I just finished watching Mirrai Nikki and my feelings are shot. Has anyone else seen it? Did you cry? I did.

Ciel stirred and opened his eyes, only to realize he was blind-folded. He could feel the warmth of fire, emanating light, burning close by. His heart rate picked up as he heard the Viscount say aloud, "The grand finale for you today, the jewel of this evening comes in a duo!" Ciel sneered at the statement and soon realized he was bound next to Natasha, or at least he hoped it was Natasha.

"A pretty robin and her equally stunning raven-counterpart," the Viscount's voice rang, "Both are quite young, but I guarantee these two are a passionate pair to behold! The robin in pink has dark sapphires for eyes. Next to her sporting a yellow dress, is a mysterious raven with porcelain skin."

The crowd oo-ed and ah-ed at his presentation. With no time to spare, bids were began being shouted. "Twenty-five hundred for the one in pink!"

"Thirty-three hundred for yellow!"

"I doubt either of them has even experienced a fifteenth birthday. I can sell them in parts or if you so desire, you may purchase the girls whole and watch them blossom into beautiful women. Mold them to be your pets, even!"

A few masculine laughs echoed throughout the room. "Five thousand for both," someone yelled.

Ciel scoffed and then felt something sharp poke into his arm. He hummed in his throat in annoyance at the audacity this person had to actually poke his person.

"About time you woke up!" Natasha hissed. "Do you know how long I've been pretending to be asleep? I've been listening to this idiot sell off more than ten women, for an hour, Ciel! An hour! They tied us up and apparently, we're the grand prize! Isn't that great? We're jewels, little robin!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down and asked, "Is there anything you'd like me to do at this exact moment, Ciel?"

He stayed quiet and opened his mouth, "Seba-"

"No!" she cried. "Tell me. I'm already here, aren't I? There's no point in calling him, just tell me what you want and you'll have it."

Ciel rolled his eyes, but complied. "Natasha, I order you to save us."

Immediately, all the candles in the room turned off and Ciel felt a cold gust of wind. He heard the cracking of metal and assumed they had been inside a cage. Within seconds, the rapid thump of bodies hitting the floor one by one, could be heard.

"See? You can trust me, too!" Natasha chirped, as she slit the ropes that bound Ciel's wrists together. She then took of the cloth that was wrapped around his head, covering his eyes and once free, he simply stared at her. "An underground auction," Natasha snorted. "Well, there's Jack The Ripper," she pointed to the an unconscious man in white lying on the floor, Aleister Chambers.

Their eyes locked together and humorlessly, they shared a laugh. "What do we do with him?" she asked and plopped herself down on the Viscount.

Ciel joined her and sat onto the Viscount's sleeping face, purposefully smothering him. "We call forth Scotland Yard. They'll take care of this dumbass and then we can go home."

She sighed, stretching her arms. "This was a lot easier than I expected. I don't have any blood on me, do I?" she asked, checking herself over. "I can get kind of messy, when I don't pay enough attention."

"I can't see in the dark," he replied, grudgingly. Ciel wondered if she asked him that on purpose, to reinforce her supernatural superiority over him. Knowing her, he thought to himself, She did.

Natasha chuckled innocently and then snapped her fingers. The fire that had once been extinguished burst into flames again. Ciel looked around and noticed the bodies lying around were still breathing. "Why didn't you kill them?"

"You didn't order me to, so I didn't." She grinned, "I may or may not have been a little harsh with them, though. A couple of those pathetic imbeciles are more than likely to have broken noses or concussions. In the morning, they'll probably assume they 'partied too hard' and there shouldn't be an issue."

He nodded and managed to give her a small praise, "You did well, Natasha."

"Naturally," she sighed, dismissing his compliment and smiled at the thought of her mother back at home, who would say the exact same thing to her. "Do you think Grell and the others have destroyed your manor by now?"

xx

When they returned to the ballroom, Natasha noticed her father rubbing his head. "You performed the magic trick again, didn't you? You know Grandmother hates it when you do that, Da-Sebastian."

"How did you know about that?" Madam Red asked, suspiciously. "I thought you and Ciel had run off to find the Viscount."

"Oh, we did." Natasha gave a nonchalant wave of her hand, "The Yard should be here any moment to arrest that creep. And regarding your question, well. . My tutor is infamous back at home for the sword-cabinet thing he does to entertain people."

Sebastian glared at Lau, "Though most of my assistants don't directly impale my head. If I had been anyone else, I'm sure they'd be dead."

Lau raised up his arms, "So how did you do it?"

"You stabbed him without knowing whether or not it would kill him?!" Madam Red screeched, choking the Chinese man harshly. "Didn't you think about his child?! What would she do without him?!"

"No need to get flustered," Natasha laughed awkwardly, tugging at Madam Red's dress gently. "I wouldn't have missed him anyway. No harm, no foul, really!"

Ciel raised a brow, "Hear that, Sebastian? She doesn't need you."

The teacher-disguised butler frowned and pretended to stab his heart with an invisible sword. "You wound me, Natasha! What would your mother say?"

She shrugged, "Mom would agree with me and find another father for me. It wouldn't be hard for her to do so, either. You did mention how lovely she was earlier yourself, didn't you? Trust me, you're definitely not the only one who thinks so."

"That was harsh," Lau gurgled, still being murdered by Madam Red, who nodded in agreement.

"I was only half joking," she answer, smiling innocently at her father. "Mother would never do such a thing, unless you died or something."

He grinned and tugged on her hair playfully. "You shouldn't make your father worry like that, you know. Someday he might die of a heart attack inflicted by your so-called jokes."

Hearing that, Ciel barked out a laugh with Natasha following seconds after. "Yeah, you of all people, dying of a heart attack. That's rich!" his daughter giggled.

If only he would, Ciel thought as he sobered up. "Let's go home," he said, already marching towards an exit. "There's no need for me to be dressed like this anymore."

xx

The next morning at the Phantomhive London townhouse, Natasha received a bothersome newspaper. Its title read, Jack The Ripper Strikes Again!, in bolded letters. "Thank you," she told the delivery boy, giving him a small tip and a lovely grin.

"No problem, m'lady. Be careful traveling into town," he smiled and left, feeling smitten with the young girl.

Natasha sighed, Ciel's going to be pissed when he reads this.

She walked into the parlor and saw Madam Red and Ciel playing chess. Eerily, she approached them and slammed the newspaper onto the chessboard, stating simply, "We made a mistake."

Stiffly, Ciel read the newspaper. "How in the hell?"

Madam Red tried to comfort them. "Well, at least you caught the Viscount! His human trafficking scheme was still illegal and he had to be stopped! Why don't we relax for a while and get started on the case again later-"

"No," her nephew blatantly refused. "The queen is unhappy and it is my responsibility, as her guard dog, to solve this once and for all."

"Ciel," she looked at him with a saddened gaze. "I know your family has always fiercely protected the queen and her underworld, but if you're trying to avenge your parents' murders by taking your father's place as the head of the Phantomhives, please understand that that isn't something my sister would have wanted for you."

Natasha stayed silent and stood by, watching her boss critically. She had decided that she would never have a master, especially not Ciel, but technically she was being employed, so 'boss' would have do.

"I have no desire for revenge. It wouldn't do me any good, now would it? It won't bring anyone back to life and it can't rewrite the past. Everything I have done since that night, has been for the sole purpose of humiliating those who humiliated me and making them suffer, just as much as I did."

Liar! Natasha screamed in her head, involuntarily. Lies! You're lying straight through your teeth, Ciel!

Madam Red stood up from her seat and caressed his face, "When you were a baby, I remember vowing to protect you. You were sickly, like your mother, and tiny, too. It was one of the reason why I became a doctor. I wanted you to have a long, happy life, completely stress free." She chuckled, "Well, maybe not completely, Lizzy would have made sure of that. . But with this path you have chosen, your life isn't constant. Young as you may be, you have enemies who will try to kill you."

"It was my decision to make," Ciel snapped, slapping her hand away and at the hurt look on his aunt's face, he held it. "I will find those responsible for what happened, I promise you that. Nobody crosses me and gets away with it. Nobody."

"I still wish you wouldn't insist on doing this," she sighed. "Your whole life will be wasted."

The little demon, who had been watching them silently the whole time, gave them both an apprehensive stare, You have no idea what your nephew has gotten himself into, Madam Red. He's forever doomed to lose his soul and has given up his place within the gates of paradise.

"I won't regret anything, if that's what you're wondering," he answered, looking directly at Natasha.

Having been caught, she grinned sheepishly at him and shook her head. "I wasn't think that at all," she said. "I'm starting to see you in a new light, Ciel Phantomhive. And I've gotta say, I have a confession. I like what I'm seeing right now."

"Oh, really?" Madam Red teased, "What did you see that has you so excited, my dear?"

"Now-a-days, boys his age don't like to be coddled," she laughed. "But it seems that Ciel is one of the rare few who enjoy it! I can tell he liked it when you showed him your affection just now, Madam Red."

His cheeks turned a bright pink, "I did not!"

xx

Sebastian and Natasha escorted Madam Red out the door. In front of them was a carriage and Grell, holding an umbrella. "I'm here to accompany you home," he said to his mistress.

Despite the rain and the potential of getting wet, Natasha ran up to hug her friend. "Grell! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! Did you take good care of my puppy while I was gone?"

The butler smiled, "I tried my best, honestly. Pluto is a rambunctious fellow and gave us a hard time, though." He turned his gaze to Sebastian and frightfully said, "Some of the trees have been burnt up, I'm really sorry!"

"We can plant new ones," Sebastian sighed, helping Madam Red put on her coat.

She turned to him, "Sebastian. I want you to promise me something."

"Is it another check-up?" Natasha piped up, smiling pleasantly back inside the warm mansion. "One last time, before you go?"

Madam Red giggled, "No, not another check-up." She stared at the young girl and became serious, "On second thought, I want both of you to promise me something. Promise me that you'll stay by my nephew's side. Help him find his way."

Natasha was shocked and watched her father kneel down in front of Madam Red. "We promise, m'lady. We will stay by the young master's side, until the very end."

"We?" she asked, as her father stood up. "Don't worry, Madam Red. I'll lead the way and Ciel can follow," she grinned, staring into the red eyes belonging to one of one of Ciel's only living relatives. "He won't get lost, I promise."

The older woman smiled kindly at them. "I wouldn't expect any less," she said and with that, she was on her way. "Thank you, Sebastian, Natasha."

Once he was sure they were gone, the father turned to his daughter. "You'll lead the way?" Sebastian asked analytically. "How do you plan to do that?"

She shrugged, "I'm going to turn him into who he really is. That face he puts on may fool the rest of the world, it may have even fooled you, but not me. I despise people who pretend to be what they're not. My boss shouldn't be anything like that, a pretender. And besides, I'm the best at reading people, I know he isn't supposed to be like this."

"And if you are mistaken?"

"Nothing will change his fate," she replied. "If I'm wrong about him, then there was fault in my judgment and he dies either way."

Sebastian groaned. "Is this a new game you've just now developed?" She nodded and he patted her on the back, "Well as long as it doesn't interfere with my plans, do as you like, sweet pea."

Natasha smiled at her father, "Thanks. Has mom sent you the list of my requirements yet?"

Next chapter, we finish dealing with Jack The Ripper. Toodles.