|Michael's Quarters, Heaven|

Madeleine slowly opened the door, and peered inside. There was nobody to be seen. She opened the door slightly more, before hasting inside, locking the door behind her. If Lord Michael wasn't here, it wouldn't be long before he returned. The apprentice angel ran towards the desk, searching and skimming through papers. If the rumors were true, if it really was so as she feared, there was no time to lose.

Most of the papers were useless, gradings and remarks from the Academy. Madeleine noticed her own name several times, usually connected to some kind of small ruckus she had caused. None of the papers on the desk were of any real interest to her. She started opening the drawers, until she found the bottom one locked. 'Gotcha!' she thought.

She looked around, searching for a key. If only Lord Michael wasn't so sloppy! Finally she found it, hidden underneath a half – eaten sandwich. She slid the key in the lock, turning it hastily.

It opened up smoothly. The first thing she noticed in the desk was a picture of a tall, dark – haired man with reddish eyes. 'A demon!' she kept looking, until she found the pictures of several humans. One of them was… Ciel Phantomhive. She looked at it attentively, and at the other pictures. On almost all of them the demon was accompanying the young man. She clenched her teeth. 'I must have absolute proof before I act!' she thought to herself, knowing fully well that she wasn't really supposed to be meddling in this kind of affairs. But if the boy was at stake, she had no choice even if it meant breaking the rules for just a little while.

Nowhere on the body of Ciel did she see any mark of a contract. She was nearing the bottom of the pile of pictures and started to think that there was no picture containing the proof she needed before she could go out and act. Her entire body was screaming at her to ignore the proof and just GO!

There was nothing left in the drawer, except several reports, which she ignored, and a brown envelope. It was unsealed, so she didn't feel that guilty for opening it. She gasped for air. In it was another picture, showing Ciel's full face. In his right eye there was the mark of the demon. She covered her mouth with a shaking hand. "Stupid boy… I must do something!"

Madeleine got up, banging her head against the desk. Rubbing the sore spot she got up. There were sounds coming from the hallway. She hastened back towards the door, fumbling with the lock. Finally it opened, allowing her to shoot outside, her heart pounding against her ribs.

As Madeleine let the door fall closed after her, Lord Michael came from around the corner. He started smiling when he saw her. 'Ah , Madeleine. Did you set someone's wings on fire again?' he asked with a benevolent curiosity. He put a big hand on her shoulder, his dark golden wings hanging loosely at his side.

She looked up at the archangel with big eyes. 'Uhm… no sir. I was just passing by. It's not like I do something wrong every day!' she laughed nervously, feeling like running away. But she had to remain inconspicuous, until the end.

Michael started laughing too. "True, although sometimes it does feel like that! You've always been a bit of a handful." He smiled, and patted her shoulder a bit, a soft glow coming from his eyes. That look always took her breath away. Lord Michael was after all amazing to an apprentice like her. 'Still, I 'm expecting great things from you, young angel. So, do your best, okay?" he said, giving her a thumbs up, as his hand went to the doorknob of his bureau.

She nodded, and bid him a good day. When she was walking away, she started rubbing her hands together. "Before today, Lord Michael, I would have done anything to hear those words from you! But now… I have no choice but to disappoint you."
She sped off, an unusual grim look on her face.

|Phantomhive Manor, around 10 in the morning|

"Your morning tea, young Master." Sebastian said, pouring in some of the dark – colored tea. Ciel sniffed the air, appreciating the aroma that was filling the room, keeping his attention on his newspaper. "Thank you, Sebastian. Is there any chance for you to bring me some of that delightful parfait of yours?"

"That would quite spoil your appetite sir. Surely you can wait until your guest arrives?" Sebastian answered unfazed as he brought over the cup with long strides.

"It wasn't a request, Sebastian." Ciel spoke out with an authoritative ring in his voice , glaring with one eye at the butler. Sebastian started to smile, and opened his mouth to speak when suddenly someone came flying in the room through what appeared to be a ring of light.

Madeleine bumped on the floor with her behind, slightly sliding further thanks to her soft robes in combination with the just polished wooden boards. Her wings slid behind her, their tips sweeping over the floor. "Woah, stop, stop, I don't want to go any further, wah!" she yelled out, stopping in the middle of the room.

She got up, and started brushing herself off a bit. Her wings clapped softly, trying to smooth themselves out. She could hear Ciel's voice coming from behind her.

"Sebastian, is that an –"

Madeleine ducked just as the demon made a grip for her head. Without thinking she let herself fall to her knees again, making Sebastian slide over her. He changed direction midway, swinging a leg low to kick her. She clapped her wings to fly higher, out of his immediate reach. He glared at her, and pulled his gloves off.
He started jumping after her, trying to grab her legs. She flew around rather frantically, trying to fend him off.

"Ciel, make him stop! I want to talk to you! Get off me, you… you DEMON!" she yelled, kicking her leg and trying to hit him in the face.

"Sebastian, I command you to stop that!" Ciel shouted, standing besides his desk, alarmed at the behavior of the demon. Sebastian stopped trying to catch the angel, and looked at Ciel rather disturbed.

Madeleine waited a few seconds, before being sure that Sebastian wouldn't be coming after her anymore. She floated down to the ground, folding her wings behind her back and allowing them to disappear.

Ciel stared at her before he started talking. "Okay, lady, who are – "

He stopped talking when she practically ran to him, grabbed his face between her hands and placed a kiss on his forehead. The boy started stammering and blushing at this behavior from an unknown woman.

"I'm so glad I finally get to see you, alive and well. My name is Madeleine. Madeleine Phantomhive."

"What?"

|Five minutes later|

Ciel was sitting behind his desk, newspaper and tea both forgotten. He had placed both hands before him, leaning on them. He gazed at her, trying to comprehend what she had just told him. Sebastian was standing right beside him, glaring at her with a hostility one would expect from a predator who thinks someone is trying to steal his prey.

Which was, of course, the exact situation.

"So, you're my…. Great- great- great- great- great- great- aunt?" Ciel asked with an incredulous voice. The look in his one visible eye seemed to say that she ought to be carted of to the nearest by asylum.

Madeleine nodded, trying to avoid Sebastian's gaze. She was in the same room with one of the most dangerous demons know to the angelic society, and the only thing holding him back was a 12 – year old boy. Her nephew.

"Okay, let's say I believe you. Why are you here?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm here to protect you. To protect my family. If you look through the records I'm pretty sure you'll still find my name." She answered, hoping her father hadn't had her removed from the family tree after her death.

Her long robes flowed over the edge of the chair. She looked every bit like an angel… Still, how was Ciel to be sure?

He made a disgruntled face and looked at Sebastian, who had the look of pure disgust he usually reserved for dogs and the rest of his incompetent staff.

He looked back at her, sitting in the chair in front of his desk. "I thought angels were created by God himself, I didn't know they had human family." He said, trying to gain more information before making a decision. If she was telling the truth….

Madeleine looked at him, showing a small smile. "After my death, I was chosen to become an angel. It only happens to very few people."
She didn't speak of the circumstances of her death. Those memories were painful, and sometimes, even after more than two and a half centuries, she woke up screaming.

Ciel kept looking at her, and glanced a few times towards Sebastian. It was clear that the butler hoped with every fiber in his body that the angel would be expelled from the mansion without further notice.
When Ciel spoke, it was a mixture of unsatisfied curiosity, anger and amusement. "Very well, dear aunt of mine. I'll allow you to stay here. But I'm afraid you would have to do it as a maid, since having an unknown relative of mine staying here would raise questions. Also, you will keep your identity hidden." He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her reaction on the small rule he had just made. Having her claim she was related to him would perhaps encourage people to put him under more strict supervision, lest someone take advantage of a young and as they presumed gullible boy.

She looked at the look of pure horror that had appeared on the demon's face, and nodded again to show her agreement. "As long as I can protect you, I shall do as you ask."

Ciel glanced back to Sebastian. "Sebastian, get her a proper set of clothes. And I forbid you from attacking her in any way. I don't want some supernatural war messing up my domain. Madeleine, you shall obey Sebastian's orders, within the range of your abilities, and blend in with the rest of my staff. You are also forbidden to attack Sebastian. Have I made myself clear?" he said, expecting more trouble from Sebastian than of his newly found aunt.

Both of the supernatural creatures nodded, although she was relieved while Sebastian seemed frustrated with the new rules.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian replied, while a reddish streak gleamed through his dark brown eyes. He wasn't happy. An angel was after all only a nuisance, and their principles were guided by emotions.

Demons never let their emotions rule over them.

|Near the staff chambers|

Sebastian walked in front of her, keeping a steady pace, forcing her to practically run after him. She was quite unsteady on her feet, having grown accustomed to flying. When he stopped in front of a door, she almost bumped into him. She halted an inch from his back, and tried to back away.

Before Madeleine could move, he grabbed her wrist, bringing his face closer to hers. His eyes burned into her as he spoke. "I do not care for you, or for anything that you may consider important, little angel, but I do know that if you cross me in the execution of my contract I will make sure to strip your life from you." His voice was a low hiss, and his mere presence made her feel sick.

She pulled her head back, trying not to look in his eyes. She hadn't even completed her education yet. For a moment she scolded herself for not thinking this through better.

"Unhand me, demon, or do you plan to break an order given directly by your master?" she commanded, trying to pull away from the beast.

Sebastian smirked, and pulled her closer again. "Do not forget, angel, that the contract you are trying to forfeit is the only thing keeping me from ripping you into tiny shreds." His finger traced her earlobe, down to her neck. His body prevented her from running, as he pinned her to the wall, her fists at either side.
"What little pieces I would rip you in. Nobody would ever be the wiser, not even the young master."

He lowered his face to her, his breath stroking past her ear in an almost intimate fashion. Her breath stocked as she pushed herself more against the cold stone wall, away from Sebastian. "I am quite confident that I would be able to win from you in a duel. How many times have you fought a demon before encountering me, girl?"

She raised her head and looked in his eyes, challenging him to attack her and break the contract, if he really wanted her dead that much. "I have fought my share." she said. Being an angel made it almost impossible to lie. It caused an enormous pain inside of their bodies, so they lied as little as possible. Instead, they avoided telling both truth and lie, a dangerous pastime, and it was easy to betray their true intentions.

She had in fact only fought two demons, and both had been mere fledglings. Not anywhere near Sebastian's level. She had almost died the first time. The demon had been less than fifty years old.

She didn't even wish to guess how old Sebastian was.

Sebastian smiled, still looking down upon her. "Why do I not believe you, little angel?"
He released her roughly. She rubbed her wrists, glaring at him as he pointed towards the door. "That's where we keep all of the extra clothing for the staff. Get dressed, and then report to me."

He walked off, without looking back at her. It was the start of a game, as old as creation. A game between good and evil. And the bet was the soul of a twelve – year old boy.