A/N: I always forget to put disclaimers… /doesn't really matter but will put them anyway.

I do not own any of the characters in Umineko no Naku Koro ni, nor do I own the anime.

Shannon walked down the halls with a candle to light her path. Her footsteps made quiet noises in the otherwise silent hall ways. It was roughly 1 am. She wanted to make sure she wouldn't disturb anyone, and thus waited until she was sure everyone was asleep.

The servant girl traveled all the way to the front door of the house. She stopped in front of the Lady Beatrice's portrait. She closed her eyes let out a soft breath, placing her hand over her thudding chest. "Beatrice-sama," she called out softly.

There was silent, then a jittering sound. The lock on the front door turned, and slowly it opened, letting in one little golden butterfly and replacing the light of the knocked out candle wick. Her eyes opened slowly to meet with the golden butterfly that hovered right in front of her face. The butterfly suddenly burst into a bright gold light, and the Lady Beatrice replaced it. Along with Beatrice's arrival, the lights fluttered on to illuminate just the area around Shannon and Beatrice. "You called, dear Shannon?" Beatrice spoke softly, but bitterly with a wicked smile on her lips.

"I did, Beatrice-sama. I called to ask for assistance," Shannon spoke boldly yet politely.

"Oh~? Is that so? What, may I ask, has troubled you, and how could I be of help?" Beatrice asked lightly.

"It's.. Kanon. He's.. Well, there's someone in the house who has been cruel to-" Shannon started but was interrupted.

"Hideyoshi has been cruel to your poor adopted brother," Beatrice said for her, her smile keeping it's place upon her lips. Shannon blinked, then gave a hesitant nod. "Shannon, you're so kind, even to the worst people."

Shannon put her head down, her eye lashes hiding her eyes. Beatrice let out a soft laugh. "Is there.. Anything that you can do to help Kanon…?"

"There is," Beatrice replied.

The raven haired girls' head snapped up. "Will you?" she questioned.

Beatrice chuckled. "I will, but there's a condition," she said.

Shannon blinked. 'The conditions are always bad,' she thought silently, then bowed her head. "What is the condition, Beatrice-sama?"

The Golden Witch's lips curved up more. "You do the honor of executing the man."

She looked up, her eyes having widened a fraction. "But…" She started, then cut herself off. 'What about George…?'

"But what?" Beatrice asked. "You stopped talking. Do you have any concerns with the arrangements?"

Shannon was hesitant for a moment and then she gave a quick nod of her head. "Yes, Beatrice-sama. I will execute him.." she said, narrowing her eyes into a sharper expression.

Beatrice turned from her, her dress fluttering. "Very well. You will be delivered a special weapon for the execution of Ushiromiya Hideyoshi," Beatrice said before disappearing into a sudden burst of golden butterfly wings.

Kanon stumbled out of the room, grateful that he was at least able to get his pants on before then. "I will see you at dinner," Hideyoshi said before shutting the door.

The raven haired servant grimaced and caught himself on a wall. His legs shook a tiny bit. He could feel a warm substance leak onto his thighs. He nibbled his lip, then started to limp back to his room.

Upon turning the last corner to his room, he bumped into someone. "Sorry," he sputtered out quickly while catching himself against the wall corner.

"Kanon-kun?"

Kanon blinked, then looked up. "J-Jessica…" he murmured.

The blond girl stared wide eyed at him. "Kanon-kun, what happened? You're in shambles!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, y-yes… I should really get back to my room to change," he said, looking off to the side and attempting to make his way passed her.

Jessica put her arms out to keep him from passing. "Kanon-kun! Please!" she cried out.

Kanon shook, then collapsed under his own weight and onto his knees. He winced at the pain in his rear end. Jessica gasped and tried to catch him, but only fell down with him. "Kanon-kun are you okay? What's wrong?"

The raven servant's cheeks flushed over a little bit, and his head fell against her chest. Jessica blushed a tiny bit, but it soon disappeared. She placed her hand to his forehead. "Kanon-kun, you have a fever…!" she exclaimed softly.

Kanon's eyes fluttered a little before shutting.

Kanon shifted in his sleep. "-anon-kun… Kanon-kun…!"

Kanon's eyes flickered open slowly. He blinked, sitting up, then falling back. "Careful, Kanon-kun…!" Jessica exclaimed softly. "You have a fever. Rest."

She pressed a damp cloth over his, which helped to keep him down. Kanon groaned softly. "How did… I get here?" he questioned.

Jessica shifted. "You-you fell in the hall way. I called for help and George helped me carry you here," she responded, looking towards her lap.

Kanon tensed a tiny bit, then reclaimed his calm composure. "He didn't say or mention anything, did he?" Kanon asked, tilting his head to face Jessica.

The blond noble blinked, then shook her head. "N-no. Nothing but the usual reaction questions," she replied. Kanon hoped she was just talking about the normal 'What happened?' people would normally ask.

Kanon let out a soft sigh. 'That's a relief,' he thought.

"What did happen though, Kanon-kun? You seemed devastated at something," Jessica said softly.

Kanon tensed up a tiny bit, but made sure it wasn't noticeable. "Nothing.. I was just feeling dizzy and panicked a little," he half-lied.

"…Kanon-kun, I know you better than that… You don't panic so easily," she said, choosing her words wisely.

The raven swallowed, looking away. Jessica waited patiently in silence. He turned his head back to her, giving a reluctant smile that was more forced than anything. "Sorry, Jessica… I can't tell you right now. Maybe… Maybe another time, just, not now," he said, coughing softly.

Jessica's eyes shown over with a hint of melancholy, and she lightly grabbed Kanon's hand and kissed it softly. "Alright then, Kanon-kun. When you're ready…" She released his hand and stood. "Well, I suppose now is about time for me to leave. Get some rest, Kanon-kun." She gave a quick smile, then turned and left the room.

'Jessica is so kind…' he thought, then sighed, turning on his side and pulling the covers further over his shoulder.

He closed his eyes, but stirred restlessly, causing the cloth to move about beside his neck. The dampness from it felt good against his heated skin. He opened his eyes again after what seemed like hours, only to find out it had only been about ten minutes. "Time runs slow when you're trying to sleep…"

Kanon closed his eyes. He opened them a couple of seconds later when he heard a knock at the door. Kanon sighed and turned over. He really didn't want to get up. His head was throbbing. Despite that, he rolled his legs over the side of the bed and sat up slowly, as to not get too dizzy. He stood, placing his hand on the nightstand to keep him from wobbling backwards and then made his way over to the door. With a sigh, he opened it and tensed a little.

"Hello, Kanon-kun," George greeted with a smile. He was carrying a tray with two tea cups and a tea pot on it. "I thought I would bring you some tea to help calm your nerves."

Kanon blinked and sighed softly. He stepped out of the door way and said softly, "Please come in."

George gave a short smile and walked in. He placed the tray on the nightstand and sat in the chair Jessica had been occupying recently. Kanon followed behind him after shutting the door. He sat down on the bed and laid back against the back board. "How are you feeling?" George asked while pouring some Earl Grey tea in both of the glasses.

"Dizzy," Kanon replied quietly. He picked the cup up and said a quiet 'Thank you' before sipping from it. The warmth was soothing on his throat.

George smiled at him. "You're still so formal," he said quietly. "But it's gotten a bit better."

Still smiling, George reached his hand over while Kanon was taking another sip. He placed his hand on Kanon's head and rubbed softly. Kanon froze at the touch, his glass pausing at his lips. George blinked at the reaction and slowly slinked his hand away. "Sorry, you're probably not used to people touching you," he said.

Kanon put his head down so that his chin was at his chest. He set the cup back down. "It's fine," he said softly and settled back into the covers.

"I'll just get out of your hair then," he said, standing up slowly.

Kanon reached out and lightly grabbed George's sleeve. George blinked and looked down at him. "Kanon-kun?" he questioned.

"Ah…" Kanon reluctantly let go of his sleeve. "S-sorry, George-sama… But could I make a small request?" he asked, turning his head down.

George smiled and nodded. "Anything at all," he replied.

Kanon flushed a tiny bit, though it wasn't noticeable from George's view. "W-will you… Rub my head until I fall asleep…? Like before…" he said quietly.

George blinked at him, then laughed softly. "Of course," he said, reaching his hand out and gently placing it on Kanon's head again.

The raven servant sighed softly, closing his eyes. With each stroke of his hair, he fell into a deeper level of oblivion.

Shannon stared at her bed-side table for a moment. There was a Stake that laid in front of her. She picked it up. "Who?" she questioned.

Butterflies swarmed in through the walls and floors. The Stake transformed quickly, and black hair flooded over Lucifer's shoulder. Her hand was held by Shannon as she floated in mid air, more toward the ceiling. "Lucifer of Pride," she introduced. "I am here on Beatrice-sama's orders to help you take out a man by the name of Hideyoshi-san, correct?"

The maid gave a quick nod. "Yes," she said.

"Hideyoshi-san is headed towards the kitchen now. Nobody else is there," Lucifer said. "I'll get there before you, so make sure to lock the kitchen door behind you."

Shannon nodded, waiting for a moment while Lucifer disappeared into the wall. With a sigh, she turned and headed out the door.

Hideyoshi let out a soft sigh. "Interruptions…" he murmured, pushing the door to the kitchen open. He kicked the door shut.

He walked to the sink and grabbed a glass. He started filling it with water. He started lifting the cup to drink from it, then dropped it and spun around when he heard a loud crash from behind him. He cursed as the pooled glass and water that was now around his feet. A pan had fallen. "Is anyone there?" Hideyoshi called out while he used a handkerchief to clean the glass up. He didn't bother looking up.

Lucifer pranced around to the fallen pan and picked it up. She grinned a tiny bit, her eyes narrowing when she saw he wasn't looking at her. She drew her arm back and snapped it foreword, sending it flying towards him.

Hideyoshi let out a yell when the pan hit his head with a loud 'clanging' noise. The hit made him drop the glass. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath while holding his head. He turned to see nobody there.

A drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face. He swallowed. A hand grabbed at his sleeve softly. He gasped in subtle surprise and turned around. He let out a loud roar of fright when he saw Lucifer's arm poking out from the sink and reaching around blindly for him. He backed away from the sink into the counter. The pots and pans that hung from the hooks started jangling together. Two arms came from two of the pots. There was a high pitched laugh as her fingers wrapped around his head.

He made a quick dash from them, yanking away his head.

"Hideyoshi-san?" Shannon called, walking in and locking the door as it shut.

"Shannon!" he cried out, stumbling over to her. "We have to leave!" His eyes were wide with anxiety.

She gave a quick, but sad smile and shoved the dagger into the side of Hideyoshi's head. His eyes widened a bit at the pain, but he didn't utter a word. He fell backwards, blood starting to drip from the side of his head. She looked away and sighed. "S-sorry, Hideyoshi-san," she murmured out.

"Shannon-chan," Lucifer spoke softly.

Shannon blinked, looking back with slightly teary eyes. Her eyes snapped open widely as the Stake pierced the left side of her abdomen. The Stake pulled out quickly, floating in front of her. "Lucifer… You…" she coughed, falling foreword and tripping on Hideyoshi's arm.

"I made no promises and was not ordered to keep you alive after this," Lucifer finished for her…

…Right before Shannon's head hit the corner of one of the counters with a stomach-churning crack.

Chiyo, the old woman, dusted the tables a little. She blinked over to the kitchen. She walked over, and then gave the door a little push. When it didn't budge, she gave it another push, this time with both hands. Her eyes widened a little and her face paled when she felt something warm and thick seeping through her slippers. Slowly, she looked down at the blood that had started running under the door and gave a loud scream.

A/N: Sorry it took so long.