Ciel decided not to follow his father to Sanctuary yet. There was nothing he could do about the security issue and he was still a little tired. Entering his room, he sighed and scratched his head looking at the mess on the floor. He could just leave it and someone would probably clean it up later but he was brought up better than that. Bending over, he picked up his dirty clothes and threw them into a hamper in the bathroom. He also picked up his shoes and arranged them neatly on the shoe rack in his walk-in closet. Looking at his messy bed, however, he decided that he was a spoiled young master and would ignore that.

Undoing his half bun, he tossed the hair stick onto the dresser and sat on his bed. He ruffled his half dry hair and wondered what to do. A breeze blowing in from the window brought with it the scent of flowers and the sound of bird song. Looking out of the window, Ciel’s eyes softened.

Standing in the garden, Ciel breathed in the fresh air with relish. If there was one thing that Sanctuary lacked, it was greenery. The scattered potted plants and fountains in the lounge could never replace the feel of grass underfoot, the scent of wet earth after the rains or the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind. Nature was sensory. It wasn’t just a feast for the eyes, all five senses were involved; tasting ripe berries plucked immediately off the vine was anytime better than having it sterile on a plate in an empty, grey room. Ciel took a turn around the gardens, enjoying the warm sunshine and mild breeze.

After a while, he went to a gazebo at the end of the garden. The gazebo was situated on an incline near the edge of a cliff and he had an almost 360 degree view. Behind him was the family home, a single storey Japanese inspired mid-century modern manor. This was the compromise his parents came to when they decided to settle down in Time Valley. Gin had a penchant for western architecture, which was why he designed Sanctuary akin to a gentleman’s club of the Georgian era. However, Time Valley, where his mother came from had a more oriental and traditional feel, with sloping four-sided roofs, decorated eaves and multi-tiered pagodas. A Tudor or Edwardian styled house would be an eyesore in the valley, even if they were a little away from the village. So while their home was more modern, with a flat roof and wide glass windows, it blended in with the oriental styled garden. A separate courtyard was built in the traditional design to entertain guests and the manor was strictly family only.

To the left of the gazebo was nothing but wide empty sky. In front of and to the right of the gazebo was the cliff edge that overlooked the village of Time Valley. The central square of the village was more prosperous, with double storey shops and tea houses along with a nine storey pagoda in the centre. Towards the outskirts, you could also see scattered thatched houses that had their own quaint charm. The gazebo itself was a simple structure: four columns supporting a four-sided sloped roof and a wooden, lacquered platform about half a metre off the ground. The sides were open so you could enter from any direction and sit on it directly. 

Sitting on the platform, Ciel toed off his loafers and pulled his legs up, putting his chin on his knees. The peaceful scenery around him was calming and he sat there, hugging his legs, staring at nothing. It had been a while since he came here by himself. He loved the outdoors but when he lost his wings, he didn’t want to come to wide open spaces like this. The feeling of just jumping and soaring away was too irresistible and the pain of realizing that he couldn’t do it anymore unbearable.

When he thought about his lost wings, he would inevitably think about George, who had taken them away. Ciel thought about what happened yesterday and the body contact they had by accident. It didn't hurt; he knew George wouldn't hurt him, his interactions with him all this while proved that. And George had always looked out for him at the club. Even if his family was there, George seemed to always be the first to notice when he needed assistance. In the past fifty years that he had been in Sanctuary, George had always conducted himself beyond reproach. He treated everyone with respect and courtesy and took his responsibilities seriously. Everyone liked him; except Ciel, that is. Before he could work up positive emotions for him, he would always be reminded of the terror and pain George had caused when they first met. Perhaps it was time to forgive him and move on, but when Ciel thought of the blue skies that he would never be able to soar through freely, he remained conflicted.

Sighing, Ciel lay down on the platform, his right arm pillowing his head. Lying on his side, he stared blankly at the scenery in front of him and as a steady breeze blew, he slowly drifted off. When he came to, he was flat on his back with his hair scattered about. Stretching as he got up, he realized that it was mid-afternoon and he was hungry again. Rubbing his head as he headed back home, he could feel that his hair was a mess; so using his fingers he loosely braided his hair and forgot about it; he would tidy it up properly after he got something to eat.

As the family normally had lunch and dinner at the club, Ciel made himself a sandwich and some salad before sitting down to eat. All meals were prepared at the club. The sideboard was specially modified to magically send them their meals but they usually reserved it for breakfast, since that was the only time everyone was around at the same time. Other than that, Scarlet made sure that the fridge was stocked so that everyone could eat at their convenience. Finishing his simple lunch, Ciel went back to his room for another shower before changing and redoing his braid. He wore a uniform similar to the wait staff: white shirt and black slacks with a black vest. The only difference was instead of a silver ‘S’ on the vest, there was a pair of dragon and phoenix, embroidered in silver and gold. He then went to look for his mother so that they could go to the club together.

He stopped, shocked when he saw her; she was smiling, talking to a young man with silver white hair. The love in her eyes was obvious and Ciel was sure her eyes were wet from tears. It could not be a relative from Time Valley; almost everyone there had red hair of various shades. It was just the characteristics of the people of this race. In this valley, only he and his father had silver-white hair like that. Who was this man?

“Mother?” he called.

“Oh, Ciel! Come here, there’s someone I want you to meet.” She called, happy to see her son. If she was happy being seen then this wasn’t a case of adultery; not that Ciel would believe it anyway. There was no one on earth more stupidly in love with each other besides his parents.

“This is Kou. He’s a relative of yours.” She introduced.

Ciel looked at the man in front of him. Looking about twenty-five, the man was slender with silver-white hair that stopped at the bottom of his ears with a slight curl. He was fair with an angular face and large amber eyes so pale, they looked golden. Large golden eyes? Ciel widened his own eyes in shock before turning to look at his mother.

“They say that eyes are the window to the soul. No matter what your father changed, this was the one thing he couldn’t change… not without destroying the soul,” Scarlet said cryptically. Ciel nodded, his emotions churning. After nearly a hundred years… he wondered what the twins would say when they meet Kou… or Yue for that matter. But he frowned when he looked at Kou again. While Kou was slender like him, his shoulders were a little broader and there was an undeniable air of masculinity to him. Was everyone around him going to be manlier than him? It really, really wasn’t fair…

*           *           *           *           *

Yue was sitting despondently in his alcove, wondering if he should get another drink. His brothers had been here earlier, dragging him away to his room to get cleaned up before forcing some food down his gullet. Not that he needed to eat. Beings like him and his brothers could go for hundreds of years without eating; they could subsist on the belief that people had in them; but they needed to break his routine. If he ended up losing his will to live, he could end up two ways: possessed by inner demons and wreak havoc on others or fall into endless hibernation before fading away.

But he couldn’t do that. Dawn was still alive, he could feel her calling his soul. He promised he’d wait for her and even made that reckless bet with Master Gin; that he would recognize her and find her, no matter where she was, that their love for each other was more than skin deep; it went all the way to the soul. He had been restless as of late, as if something was about to happen, like the winds of change was stirring. And he knew why the minute he saw him, the hand holding the glass tumbler jerking unconsciously.

“Oh, Madame Scarlet, who’s this?” a patron asked, seeing Scarlet walk in with Ciel and a new face.

“This is Kou, a relative of my husband. He’ll be working here temporarily.” Scarlet smiled at the guest.

“Wonderful, I look forward to getting to know you better young man.”

Yue watched as they exchanged pleasantries before Scarlet took Kou away to find Master Gin. Ciel had gone straight to work; greeting the guests and being a gracious host. Yue smiled, his dark eyes glittering.

“Kou… that means light… After ninety-nine years, eleven months and twenty-three days, I’ve found you again…” he mumbled to himself

She may have been his Dawn of hope but now in her remade form, he was his Light in the dark night. If Master Gin thought that this method would turn Yue away, he was wrong. As Yue said, this was not a puppy love that came and went quickly; he’d waited all this while after all. This was a passion that seared the soul, a meeting of two perfect halves. And now that he found his love, his light, his soul, he was never going to let go again…