Man, oh, man! I don't think I've ever written so much in the last two days! I have no life! XD Once again, I had to split the chapter...for the second time. It seems my ideas turn out to be much longer than it was in my head, haha...

The parts pertaining to what's happening at the Phantomhive manor is based off of episode 21 in the anime.

Tons of stuff happen and is one of the reasons why I split it a second time. I didn't want to overwhelm you with one chapter only! I hope that you enjoy these two new chapters. I, for one, am pretty proud of myself right now. :)

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I only own my OCs and ideas not seen in the anime/manga.

A soft, dare I say, beautiful laugh was the first thing that reached my slow, recuperating senses. Parts of my body were getting less and less numb, but that immense fire that lingered in random branches of my veins still burned.

"My, my, very impressive, Jane-doll. You are honestly the first vampire, or any being in general, that has been able to survive my venomous touch." That woman's voice rang like chimes. Whatever she had done to me, the pain was the second worst I had ever experienced, the first being my transformation.

My vision began to clear up, and as expected, I saw the thin, frail woman staring down at me as she stood, with her arms crossed and a gentle smile on her face. Hell, she looked innocent on the outside, but I should have known better than to underestimate her. That must have been one of her specialties, being able to fool people with her 'good-girl' outlook and then devouring them on the spot. What a most despicable monster she was, well done. She surely lived up to her vampire status.

I was lying on a hardwood floor, and where I was being held captive, I was not aware of yet. All I knew was that we were both in some kind of abandoned house. The scent of pine trees and fresh dew caught my attention as well, telling me that we were in the wilderness.

I coughed violently, covering my mouth as I did so and when I looked at my hand, I noticed a few specks of blood against the white skin. Normally there would be more, but my blood was so thin right now and considering I hadn't fed in a week, things weren't looking well for me.

She kneeled down to my side, grasping my pale hand into her paler ones and gently caressed the side of my face. Why in hell was she acting like she was the kindest person on earth with her fake actions of affection?

"That's a mighty mean glare you're giving me, Janelle. You should be happy that I hadn't killed off your cutie of a friend back there. His blood smelled absolutely delicious, like an untouched peach," she giggled.

I growled in fury and jerked up from my laying position, launching myself on top of her and clenching her neck. My eyes glowed red as I did so, tightening my death grip and ready to rip her head off.

She merely gave a meek chuckle. "You shouldn't kill me either, Janelle. Isn't that against your morals? Killing people needlessly?"

"I have no problem killing the people who attack those I care about!" I snapped at her darkly, noticing that my voice sounded a bit hoarse.

She rolled her eyes, reaching out to twirl the end of her lush, brown hair. "So typical. It'd be fun to see you take advantage of people for once. You have that side, Janelle. It's you after all. Why can't you just embrace the fact that you are a bloodsucking monster?"

"You think I enjoy being what I am? You think you know everything about me?" I questioned, slamming her head down and causing the hardwood floor to crack below us.

"See? Why can't you be like this more often? I take back what I said about you being prettier when you're nice. I say you're more attractive right now, in a rage!" she giggled again, seeming unperturbed by my grip.

She then kicked me off of her, throwing me against the wall with several objects shattering to the ground. I stumbled to my feet, rubbing my bruised arms and watching her hum to herself in content.

The woman walked towards me and forcefully grabbed my chin. "And yes, Jane-doll, whether you like it or not, I know a lot about you, more than you think. So much, that it may give you nightmares…"

My eyes widened and my lips parted slightly to say something. "H-how do you know so much about me?"

She giggled and let me go, prancing back a few feet. "Let's just say…I'm a little psychic. Or that I have a secret bird that tells me everything about everyone that interests me."

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "And why do I interest you?"

A frown suddenly appeared on her face in a split second and I took notice before it disappeared just as quickly. She then resumed smiling and turned to me fully.

"Jane-doll, don't expect to get all your silly little questions answered."

I glared at her and made for the exit without a care if she would attack me again. She obviously got in my way, standing right at the door.

"You're not leaving." She crossed her arms with a proud smile on her face.

"Why are you keeping me here? What do you want from me?" I kept demanding answers from her, the remnants of poison inside of me making my head throb.

She gave a fake pout. "Hmm…I just want to have a little chat with you." Her green eyes then lit up with an idea. "Say…I'll give you a little juicy information, you duel with a fellow I know, and if you manage to survive said battle, you are allowed to leave."

"Fight? Why must I fight? Just let me go, damn you!" I growled and shoved her against the door.

"Oh stop with the questions already! You're giving me a headache!" she whined, grasping her head while I had her pinned against the wooden door.

She simply touched my hand and the green vapor began to rise from her fingers again, sinking her claws into me. I groaned in pain and my knees began to give out, but she kept me steady with her arm supporting me under my shoulders.

She grinned. "I'll stop hurting you if you just listen to me. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have, Janelle. I promise."

I shook my head, blood beginning to seep from my new wound. "Wh-why should I trust you?"

"Because I know what you want. I can tell you where to find the girl that you're looking for…"

My eyes snapped open and I looked up at her, my vision getting blurry again. "Y-you know her?"

"I don't care to. But I'm aware of her whereabouts. Listen to me?" she asked, her green eyes urging me with their 'innocence'.

I hesitated, but nodded slowly and she finally released her poison hold on me. I staggered backwards, compelling myself to heal faster.

"You see Janelle, that's your power right there," she stated, pointing at my wounded hand.

"What, not dying?" I snapped bitterly, closing my eyes as the poison began to die down.

"Precisely. You've had your power all along, but you never really realized you had one, did you? Then again, I don't blame you. Your power is pretty discreet."

I gazed at her with curiosity. "What is my power? Do you know?"

She laughed. "Of course, it's a shame that you don't. You have the ability of 'Hyper-healing', Jane-doll. When someone hurts you, you heal much, much faster than normal vampires. Obviously, your healing powers are immense. That's why you were able to withstand and heal from my venom in just thirty minutes, and I was using my full strength on you!"

She grew even more amused at that fact and laughed harder. "It seems I can't kill you, unlike how I could easily do so to my prey!"

I gave a sarcastic chuckle, and she frowned at my reaction. "I'm a fast healer? Funny, I feel like I've been crippled for the last six years."

She narrowed her eyes at my statement, but then realized what I was talking about. "Perhaps, emotionally you don't heal as quickly. But I feel there's a connection here. Your emotions are connected with your physical abilities of fast healing."

I sunk in all that she had said, but still couldn't figure it out, especially with my temporarily damaged mind.

She then took my hand and pulled back my sleeve, exposing my pale forearm. "Look, Janelle, do you see? Those terrible scars you used to have, they are beginning to fade now. Isn't it great? They are no longer apparent."

I gazed down in amazement, for I hadn't paid attention to my scars for the longest time. For some reason, I seemed to have forgotten about them.

"How…how is that possible? I've had those scars for so long now…"

"You were happy again, weren't you? In the past, you must have faced some kind of emotional damage that left you heartbroken for so long. Haven't you noticed? It seems you've made a new and better path for yourself and was slowly able to heal those emotional scars," she smiled at me, running her fingers along my now smoother skin.

My eyes began to well up just a tad. I almost felt free again, seeing that the scars, reminding me so much of my bad past, were finally gone. Then another realization hit me. Since she claimed I was happy, the only person I could think of, who had made me want to live again, appeared in my mind.

His silken, raven black hair, those crimson eyes that made me feel elated rather than scared…and his flawless demeanor concealing the true demonic side that craved for corrupted human souls. To think a devil-like figure such as him had become my remedy, and whether or not he was conscious of that fact remained in the dark.

"You've fallen for another again, haven't you? He must be a dashing fellow," the girl gushed, relishing the hint of joy that appeared on my face while I was thinking.

I stared up from my arm once more, growing serious once again. "Who are you?"

"Me? It's about time you asked. Call me Carlene, your new friend," she grinned, exposing her pearly white fangs.

Finny was in the courtyard beside Pluto, who was in his demon hound form. The gardener had his arms over his knees and his head buried in them, still moping over the fact that his friend was taken right in front of him.

"Finny!" a shrill voice called, and the gardener slowly lifted his head to see Ciel's fiancé running up to him.

His eyes widened and he briskly made sure he had no visible tears. "Lady Elizabeth! Long time no see!" he hollered, forcing a usual grin.

Behind the cheerful girl, Bard and Mey-Rin were chasing after her, both of them looking rather panicked.

"No, my lady! Don't go near there!" Bard shouted in alarm.

"Bard's right, he is! It's too dangerous for you!" Mey-Rin added, starting to lose her breath.

Finny was confused at their remarks at first, but hearing Pluto begin to growl softly, he immediately knew why they were so concerned. The gardener turned around to the hell hound and placed his hands on his white fur, stroking him gently. "Now, Pluto, be nice all right? They are our friends and friends never hurt each other," he said to him calmly, but with a stern look.

Elizabeth stared up at Pluto, who returned her gaze with a simple, large yawn. She gave a light giggle at the sight of him. "Aww, he's so cute! What a nice guard dog you have!"

The three servants drew blank expressions, their jaws dropping at the unexpected reaction from the noble lady. Elizabeth casually went over to pet the dog and surprisingly, Pluto was quite mellow towards her.

She looked back at them and frowned at their shocked faces. "What's the matter, you three? You look as if you've seen a ghost!"

The three exchanged similar glances before composing themselves.

"Aren't you scared, milady? That dog could easily hurt you, he can!" Mey-Rin warned, urging her to step away.

Elizabeth shook her head in response. "I'm not scared at all. If this dog isn't hurting either of you, why would he hurt me?"

"Because he's a giant, vicious, stinkin'-" Bard was silenced when Pluto growled in a threatening way at him. The cook shrank in fear and stepped further away from the hound.

Elizabeth giggled and continued rubbing Pluto's side. "You see? He has feelings too!"

Mey-Rin frowned when she noticed Finny leaning his chin on his knees, staring off into the distance towards town. Sorrow was set in his turquoise eyes. The maid went over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them lightly.

"Finny, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. The blame isn't on you or anyone else, it isn't. It was just bad luck." She tried to get him out of his sadness, rubbing his back in the meantime.

The gardener clutched his head, digging his gloved fingers into his scalp. "No…I should've done something! I was bewitched by that woman so easily and I let Janelle slip through my fingers!" He gazed down at his hands and clenched them in remorse. "Sebastian was right. I was capable of fighting her off with my strength, but I didn't do anything. I regret it so much…"

Mey-Rin gave a sympathetic smile. "You were just scared, Finny. You didn't know what was coming!"

Bard cut in with an enthusiastic nod and gave a friendly slap on his back. "She's right. And you know what? If I had been the one with Janelle instead of you, I don't think I would have done any better in preventing that from happening."

"Yes, yes, me too! I would have been scared to bits!" Mey-Rin chimed in, gently shaking Finny.

Elizabeth watched the three of them talking amongst themselves with confusion. "What are all of you talking about? Did something happen?"

Only then did the three realize that Ciel's fiancé was still standing right behind them with Pluto, and they froze, thinking over what to say next.

Bard turned around with a cheesy grin. "It's nothin' you need to worry about, Lady Elizabeth! We've got everything under control!"

"Yes, of course! Nothing drastic happened at all, it didn't!" Mey-Rin blurted without thinking and thus, earned a harsh nudge in the ribs from the American beside her.

Elizabeth didn't buy that and stared at all three with great suspicion, her hands placed on her hips. One could say she looked almost as serious as her mother.

"Something did happen, didn't it? Why can't you tell me?" she asked, tilting her head at them.

Finny gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Really, Lady Elizabeth, perhaps we should take you back-"

The gardener's eyes suddenly widened and so did the two other servants. The wind was howling around them and the numerous trees that circled the Phantomhive mansion began to rustle in an ominous manner.

Bard gasped and shouted, "Get down!"

Mey-Rin and Bard ducked behind the safety of Pluto, whereas Finny threw himself on top of Elizabeth and shielded her on the ground with his body.

In the next moment, they heard a few gunshots going off and the distant whoops of various men in the distance.

Bard cautiously lifted his head and gritted his teeth. "Damn, we've got company…"

"What? At a time like this?" Mey-Rin exclaimed in disbelief.

Finny looked down at the important girl below him, who had her eyes tightly shut before she began to open them. The gardener clenched his fist in determination and he looked up to see that Bard and Mey-Rin were already shooting him a knowing gaze. He nodded back at them and without hesitation, the three of them, along with Pluto, began racing back to the mansion.

Finny gently lifted Elizabeth in his arms and carried her along, his resolve stronger than ever. I won't make the same mistake again! I will protect Elizabeth and the Phantomhive mansion with everything I've got! His thoughts gave him more confidence and he made sure Ciel's fiancé was secure in his arms.

The gunshots behind them began to pick up at a vicious rate, but that only drove the brave servants to raise their defenses in order to fulfill one of their most crucial duties.

The entrance to the mansion was quickly coming into view. Mey-Rin jumped over the center water fountain with ease while Bard was taking the lead and was well up ahead. Elizabeth continued questioning what was happening, but Finny had no time to answer, for the only thing he was thinking was getting her to safety.

Tanaka, who had sensed the danger and turned into his normal human form, was already ready for them and opened the door for the three servants to enter. Meanwhile, Pluto took up the front of the mansion, ready to defend and attack the intruders as he gave a menacing growl.

Once the three servants and Elizabeth had managed to get inside the mansion safely, Sebastian was there to greet them.

"Lady Elizabeth, I'm glad you have decided to visit the mansion today. I'm sure my master will be pleased to see that you are here. For now, please relax and refrain from going outside," Sebastian stated with a polite smile.

A hint of worry crossed her face and she looked up at the tall butler. "Is everything going to be alright? I still don't understand what's going on…"

Sebastian nodded with a close-eyed smile. "Of course, Lady Elizabeth, you will be safe and out of harm's way. The servants will do well in protecting the mansion."

Elizabeth nodded, deciding to put her faith in the butler and the servants before following Tanaka further inside. As soon as she was out of sight, Sebastian turned to the others with a serious expression.

"I trust you all know what you must do," he simply said and all three nodded, fully prepared.

Bard and Mey-Rin sped off to collect their weapons and assume battle positions. Before Finny had left as well, Sebastian stopped him momentarily.

"Finny, I assume that the injury you had attained hasn't hindered your ability to fight?" Sebastian asked to make sure he was fine.

The gardener nodded and gripped both of his fists. "If anything Sebastian, it has made me stronger! I won't let you down this time. I won't make the same mistake again."

The demon butler gave a small smile and the gardener returned the gesture before running off to his position.

Alone with his own thoughts, the demon recalled the brief moment when he had mended and examined Finny's wound. He noticed the puncture marks in his wrists were from fingernails and not fangs like he had assumed. He had also detected the distinct smell of a miniscule amount of poison, as well as the scent of another being that had been attached to Finny. That particular scent deeply increased the worry that he felt towards what had happened only hours ago, another stray bloodsucker had attacked him and…her.

To this day, he could not decipher why he felt so strongly with every situation that involved her…and he swore he knew better than to dwell in such impending signs of what most demons would think of as weakness.

Why was this happening? Why did she have to interfere into his life? Why did he ever have to meet her? His master should have let her go free back then and they wouldn't have taken her in. He would never have had to deal with her in his current position as the Phantomhive butler.

So many times he thought this way and several other times were spent convincing himself that he was a demon after all. Something as insignificant as what he was feeling was impossible. It was not meant to exist.

It was pure hatred, yes? No. Was it simply one of the seven deadly sins, known as lust? Perhaps, for this one had stuck with him longer than the prior assumption. But once again, lust did not seem to fit the nagging feeling at all. It merely filled a fraction of it and an unrecognizable piece was missing.

Over time, he was beginning to not mind this certain feeling that awakened whenever she was near. But just when he was willing to come into terms of acceptance, his lord had decided to intervene and restrict him from reaching out to her.

Just when he had seen the light, the opportunity was stolen and he was dragged back into the dark, a place he was far too familiar with. Maybe this was fate, and thus, it wasn't meant to happen.

If that were the case, this so-called 'fate' should have been easy to accept. But for him, it challenged his forced obedience. He refused to accept it.

After having spent a moment or two trying to figure out where I was, it all seemed so familiar to me. The forest I was in seemed reminiscent of two years ago. Before I had gained consciousness, she had taken me to a run-down cottage residing just a few feet away from where I stood. Staying outside in a clearing among the trees and staring off into the distance, I feared that I was far away, until she spoke up and relieved some of my worries.

"Don't fret, Jane-doll. You're not that far from downtown London. We're just on the outskirts of town, not even that deep into this forest. You'll be able to return soon enough," Carlene assured me with a grin.

I narrowed my eyes at her and crossed my arms. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know or what? Otherwise, I'm leaving."

"If you escape without permission, you know what will happen. I'll render you unconscious and never allow you to see your friends again," she warned me, her fingers starting to give off green steam.

I continued glaring her down and she sighed dramatically. "I'm so glad looks don't kill, otherwise, I'd be a miserable pile of dust! You're so terrifying when you're angry Jane-doll!" She pretended to weep.

"Cut the theatrics and tell me about Eva," I demanded, coming over and grasping her neck again.

"Eva huh? Oh dear, we were roomies but I never bothered to know her name. She is such a boring human being to me…" She casually stole a glance at her nails.

I tightened my grip. "What do you mean by that? You two were roommates?"

She nodded and touched my hand gently. "Yes, Jane-doll. Have you ever heard of the circus called 'Noah's Ark'?"

I thought for a moment and shook my head. She continued on. "I was part of the circus for a short while because I enjoyed touring and venturing to as many places as possible. Eva was my tent mate while we traveled. She was a new addition to the circus and being gracious little me, I was the one who helped her get by."

I nodded my head in understanding, slowly letting go of her neck. She then giggled and clapped her hands. "I've a sweet present for you, Janelle," she said excitedly and reached into her corset near her breasts, enjoying my wary expression as she did so.

She presented me with a slip of paper and as I took it in my hands, I noticed it was a ticket to 'Noah's Ark'. I looked up at her suspiciously. "Is this legit?"

"Yes, my god, why on earth would I give you a fake! I ought to have some thanks for going through the trouble of getting this for you! The tickets sell out fast!" she pouted, jutting her lip at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright. I appreciate this so-called 'gift'."

She puffed out her cheeks before exhaling deeply. "Well, I suppose I can't expect much from a captive." Carlene twirled around me once and grasped my shoulders from behind. "I hope you find her. She once told me that I reminded her of you…"

I raised an eyebrow in interest and she waved it off. "That Eva girl is blind though. You and I are complete opposites!"

Just at that moment, a loud rustling of the trees emitted from above and random branches fell to the floor near us. Carlene lifted her head and placed a hand over her eyes as if to shield from the light. A grin broke out on her face when she realized the cause of the ruckus.

"You! Quit messing around and come down here!" she ordered.

The wind blew past us again before a loud thud erupted between us. I gasped and stumbled backwards at the abrupt appearance of a young man with black shaggy hair and an impressive build. He cracked his knuckles and hadn't turned around to look at me yet, for his attention was directed to the other vampire.

"Hey Car, I'm back," he stated with a flirty smile, stretching his limbs.

She shook her head at him in disapproval and crossed her arms. "What took you so long? It was getting hard for me to keep our lovely guest here. She could have easily escaped!"

He scoffed and then finally turned to me, his eyebrow raised as he looked at me in slight disgust. "Tch, so this is the wench I'm supposed to kill?"

My eyes widened when he said that and Carlene immediately pulled him back by his arm. "Shh! Barrett, don't scare her like that!"

He sent her a look of disbelief. "You didn't tell her? Well she oughta know what's comin'!"

Carlene bit her lip and then looked to me, seeing that my glare had returned. "So, you intend to kill me?" My tone was stern and I already knew the answer.

Barrett smirked at me and Carlene laughed it off. "Oh Jane-doll, I did tell you before that if you survived, you'd be free. I guess it was my fault that I failed to mention this was a duel to the death."

I stared without any apparent emotion at the male vampire. He grinned, revealing his fangs to me and I noticed that his frost grey eyes were scanning my body up and down.

"Damn Car, you picked up a babe…" He wolf-whistled and licked his lips at the sight of me. "She's got a nice, thick figure…unlike you, you're too damn skinny."

Carlene scoffed and punched him in the arm without holding back, causing him to yelp in pain and shoot her a mean look.

"Shut your face! At least he appreciates my slim figure! He says I could beat all those model whores out there!" Carlene spat in his face and jabbed him several times in the chest.

"Fine, shut up! Quit your bitching!" he demanded and slapped her away. He then turned back to me with that flirty grin of his. "Well then, you ready to dance, babe?"

He took a few steps away to give us some space while Carlene began to walk towards the sidelines in front of the cottage.

"Jane-doll, be aware that since he is one of us, he has powers too," she warned me.

I stole a glance at her before keeping my eye on Barrett. "Oh yeah? Well what's his?"

Barrett grinned and lowered his stance, looking like a wolf about to pounce. "You're about to find out," he stated in amusement.

My eyes grew larger at seeing what looked like a sword made of ice coming out of his hand. His other hand procured something else and with a flick of his wrist I was suddenly hit before I had even made my move. I gasped in pain and looked down to see that two long ice daggers were lodged into my stomach.

More blood loss, exactly what I needed.