Disclaimer:

I do not own Pandora Hearts

For Jack did not steal the Queen's tarts

Read and review before you part

For they are treats to the author's heart

Author's note:

Well, hello! This is the evil author, Defying Reality, speaking! Today, I feel like killing Xerxes Break a.k.a Kevin Regnard. Read if you please, leave if you don't. Once you've finished reading, please do take some time and drop me a review! Well, that is unless you're going to scold me… please keep that to yourself, thank you!

Break has always known that once the second Tragedy of Sablier is prevented, it is the time to leave. So when the time came, he let himself be taken away. By then, there were people - more than the number required - who knew his true identity. Kevin Regnard, a murderer, an illegal contractor, one who will be given a death sentence.

But of course, there were many complications. What will happen if people found out that they had recruited an illegal contractor, and ever more so, a murderer, into Pandora? Chaos will ensue. Not that he was the only illegal contractor. Oz Vessalius is also one, but that fact is not known publicly. He also was not the only murderer around. When you think about it, Gilbert Nightray killed someone to obtain Raven, and then Vincent Nightray… It aggravated Break to just think about him. But, the main point is… most of the people within Pandora is not completely pure.

Still, they needed to do something him even if they did not know how. Not publicly, of course. That was why this case had been given to the Nightrays. By the hateful jurisdiction of fate, he had fallen into the hands of Vincent Nightray because Gilbert, whom he was well acquainted with, was told not to interfere. Not that it mattered since there was not much of him left anyways.

Break always knew that it would be the time to leave, but he had never thought that he would be separated from them before he dies. Yes, he was dying… And when he was taken away, it was not that he would give up without a fight, it was that he could no longer fight.

Now, he is being taken into the deep dark dungeon within the Nightray's castle with Vincent leading him in front. He is feeling lethargic, as always, but with no sugar to keep him going, it felt worse. He was starting to feel regretful over his strong reliance on sugar. Still, he kept his pretence on. It had become a habit, perhaps, to pretend that he was okay. The chains around his wrists and ankles are uncomfortable and heavy. He does not complain.

Vincent is a very talkative fellow. It hurts his ears just to hear his voice. He probably knows that, and hence the reason why he is constantly talking and irritating the hell out of him. Even now, he is crapping about how he is glad about being the one to carry out his sentence. He wants to, but Gilbert has insisted on letting him live, and since this is within the Nightrays who are used to doing undercover jobs, well, no one will know that he is still alive, but he will keep him alive for his brother's sake. Damn, that is a whole lot of crap. Can he keep quiet already?

"But first, we need to return Mad Hatter to Pandora."

Right, and how is he supposed to do that? A ritual, right… And after that, he would be as harmless as a normal human being. Break was not going to agree with that. It would be more like "as useless as a dead man" but he did not comment.

Mad Hatter is a strange chain. It had been locked within a chamber in Pandora. It is said to be a very difficult type of chain. It is very picky with its contractors, and even amongst its very few contractors, not many could control it. Break believed it to be all rumors, because there was no such thing. It behaved like a normal chain would have, didn't it? Or was he affected by the chain's eccentricity without realizing? No, it is probably just another normal chain. Actually, chains are not normal to begin with.

Either ways, it was really dark in here. With his eyes, he could barely see, and with this darkness, it made things even more difficult. Yet, somehow, it gets darker and darker… until he couldn't see a thing. And then, he bumped into something and almost fell…

When Gilbert told him that Xerxes Break could barely see, Vincent did not believe him. Xerxes Break, actually no, Kevin Regnard is a wonderful knight. He has shown his skills with his sword on the battlefield just days ago. Just days ago…

But standing there and watching him walk towards him… His face wearing a scowl as though in deep thought. He came a little too close, and in the next instant, he bumped into him. The very next instant, he fell.

If he had been thinking then, he would have just let him fall. It had caught him off guard, so he had naturally… instinctively… made a grab at him. He grabbed the fabric of his clothes. Break was strangely… not very heavy… so he held him there.

Out of curiosity, he moved the candle close to his eyes. Break did not blink, but jerked back when he could feel the candle's warmth near his face. There was an awkward moment of silence as they stood there like that. His face was illustrated with shock and Vincent believed his own to show the same.

"You can't see."

"… Ah."

It seems like he just noticed a while earlier. So he became completely blind just seconds ago. How strange… How queer… Of all people, in front of him… It was somehow… Unsettling…

He tightened his hold on the fabric in his hands and pulled Break forward with him, ignoring the man's calling of his name. Break was forced to move forward with bumbling steps.

Losing his sight means a couple of things… Firstly, it meant that…

'He doesn't have much time left…'

Gilbert had told him. He had told him, didn't he? But why does he feel so uneasy? He had seen people die before… many, many people… He had seen so many people who had been killed… but he had not seen someone passed away before… at least not yet.

He stopped, opened the cell door and dragged Break inside.

Right… He had never seen people die like that before… without being killed, without having some sort of serious illness, without being injured or having met some sort of accident. It had shaken him to realize that people could just die even so.

Gilbert knew that Break was going to die… but even so, Gilbert wanted Break to live on, as much as he can, instead of being sentenced to death. Vincent was given this responsibility, and now he was scared. He wondered how long Break was going to stay alive. If Break died, Gilbert would be sad and he did not want Gilbert to be sad. He was afraid his precious brother would be sad… but even then, when Gilbert told him about Break, he was already upset, because Gilbert knew that Break did not have much time left. It was all Break's fault that Gilbert was upset, not his! It was all his fault! All his fault!

And he… even if he wanted with all his heart… he could not prevent it…

Vincent did not answer him when he called his name. Break wondered what he was thinking. If he could see, he would at least be able to discern an annoying smirk on his face but this silence was awkward.

When Vincent finally spoke, he complained that it is a hassle because they would need to send such a huge cage – one that contained a dangerous chain, the Mad Hatter – back to the Pandora headquarters. The ideal situation would be to perform the ritual at the headquarters, but that would also mean that he might have to kill him there. People would question the need to bring him back to the Nightray mansion before killing him… for those who knew and wanted him dead that is. Also, if he died there, people at Pandora will know… and for unknown reasons, the fact that he is Kevin Regnard will most probably spread about rather quickly… While, if he was killed at the Nightray mansion, even if someone spread the rumors about Break being Kevin Regnard, it will be less likely to be taken seriously, since after all, Pandora should not be hiring murderers and illegal contractors. Moreover, they could always lie and say that Break died of a natural death instead of telling them he was a death convict and all that. No one saw him being killed or have seen his dead body, after all…

Break wondered how long the ritual lasted because he really did not know. He had fallen asleep half way through Vincent's raptures.

For Break to have fallen asleep like that, he must have been really tired, even though he did not seem so on the journey to the Nightray mansion. Perhaps it was all an act… an act that he puts on in front of everyone. An act that tells everyone that it is all right and he will be fine even though the truth is the exact opposite.

Vincent believed that it was not because Break no longer feels the need to put on such an act in front of him… It was more likely that he could no longer do it.

It was worrying… It was… disturbing…

After the ritual, Vincent laid him down on the bed, which he might add that it did not look comfortable at all. But Break did not stir. It startled him so he checked for breathing and a pulse. After getting the signal that he was still alive, Vincent heaved a sigh of relief.

Break was… very light. Vincent wonders what he eats.

Vincent pulled the covers over him. Getting a cold would only speed up his death. But when he stepped out of the cell, his mind starts to wonder. Wait! Won't putting Break in a cell like that speed up his death too?

"Ah! What should I do? What should I do!? What should I do!!?"

He paced around outside Break's cell until he came to a conclusion. He then barged into Break's cell, lifted him and stormed out of the cell. The noise had awaken Break, who realized moments after that he was being carried somewhere… but the moment he realized he was actually being carried by someone, he started to struggle.

"Quit struggling!" Vincent yelled in frustration.

"… A-ah…"

Hearing Vincent's voice startled him and he stopped struggling.

Break couldn't but help wonder why Vincent was holding him like that… like he was some fragile piece of porcelain.

"Damn it!"

"Huh? What?"

"Why must you look like a fragile piece of porcelain!?"

"Oh…"

So that's why… Really? Well, he had really very pale skin by birth and he wasn't actually very meaty… so maybe? But it was strange that Vincent was being so frustrated… so agitated… It reminded him so clearly of Gilbert. How strange… He did not think of Vincent as a caring type before. It all looked like a façade to him and probably was one that he put up in front of others. So strange…

It was suddenly very quiet. Awkwardly quiet.

Break let himself focus on the strange and rather scary sensation of being carried upstairs. They are probably leaving the dungeon. Break wondered why but did not ask. The chains on his wrists and ankles tinkled in the silence before Vincent spoke again.

"Does it hurt anywhere…?"

The question had taken him aback. Break was so surprised that he did not speak at all.

"What does it feel like to die?"

"Oh, I see…"

"Huh?" Vincent stopped in his steps. "What do you see?"

Break chuckled softly, unable to hold in the laughter. He could feel Vincent scowling at him.

"I don't know."

If he could see, he might witness Vincent arching an eyebrow at him.

"I don't know what it is like to die. I'm not dead yet."

"…"

"…"

"I see."

And then, Vincent continued to climb.

"Will it be painful?"

Break sighed.

"Probably…"

"Is it scary?"

"Most likely…"

Vincent remained silent after that.

Being carried around like that… was embarrassing… but it was also… well, it felt quite nice…

And then he drifted off to sleep…

He's not dead yet. He's not dead yet! He's not dead yet! He's NOT dead yet!

I was thinking of reviving him, but then, leaving him dead might be a better idea! If I did, he would have been revived two times over...

I am not dead yet either, so I don't know the details as to how one dies… so I'm making this up! Whatever.