A/N - Ahahaha...It's under manga because I plan on creating a manga version sometime. J-Just to explain...because I wasn't sure if I put it in the right category...these categories are kind of confusing. Well, at any rate, here is the first (un-beta'd) chapter! Any and all reviews will be loved!

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Icarus nearly jumped out of his bed. He was covered in a cold sweat, and had felt very, very warm in his blankets. Now that they were piled on the floor near him, he was cold, chilled to his bone.

"A-ah..." He turned to the origin of the noise. A brunette maid was flustered at the door, her knees trembling. Her face turned a bright red when she noticed his state of undress; Icarus had always found it much more comfortable to sleep in just his boxers, for he tossed and turned and sometimes got caught in his own clothing. He sighed, hand instinctively coming to rest over his covered right eye. "M-mister Icarus..." the brunette started, trembling fingers interlocking with each other. "Madame Rosa was...calling for you..."

"About what?" His voice was obviously laced with annoyance. She jumped, looking a little put out. "Ah, no, I didn't mean...I'm sorry, I...what did she want?" he swung his legs off the bed, running a hand through his blond hair.

"S-she told me to wake you, and tell you that Madame Gentile rescheduled. I-I'll just be leaving..." She turned away, leaving the man confused. He sighed again, scratching at the strings holding the eye patch in place. That girl...she was always this way.

Icarus was the Head of Staff, serving under the Labelle family. They were a combat staff, all with some sort of body modification to improve the skills; he happened to had been appointed head of them upon the previous family head had passed away, leaving the current one in his place. The staff hade a few goals; one was to perform their assigned task to near perfection, the other to protect the young master to the death; his survival was vital, and he was targeted constantly for that very fact. The other families they were currently in a feud with - the Gentile family and the Bai family - had an equally strong staff. However, the raid in which the previous Labelle master had died in has significantly cut the numbers in the Gentile in retaliation. The meeting that had been planned for today was the first of many to be held by the new head, and he was to attend as well.

The man rose before falling to his knees beside the bed, tugging out a chest. He opened the old wooden box, gently taking out the neatly-folded outfit within. He dressed slowly, attempting to not crease the outfit at all. The shorts ending around his knees used to bother him when he was a child, but now...he was very used to it, even finding it comfortable. Icarus was tying his bow neatly in his small mirror when the door opened again.

"Yes?" He asked, turning to the door. A man with messy black hair and stubble was leaning against the door frame, a smirk across his face.

"Rosa is about to kill something." he stated casually.

"Why is she so angry?" Icarus looked over his clothes before deeming himself presentable.

"Because she says you're gonna be late." the man replied. "Didn't Elie tell you that-"

"The meeting was rescheduled?" Icarus looked back.

"That's not it, 'Rus." he replied. Icarus frowned. "Elie was supposed to tell you that Gentile lady requested you to be there in..." He tugged out a pocket watch, studying it for a moment, before finishing, "Less than half an hour."

"H-half an hour? It takes nearly that long to get there!" Icarus stepped into his shoes quickly. "Leon! Why didn't you tell Madame Rosa...!"

"Know that Elie has the world's least amount of confidence? I thought she knew." Leon shrugged. Icarus rushed past him, making his way to the grand front hall in under a minute, nearly slipping on the freshly polished floors.

"Madame! I'm sorry, I wasn't told-"

"Where's Albert?" A girl stood in the middle of the hall, shoe tapping against the wooden floors.

"P-pardon?"

"Where is my younger brother, Albert? He's hard to miss, he's the only boy running around her with white hair!" She shouted up to him. Icarus descended the stairs much more carefully. "He's about yay tall, 8 years old, kind of hard to miss around here!"

"I-I'm sorry, Madame, I did not see him on my way here." Icarus stood a good distance away, at the base of the stairs. Albert was to be constantly watched over and protected; his life was important beyond the obvious connection he had to the leader of the family. "I'd assume he and-"

"No assumptions!" She raised a hand. "Find him!"

"Madame, we are supposed to be at the Gentile house in-"

"Albert is more important!" Icarus sighed. After the boy had brushed death in the last raid...it only made sense that the girl would be so worried. He knew the Gentile leader wouldn't be so furious, but it was not good for the girl to have her reputation already tarnished in this way. But he followed her instruction, knowing that the girl would seriously, nearly kill someone if her requests were not filled. Rosa was a short-tempered girl, nearly always angry, but her temper seemed to had leveled out when her father had died. Icarus threw open the door to the kitchen, peering around at the startled kitchen staff.

"I'm so sorry for the intrusion." Icarus smiled before closing the door, leaving them bewildered. He tried the same with the study, nearly causing Elie to topple off her ladder while she dusted books, and the boy's room, only to come to an empty room, white walls and floors just cleaned, along with the white linens on the bed and furniture. Icarus's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the room; no matter how mush it had changed since that time...Icarus turned away and shut the door behind him, exhaling, lowering his head. He hated going there...

There was one more play Albert liked to play, and Icarus dreaded going there more, not for memories like the room, but...because of the sheer size. They were going to be late, so late...

Icarus peered around the large rose garden as he opened the door. Albert loved to sit among these flowers, but the problem was, he always sat in a different part, never repeating himself.

"Albert?" Icarus called. "Albert!" He saw no one, not even the gardener, Adon, who only left the garden for meals. "Adon? Are you here?" Icarus was starting to get frustrated; Who let an eight-year-old run rampant around a huge mansion like this one, anyways?

"Ica, Ica, over here!" the cry sent a wave of relief over Icarus, who followed the sound of the boy's voice. "Ica, I missed you." Albert smiled, his blue eyes wide as usual. "I didn't see you yesterday, or the day before that-"

"Because you twisted your ankle and were laying in your room." Adon finished softly next to him, pushing his bangs out of his eyes and rolling up his sleeves tighter. Albert blushed, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

"You should have visited." Albert went on, stretching out his legs.

"I'm so sorry, young master, but-"

"Call me Albert. That's my name, after all. Not 'young master'." Albert grinned up to Icarus.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Icarus bowed his head. "Albert, I had to aid your sister-who, speaking of which, is looking for you." Icarus held out a hand to the boy. He took it, and allowed Icarus to help him to his feet. He waved to Adon as he was pulled away.

"I'll be back!" He assured, and Adon raised a gloved hand to the boy, a small grin in place before returning to his work. Icarus lead the boy to the front hall where Rosa looked ready to explode, but she cooled off upon seeing her brother.

"Oh, Albert!" She pulled him close. "Big sister will be away today, be a good boy, alright? Stay clean!" She rambled on, only cut off when the boy managed to pull away.

"I will, big sister." he smiled, allowing his tutor to lead him away. "I know better!" he called before disappearing behind a door with the older man. Rosa sighed, pulling her hand through her blonde bangs.

"Madame..." Icarus started. "Madame, I understand that you've been raising him on your own, but...Madame, you're fourteen years old." Rosa peered over to him. "You should not worry so much about him."

"Even if you're my butler, Ica..." She started. "Even if you were only brought here to serve me, I appreciate that you look over him like you do." Rosa blushed a little.

"It's my duty." he bowed to the girl. "Now, if you please, Madame Gentile is waiting." Rosa nodded, giving the door one last look before following Icarus out, ready for anything.

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A/N: Cheesy chapter, bleh. Well, it was just to introduce the characters. I'm on a roll! I was waiting until January to post this, but I'm too excited!

Reviews loved greatly. Please, leave any comments or suggestions!