Hello good ol' world! I've missed you so!

Toboso-san probably will never reveal O!Ciel's real name. I'm not happy. Anyways, here's a fantastic new chapter! First half is a bit of Lotte's backstory, cause you know...gotta know what she was like back in NYC!

Enjoy!

Warnings: None.

Chapter IX

Simple Intimacy of the Near Touch

New York City, August 1957

Lotte stood in the sea of people as they danced around. Young bodies moved against each other, skin touched, moving to the live rock and roll music. Sweat and heat mixed into the atmosphere, making it impossible to breathe without a sip of moonshine. The sound echoed through the large abandoned warehouse near a large freighter port as she pushed through the movements of both humans and demons.

Oh yes, she felt them here, hiding, dancing among humans. They would dance, drink, and then take a victim. Their victim would be too intoxicated to realize what would conspire. Their soul would be ripped from their bodies and would be left to whatever was at the bottom of the river. A perfect kill.

She scrunched her nose as she squeezed through the people. The smell of sex and blood intermingled with the sound of the music. As she passed through she noticed a few humans had fall victim to the demon's wrath. That or they were piss drunk.

Why would a hunter's group meet here?

She took out the piece of paper given to her that day by an anonymous recipient. After looking over the city, she had found someone who could train her better in dealing with demons. He'd been in his late twenties and was drinking on a glass of whiskey when she came into the bar. One thing she noticed before walking in however was the fact it was a demon's bar. Still she went in, only spotting a few demons slumped over in the booths and at the bar stools - none that would be giving her trouble. The man had given her a hard look under his short top hat, and after being shooed away, she waited for him out of the pub.

When he came out he gave her a small piece of paper without once looking at her and said simply: "be prepared."

The small paper was wrinkled and torn from being in her pocket all day. It was nearly three in the morning and because of the lack of sleep, she was unable to notice the several bodies that began to bump hard into her, making her drop the piece of paper.

"Shit," she mumbled, spotting the paper only a few feet away already being trampled on.

She squatted down only to be knocked hard on the head. She blinked away the stars, looking up to see several pairs of yellow eyes staring back at her. She froze on the spot, standing up carefully, keeping her eyes on them.

"Look what we have here, boys!" the biggest and fattest one among the group said. "A delicious, young meal!"

They all smelled of blood. The gluttonous one looked to have had his lifetime fill of souls already. It made Lotte want to vomit. Her hands curled tightly, knowing she would not be able to handle them with a small iron knife.

Without hesitation, Lotte ran. She ducked, dodged, and maneuvered through the sea of ever moving bodies, abandoning the piece of paper to her future. Her life was more important and she knew if she stayed she would be another forgotten body at the bottom of the river.

She wasn't sure if the demons had followed, but she made it to the other side of the crowd. She paused, looking behind her to see nothing but a wall of dancing bodies. She leaned forward, trying to catch her breath. She was too exhausted for this.

She moved outside of the warehouse, the bright full moon reflected light off the calm river, giving off a peaceful sensation. She looked a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sea salt.

Shit.

Her body and mind filled with energy. Her breaths came out quick. She bit her lip to hold back the building scream in her lungs. The frustration was too much. She needed to release this energy. She needed to release the anger. She should've killed those demons.

And she realized if she did then she might've saved a helpless soul in that tangled sea of music.

She crouched down beside the ports edge, looking into the dark waters. She couldn't see her reflection but she knew what she looked like. A helpless girl that was too scared to be a demon hunter. She wouldn't survive the first night; she could barely survive an all-nighter. She was a coward, a mess, and wouldn't be able to take revenge on her family.

The four years after her mother's death and there wasn't much she had done in demon hunting. She was weak, small, and unexperienced. She'd been living in an orphanage, escaping whenever she could. She would return at nights, sleeping with sixteen other younger girls on a hard, wooden floor. She was the oldest there and all she could think about was getting out of there, hunting down the creatures that made her life a living hell.

They would stalk her while she would run away.

She was tired of running away.

She wiped away the tears running down her face as she heard someone approach behind her. Quickly as she could she took out her knife and swung it as she twisted around to the stranger.

The stranger chuckled, standing there in a dark trench coat and short, top hat. Lotte's eyes widened when she saw it was the same man she'd encountered the same day.

"One more second and you would've been head first into the river," he spoke, his deep voice landing and staining Lotte's brain. "Your reflexes are good, but you'll need to be quicker when a demon comes at you. If I was a demon, your body would already be half way to the bottom of the river."

Lotte breathed. "I understand."

He began to walk away. Lotte watched him, not knowing what to do. Was this a test? Then he paused. "Well then, come on now. The meeting will be soon starting."

Lotte ran after him, trailing close. The man was sure tall once she got a better look at him. She was curious to know what was under that jacket of his. Was their weapons? Were their special liquids that could kill demons? Lotte's mind wandered to the curiosity of it all. So much that she ended up bumping into him.

She landed on the ground with a loud humph. She heard laughter around her as she looked up to the dark faces of humans. Some stood, some sat on crates and garbage cans. They were dressed in leather jackets and tattered jeans, guns and other weapons attached to their scarred bodies.

She stood up, mesmerized by all of them.

Hunters. She had finally found her family.

"Who's the kid?" a female asked, jumping off one of the crates.

Lotte looked at her. Her dark eyes staring back with judgement. The girl wore a black leather jacket, torn and patched from several fights. Several small knives hung from her belt. The black worn combat boots to fill her intimidating personality. Lotte eyes each scar on her dark skin, and the dozens of small braids hanging from her head. And hanging on her back, a large rifle, ready for the kill. It was a true hunter in front of her. Lotte was hypnotized.

"Found her this afternoon hanging by a one of the gang's bars," the man beside Lotte spoke. "Wanted to see the party, so I brought her."

"You can't do that! She's just a kid!" A man with an eyepatch behind the girl replied.

The girl held up her hand. "How old are you kid?"

Lotte grimaced at 'kid'. "Fourteen."

"See!?" the man snapped.

The man that brought her shrugged. "She insisted on wanting to train."

"Why? A kid like you shouldn't be here. It's dangerous. Where are your parents?" she asked Lotte.

Lotte blinked at the question. "Dead."

The girl nodded. "I'm guessing they were killed by demons?"

Lotte nodded.

"Look around, everyone here is in the same boat. And I'm guessing you want to train so you can avenge them, correct?"

"I need to find and kill a certain demon that murdered my father," Lotte insisted, stepping forward.

"Do you know what that demon looks like?"

Lotte looked at her feet. "No."

The girl laughed. "Then you ain't off to a good start there."

Lotte shook her head, locking eyes with the girl. "Then I'll kill every single one of them until I find who it was."

She chuckled, crossing her arms. "You sure are determined. I like you. So how many have you killed?"

Lotte opened her mouth to speak and was suddenly embarrassed to tell them her single number. Whereas all the people in the room had probably over hundred on their belts, Lotte only had: "One."

Everyone laughed, making Lotte's face heat up in a red blush.

"Wow, quite a number!" the girl commented. "And this was…recent?"

"Four years ago. It was the demon that killed my mother."

The girl nodded and walked over, placing a hand on Lotte's shoulder. "Listen, kid, I know you want to take revenge on your parents and kill every single demon out there. I get it. The anger, the rage, everyone here has felt what you've felt. But we can't let you in if you don't have more experience. We just don't have the time to babysit a kid who barely knows how fight let alone kill a demon. I'm sorry."

As she walked away, Lotte kept shaking her head at her words. She refused to give up. "I can sense them," she blurted out. The girl paused and turned around, her face lit up in curiosity. Lotte continued to speak. "I don't know how, but I can tell when there's a demon in a crowd of people. I can feel their darkness from a mile away. I notice immediately if one is hiding in a human body. I can help. Please."

"How are you able to? That's crazy." The eye-patch man asked.

Lotte shook her head. "I don't know. I've been able to sense them since I could remember."

The girl in front of her just kept staring. She was silent, eye wide, mouth slightly open. It made Lotte a little nervous. "What's your name?"

"Lotte...Lotte Phantomhive."

Her eyes remained wide. Lotte looked around to the other's reaction and everyone else seemed normal. The girl in front of her nodded, giving her a smile. "I'm guessing that's short for Charlotte."

She nodded.

"Lotte, I'm going to make you a deal. If you can kill a demon before sunrise, then you can join," she said.

"What?!" the man shrieked. "Maggie, this is ridiculous! We can't take care of a kid!"

Maggie raised her hand to the eye-patched man again. "Relax, Karl. I have a good feeling about this kid." She smiled. "Take off your jacket, Lotte."

Lotte blinked, taking off the black rain jacket, watching as Maggie did the same.

"Turn around," Maggie said.

Lotte did was she was told and when she had her back facing the group, all she heard was gasps. Then confusion set in, and she turned her head over her bare shoulders. The group was frozen. People stood. And Maggie's face was even more shocked than the rest. Then Karl made a big stand, moving forward. "Leave now."

Lotte turned fully. "I don't understand."

Maggie breathed deeply. "That mark on your right shoulder blade, where did you get it?"

Lotte's hand moved to her shoulder blade, feeling the familiar star-like mark on her back. She shook her head. "It's nothing. I've had it ever since I could remember. It's just a birth mark."

Karl shook his head. "Fuck, Maggie we can't have someone like her here! Can you imagine what would happen if the gangs found out about this? The treaty and everything we worked for would be broken." He turned to Lotte. "You need to leave, girl. You don't belong here."

Maggie shook her head. "He's right, Lotte. I'm sorry…you really need to go."

"But-"

"Leave before we kill you."

Lotte's eyes widened. She looked at the man beside her, his shadowed eyes not on her, his expression frozen. She didn't understand it. She didn't know what happened. She wanted to ask, but the many hunters that started to move slowly towards her, pulling out their weapons made her back up and run.

And so she ran. The clock on her wrist had struck three am, a time Lotte knew was the height of demons lurking and hunting in the shadows. But she kept running until she couldn't run anymore, hiding behind a small alleyway behind the large warehouse where the concert had been. Now instead of rock and roll, the warehouse was filled with the music of screams. She breathed deeply, crouching low against the wall, wanting nothing more than the night to end. She covered her ears, trying to block out the constant screams of help, the constant urge inside her to kill every demon in there for her family. For the humans.

But she was only fourteen.

She was too weak.

Her eyes shut tight. She clenched her teeth. She moved her hand from her ear to the mark on her back, wondering why the hunters reacted so negatively towards nothing but a birth mark. There was something they knew. Something she didn't about the mark on her back. And her eyes opened in rage, narrowing into the shadows at the mystery. They thought she was nothing but a 'kid'. They thought she didn't have the guts to kill demons. They thought she didn't have the skills, that she would be nothing but a burden. But she then realized they were also scared of her. Whatever the mark on her back meant, it scared the group of demon hunters. And in that moment, she was determined to show them that this 'kid' was nobody they wanted to mess with.

She stood up noticing the demon group she had encountered inside the warehouse exiting the building with their new victims. Lotte could hear the shrieks of several girls, pleading for help, and the laughter of the demons, mostly coming from the gluttonous one.

She walked out of the alleyway, taking out the iron knife from the holder on her belt. Her hand gripped it the same way she did when she was ten. She was going to kill them.

The six had begun their kill. The darkness swarmed their bodies like a clouded mist. Their eyes glowed yellow. Teeth - barred and sharp. A deep growth rumbled from inside of them. And without hesitation, without a second thought, Lotte spirted, driving the iron blade into the first demon in front of her.

The creature cried out in a painful scream. The others paused in shock as the iron blade radiated a bright light through the body. And as quickly as Lotte drove the knife, smoke left the host, evaporating into the night air.

Lotte looked at the dead body on the ground before looking back up to the remaining five. The four skinner demons eyed her carefully while the glutton smiled. Lotte's expression remained stoic. No emotion, no fear. She would not show these vile creatures weakness.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go get her!" the glutton ordered.

And as quick as a shooting star, Lotte moved like lightning. She didn't know what she was doing, running off nothing but pure adrenaline and instinct. She lashed the stomach of the first demon that approached her, feeling the knife drive through the abdomen. Blood pooled as the demon landed on its knees before coming to an end. The second, Lotte ducked as he swung his sharp claws into her direction only for him to be slashed at the leg. When he dropped to her level, she stabbed him in his chest, not waiting to see the smoke disappear. The third and fourth came at once. They both growled, moving quickly towards both her sides. She kicked her right foot sideways at the first, pushing the demon back as she moved the knife over the throat of the other. The blood splattered over her arm as the demon gurgled, smoke escaping the wound. Then when the fourth stood up, she through the iron blade, landing it right into the heart.

She walked over to the body, pulling the blade from the chest, facing the last demon.

The glutton stood, smiling, eyes glowing. In his arms was a terrified, young woman, shaking. The other women still sat on the ground not knowing what to do.

"Get out of here," Lotte spoke in a low mutter.

And they left as fast as the smoke.

"Bravo!" the glutton in front of her commented. "Never have I seen in my hundreds of years such an alarming array of fighting. You are one of the better hunters I've encountered."

Lotte only eyed the creature, disgusted. "Let her go."

It scrunched its nose. "I don't think so. You see, I'm hungry after that concert. So I think I'll just take my dinner. You seemed to have had enough, so I'll let you go just this once. It was very entertaining to watch you kill those…weaklings."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm only going to tell you once more until I plant this knife in your head. Let her go."

"Such a feisty kid ain't you," he commented.

That did it. Lotte moved towards him quickly. But he was quicker, and as much as Lotte wanted to save the young girl from the grasps of the glutton, it was too late. A loud snap made Lotte stop and pause at the sound. Her eyes widened from the shocked expression on the girl's face. A small breath escaped Lotte as she watch the girl drop onto the ground. Then a small bright light exited the girl's body to disappear into the glutton.

This was the first time Lotte ever saw it. A human soul.

Then Lotte cried out, ramming the iron dagger into the right eye of the glutton.

The demon froze before screaming out. Lotte took the blade out only to start stabbing the fat stomach over and over again. She wanted him to feel the agony, the pain of the burning poison entering his body. She wanted him to stuffer. There would be no quick death. She would make the creature fall at her feet, begging and pleading.

Which is what the glutton did. He fell onto his fat knees and Lotte huffed out in anger, watching the creature's yellow eyes look up at her, hands clasped together in a pray.

"Please…please…have mercy." It begged in breaths.

Lotte made a face of disgust. "Sorry, there's no praying allowed here."

And with a swing, she slashed its throat, watching the blood stream through like the river in front of her. Moments later the black smoke exited the body, disappearing all like the others.

She had done it. And yet, she felt nothing. There was no satisfaction in what she did. She couldn't save the young woman lying dead behind her. The woman would be lost forever.

Lotte then vowed to never let a human soul fall victim due to her mistakes.

Loud, rhythmic claps echoed through her ears shortly after. She bounced back, looking to her left to see a familiar trench coat man a few hundred yards away, coming closer. She watched the man approach, still clapping. Then he stopped in front of her, smiling.

"You're better than I thought," he commented.

She shook her head. "I was running merely on instinct. I can barely remember killing them."

"But you did. Although very sloppy, you did well for you first massive kill. You should be proud."

Lotte swallowed, eyeing the man. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be back with the others? Won't you get in trouble coming to see me?"

He lowered his short, top hat more. "No. I am nothing but a part-timer worker for them. I'm not a permanent member. I like to work alone most of the time."

"Why?" Lotte narrowed her eyes.

He shrugged. "I'm not much of a people person."

She sighed. "So why find me? Apparently something is very wrong with me that I can't be part of a hunter's group, so why come after me? Was it just to watch me kill demons for the first time and see if I mess up or die?"

"No."

"Then why?"

He came forward, reaching out to grab her chin, smiling ever more. "You interest me. I want to see you grow into a powerful hunter. If you are ready, I can train you in the art of war. Better than those so called hunters you met would. You shall be the most experienced hunter this city has ever known."

It was a small touch of his hand, but Lotte couldn't help but look up at his shadowed eyes.

"And you won't get into trouble?"

He let go of her. "Like I said, I am but a part-timer."

Lotte crossed her arms. "Fine. But I should at least know who's going to train me. What's your name?"

Then the man took off his top hat, opening his deep purple eyes to her, and bowed. "You may call me Raphael."

xXx

London, August 1967

Lotte looked up the thousands of stars staring back at her once she parked her motorcycle on the dirt road of the Phantomhive manor. She stared at the dark windows of the manor, narrowing her eyes when she couldn't feel Sebastian's presence. Ever since she arrived, she never felt the demon's presence. Strange as it was, she never questioned it. Still the mark on her back tingled whenever the demon was near; telling her he still lurked deeply in the shadows of the house.

She entered, ignoring the sensation on her backside. She knew the demon was watching her, but she would not…no could not look at him after the conversation she had with Ciel Phantomhive.

Her great uncle had been strict with her. His words – a mystery – echoed through her thoughts. She knew she would dream of them tonight. Custom scenarios – a reality she would want but never have. A nightmare she only knew in stories. A life with a creature she knew she hated and yet…

…her heart.

Lotte never really believed in love in begin with. Her past made it so.

Ciel Phantomhive's words were false. Lotte would never fall for such a creature! It was against her judgement! She knew that much when she opened the main door. She would come face to face with the demon butler and…

…and…

Lotte bit her lip at the excitement and nervousness she felt to see him. The feeling he gave her every time he looked at her. Then the sudden urge to know what it was like…his taste. She shook her head more, trying to rid of the growing fascinations, growing questions she wanted to know. She didn't know.

Fuck.

Then she remembered Ciel's other words. The real questions she wanted to ask the butler. The anger she felt went she realized that her mark…may not even be his.

Lilith. Her facial expression turned disgust in the darkness of the manor.

And her hands went to the wall to turn on the switch, revealing in front of her the demon dressed in black, grinning widely back at her.

She knew it wasn't a grin of welcome. There was anger in the demon. His red eyes glowed in the darkness beyond her.

But Lotte remained stoic.

Still.

Show no fear, show no weakness. That was what she had learned ten years earlier.

"Lotte, welcome home." His voice chilled her skin, sending a wave of pure anxiety her way.

But she remained stoic. No emotion shown towards the demon at the bottom of the staircase. She started to walk forward towards the demon, her eyes never leaving his form. "Thank you, Sebastian."

"May I ask where you've been?" he asked, making Lotte stop in her steps towards him.

"Just meeting a friend," she said simply.

The demon smiled. "Now I know you aren't telling me the whole truth there. So I shall ask again. I must know where my lady has been all day, so where have you been?"

Lotte blinked, frowning. "You should already know."

The demon then copied her expression, frowning. "I do. So then why lie?"

"I didn't lie," Lotte said, simply. "I said I was meeting a friend."

"A family member," Sebastian corrected. "A…taboo meeting."

"Taboo? How so?"

The demon grinned. "Ciel Phantomhive isn't someone you should be meeting unexpectedly, Lotte. He isn't to be trusted."

"Really? Because he told me the same thing about you," she replied.

The demon's eyes opened to pure red. Lotte swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. "Oh? And what else did he say?"

She didn't hesitate to repeat what Ciel Phantomhive had told her. "That I'm in this mess because of you. Everything was because of you."

He stepped forward, still grinning. "Is that so?"

"He also mentioned a lot about Lilith. How she pretty much wants my soul…nothing new there. But somehow…you are connected."

She watched his eyes narrow. Lotte stepped forward.

"So I need to know how?"

The demon only blinked, saying the simplest words. "I don't know."

"What?"

"What this man is telling you, I have no clue. But I have no connection to Lilth besides what I've already told you, Lotte." The demon's face was stern and relaxed. "I have no reason to tell lies or anything otherwise."

Lotte took a long look at the demon, trying to read anything in his expression. But there was nothing in there that Lotte could tell he be lying to her. Her experience in the FBI field told her so. She let go of a breath she was holding in, moving her eyes from the demon.

"What if I didn't belong to you?" she whispered.

"Pardon?"

She looked back up at him. "You say that you don't lie, so tell me, is this contract really yours?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you not believe it is?"

She shook her head, looking away from him again. "You know, I don't know what to believe anymore. There are so many things people have been telling me. Several sides to the same story, and I have to think…which one is really true?"

"There is something else you aren't telling me," Sebastian said, stepping forward towards her. "Something you have been keeping from me." The demon took a deep breath. "We can always prove that it is my contract."

He kept moving towards her and she locked eyes with his, knowing that he could hear her increased heartbeat.

"Do not think I haven't noticed, Lotte," he said softly.

She swallowed. "Noticed what?"

"Your growing fascination with me."

She shook her head, her heart beating ever faster. "I…don't know what you're talking about."

The demon grinned, coming closer with every word. "Now look who is lying."

Lotte's chest rose after each breath. She started to grow very nervous, but now she knew…it was time. She watched the red eyes narrow intimately. She pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes, and gave him a stoic look. "You want to prove that I belong to you, then let's prove it," she said sternly.

He was only feet away. One a few more and they'd be inches away.

"Sebastian…"

One step closer.

"…this is an order…"

He stopped in front of her, their faces nearly touching. Then she whispered the words.

"Kiss me."

And so he did.

I do hope this makes up for being late again...ugh I suck at sticking to schedules. Anyways review and I shall try to get the next chapter out soon! :D