Warnings: Rated T for language and discussion of mild sexual topics (body changes, puberty, and etcetera).

Disclaimer: Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji manga and characters are © Yana Toboso, (2006-present). Anime adaptation is directed © by Shinohara Toshiya and produced © by A-1 Pictures (2008).


Of That Tender Age

Chapter 1: To Truly Be a "Lady"

It was during the evening of a mid-April's day that the young Earl Phantomhive was doing business, as usual, but not as the Queen's Guard Dog….nope. In fact, he could have done whatever he wanted to for that day without question, but no. His fiancée decided to stop and visit him. The mission for the rest of the evening
happened to be one of the few things that gave Her Majesty's Guard Dog qualms—learning to ballroom dance.

"And to the left, to the right….seems Lady Elizabeth has this down perfectly….bravo! Now, Ciel, are you even listening to me? You're doing it all wrong. " Sebastian reprimanded while shaking his head. The suave butler took reprieve on his violin solo, causing both heads of the young couple to snap in his general direction. "If you'll excuse me, Lady Elizabeth, it seems I need to have a word with your fiancé."

"Um, okay." Lizzy anxiously replied. Her anxiety had nothing to do with Ciel's embarrassing dancing moves, however…..

Sebastian silently beckoned the young Earl to come closer. Ciel's eyebrow twitched as he released his grip on Lizzy's hand and waist. He opened his mouth to utter a few words of protest but Sebastian swiftly cut him off: "I understand you have little desire to further your finesse in dance, but I can assure you that it is most proper to at least have basic enough skill so the lady can enjoy herself."

Ciel glared at Sebastian. You are supposed to be my servant, not my superior, dammit! "My fiancée seems to be enjoying herself just fine. If you found it unpleasant to dance with me you'd tell me, right Elizabeth?"

Though only a millisecond time-span, the turn of Ciel's head gave Lizzy a chance to smile back in reassurance. She was anything but sure of what was currently happening. When Ciel resumed his futile bickering with Sebastian, she felt another ache in her torso and furrowed her brows in disdain. In her mind she had a few ideas….but which of those thoughts, she wondered, was correct? Hoping it was the former idea, that of indigestion, Lizzy mentally checked off her meals for the day. Breakfast consisted of a small amount of Danish pastry and tea; of lunch she consumed a perfectly ripe pear with an egg salad sandwich (courtesy of Sebastian upon her request. Such plebeian pleasures for a noble, Sebastian thought at the time!) Everything seemed to be fresh and delicious in taste. In fact, she would have liked more to eat that day, but her corset protested. Oh, no. If it wasn't the former….

Lizzy took her absentminded gaze off the floor and looked into the eyes of her fiancé. So engaged with her thoughts had she been that she failed to realize Sebastian was engaged in a mock-ballroom dance with Ciel for practice, and he had apparently taken on the role of the lady. Both men paused mid-stride, and Lizzy giggled. If only we had a photographer here to take pictures of us, she mused. Glaring, Ciel instantly prompted the young girl to silence her giggling. She cleared her throat. "C-Ciel….if you'll pardon me, I think I need to leave for a little bit. But I promise I'll be right back."

Ciel appeared relieved—probably for the break. "Okay. To the restroom, I assume? Sebastian, the toilet in the bathroom closest to this room is needing repair. Please show her to the next nearest one."

Lizzy felt both relief and panic. She knew she needed to find the sole female maid of the Phantomhive manor, Mey-Rin, first, and Sebastian usually knew of the other less-adept servants' whereabouts. Would her asking him become obvious, however, as to her situation? It was only natural, this she knew. Her mother, while usually too busy and brisk to delight in long conversations with Lizzy, had given her a talk about "becoming a lady". This happened shortly after her personal servant-in-arms and best friend, Paula, commented on Lizzy's becomingly curvy figure.

Sebastian stretched out his arm to escort the young Lady and responded to Ciel: "Yes, my Lord."

Lizzy's face immediately became hot as the clarity of the present returned. "S-Sebastian." she shyly murmured.

The devilishly (pun-intended) handsome butler leaned down so he could talk face-to-face with the much smaller girl. "Yes, my Lady?" he crooned.

His nose was only inches away from hers. The pace of her heart quickened, and for a moment she nearly forgot what she was meaning to ask him. "Before you show me to the powder room, I would like to speak t-"

"Mey-Rin?" Sebastian interjected.

The hair stood up on the back of Lizzy's neck. "Y-yes, how—"

Too late, he already had disappeared. Lizzy stood in the luxurious hallways and rubbed the back of her neck in utter astonishment. A few minutes later, the heels of the clumsy, red-haired servant could be heard.

"Oy, Lizzy!" Mey-Rin shouted across the hall in her strange brogue. "What do you need, meh dear?" when she was only a few paces away she halted abruptly and curtsied.

Lizzy took notice of her recently stained-black apron (perhaps she mistakenly polished the stair banisters with the Earl's shoe polish again?) Maybe she wouldn't be the best person to ask, Lizzy second-guessed herself. But it was too late now, and she wouldn't dare speak to a male about this matter.


Meanwhile, from inside the manor's kitchen the Phantomhive manor's chef, Bardroy, was snooping—both visually and aurally—through a crack in the wall from a recent explosion of a failed meal. Hey, nothing better for him to do while he waited for his sauce to heat.


"Mey-Rin," Lizzy cupped a hand to the maid's ear and whispered non-audibly, "I…think

I started my monthlies."

"Whoaaat was that, dear? Speak up!" Mey-Rin made a noticeable gesture of cupping her hand to her ear.

"I….think I'm officially a woman now," Lizzy euphemized. Phew. A restful silence ensued as the maid contemplated the meaning of her rather shady statement.

"OHHHH WEE! Little Lady Elizabeth's a WOMAN!" Mey-Rin's voice had broken the after-pause of Lizzy's confession like random flatulence during a solemn church service. Arms flew around Lizzie and squeezed tightly. "Aww, how sweet, yes! Y'know, if you bled anywhere on the floor I can clea—"

"Oh, Mey-Rin, please keep it down! And there is no need for that!" Lizzy's face instantly reddened.

"I am v-v-very sorry, Miss Elizabeth, oh yes I am! I sometimes get overexcited, ya know?" Mey-Rin bowed her head in apology. "Anyway, I have some stuff you'll probably need." she took Lizzy's small hands and tugged. "Come with me!"


Bardroy's face turned as red as the piece of rare beef he was chopping up and his cigarette flew from his mouth. The smoldering end struck his thumb.

"OHHH SHIT!"

The door to the kitchen opened abruptly and hit the wall, and Sebastian slinked inside. "Watch your language when the Lady is here."

Bardroy flinched. Damn, that butler knows and hears everything! "Haha….ahhh….sorry about that." he began to laugh drunkenly from the pain in his finger.

Sebastian pulled a handkerchief and bandaging tape seemingly out of nowhere, as he usually does with most objects, and gave them to the injured chef.

"Th-thanks….anyway, Mey-Rin needs to learn to lower her voice some as well. Squealing like some pig about…girly bodily matters of some sort. Not that it's scandalous….I mean, they are women….I'm not bothered by what's only natural, of course….but what if we had other company around? "

"Oh?" Sebastian lifted the word in pitch slightly to feign surprise. It was obvious to the butler that Bardroy wasn't angry, but prudishly disgusted by bodily matters. Since when did he ever show concern about the etiquette of his fellow servant? Precisely.

Sebastian continued: "…I gathered that. I was having a talk with my young Master about his poor dancing abilities when the Lady grabbed her stomach. She is of that tender age, you kn-"

"Grah! Yes, I know! I really need to get back to my work now, so I can't listen much longer!" flustered, Bardroy shoved Sebastian in the direction of the kitchen door. On a normal day, the proud butler would have admonished someone for being so bold, but seeing the grown man flip over such a trivial thing in life was pleasing to him. Bardroy hastily waved, "Goodbye!"

Dead giveaway you silly wimp, Sebastian snickered as he turned on his heels.

Bardroy placed a hand on the demon's shoulder and cocked his head to the side. "Say….have you given Master Ciel "the talk" yet? He himself is, as you put it, 'of that age' too."

Knowing perfectly that he was capable of doing so—but wishing to inflict a more sadistic approach on his young Master instead, just for kicks and giggles—the butler replied, "No, and I don't plan to. Although I know someone who has tremendous knowledge and experience in giving explanations of these sort of matters."


Author's Notes: Hohoho...Sebastian is such a troll. I resisted the urge to put "U MAD, BRO?" at one point when he talked to Ciel and instead put more formal and Victorianesque language instead. If I did put memes and other modern phrases in here, then I would have listed this under a parody.

I'll give you one guess as to who Sebastian is taking Ciel to see...