I. Could. Not. Freakin'. Wait.

Well, THIS is what happens when I let my guilty pleasure run free and watch too much 'House' (tv show. I miss it so!). Um, I wanted to wait till after I finished 'Runaway', but I really couldn't. I still haven't got the whole plot figured yet, but I'm getting there. I've just got a whole new mess of ideas for this one.

So, this chapter is centering on Leo Baskerville. Introduces the story (sort of) and will set his stage for the events to follow. With the next chapter, the other two main characters will be introduced; Elliot and Oz. As it is, the story focuses on Leo, Elliot, Oz, and Alice. This will also be a modern-day AU and I think the main pairings here will be ElliotxLeo and OzxAlice.

Enough of my rambling, enjoy the story. And please review if you want. And one last thing, I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way.

~Asylum's Light: Prologue~

Leo rubbed his sleepy eyes after drying his hair, leaning on the sink to gaze at his reflection in the foggy mirror. He knew the mist would clear slowly before he was able to glance at himself in the mirror, but that was okay. The air around him was saturated with humidity, and that wasn't making things any better for his exhausted body. Upon letting out a sigh, slightly strained, Leo walked out of the bathroom and towards his bed.

'Why?' He thought silently, even though there was no one else in the room. 'Why me?'

The noirette wrapped his arms around himself and shivered slightly. It wasn't that bad in the room, but all he had on was a pair of sweatpants- which had the school's logo printed on the left side- and a tanktop, his usual sleepwear. Flopping down onto the bed, his long, dark hair spreading out like a fan, he ran a hand up his forehead and through the messy locks of hair. Deep violet eyes, almost black, stared wearily up at the ceiling.

By this point, Leo was sure he had a fever. Originally, he had thought taking a shower might have been able to clear his head, but it didn't really help much. He wasn't sure when this had started, but it had begun as a progressive sense of tiredness. As it had grown more evident today, Leo became aware that something was wrong.

He assumed it was fatigue. Of course. Leo attended school and was a particularly bright student. But the thing about that was he would study for hours on end, which left him very little sleep, and he would hardly eat at all. As much of a scholar Leo was, one who loved to read and was a virtuoso with the piano (self-taught at that), he was on a low budget. The noirette could barely afford this room anyway, no thanks to his part time job fixing clocks. As much as he would love spending time in a library, fixing clocks wasn't too bad. At least it paid.

Speaking of which, looking around his room, Leo chuckled slightly at all the books around him. His small room was packed with books, shelves on the walls and stacks of books on the floor. However, Leo didn't even feel like reading at the moment.

He had to face it, he felt absolutely terrible.

Leo crawled under the covers of his bed and looked over at his phone sitting on the nightstand. "I guess I need to call her."

It took a moment for his hand to find it- as he was blindly searching- but once he did, he picked up the phone and put it into his line of sight. Having turned the phone on now, the noirette dialed up a number, waiting for the person on the other end for it to pick up.

There was nothing but silence for a moment, but then someone picked up, a female's voice ringing through.

"Mph...what? Who is it?" Her tired voice asked in irritancy.

"Hey, Alice. It's me." Leo replied weakly.

"Leo? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

He nodded. "Of course I do."

That girl, was his cousin, Alice Baskerville, one of the only few Baskervilles by blood. The others in his family were adopted, like himself.

Alice had a mother, her name was Lacie Baskerville. Leo never knew much of this 'Lacie', but he knew that his caretaker was also Lacie's brother and Alice's uncle, Oswald Baskerville. Leo wondered about Lacie sometimes, but she was long gone by the time the noirette had arrived.

See, when Lacie became pregnant with Alice, her real father left. When Alice was very young, a couple of years after she was born, her mother died in an accident, although the true details are unknown and they've become warped. Alice was left in Oswald's care afterwards, and Alice never really heard the truth till she turned 12,three months before Leo's birthday. Alice was told that her mother was taken advantage of by her unknown father and she was what was called a 'Child of Misfortune'. Leo had gotten such information from Alice herself, and a bit from Oswald.

Alice also had a twin sister of the same name, only spelled different. She could be called an albino, but she lacked the red eyes; She had the purple eyes of her twin, her uncle, and also the father that left her. She was the complete opposite of the other girl. This twin also had a cat called Cheshire, one that was drastically changed. The cat had been the first to adapt and fuse as it altered. As it stood, Cheshire was part human and part cat. It was a total mystery.

The other members of the family were adopted.

Charlotte, a bubbly girl with pink hair. She had a fondness for dagger-like weaponry. People often called her Lottie.

Doug and Fang, young men with tattoos on their faces.

Lily, the youngest. There was a tattoo on her face as well, despite her young age.

And Echo. She was a quiet monotone girl, but also had a split personality. This alternate could often be addressed as 'Noise' or more commonly 'Zwei'. Like the twins, that girl was a complete opposite of Echo.

That pretty much covered it for the family, and they all lived together. The exception was that Leo was attending a private boarding school, so he didn't see them that often, but Alice (the brunette) was scheduled to start at the school tomorrow. Leo agreed to show her around.

Case in point, that's why he was calling.

"Hey, you still coming tomorrow?" He asked her.

"Of course. You're gonna meet up with me in the morning, right?

"Yeah, but um..." Leo paused for a moment. "I don't think I'll be able to. I might not go to my classes at all."

"What? Why the hell not!" Alice raged.

"I think I'm coming down with something." He answered.

"Oh." Her voice calmed down immediately. "Well, are you okay?"

"I guess so, for the moment anyway. I'm just feeling under the weather. I mean, I was having hot flashes yesterday, and now today I feel so weak."

Alice fell silent for a moment. "Leo...that hasn't happened since...since..." She never finished.

"I know, but, Alice, that was a long time ago. I'm sure it's just a cold. The fever is probably what's causing those hot flashes, or that part could just be in my head."

"You want me to stop by tomorrow? Bring you something maybe?"

Leo pondered this thought for a moment, pulling the blanket closer. "Some cold medicine would do nicely."

He heard her make a small noise on the other end that indicated 'yes'. "Okay. I'll tell Oswald and I'll see you tomorrow morning. Get better."

"Will do. Thanks." He hung up after that and placed his phone back on the nightstand.

Leo then shut off the light and closed his eyes. He turned on his side once, before rolling onto his back. He put one hand on his stomach as an uncomfortable feeling of nausea began churning within him. Sleep would clearly not come to him easy, and it was then that he knew that this was going to be a rough night.

It was close to 1:00 AM when he woke up, feeling dizzy.

Leo sat up in bed, pushing the sheets aside before he stood. He slowly walked across the room towards the bathroom. He stayed in there for a few minutes, and he threw up everything he had eaten before he went to bed, which had been hardly anything.

After he managed to stop puking, the noirette went back to bed and literally collapsed onto it. He lazily crawled under the covers and cocooned himself up in the sheets. He then let out a low moan and rubbed his stomach, still feeling ill.

Leo somehow went back to an uncomfortable sleep.

At 1:20 AM, he woke up.

He couldn't fall back asleep.

At 2:30 AM he got up, went to the bathroom, and threw up again.

He still couldn't sleep. He was in too much discomfort.

At 2:50 AM, he fainted.

And when he passed out in bed, his body felt chillingly warm for some reason.

The noirette was aware of someone talking to him when he woke.

"...ou alrigh...Leo?"

A female voice called out to him. "H-huh?"

Through his blurry vision, he was able to focus on an ebony haired girl with purple eyes. She was dressed in the school's uniform and looking at Leo with concern laced into her eyes.

"Leo, can you hear me?" He knew this voice.

"A-ali...ce...?" He croaked.

"Finally, you woke up!" She huffed, switching back to her usual attitude. "Damn, you really don't look well. How 'bout I bite your cheek to make you feel better?"

"Ah, no, Alice. I don't need that."

"Well, I brought that medicine like you asked."

He shook his head weakly. "You shouldn't be near me. I'm really unwell."

She thought about this, glancing at the cold medicine she had brought and back to her cousin. "Yeah, you're gonna need more than just that. You need a doctor or something?"

"I-I don't know." He mumbled, feverently, as he tried to sit upright. "I'm not sure if...urp..."

He felt bile rise in the back of his throat again, but he fought it down. And apparently that was enough for Alice to decide. "I think you do. You look like a wreak."

Leo wanted to protest, but the second he tried doing so, he felt a sharp pang in his stomach and lay back down, groaning against his pain and overwhelming nausea. Alice looked around and then patted Leo's shoulder. She could feel the bones in his shoulder, and- now putting a hand to his forehead- she felt that his skin was unbelievably clammy, yet he was burning up.

"Hang in there, Leo." She whispered, unaware that he was barely hanging onto consciousness. Alice then whipped out her phone and dialed the number of her twin sister, Alyss.

"Oh, Alice~" She cooed. "So nice of you to call."

"Whatever. I need you to get over here, and quick." She said to her twin.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm at school, but I think we might need to take Leo to the hospital."

"Huh? Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

She shook her head. "No, he's not injured. But he's really sick. He's in some pretty bad shape. Oswald is already at work probably, so can you get over here?"

"Of course. I'll grab the car keys and be on my way." There was a click on the other end and Alice mentally sighed in relief. Alyss had a car, and Lottie, Doug, and Fang probably went off to work as well, so this was at least some good news.

Alice looked down at Leo again after putting her phone away. She watched silently as he whimpered and moaned in pain. She didn't like seeing her cousin this way. It was like...that time four years ago.

That's what her assumption was, and that's what she feared. Which is why Alice already knew where to take Leo, because she knew only one place where one doctor- an argumentative friend of her's- would be working at this hour of the morning.

Gilbert Nightray, a well respected doctor, had only arrived at the Pandora Hospital a half hour ago. He was currently in his office, quietly drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. He could already hear the sounds of everyday work outside. At this hour, now being in the daylight, things would start to pick up again and everyone would be busy with something sooner or later.

Gilbert- or Gil, as he was sometimes called- turned a page in the newspaper and started reading the sports section, seeing a familiar emerald eyed face in one of the photos, when the door suddenly opened. Whoever this was hadn't even bothered to knock.

'This better not be who I think it is.' He thought bitterly. But, of course, when he looked up from the paper...

"Yo! Raven!" A girl he knew as Alice Baskerville stood before him. Again, she had used another nickname of his. At least she hadn't referred to him as 'Seaweed-Head'.

"What do you want, you stupid rabbit?" He growled. Now these two, they happened to get into fights with one another. One time when he was drunk, he got into a particularly heated fight with the girl.

"I didn't come to chat, so listen well." She proclaimed, both hands on her hips. It was then that Gilbert noticed she was wearing a school uniform, yet she wore her long signature jacket.

"Hey, shouldn't you be at school or something?"

"That can wait. I have a much bigger problem on my hands and I need you to help with said problem."

"Then why did you come t-"

A sudden groan from behind them cut off whatever Gilbert had to say. Alice turned around and caught sight of Alyss. The ebony haired girl rushed over to the messy haired boy who leaned against her twin. She whispered something to the boy and patted his shoulder. She could feel him trembling and his skin felt warm. Alice could not take his other arm to sling around her shoulder, for the boy had it wrapped around his abdomen.

Gilbert just stared at the boy they led inside, dressed in nothing but sweatpants and a tanktop, yet also wearing glasses. He knew who it was. Who he was looking at was a boy he hadn't seen in nearly four years.

"Leo-kun?" He asked, stunned for a moment.

The twins gently sat Leo down in a chair, not bothering to look up at the mention of his name. The noirette was breathing slowly, but sounded raspy. "C-cold..." He muttered.

Alice frowned and took off her long, red and white jacket. She now stood with nothing more than her uniform. "Take it."

She shoved it at Alyss, who then sighed and turned to the noirette. "Here, sweetie." She then put Alice's jacket around Leo, who glanced at her with weary eyes.

Alice then turned to Gilbert. "This is our problem. He's sick."

The raven haired man observed Leo's face before answering. "Are you sure it's not just one of those 24-hour bugs?"

"Raven!" She slammed both hands down on his desk. "I saw him this morning and he looked like crap. And he told me on the phone that he was having hot flashes yesterday, which I'm pretty sure is not just his imagination." She paused and though carefully about what she was about to say next. "If I came just for you, I think the reason is clear."

In that last sentence, Gilbert understood what she meant, yet... "You don't know that."

Alice didn't answer, only narrowed her eyes. She was about to protest when she heard Leo groan again. She sighed and went over to him, noting that he had one hand resting on his stomach. Alyss then put a hand on his forehead and frowned as she pulled her hand away.

"He's burning up." She said to Alice.

"Ya' think?" She sarcastically said back.

Leo, meanwhile, could barely hear a word anyone was saying. He was aware, however, that there was a jacket around him. The noirette shifted in the chair and snuggled into the jacket, trying to absorb its warmth. From what he could tell, observing the style, it looked like something Alice would wear. He made a mental note to himself then to try not to puke all over this lovely jacket. Although, he wasn't feeling as sick as before, yet his body was chilled, almost like last night when he passed out ten minutes before 3:00 AM.

However, now the noirette had started to feel extremely light-headed.

Shivering, his head lolled to one side. "Mph..."

Alice was watching him carefully, watching as he pulled the jacket closer to him. "Leo?"

He cracked one eye open and looked up at Alice. "I..." His eyebrows knitted together as if he had just remembered something. "I need to get to class."

His cousin's face contorted into a confused and appalled expression. Gripping the arms of the chair, Leo moved and stood upright on shaky legs. He heard Alice say something, but his foggy mind couldn't really comprehend it.

"What are you talking about?" Alice yelled as she grabbed one of Leo's arms.

"L-let go..." He muttered feverently, pulling his arm away. "I...need..."

The noirette never made it more than five steps on his unsteady feet. His knees buckled and he sank down to the floor. Alice and Alyss were at his side in no time to help their friend. Gilbert just stood by and watched them, Leo especially. He had known before what Alice had said, but he didn't think that sort of thing could happen again. Such a thing, in his career as a doctor, he hadn't seen happen twice to the same person. But, perhaps...this time was different.

After a moment, Leo's shoulders fell slack and after he blinked a few times, his gaze shifting up to meet Alice's. Nobody said a word, but then the noirette's lips parted and- even though no one could see his true expression he was slightly confused.

"Alice?" He looked to the girl next to him "Alyss?" It was then he heard a footstep and Leo looked up to see a familiar man; tall, golden eyes, wavy black hair. "G-Gilbert?"

Although Alyss didn't fully understand what her sister feared, Alice's suspicions were about to be confirmed. "What is it?"

He nervously looked around the room, not recognizing it. "What...happened? Where am I?"

"Leo," Alyss, who had not spoken for the longest time, spoke to the noirette softly and carefully. "we brought you here. Do you remember anything from before?"

He thought about this carefully, trying to stir those memories. "I remember Alice talking to me when I woke." He winced, trying not to show any signs of discomfort, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was not well. "My head started spinning, and...there was such a sudden...I felt so sick." He paused. "I don't really recall anything else, except a jacket being put around me and muttering something in this place."

Alyss nodded. "Alice called me. She said you were ill. We lay you in the back of the car and kept saying that you felt cold. Just now you were saying how you needed to get to a class."

"But I'm not at school, am I."

Deadpan. "Yeah..."

Alice rose from her position beside Leo and locked eyes with Gilbert. He couldn't believe it was happening again but, then again, it might not be. The only evidence pointing to it was the fact the noirette had forgotten coming here.

"Now do you believe me?" Alice asked in an irritated tone.

Leo stared out into the night sky, gazing at each twinkling star.

'Sure wish I was still in my room.' He thought, but sadly, he couldn't enjoy that familiar comfort right now. All he had was the white sheets and white pillow to cradle him. He jangled the new bracelet cuffed around his right wrist, only reminding him more of his current situation.

Alice had been dead on in the phone conversation they shared before this mess. He should of seen the foreshadowing. Now, laying back down, Leo couldn't comprehend just yet that what had happened four years ago was happening again. Originally, the noirette had thought that was just a faded memory of the past, but now it had come back to haunt him. Just thinking about it made him sick to his stomach.

Leo sighed and let his eyes close. The tests had confirmed what was ailing him.

'A relapse'

Starting to drift off to sleep now- a dreamless and fitful slumber awaiting him-, one name echoed in his mind, one he had long since forgotten.

The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome.