Perhaps I'm being paranoid. I wanted to ask Sebastian about his disappearances but work just kept piling up and a week had gone by since I had learned of his second late disappearance and a week since I got to talk to him for more than 30 seconds. He seemed to be avoiding me. Of course, that doesn't make any sense so why does it feel like he's distancing himself from me? Just as I finally finished all of my work, in the early afternoon of the eighth day, I found myself wanting to scream in relief and frustration. I had been left alone during my work except for the quick meals brought by Sebastian and the tea served by Hydria. Tea always has a calming effect, especially during stressful times such as these, so I felt relieved when Hydria never questioned my constant calls for the steaming beverage. I tugged at my hair, still wanting to burst, when there was a knock on the door. It opened slowly and in came Hydria, pushing a cart instead of carrying a tray. Behind her, standing in the hall just outside of the door was Sebastian, Tanaka, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Baldroy. They were all smiling. My eyes narrowed as I released my hold on my hair, "What's the meaning of this?" Then I noticed it; a small cake sat on the cart with utensils, a plate, and tea beside it, "What's the occasion?"
"We know how stressed out you've been and this is a reward for finishing," Hydria said with a smile. There was something on her cheek just below her left eye that looked like the pure white frosting on the cake. I tilted my head, "How'd you know I finished?" She glanced back at Sebastian and he bowed, a calm smile on his face. I couldn't help but feel warm on the inside, "Ah, thank you very much. All of you." Mey-Rin gasped at my thanks. Both Finny and Baldroy seemed just as surprised. Hydria only smiled more and Sebastian's eyes seemed to sparkle in his own form of hidden surprise. He looked at the others, "Back to work," he ordered, walking behind them. I leaned forward a bit, "And where is my butler going?" He looked at me, "Why, to prepare a grand dinner." My ears burnt from embarrassment. I had instantly thought he was sneaking off, I didn't even consider him doing his own duties. The door closed and it was just me and Hydria. "Oh!" she exclaimed, serving me my tea, "Sorry I didn't serve it earlier.. I just didn't want it to burn." I looked at the tea then at her, "Didn't want what to burn?"
"The cake."
My eyes widened slightly, "You baked it?" She smiled nervously, "Yes. Sorry, but I asked Baldroy if I could. Would you prefer a different one?"
"No!" I said instantly, surprising both her and myself. Her eyes were wide for a moment before she smiled again, "How big of a slice would you like?"
"A quarter is fine," I told her, taking the size into consideration. She nodded and went to work cutting me a slice. I leaned back in my chair, resting my head on my hand. Hydria had said she couldn't bake. Though it did terrify me that I was going to eat something she said she sucked at making, it amazed me that she would want to try in order to thank me for my hard work. It was nice of her. But... Would it kill me slowly or instantly?

"Ow..!" she squeaked suddenly, attracting my attention. "What happened?" I asked, leaning forward again, "Are you okay?" She nodded, "Sorry."
"What happened?"
"Nothing really. My hand cramped suddenly and it just scared me," she said, bowing slightly, "Sorry for worrying you." I smirked, amused by her action, "Since when did you get to be so formal and bow to me?" Her face turned red in embarrassment, "H-hey! Don't let it go to your head! I've just been around your servants for too long!"
"You sure? It seems like you see me as your boss."
"You kinda are," she remind me, lifting the plate that now had a slice of cake resting on it. At least it didn't look terrible. Then I remembered something; "You squeaked like an actual girl." Hydria set the plate down in front of me then leaned across the desk, grabbing the front of my shirt, "Tell anyone and you're dead," she threatened jokingly. I chuckled as she released me, smoothing out the wrinkles she had made with her power. I still wanted to watch her use it - it was so fascinating. I lifted my fork, "Anyways, thank you." She nodded and grabbed the handle of the cart, pulling it with her as she head for the door. I was about to take a bite - at least it smelled sweet - when I looked up and noticed a small, dark stain on her left sleeve by the opening for her hand, "Hydria?" She stopped and looked back at me, "What's up?" I set my fork down and motioned for her to come closer. Her face fell as she approached, "It sucks that bad, huh?" I shook my head and pointed at the floor next to me. She raised an eyebrow and walked around the desk, stopping to stand next to me, putting her left hand on the desk, "Are you okay?"
"I could ask you the same thing," I said, grabbing her wrist and lifting her hand. There was clean cut on the side of her hand, over her thumb. It was still bleeding. "Hey..." she complained shakily, trying to free her hand, "It's noth-"
"What is this from?" I asked, cutting her off. When she didn't respond, I gave her my classic glare that scares the daylights out of everyone I used it on. Sadly, it only had a small effect on her. Figures. She put her other hand on my chair and pushed, still trying to free herself, "It's fine, Ciel," she told me, "You're overreacting."
"If I'm overreacting, why can't you tell me what happened?"
She sighed and closed her eyes, giving up on freeing herself, "The knife slipped once I finished cutting the cake." I frowned, "So that's why you squeaked..."
"I didn't squeak."
"Yes you did," I argued, releasing her wrist before rummaging through the drawers of my desk. She crossed her arms before looking over my shoulder, "What are you doing?"
"Sebastian made me keep a first aid kit in here. Though I don't recall where I put it."
"I told you not to worry about it. It's no big deal."
I found the kit and placed it on the desk beside the cake, "What if it gets infected? You should always take care of these things right away," I told her, putting my hand out for her own. Hydria fell silent as she sat on the edge of my desk carefully before giving me her cut hand. Thank goodness she was cooperating now. She could get pretty stubborn. I cleaned the cut with a cotton swap I had covered in alcohol, tightening my hold at the right second as she flinched from the burning, stinging feeling. "Sorry," I mumbled, putting the cotton swab in the wastebasket. "It's fine," she said. While I worked on wrapping her hand in white bandages, I could feel her gaze burning through my body. It was either that or I was feeling sick again. I tied a little knot then released her, "There you go," I told her before putting the kit away. Then, I went back to my cake, picking up my fork. I took a bite and was surprised by how good it tasted in comparison to what I was expecting. Sure, it was greatly lacking in many ways but it was edible and tasted sweet. Pretty good for someone who couldn't bake. I was half way through the slice when Hydria unexpectedly said; "You're like a mother..."
"Eh?"
I looked at her in surprise as she hopped off of my desk and walked towards the window, her bandaged hand held close to her chest, "I beg your pardon..? A mother?" Of all things I could "be like", why a mother? She nodded and I watched her through her reflection on the glass, "A mother is nurturing, right?" she asked, "They patch you up when you've scraped your knees and take care of you... Right?" I turned away and bit down on the knuckle of my index finger. My mother...was dead. This topic was one I didn't like. I don't have the luxury of having my parents guide me through life as I grow up, "How should I know?" I asked bitterly. A moment of silence passed. "I never knew my mother..." Hydria said, causing me to turn in my chair and stare at her in shock, "Or my father..." To not even know your parents... I looked down at the floor. At first, I thought it was horrible but then I changed my mind; To grow up knowing the warmth of a parent's love then having it taken from you in one fell swoop was much, much worse. But I decided against telling her. We were both silent for what felt like a lifetime. "Eh?" I looked up again, "What is it?" Hydria was looking at something outside, a surprised but confused look on her face, "I think it's Sebastian..." I stood up at the sound of his name, "Sebastian? What is he doing?"
"Just...walking."
"Is he coming back?"
She shook her head, "He's leaving." I must have accidently showed how confused and hurt I was because when Hydria turned around, her eyes widened, "Ciel..?" She quickly shook her head, "I'm sure he's just going to pick up ingredients for dinner," she told me in an effort to make me feel better or at least take my mind off of what was bugging me. After all, she didn't know why I was feeling that way. I frowned, "He would have done so by now." With a sigh, I turned away and lowered my head, putting my hands on my desk. Was he...leaving again?

"Thank you for your hard work, Master!" Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finny said in unison at dinner. Tanaka held his tea, "Heheh..." But my own foul mood killed the joy they were trying to spread. Sebastian had returned moments before and stood by my chair, standing with his head high as if he was proud of his extremely grumpy master. I looked down at the dinner that had been prepared for me; the finest, freshest fish from somewhere, a salad made from organic vegetables grown on a farm somewhere I didn't care, and other stuff I didn't care to identify. Casting a glance at Hydria who stood by the door with her arms crossed, I saw she was watching me. The next thing I knew, she was upside down, one hand keeping her skirt from falling. I stared at her for a moment before covering my mouth with my hand, stifling my chuckle. It wasn't just that she was upside down, it was the serious expression on her face that made it so funny. What an idiot... Someone could see. Noticing my reaction, she flipped back to her feet and smiled. I nodded at her and took a few bites of my food. I think the reason why she was able to cheer me up when no one else could was because I didn't expect her to react the way she did or react at all. I was half way through my meal when Sebastian bowed, "Excuse me." He started towards the doors but froze when I said, "Where are you going?
"I'm terribly sorry. Please excuse me, Master. I am going outside."
He paused, "Why? Do you want me to stay here?" he asked with a smirk. I glared at him, "I want you to stop leaving without informing me of where you're going." An eerie silence fell in the dining room as I stared him down. Sebastian's smirk became a slight frown, "Do you not trust me, my lord? Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my loyalty?"
"Disappearing is very suspicious, I hope you know that. So, I want to know that you are still loyal to me."
"And what shall I do to prove it to you?"
"Stay till the end of dinner, wait until the others have eaten as well, clean the dishes then the dining room from top to bottom."
"How will this prove anything?" he asked coolly. I held his gaze, an uneasy feeling in my stomach, "I'll know where you are. And you must inform someone or myself of your whereabouts." After a while of agonizing silence, Sebastian bowed and walked back to stand next to my chair, "You are thinking ahead," he said, "Very wise." I ignored him and continued eating. Once dinner was over, I left for the dining room, feeling like I was about to keel over at any moment. Guided by nothing but my blurring vision, I made my way to the stairs. I keep feeling worse and worse everyday. Yet, I didn't think there was any reason to call a doctor. Well, most of me thought that. As I started up the stairs, I felt the steps I was standing on disappear and I fell backward, unable to move enough to reach for something to stop me from falling. Everything was numb. I could feel the ground coming closer and closer until-
I hit something soft. I wanted to see what cushioned my fall but I couldn't escape the darkness that was suffocating me. Was I dead..? Then, a familiar sound told me I wasn't; th-thump, th-thump, th-thump. A heart beat, calm and loud. Could it be my own? Another heartbeat joined the one I assumed was my own; th-thump th-thump th-thump. The one beating with my own was faster and had no pauses in between - it was panicked. The soft mass beneath me disappeared and was replaced with something much softer but not as warm. Was it okay that I wanted to lie there forever? Moments passed as I lied there in the darkness before I felt something shift my bangs and touch my forehead, something soft and cool. Then, I heard humming. It sounded familiar, like a song I've heard somewhere. This darkness had held me for long enough; I needed to see what happened, what was going on. Whose heartbeat had I heard? I forced my eyes open and was able to adjust to the faint light quickly. Leaning over me with their hand on my forehead was Hydria, a scared look on her face, "Ciel!" I blinked as I stared up at her, "Huh..? What happened?" I asked, trying to sit up. She jumped back a bit to give me room. I quickly looked around and saw that we were in my room, "How'd I get here? Hydria, what happened? What time is it?"
"Almost 9:30. As for what happened... You collapsed. I'm so glad I was there when it happened... I was able to catch you before you could fall and get hurt."
I looked down at the white sheets. So, that panicked heartbeat was Hydria's. "You caught me..?"
"I didn't think at first," she said, clearly picking her words carefully, "I just ran up and hoped I could keep you from falling. Only when we both started going down did I think to use my powers to keep me upright enough to get a hold on you. Then, minimizing your weight, I carried you to your room." Though this was all very fascinating, it was strange; though I was beyond grateful, I couldn't help but wonder why my butler, the one who has saved me countless times, wasn't the one who saved me this time. Which reminded me; "How did Sebastian react?" I asked. She looked at me for a moment then looked to the side, "He left... Just before you woke up." No way... I got to my feet, my knees weak beneath me, "I'm...going after him." Hydria's eyes widened, "You shouldn't move so much."
"I could've been seriously hurt and he didn't seem to care."
When she didn't respond, I knew I was right. Hydria took care of me while my good for nothing butler left for whatever reason. If he just left, I could find him and figure out why he keeps leaving without a word. I looked at Hydria, "I need a cloak. Hell, my cape will do." She was reluctant but, in the end, sighed as my black cloak flew to her hands, "Be careful and don't overwork yourself..." she said. I took the cloak from her, "Fine." Walking out of the room, I put the cape on as Hydria followed behind me. The door opened on its own and I fiddled with the collar of the cloak, nodding back at Hydria. "See you later," she said, a look on her face I didn't recognize. As soon as the door closed behind me, I figured it out; she had an anxious look her on her face. As if someone was going to die.