All I have to say is here I am once again. Good holiday season everyone. Stay warm and enjoy.

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji and all its components belong to Yana Toboso. The rest are courtesy of me.

Chapter 17: An unwelcomed visit

In a London Mansion somewhere…

A boy in his early teens sobbed quietly in his large bedroom. With jittery hands, he picked up a long sleek pipe and filled its pipe with a heavy dosage of the leafy substance. He lit the item and put it to his lips. Tears fell heavily from his eyes. He bemoaned his current situation. He wanted to go back to a simpler time. The time before he was rich, before he had to give up the cottage he loved so much, before his parents became so insufferable and superficial, before he had to be…perfect. He had been but a simple farmer's son before his wealth.

He coughed a bit before resuming his activity. He took out the pipe and sobbed louder. "Damn, you…'he cried out to no one in particular…'this is your fault!" he screamed out. Suddenly, his vision began to swim and he collapsed onto the floor. Within minutes, his shocked parents and staff shoved open his bedroom door open and tend to the inebriated lad.

"Someone get the ambulance!" The man yelled.

At the clinic…

The place was in a flurry of movement and buzzing carts. The entire hospital staff was in a busier state than usual. There was a rumor going around that some wealthy aristocrats would be making a visit to their facility. It was not very often that such wealthy, popular, and influential people visited unless it was to donate "damaged goods" or possibly offer a large grant. This was wishful thinking on their parts but it was still enough to attempt to drive them to make the place as kempt as possible. Unfortunately, this was not the case for everyone.

The case being; Ciel Phantomhive. It had been a week since Talent Night. He was thankful that he was not forced into participating but it did little to soothe his frazzled nerves. Today was the day he had been dreading them most; a visit from his relatives.

"Give me the strength to not strangle my aunt and cousin by the end of this" he prayed to himself.

An ornamented carriage rode steadfast down the country road. Inside were huddled its occupants. The carriage skidded to a halt in front of its destination. The coachman jumped off to help his guest climb out. (1) The first to appear was the Marchioness of the Middleford family; Francis Middleford followed by her husband Alexis Middleford then her youngest daughter, Elizabeth. They stood with proud poise and dignity. They all approached the large metal gate. Elizabeth walked slowly behind her parents in fear of the large foreboding place. On the other side approached. It was Dennis's right hand lackeys; Travis and Douglas. Travis stepped up to the gate and smiled sickly at them. "What be the nature of your visit and what be your names?" he inquired. Alexis made to answer but was stopped by a hand gesture from his wife.

"Who were are and what our names would be is none of your business, mongrel" she spat crossly. "Secondly, we would like to see your dean if you don't mind". Travis was about to retort something nasty to the obstinate woman but was quickly silenced by Douglas. Travis snarled but unlocked the gates anyway. Alexis thanked the two men and went on inside. Elizabeth turned her head to stare at them wearily.

"Do not stare Elizabeth. We don't communicate with such garbage" Francis scolded. They entered the doors where they were led to the dean's office by one of the nurses. The three scrutinized the facility. Elizabeth looked about in curiosity. Alexis paid it no mind. Francis could only sneer in disgust at all the different…well she couldn't exactly call them individuals. The Middlefords were tempted to run for cover when a girl with long dark hair started hopping on all fours toward them. Luckily, the girl was stopped and escorted to a different location.

They finally reached the dean's office.

()

Chelsea walked through the gardens with her hands inside her pockets. The flowers of the Back Alley could not distract her troubled thoughts. Her mind kept on racing back to Rita. It had been a week since the Talent Night and she along with the other members of her group could not help but notice the all too dramatic change in Rita's demeanor. She had vehemently refused to participate in something so 'boorish' and 'invasive' especially for all to see. Chelsea had thought it was somewhat helpful as it helped to ward off some of her troubles off her chest. In the days that followed Rita had become more closed off and hostile to everyone. (2) Any meal she was given, she would refuse to eat unless she was threatened with the funnel. According to those subjected to such a harsh treatment, would know how bad it was. The seer brushed a few loose bangs to the side and rubbed an arm that showed a rather ugly purple bruise. She sighed as she recalled how she got it.

It was nearing lights out at the clinic. For one brunette, the night held other plans for her. Chelsea had waited for the nurse in charge of escorting her to leave so she could commence her plans. Once the attendant had left, Chelsea pulled out a set of keys and unlocked her cell door. Each of her friends had secretly obtained their own set of keys on one of their operations. It had been done with the help of Susie's seduction tactics. In the present, the ponytailed brunette was currently sneaking through the building to Rita's room. There was something off about her emaciated friend, more than usual. She reached the door and knocked on it a few times. No answer came and she turned the knob. To her surprise, the door opened with ease and saw that no one was inside. Rita must be at her counseling session with Dr. Zephyr or possibly being monitored while she took part in the bed time rituals; via brushing teeth, washing face, showering, ect. It was perfect time to snoop around for anything that could pinpoint Rita's problem. She slowly closed the door behind her and began to look around. The room was certainly a lot different from the last time she visited. A lot of their meetings would take place in Sonya's bedroom. She checked the windows…nothing. She checked under the bed…nothing. Chelsea resorted to checking the walls for anything suspicious. She could not help but to shake the feeling that something was pulling her to look to the dresser. She didn't see why. The dresser was a small square shaped furniture with three drawers for whatever people placed inside. Her senses pointed more to look behind the furniture. She tiptoed shifting her eyes to the door every often and finally scooted it from the wall. At that moment, a white tubular object dropped to the floor making a clinking sound. Chelsea had to peer her eyes as the only light was from the overhanging bulb. She picked it up and brought it to the window to get a better look.

Her hazel eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Oh god, say it isn't so!" she whispered. It was known how insecure Rita was about her weight but never did it ever occur that she would go to such lengths. She had overheard about it from Sonya during one of the forced sessions with Dr. Zephyr. Her body began to shake. She had thought she had gotten through to Rita somewhat by advising her on the error of her actions. Alas, it had to be that bastard's doing. Who else would have the access to such an atrocious creations like "diet pills". She continued glaring at the bottle all the while failing to notice the creaking door.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!"

Chelsea jumped about three feet in the air when the light of the room turned on. She turned around to face an infuriated Rita who had just come out of a bath and had her blonde hair wrapped in a towel. Chelsea gasped in horror. She looked a lot worse for wear than the last time she saw her. Her skin was pale and blotchy, her collar bone jutted out, her blue eyes dimmed to a murky blue and had dark circles underlying a sunken face. The woman practically looked like you could break her in half like a twig or more. There were very few things that scared Chelsea less than the hostile ghost she had the misfortune of seeing. Right now, Rita boring holes into her topped them all.

"I said what-the-hell-are-you-doing-in-my-room?" she growled out each word. Chelsea shivered but remembered her anger.

"You mean besides not letting you destroy yourself further than you already have?!" she retorted angrily shaking the cans whilst so. Rita's eyes bugged out her. She sauntered over to Chelsea with ferocity and ripped the bottle from Chelsea's fingers. "You had no right! No right! Coming into my room without my permission, sneaking through my stuff, and criticizing me on things that are none of your business! Need I say more?!" Chelsea glared at her.

"Can you blame me? Have you looked at yourself lately? You're a walking skeleton and those pills that man has given you has only served to make it worse! Don't you see Rita…" Chelsea's eyes filled with angry tears "those things are poison! Poison…that will kill you". Rita stared at her companion open mouthed. This was the first time she had ever seen Chelsea break down like that. Like the everyone in the La Dominica's, they made it a point not to show their emotions to anyone. Yet standing in front of her was a woman who she had come to see as a good friend…almost doing just that.

Rita exhaled and spoke softly. "You are right but it does not mean you should go sneaking into my room without my consent. And as for this poison…these poisons are what is going to help me get back to where I once was…thin and beautiful" she stated with excitement. That is when Chelsea snapped. She once again took the bottle from Rita's hands and threw them at the wall, causing the contents to scatter all over the floor.

"You stupid bitch! How can you say that! You really think that starving yourself is going to make you beautiful?" Chelsea laughed bitterly. Rita glowered but Chelsea continued laughing. "Ha! For your information, it doesn't. It makes you look disgusting. And I am not the only one who thinks that!" Rita stood dumbstruck. Her head drooped causing the towel keeping her hair to fall off. The word 'disgusting' rang through her head. She heard it from her friends, the staff when they looked upon her thin body, and even her love. Her head shot up and narrowed her eyes at the girl across from her.

"At least my parents actually bother to contact me every now and then. When was the last time, you talked to any of your parents, Chelsea?! Oh wait, you haven't you know why? It's because they don't like to be associated with a freak!"

"YOU BITCH!"

The two teens immediately threw themselves at eachother and all the while avoiding…or at least try to avoid one another's blows. Rita for such a bony figure, could really pack a punch. "Forget not hurting a fellow member, this bitch crossed an invisible line" they thought simultaneously. It was thirty or so minutes before the fight was interrupted by several doctors and nurses.

Flashback ends

Both women had gotten off with barely a few bruises and scratches. The pills were immediately confiscated and disposed of properly. Unfortunately, they had at least 3 weeks probation and had to be separated forcefully. Rita due to her severe condition had the most damage from the fight and was confined to the hospital bed. Chelsea had afterwards been ripped into by the other members of her own group, Sonya and Igraine included. To add insult to injury, the group all unanimously voted to not have contact with her until Rita was recovered. It hurt to have been ostracized by people who had welcomed her into their inner circle despite her past reputation only to have them throw her out, just because she wanted to help a friend. It hurt worse than when her own parents had rejected her flat out and sent her away to "get better". It made her so angry that her own friends would just turn a blind eye to the fact that Rita's problem was so bad and just brush it off. At least she could make up for it by stopping Ciel from going down that same path. And speaking of Ciel, last she heard he would be receiving a visit from his relatives today. That's good. At least he had family that still cared enough to check on him.

The dean's office was quiet except for the slight 'ding' of porcelain cups set gently on their plates. The ones holding them sat on the plush couch situated just inches from the desk. Dr. Zephyr stared intently at the three visitors.

"Is there anything else you wish to know on your nephew's status, Mr. Middleford?" he asked. Alexis shook his head. "Our families only desire is that he is well taken care of and that there has been some progress with his condition I trust" he inquired hopefully. The doctor nodded. "At first, it was a little hard but he has overtime managed to benefit greatly under Clarice's watchful eye".

"Clarice?" Elizabeth asked feeling slightly jealous of the thought of another woman around her fiancée. "Clarice is one of the head nurses of this place and a very competent woman at that. Hardly anyone has slipped through with her on the scene", he explained proudly. Francis sipped from her glass before setting it down.

"If that be the case, he will be out of here by next month. After all, we do have a very important engagement to attend to by May", she replied as a matter of fact. The dean frowned. "I don't think….that it is such a good idea to relieve him from treatment so soon. After all he is not so up to his normal health status just yet", he explained to the woman. Francis got up from her seat. She placed her hands on her hips in a haughty manner.

"With all due respect, dearest doctor' she dawled snootily 'the Phantomhive Family has been a household name for generations. And they have always made it a point to attend every important event named and to miss one would caus a ruckus amongst the gentry. While I may no longer be a Phantomhive by name, I still share the inherent blood passed down to me and my deceased brother. All I request is that you somehow speed up Ciel's condition".

At once, Zephyr felt like blowing up at the nerve of this woman. How dare she tell him what to do in his own clinic? In the all years of working here, he had heard from several parents asking him to help their children but never outright demanding him. He now realized why Ciel was so concerned about this upcoming meeting. He was about to put the woman in her place when the door knocked. "Come in" he commanded more gruffly than he intended. The door slowly opened. At once, the centerpiece of the discussion entered.

"CIEL!"

At once Elizabeth leapt from her seat and ran to go hug her cousin/fiancée. Ciel 'oomphed' once the contact was made. Ciel recovered quickly and awkwardly pushed the blonde away. Alexis approached Ciel. "My dear boy, it is so good to see you again! Perhaps not completely perfect but certainly not as bad as you were when you first came in!" he replied exuberantly examining his nephew. Francis coughed immediately silencing everyone in the room. Everyone's eyes turned to Francis. Ciel spoke first. "Hello everyone it is good to see you again" he greeted smiling but not reaching his eyes/eye. He walked past everyone before sitting down on the couch.

"Dr. Zephyr, if it would be alright with you, I would rather much like to speak to my family in private" Ciel suggested to the doctor. The dean opened his mouth to protest but relented. He bowed respectfully before the aristocrats before exiting. Before he left, he turned to them and smiled. "When you are finished, just ring that bell on the desk over there. I will not be too far away". Ciel was left alone with his remaining family. Francis was the first to usher in the first word.

"Young Ciel, I see the doctor wasn't lying when he reported to us the nature of your current status". Ciel folded his arms resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Why yes, aunty yours and uncle's decision to send me here was quite a wise one. It has helped me so much" he complimented falsely. In his mind however, he quietly cursing both of them. Alexis sensing the contention that threatened to erupt decided to put in his two cents. "From what I heard young man, that you have done pretty well thanks to a certain nurse. Clara, was it?

"You mean Clarice"

"Yes that's her. I hear she has been the one tending to you since you got here". Ciel nodded."Yes she has. She has been more than helpful. While I would rather she didn't try to shove all that food down my throat now and then, she is still quite a reliable person. Her and Dr. Archibald" he stated. "Sort of like how Sebastian is to you" Alexis included cheerfully. Ciel hung his head letting his bangs covering his eye. He wished his uncle hadn't brought up that bastard's name in front of him. Elizabeth couldn't wait no longer to voice out her thoughts and plopped herself next to Ciel.

"Oh Ciel, you have no idea just how much I missed you!" she wailed dramatically. Ciel groaned inwardly. One thing he did not miss, was Elizabeth's moaning. "It just makes me shiver and toss and turn to think of you being forced to surround yourself with all those…" she scrunched her face "wretches, much less mingle with them. I can't imagine the horrors you must be…"

"Really Elizabeth', Ciel called out scandalized, "it is not all so bad as you believe. And the people are not dregs! A handful of them are from wealthy upbringing like you and me!" Elizabeth laughed obnoxiously causing her mother and father to slap their faces in embarrassment.

"Oh Ciel, I may not have spent as much time here as you but I am not a dolt! I mean no way could anyone of such high standing ever get caught dead in this cesspool". Ciel frowned icily at her. "What about me?" he retorted. Elizabeth winced realizing her mistake and opened to apologize. "Elizabeth', Ciel replied, 'from now on, don't speak unless I tell you. Understand?"

Elizabeth immediately shut her mouth and sadly clasped her hand on her lap. Ciel directed his attention from Elizabeth to his uncle. "By the way, what is currently happening since I came here?"

Alexis exchanged an unsure glance at his wife. He inhaled heavily. "Well as you know, there is the wedding for Irene Diaz and Grimsby Keane that will be held this very spring". Ciel's head shot up. Of course, how could he forget? That wedding was supposed to be one of the finest yet. "They were hoping to have it by next week but decided at the last minute to move it to May. We have all put combined efforts to keep your current whereabouts a secret from the media. As for affairs back at the mansion, from what Elizabeth has told me, the place is in fine shape thanks to Sebastian's fine management skills.

Ciel guffawed. Fine management skills? More like his condescending, patronizing, abusive, tyrannical and persuasion techniques that are keeping the place and its inhabitants under wraps. "And what of the institution? My fencing lessons? Surely my absence would some serious repercussions" he exclaimed. Francis waved a hand. "Rest assured, we have already informed your teachers and fencing instructor that you will not be in commission for a while. Once you return, you will be able to resume your duties as Earl".

Ciel inhaled deeply straightening himself against the seat. Slouching would have been impolite in such a situation. Francis put a hand gently on her nephew's bony shoulder "Enough of the outside world, what is important of what happens in this place. Just focus on getting healthy again. Understand?" she asked him softly. Ciel bit his lip. He knew that becoming healthy meant becoming fat again. He was determined not to go back but if it meant he could get out early, then so be it. He looked up at his aunt and nodded with a sad smile.

"I will, Aunt Francis and I will see you all when I do. I promise" he vowed. Francis smiled. "Well, let us not keep Ciel any longer. Come now Alexis, Elizabeth" she commanded picking up her dress as she did so. Elizabeth was about to walk out the door before Ciel stopped her. "Elizabeth wait a minute!" Elizabeth blinked in surprise. Ciel placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, I do not wish to leave things off on a bad note. What I am asking of you is that you hold me up in your thoughts while I am away". Elizabeth smiled softly. "I will. Take care of yourself now or else I will never forgive you" she replied happily before joining up with her parents.

Once they left, Ciel was finally free to land casually on the couch. He stared at the ceiling completely exhausted. Even though he might act coldly towards his relatives, he still loved them. He did however dislike how they always pushed him into things and expect him to be perfect. Alas was the life when you were the only son of a wealthy parents and the future heir of several large companies. He so badly wanted to go back to the way things were before but knew he couldn't. All the while he was thinking this, his eyes drooped and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The Middlefords were once again led through the corridors and doing their best to avoid eye contact with the patients. As they neared the last corridor, their presence did not go unnoticed by a brunette male who stared wide eyed at them. Once they were out of sight, he followed after them and watched through one of the windows as they boarded their carriage and rode off.

Those people seemed really familiar to him somehow. But what were they doing here? And who was it they were visiting? He knew deep down it was connected to him. And one way or another he was going to find out what.

()

When Ciel awoke, he was back in his own room. He saw that it was still somewhat light out, most likely a quarter to three or something. That left two more hours for visiting time. He was sure he would not be getting any more since there was no announcement of the sort. He relaxed back onto his pillow.

"Sure would be nice if I had a nice book to read in this place. I will go ask that of Clarice when she comes around".

Just as he said that, the door clicked open. He smiled ready to greet the red haired nurse. However, it was only Dr. Zephyr once again. Ciel was confused.

"Good afternoon, young Phan-…er, Ciel" the doctor changed his greeting once he saw the pointed look the blue haired child gave him. "I was just coming in here to see how you were faring after the earlier visit" he stated.

"Actually, it wasn't so bad as I thought it would be. Aunt Francis was actually more tame than she usually is. And Elizabeth was not as vivacious either. I hope they didn't make things difficult for you" Ciel joked. Nathaniel chuckled. "Trust me. They are not the worst I have had to deal with. Some of the patients have relatives who are so pushy, rude, and so unsympathetic to the plight of their own. Half of them don't even bother to visit" he said sadly. Ciel stared at the doctor sadly. He thought back to his first day here. He recalled Marcus telling him about the boy known as Cain.

"Is there something else you wanted to say, doctor?" the teen inquired. The dean stood up. "I will be honest with you, young Phatomhive. It so happens that not less than thirty minutes ago, another relative of yours has arrived to pay you a visit. Of course, if you are not quite up to seeing anyone so soon and right before Clarice rolls in your next meal".

Ciel placed his feet on the floor and slipped on his slippers. "I don't mind. You can send him or her in now if you would like" he commanded. Dr. Zephyr sat up from the bed and went over to the door. "You can come in, sir" he said to the one on the other side. Ciel stood up ready to greet this so called "relative" of his. Only to wish he hadn't. His eyes widened in shock as the door opened to let in the last person he wanted to see.

"It is so good to see you again, my bocchan".

Hmmm. Just who is the mysterious visitor? The person at the beginning is not Marcus nor is it a flashback. He will however prove of importance in this story. I am certain you think the La Dominica's were being irrational when they ousted out Chelsea. I think its ridiculous when you get in trouble just for wanting to help out.

A word on Elizabeth: There are times when she's okay. Then there are days when you feel like punching her lights out. It is more than likely it is her mother's influence. I plan on making another Kuroshitsuji fanfiction in the future. That is all I have to say for now. Until then, Happy Holidays.

Chapter Footnotes:

(1) I am slightly fed up that the creators changed the last names of certain characters. Like for the Middlefords are now 'Midford" or Phantomhive has been changed to "Funtomhive". I will stick to the original dubbing for this fanfiction from then on.

(2) In lieu of a feeding tube, a funnel would probably be used.