The two Leonards stared at each other for a long moment, Ciel frowning and Finny smiling. Ciel finally rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Well, here we are." He grumbled, pawing at Finny's hands.

"You must be hungry." Finny said, putting Ciel down on the floor.

"I've already had dinner." Ciel answered, sitting down right where he was placed like deadweight.

"Sure, your feline-form might have eaten, but I'm sure that you haven't fed your other form for a while."

"I have my ways," Ciel said, turning his head up into the air. "I don't need much."

"Don't even think about lying to me." Finny said, his voice suddenly more serious. Ciel looked up at him and saw his face was grimmer too, staring down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Your human form must be starving by now."

Ciel's mouth twisted a bit, wanting to deny it.

"What makes you say that?"

Finny cocked his head to one side, his tail flicking straight up as he spoke,

"Oh, let me think; you've been hiding out in Sebastian's house, genius." Finny's sarcasm almost made him a different person. He somehow seemed more harsh, "It's the weekend. No sneaking out for food now or plundering from his own kitchen."

"That's where you're wrong." Ciel said, drawing himself up proudly, swishing his tail. "I actually did go out and get some food today."

"It couldn't have been very much, and Sebastian must have gone out too for that to have happened."

Ciel didn't answer, knowing he was trapped. Finny was having none of his excuses or his pride.

"Show yourself to me." He said bluntly. Ciel blinked, looking up at him. Finny was standing over him with his slender arms crossed and his face set in a no-nonsense expression.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ciel asked, actually feeling a little bit frightened of Finny. He was even more startled when Finny's big teal eyes suddenly changed, the pupils slanting like a cat's.

"I said, show me your human form." Finny repeated, the command in his voice shaking Ciel to the core. He was such a small boy, even for the age of sixteen that Ciel had never even imagined that he could ever take him seriously. His voice was even higher pitched than Ciel's. Now Ciel felt an almost primal fear for one who was his elder. How had he made his eyes do that..?

With a shudder, Ciel shifted forms where he sat, ending up cross-legged on the floor.

Finny looked him over for a second with his slit pupils before they suddenly melted back into normal circles and he smiled wide.

"There now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Finny asked, suddenly bright again.

"How on earth did you do that?" Ciel asked, still in awe and slightly shaken by the sudden transformation.

"What?" Finny asked, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"How did you make your eyes…like your feline form?"

Finny looked puzzled, reaching out and cupping Ciel's chin while asking,

"You mean you really don't know about that?"

Ciel bit his lip to keep back a smart comment, and simply shook his head.

"It's a sign of maturity and wisdom; the mastery of merging a part of both forms. For our kind it's a way to show superiority and demand respect."

"I can see that…" Ciel admitted, "So you were…basically commanding me?"

"Something like that." Finny said, turning his back on Ciel and moving toward the kitchen. "It was more like a request, with a reminder that I am older and more experienced than you are. And I am; you didn't even know that an older Leonard could do that."

Ciel glared after him, and grudgingly stood up to follow him. He was pleased to find that he had shifted into soft lounge clothes. Even his magic knew that he was not in need of more. He met up with Finny, who was rummaging through the fridge. His ears, the only part of his head visible above the fridge door, twitched in Ciel's direction. Without looking up he said,

"You heard Sebastian, 'help yourself', so why don't we get some food into you?"

"Sounds good to me." Ciel said, opening the cupboards and feeling his mouth water at the sight of anything related to food.

"So, you must have been very young when you stopped hanging out around people." Finny said, as he pulled out a jar of jam from the fridge. "If you had never seen a display of age before, then either you left at a young age or you didn't have anyone older around."

"I left my Shelter about four years ago." Ciel said cautiously, on his guard in case Finny asked from where he had strayed.

"How old were you?"

"Eleven."

Finny whistled, taking a plate from a shelf and placing it on the counter.

"Jam and Peanut butter ok with you?" He asked off-handedly.

"Are you kidding? When we have free rein of the kitchen, that's all you're willing to take?" Ciel asked, taking a bag of crisps from the counter.

"Even when people extend courtesy to you, there is a measure of politeness to offer back." Finny answered, beginning to prepare the sandwiches. "You've obviously been stealing for far too long."

"Have you considered that maybe because I've been stealing for so long I'll take full advantage whenever something is offered to me freely?"

"Oh, no, how could I possibly consider that when you've been living as a stowaway in Sebastian's home." Finny said, the sarcasm once more biting Ciel with its truth.

"I don't think you're in any position to judge me." Ciel snapped, crossing his arms. "You're in the system, you have three square meals a day and a warm bed, how could you possibly know what it's like in my world? I'll take my freedom over that any day, though."

Finny turned his head slowly, and looked at Ciel. His expression was neither serious nor bland, it was more far away, as if he were remembering something and trying to think about how to respond.

"What?" Ciel asked at length, when Finny's pause began to make him uncomfortable.

"Not a lot of people know this about me," Finny began, "In fact, only one or two people really know... I have every right to comment on your situation, because I have been a stray as well."

Ciel felt an instant surge of guilt stab at him for his earlier words, but he swallowed it down and said,

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Finny took a deep breath, and continued, "Several years after I came to Angel Wing-."

"Angel Wing?"

"Bard's Shelter, my home. I was about seven years old, and Nicholas, Bard's father, was dying. Bard was being groomed to take over, so he began showing up more and more. He irritated me to no end in those days. I was so embittered by my abandonment that I hated to see other people happy, and Bard…"

Finny gave a small smile,

"Bard was happy all the time, even with his father on the verge of death he mustered up smiles and laughs whenever he was with all of us kids. I hated it. He tried to get me to open up to him. He visited me every chance he got, trying to lure me out with conversations about things that might interest me. I wouldn't even talk to him for the longest time. He never gave up on me, though. Even with me sitting there, frowning daggers at the floor, he would keep talking to me, slow and sweet and gentle…It hurt me…"

"What, it hurt you because he was being nice?"

Ciel asked, getting an inkling of understanding, and yet still confused. Finny nodded, fiddling with the knob on the silverware drawer for something to do.

"You see, I rejected any kindness because…I didn't want to grow close to anyone ever again. I really did want to like Bard back then, but I knew that I would be put up for adoption, and then I would be taken away from him. I couldn't bear it at the time, because he was the only person I truly cared for, even though I acted as though I hated him. Finally, Bard said something to me during one of our one-sided conversations about being adopted, and I snapped."

Finny pulled the knob and began sifting through the knives and spoons, selecting one of each before continuing,

"I started shouting at him, demanding he tell me why he was sending me away from him, why everyone always sent me away. He handled me very well, I think, but he still couldn't keep me from running away. I managed to get past him and out into the street. I really don't know how I managed it, but I lived out there for nearly a week."

"You were…seven?" Ciel asked quietly, the guilt returning to him. Held up against his own years on the street, that one week Finny spent on the street outweighed him because of his age. A newfound respect for the older boy blossomed within Ciel.

"Yes. I was seven, I was scared, and I didn't know what to do."

"So, did you go back?"

Finny stared down at his spoon and grinned softly.

"No. I was caught."

"Caught?"

Finny nodded.

"Another Shelter got hold of me when I was trying to steal from a grocery store. I had cut off my I.D. band, of course, and I refused to tell them my name, so they couldn't figure out where I came from at first. But all they had to do was run my photo out to the other Shelters in the area and…Bard came and found me."

Ciel scratched behind one of his cat-ears.

"So you let him take you back?"

"I practically begged him to," Finny said, "Once I saw that he came for me, I started…well, I started crying to be honest. I had always thought that I was alone, until I was out on the streets and I really was. I had thought that Shelters were horrible, but once I lived in that one for a few days…"

Finny blew out a short breath.

"Let's just say I had to change many of what I thought were my fundamental truths about the world, very fast, and at a very young age."

"That bad?" Ciel asked, reluctantly feeling that between the two of them Finny might have it over him in terms of hardships emotionally.

"Yea. They beat me on the very first night I was there, when I wouldn't sit still for them to take my picture. One of the men just wacked me right in the pit of my stomach. They didn't want to hit me on my face, you see, because then it would show up in the picture. But Bard told me later that the instant he saw it on the database he saw the pain in my eyes. Apparently that photo was what made him realize how convicted he was about making a Shelter where the kids are safe and taken care of. Bard doesn't know that I know this, but he printed that photo out later, and it is hidden in the back of his planner."

"Why on earth would he keep a picture of you in pain?" Ciel asked, feeling slightly sick to his stomach at the idea, or that might have been the hunger.

"To get him through the tough times." Finny answered simply, his tone returning to a lighter one. "If he starts to feel down, or that it is just too much, he looks at the photo, and remembers why he's doing what he is."

Ciel thought about this seriously for a moment. This Bard fellow sounded like he had very powerful convictions. How unlike the Shelter Head where Ciel had come from, who seemed to be overly tired all the time, and watery about the reasons behind his decisions.

"So, Bard came and got you? What happened?" Ciel asked, unable to keep his curiosity in check.

"He came a-running all right." Finny said, "He came right into that little room where I was huddled on the bed, and he hugged me right up. On the spot he promised me that I would never have to leave him, if I didn't want to. He said that I could stay at Angel Wing."

Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yep. Why do you think I'm sixteen, still living in a Shelter, and about to be adopted by the man who owns the place?"

Ciel whistled.

"Well…that's quite a story."

"It certainly is. Bard and I have a history, more than most Leonards have with one particular human if they grew up in a Shelter."

"That's true." Ciel said, leaning against the counter and eyeing the ingredients of the meal he was waiting on. "I certainly didn't have anyone like that growing up, even within my own race."

"So it makes sense that you would only use humans nowadays." Finny said, his voice now having dropped right back into its tone of flippant truth that could slip into sarcasm easier than a sword into its sheath. "What I don't understand," Finny went on, finally starting to spread peanut butter on slices of bread, "is why you would go to all the trouble of pretending like a cat, when it should be obvious to you by now that Sebastian would probably take care of you regardless. Didn't you see how he treated that Alois? He's the last person who would try to get rid of you."

Ciel snorted, suddenly becoming aware of the crisps in his hand and stuffing a few into his mouth. He crunched almost angrily before saying,

"Yea, he certainly was all goody-goody with that punk."

"Cinder, have a heart," Finny said with a slight air of shock, "The poor lad was just beaten by his master and he was scared to death."

"He's still a punk." Ciel muttered, plucking a cup from the cupboard and filling it with water from the sink. He had been parched since that afternoon when he had eaten the sweet cakes. He gulped down a few glasses before sighing and saying, "Did you see how he was buttering Sebastian up with those sad eyes."

"Oh, like you're not?" Finny asked, thrusting a plate with a finished sandwich at him, "Eat that." He added before he started in on making his own sandwich. "If Alois was a suck-up, then you're a downright basket case."

"I never looked at him that sappy before!" Ciel said, taking a bite out of his sandwich. His taste buds rejoiced at even such a simple combination of flavors.

"Well of course you haven't, you have to pretend like a dumb animal." Finny finished making his sandwich and then led the way back into the living area. "Another thing I don't get is how you think doing that is less demeaning than actually belonging to someone."

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked, sitting in one of the dining room chairs. Finny sat opposite him.

"Think about it; you think that belonging to a human would insult your intelligence, and yet you pretend to be stupid to remain free. How does that make sense?"

Once again, Ciel had no rebuff to Finny's question. He took another bite of his sandwich to cover his silence. His stomach was greatly appreciating it. Finally he spoke again,

"Well, what about this Bard? He's going to adopt you and, what? You'll be his little pet?"

Finny paused and growled deep in his throat, making Ciel nervous again instantly. For reasons he could not even begin to explain, he knew that…

"Was that…a warning?" He asked, in a quieter voice. Finny seemed to shake himself, as if he had not realized he had just done such a thing.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go all primal on you. I just…I hated how you worded that. You're not the first person to ask, but you are the first Leonard to. I guess I just sort of reacted to show my displeasure because you're one of my own kind."

"What do you mean?"

Finny sighed.

"There is so much you do not know about your own race, Cinder. To answer your question, Bard is adopting me in the mindset of anyone would adopt a human in the real world; I'll be his brother, and he'll be mine."

"Still, legally you'll belong to him." Ciel said, "How can you get past that?"

"With time, and practice." Finny answered. "We've talked it over already, and we're ready for whatever we have to sort out in the future."

Ciel shrugged, having to go back into the kitchen to refill his water glass before coming back. When he did, Finny looked like he was somewhat…sad. His expression showed that he was deep in thought.

"How do you enjoy your life, really, Cinder?" Finny asked quietly. Ciel was struck by the seriousness of his tone, but he really did not want to answer that question, so he skirted around it.

"Don't call me Cinder." Ciel grumbled. "I'm not a bonfire's leftovers."

"Ah, I suppose that's not your real name. Would you care to tell me what is?"

Ciel's ears flattened. After a pause he shook his head.

"I guess Cinder is fine after all then." Finny said, biting into his own sandwich. They chewed in silence for a while, Ciel pausing every now and again to take some crisps from the bag. Finally Ciel spoke.

"What…what do you think I should do?"

"Oh my, are you appearing humble all of a sudden?" Finny scoffed, but with a tender tone. "I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"What?" Ciel asked, looking up at him.

"Of course I'm not. You are your own person, right? That's what you want, that's what you get; make up your own mind."

"Thanks a lot!" Ciel said, finding himself wanting to smile despite how hopeless Finny's words left him. Try as he might, he just couldn't dislike the lad.

"It all depends on you, Cinder. What do you want to do with your life? What do you see in your future?"

"My future?" Ciel asked with his mouth full.

"Yes. Are you planning on living on the streets for the rest of your life? Or do you have a plan?"

Ciel swallowed and said,

"Well…uh…"

"You don't know, do you? How old are you, after all?"

"I'm fourteen."

"That's right, you left your Shelter when you were eleven…" Finny's entire demeanor softened. "You didn't even know what you were doing. How could you when you were so young?"

"I knew exactly what I was doing." Ciel answered, but his voice was soft as well, his eyes looking suddenly far away. "I didn't want that man to adopt me. He was…he didn't see me as a person at all. They were going to just give me to him. They said he passed all the background checks and they didn't even care that he looked right through me. I couldn't bear the idea of belonging to him."

Finny was silent for a moment.

"That is a tough position. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Cinder."

Ciel's heart jumped. No one had ever told him that they felt sorry for him. At least, not genuinely, as Grell didn't count.

"I'm sorry too, but to me living like this was the only option short of becoming someone's pet. I know there are a lot of us who are in happy homes, but…I wouldn't have been."

Finny saw Ciel's ears trembling a little, and he smiled gently. He began to purr softly in his chest, knowing the sound would put the young Leonard to ease. It did. Ciel felt calm pour over him, and he looked at Finny again.

"Is…is your purring doing that to me?"

"You need serious help understanding the basics of our ways." Finny said, without a trace of sarcasm this time. "You're not even in touch with your own magic yet, I daresay. But then, leaving at such a young age, you wouldn't know that much. You've been out of school for a long time too."

"Ah, yes, school." Ciel said flippantly, turning back to his sandwich, which was almost gone by now. "That will teach me everything I need to know."

"You don't intend to ever return to a school?" Finny asked, his purring ending abruptly. Ciel looked up questioningly, his ears flipping up again, his eyes questioning. "You can't get anywhere without an education, Cinder! I don't care if you do want to live as a hobo all your life, you need schooling."

Ciel tossed his head and scoffed.

"You sound like an old man…or a father!"

"Listen to me, Cinder." Finny said, and Ciel was nervous to see his pupils slitting again. "Any question you have about yourself can be found in the history of our race, which you don't even seem to know. Aspects of your own character, instincts, you name it, all of the answers are in books. And if you really want to think of yourself as someone with high intelligence, you need to start learning again."

"And what do you suggest?" Ciel asked, fighting the fear of those eyes as he gazed defiantly back at them, "That I just march up to the nearest schoolhouse and ask politely if they could let me in?" He picked up his glass and gulped down the last of his second glass of water.

"No," Finny said, his eyes shifting back to normal. "I can tutor you." Ciel sputtered and choked slightly on his water as he heard this. After coughing a few times he glared at Finny, determining not to tell him that he had always enjoyed school in his Shelter more than anything else in his life there. He was too interested in being stubborn.

"You think I'm looking to be a charity case? Besides, you're not a school teacher."

Finny grinned and raised an eyebrow. Ciel caught on and scoffed.

"What? Are you serious? You're not even that much older than I am!"

"I'll have you know that I've been tutoring the younger ones in Angel Wing most of my life. I am what they call an 'advanced' student. I've finished my own schooling and have been teaching a few of the classes."

For what felt like the hundredth time that evening, Ciel had to simply shut his mouth, unable to think of a retort that would not sound ridiculously feeble. It was clear that Finny was a well-balanced, established young man rather than a lost boy, which was what Ciel felt he could call himself.

"It would work out perfectly; I'm going to be here a few days a week, and I can bring books and all we need. Homework is going to be a problem, though…" Finny looked thoughtful for a moment, rubbing his slender jaw line and humming to himself as he thought.

As much as Ciel wanted to oppose to the very end, he had to admit to himself that there was merit in what Finny was offering. Who knew if he'd ever have this chance again? Someone so selfless was a rare find for Ciel. If he could really teach him how to use his magic…maybe he did know secrets that Ciel did not. Learning more about his own kind might actually be the key, just as Finny said.

"Well," Ciel said reluctantly after a long pause, "You could just ask Sebastian if you could leave the books and stuff here…tell him you want to work on a lesson plan or something while you're just hanging out here with me."

Finny's face lit up.

"Cinder, that's perfect! You'll just have to do the homework on the days when both Sebastian and I are at work, and the rest of the days I can help you. But don't worry," Finny said with a wink, "We'll have fun as well. Remember, as long as you're with me you can go out in any form and not have to worry."

Ciel sighed.

"What's my life come to? How am I agreeing to this?"

"Because you have a lot of things to work out in that little head of yours, and I think this situation is just what you need to short out what you want to do with your life. It's long overdue, if you ask me."

"Maybe you're right." Ciel muttered, stuffing more crisps into his mouth. As he crunched and watched Finny's smiling face he thought to himself,

'Unfortunately for me, everything this Finny says is right. How irritating.'