Black Swan Rising - A Black Butler Fan-Fic

20 - Deception at its Finest

At around 3:30 or so, the young lord and I dropped by Sebastian's office and gathered the teacakes the butler prepared for the P4. Everything was neatly tucked away in a basket, wrapped and designed with gentle aesthetic. The young lord was dressed in his best, his hair fixed and his clothes perfectly set.

I, on the other hand, was dressed for cricket practice.

"And you're sure you'll be alright?" I inquired, stepping back with cricket bat in hand. I propped it on the floor and rested both of my hands on the handle.

"Positive," he replied. "Again, it's just for talking. Nothing terribly bad will happen. Even so, Sebastian will rush to my side."

I nodded slowly and looked at him, flashing a warm grin. "I know you'll do great," I told him.

He returned the smile and walked to the door with basket in hand. "At the end of the day, the P4 will love me," he claimed as he left.

I giggled and followed him out, walking out of the office and toward the playing field. Our practice uniforms consisted of long sleeve shirts and blue vests with the Sapphire Owl dormitory crest on the left breast. The vest fell perfectly to make me appear flatter, and I tied my hair up into a ponytail. It felt good to have my hair off my neck again.

Sebastian was dressed in a similar outfit, glasses tucked away for the meantime. He was setting up the wickets on each side of the court, arranging them behind the creases with careful and close precision. However, being the man that he was, he put in hardly any effort. I sat my bat aside and walked up beside him. "Could I be of any assistance?" I inquired quietly. "I'm a bit early."

He gave me a little grin and sat up, carrying the other wickets to the other side. "It's quite alright," he told me. "Why not warm up and go for a run before practice? It'll be good for you."

I smiled at him and dragged my bat over to the side where my new equipment lay. "Professor knows best," I teased, fixing my hair and walking to the edge of the field. I stretched my legs and arms a bit, getting used to the feeling of hardly being able to move my upper body and still play sports. Once I deemed myself ready, I took off at a light jog, focusing forward as I ran lap after lap around the field. I took the time now and then to glance at Sebastian as he worked, studying the way he moved and arranged the field. His tall, lithe figure was outlined stunningly in his uniform, and a gentle smile curled about his lips. I was tempted to run over to him and fall into his arms.

More and more students began to arrive and run the course of the field. I'd already run my share and decided to suit up for practice. Pads and gloves were required for today; Sebastian made a point to have us perform like professionals by the tournament, and such goals required immense amounts of practice. I wasn't going to complain about such affairs, especially since it meant I got to spend time with him.

However, I was unsure how sports would be with my restraint and my uncanny ability to black out at the most inopportune times.

"Did you hear about Phantomhive?"

My ears inclined to their conversation, still acting as natural as I could while I concentrated.

"What, the older one or the first year?"

"The first year. I hear he stood up the P4 today. The meeting was at 2, right? Man, he's got to have some serious guts to do that."

They laughed. I paled. 2?... I thought the meeting was supposed to be at 4...

"What about the older one?"

"Well, a lot of people think he knows Prof. Michaelis. Like, before school."