Coco: Heyo~ Good to see you all again! I hope you all liked the first chapter. I'm thinking about posting the second and third chapter today...but I just might post the second. Anyway, I forgot to mention it last chapter, but this story will follow both the anime series and the manga. I will not be doing season 2, however. Mostly because I hated it XD I'm going to pretend season 2 doesn't exist and move past it, sound good?

I'm mostly adding the anime for Pluto (who I will not be killing off because that'd just lead to a whole John Wick thing with Lavender XD) I'm getting her that dog, dammit! XD

Anywho~ I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last! Now let's get started!

Lavender let out a laugh as she ran down the street with her stolen goods clutched tightly to her chest.

"Someone, stop that brat!" The store owner shouted as he tried to follow the girl.

Lavender smirked cutting down an alleyway before sliding down onto her side and slipping right through the hole in the fence just big enough for her to fit through. She heard the store owner keep going straight having apparently missed the fact that she had turned a corner. She sniggered at his dimwittedness before looking down at what she managed to swipe. It was a good haul if she did say so herself and should keep her fed for at least a few days.

"Hmm, I see, a troublemaker she was. Though I guess with her living conditions she had to do something."

"You're holding it wrong, kid." Declan told Lavender as he readjusted her hold on the knife. "You'll never be able to fight anyone close quarters with a knife if you don't grip it firmly. You don't want them knocking it out of your hands do you?"

Lavender shook her head before she took a few practice slashes with the knife after Declan corrected her. The man nodded in approval.

"Feels better, doesn't it?" Declan asked her while receiving a nod in return. "Good, now, let's see if you go against little lord Grey again."

He gestured to a lad a bit older than her who had his sword out and at the ready.

"Remember, the sword does give him a longer reach," Declan told Lavender. "But if you get in close enough it'll become a hindrance not an advantage."

Declan then motioned for both teens to step up onto the mat before he gave them the go ahead to strike. The two went at each other without hesitation while trying to make the first cut against the other.

"What the bloody hell? Who gives weapons like that to children? And just tells them to have a go at each other? Humans…unbelievable…"

Lavender smiled with her chest slightly puffed out as Declan adjusted her tie. She was dressed up for the occasion and ready to go.

"It's finally time," Declan said as he placed his hand on Lavender's shoulder. "You worked hard for this, Lavi. And I couldn't be prouder of you."

Lavender's smile widened at the praise from the man who raised her. Who had given her a life better than the one she had led. A life with a purpose. A life that could benefit others and not just herself.

"You showed everyone that it doesn't take those of high standing to be great." Declan continued. "You proved to everyone that even people of common blood can be exceptional. Remember that you when walk through those doors to meet Her Majesty. Some might look down at you or scoff, but you keep your head held high, alright?"

He affectionally tapped her cheek as he spoke as Lavender felt her eyes sting a bit.

"Don't go saying shit like that now," Lavender complained. "I don't want to ruin my makeup."

Declan chuckled then leaned forehead to place a kiss upon the sixteen-year-old's brow.

"Go on now," Declan said nodding towards the double doors that would start Lavender's new life.

After today, she would no longer be Lavender March from the East End. Today she would become Lavender Phantomhive the new Watchdog to Her Majesty. The one who protects Polite Society from the underbelly of the dark Underworld. She'd become something more than she ever thought she could be. Lavender, who had been heading for the doors, paused, and looked back at the person who made it possible. She hurried back to Declan and threw her arms around him to hug him tightly. He stiffened in surprise before a smile pulled across his face and he hugged her back.

"…Thank you…" She whispered.

"…sniff…sniff…I'm not crying, okay?! You're the one who's crying…oh, wait…none of the others are here…right…ahem, moving on…"

Lavender sighed as she looked boredly at Emiliano after he finished ranting about how her last mission cost him a good business partner.

"Your business partner was working outside of your designated area of business, Don Emiliano." Lavender told the man. "Not only that but the product he was selling, proved to have some undesirable affects as several ended up hospitalized or dead."

Emiliano glared at Lavender as she filed her fingernails as if done with this entire discussion.

"Her Majesty became very upset when many of those deaths involved teenagers," Lavender continued. "I was told to find the responsible party and have them recall the product by any means necessary. Besides, I thought you would be happier with that partner of yours off your hands."

She gave Emiliano a shit-eating-grin as she spoke, which had the man's face turning red.

"And why did you think that, Phantomhive?" Emiliano asked through clenched teeth.

"Simple, with him out of the way, your clientele is safe once again." Lavender told Emiliano. "That couldn't have been good for your business. Losing your customers like that. So, if you think about it, I did you a favor…You're welcome."

Lavender said this cheerfully with her grin never leaving her face. Even as Emiliano hopped from his seat to tower over her.

"Mark my words, Phantomhive, one of these days someone will wipe that smug smirk right off your face," Emiliano warned her. "The balance between the Underworld and that of Polite Society are constantly teetering. You can't just do as you please or it will all come crumbling down."

"Thank you for the advice, good sir," Lavender replied as she stood up from her own seat. "Consider your words marked. Do have a good day now, Don Emiliano."

She gave him a final grin then nodded towards the rest of the Aristocrats before taking her leave.

"…oooh, that must have been why they used her as a sacrifice…she pissed them off…Well, that's too bad. I thought she was pretty cool." Grim Reaper 246709—Josephine Popplewell—said as she finished reviewing the cinematic record of the woman born as Lavender March but registered as Lavender Phantomhive. "But cool or not, there is nothing here that shows me that you'll make any great changes in the years to come. So, I do beg pardon, Lady Phantomhive, but it's time for me to collect your soul."

Josephine snapped her book shut then placed it away in her inside jacket pocket. She then raised her death scythe, which took on the shape of a pair of mini scythes. She was about ready to strike and reap Lavender's soul when she noticed something…something that was going to put a kink in her work.

"…where…where's her soul…Actually…where did her body go?!" Josephine asked in a panic when she saw the altar empty. "It was just here! One more swipe and her soul would have been collected!"

She lowered her weapon and pulled at her strawberry blonde hair in worry. Before a thought occurred to her. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she turned and pointed her weapon behind her.

"Oi, Demon, you took it, didn't you?! Spit it out!" Josephine snapped as she remembered the demon that was also here at the scene thanks to these idiot humans summoning it. "That was my soul to collect!"

She then blinked when seeing the demon was gone too and all that was left were the dying men and women dressed in black cloaks. The demon hadn't even bothered to devour their souls after it slaughtered the lot of them.

"Huh…eh, but…no," Josephine stuttered. "Dammit, the higher ups are going to yell at me again!"

She wanted to throw her death scythe in annoyance, but considering the mess that demon left her, she had a lot more work to do.

"Son of a bitch," she cursed then scratched the side of her head with her scythe. "Where the hell could Phantomhive have gone?"

It was a dark night…another night of pain and despair when something new came into the boy's life. After seeing the death of countless children…after being abused…treated like an animal for these disgusting noblest pigs, things seemed to change for the better for him. As his captors finally managed to do it. They finally managed to summon a demon.

But there was more than just the demon that appeared before the humans. There was almost a woman of grayish-brown hair. The boy stared at the woman who appeared in the magic circle as she was hunched over on the ground. She was wheezing as if trying to catch her breath. She lifted her head with her green eyes meeting his wide, blue orbs. She frowned.

"This can't be—cough, cough!—happening," she groaned. "Are you telling me those dreams weren't just dreams after all?"

The boy frowned in confusion wondering what this woman was talking about. He had to wonder what kind of person would have a dark dream such as this. Let alone multiple of them.

"Who the hell is that woman?" One noble asked.

"She might be here to take away our wishes from the demon!" Someone gasped.

"You bitch! Get away from the demon!"

Said demon turned its deep, red eyes on the woman who managed to move to sit on her knees.

"Would you stop with your squealing, you fat noble pigs?" The woman asked petulantly as she rubbed her temples. "Fuck, my head is killing me. And while I have your attention, you have twenty seconds—and I'm being generous because it might take me a few seconds to get off the floor—to let that boy out of the cage."

The boy watched in awe at how unafraid the woman was as she sat on the floor looking unbothered by the monster behind her or the angry nobles in front of her.

"You dare order us, wench?!" One noble snapped. "We who have the power of a demon on our side! Don't think—!"

A gunshot ringing out drowned out the rest of the man's words. Some of the other nobles screamed, as the man dropped to the ground with a bullet hole in his head. The woman, who had apparently pulled a gun—a gun that looked different than anything the boy had ever seen—from her side, was groaning as she rubbed the side of her head.

"Damn, should have thought that through." The woman said. "Now my head feels worse. Now, I'm only going to repeat myself once. Let the boy go. He isn't livestock…he isn't a toy…you damn swine."

The boy felt his eyes water a bit when the woman glared heatedly at the nobles. He hasn't been treated as a human in a very long time. Not since that horrible day where he lost everything. The nobles actually shifted back in fear as they stared warily at the woman.

"We won't fear you!" One noble said bravely. "Demon, kill this woman! Let her be another sacrifice to you!"

Her glare moved to that noble next causing him to falter and take a step back away from the woman. The demon chuckled with his dark miasma swirling around the woman like a gentle caress.

"Aren't you an interesting human?" The demon purred. "To think that you would be the one."

The woman looked at the demon in confusion as he reached down to pet the woman's head with his long, clawed fingers. She didn't even flinch away at the demon's touch as she clutched her aching head once more.

"Now, don't move." The demon ordered her. "Be a good human and behave as I conduct my business here."

Before the woman could retort, the demon turned his eyes on the boy in the cage. The demon smirked at the boy while ignoring the nobles who called out and tried to get his attention.

"You have given a big sacrifice," the demon spoke to the boy. "Now it's your choice whether to make a contract with a demon and have your wishes granted, or not. The price to cross the river has already been paid."

The boy stared with wide eyes at the demon while feeling a sliver of hope build in his chest. But more than just hope. He also felt anger towards his captors and those whose fault it was for his life turning out this way. He opened his mouth to speak…only hesitating when he met the eyes of that woman as she was trying to get up. Her gaze pleadingly shouted at him to stop. However, he already made his decision.

"I…I…I want…power." The boy said.

"What…?! Someone shut him up!" A noble cried out.

No one dared to move, however. All frightened by the powerful demon, who seemed to take an interest in the boy, in the room.

"The power to take revenge on those who did this to us!" The boy declared. "Demon, I'll make a contract with you!"

"Kid, don't!" the woman protested.

She went to say more, but the demon hushed her as he knelt wrapping his presence around her.

"Shush," he purred at the woman as one clawed finger stroke her cheek. "Don't interfere. Rest."

The woman's eyes suddenly fluttered before they rolled back in her head as her body went limp. The demon caught her and lowered her to the floor before he stood and stepped closer to the boy.

"So, boy, you're abandoning the light for the path to hell." The demon said. "Well then, let us mark our bodies with the contract seal. The more visible the place where your seal is, the stronger its power. So, where do you want—?"

"Anywhere is fine!" the boy declared. "I want a power stronger than anyone else's!"

He said this while reaching out towards the demon. No fear for what might come as he's already lived through hell.

"You're quite greedy, despite your small body." The demon said as he grabbed the boy's face around his eye. "Well then, I shall put it on that big eye of yours, filled with despair."

The boy wailed out in pain as power seemed to course into his eye, which was marked to formally seal the contract between him and the demon. As the mark formed, the demon smirked pleased with what the night brought him. A meal…and…something more.

Lavender groaned feeling herself start to wake. As she was coming too, she felt as if she was floating. Her body suspended in midair. However, as she became more aware, she realized that she wasn't floating. She was being carried. Her eyes snapped open. She turned her head coming face to face with the smiling face of that demon.

His appearance had changed. Taking on the form of a handsome human man with raven hair with fringe long enough to frame both sides of his face. His eyes weren't as deeply crimson as before and had taken on a lighter reddish-brown color. But despite the fact he looked very human at that moment, she could tell in an instant he was the demon from earlier.

"Ah, welcome back to the world of the living, my lady," he spoke pleasantly as if he hadn't knocked her out earlier.

Lavender narrowed her eyes at the demon as she remembered he knocked her out to prevent her from stopping the boy in the cage from making a deal with him.

"Put me down!" Lavender said. "And what did you do with the boy?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do as you requested," the demon said with that smile—which looked more like a smirk—spreading a bit wider. "As my new master ordered me to carry you until you are well enough to walk."

Lavender frowned in confusion when he mentioned a new master before she happened to look down and see the boy who was looking at her in return. He had bandages wrapped around his head and covering his eye. His clothes had also been changed. Nothing fancy but not covered in blood or ripped either.

"You can sit her down, Sebastian." The boy said. "If that is what she wants."

The demon—Sebastian—nodded his head then placed Lavender down on her own two feet. She wobbled off balance for a moment but managed to stay upright. She rubbed her head, which was still throbbing.

"This is worse than the hangover I had after my 18th birthday." She grumbled.

"What's your name?"

Lavender blinked before looking back at the boy who had been the one to ask.

"…Lavender…" she replied.

She left out her last name as she wasn't sure where she was. The last thing she remembered was that mysterious figure standing over her as she died and then—BAM!—she was suddenly popping up in a different ritual than the one she had been sacrificed in. A ritual she's been dreaming about constantly and led to her unhealthy caffeine addiction.

"Phantomhive." The boy said causing her to freeze. "Lavender Phantomhive, yes? Born in the year 2003."

Lavender frowned at the boy wondering how he knew that when she realized she was missing a few things from her person. She chuckled.

"You took my wallet and my gun." Lavender said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Smart, aren't you?"

The boy said nothing at first as he stared at her as if trying to figure her out. His eyes momentarily flickered to the blue diamond earring that swung from her ear. He then held out his hand where a ring rested on his thumb. Lavender knelt in front of the boy to get a good look at it. The diamond that rested within the band of the ring looked like a perfect match to her earring. She had heard before that the diamond had once come from a ring, but one of her predecessors had asked for a change of design at some point, which led to the earring she wore today.

"I am Ciel Phantomhive." The boy told her. "Born in the year 1875."

Lavender's eyes widened as she looked from the ring to Ciel's face. He said this with a completely straight face. And she knew of Ciel Phantomhive. All the Watchdogs who came after the fall of the Phantomhive Family knew about Ciel. The boy Earl who danced with darkness more than any Watchdog ever had before. And judging by his appearance he could only be ten to eleven years of age.

"1875…and what year is it now?" Lavender questioned.

"1886." Sebastian replied to her question. "It seems you somehow managed to slip backwards in time. It's peculiar but happens from time to time. Tell me, did you happen to come across an old artifact recently? Or perhaps tumble down a rabbit hole?"

Lavender looked at him unamused as he chuckled at his little joke. She then sighed as she stood up from her knelt position to run her fingers through her hair, which felt sweaty and gross.

"No…I died." Lavender said.

Ciel looked at her with wide eyes as she placed her head over her chest with a thoughtful look on her face.

"I died during a ritual much like that poor boy on the table," Lavender said remembering there had been a second boy back there.

One that couldn't be saved and had the same face as the one did before her. Lavender reached out towards Ciel causing him to flinch slightly out of reflex. However, he was surprised when she gently stroked the top of his head.

"He was your brother, wasn't it?" Lavender asked.

Ciel frowned then silently nodded his head as he looked down at the ground. Lavender said nothing else just offered her silent condolences as she continued to show him the soft affection.

"You were used during a ritual?" Sebastian spoke, breaking the silence. "And yet you managed to escape death and slip into the past…how odd."

"I believe I had help." Lavender said honestly. "The demon that appeared during my ritual was…gentle with me…As insane as it sounds, I feel like it was trying to comfort me. I don't know why, but I have a feeling it sent me back in time. Or did something to save me from my fate."

She shrugged as Sebastian cupped his chin and hummed in thought. His eyes studying her, which had her narrowing her eyes at him in return. Though she forgot all about the demon, when Ciel tugged on her jacket. She looked back at the young boy.

"So, you're truly from the future?" Ciel questioned.

"Yes," Lavender replied. "As hard as it is to believe, it's the truth. But I suppose we both have seen a lot of hard to believe stuff tonight, hmm?"

Ciel nodded in agreement as both turned their eyes on the demon who smiled at them innocently.

"Are…are we family?" Ciel asked her.

Lavender didn't reply right away. The boy had obviously gone through a lot. Not all was known about Ciel Phantomhive's past. There were a lot of holes in his life story, and a lot of missing information on some of the work he had done during his time as Earl.

However, she did know about the massacre of his family and how his home had gone down in ruin. And that he had gone missing for a month before suddenly reappearing to claim his rightful place as head of his house. She was certain that month had been pure hell for him, and he had to go through it after losing his family as well. She didn't feel right telling him that he wouldn't have any more family. That the Phantomhives ended with him. On the other hand, she didn't want to lie to him either. So, she decided to keep it safe and tell a half-lie-half-truth.

"No, I'm afraid we're not family." Lavender told him. "A lot can happen in a hundred years, and during that time, the Phantomhives along with several other noble houses have ceased to exist. My self and those few who came before me, carry the name as a symbol or more like a title once we've been selected by the royal family to become the new Watchdog of Her Majesty."

She could tell it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear as his expression fell ever so slightly. It made her feel a bit bad, but at least he didn't know exactly when his family line ended. She didn't want him moving forward knowing he had no chance at all of furthering his family line. If he even cared about such a thing.

"However, I would be honored if you would allow me to stay with you and be a part of your family." Lavender said. "I don't think going back where I came from is an option and if I must be stuck here, I might as well get to spend time with the boy who shares the same last name as me. Besides, I wouldn't feel right leaving you alone with that in the first place."

She nodded her head not so subtlety at the demon standing behind the two Phantomhives. Ciel's lips turned up ever so slightly at her due to the jab she made at Sebastian.

"I did make a deal with him," Ciel confessed. "He'll get my soul eventually."

"I figured as much," Lavender said with a sigh. "But as you said, he'll get your soul eventually. And whatever time there is between now and then, if you would permit it, I would like to stay at your side, Ciel."

Ciel stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding his head, which brought a small smile from her face. She always did have a soft spot for kids. She might not play well with others—which was apparently a big enough Achilles Heel to get her killed—but kids were a different story. Maybe it was because typically they were so honest and pure compared to adults. But poor Ciel…had the chance of a normal childhood taken away from him. His life was going to be a struggle from here on out, and she trained and worked hard to help others—even if from the shadows. So, she might as well put those skills to good use.

"I don't think he would have let you leave anyway," Ciel told Lavender, which had her tilting her head in confusion. "He seems to have taken a liking to you or something."

Lavender frowned before slowly turning her head to look at Sebastian who was watching her closely in return. The look in his eyes confirmed what Ciel said.

"Oh really?" Lavender hummed while slightly recalling how the demon called her 'the one' or something similar. "That's not concerning or anything."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm, which brought an amused gleam to Sebastian's eyes. He looked like the cat who just caught the canary.

"Nothing is set in stone quite yet." Sebastian said. "We will just have to wait and see what happens. Now, let's return to our journey, shall we?"

He gave a slight bow before motioning for the two humans to lead the way. Lavender didn't quite like the thought of having him behind them, but figured they were safe for now as long as his and Ciel's contract held. Taking Ciel's hand she moved forward with Ciel at her side. Both humans were unaware of how the demon's eyes began to glow like a predator who had just spotted its prey.

Coco: And that is the end of that chapter. I hope you all enjoyed!

And as always, remember to keep being your awesome selves and stay safe! Until next time~