Although no one has complained, I recognize how unrealistically fast-paced Sebastian and Ciel's relationship is going, and I apologize. Please keep in mind that the most I've ever written before this are poems and two-paragraph articles for school. (: Hopefully, I won't repeat this error in future fics.

23/168 hours

Seven days has passed since Ciel has last seen the onyx-haired officer. Ciel's daily, diverse tasks were delivered to him by an appointee named Maylene thereafter that one obscure afternoon in Sebastian's room. His community servicings deviated from things as basic as washing the dishes to as impossible (to Ciel's standards, atleast.) as polishing the neighborhood playground. Ciel was pleased to know that his work now started in the afternoon, he started at 1PM, giving Ciel more than ample time in the morning to sleep more. Everyday, the bubbly maroon-haired woman offered to take Ciel out to eat, and the teen, ever so rigid, had rejected her the the first two times, but after somehow managing to live off the ten dollars Sebastian had given him so sparingly for a few days, eventually Ciel yielded. Ciel hesistated from taking a bite of the gargantuan ten dollar meal at first, but after the the succulent flavor abosrbed in his mouth, his hunger drove him and he greedily wolfed everything down, with Maylene giggling beside him, a pleased grin on her face from noticing that Ciel finally gained some color in his waxen face.

Since then, with the prospect of Maylene's generously portioned dinners for him, Ciel regrettably looked forward to community service. One time, Maylene hadn't turned up the time she usually would, (5 PM), and Ciel worked overtime that time, sure enough, Maylene came running to the room in which he was sloppily washing the walls boredly, and she apologized, even though she wasn't really obliged to come for Ciel at all. Ciel started to see her more of a friend and less of a ball and chain, even he found this out of character for him.

Ciel never questioned why Maylene chose to buy for him food from the more expensive side of the menu, whereas she often would buy a one dollar espresso for herself, and sometimes a macchiato, if she was feeling indulgent. Ciel, feeling remorseful, offered once a chicken leg from his big plate, and Maylene only shook her head. Perhaps she was looking after her weight, Ciel supposed, although Maylene looked rather thin and would probably look better a few pounds heavier.

Maylene's chatty personality, was another story. Ciel valued silence as a quality he looked for a friend, whatever kind of friend that would be, and Maylene was far from it. Ciel strained to find the delight that people accomplish through relentless socializing, but Ciel decided that perhaps Maylene's level of talkativeness was what did not conform to the norm. In the end, Ciel decided that atleast letting Maylene with her rambling was the least he could do for her. Through Maylene's exorbitant and thoughtless ranting, Ciel had found out that Maylene still was just an intern and held no real power over him, and was just appointed to deliver his work to him, and Maylene covered her mouth in realization of her admission. Ciel only chuckled and said that she needn't worry, taking advantage of his friend was in the back of his mind.

Ciel also recently found out that Maylene was half Korean from her mother's asian blood, while her father was American. Ciel snorted and rolled his eyes, thinking that Maylene was just one of those.. What do they call it? 'Koreaboos'. Ciel almost choked on the foie gras, when Maylene removed her thick-lensed glasses and revealed a pair of piercing, sharp, hooded hazel eyes. Maylene looked almost intimidating, it was like Ciel was looking at a different person, and Ciel absentmindedly stared tensing up. Maylene laughed, slipped back her glasses and teased Ciel for the rest of the day.

Soon, that one fateful afternoon was now the least of Ciel's troubles.

"So why the police force, of all things?" Ciel asked, as he took a bite of his fry, thinking of the quintessential portrayal of a cop eating a donut and never getting to the crime scene in time.

Maylene clasped her hands excitedly, as though this was a topic she enjoyed tackling, "I want to help people!" Ofcourse, Ciel wondered why he even asked. What other reason could have attracted people in that line of work, other than seven year old boys who entertained the idea of putting bad guys behind bars as fun. But before Ciel could berate her for poor rationale, the intern added solemnly, "Also, I have an older sister who was put to jail before I was even born."

Ciel nodded, silently urging her to continue, interest slightly piqued.

"I was eight when I first was told that I had an older sister, my natural response ofcourse was to question where she was, afterall, how often do parents tell their children they had a sister they never met?" Maylene joked, but her face was far from flippant, and she sipped her coffee, "My parents said she died young.

"When I turned eighteen, I started to think how unthoughtful it was of them to tell their eight year old child that she had a dead sister, but they finally admitted to me what really happened, along with other incredibly startling facts. Apparently, before they were even married, my mother was in love with a man back in Korea, and she gave birth to a child."

Ciel's eyes dilated, surprised from the sudden shift of atmosphere.

"But apparently, when she was a teenager, she dared to cross the boundary between North and South Korea. Naturally, she was seized immediately by a guard closely watching."

When Maylene didn't speak for a while, Ciel took it as a queue for him to ask questions. "Why did your sister even go there? Everyone knows of the atrocities that takes place in North Korea."

"Exactly."

Ciel gave her a confused look, telling her to explain her answer.

"Like every other citizen there, she couldn't stand the astriction within North Korea."

"I thought you were from the South," Ciel gaped, "And what do you mean, 'like every other citizen there'? I've read they- your people knew nothing of life outside their native country."

Maylene chuckled, and whispered, scanning the restaurant for any potential eavesdropper. "That's what the North Korean government wants you to think. In truth, we know. In fact, not only do the barbarities happen inside concentration camps, but all over the country as a whole. Although it is true that we don't know what does happen outside our homeland, some people are intelligent enough to know the limits of brutality."

Ciel nodded, scrupulously listening to every word that comes out of her mouth.

"When she was put to camp, her father lied that his wife was dead, so that my mother would be spared from being forced to work with them. Somehow, my mother managed to pass through the guards, successfully fled to South Korea, and the rest is self explanatory."

Ciel was shocked once Maylene finally concluded her little story. Ciel had never thought something so abysmal and grim was veiled beneath the chirpy front that was the bespecstacled redhead, Ciel struggled to formulate the right words appropriate for a friend to say, "I'm sorry," was all he could manage in the end, and he mentally kicked himself for his less than helpful comment.

Maylene chuckled and waved her hand, as though trying to propel the brooding air away, "Don't be. My fault for narrating my whole life, when you only asked something so far from it. So to answer your inital question, I never once considered criminology before this sudden revelation, and even thereafter, I still didn't consider it. I hoped to be a soldier, I'm rather good with guns," she winked at the boy "And I'm thinking that one day, if North Korea does declare a war against the world, I might be assigned to fight there," she grinned, "But my parents wouldn't let me, so an officer is the closest thing to the job."

Ciel's shoulders slackened a notch, but he frowned. He thought that was the most stupid decision, what good did that benefit her, letting the past control the bigger part of her future? Not to mention for a person more or less a stranger to her? "If you don't mind me prying a bit more.. What was your sister's name?"

She flashed Ciel a toothy grin, "Mey-Rin!"

Ciel called the waiter to transfer his long-forgotten food in a disposable container, thinking of finishing it tonight or tomorrow morning.

Ciel couldn't help the thoughts that would recurringly wander off to a black haired male. As much as he liked Maylene, his involuntary curiosity wondered why Sebastian suddenly disappeared. Whenever Ciel was inside the building, he never once stumbled upon him. At first, it seemed to him as though he was avoiding him, but that didn't make sense to Ciel, why would Sebastian be avoiding him in the first place? So Ciel decided that maybe Sebastian had been very busy as of late, which seemed like a more plausible reason.

Still, that hunch wasn't enough to placate his mind, so he decided it wouldn't hurt to ask Maylene of his whereabouts.

Maylene shrugged and answered that he rarely left his office, and only did once he was finished with work. She finally confessed that Sebastian was the one who instructed her to take him out for dinner everyday, but didn't explain further why. She apologized for not telling him earlier. Ciel didn't seem to mind and was not at all disheartened that Maylene was more or less paid to stand as his friend. Maylene reassured him that whether Sebastian funded him or not, she truly did care and would've still done her best to care for him, jokingly saying that she would've bought one dollar meals for him instead of food from the wasteful high-end restaurants.

The knowledge that Sebastian supplied for him added to his growing bewilderment, Maylene's admission only served to draw more questions. And Ciel didn't enjoy not knowing something, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He came to Sebastian's office, only to find a busty woman with tight curls, his secretary apparently, who told him that the Chief had left early, giving Ciel a dirty look as he left.

Standing at the rugged doorstep, Ciel shifted his feet as he raised his hand to knock on the wood. He started to realize the absurdity of what he was planning to do. Visit the man who nearly put him to jail. But he couldn't help it. For the past week, the recurring thought of the man nagged the back of his mind. How soft the locks of hair framed his pale face as he hovered above him and whispered into his ear..

Ciel shook his head and groaned as he caught himself mid-thought. He shouldn't think of him like…that. He was the man that nearly put himself to jail.

Sebastian's Aunt Meredith opened the door, her eyes looked at him for just a second and her lips immediately curled into a grin. "What brings you here dearest?"

"Is Sebastian here?"

"Do make yourself at home, I'll be back!" And she pranced her way to the adjoined room immediately. She was so different from the raven haired man. She was way too noisy for Ciel's taste.

Ciel sat stiffly on the velvet cushioned sofa, as Meredith shuffled to the kitchen and returned promptly, holding in her hand a tray of cream tea and glazed scones, in a sing song voice, she exclaimed, "Help yourself to scones, straight from the oven!" her rosy floral frocks fanning behind her as she waltzed into the parlor. She gingerly placed the platter on the table, and poured some tea for herself and Ciel. Ciel thanked her and took the teacup from the table, taking a tentative sip.

Meredith grinned at him and perched beside him, the sudden displacement making Ciel's haunches sink to the left. Meredith chuckled, a deep, throaty chuckle characteristic to Sebastian's. "So do tell me, little rogue, what's brought you to this den~?", she took a mouthful of the midget cake. She already forgot his answer moments ago.

"I'm here for Sebastian actually," Taking another sip, Ciel fluidly placed the cup back to the table.

Meredith sighed, placing everything in her hands on the table, and eyed him curiously, "He often talks about you, you know." He cupped the boy's chin in his hand and tilted his face, narrowed eyes searched for something.

"M-me?" Ciel, feeling confused and invaded, found the gesture disconcerting, and yanked his head away from her fingers. Questions racked through his head, as he tried to muster up a guess on why Sebastian would've even mention him to her aunt. It was inevitable, since Sebastian brought him here when he fainted, Meredith at some point in the week would've asked about his condition. Butoften? "Why would Sebastian talk about me?"

Meredith ignored him, and whiffed a long dramatic sigh, "I'm rather jealous. Why must I be her aunt, wouldn't we have made a more sightly couple, no?"

But before Ciel could remark, he heard a hoarse voice yawn, the owner starting to descend down the stairs, "Meredith, what is going-" He paused in his tracks when he saw the blue-eyed teen, looking surprised, "Ciel?"

Ciel looked up at the top of the staircase, and saw a disheveled Sebastian, looking as though he'd just been disturbed from his sleep. As much as he tried to tell himself otherwise, Ciel felt a sense of relief wash over him from seeing the man again, "Sebastian." He nodded up at him in greeting, and stood up from his seat.

Sebastian trod down the stairs, his look of discomposure morphing into an unreadable expression, "Why are you here?" he asked tonelessly, his eyes darting to Meredith before focusing back to the boy.

Ciel found out he didn't know either. Why am I here? "I came to ask you something." Ciel mumbled a small reply, starting to feel skeptical of his decision to coming to Sebastian's house.

"Then you better start talking now," cut Sebastian impatiently.

Meredith retreated to the kitchen, leaving the boy with a stony Sebastian. Sebastian's watchful glare penetrated through him, and Ciel felt himself shrinking the more those eyes stared longer. Ciel struggled to find a reason on why Sebastian was acting so bizarre. Sebastian inched closer to him, and soon they faced chest to chest, Ciel feeling reduced to a trapped mouse, and Sebastian the predatory cat. He gulped, hoping to swallow his silly, hallucinated image.

Sebastian, noticing Ciel's shaken face, softened his expression, but did not give away anything otherwise. The older man let his body drop down to the sofa and gave a relaxed sigh, patting on the space behind him, silently inviting Ciel to sit.

Ciel chose to sit on the sofa directly in front of him, still quite stiff, "I hear from Maylene that you've been the one who's giving her money to treat me some dinner." He couldn't think of a more sensible thing to say so he started with that.

Ciel heard Sebastian curse her under his breath, but Sebastian cleared his throat, "Yes," he said and let his hand locate itself to the wooden armrest, "I trust she's been feeding you fitting meals? I admit you're looking better today than a week ago."

Not wanting to let things complicate further, he decided to be straightforward, "..Why are you doing this for me? I deserve to know, the more I try to solve it, the more lost I seem to get. So I decided to confront you and get this over with."

"And what if I refuse to tell you?" Sebastian pressed teasingly.

"You wouldn't! You disappear for one week without a word, and here I find you and demand some answers, only to get cryptic responses!" Ciel snapped, shaking with temper and incredulity, forehead crumpled uglily.

"Instead of shouting at my face, shouldn't you be kissing my feet for my graciousness? For feeding you, when in fact I should be making your life a living hell?" he stood up in front of the other, face dangerously close to his. Ciel shivered when he felt the other's hot breath fan his face. "How cheeky of you, to barge in my home and accuse me?" Sebastian played with a lock of soft slate hair that fell on the boy's face. "Such disrespectful behavior calls for punishment, don't you think?" Red eyes glittered with mirth and excitement.