Wow, I'm finally updating ^^; SOO sorry for the wait T_T I want to go on about how busy I was, but I probably could have found time to write this, so I'm not going to. Feel free to hit me with a stick or something for being so lazy. Anyways, here's the second chapter. I wonder, are any of them looking suspicious? Because in a murder mystery, only the dead are innocent- and no one's dead yet, so you have a wide variety to choose from! :D I can't wait to start the actual killings in a couple of chapters, though~ Happy reading, and Easter!

Warnings: Character death, gore, language, shounen-ai, AU

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji

Knock, knock, knock.

The door swung open.

"Good evening," Sebastian said happily, hand raised in a friendly salute.

Ciel slammed the door shut.

Knock. Pause. Knock, knock.

The door opened again.

"What do you want?" Ciel hissed. "Why are you even here?"

"Well, because it's my duty to help you get along in this school," Sebastian said as if it was obvious.

"I never asked for you help."

"It's alright. For you, I've decided to help from the goodness of my heart," Sebastian replied cheekily.

"… You're despicable, did you know that?" Ciel commented dryly.

"Your words pain me, and after I came all the way over here to escort you to dinner. We wouldn't want you getting lost again, now would we?" Sebastian smirked.

"Bastard, I told you I wasn't lost. Now could you please leave?" he said impatiently.

"I could, but I don't think I want to. Besides, a Senior who can't even make sure his student gets to dinner isn't worth his salt."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "You do realize salt isn't worth that much anymore, right?"

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. Then, a curious look overcame him. "Why do you cover your right eye completely with your hair like that?"

Tensing, the boy countered, "Does it matter the way I part my hair?"

Sebastian eyed him. "Obviously it does, but I won't press matters. If we don't hurry up, the desserts are all going to be eaten."

"Desserts?" Immediately, Ciel perked up for a moment before scoffing and looking away. "Maybe I should get something to eat. Lead the way."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. The boy liked desserts. How… unoriginal.

Ciel scrutinized the older student as he walked in the darkened sky. Even without the midnight black hair and blood colored eyes, he would've been weary of this man. There was this aura around him: nothing could shake this being. The way Sebastian held himself, completely confident as he observed everything around him with an easy smirk, was like everything else was below him.

"What do you want?" Ciel finally demanded again. "And don't give me another bullshit reason about wanting to help a new student. Everyone has a reason behind they're actions, and I've come to realize that people like you don't do things from the goodness of their hearts."

"Oh? So distrusting. That's a good way of thinking, though. It's true that behind every move spent and turn played, there is always a hidden motive. You wish to know mine, and yet why should I trust you with it?" Sebastian smiled sardonically.

The blue eyed boy was at a loss for words for a moment. "Hmm. You make a good point, Sebastian Michaelis. People also do not give without expecting anything in return. This is why I would rather not get involved with them."

"That is the code we live by here at this academy. You have met Grell Sutcliff. Do you think I keep his company because I want to? As you yourself must already be aware of, there are many powerful families here. It's important to make good connections with them."

"And why are you telling me this?" Ciel frowned, suspicious.

Sebastian gave him a slightly surprised look. "I did not think it would be some great secret to you. Maybe my expectations were too high…"

Insulted, he snapped, "Of course I know that connections are important, you idiot. How else would I be able to run―"

"Run what?" Sebastian persisted.

"None of your goddamn business," Ciel responded irritably.

The raven haired student smiled. "Please, pardon my inquiries. I was merely curious as to how you were able to get in this academy."

Ciel wondered just why he needed to know this. Most likely, it was because he thought Ciel's family may be of use to him, just like the many others in this school. However, there was no way the boy was about to let the name Phantomhive slip to some pesky stranger. Though most did not know the truth about that family, he wouldn't be surprised if there were a few here who did. Instead, he said, "Aren't grades enough? My family, too, has old money to afford the expenses."

"Is that so? Durless… It's not a name I've heard of," Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"That's why I said old money. Now what of yourself?"

Sebastian shrugged. "We own a chain of hotels all around the world. It's as simple as that."

Hotels? I wonder if I could use that to my advantage, especially with Funtom Company expanding into foods. Hmm, I'll have to look into it more, Ciel thought to himself. This Sebastian Michaelis did have a point; the students here could be very useful to him if handled properly. However, before he could question anything else, Sebastian pushed open two grand doors.

A bright room was shown. With golden-yellow walls, the entire place emitted a cheerful and warm atmosphere. Chandeliers hung from the roof and elegant tables were set up in rows. Students laughed and conversed easily, all sitting properly at the beautiful tables set up. That said, as soon as Sebastian walked in, Ciel swore it got immediately quieter. Men stared at him with envy, women with want. It was very unnerving how all these people looked at the dark haired man― and ultimately, himself as well.

Ignoring all the annoying glances, Ciel walked on beside Sebastian because he honestly didn't know what to do except that. Thankfully, everyone else had returned to their talking quickly and only sent occasional looks over at the two.

"This way," Sebastian said, smiling and playing the part of the devilishly handsome senior perfectly.

Ciel tried to see where exactly he was leading to, but it was quite difficult considering almost everyone was still taller than him sitting down on the high raised chairs. Instead, he decided to glare up at the older student, taking out his frustration of being almost half the size of him. Eventually, though, he saw a table in the center of the room, a little more distanced from the others than usual. What really tipped him off that this was where they were headed was that the flamboyant redhead was there as well.

"Really, must we sit with him?" Ciel muttered to himself.

Still, Sebastian heard and chuckled.

"Sebastian, I saved your spots as you had wished," an East Indian man greeted.

"Thank you, Agni," Sebastian responded, smiling. Then he pulled back a chair and motioned for Ciel to sit there.

"Eh? That's who the spot was saved for?" Grell gaped, staring at Ciel. "Why is that kid at our table, Sebas-chan?"

"Why is Knox at our table then, Grell?" Sebastian countered.

"Well, because Ronnie is awesome. Ne, Will~?" Grell flirted.

William frowned. "Sutcliff, your logic makes no sense. Also, I couldn't honestly care less who sits at this table, whether it be Knox or this boy."

"Thank you." Spears twitched at the compliment from Michaelis. "Now everyone, this is―"

"I can introduce myself, thank you very much," Ciel said in an irritated tone. "My name is Ciel Durless."

"Very interesting. Now―" Grell started in a bored tone.

"I am William T. Spears. If you do not already know, this babbling idiot is Grell Sutcliff." William's voice was strained as he tried to block out Grell's, which had not stopped even after being cut off. Eventually, he just slapped his hand over the other's mouth to silence him. "Honestly, don't you ever shut up? Having to be in the same class as you is painful enough, I don't need to hear about your new shoes in my spare time."

Ronald gave the two an uncertain look. "Ah… Well, we already met earlier, but I'm Ronald Knox," he introduced after turning away from his superiors.

"My name is Agni," the gentle looking man said politely.

"And I," the last person at the table started energetically, "am the twenty-sixth child of the Raja of Bengal, Prince Soma Asman Kadar."

Ciel titled his head. "A prince? What are you doing in England?"

Ronald looked interested too, having just met the East Indian duo for the first time.

"Ah… Well, I actually came looking for a dear person. She went missing last year," Soma explained with a smile forced on his face.

Agni's eyes shifted away and he spoke in a solemn tone. "Unfortunately, we have not been able to find her whereabouts as of yet."

"And you're sure she was taken here?" Ronald wondered. Really, a kidnapper could be anywhere in the world.

"Yes. One of the servants back in India overheard the man," Soma informed.

It was silent for a moment. Sebastian eyed the two foreign men before deciding to speak up. "Well, enough of this for the moment. It is the start of a new year here, and most importantly, I would hate if all the food Agni and I made went to waste!"

Agni was quick to pick up the new subject. "Indeed! My Prince, let us go and fetch some curry and tea~"

"Yes! Oh, Ciel and Ronald, you just must try Agni's curry!" Soma gushed and grabbed Ciel's arm, dragging him along.

"Hey―! Let go of me!" Ciel demanded as the enthusiastic Prince drug him towards the food. Who did this guy think he was, touching him so freely? Did he have no class? And to be a prince―!

Sebastian watched with a smirk as the irritated child struggled to be freed. However, that only lasted a moment before Sebastian's thoughts drifted back to something that had been nibbling at him for a while.

"Agni, would you mind helping me for a moment back in the kitchen?" the raven haired student asked finally.

Agni paused in his enthusiastic following of the Prince to glance back. "Oh, sure! I will be back in a moment, Prince Soma."

The two Seniors walked towards the joint room where the kitchen was located. Agni was surprised by the silence and stood by the door while Sebastian prepared a tea kettle.

"What was it that you needed help with?" Agni asked kindly after a moment.

Without looking back at him, Sebastian said, "Could you please fetch me the tea leaves?"

The East Indian man did as was asked and pulled a tin of specially imported chai tea leaves from the cupboard. Then he gave them to Sebastian. The odd silence continued.

"…Agni."

Said man looked towards him quickly, wondering what it was Sebastian wanted to talk to him about. It was quite clear they hadn't come here to just make tea, so there must be another reason why Sebastian wanted them alone. He wasn't expecting the next words, though.

"Do you know where she is? Mina?" Sebastian asked quietly, moving the steaming kettle off of the burning element.

"…Why would you ask such a thing? The Prince and I―"

"I think you're lying to me. You know how much I dislike being lied to," Sebastian said easily and finally turned around to face the other man.

A shiver went through Agni as he stared into the dark eyes. Eventually, he had to look away again. "I have done everything I could to locate her―"

"And you found her," Sebastian persisted. "Don't lie to me, Agni. It's obvious to me that you know where she is, but you're hiding it from Soma. You can tell me, Agni."

The other man's eyes watered. "It's just, Prince Soma was so fond of her… I did not wish to reveal the truth; it would break his heart."

"You were only trying to protect him," Sebastian murmured soothingly. However, there was still one thing he was curious about. "Where is she now, though? What if Soma were to run into her on the street?"

"Don't worry, I've taken care of that," Agni said in a distant tone, his eyes staring off into a distance. "I couldn't let her hurt my Prince like that…"

So the question was, just what did 'taking care of that' mean? Sebastian pursed his lips and decided to file that away for a later moment. Instead, he continued with, "I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell Soma or the others about this."

Agni blinked and looked back at him, an extremely grateful smile breaking across his face. "Thank you! You are such a good friend, Sebastian," he exclaimed, placing his hands on the others shoulders.

Sebastian forced himself not to try and move away from the contact. Friends…? He mulled over the idea. Indeed, I do prefer Agni's company over the others, but friends is pushing it, is it not? Or perhaps this is how all friendships are? Based off of false truths… If so, what a pitiable thing friendship is.

The crimson eyed student just smiled, though, and said that they should return back to the others.

*The next day*

Elizabeth peered at the book in her hands excitedly. "Oh, I've always wanted to read Romeo and Juliet! Aren't you excited, Paula~?"

"Yes!" Paula agreed just as enthusiastically. "Oh, you're going to be perfect for Juliet!"

"My dress is going to be so cute~" Lizzie daydreamed and spun around in a simple circle, imagining a bellowing pink dress swishing behind her. "I'm so glad Mr. Chamber loves plays so much! This is going to be an amazing year!"

Vaguely, Ciel could hear her bright exclamations, even though he was all the way across the room. He had to disagree greatly with Lizzie's enthusiasm, though. Participating in plays all year did not sound like fun, nor his time spent usefully.

Staring distastefully up at the blond man who was literally prancing around the room, a sense of dread filled Ciel. Hopefully if he just stayed in his little corner, he would go unnoticed this entire year. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

"Cieeel!" Elizabeth cried as she ran over, skirt swaying seductively over her smooth legs.

Ciel frowned. How indecent of the school for their uniforms to be so revealing.

"Ciel! Ciel! You should totally play Romeo because I―"

"No."

"What? But Ciel," Lizzie whined.

Ciel sighed and looked up at her from his desk. "Elizabeth, I do not wish to be any part of this production."

"But you have to," Elizabeth pointed out, placing her hands on her hips. "If you didn't want to do Romeo and Juliet, you should've just said so!"

"You didn't give me the chance," Ciel said with a bored tone. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is play some lovesick child who kills himself in the name of 'love'."

"Oh but it's so romantic." Elizabeth swooned.

"I agree," a sleek voice said from behind Lizzie.

The girl turned around to face the other student. "Oh… It was Ronald, wasn't it?"

"You are correct, my Lady," Ronald murmured and pressed a kiss to her hand.

Elizabeth blushed at the action and looked uncertainly at Ciel, who had frowned a little at the blond male.

"I would be honored to play the part of your Romeo―" Ronald started but was cut off.

"Too bad. That part's already been taken," Ciel said sternly, glaring at him. It wasn't that he was jealous, but he had seen the way Ronald acted. All around, he was the biggest player Ciel had ever seen. There was no way he was letting Lizzie get involved with someone like him.

And that was how Ciel got his role as Romeo.

"I can't believe I actually dragged myself into that," he sighed to himself as he left the class. Honestly, what a humiliating role. Maybe if he spoke to whatever his name was, he could do some other assignment for this ridiculous story. Hmm…

"'My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy.'"

Ciel's shoulders twitched. "I'm not sure which is more disturbing: the image of you dressed up as Juliet or the fact that you've actually memorized her parts, meaning you probably have played her before." Then he continued after a moment. "You're so bothersome. How did you even find out about that?"

Sebastian chuckled. "News spreads quickly here," he said simply and held up a sleek cell phone.

"Hm." Ciel started to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He paused in his step. "Away from you. And especially away from your little group of followers."

"I think Soma would be very upset to hear that," Sebastian pointed out.

"Tsk. That guy doesn't understand the meaning of no, much less be offended by this. Believe me, I tried to get him to leave me yesterday, but for some reason he's convinced we're best friends or something as ridiculous." Ciel shook his head in disdain and continued on his way. Why did he have to be on the receiving end of all the clingy people in this school? He couldn't even get rid of this stupid senior student who seemed hell-bent on following him.

Sebastian had a good reason, though. There had been something that had bothered him about this boy, something he couldn't figure out. Originally, he had thought he might have seen him at some dinner party before, but he couldn't recall ever meeting any Durless. So, he did the logical thing and completed a thorough research on the boy.

What he came up with was interesting: files upon files about the boy. A birth certificate, report cards, passport, et cetera. That should've been enough to satisfy his curiosity, but he was Sebastian Michaelis and that meant not being fooled so easily. Upon further looking within the hidden properties and coding, it was clear that these had all been added to the database rather recently which meant one thing—Ciel Durless was a fake. Why he hid himself was still unclear, though.

"You have been informed that students require an extra curricular activity, yes?" Sebastian brought up.

"Is that so? They never said it was mandatory."

"Yes, well, it isn't required, but it is sought for." Sebastian smiled. "Why not go visit some of the clubs? I believe the Megane are practicing mixed martial arts at the moment."

"Megane?" Ciel questioned and walked with him.

"Ah, that's the name students have come up for Sutcliff, Spears and Knox. In fact, it actually started way before them. They are the ones in charge of the records in this school and are held in high regard, especially by the women. For some reason, though, all members of this group have had glasses and green eyes. Peculiar tradition, isn't it?" Sebastian commented.

The younger one had nothing to say to that. He really could not care which students managed this school, or what useless customs they had. This extracurricular activity, however, was something worth thinking of. With his small stature, something super physical like martial arts would most likely not go over well. Also, he wanted something he was already familiar with, so he didn't have to embarrass himself.

"Fencing," Ciel suddenly stated. "Do they teach that here?"

Sebastian looked at him in surprise. "So you do plan on something physical, then? But to answer your question, they do. However, we take our clubs very seriously, and don't go easy on beginners."

The blue eyed boy said confidently, "I can take care of myself."

Sebastian smirked. "We'll see. But first, if you would like to see something really impressive…"

The Senior pushed open the door to a large, wooden building, revealing a couple hundred students. Most were all leaning up against the walls, staring with mixtures of curiosity, excitement and pity.

"You wouldn't hit a lady, now would you~?" Grell Sutcliff asked saucily, standing in the center of four obscenely huge guys.

Ciel frowned. "What is that idiot doing now? He's going to get hurt, severely." The boy looked up at Sebastian and was surprised to see the eager gleam in his eyes. Perhaps he wanted to see the red head beaten?

"Just watch, this is going to be good," Sebastian said simply.

Back in the ring, one of the guys spoke up. "Don't act so cocky, Sutcliff! We're not new to martial arts."

"Yeah, just because you're a senior does not mean you're above us," another said, who was at least twice the size of Grell.

The red head tilted his head to the side. "I assure you, being a senior has nothing to do with that~ Now come on, darling, let's start this tango!" he said, no fear in his words at all, even though those monster of students were glaring down at the feminine man.

"Mocking us… Fine!" And a punch was thrown straight for Grell's face.

Grell moved to the side and frowned. "How dare you aim for my beautiful face~ You know, I—"

"Sutcliff, we don't have all day," Spears said from the side, looking at him in annoyance. "Just hurry up and finish the match so we can continue."

The red head flipped his hair over his shoulder and faced William. "But Will, that fiend—"

A perfectly manicured hand snatched the wrist of the strike that had been aimed yet again for his head. In less than a second, there was a twist and Grell had forced the man to his knees.

"How rude! I was talking to William," Grell snapped, twisting harder and making him collapse before his shoulder was dislocated.

The guy had to tap out when Grell didn't stop twisting even then.

Huffing, the green eyed man glanced at the others who were still standing there. "Well? If you're not going to play, then I'm leaving! Unless you three strong men are scared of lil' old me~"

And so, enraged, all of them attacked at once.

Like Sebastian had said, Ciel was impressed. Amazed, even. It was incomprehensible just how fast that flamboyant guy could move and with such accuracy. Every single punch and kick thrown at him was dodged gracefully, and then countered with triple the force.

The entire crowd winced as Grell nailed one of them in the face with a roundhouse kick.

"Silly, don't lean your face in if you don't want to get hit!" Grell taunted, before throwing an elbow back into the second guy's solar plexus. The sadistic smile as he fought sent shivers down their spines.

More kicks and hand strikes were thrown, but there weren't anymore take downs until Grell had beaten all but one. There, he waited until his opponent threw a lazy punch and was off balance before gripping him and flipping the man over his back. He landed with a final thud.

It was over in a minute, though it seemed like forever. The incredibleness of the situation hung in the air like a thick fog. Students gaped at the sight of the bruised and bleeding males who sat there pathetically, and at the red head who was glaring down at his hand.

"One of my nails broke," he complained to himself, though it was heard throughout the silent gym. Then he looked up at everyone. "Well, who wants to join?"

All the students immediately started to move towards the exit.

Spears let out an aggravated noise and pushed up his glasses, walking into the center as well. "Must you go that far? You're terrible at doing simple demonstrations."

Grell shrugged his shoulders. "You said fight. I fought. If you students want to learn how to beat the shit out of people, stay. If you're too scared, then go cry in your room to someone who cares."

Suddenly, at least half of the students stopped and looked back uncertainly. Slowly, they gathered around the two seniors, either deciding to prove their strength, or too proud to be called a scaredy-cat. The later would most likely end up being humiliated and hurt. Pride was nothing without the determination and will to succeed.

"He's deadly," Ciel commented, still eyeing Grell. He never would've thought that man would be able to so easily take down four of the largest guys he'd ever seen.

"Very. He's easily the best fighter we have at this school, though Spears has beaten him." Sebastian shook his head. "It's only because that idiot let him, though. He likes it when 'his Will is rough'."

"That look on his face when he was fighting, though. He looked absolutely ecstatic."

"Grell Sutcliff is a disturbing person in many ways," Sebastian said with a knowing tone. "I truly despise that being."

Ciel eyed Sebastian. "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer."

"Exactly."

Then, Ciel had to wonder, just what was he?

William Spears wrote quickly and efficiently in his notebook, planning, planning, always planning. Every little detail needed to be right, and he had to keep options open. Back up plans were a must. Back up back up plans also needed to be done. He didn't have that much time, so he needed to use every minute efficiently and―

"Will~" a seductive voice called him from the doorway.

Immediately, the stern man shut the book and got up. "What is it, Grell? I'm busy."

"You're always busy writing and doing work," Grell pouted and walked over. "Come play with me~ Preferably naked and on your bed."

Will raised an eyebrow. "No, thank you."

"Alright." Grell draped his arms around him. "I'm up for kinky classroom sex, instead, then."

The other male closed his eyes and took a deep breath, restraining from kicking the red head in the face. Instead, he shoved him away and went to leave the room.

"Wait, where are you going!" Grell chased after him.

"If you're going to follow me, at least be silent."

Grell frowned at him, but shut up and walked silently beside him.

After a few minutes, though, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Will, where are we going?"

"I'm not sure. I just wanted some fresh air." He neglected to say 'and some peace and quiet', which definitely wouldn't be achieved with this thing stalking him like usual.

"Oh. Hey, Will?"

"…What?"

"You look very nice with the moon shining on you like this."

William blinked. Had Grell just… complimented him without adding a sexual tone to it? How utterly peculiar. He turned and looked at the other, still bewildered.

Grell raised an eyebrow at him but then glanced towards the academy's driveway as a car pulled up.

The two students walked closer stealthily and hid near the wall. It was unusual to receive students late, even if it was only by a day. It was especially odd at night. However, the person who stepped out was clearly not a student.

Grell's heart stopped at the sight.

Short, red hair framing a lovely face. Ruby lips and crimson eyes shone in the darkness, highlighted by the moonlight. A close fitting red outfit framed every luscious curve of her body, and the skirt fluttered slightly in the faint wind.

"She's beautiful," Grell breathed, gaping at the woman.

William looked down at him in surprise at his words. Grell never complimented woman. He belittled them and complained about some of their nicer features, but never had he outright called another woman pretty.

Personally, Will thought with narrowed eyes, her hair is too short and she's wearing too much make-up.

Still, they watched carefully as the headmaster came out and greeted the woman, helping her with her luggage. Soon, she had disappeared inside and the car drove away.

William turned away and went to leave, but Grell still stood there, looking dazed.

"Sutcliff, we're leaving," he snapped.

Grell blinked slowly. "Oh, yes. Coming~"

The walk back was uncomfortable―for William, at least. Soon after they had started walking, Grell got this large smile on his face and was practically skipping in front of him. He didn't understand. Was it this woman that had made him like this…?

They walked back into their room and William shut the door, going to lock it when an exclamation stopped him.

"Oh, hello, Ronnie!" Grell chirped and flopped back onto his bed.

"Ah, sorry! I came over to see if you could help me with something and the door was unlocked," Ronald explained, rubbing his head. "It's alright, though, I figured―"

"Oh Ronnie, I think I'm in love~" Grell sighed and buried into the soft comforter. "She was so beautiful~ Her hair, her eyes, her mouth…"

Surprised, Ronald looked at William for answers.

"We saw a new staff member who seems to share his passion for the color red," he said shortly. "Knox, it's way past curfew, and some of us would like to actually sleep."

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry," Ronald said quickly before scurrying out.

Grell rolled over and frowned at Will. "You were rather short with him, don't you think?"

"He was up past curfew and in our room, which you left unlocked," William said disapprovingly.

"Oh, stop being such a prick, William. Ronnie wouldn't do anything, so it doesn't even matter," Grell snapped. "Honestly, you can be so frustrating sometimes…"

Will glared at Grell, his words angering him. Shaking his head, he turned back to the notebook―and froze. It had been moved. He had clearly aligned it with the dent in the desk and parallel to his textbooks. Now, it was definitely on an angle.

Ronald. That boy had been snooping through his stuff. Clenching his fist, he loosened his tie and tossed the book in the desk. Shutting off the desk light, William glanced at the form of his roommate that had obviously turned away from him.

"Honestly, and you say I'm stubborn…" he muttered under his breath before turning in for the night.

I do so enjoy writing for you guys, and I hope you enjoy reading it, as well. I know it's not very suspenseful yet, but hang tight! In the meanwhile, go ahead and play detective~ The countdown to the hunt has already began ;) So, please review if you have time, it'd make my weekend ^^ Bye bye~

^^; Extract: Ciel tilted his head. The twenty-sixth child… That was a lot of birthday parties in a year… which meant a lot of cakes! Maybe he should become acquainted with this Soma person.

I could see Ciel using someone for desserts.