I came up with this idea while watching the 1999 remake of the classic film The Thomas Crown Affair. Naturally I sat down and felt that these characters would be fun and added a few of my signature twists. I hope you enjoy my take on the classic film with the use of the characters from Kuroshitsuji. Yes all of them will appear in this, or at least the main characters.

I hope you enjoy,

~Kuro

P.s. I'm still continuing Crimson Tears, I wanted something just as fun. I changed the chauffeur from Bard to Finnian so those of you who read it before I caught this error forgive me.

Chapter 1: Monday Mornings

"There are a number of things which are considered valuable and in turn assets. Things such as real-estate, gold, silver, diamonds and even stock are traditionally viewed as assets. However there are many others, including something which nearly a century ago would have been considered worthless, art. Art is very valuable. In fact many industries specialize in preservation, transportation, authentication and forgery of these timeless pieces." Hannah Anafeloz, the Wall Street Journal.

A pair of black tipped fingers tossed the news paper aside, he leaned on the car door and sighed, "It's always the same introduction," hummed a deep and rather less than amused voice. His red eyes gazed out of the dark tinted windows of his town car and he watched as the streets of Manhattan rolled by. "Bard, I'm getting out at the Met," he said and the chauffeur pulled off to the side. He was quick to silence the engine only for his employer to get out on his own. He had a black brief case in hand and his long camelhair coat. He looked at Bard and commented, "Pick me up in half an hour." The small blonde man turned his head. He had large green eyes and nodded, "Of course sir," he replied. His lips cured into a smile as he closed the door and pivoted on his heal. He felt the cold air brush his face, he could feel the wind blowing through the buildings and he sighed. His breath was a visible white cloud. His crimson eyes slowly locked onto the massive stone building which had been deemed the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The building was stunning and it was apparent that it was being decked out for a charity event to be held in several days. They were flying banners with the words Phantom Acquisitions on them and he grinned with delight as he quickly climbed the stone steps of the massive building. "Perhaps today will be a good day after all," he commented as he walked through the doors and into the lobby. "Good morning Mr. Michaelis," called the receptionist. He simply smiled and nodded as he walked by, it was warm inside the museum and it had been rather cold outside.

His black Italian leather shoes were pristinely polished and clicked as he walked across the waxed polished floors of the museum. He turned toward the stair case and made his way up the stair to the impressionist wing, "Degas," he whispered as he passed a painting which loomed in the door way. "Van Gogh," he continued, he knew every piece in the museum and was proud of it. In his world art was all that mattered, if he could surround himself with as much of it as he possibly could, he would. Through the doorway of the next hall his eyes lit up as he walked into his favorite area of the museum, "The Impressionist Wing," he purred. Sebastian sat on a bench and looked at the brightly colored images of hay stacks. He reached into his brief case and pulled out a sandwich. The white paper rustled as he slowly pulled the wrapping off and he picked up the hot breakfast sandwich. "Good morning Mr. Michaelis, I didn't see you there," said a bright and chipper voice. He looked over to see the security manager of the museum standing next to him. He smiled and looked at him, "Good morning, Finnian," he said sweetly. Finnian smiled and looked at the sandwich, "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why the haystacks?" Crimson eyes sparked with curiosity and amusement as he looked at the manager who was clad in a red blazer with the museum logo on it. "Why do you ask?" he replied, his eyes now locked on the young blond man. "Most people go for the Van Gogh," he commented and pointed at the painting across. The raven haired man turned and slowly looked over at it, it was starry night and had been recently sold at auction for $71 million. Slender shoulders lifted as he shrugged and turned his attention back to Finnian, "It's nice, but I like my haystacks," he responded. Finnian shook his head and commented, "You're a wired one, Sebastian. I'll give you that." The corners of his lips quirked up, "I like my haystacks," he commented before turning his attention to the painting. Finnian shook his head and walked away, as Sebastian continued to eat his breakfast in the company of the greatest artists.

He looked down at his watch and sighed, "I should head outside," he commented as he got up from the bench and grabbed his coat. His strides were long and quick as he rushed out of the room. "What's the matter Mr. Michaelis?" asked Finnian. Sebastian looked over his shoulder and called, "I have a meeting, which I completely forgot about until now." Finnian placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, "It must have been the haystacks," he replied. Sebastian chuckled and commented, "It must have been." He quickly pushed open the foyer doors and dashed down the steps. Waiting outside was his black town car, Bard was standing there enjoying a cigarette, something which Sebastian didn't allow him to do. Bard was only allowed to smoke outside of the car for a number of reasons, the first being Sebastian despised the smell. The chauffer quickly snuffed out the cigarette as soon as he saw Sebastian. In a flash the door was open and Sebastian was slipping into the back. "Have a good breakfast?" asked Bard as he started the car again and pulled away. Sebastian hummed and looked at his black and gray pinstriped suite, "I suppose," he replied. He slowly adjusted his ruby red tie and silver cufflinks. His legs were crossed as he sat patently, waiting for his office to roll up.

The car came to a quick stop as Bard pulled in front of the massive office. Sebastian hopped out, abandoning his camel hair coat as he left the back. He looked up at the steel and glass giant which he was about to enter and smiled. He pushed open the glass doors and began to walk through the lobby. Marble surrounded him with stone and rich woods. Sebastian slowly approached the elevators and said, "Excuse me." A larger gentleman turned to him and glared. Sebastian sighed, he had no interest in getting in the elevator with another living thing. He had been through enough already, "What the? What are you doing?" asked the gentleman. Sebastian looked at the tall German man and responded, "Getting into the lift." The man's face turned several shades red, "You can wait like the rest of us," he boomed. Sebastian simply watched the arrow fall as the elevator came closer to the lobby. "Does he think he owns the place?" roared the man and conveniently the left made a loud ding to announce it's arrival. Two of his coworkers quickly pulled the man back and responded, "He owns the building." Sebastian smiled as the silver doors closed. He was well aware that he didn't look at all like a CEO, the truth was he wasn't. He was simply holding the company until the Phantomhive heir came of age and experience. The city had improved greatly since he had started living there and working for the Phantomhives, however he never dreamed that he would end up holding the company while their son was growing up. He sighed and rubbed his forehead with two fingers; he had already met with the boy that morning prior to him going to school. Ceil had no interest in running his father's company, which left Sebastian to do all the work. The slate haired teenager made his point quite clear that morning and Sebastian groaned, it was only 10 am and his head was pounding. The lift came to a quick halt which jolted Sebastian from his thoughts and the doors opened quickly.

He looked at the secretaries and watched a number of men and women sprint back and forth with files in hand. "Good morning, this is Phantom Acquisitions, how may I assist you?" asked a secretary as she cradled a handset in one hand and tapped a pen in the other. "Good morning Mr. Michaelis," called a young woman, she had wide green eyes and blonde hair. "Good morning," he responded and waved as he continued through the massive space, toward his office. "Good morning Mr. Michaelis," chimed a redhead with her hair tied back and a pair of glasses resting on her nose, "Where's your brief case?" she asked. Sebastian turned to her and responded, "I must have left it here over night." The secretary shook her head, Sebastian's eyes flickered down to her name plate and he gave her a quick nod. Mey-rin, had been acting as his secretary for the past few years, she was rather klutzy, however she was capable at times. Sebastian pushed the wooden door of his office open and quickly closed it behind him. He tossed his wallet on the desk and looked at the beautiful panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline which he possessed. He could see the entire city from his windows. The view it's self was worth millions, let alone the office space. He slowly walked over toward the window and leaned on the frame. "Such a dull morning," he mused, "I hate Mondays."

A soft head of slate hair rested on the desk and the teen snuggled into his arms. The sound of the teacher's voice echoed through the room as he began to lecture. Ciel honestly disliked Global History, he was good at it and half the time never had to pay attention. He could sleep through class and ace the exams without a hitch; it was the teacher he couldn't stand. "Mr. Phantomhive," hollered a commanding voice. Ciel jumped and looked up to see a pair of probing gray eyes, "Yes?" he asked as he slowly stretched. "Have a good nap Mr. Phantomhive?" he asked as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. Ciel sighed and looked at the young teacher; He had grown accustomed to Mr. Lander's methods. The white haired man pushed his hand through his hair and sighed, "A wonderful one thank you," said Ciel smugly. Ash's eyes narrowed as the class chuckled. There was no way he was going to let up on Ash, he found him irritating to begin with. Mr. Landers was the type who selected one student and drove them up the wall, regardless of social standing. "Name four impressionist painters and works," said Mr. Landers as he pointed at the board. Ciel sighed and shook his head inwardly; He owned a majority of pieces by them and grinned. "Camille Pissarro, Gustave Caillebotte, Édouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir," he replied without batting an eyelash. Mr. Landers crossed his arms and asked, "Don't you mean Monet?" Ciel sighed and closed his large sapphire eye for a moment, "No Manet, he was known for both impressionism and realism. Prior to establishing the school of naturalism he was an impressionist painter, his most famous impressionist piece is "Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe." Which has been referred to as the origin of Impressionism, it's done in oil on a canvas and is the first time we note simplicity in beauty in paintings. To paint the world as the artist sees it," said Ciel smoothly.

Mr. Landers stared at Ciel and the sapphire eyed boy continued, "Camille Pissarro, a French painter who desired to depict what the same space looked like at different times of the day. His most famous work is "Le Boulevard Montmartre, effet de nuit," which is currently on display in London." Ciel looked around the room and noticed the awe in his classmates' eyes, it was clear they had forgotten who owned Phantom Acquisitions. "The piece was last auctioned for $6.2 million in 2003, and is estimated to be worth triple that." Mr. Lander's jaw dropped, Ciel smiled naturally he knew the price of the work. Sebastian had fought tooth and nail to get his hands on it in 2003; it was one of the diamonds in his collection. Ciel looked at Mr. Landers and asked, "Shall I continue?" The white haired teacher looked at the slate haired student and sighed. He was clearly not going to win this battle. "Who is Gustave Calliebotte?" he asked sheepishly. Ciel looked at him and replied, "Another French impressionist, he's known for a number of works. He was an early impressionist painter, whose works are similar to photographs. His most famous is perhaps the most ambitious of his collection, "Paris Street, on a rainy day." It's not accepted as well because he had forgotten to paint the rain." Mr. Landers looked confused and asked, "If he had forgotten the rain why did you list him?" Ciel's lips curved into a smile and he asked, "Mr. Landers, do you know what one of the most forgotten accepts is?" Mr. Landers looked at Ciel in confusion and shook his head, "No." Ciel picked up his pen and gave it a spin in his hand before replying, "Art." The room erupted in applause, Ciel was beaming and Mr. Landers realized he had just lost control of the room. "Mr. Phantomhive, go to the principle's office please," said Mr. Landers with a note of irritation. There was silence in the room and Ciel's blue eyes widened and he leapt out of his seat. "Why? All I did was answer your question," he said sternly, his voice became elevated and Mr. Lander's eyes narrowed. "You're disrupting my class," he responded and pointed to the door, "To the principle Mr. Phantomhive." Ciel groaned as he got up and slowly left the room.

He stuffed his hands in his kaki slacks and continued down the hallway. XavierSchool was the best charter school in Manhattan, yet he couldn't stand it. He turned down the hallway and continued to walk, his brown loafers tapped against the stone floor as he meandered down the hallway. The school focused on turning out future businessman and leaders in the industry, they were set on getting kids on the fast track to business, law, and the sciences. Ciel sighed and looked out at the courtyard, it was nippy yet he desperately wanted to sit outside. His navy blue blazer was far too thin to go sitting outside and enjoying the day. He looked at the sleeping cherry blossom tree and sighed, "I should probably go to the principle's office eventually."

Sebastian looked up from his spread sheets and quickly grabbed a pen, in a swift movement his signature curved across the bottom and he placed the pen back in its holder. A pair of glasses rested on his nose and he hummed. A cup of black coffee sat on his desk and he slowly picked it up, Mey-rin had brought it in not too long ago and it was now finally cool enough to drink. There was a beep on the intercom and a voice erupted into his once quiet office, "Mr. Michaelis, XavierSchool's Principle is on line one," said Mey-rin. Sebastian placed the mug down and slipped his glasses off. "What about?" he asked cautiously, Ciel had been giving him a hard time at home, he didn't think it would extend to school. "Ciel has been pulled into the principle's office," she replied, there was anxiety in her voice and Sebastian slipped his hand through his hair in exasperation. "Put him through," he said smoothly, it was taking everything he had not to snap at her. He dropped his glasses on his desk and stood up from his chair, the further away he was from the phone the less likely it was to go flying off his desk. "Good afternoon Mr. Agni," said Sebastian curiously, he had known the principle personally. Ciel and Soma had been friends for many years and the pair got along famously. Well Ciel tolerated the young prince which was in Agni's care. "Mr. Michaelis on any other occasion I would say it's wonderful to hear from you again," said Agni. In moments Sebastian was aware that Ciel had managed to get himself in trouble, again. Sebastian sighed and reached over to his desk. His fingers popped open the sleek glass box on his desk and pulled out a pair of silver Baoding balls which were nestled in the black silk. He slowly began to move them in his hand and hummed, "I see, how severe?" asked Sebastian as he turned and looked out the window.

The silver weighted Boading balls continued to move as his fingers shifted them. "Well not as badly as Mr. Landers paints it to be," said Agni, there was a note of humor in his voice, which didn't go missed by Sebastian. "Oh?" he asked, his eyebrows lifted with curiosity and he turned his attention to the black speaker which rested on his desk. Agni chuckled and responded, "Ash had forgotten who owned Phantom Acquisitions obviously because he asked Ciel to list four Impressionist Painters." Sebastian smiled and shook his head, he had been expecting worse and his fingers ceased to move. "Landers knows nothing about art, how far did Ciel go?" he asked. Agni was silent and Sebastian could hear a murmur in the room, "Apparently he only covered three of the four, he even listed where some of them were on display and previous auction prices," said Agni. Sebastian shook his head, a smile curved his lips and he placed the Boading balls back in their box. "Is that honestly all?" he asked as he closed the glass box. Ciel had a habit of correcting Landers, which didn't please the white haired teacher. "Pretty much," said Agni with a note of monotony. Sebastian chuckled and asked, "Is this your last call?" There was a pause and Sebastian could hear the shuffle of pages in the background. "Yes, would you mind picking Ciel up?" he asked. Sebastian sighed and rubbed his forehead, his red eyes floated over to his desk and he looked at the mountain of paper work which was screaming for attention. "Certainly," he said with a hint of delight, he was able to use Ciel as an excuse to get out of the office which made the day much better. Agni was quick to hang up and Sebastian buzzed Mey-rin, "Mei, I'm going out to pick up Ciel. Forward all my calls to my cell phone if they're important. If not send them in an email, I will have my cell on me," he said swiftly as he shut down his laptop and slipped it into his bag. "Certainly, Mr. Michaelis," she replied smoothly as she hung up. "Perhaps today isn't that boring after all," said Sebastian as he swung his bag over his shoulder and left his office.

Agni popped his head outside of his office, he had bronz skin and white hair which was tied up in a turban. "Ciel, how would you like to wait in my office for your guardian?" he asked, his Indian accent was as thick as ever. Ciel looked at him and sighed, he had forgotten about Agni being Sebastian's only friend. "Sure," he said slowly. Agni smiled and moved out of the way, his suite jacket was gone and he was standing in a forest green shirt, a few buttons had been undone and Ciel sighed. "Soma will be here shortly, he's struggling with Trig," he commented. Ciel looked at Agni and realized that this was his round about way of asking the slate haired teenager to assist the prince. "Okay, I'll help him," said Ciel with a smile, "That way it's easier on us both." Ciel took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Agni's desk and Soma walked in. "Ah Ciel!" he cried with joy and quickly wrapped his arms around the slate haired teenager. Ciel groaned as Soma hugged him far too tightly, "Uh Soma, can't breath," he commented. Soma was quick to release him, he was grinning with delight and clutching a red notebook which had been labeled trig. "I can't believe Landers kicked you out of class," said Soma as he took a seat next to Ciel. His long purple hair was tied back, he didn't die it, it was just that color. Most people accused him of dying his hair however Ciel knew better, everyone in Soma's family had that color hair. "Yeah he's been out for me since day one," said Ciel with a shrug, "There's not much I can do about it." Soma shook his head and looked at the small slate haired teen, Ciel was the shortest in their class and most people were out to get him. "He's a teacher it's so inappropriate," said Soma stiffly as he opened his note book. Ciel watched the young Indian prince flicker through the pages and he sighed. Soma was probably one of the few people in the class which didn't hate his guts.

"I've just got to hang in there and keep fighting," said Ciel and he turned his attention to Soma's paper. His eye locked on the mistake and he hummed, "You're using the wrong formula that's why you're getting the wrong answer," said Ciel. Soma stared at him in confusion, "Look see, you should use co-Tan here, it makes more sense," he commented as he tapped the area with his pencil. Soma nodded and looked at Ciel again, he was still unaccustomed to the eye patch which the teen had acquired one summer. He never spoke of how he had gotten it, however Soma had never seen him without it. "Do you understand?" asked Ciel. Soma gave him a blank stare and then looked at his page, in seconds he realized Ciel had been explaining what he needed to do. "Sorry, Ciel I still don't get it," he said with a hint of embarrassment. Ciel shook his head and slowly went through it again. After the third attempt Soma finally understood what he was supposed to do. "Ciel?" asked Agni, as he tapped on the door. Ciel looked at the door way to see a rather irritated looking Sebastian standing beside Agni. "Let's go," said Sebastian coolly, it was apparent that Sebastian wasn't about to let this incident go unpunished. "Okay," said Ciel as he gathered his papers and fallowed Sebastian out of the office. Sebastian was still standing in his three piece pinstriped black suite, his slender figure was one to envy among the elite. Ciel scrambled behind him, "Sebastian?" asked Ciel only for the man to keep walking. He grimaced and realized he was in much more trouble than he had initially thought. They exited the school and he noticed Finnian holding the door of the town car open. Sebastian stepped off to the side, "Get in," he commanded.

Ciel was quick to do as he was told, he had no interest in irritating Sebastian any further than he was already. The black leather interior was spotless and Ciel heard the door click as Bard closed the door. Sebastian crossed his legs and drew a deep breath, "How could you be so stupid!" he roared and Ciel nearly jumped out of his skin. His sapphire eyes widened and he looked at a furious pair of crimson ones. "Landers is only antagonizing you, and every time you fall for it. I thought I taught you how to play this better, Ciel," he commented. Ciel began ringing his hands and looked down at them, "You are the future heir of Phantom Acquisitions, and you've stated time and time again you want nothing to do with the business. Yet you pull a stunt like this," Sebastian was seething. Ciel looked out the window and rolled his one visible eye. "You've been copying me on reports for years, you just assumed I couldn't read," said Ciel with a note of sarcasm. Sebastian glared and sighed, "Perhaps sending you to Xavier was a poor decision on my part, I'm only fallowing your father's wishes," he commented. Ciel knew Sebastian was attempting to fulfill all of his father's wishes, which weren't easy. His hot head slowly cooled and he looked over at Sebastian who seemed more exhausted than usual, "Sorry, Landers is just annoying," he said slowly. Sebastian looked over at Ciel, and sighed. He reached over and mussed Ciel's slate hair, "Yeah okay, just try to keep your emotions in check. Let Landers make a fool of himself; he's been doing well on his own so far. He doesn't need your help," said Sebastian as he looked out the window.

Ciel nodded and looked outside the window again; Sebastian could never stay mad at him. He was the remaining heir of the Phantomhives and was placed in Sebastian's custody after the accident that summer. He had seen Sebastian a few times while his father, Vincent, was working. Sebastian was the Vice President of the firm and had been one of the best in the field since he had moved to New York from London. Phantom Acquisitions was fortunate to have such a skilled man at the helm. In reality Sebastian had his own money, he had made a fortune in stock prior to working for Vincent, and he honestly didn't need to work for a living.

I hope you enjoy, stick around things are about to get even more interesting.

~Kuro