Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji, nor The Secret Garden. Both to their respective owners.

Troublesome

In the light of the full moon, little eight-year-old Aislin laughed as she sat on the back porch with Ciel, who read aloud from The Secret Garden. The tantrum fit between Colin and Mary was funny to her, because who knew two children could be so spoiled? Ciel himself knew, he gave off the air of being spoiled once.

The boy in question stopped reading, a small glimmer of annoyance in his sapphire eyes. "That is quite rude laughing while someone is trying to read."

Aislin stifled her giggles as best she could and gave him a gentle smile. "Sorry, Ciel. Colin and Mary just seem really funny." A sudden thought came to mind. "Will I be like that when I'm ten?"

"Hope not." The dark haired boy muttered. "That's just more troublesome."

The others smile fell. "I don't want to be spoiled if I'll trouble you some."

It was then Ciel cracked the barest of smiles, taking a moment to understand what the other had meant with her sentence. "Aislin, it is 'troublesome', not 'trouble you some'. There is a difference." At her inquiring gaze he explained further, sighing. "Troublesome is when you are causing trouble and getting into it often, just enough to be an annoyance." He had explained the word 'annoyance' weeks ago, so there was no need to enlighten that word. "To 'trouble you some' is the same as going to the next house and saying, 'May I trouble you some for sugar?' Do you understand me?"

The girl rolled what he said over in her head for several moments before understanding dawned. Smiling again, she nodded at him. "I hope I'm not troublesome to you!" She tried out, not meaning anything by it, nor expecting a response.

"You are enough trouble already." A small pang of hurt struck a cord in her, and very briefly was the hurt reflected in the falter of her smile and pain in her hazel eyes, but was washed away a second later by her leaning closer over the arm chair and asking, as politely as able and with hope of not being more troublesome, "Can you continue reading, Ciel?"

He gave her a cross look, but said nothing. Opening the page at where he left off, he began to read again, voice just as calming as before, " She liked the word "hysterics" and felt somehow as if..."