I do not own Kuroshitsuji! I am not Yana! I am however toying with her story and messing with her characters, so please enjoy the read! X3

Chapter 1

Earl Ciel Phantomhive stared out the window of the carriage as they made their way into the heart of the small town of Haven. The town consisted of local storefronts and necessities for the townspeople; not much more. "Not much to look at, is it?" he asked quietly.

Sebastian Michaelis smiled. "Well, we aren't here to look, now are we my Lord?"

Ciel looked at him for a moment before returning his gaze to the street. "Hmph," was his only reply.

The encounter with the angel had been unnerving, as had the revelations that had accompanied it. Sebastian being the loyal servant he was, suggested an evening of relaxation in Haven. However ironically named, the little town was known for its artificial hot springs. Quite the destination for leisure lovers.

As they made it to the building containing the springs, Ciel sighed impatiently. Finally, he thought moodily. Sebastian made his way out of the carriage and did the honors of holding the door open. Ciel stepped out and looked up to the gaudy building front. It was adorned with wooden carvings made to look like tropical trees and plants. How stupid, he thought as his eyebrow twitched. "You realize I'm only doing this because I have nothing better to do," he said darkly as he started towards the large double doors.

"Even so, my Lord," Sebastian replied in a smug tone.

Ciel stifled a growl of annoyance.

Sebastian held one of the doors open and they made their way into an incredibly small lobby. It was almost too small to be a sitting room despite the comfortable furniture.

"Hello, Sirs!" the young lady at the front desk called. "Is your visit for one or two?" she asked sweetly, cocking her head to the side.

"Just one," Ciel replied. "This man is my butler."

"Oh! Alright, but I must inform you that we do not allow personal servants to enter with their employers," she said with a strained smile.

"What! Why?" Ciel asked immediately, feeling irritation at the restriction.

"Well..." the woman blushed, "we've had an issue with personal servants being... personal servants." She smiled embarrassedly.

Ciel felt his face fall. He glanced to Sebastian who had the same blank expression. "... Oh. I see. Very well then," he conceded. If I have no other choice, he thought sullenly.

Several minutes later he came out of the dressing room she had directed him to and did his best to pull the rather short silk robe further down his legs. He wordlessly shoved his clothes into Sebastian's arms and accepted the small wicker basket full of various lotions, soaps, and loofas the attendant proffered. He followed her down a narrow hall to a suddenly large expansive hall filled with doors on either side.

"Right this way, Sir!" she said cheerily as she opened one of the doors closest to them. "I must inform you that our rooms are all shared rooms, but this is one of the few empty ones we have left. We are very busy today, so I can't guarantee you'll have it to yourself for long," she said with a kind smile.

"I understand," Ciel said in a monotone voice, "thank you for your consideration." He walked in and waited for her to shut the door. He immediately started taking stock of the large room. It was quite the work of construction.

The "spring" itself was a massive stone tub set into the stone bricked floor. The walls were made of treated wood so as to keep them from rotting from the constant steam and the cabinets and benches lining the room were well crafted and clean. A fine fragrance filled the air which he could only assume was coming from the water itself.

Ciel sat his basket down on a stool and started a closer inspection. He opened the cabinet and saw every shelf stocked with fresh towels. He closed it and walked around the walls and regarded the benches and floor. Everything was clean as a whistle and wet from the steam.

Ciel sighed quietly. "Alright then. Perhaps this visit will be enjoyable after all." He turned and started towards his wicker basket.

He suddenly heard a creek and looked to see the door opening again. "Right this way, Sir!" he heard the attendant say.

He immediately flushed. "Wait a minute its only been-" he stopped short and gasped as he caught sight of the person entering the room. "UNDERTAKER!?" he shouted.

The grey haired man laughed and started into the room. "Well, hello little Lord, fancy seeing you here!" he said flightily as he walked right past him.

Ciel turned and pointed at him as if he had committed a crime. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

Undertaker giggled as he sat his basket down on a the bench. "I come here every now and then for some personal pampering! There are no such facilities in London, so while the journey is long, it is very well worth it."

"Oh..." Ciel looked to the floor and thought about the validity of that claim. I guess it is possible. He stifled a growl. "I see. Well, I- do you have to be in this room?" he half-shouted.

Undertaker turned towards him and shrugged. "They've already filled the others up! Don't tell me you are afraid of sharing a bath-"

Ciel flushed and quickly cut him off. "No! Of course not-"

"And in any case," Undertaker said, cutting him off in return, "am I the worst person to share it with?" he asked with a grin, crossing an arm across his chest and putting his chin to his fist.

Ciel wasn't sure what to say to that. "Uuuh... no... I suppose not," he said uncertainly.

Undertaker's grin somehow widened. "Hehe- right then!" With that he undid the silk belt at his waist.

Ciel flushed brighter this time at the sight. "Wa-wait! You're not going to take your clothes off!?"

Undertaker paused with one shoulder already slipping out of the measly robe. "Hehe! Well, you can't get in with your clothes on, silly boy!" he said brightly before continuing to disrobe.

Panic started to fill Ciel's chest. "Wai-wait-wha!" He started waving his arms frantically at Undertaker. "Nonono! I-" Quite suddenly he stopped as the breath left his lungs. "... What?" He stared wide-eyed at the sight before him.

"What? You didn't know?" Undertaker said with a grin as he clutched his robe to his chest, not at all attempting to hide his lower body. "We Grim Reapers are without gender."

Ciel stared unabashedly at the expanse of nothing between Undertaker's legs. There was obviously no "male" organ there and there wasn't even what was supposed to be there to imply a "female" organ. He'd only ever seen pictures so it wasn't as if he could say he knew what it looked like in reality, but that didn't change the fact that nothing was there at all. It was just... a mound of flesh. As if he was staring at a manikin in a tailor's shop.

Ciel blinked suddenly as the odd sight suddenly disappeared from his vision. Undertaker had turned to the bench and was setting his robe to the side. "Uh... genderless... As in not male or female?" he asked, feeling slightly as if he was asking a stupid question.

"Correct, little Lord! Your butler hasn't told you this?" Undertaker asked.

"Wha-NO! He knows about this?" Ciel shouted in disbelief.

"Well, of course!" Undertaker said cheerily, pulling an absolutely massive hair clip from his basket. "He is a demon who has walked this earth for millennia! He found this out a long time ago." He started gripping his hair and twining it his hands before pulling it up and rolling it into a makeshift bun, securing it with the clip.

Only then did Ciel notice the scars running across his body and limbs; one crossing from his right shoulder to the middle of his left side, one from his left pelvic bone to his right hip bone, and another circling his left thigh, as well as one on either arm and on either leg. He's scarred from head to toe... Ciel thought suddenly. "... Oh..." he said finally, almost forgetting the current conversation.

"Well, are you going to get in?"

"Huh, what?" Ciel said with a start and looked to see Undertaker testing the water with his foot.

"The spring, Earl Phantomhive!" he said as he knelt to the rim of the tub and started putting his legs in. "Its the perfect temperature!" He slid all the way in and sank down to his shoulders.

"Uh..." Ciel stared at the tub. He'd already forgotten about the hot spring. "... Right..." he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Oh please! It's not as if I haven't seen a naked human body before!" Undertaker said, turning to apparently look at him, seeing as his bangs were still in his face. "Did you forget who I am?" he asked with a wide grin.

Ciel felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. He huffed. "No, I guess it wouldn't be new to you, would it." He opened his robe quickly and tossed it onto the bench. He walked purposefully to the spring and slipped in smoothly.

He took a deep breath of the elegantly scented water and suddenly noticed how it felt... soft, somehow. It must be what they've put in it, he thought absently. He took another deep breath and felt himself start to relax. He glanced to his side and saw Undertaker sunk in all the way to his chin. He had a content smile on his face. He... Ciel thought. His eyebrows drew down in confusion. Now that I think about it, why do they refer to themselves as 'he's' if they don't have genders? Ciel took a deep breath. "Undertaker?"

"Yes?" Undertaker said without moving, apparently content to be still.

"May I ask you a question?"

Undertaker chuckled. "You just did, my Lord, but you may ask another!"

Ciel suppressed his annoyance. "Why do you and the other Reapers refer to yourselves as 'he's'? If you have no genders, what would be the point?"

Undertaker grinned. "Well, you've never heard me refer to myself as a male now have you?" he asked in a quirky tone. Before Ciel could respond he continued. "However, if you must know, it is something we've acquired from you humans."

Ciel blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Why yes! You see, we've been reaping the souls of humans since the very beginning, hence our history is intertwined with human history. Therefore, it is only natural that there would be bleed-throughs from one species to another." Undertaker cocked his head and seemed to be looking at Ciel. "One cultural difference that resonates as a similarity is the notion of genders! While we have no genders, we could not help but notice that we happened to resemble one of the human genders," Undertaker suddenly grinned, "the gender of male!"

Ciel sank slightly into the water. "... Yeah?"

"Hn! We obviously have more developed upper bodies and narrow hips, and of course we happen to be rather tall more often than not. And then, by human standards, our facial features and voices appear to be 'masculine'. Hence, when a human ever noticed us, they assumed we were 'men'." Undertaker leaned back and appeared to stretch out in the water. It was hard to tell because the water was a cloudy green color.

Ciel looked at him. "Well, that doesn't explain why you use the word? And what of Grell Sutcliff?"

Undertaker snickered suddenly and grinned again. "Very sharp you are, little Lord! You are correct, that is not the reason why we use the word in reference to ourselves. In truth, we accidentally borrowed the word."

"Really?" Ciel blurted in surprise.

"Yes! You see, in the ancient times of our people, we used to refer to ourselves and each other by our given names. Meaning, if I were to talk about you in any way, I would always use your name to refer to you. For example, 'Ciel went to the market with Ciel's butler and decided Ciel wanted a new cane because Ciel's old cane was starting to dull.'"

Ciel raised his eyebrows. "Well, that sounds terrible."

Undertaker giggled as he swished water around with his foot. "Yes, well, when raised with it as a way of life, there is no notice of it. However, there were some Reapers that took note of the pronouns that humans used to refer to themselves and others. Eventually, they started using them when speaking of humans in whatever situation and by complete accident started using it in their general speech. Soon enough, the gender specific pronoun 'he' and all its variations became part of our culture."

Ciel nodded as he took in that information. Then he remembered. "But what about Sutcliff and his... issues?"

Undertaker chuckled. "Well, Sutcliff is a rather specific case. As far as I can tell, he's become obsessed with the notion of a 'woman'. He likes the idea of being a 'woman' as we see women of the human race. Therefore, he has decided to take on the persona of such. Although, he has always been a crazy creature, if I remember correctly," Undertaker commented as he cocked his head to the side.

"Hmm," Ciel said simply. He sank a little lower into the water, feeling his chin hit the surface. "You said he was a specific case?"

Undertaker nodded as he leaned his head back and rubbed his hand down his neck. "Yes. You see there are a few of our kind who... are fair to say the least. They are extreme beauties even by our standards and often times happen to be of smaller stature and weaker strength. They actually happen to look like human 'women'!" he said with a smile. "In such cases, we can't help but call these individuals 'she' simply because they are so fair and gentle."

"Oh..." Ciel said with a nod. He rubbed his arm and felt a slight film between his fingers and skin. It wasn't uncomfortable though and didn't feel grimy. He blinked as a thought occurred to him. "If you don't have genders, how do you procreate?" He looked to Undertaker with confusion. Only to blush at the expression on his face.

Undertaker wore a sultry smile that in any context would have looked suggestive. "You... wish to know how we mate?" he asked lowly.

Ciel gulped as his face became hot, despite the water temperature. "Uuh, well... I mean, I don't, you don't have to tell me... I just..."

Undertaker suddenly leaned forward and invaded Ciel's personal space. He brought his face within inches of Ciel's. Ciel instinctively brought his legs up and tried to back away. "I- nevermind! I don't want to know, I-" Ciel abruptly yelped as he felt a sharp poke at his sternum.

"Here," Undertaker said with an odd quiet.

Ciel blinked. "What?"

Undertaker smiled. "Here." Ciel felt the poke again and realized Undertaker was poking him with his finger.

Ciel blinked and looked down, not that he could see anything through the water. "My chest?"

Undertaker made an amused sound. "Our chests. Our chests boy!" Ciel gulped as he felt the smooth tips of Undertaker's fingers caress the spot he had previously been poking. "Here, right in this spot," Undertaker spoke quietly. "In this spot is what we use... our portal."

Ciel looked back up and saw only the hair in front of Undertaker's eyes. But he could read the expression on his face. It was strange... to see such a soft expression on the lunatic's normally manic face. He lowered his head slightly. "Your... Portal?" he asked.

Undertaker smiled an oddly calm smile. "That is what we call it. You humans use the words 'penis' and 'uterus' to distinguish your reproductive organs, but without genders we only need one word. We call it a portal. Because, in a sense, that is exactly what it is." He backed up and retook his earlier position.

Ciel relaxed and seated himself comfortably again. "So," he blinked suddenly as a thought occurred to him, "is that why you've been keeping your chest under the water?" he asked looking at Undertaker in astonishment.

Undertaker smiled widely. "My, what a sharp mind you have! Yes indeed, little Lord! I do have some decency you know!" with that he chuckled.

Ciel smiled slightly. "I see." He looked down in to the water. Should I just keep my mouth shut now?

"But I guess that information doesn't really answer your question now does it!" Undertaker said suddenly.

Ciel blinked and sank into the water. "I guess not."

Undertaker made another sound of amusement. "Well... if you really want to know... the actual process is quite simple," he said with a shrug. "When a Grim loves another Grim, we touch our open portals together and exchange energy. When that energy merges, as in actually unites to become a single mass of energy, a child is conceived." He smiled and turned his head towards Ciel. "That's without explaining all the finer details that you would call sexual activity!"

Ciel flushed as Undertaker laughed at his expression. "So... its that simple?"

Undertaker cocked his head and rubbed his neck again. "Well, if you think about it, even intercourse among humans can be explained as 'that simple' but yes, that's the basics of the matter."

Ciel nodded and pushed his hair out of his face. The heat of the water and room combined was starting to make him sweat. He took a deep breath, ignoring the heat, and thought about what Undertaker had said. "Undertaker?"

Undertaker angled his head towards him. "Yes?"

Ciel chewed the inside of his lip before continuing. "Well... if there are no women, how does a Reaper carry a child?"

"A Grim." Undertaker said blankly.

Ciel blinked and stared. "What?"

Undertaker smiled wide and giggled slightly. "A Grim, boy. You have met plenty of Grim Reapers, and every Reaper you meet is a Grim, but not all Grims are Reapers!" He bounced his finger in the air as if singing along to a song and giggled at the end.

Ciel gasped lightly. "Oh! Your... your kind, your species, is called Grim?"

"Yes!" Undertaker answered, clapping his hands lightly above the water. "You are humans, we are the Grim! Not a fancy name for our race but good enough to get the point across," he said lowering his hands and sinking chin-deep into the water again.

"Oh. Well, that's interesting," Ciel said thoughtfully. "I would never have guessed."

"Hmm! Its funny how knowledge gets translated over dimensions and millennia," Undertaker said with a grin. "However, back to your original question!" he said in a sing-song voice, raising his hands and tapping his fingers in the air. "While our portals are how we conceive our children, we do have an organ in which they are carried! This organ, called 'kaieen' is in our lower abdomen, and is not all that different from a uterus. It is connected to our portals by a fine tube which carries the energy mass to the kaieen. The entrance of the tube seals after the energy is settled and the child begins to grow! Once it is time to pop out, the exit of the kaieen is situated in about the same location as a human woman's birth canal and we give birth to our children in the same manner!" Undertaker finished with a giggle and pushed himself from the wall of the tub to float in the middle of the expanse of the spring.

Ciel blinked at the myriad of information. "Well... That was a lot."

Undertaker giggled again. "Oh, it can be!" he said as he started floating in a circle.

Ciel leaned down in the water further as he watched Undertaker start to hum to himself while he floated. He rubbed his hand over his shoulder and cocked his head as another question occurred to him. He took a breath to ask when a realization hit him like a brick. I've been asking him questions this whole time but not once has he mentioned payment! he thought as his eyes widened. He closed his mouth and sunk down under the water to his nose. What does this mean? Is he going to require payment once I finally shut up? What will that be if he didn't mention it to begin with?

"Is something the matter, little Lord?"

Ciel looked up with a start to see Undertaker stopped in the middle of the tub with his head cocked to the side. He blinked and swallowed. I guess I should just come right out and say it. He's always been rather straight forward. Ciel lifted his mouth out of the water and took a deep breath. "I noticed you hadn't asked me for payment. I was wondering why." He kept his face straight and his gaze centered.

Undertaker suddenly started laughing.

Ciel stared. "Uuum..."

"HAAHAHAA! No need to worry, young Earl! I require no payment this time around!" Undertaker said as floated to the opposite side of the spring. "You see, this information is of no consequence to you! You don't need it and never will, it is simply information for information's sake! I require no payment for that!" He giggled and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Oh! I hadn't even considered it that way," Ciel said in surprise. "So you wouldn't care if I asked you as many questions as I wanted on this subject?"

Undertaker cocked his head and smiled wide. "Not at all!" he answered.

"Oh... alright then. Then I have another question for you," Ciel said as he leaned back against the side of the tub.

"And that would be?" Undertaker said as he leaned his head on his hand.

"If there are no genders, yet you are capable of having children, are there no mother and father figures?" Ciel asked, the confusion obvious in his voice.

Undertaker looked surprised for a split second before smiling wide again. "My, my, you are in a learning mood today, Earl!"

Ciel blushed slightly and looked away, not entirely sure what to say to that comment.

Undertaker chuckled and sank into the water. "Well, while we have no gender specific names or roles, we do have distinctions between a Grim who carries a child and a Grim who does not. These distinctions only come about once the child is conceived, being that there is no way to know these distinctions until that happens. The one who ends up carrying the child, is called 'Beyah'. The one who ends up siring the child, is called 'Saiah'. In a manner of speaking, the Beyah is like the mother, and the Saiah is like the father," he finished with a smile.

Ciel nodded. "That makes sense. But, how do you know which will end up being which?" he asked in confusion.

"Well, as I said, we usually don't know until it happens," Undertaker said as he started scratching the back of his neck. "But, there can be an indicator when monitoring the relationship. More often than not, whoever is more submissive within the relationship will be the one carrying the child."

Ciel nodded. "Hmm... I guess that makes sense," he said as he sank chin deep into the water again.

Undertaker chuckled. "Yes, that is usually the case, but sometimes we are sorely surprised!"

Ciel smiled slightly. "Is that so?"

"Oh yes!" Undertaker nodded and lifted his hands out of the water, reaching for his hair. "One time, there was a higher up official within the Association who- uh!" He stopped short as his hair and the massive clip that had held it suddenly fell into the water. Undertaker stayed frozen for a few moments before suddenly bringing his hands down into the water to make huge splashes. "OH BLOODY HELL!" he shouted loudly.

Ciel straightened in surprise and watched as Undertaker turned and pulled himself out of the spring, his now wet length of hair sticking to his back as he did so. "What's wrong?" he asked automatically.

Undertaker started around the edge of the tub towards his wicker basket, his arm covering his chest and a sour expression on his face. "I put my hair up for a reason! Once it gets wet like this there's no way to get it untangled!" he got to his basket and started shifting through items.

Ciel stared at Undertaker's back. "Wasn't it all tangled to begin with?" He had never once seen the Grim's hair straight and brushed out.

"Of course it was! The point is it becomes a disaster when it gets wet!" Undertaker responded loudly, throwing two loofas across the room.

Ciel sighed. "Well, don't they have servants for that?"

"No, they don't have servants for that! They don't even have servants here, they have attendants! Its none of their jobs to help me comb my hair!" he said moodily as he finally seemed to find what he was looking for.

Ciel leaned to the side to see Undertaker holding up a large comb. "Are you going to brush it yourself?" he asked.

"Its an effort in futility," Undertaker grumbled as he slouched to the cabinet with the towels in it.

Ciel huffed and crossed his arms. He was already annoyed with Undertaker's sudden bad mood. "And why is that?" he asked, attempting to hide the annoyance from his voice.

"My hair lies on my back not my front, its like trying to fence someone without looking at them!" Undertaker said grumpily as he wrapped a towel around his middle and sat on one of the stools.

Ciel felt his eyebrow twitch as he looked at the back of Undertaker's head. "Fine then, how about I call my butler in to do it for you!" he said, only being partially sarcastic.

Undertaker half faced him. "Your butler is not allowed in here with you or me, so that is not a viable option." He turned back around and reached to his hair. He seemed to be trying to part a small section of it out, but it was obvious how impossible that task really was.

Ciel huffed and sank into the water as he watched. He started to feel somewhat sympathetic as even Undertaker's long nails weren't helping in his plight. He chewed on his lip. Well, its his own fault, he's the one that never combs... Ciel blinked as he watched Undertaker try to pull out the section he was trying to get at. His hands moved an inch and a large knot suddenly developed right at the break in his hair. Ciel blinked. He sighed. "Well... mm... maybe I can try to comb it for you?" he mumbled.

Undertaker's form jarred downward slightly and an odd sound came from him. "You? Come my hair?" A muffled noise came from him again.

Ciel's eyebrow twitched as he realized Undertaker was trying to keep from laughing. "Do you have a better idea?" he asked in defense.

An actual giggle escaped as Undertaker again tried to part out a section of his hair. "Not presently, but It would do no good for you to try either!" The smile was obvious in his voice.

"And why is that?" Ciel asked, starting to get annoyed.

Undertaker gave a good yank, only to make the new knot grow bigger. "Mmm! Because, you would give up in the first two minutes and have to call your butler in to do it for you! Then we'd all get banned from the place and that would do no good, at least for me." He tried yanking again, without luck.

Ciel suddenly felt indignation well up. "Are you saying you think I can't do it?!"

Undertaker gave a chuckle and turned slightly towards him. "You have several servants and a demon butler. You don't have to worry about doing anything, they can do it all for you, hence, an attempt at my hair will likely be an unwinnable challen-"

"Shut your face and get your bloody arse over here!"

30 minutes later...

Ciel had to admit... he was rather proud of himself.

Undertaker's mane had been a ridiculous mess of tangles and knots and webs and nests. How the Grim managed to get it so tangled was actually beyond his comprehension. And sure enough it had been a complete and total nightmare getting the whole mass sorted out. However, there was something to be said for tenacity. And patience, although he was surprised he had found some to use. I suppose it was my determination to prove this lunatic wrong, Ciel thought to himself as he glided the comb through the now flawless locks. Hmm... funny... his hair is actually quite nice. He surprised himself with the thought, but he had to admit it wasn't unfounded.

Undertaker's now straight and somewhat dry hair was several feet long and smooth to the touch. While he couldn't tell in the low light of the room, it seemed to have more of a sheen to it now that it was actually combed out.

Ciel lifted his hair slightly and brought the comb back around and combed it from underneath. He watched as the smooth locks glided gently over the prongs of the comb. Funny... feels like playing with a waterfall, he thought randomly.

"Having fun?"

Ciel looked to see Undertaker's head barely angled towards him. He scoffed. "As much fun as one can have combing a bird's nest."

Undertaker chuckled. "That's ironic! I remember when you used to enjoy doing this for hours on end!"

Ciel froze. He looked up at Undertaker's head. "What?"

Undertaker cocked his head but didn't look back. "You don't remember?"

Ciel felt his face mar in confusion. "Remember what?"

"Oh!" Undertaker repositioned his head. "Well, when you were younger, about four or five, you used to comb my hair out all the time when I visited your father. You really don't remember?"

Ciel stared blankly as he processed that comment. He blinked and slowly looked back down at Undertaker's hair. "You visited my father?" he asked in a far away tone.

"Now don't tell me you don't remember any of my visits!" Undertaker said incredulously. "There was at least one year I was over there every few weeks!"

Ciel started automatically combing Undertaker's hair as he wracked his brain for some sort of memory. He couldn't really think of anything. He had known about Undertaker's previous relationship with his father based on his father's records. That was how he had found him after all. However, he had literally no memory of Undertaker prior to his meeting him two years previous whilst taking up the rains as the queen's Watchdog. He blinked slowly and refocused on the hair.

"Well, I'm glad I make a good impression," Undertaker said sarcastically.

Ciel glanced up but continued his motions. "I honestly don't remember anything..."

Undertaker shrugged. "Oh well, you were very young after all."

Ciel nodded and continued his motions. He shifted slightly. He'd been sitting cross-legged on the floor the entire time and it was starting to make him stiff. He looked back up at Undertaker. He seemed more still than before. He narrowed his eyes and took a breath to say something.

"If I remember correctly," Undertaker suddenly said, "you used to say it was like playing with a waterfall..."

Ciel froze and his eyes went wide. "I..." He couldn't find any words to say. "I..." He blinked rapidly and shook his head slightly. Good grief, I'm not a mute! Say something, he commanded to himself silently. He took a breath to do so when he was interrupted by the door opening.

"Hello, Sirs!" said the attendant with a sweet smile. "I don't mean to intrude, but your butler is inquiring as to your status, Earl." She either didn't notice, or didn't want to acknowledge the odd sight of the young lord brushing the funeral director's hair.

Ciel blinked and regained himself. "Oh, yes, tell him I won't be much longer."

The attendant nodded. "Yes, Sir!" She bowed slightly and shut the door.

"Is it time for you to leave then, young Earl?" Undertaker asked with a smile in his voice.

Ciel took a deep breath and took one last stroke through his hair. "Yes. I've been here too long already. I have to get back to my duties." With that he stood and started towards his wicker basket.

"Of course! The work of the queen's Watchdog is never done!" Undertaker said with cynical amusement.

"Never will it ever," Ciel said in agreement as he put the comb to the side and removed the towel from his waist to start drying off. He glanced to the side and noticed Undertaker bring his hair around from his back and start combing through it with his fingers. He also noticed that by doing so he had covered his chest from view. Is he really so modest?

"Thank you, Earl Phantomhive." Undertaker said suddenly.

Ciel blinked. "You're thanking me?"

"Of course!" Undertaker said with a smile. "Its not every day I have an Earl of the upper class tend to my needs. The least I can do is be grateful!"

Ciel scoffed as he put the towel to the side and picked up his robe. "Just pay me back with free information some time," he said. He was only half-joking.

Undertaker giggled. "Fine then, but I get to choose which information you will get free!"

Ciel smiled sardonically. "Whatever you like." He tied the silk tie securely and started for his basket. As he picked it up, he couldn't help but glance at Undertaker's chest, being that it was within perfect view. His thick hair was in just the right place to hide everything.

"Perhaps sometime I'll give you a more in-depth lecture on how our biology works!" Undertaker said with a near-evil looking grin.

Ciel actually laughed. "I don't think I'll need that information any time soon."

"Now that, you never know!" Undertaker said, pointing a finger into the air.

Ciel shook his head and started for the door. "Perhaps next time."

"Perhaps next time, you'll remember the waterfall."

Ciel stopped short.

"Or should I say... next time you won't be afraid to admit you remember it..."

Ciel stared at the stone floor for a moment before turning to look at Undertaker. He had his head cocked as if listening. Ciel huffed. "I didn't remember it... It was just a thought I had before you spoke of it."

Undertaker chuckled quietly. "Memories manifest themselves in many ways, young Earl. Remember that."

Ciel stared at him and huffed again. "Until next time then."

"Until next time, Earl Phantomhive!" Undertaker said without turning.

Ciel turned away and started for the door. He looked back one last time as he opened it. Undertaker simply sat there, stroking his hair. Ciel took a deep breath and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Undertaker continued combing through his hair with his fingers. It was nice to have it untangled again. He never really had the time to comb it out completely, hence the constant mess it was in. Although, he hadn't expected this particular situation. Funny that he doesn't remember. Brushing my hair was always one of his favorite activities when I was over, Undertaker thought to himself.

He smiled and laughed lightly to himself. "I want to play with the silver waterfall, Father! Will you be long?" he repeated from memory. He sighed. "Every time."

As Undertaker ran over the many memories of Ciel as a young child his smile slowly started to fade. He leaned his elbow on his knee and rubbed his eyes as he gripped his hair in his other hand. How... terribly sad... he thought. He used to be such a happy child. A laugh escaped him that was neither amused nor happy. "Earl Phantomhive... The queen's Watchdog."

XxXxX

A tidbit of chapter 2!

He blinked.

William T. Spears stared at the monitor in front of him and realized he had reread the same sentence four times... and still had no idea what it said. He breathed in smoothly and breathed out just as smoothly. His tightly controlled version of a sigh. I hate it when this mood comes over me, he thought to himself. It is so terribly unproductive.

He took his glasses off and threw them onto the papers on his desk. He leaned back in his chair and suppressed an uncharacteristic groan. He rubbed his eyes then looked out the window to the brilliant blue blur that was the sea of Ollenn.

He didn't get this mood often, but when he did, it was only ever resolved in one way. Well, two if he was considering every actual option. He didn't often prefer the first... seeing as it had to do with private activity with Grell. He wasn't always up for that. The second required taking a leave from his duties for an hour or two, therefore increasing the urgency of his schedule. However... the second was really his only option.

William blinked as the waves of the sea caused a ray of sunlight to flash on its surface. He heaved a legitimate sigh. I really do hate this mood, he thought as he resolved to notify the clerk of his impromptu deviation for the day.