JO here...

Hey everyone! Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh? This is a short chapter, but I decided to split it from the main chapter as shit hits the fan pretty soon and it'll be a lot coming at you. That being said, I did want to announce a couple of things.

1. I'm officially a published author under the pen name of Alej McKinley! My original new adult, dark urban fantasy novel called Inferos Edge released today and is now available to order in ebook and paperback on amazon, barnes and noble, kobo books, and iBooks! It's a modern and dark reimagining of the greek mythological tale of Hades and Persephone. This book is pretty much the reason why I've been MIA from fanfic in a long while. All of my attention has been on this babe so if you guys like reading about paranormal mysteries, mobster crime fiction and greek mythology with subtle romance all in one, have I got a novel for you!

2. I'm looking for new admins for the Kuroshitsuji Community I made called Behind the Kuroshitsuji Door. Its a community for stories with OCs mingling with the BB world/characters. I'm not active enough to search for stories that qualify for the group so if anyone wants to be apart of the search, let me know.

3. For those of you curious if I'll do the Twin Reveal Arc in OTCG, the answer is fuck yeah! I have every intention of making it that far and already as I update future chapters, you'll get hints of Ciel's allusion to that secret. You should see Hero interacting with Eldest Ciel. It's hella amusing.

That's all for now!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji

4. High Ho: Off to Mexico We Go

"Where the hell are my boots?" I mumbled aloud as I turned my room upside down for my favorite brown boots. I was pretty sure I'd left them near my bed, which means they should have migrated under it. But as I've checked five times already, they're not there!

"I know I'm not insane," I said, scratching my head.

Ciel looked up from the video he was watching on my phone. He blinked and yawned.

"That statement is subjective," he responded.

"Shush, you! Why don't you help me look instead of lazing about like a princess?"

Ciel scoffed. "I'm not the one who made the mess."

"We made this together!" I argued, closing my suitcase strategically filled to under fifty pounds. "Need I remind you that you've been staying in here for the last few days? And speaking of that, I still don't know how Phil let you stay at all."

Ciel smirked. "I have my ways."

I arched a brow at his tone but said nothing. I don't think I wanted to know.

"And I'm not the one who made this mess," Ciel insisted. "This was you. I never realized what a messy person you were until Sebastian was out of our lives."

I flushed. Well, Ciel wasn't wrong. I was a messy person and cared very little for the cleanliness aspect that was supposed to be present in womankind.

Cheeks hot, I turned away.

"Whatever…"

After much searching and hair pulling, I finally found my boots under the couch in the living room. Noodle's teeth marks were a clue as to how they ended up there. Looking completely unapologetic, said Noodle lay reclined on the couch. He looked at me with his wide grin and flapping tail.

"Very funny, boy," I said, putting my shoes on.

To my surprise, as I searched for my other pair, my hand found a slobbered and chewed up envelope. I gaped when I glanced at who it was from.

"Noodle! Bad dog! You can't go hiding my mail like that! What if this was important?"

"What's the dog done now?" Ciel asked when he came into the living room.

"He's gone and hid a letter for Detective Hero Sanders," I mumbled.

I opened the envelope and smoothed out the folded corners.

Ciel sat on the couch and allowed Noodled to lay his head on his lap. Ciel scratched his head, patiently waiting in silence for me to let him know what the letter was about.

This was pretty much how our days were spent. Ever since Ciel came back and essentially brought the sunshine back into my personality, the detective bug that had made me Detective Extraordinaire came back with a vengeance. When I had taken Ciel to the park last week, I showed him the hole inside the giant oak tree I used to accept detective work from the good citizens of Miami. It had gotten full since I left and a lot of it was damaged by rainy days. I responded to the missives that did survive, answering them with a time period of when I'd be done with their mystery via e-mail—it made communication easier.

"That's a lot," Ciel had commented, juggling the letters that threatened to spill. "You can't honestly be this good, can you?"

"Believe it or not, I'm actually competent at this," I had told him, looking up from my phone. "It's just that, when I was in Victorian England, a lot of the pizzazz got sucked away because I already knew so much of your time and what would happen to you specifically. To be honest, I haven't properly used my skills in quite some time. I almost feel rusty."

"How long do you plan on providing these services?"

I paused before lifting my gaze to the bright sky. My extracurricular work was always a hobby, an indulgence I thought to use to gain experience and help the local people with their own problems. I never thought about ending it. I never expected to leave Miami at all, so why bother? But now…

I glanced at Ciel's face. His expression was steady, patient. My heart grew warm.

"This will be the last batch I do," I said.

I had a strong feeling I wouldn't be living in Miami forever.

The first few days were interesting. After breakfast and dance class, Ciel would tag along with me to complete the few mysteries I had accepted. There were six in total. It would have been seven, but I turned down the sketchy one.

Never accept work if they want you to come in person to some secluded location alone.

The first request was a typical mystery that wasn't really a mystery at all. Someone had lost their iPhone at Bayside. The first thing I did was call the local pawnshops for any recent rose gold iPhones. That took about an hour with Ciel's help. In the end, we found two hits, one of which was most definitely the phone. We chatted with the proprietor who had accepted the phone, getting the stats before we perused it. The owner was a paranoid individual so in case it ever got lost, they had written their name and phone number in invisible ink which could only be revealed by a backlight.

Sure enough Ciel and I found the name PENISLORD AKA SANDY WALLIS glowing in the back. It didn't much convincing for the proprietor to hand the phone over—okay, I lied it did, but this was one of those times mentioning my father worked as a police officer really helped. Ciel offered to buy it at first when the dude behind the counter wouldn't budge, but that wouldn't have made our victory delicious.

After delivering the phone to Penislord's mailbox, Ciel looked at me and said, "That was the least mysterious thing I've ever done."

And he wasn't wrong.

In fact, the next four requests were pretty standard; lost dog, stolen laptop, stolen bike and a high-jacked car. It took about six, maybe seven hours to locate them all.

The dog had been snatched by a neighbor who had obsessed over the purebred Pomeranian for weeks; it was a source I procured after yodeling with a homeless man in exchange for the information. He liked to be entertained for his info. Said neighbor was promptly arrested after I called the cops. Later that same night, when Phil got home he gave me "The Look". The very one that said, "don't fucking start doing weird shit again that'll get you kidnapped by the Cuban mafia".

"So what did you think about this one?" I asked Ciel once we were tucked in bed.

With his eyes closed, he sighed. "Pointless. And anyone could have figured out where the dog was. It was perfectly trained. It never would have gone off on its own, so the only logical conclusion was that someone had taken it. It could have been a complete stranger who saw it once, but the owner was a stickler to his routine, so it was most likely someone who envied the owner and coveted the dog. How convenient that the homeless man lived across the street."

I huffed a sighed. "Tough crowd."

"The yodeling…," Ciel mentioned, refusing to look me in the eye. "That was original."

I blinked several times, savoring the boy's words before I broke into a giddy smile.

Baby steps then.

Ciel watched as Hero wrestled with the punk who had stolen the car they were on the lookout for. Who would have thought the fool would actually drive it in broad daylight at the nearest Dounkin' Donuts? After watching the traffic cams for hours, a favor given to Hero by one of the officers for a mystery she had solved for him, they had gotten a promising lead by seeing the same car by a popular intersection where a reputable auto shop was located.

"What does that mean?" he had asked her.

"It means someone thought they could be clever. There are few options available when stealing a car. The owner has a decent model, not new, but not too old. He takes good care of it and it's not an easy thing to break into," she said, standing up from the chair to stretch. "Seems like a lot of work to steal a car but seeing as how it was stolen in the wrong neighborhood, it's not a random occurrence, simply a desperate one. There wasn't anything inside the car so no profit there. The perp could have sold the car, but it's been a week and you wouldn't get much for it, not when you have easy targets down in Miami Beach with lots of careless tourist that sell a lot faster. This footage shows the car is still around. The owner is playing for keeps."

Ciel eyed the grainy monitor. These requests seemed pointless to him, but then, he could always replace anything he lost. A lot of the people begging Hero couldn't.

When Ciel first heard of Hero's claim of being a "detective extraordinaire", he'd scoffed. He was a decent detective himself and already had Sebastian at his command, so her help was unnecessary and superfluous. Besides, what did she know? A whole lot apparently.

While Hero's skillset had lost their impressiveness after discovering she had known how it would end all along, the train of thought Hero went through now to find the stolen items of the modern era were interesting. In fact, had she not known, she still would have figured it out. Because while Hero was simple for most things, when it came to mysteries, she excelled.

"Quite impressive, isn't she?" said someone next to Ciel. He didn't bother turning to look. People always came and stared whenever Hero made a spectacle of herself. In fact, even the restaurant workers were staring at her from behind the glass wall. A couple others were taking pictures and videos.

"More like entertaining," Ciel said, becoming bored because it was taking so long. He was hungry and Phil made him promise to make sure Hero finished her packing for the next day's trip to Mexico. He spoke like Ciel wouldn't be coming. Little did he know.

"Oh but surely you see the beauty underneath the feral? A treasure like her is rarely found. If you're not careful, someone could snatch her away."

Annoyed by the stranger for insinuating he'd lose his girlfriend, Ciel turned to glare at the man, but found no one there. He looked all around, but only two catty females giggling, a group of teenagers cheering Hero on, and sunburned tourists taking videos were near him.

Who the bloody hell—

"You don't punch a lady, jack ass!" Hero snarled as she kicked the thief's jaw. He went flying back, hitting the trashcan. The man groggily opened his eyes only to see stars.

"They're pink mommy!" he said.

Hero scooped the fallen keys and ran towards the car. She flung open the driver's side door and got the car started. She turned to look at Ciel.

"Ciel! Come on!" she yelled, closing the door.

Ciel blinked, shock taking hold of his limbs.

"Wait, what?"

"Don't just stand there!" she yelled, the window rolled down as she backed the car before driving it forward only to stop suddenly when the passenger door stood before him. She opened the door from the inside. "Seriously! Get in!"

"Hey!" yelled the man as he wobbled forward. "Get back here, bitch!"

"Ciel!"

Panicking, Ciel jumped in and closed the door. Hero floored it, lurching the car forward and spinning it around to exit onto the busy road. Ciel braced himself, scrambling for the seatbelt as he felt his life become much more fragile.

"D-Do you know how to drive?"

"Kind of—GET THE FUCK OUT THE WAY, DAMN!" she cursed, maneuvering around a stubborn jogger. They were almost there.

"What do you mean 'kind of'? Hero, that's not a very reassuring answer!" Ciel stressed, his heart travelling to his throat as they flew over a speed bump. He felt himself jump several inches. "This isn't safe!"

"We'll be fine! There wasn't any other way! That guy wasn't going to give up and he kept trying to pull out his pocket knife. The police are out of the question and I couldn't risk him hurting someone by accident."

"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you can't dr—"

Both Ciel and Hero screamed when the perp threw himself on the hood of the car. His beefy ugly face sneered at them, obscenities flying out his mouth. He blocked a portion of the windshield.

"OH MY GOD WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Ciel shouted.

"Wait, I got this!" said Hero.

Ciel felt the cold terror rise.

"Hero NO—"

But it was too late. She turned the car in sharp zigzags in an effort to shake the man off. He slid half way before lifting a leg on the hood. Ciel could already see him smeared on the asphalt like a crushed grape.

"Hero!"

"Hold on!" She spun the car until she was driving towards the exit backwards. Ciel would have swooned if not for another spin that caused him to bump his head. "The fuck! He's still clinging! Just give up motherfucker!" She stuck her head out the window. "JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He screamed back.

"Hero, just let the police handle—"

Ciel was interrupted once more when Hero slammed on the breaks, bringing his face awfully close to the glove compartment as the car screeched to a halt. This time the man banged into the windshield before rolling off the hood.

"Is he near the tires?" Hero exclaimed.

Ciel peered out the tinted window. "No, he's to the side, but I see the knife—"

Hero slammed on the gas. Ciel was pushed back against his seat just in time for the car to jerkily join the traffic on the road. His eyes were wide open as Hero drove them through the lanes. He couldn't believe it. He simply couldn't believe it. Once they reached a red light, Hero paused the vehicle. Her death grip loosened. She took even breaths before sneezing. Ciel eyed her carefully, his own heart having a hard time slowing its rapid beat after that adrenaline filled episode.

"Hero?" he said at last.

Laughter escaped her as she leaned back.

"Oh my god, it worked! And I can drive! I can drive!" Hero cheered, shaking her head. "I failed my driver's license test three times, but I can escape like Tome Cruise on Mission Impossible. Oh, the irony."

"Hero," Ciel said again, this time calm and collected. "If you ever put my life in danger like that again without consulting me first, I swear I'll throw this bag of donuts in your face!"

Hero perked. "Wait, you still have the donuts?"

Ciel smacked his forehead in exasperation. He released his own death grip on the wrinkled bag before handing it to her. No doubt the treats were ruined. Pity.

"It's a little deformed, but still tasty!" She said cheerfully, munching away happily. The traffic light turned green. Hero brushed her hands before returning her attention to the road, the donut firmly tucked between her lips. The momentum of the moving vehicle knocked the donut bag into the backseat.

"Hmm-mmrgh!" Hero complained, mouth full. Ciel sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Hero for goodness' sake!" he snapped, undoing his seatbelt to crawl towards the back. "You're not allowed behind the wheel of a car do you hear me? At least until you've earned your license for it. If Phil finds out about this, you'll make me lose my sleeping privileges. He's already looking at me suspiciously after we went on our date yesterday." Ciel carefully slid the through the opening and searched for the brown bag. "It's that sticky lipstick you had on. If you hadn't put it on, he would never know we had been kissing. Honestly, Hero, learn to be discreet."

Hero swallowed. "Amanda insisted! She said it was one of the ones that don't smear and last all night."

Ciel grabbed the bag. "Clearly."

"Oops!" Hero swerved slightly. Ciel stumbled, his hand grabbing hold of a black duffel bag on the backseat by accident.

"Hero, my life!"

"I'm sorry! The woman didn't have her blinkers on! How was I supposed to know she wanted to transition into my lane? That's what fucking blinkers are for! God in heaven, I hate Florida drivers!"

"No excuses!" Ciel snapped, tossing the bag behind him.

"Shit! I'm not running the red light this time!"

Ciel blinked. "Wait, Hero! No—"

The car stopped suddenly again. Ciel lurched forward, his hand pulling on the strap of the heavy duffel bag. It moved until it fell, tipping stacks of hundred-dollar bills onto the carpet. Ciel stared at it stupidly for a moment.

"Ciel? Are you okay? Ciel?" Her voice sounded frantic.

"Are we legally stopped at a light?" he said.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Good. I think we should park in the nearest lot and call your father."

"Erm, I was gonna deliver this directly to the owner."

"Oh no," he said, lifting a wad before retreating to his front seat. Hero's eyes bugged when she spotted the money in his hand. "We're going to have to call this one in, although I think you might want to call the owner too. Just in case."

He flipped through the Benjamins, the smell of stolen money invading the small interior.

Ciel and Hero watched the clouds float above them as the afternoon carried on. The sea brine from the beach carried with it the slight tinge of Miami traffic. Other than the speeding cars crossing the high-way bridge connecting the mainland to Miami Beach behind them, both kids liked the peacefulness of the beach. Well, it was less an actual beach and more a rocky shore. Still, the tranquility grew on them, especially after the crazy disaster that happened ten minutes earlier.

"What an exciting day!" Hero exclaimed, hands behind her head.

"I just hope we don't have another," Ciel said. "And don't you still have that last request? You're leaving tomorrow."

Hero waved a hand at him. "Already solved it."

"Eh? What?" Incredulity seized him. No way could Hero have figured out the location of the old woman's buried chest. "You found her buried treasure? Her deceased husband was the one who buried it for her and he never told her where. When did you have time to look for it? How do you even know?"

Hero turned her head and grinned. "I haven't looked for it yet but I know where it is. The clue she gave us, the riddle, was useless to me at first because how the fuck should I know what 'underneath the stars of happiness's peak' meant? It was certainly no GPS coordinate! So I reviewed the photos she gave us and studied the background. When I went to use the restroom during our surveillance on the car in my dad's friend's office, the old lady gave me a call because she suddenly felt depressed and wanted company."

"No wonder you took forever," Ciel murmured, sitting up, dusting the sand from his pale legs. A week into his stay in Miami and he still had no tan, a feat that amazed Hero and prompted her calling him, "Mr. Lily White".

Hero propped her head up with a hand. "She was taking me down memory lane. Told me all about her life's story about how she met her husband. She mentioned moving to Miami for work when she was younger and that her husband had been a native here. On their first date, he took her to his favorite part of the beach. Apparently, they shared his first kiss there. He even proposed in the same spot years later! Which was ironic considering she hates the sand, but whatever. Isn't it romantic, when you think about it? That fact that he remembers?"

Ciel yawned. "Groundbreaking."

Hero sat up. "You're the worst, Ciel. Anyways, after the talk I got to thinking, maybe I was looking at this whole thing the wrong way. Her husband didn't have any nefarious secrets stashed away from the woman because quite frankly, he probably didn't have an immoral bone in his body."

"So?"

"So!" Hero jumped up and dusted her shorts as she walked. Ciel scrambled after her, not wanting to be left behind. "What peak could happiness reach for her husband? It sure wasn't his train collection, though that probably came a close second. No, it was her. Their marriage."

"What a sap," Ciel muttered.

Hero turned so suddenly that Ciel ended up bumping his nose on her forehead. Huh, when had Hero gotten so short? Rubbing his bruised nostril, he saw that Hero wore her unimpressed look.

"What?" he said.

"You're gonna have to grow a romantic pair."

"Pair?"

"Which is ironic considering all the sappy lines you feed me and the kisses you keep trying to steal," Hero pointed out, poking him in the chest. "Quit trying to make yourself the anti-paragon of matrimony. Let me have my romantic moment."

"But we're different," Ciel said.

Hero arched a brow. "Different how? If anything, with how serious we're pledging ourselves to each other, and we're not even married yet mind, I'd say we're the more love-struck fools."

Ciel eyed Hero as she stared him. She was entirely serious. Ciel didn't know how to go about answering without proving her point. He noticed how in the last couple of days his feelings for her intensified. Granted, they kind of always were since the Ripper days when he finally acknowledged them, but it seemed since being freed from the responsibilities of Sebastian, his work, and the contract, self-reflection brought to light the startling emotions he felt when he simply gazed at Hero.

He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't this way. This wasn't normal, was it? He frowned. Ciel hoped it was, otherwise he'd be angry for losing Hero just when it seemed they were getting close.

After a while, Ciel spoke. "I suppose you're right."

"Do you think it's strange?"

"Are you mentioning this because of our age difference again?"

"No, I've come to terms with that side of our relationship. It's more like, you're not faking this devotion, right? You've been through a lot and this isn't normally your personality, at least according to the manga and anime."

Ciel frowned, understanding where Hero was coming from. So he wasn't the only one feeling this way. Was it strange? Ciel didn't think so. Even if it was, people change. Although not entirely because coming from anyone else, his derision at their romantic antics was still firmly in place.

"I think it's because they aren't us. You make me feel different, Hero. So different that I wonder if you haven't bewitched me with some secret demon mate power. Regardless, I embrace this feeling. I don't think it's strange at all."

Hero blushed, face turning an odd shade as she turned her head away.

"Fuck Ciel, that's really romantic. And kind of hot," she sighed, pushing her hair back from her face. "It's too bad your still thirteen."

Ciel arched a brow, miffed. "I'll be fourteen in eight months."

"Cute story, kid, still jailbait," she laughed, turning and walking away. "I can't ravage you just yet, which is a shame. As I'm outgrowing puberty, I find that I keep getting that urge a lot lately."

Ciel felt his cheeks grow hot. Ravage? As in…?

Hero threw a grin over her shoulder. "Relax, I'm not doing anything to you yet. My self-control is quite excellent, unlike a certain someone I know. Now come on, Mr. Lily White, don't you want to see our client's treasure?"

Hero stood in a front a large boulder. It looked climbable. Just as Ciel was going to ask her what she was doing, she crouched and lifted the boulder several inches. Before he could say anything, Hero reached under it for a few seconds, as if looking for something by touch. When at last she was satisfied, she rolled the boulder over until it was no longer over whatever it was she had found.

A worn brown chest half buried in sand and seashells greeted Ciel's gaze. It was roughly the size of a small dog, nothing terribly noteworthy. Somehow, Ciel had sensed this would be the case.

"Ta-da!" Hero exclaimed. "The photograph she showed us had the two lovers on top of a rock. I'm assuming that's where they had their first kiss and where he proposed. It's where the woman's husband's happiness had to have peaked. So underneath happiness's peak literally means underneath this boulder. How simple!"

"What's in it?"

Hero scooped up the little chest and opened it carefully. It was empty, save for a photograph. It was the woman with her husband when they had been young. A giggling baby was held between them. Flipping the photo over, Hero read the words aloud.

"Carol, you gave me the greatest treasure I could ever have, but to be honest, you were always the treasure I called home. Thank you. Signed Herbet Jalice." Hero smiled, overcome by the moment, tears in her eyes. "Wow."

Ciel stared at the photo for a long moment before his blue eyes flickered to Hero's emotional scrunched up face.

"Hero?"

"Hmm?"

"…who are you?"

I stared out the window of the plane as Phil slept beside me, quiet as a church mouse. Even if it took less than an hour to arrive in Mexico, Phil always ended up knocking out, even when he was feeling at his most rested. I smiled at his figure before leaning forward so I can see the seat across from me.

Ciel was also staring out his window, Eloen and Elodie seated next to him, blocking his way as they typed away on their laptops like fiends. Their fingers flew with expert ease as paragraphs after paragraphs appeared on their screens. Apparently, they were both writers, Eloen for prose and poetry while Elodie focused on fiction writing. I had a feeling their stacks of dinero didn't come from writing; they're no J.K. Rowling, after all. When I bluntly asked them how the hell they were so rich, they admitted that it was the Blackbourne family fortune; inheritances wisely invested, stocks and bonds, business ventures that survived the test of time, marrying into other wealthy families, etc. The Midas Touch has been going on for generations apparently. It helped that each family Head was productive and found an occupation that benefitted the family as a whole.

I had shaken my head at the revelation. What a lucky hand they had been dealt with.

Ciel finally turned his head from the window and our eyes met. I smiled and waved. He smirked before returning a half wave.

When Ciel had announced his tagging along with Phil and I, Phil had been less then pleased. It appeared Ciel's close proximity of me had finally worn its welcome with Phil. He didn't like that Ciel seemed so attached.

"He's a boy, Hero! You can't be nonchalant about these things!" He claimed, pacing my room as I struggled to make sure my luggage was under forty pounds. Looking at it again, there was no way it was. "You're at that age where you need to be more careful about who you hang out with."

"Dad, I literally talk to perfect strangers every day."

He crossed his arms. "Which I still don't approve, by the way. I'm just saying you need to be more careful."

I sighed. "Dad. Ciel's fourteen. He's not going to ravish me anytime soon. Besides, he's adorable! Where are you coming up with this stuff?"

Phil flushed. "Just because he's a kid doesn't mean anything! Kids these days are a lot more corrupt then back when I was young." He blinked before groaning. "I can't believe I just said that. Anyways, I've seen the way he looks at you."

I had looked up, discarding another pair of shoes. My curiosity had been piqued.

"Looks at me? How?"

Phil flushed again before looking away, rubbing his neck in discomfort.

"Like you're his whole world, a place to call home."

My swooning at the admission fueled Phil's ire and suspicion. He was convinced there was some hanky panky going on on Ciel's end and had thus cracked down the whip of supervision; the annoying I'm-forever-going-to-be-a-spinster type of supervision. Not that Ciel and I would have done anything. Besides making out. I mean, what can you really do with a thirteen-year-old anyway? Nothing. Though Ciel would beg to differ. He had been mighty peeved at Phil's objection.

"So he's finally made his move, huh," Ciel grumbled, crossing his arms outside my front door. Phil had given me specific orders not to let Ciel in today as we were busy packing for our afternoon flight to Mexico. "I didn't think he'd catch on so quickly."

"You're starting to sound like rivals," I had said, rolling my eyes.

"Can't you see? He's trying to separate us!"

"Not forever, but I really do need to pack."

"You haven't done so? What was all the folding and arranging you did the last couple of days?"

"Cleaning my room. And what do you mean 'haven't done so?' You're done?"

"Of course! Jeeves did the packing. Elodie and Eloen are coming as well, but mostly, I suspect, to stare at us for inspiration."

I peered behind Ciel to stare at the fancy car parked in the lot below. Pale hands waved through the window before retreating.

Suffice it to say, the events leading to the plane had been eventful and as we all finally landed on Mexican soil after an hour of flight, the next few days would become even more so.

The first thing Ciel noticed was the heat. It wasn't stifling and cloying like Miami's, but dry and durable. Well, as durable as his sensitive skin could handle. Hero slathered sunscreen on him earlier once they landed, convinced he'd burn into a crispy blueberry. While her exaggeration and fussiness were superfluous, Ciel noticed that he was tanning a lot slower than Phil. The man was already resembled a lobster.

"What happened to all the sunscreen?" he whined, squeezing the bottle only to find it empty.

Hero gulped but shrugged her shoulders. Since she was olive toned, she claimed she had no need for such protection.

"No idea, dad! Didn't you pack your backup bottle?"

"No, I figured I'd use the last of what was in here," he sighed, chucking the bottle into a nearby trashcan as he led Ciel and Hero to the village square after they all got dropped off by the taxi cab.

"Grandma keeps telling you to pack smarter. You'd think you'd get the hang of this considering we visit Casa de Maria annually," Hero scolded, carrying her and Ciel's luggage with ease. Phil was huffing and puffing in comparison, mildly glaring at him for walking around without a care in the world. He thought about offering to carry something, but considering how heavy the bags were, Ciel knew it be smarter for him to stay silent. Besides, Hero liked taking charge. When he grew older with real muscles intact, things would be different.

"I know. Seven years. Can you believe how time flies?" Phil sighed wistfully, glancing around at their surroundings. A few of the villagers caught sight of them and waved, calling out greetings.

Ciel stayed silent but observed how friendly Hero and Phil were to everyone that passed them by. He envied the bond and experiences they had with each other and their surroundings. For sure, at least Hero and Phil had each other.

Having spent all his time with Hero since he'd found her, he'd watched in fascination how she had lived her life before him. Suffice it stay, he'd been jealous at first that she had lived so carefree and possibly better without him. But having seen and made privy to her feelings about her life, Ciel knew that though Hero lived as she pleased in the modern era, she was honestly happier around him. Just recalling the confession made his heart race and threaten to make him smile.

Therefore, it was without much envy or worry, that Ciel calmly watched and waited for the Sanders to make their rounds greeting the townspeople like old friends. At one point, a tall burly man with a thick mustache enthusiastically grabbed at the couple and twirled them around, crying and blubbering in Spanish.

"Ay, Heroína! You're alive!" he cried in broken English.

"Santiago, my dude!" Hero said with smile while Phil chocked. "We just saw each other last year!"

Santiago placed the two down and patted Phil in the back. "I know, but rumors were circulating that you had gone missing."

Hero blinked. "Eh?"

Phil scratched his neck. "I thought maybe by some chance you were here so I called Sister Natasha and asked her. She must have told the whole town."

Hero smiled. "It's nice to see you all care. I imagine the news must have been something exciting."

"Oh no! We were heart-broken! We looked up American media stories and there were no signs of you yet. It wasn't until a month ago that I looked up to see if you had been found or declared, you know, dead, that I saw the articles that you were alive and well!"

Hero blushed, looking embarrassed beyond belief. "Oh, Oh, Santi."

"Come on, you guys are probably tired. You can stay at my place. My daughter just left for college so there's an extra bed! I'll even place it at half price for you."

"Oh there's no need!" Phil insisted. "We're just grateful you have any space at all. I was going to ask Tarina on the other side of town. I heard she's been trying to open a new bed and breakfast."

Santiago shook his head and waved his words away.

"Tarina just shut it down on account of her moving away. Besides, I know every year around this time you guys come over to help out the orphanage, so I make sure to have extra beds."

Ciel leaned into Hero.

"Who's this guy?"

"Santiago Romaldo," Hero said, grabbing his hand tugging him along as they all followed the weather worn man who looked like he could crack walnuts with his biceps. "He owns a small café and a bed and breakfast near Casa de Maria. We generally stay there most visits, but Phil likes to help out the community by giving everyone's business a fair shot."

Hogar Romaldo's was a corner building that met the intersection to the worn road needed to make the trek to Casa de Maria. It was white and had colorful paper flags hanging all around it. Quaint chairs and tables were set outside on the sidewalk, large worn umbrellas blocking the blistering sun. Three waitresses greeted them as they entered the cool air smelling of baked bread and savory meets.

Ciel felt his stomach rumble. Hero looked at him and smiled.

"We'll get something to eat once we get settled."

Santiago looked back and popped his eyes open once he finally noticed Ciel.

"Ay, dios mio, perdon! I didn't see you there, mijo. You adopt another one, Phil?"

Phil scoffed. "One is plenty, thank you. No this is Hero's friend. He's tagging along for some reason."

"Meet, Ciel Phanigan," Hero said with a flourish of her arms, presenting him as if he were the finishing act. Ciel rolled his eyes. "He's British and doesn't understand a lick of Spanish."

"Oh? And you came all this way to help out at the orphanage too?"

"Hmmerrm," Phil muttered, turning away.

"Yes, I did," Ciel said firmly, walking forward and offering his hand. Santiago took it and shook it so enthusiastically Ciel feared his arm would get ripped from its socket. That was an experience he'd rather not have.

"Well, good for you. I suppose you can stay with Hero in the double room and Phil in the single next door. A couple came in recently and took the last available single bed across the hall."

Phil's head snapped up just as Ciel's face showed disbelief at his good fortune. "What? Oh no need to inconvenience you! All three of us can fit comfortably in the double!"

Santiago laughed and slapped Phil's back heartily.

"Oh, Sanders. How I missed you guys! It's always livelier when Hero comes to town. Good to see you haven't forgotten your roots!"

Hero laughed in response. "Never!"

In the end, Santiago waxed poetic prose about how the room intended for Phil was recently renovated and that he'd be the first to test it and would appreciate Phil's feedback. Guilted, Phil acquiesced to the request, leaving Ciel and Hero bunking together. Once Ciel entered the room, he pulled Hero to the side.

"Listen, Hero," Phil whispered outside the hall, doing a poor job of keep his voice down. From inside the room, Ciel glanced at the door in annoyance. The sooner the man realized Hero was his, the sooner he could relax.

"Dad, if you're going to give me the birds and bees talk, I need you to desist this instant!" Hero demanded, crossing her arms.

"It's never too late!" He insisted.

"Nothing is going to happen. Ciel is a respectable gentleman. Literally. Not to mention…," her voice became extra faint here. Ciel strained to listen as he inched closer towards the door. What was she whispering about? What was she hiding from him?

"That still doesn't mean anything!" Phil responded. "Doesn't hurt to be too cautious, Hero! Preventive medicine is the best kind there is. So just take the pepper spray."

"Dad!"

Was the man serious? So he had caught on to Ciel then! Not that his futile attempts would do him any good.

"Dad, you're acting crazy! And you're causing a scene!" Hero exclaimed as she burst into the room and slammed the door.

"No one's around!" Phil responded from outside. "And I'm just being fatherly! That's what I'm supposed to do!"

A door from the hall opened and footsteps sounded. It was soon followed by a giggle and a throat clearing, probably an attempt to catch Phil's attention. Ciel and Hero looked at each other. They could only imagine Phil's face turning a deeper shade of scarlet as it turned out there were people staying on their floor.

"Oh, um, my apologies," Phil mumbled.

The footsteps continued until they disappeared down the stairs. After a minute of silence, Phil spoke again, this time his tone softer.

"Dinner's in an hour."

Hero sat on the bed and sighed, throwing the small bottle of pepper spray on the dresser.

"I swear, he's becoming more unhinged with age."

"I'm pretty sure that's a result of having you as a daughter," said Ciel, opening up his backpack to search for his book. "You'd drive any man bonkers."

Hero arched a brow. "Are you complaining?"

Ciel smirked. "No, of course not. I'm simply stating an observation. I'm fairly confident I'm the only one who can handle you."

Hero laughed.