(EDITED VERSION)

This past weekend I had been watching a lot of Black Butler. And I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while. So here goes nothing . . .

~Acid

Inside the Phantomhive Mannor . . .

Lighting and thunder played their dangerous game across the sky as I opened the door to the young Earl's study. It was half past seven, and the master had just eaten a fine meal of cooked lamb with lavender, over a bed of thinly sliced cabbage and potatoes, sauteed in a light butter and garlic sauce. This was accompanied by a side of wild rice mixed with fresh green and string beans, diced and mixed with a light gravy.

Afterwards, the master had returned to his study, to finish whatever work he had left, and instructed me to bring him the night's desert and a pot of tea. I had chosen to make a light chocolate tart with a boiled raspberry sauce. A dollop of whipped cream and a few fresh raspberries on top finish the dish, with a pot of rose hip herb tea standing beside it.

As I entered the room, I saw the young man hunched over his enormous desk, mountains of paper work on either side of his skinny form.

"Young Master?" I called.

His head jerked up, a hand reaching up to wipe the sleep out of his single, frosty eye.

"Yes?" his voice soft and velvety, assuring me that he was alright, for the moment.

"Perhaps it would be best to take a break?"

He nodded, motioning to bring forward my latest creation. I set the dish down in front of him, poured the tea, and went on to explain the dish in it's entirety.

The Earl pushed away the countless reports and supply order forms. He picked up the fork delicately, having already placed the cream-colored, silk napkin on his slender lap, and began to slowly devour the tart. His hand that was not engaged in induling himself in my newest creation stretched out, efficiently shooing me from the room. The action said that he was in safety, for the moment, that I was not needed and that he was to be left alone. I bowed and left the room, pushing the trolley out in front of me.

Outside the Phantomhive Mannor . . .

Lightning lit the sky once again, and thunder shook the earth. I had always hated the rain, and the long drive that humans were so fond of. I twisted my coat tighter around my body, trying to keep my core of unearthly heat alive. My goal, the manor, loomed in the distance.

I winced, a sharp pain biting into my shoulder, slid down my back, and pooled in my hip with each step. This pain was not the kind of velvet-covered-iron I was used to, but an icy heat that tore into the very marrow of my bones.

The trees stood like the silent centurions of the roman coliseums, watching me as I fought for every step closer to the enormous house.

The voice inside my head gave me a tongue lashing, screeching how this was all useless. In the back of my mind, I was scared. Scared that the months I had spent tracking down the boy I had once known, and all the pain I had gone through to get here, was all for nothing.

This couldn't have been for nothing, I argued back, I had traced every loose end, every rumor about him. I had retraced his path that he described in those forbidden letters.

My endeavors would not be for nothing.

Sooooooooooo . . . how was it? Did you love it? You hated it, didn't you? Well, whatever, I'm gonna continue on any way. -raises fist all noble like- On to the next chapter!

(Also, in addition to my edits in the text I have added labels concerning who's PoV the below text. Read on to get on explanation.)