DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

...This is the longest chapter I have ever written... Daaang... Also, this has not yet been through my entire round of betas. I just really wanted to get this up for ya'll. I will update another edited one at a later date - mostly likely.

In a bright corridor, three servants and one bodyguard were staring at a mouse infested room in horror. "Bloody hell, this wire's done for," moaned Bard as he fingered the electric wires.

"Oh, not the rats again!" groaned Mey-Rin in frustration. Let it be known that ex-snipers did NOT know how to deal with rats of the animal variety.

"This is gettin' ridiculous. I mean I heard they'd been plaguin' London lately, but I never expected them to be such a problem this far out of the city," complained Bard as he rocked back on his heels and ran a hand through his ash blonde hair.

"It could be worse," chimed in Beo, leaning against the doorway. He had long since gotten over his frustration and horror at the rodent's mess and had settled into a passive, numb state.

The servants were worried what would happen once he snapped out of it. Suddenly, a small, grey rodent ran across the hall, squeaking as it went.

"AHHHHHH!" screamed the BFM-R trio. Beo just sighed, not caring at all until he saw the blonde gardener pick up a stone bust and lift in preparations to throw.

"Now I've got you, rat!" cackled Finny, much less sane normal (and that was saying something).

"NOO!" cried Bard and Mey-Rin in horror as the stone fell on top of them. Just before it hit the duo, a tanned hand snatched out and caught it midair. They turned to see Beo with his usual, amused smile and his midnight black hair out of it's typical ponytail, the bangs covering the right side of his face. Apparently, he had gotten a terrible scar in a fight, and, while he could cover it up (the servants presumed he used make-up/concealer), the 17 year old boy preferred to simply let it be covered by his hair (AN: yes, Beo aged, he can choose his age because he is the Master of Death. More will be explained eventually). He calmly set the stone down and promptly walked away, with no one noticing the twitch in his eye.

"What's up with him?" muttered Bard to the maid. Mey-Rin shrugged, her eyes wide as the two peered down the corridor in hopes of catching a glimpse of the bodyguard.

"Looks like it got away, hehe," laughed Finny obliviously.

"What are you laughin' for? Are you tryin' to kill us too, you idgit?" Bard yelled, an angry tick forming in his forehead as he glared at the blond gardener.

Tanaka, the ever unflappable, simply gave his signature, "Ho-ho."

CHAPTER THREE - HIS HERO AND HIS BUTLER, STRONGEST

Beo sighed inaudibly as loud crashes and panicked cries echoed from the hallway.

"Quite a commotion going out there. It seems you're experiencing a rat problem as well," smirked Sir Randall - arguably the most annoying (if relatively harmless) person he had met since Cornelius Fudge. Harry rolled his eyes as a rather overweight man - Sir Walbert, head of the Queen's accounts and squib son of an influential Dark family - spoke up with his mouth full of sandwich, "Speaking of which, how long will you let the vermin run wild? Filthy monsters. Someone really ought to take care of them, don't you think?"

Beo just barely held back a snort of disbelief, and he saw Ciel and all of the Earl's companions were wearing matching smirks. Oh, what was his little brother into now... "And someone will. He is just waiting for the opportune moment," commented the Chinese man, his eyes closed peacefully and head tilted innocently to the side. Harry smirked - the Dark magic was practically rolling off of the man in waves. It would make it so very easy to mess with the man's head.

"Indeed," agreed Ciel's aunt, Madame Red. "He prefers to settle things with one blow. Will you pass on this turn too, Lord Phantomhive?"

"I'll pass. It's my policy not to shoot if I know that I'll miss," smirked the Earl.

"That's all very well, but when will you handle the problem?" ground out Sir Dumb Mustache, aka Randall.

A blonde man with a scar running down his face jerked and scratched the table, making the Q ball roll into the net. "Ugh... tch," grunted the man, whom reminded Harry of a less refined Malfoy. Another squib, perhaps? More interesting than the man's family history, however, was the blonde's reaction to Ciel's statement. Harry would have to keep an eye out for that one.

"Even so, locating the nest and eliminating the vermin promises to be a tedious task. You should concentrate on preparing me a suitable reward," taunted Ciel.

"What a vulture!" sneered Sir Randall. Harry snarled silently, choosing that moment to step out of the shadows from where he had been hiding under his invisibility cloak. Luckily for Beo, it just so happened that his hiding place had been directly behind Sir Randall's chair.

"Tsk, tsk, Sir Randall. Do be careful how you smear my Lord's family name," purred Beo darkly, his voice sending shivers down everyone's spine. Lau's eyes shot open as he stared at the owner if the voice, his mouth working up and down silently before he shut it with an audible click and stepped closer towards Ciel and Sebastian, as if hoping that they would protect him. Sir Randall gulped slightly, turning around to come face to face with a smiling young man.

"W-Who are you?" he stuttered out.

"Oh my, how rude of myself. Do forgive me. I am Sir Wulf, the little Lord's bodyguard," grinned the sixteen year old, his black bangs falling slightly into chilling emerald eyes.

In a rather stupid attempt to lighten the tension of the room, Vanel spoke up and redirected the conversation into potentially safer waters. "Ha, you're in trouble now, Randall. What next, Lord Phantomhive?"

"It's time to put an end to this worthless game, don't you think?" Ciel nodded politely to the man before turning back to Sir Randall with a blank face. "How soon can you secure the payment?"

Randall grimaced and sighed, looking away from the young boy. "Tonight, I'll have it by then."

"Then I'll send a carriage for you later. We can even prepare some light entertainment for you, does that sound good?" smirked Ciel condescendingly as the young Earl strode up to the pool table, his polished black boots clacking softly against the floor. He hoisted himself up onto the polished edge of the table and carefully took aim.

"You passed your turn twice and now you're after them all in one go?" choked out sandwich man - er, that is to say, Sir Walbert.

"Naturally," scoffed the blue clad Earl, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Beo strode up to stand next to the young Earl in his dark green, almost black, suit, white undershirt, and emerald tie. Even relaxed and with his hands in his pockets, the teenaged bodyguard managed to give off an air of power and strength.

Sir Randall, still slightly intimidated, hesitated before calling out, "Careful, or your greed will undo you," just as Ciel shot. The young boy jerked slightly in surprise, throwing his aim off just slightly. As the eight ball rolled towards one of the nets, it looked as if the black ball would just miss before it suddenly curved and plopped right into the white netting. Beo grinned.

"Am I undone?" murmured Ciel to the room, turning to glare at Randall. Beo placed a hand on the young Earl's shoulder as the young boy hopped off the table.

"Never, little Lord," assured Beo as the lord and his entourage exited the room save for the butler, who rounded up the guests and began to escort them out.

"Your tea," announced Sebastian as he stepped into the drawing room a short while later. Ciel, Lau, and Madame Red seemed to have been in the middle of a conversation, with Grell and Lau's "sister" lurking on the sidelines. A short distance away, Beo was sprawled out on the plush sofa and reading what appeared to be an ancient tome, the cover so faded not even Sebastian could make it out. The teen's dress jacket had been carelessly slung over the back of the couch, and Sebastian nearly twitched at the sight of the bodyguard's crumpled clothes and messy hair, free from its customary ponytail. Deciding that it would be best to ignore Beo for now, Sebastian turned back to his young master and the other guests. "Your tea. We have a special Darjeeling blend to offer from Fortnum & Mason today."

"Smells lovely. Tea can be excellent when made well," smiled Lau.

"So can other things, I am sure..." drawled Beo from his spot on the sofa, his so very green eyes never leaving the dusty pages of the novel. Both Sebastian and Lau barely suppressed a twitch, both for different reasons.

"Grell," barked out Madame Red imperiously, making her brunette butler perk up immediately.

"Ah, yes, my lady."

"Learn something from Sebastian," ordered the crimson haired Angelina Durless.

"Uh, yes..." murmured Grell submissively, visibly deflating.

"Just look at him. I mean, his physique! You should quit this country job and come work for me in the city," squealed Madame Red, practically molesting Sebastian. The butler jumped, and Beo was by his side in an instant, peeling the woman's prying hands off of Sebastian.

"Ahem! Madam Red," stuttered out Ciel, blushing furiously.

"Oh, Sorry. I couldn't help it. He looked like he needed a physical. Just a doctor's habit," tittered Madame Red, withdrawing her hands fully from both of the black haired males. Beo sighed in relief and wandered back to the sofa, snatching up his book only to come back and plop down on the arm of Ciel's chair and continue reading. Everyone watching sweat dropped slightly at the teen's mindless behavior and returned to their previous conversations.

"So, do you believe the drug trafficker you're after was one of your guests today?" questioned Lau.

"Perhaps," replied Ciel disinterestedly. Beo's jaw dropped and he stared at everyone, wide-eyed.

"Please, you must be joking. It was obviously that scar faced man - Vanel - and don't event try to claim that you disagree, little lord," scoffed Beo, finally closing the book and placing it into one of his seemingly limitless pockets.

"That may be so, but why not leave the extermination to Lau? A rat knows best where the rats' nest is, doesn't he?" begged Angelina Durless, only to be met with the blank stares of Beo, Ciel, and Sebastian.

"I'm but a tame guinea pig dedicated to my lord. If the earl instructs me not to act, I'm bound to do nothing," chimed in Lau, his eyes closed as he smiled (as usual).

"Yes, yes you are. It had best stay that way, Lau," smiled Harry, his voice chilling once more, causing both Sebastian and Ciel regard him in surprise. What did the bodyguard have against Lau? "We wouldn't want delusions of grandeur going to your head, hmmm? We are, after all, just butterflies in the course of history." Lau twitched.

"Of course, Sir Wulf. I would never lay a hand against the adorable young Earl."

"Watch it! You'd best keep your filthy paws off my darling nephew!" interjected Madame Red furiously, yanking Ciel out of his chair and squishing the young Earl against her as she glared at the Chinese man.

"You wound me. I would never paw at him in his own home, dear madam," assured Lau innocently, causing everyone watching to sigh and tsk in annoyance.

Madame Red's jaw dropped and she practically leapt at the secret wizard. "Are you saying you would if you were elsewhere? Careful, you're on thin ice now, sir!" she cried, accidentally pushing Ciel. The boy was just about to fall when a hand shot out, quick as lightning, to grab the little lord's arm and pull him back up. Ciel smiled gratefully up at the emerald eyes of his rescuer.

"Hahahaha. Sorry, I'm joking of course," giggled Lau in a desperate attempt to save the situation as Sebastian, Beo, and Ciel exited the room.

"Master?" said Sebastian in a tilting voice, turning the simple word into a question as the demon studied the odd expression on the young Earl's face. Beo's eyes narrowed as he felt the wards he had out up alert him to the identity of two trespassers.

"Oh, the rats are here..." murmured Ciel as a grey blur ran over his foot and down the corridor.

"Yes, and two human ones outside," hissed Beo.

"Do not attack unless provoked," ordered Ciel immediately, not wanting the other teen's overprotectiveness to ruin his plan. "I want you to stay with Sebastian."

Green eyes glared down at the boy for what seemed to be hours before Beo finally nodded and turned to Sebastian. "What needs to be done first? I have a feeling that our time is running short."

Suddenly, loud shouts came from the other end of the corridor as the three stooges- whoops, servants, raced into view.

"It went that waaaay!" cried Bard dejectedly.

"And here, too..." commented Ciel as he saw several more grey balls of fur.

"Get it! Aghhhhh!" cried Mey-Rin as the mice took off down the corridor with the three stooges in hot pursuit.

Beo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Ciel stared after his servants for a second, processing what he just saw, before sighing and shaking his head. "I wonder if that's what my friends and I always looked like, back then... when we were still little kids..." murmured Harry wistfully, watching as the three turned the corner, slipping and sliding as they went.

Sebastian sighed and continued his valiant effort to keep everything running smoothly in the Phantomhive household. "Master. Today's dessert is a deep-dish pie prepared with flesh apples and raisins. It will be ready soon. Would you like to eat with your guests?"

"Bring it to my study. I'm done here," ordered Ciel dismissively. Harry opened his mouth - possibly to hiss about spoiled brats - but then paused, thought better about it, and closed his mouth with a shrug.

"I can't say I blame you."

Sebastian, by now beginning to become accustomed to Beo's untimely interjections, ignored the shorter teen and focused only on his young master. "Certainly, my lord."

Ciel nodded and wandered back to his den, leaving the two raven haired "servants" standing in the hallway. The air immediately filled with tension as Sebatian fought off his desire to glare at the boy and wring his scrawny neck, annoyed at having been denied answers every time he had questioned the bodyguard. Just as it appeared that one of them would make their move, three familiar figures skidded around the corner in pursuit of a horde of rats.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake..." muttered Harry in exasperation. "Does it ever end?"

"Unfortunately, no," ground out the demon butler as the duo watched the three servants run around them in circles, waving fishing nets and tripping over each other.

"This has to be stopped," declared Beo as his left eye began to twitch again.

"For once, it seems we are in agreement," conceded Sebastian, observing the spectacle in distaste. Emerald and garnet eyes met for a brief millisecond before both ravens bent down and snatched up two handfuls of rats, lightning quick.

"That's enough of that. Stop playing and get back to work," ordered Sebastian as he and Beo dumped the rats into the nets and discretely wiped their hands on towels that Sebastian could have sword were not there a minute ago.

"Sir yes sirs," sighed the servants as they turned around to march away.

"A valiant effort. Perhaps next time, though, you should let the mouse traps do their jobs, or fetch one of us," suggested Beo as the three began to walk away, his voice sugar sweet and an innocent smile on his face.

"Um... Uh... Yes sir!" stuttered the blushing servants before they scrambled away.

"They're just going to be worse now, you know," glowered Sebastian as he watched the idiot trio leave, flustered with praise.

"We'll see," replied the other, and that was that.

Now, they just had to wait for their chance to have some fun.

The navy haired boy paused before he entered the study, his hand faintly trembling as it rested on the handle. He heard the voices of Sebastian, Beo, and the others from a few hallways down, and let out a shaky sigh. Ciel knew that at least one of the men Beo had mentioned were probably in there, but if he wanted to find out who was the drug smuggler was for certain, then this was the best possible route.

Sebastian... Harry...

Don't fail me.

The oak door swung open, and Ciel let out a deep breath before stepping into the room calmly. There was a flash of white, and then a cloth rag was pressed against his face and the familiar smell of chloroform flooded his senses. A last surge of panic went through him, and the golden mark on his hand pulsed, casting a modified shield charm on Ciel to protect him from physical harm.

On the other side of the manor, a black head twitched ever so slightly and emerald eyes narrowed in hate and rage.

"Their souls will never find peace."

A raven haired butler nonchalantly pushed a metal cart laden with food down the dim, twisted hallways of Phantomhive manor. His fingers twitched ever so slightly and his eyes darted behind him. He knew someone was watching him, but who and from where?

Shaking off the persistent feeling, Sebastian strolled up to an oak door and knocked on it lightly, causing it to swing ajar very slightly. "Young master. I brought your pie and afternoon tea." Receiving no reply, the butler pushed open the door and (fake) gasped at the papers and books strewn throughout the room. "This is terrible...! The refreshments will all be wasted now..."

"You could at least pretend that you care."

Sebastian froze at the familiar voice and turned around to see Beo leaning against the wall, his head tilted so that his emerald eyes were shadowed by the black mane. In that instant, just for a split second, Sebastian experienced an exhilarating rush of familiarity and fear at the unconfined mane of midnight black hair and cruel smirk.

"Death?" Sebastian breathed out, too softly for even himself to hear, before he mentally gave himself a shake and relaxed back to his normal stance. "I am afraid I do not know what you are speaking of," replied Sebastian charmingly, louder this time.

"Hmph. Don't give me that, demon," sneered Beo, tossing back his head and meeting Sebastian's copper eyes, which quickly bled to fuchsia at his words.

"So, the young master told you?" asked the butler.

Beo rolled his eyes and pushed himself off of the paneled wood wall. "Please - you practically leach black soul energy. Not even a Dark Lord has the taint of such evil." Sebastian's eyes widened briefly in realization as he quickly abandoned the cart and paced over to the bodyguard.

"You are a wizard, aren't you?" he questioned with narrowed eyes. "A member of the same type of beings as Lau, I assume."

"As if. Lau is a primitive wizard, not even a proper sorcerer or warlock. He could never match someone of my class," scoffed the seventeen year old. "Now then, I do believe we have an Earl to rescue. Shall we do this your way, or mine?"

"I do believe that, as his contracted servant, the first true mission should be done my way."

"Very well. Lead on."

,

Sky blue eyes blinked open as Ciel gradually regained consciousness, taking in the rather plain room and the familiar feelings of being bound. The young boy swallowed down his nervousness and glared up at the form above him that was smoking lazily.

"The policeman of England's underworld, one of the nobles who have done the royal family's dirty works for generations. The Queen's guard dog, tasked with disposing of anyone who disagrees with her. Just how many nick names do you have, and how many families have you crushed, Ciel Phantomhive?" sneered the Italian.

"I thought it would be you. You shame your family, Azzurro Vanel," spat the young Earl, speaking past the ball of nervousness in the back of his throat.

"Haha. Come now, my little lord Phantomhive. Do you know how hard it is for the Italian Mafia here? You Englishmen have nothing but tea on the brain. It's difficult to penetrate those small minds of yours, so we have to think outside the box to make money. So we found the drug trade," monologued the brunette in typical villain fashion.

Ciel's glare intensified as he glowered at the scarred man in front of him. "The Pharmacy Act of 1868 listed opium as a restricted substance. It is the Queen's decree. I will eliminate those drugs and the vermin who sell them," he dutifully replied as the Queen's Guard Dog.

Vanel rolled his eyes and turned around, taking several steps away from the boy kneeling on his floor. "Ugh. You know this is why I hate all you Englishmen. The Queen this, the Queen that. You act like this woman is your own mother. You line your pockets while pretending the whole time you're better than the rest of us. But in the end, we are no different from each other. Why can't we get along?" he offered, his tone a mix of exasperation and pleading.

Ciel scoffed at the Italian's pathetic attempt at manipulation. "I've left orders about your key. If I don't come back, my servants will make sure the authorities get it. I'm sorry, I have no interest in getting along with someone like you."

"You brat, don't underestimate me," gritted out Vanel, barely refraining from hitting the Earl. "My men are already waiting at your estate. Where is the key? Spit it out soon or your servants will start dying one by one."

Ciel smirked - Harry's wards would cause any bullet to phase harmlessly through anyone it came in contact with. "Oh, I think they'll be alright. But you'd better hope your lap-dogs know how to fetch."

Vanel sneered at the blue haired boy and lifted the walkie talkie up to his mouth. "Did you hear that? The time for talk is over."

"Oh dear, this is most troubling. Where could the master have been taken?" wondered Sebastian in a sugar sweet voice, inwardly smirking as Beo visibly twitched. The boy had been attempting to drag him to Vanel manor for the past half hour, and had developed a spectacular eye twitch.

"Sebastian!" panted out the purple haired maid as she ran around the corner. " I just found the letter, yes I did!"

"A letter - how cliché... and idiotic," tsked Beo under his breath, turning away from what he had already disregarded as an unimportant topic.

"Addressed to whom?" questioned Sebastian, a slight edge to his voice.

Mey-Rin squealed and blushed, looking at the floor and scuffing the toes of her shoes slightly. "Oh, to the servants of the Earl Phantomhive."

"Mey-Rin. the letter, please," ground out Sebastian. Honestly, humans were unbelievably dim.. and extremely annoying.

"Eh? Letter? Oh, yes sir!" stammered the maid, handing the plain letter over to the butler. Sebastian eyes skimmed the letter quickly, with Beo peering over his shoulder.

"'If you want to return your Master safely, come to Nova garden Bethmal Green as soon as possible...' Goodness, what a dreadfully written letter," exclaimed Sebastian. Beo's eyes narrowed as his fists clenched slightly.

"You have a time limit, Sebastian. If I feel like things are taking too long, I will end your games and do it my way," growled the messy haired teen lowly.

"I would expect nothing less from a Phantomhive bodyguard," agreed the crow demon.

Suddenly, a glint of metal caught the demon's eye - he was so distracted by Beo, that he had not seen the bullet until it was making contact with Mey-Rin's skin - but then it went right through her and smashed into a porcelain vase, shattering it.

"Try and get Lau to do that," hissed Beo joyfully under his breath, almost prompting Sebastian to roll his eyes at the childish display.

"Sebastian," called the blonde gardener as he, Bard, and Angelina Durless entered the corridor.

"What is going on here?" asked Madame Red.

"Sorry for the noise my lady. I assure you nothing is wrong. Please don't concern yourself," assured Sebastian charmingly.

"Humph, nothing, are you sure?" interrogated Madame Red, frowning.

"Never fear, Madame. I will ensure that everything is taken care of." Beo's eyes flashed almost unnoticeably and his pleasant smile curled into a smirk. "One way or another."

"Everyone, Sir Wulf and I have business to attend to. Would you mind cleaning this up?" Sebatian passed the pie he was going to give to Ciel over to the blonde chef, giving one of his closed mouth smiles.

"Um..." began Bard, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and closing his eyes. "So, when you say clean uh... that means we can eat it, right?" The army veteran opened his eyes only to blink in shock at the empty hallway. "...Sebastian? Beo?"

"Huh? What's this?" asked Finny as he caught a note that was drifting down slowly. "The pie is yours. Do with it what you will. Take care, Sir Beo Wulf."

"Well, that answers that question," shrugged Bard. "Let's dig in!"

"Yeah!"

Vanel was pacing back and forth, waiting for word from his assassins and puzzling over a strange development. Every time he had raised his hand to hit the child or pulled his leg back to give him a good kick, a feeling of deep foreboding would settle over him and he would back off again.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life and a man's voice came through. "Sorry, I missed!" Ciel smirked, and wondered who was the cause - Sebastian, or Harry?

"What do you mean you missed?" snarled Vanel into the phone. "You are complete idiots! Never should have hired scum like you. Just get back here," he ordered.

"Um, sir, something is off," replied the man, peering into the dust cloud from behind the car. "I see something - wait, two somethings. What are those?!" he cried fearfully.

"Oh, what's wrong? Did you little girls see a bear in the woods?" chuckled Vanel, amused at his not-so-witty statement.

Ciel could practically hear Beo's amused voice in his ear, "Just like Uncle Vernon," and glimpse emerald eyes in the corner of his vision before they faded away. The mark on his hand pulsed and sent a warmth rushing through him, leaving the young boy feeling giddy.

'Ciel? Ciel, can you hear me?' Beo's voice rang through his head and the boy nearly jumped out of his skin in shock.

'Harry?' he thought back as hard as he could.

'AH! OW! No need to shout! Listen, I can't keep the connection open very long. Sebastian and I are on the way. If things get out of control, think my name as hard as you can, understand?' The voice was tight and tinged with worry, causing another flash of warmth to flood through Ciel.

'Alright.'

'Take care.' With that, the presence faded from his mind completely, leaving only a tingling feeling in the back of Ciel's mind. The young Earl was snapped from his mental wondering by a scream, loud and sharp despite the accompanying crackle.

"What is it? Did someone find you? Talk to me," barked Vanel into the phone, a drop of sweat making its way down his face. Ciel could feel a sinister chuckle attempting to escape despite his best efforts.

"Ahhhh! Hurry it up!" came the panicked voices from the walkie talkie, and Vanel clutched it tighter in frustration. "It's coming, closer...!"

The Italian finally lost control and practically shouted, "That's it! I have had enough of your games already!"

"No good, It's here! Aghhhhh!" The device went silent, and Vanel's eyes widened as his hand shook.

"Uh, hello? What's happened?"

Ciel smirked, and finally let his chuckles out. He had a feeling that those two rats would never be found. "Ha, Hahaha. That's too bad. Sounds like your little game of fetch is over." His blue eyes widened as Vanel snarled, the Italian's hand drawing back and punching him hard in the face.

"Ah! Ow, damn!" cried the man, rubbing his hurt knuckles and the fist print that had appeared on his face. "What kind of witchcraft...?"

Ciel could have sworn that he heard Sebastian's familiar, dark chuckle and Harry's voice lazily complaining that he wasn't a witch, dang it!

The Italian's eyes narrowed and he drew back his legs, kicking Ciel in the ribs. Again, Vanel's foot hurt as though he had kicked concrete and his ribs had a nice purple bruise. "So, I can't hurt you, huh?" sneered the man. "Hmm... I wonder what this sorcery considers harm. There are plenty of things I can do with a pretty boy like you." Ciel's eyes widened in terror, and his thoughts scattered in panic. Yet even so, he remained completely stoic on the outside, glaring defiantly at the drug lord.

"You listen to me!" cried the Italian into the walkie talkie as he stepped towards the terrified Earl. "I don't know who you are, but if you don't answer me and hand over what I want, the Phantomhive brat will be the one punished! But don't worry too much, he might even enjoy it!"

"Bad move... I'll make you sssssuffer." Vanel's eyes widened in terror and he gulped audibly. The voice was dark and would have been considered a growl, if it weren't for the slight hissing quality and drawn out "s"s.

Harry.

"Hello," came another voice, much more calm and pleasant, but just as dark as the other.

"Who's this?" stammered out Vanel, in a pathetic attempt to patch up his broken pride and courage.

"Pardon me, but my friend and I represent the Phantomhive estate. We were wondering if our master might be available - for your sake, I hope he is. I'm afraid my friend is becoming a bit impatient." The Italian man's knuckles were white as he gripped the radio in a death grip, and his brown eyes were blown wide. "Hello, is anyone there? Hello?" Sebastian's voice rang out again.

"Ah…I..." stuttered out Vanel, unable to do anything more.

"Checkmate," stated Ciel, his tone bored and calm, although he was anything but inside.

"Very good, young master. We will come to get you momentarily," drawled the butler.

"Ssssee you in a flash, little lord." Vanel gulped, and eyed Ciel warily, as if debating whether or not to carry through with his threat. "Oh, and by the way," Harry's voice rang through the walkie talkie clearly this time, with no hindering static or hissing. "Keep your filthy paws off my brother, or I'll remove them."

The line went dead.

Vanel whimpered.

Several miles away from the Vanel mansion, two men were trembling in fear, while two others were beginning their interrogation.

"Thank you for the use of your field telephone," grinned the butler, his signature smile sending shivers down the spines of the two assassins. The younger looking man accompanying the butler rolled his eyes before baring his teeth savagely and glaring at the two men.

"Listen up, because I will only ask this once, and then I will let my partner do as he desires." Beo smirked inwardly - he did still have morals, after all, and would never leave someone in the... er... tender mercies, of Sebastian.

Not that they knew that.

"First," began Beo, pausing to yawn and show off his fangs (AN: Don't shoot! I will explain later!), "I'd like to know who you work for. Hurry up now. I'm not exactly what you would call a patient being."

"Ah, our employer's name is Azzurro Vanel. He has a hideout up in the city. It's in the East End. We just work for him!" cried one of the men, terrified that they would fall off the cliff. His friend just trembled beside him, clutching the steering wheel with white fingers, terrified from the feel of the Black magic the two raven haired beings were radiating.

"But of course, we understand. We are very sorry to have interrupted your work, gentlemen," the emerald eyed boy smirked and jumped off the hood of the car as his companion continued speaking. "I'll let you go now. Have a safe trip."

The two Phantomhive servants started strolling down the road as an explosion rocked behind them. Neither of the two seemed to notice, and Sebastian pulled out a golden stopwatch. "Oh dear. Look at how late it's gotten. If we don't move quickly, we shall never have dinner ready in time."

"Hmph, I'll be waiting for you at the mansion," yawned Beo as he stretched out his arms and cricked his neck, his black hair swaying from side to side.

"You believe that you best me in a race?" smirked the demon arrogantly. In reply, the bodyguard simply shrugged and vanished without a trace. Sebastian blinked twice before sneering and taking off for the Vanel Mansion, in a (futile) attempt to arrive before Beo.

Meanwhile, two men were lying on their backs in a canyon and panting heavily, surrounded by wreckage and dying flames. "Dear God, Gaunt, that was close!" choked out the brown haired assassin, and his grey eyed friend nodded.

"Yeah, I barely got a shield up in time. We're just lucky those two let us go, Riddle. Let's leave Vanel to his fate and go back to Little Hangleton."

"Agreed. We won't have a boss after this, anyway." The two stood up and dusted off their plain clothes before staggering off through the canyon in search of a way up.

"My, my, looks like I'll be seeing dear Tommy-boy in this world, after all..." Green eyes glinted as they vanished into the shadows, unseen by all.

Vanel watched the young, blue-eyed boy pressed against the corner in disgust as he shouted into his walkie-talkie, alerting everyone in the facility. "Listen up, the Phantomhive boy has help on the way!"

Neither Ciel nor Vanel noticed the muffled "thumps" behind a painting near the entrance of the room.

Back in the front of the Italian's manor, chaos was everywhere. Men with rifles and guns of all sorts were everywhere, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious or strange. "Move it! Tighten security at the gate! Not so much as a single rat gets through!" called the Head Guard.

In all the confusion, who could really blame them for missing a man in a black butler's outfit as he strolled up the white marble steps and retrieved his golden pocket watch, checked it, and put it back in his pocket. "My, my, what a splendid home. Where is Sir Wulf, I wonder?" Sebastian paused before searching for the other's scent, finding it in a secret room nearby his master's. "Oh, I see... you win this round after all."

"Hey, who is this guy?!" cried one of the armed men, his brown eyes wide with shock and swinging his gun around.

"Ah, my apologies. You see... I represent the Phantomhive household."

"This pie... is so good..." moaned Bard.

Mey-Rin and Finny nodded frantically as they continued to shovel the pastry into their mouths.

"Ho-ho-ho... Pie is good."

Everyone paused.

"Tanaka...?"

Vanel gulped as he shifted his grip on the brat and adjusted the aim of the silver gun in his hand. If worst came to worst, he'd still be able to kill the Queen's Guard dog. He would have that much.

As he was thinking this, a tall man with disorganized (*cough*lecherous*cough*) raven hair strolled into the doorway, his eyes closed with his signature smile in place. "I have come to retrieve my master."

"Is this a joke?" laughed Vanel, feeling his knees go weak. "I was expecting giants and instead I got-a some scrawny dandy in a tailcoat. What happened to your partner, anyway? Did he get filled with bullet holes?"

Ciel stiffened against the Italian, his eyes widening briefly before he drooped back down. Sebastian, however, merely scowled. "I am afraid not. I am not sure whether he has been extraordinarily helpful, or completely useless."

"Eh?"ground out the Italian, completely confused.

"Either way," continued Sebastian, ignoring the rather inarticulate drug lord, "it would have turned out the same. I am simply one hell of a butler... I promise."

Vanel just rolled his eyes, no longer frightened of the butler. Surely someone so skinny and... gangly... couldn't be a threat! "Yeah, sure. It does not matter anyway, I have no intention of fighting you." Vanel grinned rather nastily and muttered under his breath, "Not yet..." He felt the young boy jerk against him slightly, but the Italian would never know it was because Ciel was trying very hard not to scoff and laugh.

"But you better have what I asked for!" spat out Vanel, his English leaving much to be desired. The cigar in his mouth was smoking slightly, and his dirty ash blonde hair a mess from Vanel's nervous tick of running his hands through it.

"Yes I do," smile Sebastian pleasantly, pulling an envelope out of his black cotton pocket. "It's right here."

Vanel grinned and paused, clearly waiting for something. However, nothing happened.

"I'm sorry, but it seems that your two men are a bit...tied up, at the moment," came a new voice from behind a wall painting on the left threshold of the entry way. Ciel smirked, his cerulean eyes lighting up with cruel joy and a smirk crawling onto his face. Azurro gasped and gulped, his fingers twitching against the gun and a bead of sweat slowly dripping down his tanned skin from the Italian's hairline. He knew that voice. The brother of Earl Phantomhive had arrived.

"It was a good idea, I'll admit. Only an utter fool would go up against the Phantomhive, lord of the games, without a trump card hidden." As the voice echoed through the room, the pastel painting swung outward.

Vanel saw the boot first, made out of some kind of black scales. Next came the leg, clad only in dark charcoal trousers, and then the teenager lurched into view. His shirt was the same midnight black as his boots, and looked to be made from the finest silk Vanel had ever seen. He wore some sort of red robes, fastened together with black straps of the same scaly material as the boots and covered in carriers for ammunition and weapons of all kinds. There was a sword on his hip, and the Italian was fairly certain there was a machine gun on the boy's back. (AN: Yes, this is my version of Harry's Auror outfit. If I have time, I might draw it and add it to the cover).

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Beo Wulf, Head Knight and Representative to the Ministry of Magic for Her Majesty the Queen, and elder brother of Ciel Phantomhive. I do believe you have someone of mine."

"Ministry of what?" Vanel laughed, trying to ignore the building feeling of panic. Not only was this brother of the Earl the Leader of the Queen's Knights, but also the same type of freak as his parents.

"Master, how unfortunate, they don't seem to have taken very good care of you. You look like a helpless little child all bound up like that. But then I guess that's appropriate," Sebastian smirked wickedly. Beo just sighed and rolled his eyes exasperatedly, ignoring what sounded suspiciously like, "Absolutely no decorum," from Sebastian.

"I-lf you come any closer, I will shoot him!" stuttered out Vanel, his eyes wild and voice raising higher with each word. Both Sebastian and Beo remained completely unaffected, simply regarding the Italian cool with raised eyebrows.

"Little brother, do I need to remove his hands for you?" smiled Beo pleasantly.

Ciel had felt nothing but an overwhelming sense of disgust wash over him ever since Azzuro had grabbed him and put him in a choke hold with the silver barrel of the gun pressed against his head. Beo's words dispersed the haze of panic in his mind better than anything else that had happened thus far, and he managed to drawl out in a tone that matched the disgust he was feeling, "Please do. However, can we move this along? His breath smells awful."

"But if we come any closer, he might kill you," chimed in Sebastian, his typical smirk in place.

"Well then, are you saying you want to break the contract?" Ciel felt a little bit of relief at the thought - he had come to care for Sebastian, slightly, since that fateful day Sebastian had "rescued" the young Earl from his torturers, but the thought of someone stealing his soul still frightened the young boy.

"No, of course not. Nothing has changed; I remain your faithful servant, lord."

Vanel felt his eye twitch as the three began conversing without him. He was a valid threat, dammit! "What the hell kind of-a nonsense are you two talking about?!"

"The very kind of nonsense you're parents practiced on a daily basis, Azzuro Vanel - or should I say, Ashwind Malfoy?" Everyone froze at Beo's words, and Vanel felt his hand start to tremble. How had he known that? How could anyone know that? He hadn't seen his blasted blood family since he was 11 and a letter from Hogwarts hadn't come!

"Magic and monsters, oh me, oh my. The horror you must feel at the thought of anything so... unnatural." Vanel gulped as the black haired teen continued talking, feeling the familiar cold feeling of dread creeping down his back and to his trembling hands.

"Now then, I do believe this has gone on long enough." The silver gun made a dull thunk as it slipped from "Azzuro's" fingers and fell to the ground. The Italian released the young Earl, whom immediately stood and strolled nonchalantly over to his butler, who began fussing with Ciel's messed up outfit while keeping an eye on Beo.

"Wh-What is happening?" the Italian cried out in horror as he stared at his hands. The tanned skin was paling and peeling off as his hands decayed before his eyes and his bones turned to dust and streamed down to the floor.

"Death has judged you, and you have been found... inconvenient. Unnecessary, unwanted, and unclean. Your very existence is not only useless, but a hindrance to this universe. However, Death is merciful. You shall live, a wanted drug lord with only one arm. You will have to depend on your men for every little thing, and should they betray you, you will be helpless.

But you will live. That is Death's mercy." Vanel screamed out in horror as his left arm disintegrated.

"I suggest you lie low... forever," smiled Sebastian, and the Italian fell to his knees, trembling and crying as he nodded.

"Farewell, Azzurro Vanel. We shall meet again, when the time for your end has come." With that, the Master of Death picked up his little brother despite the Earl's sleepy protests and walked out of the room, sharing a glance with Sebastian as he exited the room. The demon smirked as he strolled after the teen, theming one parting smirk over his shoulder at the Italian before he began walking down the polished hallways. The butler's black shoes clacked against the floor as they caught up with the scaled boots, not pausing at any of the unconscious bodies they passed.

"Please note that I am not happy with you taking my prey from me, although it was rather amusing to watch all of Vanel's guards spontaneously faint. I do believe one fell in a bowl of spaghetti," grumbled Sebastian as the three exited the building, Ciel asleep in his brother's arms.

"It wasn't their time," stated Beo politely and with a touch of wistfulness as the two began the long run back to the Phantomhive manor.

"...What you did to Vanel. That was not mercy.""Wasn't it?" With that, the teen sped off, almost too fast for even Sebastian to follow.

The demon cursed and took off after the bodyguard, trying his best to keep the younger one in his sights. "I don't know who or what you are, Beo Wulf, but I swear I will find out."

Sebastian was pretty sure he had heard a chuckle from somewhere up ahead.

"Wake up, little brother." Ciel's blue eyes blearily blinked open as the words drifted hazily into his consciousness. The young boy greedily drank in the arch of oak trees on either side of the dusty road, and the whitewashed manor ahead. "We're home," he whispered sleepily.

Harry's smile had never been more beautiful.

Ciel only wished that his brother could teach him how to be so happy.

"You are awake, master?" Ciel turned to look at his butler and nodded, still worn out from his ordeal with Vanel.

"Master! Welcome home, sir!" Finny shouted out as he rushed up the cobblestone path from the manor down to the dirt of the road.

Mey-Rin's eyes widened as she saw the young Earl's pained and sleepy eyes. "Oh, dear!"

"Master Ciel, someone hurt you!" cried the young blonde gardener as he gazed worriedly at the navy haired boy.

"I'm fine, not injured at all," argued Ciel. All three servants looked at him sorrowfully for a moment before Bard stepped forward, rubbing the back of s neck in a usual frustrated or nervous tick.

"Someone doesn't have to physically harm you to hurt you, young master," stated the cook plainly, seeming oddly serious.

Ciel simply stared at the three with wide eyes, confused as to what they were saying. How could someone hurt you without physically hurting you? Moreover, why are they so concerned?

"Come one young master, You should have hot chocolate before bed!" squealed the maid cheerfully, mostly returning to her normal self.

"Yeah, some food too! You must be starving!" cheered the blonde teen.

"...Very well," murmured Ciel as Beo let the young Earl down and brushed the wrinkles and dust away.

Suddenly, Sebastian dropped down on one knee and placed a fist over his heart, head bowed. "Master... I'm so terribly sorry. I've committed a blunder unacceptable for a Phantomhive butler. How could I ever atone...? I hang my head in shame." Everyone blinked. What on earth could be so serious.

"Dinner is not ready."

Everyone sweat dropped. Beo's hand reached out and cuffed Sebastian in the back of his head before withdrawing, his hand a blur as it shot out and returned. "Tch, idiot."

End of Chapter

AN:

Sebastian: Hello, dear readers. On the next chapter, due to the suggestion of Lady Elizabeth, Master Ciel's betrothed, we will be holding a ball.

...Unfortunately... my young master cannot dance to save his life.

His attempts are so pathetic that calling in a dancing master would be too embarrassing. And somehow, Beo vanished as soon as the word "dancing" was mentioned.

Huh… It seems as if I shall have to rid my lord of his two left feet myself.

Next time on Beowulf: "His Butler, Omnipotent. His Hero, Master of Avoidance."

You see, I am simply one hell of a butler.

Beo: We get it, we get it. Switch it to Japanese and then translate it back and it can say either "one hell of a butler" or "a demon and a butler." We get it. Move on withi life you OCD, narcissistic -

Sebastian: Dancing.

Beo: *crickets crickets - he vanished into thin air*

Sebastian: *smirks*

Ciel: *sigh* DragonSiren7 does NOT own Kuroshitsuji or Harry Potter. If she did, she would have a lot more cash.

DragonSiren7: And be out of high school. Oh, also, if any of you are reading my "The End Game" fanfic, that is to be updated next! Updates are going to be slow for a while because for me, THIS WAS THE SECOND WEEK OF SCHOOL!

To those of you who also finished you're second week of school, congratulations, this was my present to you.

To those of you who were already in school before this month, I wish to express my deepest condolences and sympathies for the past and upcoming late nights and busy days.

Keep on being awesome, my readers.

Will you review if I don't ask for reviews? Eh. It will probably be a while before I update, but I definitely won't update before... 30 reviews! I know I just doubled the amount of necessary reviews, but you guys are reviewing like crazy already! I don't think I need to worry too much! ^_^

Ciao for now,

DragonSiren7