"Freaks!" the other children shouted, throwing stones at you and the boy in the cage with you. The boy in the cage tried to protect you, but it was no use. Stones grazed your cheeks, and your arms and legs. Tired of the boy becoming hurt, you struggled to kneel in front of him, your small hands outstretched.

"Only hit me," you murmured. "It's fine; I like pain," you lied even as the cruel children grinned and started throwing larger stones, waiting for you to scream.

But even with blood running down from your head, you laughed as if they were tickling you rather than injuring you. Now the kids looked at you with fear as your laugh gained an insane tone to it.

"Come on guys; let's go back to playing; they're boring," the oldest, a girl with blonde hair in pigtails, spoke, to your relief. After they had gone, you fell back against the cage as the boy looked at you in concern.

"Why... did you do that...?" he asked you, for once not using his snakes to speak. You smiled wanly.

"I'm stronger than you, y'know? I got more food and exercise before I was put in this cage." A black bird suddenly fluttered around outside the cage anxiously, trying to tell you something. "Who's coming, Estelle?" you questioned, and she fluttered, perturbed by the someone. "A buyer?!" Estelle quickly nodded and flew away just as a man in white caught the edge of your vision.

You began to panic as the man walked closer, and you could now see the man who appeared to be a noble had lavender eyes.

"You are rather dark to be my little songbird," the man began as he opened the cage, and you backed into the corner. "But I do like that look of yours~"

"So, ehm, my Lord Druitt, how much can I convince you to buy her for?" the man with a sprinkling of freckles asked, and you flinched. Buy? That was your purpose in being held in this cage?

"Name your normal price for her, and we'll triple it."

"U-Um, that'd be 400 pounds, so that'd be uh—"

"1,200 pounds! I'll take her for sure!" Druitt interrupted with a laugh, and the man moved quickly, rapidly reaching into the cage, grabbing your hand and handing you off to Druitt, though not before he was bitten by the boy's snake.

"Damn kid," he snarled at the boy, making you growl, and shortly after, Estelle reappeared and pooped on his head.

But you unfortunately didn't get to see the expression on the man's face after he realized as you were shortly, quite playfully it seemed to you, pushed along to a new destination.

"Don't worry, my little raven," Druitt sung. "We'll be going to a place I'm sure you'll like much better than that cage."

<><><>

"Sing a song for me, my little raven," Druitt requested for what seemed like the tenth time that day.

"No," you growled, glaring at him out of the corner of your eye.

"Ah, you are so cruel to me! Your savior!" You rolled your eyes as you continued washing the dishes, making sure to be thorough. You didn't like the Viscount's insistence that he'd saved you, nor his self-righteous demeanor, not to mention his flirtatious tendencies.

"I am your servant, my lord Druitt. Is that not enough repayment?" you asked tersely as you wrung out a rag.

"But F/N! If you are my servant, then you must do what the master orders, right?" You groaned.

"Noir!" you shouted, and there came a tapping at the window and a faint, coarse call. And suddenly, the calls became much louder, making Druitt cover his ears.

"I will get you to sing, my little raven~!" he shouted as he ran out of the kitchen, and you sighed as you walked over to Noir.

"Sorry for making you chase him away," you murmured, gently stroking the crow, and in return, he gave you an affectionate peck. "So what news do you have for me about Snake?" The crow shuddered slightly and hopped from foot to foot, giving out a nervous caw. "He's living at a strange manor and being educated into being a servant? What? There's someone who unnerves you there?" The crow cawed loudly again and flew off. "Sebastian Michaelis?" you murmured in question. "He had better not be torturing Snake..."

<><><>

"So? Where are you going this time?" you asked with a sigh of Viscount Druitt as he was showing off his fancy attire.

"Oh, I'm going nowhere," the Viscount said to the contrary, waving a finger from side to side at you. "I simply want to look my best for the soirée this evening~ You, however, will be going out to represent me, my little raven."

"Where?" you questioned tiredly, giving him a look out of your E/C orbs. Druitt tutted to himself at you.

"No need to be so ungracious, F/N! The Phantomhives invited me to a lovely dinner, but I alas cannot go as I have a prior engagement. And since there are not two of me, well, why not just use you? Consider it a vacation~"

"Fine. When is the carriage meant to leave?" you grumbled, resigned.

"An hour or so!" he replied cheerfully. "Remember to dress up nicely, my little raven!" You grunted a reply and briskly walked past him to go back to your room and hopefully find a suitable attire for a dinner.

When you had entered your room however, a pair of ravens were already holding up a(n) F/C dress for you, making you smile. All birds were your friends, but ravens and crows knew you the best and often anticipated what you needed. You took the dress from the ravens, and they seemed to nod at you. At first, you didn't know why they hadn't left yet, but then you realized the corset was necessary.

"You have got to be kidding me," you groaned, and both ravens cawed twice. "Okay, okay fine; let's get this over with..."

<><><>

With everything finally in order, you set foot in the carriage waiting outside the Viscount's manor, your favorite crow, Mavrossa, following you in as if a loyal pet. The carriage started rolling, and you were on your way to the Phantomhives.

Contrary to what you had believed a few hours ago, you arrived at the manor far sooner than you'd imagined to be shortly faced by a pair of red eyes on the other side of the carriage door.

"Hello," you spoke as he opened the door, Mavrossa screeching at you about something. "My master, Viscount Druitt, ordered me to take his place tonight... What?" you questioned with wide eyes, looking back at the crow perched on your shoulder. "That's him? This is where Snake lives now?" Mavrossa cawed in affirmation.

"I see," Sebastian spoke, seeming to ignore your distractedness, not to mention the crow on your shoulder. "Then if you would," he said, offering his hand to you. You took it with some hesitation, and his eyes widened, flashing bright scarlet. His mouth had opened, and you caught sharp teeth barely concealed behind his lips. He seemed to be frozen in place until Mavrossa pecked him in sharp rebuke.

"Are you alright?" you asked, giving the proud crow a look. Sebastian shook his head.

"I am fine, my lady," he replied, continuing to help you out of the carriage. "We were hoping to give your master a warm welcome, but it seems we will have to make do with his maid. I hope that you will enjoy the famed Phantomhive hospitality."

"What were you planning on doing to my master?" you interrogated Sebastian as he had begun to lead you to the doors of the manor. "Mavrossa tells me she sensed sinister intentions from you in regard to my master." Sebastian paused.

"Mavrossa?" he asked, and your crow let out a shrill cry.

"She said, 'That's me, you frickin' dumbass!' Forgive me for not discipling her on her language." Sebastian chuckled to himself.

"That is quite a foul-mouthed crow you have... Well then, since Miss Mavrossa caught me, then my lord had ordered me to give something for the Viscount to remember. The reasons I shall not disclose however."

"Very well." you dipped your head to Sebastian. "Oh, and I hate to ask, but," you stared down at your feet. "a servant named Snake hasn't... mentioned me, has he?"

"To myself, no," Sebastian replied as he opened the doors to the manor, making your heart sink. You guessed he didn't remember you after all.

"Well, thanks anyway, Sebastian," you mumbled as you brushed past the shocked man, wondering if you would encounter Snake at all during this 'vacation'.

<><><>

"I'm dreadfully sorry, my lady," Sebastian apologized as smoke billowed from the now far-off kitchens.

"It's fine," you muttered even as Mavrossa was screeching and fluttering all about. "Though I do question why gunpowder was even in the kitchen..."

"The fool named Bard, our supposed chef believes cooking means using explosives." Sebastian covered his mouth and stared at you suspiciously.

"'Stop looking at F/N like that, you weird crow!' ...said Mavrossa," you translated and then looked at her. "Weird crow?" You glanced back at Sebastian, whose eyes were glittering.

"Who are you?"

"F/N. Didn't I tell you that?"

"Is everyone alright?! ...said Wordsworth," a familiar voice shouted, and you froze. The short, snow-white hair, the snakes, the faint visibility of scales on his cheek... Snake. The little boy you hadn't seen in years had grown up to be an attractive young adult, but it seemed he still didn't speak for himself. Unbeknownst to you, Sebastian had watched your reaction, and before he had known it, he was running to fetch the newest servant.

"What just...?" Sebastian questioned himself and then shook himself as he went to help the other servants.

"It's... It's you! ...said Oscar." Snake exclaimed, stunning you. Snake's eyes filled with tears as he hugged you, startling Mavrossa. You smiled, also with tears in your eyes.

"It's been a while, Snake. I see you've made some new friends. The name given to me was F/N..." You shook your head. "I missed you, Snake."

"So it's the woman that made me look weak, ...said Wilde." You chuckled, taking the snake that had spoken, Wilde, and putting him on your other shoulder. "D-Don't presume to touch me! ...said Wilde."

"I missed you too, Wilde," you spoke with a chuckle before looking back at Snake, your eyes soft. Even though many years had passed, you could see the same boy you had once protected so long ago. Snake suddenly looked away, his cowlick trembling.

"D-D-Don't look at me like that! ...said Keats." Mavrossa cawed a protest in Wilde taking up her space, and you gave her a look.

"Be nice, Mavrossa. This is my old friend Snake, although I didn't know his name until your crush told me." If crows could blush, Mavrossa would have. Without warning, Snake ran in the other direction, Wilde slithering off you to follow after him. "Wait, Snake!" He glanced back at you sadly as you ran, leaving you to wonder what you'd done wrong.

<><><>

Dinner had came and went, and it turned out the Earl Phantomhive was a rather cute yet imposing child wearing a black eyepatch who acted more like an adult than some of the senior servants at the Viscount's estate.

But since Snake had run from you, you had not seen him, and you were becoming increasingly worried, so much so that you had absentmindedly allowed Mavrossa to eat her fill of your dinner. She had almost stolen a knife when Sebastian took it from her beak with a smile, much to the crow's irritation.

"My lady, is there something troubling you?" Sebastian asked while he was escorting you to a room for rest. You sighed. "You did not answer many of my lord's questions."

"Nothing important," you mumbled, receiving a peck from Mavrossa. "What do you mean 'tell him'?" Mavrossa ruffled her feathers, seemingly exasperated. "Fine, my friend wins. It's just that Snake ran away from me... I don't understand why he would when things seemed to be going so well... he even remembered me and hugged me." Sebastian tilted his head, his eyes flashing that bright scarlet again.

"Ad beatitudo vestra," Sebastian murmured before he disappeared from your sight, and you glanced around, confused. You sighed and shook your head, opening the door to your room, only to find a puzzled-looking Snake sitting on your bed. When your eyes met, both of you blushed and looked away. Mavrossa was the one to break the awkward silence.

"'Well, one of you speak, you dimwitted, lovestruck fools!' ...said Mavrossa," you translated as Snake did, making you blush harder. Lovestruck? You weren't... well, maybe you were.

"This must be fate! I ran away, and yet we see each other again! ...said Emily." You sat down next to Snake, hoping he wouldn't run like before.

"Why did you run away from me, Snake? Do you hate me after all? Please tell me what I did wrong!" Keats slithered over to you and wrapped himself around your wrist.

"N-No! You haven't done anything wrong, I swear! It's me... Look at me! ...said Goethe." Snake spoke, shaking you slightly.

"What about you?" you asked, confused. He grabbed hold of your hand and put it on his cheek, seeming to be waiting for you to flinch away.

"This... If you're with me, then you'll be made fun of and mocked just like before! And aren't you disgusted by this scaly skin? ...said Brontë." You smiled kindly.

"So that's what this is about. Snake, I don't care what people say about me. I actually like the irregularity of your skin; it's part of who you are. But you need to stand up straighter and have more confidence in yourself. Didn't your snakes ever tell you that?" Keats seemed to have fallen asleep on your wrist, making you chuckle slightly even as you glanced up to see Snake's astonished face. "I'm very glad that you remember me, and that you don't hate me. But it's getting late, and you should probably get out of my room."

Snake nodded, getting up when Keats hissed, and he sharply turned.

"I love you, F/N," Snake murmured, rapidly closing the distance between you two and hesitantly placing his lips on yours. The kiss didn't last long, but you knew there would be lots more as you wished a blushing Snake goodnight.