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

Chapter Eight - Lau and Revelations

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Tohru yawned and stretched. Beautiful bright sunlight filtered into the room from the opened curtains. She smiled. It was going to be a beautiful day. Remembering that she was going to cook today, she tried to compose a menu in her head, wondering what kind of dishes she could make that both Ciel and Kyo would be sure to like. Nothing with onion or leeks. Maybe something more traditional?

Mey-Rin knocked on the door before entering, carrying Tohru's freshly laundered school uniform. "Morning, miss," she greeted with a shy smile. Now that the scare of the day before was over with, she felt more than content waiting on her young charge, especially after she'd repeatedly apologized to her last night.

After helping Tohru, unnecessarily, with her clothing, the maid waited. "Uh, Mr. Sebastian said you might have a shopping list for me." She looked a bit nervous, though Tohru didn't notice.

"Oh! I haven't even decided yet!" She looked around for some paper, trying to figure out just what she would be making. Rice balls? Crab cakes? Sushi? Teriyaki? She quickly made up her mind, scribbling down a list, which she handed to Mey-Rin. "I hope I'm not forgetting anything," she commented.

Mey-Rin took the list. "I can always go back if you did," she added.

"Thank you so much," Tohru said. "Maybe you could even watch or something."
Mey-Rin blushed. "I'd like that," she confessed as she headed towards the door. "Oh, and breakfast is just about ready. The Young Master said he'd be waiting in the breakfast room." She disappeared from sight, closing the door behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lau had planned his timing very carefully. And, if everything was going according to schedule, which usually was the case, he should arrive precisely during breakfast. After all, Sebastian ran a tight ship, even though things did sometimes get thrown off. And he doubted things would be because there'd been nothing to do lately, except sleep in and wait for the roads to dry out.

His carriage pulled up in front of the Phantomhive Mansion at thirty past nine, carrying both himself and his 'sister', Ran Mao. They exited the carriage, heading inside, not even bothering to wait for one of the servants to let them in. It would only waste time. After all, breakfast with the Phantomhives was something he was unwilling to miss out on if given the slightest opportunity, even if it meant crashing the party. Well, he'd been invited, technically.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ciel placed his napkin on his plate. Breakfast had been delicious, as usual, crepe suzettes with fresh fruit. He could imagine Tohru already asking after the recipe. He just hoped that her cooking would prove not to be a disaster, like Bard's. He was having some second thoughts about allowing it, but Sebastian had soothed most of them away before breakfast. After all, what could it hurt? But, just in case, the butler had a backup plan.

Kyo sighed in contentment. After having talked with Sebastian about his concerns, relating everything he could remember about that fateful day, he felt a lot better about the butler, especially after he found out that it was really the butler who was doing all of the cooking. He didn't know if he'd found out anything about why they'd been brought back in time yet, but he felt a little more trusting about the whole deal.

Tohru savored the last bite of her crepe. "That was amazing! Do you think I could have the recipe?"

Sebastian smiled while both Kyo and Ciel tried to hide snickers. "Of course. I will make sure to give it to you before you leave."

Kyo stood from the table. "'Scuze me," he said. "I'm going to the library."

He headed towards the main doors, already thinking about where to look next for ideas on the whole time travel deal. He wasn't paying attention when the doors suddenly flew open.

"Lord Phantomhive!" Lau grinned hugely as he burst into the room, Ran Mao at his side. "I hope we're in time for some breakfast!"

Ciel and Sebastian looked up at the interruption. Tohru looked up half a second later, her mouth opening in horror. "Kyo! Watch out!"

But it was too late. Kyo looked up at the last possible moment as he ran right into Lau and Ran Mao, knocking them both over. There was a loud popping sound and an explosion of smoke filled the air.

Tohru let out a gasp of surprise. Sebastian blinked, not sure he understood what had just happened. Ciel sneezed. Lau waved his long sleeves to clear the smoke as Ran Mao sat on the floor, clearly surprised. But after only a moment, she picked up the orange cat that was in Kyo's place, holding him tightly like a child holding a favorite teddy bear. A few empty clothing articles remained on the floor.

Ciel stood from his seat and pointed. "What. Is. That." He felt his nose tickling again.

"Kyo!" Tohru was up and running towards the door before she'd even thought about what she was doing. "Kyo!"

Sebastian blinked as though to clear his eyes. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have been able to quite believe it either, but recalling the incident only a few days ago when Kyo had first appeared, everything made sense. The question was what caused him to transform. "I believe it's a cat, Young Master," he answered after a moment's hesitation.

Kyo's hair was standing on end and he struggled futilely in Ran Mao's arms. She held him quite securely. He hadn't yet brought out his claws because she was a girl.

Lau stood and dusted himself off as Tohru ran towards them. "What interesting guests you have, young earl." He looked down at his fallen sister, still sitting on the ground. Her short outfit threatened to show more than it should, the orange cat squished right up to her chest. "I didn't know you were friends with a magician."

Tohru stopped running a few yards short of reaching the door. She continued forward almost warily. "Um, excuse me, but could you please let him go?" She picked up the scattered clothing as she advanced.

Ran Mao, however, did not slacken her dead man's hold on Kyo. She merely stubbornly shook her head.

Lau laughed. "It would seem that Ran Mao has become quite attached. I doubt there is anything you can do to make her let go now."

Tohru almost dropped the gathered clothes. "But! But if she doesn't let go, then..!"

Sebastian moved forward. Before anyone really knew what was going on, Kyo was in his arms. "Just as soft as the day I found you, only quite a bit more dry," he said, his eyes smiling gently.

Ciel sneezed as he pointed. "Get rid of that thing!" He sneezed again.

Tohru turned in protest, her face written over with panic. "You can't! Kyo didn't do anything wrong! It's not his fault he's cursed! If you just let him be and give him some time, he'll return to his normal form! Please!"

Sebastian, meanwhile, was feeling Kyo's pads. "Such smooth velvet," he complimented.

Kyo had just about had enough. "Let me go, Dammit! I'm not a toy for you to play around with!" He swiped at Sebastian's hands.

"And he speaks as well," Sebastian added. "Very interesting." He looked over to Ciel. "Would you like to make that last request an order, Young Master? Or would you like to give the benefit of the doubt and wait to see how things play out?"

Ran Mao, realizing that her cuddled cat was gone, pouted. She reached both hands out to Lau who helped her stand. "It looks like you've gone and hurt her feelings by taking away something she loved, Sebastian," Lau commented.

Kyo continued to struggle in the butler's hands. "Let me go!"

Ciel's eyes were watering but he could see Tohru's pleading eyes, Lau's laughing face, Ran Mao's pout, and Sebastian's waiting demeanor. "Let him go," he finally said, then sneezed. He just hoped he wouldn't regret it.

Sebastian placed Kyo on the floor a bit reluctantly. "It's a pity. Cats are one of my few real joys." He sighed.

Kyo was about to spring away from the scene and go hide somewhere when another popping sound came from the air and more smoke appeared. "Ah crap," he exclaimed.

Knowing it was coming, but still not entirely unprepared, Tohru tossed Kyo's discarded clothes in a panic and quickly turned to cover her eyes, blushing as she went down on her hands and knees.

"Don't anyone dare look," Kyo growled as he scrambled for his clothes, the smoke dissipating.

However, despite his demand, Ran Mao watched the entire time he scrambled back into his clothes. He only had his pants back on when the smoke cleared, and one arm through his sleeve. Realizing that everyone but Tohru was staring at him, he dropped to the ground, sitting with his legs folded under him as he glared, trying to finish putting his shirt on. "I told you not to look!"

Ciel couldn't help but stare, though. He'd never seen anything like it before and was having a hard time processing what had just happened. But it explained why the cat Sebastian had originally brought in had disappeared. His nose had already stopped tickling. Sebastian must have done something. One thing was certain though; he wanted to know exactly what had just happened and in detail.

Lau clapped. "Amazing. I haven't seen such a trick performed before. How did you accomplish it? It would be interesting to reproduce."

"Like I'd want to do that again in front of you!" Kyo grumped.

Tohru continued to kneel, her hands on either side of her head to keep out any possible sight of Kyo while he was naked. "Is it safe?"

Sebastian moved over to her and offered his hand. "It is safe," he said as he bent towards her. She took his offered hand and stood.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she turned to the room in general. "I wanted to tell you, to warn you this would happen, but I made a promise! I know it's kind of strange, but please! Don't tell anyone!"

Ran Mao started to sneak towards Kyo, whose back was turned to her, but Sebastian gave Lau a look and he pulled his sister back.

"Let's let the boy alone, Ran Mao. He can't be your plaything today." He looked at the table with some visible regret. "It would appear that we're a bit late for breakfast. And I was hoping we'd be just in time."

Ciel rolled his eyes. Of course. He walked towards the group, his cane clacking against the stones. "Apparently there are some things that need explaining." He looked pointedly at Sebastian, who didn't seem as taken aback by the events as he probably should have been.

Sebastian sighed. "Very well then. It is as the young master says. Shall we adjourn to the drawing room? I will ask Bard to finish up in here and have Tanaka bring a light tea for those who wish for any. Will that be acceptable, Young Master?"

Ciel nodded. "We'll be waiting so don't dawdle." He swept past everyone as he left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lau relaxed against the divan he'd claimed for his perch, Ran Mao snuggled up against him. "The Phantomhive hospitality continues to astound me," he commented as he sipped a poignant brew. "But if we could get down to the matter at hand, we now have an amazing performance to discuss on top of other things, or that is what I imagine your invitation from yesterday meant. After all, it's not every day that I meet someone of such a well known family."

Ciel looked up in surprise. "Then you know who he is and what I want to know?"
Lau laughed. "Of course! Everyone knows that family! After all, they are quite famous for their acrobatics and magic! I believe they have a circus somewhere off the coast of China, closer to Japan."

Kyo growled. "Just what family are you thinking about! None of my family are performers!"

Lau looked at him through half closed eyes, his expression mildly surprised. "You're not? Then who are you?"

Ciel leaned his chin against the handle of his staff as he rolled his eyes. "If you really didn't have a clue, you shouldn't have pretended that you did," he said with some annoyance. "But let's get the first order of business out of the way." He glanced over at Kyo and Tohru, who were sharing another couch, sitting, he noticed, as far away from Ran Mao as possible. "If you don't mind, please explain what it was we saw at breakfast."

Kyo sat with his arms crossed. He was too embarrassed to say anything, though he was hiding it behind a grumpy exterior. Tohru took one look at him and knew it was up to her to explain once more.

"Well, you see," she began, "the entire Sohma family has been living under this curse for a really long time." She hoped she was remembering the details correctly as she bumbled through how the curse worked and that only thirteen members of the elite family were affected by it, minus Akito. She hesitated to say anything about Kyo's other form, instead skipping over it. It wasn't something they were likely to need to know, or encounter. Kyo had been very careful about keeping his beads on at all times since then.

Lau leaned forward. "Ah! So that is how it is. I have heard of such curses existing, though not that particular one. Most intriguing. I have, however, heard of the Sohma family. They are fairly prominent in trade and other businesses, most of which are above board. I don't have many dealings with them personally, as they seem only to select certain companies to ship with, having the start of their own. But they are definitely a family to respect."

Ciel and Sebastian exchanged glances as the butler stood to one side, waiting on events. One question answered. "In regards to this particular Sohma family, do they have any connections with India?"

Lau laughed. "Not really. I hear they wont' set foot over there."

Well, there went Sebastian's theory. The Bengal Prince's name had just coincidentally been similar to Kyo's surname. The earl turned to the ginger-haired youth. "Let me get this straight then. So long as you don't come in contact with someone of the opposite gender, you shouldn't transform?"

"Or doesn't come under too much stress," Tohru added. "Cats don't like the rain, you see, which is why he was in the form of a cat when you found us."

Kyo nodded, still scowling. "Yeah. That's how it works. I can't control it happening except to avoid running into people. And I can't control when I change back cuz it's never the same amount of time."

Sebastian looked around to make sure everyone's cups were full before commenting. "I would assume that accidental encounters, such as today, would occur. How are those dealt with?"

"Hatori." Kyo almost shuddered as he answered, even though he'd come to be a bit more friendly with the family doctor. "He erases the memories of those who accidentally stumble on our secret. Not many are allowed to know about it outside of the main household. Tohru's kind of an exception."

"Hmm," the butler mused. "It must be some kind of suppression technique. I've heard of such things before but have never seen them used myself." He returned to his master's side after refilling cups.

Ciel stared absently around the room. "How is it, then, that Tohru is the exception?"

Kyo scratched at his ear. "I don't know. Akito decided she could stay with us. He's the one who decides. I don't know what he's got planned but I never did like him."

"Kyo!" Tohru looked appropriately appalled. "You shouldn't say such things!"
He snorted. "Why not? He's not here to do anything about it. He doesn't scare me."

"But still!" She hesitated, not sure what she was trying to say. It was true that Akito wasn't there, but she wanted to protect him from any harm Akito might set on him if he found out. "You shouldn't say such things! It's not... it's not right!"

Lau laughed. "What an interesting little dove, you've found, Master Ciel. I'm growing rather fond of her. I might even try to steal her away."

Kyo glared daggers at him, his hands balled into fists. "Don't even think about laying a hand on her!"

The Chinese man smiled with his half open eyes. "And quite the feisty cat as well. I wouldn't mind getting to know more about him. I'm sure Ran Mao wouldn't mind either. She is rather fond of him. They're together, I suppose?"

Ciel rolled his eyes. "I thought that part was obvious."

He shrugged, his silk robe rippling with the effort. "I just wanted to be sure. I am curious, however, about one point. If they are together, and it's being in contact with females that makes him change, how come being with her doesn't make him transform now?"

Tohru looked down at the small gap between her and Kyo. She hadn't even consciously allowed for it, having gotten so used to being around him. "Uh… well… we don't usually actually touch, so…"

Lau raised both eyebrows. "Is that so? Then how do you…."

Kyo scowled. "We don't."

Sebastian bent to whisper loudly into Ciel's ear. "Young Master, this conversation appears to be getting us nowhere."

Ciel glanced wryly back up at him. "It's true. Why don't we focus on the matter at hand? Lau, no more inquiries on that matter. After all, there is a lady present." He didn't count Ran Mao, knowing she'd probably heard and seen more things than even he wanted to contemplate.

Lau put his hands up in mock surrender. "Very well, Master Ciel. I apologize to the lady present." He bowed to Tohru.

"That's much better," Ciel commented, watching Tohru blush. Judging from the flustered look on her face, she probably didn't have a clue as to what Lau was alluding to anyway, which was just as well. He'd rather she didn't know.

Mey-Rin knocked on the door from the hallway, then opened it. "Excuse me," she apologized, "But Miss Nina's here. Tanaka is just greeting her and said to tell you."

Ciel sighed. "She's early," he said to Sebastian. "Very well, Mey-Rin. I'll send Sebastian down shortly. In the meantime, go greet her properly." He turned back to his butler. "Sebastian."

Tohru felt like raising her hand but refrained. After all, she wasn't in the classroom. "Um, excuse me, but who's Miss Nina?"

Sebastian moved towards her and Kyo. "Miss Nina," he answered, "is a tailor. The Young Master asked her to come, if you remember, to make sure you were appropriately attired. She has come to fit both yourself and master Kyo."

Kyo's head filled with visions of Ayame dancing around him with a measuring tape, only this would be much worse because apparently this time it wouldn't be a man measuring him but a woman. He already sensed more disasters on the way. "Like hell she will," he muttered.

Sebastian bowed politely and Tohru stood. "Come, master Kyo, surely you don't wish to go around only clad in black all the time."

The boy crossed his arms, much to Ciel's amusement. "For your information, I happen to really like black!'

Ciel had to stifle a slight laugh. He understood how he must feel. He wasn't the most comfortable with being measured, poked and prodded, as was usual during a fitting. But he could see the potential problem. If he'd had a time of things trying to hide his brand, then what difficulties would arise should a woman get too close to Kyo. "Sebastian, this is an order. No matter what Miss Nina tries to do, you must not let her get too close. We can't have another episode like we did this morning."

Sebastian turned to bow to his master. "Yes, My Lord."

Tohru looked at Kyo, and took him by one hand. "Please, Kyo? I'm sure it won't be that bad, and Mr. Sebastian won't let anything bad happen, right? So, please?"

Seeing the earnestness in Tohru's eyes almost undid him. Her eyes were so large, so deep. He could drown in those eyes. He quickly looked away. "Fine," he sulked. "Just don't expect me to wear all those ruffles and frills I saw people wearing in those books in the library."

Tohru smiled as he grumpily got up. They both followed Sebastian out of the room, the butler closing the door behind them.

Ciel let out his breath, then sat up. "We can now finally get down to business. Lau, tell me what's going on with the trade routes right now."