II

"I am just saying, My Lord, that the boots would be a better choi-"

"And I am just saying, Sebastian, that I don't care what you think! They're my feet!" Ciel leaned over the edge of the bed and, nose to nose with his butler, glared.

Sebastian scowled and opened his mouth to scold the boy. "Bocch-"

BAM! Finni came rushing into the room. "Mister Sebastian...! Miss Elizabeth's crying and Meirin and I tried to help, but she just kept on and now we don't know what to do!" His eyes shined with the hint of tears.

Sebastian nodded and finished up Ciel's boot, to the boy's complaint, and hurried to the door, mumbling to himself.

"I still don't know how he does that in one breath..."

Ciel and Sebastian met the crying Elizabeth at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by the Phantomhive staff and her, Ciel, and Sebastian's packed luggage.

Meirin was patting her on the back, awkwardly and Bard was leaning over their shoulders. His ever-present cigarette wagging as he murmured things to her that were supposed to come off as calming.

Elizabeth looked up, green eyes ringed in red and nose sniffling. She wiped her eyes and hiccuped.

"C-Ciel. D-do I-?" She interrupted herself with a sniffle. "I-I don't want to go!" Her voice was suddenly loud and far more clear, though tinged with panic. "I-I'll be all the way in America! And I won't know anyone! And I'll miss you!" She had stood to stare at them.

Ciel was scowling at her impudence. He opened his mouth to set her straight, but Sebastian spoke up instead. Sebastian stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Come, Miss Elizabeth, it won't be as bad as all that. Camp Half-Blood is filled with all kinds of interesting, talented children like yourself. You will spend your days in their company, doing all kinds of things outdoors, creating things, and will learn to defend yourself. And, once we get there, you will no longer be troubled by these creatures. And," his eyes glinted, "you can always write."

Elizabeth gave a tiny, relented nod. She turned and grabbed the bag lying on top of her trunks. Ciel did the same. They walked outside and got in the carriage as the staff loaded their luggage.

Tanaka got into the driver's seat and they drove away. Bard, Finni, and Meirin waved, growing smaller out the window with distance. After they had disappeared altogether, Ciel turned towards his butler and fiancée, who would be joining him on this trip.

As he saw the still off Lizzy craning out the window and Sebastian sitting with his legs crossed, hands in lap, and smirking across the aisle at him, looking amused as can be.

His gut said, this did not bode well for him.

Lizzy stopped and stared up. "Oooh!" Her eyes were wide as she gaped up at The Franchesca.

Sebastian and Ciel walked up behind her, not nearly as impressed. Ciel yawned and one bleary eye at the cross-Atlantic cruiser. He turned the blue lazily to the bubbly girl. "You like 'er, Elizabeth?" he remarked sarcastically. Sebastian smirked, before going up and arranging their passage and board on the ship.

He walked up to the man with the tickets. He was tall, pale, and thin with sun-bleached white hair and sea blue eyes. He had an odd look about him.

Ciel was also staring at the man from across the way. The boy's eye narrowed and a scowl graced his face. The man was swimming in his vision, blurring in and out of focus. It was fuzzy. If he stared long enough, it almost seemed that the man had...fins? For ears? He blinked and looked again at the man. No. No fins. He 'hmm'ed and walked up to join Sebastian.

Sebastian was also staring at the man. He scowled, made a twitch of the mouth, then raised his eyebrows in a kind of shrug. He handed the man the tickets.

The man most definitely had fins for ears, as well as webbed fingers, and gills by his shirt collar...probably. Ciel's vision kept blurring, on the man anyway. When Elizabeth had run up by them, finally realizing they were gone, her image remained quite stable.

The man(?) taking the tickets said, "Ah!" and punched a whole in their tickets. He brought a folded piece of paper from his pocket an ran a (webbed?) finger down it. He bit his lower lip after a moment. "Cabins 204 and 205."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "There's three of us." He gestured to Elizabeth and Sebastian.

The (fish?)man made an uncomfortable expression. "We're low on cabins; it's a tight voyage, with summer on the way and all. We're booked tight and have had to double up rooms," he explained. "Rooms 204 and 205 are on the second deck down."

Sebastian gave a sharp nod and led the way up onto the ship. Ciel and Elizabeth followed. Sebastian navigated the levels, corridors, and hallways quickly, easily, and without issue. They passed groups of confused passengers as they went. Ciel had to wonder if they would have been as bad off had his butler not been there.

They stopped suddenly, Ciel barely keeping from faceplanting into Sebastian's midback. Elizabeth made a small noise and caught her balance behind him. He turned to see tarnished silver plates on the doors, reading '204' and '205'.

He frowned again. "Elizabeth, you take care. Sebastian and I will be right next door, in 204." Ciel turned sharply and, snatching a key from Sebastian, marched into the room.

It was fairly large, considering being at sea. It had one queen-size bed, a large wardrobe, and was decorated in lush golds and royal blues, enhancing the extravagant feel of the room. Next to the bed was a small table, and on the other side of the room, were two couches and a coffee table. A painting of a sailing ship on rough waters hung above. A large rug covered much of the wooden floor. The room emitted an old charm, all of the furniture seeming softly worn.

Ciel raised an eyebrow, then seemed to mentally shrug. "I suppose it will do."

Sebastian turned and smirked at the boy from his place of filling the wardrobe. "Glad to see you're still humble, Bocchan."

Ciel scowled and rolled his eye. He pouted and sat down on the edge of the bed. He crossed his arms as Sebastian's chuckling reached his ears.

Sebastian finished and walked over to the boy. Ciel quickly stopped the habitual swinging of his legs. Sebastian smirked and crouched down in front of him and began unlacing his boots. It was quiet between them up until he was unbuttoning Ciel's shirt. He paused, a soft, confused frown on his face.

Ciel squinted his newly uncovered eyes at the man. A soft scowl. "...What?"

He undid the button with soft, skilled fingers. He twitched his mouth, before giving in and asking his question. "Why did you insist on accompanying Miss Elizabeth?" A pause. "It is...rather obvious, My Lord, that you don't care for her too much." His red-brown eyes met the boy's mismatched ones.

"I do," said Ciel. He got a small frown. "Just...not the way she wants me to. Elizabeth is the last connection to my life before the fire...before I was taken..." He looked up, "before you. She is my family, and I feel I need to protect her. Even if just for myself." His voice lowered as he went on.

Sebastian smirked up at the boy. He pulled the nightshirt over the boy's head and led Ciel's shoulder down to the pillow. The boy closed his eyes.

Sebastian smiled and smoothed Ciel's blue-grey hair. He ran his hand down his cheek before turning and blowing out the lights. He'd have the night to plan the coming day.