Hello! I'm new to the Black Butler fandom. I'm just getting through watching the series on Netflix and I simply love it. I initially fell in love with Finny, and then Sebastian, Lau, and Ran-Mao worked themselves into my heart as well.

I needed something to work on while I was stuck on my Ghost Hunt story!

I hope you will enjoy. I hope to put a lot of Lau and Ran-Mao into this one.


"This one will be sent to the head of Kon Ron as a gift of gratitude for his generous business donations."

The words echoed in her head as she stared at the blue dragon that now permanently adorned the palm of her right hand. The tail curled right underneath the start of her fingers and the body curved up the rest of her palm. The head ended right at her thumb. Apparently it was supposed to match her new master's tattoo. The ship would dock in the next couple of days and she would lose any semblance of freedom she had. The two Chinese men that were tasked with transporting her approached. She narrowed her light green eyes at them.

"I heard skinwalkers can steal your soul just by looking at you. Blindfold her."

She was blindfolded for the whole voyage. The pungent smell of opium smoke constantly wafted over her and she would often feel a hand on her thigh or lips on her skin. The two men differed in their treatment of her. The man that smelled like talcum powder would run his hands over her softly like a feather. He would laugh if she let her tears flow and soak through her blindfold like she had just told a joke. The man that suspected her of being a skinwalker would touch her roughly. When she tried to pull away or fight back, she was struck repeatedly with something long and wooden.

When the ship docked, she felt hands inspecting the places that felt bruised to her.

"You should have been more careful. The Kon Ron leader pampers his girls," said the talcum powder man. She was lifted bridal style and carried.

"Well, he can do that after he's got her. This wench was too much trouble to deal with getting her here." She felt herself being lifted onto a seat. Movement a moment later revealed that she was on a carriage. The trotting motion jostled her a little and the blindfold rode up her face a bit. She tilted her head back a little and found she could see the faces of the men, who were seated across from her in the carriage.

"What the hell kind of gift is this, anyway?"

"Maybe Shuang wants her to kill the Kon Ron leader so he can take over the company."

"She doesn't look dangerous, though."

"Yes, but you shouldn't let your guard down. I've heard the legends about skinwalkers."

"There is no such thing. Just make sure this cargo gets to its destination."

The carriage stopped in front of an alley where there was nothing significant except for a staircase leading down into some sort of basement or cellar. The carriage door opened, and neither man made a motion to touch her or exit the carriage. She concentrated and shifted to cat form. The binds and blindfold loosened and she shot out out her restraints and out the carriage to the chagrin of both men. She ran past the staircase and caught a glimpse of the sleeve of a chinese jacket and a slender hand holding an opium pipe. Someone was ascending the stairs.

She scaled the brick wall with the help of her claws and was gone.


The tortoiseshell cat wove her way through the dark streets of London. She was on high alert for anything out of the ordinary. These were the peak hours for when the underground of London came to life. Reapers, demons, angels, and other supernaturals came out to frolic and show their true nature. Even the cat herself was not as she seemed.

Her name was Aurelia Till, or Tillie as the grim reaper Grell Sutcliffe called her. Furthermore, she was not a real cat. She was what you may call a shapeshifter, or skinwalker. Shapeshifters took on many forms and were often able to deceive others to their advantage. They were not completely human, nor were they immortal. Many lived their lives as familiars or guardians to other supernatural beings or humans.

Tillie would watch all the goings-on of the night from the shadows and intervene when necessary, like if there was a mugging or other preventable crime. At times she would play the part of pitiful little stray and beg random passersby for kitty morsels. Other times she would tail a grim reaper and watch the cinematic records of the deceased. The easiest reaper to follow by far was Grell. Grell wasn't stuffy like the others. His long red hair and chainsaw made him unique. She had met him after she tried to interfere with one of his reapings by attacking him in panther form. After his initial panic at a sudden panther attack, he convinced her to return to human form to introduce herself and explain her abilities. After that, he didn't mind her as an audience, especially if she was in cat form.

"Well, little Tillie, should they live or die?" Grell would cackle, revving his chainsaw when reaping time came.

"Meow!" Tillie would reply, and Grell would interpret whatever answer he wanted it to be.

One night, everything changed. Tillie was sitting on a wall beside Grell as they watched the last frames of a cinematic record. A shadow loomed over them and Grell looked up curiously. His eyes suddenly became lovestruck.

"Oh, Bassy! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh...the colors are perfect..." Tillie suddenly felt long fingers stroking her fur. "Oooh, so soft." She felt herself being picked up and looked over to see a tall man dressed in a tailcoat with red eyes. A demon!

She mewed apprehensively, looking to Grell for help. Grell just raged in jealousy as the demon nuzzled his head into Tillie's tummy.

"Underbelly so soft and supple!" The demon moaned. Tillie placed her paws on the strange demon's head and pushed. Her tail whacked against his chest in warning. "Darling, don't be frightened. I'm simply admiring your perfection."

"Bassy! Why must you betray me so?! Tillie! I shall write your name on the to-die list!" Grell yelled dramatically. He revved his chainsaw and advanced on the pair. The demon brought his fist down onto Grell's head, effectively knocking him out.

"Tillie?" The demon asked. The cat wriggled out of his grasp and landed lightly on the ground in front of him. In the span of a few seconds, the tortoiseshell cat became a teenaged girl with tawny hair and light green eyes that glowed in the darkness like a cat's. "Ah. Interesting."

"My name is Aurelia Till, or Tillie. I'm a shapeshifter."

"How convenient. Are you currently in the employ of anyone?" The demon's eyes regarded her with interest.

"Er...no. I'm on my own." Tillie eyed him warily. Grell came to at that moment, groaning and rubbing the massive bump that had formed on his head.

"My name is Sebastian Michaelis. I am butler to Earl Ciel Phantomhive. I would like to offer you a job as a servant to the Phantomhive estate. We are currently in residence at the London manor through winter, so you would have ample time to make arrangements to leave with us to the main estate. What do you say?"

"Oh...um. Why me? You've only just met me and don't know anything about me," said Tillie. Grell stood and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"She's right, Bassy! Why don't you hire me instead?" said Grell. "Wouldn't I look adorable in a maid's uniform?" He batted his eyelashes.

"No," said Sebastian flatly to Grell. He turned to regard Tillie. "I know a lot more about you than you are aware. I now that you're from America, an orphan, and you have no problem defending yourself by your own means. I do admit it took me by surprise to find out that you are also the cat, but that's only an added bonus to acquiring you as servant." He smirked.

"Bassy, when it comes to cats, you rather worry me," said Grell. Sebastian's smirk only widened.

"It's a no if you're into bestiality," said Tillie. "I will not subject my animal forms to the vile acts of lust-driven demons." Sebastian threw back his head and laughed. Grell and Tillie gazed upon him in awe, their faces pink. Sebastian laughing was a beautiful sight.

"Rest assured, the job only entails non-sexual servant related duties and defending the Phantomhive master and estate," said Sebastian, eyeing Tillie with mirth. "I just simply love cats."

"Oh, Bassy!" swooned Grell, hanging on Sebastian's arm.

"I don't really have any domestic experience besides kitchen duties," said Tillie, looking thoughtful. "Would I be the only servant there?"

"There are four other servants. Inept as they are," said Sebastian. "I think you would do well as a scullery maid. Bardroy is too hasty when it comes to food preparation so much that the quality of the food takes a severe plunge. That way he can focus more on the proper cooking process than setting the kitchen aflame." The corner of Tillie's mouth lifted in an amused smile.

"I shall keep spare buckets of water on hand at all times," she said.

"So you accept?" She shrugged and nodded as if to say 'What else do I have going on? Sure.' "Excellent. You may come back to the London manor with me tonight. Are there any belongings you need to gather?"

"I only just own the clothes on my back," said Tillie. Sebastian's eyes roamed critically over her wardrobe. She wore a heavily worn and tattered black riding dress. The bottom hem had been ripped off at calf length and it would have been highly indecent had it not been for the knee length black boots she wore. She also wore black fingerless gloves.

"You'll be provided with a maid uniform once we reach the manor. Come now," said Sebastian, shrugging off Grell.


"What...is the meaning...of this?" spat Sebastian, his red eyes glowing with fury as he stood surveying the damage to the floor of the front hall. Tillie stood with her back flat against the closed front door, scared of the angry wrath of Sebastian even though his attention was far from her at the moment.

Three people stood cowering in front of Sebastian. One was a redheaded maid with large spectacles trying unsuccessfully to hide a shovel behind her back. Next to her, a larger blonde man wearing a cook's jacket was trembling right down to the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The last was a scrawny lad about Tillie's age with strawberry blonde hair held back by red pins. For some reason he was dressed as a cat. One of his 'paws' was snapped by a mouse trap and he was bawling openly. A pile of white rubble was scattered all over the floor.

"Mey-Rin, put the shovel down and go fetch a spare uniform for our new employee. Bard, fetch a cot and place it in the ladies' servant's quarters. Finnian. Change out of that ridiculous costume. You're not a cat."

"I disagree," said Tillie. "He'd make a nice cat." She walked over to Finnian and helped free his hand from the trap. He dipped his head shyly to hide his tears from her, massaging his hand as he left the room to change.

"You may find a different opinion by the end of the week," said Sebastian quietly. "This showcases the ineptitude of these three. Perhaps you can show your worth by catching the ever elusive rodents while I clean this mess up."

"Alright, then," she said. She shifted into the cat. Sebastian smirked at her. She gave him a disgusted look and bounded down the hallway. Her ears picked up the sounds of small rodents scurrying in the flooring and walls. There! A mouse! She ran at it and pounced. It squeaked and dodged her attack, scurrying under a door. Rats! Er, mice! She heard voices behind the door. She yowled and scratched at the door for a moment, but no one answered the door.

Tillie stood on her hind legs and grasped the doorknob with the pads of her paws, turning it and pushing the door open. All conversation in the room ceased.

"Oh my. See that, Ran-Mao?" a soft male voice said. Tillie plopped back onto her front legs and gazed into the room. An ornately dressed Chinese couple was seated together on a settee rather intimately. The girl was draped across the man's lap, her dress hiked up to her thigh as he petted her hip like a cat. The girl gazed at her with wide golden eyes. The man seemed to have his eyes closed.

"Mrrrrip?!" Tillie squeaked in surprise. She seemed to have interrupted something.

A trace of sweet, pungent aroma wafted through the air. A touch of nausea came over her as she had a flashback of a smoky room, dizziness, being touched by idling hands...

"It went into that corner," another voice said, snapping her back into reality. She realized she had been staring rather intently at the couple, and the man had opened his eyes to gaze at her.

Her ear twitched, and she peered around the door to meet the gaze of none other than the Earl of Phantomhive, who was pointing at said corner behind the settee the couple had occupied. Without hesitation, she dove under the settee into the corner and made quick work of capturing the mouse. As she crawled back under the settee to leave the room, The girl with the golden eyes reached down and lightly brushed a hand over the fur of her back and tail. She had propped herself up on her elbows and stared intently at the cat. Tillie gazed back at her, mouse in her jaws, before turning back around and darting out the door.

"Well, it looks like Ran-Mao wants to make friends."


This story was originally intended to just be about Sebastian randomly showing up and cooing over her cat form and then being embarrassed and disgusted that he cooed over a human. Well, this sure got expanded! I love cooking up storylines.

Let me leave you with a delicious thought that will show up in a later chapter...Shirtless Lau.