A/N: So umm...yeah. I'm still alive. I've just been extremely busy with real life. :P School is finally out for me, and all the stress of senior year is gone, so hopefully (hopefully) I can find the time to update more often now. Still not sure about that, though, cause I do need to find a job this summer. :( Yeah, gotta rake up some cash before I go to college. Wow, that's only a few months away. Holy crap. Why does growing up have to suck so much? :P Well, here's chapter 9, guys! Hope you enjoy it, and I'll try to update again as soon as I can! Ciao! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. All characters, with the exception of my OC's, belong to Yana Toboso.

I dragged my hands hungrily up and down his firm, alabaster skin. The tips of my fingers tingled with every demure touch, never once losing their place. I breathed in his scent; ambrosia mixed with rose petals. It was truly the most heavenly thing I had ever smelled. Between passionate kisses, I threw a sideways glance at our clothes bundled up on the floor next to my bed. I still couldn't believe this was really happening. His hot breath on my bare skin gave me goose bumps as his lips nipped and sucked at the nape of my neck. I could hear my voice coming out in short, aroused moans. I had never once in my life been touched like this, and I loved it. I craved more.

My Lady.

I could hear his voice, sweet as honey straight from the comb. It was so close, yet so far away. It lulled me in once more, beckoning me to continue on. Obedient as ever, I allowed him to take all of me.

My Lady.

He said it again. This time it was more deliberate, more forward. I didn't quite know how to respond, so I just kissed him again, getting another moan out of him. I was enjoying this, and from what I could tell, he was too. I leaned in for another kiss, but it never came.

It is time to wake up.

What? Why was he saying that? I gave him a confused look, but he just smiled. It was only then did I realize what was happening.

It was all a dream.

I awoke in my bed and immediately looked down at my body. My nightgown was there, perfectly in place, certainly not the way it had been in my dream. I grasped at the laces that remained tied at the bodice. Impossible. It had all seemed so real.

"Is something the matter, My Lady?" he asked, and the sudden sound of his voice caught me off guard. I jerked my head towards him, looking like a scared animal. He actually looked worried when he saw my reaction.

"Sebastian," I said, my voice sounding a tad hoarse. "My tea, please." Sebastian smiled and dutifully handed me the cup, and I took it with trembling hands. This did not go unnoticed by my butler.

"Oh dear," he said, rubbing his chin. "Perhaps I should call for a doctor?"

"No!" I snapped, sounding much angrier than I had intended to. "No doctor," I added quietly. "I'm fine, I assure you."

This answer didn't seem to sit well with Sebastian, but he didn't press the issue farther. He simply turned around and went about his usual duties, taking the tea cup from my still shaking hands and retrieving my dress from the armoire. I, in turn, retreated behind my dressing screen.

"You fell asleep in my arms last night," Sebastian put in after a brief moment of uncomfortable silence. "It was actually quite precious. Like as if you were a little girl again."

I scoffed behind the screen, but I was secretly smiling on the other side. "I hope you realize those days are long gone," I said, trying to make my voice sound a little icy.

"I do realize that," Sebastian answered. "I certainly can't stop you from growing up."

I sighed quietly, not wanting him to catch onto the feeling of sheer disappointment that washed over me. I was growing up, and there was nothing I could do about it. In just a few months, I was to be married to a man that I didn't love. "I wish time could slow down," I said softly. "Just for a little while. Then maybe I could have just a bit more time to enjoy life." I stepped out from behind the screen, nightgown off. I wrapped my arms around my torso, feeling the silken fabric of my chemise.

"Time is the enemy," Sebastian said, lifting my dress from where it was draped over my bed. "You know you will have to die someday, and it's only a matter of time before that happens. A waiting game."

I turned toward him swiftly, my eyes wide with shock. He had never been that straightforward with me about my fate. Was it possible he was trying to scare me? No, he would never do that. Not him. My voice caught in my throat, and I found that I had no response to this. I slowly turned back around and allowed him to lace up my corset. Sebastian expertly secured my outfit, then bowed to me.

"If that is all, I shall take my leave, Mistress," he said. I nodded me head slowly, still in a state of shock. He disappeared behind my door and I heard the click. In disarray, I strolled over to my mirror, staring distantly at my reflection. When I saw my hair, something strange occurred to me. He had never touched it while he was dressing me. Not even once.

Once I felt somewhat stable, I joined Uncle at the table for breakfast. I still couldn't help but think something wasn't right. Surprisingly, he too noticed that I wasn't quite myself. He beckoned Mey-Rin over to check my temperature, and she obediently did as she was told. And so I sat there with a thermometer stuck in my mouth, counting the seconds until I could take it out. When the two minutes had finally passed, the maid gasped loudly, putting a hand to her mouth as she read the numbers on the small device.

"Goodness!" she all but screeched. "She's got a fever of 103, yes she does!" This came as a bit of a shock to me. I felt fine, physically. Though now that she had mentioned it, I supposed I was starting to get a bit dizzy.

"Send for a doctor at once!" Uncle shouted. "Sebastian!"

My butler came around the corner just as soon as he was called. "Yes, Sir?"

"Annalise has a fever. Telephone the doctor at once!" he commanded. Sebastian bowed to Uncle slightly, then gave me a pitiful look. I had no idea what it meant. What the hell was going on?

"She should be fine, so long as she stays in bed for a few days," Doctor Hawthorne, my family's doctor for years now, said as he packed away his tools into his bag. "Just make sure she gets her rest. She'll need it." Uncle nodded his head diligently, and for a moment, it seemed as though he actually cared about me.

"Very well," he sighed, sounding incredibly disappointed. "I'll have to call the Derbyshires and tell them she won't be able to attend their Thanksgiving ball tomorrow evening." There it was. Uncle was still Uncle. Nothing had changed.

"Yes, well," Doctor Hawthorne cleared his throat." Just see to it that she rests well. Don't let her get out of bed for any reason unless it's absolutely urgent." With that, Uncle offered to show him the door, and then it was just Sebastian and I in the room. An awkward silence settled in once again. After a heated argument with myself, I decided to be brave and confront Sebastian about what happened earlier.

"Won't you tell me what's on your mind?" I asked. I lifted my arm out from underneath the sheets and held my hand out to him. He turned around slowly, his eyes boring directly into mine. The expression on his face was stoic on the outside, but I knew that with Sebastian, everything was not what it seemed. He carefully made his way over to my bedside and took my hand in his. Once I was holding his hand, I felt an odd sensation all over my body. It felt like I was getting a million tiny shocks of electricity, yet it didn't hurt. It was surprisingly warm and comforting. I continued to stare into his eyes, not looking away for a moment. "Please?"

He let out a deep sigh. "You're not feeling well. You should get some rest." He turned to walk away, but I kept my hold tight on his hand.

"Tell me, now," I said sternly. "You've been distant and hard to reach all morning. What's wrong?"

Sebastian looked at me with sad eyes. "That is the intention." He didn't say any more after that. I released my grip on his hand, and he took the opportunity to make his escape. Once again, I could feel all my walls closing in on me. What could he possibly have meant by that? What was 'the intention?' I shivered violently as I sunk back into my covers. I replayed the conversation in my head several times before I drifted off to sleep. Two words in particular seemed to stand out to me. Distant. Intention. The words buzzed around in my head like an angry wasp, until finally they started to make sense to me. After I had figured it out, there was no denying it. Sebastian's intention was to keep his distance from me. But why did he feel like he needed to?

I thought about my dream, and I wondered why, of all things I could've dreamed about, I was making love to Sebastian. I certainly wasn't in love with him. He was a contract, a servant. Nothing more. I didn't even know what love was, and I would never find out. But there was something, a strange feeling that took hold of me whenever I looked at him. My throat tightened and my heart felt like it was about to burst forth from my chest. Maybe...that was love? I shook my head, not wanting to think about it anymore, but I couldn't help it. I had learned to keep my emotions locked away long ago, but this was something new. I couldn't contain the fact any longer. I was in love with my demon butler. And the reason he was shutting me out, was because he knew this. And he didn't want to fall in love with me.

A/N: Thanks for reading! See you guys in chapter 10! :)