I wasn't the richest nobleman in China, nor in England, the strange, rainy place I came to call my temporary dwelling. But I was able to support myself, my girls and my "sister" far better than the common folk could say about their own families. I had a thriving business, and I had friends to spend time with. My favorite companion was the young Phantomhive boy. I liked to think that secretly, I was his favorite as well, among our overlapping social circles. Try as he might, he never could hide that glint of amusement when I went off on some made up theory that had no backing or end at all. Sure, he'd act angry and annoyed, but we both knew I only went on those rambling journeys for his enjoyment.
The Phantomhive was an orphan. This I learned early on, when a woman named Madame Red (an occasional customer of my own) told me of her nephew's need for less than legal assistance in solving a problem. I was intrigued, so I followed her to the Phantomhive estate. That was when I first met Sebastian. I remember it especially well, since that butler was the only man I've met who showed no interest whatsoever in my sister. Instead he glanced us over as if we were mere ants on his walkway; Insignificant, easily crushed. To say I wasn't a bit unnerved would be a lie. Madame Red had warned me about her nephew, but I had foolishly assumed she was exaggerating. She was not. When that butler opened the door to the room, I was caught more off guard than I would care to admit. Madame Red had told me her nephew was still a boy, but the eye staring at me with barely concealed boredom was that of a child! I had been expecting a young teenager, at least someone who had gone through puberty. Still, I was only shocked for a moment, before I composed myself and bowed deeply. My sister did not, though that didn't seem to bother him. I was in the middle of my introduction when he interrupted. "Save the theatrics. I've already heard quite a lot about you." The boy said with a cold, no nonsense voice. It was not the voice a child should ever have, and it sent a hidden shiver up my spine. I stood upright and to my credit, offered a smile. The boy had tea now, and was examining it closely.
"Good things, I hope," I remember answering. His eye trailed up to mine, locking me in place with a stern gaze as he brought the teacup to his lips.
"No." He replied simply once he had taken a drink. I was at a loss for words, but he saved me by speaking again. "Then again, that IS why I asked Madame Red to bring you to me." I swore I picked up a hint of amusement in his voice, entertainment that he was making me sweat.
"Ah, you'll have to forgive my young lord. He's more used to catching your kind than working with you." His butler spoke. I glanced to the boy, but he was focused on his teacup again, and showed no sign of any plans to reprimand his butler for "speaking out of turn", as I had seen so many do. This, I think, was even more intriguing than anything else, and the real cause of the events that happened in the days and years to come.
"Phantomhive, was it?" I watched him glance up at me again. "My kind? You know, I could be horribly offended by your butler's insolence." I swore I saw a smile tug at his lip corners.
"You're not. And you don't believe it's insolence either. As I have said. I've heard a lot about you." I was starting to get annoyed at his quick wit, his answer for everything. So I glanced over at my sister and put on my best grin.
"Well, I think it's unfair that you know so much about me, when I know nothing about you!" The boy paused, and I felt a twinge of victory. Then, with a near imperceptible glance to his butler, he set his teacup down on the saucer and it was taken away.
"Very well," he told me, sitting back and crossing his legs. "What would you like to know?" I thought for a moment, and what followed was a very rapid question and answer session.
"How old are you?"
"Eleven."
"How do you know so much about me?"
"I hear things." This went on for a few minutes, none of my questions throwing him for a loop. It was as if he had prepared answers for everything I may have asked. Finally I decided to strike.
"How'd you lose your eye?" I shot out. For the first time he paused, and suddenly Sebastian was at his side, looking suspiciously at me.
"My young lord does-"
"Sebastian." With that one word, the boy's butler stopped and glanced with what looked to be amusement at his master.
"Yes, my lord." He said with a bow. The boy glanced to me again.
"My family has many enemies, Lau." That was the first time he said my name, and he said it with such dismissiveness that I almost bristled. "And one night, they decided to try to kill us. I lost my eye the same way I lost my parents. Fire." I stared at him, then smirked.
"You disappeared after the fire, did you not, Ciel? Even your fiancé didn't know where you were? And then you just showed up one day with no eye, no joy and a new butler." The boy's lips expertly held back expression again.
"You said you knew nothing about me."
"You believed me." I shot back in victory. This time he didn't hide a smile, though it was less a happy one and more of a cynical smirk.
"Well, I'll have to take your words with a grain of salt in the future. Now, if you're finished, I do believe you came here because I'm in need of your assistance?"
The next few weeks were spent working with the Phantomhive boy on catching members of a blood drinking cult. Well, that was what I was paid for. When I look back I think I was spending more time trying to get Ciel to "smile" again. It became a kind of obsession, matched only by my desire to understand the boy's relationship with his butler. I often found myself wandering the halls of his manor, alone or with my sister. Sometimes we would run into the other members of his staff: a cook, a maid and a gardener, but most of the time we were undisturbed. I began to realize I rarely saw Ciel without Sebastian and when I did, the butler never seemed far away. He appeared to be the perfect servant, though he denied it, insisting he was merely "one hell of one". I noticed whenever he did and Ciel was within earshot, the boy would roll his eye as if it was some stupid joke. I prided myself in being exceptionally observant, and quickly picked up on the fact that the maid seemed to be very infatuated with Sebastian, to the point where her duties would suffer if he was in the room. So I began talking to her about this and that, gaining her trust before finally asking about what had been burning at my curiosity since the beginning. "So, Mey-Rin, you spend a lot of time with Sebastian, don't you?" Immediately her face turned red, as it did whenever someone talked about him. She nodded. "I'm curious. What can you tell me about him?" The woman all but swooned at an invitation to talk about the butler.
"Oh sir, he's amazing! No matter what happens he can always fix it! And he does it with such grace! He's always taking such good care of the young master too!" She went on for almost an hour, and while I didn't learn exactly what I had wanted to know, I did realize that if she was right, Sebastian never made mistakes.
From that moment, I began testing him. I "accidentally" knocked Ciel's cane out from his hand, and Sebastian both caught it and steadied the boy without trouble. I bumped into the maid when she was serving tea and Sebastian came out of no where, not only catching the spill on a napkin, but doing so with a mere flick of his wrist. I had to admit, the girl was right; Sebastian was by all accounts infallible. I had thought I was being sneaky, but on the third day of trying to make Sebastian fail, I entered the room my sister and I were sharing, and the door slammed shut behind me.
"You know, you could have just asked." Sebastian said, and though there was no cruelty or anger in his voice, I felt a flash of fear.
"Asked what?" I managed out, wondering if I could get to my sword before he did... Something.
"If I made mistakes. Yes, I do. But none that you will ever bear witness to. And should you cause me to make a mistake..." He still had no real danger in his voice, and yet I knew what he was implying. At that moment, my sister entered the room, glancing between the two of us silently. She was a quiet girl, but the glance carried a silent question of what was going on. "I'm sorry for intruding in your room, Madame." The butler smiled warmly and left. I decided I would stop trying to make him mess up, at least for now.
Around that time in our investigation, with more bodies piling up, we found it necessary to pay a visit to the undertaker. I myself hadn't yet dealt with him, but his reputation as an insane but skilled man was no stranger to my ears. We took a carriage into the city, Sebastian driving. I used that opportunity to try and make Ciel smile again. "So, young earl, how are you today?" I asked, shifting my sister slightly. She was sitting in my lap as usual. She enjoyed the comfort it brought her.
"I'll be better when we're through with our meeting with the undertaker." The boy's voice rarely differed from a cold dismissive tone, but I swore I heard a hint of unease.
"Why, you wouldn't possibly be SCARED of this man, would you?" I couldn't help but tease him, though he took it in stride.
"I fear nothing, I have no reason to."
"And why is that?"
"Because I have a purpose in life, and until I fulfill that, there is no way I could possibly allow myself to die." My brow arched.
"That's a very adult thing to say, for someone so young." His eye narrowed at me. He hated his young age being brought up, which was of course why I did it.
"And what do you mean by that, exactly?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's just that most adults don't even know what their purpose is, and yet you do. It's very... Wise." He seemed satisfied with that answer, but I wasn't finished. "But also completely foolish. What makes you think life will just let YOU decide when to die? What makes you so special that you think... Who do all you Englishman worship? God? What makes you so sure your God will allow you to complete your purpose?" Ciel looked surprised. I guess no one had ever questioned him like that before. Quickly though he changed his expression to a smug kind of smirk.
"My reasons, if you must know, have absolutely nothing to do with God, Lau." He said, casting his eye to me again. I had begun enjoying those glances, those rare moments when he acknowledged me as more than just a voice in his ear.
"Then what?" I pressed. Just as he opened his mouth to answer though, the carriage stopped and Sebastian was opening the door.
"We've arrived, my lord." I caught a look between them as the boy was helped out of the carriage and it surprised me how much meaning was in it. Once again I was curious. Half tempted to test Sebastian's skills again, I decided against it and instead nudged my sister off my lap and climbed out after her.
"Well, certainly looks like the kind of place an undertaker would call home," I mused to no one in particular. "Though not very unnerving, unless you're a child of course." Seeing Ciel tense and glare at me sent a jolt of amusement through my body and I grinned innocently in response. He scoffed and made for the door, Sebastian holding it open for everyone.
"Undertaker!" The boy called out. It was quiet for a few seconds, and then a sudden bang made me jump. I was certain I saw Ciel jump too. We turned to see one of the coffins slowly opening, and when it had opened enough, a man stepped out.
"What's this? New friends to play with?" He asked with a breathy, scratchy voice as if he was trying not to laugh. I was surprised at how different he seemed from what I had expected. He had gray hair but didn't look old at all, and with the way it fell over his eyes, his eerily wide smile and his outfit, I had to admit I could see why Ciel was uneasy. My own unease was not soothed when the man spoke again. "No, not yet it seems. Though, maybe one day if I'm lucky, I'll make friends out of you yet." He chuckled at his own joke. At least I thought it was a chuckle.
"Undertaker, we need to see the bodies of the men from the port district, the ones who-" Ciel was silenced by a finger to his lips, and I caught my first glimpse of the undertaker's claw like nails, causing a shiver to snake up my spine.
"Young earl! I thought I recognized your voice! How are you?" I couldn't help but chuckle silently at how the boy stepped back quickly, licking at his lips.
"I'm fine. Now, please, the bodies-" Once more he was cut off as the undertaker turned to me and my sister.
"You're new to my little house of friends, aren't you?" I took a step back in surprise, though my sister didn't budge.
"Yes, I'm helping earl Phantomhive with his case. My name is-"
"I know who you are, dream seller. My friends tell many stories." I blinked in surprise. Dream seller? That was a new one, though I liked it a lot. It had a fairy tale ring to it.
"Ah, well, it's nice to meet you." The undertaker giggled at my response and finally turned back to the boy.
"You know my price, young earl. Who will pay it today?"
"Sebastian will, as always." Sebastian nodded and stepped forward.
"My lord?" Ciel turned toward the door.
"Come, Lau. We can't be in here for this." He said sternly, not bothering to wait and see if I would follow, though of course I did.
"What is this payment that we can't witness?" I asked as the door closed behind us. "You know my life, I'm not opposed to illegal dealings." The boy shook his head.
"It's not that, it's-" His reply was lost in the noise of a sudden, roaring laughter coming from inside. It was so loud I swear it shook the windows. As it died down, I smiled.
"Well, looks like he didn't like the payment?" But Ciel was already going inside.
"No, he accepted it." I followed the boy, where I saw Sebastian standing above a still giggling undertaker. The clawed man appeared to have been crying with laughter, and he shook as he stood.
"Oh, that was a hell of a joke!" Giggling again, the man dusted his clothing off and crooked a finger so we'd follow him.
"The payment is... Laughter?" I asked in disbelief.
"Well, my friends don't have the best humor." The undertaker answered casually.
"Ah. Makes sense, I guess." He led us through to a separate room, where four bodies were laid out on beds of metal. For the next hour or so we worked examining the bodies, something none of us seemed to have any problems with, though I did notice that the boy's eye constantly shifted to the symbols carved into each man's chest. "You seem awfully fixated on some satanic scribbles, young earl." I mused, more teasing than probing, though from that moment, I could see him making a conscious effort not to stare at the marks.
"Sebastian," Ciel caught his butler's attention as we were leaving, and they once more shared a glance.
"Of course, my lord. I'll begin as soon as we return home." I chuckled.
"Have you ever talked to a pair of twins, young earl?" I asked as we climbed into the carriage. He looked at me with a raised brow. "It's just that they seem to know what the other is thinking without it being said. You and Sebastian remind me of that. It's like you share some other worldly bond." I saw the boy's face twitch slightly.
"He's a good butler. I expect nothing but the best for the Phantomhive household." He replied smoothly. It seemed rehearsed, and my curiosity was taken up a notch. As I wrapped my arms around my sister's waist and the carriage began to move, I vowed to figure out what was going on between the boy and his butler.
"We're getting close." Ciel told me, around the third week of our investigation. "I think it's time for us to think about making a move on them." We were sitting in his garden, Sebastian not far away as usual.
"Well that's a wonderful plan, but we still don't know where they live or do the killings." The boy glanced over to his butler.
"Sebastian! It's time for you to go find where they are hiding. And remember, we need to bring the police there." Sebastian bowed low and left to go inside.
"You're sending your butler to go track down a cult?" I asked with surprise.
"Of course. There's no one else I can trust with the job." We sat and talked for a few more minutes, and then all of a sudden my sister jumped to her feet.
"What is it?" I asked. She looked around and took off toward the mansion.
"What's going on with her?" The boy asked, looking out of the corner of his eye at our surroundings. I did the same.
"She must have heard something. I suggest we get inside, since if Ran Mao thinks it warrants investigating, it's bad." We stood, and had barely taken one step when men in masks rushed us. I have to admit, what surprised me wasn't being rushed, it was how Ciel cried out in fear. It was such a guttural, instinctual fear in his voice, evidence of some buried memories. That, I think, was why I didn't fight back in time to avoid the hit to the back of my head. As I passed out, I watched them do the same to the boy.
"Wake up..." I heard a stern, cold voice. My first thought was it belonged to our abductors. When I opened my eyes, however, I saw only Ciel.
"You know, you should really talk more kindly. I thought you were one of the kidnappers. I was about to try and kill you." I grunted as I sat up. We were tied to posts in an old warehouse.
"You don't honestly believe this is a kidnapping, do you?" The boy scoffed. I sighed and shook my head.
"No, I don't. This is more getting the investigators out of the way." Ciel nodded and sighed. "Don't be scared," I soothed. "I'm actually a pretty good fighter, I'll try to overpower them when they come for-"
"I'm not scared. I told you, I won't die." I stared at him, then shook my head.
"Well, if they delay long enough, we'll be found. No doubt my sister is already on her way." I saw Ciel smirk.
"Well she better hurry, I'm sure Sebastian's already here." I looked at him, confused.
"How could he be here? He was out searching for this place and there's no way he could have found it so soon. And he's just a butler! What is he going to do against an entire cult? Polish their plates until they let us go?" The boy just smirked wider. "Okay, fine. How about a friendly bet. If Sebastian saves us, I'll stop calling you a child. But if Ran-Mao saves us... You have to smile for me." I grinned.
"And if neither saves us?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Nope, that won't happen. One of them will come. So do we have a deal?" After a moment, the boy nodded.
"Indeed we do. Best to get all your jokes about my age out now, you'll never use them again soon." I scoffed.
"Do you even remember how to smile? You should practice." We sat bantering for a few more minutes. "The reason you don't think you'll die. It's Sebastian, isn't it?" I asked finally. He nodded. "You really trust him, don't you?"
"Why? You don't?"
"No, it's not that. I'm just trying to figure this all out." The boy eyed me curiously.
"What do you mean by that?" Before I could answer, I heard a scream.
"Did you hear that?" The boy rolled his eye.
"Of course I heard it, I'm here too." There was another scream, and then shouting and the sounds of footsteps.
"Looks like Ran Mao is here." I said. The boy shook his head.
"No, that's Sebastian." I began to laugh.
"Sebastian? That doesn't sound like a butler serving them so much tea they burst. Sounds more like a... A tiger, loose on the world." There was a crash and more screams and shouts. The door burst open, more masked people running in, holding guns and knives. They surrounded us, two of them putting knives to our throats. The screams were getting closer, the men surrounding us visibly scared even beneath their masks. A man running toward the door was grabbed and we could hear his screams of agony, abruptly cut short. His body was flung into the room. Finally, we saw our savior. Stepping through the door was Sebastian. At the same time, however, Ran Mao stepped in from the other direction.
"My lord, are you hurt?" Sebastian asked as Ran Mao and I exchanged a silent question about our health.
"I'm fine." Our two saviors made to take steps forward, but the knives were pressed tighter against our throats and they stopped. The cult members began threatening to kill us if Sebastian and Ran Mao didn't leave immediately.
"Before we get to the whole hostage negotiation, I have a question." I said abruptly, interrupting one of the cult members, no doubt stunning them into silence with my lack of fear. "Sebastian, Ran Mao, which one of you got to us first?" Both of them raised their hands.
"Which one got to the warehouse first?" Ciel asked.
"Actually, my lord, we arrived at the same time."
"Ah, that explains how you got through. Ran Mao made a path for you." I looked smugly at Ciel, but the boy was smirking.
"I'm surprised, Sebastian. Being matched by her." The butler nodded.
"Indeed, we would do well to avoid any fights with the young lady. It might prove troublesome. Now, if you don't mind we must get going. I have dinner to prepare. I have never been late getting dinner on the table, I won't start now." My brow arched. Was this man really trying to imply he could hold his own against Ran Mao? I was about to scoff again when the butler struck, lashing his hand out. Knives flew from between his fingers, hitting the ropes holding us. They snapped and Ran Mao took the opportunity to launch herself forward. She flew through the air, her knees crushing into the face of the man above me. The knife dropped and I grabbed Ciel, pulling him away from the fighting. The rest was over quickly, Sebastian and Ran Mao dispatching the cult members with ease. When the last one had fallen, Sebastian made his way over to us, staring down at me. I was still holding Ciel, my body shielding his from any injury. "Well, it seems you have witnessed a mistake." The butler said as he knelt and took Ciel from my arms.
"I don't-" The boy cut me off.
"The only mistake Sebastian has ever made is not keeping me from getting kidnapped." He said calmly, casually wiping some splattered blood off on my sleeve. "Where's my eye-patch, Sebastian?" The butler set Ciel down and nudged bodies aside until he found it, though it was covered in blood. "Hmph. Let's just hurry home so I can get one on." As the boy turned to the door, his legs gave out and he fell. Sebastian and I both jerked forward to catch him. I thrust my arms under his shoulders, Sebastian got his hips, and in that moment the boy's hair slid to the side, revealing two wide eyes. I stared down at him in shock, but before I could register if what I saw was really what was there, he was yanked from my arms and held tight by his butler, hiding his face in the tall man's chest like a scared child.
"My apologies, but the young master does not like being seen without his eye patch." I was silent for a moment, trying to process what I had just seen, or thought I saw.
"That... that's fine. I understand. We all have scars we'd prefer not to see. Well, I guess that's that." I wasn't as shocked as I should have been about Sebastian's skills as a fighter, though it was an excellent reason for Ciel to not be afraid. Comparable to my Ran Mao. I was more focused on that flash of purple I saw when we locked eyes. There was something horribly wrong about purple as an eye color. Perhaps it was a mutation? And he was ashamed of it? But... that didn't seem to fully answer all the questions. Still, my job was finished and I resigned myself to never knowing.
"Yes. We'll send you your payment, along with your things. Good bye." I gave an exaggerated bow and to my surprise, my sister actually acknowledged Sebastian with a respectful nod. And then we parted ways.