V. I Chapter 29: Mine

"Look, darling, isn't he just adorable?"

"The best. He has both of our best features."

"Your joking. He looks almost exactly like you! Which means he'll be handsome when he grows up."

"Well, we'll just have to see later, won't we?" asked Michael Michaelis.

"Yes. He'll be perfect," agreed Acasia Michaelis. Her eyebrows creased. "However, I have one wish."

"What is it?"

"That he be kept out of the mafia business. Ciel shouldn't have to constantly be on the run like us. He deserves a wholesome life, one where he can settle in one place for the rest of his life with the person he wants to treasure."

"I agree. I don't want him dragged into the battle of the Underworld. He should be kept in the light, without ever having to go through the darkness like we do. I am the light drawing in attention to the rise of the mafia."

"And I am the world's greatest shadow, even greater because of the light beside me," said Acasia, smiling down at a sleeping Ciel. "If he must be involved, I want him to be a shadow even greater than me. One who can pretend to be a light. A shadow so deep and dark, you can't even see it."

Michael put his arm around his wife. "I love you. Don't ever vanish, please. I want us to show Ciel the best of both worlds, the light and the shadow. I want him to be the middle-ground, where both will flock him, and love him."

Acacia nodded, reaching down to brush a strand of gorgeous black hair out of Ciel's face. "Of course. I love you, too. I never want this to end."

.

Eight months later.

"Mama loves Daddy! Daddy loves Mama! I love Mama and Daddy!" Ciel giggled, tottering around, following Acasia as she moved, setting the table.

"Our son really is amazing, isn't he?" asked Michael, who was cooking in the kitchen. "Walking at four months, and talking in full sentences at eight months. How did I know our little boy would go beyond normal?"

Acasia smiled as she lifted Ciel up into her arms. "Who's a smart boy? Oh, Ciel, you're so clever! Your body build isn't quite bulky, so I think silent assassination would be the best role for you, should you ever join the Mafia. You see, this kind of build is best for speed. If a heavy guy can get his hands on you, you'll be dead for sure, but that's only if he can catch you!"

"Assassination wouldn't be a bad fit. Let's keep that as a backup, should he fail at life," said Michael, smiling. "Though, if he's this much of a genius already, I think we have nothing to be worried about. I wouldn't be surprised if he became some sort of record-breaking athlete, or some sort of genius scientist. You know what? I think he should be a doctor. If we want him to grow up well, then let's put him on the opposite path we take."

Acasia smiled slightly. "It'll be lonely for us, but it'll be worth it to see him happy and saving lives. One day, we may even be enemies! That's kind of funny to think about. Do you think he'll be a match for us, one day?"

"Maybe. We'll just have to see."

"Mama and Daddy are happy. Ciel is happy, too!" Ciel laughed, clapping his tiny hands together. "Ciel loves Mama and Daddy!"

"And we love you, Ciel. More than you know."

.

Two months later.

"Faster! You can move faster than that! If you don't, then you'll be dead!" Acasia called, showing the knife technique once more. "Like that, but I know you outclass me in speed. Come on, Ciel. Show me what you can do."

Ciel nodded, brows furrowed. He couldn't fail again. He had to make his parent's proud. When he did, Daddy stayed longer and they spent more time together, teaching Ciel more self-defense. Ciel clenched the knife in his hand, stabbing quickly, but it was a light blow, intended for the sole purpose of making the opponent think he was weak and striking at their chest/throat. Ciel quickly switched the grip on the knife, ducking and slashing across where the thigh would be on an opponent. He spun, switching the grip once more back to the original position, before slashing down, cutting the opposite leg's Achilles tendon.

Acasia's intense look broke into a gentle smile. "Very good, Ciel. We'll have to tell your father once he gets home. He's been on quite a few trips due to work, but I'm sure he'll stay a bit once he hears about your progress!"

Ciel walked up to his mother, wrapping his arms around her leg. "Daddy still loves Mama."

Acasia smiled wider. "I'm sure he does. Now, would you like to eat?"

"I want to practice more!" Ciel cried, jumping up and down. "I want to know more!"

Acasia's eyes widened before she sighed, a wry smile on her face. "How did I know? Fine, I teach you a new move."

Ciel watched raptly as his mother showed him a new technique. He wanted to learn all he could fast, so he could be of help to his mother and father when he was older.

.

One year later.

"I told you! I have to go for work!"

"You've been gone quite often for so-called work, Michael! What happened to raising Ciel together? Lately, you've been gone for even weeks at a time!"

"What can I do? I'm a mafia boss! I can't just sit back forever!"

"I know! I'm the Yakuza's leader! But I've managed quite quickly! Someone with your skillset shouldn't need to be gone this long!"

"Listen, I just got home and I'm tired. I'm going to go to bed. We can talk about this later."

"Fine. I... I just really want you home more often, and so does Ciel. He's facinating, really. He can pick up when I'm feeling down quite easily and quickly, and trains extra hard so I smile."

"He really is the best son anyone could ask for. And... listen, I'll try to come home more often, okay? So let's just go to bed."

Ciel sighed in his bed, the covers pulled up over his head like a hood as he sat huddled in the corner of his bed. It scared him a bit whenever his mother and father fought, because he knew they both had very lethal skills that could end lives at any second. It made any fight rather life-threatening, and there had been a time when they'd pulled blades on each other.

Ciel curled up in bed. He didn't like it when his parents fought. Ciel nodded, determined. He'd have to show all the skills Mama had taught him during his father's last trip. He'd make them both smile and laugh, and forget their fight.

.

.

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Ciel gazed at the rundown little house in front of him. It was simple white wood, one story. He remembered it being two bedrooms and one bathroom, with a living room, dining room, and small kitchen.

It had been years since he'd come back home to Japan, let alone back to the small house he'd once lived in with his mother and father, and then his mother and the people she invited over daily.

Ciel took a step forward, and, without realizing it, began a steady trek toward the building. He opened the door, having to bend over to keep from hitting his head on the doorframe. He looked in the small entry hall, the rusty nails they used to hang their coats on, the slight scrapes on the floor from where they used to toss their shoes.

Ciel proceeded through the hall, entering the dining room first, which was cramped now that he was full grown. The table was still intact, thought the cloth and furniture were covered in a very thick layer of dust. He reached out and rattled one of the chairs, remembering his family eating dinner and laughing.

Ciel shook the memory from his mind, proceeding to the small kitchen. It was a small gas stove, small counter, fridge, and a few cabinets. He reached through the dust to find the old knifeblock sitting where it used to. All of the knives were still there, and Ciel made a mental note to bring the block with him back to England.

Ciel made his way out of the dining area to the area across from it, where the living room, bathroom, and bedrooms were located.

Ciel sat down on the couch for a minute, remembering that his mother used to read him stories on that sofa. He moved on, peeking into the bathroom before making his way to the two bedrooms. He made his way to the one on the end, which was his parents' bedroom. It was about the same size as the living room and kitchen combined, which was big for the small house, but it could onlyu fit a queen sized bed. The covers were a mess and full of dust.

Ciel exited the room after patting the bed. He made his way to the last room, the one that held so many happy memories, yet over three times the bad memories.

The outside of the door looked perfect. Not a scratch, scrape, or bump. Ciel took a breath as he tisted the knob and stepped inside.

Ciel shuddered as he saw the bars on the window, the deep gouges on the floor, and the scratch marks and set of chains on the wall. In this room, he'd both been sang to sleep by his parents and raped thousands of times before he finally broke free. He looked at the bed, where his mother would watch as Ciel would scream and cry and shriek.

"It's all because of you!" she would scream. "If you didn't leave, none of this would have happened! I swear I will get you back one day, Michael!"

Ciel walked deeper into the room, until he could touch the chains. He picked them up, gazing at the clamps for his wrists. Ciel picked up the ring of keys on the floor, holding the left clamp around his wrist and locking it. He winced slightly, as the shackles were tighter than they were years ago, but stood still until he could bear it no longer and unlocked them once again, fingers scratching at the skin until it split, causing blood to pour over his scars.

Ciel picked up the shackes, mustering all the strength he could to pry the old chains from the clamps. He pocketed the clamps as he let the chains fall to the ground.

Ciel sighed as he left the old house. He turned on his phone and called. "Hello. Yes, Prime Minister, this is Ciel Michaelis. I have a favor to ask you. That old house that looks like it's about to collapse? Can you please..."

.

.

.

"NO! You can't leave me!" screamed Acasia. "You can't! You can't! You can't just leave me with a child because you found some fancy new woman!"

Michael grabbed his coat. "It's not a woman, Acasia. It's a man. And I think that he now holds more importance than you and the kid."

"You can't leave me! I'll kill him if you leave! I'll kill myself!"

Michael gave her a cold stare. "Go right ahead. I don't care anymore."

Acasia drew her knives, throwing the first one. "I'll kill you, then! In the end, the most precious thing to a person is his own life!"

Michael narrowly dodged the first knife, cutting off a strand of his black hair. "That's enough, Acasia. You can't throw a fit over every time I leave."

Acasia snarled as she threw two more knives.

Michael dodged the first, but the second cut a long, deep slash across his face. "There. We're even now. Now, I have to go."

"No! You can't! I won't let you! I'll destroy your life!" Acasia warned.

Michael glanced over his shoulder. "Obviously you're losing your touch if you've lost my attention to a man, Acasia Michaelis. And from now on, I want you to address me as Mr. Jackson."

The door slammed shut.

"Jackson... you can't get rid of me that easily. Change your last name back to how it was. Cast me aside as if I was nothing more than a mistress. You can't get rid of me that easily, Michael Jackson!" Acasia laughed, a mad, insane laugh that made Ciel shudder from his room. "I'll make you remember what you've done, Jackson! I'll carve it into your skin and I'll make sure you're screaming my name as I kill you!" Another mad laugh. "In the end, I was right, Jackson! I told you this before we got married and I'll say it to you again before I kill you. The only person you can trust is yourself!"

.

.

.

Jaeyline had her mouth open. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

Laksa shook his head. "Sadly, no. That's the story of Ciel's happy life. After that, his mother saw him as Michael Jackson #2. She tortured him, and brought many, many people a day to rape Ciel. If Michael Jackson ditched her because of a man, she'd ruin his son with men."

Jaeyline put her hand over her mouth. No wonder Ciel hated physical touch, and he avoided most men like a plague. "That's horrible."

"And just recently, that week he was missing, his mother had been planning a party. She holds one every year, in different places. This time, it happened to be in London. Ciel was invited, and you'd be suicidal to refuse a direct invitation from Acasia Michaelis. He went with Enda, the assassin, and everything was apparently peaceful until she told Ciel to wait in a room in the hotel she'd booked for the party.

"After that, he was gang-raped again. A bit later, I got a frantic call from an assassin and his personal doctor. Do you know how much damage Ciel had sustained?"

Jaeyline shook her head, but it made her heart break to hear Laksa speak next.

"Doctor Ishida said that he had major damage to his hips and pelvis, as well as the inside of his anus. He had very serious whip lashes across his back and chest. One of his Achilles tendons were cut, and his throat sustained massive damage from what could only be choking. The worst injury was... his left eye, which was removed before the doctors had gotten there, and hasn't been found. Because it's been too long, he will never be able to see from that eye again, even if they find the eye."

Jaeyline just sat, frozen. Her hands shook.

Laksa braced himself for yelling, screaming, but he was shocked when a sob came from Jaeyline. "H-hey, now, why are you...! Oh, what do I do...?" he fretted as Jaeyline broke into tears.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Laksa. I'm sorry I couldn't protect him. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for him! I'm sorry...!"

Laksa's eyes softened. "No, none of this is your fault. Stop crying, please. You have no reason to feel sorry. All I ask of you is that you never leave his side, if it's what's best for both of you. I just want you to stand by him, as someone who loves him."

Jaeyline's eyes widened before she smiled slightly. "I will. I'll never let him go, unless it's truly what's best for both of us."

Laksa nodded. "I know you don't have the cleanest past, but I don't think that matters, as long as you promise to take care of him."

"I do. I promise. I will," cried Jaeyline.

Laksa smiled. "Well, then. Since I'm sure Ciel cares for you, I welcome you to the dysfunctional family of Michaelis-Jackson."

Jaeyline shook her head, green eyes fierce. "No. I welcome the both of you to the Cordelia family. You will always have a place with us."

Laksa stared at her a second before tears started to fall from his own eyes. "Oh... what am I...? Why...?" he asked, wiping the tears from his eyes, though they just kept falling.

"Don't worry, Laksa. You can cry, you can shout," said Jaeyline. "I'll always be here, and so will Ciel."

"How do you know?" whispered Laksa.

"Because I'm not going to let him fall again. He will rise, and he will rise like no one's ever seen before."

Laksa gave a watery, grateful smile, before he broke down completely, leaning on Jaeyline's shoulder and crying, loudly, but Jaeyline just patted his back.

She silently thanked Laksa for telling her everything. This changed everything. Because this meant she could do something for Ciel, this time.

Jaeyline looked through the window. She would have to wage war against two fronts. The Jacksons, and the Michaelises.

Because Ciel was hers.

Jaeyline smiled at the challenge. That was right. 'Ciel is mine,' she thought fiercely. 'He will always be mine, even if I have to tear the Michaelises and Jacksons apart.'