The once proud home was a ruined husk; a shell which no longer contained any seed of life. It was still a fine piece of property, but no one had ever attempted to build anything else on this particular piece of real estate. Rumors, carried by far too eager tongues, had long since circulated that this land, as well as the family associated with it, was cursed, and history seemed to support this assertion. It had been burned the day that Ciel had been kidnapped, and it had burned once again after the consumption of his soul, although Sebastian could only take credit for one of the two fires.

The world had changed and moved on, but this place had stayed the same; much like Sebastian himself. While he recognized that he was technically no longer Sebastian as the name had died along with his late master, he had felt compelled to wear the familiar face and carry the name like a badge. On these grounds, he was Sebastian Michaelis no matter who he was elsewhere. He wore the familiar face as he walked about the charred remnants of a wall.

As he rounded a corner, he noticed an older man was stooped over a few roses that were still struggling to grow, and he found that he couldn't believe his eyes. Surely this couldn't be Tanaka, even though the silver hair certainly seemed reminiscent of elderly gentleman. Sebastian had seen him die before the final days of the contract's completion and its rather anticlimactic ending, but still he felt the hope rising in his chest. He knew that some were chosen for reincarnation for some reason or another, and Tanaka would no doubt have been a suitable candidate.

"Hello," Sebastian greeted, still unsure of this stranger's true identity, "I didn't think anyone was here."

The old man turned slowly, and Sebastian felt his nostalgic dreams crack and splinter. Although he did look a little like Tanaka, this was obviously not the same man. The hair was much thinner on top so that more of the scalp showed, and there were more lines crisscrossed about the senior's face, like lines on a map indicating all the places he had been in his life. "I didn't know anyone was here either," the man returned, smiling slightly, and Sebastian was taken aback. There was a light in the dark irises that was very reminiscent of Tanaka, and the idea that this might be Tanaka reborn seemed more plausible. A part of Sebastian knew that things like hope were the foolish things humans clung to in place of reason and fact, but he still wanted something, or someone, to connect him back to this place and back to his own past.

"What are you doing here, if I may ask?" questioned Sebastian.

"Just trying to look after the old place," answered the man with a faraway look, "It's a shame to see such a grand estate fall to ruin, but I am alone these days. There's very little that I can."

"It is a nice gesture," Sebastian said, still a bit uncertain, "Do you live nearby?"

The older man looked confused. "No," he finally answered, "I don't think so, but I don't really have any place I belong. I'm just here for now because I have no other place to be. There's no one that needs me these days."

Sebastian frowned slightly. "Do you have any family?"

"No," repeated the man, "I'm alone I'm afraid."

A part of Sebastian knew that he should simply bid the man a farewell and be on his way, but something about this supposed stranger still piqued his interest. His mind kept repeating that this couldn't be Tanaka, but that foreign invader known as hope was stuck firm in his chest. "That's quite sad," he said, "What is your name?"

"Tanaka."

Sebastian gasped before he could stop himself. "Tanaka?" he repeated in a questioning tone.

"Yes. Is there something wrong, son? You look quite pale suddenly."

"No," he answered, "It's just that I knew someone named Tanaka once, and you remind me of him."

The old man's smile was gentle. "That's odd because I feel that I've met you before as well. Perhaps we did in some other life." He chuckled softly and Sebastian's heart beat faster at the familiar, "Ho. Ho. Ho." Sebastian's face remained passive, but his mind began to scream and plead in a way he would never allow his lips.

Remember me. Tanaka, remember me. We do know each other. Don't you remember that long talk we had that night. You knew more about who I really was than anyone else. I need you to remember me. I need you…to remind me of who I used to be.

"Well, I suppose I should be going," Tanaka said as he started to turn away.

"There's no need to be in a hurry," Sebastian said, "I have no place to be either. Perhaps we could be each other's company. I haven't been in this area for a long time."

There was another one of Tanaka's gentle smiles. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea," he said, "It might be nice to get a small bite to eat."

"It would be nice," Sebastian answered gently.

Together they walked, and Sebastian allowed this Tanaka to lead the way in both their path and conversation. He had many questions, but finding the proper words seemed far more difficult than usual. With each thing Tanaka said, Sebastian found himself analyzing his words in hope there would be some proof one way or the other. Sebastian had to know if this was the Tanaka he had known or just a cruel coincidence.

They found a small café, and Tanaka seemed quite hungry. As he ate, he didn't seem to notice that Sebastian didn't join him in his meal, nor did he seemed concerned about the price. Thankfully, Sebastian had long since learned to carry some money on him while traveling even though he rarely had to purchase anything for himself. After eating, they made their way to a park where Tanaka continued to talk. There was so many ways that this old man reminded Sebastian of the man he had known before, but he still didn't know for sure, which was distressing.

Finally, they returned to the ruined remains of Phantomhive Estate, and Sebastian saw a far off light begin to glow in the old man's eyes. If he was going to ask directly, he would have to do so now in order to have any hope of an answer. He opened his mouth to do so, but was interrupted when a young man suddenly shouted and ran towards them.

"Grandfather!" shouted a young man with black hair and almost equally dark eyes, "We've finally found you! We were so worried!" A woman soon followed him, and there were tears in her eyes.

Tanaka chuckled the same familiar chuckle. "I've just been spending time with my new friend here," he offered, before turning towards Sebastian. "What was your name again?"

"Sebastian." It was actually the first time Tanaka had asked, and Sebastian had been hoping he had remembered it all along.

"Yes, Sebastian," Tanaka said, "We had a lovely day together."

"You shouldn't wander off so, grandfather," the girl said, shaking her head so that her black hair danced around her thin face, "You had us worried. Now, let's get you home." She started to lead him away, and Sebastian noticed, for the first time, a small, red car parked in the distance.

"Thank you for looking after our grandfather," the young man said to Sebastian, "He has Alzheimer's, so he wanders off from time to time. He's harmless, but we're afraid he's going to get hurt one day."

"Tanaka told me he didn't have a family," Sebastian stated.

"Did he tell you his name was Tanaka?" the man asked, "He says that sometimes, but my grandfather's name is Yoshida. Whenever he takes these spells, he usually winds up here claiming to be the butler of this old place and that he's all alone. Isn't that strange. Of course, my sister and I panicked when we couldn't find him here at first. We've been driving everywhere looking for him, but we should have known that he would wind up here eventually." He let out a long breath and looked around. "I wonder why he always comes here," he mused, "Although I bet this place was something back in its day."

"It was," Sebastian said softly.

The young man looked at him oddly before wishing him goodbye and hurrying to his car. From the backseat, Tanaka, a.k.a. Yoshida, waved and Sebastian knew the truth. That man was Tanaka, but Sebastian had come almost too late. Once again, Tanaka was quite old and his mind wasn't the same by the time Sebastian had found his way into his life. If only he had known that Tanaka would have had this second chance, then he would have returned much sooner so that he would finally have had a chance to know Tanaka in his youth.

Still, hope was not entirely lost. He had found Tanaka again, and he would come back to visit his old friend. They would talk, and maybe Tanaka would even remember him one day. Besides, if Tanaka had already given a second chance, perhaps he would be offered another at the end of this life. Perhaps it wasn't too late. Perhaps. Perhaps.

Sebastian would have to wait and see.