Last Time: Roxas meets the Phantomhive household, and attempts to finish his mission after that somewhat uneventful dinner party. Don't worry, though, because Ciel was able to call Sebastian before he was in any real danger. Deciding that he wants to figure out what Roxas' deal is, he spares his life. I'm sorry, I don't know how else to briefly summarize what happened. A bunch of other stuff happened, but yeah. Who's even reading this?

The thirteenth member of Organization XIII didn't wake up at seven on the dot on his first morning of this strange new world. Rather, he woke up when the sunlight streaming from the window was high enough to hit his face, causing him to move to cover his eyes from the light.

As a new sense of awareness came over the Nobody, he flashed open his eyes and shot out of bed, gasping as he checked his body for any injuries. He didn't find any, but that was understandable because Vexen had been researching the healing capabilities of nobodies. It has been confirmed that Nobodies do indeed have a faster recovery rate than Somebodies, but there has been no discovery as to why this occurs. He believes it has to do with the fact that they do not have hearts, but was never truly definite.

He took a glance at the grandfather clock in his room, which told him that it was thirty-eight past one in the afternoon.

What… happened last night?

Near the bed, he noticed that there was a package - one that he was sure Elizabeth gave him yesterday, along with a note. He unwrapped himself from the covers, which he was wrapped in pretty deeply in, got out of the bed and walked to the package. He removed the note, and started to read.

Roxas! Good morning! You just seemed so tired yesterday; I decided to let you sleep in! I hope that you don't mind, but you might need to stay with Ciel for the next couple of days. I asked him, and he said that it was okay! I need to go to town for various reasons that I cannot truly explain, at least not yet anyway, but I'll be back! Soon you'll become a real Midford!

Love, Lizzy

P.S. In this package is the outfit I would like for you to wear today, and the rest of your wardrobe is in, well, the wardrobe! I already coordinated everything! All you have to do is pick! Have fun! I'm sure you'll look adorable in anything!

Roxas sighed before placing the note on the desk. This mission was most likely going to take more time than he thought. He unwrapped the package to find deep purple shorts that would come up slightly above the knee accompanied with a matching colored vest. Along came a white collared long sleeved chemise with black buttons, decorated with various stitching of silver intertwined within the outfit. Along with the top portion came a lilac shaded ribbon as a collar, and a mini top hat with an embellished purple rose adorned with purple hydrangeas. At the bottom of the box, there were black shoes with a slight heel to it and long navy socks.

Roxas looked at the full lengthened mirror beside the desk, to the new clothes, to his reflection. At least it wasn't decorated with purple amethysts. He had to admit, of all his missions, never before had he thought he would ever have the chance to wear such fancy clothes. It was slightly unnerving, because he didn't truly belong here.

"Now… how in the world am I supposed to put this on?" He muttered to himself, wishing that he wasn't in a dark room when Nina dressed him.

He managed to unbutton his top and pulled it off. It fell to the red carpeted floor when he heard a noise. At the sound of a knock at the door, Roxas turned and called, "Come in," immediately regretting it because he was practically half dressed. He dropped the box and dashed under the covers, glad for his fast reflexes. He peered from underneath as the door opened and Sebastian walked in, expression blank. His eyes scanned the room before finding the blond watching him from under the covers, and the blank expression became one of amusement.

Roxas could have sworn that he was going to lose his somewhat pitiful existence in just a matter of moments. He failed in his task to release the heart of the butler's master, Ciel Phantomhive. He was a dead Nobody.

… So then why was he still alive, awakened not by pain but by the gentle entrance of sunlight? Not floating in the cold, eternal abyss of darkness but rather on this fluffy bed, warm and still quite… alive?

Actually, where do the Nobodies go when destroyed? Do they return to darkness or do they just fade into nothingness, never supposed to exist in the first place?

How in the worlds was he still able to ask himself these questions and not gone at this very second?

Seemingly knowing that the Nobody was having an internal crisis within himself, the butler cleared his throat. At the sound of Sebastian clearing his throat, Roxas snapped out of his thoughts and jumped slightly, which made the blood red eyes laugh in amusement.

"Good afternoon, Lord Roxas. Since you are awake, the young master has requested that you join him for tea." His tone was crisp and clear, but there was a sense of tension in the air as Roxas looked down at his hands, refusing to make eye contact.

"O-oh… I-is that so?" He turned back to the box, contents now on the floor.

Sebastian followed his gaze and spotted the box as well. "Lord Roxas, could it be that you do not know how to dress yourself?" He smiled a wide grin as he turned back to the nobody, whose face was positively red. "No! I can! Just… not clothes like these…" He choked out, eyes on the bed.

"Would you perhaps like some assistance?" The tone of mockery was heavy in the butler's voice, and it made the assassin uncomfortable. His senses were screaming danger, and after a couple of missions he realized that he should go with his senses.

"Uh, no, it's okay, I'll figure it out. Don't you have your young master to attend to?" He asked, wanting him to leave so that he could, at the very least, figure out the clothes himself without any prying eyes. And perhaps plan some more on how to finish his mission.

"You have read the note from Lady Elizabeth, have you not?" A smile curled onto Sebastian's lips as Roxas nodded. "My young master has ordered me to attend to your needs to make your stay at the Phantomhive manor most enjoyable. As a guest who will be staying here for the next couple of days, it will be in your best interests to learn how to dress. If need be, I could help you dress every morning of your stay."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No." Roxas shook his head. "I'm fine, I can do this." He got up from his position, but took the blanket with him, feeling self-conscious. "You just… uh…" He tried to take a hold of the white shirt while being wrapped in the white sheet, but was having a great difficulty doing so.

Suddenly, the Nobody was spinning as he found himself in Ciel Phantomhive's butler's arms, holding him gently as if he was a delicate piece of artwork.

"I insist, let me teach you how to dress at the very least."

In a matter of moments, the sheet was removed from the blond's grip, revealing his lean and lithe frame as Sebastian gingerly held out his arms and carried them into the sleeves of the white blouse before quickly buttoning the cuffs as well as the front, leaving the first button unbuttoned. Roxas felt his chest become slightly restricted as the tight purple vest was buttoned over the white shirt, a slight press on his chest as Sebastian's hand smoothed over the flaps. He felt himself being steadied with one arm as he blushed as the butler's steady, gloved hands removed his bottom pants and quickly replaced them with the shorts, before pulling up the long socks and was suddenly tying his shoes.

Roxas blinked only once as he found himself seated on the bed as Sebastian tightened the lilac ribbon around his neck.

"Wha…?"

"Do not worry, Lord Roxas. I will help you every morning, until you get the hang of it." He smiled at the Nobody, who looked down at his new outfit and gasped. He looked at the clock and exclaimed, "That was only two seconds!"

Sebastian softly placed the top hat on the blond's crown of golden spikes, angled to be on the left, slightly tamer side of his hair. "I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that such minor feats are within my repertoire."

Confused by his words, the only comeback that Roxas could think of was, "How in the world do you expect me to learn how to dress myself if I can't even see you do it?"

"Well then, I hope that you have quick eyes, Lord Roxas. I shall come back to escort you to the dining hall." He bowed once again before closing the double doors, leaving Roxas alone, still dazed.

"… This did not just happen!"

The Earl of Phantomhive tossed the newspaper onto his desk. "This just makes no sense!" He huffed and a knock was on the door. Taking calming breaths to steady his voice, he said, "Come in."

The door opened and Sebastian walked in, a small smile on his lips. "I will start to prepare the tea and will summon you both shortly."

"How is he?" Ciel found himself saying the words without his consent.

Sebastian's smile dimmed slightly. "Concerned about your guest, my lord?"

Ciel narrowed his eyes at his butler. "No, of course not. I'm just concerned about this case. We will have to visit the Undertaker afterwards."

"With Roxas, young master?"

Ciel waved at him. "Let him come. I intend to find out his true motives during this short meal anyway. Now, weren't you leaving?" He was glaring at the demon, who was visibly frowning at this point.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Ciel sighed as he watched him leave, picking up the newspaper again. "Disappearances all over England… men, women, and even children…" His mind thought back to the events of last night, of that close encounter with death, which comes too often than he would like.

Why did he allow Roxas to live? If it was anyone else, he would have had Sebastian end their existence in ten seconds flat, with no remorse or seconds thoughts. No looking back. He could always tell Elizabeth that he disappeared, ran away. Sweet lies were always better than the bitter truth. At least with her, anyway.

So then why was he still alive?

"Concerned about your guest, my lord?"

Ciel shook his head, crumpling the paper. Hardly. Why would he be? He just wants to know how the assassin and queen's case were connected. Nothing more.

"But on the inside, you really are a kind person who cares about others."

He grinned as he folded his hands and crossed his legs underneath his desk. It was better that way, to think that he was someone of kindness - it would be easy to manipulate him. It was all a matter of time before he gets his answers, then depending on them would the assassin's fate be decided.

He didn't have to wait long, because just after he came about this resolution, Sebastian reappeared to escort him to fetch their guest.

"No, no, no! Where is it?"

Roxas has spent the last couple of minutes searching for his cloak, which would hopefully be unaltered.

However, after searching within the deep pocket of space that was his wardrobe, he couldn't find any trace of his trademark Organization-issued black cloak that helped him keep his identity and protected him from the darkness when traveling through the Corridors. Without it, he didn't want to be making any careless mistakes now, since he was more prone to the darkness and without protection. He didn't want to risk the dangers.

He had to admit though; it was a lot to search through. He searched, but there were only handfuls of outfits that were black, let alone of the same texture of his cloak, compared to the oceans of various shades of blue, white, green, purple, orange, red, and yellow. And he didn't even make a dent in the outfits!

"No wonder you were gone for so long… how in the worlds were you able to buy all these outfits in that short period?" Roxas loudly questioned his invisible Elizabeth, who in his imagination just giggled at him as a response.

"Aurgh…" He muttered, reaching out for his pjs again. Perhaps it was still with Nina in the shop? His best bet was that it was altered, if not gone. "Oh no…" His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. He couldn't complete his mission without it.

"Don't go drowning in the fabric now, Elizabeth just might get upset."

Roxas turned to find Ciel and Sebastian waiting patiently at his door, smiling in his torment.

He cleared his throat. "Well from all this, I make no promises." He answered before exiting the armoire, turning back to straighten any outfits he may have wrinkled in his leaving. He straightened himself before walking up to his hosts, and was rather surprised when Ciel held out his hand for him to take.

"Come, Roxas, let us dine in the garden."

The nobody looked at the child in disbelief, where there was a small sincere smile on the Earl's face.

"O… okay…" He took the Earl's offered hand and was surprised at his hold. It was completely different from Elizabeth's. Elizabeth's was strong and firm, but Ciel's was soft and gentle. If he had to compare, he would rather hold Ciel's, which was actually more feminine than the cute obsessed girl.

He realized that he was being led by the child deeper into the mansion, followed rather closely by Sebastian, and the Nobody was captivated by the art that decorated the halls of the Phantomhive manor, silently gasping at the various works to the amusement of the Phantomhive butler and Earl.

Everything suddenly became brighter, and the dark colors shifted to pastel as the men stepped outside into the lush garden of the Phantomhive family. Roxas noticed a trace of blond - one of the servants? - before it was suddenly pushed aside.

Ciel led the blond to a rather small circular table, set for only two, and Sebastian pulled out the chair so that Roxas could take a seat.

However, the blond's mind wasn't too off from the Earl's gentle grip, his soft hands, his dark blue long sleeve jacket going up to his knees, covering the same shade of blue underneath, the way his hair swaying with the slight breeze from walking briskly in the hallway…

…the current situation, which was, most likely, an interrogation of what happened last night.

A few moments later, the hair stood still, and Ciel turned back to his guest. "Please, take a seat." Roxas blinked back into attention, and seeing the white chair, let go of the child and took a seat, Sebastian pushing him in before following after his master, who did the same.

Sebastian bowed. "I shall return momentarily." He left the pair to retrieve the snacks, and a pin drop could be heard at the awkward silence.

"Uh… about last night…" Roxas decided that he could go clean out, tell him what happened. He doubt that he had much of a choice. Perhaps Ciel would tell him about himself as well, an equal exchange of information per se.

Ciel raised his hand to silence the Nobody, and Roxas could sense the power that the child had. It wasn't something of a mystical proportion, but rather of power and prestige itself, as if he was the embodiment of the traits.

"Not now. Tell me after. I do not know about you, but I could go for a cup of tea." He smiled at his guest, who smiled back in confusion.

"Today's afternoon tea consists of silver needle white tea with petite madeleines with a slight lemon zest." The butler's voice came from behind the Nobody as he suddenly appeared between the two seated 'lords', gently patting powdered sugar onto the madeleines. Pouring the tea ever so slightly, Sebastian handed a teacup to Ciel, who took the cup gently, then poured and handed the second to Roxas, who eyed the liquid.

"It's tea. Try it." Ciel picked up a madeleine and took a small bite before taking a sip of tea.

Roxas eyed the liquid again, but trusting the target proceeded to take a sip. The slick porcelain cup managed to slip from his fingers, which he managed to catch but tea splashed all over Sebastian.

"It burns! Oh…" He looked at Sebastian, who sighed before wiping himself with a washcloth, Ciel holding back his chuckle. "Sorry about that…" He meekly said before taking a madeleine from the plate to nibble on.

"Sebastian, go clean yourself up. We won't be needing you." Ciel called as he placed the cup back on its saucer.

Sebastian gave his master a rather curious look. "Are you sure, young master?"

Ciel waved him away. "Go on before it stains." The butler bowed and took his leave and when he closed the doors of the mansion, Roxas finally let himself smile.

"If you try to summon your sword again, I won't hesitate in ending your life."

The mood in the air turned serious as Ciel changed it from light to dark. "It will only take Sebastian moments to come back, but I know you are uncomfortable in his presence. Since I am so kind, I decided to keep you into account. Now…" Ciel's eye turned dark as his voice but moved his gaze back to the petite cakes. "Why don't you tell me why you tried to kill me?"

Roxas coughed uncomfortably. "U-uh…"

"Don't be afraid." The Earl's tone became light again. "I'm just pushing the topic earlier than what you expected. You were about to tell me, weren't you?"

Roxas nodded. "I was."

Ciel's eye watched him. "So then, what's keeping you?"

Roxas thought about it. Why did he even want to tell his target about his motives? Did Saïx order him not to?

Take as long and use whatever techniques you may need. That was what the letter said. Did techniques include information?

"You have a strong heart," He started.

"A strong soul?" Ciel sounded amused. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"No, not soul. Heart," Roxas corrected.

"What's the difference?" The Earl asked, slightly confused.

"…I couldn't say, I don't know what a soul is," Roxas answered honestly. This caused Ciel to frown. "…I see. Carry on then, using 'heart' or whatever term you may need."

"Wait, tell me about Sebastian first." Roxas was going to need some information in return if he was going to spill secrets to this person, to his target no less!

… Why was he doing this again?

"What about him?" The tone was still light. Roxas narrowed his eyes at the Earl. "You know. There's something… off about him." Ciel smiled.

"That's true. Is that why you are so wary of him? But then again, you are quite an oddity as well."

So he knows. "Explain," Roxas commanded.

Ciel's smile turned into a smirk. "You should know more than anyone. It is about you after all. Why don't you explain yourself first? With the 'hearts' and 'souls' and all that?"

"I'm not about to spill secrets without getting something in return," Roxas said, watching Ciel as he eyed another cake. As the lord reached out for one, he replied, "I wasn't going to spill anything at all. Besides, you already spilled your tea."

"Tea beside the point." This conversation was starting to become a battle of wits.

"I don't know about you, but I believe that the most interesting conversations occur during tea time." Ciel took a sip of the beverage. "I promise that I will tell you about Sebastian if you tell me your story."

"How can I trust you?"

"You can't." Ciel looked up and smiled. "But you have no one else to trust, so why not me?"

"How about Lizzy?" Roxas tried to threaten, but he knew that he was right.

Ciel shrugged it off. "I know that you're smart enough to know that you can't really trust her with these matters. And who else can you really talk to, anyway? Not Sebastian, I doubt that he will tell you his secrets. My fellow servants? They won't tell you anything unless I order them to. Random strangers? I doubt you know, but my personal life is rather personal, unknown to the general public. Well, I do have an image as head of a toy and candy company… have you heard of the Funtom Company? Would you like some samples?" He bent down to retrieve a stuffed bunny rabbit - the same one the girl had - and a variety of lollipops in shades of strawberry pink, chocolate brown, caramel tan, and milk white. He held out the candies, and Roxas hesitantly picked the milk. Ciel dropped the strawberry and caramel onto the table, leaving the chocolate in between his fingers.

He smirked. "Really now, I thought you were smarter than that."

The blond unwrapped the lollipop and took a small lick. "Milk?"

Ciel unwrapped his as well before placing it down next to his cup. "What flavor did you think it was?"

"Vanilla."

"And I have chocolate." Ciel's visible eye looked amused.

Roxas put down the lollie and picked up his cup of tea, which was almost empty. "It's… hard to explain."

"I'm a good listener."

The Nobody sighed, closed his eyes, then opened again, sapphire meeting sapphire.

"I'm not human, I'm nothing really. A Nobody."

"Please elaborate."

"I… don't have a heart. Or soul, whatever it is you wish to call it. I'm a hollow shell. I have nothing on the inside. I might be different from the other types, but I'm still a Nobody."

"How exactly are you different from others?" Ciel picked up his cup and began to drink.

"I… have no memories of my other self, and I can also… feel emotions." Ciel's eye darkened as he put down his cup, and Roxas looked deep into his own tea. "Look, I already gave a lot of information, can you tell me something in return?"

Ciel shook his head, reached out for his lollypop and put it in his mouth. "No, tell me more. You did try to kill me, and that's a hefty toll to pay."

Roxas picked up the milk flavored candy and began to suck on it. What else can he really say? He wasn't a proper Nobody, he would be giving inaccurate information. "Really, I am different. You really shouldn't base all Nobodies on me. Nobodies I'm sure aren't supposed to feel emotions, and I am the only one who doesn't remember my other self."

Ciel took out his candy stick, placed it on the side of his plate and reached out for another cake.

"Look, um, I'm… not going to hurt you, but… I think it's a nice visual." Roxas took a deep breath, and summoned his keyblade. This time, it wasn't the dark blade, but the Kingdom Key. Ciel's eye went wide at the sword, taking note that it looked different from the one that almost slain him the night before.

"I am the only one of my group who can wield this blade, the keyblade. It has the ability to -"

"Let me guess. Unlock locks?" Ciel asked sarcastically.

Roxas gave a soft laugh. "Well, yes, it can do that. And it can also lock the hearts of Somebodies and worlds. I do not know all the secrets of this weapon, but I know that the one I… used against you last night is different." He held out his other hand, and the dark blade was summoned once again. Ciel gasped and leapt out of his chair, and Roxas looked up to him and saw the fear that he saw last night. He quickly sent it away and reaffirmed the grasp on his Kingdom Key.

"That blade… it is an unnatural blade. Compared to my usual blades, it is a blade of pure darkness instead of light. It has the power to unlock instead of lock. Unnatural…" Roxas trailed off.

The little lord calmed himself some, then took his seat once more before coughing to dignify himself. "You keep talking about Somebodies, but you called yourself a Nobody. Somebodies are people who have… hearts, am I correct?"

Roxas nodded.

"So, am I a Somebody?"

"You are."

Ciel placed his hand over his heart. "So why are you trying to retrieve my… heart?"

Roxas sighed. "I'm sorry. Let me explain. When a powerful Somebody like yourself," Ciel smirked. "Loses their heart, two things occur. The heart itself becomes a monster called a Heartless, and its form varies with the power of the heart. However, if their heart is strong, their shell will gain a mind of their own. It would be a shell that looks different, but always similar to the original, never really a whole…" The blond's eyes looked distant before blinking back into focus. "The shell becomes a Nobody, and I was supposed to retrieve yours. Since you are a particularly strong Somebody it would be beneficial to our cause."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. "Which is what, exactly?"

"The formation of Kingdom Hearts to gain our own hearts and become truly whole again." Roxas recited, as if he was in class.

"And this?" He raised the ruined toy to the table and kept his eyes on it.

Roxas was unfazed as he answered honestly, "I wanted to test out the magic of the dark blade. I found these two kids that tried to swindle me before I bumped into Lizzy. One of the children had it. It does work. If I were to use it against you right now, you would lose your heart and disappear into a Heartless and a Nobody."

"And what made you decide to not fulfill your 'mission' during this little meeting?" Ciel began to brush his fingers on the plush toy, and was surprised that there was in actuality, no blood on the toy. Just dust, dirt, and tears.

Roxas gave a nervous laugh. "Well, I don't doubt your ability to carry out threats."

"A blade that is mythical in origin, and does not in itself actually wound the body, but rather the soul itself…" Ciel muttered to himself, and Roxas had trouble in hearing what the young earl commented.

"I'm sorry?"

"I see." Ciel picked up his cup, peered inside and frowned. "Oh dear, I'm out of tea. Sebastian?"

"You called, my lord?"

Sebastian suddenly appeared next to the earl, and the blond jumped, much to the amusement of the earl and his butler.

"You lied! You said that he wasn't here!" Roxas sputtered out.

Ciel stopped chuckling as he regained his composure. "Not true. He did leave, and he just reappeared. Sebastian, about our conversation…"

"Only when you called me for tea, my lord." Sebastian bowed before standing and removing his watch from his pocket. "I must insist that if you would look at the time, however, you would see that you are running late for your appointment."

Ciel frowned and narrowed his eyes at his butler before turning back at his guest, and Roxas shuddered at the gaze. "I see. Roxas, would you like to come with us?"

It wasn't just a look of acknowledgement and recognition. It was a look that pierced into his very person, his very non-existent heart, and only in that moment did the Nobody realize that he completely opened up to his target, telling the young lord practically all of the Organization's plots and ideals, his own self, and the workings of his weapon.

It was in that moment that Roxas realized he was totally and utterly fucked.

The Nobody glared at the eye patched boy. "Do I really have a choice?"

"No, not really." Ciel smiled.

Roxas sighed before finally taking out his own candy stick and placed it next to his empty cup of tea. "Do I at least have the privilege to know where we are going?"

"How about this? On our way there, I'll answer any four questions. Any at all. Again, I make no promises as to I'll answer them truthfully at all, but you might be surprised. Come along then." Ciel pushed back the chair, got up from the table, and started his way back towards the house, leaving Roxas blinking as his form retreated farther from the garden. Feeling a burning feeling in his hand, Roxas clenched it, and his skin touched crisp paper.

"How can I trust you?" Roxas asked as he placed the paper in his pocket, not getting up from his spot.

"You can't," Ciel Phantomhive answered from his distance, mirroring the previous conversation.

The blond was quite surprised when the young Earl turned back to him, smirking and all as the butler suddenly appeared behind him to open a gate next to the house.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"