Chapter Ten:
We Need to Talk

Raven curled up comfortably on the chaise lounge that was near the window in the library with a random book. The raven haired girl stared silently at the book, occasionally sighing.

Kyra could tell at a glance that her friend wasn't really reading. It was blatantly obvious.

"Raven..." She spoke, but received no answer. "Hey, Raven!"

The girl sighed once more.

Kyra calmly walked aside her friend and settled down next to her with a sigh of her own. "Come on, I know you're not really reading that book."

"Really, now," Raven deadpanned. "And how exactly do you figure?"

Kyra stared blankly right at her. "Well, first, it's a book about the anatomy and different species of birds. What the heck is ornithology anyways?"

Raven blinked, looking up at Kyra, and then back down at the book.

"That's the other thing: the book is upside down."

The girls silently stared at each other, back at the book, and then at each other again before bursting out in laughter. Every time they looked at each other and tried to say something, they only laughed even harder and soon were in hysterics.

Eventually, their laughter calmed down and they sighed, this time contentedly.

Kyra smiled up at Raven. "Raven, I'm..." She began, sucking in a deep breath as tears swelled in her eyes. "I-!"

Raven bit her lips, feeling her own tears coming on. "Oh, don't...!"

It was too late.

Both girls felt the stress and pressure from the entire situation overwhelm them, and they embraced each other as they began crying. The floodgates were open and there was no closing them. The fear of being in a strange, foreign time and place, the pressure of trying to fit in and survive, and the absolute terror of being in the same house as and somehow connected to a real demon was simply too much.

"I'm so sorry," Kyra choked when she somewhat had caught her breath. "I know this is all my fault. I'm the one who pressured you into doing what the evil book said to."

Raven closed her eyes. Kyra had been blaming herself for this since the very beginning. She understood even better now why Kyra had snapped like that earlier. In her way, Kyra was trying to protect her from something she felt she had practically done herself. She blamed herself for the demon's mark being on her body when the blame was on the demon. "I could have objected more to doing it. I know you were just trying to make me feel better and to get my mind on things other than where it was. I don't blame you."

"But I blame me!" Kyra whimpered. "It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't. If you remember, that evil book said it was fated to happen, so it would have happened eventually," Raven replied. "C'mon, get off the floor. Sit next to me."

"See, you agree! It's an evil book!" Kyra sniffed, obligingly sitting next to her friend on the lounge.

"Uh-huh. Evil book," Raven nodded with a straight face. Now that she heard it herself, it sounded silly.

"Yeah, we should burn i-" Kyra nodded, then broke off, understanding dawning on her face as she looked at Raven. "Oh. Well, at the very least, it's a stupid book. Look what it's done to us."

"That I will agree with," Raven nodded. "On a positive note, things have gotten better. At least we have beds to sleep in that aren't exposed to the elements, and food to eat."

"That is true, but... Sebastian-" Kyra started.

"Kyra, I want to talk to you about that, but not right now. I need to think more. There's something else I want to talk to you about, before dinner, though," Raven interrupted.

"Sure, Raven. Whatever you want," Kyra nodded. "I'll go look at books and stuff."

OoO

A few minutes earlier found our butler in the now-clean kitchen, preparing dinner. As it was a full six-course meal, the butler had much to do.

The butler was well on his way and into the rhythm of preparing all of the food when he heard the tell-tale sounds of Mey-Rin running through the hall with something no doubt fragile, and beginning to trip.

In a flash, Sebastian had darted through the hall in time to catch her on his chest, and all of the fragile dishes in both hands and an extended foot.

"Ah! Mister Sebastian!" Mey-Rin blurted, her face flushed red and her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry!"

His eye twitched. "Just what did you think you were-!" He began, only to fall silent for a second time that day, his eyes closing as a small, contented smile graced his face. Ah... Little Raven was laughing again. The girls seemed to have amused themselves in the library.

"M... Mister Sebastian?" Mey-Rin gasped, her face flushing even more, if that were possible. This was the first time she had seen him so... happy! Oh, he looked even more handsome like this!

The butler's eyes snapped open. "Be more careful. How many times must I tell you not to run around as such? You never learn." Sebastian glowered at the maid, who immediately snapped upright.

"R-right! I'm sorry, Mister Sebastian!" She blurted, her back straight.

The butler gathered the dishes in one hand and sighed. He was about to hand them back to the maid when suddenly he froze, his eyes widening.

The dishes fell to the floor and shattered.

She... was... crying...

Sebastian turned his back abruptly to Mey-Rin, ignoring her surprised shout. His fists clenched as his eyes burned a bright fuschia, and his fangs elongated. A rage unlike any he had felt before was threatening to consume the demon, and his body shook as he struggled to contain it. He ignored Mey-Rin's cry that she would go fetch something to clean up the broken dishes, and stalked back into the kitchen, listening attentively to the conversation in the library.

Why was she crying?

Why did he feel a rage unlike any other just because of this?

Was this the bond between a demon and mate?

... Why was she crying?

... Who did he have to kill?

OoO

Kyra frowned, looking through the books. They weren't really her thing; she was more of a music person. Either way, she honestly wasn't really paying attention to them. Her mind was on what she should do. Raven wasn't really showing it, but she was seriously stressed out. Kyra had known her long enough to know that much. What could she do to help relieve at least some of her stress?

She was stressed about the demon. She was stressed about being in 1888 England. She was stressed about being in Kuroshitsuji. She was stressed about having to fit in. Kyra bet she was also stressed about Ciel and Sebastian's reactions to the... ahem... Towel Incident.

Ah... That was one thing she could do.

Her mind already decided, after a quick glance at Raven to ascertain she was still very absorbed in pretending to read her book (this time, right side up), Kyra quietly exited the library.

OoO

Ciel Phantomhive sighed, setting another letter to the side. Honestly, did these people genuinely believe he'd be even remotely interested in attending any of these useless balls? All they ever did there was stand around gossiping about other people. It was a complete and utter waste of time, not to mention ridiculously boring. He had better things to do with his time.

His attention was torn from sorting through his letters by a quiet knock on his door. It was probably Sebastian with more tea, he figured.

"Come in," he called, his gaze returning to the letters. The door opened a moment later and quiet footsteps entered.

"Hello, Lord Phantomhive," a very quiet female voice greeted. "Please excuse the intrusion. I beg you for a moment of your time."

Ciel's eyes widened and he stood immediately. "Of course. Please have a seat," he replied, gesturing towards a chair in front of her desk. After she thanked him and sat, he sat back down as well.

"I shall try to be as direct as possible so as to not waste your valuable time," the young woman said, her back straight and her hands laced together on her lap.

Ciel nodded, his eyes analysing her as he waited to see what this was about.

"My behaviour earlier was unconscionable, in fact bordering upon barbaric. I am quite ashamed of it, and I beg your forgiveness, sir. There is no excuse. I can only say that I guarantee it will never happen again. You showed a great deal of grace and patience to Raven and I. I am eternally grateful for that," Kyra spoke, sincerity quite clear in both her voice and her eyes.

Ciel looked into her eyes and saw a great deal of pain and embarrassment there as well. "Think nothing of it, my lady. It is already forgotten. Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, no thank you. We just finished the wonderful tea you so generously provided. I will not keep you from your work any longer; I have been an imposition enough! Thank you for your time." Kyra said as she and he both stood.

"Alright, then," Ciel nodded. "I will see you at dinner, Miss Kyra."

"Thank you, sir," Kyra said, attempted a curtsy and exited the room.

Ciel sat back down at his desk, resting his chin on the back of his palm in thought. 'It seems she can act properly if she actually tries.'

OoO

Kyra quickly and quietly closed the doors behind her and glanced around the hallway. Once she was sure she was alone, she leaned against the wall and she closed her eyes, exhaling heavily.

After several moments, she straightened and headed back the way she had come.

OoO

Raven sighed, closing the book and setting it on the end table. After all of her thinking, she finally knew what to say to both Kyra and Sebastian. Speaking of Kyra, she had been really quiet all this time. Raven looked around the library, wondering if she had fallen asleep, and, to her surprise, she could not find her friend. She stood, walking around the library and finding it empty. She hadn't even said anything before leaving. Where had she gone? The toilet, maybe? She'd wait and see if she came back.

Several minutes later found Raven still alone in the library. She stood once more, now determined to find her friend, when the door opened and in walked Kyra.

"Oh, I was just going to go looking for you! Where did you wander off to?" Raven asked, bewildered.

"I was hopefully taking care of a problem I had created. I went to Ciel's study and apologized to him. Before you ask, I did my best to use the proper English. I made it as short and to the point as possible," Kyra replied.

"Oh. How did he take it?" Raven asked, tilting her head to the side.

"He seemed surprised but accepted it, so I believe it went well. I didn't get any of those strange looks from him, so I guess that means I didn't seem to be acting too strangely to him," Kyra stated, rather proud of herself.

"Well, that is excellent!" Raven smiled. "Can we have that talk now?"

Kyra nodded in agreement and walked over to the wingback chair near the chaise lounge. Raven sat back down near her on the lounge.

"Part of what I wanted to talk to you about, you have already realized but I am still going to tell you what I think just to make sure you understand how important it is, okay?" Raven said, looking at Kyra. Kyra nodded in agreement. "We must not draw attention to ourselves for any reason. Our goal right now is to blend into the background. In fact, while I'm talking to you even right now, I should be using the proper British English, but I won't because I want to make it quick." Raven reached out to Kyra and firmly held her hands. "This is for our own safety in so many different circumstances that I cannot stress it enough. If you speak the way we normally do, it will draw a lot of attention to us. We wouldn't even be seen as foreign - it would be seen as that unusual. About the 'Towel Incident', I can only say that you would be seen by most as being insane. Yes, insane! You would be put in an asylum." Raven grit her teeth as her hands wrung together in worry. "Do you have any clue what happens to people in the mental hospitals of this era? Do you want that? At the very least, Ciel could have thrown a fit and kicked us out. You, yourself, wanted us to come here saying how much better it would be than starving in the treehouse!" At this point, Raven closed her eyes and sighed, her head drooping. "With how sick I was, being sent back there would have been awful! At the moment, I'm more than happy to accept his hospitality. A warm bed, food and this roof over our heads are good for now, until we figure out what to do. Did you notice how quiet Ciel was? He was most likely very annoyed and shocked by our incredibly rude and indecent behaviour. Also, did you realize that causing such a ruckus in this household could be tempting a demon to become angry with us?" Raven shuddered, closing her eyes. "I've seen first hand how cruel human men can get. Just imagining how cruel a demon could get terrifies me beyond comprehension, especially after..."

OoO

Sebastian was in the kitchen adding some seasonings to one of tonight's main courses and suddenly his head cocked to the side.

What she had just said... made him angry. Something burned within him, scratching at the surface and threatening to overflow.

Sebastian's eyes glowed a dangerous fuschia color as they narrowed and his teeth began to elongate into deadly fangs.

"Baldroy! See to this until I return!" He nearly growled as he stormed out of the kitchen and out of the back of the manor, into the garden. He stalked about for a bit as he thought and fought to gain control of his temper. "I can wait no more." He muttered darkly to himself as he walked back into the manor minutes later. "I must find those ill-mannered humans and deal with them soon."

OoO

Kyra began crying very quietly and got on her knees in front of Raven, holding her around her waist and putting her head in Raven's lap. "I am so sorry, Raven. I never meant to stress you out like this and swear I won't do it again. I was afraid for your safety and still am. I will behave like an adult and think before acting. I swear I will do better."

Raven sighed, relieved with her friend's promise, and said, "You have already proved that to me with your apology to Ciel. I can only hope that Sebastian will take his lead about this. We may be stuck in this time and place for the rest of our lives, so we better get used to it."

"I was thinking the same," Kyra whispered. "My mom... I miss her so badly."

Raven stroked Kyra's hair and said, "I wish I could say I know how you feel but I don't. Really, the only person I would miss in my life is you." The friends embraced each other in silence for several moments. "About Sebastian..."

"Yeah?" Kyra looked up at her. "What about him?"

"After he brought us to the library, I asked him if I could talk to him after dinner," Raven said.

"Why? I thought 'demon equals stay away.'" Kyra asked curiously.

"Demon seems to know things that have to do with us, so if I ask I may learn what demon knows," Raven replied in a very silly voice. Kyra snorted, amused.

The girls giggled to themselves for a moment, and the conversation turned to the tea, the food they had and how different it was than what they expected. Talk eventually came around to the "stupid evil book."

"Have you looked at it at all?" Kyra asked.

"Well, no. I was being kept busy today by someone." Raven said giving the 'someone' a very dramatic fake mean look. "But let's go look and see if there is anything in there. Haha, maybe it will warn us not to eat a course at dinner," Raven joked.

Kyra laughed and replied "Well, the finger sandwiches were delicious! The sweets were a bit drier than I am used to, but they were good."

"I never would have guessed you would enjoy those sandwiches so much, Kyra!" Raven joked as they walked back to their rooms.

After walking around a bit, they finally found their rooms. They opened the door to Raven's and entered.

"Ah, here it is!" Raven said as she picked up the black book and sat on the bed.

Kyra closed the door, walked over and sat next to Raven.

Raven opened the book, turning the pages to see if anything new had appeared, and paled. There was a new entry. It had what looked like Sebastian's symbol on the page. Underneath, it said,

A symbol of protection, a symbol of unity.

Fear not your fated companion.

True acceptance will not harm thee; true acceptance will protect thee.

Raven stared at it and whispered, "Protect me from what?"

"Raven, that is the mark on your back!" Kyra practically hissed. "It looks the same! But I don't know what the book means. I wish it would just say what it means!"

Raven opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Raven called over. She had learned her lesson to not to open the door from last time.

"My ladies, dinner will be served shortly," a male voice spoke through the door. "Would you like Mey-Rin to be sent up to help you freshen up before dinner?"

Both girls turned to look at each other immediately. "Yes, please!" Both called back simultaneously, followed by giggling.

"Very well, then. I shall send her up immediately."

"Thank you!" Raven said. "I bet we both look horrid, don't we?" She giggled.

"You do," Kyra agreed, nodding.

"So do you! Your eyes especially!" Raven laughed.

"Pffft," Kyra snorted. "Back at you."

They continued their friendly banter for several minutes until Mey-Rin arrived, knocking on the door.

"Excuse me, m'ladies, I've come to help you freshen up!" She called through the door.

"Come in!" Kyra called, and the door opened, Mey-Rin walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Hello, m'ladies!" Mey-Rin bowed. "Mister Sebastian told me you requested me."

"Ah, yes..." Raven smiled. "We look horrible."

Mey-Rin looked up, surprised. She examined the girls closely before giggling. "Of course not. You just need your makeup fixed a bit."

"So, about that makeup lesson..." Kyra giggled, and Mey-Rin beamed.

"But of course, m'lady!" She giggled, and picked up the face powder brush from the dressing table."Attention! Attention, please! Class is now in session!" She exclaimed, tapping it three times across her hand. Face powder poofed around her from the brush, and Mey-Rin promptly started coughing.

OoO

The girls had quietly followed Mey-Rin down the hallway to the dining room after Mey-Rin finished fixing their makeup, and now sat quietly at the large table. Ciel, of course, sat at the head while the girls were on the side.

"For today's appetizer, we have asparagus and ham timbales, and White Hall crackers topped with cheese," the black clad butler announced as he gracefully glided to Ciel and set a plate in front of him, and swiftly stepped over to set one in front of Raven and Kyra as well. "As for our beverages, we have a Jasmine Oolong tea, and for the young ladies, we have the option of a dry rosé wine, if you desire." He held an elegant looking bottle in his hands, his head tilted to the side as he smiled. "May I pour either of you a glass?"

The girls exchanged glances, Raven almost whispering a "No, thank you" while Kyra eyed the bottle greedily.

"Why, yes, thank you!" Kyra replied, giving Raven a stare which clearly stated, 'Have a drink with me; we deserve this to relax!' and was totally ignored.

"Of course, my lady." With an inhuman grace, Sebastian poured a single glass of wine and placed it in front of Kyra before stepping to the side.

"Well, then," the young earl spoke, daintily placing his napkin on his lap. "Now that we are all properly attired, I believe we have not yet formally introduced ourselves. I am Ciel Phantomhive, the Earl of Phantomhive."

Raven bowed her head to Ciel. "I am honoured to meet you, sir," she said gently as Kyra nearly jumped out of her seat and smacked her knee against the table, nearly rattling the silverware. Ciel blinked, bewildered, and stood as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!" Kyra flushed, gently lifting her skirt and bowing deeply in an attempted curtsy, smacking her head against the table in the process. Her head smacked into her plate, pushing it slightly back and into her wine glass, which tilted into her glass of water, cascading down in a domino effect. "Oh!" She eeped, rising and watching in horror. "My apologies, Master Ciel, for my clumsiness!" She blurted, her eyes wide.

The girls silently eyed the bare wooden table in front of them as the Earl and Butler exchanged a look.

The Earl sighed. "Fine, go ahead."

A smirk grew on the butler's face as he stepped forward, a fresh tablecloth in his grasp. "It would be quite unseemly for the Phantomhive manor to serve their guests dinner without a tablecloth," he commented, shaking it out over the table as one would place a flat sheet on their bed. Before their eyes, the cloth gently settled beneath their dishes. Sebastian smiled, running his fingers across the tablecloth as if to smooth out any folds or wrinkles. "Where would we be if a servant of Phantomhive couldn't do at least this much?"

Raven couldn't keep the smirk off her face as she watched the demon. She remembered him doing similar things before while she watched Kuroshitsuji. Maybe, for a moment, just for a moment, she could pretend she was back at home watching T.V. with Kyra.

Sebastian noticed the smile on Raven's face and he once again felt something strange - like he was pleased with her smile. How peculiar. "Well, then. I believe we should continue our introductions," he smiled. The butler stepped forward. "Please allow me."

Everyone nodded, and they sat in silence for a moment, staring at his plastered on smile. Suddenly, Raven snorted, a hand covering her mouth as she struggled to contain her laughter. It had actually happened. She had actually gotten to see it with her own eyes...

The 'I have made a mistake' smile!

Raven cleared her throat, grinning. "Mister Ciel, if I may?"

"Of course," he nodded, gesturing for her to continue as he and Kyra took their seats once more.

"My name is Raven Wright, and I am from America. My family is from the Chicago area," she introduced and then gestured to her friend. "This is Kyra Woodson, and she has come from the same place as myself. She is my best friend, though, in my heart, she is my sister."

The 'I have made a mistake' smile twitched on Sebastian's face as he poured Kyra a fresh glass of water and of wine.

After they finished their niceties and finished their appetizer, their next courses were introduced and brought out rather uneventfully. Their next course was Mulligatawny soup, followed by a raspberry sorbet as a palate cleanser (which the girls very much liked), then salad.

And then came... the main course.

A plate and a bowl were placed before each of them, and they stared in poorly masked disgust at the bowl.

"For our main course, we present the young master's favourite Stewed Eels and Croquettes of Fowl with Piquant Sauce," he smiled, his head tilted to the side.

The girls studied the bowl of eels for several moments before Raven hesitantly picked up the last spoon to the right of her dish and dipped it in the broth, Kyra following suit. It would be incredibly rude of them to not at the very least sample something that was introduced as the young master's favourite.

After taking a sip, Raven let the spoon rest in the bowl, forcing a smile on her face as she turned to her friend. "Why, that is simply a splendid dish. The fowl also looks outstanding."

"Why, yes it does," Kyra agreed, taking the initiative to cut and try a piece. "Oh, and it tastes absolutely divine. My compliments to the chef."

The girls' obvious preference was duly noted by the butler. He was rather amused by their attempt to be polite about the whole thing, as well.

After Ciel and the young ladies had signified their food, the dessert was brought out.

"For dessert this evening, we have Blancmange and Stilton cheese, celery, and pulled bread," he bowed.

With the dessert, dinner was finished.

OoO

The girls were silent as they sat in the library, waiting. It wasn't long until a knock sounded on the door.

"Please excuse my intrusion," Sebastian said, opening the door and walking inside. "I do believe you wished to speak to me, my lady?"

"Yes," Raven nodded, gesturing towards a seat in front of her and Kyra. "Please, have a seat. We need to talk."