Ciel was eager to reach the Renoir manor. What was that nonsense that he had just read? Renoir's dead? All that was ludicrous.

He held tightly to the article that he had read earlier as he stared out the window of the carriage. They didn't seem like they were getting any closer to any house. Everything outside was overgrown. The bushes grew out into the road and the tree branches hung in the way of the carriage, making it difficult to move forward.

"Young Master," Tanaka spoke up, "We are here."

Ciel looked from his butler then back out the window.

"Where is here, Tanaka?"

"We can't advance forward anymore. The gate to the manor is just ahead of the branches, so we need to walk the rest of the way," Tanaka moved to open the door, but Ciel just exited the carriage on his own through the opposite door.

"I don't need you're help old man."

Ciel stepped out the carriage, straightened his vest and started forward on his own, not waiting for Tanaka to follow. He was much too eager to find what lay behind the trees that wait to be catered to.

Using his cane, Ciel pushed the branches out of his way, struggling to move forward. At moments like these, he could have easily ordered Sebastian to cut them out of his way, but he didn't allow himself to drown in self woe.

After suffering a few scratches to the face, Ciel finally broke through the branches and looked towards the manor house.

"Young master," Tanaka came up behind him, "Please don't-"

"You gave the driver the wrong address, Tanaka," Ciel cut him off.

"Why do you say that Young master?"

Ciel turned to Tanaka and pointed to the manor with his cane, "No one could possibly be living there!"

Tanaka looked to the manor and was unsure how to react.

The gates and fence surrounding the manor were rusted and in certain places, there wasn't even any gate to keep out the wild life that lived in the surrounding area. All the grass inside the yard and further behind the manor were over grown and stood up to Ciel's knees. Then the manor itself was almost in ruin. It looked like it would fall with even the slightest storm.

"Young master, please stand back," Tanaka walked forward to investigate. He pushed at the gate and it fell with a dull noise in the grass.

"Tanaka, we are leaving, check the address again, because this is wrong." Ciel turned, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Count Ciel?"

He froze for a moment, then turned around and saw Meiri.

"This is a very big surprise!" Meiri smiled, "You should have said that you were coming."

Ciel wasn't sure what he should be saying. Should he ask how she just suddenly appear or should he ask why the surrounding area suddenly changed to a habitable area. He looked to Tanaka and the butler seemed just as confused.

"Please, why don't you come in?" Meiri stepped away from the bronze colored gates that stood tall over her small body and stepped onto the grass, "And don't keep your horses out here in the sun," she looked at the horses that were tied to the carriage, I have a rather large barn in the back."

Ciel turned around and soon found that the branches that blocked his path were gone and his carriage was in full view.

"Count Ciel?" Meiri called out, "Is something wrong?"

Turning back to Meiri, Ciel responded breathlessly, "No."

Meiri smiled, "Very good, come up to the manor, Sebastian was making tea," she laughed lightly, "He makes the best tea."

Ciel sat in the greeting room, staring around at the different assortment of paintings that hung neatly on the wall. The breeze that came though the large window that replaced a wall in the back of the room was soothing and he would have been at peace if everything made sense.

He looked to the tea set that sat in front of him on the shining cherry wood table in front of him and was very tempted to drink it. Would it taste like the tea Sebastian had made for him before?

"Excuse me."

Ciel sat up in his chair as the door opened and in walked Sebastian. He came up to the chair Ciel sat at and without making any eye contact said, "My lady has sent me to check on you, Count Ciel, is there anything that you wish to have? Maybe the tea is not to your liking?"

Ciel looked up to Sebastian, unsure how to respond. What should he say to get a valuable response out of him. Is there anything he could say? Sebastian is good at what he does, so it would be hard.

Sebastian, realizing he was not being answered, straightened his back and started to leave.

Ciel panicked. If Sebastian left now, there would be no other time to talk to him alone. After this very moment, Meiri would have him at her side. He turned to look at Sebastian open the door, heart pounding, screaming at him to say something, but nothing would come to his lips. There were no words. He couldn't form a question that would allow him to get Sebastian to look at him. Sebastian wasn't his anymore and even though he was in the same room as him, there was nothing Ciel could do.

Panicked, Ciel stood out of his chair and rushed to the door.

"Look at me," he placed his hand on the door and slammed it shut, "Look at me Sebastian!"

The butler stood in there, as though frozen. He still had his hand on the knob of the door, body leaned forward to leave.

Ciel breathed heavily, his chest closing in on him. He was ready to give up on having Sebastian turn around. The man wasn't moving and he was starting to feel foolish. But Sebastian's head started to to turn and Ciel looked up, desperate to have those eyes on him alone, even if for a second. It had been so long and even though this wasn't the Sebastian that Ciel had relied on for so long, even though they wouldn't be the same red endearing red eyes, even though they wouldn't-

Ciel's thoughts stopped rolling through his mind as the butler's eyes met his and for that very moment, Sebastian Michaelis was standing before him. The piercing red demonic red eyes, that maddening smile, they were in front of him. Sebastian reached up to Ciel's face and held him fondly.

"Is there something wrong with my Young master?"

Ciel felt his breath leave him and everything was all right. There was no more life to return to, no disgusting people to talk to who only lusted for his money, no more suffering and struggling to make it through another day. Because, with Sebastian in front of him, everything was fine, everything would turn out okay.

Sebastian smiled. "I was wondering why you wouldn't talk to me, but it seems as though your okay."

Ciel was still unsure what to say, but he did allow himself a slight smile.

"Ciel?"

He looked at Sebastian who was just staring at him, smiling.

"Did you say something?"

Sebastian leaned in closer to Ciel, brought his lips to the boys ear and said, "Wake up, Count Ciel!"

Ciel opened his eyes and found himself back in the chair with the tea table in front of him and Meiri slightly tapping his shoulder.

"Count Ciel?" Meiri looked at him slightly concerned, "Is there something wrong? Are you unwell?"

Ciel blinked, feeling slightly nauseous, and looked at Meiri, then realized her butler standing in the back. He closed his eyes once more and thought, Unwell? I wouldn't say unwell, maybe insane, but certainly not unwell.

Touching his head, Ciel sighed, "Lady Meiri, we need to talk."

Meiri straightened her back and sat in the chair across from his. "Okay, what is it Count Ciel? If I am able to answer any of your questions or concerns, I will try my best," she smiled, making her seem more like the child she was.

"It's about your family," Ciel rubbed his temples, still not recovered from his dream/illusion. It had felt so real; his touch; his breath. It sounded so real; his voice, the slam of the door. Everything that was there had felt real. It was this that he was now experiencing that felt more like a dream.

"My family? Have you met my father, mother, and my siblings already?" Meiri furrowed her brows, "I told them that I would look after what it is that you wanted."

"Wait," Ciel held up his hand, "Are you saying that you're family is here?"

"Oh," Meiri smiled, "I forgot to tell you that they came back after my second meeting with you, sorry."

Ciel leaned back in his chair, feeling more and more confused and exhausted. "Where are they now Meiri?"

"Father is in his study, my two older brothers are fishing, and my sister is with my mother in the sewing room, why?"

"Will I be able to meet them before I leave?"

Meiri's face lit up, "Oh that would be fantastic! You should stay for dinner. We can get loud though," she laughed, "So I fore warn you."

Ciel nodded, "I would enjoy that."

Meiri stood, delighted, "Well, I'll have to inform everyone then! I'm sorry to have to leave you alone once again, Count Ciel, but this is a matter that I would like to take care of. My butler just wouldn't know how to give out the information with the right amount of excitement."

With that, Meiri left the room in a rush, leaving her butler.

Ciel sighed, not paying any mind to the butler, and reached for the tea cup instinctively, and took a drink. He set the cup down and realized he had drained it in one sitting.

The butler stepped forward and went about pouring some more for Ciel and as he did he spoke. "It's Darjeeling tea, young master, is it to your liking?"

Ciel looked at the butler in front of him, then back to the wall where he once stood. Was it safe to assume that this butler was in fact once his?

Sebastian poured the tea then looked back at him. "Are you not talking to me anymore?" he went to place the tea cup down.

Ciel became infuriated and slapped the cup of hot liquid out of Sebastian's hand and stood, yelling, "I'm done with these dream," he stared confused and angered into the now red eyes of Sebastian, "These illusions, these... these... What ever they are..." Ciel's face contorted into pain, "If it's to be like this, the please, just," he took a breath and said," just leave me alone."

Sebastian looked at Ciel and smiled, as if enlightened by the response "This is not a dream young master."

Ciel became confused.

"Just remember that as you stay here," Sebastian started to clean up the mess, when Meiri's voice called for him somewhere in the manor. He stood and as he did, he wasn't Sebastian anymore, he that girl's Sebastian.

Before he exited the room, Ciel called out the question that had been on his mind for the past two years. "Sebastian," he spoke in pure desperation, "Why did you leave me?"

The butler paused for a second, as if he was ready to answer, but then with a second call from Meiri, he left Ciel once more.


After chapter sixs chapter reviews... I have suddenly became slighty inspired to continue writing this... i WAS planning on just cancelling this story... Cause I didn't know where I was going with it. But after everyones comments, I have regained some of my fire... Can't say I have as much fire as I did in my last Kuro fic, but this'll do... Though inspiration doesn't come without its downfalls... I now feel VERY pressured to update with interesting chapters to try and keep up the readers _ I dunno if I can live up to your expectations, but PLEASE bare with me :3 And I LOVE LOVE LOVE reviews... Even if your telling me you hate the story and such... It only makes me stronger :)

Thank you all SOOOOO much! Honto ni Arigato gozaimashita

And if anyones interested, I'm working on drawing up a character sheet for Meiri :) Tell me if you are *Probably gonna fo it n e ways if u guys don't xD Cause I'm chill like that :P*... Check my stuff at www dot kyonkichigirl dot deviantart dot com