A/N: Happy non-belated chapter! HORRAY! :D


When Sebastian had not arrived in Edward's room at his usual 5:30 (no give or take), Edward felt his lids softly peer around the room suspiciously, knowing well enough that it was completely impossible that the suit-clad man would forget to wake him: His time spent with Alphonse had taught him to recognize a person's character almost instantly, and his time spent with that bastard Colonel had taught him to never assume anything to be a mistake.

And, ever since Edward had fallen into this Hell, he'd never once questioned these lessons.

He scanned the room quietly, his diverse knowledge of military tactics that he was forced to review a while back actually becoming of some use to him. He placed a hand under the pillow and flung it at the overflowing wardrobe wardrobe across the room, theorizing that the butler must have been spying on him from within it. Once it hit the ivory furnature, Edward listened to the reverberating echos of sound the item made, and realized that other than the clothing housed inside, the wardrobe was empty.

He sighed for a moment, physically relaxing while he thought up a second theory: Sebastian intentionally had avoided showing up on time, to test him; to see whether or not he would notice. Edward replaced his facade again, rolling over in the sheets to await the man's arrival.


Ciel sat at the breakfast table, Sebastian silently pouring him a cup of black tea beside a plate of pastries and eggs, and pretended not to be concerned with the absence of his guest. It worked only briefly.

"Sebastian." He grunted, shutting his visible eye with irritance, "Where is he?"

Sebastian thought it amusing, for a moment, that the child was perturbed by his today's irregularity.

"I apologize, master," He cooed, bowing to Bowing to the Phantomhive before resuming serving him, "but I thought Edward would need some time to rest."

Ciel's brow furrowed in frustration, knowing that such consideration on Sebastian's part was unlike him, before he saw the clever look crossing Sebastian's symmetrical face. He realized with a miniature jolt, that his trusted Butler was testing his guest.

Ciel himself, was thoroughly aware of the distrust between business leaders, and he had performed his own little 'tests' on some of his partners from time to time. However, he was not quite sure what Sebastian was skeptic of Edward for.

He, however, decided to trust him, and waved him away with a gloved hand, before inclining his fork toward the eggs that sat warmly on his plate. Sebastian, meanwhile, efficiently glanced at his pocket watch, checking the time: 5:47

It seems it took my master a bit longer than I'd hoped for him to pass the test. Perhaps Edward had noticed by now.

If Sebastian was anything, he was clever.


When Sebastian turned up in Edward's room, at 6:00, Edward assumed his resting position and Sebastian's face fell. He gently shook him awake, carefully watching as the boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

He yawned a quick "'morning" to Sebastian, sparing him a quick smile before rising from the bed, groggy. Sebastian raised a dark eyebrow at this, unsure of what to make of it.

While Edward dressed (Sebastian no longer needing the rant that he was subject to get under ANY circumstance in which he tried to strip the clothing off of Ed's body), Sebastian stood outside the door and informed him that today, a Thursday, he would be heading over to the 'Disposal Room' of the factory, as Ciel liked to call it. There, he would be sorting through the broken toys and repairing those of any importance. Sebastian was to follow him to oversee his work.

The words that left his mouth were followed by an insane grin, Edward could just feel it.

(He really wished he had his pants on before it happened)

Damn, the blonde thought to himself, He's figuring me out.

"'Kay", Ed responded peppily, his voice intended for Sebastian betraying the tense expression on his face.


When Ciel's eye caught Edward's gaze when he finally arrived at the table, an entire half hour late, he caught an aura of discomfort, and couldn't shake it. They ate in rigid silence while Ciel watched him warily, glad that Sebastian had agreed to accompany the shorter male on his journey to the factory, suddenly distrusting him despite the eye-opening experience of brotherly affection he'd led him through.

"Well," Ciel strained, "I beleive it's time for you two to be off, given that the factory opens at Seven and, well, now it is six-thirty."

Edward's lip quarked up on the left side, before he shoved back his chair and stood up proudly before following Sebastian out of the room with a swift wave to Ciel.


The factory had been at least twice the size that Edward had expected a 13-year-old boy to be running, but he did have low standards for the snot-nosed brat. He allowed Sebastian to lead him over to a vast wooden table, where a collection of defected toys were sitting. Edward felt Sebastian's eyes on his back and it made him shudder subconsciously.

He picked up a small doll, one with a defective eye that lolled from the face it sat on.

"Patchy the pirate; arg...!" Edward labeled the doll playfully, hoping to direct the demonic man's attention elsewhere, but noticed that it only did the opposite.

And, without warning, Sebastian was behind him with a hand upon his shoulder, earning a swift gasp from Edward's throat.

"You're quite smart, Edward," He purred into the boy's ear, and all Edward could think to himself was, well shit!

"But, not smart enough."

With that, Edward realized that his last stunt had made it too obvious that he was hiding himself from his hosts, that he was in fact intelligent and that, finally, he hoped Sebastian didn't realize just how intelligent.

"Get back to your job, child." The butler finished, pleased that he'd managed to shock the certifiable genius, but disappointed that he'd been fooled by him so easily, for such a long extension of time.

He watched him like a hawk for the next hour and Edward couldn't stop squirming in his chair, undergoing the transmutations with ease, knowing that Sebastian was analyzing his technique with each passing second.

Eventually, however, Edward managed to catch the butler off guard.

In an instant he had slapped Sebastian across the face, a flash of white teeth passing through his line of vision as the small boy pinned the man on the wall.

Sebastian didn't bother to push him off, curious as to why he'd been slapped.

"What the Hell do you want from me," Ed snarled at him, slightly intimidated by the way Sebastian seemed to be getting what he wanted from him this entire time, seeing through his deception.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I asked you what the HELL you want!" Ed demanded, his eyes glowing wildly as he stared up at the calm, inquisitive butler.

"I desire for you to repair those broken t-"

"Liar!" There was a pregnant pause, while Edward contemplated his next words. "I can see the way you're looking at me. You look at me like I've committed some crime, like I've wronged the world in some profound way."

Sebastian grinned.

"You really are his son, Edward. You're smart; just like he was. You're also impulsive the way he behaved that time..."

Edward recoiled for a moment, shocked, and then seething: "J-just how the Hell do you know my father?"

Sebastian pushed him away, glad to have earned his curiosity but irritated by the insistence of his question.

"Hoenheim, is one of the first alchemists to ever grace this planet."

Edward's face tensed as he glared daggers at Sebastian.

"But you said Alchemists were long gone. My father left me, but he's alive" Edward's voice betrayed him, his force disappearing and a shaky rage replaced it.

The butler chuckled, realizing how little the boy before him understood about his father.

"He came to this world, in short, and spent a long time advertising his alchemy for fame and fortune. I knew him, because he was a distant business partner of the Phantomhive family, however, I disliked him deeply due to the way he had corrupted the boy I was praying on back then."

Edward didn't understand what Sebastian meant by 'praying on', but he did grasp how introducing alchemy could degenerate a society. Even he, a State Alchemist, apprehended the horrors that many alchemists created with their own two hands.

An image of Nina Tucker and her dog Alexander flashed before his mind's eye.

"I'm nothing like him." Edward spat, livid. Sebastian bowed his head to him sarcastically, apologizing for distressing him.

"And if you hate him so much," he continued, "Then why did you suggest to Ciel to take me in?"

The butler turned to him whilst reaching in his pocket for his watch.

"Because, Edward," He remarked, "you can make us wealthy and famous."

And, even though Edward was well aware of the role he would play once the media was informed that Ciel had taken in a homeless child, he couldn't help but be a little bit bitter that he was being used.

So, like every savvy tool, he continued working on the toys until his time to strike came.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed, and if you did, drop a quick review! :) I hope you like the tension in the chapter, because Edward doesn't just trust anyone, but trust me there will still be some good brotherly experiences.