So, not much to say ^^ I'm just glad this was longer than the prologue xP

Recommended Listen: No suggestion

Warning: Shounen ai, character death.

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Chapter One

"Vanessa, please. Just drop it," Elliot growled. The blonde continued down the hall to his room, his tall sister jogging behind him.

"Be rational, Elliot. No one in the family likes him-,"

"The Nightray family technically only has four members: You, Gilbert, Father and I. Vincent and mother don't count. So, two of our family members like him, two do not. That's no no-,"

"—he doesn't respect any of us-,"

"He respects me!" Elliot argued, his cheeks heating up.

"—he has a worse temper than you, no, a worse temper than the whole Nightray family put together. It's not that hard to get rid of someone, Elliot." He glanced at her over his shoulder and she shook a little bottle filled with some strange green liquid at him. Elliot recognized it from poison awareness at school.

"Where'd you get that?" He picked up his pace again when Vanessa tucked the small bottle up her sleeve.

She sniffed. "Found it in Vincent's room."

Elliot rolled his eyes. No doubt she stole it. "Anyway, it's sickeningly easy to replace a servant. What's so special about him that's worth keeping anyway?" She prodded.

First off, I'm in love with him, Elliot thought. Vanessa started ranting again but Elliot tuned her out. Before long he reached his room, slamming the door in his sisters face.

"Hello," Leo greeted from his place on the bed. Elliot leaned against the door. "Is everything alright?" The noirette asked, hearing the only Nightray daughter pacing outside their bedroom door. With a cocked eyebrow he lowered his glasses and stared at his master.

"Yeah. Vanessa's bitching, nothing new." He brushed it off.

Leo decided to believe him and not argue when the girl's footsteps receded down the hall towards the stairs that lead to a kitchen. Elliot left his place at the door and sat on the corner of his bed. He kicked off his shoes before unbuttoning and removing his school jacket as well. Then the blonde crawled under the warm covers.

He shut his eyes tightly. Vanessa's shouting had left him annoyed and with a headache.

Elliot only realized he'd fallen asleep when a blood-curdling scream pierced his ears. He recognized it as his sister's. In seconds he and Leo were on their feet and out the door, nearly running Gilbert over. They fell into step behind Elliot's older-adopted-brother and the three ran down the single flight of stairs and into the kitchen.

Hans, Vanessa's manservant, was crouched over head. At first Elliot thought she was being attacked and took a step forward. After that first step he noticed Hans' thumb and pointer finger had the girl's nose pinched shut and he—evenly as possible—breathed into her mouth before pulling back and pounding her chest with intertwined fingers. Elliot's breath hitched when the puddle of blood around Vanessa's top half came into his line of sight.

The blonde rushed forward and knelt beside his sister, taking one of her cooling hands in his.

"Vanessa?" His voice cracked.

Gilbert came up from behind Hans and hoisted the man up, who struggled against Gil's arms, locked over his chest. "That won't help her now!" He hissed in attempt to calm the much older, much larger, servant.

Elliot got a good look at the damage. Vanessa's throat had been slit in two places, forming an 'X' across her neck and into the dip of her collar bone. Leo was suddenly on the other side of Vanessa, pressing a towel to her neck. In no time Leo's towel, and not to mention his hands, were soaked in blood, and another towel was added.

"Nessy? It's Elliot," he talked around the lump in his throat.

"El…ly?"

His ears perked. "Y-yeah, it's m-," Elliot stopped, and he let go of his sister's hand.

Her signature Nightray-blue eyes stared up into the ceiling above her with a dead dullness. The noirette stood and gave Elliot an unused towel to wipe any blood from them before using it for himself. Their knees and shins were soaked as well, but pants could be replaced.

Elliot, still sitting, reached up and found Leo's hand hanging limply at his side, and he

laced their fingers before standing. Gilbert still had Hans uncomfortably squashed in his arms, but he gave them a curious look that slowly morphed into realization. Hans gave no reaction. His eyes were locked on the corpse of his master.

"Elliot-," Gilbert began.

"Who did this," Elliot's voice was weak, just a whisper. Hans appeared to not hear him, or simply not care. "Get back, Gilbert."

Said person looked confused. "O…okay..?" He stepped to the side of Hans, thus releasing him.

Elliot broke his hand from Leo's and Hans found himself pinned between the wall and the blonde. "Who did this!"

"I-I don't know! A ch-chain!" He explained its features.

"Humpty Dumpty," Leo said matter-of-factly, and all (living) eyes turned to him. "I…read about it. In a book at Pandora. The chain Hans explained is Humpty Dumpty. Was there a contractor, Hans?" Leo's tone was light and gentle. Hans shook his head.

"That's unlikely. I don't think that's possible at all. For a chain to be alone, I mean." Gilbert spoke everyone's thoughts.

"Where's… where is Vincent?" Elliot asked.

Gilbert looked shocked. "On a date with Miss Ada. He said he'd be back at five. Three hours away. It wasn't him, Elliot."