A/N: I know, I am total shit for taking this long to post! I can only make excuses; writer's block,lack of WI-FI access, laziness, I'm nothing but a piece of shit? Does it really matter if you'll all just hate me anyway? So throw the hate my way I deserve it. And I am so so sorry. Forgive me? I made this one extra long~. ^_^
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To all my reviewers: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your valuable lives to actually leave a review on this piece of shit I call fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy future chapters and IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE SOMETHING JUST SAY THE WORD! It shall be done - plot willing.
Treena1996: You know what's upi! You know what's coming! You're prepared! lol no seriously though I'm excited for the same things to come so be ready! Thank you for loving this absolute shit!
SHOUT OUT TO bbb671 WHO WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO REVIEW! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
WARNING: I'm pretty sure every single chapter I write is going to have foul language so this is just going to be an overall warning for eternity. :P
DISCLAIMER: If I owned this beauty I'd be a lot richer. But I don't so I'm not.
Ch. 2
Warm sunlight beat down on my face, breaking through the flimsy defenses of my eyelids. I threw an arm over my eyes in a half-assed attempt to fall back asleep. I flipped and flopped over into the soft, downy pillow below me, taking in the distinct smell of lavender. Pulling a large poofy comforter over my head and cocooning deeper into the warmth.
Wait . . . My bed is not this soft.
I jack-rabbit kicked the comforter off my body and flung myself from the mattress. I backed myself up against a wall - nothing can sneak up on you if there's nothing behind you - and took in my surroundings. The room was immense - I could have fit Lew's apartment in this room - and elegant. The ceiling was high and lined with intricate mouldings. Light blue and silver horizontal striped wallpaper led down an even more intricately carved chair rail that circled the entire room and divided the wallpaper from a light grey paint on the lower half of the walls.
There were two doors - one to my right and one to my left. Two large windows reached to the ceiling let in penetrating rays of sunshine and were decorated with black, velvet curtains that trailed down to the floor, stopping when they reached the mouldings around the floor. The furniture was all decorated similarly to the white mouldings. The bed was nearly double the size of a king and a large headboard with ivy like designs hand-carved into the woodwork. Night stands stood beside each side of the mattress. A dresser sat next to the door to my left and an armoire to the right of it. After that was a full-length body mirror placed diagonally in the corner farthest from. Directly to my left, in between the windows, sat a two chairs and a table adorned with a chess board and accurately placed pieces.
Nope, I thought, Definitely not my room.
I made my way to the nearest window, back still pressed against the wall. Gazing beyond the glare of the sun I saw a well kempt garden tall, trimmed trees in perfect rows and eloquent arrangement of planted flowers - though their were quite a lot of white roses in the mix.
Is this even New York?
Stepping away from the window, I made my way to the door closest to me - the one next to the dresser and to my left. Edging along the wall as silently as possible I quickly hopped around the chess table and immediately pushed my back to the wall again - so i'm a paranoid little asian girl, sue me. Eventually, I James-Bonded my way over to my possible exit. I twisted the handle - it was unlocked - and peeked inside. On the other side of the door was a dimly lit bathroom. From what little I could see it was pretty outdated but nevertheless still as elegant as the rest of the room. But it still didn't tell me where I was. I closed the door and looked suspiciously at everything in the room.
What is this place? I contemplated over it in my head, An expensive hotel? A mansion? Have I died and been placed in Moderately-Different-From-Earth-Heaven? Or is this someone's idea of a joke?
Without warning, the second door, - now positioned in the corner farthest away from me - burst open, with a blonde boy about my age walking in. At first he didn't notice me, he was setting out a tub of water and a set of wash clothes on the bed side table. Then he looked over to the mattress.
Shock spread over the boy's face like a hurricane, but his shock paled in comparison to mine. This was not just any boy. The blonde wonder in front of me was none other that Finnian the gardener himself.
Finny from Black Butler.
FINNY!
I was stunned into paralysis and rendered utterly mute. This isn't happening, I thought. No way in hell is this not a beautiful dream.
Finny's bright, wide eyes scanned the room and landed on me, huddled in a corner and trying not to hyperventilate.
"Oh, Miss, you're awake!" Finny sprinted across the room to stand in front of me. "You must be feeling offly well rested. You slept for three days straight!"
"Th-three days?" miraculously my vocal chords realized they weren't just there to sit around - unlike my appendix . . . stupid appendix.
"Yessum, the whole manor was worried you'd sleep forever. Just like the old faery tale!" Finny giggled. "We even joked about finding a prince that's be willing to wake you."
"Y-y-you're . . .," I stuttered out.
MIstaking my attempt at a statement for a question, Finny introduced himself, "Oh, forgive me, Miss, but my name's Finnian. But you can just call me Finny if you like."
He paused for a moment I realized he was waiting for me to give my name, "M- Misaki! It's so nice to meet you!" The full affects of what this meant hit me.
I'm dreaming about being the Phantomhive Manor! I'm in Black Butler Dream Land!
"You were in pretty rough shape when you arrived, Misaki," Finny beamed. "Are you feeling any better?" Finny began to look me up and down, presumably searching for any injuries, when suddenly his face turned the brightest red I've ever seen a person be. He turned away from and covered his eyes with his hands. "I'm so sorry, Milady! I had not noticed you were in your undergarments still!"
Completely appalled by his statement, I looked down at myself. I wore a thin, cotton nightgown looking thing. I remember seeing this type of thing in history class. I think I recall it being some sort of garment worn under a ladies dress in the late 19th century. It was by no means revealing but to Finny I might as well have been nude.
Finny was still apologizing profusely when I interrupted, "It's quite alright, Finny. Are there and dresses in the dresser of the armoire in here?"
Finny nodded vigorously. Poor thing, I thought, He probably thinks he's compromised my virtue or something ridiculous.
Opening the dresser first, I saw it was almost entirely filled with more undergarments and corsets. Grimacing at the thought of actually wearing one of those famously horrid contraptions, I moved on to the armoire. Inside it held an array of gowns.
Out of curiosity, I asked, "Whose gowns are these?"
Finny's blush was only just beginning to fade when I had spoke and it all came rushing back at the sound of my voice, "They're L-lady Elizabeth's. She keeps them here for her s-surprise visits."
Finny is just too adorable when he's embarrassed, I thought to myself. Flipping through the selection, I'm not going to lie, the pink became overwhelming. But, by a stroke of luck there were two or three more dismal and depressing colors towards the back - what can I say? I'm a glutton for emo shit.
Deciding to pick the darkest colored cloth - navy blue - I slid it on and closed the armoire.
"Alright, Finny," I called, "All clear."
Finny slowly glances over his shoulder as if expecting me to trick him and steal his innocence - maybe later - "The Young Master said he would like to speak with you when you awoke,"
My heart beat furiously in my chest, Do I get to meet the glorious Lord Phantomhive in this dream?
" . . . but he is currently in London for business." Finny finished, and my heart sank.
I guess I'll just have to hope he's in the next dream, I thought to myself depressingly.
"But since you're feeling better," Finny's face brightened as he continued on, "The other servants would love to meet you, Miss Misaki."
My heart soared once more, "Yes, of course!" I smiled from ear to ear. "And just Misaki is fine, Finny."
Finny's beautiful smile broke across his still red face, "Then please follow me, Misaki." Finny flounced - that's right bitches, flounced - over to the second door holding it open wide as he awaited me to pass through.
I will say this about Victorian gents, they are polite as hell. Though I suspect Finny would be a sweetie no matter what the era was.
Nodding my thanks to the wonderful boy, I passed through the threshold. The hallway was magnificently decorated with the same ivory designed mouldings with the chair rail removed. The walls were a warm tan and the mouldings were stained a chocolate brown. Paintings hung at even intervals, separated by the occasional vase or sculpture. There were no windows but elaborate, brass candelabras holding three candles symmetrically - symmetry pleases me.
"Right this way, Misaki," Finny gestured to our right and took up the path ahead.
Not wanting to be left behind I scurried after him, keeping stride with his as we passed through the halls. Each passage was as ornate as the last and somehow even grander. There were many doors and from time to time one side of the hall would be covered with windows. Varying landscapes greeted me, ranging from open fields to splashing ponds to spurting fountains.
This is the most detailed dream I've ever had, I thought. I can almost feel the warmth from the sunlight.
"I think you'll like this next room, Misaki," Finny beamed from beside me. He had noticed my obvious interest in the decorum and I was inclined to believe he was leading me down the more well decorated halls.
"Oh will I now?" I retorted playfully, I could used to dreams like this.
As if it were physically possible, Finny's smile broadened when we passed through an arc way and into a large open space.
Oh. My. God.
Proudly presented in front of me was the marvelous entry hall of the Phantomhive Manor. The stairs lead to the marble floor below while pristinely white columns towered from floor to ceiling. Finny and I stood at the upper left entry way with one of the sets of side stairs splayed out before us.
"No way," I whispered under my breath.
Finny giggled beside me, "I told you would like it. Isn't it the largest room you've ever seen?"
It wasn't, but for Finny's sake I nodded. Hmmm, I thought. I always wanted to try this. Running full blast, I dashed down the steps before me. Jumping up I planted my butt on the banister of the main staircase and spread my arms out for balance as I slid down to the bottom at top speed.
My bare feet skidded to a stop halfway to immense double doors that led to the front courtyard.
"Misaki!" Finny was leaping down the staircase chasing after me.
By now I was already giggling uncontrollably, "I'm so sorry, Finny. Haha, I just couldn't help myself."
Finny came to stand beside me, "That's alright, Misaki. You just surprised me is all!" He laughed with me.
"Tch, filthy brats," a low, agitated voice spoke from behind us.
Finny and I both spun around, searching for the source of the voice. Standing beside one of the many columns, shrouded in shadow, was a short, black-haired man dressed all in white with a white bandanna tied around the lower half of his face. He held a mop in his right hand and pulled down his bandanna with his left. He was still too far in the shadows to see his face properly.
"L-levi!" Finny jumped, his face paling like he'd just seen a ghost. "G-good morning, Sir!" He straightened his back and stood at attention.
Levi? I thought to myself, I don't remember a Levi in Black Butler.
The figure strode toward us and the light travelled up his body and struck his face. The man had angular features and bore an expression of disgust. His eyes were condescending and narrow. The black hair atop his head was a well kempt undercut and his brown boots were knee high.
Wait, is that . . . LEVI ACKERMAN?! As in Attack on Titan?! But this is Black Butler! Why would Levi be here?
Levi now stood directly before us, "You disgusting children just dirtied my freshly mopped floor."
"I'm so sorry, Levi!" Finny was still as stiff as a pole.
He looks so terrified, I thought, "Please, don't blame Finny." I stepped forward. Levi shouldn't even be in this dream so Finny shouldn't have to suffer because of my fantasies.
Levi eyed me blankly, "And who the hell are you?"
"Misaki Izawa," I looked him squarely in the eyes - he was the same height as me.
Levi looked at me as if I was the dumbest shit he'd ever seen, "Am I supposed to know you?"
"She's the girl who the Young Master and Sebastian found in the pond," Finny explained.
Huh, I thought to myself, so all that was another part of the dream, too.
"Ah, the little, lost kitten," Levi leaned against his mop handle, eyeing me closely. "Mind explaining how a toddler like you got into the middle of the Phantomhive Estate?"
"Toddler?" I asked incredulously.
"Aye," he replied condescendingly.
"Are you calling me short?" I gestured between us with an accusing finger.
He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his chin, "I was referring to your young age you dumb shit."
"L-Levi!" Finny was flabbergasted. "Please, Sir."
But I was already making a comeback, "Listen here, Short Shit. I happen to be 16 so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your head out of your tiny ass long enough to notice, or have the cleaning chemicals burned up too many of your brain cells?" And there goes my inner New Yorker.
Now both of them were shocked.
"Mi-misaki!" Finny stuttered.
"Well," Levi smirked. "Looks like the lost kitten has a dirty mouth."
I squared my jaw and stared down my nose at him. He's not gonna beat me so easily.
"Hehe," Levi chuckled under his breath. "Welcome to the Phantomhive Manor, Kitten Shit." And with that he replaced his mask and set about re-mopping the already pristine marble.
After getting over his initial shock from our interaction with Levi, Finny spoke up, "Follow me, Misaki."
I nodded curtly and followed him down another corridor with a proud stride - it's not everyday a sassy midget takes down another midget. But still I had my worries. Why would an attack on titan character be in Black Butler? I mean, it could just be my imagination going wild but then again, my fantasy wouldn't be to argue with him - if you catch my drift.
Finny was staring at the floor and zoning out for the length of our journey - which was odd since he was very talkative before - until we came to hall that took on much less decorative look.
"These are the servant's quarters, Misaki," Finny smiled back at me.
"So you live down here when you're not in the garden?"
"Mmm-hmm," Finny seemed as if his mind were deeply contemplating something.
My curiosity - and caring, I care too - got the better of me and I asked, "Is something bothering you, Finny?" I skipped to his side.
Finny's face reddened, "Well, you don't. . . exactly . . . talk like a lady, do you, Misaki?" Finny giggled and rubbed the back of his neck.
I was a little stunned at this. I guess ladies really were more civilized with their language back in the day, I thought to myself. "Gee, I suppose you're right." I smiled sheepishly.
"If you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Your accent is like Bardroy's but it's still so different." Finny's curiosity was beating out his bashfulness.
"New York!" I happily supplied.
Finny's face lit up like I'd just flipped a light switch, "You're from America?!"
My giggling was uncontrollable at the sight of his child-like joy.
"You have to tell me everything! What are the trees like?! Oh! You're gonna like Bardroy! He's from America, too!" Finny rambled on and on, asking question after question without a moment for me to answer until suddenly the corridor began to shake beneath our feet.
I looked down at the ground, "What the- . . ."
"GET DOWN!" Finny screeched and pushed me down just as the wall behind him exploded like a firework of wood and stone. A projectile struck me in the head as we fell and I cried out in surprise and pain. Debris flew around us and splintered against the ajacent walls. It happened in maybe a total of five seconds but from the center of the action seemed to take hours to calm down. When Finny finally lifted himself away from being my make-shift shelter the wall was now nothing more than a gaping hole and broken pieces of what it once was litted the hallway, tufts of smoke and dust slowly disapating through the air.
I coughed to clear my lungs of dust, "What the hell was that?"
Another, feminine, voice busted out of the chaos, "Bloody hell, Bard, now you've gone and done! Oh~, the Mater and Mr. Sebastian are not going to be happy about this." I could tell just from the sound of Mey-rin's concerned voice that she was holding her hands to her cheeks trying think of a way to fix everything they's broken.
"Oi!" Came a harsher, male voice. "What do you expect me to do? Dinner's gotta get done on time ev'ry day and someone's gotta get it done quick and efficient like." Bardroy never ceased to amaze me with his crazy ideas on things.
"Are you alright?" Finny was now standing up, holding a hand out to help me off of the ground.
I greatfully took it and pulled myself up with his help. "I'm fine," I chuckled. "I'm guessing the oven is broken?"
Now it was Finny's turn to laugh, "Bard tends to get a little carried away with his creations."
"Creations?!" Bard strolled out of the still lingering smoke and stood defiantly in front of Finny. "The delicacies I make," he gestured to himself with his thumb, "are nothing less than masterpieces."
"And yet they all require setting something on fire and destroying half the mansion," Mey-rin retorted, also escaping the dust and smoke. "Oh my," Mey-rin uttered when she caught sight of me. "You're that young lady the Master and Mr. Sebastian pulled out of the pond. Oh, how good it is to see you awake and walkin' about! Why, I was beginnin' to fret about you never waking back up again and here you are." She grabbed my arms and pulled me into an embrass. I let her do so because I always thought Mey-rin would give the best hugs - I was right.
After she had let me go, Bardroy chimed in, "Sorry about the explosion miss." He rubbed the back of his neck,his ever present cigarette hanging from his lips. "I jus' can't ever seem to get the grease to fire ratio right." Bardroy smiled sheepishly - boom pregnant.
"It's quite alright," I assured him. "I've taken harder hits to the head." And with that last sentence I knocked on the place where I'd been injured. I completely surprised though when I felt pain at the slight touch and winced.
What?, I thought, How could I get injured if this is a dream? That's not possible.
"Is something wrong, Misaki?" Finny queried.
I brought my hand down from where I had touched my now aching head and saw that my knuckle were now covered in blood. That's not supposed to happen.
"Oh no, she's hurt," Mey-rin grasped my hand and pulled my head down to inspect the wound. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Bardroy."
I stared at my blood stained fingers in shock, "Is this real?" I asked aloud.
"I'm afraid you really are bleedin', Milady," Mey-rin answered, misunderstanding my question. "Finny, be a dear and fetch me the bandages from the washroom."
"On it!" Finny saluted as he raced off to the washroom.
"My humblest apologies, miss," Bardroy hung his head. "I didn't think I'd hurt anyone while cookin'."
It took me a moment to realize he was waiting for a reply and when I tried it almost didn't come out, "I-It-Its f-fine, B-Bard." I was shaking from realization. I'm actually in Black Butler. I fell into a pond and Levi Ackerman's here too, but I'm IN BLACK BUTLER!
Taking my shaking to mean something else, Mey-rin suggested, "Why don't you come take a seat, Miss? It's only a small scratch, but these head wounds tend to bleed a bit more than their share."
While Mey-rin was wrong as to why I should sit down, she was entirely right. I let her lead me through the rubble and dirt to an unharmed, but now covered in random pieces of wall, table on the far edge of what I assumed used to be the kitchen.
If this is Black Butler, then am I in the anime or manga? Why and how is Levi here, too? Why am I here? How did I get here? The last thing I remember is Marco. He found my bruises and was mad at me. Then he shoved me . . . through a TV? Nothing makes sense!
"Would you like a glass of water, Milady?" Mey-rin inquired.
Finding my mouth and throat completely dry, whether it be from the shock, the dust in the air or the blood loss, I nodded. "J-Just M-Misaki is fine." I tried to smile.
Mey-rin smiled almost as brightly as Finny and then left to obtain the beverage.
Alright, ok, cool. This is Black Butler for real. This is Black Butler FOR REAL. I am in BLACK BUTLER! OHMYGODTHISISREALLYHAPPENING! Ok,ok, ok, calm down think this through.
Finny and Mey-rin returned at the same time. I accepted the glass from Mey-rin as she took the first-aid kit from Finny and began the process of cleaning my cut. Holding the glass in my hands kept them from shaking, which I was thankful for, but my shaking was no longer caused by shock. I was excited. All my life I had wanted to put into an anime and now here I was in my all time favorite. And to top it all off Levi was there too. This was single-handedly the greatest thing that ever happened to me.
What am I going to do? Should I tell them I'm from another universe? If I did would they et me stay here? What if either way I was eventually thrown out of the manor? What would I do? A million thoughts bombarded my mind at once. On one hand, if I told them there was a good chance they'd label me a nutcase and throw me in Bedlam. But on the other hand, if I didn't tell them then what reason could I possibly have for falling into the Phantomhive pond?
"So, Miss, what brought ya' all the to this neck of the woods?" Bardroy slouched next to me as he spoke. Such a simple question for him, but to me it would define my future in this universe. My answer would either see me starved to death in the streets of London, or cozied up in front of the fireplace versing the Earl in chess.
"I. . .," I scrambled to decide, but both sides seemed to guarantee doom. "I-I'm here to apply for a job!" I blurted out at the last second. I guess it's decided then. . .
"A job?" Bardroy cocked his head to the side, one hand on his hip. "I didn't know the Master was hiring."
"Me either," Mey- rin picked up a gauze bandage and looked at me curiously.
I felt my insides churn, "N-No, he's not, but I was still hoping nonetheless that he might consider me."
"Oh, well I'm sure the Young Master would love to meet you, Milady," Mey-rin held the bandage to my head.
"Misaki," I corrected.
"Oops, right, Misaki," she smiled softly.
"So then," Bard rubbed his stubbly chin, "where're you from?"
I smiled when I thought of my home. Not the apartment with Lew but the bustling city of New York. Carl and his dumplings. The Koo-Ploo. The host club. Marco - and how he threw me through a TV into a twisted black butler remake, but yolo right? In fact, if you took Lew out of the equation, it would have been the closest thing to paradise for me - at least before I realized I could be thrown into alternate universes.
Bard was still waiting for an answer so I stamped down on my pleasant nostalgia and replied, "I'm from a small town in America. You probably haven't heard of it all the way across the pond."
"A fellow yankee, eh?" Bardroy's eyes lit up instantly. "It's 'bout time we got another one round here. All these british blokes want talk about is tea and how to prevent kitchen fires."
I snorted at his last comment - partly because he used blokes like a true Brit and also because Bardroy was the most adorable, untamable bag of explosives I've ever seen. "If I ever complain about your kitchen fires I'm a hypocrite, but I do love making tea and baking."
"Crap," Bardroy face-palmed, "Not another tea drinker." He said it as if it was the end of the world.
I giggled again, "Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Bardroy wouldn't know a good refreshment if I poured down his trousers," Mey-rin finished patching me up and stood back to inspect her work. Before continuing she gave me a big smile and a thumbs-up of pride. "You're good to go, Misaki."
Finny beamed behind Mey-rin, "I guess we could have given a better first impression, huh?" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Don't be silly," I assured him, smiling softly. "This is perfect."
Just as I was attempting to stand up to make sure everything was still working properly, a heavy and drawn out sigh was heard from the gaping entryway, "You shitty brats can't do anything right." Levi stood amongst the debris with an agitated, but somehow still passive, look on his face. "I just got off the phone with the Earl and you've trashed the place. Again." His eyes looking at all of us but they focused strongly on Bardroy.
"The Young Master called?!" Finny chirped, peachy as ever under Levi's gaze. "What did he say? When is he returning?"
Levi all but grimaced at Finny's aura of pleasantness, "He'll be returning tonight."
"Tonight?!" the servants gasped in unison.
"Yes, tonight. So hurry and take a shit before you get started on this bullshit," and with that, the ever poetic beauty that is Levi fled down the hall, handkerchief firmly tied.
"Oh~," Mey-rin plopped down next to the seat I had once occupied. "How are we ever going to clean this mess up before Master gets home?"
Bardroy shrugged his shoulders apologetically, "Best jus' dive in, I guess."
"I can help," I offered happily. It'd be good to practice cleaning before I apply as a servant.
"Alright!" Finny cheered. "Let's get all back to new for the young masters return!"
And so we all dove straight into the mess. I moved and disgarded chunks and splinters of wood and stone. Some of the larger chunks were pretty heavy but we all left those for Finny to take away - his smile isn't his strongest trait . . . get it? I slay me. Nearly an hour later we had finally removed the bits and pieces away. We donned masks and brooms or feather dusters and cleared what was left coating the entirety of the kitchen.
I've never seen so much dust and dirt in all my life, I thought.
Yet another hour of dusting, sweeping and mopping and - besides the missing wall - the kitchen was good as new. Not even Lew's modern kitchen ever looked so posh.
"Whew," Bardroy sighed. "Finally clean." We all sat with our heads down on the table taking a few minutes to rest our feet.
"You're quite the maid," Finny commented from beside me. "I think the master will be pleased to have you."
"Who will I be pleased to have?" A familiar voice inquired from the hall.
The servants and I all sat up instantly. We exchanged quick looks and finally turned to the once there door. And there, standing where the kitchen door should have been, with cloak drawn about his shoulders, cane in his hand and top hat on his head, stood the Earl of Phantomhive with his faithful butler cloaked all in black.
Only one word escaped my lips, " . . . Ciel."
There you go. AFTER SOOOO LONG! Even i was getting impatient with myself. I think I'm going to start updating regularly once every other week. Does that sound okay? Let me know if you guys want them sooner/later/it's perfect timing for you! I really love your guys' feedback and this chapter never would have been finished with out you. Thank you all so much and please don't be afraid to ask for/about something.
~Panvatar