Smart Angel and TotalAlias' first collab fic! *cheers* We hope you love it(:

We do not own Pandora Hearts. If we did, we would be watching Oz and Gil make out right now instead of writing fanfics like this one.

Your sin... Is your very being!

Finally his legs gave out and Oz fell to the ground. He gasped for air as he frantically turned around, trying to see if something was coming. None of those creatures… Good, he had lost them. He had only been in this place for a few days and he already couldn't stand it.

Oz bit his bottom lip and struggled to stand up. Damn… His legs were throbbing. But he couldn't just stop there. Just a few moments ago he had been attacked, and although it wasn't close now, that did not mean it wouldn't show up at any minute. Plus, he would have been fairly easy to track. Oz had only been running in a straight line… Or that's what it seemed like anyway. With so much darkness surrounding him, it was surprising that he could see anything at all. His vision extended in approximately a 10 foot radius, but his sense of direction was completely screwed.

"A place to hide." he said to himself, "That's what I need right now." Looking to his right, he decided to run in the opposite direction, hoping it would take him back to where he had just come.

The Abyss… That was where that man said he would be taken, so that must be where he was currently. But this hellhole looked nothing like the place Uncle Oscar had described to him. Then again, who had ever been there and back to give an accurate description?

Before his consciousness had deserted him, he had seen a place so full of light that it made him want to cry; its memory even more tear-inducing now that he realized he may never see light again. Everything was murky and damp, the water soaked through his shoes and the darkness soaked through his soul. These things here were terrible, like a living hell, but they were nothing compared to this all-encompassing blackness. It was suffocating, destroying all hope. And there was no one to help him restore it.

Normally, Gil would be this someone, with his cheery face. He'd smile and show him that there was, in fact, a bright side, even if he was it. But not this time. That light was dead. Who would save him from the darkness? Who could? Aside from these horrid monsters, Oz was alone. The feeling was so great that he was driven to seek refuge inside his mind. Unfortunately, the retreat was not to pleasant places. The darkness of the Abyss forced Oz revisit his worst memories and relive his saddest moments, haunted by horrifying thoughts.

He had only landed here because Gil...but that couldn't be. What did that even mean? What was Gil doing with those people dressed in blood? What had they done to him? Whatever they did, Oz inflicted a wound of a far greater caliber. To his best friend, his most important person.

But Gil couldn't have died from just that. Gil was strong beneath his teary exterior, Oz knew it. And besides, if Gil was dead then that would put a damn short timeline on forever. Gil had promised to protect him. He said the two would be together always, no matter what. Oz wasn't sure exactly what that entailed, but he had to believe that. There was nothing else to believe in here.

Deep in the shadows, it lurked. It slunk through the darkness, twisting its head this way and that in its search. "Where? Where?"

It hopped onto a floating wardrobe and clung to its back. Peeking out from behind, it scanned the area. Nothing. No one. It did not enjoy this game of hide-and-seek. Patience was running thin, but nothing could be done. Food was food and food was necessary. When no meal could suffice, a greater one was sought out.

No luck. It lowered itself from the wardrobe into the thick liquid covering the ground for better concealment and continued its hunt. "I will find you soon enough."

Aim. Shoot. Bull's-eye. Aim. Shoot. Bull's-eye. Aim. Shoo…

"Raven~!"

Miss.

Raven wasn't exactly in the mood for visitors. He spun around quickly, aiming his gun at the head of the person who dared to call his name in such an irritating sing-song voice. He had a clear shot to the head. Oh, how much he wished he could pull the trigger right now and end that idiot.

But as much as it would cause him so much pleasure to shoot the man in front of him, he knew he couldn't, for that man was Xerxes Break, and he held the key to what Raven desired the most. Ten years ago Break approached him with a proposition: He would spy on the Nightrays and train with them, and in exchange, Break would help him get his precious Master back.

Oz… It had been ten long years of hard work and patient waiting since his beloved friend was tossed into the Abyss. Ten years since he last saw those beautiful green eyes and heard that amazing laugh. It hurt so much. He never thought the absence of his master would cause him so much pain. But what made it worse was the knowledge that Oz was in the Abyss, in that horrible place, because of him! If only he had been strong enough, if he had saved him, Oz would be by his side right now, probably teasing him. Raven never thought he would miss the teasing so much.

And no, Break's teasing was not the same.

"Wow~! A little angry, aren't we?" The white haired man said with that sickening smile still on his face "Why don't we lower the gun, Raven? We are all friends here after all!"

"Are we?" he said, his tone severe. He didn't have time for this today. "What do you want?"

"You are so mean!" Break said "Isn't he mean, Emily?" he asked the doll.

Emily nodded in reply. Maybe one little shot to the shoulder wouldn't hurt. It would do him good.

"Get to the point already," he growled. "What do you want?"

"So rude! Can't I just come to visit? Raven does bake the most faaaaaaaaaabulous~ sweets after all!"

"If that is all you wanted, leave right now!"

"My, ten years certainly have taken their toll on you, little Raven." Break then turned around, his hands in the air. "Fine then! I'll just tell milady to cancel all the preparations… She will be so disappointed, right Emily? To think Raven went back on our plan! Soooooo sad~!"

"Preparations?" his heart stopped. Could it… Could it be? "What preparations?"

"What do you mean 'what preparations'? Have you forgotten already?" the man looked over his shoulder, a smile on his face "Everything is ready to save Oz-kun from the Abyss! We can do it as early as tomorrow!"

That second lasted an eternity. Save Oz? Tomorrow? It was too much for him to take in just a few seconds. After ten years they were finally ready? After ten damn long years, Raven could finally see his precious Master again? Was it… Was it for real?

"Save… Oz?"

"That's right~!" the doll said "We can go as soon as Raven wants~!"

In less than one second Raven was already walking towards the carriage. Finally… Finally…!

Eventually, Oz's aching feet and grumbling stomach persuaded him to stop and rest. He wished there was some food around but he didn't have to willpower to search for any. His head was spinning a bit from fatigue and he was very tired. If he was attacked while in this state he would be eaten for sure. So Oz decided that his best bet was to sit here for a while next to this wall-fragment. As soon as he had regained some energy he would go find something to eat. But he'd only rest for a moment...

He hadn't eaten since the ceremony, however long ago that was. Time was impossible to discern in this place. If enough time had passed, maybe Gil was in recovery by now. Or maybe Oz had only been in the Abyss for five minutes and Gil was still unconscious. He hoped his friend was okay.

"Gil..." exhaustion willed his eyes closed. Despite his predicament, he slept peacefully. Until he felt something slimy drip onto his hair and awoke. Oz looked up slowly, his eyes full of dread.

But he saw nothing there. "I hate this place."

That was creepy. Oz considered running for his life again, but then he analyzed the situation. He was in a flooded psycho playroom. If nasty shit was going to be dripping down from who-knows-where and there was nothing he could about it, then that was just it. No use getting all upset, just accept the situation. So he scooted to the side and leaned back against the wall again. But he did take a quick look around first, just to be safe.

This time, coupled with the liquid, there came a deep, gurgled laugh. Oz raised his eyes again towards what was perhaps the tallest thing he'd ever seen peering down at him over the top of the wall. The eyes were sunken in resembling giant lumps of charcoal; no soul could possibly dwell behind them. Its head was large, round, and pale with many stitches. What was particularly gruesome was that the stitches that sealed its mouth suddenly popped open to let out the words, "At last! I've found you!"

Oz screamed in terror but was ultimately defenseless as the monster jumped over the wall towards him. "This kid looks delicious!" it boomed as Oz was crushed beneath its massive hands.

With no small amount of effort, Oz managed to lift one hand off of him before the creature decided to take a bite. But he wasn't strong enough to lift the other hand without letting the first one fall. And it was so heavy, he could feel his arms giving out as the hand sunk back towards the water.

Damn. He couldn't believe he was going to be eaten. Him. Oz Bezarius, heir to the Bezarius Dukedom, was to meet his fate in the depths of the Abyss at the hands of some unnamed menace, alone. He wished there was something he could do, but any moment now those stitches would pop open and that thing would swoop its head down and consume him.

He was right. Seconds later, the blood-soiled threads detached themselves just as he expected. Oz watched closely as the head lowered further.

But because he was focusing upward, he didn't notice the small figure that had been making its way towards him. While the beast was distracted with the tastiness of its coming meal, the figure took its chance, darting forward. It grabbed the hand that Oz was holding and used it to push off the other hand.

Oz gasped and turned toward his savior. But it was even darker than normal in this area and the figure wasn't facing him. It grabbed Oz's hand and took off running. From what Oz could make out, it looked like a person. That was surprising. Everything else he had heard about this place turned out false, he didn't think there were actually people here.

"Hey!" Oz panted, "Who are you?"

"Just keep running!" the voice called back to him.

Oz knew that voice. He could never forget that voice.

"Gil?"

Smart Angel: Hello everyone! Nice to meet you! I'm writing a fic together with TotalAlias! I know you are jealous, right? Either way… I have never written a Pandora Heart Fanfic, so if the characters are a little OOC, the fault is probably mine! Sorry! But hopefully this fic will encourage me to write more Pandora fics on my own.

TotalAlias: I'm so excited! Finally a multi-chapter ne? And I'm really glad that I get to work with Smart Angel! You should check out her stuff after you review...
Did you catch that thar? After you review...