Hello my lovely readers! Thank you all SO much for your reviews/PMs last chapter! I was amazed by your responses and I'm so glad that you all like my story! :)

And before I begin, I believe I owe you the results of last chapter's poll:

AloisxCiel – 13 votes

ClaudexCiel – 21 votes

ClaudexCiel is the winner! *triumphant music*

So, that means, for a brief period of time, Claude and Ciel will be *ahem* 'dating.' Kind of, but not really. It'll make sense eventually ^^ But don't worry, there will be PLENTY of fluffy SebCiel moments, and Alois will definitely have his time to shine :) To reiterate, the side pairing isn't just for nothing; there is a method to this madness ;)

Again, thank you all so much for your responses and I hope you like this chapter! :)

On with the story!

(-)

Ciel's POV

"Come, come, sit, sit! Don't just stand in the doorway!" Undertaker bellowed, and his voice jarred me from my daze. I blinked rapidly and refocused on the man in front of me, realizing that Michaelis was already seated and looking back at me impatiently. I sneered back at him and hurriedly took my seat, not so much embarrassed as I was annoyed.

So this...this prick is who I'm supposed to live with?

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Phantomhive," Michaelis taunted, but just as I was about to retort, Undertaker's scratchy voice stopped me.

"Please save the formalities for later; right now, we have things to discuss," he dictated, and I was caught off guard by his authoritative tone. Seems like he takes his job a little more seriously than I first thought. "Now, first thing's first-" Undertaker paused and opened a drawer adjacent to his desk, pulling out an orange file and revealing individual pieces of paper that he slid towards Michaelis and I. "Please read over these contracts and sign them only when you are positive that you agree to the terms and conditions. Nothing written within the contract is disputable or alterable and all guidelines must be followed according to the will. Make sure that you know what you are agreeing to before you sign."

My eyes scanned the paper quicker than I could absorb the words, and before I even finished reading, my name was signed in perfect cursive on the apropos contract line. There was nothing that would put me off if it meant gaining 8,000,000 dollars.

As I crossed my Ts and dotted my Is, I could feel Michaelis' gaze on me. Without even bothering to glance up at him, I gripped the pen tighter and grimaced at no one in particular.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," I quipped, sounding only half as annoyed as I felt. I was trying to be gentlemanly in front of Undertaker, but it was getting increasingly more difficult the longer I was around this red-eyed guy. I don't know what it was about him, but somehow, his mere presence ticked me off.

"I was just surprised that you were so hasty in signing the contract. I would have been a bit more punctilious if I were you..." he trailed off, his gaze shifting back to the paper in his hands reticently. I huffed indignantly, and I could feel my face heat up from chagrin.

"Well I'm not you and I don't like wasting my time; I am perfectly aware of what is expected of me, thank you very much," I shot back, and he simply gave a mild-mannered shrug in response.

I think that's what really gets to me; he's so...indifferent. It's like he doesn't care about anything, much less the fact that he's about to inherit an incredibly generous amount of money from someone who died.

Do you know how thankful I am for this? Do you understand how grateful I am that I have been given this opportunity? This could mean the difference... no, this is the difference between life and death for me, and he just sits there and acts like this is something he wants to get over with.

That bastard. That no good, ungrateful bastard.

"Thank you, Mr. Michaelis, Mr. Phantomhive," Undertaker's voice once again interrupted my inward rant, and I took a deep breath before turning back to face him. He grinned an unsettlingly large grin, tucking away the contracts that Michaelis had apparently signed while I was mentally murdering him. "Now that the contracts have been signed, you are binded within the bounds of the agreement, and as I'm sure you are both aware, there will be severe consequences for any misdemeanors."

Our heads bob in response.

"Excellent. Now," Undertaker paused once more, reaching back into his drawer and pulling out another form, but instead of handing it over, he simply read the letter out loud, "according to this, after direct government tax and deductions due to the Personal Income Tax Law, the amount left to inherit is exactly 5,548,320 US dollars. Therefore, each of you will be receiving an equal dividend of 2,774,160 US dollars, respectively. Do you understand?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Michaelis nod, so I nodded right along with him. I'm not completely sure what the 'Personal Income Tax Law' entails, or exactly how we somehow lost 3 three million dollars in the process, but I don't want to seem uneducated. Either way, whether I totally understand or not, that's what we're receiving, and Michaelis seems to get it, so there's no way I'm going to ask for Undertaker's explanation to be dumbed down just for me.

"Good," Undertaker grins again and releases an odd, cackling laugh. "I'm glad we understand each other. Okay, now for the last order of business; you two must decide whether or not you will be living together. As stated in the contract, you must either choose to inhabit the home left to you as a duplex, or sign over full custody to the heir whom accepts." Undertaker stood from his chair and his silver hair fanned out behind him, making it appear longer and more voluminous than it already was – it almost touched the floor. "I will leave you two alone to discuss. Please feel free to page me when you are done. Just press the button two from the bottom on that machine there." Undertaker pointed a long, gangling finger towards a device that looked similar to an answering machine, gesturing towards the digit he had described. He grinned once more, his teeth gleaming as white as his billow of hair. "I'll leave you two to it."

With a disturbing laugh, Undertaker vanished out the door, leaving Michaelis and I in a very uncomfortable silence. I fidgeted in my seat, suddenly wishing I weren't as awkward as I knew I was.

"Um, hi," I began lamely, and I mentally slapped myself immediately after. Really, Ciel? Really? Hi? There's no hope for you. "I don't believe that I have formally introduced myself. My name is-"

"-Ciel Phantomhive," he cuts me off, "Your date of birth is December 14th, 1995, which makes you currently seventeen years, eleven months, 328 days old. You are five foot five inches tall, weigh 114 pounds, and have blood type O. You're currently employed at Lau's One-Stop Souvenir Shop, as you have been for exactly seven months. You are not currently in a relationship, and you have no history of being too serious with anyone. You took violin lessons for two years, but had to discontinue when your parents died in a house fire. You also taught yourself how to play simple chords on the piano, but were unable to pursue it further because you couldn't afford it. You have asthma and heterochromia, though it seems as if the latter has abated, for the most part. That's a shame..." Sebastian leaned in a bit closer, scrutinizing my right eye as if to confirm his suspicions, and I scooted back a bit. He huffed a laugh and smirked, looking quite proud of himself as he straightened into his pole-back posture. "And your favorite color is blue. Shall I continue, or have you heard enough?"

I think my eye just twitched. I was more than a little surprised, but I didn't dare show it. "Well, I guess you've done your research." That was an understatement. It's like he's lived his life right along beside me. "Who told you my favorite color?"

He chuckled lightly. "That much was just an observation. Blue is the most common favorite color, and most everything on your person is blue," he paused, raising an inquiring eyebrow. "Was I right? Well, aren't you predictable."

I glared at him. "I'm sorry to be so boring, then," I crossed arms indignantly. So not only is this guy a creeper, but he's also an extreme douchebag. "Why are you so interested in me?"

"Interested?" Michaelis echoed, looking like he wanted to laugh at me but didn't because he's above such childish things. Arrogant prick. "Don't flatter yourself. It was only logical for me to run a thorough background check on the person I would be living with. I wouldn't readily accept such an offer without even knowing with whom I'll have to share."

Good point, but I'd never admit that out loud. It seems as if this guy's ego has already been stroked quite enough.

"...So?" I retorted lamely. "Most of that information is outdated, anyway. How do you know that I haven't turned into some kind of psycho killer over the passed few years?"

He chuckled, and it made a shiver run down my spine. His voice is like nothing I've ever heard. It's deep and mellifluous, like one of those lascivious male prostitutes, but it's not forced; I can tell that it's natural. I briefly wondered how many women (or men) had fallen victim to it.

"I highly doubt that. I am confident that I did a efficacious enough background check to know whether or not my new house mate is deranged," he chided, and I scoffed loudly.

"You don't know anything about me beyond whatever pointless info you've gathered on the Internet. Most of that stuff is boring, anyway. You don't know anything about my personality, my interests, my hobbies; technically, you wouldn't know," I retorted vociferously, and he shrugged with an air of acquiescence.

"Truthfully, I don't really care. If it weren't for this whole inheritance fiasco, I wouldn't even know you. I could have lived a long, happy life – and still can – without knowing any of that uselessness," he confided coldly, but it didn't bother me as much as it probably would have others. I've lived practically my whole life without anyone caring about me personally, so why would I suddenly care what he thinks?

At least, that's what I willed myself to believe.

"That uselessness is my life, thank you very much," I returned, and he glanced back at me stoically with those cerise eyes of his. Really, how does one have red eyes? I mean, I'm no stranger to oddly colored irises, but red? "Regardless, we need to move on to the more important issue here."

"I couldn't agree more," he straightened a bit, crossed one leg over the other in a very prissy, 'kinglier than thou' fashion, and gazed at me seriously. "I have already made my decision."

"Looks like there isn't much to discuss then; I've made up my mind, as well." I suppose you could say that I was confident he would refuse. I feel that I've done a pretty thorough job of putting him off; there's no way he'll want to live with me. "Call Undertaker back in here."

He shot a glare at me from being ordered around, but regardless, he leaned over and pressed the button. I could hear an intercom click on in the hallway, summoning Undertaker to room 19, and it was barely ten seconds later when the door opened and in stepped the man with the crazy long hair, his bangs mysteriously covering the majority of his face. He tapped the door shut behind him, grinning amusedly as he glided back to his desk and took a seat. Threading his fingers together and propping his chin atop them, he leaned forward in anticipation.

"I suppose the two of you have made your decisions, then? If you would, please read these acceptance templates aloud with 'agree' or 'disagree' in the blank on line four," Undertaker's grin broadened, and it was as if he already knew our answers before we vocalized them; it was certainly creepy, to say the least. He pushed two pieces of paper in our respective directions, and I looked over it briefly, Michaelis doing the same. "Mr. Phantomhive, if you would please go first."

I winced slightly, having somewhat hoped that he would ask Michaelis to take the spotlight. Regardless, I swallowed down my nerves, taking a deep breath to begin.

"I have thoroughly read over and understand the terms and conditions to the contract and make an oath to uphold my decision. Regardless of what Sebastian Michaelis chooses, I agreeto live in and renovate (as needed) Mrs. Ophelia Diamond Duvua's home, administer proper treatment to the animals left in my care, and do my job as a faithful relative to honor her will. In agreeing to this, I understand that I am liable to any and all penalties I must face if I do not follow the algorithm clearly explained to me."

I took another deep breath when I was finished, proud that I was able to make it through without any mistakes. I may have stuttered once or twice, but I was just glad that I had been able to speak at all under the pressure. Undertaker's grin never faded, and he nodded approvingly as he handed me a pen.

"Very good, Mr. Phantomhive. If you will please sign the bottom line in both print and cursive, the contract will be complete," Undertaker dictated, and as I finished signing on the dotted line, he retrieved my paper and then turned towards Michaelis. "I believe you know what to do, Mr. Michaelis. Proceed."

Michaelis nodded approvingly, looking towards his paper boredly and seeming to be completely unaffected by anything that was going on around him. I glared at him as he began reading.

"I have thoroughly read over and understand the terms and conditions to the contract and make an oath to uphold my decision. Regardless of what Ciel Phantomhive chooses, I agreeto live in and renovate (as needed) Mrs. Ophelia Diamond Duvua's home, administer proper treatment to the animals left in my care, and do my job as a faithful relative to honor her will. In agreeing to this, I understand that I am liable to any and all penalties I must face if I do not follow the algorithm clearly explained to me."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head, and my heart beat slowed down considerably as the reality came crashing down on me - hard.

He...he actually agreed?

Undertaker cackled once more, handing Michaelis the pen, and he immediately signed his name without any hesitation. I was sure I looked pretty ridiculous, sitting there with my mouth hanging open and my eyes twice their size. I was just so...shocked. I would have bet all of my money (even after I inherited it) that he would refuse. What in the world enticed him to accept?

"Wonderful!" Undertaker announced, paperclipping the newly signed contracts to the ones from before. "Now that the contracts have been signed and your decisions have been made, you are both free to go. However, before you leave-" Undertaker reached back into his drawer and pulled out individual business cards, handing one to me and one to my...roommate. "-This is the official moving company of the Funtom Inheritance Agency. Give that number a call tomorrow morning, and they will come to package and move your belongings to your new house. Unfortunately, if either of you have pets, you will have to deal with them yourselves; F.I.A. doesn't want to be responsible if there are any shifts during transportation."

My head was still spinning, even after I had left the room. Undertaker moved to the doorway and waved at us as I mindlessly walked down the hall.

"If you lose your cards, please feel free to give us a call and we will reimburse the number. Thank you for coming,~" Undertaker dismissed, and I could hear him cackle madly as we moved out of sight. "And have a nice life together, gentleman.~"

(-)

So, what'd you think? Things are getting a bit more interesting, huh? Okay, maybe not yet, but there should only be about one more chapter of boring before we finally get to where things are in full swing :)

Thanks for reading/voting!