Hello again! Chapter six is here and it's the end of the first arc! Pubic School arc follows! But before that... I hope that this chapter is a little surprise for manga readers as I, personally, have not come across any fanfiction that includes this particular part of the manga! *wink wink*

But, before diving into it... a huge thank you to: Arestel25, BethxAngel, Deux-solitaire-loups, LucretiaKonwrath, Vexena, thegreysnark, twilightkight1243, Bellaswan120, 4fireking -and one more person whose name keeps getting erased after saving the document (sorry)- for following, favoring and reviewing this story! Thank you so much, guys! You liking and enjoying this story means a lot to me! It's my first completed writing attempt so its success (or not) is a huge indicator on whether I have talent and writing skills or not, so thanks again! :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).

Chapter 6: The Tutor, Feeling Welcomed

Sebastian followed his master's orders to the letter and as soon as they got on land and made sure that Ciel and Snake were safely in a carriage along with the Midfords on their way home, he and Selina took another one and headed for the Dankworth manor. Thankfully, the main house of the family was a little away from central London meaning that afterwards they would reach the Phantomhive manor without further delay. The Dankworth father and daughter had arrived shortly before and the household was informed to allow the bloodied ex-tutor and the strange butler to enter the house.

Sebastian did not leave Selina's side since he was not in the mood of meeting again the obnoxious young lady; therefore, he followed Selina in her small bedroom. He attempted to help her pack her things but she had none of that; with a totally unconvincing authoritative tone in her voice, which really amused Sebastian, forced him to sit in a chair and rest while waiting. That gave him a chance to inform her about the Phantomhive household in general, their master's everyday schedule and that she would have to discuss with him on the subjects she would tutor him and when; he also asked her what exactly did she know that could prove useful to the young Earl, besides swordsmanship of course.

"Well… I know how to play the piano and a few dances, I have a good knowledge of Ancient Greek philosophy and literature and… I don't know, maybe a deep knowledge of the American ways if he is interested?" She shrugged her shoulders.

Sebastian nodded. "Very good. Piano is mostly suitable for women but he could actually try it… his talent in violin is… deafening non-existent. As for dances, he always complains that I am too tall for him to lead me, he also seems really bothered by me being a man and his dance tutors… they simply gave up after a while since he showed no interest." The butler seemed really troubled concerning his master's education.

Selina started laughing lightly, folding yet another pair of trousers; if Sebastian could not see and smell the woman, he would swear she was a man, based on the majority of her garbs which were long and short trousers and a strange type of button-less long or short sleeved shirts.

"Pardon me, Mr. Michaelis, but I can understand our master's frustration concerning your height and that your well-built male body is nowhere near to a slim female body that can be easily led in dance. I'll do my best to help him in that matter."

Sebastian observed that the woman remained very composed while commenting on his body. "So, she is not that shy as I thought. It was an act then." He thought as he was remembering their first encounters on Campania, where she blushed furiously every time a man talked to her.

However, she also blushed when she saw him with his wet clothes sticking on him, giving her a very detailed view of his body, and when Ronald Knox complemented her, but she seemed quite terrified by Viscount Druitt's sweet talk. Her reactions to men and specifically to himself had to be closely observed and... perhaps even prove useful.

The snipping of scissors took him out of his thoughts and saw Selina refreshed, with a new dark blue jacket and skirt hanging loosely from her hips, hugging her legs closely – obviously skipping the petticoat – standing in front of a mirror and cutting some of her curls that were longer in an effort to even them with the ones she had to sacrifice to the undead. She had almost finished but some strands at the back were escaping constantly.

"Miss Clark, allow me if you please." Sebastian said and after removing one glove to have a better hold of the hair he stood behind her and took care of these few strands of her pretty, silky golden hair.

Selina thanked him and made a high ponytail that now reached a little further down than the base of her neck. She threw a burning matchstick in the bowl with her discarded hair "as precaution towards lady Dankworth's wrath and perhaps any sudden desire to explore the art of voodoo" as she answered to Sebastian's questioning look, and then announced she was ready to go. She allowed Sebastian to hold one of her two big suitcases, only because he insisted, and she took the other one along with a small black handbag and a leather belt from which her weapons were hanging, since Sebastian had told her there is no reason to hide them any more.

{~}

On their way home, the carriage bumped somewhere on the road, resulting to Sebastian putting his hand over his wound and slightly groaning in pain. Selina sitting across him, immediately hit the carriage wall and yelled at the driver to slow down because there was an injured man needing some rest on his way home; she then moved to the seat beside him and seemed ready to help him in any way she could… if there was a way of course. Once the pain abated, Sebastian could not help smiling and lightly chuckling.

"Honestly Miss Clark, you are a very strange and intriguing woman. Are you worried about my health that much?"

The woman looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows. "Well… I know that it seems oxymoron for a human to worry about a demon and I can understand that it displeases you, but… your well-being is essential to our master's plans and, as I said before, I am here to guarantee his success, therefore I can worry about his health and yours too. Plus, I have never seen a demon surviving such a severe blow from a death scythe; I do not know what is good or bad, expected or unexpected, lethal or non lethal in a situation like that."

Sebastian chuckled once more and looked at the woman that had the look of a wilful cat, who would do exactly as she wanted whether he liked it or not. He assured her once more that he was alright and after a while their journey came to an end as they reached their destination.

Once Selina stepped out of the carriage, her eyes opened wide trying to captivate in her mind the image of the great manor and its glory at once and in its entirety. At the base of the marble staircase five people were standing, one of them was Snake, and at the top Ciel was leaning on the banister refreshed but struggling not to start yawning. The boy Earl officially welcomed Selina as new member of his household and briefly informed the others of what her position would be and then withdrew to his office, leaving the rest to Sebastian, who obediently introduced her to the four servants. Snake took Selina's luggage to place them in the room Sebastian told him to.

Bard was very happy to have a fellow American around and he extended his hand, which Selina took in a firm handshake. That seemed to make him even happier. "That's what I'm talkin' about! That's how a strong American woman greets. Girl, I think ya'll fit like a glove here and yer equipment sure completes the set, eh Mey-Rin? Mey?" Said the chef referring to her swords and then lightly elbowed the maid standing next to him.

However, Mey-Rin seemed lost in a world of her own, with her hands on her rosy cheeks and a dreamy look in her hazel eyes. When she finally spoke her voice was trembling from excitement. "Sooo beautiful you are, yes you are! Golden hair and light coloured eyes. The exact opposite from Mr. Sebastian and that is why you make a perfect couple. Even your names match, yes they do! Sebastian and Selina!" She said putting the stress on the first syllable of each name.

The two people for whom she spoke were watching her with goggled eyes and really speechless, dumbfounded by the unlikeness of what the maid just said. They really could not believe their ears and Sebastian felt really confused; such words were the last thing he expected from the pathetically shy maid, who practically everyone knew or could soon realise that had a crush on him. Bard burst out laughing, almost chocking on his cigarette.

"Well, she's got a point. A quite strange name ya have there, girl. How come?"

"Umm…" Selina said trying to get over the surprise Mey-Rin caused her. "Oh, it originates from the Greek word Selini which means the moon."

"Hmm, strange choice of name I might say, since you are so golden blond and your skin is not pale at all, nothing on you brings the moon in mind." Sebastian commented.

"Actually, when my mother's waters broke and gave birth to me, she was outside with my father, enjoying the full moon in a starless night." She explained smiling. "They were both pretty romantic in this."

"Well, even if you were paler, like the moon, surely you would still be a beauty but I prefer you like you are, yes I do!" Mey-Rin said; she seemed to be back to reality, took and squeezed Selina's hands showing how happy she was for the new female presence in the manor. Selina squeezed back smiling.

"Oh my, where did Finny run to?" Sebastian wondered but before long, the blond boy came running with flushed cheeks and almost crushed on Selina, giving her a huge bouquet with all kinds of flowers from the manor's gardens.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive household, Miss Selina. I am so happy you will be here with us! We might look a little bit weird people but please love us and our master too; also, Mr. Sebastian will always look after you as he does with us, even if he looks so strict!" He finished with a wide smile and sparkling turquoise eyes.

"Thank you so much, Finny! They are so beautiful." Selina said and seemed so happy and thankful.

"You are more beautiful, Miss Selina!" The boy cried even more excited, but immediately after his rosy cheeks paled and his eyes grew round.

"Finny…" Sebastian's deep voice was heard and the butler threw a stern look at the gardener, meaning he was overstepping his boundaries.

"S-s-sorry, Mr. Sebastian!"

"Oh no, it's okay. Finny, the flowers are really very beautiful and you are so adorable." Selina smiled to him and playfully ruffled his short blond hair, a gesture that seemed to please Finny and the others very much.

The previous, elder butler of the family, Mr. Tanaka, followed. He seemed that in his youth he must have been a handsome man with a stature similar to Sebastian's and an equally gentlemanly aura; however, now he was an old man with very soft and gentle face and eyes, doing his best to keep his straight posture but obviously being a raddled man by all the hardships and misfortunes he had witnessed while serving the family. All he could do was slightly bow to Selina and smile with all the kindness words cannot express reflecting in his eyes. Selina returned the bow with utter respect.

After that, Snake came to announce that Miss Selina's room was ready and Sebastian dismissed everyone to their duties. He guided Selina through the manor – its beauty and elegant luxury left her completely speechless – to the corridor where the servants' rooms were. He opened a door and showed her inside.

"This is your room, Miss Clark. The one right next to it is mine; if you need anything during the night do not hesitate to knock…" His voice flat, his face emotionless showing that his words were uttered just because he had to.

"Thank you, Mr. Michaelis. I believe I will soon learn my ways through the manor and I won't be needing any help, in case of emergency I will knock… or look for you around the manor doing your rounds… Although I have the feeling you will be monitoring me so closely that you will be here before I can think of it, in case of emergency." Selina said as she was already arranging the bouquet in a vase she found in the room. "Oh and please, don't push yourself to sound and act like a human when it's just the two of us, I don't need it." She whispered looking at him straight in the eyes and smiled with confidence.

Sebastian smiled too, nodded and left her to rest for the night after kindly denying her help on tending his wounds. As soon as he closed the door he sighed. That strange woman confused him more and more; all the while she was meeting the others, she had such a happy expression on her face that he was really tempted to spoil it for her by revealing how idiot were the three… idiots. But he did not do it because that ticklish, tingling sensation she was giving him was very strong, maybe not as strong as when she was fighting the undead or the reapers but very similar; his body felt so relaxed that he almost forgot his wound. He had no idea what creature exactly Selina Clark was and why she emanated such strange vibrating aura but he found that all this was a bit enjoyable and interesting; plus, her ability to predict his thoughts and intentions was unprecedented for him. He smirked, his eyes sparkling full of curiosity and then went on to change his clothes, get rid of the ones he was wearing since the ship wreck, and see to his master's needs.

{~}

Selina's first night in her new room, in her new home, was uneventful and peaceful. She quickly took care of her own, thankfully, flesh wounds and then slept very soundly; quite strange for her since she constantly could sense the presence of the wandering, dangerous, household demon in such a close proximity... but for some reason she felt she could trust him on not harming her without a really obvious reason. However, the morning was totally different.

Out of the blue, Mey-Rin barged in her room with such clatter that made Selina almost jump out of bed. The maid was saying something but Selina's brain was yet too sleepy to process it; the young woman grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of bed for good, dragging her to the room next door.

Suddenly, she found herself standing in Sebastian's room along with the others, who had just entered in the same manner as Mey-Rin did in hers and now they were talking at the top of their lungs all together, piercing her eardrums and completely waking her up.

"Good morning, Mr. Sebastian!" The ever enthusiastic Finny.

"Did I hear ya're not well?" A little more serious Bard.

"Are you all right?" Mey-Rin seemed very anxious and her face was already turning red.

"If there is anything you want, please let us know… says Emily." Snake seemed to be the only reasonable person; he spoke quite calmly and to the point.

Mr. Tanaka remained silent.

Selina was rubbing her face and eyes chasing away any lingering sleep, but when she looked where the others were focused, she saw Sebastian lying on his bed, dressed in his full butler attire and a body straight as a plank… he actually reminded her of a dead body ready for the coffin. She did not manage to contain herself and started chuckling lightly. When he started to sit up she whispered to herself "Igor, it's alive!" and chuckled some more.

"Why are you sleeping in your uniform?" Finny asked surprised.

"I noticed just now that I do not have things like pyjamas." A troubled Sebastian said leaning on his elbows now.

"Then what do you normally sleep in?" Finny asked again as Mr. Tanaka was expressing himself with a soft "Ho".

Selina looked at Mey-Rin once… twice and then her eyes took a really mischievous look, as the maid's face was in a race to turn redder than her hair.

"Mey-Rin, do you need me to get you a bucket of frozen water?" She asked as it was obvious that the other woman's fantasy was running wild, towards a very scandalous image of a… not so dressed Sebastian in bed. Mey-Rin turned to her with a soft "huh?" and then blushed even more when she realized what the blond one meant.

Bard ran out of the room and returned soon holding one of his trousers and shirts. "It's probably better to sleep in my pajamas, Mr. Sebastian. Ya should change."

Mey-Rin got very excited by this prospect… so much that Selina had to hug her around the waist in order to manage to pull her out of the room for Sebastian to change. Unfortunately, the result was not good at all, since Sebastian was taller than Bard and the clothes showed it in a way that made Finny laugh and Bard pretty furious. However, they soon left him to rest after reassuring him he should leave everything to them. Selina watching the evident uneasiness on Sebastian's face smiled.

"Don't worry. If the master doesn't need me anything I'll help them around. How bad can it get?" The only reply she got was a knowing look from Sebastian.

Soon enough she found out how bad it could get, when Bard burned his apron while trying to cook breakfast with a flamethrower.

"Bard! What business has a flamethrower in the kitchen trying to heat up the water for tea?" She asked after dousing him with a bucket of water. "And actually, why do you even have a flamethrower?" She seemed very confused and when Bard tried to explain the only thing she could do was a facepalm and leave the kitchen after kindly asking him to put it away and make an effort of preparing tea in a normal way.

After a while, Finny approached her and told her he would go and pick some "get well" flowers for Mr. Sebastian from the garden. She encouraged him since she found it a very sweet gesture, although she knew that the person for whom the flowers were would remain untouched. As Finny was running out Bard ran to her.

"Stop him! He has superhuman strength and will destroy everything. It was actually a miracle that he picked those flowers yesterday and brought them to you in one piece. It must have been really hard for him."

"What?" Selina cried and started running behind Finny yelling whatever came to mind. "No Finny! Leave it better; they might bring to surface any allergies Mr. Michaelis might have now that he is tired!"

When she came back, her face had a very terrified look. She successfully stopped Finny but saw the condition of many patches from where he had picked flowers the previous day and they obviously had suffered greatly. When Finny saw the terror in her eyes started crying and apologizing in such a heartbreaking way that the woman had to hug him to calm him down and reassure him that once Mr. Sebastian was back on his feet they would fix everything.

Now she was leaning on a wall wondering why she had not been informed on how useless in kitchen the chef was and in garden the gardener. Just thinking the people and the positions they were assigned to was so ironic. Thank goodness, Mey-Rin seemed quite… A woman's scream made her jump up and run to the laundry room, only to see Mey-Rin covered from head to toe in flour along with the dishes that waited to be washed.

"I thought it was dish soap, but it turned out to be wheat flour!" The young woman cried.

"Mey-Rin, how the heck could you mistake the one for the other?" Selina asked struggling to remain calm.

"They were stored together and I did not see clearly what I took."

"Then why the fffricking hell food was stored together with cleaning supplies and why are you washing the dishes in the laundry room, shouldn't you do it in the kitchen?" Now she was not very calm.

The maid looked at her and her eyes were filled with tears ready to flow. Seeing that, Selina forced herself to breathe in and out to regain control of her growing anger and when she spoke her voice held resignation.

"Alright. Go clean yourself up and I will see what I can do here, but please be more careful next time."

Mey-Rin left the room constantly apologizing. Selina managed to clean the flour from all over the floor that was spread and clean the dishes as best she could for now. When she finished, went to change her own clothes stained by flour, soap and water.

Needless to say, Sebastian heard everything feeling his stress increasing to levels that were dangerous even for demons. He indeed did not inform Selina on purpose, he could not deny that the reactions and the desperation in the voice of the annoyingly confident human were very amusing, but he had to admit he did not expect his colleagues' failures to be that major. Now, he could listen to the woman next door mumbling as she was walking up and down in the room while changing clothes.

"He knew… he absolutely knew and said nothing. I bet he's laughing his ass off right now. That's why he gave me that look. Bastard, fucking demon! He's so damn lucky that he's not well, or else I would give him an exorcism that would send him to the deepest hell for some centuries to starve to death, just because!"

Sebastian could not help but feel amazed and somehow disappointed by the… rich vocabulary and threats of the woman; that was so inappropriate, but strangely fun. However, the gloomy thought of the destruction the others caused and he would face the next day took over his mind and made him feel even worse and sicker, if that was ever possible for a demon.

A peaceful, calm atmosphere spread its wings on the servants' corridor for some hours, until Lady Elizabeth, followed by an indifferent Ciel, slammed open Sebastian's door and entered crying loudly that she came to visit him. Worry evident on her girly, sweet face.

"Lady Elizabeth? A lady should not go into the room of her servant. The Marchioness will scold me for such an improper appearance!" Sebastian tried to reason with her.

"I do not care. I brought a get well gift. Here it is!" She said and presented him a pink, frilly nightgown with a matching cap and rabbit slippers. She exited the room for him to change and when re-entered she actually squealed how cute he was.

Sebastian was standing wearing this horrendous attire, that strangely fitted his size quite well, with a pained expression on his face and it was evident to Selina he was giving quite a struggle with himself to maintain the facade of the serene butler. At that point, she could totally understand and feel for him, since she herself would very much prefer to be drenched in the blood of thousands demons and monsters of any kind than this… thing. Sebastian saw her looking at him like he had grown a new monstrous head and sighed. Ciel, on the other hand, had turned his back to his butler and was trying not to laugh, but failed greatly since his shoulders were shaking violently and muffled sounds of laughter reached the demon's ears.

Thankfully, after a while, a quite composed Ciel took Elizabeth upstairs leaving Sebastian alone to continue resting… or suffering by hearing what the others were saying and destroying all day long. Once they all had exited the room, Selina called her young master.

"Master, if you have no need of me today, could I please be allowed to go to town to run some errands?"

"Someone must help… supervise actually the other three."

"Yes, I figured that out. I think I did what I could since Mr. Michaelis did not give me any specific instructions… it seems it slipped his mind due to his exhaustion. Anyway, I will go and return in a flash, I will be back by the time of dinner."

"Fine. Call a carriage and go."

"Actually… I do not really need a carriage, just your permission to use a horse."

Ciel turned and looked at her curiously; that woman was getting stranger and stranger. "You have the permission. Are you sure everything is under control here? I would not like to end up a homeless Earl…" He told her throwing a side glance to the other servants.

"Yes, my lord. Everything is under control as much as I could. I even fed the cats-" Selina said but was interrupted by the wide eyed look the young Earl gave her and by the three servants, that in an extremely synchronized movement stepped right behind the boy and started frantically gesturing to her to take back what she said.

"Cats? What cats? I am allergic to cats and we do not have any." Now he was looking at her quite threateningly and then at Sebastian's door before sneezing once.

"Cats? Did I say cats? It-it was a slip of the tongue… I meant birds! The birds circling around the gardens." She finished smiling and hoping she got away with it.

It seemed she actually did, since the boy turned and left along with his blond companion, ordering Selina to go and be quick about it. Once he left, she grabbed the other three by the shirts.

"Okay, what is going on with the cats? If the Earl is allergic, then why the back yard is swarming in cats?"

"Actually, Sebastian keeps them around. That man is simply crazy about cats." Bard informed her.

"Yes, he is. He adores them… more than any human I tend to believe sometimes." Said Mey-Rin clutching her apron.

"And they are so cute." Finnian cried.

Selina was left speechless. "Sebastian… loves cats? Truly loves them? Like feeding them, petting them, playing with them and stuff?" Her eyes had opened wide as the others nodded in agreement. "Are we sure we are talking about the same Sebastian? The one in there?" They nodded harder. "Oh boy… That explains the Betty incident." She said mostly to herself and finally sighed giving up. "Okay, I'm going and I'll be back as soon as I can. I beg you, do not demolish the house."

"Miss Selina you are perfect. You talk to us exactly like Mr. Sebastian does!" Finny said happily.

"I can totally understand why, I get him." She responded with a slightly tired look in her eyes.

{~}

It took about one and a half hour for Selina to reach London and then she was free to wander for another hour, shopping whatever she needed and think through all the events the last few days had occurred and the things she had learned.

It really troubled her, the fact that her bosses had kept things from her, things like "Sebby" and the cats. Sure, the second one was not something important, but still, she felt she had to know everything about the two people she had to assist. She knew young master's story, thoughts and more or less feelings since they provided her with everything concerning the boy; if not absolutely everything, they were enough for her to understand his actions and know how to approach him.

As for the demon… Her general knowledge of his kind and her experience with it helped a lot, especially on how to act, behave and talk when she was alone with him, even though his ironic and cold but to the point humour when making fun of his master or other 'pathetic and useless humans' as he obviously believed, really surprised and amused her most of the times. She knew he was a great actor hiding his true nature perfectly under the mask of a true British gentleman and a devoted servant. He was performing that last part outrageously good with all his pretending to be a humble "one hell of a butler", who simply did everything perfectly. He had already made her not believing her eyes and ears countless times with his 'modesty' and she just knew there would be more.

On the other hand, as clever as he was, he still fell into the trap of over confidence and belief in his own abilities that led him to some majorly stupid mistakes, like not having nightclothes… as any normal human would. Selina smiled at the thought as she was receiving her parcel from a men's clothing store. However, she had to admit he was very different from the demons she was used to. They were all so in rage, constantly hungry and so impatient that no one would accept binding themselves to a young human through a contract with an indefinite expiration date; Sebastian's contract with Ciel could last just one more year or an entire human lifetime and the demon seemed to know and accept that.

{~}

When the clock struck, Selina realised she had fooled around more than what she thought she would. Dinner time was close and she was getting late. She rode the horse so hard that the poor animal was ready to collapse when they reached the manor, forty minutes later. She quickly unsaddled and gave it some food and water in an effort to apologize. She ran in the house, threw her packages in her room and entered the kitchen apologizing for being late.

Surprisingly enough she found Sebastian, in his nightmarish nightgown, scrubbing the stove trying to unstuck pieces of Bard's burned apron. She approached him with hands on hips.

"Let me guess, my words would fall on purposely deaf ears if I told you to go and rest, right?"

"I would have to do it tomorrow along with everything else, so why not take it off the list today?" He answered determined.

Selina sighed thinking this was yet another aspect of him that really confused her. She had never met a demon crazy about cleaning, neatness and order and something told her it was not just pretence. "I could do it, later. I am here to help, you know."

"Good. Then help Bard prepare dinner. The young master said he and Lady Elizabeth would like a simple meal of some toasts and chips." He said and led Selina's gaze towards the chef who was struggling to cut the toasts in a specific pattern, without great success.

"Is he serious?" Selina said in a quite desperate manner. "Bard, please just stay focused on preparing the ingredients and I'll do the cutting and serving and everything else in Mr. Michaelis' place. It's nauseating watching your dizzyingly 'fast' cutting." The irony in her voice so evident that Bard looked at her slightly confused, as for a second he was certain it was the butler talking, and Sebastian could not help but chuckle a little, a sound that was not often heard by the human ears of the servants.

{~}

The dinner was successful, since Selina was in charge and executed every phase with a trained perfection that made Lizzie call her "the first female butler" to Ciel's surprise and amusement but to Selina's displeasure. Afterwards, Lizzie was escorted to the carriage waiting to drive her home; the girl seemed very sleepy but did not forget to send Sebastian her get well wishes. Selina stayed upstairs to clean up after the meal, while Ciel went downstairs to visit his butler once more.

When she was finally done, after assisting Mr. Tanaka in preparing Ciel for sleep and checking the security of the manor, she too felt very sleepy and exhausted. She got ready to go to bed and as she lifted the covers remembered the parcel she had to deliver; therefore she put a robe over her nightgown, took the parcel and knocked on Sebastian's door. The surprised butler answered and she entered.

"Well, after seeing that… 'beauty' lady Elizabeth brought you and you admitting that you had no pajamas… I took the liberty of buying you some." She said giving him the parcel. "I believe they fit you."

Sebastian opened the parcel and to his surprise he found two pairs of clothing that reminded him Agni's style of clothes; a trouser quite loose reaching the ankle and a buttoned up top that reached almost to the knee. They were of simple design and colour. Sebastian felt quite tired after a day pretending he rested and then ending up cleaning after the three fools, but his curiosity over the woman's… gift got the best of him. He pulled the cap off his head and soon the gown followed.

"Indeed, they fit perfectly." He said after a while not hiding his amazement and appreciation towards the woman, which was extremely rare for him. He looked at Selina and saw the woman had turned her back to give him the necessary privacy. "You can turn now." He said as he was getting back under the covers.

"I'm glad." Selina said and the demon saw a slight pink coloured her cheeks for a second.

He smirked. "Thank you, Miss Clark, although I do not think I will have further need of such clothes in the future."

"Maybe, but since you chose to pretend to be a human living among humans, you have to act accordingly and even own some trivial things that help to keep up the pretence. You cannot constantly rely on the others' stupidity, because no one is that stupid to accept everything you do as normal for a human. Hell, where I come from people can even sleep naked covered only with a sheet and most certainly I don't wear any of these..." She said pointing to her slightly frilly gown and robe. "But since I am here now, I have to play the full part."

Sebastian smirked again looking at the woman. "You came with a… gift and a piece of advice, and I thought you came to give me an exorcism that would send me to the deepest hell for some centuries to starve to death, just because."

Selina shrugged her shoulders unfazed. "Can you blame me? I did not know what to expect, you knew but said nothing on purpose. You just gave me that look, poor me. You're lucky I am not good at exorcizing anything. Anyway…" Now she pulled the chair from the demon's desk close to the bed and sat down, clutched her hands and looked at Sebastian pleadingly leaning forward. "Please, tell me that these three have some actual use and their roles here are clearly a front. I mean, they are good people, kind hearted and absolutely fun to have around but they are quite useless, although they do their best… sort of."

Sebastian leaned closer and looked her straight in the eyes with a very alluring look. "Please, tell me what exactly are you, who sent you here and for what purpose… and then I might answer." He gifted her one of his so charming smiles.

Selina pulled back when she saw that and realised how close their faces had come. For a moment she looked at him with wide, round eyes, but then furrowed her delicate brows and crossed her hands on her chest.

"I cannot tell you anything yet. I have to prove to you that you can trust me and then I'll speak; you might not like what you'll hear, but if I have already proved I am a valuable ally you might accept the truth easier."

Sebastian's brows had risen listening about trust and a valuable ally. Yes, he could use the second one, he already had the three useless servants, but as for trust… no demon could feel something like that for another creature. Although he could admit, only to himself, that he and his master trusted them to keep the manor safe from enemies and that they were reliable and faithful… like dogs, to the young Earl. While on Campania, Miss Clark had already proven that she too was reliable. Sebastian suddenly realized that more than once he had entrusted her with his master's safety in only one day; perhaps that was trust… Anyway, the woman did not have to have knowledge of something like that.

"Well then… Why do I not leave you find out on your own of their usefulness?" He smiled in the same way as before.

"Hard bargain, as expected. But you can at least tell me what to expect, what's the worst thing they can do… And... in exchange I can tell you that I am not of this era – something that I'm sure you already suspect – and I was sent here through magic."

"So… judging from your strange, manly garbs that I have seen only in one other woman, claiming these are the clothes of the future, and some of your already expressed views, particularly for Grell… you are telling me that you came… from that future?" Sebastian arched one eyebrow thoughtfully and then surprised as Selina nodded. "Interesting."

Selina saw a glimpse in his eyes and guessed what could come next. "Well then… Why don't I leave you find out on your own how your contract with our master will go? Not that I know myself. I know everything about him and many about you up to the Campania incident but not afterwards. Now… will you tell me something?"

Sebastian did not comment on her guessing, since it was not entirely wrong, although he knew the rules of such rare magic; he then decided not to push her further since she already had willingly given him much information. For someone to use the magic of transcending time to send someone else in another era… the situation must have been quite critical; that kind of power was a taboo even for demons because it could really mess them up in many ways.

Anyway, the woman showed him how determined she was to get something out of him and he did her the favour. For the next hour, he shared with her all the disasters the three idiots had caused in the manor, while trying to perform their daily duties. For some reason, she found most of the stories quite amusing, although she claimed she could totally understand his side too on the matter. Laughter brought a rosy colour on her cheeks surrounded by her golden, bouncing curls and causing her aura to be more vibrant; Sebastian could feel that and his body did not miss the chance of absorbing it, causing him again that tingling sensation which really helped him and made him feel a lot better. When his stories finished, Selina said goodnight, out of human habit probably, and hurried to bed since it was really late.

Next morning, Sebastian was feeling as good as new, ready for a new day, which started with a surprise when he found Selina in the back yard giving milk to his cats and playing with a small, tabby kitten. Her slender fingers had become the vicious enemy the kitten had to catch and bite while she was tickling its belly, its green eyes shining in content and excitement as it purred. Sebastian joined her when a black cat started rubbing herself on his legs demanding his attention immediately. He knelt down and started petting her, telling her sweet words that would make any woman blush.

"Oh my… You are dead serious about the thing with the cats." Selina said when she saw a light colour painting his pale cheeks and the relaxed, almost dreamy look on his face while stroking the black fur. "I mean, the others told me but I actually thought you do it out of spite to master's allergy, to tease him."

"No, Miss Clark. I would never do something like that to my master… not all the time at least. It is against my aesthetics. I actually find cats the most beautiful, charming creature in this world. They know what they want, how and when they want it and they will not accept anything less, they do not hesitate to do exactly as they wish and humans are just a toy to them. They are magnificent and so unpredictable."

Selina laughed looking at him. "Wow, you are absolutely in love with them; your circus act with the tiger was not a bluff. I'll give you a friendly advice; don't use this love if you want to get rid of any woman smitten with you, you will get exactly the opposite." She finished smiling.

After a while, Sebastian released the black cat perched in his lap, and motioned to Selina to do the same as it was time to get to work.

For those who don't know, the events of this chapter are from a side story called "That Butler, Resting" which is not published in any manga volume, for some reason, but you can find in a couple of Kuroshitsuji facebook groups. I really love this story because... I mean, what's not to love? Sebastian stressed can be very cute and funny :D! Also, Mey-Rin's fantasy... expresses many of us, me think!

Okay, that's all for now! Thanks again and... Till next time!