A/N: Well, I really tried to reach 5k, but alas, 4.7k will have to do. Besides this note. Otherwise, I would've had to go on to rambling, and I'm sure not a lot of y'all will appreciate that. Anyhow, kind of an expected ending, at least for me, but I hope it's enjoyable for you. But, please inform me if it seemed like rambling towards the end. I wanted to spice things up. Now, on to the reviews:

Riddicks-gurl1988: I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far. And I share the same sentiments too according to a romantic Undertaker with Rachel. Basically, a stoic person with a playful/annoying lover, lol. I can't wait to get there. But, until then, there'll be much character development.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kruoshitsuji nor will I ever. Everything read not included in the manga are my ideas and characters alone unless mentioned otherwise.

Chapter 14 Rachel's POV (1st)
"Alright, since bocchan already has a head start, today, I'll be using Ciel for the majority of my teaching portion of your lesson. Is that agreeable with you two?"

The youngest shrugged. "It's only fair."

"Right, well then. Master Ciel, you ready?" My blank gaze landed on him, and interestingly, he seemed a bit reproachful. However, he nodded enthusiastically and sat on the piano bench next to me. "Right, then. We'll go over the basics."

I pushed the middle C key down with a finger and pointed to the corresponding note on the treble cleft with one of the music books that Vincent had bought. "This here is Middle C, as notated by the note you see here." I tapped on the page. "Each line and space stands for a letter which you'll have to memorize in order to play music easily. The musical alphabet starts with A and ends with G. The note above C would be D, and it would look like this." I drew a note to the right that was higher than the C and attached to the bottom line.

"How come it doesn't have a line like middle C?" Ciel had leaned forward in interest, like his younger brother, to see how I notated the letter. "And how come only up to G? Why not all the way to Z?"

"But wouldn't that make it confusing to memorize all the letters of the notes?" Bocchan, this time, inquired.

I huffed, amused at their exchange. "Excellent observation you two. Well, first of all, you'll see that in other pieces of music, there are only five lines and four spaces as standard. All notes above and below that don't fit within those five lines receive their own line, depending on their position. So, like middle C, it has a line across the note, but D doesn't because its within a space if we imagine the line middle C has was the sixth line. Like so, going from Middle C, the note above would be D, E, F, G, A, and so forth until G." I finished drawing the notes, ending with the note that rested above the top line and tapped it for emphasis.

"For your homework, I want you to memorize all the notes and their letters that you see here. I'll quiz you on their placement by the end of this week. It would help for you two to make flashcards and quiz each other so it's easier." Seeing them both nod, I continued. "And before I get, this here is under treble cleft, also known as G cleft. It is the region within which your right hand will play. Usually." I drew the cleft at the far left of the measure then tapped it with the eraser end of the pencil. "This is what it looks like."

"What about the left hand then?" Said Ciel.

"Then that would be the Bass cleft, which would look like this." I drew a backwards C before adding two dots behind it. "This cleft is usually played by the left hand and sung by the Bass line of the choir. As for the other two clefts, we'll get to those later. But for now, all you need to know is that the bottom space starts with A and the top space is G."

I tilted my head for a moment before deciding to add a tip. "Just so it's easier, you can remember all the space notes of the treble cleft as FACE and the line notes using this sentence: Every Good Bird Does Fly. Just take the first letter of each word. Same thing with the bass cleft, but for the space notes, this sentence: All Cars Eat Gas. As for the line notes, just fill in the gaps. You can make up your own if you like." I sighed, slouching. /That was quite the mouthful./

I looked down at the twins, seeing their heads tilt this way and that while processing the overload of info I gave them. "If it's too overwhelming, just memorizing treble cleft will do fine. But, if you manage to memorize both as well as do well with note memorization, I'll give both of you a prize."

They both gasped, eyes lit up at the prospect of a challenge.

/Well, there you go. Problem solved./ I heard a chuckled from Madame Red which I pointedly ignored as they clamored excitedly.

"Do we each have to pass?"

"Do all of them have to be correct?"

"What if we make a mistake!"

Two sets of watery azure looked at me, having already forgotten over the prize. /Well, so much for the prize./

"About that, I'll give you chances to redeem yourself. However, if you make the same mistake more than twice, then it'll count against you. How does that sound?"

They agreed unanimously with furious bobs of their head.

"Alright, then moving on. Part of the essentials of music is learning scales. A scale, which is major or minor, is a set of eight keys or notes. Some will be all white, some will have some black keys, depending on the type of scale. For now, I'll familiarize you with major scales."

I cleared my throat, shifting on the bench before pressing middle C with my thumb. "The first scale you'll learn is C Major. It has no sharps or flats, and so we'll only use white keys." I played the scale slowly for them to see going up and down. "For this scale, since you don't have eight fingers, you'll have to transition from your third finger to your thumb to reach the last five notes."

I turned to Master Ciel. "Here, I'll have you try."

He blinked startled, before smiling excitedly and placing his right hand on the keyboard, looking at my hand occasionally for placement. While he played, I would correct his finger position, guiding him up and down the scale before doing the same with bocchan.

"Alright, excellent you two. Now, for the left hand…"

…

I sighed, slumping against the chair opposite to Madame Red in exhaustion. Two hours. That, in all, took two hours: one hour of teaching, and then thirty minutes for the twins each. Eventually, it would have to extend to an hour each once they started playing harder pieces. I pursed my lips. /If/ we ever reach that point.

Madam Red eyed me over her cup of tea which she brought to her lips, most likely hiding a smirk. She chuckled. "My, peaked already, dear?"

I closed my eyes, desperate for some patience of any kind. "Those two might as well be incubi. They seem to suck the energy right out of me." I opened my eyes to see Tanaka place a cup of tea before me, thanking him quietly as he nodded in acknowledgement. I took a sip. Not really my cup of tea, literally, but I'd take anything at this point.

"Fufu~ I only wonder how well you'll fare in a party that I'll be hosting sometime soon." She placed her cup down and regarded me with some amusement.

I crinkled my nose. "Spare me. I don't need all of England coming after me." /And, besides, I'd take Undertaker's company over obnoxious snobs/, I added silently. /No matter how annoying he may be./

"My dear, you simply can't be cooped up for too long. Why, you'd lose your sanity sooner than you think!"

"Hmph. As much as I appreciate the concern, the only thing I'd be missing is a good book and some sleep."

A chuckled erupted out of her, but a stern voice pierced the atmosphere just as well. "While I agree with Ms. Rose's opinion, hiding from the public is cause for suspicion just as well. It would be in your best interest to abate the issue before it becomes a problem." Marchioness Midford.

I looked behind me to see her glaring at my unsightly posture. /Huh./ I straightened and faced Madame Red but looked down at my tea cup, mulling it over some. "I suppose it's worth the debut."

I heard a clap and a way-too-enthusiastic giggle erupt from Madame Red. "Oh, how splendid!~ Very well then, how about it, Franny dear? A little break from the little tots shouldn't hurt."

The Marchioness sat, perched in a dignified manner as she patiently waited for Tanaka to poor her some tea. "Such engagements are beneath me, Ann. I have more pressing manners than to waste the night away at some insignificant ball."

I would've snorted had she not been present.

Madame Red simply pouted at her before scoffing, dismissing her refusal with the wave of her hand. "Never you mind, then." She looked over at me and crossed her legs. "However, the invitation wasn't the only reason why I came here. I'm sure Elle dear, here, would know why from my letter."

I nodded. /Where was this going?/

"Well, I'd like to invite you to my manor."

I raised my eyebrows, and in my peripheral, Lady Francis also did the same.

She continued, unperturbed. "Think of it as more of a "Get To Know You Better" event."

I sweat-dropped. "I suppose I'll have to accept. I'll just need to discuss this with my boss."

"That's right. You work for the Undertaker, do you not?" To my left, Lady Francis seemed even more displeased at my disposition as his apprentice.

/Jeez, I'm just digging myself a deeper hole at the rate I'm going, and I'm sure Undertaker's only contributing./ I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Somewhat, but it's more of an apprenticeship. I'm not sure for how long I'll stay, but so long as the contract remains, there I'll be, my Lady."

A contemplative hum, but nothing else.

Then…

"Mother!" A jovial, youthful voice was just outside the door. Tanaka answered it, and before the door even fully opened, a blur of blonde hair and frilly dresses was headed straight for the Marchioness. "Mother, you wouldn't believe it! Ciel says that they got a piano tutor and had their first lesson today! Why can't we get one, either?" She bounced on her feet, as if the news of excitement was so overwhelming that it was consuming her overall.

Francis looked down at her daughter with slight distaste at her behavior. "First and foremost, a lady is patient. It is ill-mannered to rush to someone's side with urgency over such insignificant news. Second, if you'd like to meet this new tutor of yours, she's just right there, Elizabeth." She nodded her heads towards me, and a miniature version of the 14 year old she-demon from the manga turned her glimmering emerald eyes towards me and beheld with much excitement and admiration.

"Oh, why, hello, there! My name's Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzy. How do you do?" She curtsied, and in haste, I stood up, nearly bumping the table before bowing. I didn't really have the dress to curtsy anyhow.

"As well as the day find me, my Lady. And you?" I straightened. I could only hope I was faking this well.

"Rather well, thank you for asking." With that done, she rushed right in to the original topic. "So how was it? The piano lesson?"

"Well, both of Earl Phantomhive's sons have been assigned the same homework, and by next piano lesson, I shall be ascertaining their progress. It's far too seen to see who has a knack for music, but for their first lesson, they've done rather well in absorbing information." That was really all I could offer.

"Oh, how exciting! I wish I could be part of it! Can't I, mother?" She looked to her mother with big eyes, but Lady Midford's fortitude remained virile as ever.

"I'm afraid not, Elizabeth. You have no need for such a skill. Besides, there are more pressing matters to attend to. Speaking of which," she opened an eye and squinted at me. "Despite my displeasure at my brother's hasty decision, I do believe I can entrust my nephews' tutelage to you. You've proven mastery in your skill and a firm hand in teaching. I trust you will maintain your performance?" The way she phrased it seemed less of a question and more like a demand.

"Without a doubt, milady."

She huffed in approval before standing up. "Come, Elizabeth. We have much to do, and no time to spare. Angelina, until we meet again. And Tanaka, lovely tea, as always." The elderly man dipped his head humbly as Madame Red waved her hand.

And apparently, having gotten over the excitement about the new piano tutor, Elizabeth rushed over to give Madame Red a hug before leaving out the door behind her mother. "Bye, Aunt Red. I do hope we'll get to play some more, next time!"

"And I you, dear~!" Madame Red waved at her fondly before sighing wistfully. "Ah, children. Don't you ever wish for any, dear Elle?"

I lifted a prudish eyebrow at her. "Not anytime soon."

She smirked at that. "Fair enough, I suppose. Although preference does play heavily into that." She sighed before looking at her abdomen. "My husband and I were successful in trying for a baby." She smiled gently, a hand at her stomach. "I can just only hope that I'm able enough to carry it to term."

I nodded, not knowing what else to say. I felt a stab of guilt. What could I say to her, that within a couple of months, she'll be in an accident that'll make her lose her baby and her husband.

/I just have to keep my distance. It's better this way for everyone. I can't risk screwing up the future./

"But, enough chit chat. The ball wasn't really the sole reason I came here."

"I assume you're referencing to that "Get To Know You Better" Event you unoriginally came up with when Madame Francis was present."

She snorted. "Yes, that."

I frowned. "I thought we already discussed this?"

She shook her head, "No, it's more than that. I think that you are in dire need of a friend."

A snort came out before I could stifle it. /A friend? What made her think that?/

She lifted a calm eyebrow but continued anyway. "You remind me so much of myself when I was younger. But, this isn't out of pity, per se. Think of it more as a smoother transition into proper society."

"And what makes milady so sure of that?"

Her ruby red eyes glinted, and I felt dread pool my stomach. "Well, I'm sure you'll be needing a touch-up on how to interact with the lords and ladies, not to mention how often you'll be encountering them on your cases."

"Did the Earl put you up to this?"

"Fufufu~, I understand why you'd think that, but you can say he inspired the idea. Just think of it as a favor from a friend. Speaking of which, you're welcome to call me Angelina when we're alone."

My eyes strayed to Tanaka whose face betrayed no emotion. "If you say so, milady."

She tilted her head and gently smiled before looking behind. "Oh, would you look at the time."

I glanced behind me. /Whoops, time to go./

"You should probably hail for a carriage. The Earl may just deliver you home with one of his servants. I'll let him know now. And, I'm looking forward to our event this Friday." She winked at me playfully with a smile.

I deadpanned. She reminded me so much of a certain someone. Someone who was also a red-head.

Coincidences just love to run into each other, don't they?

"The feeling's mutual, Madame Red. I'll be there by the appointed time and date."

"Excellent! Now, about that carriage…"

…

I sighed.

"Hihi~ How was it, m'dear?" His presence drew nearer to my slumped over figure on the desk.

My head lolled to the side to give him a tired glare. "How do you think it went?"

A snicker. His robes rustled as he sat next to me before I heard the /clink/ of a glass being placed near my head. The aroma of tea persuaded my eyes to open, and I sat up, eagerly drinking it.

"Well now, I wouldn't know if my assistant slumped over her brand new desk wouldn't tell me~"

My brow ticked. "As if being set up by Lady Francis and spending two hours doing piano lessons are your definition of fun. And don't get me started on- Wait, what?"

/Brand new desk?…/

I scooted back on the coffin we sat on, to have a better look, and sure enough, an oak desk stood in place of the coffin I used to have. A smaller version than what he had, but with enough workspace to be able to do work - meaning his paperwork - but comfortably eat/drink.

"You just had this replaced today?"

He giggled, holding a sleeve to his mouth in what made him appear to be bashful. "Well, when I thought of my assistant having to slouch over while doing work, I decided I couldn't bear the thought of you having back issues!" He then grinned. "So I bought a new one."

I was silent, staring at him for a minute before looking at the desk. "You didn't have to do that. You could've just moved the desk from my room down here. But, thank you." I was suspicious, but I guess he cares in his own way.

"Of course, m'dear. Besides, if I moved the desk down here, I wouldn't be able to bring you food and eat next to you. Or read with a buddy."

I blanked. "There's a chair."

He pouted, poking at my cheek with a sharp nail. "Meanie~"

I pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me with that nail. Lord knows where or whom you've stuck it in and how well you've cleaned it."

The last time I had seen him take care of a body, which wasn't very long ago, he only dipped his hands in water before drying it. That gesture alone told me he had no clue what kind of germs were wriggling around in those claws of his.

(Flashback)

"You seriously call that cleaning?"

He looked at me baffled before looking at his hands, stopped midway with drying with a rag. "Well, of course, m'dear. Can't have the germs be spreading around, now, can we~?" He wiggled his fingers at me, and the effort of my frown was making my eye twitch.

"That's exactly what you're doing."

He tilted his head. "Hm?"

I groaned, reaching for my bag which Zero had given me, and looking for the hand sanitizer. As my hand ruffled its contents, I resumed explaining. "Just dipping your hands in water doesn't do shit. If anything, you're just giving them a bath." Having located the small bottle, I walked over to him before holding out my hand. "Hands."

His mouth was agape, curious on why I was so bothered but played along. He held his hands over mine and watched as I squirted the belly substance before rubbing it firmly over his hands, especially over his fingertips, under the nails, and the crevices. He would giggle occasionally every time my nose twitched when I touched his nails, but I carried on explaining nonetheless.

"This solution here is called a hand sanitizer." When the gel was evenly spread, I let go of his hands which he held to his face, inspecting them. "They'll dry so you don't need to worry about a rag. But!" I held up a warning finger. "From now on, anytime you have to disinfect your hands, you better use this. It'll disinfect the germs and bacteria that you attained from touching corpses so that you don't end up spreading them to your customers."

He grinned, taking the bottle and holding it up close to his face. "Interesting. And if I don't?"

My eyebrow raised out of its own volition. "Then I'm punishing you. By making sure you never see your cookies again. And, you can say goodbye to my cooking."

The smirk that rose on his face from my reply had progressively fallen until he was looking at me dejectedly with a bigger pout, like some child that was punished too harshly. "Do you truly hate me that much, love?"

I snorted. "Why would I hate you? I'm telling you this for your own good. Especially where your business is concerned, you don't want to build a reputation of infamously getting your customers sick just from visiting you."

He still wouldn't stop pouting, and now he refused to look at me, lower lip jutting out as he hid his hands in his sleeves but still clutching the bottle based on the noticeable bump it made.

I sighed again. Now, /I/ felt bad. "Alright, I take back what I said about cooking. But I'll hide your cookies until you start using it."

He perked before rushing over to me and nuzzling my cheek with his, the scar brushing up and down mine as his arms held me tightly against him. "Aww, I knew you cared about me! Don't deny it, dear~ Lying is unbecoming of a lady~"

"Oi!" I struggled to make him release me, pushing on his arms but he only held me tighter. Realizing the futility of my efforts, I gave up, all resistance drained out of me.

He chuckled but didn't say anything, carrying me as if I were a rag doll, my feet swinging a few inches above the ground before his body suddenly twitched.

/Oh, what now?/

"You have to tell me you like me."

"What?"

He grinned down at me as I looked up. His chest was smushed against mine, which may have made us look oddly intimate to the outside eye. "Tell me you like me."

"Why in the world would I like you? You're my boss!"

/What in the world did that even have to do with anything?/

"Pah! Even bosses can be friends with their employees~"

I felt my eye twitch again as he was back to nuzzling my face, the scar giving me tingles. Well, fine. If that was all it took for me to release him.

"Ok, I like you… as a friend."

He stilled.

Nothing.

"Oi! Let me go already, I did what you asked!" I pushed on his chest now but he was still silent.

I sighed again. There must be something else he wants. "What is it?"

"We need something to commemorate this event~" He sounded so determined, it was almost scary.

I just played along. "Like what?"

He paused, as if the thought just occurred to him."Good question, m'dear. Let me think on that~"

He carried me like the rag doll I was to the coffin I sat at and positioned me to sit next to him, but with his arms still around me.

"Will you let me go already?"

"Hihi, nope~"

Admitting defeat, I sighed through my nose, resting my chin on my hand as I stared off into space while he thought.

"A nickname!"

"What?"

He beamed down at me as if I was the one to come up with the idea. "A nickname. Give me one that you'd like to call me by."

I squinted at him. "Uh, wouldn't I have to know your actual name for that?"

He grinned cryptically but didn't say anything.

/Alright, guess that's a no./ I looked away. It'll have to do something with Undertaker, then.

Hm… Taker? No, too odd. Unders! I tilted my head. A bit long, though. I blinked, then suddenly it came to me. The shortest name known to mankind. Un.

Perfect. It was short enough that it was just one syllable and only two letters.

"Un."

"Hm?"

"That's your nickname: Un."

His mouth was agape, apparently not having expected that. "Un~… Hmm, quite the peculiar name." He tested it out before nodding in approval. "Very well, then. Un it is, hihi~"

/What a relief./ I nudged his arms. "Now will you let me go?"

He released me but not before crooking a finger under my chin and directing my gaze to his, an exposed lime green eye locking to my silver. "Not anytime soon." With a bop to my nose with his finger he stood up abruptly and walked away as if nothing happened.

…um, what?

(Present)

I deadpanned. How we went from cleaning hands to making up nicknames was beyond me, but I guess that's what you could expect from introverts. Anything that could hold our attention was worth discussing about.

All this time, I didn't realize I was staring at Undertaker like a specimen until he tilted his head and grinned.

"Dearest?"

"Huh?"

"Is something the matter?"

I blinked. Oops, lost in my head again. I shook my head, "No, it's nothing."

I'd already forgotten what we were doing earlier until he poked my side with a nail again. /I swear to God…/

"Y'know, love, you haven't called me by my nickname yet."

He was like a kid. A gigantic kid who didn't when to stop being annoying. "Well, it's not like I have to fight for your attention or anything. Besides, we live in the same building." Of course, I didn't just say, "Hey, you" but sometimes I didn't even have to call him out in order to get his attention.

He pouted. "But you're supposed to use my nickname~" He crossed his arms and huffed. "Fine~ I'll just ignore you until you use it."

/Okay…/

I decided to test it out. "It's a nice desk."

I glanced from the corner of my eye. Nothing.

Looking back at the desk, I suddenly wondered what Zero did for the whole day I was absent. "Did Zero help put this here?"

Still nothing. He still had his arms crossed but was now also deliberately looking away.

Okay, now I was starting to get annoyed.

"You know, Madame Red invited me to a ball. I don't know when it will be, but she might also invite you, too."

Not even a peep.

I sighed. Alright, I was done with this charade. "Un."

He twitched before turning and bestowing towards me his biggest smile. "Yes, dear?"

I hesitated. I was going to yell at him to cut it out, but now, I'm not so sure. He was still waiting for what I had to say, so I lamely retorted, "Thanks for the desk."

He giggled. "Of course, dear."

I sighed, putting a hand to my forehead. /What in the world made me think I could keep up with this guy?/ As I rubbed my temple, another thought came to me. /Are we getting too familiar with each other?/

I paused. It had only been two weeks since I came here, and yet I was getting comfortable with our routine. Of course, I wasn't completely settled in. I could move out without breaking any ties completely. We had somewhat of a formal friendship between Un and I. What if it progresses beyond that though?

I frowned. I couldn't allow that to happen. Not here, not ever, and most definitely not now. The last thing I needed was some kind of bias once the manga started.

I sat in heavy silence. I'll have to establish distance between us. It's our only chance. Besides, I was in an advantageous position of watching over the Phantomhives but not interfering too much. Unless if it was one of their cases. But it's a start, nonetheless.

"Hey, Un. I have a favor to ask." I turned to him, still halfway lost in my thoughts.

He turned to me, not expecting me to react so oddly. "What is it, dear?"

"It's something to do with the contract. This is my only wish: Don't become romantically attached to me."

An awkward yet stifling silence hung between us.

"And why's that?" I could see from his contemplative frown that he was trying to figure out why.

"Because if you do, I'll have to quit and find a new job, move somewhere else."

He was still disturbingly silent.

"Just promise me that you'll do that much for me. Okay? Friends is fine, but beyond that, well…" I trailed off.

"I see…" He didn't really affirm or disapprove of my condition.

But at least now he knows.

04/30/19