Obsession - Chapter 1: Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Ciel Phantomhive is performing something uncharacteristic: wringing his hands together in a desperate manner, as if expressing that he is capable to portray at least some emotions rather than the conventional annoyance or anger. As bemused as Sebastian Michaelis, his humble butler, is about this peculiar action, he instead indulges in a bit of humor at how even his master can depict nervousness.

The butler gracefully pours the Earl Grey tea into the small china cup before setting it down on his master's mahogany study desk. The recipient of the tea does little to acknowledge it, and the intensity of his hands rubbing against one another heightens.

"Anxious, Young Master?" Sebastian inquires cordially, although he is fully aware that his master is certainly in an overwrought state, and is knowledgeable to the extent that he can devise a sound hypothesis as to why that is.

The dark blue-haired boy ceases the what once was a steadfast compression of his palms so that he can rest them on the surface of his desk. Quietly, he speaks, "Must you waste my time with pointless questions? You know perfectly well why I am, for one thing, nervous. She is coming, after all."

"Indeed."

The youth extends a hand to the take the cup before him into his possession, and he brings it to his lips to satiate in a sip. "Have you finished the preparations? She will arrive this evening."

"Yes, sir," Sebastian assures, bowing slightly to display his compliance. "I have taken care of the meals and the refinement of the manor, along with the garden. And for our own convenience, I have also taken the liberty to, ah, remove the four from sight so that they will not cause any destruction."

They both know fully well who Sebastian has referenced to. The four is none other than Baldroy, Mey-Rin, Finnian and Tanaka. Despite being servants themselves, they are prone to accidents that disrupt and devastate any plans, meetings or buildings, for that matter. Careless as they are, it soon became common that they will light the food on fire, break plates and dishes, destroy the garden until what is left are shriveled crops—if one may even call them crops anymore, since they are virtually unidentifiable—or sip tea silently in an isolated spot. Needless to say, their aid, and entire appearances, are uncalled for, and Sebastian, as versatile as he is, is truly the one who handles all businesses and conducts in maintaining the manor.

"Very well," Ciel approves and emits a breath of relief, but not too audibly that his butler would overhear. If those four are to even step anywhere near his reunion with her, unmistakably something will go wrong.

He twiddles with his empty cup for a while longer before speaking in a voice that's barely above a whisper, "I have never seen her before in my life. What am I to say to her?"

The butler, who has politely plucked the cup from his master's hand in order to clean it, pauses to glance over at the youth behind the desk. Surely, his master has just asked him for advice? "Perhaps you should begin with a basic greeting." Uncomplicated and expected; that should be the safest procedure.

Ciel merely sighs at this, reclining back into his leather chair in means to relax. Alleviation from stress does not come as a peculiar yet enlightening memory conquers the sole attention of his mind.

It was a typical sweltering day in the June about a few weeks ago. His prosperous enterprise, the Funtom Company, was at its peak with the business booming. Ciel was fulfilling the entailed tasks from his busy schedule when Finnian barged into his study—an earful was one of the particular things he received for doing so—and handed him a letter.

Sebastian had inspected its features and commented that it arrived from an unverifiable town somewhere in the the vast nation of Europe. The drab latter consisted of a thin piece of parchment that was written onto by a cheap and meager ink.

However, it was the content of the letter that had captured their interests. On there it read:

Deer Eurl Ciel Fantumhive,

I am yor long-lost litle sister.

Alice

And that was the end of it. The letter was written in what is likened to chicken scratch with several misspellings and little coherency. Customarily, it is improper to send such an incompetent letter to an earl, no less, but apparently this person pays no heed to nobility.

Still, the sentence from the sender of the letter claimed that some girl named Alice is his sister. Normally, it would be best to ignore this kind of letters as it is highly likely to be a scam. But as proud as Ciel is, he has taken the brief letter into context, concluding that this 'Alice' of some sort is challenging him. A straightforward letter which promulgates that the sender is his kinsman, without including any other notes or explanations in the slightest, has got to be a challenge to see if he's daring enough to try.

If one is to be well-acquainted with the Earl Phantomhive, it would come across as self-evident that he is. If this is merely a scam, Sebastian can dispose of her quickly enough. If this is not, well, then things should get interesting from there.

And thus, they mailed back a simple letter whereas it only stated the location of the Phantomhive manor. His 'sister' is to find her way here herself as providing a secure ride for her might not be worth the effort and extra spending of money. Apparently, she did not mind of this and wrote back:

Espect me by the furst of July.

Alice

After a few weeks have progressed, here they are on the first of July. Alice has never informed him of what time exactly she will be arriving, hence now he has to wait in anticipation. Ciel loathes to have acquired the sense of anxiety in the first place for he is not supposed to care whether she comes or not. His logical self has been continuously reminding him that this can very well be a fraudulent scheme aimed to ruin him in some way.

But what if it's not?

That question burrows itself in his mind, and it holds fast into the crevices of it, never truly disappearing no matter how long he prays it to nor how many times a day he fixes an expression of indifference onto his face.

The sound of a carriage thundering near and skidding to a halt outside his manor causes Ciel's eyes to snap open, and for him to shoot out of his seat in repercussion.

His butler eyes him with inquisitiveness, a ghost of a smirk plaguing his lips, before speaking lowly, "I suppose your long-awaited sister has arrived at our doorsteps, Young Master. Shall we go outside to welcome her?"

"Y-yes," Ciel swallows, mentally cursing himself for stuttering. Hell, if he is even near a moment of hesitation while delivering a speech or a command, he is ready to strangle himself. The boy, as calmly as possible, steps around his desk and takes the initiative to lead his butler. Of course, he must retain his dignity and be the leader at least.

As they maneuver down the grand spiral staircase to the ground level floor, Ciel feels his heart beating faster against his chest. If the girl is legitimately his sister, there are a thousand questions equipped within his head, prepared to burst out at her. Where has she been all along? Why did she wait until now to contact him?

But more importantly, if she is his sister, he finally has a true family again.

The thought of that causes him to tremble, and Sebastian glances at him warily before opening the front door. The evening sky greets him with hues of purple, red and orange coloring its vastness. The healthy yard lies in front of him, decorated with flowery bushes and tall trees. Further along the yard is a wooden four-wheeled carriage that has parked itself neatly before the gate.

The carriage creaks unstably, and Ciel is afraid that it will fall apart due to the fact that it's quite dilapidated. However, it manages to stick together, and the coachman jumps down from his position. He proceeds to open the carriage door, and Ciel squints his eyes, somewhat eagerly, for the passenger to step out.

Then out comes a stalwart woman with brown hair hastily combed into a messy bun. She has rags for her clothing, and emerald orbs as her eyes. Her hands and feet are huge to say the least, and they can snap Ciel's flimsy bones in two if she so wishes.

This is definitely not his little sister.

A wave of disappointment ails the young boy, and he is about to retire back into his manor when another person appears from the carriage. This time it is a petite girl in the early stages of adolescence. She is a redhead who has her long curls for hair tumbling loosely down her back. What has stolen the breath from Ciel is the fact that her eyes are a pair of piercing blue eyes.

The color of the ocean. Calm, deep and magnificent. The sapphire color tugs a string of familiarity in his heart, and he realizes that her eyes are an exact replica of his own.

The girl raises her eyes to meet his, and a small gasp escapes her lips, though soon it is replaced by a broad grin. She then waves her arm in the air in such a vigorous manner that the stout woman is forced to recoil in order to avoid getting struck.

The outlandish feeling of joy swells in his chest, and the only way he is able to discern that it is happiness is by the way the muscles around his mouth instinctively form a smile.

Alice cups her mouth to shout from the distance, "Bro—"

She falls flat on her face while trying to run out of the carriage.

Before they can process this brusque collision to the ground, his butler is already by her side, helping the pitiful girl up. Alice splutters at the grass entrapped near her mouth and bobs her head at Sebastian in gratitude.

Ciel respires after acknowledging that she is unharmed and makes his way to her, his heels clicking against the stone pavement. They have locked eyes with each other during his entire short journey, and he soon stops before his sister.

Alice grants him a toothy grin and then suddenly closes their distance by pulling him into a bear hug. "Brother!" she whispers, smothering her face against his shoulder.

An aroma of nature wafts to him. Ciel feels her warm arms around him and, to his astonishment, a sense of tranquil ripples throughout his body. And before he knew it, he returns the embrace.

He closes his eyes when they are dangerously brimmed with tears.

"...Sister."

They accumulate at the dining hall. Alice is seated next to Ciel, and the woman is next to her. Sebastian accommodates to them, serving plates of ambrosial food and wine. Ciel shoots him a warning glare, and the butler smirks and replaces Alice's cup with tea instead.

While he glared, in his line of vision, he is able to distinguish the four servants in the back of the dining hall. They are fervently peering over at their direction to see the newly-arrived guests, while trying to conceal themselves.

Ciel decides that it will be best to just ignore them, and patiently waits until Alice and the woman begin dining so that he can gradually unleash his storage of questions that is circulating in his mind.

In the meantime, Alice is intently scrutinizing the steak before her and jabs it with a knife experimentally. The woman glances at Ciel, chuckles nervously, and admonishes Alice for such poor etiquette. However, she isn't so proficient herself and attempts to slice her own steak to pieces with her bare fingers.

That is when Ciel perceives how shabby and worn their clothes are, and the dirt and filth that tarnish their skins. When they reach out to take their drinks—in unison, in which they giggle at—he notices how calloused their hands are, even Alice's. They devour their food hungrily, obviously having not a lot to eat for the past handful of days, and he is glad that he has paid for their carriage ride earlier after all.

"So," Ciel begins, clearing his throat as politely as he can manage while simultaneously overlap their clamorous chews.

Alice is in the midst of tearing at her steak with her teeth clamped around a side, when she looks up and grins, "Hey, Big Brother!"

"Hi, Alice," he replies, and quickly moves on from the exchange of pleasantries that has already transpired outside the manor. "May I ask who..."—he courteously nods at the woman beside Alice—"you are?"

"Oh, that's Patty!" Alice pipes up before the woman has a chance to introduce herself.

"Now, now!" the woman scolds, smacking Alice on the arm—which seems a bit too harsh to Ciel, but Alice merely giggles. "I'm Patricia! Nice to meet ya!"

"It is nice to meet you as well," Ciel says. "And what is your relationship with Patricia, Alice?"

"I dunno," his sister answers with blithe while mimicking Patricia's way of dissecting her steak. She does not appear to be bothered by the grease that stained her fingers. "She's my mum or sumthin'."

"Gosh, no, no!" Patricia cuts in, sweeping her hand in the air to gesture how ridiculous Alice's statement is. "Of course not, silly nilly." She pinches Alice playfully in the cheek, and the latter giggles once again. Ciel cannot help but eye how the grease from Patricia's fingers blemished the Alice's cheek, but yet again, she does not seem disconcerted by it.

Patricia jabs a thumb at herself proudly, grinning to show all of her uneven set of teeth. "I'm 'er caretaker!"

"I see," Ciel murmurs, taking a napkin from the table to wipe his little sister's soiled cheek. "Well, I am indebted to you for providing my sister with hospitality for all these years. Perhaps a pension should be accounted for..."

At the sound of those words, Sebastian dutifully advances to his side with a pen and checkbook in his hands.

"Oh, no! No need!" Patricia hastily denies, shaking her head so passionately that it dishevels her bun even more so. "Just bein' able to have her by my side is enough payment for me."

Alice grins and wraps Patricia into her infamous bear hug. Ciel smiles softly before interrogating, "How old are you, Alice?"

She contemplates for a moment, her lips pursed, her eyes averted toward the ceiling. When the answer has popped up in her mind, she returns the eye contact mirthfully, "Twelve! But I'm turning thirteen soon! On July..."

Alice looks at Patricia for guidance, and the latter chuckles, "On July 19, pumpkin."

"Yep! I will be a big girl soon!" She leaps down from her seat to perform intricate twirls around the room.

"I see." Ciel mentally notes the significant date in his head, and peers at the both of them solemnly. Patricia is able to discriminate the different shift in the air and turns to give him her undivided attention. She nudges Alice with her elbow to stop her from dancing so excitedly.

"I must ask, though," Ciel starts, neatly placing his fork down upon the table, "how exactly did Alice end up in your possession? And why did it take so long for her to return here? Especially, why now out of the other days?"

Patricia sighs tiredly, allowing the exhaled breath to flap her lips. She pushes a protruding bang from her line of vision before saying, "Well, it's a long story, really. But uh, long story short, this is how it went. 'Bout four years ago, I was just doin' my regular job—you know, farmin'. I was real busy since it was the harvestin' season. Anyhoo, I was about to retire for the night after a long day at work when there was some rappin' on my door. I opened it, an' here's that lil' pumpkin standin' outside my house, lost an' stranded. She says that she is searchin' for her brother, so I thought why not I help this poor child out an' keep her for a while.

"During the years we spent together, well, lemme tell ya she's been real helpful with everything. Waterin' the crops, plantin' seeds, harvestin', you name it. We had a darn good time there. In the meantime that we're workin', we're also askin' 'round for anyone who knows of Ciel Phantomhive. The villagers dun know—useless bunch. So we're kinda stuck for a while there with no clue where to start.

"Then this summer the fancy company of yours finally reached our poor village in the outskirts. Everywhere was just flyers 'bout you sellin' candy an' toys. Your face was even on some of 'em, and Alice was able to recognize you from your eyes or sumthin'. We then asked one of 'em people who import the goods to our village, an' they told us that you live somewhere 'round London. They said that if it's business, they can send the message on to ya. So we wrote them a letter, an' you got it of course. Then whooey, things got easier from there. We just needed to hop on a carriage an' travel to yer address."

It requires a few moments for Ciel to absorb the abundant amount of information. However, he catches onto something that has become subtle when her explanation got lengthier and lengthier. "Did you say that you met her four years ago?"

"That's right, I did," Patricia asserts.

Ciel shifts his curious gaze from Patricia to Alice, who bobs her head in agreement. "But then... I have never seen her in my whole life until today. Where was she before four years ago?"

The woman appears confused at this, her eyebrows pulling together in the center. "Whaddaya mean? Ain't she with you and your family?"

"No..."

They both peer at Alice questioningly, and the youthful girl shrugs her shoulder in a nonchalant way, "I was with Daddy for a while, but then he told me that he has to go. He told me I had a bro, and that I can recognize him 'cuz"—she points toward her eyeball—"we have the same eyes. Then I was left alone in some village for a looong time. After that I got sick of it, and I left and found Patty."

"What? You were alone?" Patricia demands and begins charging forth with countless of questions with how she survived in that unknown village. Ciel, however, is occupied with a certain thought.

Daddy?

It can be no one else but the former earl, Vincent Phantomhive. His father was somehow involved in this. But what about... "What about Mother?" Ciel inquires.

Alice blinks with a blank expression on her face, and she motions at Patricia. "Patty's my mother."

"No, your birth mum, hon," Patricia informs gently.

The girl lifts her shoulders and drops them in a lackluster attempt of a shrug, while covering her yawn with the palm of her hand. "Then I have no real mum."

"Is her name Rachel Phantomhive?" Ciel presses, unable to conceal the urgency in his tone.

"I..." Alice taps her chin while trying to recall, "dunno, really."

The young earl detects sincerity in her tone, and resigns in his seat with a sigh. Obviously he can no longer extract anymore useful information from her. He longs that she will confirm that her mother is Rachel, but Alice can do no such thing.

If it isn't Rachel, then that would mean that they had separate mothers, in which would apply another meaning: his father has not been faithful.

Ciel hears a knock on his door, and Alice barges into his study—without much thought for his permission, but he omits this for now. She grins at him while rubbing her eye with her balled up fist tediously. She has changed into pajamas, and after being washed of all grub, his sister can now be properly recognized.

Alice takes the liberty to sit down on a chair from across his desk. The light of his single candle illuminates her face, and her sapphire eyes glint radiantly.

"Aren't you sleepy, Alice?" Ciel asks with an amicable smile aligned on his lips. At least, he hopes that his smile characterized goodwill and cordial. It is seldom and rare for him to ever smile if not to accompany his sarcastic remarks or taunts.

For him, a smile has lost all of its effulgence once childhood has dispersed to mere fragments of memories. A smile is wasted on self-indulgence in humor and carelessness. There is no need for them, as they are surreal. Happiness can very well be damned. In truth the world is a cold, barren and desolate place, and only fools persist in smiling because they are delusional.

Quite simply put, his viewpoint on the world as a whole is derogatory.

And yet, Alice, his little sister, grins like there is no tomorrow. She has a certain perky innocence to her, an infectious aura. For that notion, he feels himself being inclined into her cheerfulness, and his lips curve upwards at the sight of her being so well and healthy.

Even after having dinner with her, the fact that he, Ciel Phantomhive, has a sister still impels shock to run through his veins, causing him to pause out of the blue and... well, smile.

A family. He and Alice.

"I'm not sleepy!" Alice lies, although she's furiously rubbing her eyes now. "What're you doing, Brother?"

Ciel gestures toward an innumerable pile of documents stacked up on his desk, and holds up a stuffed bunny with an eyepatch donned on its right eye, similar to his. "Dealing with my company."

Alice's oceanic eyes gleam when she sees the bunny in his hands. "Oh, can I see that?" He gives it, and she takes it zealously in her arms. Squishing the stuffed animal against her face, she rubs her cheek against the fur, and squeals.

"You can have it if you want."

Alice pauses and looks up with him in a sprightly manner, jubilation conspicuous in her dancing eyes. "You mean it? Thank you!" She springs from her seat and rushes around to squeeze him into a suffocating hug.

Despite his lack of air, Ciel allows for the embrace to linger. Alice then releases him and gallops about the study room with the bunny in her arms. "I'm going to keep this safe forever and ever! This is my first gift from Big Brother, after all!"

Unexpectedly, she stops in her tracks and pouts at his direction. "But, Brother... I haven't given you anything yet."

He chuckles lightly, "It's all right. Just having you as my sister is enough."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is, Alice," Ciel says. The thought suddenly dawns on him about their lighthearted quarrel—they are having a sibling argument. It is something that traditionally occurs in most families, and yet he has never gotten to experience the merriment. A surge of warmth and comfort travels within him—but he passes it off as the candle's doing.

"Ciel!" Alice abruptly calls, and he blinks from his daze, only to realize that she has referred to him by his first name for the first time. She is grinning ear to ear at him. "I know what your gift can be!" She goes to him again and plants a kiss on his cheek. "It's not much, but it will have to do for now! 'Night, Bro!"

"Goodnight."

About a week has elapsed since the arrival of his sister. Everyday, he would spare a bit of his busy schedule to spend quality time with her, due to her persevering insistence.

The more he concentrates on her, the more he gets to learn about her. His sister is vivacious and energetic, and she tends to dance to celebrate any positive turn of events. However, her language is strictly vernacular, having spent a great quantity of time living in a rural village. Thus, he undertakes an initiative: to tutor her. Each day he would employ a few hours to impart knowledge about English, arithmetic and Latin—with the aid of his butler, of course. Alice is thankfully a fast learner, and she has an aptitude for gaining knowledge; as inquisitive as she is, she tends to soak up various subjects of information like a sponge.

Ciel is quite satisfied as of late. No investigations are enlisted for him to carry out as not even crimes are implemented, the servants do well to keep from sullying the manor, and the business of his company continues to flourish. Most importantly, his sister is here.

However, there is a slight negativity. Nowadays, each morning, his butler has a vexatious habit to note: "You appear happy, Young Master", something he has never said before on a regular occasion, as it would have been a blatant lie. But now, things have transitioned into a more... tolerable situation.

It just so happens that another morning begins after Sebastian has said his infamous remark. Ciel disposes of that comment with a curt scoff, bearing in mind that his scolding will do more to increase the sardonic smirk drawn on his butler's face, and little to hinder it. "What's the schedule for today?"

Sebastian is in the midst of buttoning his vest. "Well, sir, the schedule goes as follows: at 7:30 AM today, you shall attend breakfast with your sister and her companion, Patricia. At 8:00 AM, you shall check up on the..."

Ciel sighs contentedly. Everything is level and normal, as per usual.

But, of course, things abruptly take a drastic turn for the worse; for a loud collision of some sort is heard from downstairs, followed by a strongly audible voice, "Cieeeeeeeel!"

Needless to say, the blood drains from the youth's face at the sound of the portentously familiar voice. "Oh, no..."

"This is enough," Alois Trancy growls as he stomps toward the manor. "He has completely ignored me for a whole week—he's obviously hiding something good, and yet he won't tell me what. I'm going to see what he is up to, and I'm going to put an end to it."

Alois Trancy is a young boy, the age of fourteen. He has luscious blond hair—which indicates that extra care is delivered to this portion of his body—and piercing eyes the color of the vast sky on a clear and sunny day. His typical attire consists of his favorite purple frock coat and a pair of brown trousers, accompanied by long, black boots.

To anyone, he can be viewed as a commonplace teenager. But deplorably, that is not the case. In fact, he is far from being classified as 'normal', for there is not one notion about him that is typical.

This very boy is an earl as well, however for the household of Trancy. But that is not why his reputation persecutes throughout the streets of London. The reason for that is merely his unpredictability.

Alois, who is currently at the doorsteps of the magniloquent mansion of the Phantomhive, bangs on the front door impatiently. He counts to three, but no one has yet to come, which only serves to infuriate him further. He retreats a few steps then runs up, thrusting his leg forward powerfully, and the door is forced open.

"Cieeeeeeeel!" he calls.

Surely, he could have asked his butler, Claude Faustus, to manually undo the locks in the door, but he has interacted with that statue for far too long, so the latter should just stay put in the carriage and wait—not like it would bother Claude; a statue cannot hate being still, after all.

Had Alois himself waited for a few seconds longer, he would have realized that someone is approaching the door to open it for him. So when he has impetuously kicked it, the door swings back and hits the person, causing him or her to fall to the ground at the collision.

Alois blinks when he hears a soft "ow", and he almost wallows in hope that he has hit Ciel in the face for making him wait. However, the hope disintegrates, replaced by a feeling of curiosity as he peers into the ground to see a girl.

Now the only girl Ciel keeps resided in his manor is his hopeless maid, similar to the system Alois runs at his own manor. But this girl is different. She is rather short and pale, and she possesses curly red hair. When her eyelids open, which were squeezed shut due to the repercussion of the fall, they reveal a pair of dark blue eyes, the color of the ocean.

The same eyes as Ciel's.

Alois stumbles a step backwards in surprise, but catches a hold of his own composure and invades into her line of vision with a smirk. "How does the ground feel?" Feeling particularly generous today, despite having been furious a second ago, he offers her his hand.

The girl glances at him with palpable inquisitiveness in her expression, and slowly takes his hand, and he helps her up. Alois notices the bruise upon her forehead (that must have appeared due to the impact of the door) and presses his thumb against it experimentally. She winces slightly, but fixes her gaze at the floor.

He chuckles when she has winced, and taps a forefinger on her nose for attention, "See? Now you know: don't go near me when I'm at the door." A vague attempt at an apology, but oh well.

The girl bobs her head in a way that is quite mincing, and having grown tired of not seeing her directly, Alois cups a hand under her chin and lifts it. "Hey!" he exclaims, pulling her chin side to side to inspect her face. "You're a cutie."

The girl is then all smiles, and she giggles shyly, "You really think so?"

He smirks and leans close, tilting his head to the side. "Well, do you think I'm cute?"

The girl squirms at the closed distance, and a rosy color spreads across her cheeks. "Yes."

Alois gazes around the room to affirm that no one is within proximity, and once he concludes it so, a mischievous grin is cast toward her direction. "Say: 'Yes, Your Highness.'"

"Yes, Your Highness!" she repeats obediently and giggles, mirroring his expression.

He laughs at the cheerful way she has stated it, "You know, you remind me of—"

"Step away from her!"

An incensed Ciel Phantomhive storms down the stairs, with a scowl fixed upon his face. Sebastian is right alongside him, his disposition stoic and subtly indifferent. What interests Alois, though, is how possessive and enraged Ciel has appeared. Normally, he would have to do something extreme to elicit such a diverting response from him.

Alois playfully points to the girl beside him, "You mean her? Why?"

"That is none of your business," Ciel snaps and looks at the girl. "Alice, come over here."

"So that's your name, cutie." Alois smiles, and the girl returns it.

At the sound of his pet name for the girl, Ciel grows infuriated. "Alice, get over here this instant!"

Alice jumps, startled, at the increased volume in his voice. Alois, of course, is finding this of utmost amusement, and has no intention of complying to Ciel. As if to demonstrate his defiance, he drapes an arm around Alice's shoulders. "Tsk, tsk, Ciel, don't yell. You're scaring the poor girl."

"Sebastian!" the Earl of Phantomhive barks, and his butler advances forward.

Now at this, even Alois is aware that he is in peril if Ciel resorts to using his demon butler, Sebastian. Without the monotonous Claude by his side, Alois is practically vulnerable. Although Sebastian may seem harmless at a first glance, that speculation is utterly deceiving for the butler harbors a wide range of capabilities in the area of killing.

Alois releases the girl and withdraws, but his cynical smirk is persistently skewed along his lips, nonetheless the retreat. Alice glances at Alois in what seems like a sad manner when he has pulled away.

"You should go run along to that needy bastard over there, Alice," Alois coaxes and shoots a triumphant grin toward Ciel, as the latter cannot lift a finger now since, after all, Alois ishelping him.

"Alice," Ciel calls, trying his best to calm his nerves after being agitated and repulsed by the sight of the vile Trancy so close to his sister.

Alice, however, remains rooted on the ground. Her unsatisfied expression is highlighted when her lower lip juts out in a pout.

"Alice!" he echos, feeling slightly worried by the fact that she keeps on looking at Alois—not with fright, but with interest.

"Go on," Alois encourages, patting her arm.

"Don't touch her!" Ciel lashes out, and the victim of the harsh rebuke pulls back.

"Jeez, Ciel! Calm your horses!" He peers at Alice with a cocked eyebrow. "What's your relationship with that guy anyway?"

"He's my brother!" Alice announces merrily, and Ciel glances at her sharply—but it is too late.

Alois' eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as he speechlessly looks back and forth between Alice and Ciel, with his mouth agape. However, the inarticulacy does not last long, and he is soon to express his amazement. "Your brother? You two are siblings? Ciel, you have a little sister? Whaaaat? Since when did this happen? What, did a baby just burst out of your mum's coffin and grew into this in a matter of hours?"

The Earl of Phantomhive rubs his temples irksomely and prolongs a sigh to accentuate his tedium at Alois' overreaction, "You do not have to emphasize everything to make your point; it's exasperating."

But, Alois is no longer heeding the earl, and he gazes at Alice with excitement, studying her from head to toes. "You're going to a very fun test subject, aren't you, Alice?"

The innocent girl holds no skepticism toward what he has just spoken and chooses to grin after seeing his bright smile. "Yes, Your Highness!"

Alois emits a loud laugh while Ciel is gripped by horror, "Alois Trancy! Have you poisoned her mind with your sick, ridiculous—"

"Alois Trancy," Alice repeats aloud, and they pause to look at her, Alois with curiosity, and Ciel with concern. "That's your name?"

"Yes, cutie."

She squeals in joy and begins to recite his name over and over again to commit it to memory. Although Alois finds this act adorable, a wave of apprehension settles into his heart as he feels the hair in the back of his neck prickle at Ciel's menacing glower.

"Trancy..." comes the low, dangerous growl from the Earl of Phantomhive. "You have literally ten seconds to disappear from my sight before Sebastian skins you alive. Ten..."

"Now wait a minute!" Alois protests.

"Nine..."

"It's not like I—"

"Eight..."

"You're the one who said my—"

"Seven..."

Alois scoffs at him and his resolute decision to not listen to the former as he tries to explain himself. Clearly, Ciel has brought this upon himself for disclosing his name. But that's besides the point; it is time for one grand finale before departing.

"I need to go now, Alice," Alois informs, and she pouts. "So"—he raises his voice so that it will be projected to Ciel at an exceptional volume—"give me a hug first."

"Four! Three! Two! One! Get the hell out of here, Trancy!"

Alice quickly runs into Alois' arms before the latter dashes away from the manor, with Ciel and Sebastian close at his heels. Alois hops on the carriage and urges Claude to hurry.

Claude does not bother to question why Alois is leaving so impetuously nor why Ciel is chasing him while spitting out spiteful names. This outcome happens often whenever Alois decides to 'visit'.

The carriage zips away before Ciel can properly direct an order to Sebastian to annihilate it and its occupants to pieces. He rushes angrily back to his manor, his sight administered at the ground due to the humiliation of losing this round to Alois. Sebastian softly chuckles when Ciel brushes past him, but is silenced almost immediately after his master sends forth one of his deadliest glares.

"Sebastian!" Ciel yells. "This is an order: do whatever you can, but keep Trancy out of the boundaries of my mansion!"

"Yes, my Lord."

An irritated huff issues from his lips as he proceeds inside his manor.

As long as Alois cannot return, everything... should be fine, right?

"Alois Trancy, Alois Trancy, Alois Trancy!" his little sister chants while traipsing around in circles. She has a huge smile plastered on her lips, and a deep blush along her cheeks.

"Oh, no," Ciel groans.

Once again, he has spoken too soon.