How long has it been?

How long has it been since I've last seen Rosaline's sweet smile, or heard Shanna's laugh? Their actions were so genuine, so heartwarming, I was practically green with envy. I've forgotten how to do such things at a young age, and I never really had a need to do so in my profession.

I'm eighteen now. Three years have passed with me in Japan, acting as a spokesperson for Funtom under the Queen's orders, but also as an assassin at night. I guess she finally decided to use my stealth, as well as my emotional detachment, to her advantage; however, I never thought she'd ask me to stray from England for such a long period of time. Maybe it was to mature me? Further ripen me with death? Just so that when the time came, I could bear the fruit of murder?

I don't blame the Queen. She's just doing what's best for her country, and sometimes ignorance is bliss, especially when concerning the public mass.

Looking past the manga I was currently reading, I assessed the group of Japanese hipsters in the cafe. I wondered how they would react if they found out what lay beyond their everyday lives. The death, despair, and destruction.

Would they smile then?

I sighed into my coffee cup, making more steam rise, effectively fogging my vision. I try to not think so darkly, or else I'd end up going back to the person I was three years ago.

A heartless, cold-blooded robot in human skin.

Before I could enter that abyss, my cell phone vibrated. I already knew who it was going to be, but I checked the caller I.D. anyways.

"Hey Arata," I monotonously greeted him, almost sounding like I couldn't care less.

"I see you in the cafe," His bright and cheery tone made mine sound like a gray wall, "And you're reading Naruto. Is something bothering you? You never drink coffee and read Naruto unless something happened."

Looking out the window, I instantly met Arata's gaze. His grey eyes practically held the happiness of a little girl meeting a princess, which was strangely a very, very accurate metaphor.

I put the book down as Arata entered the cafe, ignoring every girl that batted her eyelashes at him in favor for me. As he situated himself in the stool next to me, I couldn't help but stare at his dark hair that was held up in a high ponytail, allowing nothing but his bangs to escape. His hair was ridiculously long, but Arata managed to pull it off without looking like a woman.

...Not that I care. He's just my partner.

"Do you ever think about getting your hair cut?" I asked, sounding disinterested as I flipped through another page.

"Sometimes, but I never get around to it," He flashed a smile, and I swear the girls behind me got nosebleeds. I saved myself from that embarrassment by keeping my eyes directly on the book.

"Hn," I reached for my cup, and quietly took a sip.

"Why do you ask? Does it bother you?" His eyebrows knitted together, waiting for my response.

"No no," I waved off his worry, "Just curious."

As Arata breathed a sigh of relief and told me about his day, I kept careful tabs of what he was saying. Of course I acted like I didn't care. If Arata found out that I was even kind of listening to him, I wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Oh look," His shoulder bumped mine, almost making me drop my coffee, "It's him."

Peeking above Arata's head, I noticed the guy we've been trailing. He didn't seem like an extraordinary guy; in fact, he was almost impossible to pick out in a crowd. We aren't sure of his real name, but we have a long list of aliases he goes by.

So I'll just call him John Doe.

Anyways, John is suspected of acquiring weapons and women for human trafficking. He's wanted by countries around the world, however he has always managed to elude whatever kind of police force that was thrown at him. Thus, as a last resort, I was called in. For whatever reason, I had astounding recommendations and praise from England and America, and Arata from China and Japan. I never imagined that the man who assassinated an entire terrorist group was the same as the one who fretted over his partner's opinion on his hair.

I always get stuck with the strange ones.

"So he does come here every Wednesday," Arata took it upon himself to get a sip of my coffee, "Don't you think he gets tired ordering the same kind of coffee every week?"

"That's not important," I grabbed my coffee back, "I was going to ask you if you had a plan yet, but I can already assume what you're going to suggest, Arata."

"Am I that obvious?"

"No, but the plan isn't exactly original."

"You can't go wrong with the classics," He finished my coffee and got up, "Would you like more?"

I shook my head and watched as Arata made his way to the baristas, as lithe and graceful as ever.

Not as graceful as you-know-who.

I wanted to punch myself in the face. I can't afford to think about him, or the future he so carefully described to me in the letters I received not too long ago. If only he could forget about my existence, as well as the one time I almost gave into him, maybe then I could live a somewhat decent life.

However, Sebastian will continue to hold my weaknesses against me, the vulnerabilities that came with being a young girl, still innocent to some things in this world.

And just like any other demon would, Sebastian took every chance he could to try and steal it from me. I didn't have much innocence to begin with, what with the whole 'abducted-and-experimented-on' shtick, but that stupid demon is insistent on taking whatever little I have left.

Especially with those damn letters. I'm lucky that Arata is kind enough to not open anything addressed to me, or else he'd ask if I was into erotica.

You would feel me within you, deep inside-

And as you cry out my name, I thrust harder-

You will never be able to escape-

You are mine.

I'm ashamed to admit that I read all of them, from beginning to end. It's a guilty pleasure of mine that I choose to indulge in whenever I'm alone for too long in my bedroom. Although, they weren't always graphic. Sebastian used to tell me about how everyone was doing, described his thoughts on Ciel, or if Shanna and Rosaline missed me. He was way more open on paper than in person. The demon even apologized.

I had to put the apology letter in my personal journal.

However, that all changed when I turned sixteen. I guess Sebastian just had a switch turn on in his mind, because everything he wrote ranged from softcore porn to hardcore fucking. After I got past the blushing and anger, I couldn't help my curiosity. Sebastian managed to do what a demon does best-seduce his victims. Even when they are in a different country.

To be fair, I never did respond to his letters. I want to stay as far away from him as possible, yet the letters are the only things I can't discard.

"So I was thinking," Arata appeared in front of me again, disrupting my thoughts, "We've been trailing this guy for a couple weeks now, right? Why don't we do it tonight?"

I shook my head, "It's too sketchy right now. We don't even have that much information on him right now."

Arata sighed and stretched, the dim lighting casting shadows on the muscles on his arms. I swear I could've heard another round of blood spurt onto the floor from the nosebleeds. I kinda feel bad for whoever has to clean that.

"I guess I'm just getting impatient."

"Just a bit," I saw John Doe leave the cafe with a steaming cup of coffee, "Let's go."

"Alright," Before Arata could grab his own drink, I snatched it up. Smirking, I took an appreciative sip, shoved it back into his hands, and headed to the exit to stalk Mr. Doe.

"...My coffee…"

While I jumped up onto a building, the moon illuminating the barren roofs, Arata was on the ground below, as silent as the wind. We both kept a safe distance from the man, since we didn't want to alert him of our presence, and weren't sure if he was actually human. Feeling the wind run through my hair, I remembered the time when Grell told me I was going to die, only to fall off of the tree.

As I jumped from one building to the other, I wondered where John Doe was going. Reading his mind was tempting, but I had a foreboding feeling about it, so I decided to follow my instinct. Hopefully it wasn't just paranoia.

John stopped in the front of a fancy hotel, and entered like he owned the place. I saw Arata stop at the edge of the opulent building, not sure if he should enter or not.

I decided to join him.

"What should we do?" Arata stared at the full moon, his grey eyes reflecting it like a mirror, "I can't exactly jump up five stories like you."

I gave him a look that said 'seriously?'

"Ah yes," He chuckled, "It always seems to slip my mind. Sorry."

Arata wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I did the same with his waist. I let him brace himself, and we were on a balcony in less than a nanosecond. I felt John's presence in the luxurious room, so I thought that we could slip in while he took a shower or something instead of waiting on the roof.

"Is this his room?" Arata whispered, careful of the decorative vase next to his feet.

I nodded.

Luckily the curtains weren't opaque, so I didn't need to put in any extra effort in seeing what was going on. John was sitting comfortably on a plush couch, typing into his laptop. I wonder what he was doing in there…

Hours passed. We were growing restless-or rather, Arata was. So, to pass the time, I began braiding his hair. He didn't mind; my partner's weird like that.

It was one in the morning; John finally yawned, which led to him going to the bedroom. We both stood up- I almost burst into laughter when I saw Arata's hair. I had used some of the flowers from the vase to put in his hair, and the overall look was pink petunias stood out from his black hair and fair skin, but they also brought out his eyes.

Yeah…he's definitely an assassin.

Anyways, we went inside as soon as I heard the man's snoring. Arata went directly to the computer, since he's skilled in that aspect, while I searched the room for anything else that could be of use. I thought about looking through the man's cell phone; however a quick sweep of the place led me to believe that he used multiple phones and threw them away once used.

I tapped Arata's shoulder to let him know I was there, and he continued to furiously click through unnecessary files until he found something valuable. I could barely keep up with him as he whipped out a thumb drive, connected it to the laptop, and began downloading documents. I kept an ear out in case John decided to get up for a drink of water or something, but the dude was knocked out. I wonder why it was so hard to get this guy if he's so carefree and easygoing.

Arata closed the laptop and tucked the thumb drive into one of his pockets, when I felt a malicious presence. I immediately tackled my partner on the ground, saving him from being impaled from knives. We both stood up, only to face an unfamiliar man.

"My my my," His gold eyes had a mischievous glint in them, and my first thought was demon, "It seems that they've sent me a couple of mice," He raised an eyebrow at Arata's hair, "Very...confused mice."

Arata sent me a glance, but I was too busy sizing up our opponent to try and read his expression. The man in front of us was strong; very strong. If I wanted to take him on, I would have to transform, or at least partially, which would lead to ultimate destruction of the hotel room, if not the entire building. Arata was incapable of doing anything against him, since he's human, so it left us with one option.

Run.

As I shifted one of my feet to draw the demon's attention, Arata could already tell what I had in mind. The demon, however, just laughed.

"Aw, did I scare you?" He smiled, showing all of his teeth, "I never imagined that they would send someone as young as you, though. Maybe I'll keep you as a pet."

I growled. Why does every male demon think he can keep me imprisoned as an animal?

"Adorable," The demon licked his lips, "My name is Phoebus Apollon; may I have the pleasure of knowing yours, kitten?"

I almost threw up.

"Oh but wait…" Phoebus ran a hand through his hair, "It would seem that you already belong to someone. What a lucky fellow."

"Now!"

Arata picked me up and quickly spun around, allowing me to kick Phoebus in the chest, which sent him flying to the opposite wall. My partner and I spent no time in getting the hell out of there, jumping off of the balcony. I let my leathery wings rip through my clothes, grabbed Arata from behind, and-

I felt a grip on my ankle. Looking back, Phoebus had a sadistic smirk on his face as he began pulling.

"Did you really think that's all it took to escape? Such naive children!" His hand snaked up to my knee, "Allow me to show you what I am truly capable of!"

"Artemis!" Arata yelled, "Let me go!"

Even though it wouldn't buy me that much time, I knew that it was the best chance we had. With a silent promise, I let Arata go. Once my hands were free, I turned to punch Phoebus in the face, followed by a roundhouse kick to the jaw. This time, I didn't think that I should bother holding back anymore, so I decided to spit out a bit of fire too. It was enough to surprise Phoebus into releasing his grip on me, allowing me to fall.

Knowing that Arata was about to go splat soon if I didn't hurry, I pulled my wings in tighter to my back, increasing the speed of my fall until I almost caught up to him.

"Artemis!" Arata held out his hand, which I quickly latched on to. My wings opened again, almost painfully against the high speed of my falling body, but I managed to get us safely into the night sky.

"That was too close," Arata said as soon as we flew through a particularly large cloud, "And why did he call us 'confused mice'?"

I eyed the flowers in his hair, but said nothing.

"That Phoebus Apollon… He's not human, is he Artemis?"

I shook my head, "He's a demon-ironically so, considering the name he goes by."

Arata chuckled, "That is true."

"You still have the thumb drive?" I looked ahead to keep my bangs from getting in my eyes.

"Yup, safe and sound," He patted his chest pocket, "But now that John Doe's bodyguard knows how we look like, we're going to have to change our plan a bit."

"You mean you're not going to dress me up in a scandalous outfit and try to 'sell' me to John Doe? What a pity."

"Yes... It truly is a pity."

"Artemis," His hot breath fanned across my body, making me shudder in delight, "Do you want me?"

I nodded, biting my lip.

"Say it."

"I...I-!"

I almost smacked myself.

Dreams should just stay that-dreams.

I rubbed my eyes from any remaining sleep, and stumbled to the mirror. I examined myself, just to make sure that if insanity showed any physical symptoms, I would be able to catch it.

Unfortunately I didn't see anything out of the ordinary-for me, that is.

As I picked out something to wear, I thought about the demon I met last night, Phoebus Apollon. Even though he didn't outright say it, I could sense it. He was probably a little older than Ciel in demon years, but definitely not in Sebastian's range. There's the possibility that he knows Sebastian and Ciel, however it's not very likely. Who knows how many demons there are in the world…

While I was pinning my bowler hat in place, I stared at my reflection. Wavy brown hair down to my waist, tan skin, plump lips, and one reptilian eye. Of course, no one can forget the Faustian mark on my right hand, always hidden by a glove.

Arata didn't know about the mark, but the eye was inevitable. My profile was complete with a picture, and just to make sure the person he met was me, I had to show both of my eyes in the photograph. Arata never asked questions, and I never felt the need to explain it. Besides, I've decided to put some extra money into my appearance, and now I have 'special' contacts that make the deformed eye look normal. It's just one less thing to worry about.

I walked out of my bedroom to the livingroom, where Arata was sitting on the couch in sweatpants, messing around with his computer. I just wish he was wearing a shirt as well…

"Hn," I nodded my version of 'good morning' to him, and continued on to the kitchen.

"Ah! Good morning, Artemis," Arata shot me a smile, "Did you sleep well?"

I shrugged, "Did you?"

"Not really, if I wanted to be truthful," Arata's grin turned sheepish, "I couldn't stop thinking about the drive, as well as…"

Arata trailed off. Arata never trails off. I looked at him to make sure he didn't have a stroke or something, but the dude seemed fine...physically.

"What?" I kept my tone neutral, "What's really bothering you, Arata?"

"It's just that… Last night… It's the first time I've ever actually met a…" Arata's eyebrows knitted together, and his cheeks colored. How strange.

"Oh," I poured out two mugs of coffee, "You've never had a job with demons?"

"No…" Arata sort of sounded… embarrassed, "I mean, I knew they existed, but everything I heard was from rumors. It's kind of terrifying to have met one in real life…"

I handed him a mug and sat next to him, sympathizing with him a little bit. I guess when I first met Sebastian, I was a bit scared, but it wasn't really obvious since I was beyond furious.

"But you seem to take it so calmly," He puffed out his cheeks, "It's not fair. You're younger than me, yet you don't even let demons scare you. Have you met some before?"

I stared at the brown liquid in my mug, contemplating about telling Arata about Sebastian and Ciel.

"Yes, two in fact," I took a sip, "I've also worked with vampires and werewolves back over in England."

"Oh really? Amazing," Arata gulped down his share of coffee, "So, could you tell if Phoebus Apollon was strong? He's obviously dangerous, but I wonder if we could do anything about him."

I mulled it over a bit, "He's definitely got power, but it's nothing that I can't handle. It's just going to be troublesome if Phoebus has a contract with John because then he'd be willing to risk his life, and it's not easy to kill a demon."

"Do you suppose that Phoebus is the reason as to why no one was able to capture John Doe?" Arata asked.

"If that's the case, then he's probably formed a contract with Mr. Doe," I said slowly, "But I wonder what the exact terms are, and what their goal is. I can't really imagine why a human trafficker would need a demon accomplice."

"Perhaps he's planning something big, and the woman and weapons are just little things that he needs to set his plan in motion…" Arata mumbled, uncharacteristically serious.

I arched an eyebrow,"What do you mean-?"

"WORLD DOMINATION!" Arata lifted a fist in the air as I recovered from my near heart attack, "YES! THAT IS HIS PLAN! DO YOU NOT SEE THIS, ARTEMIS?"

I bonked him over the head, "No, I don't see how this may lead to world domination. Now, please be serious about this; we can't let them do whatever it is they plan on doing."

"Of course, of course," Arata rubbed his chin, "Because what they plan on doing is CONTROLLING THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

"ARATA!" I yelled back at him.

"WHAT?!" He retorted with a smile, "CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT I, YOUR FAITHFUL AND LOVING HUSBAND, IS WORKING DILIGENTLY? WHY MUST YOU, MY BEAUTIFUL AND COLD-HEARTED WIFE, INTERRUPT ME?!"

"WHO THE HELL SAID WE WERE MARRIED?!"

"I AM WORKING, WIFE!"

"UGH!"

Before either of us could say anything else, somebody knocked on the door, ultimately dispelling the light atmosphere. We each looked at one another, and grabbed some kind of weapon. I was armed with multiple pens (there's a lot you can do with those) and Arata with a hairbrush (don't...don't ask me why). I stalked to the door, and sensed the presence of a demon; Phoebus Apollon.

"Shit…"

"It is quite alright, little mice," He chuckled behind the door, "I just came to deliver an invitation for a dinner party I'll be hosting," A red colored envelope slipped underneath the door, but neither of us made a move to get it, "I do hope you'll come~!"

And with a creepy laugh, his presence vanished. I relaxed slightly, put the pens in a vase, and finally grabbed the letter. Arata followed me to the couch, where we ripped open the 'invitation'.

To the little mice,

It was a pleasurable surprise to find you both in the apartment the other day; it's nice to have a change of pace every once in a while. And lucky for you two, I have decided to not eradicate you; for the time being, anyways. So you should be able to sleep soundly at night.

But you have piqued my interest, as well as that of my partner's. Thus, I have organized a soiree for you, just so that we may all get acquainted with one another. Fun, is it not?

It will be a formal event, so please, dress to impress!

Sincerely, and forever more yours,

Phoebus Apollon

I cringed.

"So, the date is set for next week," Arata looked at me through his bangs, "And the address shows that the place isn't far from here. What should we do?"

"Well, obviously we're gonna go," But I hated the thought of putting on a dress in front of that creep, Phoebus.

"I feel like we should consult with the nation leaders," Arata interjected.

"We'll just scope the place out, and if it happens to lead to something more dangerous than some music and talk, I'll grant three of your wishes," I held up three fingers to emphasize, knowing that Arata would never pass up the opportunity.

Before I even had time to take a breath, Arata was already jumping in excitement, elated at the prospect of making me do something, "But you absolutely can not back out on this!"

"I would never dream to."

Arata made me pinky swear, cross my heart, and was already thinking about what he would wish for. I sat back and watched him, almost envying his naivety. Shouldn't I be the one acting like that?

"Wait…" Arata held a wide grin on his face, one that I've never seen before, and I was certain that I had categorized each and every one, "It's a formal event…"

"Yeah…" I felt like something bad was going to happen…

"And you don't have anything to wear."

Oh, fuck me.

"Now, now, now, let's wait a second," I held my hands up in defense, crawling slowly off of the couch, "W-who said I didn't have anything to wear? Of course I do!"

"You mean to tell me that you have packed an evening gown, with the proper shoes, as well as accessories?" Arata pressed on, slowly inching closer.

"W-w-well, not exactly," I began wringing out my hands in nervousness, even though I knew what he was going to propose.

"You need to go shopping."

"N-now, let's think rationally," Before I could say any more, Arata was already leaving to go to his room, and I was staring at his naked back.

"We're leaving in fifteen minutes, or else."

Well, god dammit.

If a werewolf couldn't kill me, this certainly was going to send me to the afterlife.

"She definitely looks ravishing in red, but black and silver also look amazing on her skin tone!"

"You believe so? I've always wanted to see her in a shade of pink or blue."

"Oh! I do have some wonderful dresses that just shipped in last night!"

"Please, do show us all of your options."

"ALL?!" I shout-whispered at Arata as soon as the sales woman left. Currently, I was stuffed into a revealing floor-length gown in white, making me look tanner than I really was. Arata, my 'fiance', was smiling like always, but I never knew he could be so insidious.

"Of course. I want to buy my soon-to-be wife the most beautiful gown this store owns."

"How many times do I have to tell you that we aren't spouses?" I rubbed my temples for the umpteenth time that day.

"Not yet."

"Oh, you two make the cutest couple I have ever seen!" The plump woman reappeared with two armfuls of dresses, and I wondered how her arms didn't fall off from the weight, "Now, you do look best in full length gowns, so I picked out the best my store has to offer. And I think I have the dress for you!"

"Oh, good," I said sarcastically, ready to keel over.

"Don't take too long!" Arata sang as I went back to the dressing room, and I really wanted to throttle him.

"He really does love you," The sales woman, Janet(or according to her name tag), said after tightening the strings on the back of 'the' dress. I was told to face away from the mirror, since it was supposed to be a surprise, so I squished down my natural instinct to look at her as I responded.

"Oh, um, you think so?" I awkwardly laughed, hoping she would change the subject.

"Yes, I've never seen a young man with such real and earnest emotions before. You are truly lucky to find a man like that to spend the rest of your life with," She patted me on the shoulder, allowing me to turn to the mirror.

The midnight blue dress was elegant, with a sweetheart neckline to add some flare to it. The tight hug around my waist complimented my hourglass figure, and the rhinestones almost completely covered the gown, allowing the designer to create an ombre shift within the stones using different shades of blue.

I more or less liked it.

When I walked out to show my 'fiance', Arata just stared at me with a blush. I guess he was really taking this whole engaged couple thing seriously.

"Do you like it?" I asked after an awkward silence took over the room.

"Y-yes," Arata said, still looking star-struck, "We'll take it."

"Wonderful!" Janet clapped her hands, and made me put on jewelry, shoes, as well as hair clips. And Arata, being the kind of guy that'll agree to anything sparkly, bought everything. I didn't even want to glance at the long receipt…

As we sat down to eat something at a sushi place, Arata was still staring off into space. So, just like any good fiancee would do, I slapped him back to earth.

Or do future spouses not do that?

Well, he didn't really react to it. Sure, Arata clutched at his cheek, but he wasn't exactly 'back' yet.

"What's wrong? You're acting weird," I commented like I didn't slap the living shit out of him.

"Nothing at all," Arata took a sip of water, "Just… nothing."

I sighed. Something was up.

"Tell me."

"It's nothing!"

"Did something happen at the store?"

"Not...not exactly…"

"What do you mean?!"

"Y-you just looked...really nice, okay?!" Arata mumbled something under his breath, and composed himself, "Now, I recommend that you don't try anything with tuna in it."

His sudden change of subject confused me, but not as much as his comment about the tuna.

"Why?"

"Tuna is the devil."

The week passed by excruciatingly slow, but the day for the soiree was finally here.

"Do you need help tying the back?" Arata offered to help when he walked into my room, not knocking beforehand.

"Jesus Arata! How many times do I have to tell you to knock?" I held up the dress, hoping he wouldn't get an eyeful of my breasts.

"Ah, I keep forgetting," Arata was at least somewhat presentable. He had on a pair of black dress pants and a white button up, however the shirt was only done halfway, not leaving much to the imagination, "Just turn around, and let me know if it's too tight."

"Fine," I grumbled, following his instructions.

It was silent after that, save for the satin string gliding through the corset. Arata was pretty quick about it, and didn't leave it so tight that I was at risk of asphyxiating. He helped me into my heels, as well as jewelry, and was about to leave when I grabbed him.

"Are you okay?" I stared into his eyes, "You're not acting like yourself, and it's weird."

"I guess I'm just a bit nervous about this whole thing," Arata fiddled with one of his buttons, "I've never dealt with demons before."

"You'll do fine," I checked the clock, "You have me, and I'm more than capable of handling Phoebus."

Arata's lips were set in a grim line, "But you said that you would have to transform, at least partially, and you've never had to do that before-"

"I have, okay?" I fluffed my curls, "For my missions in England. I'm experienced when it comes to the supernatural, so you have nothing to worry about. You have a seasoned warrior on your side."

That earned me a slight perk, "Alright. I'll go get my shoes on, and we'll be on our way."

"Okay," I faced the mirror again, staring at myself straight in the eyes.

"Now, can I really take him on?" I tried to convince myself, but it's not as easy as lying to another person. I can't say for certain that I'll win because the only other demon I've fought was Sebastian, who used the mark to his advantage, and Phoebus Apollon doesn't have that sword.

"Artemis, time to go!" Arata's cheery demeanor was back, but I could still tell he was scared.

"'kay!" I trotted out of my room, hoping that I wouldn't trip. It's been awhile since I've last worn stilettos

"Oh, my dear mice! So glad you could make it," Phoebus greeted us at the door of a desolate restaurant, set in the middle of an abandoned town. Totally creepy, "And the lady, looking as beautiful as the mysterious moon," He took my hand and kissed the knuckles, almost making me gag, "Please, come in, make yourselves comfortable."

We did, except it was quite difficult to make ourselves at home when there are twenty-plus waiters, standing in uniform rows, staring into your soul.

It was especially difficult for me because in the front row, I recognized two of the waiters, both of which smirked devilishly at me.

I hate my life.

I heard the door lock behind me, but I refrained from looking at the duo any longer when Phoebus made his way to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"I reserved this entire town for the three of us," He grinned, showing off his perfect teeth, "Now, how about we all sit down and talk, hm?"

In a flurry of movement, the employees moved a table and three chairs to accommodate us, pulling out a chair for me. Thanking the waiter, I waited for Arata and Phoebus to sit before talking.

"Why do you work for him?" I asked in a monotone.

"You go straight to the point?" Phoebus chuckled, "However, I still don't know your name. How about you two introduce yourselves first?"

I suppressed a growl, "Artemis von Vanity."

Arata answered without fail, "Arata Isanagi."

"Wonderful!" Phoebus clapped his hands together, making me jump, "Why don't we have some appetizers here for Arata and Artemis, boys?"

Just as quickly as before, there were steaming plates of food set in front of Arata and I, however neither one of us made a move to eat. Arata was probably just following my lead, and I was too distracted by my two 'friends' to eat.

"Now then, before I answer your question, I have my own," Phoebus grabbed a glass full of wine, and swirled it around, staring at the red liquid, "Why would the nation leaders send two weak assassins like yourselves to kill Berlin?"

I quirked an eyebrow; who's Berlin? Is that our target's name?

"If I remember correctly, we did manage to escape the apartment while you were there," Arata interjected.

"You are correct," Phoebus took a sip of wine, "But that leads me to my other question; I know that Artemis isn't completely human, but are you, Arata?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Phoebus," I grumbled, "You're a demon; you should be able to use your own powers to find out that he is human. Or are you too weak to even do that?"

This caused the demon to laugh, "Oh, you are a spicy one!"

"Please drop the act, Phoebus Apollon," I glared at him, "If you're going to kill us, go ahead and try, but I am curious; why are you working under Berlin if there's no contract? Why would you, a demon, protect him even though you won't get his soul in the end?"

My deductions were based solely on the fact that I saw no Faustian mark on his hand, and I prayed that what I said wouldn't make me look stupid. But the fact that there was no mark meant that there was no contract, and why would a demon work for 'no pay'?

"You're a very intelligent girl, Artemis," This time, Phoebus didn't smile as he stared into his wine, "Beautiful. Young. It's a shame that I have no choice but to kill you."

"It's also a shame that a low-life like you even thought that you stood a chance against me," I scowled, "But I guess a man's intellect can only go so far."

Apollon broke the wine glass in his hand, but acted like nothing happened, "How strong do you think you are to have the audacity to say such things?"

"There's a reason why the western hemisphere holds me to the highest esteem," I cracked my knuckles, "I always reach my target without fail."

"Let's see about that!"

I tackled Arata to the ground before Phoebus's knives could reach him, "Find cover, now!"

Arata shook his head, "We're partners for a reason; I can't let you fight him by yourself!"

I could hear more knives flying to our direction, and with no better option in mind, I braced myself for impact.

But it never came.

"Have you been getting my letters, Artemis? I hope you aren't stupid enough to believe I'd forget about you."

God damn him.

"Sebastian, now is not the time!" I checked to see if Arata was okay, however his attention was set on the two demons, who managed to catch each weapon that was thrown at us.

"You know them?" I helped Arata up as he sized up the two males.

"Ciel and Sebastian," I gestured to each, "Arata. There, now that we're all acquainted, can we please kill this guy?"

"You were always impatient," Sebastian smirked, and held up his signature butter knives.

"I can second that," Ciel interjected with a small smile.

I grumbled.

"Oh?" Phoebus scrutinized us as he went in his jacket for more knives, "You're all friends? How wonderful."

"I am fucking tired of your shit," I stood up, helping out Arata as well, "I didn't think I would have the chance to do this, but with Ciel and Sebastian here, I guess Arata's in safe hands."

"To do what, Artemis?" Phoebus looked like he was choking back laughter, "Are you gonna kill me?"

"Nah man. Just going to read your mind."

I locked eyes with him, and delved into his inner being.

Berlin didn't have a soul worth consuming. It almost made Phoebus vomit at the thought of creating a contract with him, however, the man was quite amusing. Why was he collecting all these women? Why check if they were all fertile? Phoebus was slightly curious, and since he just finished a contract not that long ago, he decided to stay in the human realm for a little while longer. Perhaps Berlin will create a show worth watching, and he did make a peculiar request for the demon.

Not only did Berlin want protection, but he also required the seed of a male demon. He didn't specifically say why, but Phoebus kind of liked the idea of a surprise-

"FUCKING SHIT!" I yelled at the sudden pain in my left arm, and saw a knife embedded in it, "What the hell, guys? I thought I could trust you."

"You entrusted the human to us, not yourself," Ciel clarified, not even glancing back once to see if I was okay.

"...I thought it was implied…"

"Are you alright?" Arata moved to my side quickly, but not before I pulled out the object, "Or...actually you could've done it some other way…"

I shrugged as Arata toppled a table to use as a shield, even though it wasn't really necessary with two demons on our side. He ripped off a section of his shirt to use as a bandage, however I rolled my eyes at him.

"Oh...right. Why do I always forget you have supernatural healing powers?"

"I don't know," I said, exasperated by his hand that was cleaning the blood off. Although, it did feel nice sometimes to have a mother hen worry about you…

"Blast it all!" Ciel yelled out, "Dammit, the son of a bitch got away."

"Shame," I got up from the floor, "So, what're you two doing here anyways? I thought your Queen liked to have her lapdog nearby."

"Hilarious," Ciel's scowl returned, "It was a good thing that we were here, since you were bloody useless."

"Hey! In case you forgot, I was using my past cognition to figure out why the fuck he was here."

"Yeah, but while you were doing that, you became as good as bag of rocks!"

"I'd like to see you use your telepathy- oh wait, you can't! How could I forget?!"

"Sarcasm is unbecoming of a lady."

"Shut it, Sebastian!"

"I-um," Arata interrupted our bickering, "Actually, I can answer your question, Artemis. I sent a report to the nation leaders to request backup."

"So the Queen decided to send in her Guard Dog," I sighed, "Great. I'm definitely not granting you any wishes, Arata."

As Arata hung his head, the two demons gave each other questioning looks, but thought better than to ask them.

"You haven't changed much," Ciel crossed his arms, "You're practically back to normal."

I didn't reply.

"My Lord, Artemis, Arata," Sebastian clapped his hands together, "How about we all regroup and talk further elsewhere, hm?"

"Fine," Ciel gave in after a moment of silence, "I suppose we can all go to wherever you two are staying."

"Just like one big sleepover," I made my way through the wreckage, "Except I don't want to have a pillow fight with you guys. I can barely keep myself from cringing at the thought."

"Who the hell said we were going to have a pillow fight?!"

"It's pretty small in here."

"Did I fucking ask for your damn opinion? No."

"To be fair, it is quite tiny-"

"Who's side are you on, Arata?!"

"There are no sides," Sebastian rubbed his temple, "Now, how about we discuss our situation-without the sarcasm?"

That would be hard for me; sarcasm was my natural defense against these two. It's not something I can hold back on. Arata's pretty cool, so I don't have the need to defend myself around him like I do with the demons.

So I just grunted in response.

"Alright," Ciel sat on our couch, despite glaring at it like it didn't deserve to be sat on, "What do you know?"

"Like...two things," I held up two fingers, "One, Phoebus Apollon is a demon who is working under our target, Berlin, despite there being no contract. Secondly, our target's name is Berlin."

"Oh yes," Sebastian butted in, "How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess."

"That's literally everything you know?" Ciel said like a disappointed parent, "After how many weeks?"

"Okay, dad," I gestured to Arata's laptop that was still on the coffee table, "We did manage to download files from Berlin's computer, and were in the middle of sifting through the information, until that stupid pervert came in and interrupted us with that soiree."

"Have you found anything?" Ciel crossed his legs, making me more pissed off by the minute.

"Actually," Arata opened it, and began clicking buttons, "I saw that he has an entire roster with the names of women he's captured so far. It's strange though; they're all registered as if they were in a hospital. Weight, height, BMI...even their ferility is recorded."

"That's really weird…" I leaned over his shoulder to read the screen, however I heard a low growl. I glanced over at Sebastian, who had a smile on his face, but that just made me fear for my life.

He was going to kill me.

Ha...I forgot that this dress showed off a lot of cleavage.

"So," I straightened up and acted like I didn't notice Sebastian's discreet death threat, "What does that mean exactly? Could it be that he has them all locked up somewhere instead of selling them like we thought at first?"

"Why do you say that?" Ciel arched an eyebrow, still acting like a nobleman despite being dressed like a waiter, "It could be information to give to customers if they're interested in a particular product."

I scowled at him for calling them 'products'. As if women were objects…

"What a horrible thing to call women," Arata murmured.

"It's what they see them as," Ciel stared at the Japanese with his lone cerulean eye, making Arata sink into himself.

"Anyways," I glared at Ciel; just because he was in his adult form, which did make him a bit intimidating since he looked like Vincent Phantomhive, didn't mean he had the right to scare the poor human, "It seems like a bit of trouble for a human trafficker to go through. Usually those type of people would just buy whatever eye candy they found. But this list looks like a meticulous piece of work, almost like what scientists would use if they were doing an experiment of some kind."

"So you believe that they are using the women for experimentation?" Sebastian asked, "What about the weapons they acquired?"

"...dunno…"

Ciel sighed, "I guess we're going to have to ask around, see if there is anyone willing to talk about this 'Berlin' person. Do you two have any clue as to where we could go for questioning?"

Arata and I both made eye contact. The only place Berlin made an effort to go to was the cafe on every Wednesday, and once every month he would go upstairs to a special lounge area that was off-limits for the average person. We often contemplated about breaking in, just to see what was going on, but never got the chance to. Berlin was always off, going to another hotel or office building, and it was hard to keep track of where exactly he went.

"There's this little cafe deep into Tokyo that Berlin goes to every week, but who knows if he's going to continue that routine after the mishap with Phoebus," I situated myself in a chair and kicked off my heels, "There's this lounge on the top floor in the cafe, but they don't allow just anyone to go in. You gotta know someone who knows someone."

"Why haven't you gone in before? I thought you'd jump at any chance of a lead," Ciel relaxed a bit more on our couch, but still looked as pompous as ever.

"There were always new places to scope out, new people to question," I stretched, "They showed more promise than a hipsteresque coffee shop."

"So our obvious next stop is this cafe," Ciel closed his eye for a moment, "So; where's my room?"

That little fucker…

"I don't see why you need a room if you don't even need to sleep, dick face!"

"It's a luxury I enjoy to indulge in."

"So get a hotel!"

"Why do that if you can simply make space? Try to save some money, Artemis. The world is suffering a massive economic downfall-"

"I couldn't give two shits even if I tried!"

We argued like that for about three hours until Arata offered to share his room, but I wasn't going to let him do that. Then Ciel suggested the two of us sleeping together, which Sebastian shot down immediately with his 'I'll make the world implode' smile. And I thought about sharing Arata's room with him, but unfortunately I said that out loud, and Sebastian traumatized my partner using a goddamn tomato.

Thus, we all reached a compromise. I gave up my room to Ciel, Arata stays in his bedroom since it's farthest from the tomato, and I sleep on the couch where Sebastian can watch me sleep if he so chooses.

The end.

Or, at least, I prayed to the Death Gods that it would be the end.

As I piled on my blankets and pillows onto the couch, I could already feel Sebastian's gaze burning holes into the back of my head. I did my best to ignore him, but I felt vulnerable in my makeshift pajamas. Nothing more than an oversized t-shirt, shorts, as well as glove to hide my mark made up my nightwear. However, in all honesty, I was dead beat tired, drained, and sleepy after the near-scorching shower I took.

There's nothing like having water from the deepest pits of Hell to calm you down.

I finally laid down on my little nest after turning off the lights, hoping that Sebastian wouldn't try to grope me in the dark.

"You seem happy."

Well, at least he's keeping his hands to himself.

"I'm not the same girl that left the Phantomhive manor all those years ago," My voice was slightly muffled from the pillow, "I'd like to think I've matured a bit."

"You have, quite a bit from what I can see," Please, please don't let that be an innuendo, "You have been receiving my letters, correct?"

"I've been making an effort to not respond," I scowled, "Why did you take it upon yourself to write to me? You even apologized."

"Has three years erased everything I've said to you?" His voice sounded disappointed, but also like he had expected it.

"Which part?" I continued to stare at the darkness, "'You are my pet'? 'You're mine'? Or, my personal favorite, 'Maybe I shouldn't have given you the privilege of seeing you as a person'? I remember those all very clearly."

"To be fair, I did apologize," He took a pause, "But that isn't what I meant. When I said I love you, do you know how much time it took for me to realize that? Demons are meant to possess, oppress, corrupt. I am no different."

"Well then, maybe what you're feeling is nothing more than possessiveness. I was hoping that maybe you'd go out, seduce some classy ladies, and forget about me. I'd be content with just being a pet that you played with, but you're making that difficult," I realize that I'm contradicting the Artemis from three years ago who was frustrated that Sebastian saw her as nothing else but an object, but the Artemis now knows that it's best to forgive and forget. Sebastian probably has a strong physical attraction to me, due to my cat DNA, and used my vulnerability to his advantage, just like any other demon would do.

"So what you're saying is that you want to be owned by me? To be treated like an animal?" I couldn't make out his emotion through his voice, so I had to watch what I said next.

"I'm not saying that I want to be yours. What I'm saying is that I do forgive you for the things you've said to me, but we shouldn't carry our relationship any further than this. I don't plan on having any other relations with men or women in the future either. I've been thinking a lot since I've been on my own, and I came to a conclusion; Emotions don't do anything but hurt the being. Love is nonexistent to me, however that doesn't mean that I'm going to be a machine. I'll have friends. I'll have people that I trust. And I think that you should move on, because the attractions you're feeling now are purely physical," There. Mature Artemis has made her point, and I could only hope that Sebastian doesn't take it the wrong way.

Which he always does.

"Do you want to play a game?"

God dammit!

"No, I do not. It's the middle of the night and I need to sleep," To emphasize my point, I turned over and covered my face with the blankets.

"You don't have a choice," Sebastian growled, "I can see you've grown in a curious way, as well as matured beautifully, so I have a proposition for you."

I didn't respond.

"If you admit that you love me, you'll become my eternal mate," Pfft, nope! "If you somehow manage to find my advances uncharming, I'll respect your wishes and leave 'us' at nothing more than companions."

"I still think you just want sex."

I heard a small chuckle, "That, and much more."

I sighed, "Fine. Let the games begin."

"Artemis, it's time to wake up," A sweet, velvet voice roused me from my slumber, but I was too tired to get up.

I felt pressure on my forehead, and automatically knew that it was a pair of lips pressed against me. It did feel nice…

"Fuck off, Sebastian."

I cracked an eye open to see his innocent face, or at least as innocent as Sebastian could be, approximately three inches away from my face.

"Good morning," He gave me a smile that would turn even the straightest of men gay, "I hope that you slept well," Lie, "My Master would like for the four of us to explore the cafe you and your partner discussed about last night."

I groaned, "Fine."

I waited for him to get out of my face, but all Sebastian did was move closer. It wasn't early enough for me not realize what he was trying to do, so I threw my blankets at his face before going for my room.

"Ciel I'm coming in-"

Holy crap.

"Oh, well, it'd be nice if you knocked," Ciel glared as he put on a shirt, but it didn't deter me from glancing at his torso for a moment.

"Well, it is my room, so I should be able to walk in whenever I want," I stuck my tongue out at him before going to my closet. I saw the dress Arata bought for me still hanging on the door, and other than a few tears, it still looked beautiful.

I placed it with the other dresses on the rack, and grabbed whatever clothes I was able to reach from the top shelf. Unfortunately, unlike demons, I wasn't able to change my wardrobe with a simple flick of the wrist.

Ciel was enough of a gentleman to let himself out of my room to give me privacy, but I didn't trust Sebastian to not walk in 'unintentionally', so I decided to change in my personal bathroom.

Once I freshened up a bit, I walked into the livingroom, where a peculiar sight greeted me; Ciel was seated on the couch, but Arata was straddling his lap, and they both blushed in embarrassment as I continued to stare.

"I didn't know you two were gay."

As the two sputtered, a bit more flushed than before, I could hear a barely concealed chuckle from the kitchen, no doubt from Sebastian.

"I'm not-"

"It's not what it looks like-"

You have this all wrong-"

"Hey hey," I softened my voice, "It's okay, I understand."

"Really?" They asked in unison.

"Yeah," I nodded saintly, "I don't judge anyone by their sexual orientation."

That just caused a bigger ruckus, almost making me laugh at how hard they were trying prove that they were straight.

"Alright," I held up my hands in surrender, "I believe you. But what were you two doing before I came in?"

"...I wanted to see a picture of you when you were younger," Arata confessed, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.

"And I wasn't going to show him for free," Ciel added like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Seriously?

A/N: So it's been awhile, but I'm back!

Due to some technology struggles, as well as being a junior in high school, I'll probably only be able to update once a month, or maybe twice. But please bear with me! Thank you for all your support!