Ciel couldn’t sleep. He had at most gotten an hour’s sleep before his eyes opened and he had spent the rest of the night tossing and turning until the sky gradually got brighter. He sighed and thumped his pillow with a disgruntled look on his face as he got up, stifling a yawn. It was pointless trying to get anymore sleep and all he would do would be to close his eyes and lie to himself as the sun continued to rise high in the sky.

It had been three months since they had returned. As Kou had passed out after he passed through the barrier, they had spent a few more days in Yellow Wind Town to allow Kou to recuperate. When he had woken up, he looked at Yue with the friendly camaraderie of friends who know and trust each other but not the loving passion of lovers a century past. Yue was silent and gave her a smile and a “I’m glad you’re ok.” before he left the room. Ciel could only mourn for his friend who had lost his love who had been in his grasp. He watched Yue pretend that he was fine while he tightly gripped the hand that was grasped in his, wondering how it would be like for the two of them if he would not be able to remember or to be forgotten. But when he remembered his mortality, he then wondered which was worse; to remember but never be able to touch or to be within reach but never remember?

Aside from saving Kou and Yue though, they had come to a dead end on the mole that had been planted at the club. Feng and Yun had managed to pick up Xiao Ping’s trail again but it led to a corpse that had had breathed its last a long time ago; his soul shattered, never to enter the cycle of rebirth ever again. Ciel could only sigh as they lost a valuable clue that could lead them to the shadows. But then again, shadows had always been an elusive thing in the light.

When it was time to leave, he realized that he had not seen Grandmother Huo since he sealed the dragon inside George. Hong Yang only said cryptically that she had gone to look for someone and perhaps she would have some answers to his problems. Ciel was confused but considering his eccentric but loving relatives, he decided to just accept it as is.

When they returned to the club, Ciel had the difficult but necessary task of informing Tlaloc what happened to the Great Goddess. The thunder god listened to his story with nary a single emotion on his fearsome face. When he came to the end of his tale. Ciel glanced at Tlaloc hesitantly, afraid that his news would upset him. But Tlaloc only gave a melancholic sigh as he leaned back against the sofa.

“So she has returned to the underworld…” there was a moment of silence before he continued. “We were once of the same generation. But while I continued to be worshipped, others came to take her place. I watched as a proud warrior slowly faded. It was unpleasant…”

“But she asked that you not grieve for her. She said she was happy that she had her freedom at least.” Ciel said softly.

“We knew this day was coming. She’d told me a long time ago not to worry. But as an old friend, one cares.”

“She has just chosen to rest in the underworld. It is her domain so there will be no one who can harm her there.” Gin who had been sitting silently beside his son finally spoke.

“Yes. Perhaps one day when I’m tired of it all, I will join her there and we can sit and reminisce of our glory days.” Tlaloc sat lost in a moment of their shared greatness before he rose from his seat. “I will be making my way now. But for finding her and conveying her message, thank you.”

“Stay and share a toast to her glory before you leave.” Gin invited. But Tlaloc only shook his head.

“Not this time. I will salute her on my own today… When I have remembered her greatness, I will come and share them with the little ones here. Our stories need to be remembered.” There was a sad smile on his ferocious face.

“Then go well, thunder god.” Gin responded lightly.

Tlaloc’s face soured a little. “Call me by my name. Nowadays whenever people say thunder god, they all remember that drunken troublemaker… Just because he was in a movie…” the last sentence was as if an afterthought.

“This is how the world works. The more believers you have, the stronger you are.” Gin gave a helpless smile.”

Tlaloc gave a shrug which was rather out of place for him and left. Ciel had no idea when he would see the Aztec god again because he knew that time was never kind to anyone; not even the gods. So while the end was rather disappointing, they had come to a conclusion that was still acceptable to Ciel. Even though they could not do anything to the shadows, at least there was no major loss on their side.

And every now and then, Ciel would notice Kou looking at Yue with a frown on his face. There was a look of confusion and loss but Kou had yet to understand what it meant. Perhaps the door that had been opened could not be fully closed anymore. Little bits of the feelings they had together was slipping through the cracks and soon, he would find the key that would allow him to walk through and embrace the man that was waiting for him faithfully on the other side.

But for now, Ciel was tired and grumpy and totally unable to find out what was wrong with himself. Even the sleeping potions his mother had provided him were of no use. Leaving the still and silent house, Ciel decided that it was better to take a walk than to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling until it was time for breakfast.

*           *           *           *           *

“Ciel? What are you doing here?”

Out of habit, George had never really slept until afternoon, even though he ran the night shift until the wee hours of the morning. After two to three hours of sleep, he would feel energized enough to go train in the gym or just lounge in his room with a book. He blamed his immortal constitution for that; if he could go for years without food or drink when he sealed himself, what was that little thing as a few hours sleep? Out of habit he had woken up early and was heading to the gym when he heard someone playing the piano. He had been surprised to see his boyfriend sitting on the stage playing on the baby grand. His music was not the smooth blue green that George was used to. Here and there had been ugly patches of brown where Ciel had missed some notes.

“George? Shouldn’t you still be asleep?” one of Ciel’s privileges had been that he could leave much earlier than the night shift people because he could come in halfway through the afternoon shift. The bar had closed maybe three or four hours ago.

“I don’t really sleep.” George shrugged he noticed the awkward silence and looked at Ciel again. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly as he went on stage to start stroking Ciel’s hair.

“I can’t sleep… I’m so tired…” Ciel had buried his face against the waist that was beside him. George could only stroke his head helplessly. He had noticed Ciel’s constant yawns recently but had no way of helping. Since his parents could not find what was wrong with him, how could he, a mere human who had not special magical knowledge do?

“Do you want to come upstairs and lie down?” He could see that Ciel’s eyes were drooping and he was rubbing them again.

“It’s not like I can fall asleep…” Ciel was pouting in tiredness.

“I’ll keep you company and we can talk. You can still get some rest that way.”

Ciel seemed to think about it before he gave a small nod, his ears slightly pink. George smiled and led him back to his room.

“Do you want to change into something more comfortable?” He asked, eyeing the collared shirt and casual slacks Ciel was wearing.

“No need, I’m just going to lie back, not sleep. It’s too much trouble.”

George pulled back the covers and patted his bed, indicating that Ciel should lie down. He then kicked off his own shoes and lay beside his beloved, entwining their fingers together.

“Now close your eyes and rest.”

Ciel gave another yawn and a derisive smile. “I’ve been so tired I can’t even think straight sometimes.”

“I thought you’d be fine with minimum sleep like me.”

“I used to be. But it seems like something keeps waking me up. It even disrupts my mana absorption from the air so I can never feel fully recharged…”

George couldn’t help feeling heart sick over the grievances in Ciel’s voice so he leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. “If ever you feel tired at the club, you can always come here and borrow my bed.”

“My own bed is also a portal away…” Ciel had turned his head away, embarrassed at the sudden kiss. After all this time, he was still bashful whenever George showed affection. Even when it was just the two of them. George could only smile helplessly at how cute he was.

“That’s true. But I like keeping you company.” George was met with silence at those words. At first he thought that Ciel was just shy but after five minutes of silence, George frowned.

“Ciel?”

More silence. George leaned over and was surprised to see that his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. He had fallen asleep. George didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this but seeing as his beloved had finally managed to sleep, he gave Ciel another kiss to his forehead before he too lay beside him and shut his own eyes, their hands still clasped in the other. All in all, George couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time than to watch the one that he loved fall asleep and then wake up together.