Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.

I sat on the chair by the window, my head resting on my arms on the window sill. I waited for the world to awaken and watched the sky evolve from night to day. The moon hung to the other side of the horizon, with the sun slowly creeping up to take its place.

The light rays began to shine down on my face and my eyes were fixated on a spider that crawled outside the glass. It approached its dewy web, seeing that a fly had been captured in its deadly trap. The fly didn't appear to be struggling and I watched the arachnid begin to wrap its prey with more threads, preparing for its feast.

I closed my eyes, feeling completely deprived. The difficultly to hide was increasing the more my hunger grew. The other side of me began to doubt that staying here was a good idea. It begged me to leave.

You can't hide yourself forever. You know that you want to devour everyone in this household…especially…

I silenced the voice and bit into my own wrist without hesitation. A pathetic way to sustain myself…somehow I would have to find another way. It was useless to drink my own blood but at least it held back my thirst for a while.

Three knocks sounded on the door.

"Uh…J-Janelle?" the person stuttered, as if wondering whether or not the name was pronounced correctly.

Mey-Rin.

I quickly moved off the chair, holding my wrist while the bite wound began to close up. I jumped on the bed and went under the sheets, pulling the blanket over my head.

"It's time to wake up, it is! I-I'm coming in if you don't answer!" she hollered.

When she didn't hear me respond, she gently opened the door and saw me in bed.

"Janelle?" she squeaked again, bending over to see me.

I poked out my head from under the sheets, appearing sleepy before pulling myself up. I pretended to yawn and scratched the back of my head. "Mey-Rin? Good morning…is it time already?"

She grinned and nodded. "Yes, I know, it's quite early. But don't worry, you'll get used to it! Hurry and get dressed because Sebastian is waiting for us, he is!"

I did as I was told and grabbed my clothes off the chair. She went outside and I slipped into my dress in a jiffy before joining her.

"GAH!"

Finny had suddenly fallen right out of his room as we had been making our way down the corridor. His trousers were pulled on halfway and he groaned from the pain of landing on his face.

"Finny!" Mey-Rin shrieked and we both came to his side and helped him up.

"Oww," he muttered, dusting off his shirt. He then looked at both of us and smiled nervously. "Thanks girls! I was afraid we were late that's why I-"

"We are late! We better go!" Mey-Rin warned and began pacing ahead of us.

Finny turned to me and held his hand out. "It's great to have a new member to our team!" he grinned.

I shook his hand. "Thanks for being so welcoming. And…Finny?"

"Yes?" he tilted his head.

"Your pants fell down…" I stated, biting my lip and holding back a laugh.

He looked down and his face immediately burned tomato red. He bent down, pulling up his pants over his striped boxers and laughed bashfully.

"AHEM! Now that that's taken care of…sh-shall we move along?" He went ahead of me, trying to hide his embarrassment.

I followed the two panicked servants and we all eventually met up at the bottom of the grand staircase. Bard was already there, tempted to light his cigarette but seeing as Sebastian gave him a glare, he simply placed the smoke in his mouth.

Sebastian smiled when all three of us finally arrived. "Well, it's so nice that you three are able to join us this fine morning. Please don't make a habit of running late. I don't need to constantly remind you that we have a tight schedule to attend to."

"Yes sir," All three of us replied in unison.

"Alright then, you three know what your daily duties are. Get straight to it!" Sebastian clapped his hands once and Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny swiftly split up again, like déjà vu.

I held my hands behind my back and approached Sebastian, who was facing away from me and glancing at his pocket watch.

"Excuse me, Mister Sebastian, shall I join either of the three in their duties?" I asked.

He turned his head to me, blinking before replying. "Ah yes…Janelle…" He turned fully around, that smirk setting on his face. "Oh no, you won't be joining them. I'm sure they can handle it on their own…for the most part anyway."

He then surveyed the mansion, a finger tapping his chin while thinking of what to assign me. His blood red eyes lit up.

"Alright, I'll have you clean and tidy up the rooms on this side of the mansion," His hand motioned to his right. "…while I take care of the other half in the meantime."

He clasped his hands together and grinned. "And since it's your first day, you may have the rest of the time to explore the mansion once you're done. If you have any questions or concerns, please come to me first."

"I'll get to it then. Thank you Sebastian," I replied, bowing my head.

He nodded. "There's no need for thanks since we're all in this together. Alright then," He turned around. "I'll be seeing you later."

With that, he was gone in a flash.

I took a deep breath before I was off as well, fetching some cleaning supplies from Mey-Rin before starting.

The first room I came to happened to be the vast library of the Phantomhive estate. I set the bucket down on the ground, holding the feather duster over my shoulder. I stared in awe at how many books there were. In my life so far, I had never seen so many books in one place. The memory of when I was last in a library was so faint and far away…

My fingers trailed across the old spines of the numerous literatures lined up on the broad book cases. I glanced at my hand to see that it had easily collected some dust. I randomly selected a book from the middle of the row and flipped it open, finding it to be about science.

The information I read immediately absorbed in my brain. My eyes darted fast over the words. How I missed learning about new things every day when I was younger.

She smiled at me, her hand so comforting on my shoulder. She leaned down to kiss my cheek while I read out loud what I had written. I was nervous, rehearsing for my first time presenting a report.

But in the end, she clapped for me and my cheeks had felt warm.

"…so proud of you…"

I placed a hand on my cheek, feeling that it was cold as stone. I stared blankly down at the words, not really reading anything then.

I remember that I had made my mother so proud. She was always there to support me no matter what. She could've been the one standing by my side throughout it all. Yet in the end…I was the one who let her down.

"I'm sorry…"

Those words escaped my mouth. I sighed, shutting the book and placing it back in the shelf.

I didn't keep track of how much time had passed and my work went by in a blur. I cleaned all the rooms on my half of the mansion without putting too much thought into it, but still completed the job with decent precision. Some of the rooms obviously hadn't been used in a long time; cobwebs were beginning to collect in the corners.

Brushing stray hair strands out of my face, I exited the last room. I gazed down the long hallway, amazed that I had actually accomplished something useful in a long while. I bent over to pick up the cleaning supplies and went to put them away.

When I arrived at the staircase, I noticed Mey-Rin polishing the railings. She looked up at me and waved.

"Oh, hello there Janelle!" She saw me carrying the supplies and gasped. "You're finished already?!"

I held up the bucket and smiled. "Uh…yes! Is there something…"

"No, no! It's just...you finished rather quickly, you did!" she blurted out.

I raised an eyebrow. "I did? Oh…I didn't notice…"

I then spotted the white cloth that she had in her hand. For some reason, it was pitch black.

I walked down the steps. "Mey-Rin?"

"Yes Janelle?" she asked, furiously wiping the wooden railing.

My eyes widened when I saw that the shiny wood was now covered in the same black substance. I cleared my throat.

"I...I sure hope that's just really dirty because it's rather…black."

"Eh? What are you talking about?" She lifted her head at me questionably.

I pointed to the railing and she got a closer look, fixing her glasses. In the next second, she shrieked in utter shock.

"AHHH! OH NO!" she cried, holding her face in despair.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"I accidentally took the shoe polisher instead! What do I do?! Mister Sebastian's going to be angry at me for sure, he will!" she continued to panic, shaking her head.

I took her shoulders and turned her to me. "Calm down Mey-Rin, it's alright! Let's just go and get the right polisher and we'll fix it up in no time!" I tried to cheer her up.

She took a few deep breaths, placing a hand on her chest. "O-okay…f-follow me!"

She collected the shoe polisher and cloth while I took my cleaning supplies and we quickly set off to get the correct polisher before the butler would see her blunder. We ran back to the staircase and went right to work scrubbing the wood as best we could.

"Oh thank god! It's starting to clear up!" Mey-Rin exclaimed in relief, folding the cloth in her hand and applying more polish.

I smiled and noticed her wiping sweat off her forehead. I scrubbed the wood, all the while thinking to myself.

"Hey…Mey-Rin…" I started.

"What is it?"

"Is it okay if I help you finish up the stairs? I mean, I'm sure that you can handle this perfectly on your own. But since I don't really-"

"Of course you can Janelle! I'd love your help! Usually, it'd take me an hour to complete this job! Thanks!" she cut in enthusiastically, soaking the blackened cloth in the bucket and taking a fresh one.

While we worked, I began to ask her how long she had worked for the Phantomhives. She explained that she had only been here for a year, and that she was taken in by Sebastian.

"I used to be a sniper you see," she blushed, embarrassed with talking about herself.

I stared at her in amazement. "Really? Wow! That must've been exciting…but dangerous of course," I smiled.

"Yeah...the funny thing is, I can see things very well if they're far…" she trailed off, looking up at the ceiling.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Huh? But then…why do you wear glasses?"

She blushed again, both her hands wandering up to her specs. "B-Because it's a gift from the Young Master and I treasure it deeply since I've never received anything so nice before…"

I smiled in understanding, sharing the exact same feelings with her.

We were sitting on the bottom staircase for a rest after the hard work of polishing. She turned to her side, gazing at me while I leaned back and scanned the vast manor.

"So…" she began awkwardly.

"Hmm?" I looked back at her.

"Di-did you used to fight…like Bard did? Oops!" She covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ask something so personal! You don't have to answer if you don't want to!"

She began an inner war with herself, saying that she should keep her mouth shut but I stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing! Never mind!" she glanced at me, though it wasn't my face she was looking at. I followed her gaze and saw that she had noticed my arms, which were bare since I had rolled my sleeves up.

I then understood what she meant by her question and patted her back. "No it's fine, Mey-Rin. I asked you something personal, so in return, I'll answer you."

She hesitantly looked back at me, her hands still covering her mouth.

I stared down at my arms, seeing the everlasting scars of my past.

"I was never a fighter in the past. In fact, I was just a normal girl."

She nodded her head slowly, now giving me her full attention.

"To be honest…" I touched one of the scars. "I did this to myself."

She gasped quietly. "But why?" she whispered.

I sighed and gave a melancholic smile. "I wanted to disappear."

She didn't reply. She just looked at me in shock, though she was trying hard to hide it.

I rested my chin on my hand. "Sometimes…I still want to…"

Mey-Rin suddenly grabbed my arm. "No! Don't! I won't let you!"

I looked at her, eyes widened slightly. Her face was stern and her grip on me was tight but not painful. I then chuckled softly and rested my hand on hers.

"It's okay Mey-Rin. It's all in the past now. Besides, I'm sure that feeling is gone."

I was lying just to be cheerful for her. But by the way she looked at me when I stood up, she didn't buy it.

When I turned back around to her, she had suddenly lunged off the stairs and threw her arms around my waist in a tight embrace.

"Don't ever do that to yourself ever again Janelle! You've got a whole life ahead of you, you do!" she cried, hugging me like a child.

I stared down at her in surprise. Is this what a hug felt like? It was so hard to remember…

She pulled back but took my shoulders instead. "I'm serious Janelle. Don't do it. Think about the people who care about you!"

At first I was about to think to myself, 'What people?' But then she stunned me.

"I care about you," she told me with all honesty.

My mouth opened, no words coming out and she pulled me back into a hug. In the next second, I mentally slapped myself and gently wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you Mey-Rin…I'm sure we'll be very good friends in no time."

She let go of me and grinned. "Of course we will! And I'm keeping my eye on you. I'm not as blind as you think!" she warned, glaring jokingly at me.

The sound of a grandfather clock echoed, signaling that it was hitting noontime.

Mey-Rin gasped. "Oh no! I have to get to my next task!"

I quickly helped her gather her supplies before she ran up the stairs. She then looked back at me once more.

"Thanks for your help Janelle! I would hug you again but…err…" She motioned to her arms occupied with all her stuff.

I waved it away and smiled. "It's alright Mey-Rin, we have all the time afterwards to socialize," I suggested and she laughed.

"Okay, see you later!" she called while running the rest of the way up the stairs.

Once she was out of my sight, I began wandering the mansion. I examined all the portraits lining the walls when a loud shout interrupted the silence. The all too familiar boom of a man's voice.

Bard.

I set off towards the kitchen, peeking in to see the cook lighting something.

"Aw…this oughta do the trick!" he grinned and held up…a stick of dynamite!

I gasped and rushed in. "Bard? What do you think you're doing?!"

"Eh?! Janelle?! What are you-AHH!" He yelped when I ran into him, both of us colliding to the ground.

I winced from the collision we had and looked up, seeing that the dynamite was still in his grasp. "Bard! The dynamite! Put it out right now!"

"What?! Why?!" he barked, looking at me as if I was absurd.

"Do you want to blow up the whole mansion?!" I retorted.

His blue eyes widened in realization and he immediately did as I asked. He licked his fingers and then put out the spark before it reached the end. He winced at the slight burn he gained.

"Yikes! Well I guess I didn't think of that…" he admitted sheepishly.

I rolled my eyes and then I noticed that his cheeks were red.

"What's the matter Bard?"

"Umm…well…you're kinda…I can't move if you're…"

I glanced down and noticed that I had been lying on top of Bard the whole time. I then quickly got off of him, brushing the front of my dress. "I'm sorry! I just panicked…here let me help you…"

He took my hand and stood up, all the while trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. He flexed his arm before rolling up his sleeves.

"Well now…guess I'll have to do it the long way. What a drag…" he muttered.

I snickered. "So that was your brilliant idea of 'speeding things up'?"

"Hey! Don't hate missy! For your information, it's successful in doing something!"

"Doing what exactly, besides killing people?" I inquired in amusement.

"I…well…"

He stopped for a moment in thought. He sighed and went back to work. "It burns the meat to a crisp…" he mumbled sadly.

I stood beside him as he crossed his arms, staring at the ham in front of him. I smiled and nudged him in the side. "Hey, think I can help out there mate?"

Bard glanced at me, his mouth dropping slightly. "You wanna help out?"

"Why not?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"UH and you think I'm gonna say no?" he slapped me on the back with brute force, laughing.

"Perfect! Tell me what to do then kitchen man!" I grinned, rubbing my back when he wasn't looking.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "You can handle the vegetables missy. All ya gotta do is peel 'em and chop 'em up. I'm too lazy to deal with that right now 'cause I gotta think about what I'm gonna do with the ham!" he said, still thinking.

"Why don't you marinate it or something?" I suggested, though I wasn't all that great at cooking either.

Bard snapped his finger and pointed at me. "Good one, lass! I'll get right on it!"

I picked up a carrot and began peeling the orange skin, watching him as he excitedly gathered all the ingredients needed.

"So Bard…Mey-Rin mentioned to me that you used to…fight?" I asked curiously and he nodded proudly.

"That's right! I used to be a mighty soldier who kicked everyone's butt on the battlefield! That is until…" He grew solemn, pausing in the middle of his work. "I was the only who survived…"

I waited in silence as he thought back to his old days. A grin then appeared on his face.

"Anyway, I still got all my weapons from my good 'ol glory days! Wanna see some of 'em?" he asked cheerfully.

I nodded and he dashed to his secret compartment. From there, he pulled out a large rifle, grenades, more dynamites, and a bazooka gun.

He placed his hands on his hips proudly while I gawked at the weaponry, peeling a potato in the process.

"I can't take all of them out or Sebastian would kill me but uh, yeah, ya like?" he asked, winking.

"Yeah...I do! Now I can really see how you tore up the battlefield…you're an expert!" I commented.

He let out a heavy sigh, making me look at him. He moved the weapons off the table between us and returned back to the ham. "Well, I wish that could be said about my cooking."

"Oh come on Bard, don't give up! I bet you'll be the greatest chef in no time!" I tried to lift his spirits.

His eyes sparkled and he pumped a fist in the air. "Yeah! I'll prove it to the Young Master by making the greatest meal!"

He went to work at full speed while I concentrated on peeling the rest of the vegetables. In the process of chopping them up, Bard broke the silence.

"It's so nice to have another lady working here at the Phantomhive estate. And another pretty face at that," he grinned and I rolled my eyes.

"You…really think so?" I stated slowly, staring blankly at the carrots.

"Are you blind? Of course you are! Mey-Rin is too, you should see her without those glasses," Bard complemented but I shook my head.

"Thank you, but…" I stopped, thinking of how much trouble my 'beauty' had caused me. What I had gotten myself into.

He noticed my serious expression and stayed quiet for a moment. "Well…I bet you can get any kind of guy you want…"

I smirked at him. "Oh, are you saying I can have you?"

His face turned red and he shook his head vigorously. "No, I don't mean that! I-I don't like you that way!"

I smiled, shaking my head at his flustered actions. "I get you Bard, don't worry. I'm in love with someone else."

"Oh…" Bard went back to marinating the meat.

"I've been looking for him for a long time now…" I trailed off.

Bard furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean he ran away from you or something?"

I shrugged my shoulders again. "Yes, you could put it that way…"

Bard growled. "Geez, what kind of man is that? And you still love him? I don't get it…"

I had been asking myself that same question all those years too. Yet, I didn't have a clear answer why I still felt the way I did. I was just a fool I suppose…

In the next few moments, I completed the task that Bard had assigned me and handed him the vegetables. "Here you go Bard, is there anything else I can do?"

"Wow, thanks Janelle!" He took the vegetables from me and cleaned his hands. "No, I can take it from here! You've been a great help and I think I can finish cooking faster now!"

I wiped my hands and then made my way to the exit. "Well I'll be off then."

"Yea, thanks again! It was nice talking to you!" He waved a knife in the air.

I chuckled and then continued on my way through the household. Walking down the corridors, I briefly bumped into Tanaka, who was in his deformed state and sipped tea quietly in the corner. Soon enough, I ended up venturing outside.

The sun signaled that it was hitting the afternoon as soon as I stepped outside and shielded the light from my eyes. The outside of the estate was just as breathtaking as it was inside. I sucked in some fresh air and made my way down the stone steps.

In the distance, I spotted a young boy running around and discovered it was Finny. I quickened my pace to approach him and noticed he seemed to be frantic.

"Oh no! I messed up again! What will Sebastian saw now?!" he exclaimed, rapidly running back and forth among what looked like dead flowers.

"Finny? What's wrong?" I asked, wondering what he had done.

He jumped in place at first but then calming down when he realized it was me. "Oh! Janelle, it's just you! Well you see, I thought I was using fertilizer when I actually used weed killer! This is terrible!"

He bent down, hugging his knees. "I never do anything right…" he pouted, burying his face in his arms.

I rested my hands on his back. "Finny, we can take care of this in a snap. How about we get rid of these weeds and just plant new flowers?"

He wiped his nose and sniffed, looking up at me with teary eyes. "You think that'll please Sebastian?"

"We'll make sure of it," I smiled, rubbing his back.

He grinned. "Well I think we have some spare seedlings. I'll go fetch them. Wait here!"

I rested on the soft grass, enjoying the warmth from the sun and the gentle wind blowing past. Shortly, Finny was running back with small packets of seeds in his hands.

"I'm sorry but could you help me with this? I'm scared I might mess up again!" he pleaded.

"I wanted to anyway Finny, no need to ask!" I replied and he cheered happily.

We immediately began digging out the dead flowers, replacing the poisoned soil with a fresh batch and then kneeling down to plant the seeds.

"So then Finny, how did you end up working here?" I started a conversation.

"It's all thanks to Sebastian!" he beamed.

A new image of the butler was beginning to form with everything the three servants were telling me so far. It seemed that Sebastian had helped them out in each of their most dire moments.

"He brought me here after I had escaped a horrid place. I was being used as a test subject…" he explained to me, moving on to plant another set of seeds.

"A…test subject…?"

"Yea…they did something to me that made me have this inhuman strength. See, I'll show you!" Finny leaped up and ran towards a wooden cart filled with logs.

"Watch this Janelle!"

My eyes widened when he managed to carry the whole cart with little effort. He walked around with it over his head before setting it back down and rushing back to me.

"I know…it's weird isn't it?"

"No it's not! Not to me, I think it's cool. It makes you unique and I respect that," I stated.

"R-really? Th-thank you…." he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

We finished planting the rest of the seeds in comfortable silence and then watered them together before relaxing for a bit by sitting on the grass.

Finny picked up a blade of grass and whistled with it. He glanced at me crawling over to pick some flowers and struggled with what he was going to ask.

"Uh…I…I was wondering…I don't mean to be rude but, how old are you Janelle?"

I paused in the middle of picking daisies. I hadn't thought of how old I was at all. That was the least of my worries. I counted on my fingers and Finny tried to hold back a laugh.

"You forgot your age?" he giggled.

I began linking the daisies together, thinking hard in the meantime.

"Yes actually…I keep miscounting! Okay one...two…" I shut my eyes before the answer came to me. "Oh, I'm 22."

Finny nodded. "Really? You don't look like it. I guessed you were 18!"

I pinched his cheek gently. "Aw you're sweet...and cute. I wish you were my little brother."

Finny blushed at my complement, playing with more grass. I then placed a crown of daisies I had made on his head. He felt the petals and glanced up. A beam immediately set on his face.

"Wow! Thank you! I haven't made one of these in ages!" he exclaimed in glee.

I smiled and stood up as did he. He spun around joyfully. "I'm king of the garden! Lover of animals! But most importantly, nature's my home!"

He suddenly skidded to a halt, gasping. "Oh shoot! I forgot to trim the hedges!"

"Would you like my assistance?" I offered but he was already speeding off.

"No, it's fine! Thank you Janelle!" His voice grew distant.

I moved my hair away from my eyes when the wind blew against my back and I returned inside the mansion. I looked to the other half of the mansion, wondering where to explore next. I let my legs lead me to where it wanted to go, passing by more rooms and various places that were oddly quiet.

I opened two double doors and it led me into a spacious room that looked like a place for practicing dance or musical instruments.

As soon as I saw the far right corner of the room, I felt right at home when I set eyes on it.

A piano.

I walked up to it, placing a hand on the glossy black exterior. I looked behind me, seeing if anyone was going to interrupt before gently setting myself on the seat and lifting the cover. My fingers grazed the keys and nostalgia filled my senses. Just as I had touched the books of the library, setting my hands on a piano took me back to the past.

I pressed down on one of the keys, emitting a sound that I so deeply missed.

My fingers began to press other keys and the notes just came back to me. All the melodies I had learned returned to my head and I played out a slow tune…the one my father used to teach me all the time.

He placed an arm around my shoulder while I played for him what I had learned. His hands covered one of mine and guided me to the right keys. I smiled when he praised me. I felt safe when he had me on his lap.

"…you learn so fast…"

I imagined that I was playing for my dad again, closing my eyes. Deep inside, I wished with all my heart that he could somehow hear me, know that I was sorry for what I had done and that I wished I could start all over. I regretted it all.

I hit the last note of the piece, holding it for a while before silence returned. I took my hands away from the keys, about to stand up when a clapping sound hit me.

"Bravo. That was quite enjoyable."

I saw Sebastian was at the door and he walked towards me.

"I didn't realize you were a pianist," Sebastian smiled and I merely shook my head.

"I'm not, really. I just, used to play a lot when I was younger," I replied quietly.

Strange…why was it that I felt a little…intimidated?

"Don't feel as if you need to stop because I'm here, please continue," he urged me, as if he had known what I was thinking.

I nodded my head hesitantly and rested my hands back on the keys, thinking for a moment before beginning another song. This one gave off the feeling of loneliness, something I remembered my dad playing when he was depressed and drank bourbon in the middle of the night. I used to get out of bed and watched him while he cried by himself. Sometimes, I would just sit outside that room all night and fall asleep. In the morning, he'd see me and take me back to bed.

Near the end of it, I realized that Sebastian had taken a seat right next to me on the bench, watching my fingers delicately fly over the piano keys. When I stopped, it wasn't long before his gloved hands joined in and played a tune of his own.

His sounded much more welcoming, as if it were something to be played at a gathering with friends and family. I admired his perfect skill at executing the melody and I immediately felt like I was truly at home again. I looked up at his face, his black hair brushing delicately against his cheeks and his eyes concentrating on the keys. I was so lost in thought and was taken by surprise when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me, a pleasant smile on his face.

I was confused at first but then thought that perhaps he wanted me to join in. I brought my hands to the other side of the piano and improvised with the deeper tones.

A smirk set on his face and he continued on with what I had improvised, playing the lighter tones. I smiled, seeing that a challenge was arising and I took the tune to a more aggressive height. I heard him chuckle and he immediately bounced right in without falter.

We kept playing the piano that way, piling our different tastes on top of each other until finally; it seemed that they were combining into one melody. I smiled brightly, finding it refreshing to have this much fun. I glanced at him and he looked back and I could tell he was enjoying himself as well.

Eventually the song began to slow down, reaching the ending. My right hand began to travel towards the middle and so did his. When we went to hit the last note, our hands happened to land on the exact same key. His hand touched mine.

I fidgeted, but my hand remained frozen in place. I could feel the fabric of his gloves rubbing against my skin and the warmth that came into contact with my cold fingers.

I don't know what came over me, but my hand had a mind of its own as it slowly grasped the side of his. He didn't seem to reject me and his fingers gripped onto my hand firmly in return. He brought it up between us and I found myself looking at his face once again.

He smiled at me. "I believe you were lying earlier. You play magnificently."

His red eyes held my gaze and I broke it, looking away. My hand drifted out of his grasp.

"Thank you…you're really amazing yourself."

I laid my hands on my lap and we sat there beside each other in silence for a while.

"Were you afraid?"

My eyes widened at his sudden question and I looked at him. His expression showed curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"The time we found you at Madam Red's death, you didn't speak. Was it because you were afraid?" he inquired, his alluring smile urging me to answer.

My mouth opened, nothing coming out at first. "Well, no. I wasn't afraid. I just…"

"Just what?"

I paused for a moment, pondering whether I should tell him the truth even if we barely knew each other.

"I haven't spoken a word in…two years. I guess I wasn't used to saying anything," I replied.

Well, at least it wasn't a lie…

Sebastian nodded in understanding. "I see…" He then stood up, my gaze following his movement.

He turned to me and that devilish grin appeared on his lips once again. "Well, I will say, it's nice to hear your voice."

I swallowed and twirled my hair nervously. I could feel myself burn up inside again and it was strange that he was the one who ignited that fire in me. I didn't…like it. But he seemed to take amusement in being able to toy with how I felt.

"E-excuse me M-Mister Sebastian?" The squeaky voice of Mey-Rin entered the room.

Sebastian sighed, knowing full well what was about to come. "What is it now Mey-Rin?"

"I-I…forgot how many cups of detergent the laundry needs!" she admitted, hiding herself behind the door.

Sebastian brought a hand to his forehead and exhaled in exasperation. "Alright, I'll be there to help and perhaps I should post up a reminder for you so it'll be there plainly in front of your face."

Mey-Rin glanced at me and waved quickly before scurrying off to escape his wrath. But he seemed to calm down as soon as she exited and he looked over his shoulder at me.

"I do hope that in time, you will accept the Phantomhive estate as your home."

I smiled at him. "I will."

He then left the room without another word, leaving me alone once again.

I turned back to the keys, a solemn smile remaining on my face. If I could concentrate hard enough and stayed completely still, I could almost hear the laughter of my dad. How happy he'd be every time I played the piano for him.

I felt that somehow, he'd know that he didn't completely lose me as his daughter.

With that, my finger pressed on the piano key once more.

The note, where his and my hand touched, echoed alone.