Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. They belong to Yana Toboso.

A/N: Sorry everyone, it's been so long! This has been such a busy term, with coursework and upcoming exams. I promise you though, I haven't given up on this story (I adore these two characters, I think I always will). If I ever fully decide to stop writing a story, I'd let you know it's discontinued.

In the meantime, thank you so much for the support you've all given since! It means a lot to hear that you're enjoying this story. Some of you don't have accounts and review each time anonymously, and that's so nice of you :)

Oh, and I'm also going to rewrite the first chapter, because it could use some work, but it will be longer than it is currently :D

"Agni… as much as I say I want to learn, I can't see how studying is going to help us on Ciel's mission," Soma mumbled. He hovered his quill over his exercise book, which had been gathering dust for weeks.

They were in the library whilst they awaited Ciel's return. After another sparring practice, Agni suggested that they ought to take a break – and catch up with Soma's long-neglected studies. The prince now propped his chin up on his free fist.

"And I'm fairly sure you don't like teaching me economics any more than I like learning about them."

Agni gave him a good-natured smile, as he placed another colossal textbook on the table.

"Now now, that isn't true," he said. "I am quite happy to teach you everything you are required to know. Though…" He gazed down at the page on which Soma had his textbook open. Soma's lip twitched in mild amusement as he detected his attendant's eyes glaze over slightly. "I must admit, I have better knowledge of some subjects than others. I should have paid more attention to my tutors, and I regret not doing so."

"Hint, hint, pay attention now," Soma smirked.

"To tell you the truth, my prince, I do sometimes worry that you are not being educated adequately here," Agni sighed. "Your court tutors back in India were unparalleled, to the point that even the prestigious Weston College could only teach you what you already knew. I'm not qualified to serve as a proper tutor, but for now, I am the only one available. Mister Sebastian is capable in many subjects, perhaps I could arrange for -"

"For Sebastian to teach me?" Soma shook his head so vigorously his hair flicked his eyelashes. "What an idea, Agni! Absolutely not, I don't wish to be taught by another tutor who whips your hands when you get the wrong answer! I'd rather have you, even if you do focus on philosophy more than any other subject."

"Well, in that case, let us persevere with your studies," Agni said, pleased.

He tapped the page with his right index finger. Soma noticed that his bandages were wrapped around his hand tighter than ever. It couldn't be comfortable, but Soma thought back to the afternoon of Agni's uncontrollably luminous right hand and his servant's discomfort about it, and decided not to mention it – for now.

An hour passed without Ciel arriving. Soma's eyes strayed to the clock. One in the afternoon. Had Ciel decided not to come after all? Was he still mad at him?

"So my prince, do you understand what the study of macroeconomics entails?"

Soma snapped to attention.

"The, um… the economical study of macros?"

Agni smiled.

"Not quite. It is the study of how the entire economy works. It looks at the overall picture. Can you name me some examples?"

"Er… taxes, maybe? Increased prices, not having enough jobs to go round…" Soma frowned. "The sort of distribution that the society Ciel is trying to track down would like to change. Because whatever is working for whoever is in charge of the economy isn't working for them."

Agni's lips pressed firmly together.

"Yes." He paused before adding, "You must not worry about their intentions. My prince, sometimes criminal groups can have sympathetic ideals, but the way they are going about trying to make social change happen is not right."

"Agni, why do we need to learn economics?"

"Because we have infinite wants, but we have finite resources with which to satisfy them. Which is why we need to choose carefully."

Soma grudgingly paraphrased Agni's words in the corner of the page.

"And that is why it is a sobering subject."

The sound of hooves made them turn to the window. Soma jumped up from his chair to look outside.

"Okay, that's definitely not Ciel's carriage." He smiled and gestured for Agni to come to the window. Agni raised his eyebrows at the sight of the carriage that had pulled up into the gravel drive.

"Unless Lord Ciel has a new penchant for pink ribbons, perhaps not," he agreed.

Shortly there was the sound of a door swinging open with unnatural force and a shrill voice trilled, "Priiiiiince! Where are you? It's me!"

Soma grinned, as he ran out into the hall to meet her; he knew fully well who 'me' was. No sooner had he stepped into the hall when Lizzie came flying at him, arms outstretched. Soma laughed as he caught her and spun around slightly under her weight. He had no idea why Lizzie was here, but he was glad to see her. Over Lizzie's shoulder, he saw her brown-haired maid whose name slipped his mind.

Lizzie pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"I'm so glad to see you're happy," she told him. "I was told by Ciel… and I came to see you… I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there anything that can be done?"

Soma was touched by how sincere she sounded, and how Ciel had told her about Mina. He hadn't thought of Ciel as the type to talk about others when they were not badgering him. They're both so sweet, he thought as he pulled her back into his embrace. He looked to Agni, who had come to join them, from over his shoulder. She doesn't know though, he spoke in his mind, as if Agni was telepathic and could hear his thoughts. People shouldn't feel sorry for me, because it's not my loss. I took away what little life Mina had, before her murderer took it away for good. And the only thing that can be done about that is to make sure it wasn't for nothing.

"You've all done enough already," Soma said warmly. He released her to show his smile. "Gentlemen – and ladies – are made of strong stuff. We must not give up, because the future will be brighter."

Lizzie slowly smiled back.

"I do hope you're right, Prince."

Agni brushed the lower rim of his eyes with his knuckles and pressed his palms together.

"Thank you very much for coming, Lady Elizabeth," he said with a beam. He looked very pleased to see the young lady. Agni seemed to approve of anyone who was thoughtful towards his master. "I shall prepare lunch this instant! Ah, allow me to take your coat, Miss – Paula, am I correct?"

"Oh?" Lizzie's maid looked surprised to be called upon. "Yes, that's right…" She looked as though she did not know what to do with herself for a moment, before she asked brightly: "Shall I help you, Mister…?"

"Agni, and yes, that is very kind of you! Two people always work faster than one." Agni led her down the corridor to the kitchen. "Miss Paula, did Lord Ciel happen to mention whether he would be coming today? We have been awaiting him for a short while now."

"I believe he told Lady Lizzie that he would hopefully be finished in time for lunch, yes."

"Paula!" Lizzie called after them. "He'll definitely be around for lunch! There's no 'hopefully' about Ciel!" She pulled at Soma's sleeve. "Show me your library! You can show me a book on India while we wait for Ciel!"

Soma led Lizzie back into the library and cheerfully stacked his textbooks back on the shelf. Lizzie picked up his exercise book. She scrutinised the notes on the pages.

"'We want so many things, but we can't have everything, so we need to choose carefully between them, and pray to Kali we don't make the wrong choice'…?"

"Ah!" Soma held out his hand to take his book back, suddenly feeling embarrassed, as if Lizzie had stumbled across an important secret. "Agni was trying to teach me economics earlier," he said sheepishly. "Miserable, isn't it?"

Lizzie frowned while she read Soma's note again. Then she gave a smug smile as she tossed the book aside.

"Not when Sebastian's around!" she declared. She gave a light giggle when she saw Soma's confused expression. "Well, we've all seen Sebastian in action hundreds of times, haven't we? So that rule doesn't apply to everyone. Ciel can wish for an infinite number of things, and Sebastian will make sure he has them all." A dreamy expression took over her face. "My own want is for Ciel to be happy, and with Sebastian's help… Ciel could be happy one day. Sebastian's a lovely, lovely man, Prince."

Soma was still not convinced.

"But, Ciel…" He broke off. Lizzie cocked her head.

"Yes? What were you going to say?"

"His… parents…" Soma mumbled, now unsure whether Lizzie – Ciel's future wife, ruthlessly devoted to his happiness - was the best person to whom to voice his doubts. Lizzie nodded sadly. She closed her eyes.

"It's true… for Aunty Rachel and Uncle Vincent to be alive again, that's a want that can never be granted," she whispered in a trembling voice. "My poor Ciel." Then she opened her eyes again, and Soma was surprised to be met by a determined expression, one of unwavering strength. "But we are trying. We are all trying so much to make him happy in every other possible way. Maybe one day, our efforts will be enough to… never replace his parents, but enough to make him feel like he has everything he needs."

Soma slowly nodded. He had been thinking of the occasions when Ciel smiled, and how extremely happy that smile made everyone, but on hearing Lizzie's last words, that tightly bandaged hand appeared in his mind. He sat down shakily. Everything he needs, huh?

"Well, I have you, don't I?"

'Suspiciously close…'

Focus!

"I think Ciel knows that, Lizzie. He's trying so hard to grow up."

"I know!" Lizzie pressed her fingers together, her cheeks pink with pleasure. "I know, he told me he loved me on the Campania!"

"What?"

All other thoughts disappeared when Lizzie gave this shocking revelation.

"Really?" he laughed.

Of course, Ciel telling Lizzie he loved her was undeniably sweet, but Soma wondered how his gloomy little friend came to admitting such a thing under any circumstances.

"Not in the exact words," Lizzie admitted. "But sometimes – Father told me this once, about Mother – someone will say something, and you just know it can't mean anything other than 'I love you'. I think I might actually prefer that, it's so cute!"

"What did he say?"

"He said he'd protect me without fail."

"It sounds like he would make an amazing butler."

Soma jumped a foot in the air when Sebastian appeared behind them. How had he just come in without anyone hearing him? Lizzie giggled.

"Why hello, Sebastian!" She turned back to Soma. "Ciel is not a butler, so it isn't his duty to say he'd protect me. It became his duty out of love. That's when you know…"

Ciel entered the library with a clear of his throat. A smile appeared on Sebastian's lips.

"You look better, Prince," Ciel muttered. Soma beamed and sprang up from his chair.

"Do you have a mission for us today then, Ciel?" He raised his eyebrows when Ciel gestured for him to sit down again.

"Where's Agni?" asked Ciel, as he took the seat opposite the prince.

"Um, he's preparing lunch for everyone."

"Good."

"Why -?"

"Sebastian, go and help him. Remind him that we also require side dishes, tea and dessert." Ciel took a softer tone when he addressed his cousin. "Lizzie, may you return in ten minutes? I have business matters to discuss with the prince."

Lizzie looked indignant.

"Ciel, why must I leave? Is it a secret? What kind of secret could you keep from your future wife?"

"These matters are not your concern. I'm sure they would bore you to tears anyway. It's a fine day, why don't you go out into the garden?"

"But Ciel -!"

"My lady," Sebastian intervened calmly. "There are fresh roses growing in the garden, which shall bloom rather nicely. Would you like to see them?"

"There are-?" Soma began, before Ciel subtly kicked him under the table.

"Perhaps you could help me decide where to plant the next seeds?" continued Sebastian. "A lady like yourself, particularly the daughter of the Marchioness Midford, would have a keen eye for detail."

Lizzie's face lit up.

"I'd love to, Sebastian! I always thought the townhouse needed more flowers, they make a garden even cuter!" She trotted off alongside Sebastian as the butler swept out of the library. He looked over his shoulder with a smirk and shut the door. Soma cocked his head in puzzlement. He wondered how Lizzie could change from determined to distracted so quickly. Ciel exhaled quietly.

"Now," the earl said. He leant his elbows on the desk as he turned his attention towards Soma. "I have a particular job in mind for you two today. You must do exactly what I tell you."

Soma could see a wisp of blonde hair peeking from the right hand side of the window from outside, not too far from where Ciel was seated. He quickly looked back at the young earl.

"Of course! Now tell me what I have to do, I can't wait!"

Ciel's hands entwined as he leant forward with a slight smile.

"Listen carefully…"

Soma counted the shops they passed as he walked with Agni down the alleyway he had named 'Undertaker Street', due to his and Ciel's primary association with this particular street being the Undertaker's odd-looking parlour. Seven, eight, nine… He stopped outside of a barber shop, which looked like it had been long abandoned, and pointed at the bin stationed close to the window.

"This is where Ciel told me we needed to go."

Agni blinked.

"…in the bin?"

Soma walked towards the bin and crouched on his hands and knees next to it. His cheek pressed against the ground as he peered underneath. Yes, the hole was exactly where Ciel had said it would be. The earl had described it to him as their adversaries' 'chink in the armour', whatever that meant. He rose and tried to heave the bin to the side. Agni promptly came to help him.

"This is where we're supposed to be investigating," Soma explained as they uncovered the hole, which had so much earth mounded around it that it looked like a terrifyingly gigantic mole had dug its way up into the streets of London. He stooped down on his knees again to inspect the mouth of the hole. "It leads to an underground passage. Look."

Agni knelt next to him and looked down the entrance.

"This leads to the sewers."

Soma gave a small smile of bemusement.

"I'm starting to see why Ciel wanted someone else to do this bit of the job for him. Imagine little Ciel down there…" His face lit up in wicked delight. "Oh, imagine Sebastian walking around in the sewers! I bet he'd still be wearing his fancy butler clothes!"

"Well, let's be glad we are giving Mister Sebastian a break from tasks like these," Agni said with a shake of his head. "He told me about the less favourable tasks Lord Ciel has requested of him. Once, Lord Ciel had him search a waste ground for hundreds of torn-up little pieces of paper." He cast a regretful look at his master's own lavish clothes. "Oh dear, if I had known we were to go into the sewers, I would have leant you some of my clothes, my prince. In fact, do you want to borrow this sherwani of mine instead?"

"No, you can keep it!" Soma laughed. "My clothes would only be stolen if I left them up here, and your sherwani's far too long for me, and you can't really walk around a sewer in just your chudrars!" His mind strayed back to the last time he could remember Agni not wearing his sherwani – it was roughly the same time when his manservant first bandaged his right hand…

Focus…

"Right!" Soma declared. "Time to head underground!" He made to crawl toward the entrance when Agni halted him.

"Allow me, it's quite a drop." The butler took one more look at their destination before he jumped down. Soma looked down to see his servant had landed on the concrete with the ease of a cat, despite the height he had descended from. The prince dived in after him and smiled when his attendant caught him. His smile faded when he looked up to see Agni's eyes trained on the light which shone from the entrance.

"What's wrong, Agni? Are you worried about how we're going to get back out?" It dawned on Soma that Ciel hadn't given him any instructions on that part of their mission, but he guessed that was because the solution was straightforward. He clapped his servant on the chest. "It'll be okay! Haha, how hot you are! I hope you don't have a temperature." Agni's expression only became even more anxious as he turned his head to look at his master. "Hey… Agni?" Soma persisted. His voice echoed down the tunnel. "We'll think of something, don't worry!"

Agni hastily placed Soma onto his feet and folded his right arm behind his back.

"No, you're quite right, my prince," he said, with a smile slightly too shaky to be reassuring. "Workmen go down into sewers all the time, there will be other exits. I'm just thinking, we have a time limit: it won't take long for someone to notice the uncovered entrance."

"Well, then!" said Soma brightly. "Let's not waste time! Ciel told me we are to investigate the underground and note anything suspicious. There's really not much down here, so I guess we're looking for pretty much anything at all."

The sewer was bigger than the prince had imagined sewers in England would be. Where they were looked like a large train tunnel: curved, precariously-built brick walls gave the impression of them being trapped in a huge grey cylinder. They had landed on one of the concrete banks that lined the sides, between which a river of sewage ran. They weren't alone: rats, mice and insects scuttled along the grimy floor, a bit too near their feet for Soma's comfort. Their squeaks and scratching, with various echoes of footsteps and distant voices, made up the sounds within the tunnel.

"Do you hear?" asked Soma. He walked a little closer to his attendant. "Other people are down here. The people who work down here, right?"

Agni's eyes widened. He motioned for his master to stop.

"So many…"

"I know! Who'd have thought so many workmen worked in the sewers? Nice, isn't it? They wouldn't get so lonely." Soma raised his eyebrows when Agni stepped in front of him, so that the prince was behind his back, and held an arm out to keep him there.

"My prince, they're coming this way," the taller man breathed. "And they are coming quickly."

"Why? Who are, then?" Soma whispered. His khansama's eyes darted around the tunnel frantically. Soma could only guess what Agni was looking for, but one thing was apparent: from where they were, in the sewer, there were no hiding places, no innocent explanations as to why they were there… and no way out.

"WHO GOES THERE?" called a gruff voice, amidst the others which seemed to be coming closer.

Soma and Agni turned their heads in the direction of their new company. The voices belonged to an uncountable number of people, led by a hulking figure, who held a lit torch. Soma could not tell how many were male or female, nor how old they were, for every single one wore shapeless hoods and white masks over their eyes. What set his heart racing, however, was their familiar white uniforms and collection of weapons.

"They're…"

Agni's right hand slowly enclosed around Soma's trembling left one. Soma gulped and clenched his right fist. He wondered why they hadn't tried to run, and presumed his khansama was preparing their plan of action based on the next words they heard. The huge leader lowered his torch with a hungry smile.

"What's Indian royalty doing down here, eh? We all weren't expecting to be seeing you again so soon, were we?"

"You – you must be mistaking me for… for someone else," Soma stammered hopelessly. This was met by laughter.

"No, precious, you can't pull that one when you've got purple hair and all that finery. We heard all about you."

So they haven't actually met us before, Soma thought. No, they wouldn't have – whatever Ciel did with the ones from the party, he wouldn't have let them just go back from whence they came.

"Now, you're coming with us, we're gonna give you the special royal treatment while we wait for the boss." The spokesman raised his voice when Agni guided Soma a step backwards. "Cut them off before -"

He had given them the cue; if there was a 'before', there was an escape. Soma felt Agni turn so sharply that the prince swung half a circle around his bodyguard. The taller man bolted down the tunnel at such a pace that his master was dragged horizontally in mid-air after him. Soma clung onto his servant's hand for dear life as they accelerated faster than he thought was humanly possible. The wind whistled around them, the voices grew fainter…

Then, all of a sudden, all the lights in the tunnel went out and the floor disappeared beneath them.

Soma flailed in terror as he fell through the darkness. He shut his eyes and braced himself for an excruciating landing when an arm wrapped itself round his underarms and pulled him backwards. When they crash-landed on the hard floor, the prince felt most of the impact being absorbed by his rescuer, who he now lay across on his back. He opened his eyes only to see the same pitch-black atmosphere.

"My prince! Are… are you alright?"

Soma squinted his eyes narrow enough to just about make out Agni beneath him. He got off his servant, pulled him up to a sitting positon, and threw his arms around him.

"I'm fine," the prince whispered, "thanks to you. You really can do anything, can't you?" Agni's arms shakily encircled him to return the embrace. Soma frowned. "Are you in one piece, though?"

"I will be… in a moment. I just need to… to get my breath back."

Soma stood up and tried to see where they had fallen from.

"Hey! Was that a trap door?" he demanded. "You shouldn't have them in sewers, you could really hurt someone! Hey, are you all still up there? Hey -!"

He cut himself off when the sound of moaning echoed close by within the darkness. Soma froze in his tracks. Those moans didn't even sound human… and yet, they didn't sound like animal cries. His heart slammed against his ribs in apprehension. He crouched down beside his manservant. The whites of Agni's eyes were all Soma could see as he felt around for his attendant's right hand. Agni seemed alarmed and reached out with his left hand to catch Soma's fingers. Soma gave a slight shake of his head and placed Agni's intervening hand back on the ground.

"We need your strength," he said softly. "And we won't know what to do if we can't see, will we?" He felt around for the knots in the bandages and carefully loosened them before unravelling them. Blue light illuminated from Agni's right hand and lit their surroundings. They were in another tunnel of the sewer, and high above them Soma could make out the trap they fell through being closed off. Another moan, much louder than before, drew his attention back to the surroundings on their level. What Soma saw sent a crippling shock to his heart.

"Dear Kali," he whispered. "What are we going to do?"