Hidden in Their Hearts

PANDORA HEARTS

By: Chi~

Disclaimer: I don't own. Ah-duurrrrr.

A/N: Anyone read "A Game of Charades" yet? I'm sure, if you find Jack x Alice pretty cute. Anyways, this is something that popped into my head as I was rereading it for the fourth time ever.

I hope you like it.

It's based pre-tragedy, like TrickFrog's. And, yes, I'm using the theme she did – only a "little" differently. And as she had pointed out in her header – I believe Alice was a crap-load more mature than her sister. Besides, it's not like she looks like a thirteen-year-old in the first place (I would've killed to have that kind of figure when I was her age. Seventeen now but…dayum. XD).

Oh, and what I mean by the theme – I mean by the extravagant color spread of chapter 36.

Heh. Heh.

Read in 1/2 , nyah~!

Hidden in Their Hearts

At the mention of the Memoirs of Jack Vessalius, a slight flutter ran through her chest. And of course, she thought nothing of it. It was always the same whenever she would hear of his name or thought of him as she recounted the few memories she had acquired – between him and mostly of her sister and the some of her. It was all merely simple, how her heart acted at anything to deal with her most precious friend so, so many years ago. If anything, it was similar to the affection she secretly felt for Oz.

Usually.

However, still. Even though she mostly felt apathy toward those nerve-rising, body-tingling flutters, she still couldn't help but just wonder if there was something more to it – more to the pictures she had acquired to her heart…and more to what Rufus Barma had talked about in the passages Jack had written concerning her and her sister.

Perhaps there was way more to the significance of Jack to her than she could ever imagine. And if so, then, she decided that she would wait for them to return. And eagerly, at that.

Usually, she was well trained in the area of deceiving those around her. However, of course, a certain annoyance had to notice her seemingly effortless trickery. One with hair of white, a red eye, and quite the obnoxious obsession with sweets.

Although it annoyed her greatly, she decided: no, I'm truly not surprised.

Through the calmest of night, when a simple cloud was innocently crawling out of view of the moon, a scream of utter frustration was still heard in the distance.

"What…" she heavily exhaled, glaring as hard as she could, wishing looks could actually kill someone dead. "What do you want?"

Of course, usually, she would be this irritated if someone were to stare at her so intently with a disgustingly cocky smirk on their face for the past hour or two. But this time, she was even more irritated that someone would do such a thing to her when they were the only two in the room. It wouldn't be much of a difference if any of the others had been there, but apparently, it was different.

Something's different and this idiot made it so we were alone, she thought, curling her fists at her sides. She was not, by any means, stupid. Perhaps a bit hasty and thoughtless at times, but no – not stupid. She knew this man had a word or two to say to her – and she didn't know if she wanted to hear or discuss anything with him in private. Then again, she didn't particularly care either – she just wanted him to say whatever it was and get it over with.

But, of course, knowing the "lovable" companion who went by the name Break, he just had to wallow in her annoyed face and laugh until there were tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. It was such entertainment for the ridiculously tsundere and eerily twisted (at times) albino. Although it heightened her irritation and just about made her want to pounce on him right then and there to fly her fists to that stupid laughing face of his, she kept her ground and kept her distance. It took plenty of patience to wait for the ass to stop laughing his head off, but she did it anyway.

After all, he hadn't just secluded them in a private area for no apparent reason. If anything, it was immensely important. Unfortunately, he had to have his way but then again, it wasn't like she didn't know the man. She decided not to waste any energy.

"Oh, child, you make the most funniest faces," he chuckled out finally, after moment of her life wasted on watching him foolishly drown in laughter. "I simply wish I had something to capture it – but it shall always be locked away in my memory~."

"Break, just get to point, would you," she snarled out through clenched teeth, eyes sharp and narrowed. "I've already watched you laugh until you're holding your stomach so spare me less time to waste and just get the hell on with it!"

"Oh~? You really want to know why I've gotten us to be alone together?"

"Damn right, I do. And I'd like to not wait any longer, if you'd be so kind," she bitterly said, crossing her arms over her chest.

He simply smiled and stared at her, again, for the next few moments – all before he lightly let out a sigh and lazily seated himself into the closest chair. Before she could even utter another annoyed complaint or command, his face was set in all seriousness and his eye pierced through her.

She felt her heart jump in her chest, a little taken aback. This was what she wanted, but what could it possibly be…

"…" he looked off then, leaning to the side and resting his chin in his hand propped up by his arm against the arm of the chair. "…Rufus Barma."

The red-headed man came to her mind and her face contorted into a slight look of recognition, along with a bit of confusion. "…What about him…?"

Break looked bored, then, and said flatly, "Surely you remember what he said after I spoke of my encounter with the Will of Abyss."

Her brows furrowed. "…I do…" she trailed, remembering quite vividly. "…What of it?"

He heavily sighed and looked up to her again, brow furrowed in annoyance. "The Memoirs of your precious Jack-kun," he said. Then he rolled his eye and added, "Don't think I am blind. Hell, even my lack of depth-perception couldn't not catch what's been running through your mind for the past few weeks."

This time, her eyes trailed away and she even started to turn away with a slight flush rising on her cheeks. But then again, she wasn't surprised at all.

"Well, what of it," she asked, almost grumbling as if she had been blackmailed. "What do you have to say to me?"

"Well, recently, I've been told that there were pages torn out of the book," Break said, sounding a bit accomplished at the fact he had made her flustered, whether she was truly surprised or not. But of course, then wasn't the time to be entertained by it. "And I've noticed, more and more every day, your mind wanders."

She stayed quiet, staring at the unique and beautiful patterns of the run under her feet.

He continued, "And where it wanders to is merely a place of more unanswered questions – such as the true significance of Jack Vessalius. Because for some reason – you just feel that there was more than such a precious friendship between you two."

"And so you tell me pages of his memoirs were torn out," she said and slowly rose her head. Her eyes strongly looked back into his. "What am I to make of it? That he supposedly wrote them and tore them out on purpose for no one to ever find? Pages about me or dealing with me?"

They stared at each other for what seemed like eternity, and her legs began to feel weaker and weaker. If anything, the fact that there were things that even Jack hid from curious eyes – things that most likely dealt with her – made her heart do back flips and her palms slowly become clammy underneath her gloves.

Before another second struck, after mere five minutes ('FIVE MINUTES?'), Break to it upon himself to give her some sort of response. A mere shrug.

She had to make herself sit down.

"Perhaps," Break said, slightly grinning at that. "It's something to think about…and to find out – all by yourself."

"Break…" her mouth hung open after that. She couldn't find anything to say. Even as he softly chuckled in response and rose to his feet.

"Out of all the unanswered questions you have, Alice, I assure you," he started, stepping toward the door and grasping the doorknob. He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Those about him will be the easiest to find answers to."

And with that, he left, and all she could do was stare at the door, shocked and yet…

Relieved.

She wasn't surprised at how Break worked. For the next day, when she awoke, a new case was thrown down in front of her and Oz as they ate. And she knew – this case was the key to her questions about her…and Jack Vessarius. But she acted the same and merely told Oz, when they arrived in the city, that she sensed an exceptionably large amount of memories somewhere, which truly wasn't a lie. Either way, if anything, she kept her mouth shut about the fact that that large amount of memories were that of the man he was the reincarnation of.

After all, she didn't know what to expect from the memories she would be getting back about Jack. No use in letting Oz know, him or his servant Gilbert. If anything, thought she didn't mean to be harsh, it really wasn't any of their business. Not when it came between her and Jack.

Luckily, she didn't have to feel secretive (and anxious) for long. It only took night fall for them to find the unfortunate man with the illegal Chain. Not only had the man been ridiculously stupid with covering his tracks with his murders of young women, but there was a heavy trail of energy that she could smell that led them right to him.

"No wonder why Break said he would see us later tonight," Oz inquired as they rushed after the man, but taking their time since the unfortunate soul got himself cornered in no time.

"Right," Gil said in response, looking bored as he checked the amount of ammo in his gun.

Alice could only stay quiet as they closed in on the man and watched as he scrambled, looking around for an exit that didn't exist. She wasn't fooled. All though the man was a complete dunce, his Chain would probably overwhelming. There was so much energy just pouring off of him – energy that both somewhat frightened her, but calmed her, and made her feel…sensually warm all over.

And sure enough, when the man was so frightened that he began to yell and start to develop tears in his eyes, his Chain made itself known and was in the form of giant dark, dark green lion with black flaming paws and collar. And the eyes – a shimmering, piercing emerald green.

She knew those eyes.

She wouldn't hold back. This was what she was looking for and the sooner she got it back in her grasp, the better she would feel instead of wondering about the secrets of her and Jack. The secrets he wrote about them, and in which he tore and hid in a place only he would forever know the whereabouts of. And she wasn't blind to the fact that the only reason Jack would keep such secrets private only meant one thing.

They had been in love. And, God, she wanted to see just how…and how much.

Part two will be out in a few days after people review and fav or whatever. I'd like to have a lot of reviews before the second part's out only because the rating will go up.

And so, until then. I hope you all like it so far.

(NOTE: You see, I'll be honest right now, I'm not a big fan of this anime/manga. There are things I don't know, and don't care to know. If anything is incorrect or whatever, please keep in mind that I didn't mean to and that I just don't care if it's not in some sort of order. I'm not even with the manga. I've only watched the anime. Thank you. And why would I write a fanfic for it though? Well, for the pairing, silly. I think they would be quite cute together, which is what we all have in common, ne? ;D)