Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Black Butler. They, and their characters, belong to their respective creators.

Chapter 3 - Dinner and Details

Sebastian tasted the main course for the evening, a soup of good stock, supplemented with plenty of vegetables and beef of the highest grade. It would go well against the chill of the weather. "Perfect," he pronounced. "Please be sure to serve it at the appropriate time," he instructed Bard, who stood at attention. "I will now check the dining room."

With that said, he left the kitchen with a flourish and headed towards the dining room where three settings had been set out. It would have been easier if only two had been needed, but since Kyo had proven to be a human after all, it wouldn't do to exclude him.

The place settings were not as far apart as they might have been if there had only been two. The Young Master's setting was at the usual end of the table, with the two guests' settings placed slightly further down the table, facing each other so that they could still be within easy conversing distance but far enough away that any threat could quickly be eliminated. Each setting was set to perfection. It was time to inform the Young Master and have the guests escorted downstairs.

It had only slightly put things out of order that Mey-Rin had come down to inform him of her conversation with the young mistress. It was nice, however, to learn that the two strangers were at least sticking to the same story about their origins. And their accents did suggest they were from that region. He would definitely have to call in Lau to confirm it. Strange that they would both think they were in Japan though. And he doubted it was from any illegal substance they'd taken. He hadn't smelled any on them. Well, he'd leave that to the Young Master to decide.

Sebastian knocked quietly on the study door before opening it. "Young Master, dinner is served. I have dispatched Mey-Rin to collect your guests and they should be arriving in the dining room shortly."

Ciel sighed. "Very well, Sebastian. I hope you won't disappoint me this time. What news have you this time?" He got up from behind his desk and joined his butler by the door. They walked down the hall together.

Sebastian smirked. "It would seem that our guests are originally from Japan. I thought they might be from somewhere in that region from their accents. It would also appear that they are living under the same roof, though I do not yet know the relationship. However, I have ascertained that the young lady's name is Tohru, though I have yet to discover her parentage. They were both apparently quite surprised to find themselves in England. Perhaps they are more lost than they thought."

Ciel chewed on that fact. "So it would seem," he finally replied. "Anything else?"

Sebastian cleared his throat slightly, wondering if he should tell his master about the potential time issue, but he decided against it. "It would seem that the young man, at least, is from a fairly wealthy family. I am unsure about the lady, but considering that she lodges with them, it is possible that she also comes from some measure of wealth. They are, however, apparently not related in any way. His sir name is Sohma. I am unsure of hers."

The young earl sighed as they walked down the stairs. "I see. Very well. We will see what can be learned at dinner. I hope our table is agreeable to them."

"As do I," Sebastian said with a slight bow. "Had I been aware that we were to entertain guests from Japan, I might have been able to prepare something more to their tastes. But we will certainly not shame the Phantomhive name with our offering."

"Good." Ciel turned, walking towards the dining room. "Even though we know very little about our guests, we would not want to shame the family name, would we? Please be sure to assign Mey-Rin to wait on Miss Tohru, and Tanaka should do well for the boy, Kyo."

Sebastian bowed his master into the dining room. "It is already done. After all, as a butler of the Phantomhive family, it is sometimes wise to foresee the master's desires."
Ciel rolled his eyes as he walked to his place at the long table. He noted that his guests weren't quite there yet. He glanced at Sebastian. "Well?"

Sebastian looked towards the doorway. "I'm sure they will be here shortly, Young Master. Would you like me to search for them?"

Ciel took his seat. "Whatever. Do as you please."

He bowed to his master. "I shall return shortly with our errant guests in tow." He turned crisply on his heels and strode out of the dining hall. "Now, where could they have gotten to?"

Kyo blinked in surprise as yet another man dressed as a butler stood at the door. He was just glad he'd been given his clothes back, slightly damp, but good enough. He'd been more than happy to give back the borrowed clothes.

The under butler, Tanaka, bowed slightly. "I am to escort you to dinner," he informed the ginger haired boy. "If you are ready, young sir."

Kyo felt like his mouth was hanging open. The only people he knew of who were waiting on like he apparently was being now, lived in the Main House, a place he could never enter. It was more than a little unnerving to be treated in such a way. "Uh… yeah." He went out into the hallway in time to see Mey-Rin escorting Tohru from her room.

Tohru ran over to Kyo, fully restored to her school uniform. "Kyo! I was so worried when you weren't in the room when I came back. I mean, until they told me you were next door that is. I'm just glad nothing bad happened to you!" She refrained from hugging him like she wanted to, though, settling for shyly touching his hand.

Kyo looked up at her hair. Somehow, it had been styled differently than usual. It was a more mature style with most of her hair swept up into a bun. "Uh, you look different," he stuttered. "I mean, it's nice but not something I'm used to seeing you wear." He blushed scarlet.

Tohru blushed slightly. "Mey-Rin did it! She said I have such pretty hair that it would be a shame not to do something with it."

"A point by which Mey-Rin is quite correct," Sebastian said as he suddenly joined them.

Kyo put a hand to his heart at the sudden fright Sebastian's appearance had given him. "Don't do that! Sneaking around like a rat or a snake!"

Tohru felt like she needed to bow or something so she bent into a slight curtsey. "You'll have to forgive Kyo. He doesn't like people sneaking up on him. He's always in a bad mood when Yuki does it back home."

"Ah." Sebastian glanced questioningly. "A brother, perhaps?"

Kyo crossed his arms. "No. More like the world's most annoying cousin. He always thinks he's so superior but he's not! And one of these days I'll teach him! I'll show him who's better!"

"Kyo!" Tohru put her hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't say things like that!"

Kyo stopped, but his expression was sullen. It reminded Sebastian a bit of his master. He wondered how they'd get along. "If you don't mind, the Young Master is waiting for us in the dining room. Mey-Rin, will go ahead of us and help Bard?" He turned to the maid for a moment, then back to the two guests. "If you would be so good as to follow me, I will escort you down."

Tohru fell into step behind Sebastian, next to the still grumping Kyo. "You should try to be nice," she whispered. "I hear their master is an earl! We don't want to make him angry!"

Kyo snorted. 'Humph! It makes no difference to me what he is!"

"Kyo!" She turned pleading eyes on him. "Please! Please try to behave yourself! We don't want to be kicked back out of the storm. He's not Yuki."

The boy stopped a moment to look at her earnest face, then let out a sigh. "If it's really that important to you… fine. I'll try."

Sebastian pretended not to hear the exchange as his footsteps rang out on the stones below his feet. It was amazing how revealing even the simplest conversation could be, he thought as he led them down the stairs and towards the dining room. "This way," he instructed as he held open the door. "The Young Master is already waiting inside."

Tohru entered the room first, her eyes just about popping out at the sheer size of the hall. Kyo followed closely behind her, careful not to bump into her as she stopped and stared. "Wow! This is incredible! I've never seen such a large table before!"

The table could easily sit twenty people if no one was shy, with room to add on at the end if it was needed. The décor was spectacular, unlike anything either had seen before. Tohru's eyes were shining as she took it all in, her hands clasped. It took a while for her to notice the figure at the far end of the table but when she did, her eyes lit up even more. "What a cute little boy!" she thought as she looked at the smartly dressed youth at the head of the table. But where was the earl?

Sebastian moved into the room and bowed to them. "Allow me to introduce my master, the Earl Ciel Phantomhive."

Kyo's mouth dropped open. That kid was the earl Tohru had mentioned? Impossible! Why, he couldn't be any older than Hiro or Kisa! And what was with the patch over his right eye?

Tohru stood at attention hearing the introduction. Realizing that Sebastian meant the boy in front of them, she bowed fiercely. "Uh… Mr. Sir… Phantomhive, sir, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" She blushed furiously.

Ciel was slightly taken aback by her behavior. What kind of girl was this person, he wondered, obviously a formal one. The boy beside her seemed too shocked to do much but stare.

Sebastian smiled in amusement. Well, at least one of them had manners, even if she did stutter. "Young Master, these are the guests we took in from the storm, Miss Tohru…" he left his sentence hanging.

Tohru looked up from her bow. "Uh… Honda, sir! I'm Tohru Honda!" Her cheeks remained red.

Sebastian looked slightly surprised but bowed regardless. "Miss Tohru Honda and her companion, Kyo Sohma of Japan."

Kyo finally had come to his senses enough to offer a slight, if not awkward bow. "Uh, yeah. Hi." He looked more than a little flustered as he looked up.

Ciel was intrigued and slightly amused. He smiled slightly as he stood. "Welcome to my home. Please, join me. Sit. Sebastian!"

Sebastian bowed slightly. "Of course. Miss, if you please." He escorted Tohru to her place at the table. Kyo automatically went to the seat opposite hers, still looking somewhat dazed to the butler's amusement. He gently pushed Tohru's chair in then took his place at his master's side. "The appetizer is a small broiled filet of salmon from the local freshwater streams."

Bard wheeled in a cart and began serving the plates while Sebastian took Ciel's plate and placed it in front of him. Once the dishes were set around, he left, taking his cart with him. Tohru watched him, blinking.

Ciel smiled, watching them. Perhaps taking them in would be more interesting than he'd first thought. They were obviously not used to this kind of atmosphere, regardless of whether they came from money or not. But that could simply be because they were unaccustomed to such dwellings as this. He'd heard housing was different in Japan.

Tohru looked at her silverware. There wasn't a single chopstick on the table, but a few forks were present, along with two different knives, one obviously meant for cutting meat, the other more dull, possibly used to spread. There was also two spoons, one smaller, one larger. She glanced over at the earl to see what he was doing with his silverware and picked up a fork, hoping it was the right one, since there seemed to be several to choose from. It was the furthest one from her plate.

Kyo stared hungrily at his plate. He wasn't sure what to do with his silverware either, but after looking around, he picked up the same fork Tohru had and began to eat, trying not to wolf it down. He loved fish. It didn't help that he was also really, really hungry.

Ciel patted his lips with a corner of his napkin. "So, what brings you all the way to England," he asked. He had momentarily forgotten what Sebastian had said about their being surprised to be in England.

Kyo almost choked on his salmon. There it was again! England. Were they really not in Japan anymore? He was seriously beginning to wonder. After all, this was the second person to actually ask him about it. And Tohru had mentioned that the maid had said something about that as well.

Tohru saw Kyo gulp funny, but he seemed to have recovered himself enough to take a sip of water, foregoing the wine that had been poured for him. She decided she'd have to be the one to answer. "Sir Phantomhive, uh… We're not entirely sure why we're here. The last thing we both knew, we were headed home when the storm started. After that, we were just trying to find the nearest shelter. I don't know how long ago that was though." She looked a bit uncertain.

Ciel tipped his glass slightly as he looked at her curiously. "Why do you keep calling me sir?"

Tohru felt panic welling up. "Is that not right? Should I call you something else? I mean, I've never met an earl before!" Her face had gone red again.

Ciel waved it off. "I guess it's not unexpected. I don't suppose they have earls in Japan, do they?" He glanced up at Sebastian.

Sebastian smiled slightly back. "I can't say that I know, Young Master. Perhaps it would be easier for the guests if they were to forego using honorific titles?"

Ciel let his breath out. "Perhaps you are right." He turned his gaze back to Tohru. "Why don't you just call me Ciel? So long as I may also call you by your given names, that is." He smiled sweetly as he looked at both of them.

Sebastian returned his attention to the table, noting that they had, for the most part, finished the fish course. He nodded to Tanaka, who had stationed himself at the other end of the table. With that signal given, he began to clear the plates while Bard wheeled in the cart once more, a large crock on top. Tanaka began placing bowls where the plates had been, which Bard filled in turn.

Sebastian bowed as Bard left. "Tonight's main course is a vegetable and beef stew cooked in white wine and seasoned with herbs from the garden."

Tohru's continued to stay red. "S…sure." She wasn't sure why she was blushing. Ciel couldn't be older than Hiro, could he? Besides, she loved Kyo and Yuki. Ciel was too young for her. She looked up and saw Sebastian smiling. She quickly turned her face to look down at her bowl.

Kyo blinked when he heard the contents of the soup. Wine? What were they trying to do, make alcoholics of them? He decided he'd at least try it though, since it didn't appear to have any onions or leeks in it. Maybe the alcohol had cooked out, he reasoned. At least he though he'd heard somewhere that the alcohol cooked out.

Ciel smiled, not entirely sure why she was blushing. "I'm glad." He dipped his soup spoon into his bowl and sampled the broth. Not bad. "By the way, I was wondering if you would tell me how old you both are."

Tohru's blush deepened. Did he know it wasn't exactly polite to ask a girl her age? Maybe he was too young to know that little rule of etiquette. "Uh… I'm seventeen and so is Kyo, "she answered as she picked up her own soup spoon.

Kyo took a sip of his soup and decided he liked it. He began to eat it in earnest. It was pretty good, good enough that he decided to ignore everything else, including the conversation. He didn't care about idle talk anyway.

Tohru glanced up at Kyo and saw that he was enjoying the soup. Perhaps she'd have to ask someone for the recipe so she could make it at home. She wondered who she'd have to ask. Mr. Sebastian, maybe? Or should she ask the guy who'd brought it in?

Ciel filed the information about their ages away. It also interested him that they both seemed able to speak perfect English without any of the usual honorifics he knew their culture used. That was something else to file away for later contemplation. The way Kyo was eating made him wonder how long it had last been since the two had eaten. He was probably going to get more information out of the girl, he decided. "Is your dress typical for your age and situation?"

Tohru looked down at her school uniform in surprise. "This? Oh no! This is what all the girls wear at school! I wear other things when I'm at home. I mean, most girls have the same length skirts, but some are longer." She thought of Arisa and Hana, wondering what they were doing at that moment. It didn't occur to her to wonder if anyone had missed them yet. "And Kyo's wearing his school uniform too, though they usually come with a tie."

Ciel leaned one elbow on the arm of his chair, resting his chin on the same hand. "I see. Is this school a public school or a private institution?"

Tohru fidgeted slightly with her spoon. She'd hardly tasted her food. "Oh. Uh… well, anyone who can afford the tuition can go, I guess," she finally answered. "Not everyone has to go to high school though." She hoped she was being helpful.

The earl contemplated her for a moment. "So you aren't tutored at home?"

Kyo looked up at that question. "Who wants a tutor? If you ask me, they're just a pain to deal with, and most of them don't know what they're talking about anyway."

Both Sebastian and Ciel's eyebrows went up at his rather decisive comments. Ciel smirked. "See? Did I not once tell you a tutor wasn't necessary?"

Sebastian glanced at his master wryly. "Please note, Young Master, that master Kyo qualified his statement by using the word 'most'. I am not 'most' tutors, as you are well aware."

Ciel continued to smirk, enjoying himself. 'Of course not. As head of the Phantomhive family, I wouldn't stand for anything less."

Tohru turned towards Ciel in surprise. "You mean you have your own tutor? That's incredible! I always wondered what it would be like to have my own tutor!" It didn't cross her mind that she'd never really thought about it before now because she'd never had to, but it seemed like a good thing to say and she spoke before thinking.

Ciel was momentarily stunned by her comment, but then preceded to laugh. After a few moments of this, he restrained himself. "This evening is much more enjoyable than I'd originally anticipated. You've brought some light into my house. But, perhaps we should leave off the topic of education for now. If the rain lets up, we should send for Miss Nina and have her tailor a few sets of clothes for you. From what I understand, you only have the clothes you are currently wearing. Is this correct?"

Tohru's blush continued with Ciel's last comment. Her face definitely felt red to her. "I… that is… yes. We also had some books with us but I guess we dropped them somewhere in the woods."

Ciel let his spoon settle into his empty bowl. "It's settled then. Sebastian, have Miss Nina summoned as soon as possible."

Tohru almost stood up in protest. "Wait! You don't need to go to so much trouble! I mean…. it's too much!" She stopped as Sebastian raised a finger to his lips, her eyes over bright.

Ciel smiled in amusement as Sebastian bent down to remove his bowl.
"Nonsense. I can hardly allow a guest of the Phantomhive Estate to wander around in the same clothes day after day and not provide where I am able. Besides, though it may be perfectly acceptable for a lady to wear shorter skirts in Japan, it is not so in England. You would catch many an unsightly stare were you to go out, which I simply cannot have."

Tohru sat back against her chair. "All right. I understand." Her face still felt warm. As she looked at her mostly uneaten soup, she wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or not. This entire dinner had left her face red, not that she'd really eaten much.
"You did not enjoy your soup?"

She looked up in surprise at the sudden voice by her side. "Oh! Mr. Sebastian! I… I didn't see you come over!" Her heart thumped against her rib cage and she had to control her breathing. "No… The soup… I mean… It was very good. I guess I just got distracted and didn't eat very much." She looked over at Kyo and his empty bowl.

Kyo was leaning back against his chair, his face content. "Now that was some good cooking. No onions. No leeks!" He ignored Tanaka as the man removed his bowl and smirked to himself. At least Tohru couldn't complain that he was making a lot of snide comments. He did know how to behave himself when he chose to.

Tohru blinked. "Oh… I guess I'm the only one who didn't finish…." Her voice trailed off as her bowl was removed. Though she couldn't say she really felt all that hungry so it probably didn't matter.

Sebastian had returned to Ciel's side. Tohru noticed him whisper something into the butler's ear. "Very good, Young Master," he said in response to whatever he'd been requested. He signaled towards the door that probably led to the kitchen.

Sebastian turned to Ciel. "Perhaps it would be wise to adjourn to the drawing room?" The room was much smaller, and more comfortable. Not to mention the hearth kept the room warmer than the one in the dining room could.

Ciel sighed. "Very well." He stood from his seat. "We should adjourn to the drawing room. We can have our tea there." He started walking towards the main doorway.

Sebastian moved to Tohru's chair, bowing slightly, one hand over his heart, the other off to the side to indicate the direction of the door. "This way, my lady." He helped her from her seat while Tanaka helped Kyo from his, observing her face. The high points were still clearly visible on her cheeks. He frowned as he led them towards the drawing room.