A/N: And so the long-awaited chapter awaits. I feel slightly guilty for making any readers wait for so long. Tbh, I'm working ahead (chap 5, actually) just so that I have backup. The other story is all up in smoke for now, but I'm definitely continuing this. Anyhow, I'll have you get on with the chapter already. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji, nor will I ever. Everything seen not included in Kuroshitsuji are my ideas and characters alone.

Chapter 3
"Now then, just a few more questions for you before we situate you, lodgings and all~ What job requires you to go so far as to procure a sword for protection? After all, hi hi, it's rather uncommon for a woman to play with swords~" He giggled into his sleeve, as if laughing at a joke she wasn't privy to, but no matter. She didn't care for his opinion, much less anyone's, if it meant her survival.

"If I told you, I would have to kill you. As for my weapon of choice, it's simply a matter of preference to be able to attack at close range." She straightened, narrowing her eyes at him, fake pride and all despite her weak state. Of course, knowing who he was, she stood no chance against him. However, he couldn't know that so she utilized false pride to portray ignorance, which he, no doubt, found amusing, thinking that she was unaware of him being a reaper.

"Would you, now? Hi hi hi!" He grinned at her, bemused, just as she thought he would. "My, quite the ungrateful one, aren't you?~ After all, I did save your life, all I ask is a little cooperation~" The lips curled darkly at the unvoiced threat that she could sense more than feel, and she decided to play her cards cautiously.

"I'm saying this for your own safety. To be honest, you're better off not associating with me at all. Your actions to save my life haven't gone unrecognized, so you have my services to whatever end you see fit, so long as they are within reason." She disliked being known for ingratitude, not that she cared, but it was an offense to her character. She in no way suggested any contempt for his efforts, therefore he had no reason for that assumption.

He tilted his head curiously. "Your services?" He thought for a moment before grinning deviously. "Undress for me, then~"

She paused for a moment, taking a moment to let his words sink in before reacting with a jerk, scowling at him as her eyebrows shot to her hairline, eyes wide with disbelief. "Excuse me?! The hell do you think you are to order me around like that!" She bristled in anger, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

His grin widened, bony fingers steepled in front of his face as he sat on a coffin across from where she laid. "Who said it would be up to you? Don't you know what a pretty face like you do to men like me?~" His lecherous grin made her mouth drop in shock, and not soon after, cackling commenced. His cackling to be precise. He held his stomach, even dropping to the floor as tears ran down his face from laughing so hard. "Bwahahaha! You should've seen your face! Hi hi hi hiii~"

She deadpanned, slapping a hand over her face as embarrassment washed over her from reacting so strongly. She forgot one crucial fact about him: his terrible inclination to pranks and "good" jokes. Her eyebrow ticked in annoyance as she internally groaned, before snapping, "Whatever, just state your terms before I lose interest."

"Tee hee hee!~ Oh come now, m'dear, let's not be hasty. Just needed to lighten the mood a bit~ The seriousness was starting to kill me~" He snickered away as he got up and she rolled her eyes. Nice to know.

"Now then, about that, why not work for me? An old man like myself can use some help around the house~" He giggled like a little kid, eager to open a present as he swayed from side to side with a smile on his face.

She frowned at him, trying to see if he was up to something until he tilted his head at her, much like a dog would when it questioned its owner innocently what they were thinking. "Didn't you hear me earlier? You're endangering yourself by just being around me."

He smirked. "Isn't that what you would be here for?~"

Was he hiring me to be his personal bodyguard? What she knew of him so far, he shouldn't require any protection, but then again, it could just be him being cryptic with his intentions. She mulled it over before coming to the same conclusion. "Ok, so then I'll just find some place to stay. When am I supposed to begin?"

"Oh no, no." He waved a clawed hand dismissively, as if waving away unneeded worries. "No need for that, you'll be staying here; I've far more rooms than an old man needs. And think of it as an apprenticeship~ As soon as you're ready to move around without much trouble, you'll begin shadowing, and soon after, assisting me with duties. Until then, work on your recovery and we can worry about the details later~"

Her mouth quirked slightly. "And how can I trust you not to do anything within the period I'm unable to care for myself?" His previous comment about her beauty unnerved her after all, although she knew of his character to be above such actions, one can never be too sure.

He smirked rather cynically at her. "Surely, by now, you know that I could've anything to you while you were unconscious?~" He giggled eerily before getting up and approaching her, glancing at her belongings. "Now then, so long as your business doesn't interfere with mine, I don't see any reason for me to tell you what to do. As for your room, I suppose I'll have to take you there, fu fu~" He lifted her out of the coffin she currently resided in effortlessly for an old man, making her lift an eyebrow and scramble for purchase at his robes to which he snickered at.

She scowled at him, leaning away a little. "What?" She bit out, irritated at his closeness. It wasn't because of his creepiness that his usual customers felt around him, but the intimacy in general that made her uncomfortable.

He grinned, leaning forward as much as possible without dropping her. "Do I make you uncomfortable, little one?~ Hi hi hi!"

She leveled a cool glare on him. "It's the closeness that bothers me, not you."

He smirked. "All the same, deary, simply put your arms around my neck to make it easier for both of us."

She sighed, relenting albeit reluctantly, encircling his neck with her arms but loosely. The stitches on her arms tugged slightly at the movement and she had to be careful not to break them or else she'd have to have him redo them. The underlying strength in his arms as he held her patiently hinted at his true nature, to which she already knew of, and the deceptive warmth radiating from him didn't help much. But she wasn't one to fuss, though.

As he carried her out through the back door, she could feel the warmth permeating through her clothing, and looking down, she realized she was in a different set of clothing. She blinked in surprise to see she was dressed in a simple white gown, similar to one for sleeping and looked to him. "You changed my clothes?"

"Well, now, unless you'd have liked to rest in blood-soaked clothing, I took the liberty of undressing you so I can wash them. They should be drying now, hi hi~" His tone suggested like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hm." She sounded so far off that it made him look down in quiet interest. She looked as if she didn't expect anyone to care enough about her to even worry about her, much less her current state. "Well, thanks, then."

He chuckled. "Now now, don't get all soft on me, my dear~ I thought you didn't trust me? Fu fu~"

Her temper flared just as quick, annoyed but not enough to lose her composure. "Who said I was? I'm just being courteous." Her eyebrow ticked as she cooly replied while he snickered.

"Now then, this is the room you'll be staying in." He opened the door using one hand and had adjusted her weight to balance her with one arm, revealing a pretty spare bedroom. All it contained was a bed, a chair, desk, and a cabinet for her clothes, well the ones currently drying now. He approached the bed, laying her down carefully before standing up. "Now, about those stitches~" He disappeared to fetch medical supplies, she presumed as she carefully sat up on the bed and looked around.

She thought about the future. What's going to happen now that I'm here? Thinking back, she was surprised he didn't plan on throwing her out after patching her up, moreover after she'd be healed up. Instead he offered her an apprenticeship, a place to stay… It made her wonder what he was up to, but decided she would deal with it later. All that mattered was recovering as soon as possible and then finding a way back to where she truly belonged. Until then, she'd wait and see what happened.

Amongst her musings, his step alerted her of his presence and she looked to see him carrying a bottle of liquid and some kind of small container. He laid them on the bed next to her and snickered. "Now, although this may sound inappropriate, I'll have to ask you to undress for me to check on the progress of your healing. Wouldn't do for them to get infected~"

She blinked before shrugging. She was still wearing bra, surprisingly, so it shouldn't be a problem with how much it exposed her skin. Even if he were up to something, she could still use her bare fists if need be. "It's fine, just do what you will." Undressing until her upper half was exposed, her toned but slim body was exposed, her ribs somewhat noticeable, but her medium-sized breasts left little to the imagination with how modern undergarments clung to her shape.

What amused him most was how little to no embarrassment she possessed with the display she made. He wouldn't deny that she was attractive, so much so that it was on par to a demon's, but he wondered why she seemed to consist of little to no modesty. "Shouldn't this bother you? After all, you're alone in a room with a grown man~" He tittered as he checked her stitches, murmuring approvingly at how well they'd stayed together.

"This is for medical purposes, is it not? Therefore, I see no reason to make such a big deal out of it, so long as nothing drastic occurs." She spared him an annoyed glance before looking away with a blank, almost bored, and detached face. She could hear him opening a bottle and using a cloth, soaking its contents before pressing it to her stitches to clean them. Hydrogen peroxide; made sense if the stitches were to be kept as clean as possible so it wasn't infected while they kept the wounds shut. Despite the sting, her face gave away nothing.

He grinned at her reply. Quite the strong-minded one, eh~ He giggled as he finished up cleaning them before applying a cream, feeling her body relax against the relief but shiver at the cold sensation, or maybe from his nails whenever they lightly trailed against her skin randomly. "Hi hi, all done~ Now, take care not to mess them up or else I'll have to redo them again~" He watched her nod in acknowledgement as she redressed before gathering his supplies. "Very well then, unless you have anymore questions, I'll get started preparing a late supper for us. Cookie?~" He held a bone-shaped biscuit in front of her, and only God knows where hid it, but as her stomach grumbled, she decided that now wasn't the time to be picky.

"Thanks," she mumbled, biting into it before quickly looking up. "Oh, and about earlier, thanks for not throwing me out after what happened." She looked awkward, which looked strangely cute for her but all he did was chuckle and wave dismissively.

"Think nothing of it, dear~ A lonely old man like me needs company once in a while, ne?~" He giggled as he left, closing the door softly. To be honest, throwing her out was never part of the plan to begin with because he already knew there was something unusual with the girl under her care. He grinned, stalking to the kitchen to prepare their supper. Something very unusual about her, indeed, and he was going to found out why.