Sorry if it's a little boring. And that I keep taking so freaking long. If my German is screwy, please correct it. My sentence structure isn't perfect...

Kuro belongs to Yana Toboso, all rights reserved.

"I want him to stay here until he is recovered. I don't care if he is German," Amelia said kindly.

"As you wish, young mistress. He is awake now."

The pilot opened his eyes to find that he was in a big, comfortable bed in a room finely yet tastefully decorated in light blue. Large windows let tight in and flattered pale blue walls and exquisite upholsteries on chairs and the comforter he was currently on top of. "Was?"

"Guten morgen. Sprechen sie Englisch?" Sebastian asked with perfect inflection and accent.

"Was? Nein, spreche Ich nur Deutsch." He groaned in reply.

"Of course you speak German." Amelia muttered and attempted to follow the conversation, with poor results.

"Where am I?" The German asked groggily.

"You are in this young lady's home." Sebastian gestured to Amelia, "She is kindly taking you in until you heal. I suggest you express thanks later. You crash landed in her garden."

"Why are you letting me stay here? What are you going to do to me?"

"My mistress is allowing you to heal here because she occasionally can't help but be kind. When you are well again, she may alert the government to your presence, or she may send you back."

"She would send me back to Germany?"

"The young mistress doesn't care for the idea of letting people die without their own reasons."

The German swallowed, "Please, don't send me back. They'll just have me bomb London again or perhaps another city. I don't want to be in this accursed war."

Sebastian gave him an odd look, "What was your mission?"

"I just said, I was supposed to bomb London."

"Are you aware that there were no explosives on your craft?"

"There should have been enough to level a few blocks."

"There was nothing."

"You're lying to me."

"What good would lying do me? I'm telling you, there was nothing on your craft. I had assumed you were reconnaissance."

The German groaned and dropped his head against the pillow.

"Is he okay? What did he say?"

"He is confused." Sebastian stated, "I will save questioning him for when he feels well. I suggest you go to sleep."

Amelia sighed, "It figures this would happen. Sebastian, please tend to this man throughout the day. Make sure he is comfortable and healing well. Try and get information when you can, but don't push him too hard."

"Yes, my lady."

"Thank you, Sebastian." She smiled.

The German snored from him spot on the bed and rolled over. He didn't notice as the phone went off.

"You know," Amelia stated, "This is almost kind of funny."

"Oh?" Sebastian answered the phone, "Phantomhive, Sebastian speaking."

"Sebastian! Your voice hasn't changed a bit!" an Indian accented voice exclaimed cheerfully, "Is the Phantomhive there?"

"Young mistress," Sebastian handed Amelia the phone.

"Hello?"

"Amelia! You sound so grown up!"

"Uncle Soma?"

"Yes, it is me! I have a telephone too, now! Is it not great?"

"Yes, that's wonderful! It's better than letters, that's for sure."

"Anyway, now that I have a phone, I decided that now would be a good time to tell you that Agni and I are leaving to come visit you!"

"What? No! It's dangerous!"

"Agni will keep us safe. Do not worry. We will be there within a week. We are leaving now."

"Be careful!"

"Bye-bye! See you soon" he sang and hung up the phone.

"Uncle Soma and Agni are coming to visit." Amelia told Sebastian.

"So it would seem."

Alistair trotted into the room they all occupied and jumped on the bed inhabited by the German.

"Traitor," Amelia accused.

The dog just yawned vocally, spun around, and made itself at home on the bed.

Someone knocked at the front door just as Amelia entered the foyer to go up the stairs. Seeing as Sebastian was busy, she answered the door. "Hello?"

William stood in front of her, "Hello, Miss Phantomhive. I'm here on official business, since they've decided that I'm not working enough overtime," he grumbled that last bit.

"Oh. Well, come in and sit. If you're working so hard, you might as well be comfortable," Amelia stepped aside and allowed William into her house. "Sebastian?"

"Young mistress?" He asked, immediately by her side.

She smiled ruefully, "I know, there is no peace today. However, we have a guest. If you could please prepare some tea and maybe some cake?"

He bowed, "Of course young mistress."

"Thank you for all your hard work."

"Not at all, young mistress. Hello, Mr. Spears," he greeted pleasantly.

"Leech. If you could crawl in a hole and die while you're at it, it would be appreciated." William replied with the same pleasant tone.

"I'll see what I can do." He smirked on his way out.

"Please, if you could be a little more polite to the inhabitants of my home, I would appreciate it." Amelia stated icily.

"Of course. My apologies, Miss Phantomhive."

"I'm sure." Amelia led them into a sitting room. Before William took his seat, he handed her a business card. It had a black background with grey smoke and said 'William T. Spears, Shinigami Dispatch Division.' Amelia looked at it for a long while, then up at William. "Shinigami?"

"Yes."

Amelia stared at him blankly for a while. William says nothing, thinking she is going to speak. Her lip quirked into a little smirk that slowly spreads into a smile. Before long, she was lost in peals of laughter and doubles over in her chair, gripping her sides.

"I've brought the tea and cake, my lady." Sebastian says.

Amelia straightens up and wipe at her eye, "Thank you. I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen in the oven."

"I couldn't do that before I brought my young lady and her guest some refreshments. And then who would cook dinner tonight?" he gasped.

Amelia smiled sweetly, "You're so considerate."

"If I could not be that much, what kind of butler would I be? Certainly not one suitable for the Phantomhive household."

"Honestly, I wonder if I couldn't start finishing your sentences."

"And I yours, then? It would never end."

William cleared his throat, left out by the banter.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Spears. I get a little carried away." Amelia smiled politely. "You said you are here on business?" She took a bite from her cake.

"It's your father."

At Ciel's mention, Amelia touched Sebastian's sleeve before he was out of reach and motioned him to a chair, "My father? He is dead."

"I know that." He continued when Amelia waited for him to speak, "Anyway, yes, I am a Shinigami. It is my responsibility to collect souls of the dying, review their life, determine whether or not they should continue to live, and take our collected souls to the Judge."

Amelia ignored the word 'judge', "And this has something to do with my father?"

"Well, as you live, your life is recorded in a book that resides in a library from the time you develop a heartbeat. At the exact moment of your first heartbeat, your body receives a soul. Sometimes, a reaper reviews a life by reading this book before they go to collect it, in order to save time. It is a tool aside from the Cinematic Records we use."

"Cinematic Record?"

"A visual record of your life that only a Shinigami can see."

Amelia nodded and smirked, "So, I could go to this library, find my book, and read my life as it happens?"

"That would be a little paradoxical, but yes, technically you could. As it turns out, someone wanted to read your father's life. No matter how they searched, they couldn't find the book on Ciel Phantomhive. They asked the head of our library to find it, assuming the Undertaker had forgotten to return it. There was no record of his book ever being in the library."

"So, what, my father never had a soul?"

Sebastian smirked at that thought.

"Sebastian? What are you thinking?"

"Your father most certainly had a soul, I assure you. He had enough soul to keep me content for a decade."

William sneered in disgust, "Yes, your father was quite the sugar to these ants."

"Indeed. I had to defend him from more than just other humans attempting to take his life. Would you like to know what Ciel's soul smelled like, Mr. Spears? I remember it; I used to be bathed in the scent every day," Sebastian taunted in his most polite tone. Amelia sighed in irritation; Sebastian was getting that look. Now was not the time to deal with a demon butler hell-bent on irritating someone.

"A souls is-"

Amelia interrupted with quiet, brisk impatience, "Please desist your bickering. If my father's book doesn't exist, then his soul must never have existed, which is bollocks. My soul can't have come to be without his, and Sebastian wouldn't have memories of something that never existed. It isn't possible. That means his book is missing and the records have been tampered with.

"I am new to this whole idea of a 'soul' and 'Shinigami' and 'demons', but I am not stupid. If his book 'doesn't exist', then his soul was never evaluated. Can a soul leave here without help?"

"No." Sebastian and William said simultaneously, then glared at each other with restraint.

"So, then, unless some spirit ate my father's soul, it is still somewhere in this world and is still recording. If the book can be found, the soul can be found," she continued in a business-like tone, "The fact that you, Mr. Spears, are here tells me you need our help. And Sebastian, if my father's soul can be found, your contract is complete and you can live the rest of your eternity in whatever way makes you happy," the corners of her mouth dropped at the idea of Sebastian leaving. "If you want my help, I suggest you learn to keep the peace." A loud pounding came from the front door of the manor, and Amelia sighed. Would this day never end?

"I'll answer the door, young mistress."

Amelia and William sat in silence for a moment until a shrill shout of, "Oh, Bassie!" erupted from the next room. Immediately following that was a loud thud against the wall behind Amelia. Sebastian strolled casually into the room holding up a red-clothed ambiguously gendered person by the collar of their jacket. He threw the person at William.

"I believe that is yours." He said disdainfully.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," William chided crossly, "Making me do your work on top of my own is unacceptable."

"But I was trying to hunt down Ronald and get him to do his job! Surely you can't stay mad at a woman?" the person whined in a falsetto.

"We all know you're not a woman." William sighed.

Amelia chimed in, "I'm sorry, but, er… What is that?"

Sebastian chuckled.

The man dressed in red stood up and tossed waist-long hair over his shoulder and huffed, "I am Grell Sutcliffe. Am I to assume that you are the new Phantomhive?"

Amelia stared at him with a blank expression before answering, "Is there another lady in here? Or a lord, perhaps?"

"Only a Phantomhive can be as cold." Grell sniffled.

"Sit and have some tea. We were just discussing my father's missing soul. I like your glasses," she commented to appease the reaper.

"Why thank you!" Grell sat what had to be uncomfortably close to William, "We reapers are dreadfully near-sighted."

Amelia shrugged, "You can't have everything."

"Can't you?" William asked, gesturing to the opulent decorations in the room.

"It helps to be born from a lord that made a contract with a demon and failed to hold his end of the deal." Amelia deadpanned.

"I imagine it would. You have finally figured it out, then?"

Amelia ignored the question, "Is there anything else to discuss immediately? It has been a very long day."

"No, you stated about everything I was going to tell you when you scolded your butler and me."

"All right, then. I don't have any ideas immediately as to what should be done. Perhaps we should talk later, or tomorrow." Amelia looked outside and admired the estate at night and appreciated the atmosphere. She looked back over to William, trying to fight of a snuggle-obsessed Grell, "In fact, It is late. Would you two like rooms to stay in tonight, or will you be coming back?"

"Oh, a single room would be just fine," Grell giggled suggestively.

"Separate rooms would be appreciated," William contradicted Grell, "if at all possible, encouraged."

Amelia smiled, "Of course. Sebastian, what time is it?"

"Twenty minutes after nine, my lady."

"Dinner will be ready at ten. I insist that you eat with me. I like having guests." She directed at Grell and William, suddenly feeling more gracious.

"Isn't that a little late?" Grell asked.

"Perhaps for some. I prefer a late dinner. Are you too full?"

"No, we'll be there." William stated finally.

"Wonderful. I have some things I need to attend to, so please excuse me. Make yourselves at home. Have you been here before?"

"I've been here," Grell chimed.

"So, you know where the library is. Feel free to use or search it, if you wish. I will be in my study if anyone needs me." She left the room with Sebastian on her heels. Back in front of the door to the German's room, she addressed him, "Please feel free to treat our Shinigami guests however you view appropriate. You know them better than I do. In your spare time, I'd like it if you can make sure our German is comfortable and get what information you can. Whatever you can toss together for dinner is great. I'll be ready to retire immediately after."

"Are you all right, young mistress?" She isn't usually so- he looked for the word- bossy.

Amelia smiled at Sebastian tiredly, "It has simply been a long day. I've learned a lot. I have a lot to think about. I'm looking forward to going to bed."

"If you're upset with me, young Mistress,-" he started.

"Not at all. I doubt the knowledge would have changed my life much. I'm just hurt that you were keeping secrets."

"Understood."

"Don't do it again," she reminded him.

"I would be going against orders if I did. It will not happen."

Satisfied for now, Amelia nodded and turned toward the stairs, on her way back to her study to take a short power nap. She stopped half way up and turned to look back down. "Sebastian?"

"Yes, my lady?" his head popped out of the open door.

"We have some things to talk about when there is time."

He smirked, "Yes, my lady."

Thanks for reading, you lovely and beautiful people.