpleasant situation left my mind. Still I knew with this recent turn of events, the next few days would prove to be most interesting.