A/N: Disclaimer I don't own Black Butler or its characters.

Yeah, this is my third Fanfic, but I hope you all like it. Please tell me what you think. Helps me figure out if I'm writing good or poorly Enjoy!

Black Rose

Chapter 1

Ice and Fire

The winter storm continued to unleash its wraith upon the English countryside. The snow made it next impossible for a man to see a mere two yards in front of him. The winds continued to howl their terrible sonatas, their notes the music of death. This storm, one of the fiercest storms England had yet had, ravaged nature.

Continuing up the road that left the urban wilderness of London was a young woman. Her dark violet dress with black trimming was long and covered by a thick cloak, but still, it could not keep her warm forever. But she knew she could not turn back. Whatever sought her out was there. It was too dangerous to stay.

She clutched her black cloak tightly, trying her best to shield herself from the gusts of wind that would sting her exposed skin. Her cheeks were red, burned by the cold and wind, her fingers numb as well as her toes. As she breathed, steam rose from her lips, the only source of warmth available to her. She longed for some warmth that would revive her nearly frozen body. Perhaps, she thought, no, I would just destroy everything around me, like last time.

As she pressed forward, despite the heavy snowfall, her emerald eyes could make out the silhouette of a house, a large manor. She could not see any lights on, but still, it was something that could shield her from the cold. She placed one foot forward after the other, fighting the temptation to stop. Stopping, even for a moment could allow her to succumb to death. Drawing closer to the manor, the ground began to even out, despite the snow. From where she was standing, she could just barely see a light in one of the large windows of the manor.

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The clock continued to tick, the second hand completing its revolution. It read nine forty-five. The fire crackled in the fireplace, the wood sending hot cinders up into the chimney. The room was dark, its red walls with wood devoid of light.

The young Master sat in his chair, reading his book. The book was of the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, his favorite author. His left eye continued to read the words printed on the page, drinking in the works of Poe. While reading, a man dressed in a black suit with white gloves entered the room, carrying a small tray with tea. He approached the young boy and stood beside him.

"Young Master, your tea," the taller, older man said in a dark, angelic voice. The man appeared to be much older than the boy sitting, the boy's age twelve. The boy lifted his tea saucer and began to take light sips. The butler noticed the book the boy was reading.

"It seems a bit late to be reading such dark writings, my Lord." He said with a slight smirk on his face.

"It is the perfect time to read Edgar Allen Poe, Sebastian." Said Ciel Phantomhive, taking another sip from his tea. Sebastian's eyebrow rose up. He was not entirely surprised Earl Ciel read such works for he was not like most normal twelve year olds. Ever since the death of his parents, Ciel seemed to have grown up far faster. His outlook on things was dark and cold. One could assume that Lord Ciel did not have a heart, instead a lump of coal.

The room was silent, save for the occasional crack from the fireplace. As Ciel took another sip of his tea, a loud banging sound caught his attention as well as Sebastian's. He felt a pinch of fear crawl up his spine. He turned to Sebastian with serious eyes.

"Sebastian, see who is at the door at this hour." He ordered. The butler placed his hand upon his chest and bowed his head.

"Yes, my Lord."

The butler left his master alone. He proceeded down the hallway, not caring for the candle torch. His red eyes began to glow, allowing him to see in the dark clearly. Being a demon after all, darkness was what he thrived in. He traveled down the main staircase, the banging upon the door growing in volume. Who wishes to see the master at this hour? His hand grasped the handle. He pulled it towards him, sending in a surge of cold air. Moving to see what was at the door, he saw a figure standing before him, shivering in the cold. He could not see their face but could see the long, raven colored hair that blew about in the wind.

"Do you have business with Lord Phantomhive?" asked Sebastian. The figure did not say a word, merely stood in the doorway. The figure shifted back then forward until she could not keep herself up. She began to fall forward. In an instant, Sebastian caught her. Though not having a faint idea of who she was, he could tell that she was a woman, feeling her bosom against his chest. Sebastian pulled her inside, closing the door behind them.

"Sebastian," came the voice of Ciel, who stood at the top of the stairs, "Who is it that comes to my manor?" he asked.

"I did not know, my Lord. Whoever she is, she needs warmth. She is cold as death." Ciel's face remained emotionless.

Entering the main hall in their night attire were Finnian, Mey-Rin, Bardroy and Tanaka. Finnian looked like he was ready to fall back asleep. Bardroy yawned as Mey-Rin was cleaning her glasses. Tanaka, as usual, had a cup of tea in his hand. They began to ask questions about who this stranger was, why she appeared, all questions to which Sebastian had no answer to.

"Sebastian," Ciel ordered, the butler turning his gaze to his master, "See to it that she is revived from the cold then place her in one of the guest rooms." He said before turning away.

"Yes, my Lord." He bowed his head. He turned to face the servants of the manor. "You hear your master's orders." The all straightened themselves up and scrambled to prepare a warm bath, warm clothes and such, Mey-Rin smacking straight into Finnian.

Heading up the stairs towards the Eastern Wing, Sebastian carried the woman bridal style down the hallway. He pulled her in close, trying to warm her up. She had a strange, yet satisfying scent on her that made Sebastian smirk. She seemed so fragile, then again the girl was next to frozen when she entered the manor. Still, Sebastian could not help but smile.

As he continued down the hallway, he could hear Bardroy preparing the bath while Mey-Rin came in with fresh clothes. Sebastian entered the room with the girl, the two at work turning to face him then hysterically trying to speed up their work. Finnian scrambled to look like he was actually doing something, despite the fact he clearly wasn't earlier. Tanaka just sat in the dark blue chair, sipping his tea.

"The bath is ready Sebastian!" Bardroy said, saluting him.

"And the clothes are on the bed!" Mey-Rin said, blushing as Sebastian's eyes fell upon her.

"Very good. I will see to everything else. You may return to your beds." They all nodded then left the room in a hurry, except for Tanaka. As the door closed behind them, Sebastian entered the bathroom. The room was filled with light, the white walls reflecting the candlelight. Underneath the high window, on the opposite side of the porcelain sink, was a white bathtub. Next to it, on a chair, was a red towel and washcloth.

He began to remove the wet clothes on the girl and, while she was still wearing her undergarments, wrapped her in a warm towel. He removed the glove on his right hand and felt her forehead. It was still cold. He then lifted her body and placed it into the warm bathtub. Reaching for a washcloth, he dipped it into the warm water and proceeded to scrub her back, hoping to warm her up. If he wasn't trying to revive the girl, he would have had much more "fun" with it, however this wasn't the time for tomfoolery. As he continued to wash her, he noticed a strange marking on her right shoulder. It was a marking of what he perceived to be a full moon that was in between two crescent moons. The color of the markings where purple and gave off a powerful vibe. Interesting, he thought.

Once he was done washing her, he felt her temperature again. It was warmer than before she went into the bath. He would guess that the bath had done its work. Lifting her body from the water, Sebastian removed the wet towel and, after covering her with a dry towel, proceeded to remove her undergarments. Wrapped in the towel, she was carried to the bedroom where the butler began to dress her in one of the nightgowns.

It was white with a lace collar. Across the neck of it was a lace tie that could be knotted or left untied. It had long sleeves with floral designs on them before tightening around the wrists.

As Sebastian finished securing the nightdress, he carried her to the bed and placed her underneath the blankets. Her temperature was rising again. Hopefully, after resting, she would wake up.

Sebastian stared at her for a moment. Such a delicate human, she almost seemed like a porcelain doll. If one were to drop her, she would shatter into a million pieces. Yet, something lurked underneath her fragile appearance, something he could not put his finger on. Whatever it was, he was sure to discover once she woke up. He was sure his master would order him to.

Turning away from the sleeping woman, Sebastian opened the door. However, for a moment, he looked over his shoulder. Perhaps fate had something in store for the young woman.

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"Mother!" the woman cried. She sprinted down the halls of the burning manor. She was desperate to find her mother. She just wanted her mother to be safe. The flames continued to follow the young woman as she continued down the hall. The smoke began to enter her lungs, poisoning her. Inhaling the smoke made her throat swell up. Breathing a simple breath became a challenge in itself. But she had to find her mother.

Bursting through the door to the study, she saw her mother, dressed in red, staring at a figure in black. She could not hear what they were saying, she just wanted her mother to come with her, in hopes of fleeing the manor.

"Mother!" She screamed. Her mother turned to face her daughter. Sorrow lurked in her eyes. The young woman eyes widened. She stepped forward but her mother turned away as the girl fell through the floor into blackness.

"Goodbye Anne…"

"NO!"

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Anne's eyes immediately opened wide. She bolted straight up from the bed, searching the room. All was well, all was quiet. Nothing was burning. Her breathing began to slow down, her heart calming down. As she looked around, two questions began to pound her skull: where was she and how did she get here? Her fingers began to reach for her black onyx stone that she wore around her neck, a gift from her mother. She wanted many answers, some she was not sure if she would find.

A sudden knock broke her thought and the silence, making her jump slightly. She turned her head to the door clutching the blue silk covers.

"Y-yes?" she said, fear creeping up on her.

The door opened to revel the butler in black. He entered with a smile on his face. "Ah, you are awake at last. Good. The young Master shall be most pleased." Anne looked at the butler with a confused expression. Sebastian noticed this and kneeled before her, his hand on his chest.

"Ah yes, I am Sebastian Michaelis, Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive's butler."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir." She greeted formally. She continued to stare at the butler. Something about this butler seemed different. Sure he looked quite charming, but for some reason, she could feel an aura around him, an aura of mystery.

"Master Ciel will be pleased to see you awake. You gave us quite a surprise last night." Sebastian said, rising from his kneel. Anne looked away and then remembered. She remembered finding the manor and falling into someone's arms. It couldn't have been Sebastian's, could it? She shook her head and turned her attention back to Sebastian, who was browsing through the wardrobe, trying to find a suitable outfit for the young lady.

"He requested that you have dine with him once you were awake." The butler said, pulling out a green dress. It was a forest green dress with long sleeves and a skirt that was just a mere half an inch from the ground. The collar of the dress was black with a floral, see-through design. The trimming, like the collar, was also black. It looked quite pretty but what mattered to Anne was that her shoulder wasn't showing.

Rising from the bed, she took the dress from Sebastian. "Thank you."

"Not at all, my dear lady." With a sly smile, he turned and left Anne alone to change. Anne stood silent for a moment before she began to change. Looking into the wardrobe for spare undergarments, she managed to find a corset, drawers and a chemise. Placing on her chemise and drawers, she began to tighten the strings on her corset. Living on her own since she was a teenager of 16, she had taught herself to tie her strings without needing assistance, an art she had mastered over the course of five years . Once tied, she slipped into the dress and grabbed a pair stockings and a pair of black boots. She tied them on tightly and brushed her self off. Looking into the vanity next to the bed, she noticed her hair was a bit worse for wear. To save her the trouble, she grabbed a brush that lay on top of the vanity and quickly brushed her hair. Once it looked relatively normal, she tied a green ribbon in her hair and proceeded to the door.

Upon opening the door, she found Sebastian waiting outside for her. She was surprised to find him outside. Surely his master would have sent for him to fetch him something or go do a chore, but here he was.

"You look lovely, madam." He complemented. Anne blushed slightly.

"Were you waiting here?" She asked, closing the door.

"The young Master asked that I show you to the main study. What kind of butler would I be if I did not escort you to the Earl, especially since you have never been here before."

Anne looked at him for a moment before nodding. He proceeded down the hallway, Anne close behind.

"I don't believe I learned your name, madam." Sebastian said as they continued further into the manor.

Anne froze for a moment. She pondered whether or not she should tell them her real name. According to the records, Anne perished in a fire along with her mother, but that was not true. She claimed another name out of safety. For some reason, a reason that cost the life of her mother, her name was no longer safe. Yet some how, her name was discovered in London.

"My lady?" Anne came back to reality.

"My name is…Helena. Helena Mason." She replied. Sebastian smirked. She was lying.

"Helena, quite a lovely name." He replied. Anne, or Helena, remained silent as they proceeded down towards the study. The halls were dark and barren, few paintings hanging from the wall. Perhaps the young Lord did not care for art so much, Anne thought.

As Sebastian opened the large, dark wooden doors, Anne was able to spot a boy sitting in a large dark green cushioned chair, sipping tea. Sebastian ushered her forward. Anne entered, silent and cautious. She made her way towards the young Lord and stood halfway between the door and the boy. Looking through his uncovered eye, he set aside his tea.

"Come here," he said. Anne approached him, taking notice of his eye patch. She began to wonder why he covered it. He had such beautiful blue eyes, well eye, that it would be almost a crime to hide them. Perhaps he lost it in the Phantomhive fire she had heard about a few years ago.

"What is your name?" asked Ciel. As Anne was about to answer, Sebastian stepped forward.

"She says her name is Helena Mason, my Lord." Said Sebastian, bowing his head. Ciel took another sip of his tea then looked at "Helena". She looked down at the floor, her hands behind her back. Ciel was no fool. This woman showed many signs that what she claimed was untrue.

"Really? Your name is Helena? Or perhaps, a guise?" questioned Ciel. Anne stood silent for a moment. There was no possible way she could lie her way out of this.

She sighed, "You would be correct, my Lord." Sebastian smirked. "I am not Helena Mason."

Ciel had a smug expression on his face. Yet, the name she lied about, it sounded familiar.

"Helena Mason was the name my mother had before marrying my father, Richard Hanson." Ciel eyes widened.

"Then you are…?"

"Yes, I am Anne Hanson."

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A/N: Hope you guys liked the first chapter (: Anyway, I hope to get the next on up soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler or its characters, but I do own Anne Hanson