Bambi's PoV-

"Ah, so you're Bambi!" Freckles, as Ciel called him, cheered, clapping his hands. Wait...his? I took a small, delicate sniff of the air, taking in Freckles' scent. That's no boy, Freckles is a girl! I bit back a laugh at the thought. Ciel will be shocked when he finds out.

"You know of me?" I questioned, an eyebrow raised. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ciel turn away, a small blush covering his face. His actions intrigued me even more. "Yea! Smile over here spoke highly of you! It's nice to finally meet the little tyke's girlfriend." Freckles grinned, her blue eye glinting cheerfully. I felt my eyes widen at her words. "G-Girlfriend?!" I stuttered out, my cheeks heating up. "Well, aren't you two together? Smile said that you used to sleep in the same bed--" She was cut off by my laughter. "Smile get nightmares sometimes, as do I. We keep each other company in bed to keep them away." I chuckled out, making Freckles' blue eye widen. A small blush dusted her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "O-Oh. Sorry 'bout that." She muttered out. I waved her off.

"Well, what are you doing here? I know Smile had wished you were here but..." A small smirk ghosted my face at her words. So, Ciel wished me to be here? The smirk dived down into a small frown as I glanced over to Ciel with an apologetic gaze. His own gaze was guarded, his face still as he looked at me, wondering what I would do now.

"I came to join up with the circus, if it's allowed that is." I gave a soft smile as I spoke to Freckles. Her eyes lit up and she cheered, grabbing my arm with a strong grip, and dragging me to God-knows-where.

*****

"So, 'ee be wantin' to join the circus, eh?" I looked up at the man I remember as Joker from the performance from the other night. I gave a small smile and a nod. The index finger on his skeleton prosthetic tap his chin thoughtfully before he snapped his fingers and gave me a grin. "Well, what can you do?" He asked. I gave a mischievous smirk. "What do you need?" The man laughed at my answer, patting me on the shoulder.

"I can do a myriad of things. Just like Seb-- er, Black. However, I'm not as flamboyant in my endeavors as he is." I sweatdrop, thinking back on what Ciel had described to me about his time here so far. "Ah! Well, seeing as Black has already vouched for you, as well as Smile, I'll let you in. You can start off with what they do." I nodded with a grateful smile. "What do they do exactly?" I questioned as Joker began to walk off. The man laughed at his own forgetfulness. "They're stagehands!"

*****

We were backstage, behind the curtains, and we were running around like crazy. People would call out for items they need, and Ciel, Sebastian, and I would all run off and give them what they needed.

At the moment, Ciel was carrying a large box, and seemed to be struggling with it. As he began to topple over, unable to handle the weight of the box, I used the energy in me, snapping it into action to speed over to him. Right as he lost his footing, I caught the box in my left hand, and the earl in my right. After placing the box on another stack of boxes, I righted the earl, who then sat down on a box nearby.

"Are you alright, Master?" I asked, habit taking over. Ciel gave me a slight glare as he panted heavily. Worry overcame me, making me lift a hand to his forehead. I gasped at the burning sensation of his skin, pulling away from him. "Ciel! You're burning up! You have a fever! How on Earth did you get sick?!" The earl frowned and stood up, glancing around the room. "Be quiet, you'll catch attention speaking that loud. And I'm not sick. I don't have a fever, you're skin is just as cold as a corpse." I flinched back at his harsh tone, my amethyst eyes reflecting hurt. That was rude....

He and Sebastian began whispering to one another, before they both headed out of the tent. I let out a soft sigh and sat down on the box that Ciel had occupied.

My ears caught the sound of footsteps, making me look up to catch the glance of a highly irritated earl. I tilted my head to the side as he approached me. "Sebastian had to go perform. I need you to come with me. Now." I let out a soft yelp as he grabbed my wrist harshly, dragging me alongside him as we left the tent. "W-Wait. What are we doing?"

"Smile!"

*****

"These are certainly bare quarters." Ciel muttered as we entered the first of the blue tents. There seemed to be just a bed, a mirror, and a box with a small picture frame on top of it. As I looked around the tent, Ciel picked up the picture and looked at it. "A photograph of children..." He trailed off, catching my attention. I peeked at the picture over his shoulder. "Are those the first-stringers?" I questioned, making the earl frown thoughtfully. Ciel narrowed his eyes at a man in the photo. "Who is this?" He asked, more than likely to himself.

*****

Now we were in a larger tent. It seemed to belong to a woman, seeing as there was a vanity in the tent, as well as some very....revealing clothing scattered about the room. I recognized some of the outfits themes and came to the conclusion that we were in Beast's tent. Ciel and I were digging through a chest that only seemed to hold clothes. I leaned back as Ciel pulled out another photograph. This time, instead of a whole bunch of children and a man, it was a younger version of Beast and the same man from the other photo. "He seems to make a regular occurrence in these photos with the other first-stringers." I pointed out, making Ciel nod in agreement.

Something in the background of the picture caught my eye. "That sign behind them--'workhouse.' Could it be....and orphanage?" I suggested to the earl, who hummed thoughtfully. "Joker had mentioned that all the first-stringers were from the same place. So they must all be from the same workhouse." Ciel pointed out, frowning slightly in realization. "But, where is the workhouse? I need a cleared shot of it..." Ciel muttered, digging back into the chest.

I stiffened as my ears caught the sound of high heeled shoes approaching the tent. I let out a gasp and acted on instinct through fear of being caught: I swiftly covered Ciel's mouth with my hand in order for him to not make a noise, before tackling the earl into the chest, closing the lid until it was open just a crack so I would be able to see the room.

I tried my best to ignore the position Ciel and I were in. I was on top of the earl, straddling his waist, with my hand still covering his mouth. Blinking twice, I forced my eyes to be able to see in the dark, my eyesight now tinted with blue, although I could see everything clearly. Ciel was staring up at me, alarmed and confused. I could feel his face heat up beneath my hand, telling me that he was blushing. I couldn't blame him, I was blushing as well. Our faces were inches away from each other. I could feel his hot breath on my face.

"This is so irritating." I heard Beast's voice from the inside of the tent. Peering through the crack in the chest, I was able to see her as she walked over to her bed. "I liked this one." She pouted as she took off her top. I bit back a squeak and covered Ciel's eyes from the sight. Thinking fast, I grab the nearest shirt I could find in the chest, and dangle it out of the opening of the chest. Beast turns, and walks over, bending down to pick up the shirt, giving me the perfect view of her chest. The sight didn't bother me as much, seeing that I was a girl, but I was curious to see how Ciel would have reacted if I hadn't covered his eyes.

"I suppose this will have to do." She said, pulling the shirt on before walking out of the tent with hurried footsteps. I looked around the room once more, waiting a few moments before she was gone, until I flipped open the chest and sitting up with a sigh of relief. "Well, that was a close one." I pulled my hands away from Ciel as I glanced down at him. I raised a brow at the state he was in.

His face was completely red, and he was staring at me, his uncovered blue eye wide open. The young earl couldn't seem to breathe as he stuttered out nonsense. "Ciel? Hello?" I muttered, worriedly waving my hand in his face. He gave no reaction to my calls. That's when I felt it. My face flamed up as I finally noticed it. I let out a soft shriek and jumped up from Ciel, out of the chest, keeping my gaze diverted from him. At my squeal, he finally came to attention, shooting up into a standing position outside of the chest. "S-Sorry, Bambi! I-I didn't m-mean to--" I cut him off with an embarrassed shout.

"Y-You touched my butt!"

*****

We were in Joker's tent now. I had been keeping my distance from Ciel, my embarrassment still fresh in my mind. We only had a few more minutes before the first-stringers will be back in their tents, so we had to make this fast.

Ciel dug through another chest in Joker's tent, while I looked around the rest of it. A small piece of parchment laying under his pillow caught my eye. "Ciel?" I called, pulling the letter out from under the pillow. "What?" He answered, walking over to me. "It looks like some sort of letter." I said, handing it off to the earl.

"It's from 'Tom, the piper's son'..." Ciel read the front of the envelope. I furrowed my brow in confusion. "The Mother Goose character?" I questioned, watching as the earl opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. His eye skimmed over the letters before he stopped with a horrified gasp. On instinct, he dropped the letter. Worried about his reaction, I grabbed the letter, reading the contents with my own eyes. I let out a soft gasp at the writing on the letter as well.

"W-What is my name doing here? Are they on to us?!" I could hear Ciel's heart beating frantically in his chest. However, the sound of footsteps also reached my ears, and I snapped into action. I grabbed the letter, placing it back in the envelope, and slid it back under the pillow, before grabbing Ciel's arm and pulling him out of the tent with me.

I dragged him down behind a box as the sound of voices reached my ears. "Come on." Ciel muttered, walking forward. I began to follow him, but froze at the sound of slithering. I gasped and pulled Ciel back, stepping in front of him as a six foot snake slithered out of the darkness, hissing violently at us. I snarled back, barring my fangs as my eyes rippled into an icy blue. The snake hesitated before hissing once again, this time louder. I was about to grab the snake by its neck and toss it away when the light of a lantern illuminated our backs.

"Oi. What are you doing there?" Ciel and I gasped and turned to see Doll standing behind us. I felt Ciel begin to move behind me, only to stop when Doll told him to be still. Doll? Wait... I narrowed my eyes at 'Doll's' familiar scent. I gasped as I placed the scent. Doll is Freckles!

Doll, in a swift movement, launched herself over the crate beside us, and landed directly in front of the snake, grabbing it by the head before walking off. I heard her speaking with Dagger before she presumably handed over the snake to Snake, who walked off with Dagger.

Doll then came back around the corner of the tent, grabbing mine, and Ciel's arms, before dragging us away. We crawled under the rope that separated the first-stringers tents from the others before we finally stopped. Ciel's heavy panting caught my attention, and I gazed at him worriedly. Gently placing a hand on his shoulder as he placed one of his on the tent in front of him, and the other on his knee, bending over and panting.

"Right, we should be clear now." Doll said, checking around the corner to see if we had been spotted. I bit my lip as Ciel couldn't calm his pants. Frowning, I inhaled his scent gently, gasping at the change. The strong scent of illness masked his usual sweet scent. "Smile, you're sick. If you keep pushing yourself, you'll collapse." I pressed, whispering to him softly. Ciel let out a few short, hacking coughs, making my worry rise higher, before he stood up straighter and turned to our rescuer.

"Why did you help me?" His voice wavered slightly, still weak. I stopped myself from pestering him about his illness. "You still don't get it? It's me." Doll smiled, pulling off her large, flowery hat to reveal her normal face and hair. "Freckles?!" Ciel gasped, shocked by the revelation. I rolled my eyes at his obliviousness. "Hey, that's not a very nice name to call me!" Freckles frowned. "You're a bloke who wears dresses onstage!" Ciel stuttered out, backing away from her. "Actually, Smile. She's a girl." I pointed out, crossing my arms. Doll grinned at me, nodding confirmation. Ciel still didn't believe us. "Fine, feel for yourself." I raised a brow at her choice of words before I busted out laughing at what she ended up doing.

She grabbed Ciel's hand and placed it against her chest--or rather-- her breast. "Want to check down below while you're at it?" She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. I laughed even harder as Ciel ripped his hand away, holding it to his chest as if it had been contaminated or something. "No thank you!" He squeaked.

Doll frowned, a glaze of seriousness coating her eye. "So, what were you two doing there? They must have told you it was dangerous." I stiffened at her question, watching as Ciel gulped, unable to come up with an excuse. "P-Please forgive him!" I shouted, catching Doll's and Ciel's attention. "I wear he didn't steal anything today! I followed him to keep an eye on him! Please don't chase him out!" I stepped in between the two, putting my acting skills to good use. Ciel got the idea and pretended to cower behind me, looking down at the ground shamefully. "Wait, 'today'?!" Doll questioned.

"The truth is, I lived in the East End before I became a page, and got by however I could! I know I shouldn't steal, but I just can't shake old habits." Ciel stuttered out, grabbing onto the back of my dress. "It's why the young master had fired him. He caught Finnian stealing and cast him out. I had been taking care of him before, keeping his urges to steal quelled, but one day, I had gotten hurt, and was placed in bed for a week. When I came to, the young master had been furious and gotten rid of Finnian. So, I set out to find him. Which is the real reason I'm here." I finish spinning the tale, hoping that Doll would buy it. She seemed to, especially when she looked down at Ciel, making the boy look away and snuggle into the folds of my dress.

"You swear you didn't take anything?" Doll asked, her voice soft. Ciel's eye snapped open as he looked up at her. "Yes! I swear to God!" I felt his grip tighten on my dress. Doll kept her firm gaze on the earl, until she closed her eye with a sigh, bringing her pale hand up to her chestnut hair. "Well, alright then." She muttered. Ciel let out a gasp, wrapping his arms around my waist as he looked up to Doll. "Thank you so much!"

"It's fine. I owe you one anyhow. We've all got our secrets, right? So what I did to you last night was wrong... So I'll keep this quiet. Now we're even." I tilted my head at her words. Did something happen last night? I suppose I'll have to ask Ciel about it later.

"But no more sneaking about!" Doll scolded Ciel, before turning her baby blue gaze on me, her eye softening. "Keep an eye on him, alright? Make sure he doesn't get himself into more trouble." I let my body relax, feeling the tension seeping from my bones, and nodded at her.

Ciel let out a series of loud coughs once more, making me whip around to face him, worry filling me once again. "Say, can I ask you... If you're a first-stringer, why are you sharing my tent?" Ciel frowned, looking at the girl confused. I clenched my teeth as the scent of illness became stronger. I could see that it was all he had to keep himself standing upright. "Well, I don't like staying by myself. I sleep better when someone's with me." I felt Ciel's gaze land on me as Doll said the last sentence.

"Hey, you'll still room with me even though I'm a first-stringer, right?" Doll asked, worry dancing in her eye. "Yes, of course!" Ciel said, plastering a fake smile on his face. His eye widened as a sudden thought occurred to him. "That is, if...." He trailed off, looking over at me. "Oh! Bambi can stay with us! I'll just talk to Joker about it! No worries! I'm sure she'll be great company anyhow!" I blushed at Doll's praise.

*****

Doll had walked away, leaving Ciel and I on our own. I turned to the young earl, as he began coughing violently. "C-Ciel!" I called out, rushing over as he kneeled over, his chest heaving with coughs. His face was flushed red, though not from embarrassment at all. The scent of his sickness had taken over his sweet scent completely, making me gasp as he struggled to stand. "Ciel, please stop! It's clear you're ill! Please! Don't push yourself too hard!" I tried to get him to stop, but he just shook his head softly. "What happened to cause this, Master?" I tried, watching as his dull sapphire gaze lifted up to meet my worried amethyst one. "L-Last night. Before you came back, I had gotten in an accident with Freckles. I ended up getting soaked, and I ran off. After that, you found me hitting the tree, and the rest, you know..." He trailed off into another set of violent coughs. "You didn't dry yourself off?! It's the middle of Winter!" I scolded. I shook off the thought and wrapped an arm around the boy. "W-What are you--" I cut him off with a glare, forcibly grabbing his arms and wrapping them around my neck as I wrapped one of my arms around his waist. I laid his head on my shoulder, feeling the air from his coughs hitting my neck, and started the trek to Sebastian's tent. Thankfully, it wasn't too far.

We entered the tent, Ciel's coughing catching Sebastian's attention. "You knew I was still there when you freed the snakes, didn't you, you bastard?!" Ciel ended the question in a series of coughs. Sebastian blinked at the accusation before bowing his head in a nod and confirming the answer. "You did order me to return before the first-stringers and free them. Problem?" Sebastian stated smugly. Ciel scoffed at the demon, narrowing his gaze into a weak glare. "What are you glaring for? Rest assured, my lord, I won't let you die while our contract holds. Plus, Bambi is more than able to keep an eye out for you and protect you. But you may encounter some non-fatal suffering if you give the wrong orders. You knew as much." Sebastian smirked as Ciel clenched his fists. I, myself, shot an icy blue glare at the ignorant demon. "Every game needs its thrill. You're such an avid player, I assumed you shared my opinion." The demon finished.

Ciel let out a sharp, sarcastic laugh. "Your game is in sickeningly bad taste, demon." Sebastian gave a grin at the earl's words. "You flatter me."

"Never mind. I found a letter in Joker's tent that mention my name." Ciel started, standing up and attempting to walk around to lean on the frame of Sebastian's bunk. I reached out towards him as he let out another cough, but stopped myself as he just continued on. I bit my lip as I felt worry twist and turn inside my stomach. "It had my rank, the location of my estate, and even a biographical sketch. "The sender--" He cut off in a yelp and jumped away as William's shears dug into his foot. I gasped in slight pain as Ciel landed on me. I stopped myself from falling backwards, catching him under the arms as Will began to speak. "You're three centimeters into my territory. If the master can't abide by our agreed-upon boundaries, he's as bad as his dog." Will scowled, fixing his glasses. Ciel's face was still flushed from his sickness, making me quell the urge to drag him to bed and force him to rest until he got better.

The earl coughed once more as I held him in my arms. "Sebastian, Bambi, let's go outside." I reluctantly let the earl stand up, following behind him as I kept a close eye on him. I was ready to catch him whenever he fell from exhaustion. I knew it was going to be soon.

"The sender used the name 'Tom, the piper's son.'" Ciel revealed as he and I leaned up against a stack of wooden crates. "A Mother Goose character." Sebastian frowned in confusion. "Yes, though I don't know why..." His breath came out in visible white bursts due to the cold, and his sentence cut off into a series of coughs, his body shaking slightly. I knew Ciel would never let me try to help him with Sebastian around. At least, not in the way I would be able to help him. He'd deny the help, not wishing to look weak in front of the demon.

"And the sealing wax showed a crest with a horse and the initial 'K'." Ciel finished, shivering as he held his arms closer to himself. A Sebastian looked away from us in thought, Ciel glanced at me. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted me to embrace him to warm him up, but he was hesitant to do so with Sebastian nearby. I clenched my teeth at his stubbornness.

"Signet rings are generally engraved with a motif and initial that represent the bearer or his family. Which means 'Tom, the piper's son' has a coat of arms featuring a horse. Would a horse mean someone awarded a knighthood, or perhaps a soldier?" Sebastian pondered, frowning thoughtfully. Ciel broke the gaze between us as he closed his eyes, coughing once again. "Not necessarily, but philanthropy is probably impossible without a certain degree of status." Ciel stopped his explanation as he broke out into more coughs. "The heraldic authorities have all coats of arms in their registers. We have enough criteria to narrow it down so that however many they have..." I watched as he began to cough weakly, his body trembling as he tried his best to stand tall. "You should be able to find the one." I bit back a gasp of horror as I heard Ciel's lungs stutter, trying to pull air in, his heart was beating weakly as it tried to fight against the sickness in him. "The missing children, the circus, Tom the piper's son, and me--" Ciel cut off in another series of coughs. "M-Master!" I muttered out, worry for Ciel taking precedent in my mind. "We'll go back... to the town house for..." Ciel hunched over, his coughing becoming louder and more violent.

I gasped as he bent over and let out a torrent of clear vomit. He fell to his hands and knees, coughing louder and louder, his small frame couldn't handle it anymore. I dropped to my knees by his side as Sebastian tried to pick him up. Ciel's sapphire gaze wavered, his eye wide as he looked at the demon in fear. He shook his head weakly and fell backwards, turning to face me. His clammy hands wrapped around my neck as he pulled himself into my embrace. I felt tears build in the corners of my eyes as I stared down at Ciel. The boy let out violent, hacking coughs as he pulled himself into my lap, nuzzling his nose into my neck. "M-Master!" I gasped out, watching as his eye became unfocused before it closed.

*****

We were all in the medical tent. The doctor was sitting in wheelchair by the bed where Ciel was laying, checking over him with a worried frown on his face. Sebastian was holding a tray with a small teapot on it, while Doll stood by him, biting her lip in worry. I stood at the foot of Ciel's bed, my hands wrapped around the metal ends. Ciel was laying in the bed, unconscious and breathing shallowly. His cheeks were flushed, but the rest of his body was a pale white, his skin clammy. The doctor had opened up his shirt, letting his chest show as the thin, purple blanket covered the rest of his body.

"It's asthma." The doctor informed, turning to face us, before he turned back to Ciel and pulled the blanket up to his chin. "Asthma? We've lived together three years, and I've never seen him have a fit like this." Sebastian said, utterly befuddled on how this happened.

"If he hasn't had an attack in three years, he may be essentially cured... But when patients are exposed to abrupt stress or chill, or if they catch cold, the sometimes relapse.." The doctor revealed, checking his charts. "But he's caught colds before..." Sebastian frowned. "There were probably multiple triggers this time." The doctor said simply, before turning a pointed glare to Doll. "And I hear he took a bath outside with our weight-lifting addicts? It's no wonder he caught cold!" The girl shrunk into herself at the scolding, her bottom lip trembling.

"Water..." My eyes widened as Ciel's voice reached my ears. His sapphire orb was open, looking weakly around the tent. "Ah, you're awake?" The doctor smiled down at Ciel. Sebastian came around with the small teapot-like-thing and gently poured water into Ciel's mouth, stopping when Ciel turned away from the device and coughed. "Smile, did you have a bad case of asthma as a young boy?" The doctor questioned. Ciel's gaze was unfocused as he stared at the doctor. "Aunt An." He muttered.

"This is no good--his mind is muddled. We'll have to keep a sharp watch until the fever and coughing stop." The doctor stated. "I-I'll go get ice!" Doll stuttered, rushing off to do as she said she would. "What about you?" The doctor asked, glancing at Sebastian and I. "We'd like to stay and help, if you don't mind." Sebastian answered, making the doctor smile and nod.

*****

Sebastian and I have been taking turns taking care of Ciel. At the moment, I was watching while Sebastian dabbed his forehead with a cold cloth. Ciel has been asleep for awhile now. I thought, frowning in worry. "Sebastian..." The sound of the earl's voice made me look up in surprise. He was sweating heavily, his navy blue hair sticking to his feverish forehead.

"How is he?" The doctor called, coming around from behind the curtain. "He still seems poorly off." Sebastian informed. "I thought as much. I just remembered that mint oil can help these fits... Now, where did I put it?" The doctor muttered to himself as he wheeled around his office, looking for the oil. I watched as Ciel gestured for the demon to come closer, tapping rhythmically on his pillow when he did. My eyes widen as I caught the pattern. Morse code?! I narrowed my eyes, trying to catch what he was 'saying'.

This is an order: Go to the heraldic authorities and identify the man with the signet ring. The registers are in London and Edinburgh. If I move now, the doctor will make a fuss. Come fetch me in the morning.

I bit my lip in worry as Sebastian responded his confirmation. Will Ciel be better by then? I thought, frowning. Sebastian looked up at me and gave me a gesture to come with him. Nodding, I stood up, moving to follow after the demon. As I passed by Ciel's bed, his hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist. I gasped softly and looked down at the earl.

His body was drenched in sweat, and he was struggling to keep his eye open as he looked up at me. "N...No.....s....stay.....Bambi...." He struggled to choke the words out, making my stomach twist with worry. Giving one last glance to where the demon disappeared to, I kneeled by Ciel's side, watching as his hand gripped mine weakly. A small smile drifted onto his face, as his eye flickered open and closed. "Th.....Thank....you....." He whispered, his sapphire orb closing as he fell asleep, although his hand kept its grip on mine.

"Ah, found it at last! No we'll just pour some on a rag and... Hmm?" The doctor looked up to see Sebastian gone. "Where did Black go?" He questioned, looking to me. I gave a shrug and sent him an apologetic glance. "Hm. Well, it seems like he's finally asleep, so I suppose I should send you off to bed as well. You can come back and check up on him when you wake up." He stated. I frowned lightly. My master had given me an order to stay....but if I arrive back before he wakes up, he won't know I disobeyed it. With a small sigh, I began to sit up, gently tugging my hand out of Ciel's grasp.

His reaction was immediate.

Ciel whimpered, his face scrunching up in pain, his hand reached out for me again, locking around my wrist once again. I stopped myself from pulling out of his grasp again, giving the doctor a look of helplessness. The man furrowed his brow. "It seems you have a calming effect on him. Sometimes having someone you care about near is all it takes to battle a sickness. Perhaps you should stay. I'll go get you a blanket." I blushed heavily at his words, watching as he wheeled himself away.

"B......Bambi......don't....leave....me....." I felt my eyes soften at Ciel's words, and gently squeezed his hand. "I won't ever leave you, Ciel. I promise." I whispered with a fond sigh.

Before I could stop myself, I bent down and gently kissed his warm forehead, letting a small smile spread across my face.

I won't ever leave you again.....Because........

Because..........

I love you.