Disclaimer for this story: InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi and Kuroshitsuji is property of Yana Toboso. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. The author, punkish furball, makes no profit from this fanfiction. No copyright infringement is intended.

punkish furball – Hey ev'rybody! XD

Words to Ponder:

Hello, all! XD

I got this idea reading a few other crossovers; not too many depict Elizabeth and her family, so I decided to write this. She may be a bit annoying, but I like her. I hope you like it and I would really appreciate some feedback! XD

Chapter 1

"Please, milady, don't wander too far!" Paula pleaded with her wayward mistress, holding up the hem of her dress as she ran after her.

However, her charge, Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford, continued to run further away from her, heading for the outskirts of her family's grand estate. The Midford manor was located on a vast expanse of pristine British countryside and rivaled the Phantomhive estate in size and luxury.

"Come on, Paula!" Elizabeth called over her shoulder without stopping her gait, "You can keep up with me!"

Elizabeth was previously confined to her room for several days after she visited her beloved fiancé, Ciel Phantomhive, without asking permission or taking a proper escort. She was initially upset but, eventually, understood the reasoning for her punishment after it was lifted. Because of that, she wasn't going to waste her newfound freedom staying indoors and sitting still.

'And it's always fun to give Paula a little tease every now and again!' Elizabeth thought with a giggle as she came to a stop and waited for Paula to catch to her. It wouldn't be wise to tease her caretaker too much if she wanted to remain unpunished.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Elizabeth noticed something hidden in the unkempt overgrowth surrounding her family's property. It was deep black in color, contrasting greatly against the neighboring greenery, and appeared matted and wiry like unwashed hair.

"What is this?" Elizabeth thought aloud and curiously reached out to touch it.

"Elizabeth, stay back!" Paula shouted and continued sprinting until she reached her. Once she did, she pulled the girl to her to make sure she wasn't facing the strange, black intruder.

"Don't look at it!" she fiercely beseeched and began rushing to the manor, keeping Elizabeth's face hidden.

Having never heard Paula raise her voice to her or sound so frightened, Elizabeth obediently complied and followed her back to the house. Just before they completely left, something else caught Elizabeth's attention. Tucked underneath the overgrowth on the side of the matted hair was a small, pale hand coated in muck and stained sticky red, lying limp and lifeless on the ground. Shocked and terrified, Elizabeth quickened her pace to get as far away from the terrifying sight as possible.

-O0o0O-

Marchioness Frances Midford tried her best to compose herself while she waited for her sister-in-law to arrive. The matter at hand was unsettling and completely unanticipated. She was not expecting her daughter's main caretaker to discover the corpse of a young woman on her property nor was she expecting the servants assigned to remove it to find it had a faint pulse.

Not wanting to attract any attention to this scandalous affair, Frances ordered the unconscious female's body to be scoured, bandaged, and placed in the servants' quarters. While that was being taken care of, she called Dr. Angelina Durless to examine the girl. She knew her sister-in-law would handle this with the utmost secrecy even though she was a notorious gossip.

The marchioness quietly scrutinized the girl lying on the small bed in front of her. As soon as the domestics finished their appointed tasks, Frances immediately went to see her. The caked on dirt and dried blood was sufficiently scrubbed away, leaving the young woman's milky white skin and onyx hair unsoiled. Opened wounds and gashes littered her lithe form beneath all the filth; they were cleaned and bandaged to the best of the servants' abilities. Other than her injuries and the sickening lack of color to her skin, the girl seemed like any ordinary young woman while she slumbered.

As she continued her observation, Frances deduced the girl was foreign most likely Asian due to the pale, milky quality of her skin and her petite statue. She frowned; what was a foreigner doing so close to her family and her estate? While Frances quietly observed her, the girl's eyelids twitched slightly before weakly cracking open, revealing dulled blue eyes.

'A rare color for an Asian,' Frances noted, 'An English parent perhaps?'

Widened pupils curiously darted about the room before landing on Lady Midford. The girl stiffened and tried to move away from the noblewoman despite the obvious severity of her condition.

"Calm down, you are not in danger here," Frances stated in her usual stern tone. It held a hint of softness to reassure the girl she would not be harmed. The girl ceased her movements but didn't remove her eyes from her.

"Why are you on the Midford estate?" Frances asked, getting straight to the point. The girl before her furrowed her brows together before opening her mouth slightly then promptly closing it. At that action, she tried a different approach.

"Do you speak English?" she questioned. Once that was established, the questioning would go a lot smoother.

"Iie…" the girl answered in a weak voice, scratchy from disuse, "Speaking no much Engrish…" Frances fought the urge to cringe at her horrid speech patterns.

"Can you understand it at least?" Frances inquired.

The girl nodded affirmatively, and Frances was pleased. The language barrier wouldn't be that much of an obstacle since she could understand her. A few quick knocks at the door drew her attention away from the girl; it had to be Angelina.

"A doctor is coming in to examine you," Frances announced, "I will speak with you afterward."

She left the room and joined Angelina in the hall, closing the door behind her. The showy redhead was standing by the doorway wearing her stark white doctor's coat over one of her usual red dresses with her medical bag in her hand.

"It's rare that you call me for this kind of thing," Angelina commented once she saw Frances, "I thought you had your own physician."

"I'm afraid this required a more delicate touch," Frances said, causing Angelina to quirk her eyebrow curiously.

"So who shall I be seeing today?" Angelina asked, glancing at the closed door in front of her. Frances uncharacteristically hesitated; she had no clue who the girl truly was.

"A newly acquired servant of mine," she responded after a few moments of thought.

"You called me to see a domestic?" Angelina questioned, "That's unlike you."

There had to be much more to it than that. Her in-law was fiercely protective of her family especially her daughter. The marchioness wouldn't allow anyone in her home without being completely sure they were not a threat; nobles always had to worry about such things. It was completely out of character for Frances to hire a new worker out of the blue.

"She's in poor condition and speaks little English," Frances briefly explained, "I pity the girl."

"She must really be in bad shape if her state tugged at your heart strings," Angelina mentioned, half joking.

"Do all you can for her," Frances instructed.

Angelina nodded before opening the door and entering the room. Frances left the doctor to her patient in search of her daughter. Paula assured her Elizabeth didn't see the body and showed no signs of distress, but she needed to be sure her daughter was alright.

"Elizabeth," Frances called once she reached the library where she met with her tutor. Immediately, she left her studies to meet her mother at the library's entrance.

"Hello, mother," she replied cheerfully with a short curtsey.

"Are you alright, dear?" Frances asked, "Did any of the earlier commotion disturb you?" She was purposely being vague. If Elizabeth didn't witness anything, it wouldn't do any good to give her any ideas something was amiss.

"No, mother. Not at all," Elizabeth answered.

After a few seconds of discerning her disposition, Frances relaxed and felt the tension leave her. There were no signs Elizabeth had seen anything. Her daughter was the dramatic type, so it would be easy to tell if she had seen the girl when she was found. Frances was thankful for that; she didn't want her daughter to witness such a ghastly thing.

"Mother," Elizabeth began, "What is Madam Red doing here? I saw her before I came to my tutor."

"She came to check on someone for me," Frances answered, "A new servant I intend to hire."

This was no lie or excuse. Anyone could tell the injured girl had endured great trials and hardships and was abandoned to perish. If she had nowhere to return to, Frances decided she would take her in as a new worker. However, if she proved to be a danger to her family, she wouldn't hesitate to cast her away.

"Really?" Elizabeth asked excitedly. She hoped it was someone pleasant. Although no one on the Midford estate's staff was intentionally rude to her, Paula was the only servant who Elizabeth considered a close friend and companion. It would be nice if she could have another.

"Yes," Frances affirmed, "You will meet her later. Return to your lessons now." She smiled fondly when Elizabeth pouted but did as she was told.

Now that she had seen to Elizabeth's welfare, Frances quickly returned to the room containing the injured girl. When she opened the door and looked inside, Angelina was working as precisely and diligently as always. As she worked, she spoke to the young woman in soft, comforting tones. The girl didn't seem to be giving her any resistance, and let the doctor do her job.

"All finished, dear," Angelina announced with a smile as she put her supplies away in her medical bag, "Rest now, and I'll go speak with Lady Midford."

The injured girl nodded before tiredly closing her eyes and snuggling into the bed sheets. Angelina stood and joined Frances in the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

"How did it go?" Frances asked.

"Your servants did a decent job cleaning and wrapping her injuries. Her temperature and other vital signs are normal, but I disinfected all her wounds and gave her something to counteract any possible infections," Angelina reported, but Frances could sense the disease in her voice.

"What else?" she pressed.

"She's been injured before," she answered, her voice dropping to a low whisper, "She has some recently healed scars on her back, stomach, and forearms. There are also signs of healed fractures." Angelina stared pointedly at her sister-in-law. "Frances, where on earth did you find her?"

She saw signs of abuse like this in her work at the hospital. It wasn't an uncommon pattern of injuries especially if the girl was a prostitute living in a brothel or a dress-lodger. The only inconsistency with that logic was girl didn't have any bruises or marks around her upper thighs. In addition to that, all her past injuries were treated, primitively but treated nonetheless. Angelina mused she was recently acquired and managed to escape before being defiled. The fact she was foreign reinforced that idea; many foreign girls were brought into the country as prostitutes or mistresses.

"Paula found her near the edge of the manor," Frances answered briefly.

"You're not seriously considering hiring her, are you?" Angelina asked even though she was almost certain of the answer.

"If she has nowhere to go, she will stay."

Angelina faintly smiled. Though her sister-in-law presented herself as a cold and strict woman, she had a loving heart and caring soul. The girl was in good hands here.

"Did you find out her name?" Frances asked. She needed to call her something other than "girl".

"I managed to. Kagome was what she told me," Angelina answered with a soft smile, "A pretty sounding name, don't you think?"

Frances nodded before opening the door and peeking into the room. Kagome lay on the bed fast asleep with a truly restful look on her face. She would recover soon.

"Now that that's over with, perhaps you would like some tea?" Frances inquired, closing the door, "I don't know how you can stomach that swill Grell prepares for you."

"Grell is an idiot, but he's more efficient than he appears," Angelina answered, "But some decent tea would be lovely right now!"

"Very well," Frances replied, noting a slight change in the redheaded doctor's behavior when her bumbling butler was mentioned. She didn't seem like the cheerful, outgoing Madam Red she was known to be. However, it was to be expected. The loss of her brother and his cherished wife had been a great toll on them all, but Angelina lost far more than that. As strong as Angelina was, the tragic loss of her husband, her unborn child, and the ability of having any more children all in the same night was something no woman could completely recover from.

"Auntie!" Elizabeth cried out before running up and throwing her arms around her. Paula was trailing not far behind her.

"I'm done with my lessons, and I wanted to come see you!" she explained happily. Angelina laughed lightly before tightly returning the embrace.

"You're just in time, love," Angelina said, "Your mother and I were going to have some tea. Would you like to join us?"

"Oh yes!" Elizabeth affirmed, "It's been so long since I last saw you!"

Frances observed the scene with a tender smile. Though she didn't voice it directly, she hoped Angelina was aware she could always find home and family here and hoped that was enough.

-O0o0O-

Kagome slowly sat up in the bed she rested in as she nibbled at the plain gruel she was served. It wasn't good, but it was enough to soothe her empty stomach so she couldn't complain. She gingerly sipped her tea after she was done with the meal. She preferred the teas from her own country but again had to make do with what she was given.

The weeks she stayed in this room all passed by in a sluggish blur. She spent most of her time in bed and saw only the friendly doctor, Angelina Durless, and Frances Midford, lady of the house she was staying in. Everything else that occurred before she arrived in this room was an even more unclear haze. Confronting Naraku…the culminating encounter with the hell spider…the much anticipated final battle…she remembered none of it no matter who hard she tried.

Kagome clearly recalled the gathering of her friends and allies. The usual traveling group that consisted of herself, InuYasha, Miroku, and Sango was combined with Koga and his two followers, Ginta and Hakkaku, and Sesshomaru. All of the preliminary work and training, Kagome remembered. She and the others worked hard to sharpen their skills and became much stronger than they were before. Even she, under the combined guidance of her friends, was a much more formidable warrior than the schoolgirl she was in the beginning of her adventure.

She repeatedly concentrated her energy and found the complete jewel embedded in her body, untainted and safe. Clearly, they had won, but she had no clue how that came to be.

Kagome was understandably depressed about losing her family in both eras and, for the most part, was sullen and quiet. She spoke only when she was asked questions. Dr. Durless's polite conversation helped ease her unhappiness somewhat, but she was still a miniscule remnant of the girl she once was.

"You're awake," someone said to her.

Kagome looked up from her tea to see Lady Midford looking down at her from the doorway. She knew why the older woman was here. When Kagome was well enough, Frances brought up the idea of hiring her as a maid. Kagome was insulted when she first heard the suggestion but hid her reaction well. However, when the entirety of her situation hit her, she realized she had no way to return home and nowhere to go. England during the Victorian Era wasn't the first place Kagome thought she would end up, but she had to adjust if she wanted to survive.

After a few days of debate, Kagome accepted the offer. Soon after she did, Frances sent tutors to her room to teach her proper English while she continued her recovery, a necessary skill for her new temporary home. Lady Midford told her outright she did not want to hear such horrid speech in her house. Kagome quickly used their teachings combined with her existing knowledge to begin communicating clearly.

"Angelina tells me you've nearly recovered," Frances mentioned as she approached Kagome, "Do you healthy enough to begin work today?"

"Yes, Lady Midford," she answered politely, placing her teacup on the nightstand.

"Very well," Frances replied with a nod, "Paula will come to give you your new uniform and take you to get accustomed to the house and your duties. Before that, there are a few things we need to discuss. I can tell you are an intelligent young woman, and that is something I can respect."

She paused, her eyes sharpening. "However, this is my home, and, above all else, the protection of my family is my utmost priority. You will do nothing to endanger this house or anything to reflect badly on it. You are also to address my husband and myself with the highest respect. The same applies to my eldest son and my daughter. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Lady Midford," Kagome replied with a slight bow of her head, "Thank you for your kindness." She knew before now what an inconvenience she was to the noblewoman and her family.

"You're welcome," Frances remarked. She turned to the doorway and nodded once. An upbeat brunette entered the room with a bundle of clothes tucked in her arms.

"I leave her in your hands, Paula," Frances said to her.

"I won't let you down, milady!" Paula replied just before she left the room.

"Hello! I'm Paula," she excitedly greeted Kagome as she held the clothes out to her, "This is your new work uniform. After you change, I'll start showing you around the manor!"

Kagome nodded and stood up from her bed, stretching her sore, unused muscles. She took the clothes from Paula and put them on after the other maid turned away to give her privacy. The uniform she changed into consisted of a knee length, navy blue dress, a white pinafore with ruffles on the shoulders, and a pair of lace up brown boots. Despite not having her exact measurements, the overall fit was okay.

"It looks good on you!" Paula exclaimed when she turned back around, "You have such long, pretty hair!"

Kagome mumbled a thank you as she pushed her raven strands behind her ears. When she was still in the Feudal Era, she began growing her hair out, and it now reached the small of her back. Shippo and Rin loved playing in her onyx locks and braiding flowers into her hair when they stopped for food or sleep. Even InuYasha reluctantly admitted the look was nice on her.

Kagome faintly smiled as she reminisced. She didn't quite feel like herself yet, but she felt a bit better especially since she was finally leaving this room.

When the two left the room, Paula led Kagome through the expansive house and showed her its each and every detail. Kagome couldn't help being impressed with its size and extravagance. The tour ended in the large Midford library on the opposite end of the house.

"Milady told me you can practice your English in here when you aren't working," Paula explained while gesturing to the large collection of books.

"There you are, Paula!" a loud, shrill voice shouted. A blonde, pig-tailed girl wearing an elegant dress and matching headband came rushing in the library to the two servants.

"Oh hello," she said once she noticed Kagome standing with her caretaker and politely curtsied, "You must be the new maid! I'm Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford. What's your name?"

Kagome smiled brightly at Elizabeth's enthusiasm. Her bright attitude reminded her of Rin, and she always adored children.

'Maybe staying here for a while won't be so bad,' Kagome thought before introducing herself.

"I am Kagome," Kagome answered, giving Elizabeth a traditional Japanese bow, "It is nice to meet you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth giggled good naturedly at Kagome's accent. The new maid seemed pleasant enough and she was quite pretty. Elizabeth favored her eyes the most. Their deep shade of blue was so much like her beloved Ciel's!

Though Elizabeth was naïve, she was able to put together where Kagome came from rather quickly. She realized she discovered a body on her family's estate that day, and her aunt came to the manor nearly every day after to take care of it. Kagome had to be the one she found. Despite how unexpected and frightening it all was, Elizabeth was glad she was able to help her and possibly make a new friend.

"Please call me Lizzie!" Elizabeth insisted and grabbed Kagome's hand, "You're coming to the gardens with me, okay? We'll have so much fun!"

Kagome's eyes widened when the girl pulled her forward with a surprising amount of strength and was unable to resist.

"My lady, wait!" Paula shouted and, once again, followed behind her young mistress.

-O0o0O-

"Hello, Angelina," Frances greeted her sister-in-law at the front door, "You've come to check on Kagome I take it?"

"Yes," she answered as she gave her bright red coat to her butler, Grell, standing behind her.

"Go make yourself useful and see if you can make some decent tea," Angelina instructed, dismissing her meek, bespectacled butler. Grell sheepishly mumbled a polite response before heading to the kitchen nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Has she started working?" Angelina asked Frances.

"Yes," she answered and began walking to the rear of the manor, "Paula showed her around the manor, and, after that, Elizabeth insisted they go to the gardens."

Angelina chuckled; her niece could be very persistent, almost pushy, when she wanted to be.

Both women walked through the manor and made their way outside to the gardens. They immediately spotted Paula, Elizabeth, and Kagome seated on the grass by a patch of wildflowers. Elizabeth was grinning from ear to ear next to a pile of picked flowers as she examined each bloom carefully and selected her favorites. Paula assisted her in this task while Kagome sat beside the two of them tying the stems and arranging the flowers in small rings.

"Mother! Madam Red!" Elizabeth called out once the two women came into view, "Kagome taught me how to make flower crowns." As proof, all three girls had colorful flower crowns on the top of their heads, and Elizabeth already started selecting flowers in shades of red and pink for a new one.

"I'm glad to see you're looking healthy," Angelina said to Kagome, genuinely pleased with her patient's progress.

"Yes, I do feel better," Kagome replied with a smile, "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Dr. Durless."

"No problem, dear," Angelina replied happily, glad to see Kagome out of that room and in the fresh air. She already looked livelier than before, her skin taking a slight hint of color from her brief stay in the sun. It appeared she was recovering well from her injuries, both the physical and mental ones.

Angelina did some research on the young woman she was taking care of as did Frances. They couldn't find any evidence of where she came from or how she got into this country. The best explanation they could produce was Kagome escaped from a whore house as Angelina first expected and ended up here. Both women did not ask Kagome to clarify their suspicions. They knew how prostitutes, the so-called fallen women of their age, were viewed. Kagome was here now, and that was what mattered.

"It's time to come in now," Frances informed the trio, "Madam Red has to preform Kagome's daily check-up. We'll put the flowers in some water inside."

Elizabeth nodded and began gathering the flowers she, Paula, and Kagome picked before all three of them stood to their feet.

"Paula, take Kagome inside and show her where to clean up then take her back to her room," Frances ordered.

"Yes, milady," Paula replied and led Kagome away from the noblewomen.

Elizabeth waved as Kagome and Paula walked to a different entrance of the house. When the remaining three began walking to the mansion, Elizabeth avidly praised the young Asian woman she just met.

"Kagome tells the best stories!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "She promised to tell me small parts of a really long one every night until she's finished. Of course, she'll only do it when she isn't busy! She even taught me how they make promises where she's from!"

"And how is that?" Angelina asked playfully. Elizabeth stopped walking and stood in front of her aunt.

"Please hold out your pinky finger," she instructed. When she did, Elizabeth held out hers and wrapped the small digit around Angelina's, giving it a little shake.

"That's called a pinky swear," she explained, "Isn't it the cutest thing?"

"It is," Angelina agreed.

Frances smiled at her daughter's interest in the new worker. The marchioness was never one to regret her decisions and doubted this recent one would be the exception.

-O0o0O-

punkish furball – That's a wrap! XD More updates should be coming soon; L83RN355!

(revised 10.05.2013)