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

Chapter 9 - Fitting and Lizzy

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

Tohru and Kyo were ushered into the study by Sebastian. "Please wait here. I will return shortly. Please don't do anything...questionable while I retrieve Miss Nina. We don't need another incident," the butler instructed as he closed the door behind him, leaving them alone.

Kyo flung himself into the nearest chair with a huff, his arms folded. "Don't do anything questionable," he mimicked sarcastically. "Like hell I would! Pervert! He's just as bad as Shigure!"

Tohru took the chair opposite him. "Oh, I wouldn't know about that," she commented. "After all, he is trying to keep your secret. You could be a little nicer to him."

"Hah!" Kyo rolled his eyes. "Yeah right! I still don't trust him!

Tohru glanced at him with wide eyes. "But Kyo!"

He just ignored her protests. "There's something sinister about his eyes. I know he's hiding something."

She thumped her hand against her fist, a look of determined triumph on her face. "That's right! Mom always said that everyone has something they hide from others! I'm sure Sebastian's the same! After all, we all have our own secrets, something we don't want others to know, right?"

Kyo tried to not look guilty. I'll never forgive you. He shook his head. "Whatever!"

Tohru turned her wide eyes towards him. "Please! He's really a good person! I just know he is!"

He snorted. They both turned, however, when the door opened and Sebastian stepped back into the room. "Miss Tohru and master Kyo, may I introduce Miss Nina Hopkins, the Young Master's tailor of choice." He moved aside.

A rather fashionable woman burst into the room, her face beaming behind a pair of spectacles. Her light colored hair was bound in a ponytail on the left side of her head, tightly curled into a spiral design. She paused as she looked at the two teenagers in front of her. "Mr. Stiff! Why did not tell me such beautiful children waited? Though I suppose the young man isn't quite as cute as Ciel..." She tilted her head in contemplation. "Oh well! We can't all have his fair skin and complexion."

Tohru was about to say something when she found Miss Nina suddenly right in front of her, holding her chin. "My, what a lovely girl you are," she exclaimed but let go, taking a step or two back. "But what are you wearing? We are not sailors here! You are a young lady and should show the zest and zeal of youth! Of course, your current attire does allow me a very nice view of what I have to work with." Tohru turned red at her comment.

She turned to Kyo, her eyebrows slightly raised as she contemplated. "You have a most unusual hair color, though you are still slim and have a slight build. Perhaps, in a few years, the Earl will look similar, with a different hair color of course. But, dear, black does not suit you at all!" She quickly whirled to face Sebastian. " Mr. Stiff, how could you allow him to wear that monstrosity! He must wear clothes fitting to a young man of some stature!"

Kyo wasn't exactly sure what she meant by her comments, but he suddenly saw himself being dressed in frilly lace. This would be worse than Ayame. But before he could even contemplate escape, she had grabbed him by the wrist, like she could sense his intentions before he'd even acted upon them. "Ah! Hey! Let go!"

"But first," Miss Nina said, totally ignoring him, "we must get your measurements! Now stand here and don't move!" She let his wrist go as she pulled out a long measuring tape.

Before he could so much as say anything, she had already measured the length of his arms and back. She was just about to encircle her arms around him to measure his waist when Sebastian suddenly was standing in her way. "Miss Nina, allow me."

She smacked his hand away. "Tch! Like an amateur such as yourself would be able measure accurately!"

Tohru blinked. Everything was happening so quickly, but when she saw that Kyo was in danger, she quickly stood up. "Please! Let Mr. Sebastian take the measurement!" She scrambled to think of a good reason, spouting off the first thing that came to her mind. "Kyo's really sensitive there! If you don't do it the right way, you could hurt him!"

Miss Nina snorted and pushed her glasses up her nose. "My dear, I have never once hurt a customer. I highly doubt something of that nature would happen now." She turned back to put her arms around Kyo's waist but Sebastian stepped in again.

"Miss Nina, I must insist," he said, his arms spread. "It would not do to stress him for his health's sake. It is a rather rare condition that requires care. I would very much hate for Miss Nina's sparkling reputation to be marred by a mishap because she did not understand the nature of his situation."

The tailor stared very stubbornly into Sebastian's eyes. "Is that so, Mr. Stiff. Well then, what choice do I have since you put it in such an eloquent manner?" She stiffly held out the measuring tape to him. "Please do."

Sebastian accepted the tape with a bow. "Now, if you please, master Kyo, raise both your arms and I will try to make this as painless and quick as possible." He glanced quickly at Miss Nina. "I assume you would like measurements of his hips, waist, and chest?" Before she could confirm this, however, he had already taken the measurements, writing them down in her notebook and closing it with an audible snap. He handed it to her with a flourish.

She took the opportunity to straighten her glasses before looking at what he'd written down, ignoring his impossibly fast execution. "Hmmm, they seem to be accurate. Very well." She turned to Tohru with more of a smile while Kyo quickly moved to his original chair, sinking into it in relief. "I doubt I'll have as much trouble with you," she commented wryly.

Tohru obediently went to stand in Kyo's vacated spot in the middle of the room, holding herself stiffly as she closed her eyes, much to Sebastian and Miss Nina's amusement.

"You don't need to stand so stiffly, my dear," Miss Nina gently chided. "After all, I'm merely measuring you." She began extending her tape. "My but you really do have such nice, slender legs. And a very slender waist, though I wish there was more to work with on top." She eyed her critically. "C'est la vie! But I am sure I can create some rather cute clothes regardless."

Tohru blushed at her comments. "Um..." She wasn't sure how to respond and so decided to remain quiet.

Miss Nina stepped back, her notebook in hand. "Now, what to do. The designs for both must be sophisticated, but subtle, sultry yet innocent, not too flouncy." Kyo sighed in relief. "Something flowy for the girl, bright, showing off her good features, silk or satin, perhaps chiffon. But there must be a longer skirt for such a modest looking girl. It wouldn't do to have her taken in by undeserving men. No, the innocence must be preserved." She began sketching like mad, occasionally looking up at the astonished Tohru.

She turned towards Kyo. "And for this young man, something more elegant and refined, but not too refined. I must play with his boyish nature, though I wonder how half pants would suit him, probably not as well as full pants. Tails would work well as well. But not black. Must work with the color of his hair. Dark gray would work, as well as dark blue. Perhaps some green."

She continued to scribble madly for several minutes, making Kyo's head whirl. After a while, she looked up. "Well, what are you all standing there for? Get out! I have work to do! And you don't get to see it until the fitting!"

Before they knew what was going on, they were being pushed out the door. Kyo had the foresight enough to keep ahead of Miss Nina's hands, and Tohru's being shoved, though he would have loved to be the one to steady her instead of the butler, not to mention he wouldn't mind putting his hands on that Miss Nina and throttling her, well, at least shake her.

Sebastian let out a small sigh as he shut the door behind them. "My apologies for that. It's one of Miss Nina's many charms."

Kyo snorted. "Charm, hah! More like bossiness! Reminds me way too much of Ayame."

Tohru's eyes lit up. "You're right! She really is like Ayame! That's amazing! I didn't know that there could be two people so alike!"

Sebastian stepped into the hallway. "This way, please, and I will bring you some tea or a snack. I don't believe Mey-Rin has yet gone to the market so your cooking will have to wait until after lunch, if that's agreeable." He smiled at Tohru.

Tohru followed after, slightly flustered. "Oh, that's okay! I mean, she doesn't have to hurry on my account!"

Kyo just rolled his eyes as he followed them down the corridor.

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

Ciel idly glanced at the clock. It was getting close to lunch and they still hadn't gotten anywhere. Of course, the usual business had been taken care of, but that was nothing to celebrate. He tapped the head of his cane with one finger.

"Something wrong, Earl?" Lau looked over at the young lad without opening his eyes. "Surely you aren't bored already."

The earl sighed. "This isn't exactly going in the direction I was hoping it would," he commented. "I very much want to learn more about those two, but that seems a rather difficult feat."

"Ah." Lau smiled. "Would you like me to... get closer to them and find out for you?"

Ciel snorted in disgust. "I don't think your methods would exactly be welcome, Lau. But your overall impressions might be helpful. What do you think of them?"

Lau mused for a moment. "The girl is very polite and well mannered, like a gentle wind. I doubt she could hurt a fly if she had to. As for the boy, he has a temper but I think he's reliable. Are you thinking of using them?"

Ciel resisted saying the obvious. What else were people in positions of lower power good for? But he wasn't even sure what position those two held. And it wouldn't do to play a piece he was unfamiliar with too hastily. "I haven't decided," he finally said, with a hint of a grin.

At that moment, Sebastian opened the door. "Luncheon is served," he announced with a half bow.

Ciel stood. "Very well. We'll have to continue this later." He followed his butler to the dining room, followed by Lau and Ran Mao.

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

Miss Nina practically pounced on Tohru and Kyo as they left the dining room. "There you two are! I've finished your clothes!"

"Already?" Tohru looked at the tailor in awe. "That's amazing! I don't think even Ayame is that fast!"

"Unless she were a demon," Kyo said under his breath with a slight shiver.

Ciel heard his comment as he followed them out and he glanced wryly at his butler. Well, as long as he wasn't pinning it to the butler, he supposed there was no harm in the thought, though Ciel had to admit that he sometimes wondered about the tailor himself.

Miss Nina grabbed Tohru by the hand. "This way, please. I've had everything set up." She glanced behind her at Lau and Ran Mao. "I suppose they can join us and act as an audience so long as they don't get in the way." She sped down the hallway, dragging Tohru behind her.

"Hey!" Kyo followed after them with a determined pace. No one should treat Tohru like that! But everyone else followed without comment, making their way into the large room set aside for the purpose.

A changing screen had been set up, and piles of fabric and clothes were piled randomly around it. Miss Nina beamed. "Tohru first, I believe." She ducked behind the changing screen with Tohru in tow while Sebastian moved chairs into the room for the "audience". Kyo stubbornly sat on the floor.

After a few minutes, Tohru came out wearing a fairly fancy dress with a lot of ruffles and a bit of a bustle in back. Kyo had to blink several times to make sure she was seeing correctly while Lau whistled appreciatively.

The fitting continued with three more dresses, each leaving Kyo blushing. They made Tohru look so cute! He looked up, however, when the door opened and Mey-Rin popped her head in.
The maid headed towards Sebastian. "Mr. Sebastian, sir, I got everything on the list. It's down in the kitchen. And uh… Lady Elizabeth has also just arrived. I thought I should let you know."

"Thank you," he said. "I will be there to greet her momentarily." He moved over to Ciel's side as Mey-Rin left the room. Bending down to whisper in his ear, he cupped his hand, just in case. "Young Master, Lady Elizabeth has just arrived."

Ciel looked startled as he glanced up at his butler. "Now?" he whispered back and was rewarded with a curt nod. "Very well. Go greet her and I'll be down as soon as things are concluded here."

"Very good, Young Master," Sebastian said as he stood, then left the room.

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

Elizabeth Middleford stepped daintily from her carriage, her attendant, Paula, followed after her. "Won't this be just a pleasant surprise for Ciel?" She beamed up at her attendant. "I'm sure he'll smile!"

Sebastian walked across the yard to meet her. "Lady Elizabeth," he said in greeting as he bowed, taking one of her hands and kissing it. "The Young Master is inside with some other guests."

Lizzy looked up at him in surprise. "I didn't know Ciel had anyone over. You should take me to him."

"I will take you to him at once," Sebastian confirmed, even though it wasn't exactly within his original orders. He hadn't been told to keep her away.

Lizzy laughed. "You always make me smile, Sebastian," she said as she followed him inside.

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

Kyo stared down in shock. He didn't recognize himself in this outfit, sleek pants and a fitted jacket of dark blue over a white, thankfully not overly frilly, shirt, but the collar was too tight for his liking. He tried to loosen the top two buttons but Miss Nina wasn't having any of that as she tied a matching ribbon around his neck, leaving him feeling like someone was trying to choke the life out of him.

"It was meant to be worn this way," she chided him. "It should be worn this way."

He had to thank his lucky stars that she'd at least allowed him to dress himself, though she'd stared at him the entire time he'd tried to figure out the different clasps and buttons. There were a lot more than he was used to dealing with. Sebastian had probably mentioned something when he'd quickly popped back there and whispered in the lady's ear before disappearing from the room.

"Now, go out so everyone can see you," she commanded him. After all, half of doing something was having someone comment and appreciate the work.

"Are you kidding me?" Kyo panic mode kicked in. There was now way he was going to parade around like some dressed up doll just because this crazy lady wanted him to. It wasn't going to happen.

"Is everything all right back there," Tohru called out. She'd had some misgivings when Sebastian had left the room. Who was going to keep Miss Nina from coming into too close contact with Kyo? But, so far so good, since there had not been any telltale signs of such happening. But she couldn't go back and check on him, knowing how embarrassed that would make him. But was it worse to leave him back there with Miss Nina? She wasn't sure.

"He's fine," Miss Nina's cheerful voice came from behind the screen. "We're just experiencing a little stage fright. We'll be out in a moment."

Lau laughed. "State fright, is it?"

Ciel rolled his eyes. He didn't blame Kyo one bit, though it would probably be over with more quickly if he'd just come out already and get it over with.

The door opened and Lady Elizabeth practically bounced into the room. "Ciel!" She rushed over to him, followed by a slightly harassed looking Paula and a more sedately paced Sebastian. "It feels like it's been forever!"

Ciel almost cringed at her overbearing energy. Why couldn't she ever be a bit more calm? "Elizabeth, what are you doing here?"

The girl pouted. "Ciel. Do I need a reason to come? Are you unhappy that I came? Why don't you call me Lizzy like I keep asking you?"

Tohru watched this exchange, totally forgetting about Kyo for the moment. "She's so cute," she exclaimed without thinking.

Lizzy turned to face her, her eyes going wide at the unfamiliar girl looking at her. The dress she wore was definitely cute, long skirt, full bodice. But why was someone who was fairly young, though older than she was, there?

Seeing the potential for unwanted conceptions, Ciel stepped in quickly. "Elizabeth, allow me to present Tohru Honda, a guest of mine. She and her… companion have been staying with us for the past few days."

Lizzy blinked at Ciel. "Companion?"

Scuffling sounds could be heard from behind the screen. "I said no and no means no! I'm not going out there!"

Sebastian exchanged glances with Ciel. "Excuse me," he said. "It appears that I need to avert a crisis." He quickly moved behind the screen.

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

Kyo crossed his arms while Miss Nina gave him disapproving looks. "Part of the fitting is to allow others to see the finished work!"

The boy shook his head stubbornly. "Not happening. I'm not going out there."
Sebastian smoothly stepped in-between them. "What seems to be the problem?"
Miss Nina let out an impatient sigh. "He refuses to show himself to the others, regardless of the hard work I put into creating this."

Kyo began tugging at the collar again. "It's too tight!"

"Nonsense!" Miss Nina made to move towards him but was blocked by Sebastian. "It is supposed to be worn that way. Why are you being such a difficult child?"

Sebastian looked over at Kyo, who did indeed look miserable. He looked like he was far to hot, and, perhaps, being a cat at times, could explain that. "Miss Nina," he said in his most soothing voice, "I do believe we recently had a discussion about master Kyo's sensitivity. His neck is also sensitive to restrictiveness, something from a rather unfortunate event in his past. I do hope you'll understand."

Miss Nina wasn't finished putting up a fight, however. "My creation would look unfinished and slovenly without the ribbon! No gentleman of any consequence would be seen without one!"

Sebastian put a reassuring arm around her waist as he gently led her to one side. "Yes, of course, but you must remember that he is Japanese and is therefore used to different customs and standards of dress. Shan't we be a bit accommodating? But if it would ease your concerns, I will reason with him."

Miss Nina felt like tapping her fingers, but it was probably the best offer she would get. But she would refuse to tailor another item of clothing for the spoiled boy. Ciel was much easier to deal with. She moved to the other side of the screen.

Sebastian walked back over to Kyo, who was tugging at the ribbon. "Master Kyo, for the sake of keeping good will between my master and the tailor, please endure this until she leaves. Once she is gone, I will modify have your clothing modified to make it more comfortable. I never did like seeing a cat collared when they were meant to be free."

Kyo looked up at Sebastian in shock. "How did…?" He stopped, rolling his eyes. It didn't matter. "Fine, but these stupid ties come off the second she's gone."
Sebastian smiled. "That's the spirit." He turned the young man around, ushering him around the screen. "Now, please allow the others to see so that she will leave all the sooner."

Kyo reluctantly stepped out from behind the screen.

Tohru was in the middle of telling Lizzy about herself when Kyo came out. She glanced over at the noise he made, then did a double take. Her eyes lit up. "Kyo! You look so handsome! It really does look nice on you!"

Lizzy looked up at her comments to see the red-haired boy fidgeting, his cheeks a bit red from embarrassment as he looked at the floor, scuffing his shoes. "You're right, Tohru! He really is cute!" She moved closer to the older girl, whispering. "Is he your fiancée?"

Tohru blushed beet red and turned, almost mechanically to look at Lizzy. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open, no sound coming out.

Lau laughed. "Looks like you said something either very embarrassing or very shocking," he commented. "That's the first time I've seen anyone turn so red before."

Lizzy blinked in surprise. "Tohru?"

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Elizabeth, don't tease her. She may be older than us, but she's also not used to the same things we are."

Kyo looked up and saw Tohru blushing, but he wasn't sure why. Did she think his outfit was that wonderful? He could almost imagine steam coming from her ears, she was so red. He quickly ducked back behind the curtain so that she wouldn't explode or something.

Lizzy looked over at Ciel's cross expression, then back to Tohru. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you! I just thought… well, that you and Kyo were like Ciel and I."

Tohru came out of her shock with those words. "Like you and Ciel? You don't mean… I mean, you're…?"

Lizzy nodded. "It was arranged, but I don't mind at all! I love him that much!" She looked over at Ciel affectionately.

"'That's amazing! Ciel is really lucky," Tohru commented cheerfully, now that she understood why she'd asked, though it still was a bit embarrassing. "I'm so glad you have someone!"

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

Having taken Sebastian's advice, Kyo appeared before everyone in the other outfits fairly quickly. He kept telling himself to endure, feeling pleasure at every smile Tohru gave him, even though he was more than ready to rip ribbons from off his neck and run and hide. He could endure this for her, and to get rid of the Ayame-like woman.

After he'd tried on and shown off the last outfit, Sebastian snapped his pocket watch shut with an audible click. "Thank you, Miss Nina. Now, if you don't mind, the Young Master and his guests have prior obligations. I'll ask Mey-Rin to show you out."

Miss Nina packed her things up with a bit of a huff while Mey-Rin was summoned to escort her. At least she had the cute girl to take her out to her carriage, though Mr. Stiff left much to be desired, as usual.

As soon as the door closed behind the Tailor, Kyo slid down to the floor and yanked the ribbon from his neck, undoing the top few buttons. "Ah! Much better," he commented with a sigh of release. "I can breathe again!"

Ran Mao snuggled closer to Lau as he grinned. "Now that was something different," he commented. "It looks like our little cat is glad to be rid of his collar."
Ciel glared at him. "Lau…"

The Chinese Man put his hands up in defense. "His personality is too much like it to deny. Like any cat, he hates to be collared."

Lizzy glanced at the various faces, feeling like she was being left out of some private joke. Her confusion lined her face.

Sebastian reentered the room, after making sure Miss Nina had been escorted from the house. "Young Master," he bowed, "Miss Tohru, if you don't mind, now might be a good time to start your preparations if you would like dinner to be ready on time."

Tohru jumped up. "Oh, right! I'm sorry! I wasn't keeping track of the time!"

Lau raised both eyebrows. "Young Tohru's going to cook for us? Isn't that a little unusual?" He turned to face his host.

Ciel lightly cleared his throat. "It is, but she insisted, as compensation for everything I've done for them."

Tohru bowed. "If you'll excuse me, I should find the kitchen! Oh, and if anyone wants to watch, they're more than welcome."

Lau was tempted. What a most interesting girl this Tohru Honda was turning out to be. Definitely not traditional to what he was accustomed to, but still interesting. "I might drop in for a while, as will Ran Mao. Isn't that right, Ran Mao?" He smiled affectionately at his bodyguard.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "As tempting as the offer is, I have matters of business to attend to. If you'll excuse me." He picked up his cane and left the room, heading for the study.

Lizzy looked hesitant, but she'd just arrived and needed to settle into her room. "I'll pass as well," she said. "Paula?" The two left the room together.

Kyo looked around. "Well I'm definitely coming," he commented as Tohru followed Sebastian out of the room, followed by Lau and Ran Mao. He grumbled, realizing no one was even paying attention to him. He quickly went to catch up with the others.