Her Butler, Enigmatic

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII and the references to Kuroshitsuji (aka Black Butler).

Her hair, long and wispy, swayed side-to-side as she descended the large staircase leading to the pagoda foyer. Her parents were already waiting for her in the carriage. She had taken so long to get ready for their visit to Nibelheim that they were already running late, and the nobles there would disapprove of their most unpunctual debut to their kingdom.

Her pace quickened as she reached the end of the steps, but her shoe straps caught onto a small branch of wood and she tripped. One of the pagoda's stewards, Staniv, held out a hand to help her during the final steps of the staircase, frowning at his Lady's unfeminine clumsiness. She growled 'thanks' before snagging her hand back towards her and continuing to sprint towards the open doors of the red-roofed pagoda.

"Safe journeys, Lady Yuffie," Staniv mock-cheerily called, and waved a hand at her disappearing figure.

"You wish, Staniv!" the young girl cheekily talked back. Staniv sighed, but it was replaced with a relieved smile when he heard the gallop of horses begin to fade into the distance. He turned to tend to the kitchens, wanting to inform the other servants of the Kisaragi family's departure.

Finally, some peace and quiet. That's a load off for the week.

"Oka-san, when will we arrive?" Yuffie impatiently squirmed in her standing position. "I'm so bored." She narrowed her eyes at the blue ocean then looked away hurriedly, sensing the bile that was coming up her throat. She managed to restrain it, however, being taught how to be a polite princess.

Her mother smiled and stroked her daughter's long black locks. "Soon, Yuffie. Now, don't be so impatient. That's not how princesses act."

Yuffie stomped her feet on the wooded floorboards of the traditional Wutain ship, clearly not happy about her mother's vague response. "But, Mama, I wanna get off this ship now," she whined. Her mother shook her head, smiling as she did so, and she kept in mind that Yuffie was only thirteen and still acting like a five-year-old – an extremely deadly five-year-old. "Where's oto-san? I wanna go bug him."

Kasumi shook her head gently, hushing the child. "No, Yuffie, your father is tending to other pressing matters. For now, we must act as his loving family attending to an important gathering at Nibelheim with him. We are to uphold his reputation, do you understand, dear?"

"Yes, Mama," Yuffie nodded, suddenly tired from all that moaning. She tried to look out to the ocean again like those ditzy girls in those stupid movies, but she kept feeling sicker and sicker until Kasumi ordered for a crewman to take her to her quarters and give her a tranquilizer.

Once Yuffie was taken away, that left Kasumi time to contemplate over the matters of the conference. Why had Shinra organized a meeting in a kingdom as desolate as Nibelheim? She and the other nobles from neighbouring countries knew that Nibelheim was just teeming with superstition and bad omens, so why there? Why did King Shinra pick there?

"You look more restless as ever, Kasumi," her husband came up from behind her. He placed a comforting hand on her lower back, the other on the railing that separated them from the ocean.

Kasumi sighed. "As do you, my lord." She turned away from him slowly. "I just don't understand, Godo."

"What is it that you don't understand, Kasumi?" Godo snapped. His wife flinched and bowed her head.

"This Nibelheim business…you know that place has a terrible history…yet why did you insist on bringing Yuffie?" Kasumi quietly replied.

Godo glared at his wife's head, his grey eyes penetrating her skull. "I do not intend for her to be put in danger. The King expected the whole Royal Family of Wutai to attend this gathering. How could I refuse an expectancy from the King himself?" But his wife became unresponsive. "I did not expect for you to understand, Kasumi," he harshly continued. "We will arrive at Nibelheim in two days. Inform Yuffie of that." He walked away silently, leaving Kasumi with tear-stained cheeks looking out the ocean – more specifically, where the water meets the sky.

"I'll do whatever it takes to bring you home safe, dear Yuffie," she whispered. The wind responded by caressing her porcelain cheeks gently and passing through her long black hair. "Please, take care of Yuffie." The breeze subsided, Kasumi eventually returned to her quarters.

And when the fire started, there was no escaping the inevitable.

Kasumi called for her daughter, having lost her somewhere within the Nibelheim Palace. Her daughter, her only child, was at risk…she needed to find her before any harm could come to her. Godo was already trapped inside the meeting room and it has been reported that the flames had engulfed that room within minutes of the fire starting. There was no way Godo had survived that.

The thought of having lost Godo hadn't saddened Kasumi as much as the image of Yuffie's lifeless body burnt to the point beyond recognition. The sweltering amber hues were everywhere, blocking every path she could take. The only escape was the window, but who would be stupid enough to jump out from the third storey? Dear Yuffie, please be safe; please take care of her, Leviathan, please…

Kasumi rushed to the sill, scrunching her charred dress and stepping onto the ledge. She looked downward and hope rushed in as a safe hedge appeared below her to cushion her fall.

She held her breath and closed her eyes, the sound of rushing flames becoming louder and louder. Three!

She jumped, the wind cooling her sweating face. The hedge had been helpful, the only pain she was left with was on her right shoulder. That would suffice as long as she was able to find her daughter. Please, please, please let her be safe…

The whole village was engulfed with flames. A wooden house was already turning into ashes, crumbling into the ground before her very eyes. People were screaming everywhere; some were attempting to wash the fire out, even. Their efforts proved to be futile as the fire devoured their lives one by one. Kasumi was horrified. Whoever started this fire was not human. She needed to find her daughter quickly, and fetch the nearest boat from the nearest town.

A piercing scream registered in her mind and her pupils diluted in fear. That scream. That scream was from her Yuffie.

"Yuffie!" Kasumi yelled and trudged forward, ignoring the sharp pain on her shoulder as she moved. "Yuffie!" Please stop screaming, it hurts, it hurts…

"Mama!" Yuffie's charred face came into view. "Mama, this man is going to kill me!" she pointed to the silver-haired soldier pointing his long katana at her throat. Her tear-streaked face broke Kasumi's heart as she rushed to her daughter in distress.

"Yuffie, dear child, it's okay, mama is here, it'll be okay," she whispered as she stroked her hair soothingly.

The silver-haired general scoffed at the scene before him. "How touching," he monotonously remarked. He lifted his sword and targeted the small fry with an evil glint in his eyes, then changed his mind and pointed his sword at Kasumi. "Now you'll experience the pain of losing your mother. You will vow for insanity, and become just like me. Learn from this, Wutai girl. Your mother will die before your very eyes, just as your father did before he burst into flames."

He smirked and lunged, with Yuffie screaming bloody hell beside him. Kasumi dodged strategically and held out a dagger strapped to the side of her left boot. She fiercely pointed it at his face, the close proximity causing her to feel woozy. The general's callous green eyes laughed at her position. "You would protect your child? Mothers are so predictable." He shook his head lightly, and in a flourish, a single black demonic wing protruded from his back. Kasumi felt powerless. Even with her practice as a ninja of Wutai, she was no match for this menacing general.

But she would still try. For Yuffie's sake.

She gave out a piercing battle cry and stabbed at the general's heart. Blood gushed from the wound, rendering the soldier speechless and frightened. He snarled aggressively and counterattacked, beheading Kasumi in the process.

Yuffie's grey eyes widened. No! No! No! Mama! MAMA! Her mouth opened to scream but the general held a hand to cover it. He winced in pain from the dagger wound, but grinned darkly at the girl.

"I would have killed you too, but I am too selfish. I must clean the wound your bitch mother inflicted on me," he smirked. "Such a shame. You would've suffered less."

Yuffie gawked at his tall leather-clad form. No…why did he kill her mother? She choked as the tears cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall. The fire that surrounded them was closing in quickly. If he left her there, she would die painfully, but she'd still be with her mother in the end.

"I know, child. Let me give you a parting gift," he continued. He sliced at her left leg, cutting from the knee downwards, leaving a stub that was her thigh. She screamed in agony, her face paling when she saw his bloodied sword seamlessly hacking at her leg.

She let her head rest on the ashes of houses burnt to the ground. As her eyes closed and vision faltered, the last she saw of her parents' murderer were his emerald eyes and black wing. Her consciousness was left to wander…and it wandered to vow revenge on the silver-haired general and for others to experience the pain and humiliation she had endured. What she didn't know was that her anger had called out to someone.

There was an excruciating pain where her left leg used to be, but everything else was numb. When she opened her eyes, she only saw darkness, but flames danced around her body like some sort of ritual.

"I am sorry, but Leviathan is currently on his vacation. I will be your demon today," a baritone voice echoed inside the chasm of darkness. Yuffie sat up, but noticed that a flimsy white blanket was the only thing keeping her from exposing her nakedness. She held it place, not minding as much since she practically had an undeveloped chest anyway. Her long tresses had gone too, probably burnt away by the fire. What she was left with was scruffy and short – like a boy's hair.

"Have you been listening to what I've been saying?" the same voice continued. Yuffie bit her lip, which caused the speaker to sigh in exasperation. "Your parents have just been brutally murdered before your very eyes, child."

That sparked something within Yuffie and she straightened. "Don't you think I know that? The damn son of a bitch took them away from me!"

"Hn. Temperamental, are we?" the voice drawled. "Perhaps I can be of assistance to your revenge."

Yuffie glared at open space. "Enough! How do you know of my plans?"

"How do you know you're still alive?" the voice teased. A glimmer of light appeared in front of her floating form and with it, a shadow. The shadow's only outstanding quality was its red glowing eyes.

"I'm not dead. I can't be," Yuffie retorted. "If I were, I would be with my mother. Now give me answers!"

"Demanding as well, I see. Leviathan must have a hard time with his bunch. No wonder he took a vacation," the shadow chuckled. "Let's get back to the point. I am simply offering you a deal. I will see to it that I assist you in exacting revenge on the murderer as well as making those who betrayed the Kisaragi family to feel the intense pain you have felt, does that sound like a good deal?"

Yuffie's silver eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"

"That I will consume your soul after the deal has been executed," the shadow replied bluntly.

Yuffie frowned. It didn't sound very fair, but she had to do something to avenge them. She couldn't just let them die without dignity!

"I accept," she sternly gazed at the red-eyed shadow.

The shadow cackled. "Think carefully. Should you reject the faith even this once, the gates of paradise will forever be out of your reach."

Yuffie scowled. "Do you think, one who was among the faithful would go so far as to ever summon someone like you?"

The shadow chuckled lowly. "I'll ask but once more. Do you wish to form a contract with me?"

"I do. Now stop asking me these tedious questions and let me know if we have a deal," she snapped.

"Very well, where would you like the Mark to be placed?"

She didn't know hell about what he was talking about, but pointed at the middle of her forehead regardless. "Good choice," the shadow remarked. "The more visible the mark is, the more powerful our bond will be."

"Whatever," Yuffie dismissed. "Just get it over with."

"Impatience is a virtue, to your standards," the shadow commented. A pale hand reached out toward her face and touched her forehead accordingly. A searing hot pain entered her system, and she closed her eye tightly. After a few moments, the pain subsided, and the next time Yuffie woke up, it was inside a green room.

"Where the hell am I?" she panicked inwardly. She touched her forehead and looked at the mirror. A star-shaped mark was branded onto it, ruining her flawless complexion. "Oh well, it's not like anyone will suddenly propose to me anyway," she rolled her eyes. Her hair was also neater than she had expected it to be. Her bangs covered her right eye irritably, but she liked the air of mysteriousness it gave her.

A knock snapped her out of her trance. "Come in?" she tentatively answered.

A man dressed in black and white with diamond-encrusted buttons on his tailcoat entered, his red eyes glowing. "Good morning, Lady Yuffie," he smiled. "How is your leg?"

Yuffie jerked and instantaneously her eyes darted over to what she expected to be a stub of a leg, but instead, a metal band ran across the lower part of her thigh, holding in place what seemed to be a really good prosthetic. She glanced back over to the man. "Wha? Who are you and where am I and what are you doing here?"

The man bowed. "Temperamental, demanding, and impatient as always, my lady. I am what suits your preference, you are in Shinra Mansion, and I am your most faithful butler, bound to you by our contract." He straightened, his crimson eyes piercing into her soul. He licked his lips slowly, Yuffie never failing to notice this. She raised an eyebrow, but dismissed it all the same. So this was the shadow she had made a pact with.

"You said we are in Shinra Mansion…does that mean we're still in Nibelheim?" she inquired with fearful eyes.

The human shadow nodded. "It is Shinra Mansion in all its former glory. I have taken it upon myself to refurbish this desolate building in order to shelter my new master." He smirked when his eyes wandered over to her forehead. "I suppose we need to cover that up." He fished into his pocket and held out a long piece of narrow cloth. It was black with thin white stripes outlining it.

Yuffie's eyes widened when she saw it. "That's mother's. Give it to me," she ordered. The butler complied and wrapped the bandana over her forehead, ultimately covering the mark.

"There now," he breathed into her ear. Yuffie stiffened, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden close proximity. He chuckled. "No need to be shy."

"What is your name, butler?" Yuffie demanded.

"I have none. You may give me one," he replied.

Yuffie thought for a while. "Nero?"

"Too other-worldly. Remember, we are in an age where people don't partake to welcoming strangers with even stranger names," the butler shook his head.

"Tell that to mine, demon," Yuffie scoffed. "Fine. Your name is Vincent Valentine. End of story."

"Yes, my lady," he bowed. "But, may I ask, why is it that you pick that name for me?"

"'Cause that was the name of my pet raven. I bet it died during the fire," she mused. "Say…what year is it?" She had stared into the mirror and noticed that she had aged quite considerably.

"It is five years after the Nibelheim fire," he answered. "I put you into sleep for your recovery. I hope you are not displeased with my actions, my lady."

Yuffie grinned, her character drastically changing. "Hell yeah I am. Has Nibelheim recovered too?"

"Why, yes, my lady. Some residents have already returned to their home town," he said. "Would you like to go downstairs to be acquainted with your new servants?"

"Heh, I have servants? Awesome!" she smirked. "Come on, Vinnie, let's go!" She grabbed his gloved hand and led him downstairs.

And Vincent couldn't help but frown when he caught sight of her silver eyes flashing red to silver in heartbeat. There was definitely something off about this girl and he was determined to find out before anyone else could.

A/N: So...I was watching Black Butler today and then realized (as late as it was) that Sebastian actually resembled Vincent A LOT. Thus, I had this idea and decided to make Ciel a female, ultimately named Yuffie. I haven't read the Black Butler, only watched so there may be some mistakes about the original plot of the manga. But, this story is supposed to hold up by itself and won't really rely that heavily on the canon plot. So, what I'm asking is, should this be in the crossover section or should I just leave it be? Also, this was intended as a one-shot, really, but seeing as that ending just screams "MOARR!" I may turn it into multi-chaptered. Depends on what you guys think.

Anyway, thank you for reading :) and review when you want to, but it does make me feel happy when you do. Have a nice day/afternoon/evening! :D