"Calm down, would you?" you requested of the white-haired Indian butler, repositioning your rifle. "You'll give away my position."

"M-Miss F/N, please, don't resort to this again." You glanced at the anxious man at the corner of your eye.

"Did you forget it was my job to do so? You are the one who insisted an accompanying me up here, so do not make a scene. Be quiet."

"I insisted because of this... is there no other way for you to make a living?"

"Tch. He went into the busy street," you cursed, looking up from the sight before turning fully to the Indian. "Agni, this is the twelfth time you've caused me to miss my target, seven of which the targets lived. I am growing tired of this. Why don't you return to your master and trying to interfere in my life?" Agni's expression suddenly becomes much more strained, his grey eyes nearly black with worry.

You didn't understand this recent change in Agni; whenever you mentioned Prince Soma, he would look as if he was absolutely full of dread. A few weeks ago, he had often spoken of just how fond of Prince Soma he was for what the Prince had done for him.

You shook your head and turned away from Agni. It wasn't that you didn't care, because you did; rather, it was because you weren't really the 'consoling' type. For crying out loud, you were an hired gun—you killed people for a living.

"Nevermind that. Just stop distracting me from my job," you grumbled, kneeling back down. However, your focus returned to Agni as he knelt next to you and his heavy breathing stopped a second.

"Miss F/N, I beg you walk away from this target," he spoke hoarsely.

"Why?" you questioned boredly, refocusing your aim on the earl. "Same reason as always? Immoral? Illogical? Cold-blooded?"

"All of the above and more," Agni replied, taking hold of both your hands, his eyes wide.

"Agni, this better be good. I get paid for this," you growled.

"That's my prince's friend, Earl Phantomhive. Please." Agni seemed to be on the edge of tears, so you sighed and stood, bringing you rifle up with you and making your way towards the stairway. "Thank you, Miss F/N, thank you," Agni cried, hugging you from behind.

You had a brief moment where you froze before you said, "You're buying me dinner tonight."

<><><>

"What is it?" you asked, staring at the fried bread being offered to you. Agni rubbed the back of his head, an abashed smile on his face.

"It's called a Curry Bun; a friend of mine invented it a few weeks ago. I know you said I would be buying, but I don't really have much skill in choosing places to eat, so I made something instead." You continued to stare at it, making Agni more nervous. "I-I've heard lots of people love them, plus they're good for the soul!" You chuckled a little, finally taking the bun from Agni.

"It's alright; I've always wanted to try the food of the Curry God. No need to be so anxious around me." Agni visibly relaxed. You bit into the Curry Bun, finding hot curry on the inside.

You smiled; this had to be the best curry you'd ever eaten. The spices were well-blended and aromatic, the taste not overwhelmed by spiciness. You had paused so long savoring the first few bites that Agni had become concerned again.

"M-Miss F/N? Y-You don't like it?" You smiled playfully and gently slapped his shoulder.

"Oh, Agni, stop being so worried. It's some of the best curry I've had. It more than repays me for the cash I lost in not killing that Earl. Thanks." You were just about to take another mouthful when you saw Agni's face. "Hey, no crying while I'm eating. You'll make me lose my appetite," you reprimanded with a slight smile, resuming your feast.

"I'm just so happy you like it!" And for those precious minutes while you two smiled, you felt as if a dark cloud had moved and revealed the sun. The cold temperature of winter seemed warmer somehow, as if simply smiling and enjoying each others' company could do such a thing.

"I had better return home," you said quietly after you had finished the Curry Bun, loathe to break the silence. As soon as you had said this, Agni appeared downcast again, but you didn't dare look back as you walked away, afraid of what you might see.

<><><>

Upon arriving at the small apartment you lived at, you slumped against the door after you'd locked it, running a hand through the H/C hair covering your forehead.

"What are you doing, F/N?" you asked yourself with a sigh, glancing over at the small picture of you and Agni laughing. You smirked as you remembered trying to keep your face frozen in a laugh for a full ten-seconds. The smile faded though as you remembered those few minutes where it seemed like everything was back to normal. You almost couldn't remember those happy days...

You rubbed your eyes tiredly before standing, vaguely noticing the sunlight beginning to peek through your window. "I wonder if there's something wrong with his master that he's been so edgy lately," you mumbled, practically stumbling over to your four-poster bed and crashing onto the linens. "God, I missed you, sleep." After a few turns, you were out like a light, your mind drifting.

"Hm? Who might you be?" a tall, black-haired man asked of you before your vision shifted to Agni.

"Miss F/N, I'm so glad to see you!" Your vision blurred, showing the Earl you had been about to murder a few hours ago.

"Interesting..."

Then, without any warning, a man with the same complexion as Agni but with dark purple hair appeared in front of you, his yellow eyes wide and frightened.

"F/N!"

The sound of a gunshot woke you from your sleep, and you jolted awake, somewhat fearfully looking around before you realized there was no one in your room. You released a pent-up breath before you slid out of bed, watching dusk fall from your window.

You already felt the dream slipping from your mind, and you decided to disregard it—this was a promised day off. You couldn't ruin it thinking about silly things like ominous dreams.

"I wonder if I should check up on him," you muttered as you dressed. You took a look at the picture again and faintly smiled before you walked out of your apartment and began to look for the townhouse Agni and his prince had taken to looking after.

<><><>

Eventually, you managed to find yourself at the townhouse after remembering a precious piece of information from the last time you'd visited. You rapped on the door a few times before you waited and heard voices.

"Seems we have a visitor," you heard a child say. "Sebastian."

"Yes," a deeper voice replied, making you wonder if you'd come to the wrong place.

"No, I'll get it; I'm the one looking after the place for you!" a younger male blurted indignantly.

You stepped back slightly as a purple-haired Indian man swiftly opened the door to the townhouse. You smiled with relief when you saw Agni by a stairwell, confirming to you this was the right place.

"Oh, you're that one in the picture!" The Prince exclaimed, making Agni turn to look your way. Upon seeing you, his face instantly lit up, but yours had turned serious upon seeing the child curiously observing you. Earl Phantomhive, the noble your employer had requested you kill. A second chance was hard to come by... should you?

"Hm?" a black haired man, assumably Sebastian, judging from the voice you had heard earlier, said, "Who might you be?"

"A good friend of mine," Agni interjected, coming to meet you. Though his voice sounded cheerful, you could still hear his ever-present anxiety laced underneath it. "Miss F/N, I'm so glad to see you!" You resumed smiling.

"Hello, Agni," you greeted with a nod.

"Oh, please, come in!" he invited enthusiastically, and you glanced behind him at the other three for expressions of distaste. Two were impassive, and the third was immensely curious.

"As long as I am not imposing," you replied, stepping over the threshold as Agni had insisted.

"Miss F/N, why is it that you carry a weapon?" You froze, turning to look at Sebastian. How on Earth did he know about your concealed dagger? Agni responded for you.

"She's... an assassin, Sebastian," Agni said, seeming to fidget.

"Ohh," Sebastian hummed, keenly staring at you, making you uncomfortable. Something about this man was foreign and...inhuman. "So you were the one last night. Very clever at disguising yourself, Miss F/N. Had Agni not stopped you, you would be dead." You shuddered unconsciously.

"Please, Sebastian. She chose not to do anything, so please leave it at that..." Agni fretted. Sebastian tilted his head.

"Intriguing," Sebastian commented with a smile at Agni. "You seem to care quite a bit about Miss F/N." Almost instantly, you caught blush on Agni's cheeks. "Nevertheless, I am satisfied with your faith in her. I shall prepare tea."

"Thank you," Agni said with an obvious release of tension. The Earl had been staring at you the entire time, his lips curled in an idle grin.

"Sebastian was right," he remarked, beginning to turn his back. "Interesting."

<><><>

A few minutes later, you were greeted with the sight of tea and scones, both extremely appealing to your starved taste buds.

When tea was served to you, you gingerly took the cup and sipped, finding it as delightful as it appeared, making you smile.

"The tea is very well-prepared, Mr. Sebastian," you complimented the butler before Sebastian shook his head slightly.

"I did not prepare it; Agni insisted that he do it himself since you were present. And please, just Sebastian is fine."

"Sebastian, I thought we agreed that we'd say no more on the matter!" Agni blustered, his face dark red.

"I don't recall shaking on it," Sebastian said with a small smile. "And as your friend, I think it's perfectly natural of me to encourage your relationship with Miss F/N."

"Sebastian is right!" Prince Soma agreed heartily, playfully pulling an arm around Agni's neck. "And I don't mind if you take some time off to spend it with her now and then. I need to keep a lookout for what you want sometimes!" You laughed over your embarrassment, though part-way through, you had a bad feeling. Your eyes met Agni's and you knew he'd felt it too, judging by the angst showing on his face.

"MY PRINCE!" Agni shouted, pushing him roughly out of the way, but you had been moving too. "F/N!" he shouted, louder this time as you had swiftly withdrawn your dagger, about to confront the threat at the doorway, but there was no one there.

In fact, the damage had already been done—to your left arm, of which there was a bloody gash from where a bullet had grazed you. Footsteps and another gunshot followed, swiftly accompanied by a thud and a scream.

Clutching your wounded arm, you followed the Earl Phantomhive into the room where he'd shot the man to find none other than your employer writhing on the floor.

He looked at you with disgust before spitting, "You failure, F/N. You were supposed to do the work for me. Well good luck finding another job, you bi—" Without hesitation, you plunged your dagger into his right lung.

"I'm sorry; I'm not perfect, you son of a bitch," you growled. "Have fun in Hell. It's where you and I shall meet again." With a final glare, your employer left the world of the living. "Hey, Agni, are you still alive?" you questioned, only to have someone crush you in a bear-hug.

"F/N, I'm so glad you're safe!" Agni bawled, and you couldn't help smiling.

"Hey, was my employer why you've been acting so strange lately?" you asked. Agni sniffed.

"Yes; I learned that he was coming after people of noble birth, and I knew my Prince would be in danger. I didn't know when it would happen or how, and I was afraid every second that he might be targeted by you for a large amount of money...and then..."

"Oh, Agni," you chided, finally hugging him back. "You kept me from assassinating the Earl Phantomhive for dinner. I'd only charge a little more for your Prince."

"What would you have charged?" Agni questioned dubiously. You heard a few someone say 'awww' as you kissed Agni on the lips as an answer to his question. It seemed everything would return to normal.