BEYOND THE ABYSS
After the sudden arrival of Gilbert into his life, Oz never expected another orphaned child to be accepted into his home. As Gilbert had been found on the estate, it was expected of the Bezarius family to adopt him. However, when his uncle Oscar returned with a scrap of a child to the estate, there was much debate over whether to keep it or not. Oscar kept firm on his beliefs, refusing to send the child back to the streets. Eventually, he won due to his status. He believed she'd be a good servant for Ada when she grew up.
"Oz, Ada, Gil, look a new playmate," Oscar said cheerfully, nudging the scrap of a girl forward. She didn't tremble like Gilbert had done, she just stared owlishly with her big lilac-blue eyes. Oz was faintly reminded of the professionally crafted dolls that Ada had, with their large eyes and porcelain faces, made to be perfect.
The doll ideology was immediately broken when a mischievous grin lit the girls face, revealing a personality that no doll could ever show.
"She doesn't look like much now, but I'm sure she'll scrub up into a real beauty!" Oscar said placing a large hand on top of messy violet locks. "She's going to be Ada's servant when she's a bit older, like Gil and Oz now."
"Oscar-ojisan, you haven't told us her name," Oz pointed out with a grin as he strode over to look at the new addition to his family. She was a good head and a bit shorter than him, with hardly any meat on her bones and scrapes and bruises here and there. Despite her less than healthy appearance, that playful grin made her seem brilliant, lighting her up even if she was rough around the edges.
"Ah, I left it up to you to name her. She has no memories like Gil," Oscar said simply and eyed a rather impressive purple-green bruise across the left side of her forehead.
"Well, if she's to be Ada's servant her name should begin with 'A' too," Oz decided. "A pretty name, not an old lady's name. A name we can shorten for a nickname. One that's not too common too."
"Any other conditions?" Oscar prompted with a chuckle.
"I like the name Anna," Gilbert piped up nervously.
"Anna's too common though, if we add something?" Oz began to pace, face scrunched in concentration. "Annalise… Annabeth… Annabell… Dianna... Rianna… Oh! I like Rianna!"
"How's bout Ariana?" Gilbert cried excitedly.
"Yosh! It's perfect!" Oz declared pointing to the air in victory. "And I can call her Ari-chan!"
"So it's decided," Oscar cried, clapping his hands together with glee. "You boys look after little Ari-chan now, I have the feeling you'll all be great friends!"
-O-
"Oz-samaaa! Gil-chaaan!" Ariana cried from the ground as she struggled to reach the branch above her. Oz had decided to climb trees as it was such a nice day and Gilbert had nervously gone after him because he was worried he would fall. Ada watched amazed as her brother and Gilbert got smaller and smaller the higher they went. Blinking away tears of frustration, Ariana braced herself before grabbing hold of the branch with a great leap. "Yosh!" she cried in victory, swinging a leg over the branch and shuffling along so she could use the trunk to steady her as she went to reach for the next branch.
When she turned to look down and grin at Ada, she realised just how high the tree branch was and that she had no idea how to get down. She immediately squealed in alarm, wrapping her little arms around the branch for dear life.
"OZ-SAMAAAA!" she wailed as the boys reached the top.
"Oniichan!" Ada called up to her brother, waving her little hands up at him. "Ari-neechan is stuck!"
"Bocchan!" Gilbert gasped. "How are we gonna save Ari-chan?"
"Come on Gil," Oz cried, hopping down to the next branch and the next until he reached the sobbing girl.
"Ne, ne, come on Ari-chan, I got you," Oz said with a grin, holding his hand out to her.
"Oz-sama…" the tear-stained girl hiccupped reaching for his hand. But as Gilbert managed to swing down onto their branch, a threatening creaking sound started.
"I don't think this branch can hold our weight…" Gilbert said nervously as Ariana started crying more, latching on to Oz with all her might.
"We're going to jump Gil, ready?"
"What?!"
"Three… two… one… JUMP!"
Ariana let out a high pitch squeal as they jumped from the branch, landing on their feet but falling to their backsides due to the height. Oz chuckled over Ariana's cries as a pale Gilbert looked ready to vomit from fear.
"Ne, ne, you shouldn't cry so easy Ari-chan! I'll always come to save you! And so will Gil, right Gil?" Oz said, nudging his pale friend in the ribs.
"A…Aa…" Gilbert squeaked.
"P-promise?" Ariana sniffled, gazing at them both tearfully.
"Pinkie promise!" Oz said linking his little finger with hers and shooting Gilbert a disapproving stare until he did the same. "Girls aren't made to be adventurous! You sure are brave climbing that big tree Ari-chan!"
"I… I wanted to play too!" she cried, eyes igniting with the familiar fiery passion. "I'll climb trees real good someday! You'll see! Even in big puffy dresses!" Oz chuckled and patted her on the head, pulling the odd leaf and twig out of her satin violet waves. Even if she did cry easily, the fact she tried was what Oz loved. He supposed it was a lot harder when you were in dresses, the maids liked to dress her up. "Oz-sama! Teach me how to climb?"
"Manners Ari-chan!" Gilbert immediately scolded and she jumped to attention, back ramrod straight. She then performed an elegant curtsey.
"Would Master Oz-sama please show me how to climb trees when it is convenient for him?" she said oh so sweetly. Though it was well-known Oz was her favourite, she respected Gilbert resolutely and always did her best to make him proud. A 'that was very good Ari-chan' was what she strived to hear and she always cried when he scolded her, which led to Oz scolding him.
But they loved each other as their own little family. The two big brothers and the two little sisters were all that was needed to patch over the gap left by everyone else.
Or so they thought.
-O-
"Mou, mou, mouuuuuu Oz-sama! Why is Oz-sama sad?" Ariana fretted, shaking the older boys shoulders. "I don't like it when Oz-sama is sad!"
"I'm not sad Ari-chan…" Oz replied in a flat voice. "I'm not sad."
"Don't lie!" Ariana cried, stamping her foot as the first tears started to well in her eyes. "Oz-sama is sad!"
"I'm not," he replied, his head still hidden in his arms.
"I'll get Gil-chan! Gil-chan will know you're sad too!"
"I'm fine Ari!" Oz snapped, lifting his head to glare sharply at her. But as her cheeks flushed and her eyes filled, he immediately regretted his harsh tone. "Oh Ari-chan, I'm sorry…"
"Oz-sama doesn't shout at me…" she hiccupped in a small voice. She usually bawled at the top of her voice when she cried, she was only quiet when she was really, really upset. "Oz-sama never shouts at me…"
"Ari-chan…"
"Bocchan!" Gilbert cried, bursting into the room to make announcement but paused when he noticed the grim atmosphere. "Why is Ari-chan crying this time?"
"Gil-chaaan!" Ariana wailed, rushing over to him and clamping her arms tightly around his middle. "Oz-sama…! Oz-sama is…! I made Oz-sama maaad!" she sobbed into his chest. "Ari-chan was bad! And! And! Oz-sama shouted at meee!"
"Why did Bocchan shout at you?"
"B-b-because Oz-sama is sad!" Ariana cried staring intently at Gilbert with her teary eyes and flushed face. Her bottom lip wobbled dangerously, promising more tears. "A-a-and! I wanted to know why!"
"Bocchan is sad?" Gilbert verified and she nodded rapidly. "Why?"
"I don't know!" she wailed in despair, face disappearing into Gilbert's chest again.
"Well, I'm sure he didn't mean shout at Ari-chan," Gilbert consoled, rubbing her back gently. "You shouldn't be so oversensitive."
"Gil-chan cries too!"
"Not as much!"
"But you're a boy!"
"Boys can cry too!"
Oz smiled fondly as the previous argument was forgotten in favour of discussing Gilbert's lack of masculinity. It wasn't until after the argument had simmered away and they decided it was okay for them both to cry, did Oz finally approach what had upset him.
"Ne… why does Otousan hate me?" Oz asked quietly. Both stared at him with widened eyes until a resolute pout formed on Ariana's face.
"No one's allowed to hate Oz-sama!" Ariana declared stubbornly, chest puffed and fists on hips. "I'll beat them up I will!"
"Ari-chan! Don't be so unladylike! And where is your sensitivity? Your empathy? You will be a bad servant!" Gilbert immediately scolded, causing him to receive a teary pout. "And I'm sure he doesn't Bocchan! Why don't you ask him?"
"Iie!" Oz cried and Gilbert was taken aback by the sharpness of his tone. "I… I don't want to know…" Oz continued softly, resting his head on his knees and hugging them tightly. He was vaguely aware of the soft warm lump slumping over him, gripping him tightly. He knew without looking it was Ariana doing her best impression of a comforting bear hug. But she was still too little to do so properly, being almost five years his junior. But the feelings behind her squeeze were kind and he appreciated it.
"Then I'll ask for you!" Gilbert cried and Ariana immediately jumped off Oz to salute Gilbert with gusto.
"Me too!"
"I'm sure he doesn't hate you Bocchan!"
"Ari-chan is sure too!"
"W-wait!" Oz cried, but they had already gone, rushing out into the snow.
-O-
"Matte!" Gilbert cried as they rushed towards the retreating figure.
"Gil-chan! Too fast!" Ariana cried as Gilbert dragged her along behind by the hand. His legs were a lot longer than hers and she was struggling to keep up. Finally they reached the figure and he was forced to stop and turn to them, his top hat hiding his eyes in shadow.
"Please come see the Bocchan before you go! He really wants to see you!" Gilbert cried as Ariana nodded in agreement beside him puffing from the run.
"Who are these servants?" the man grumbled in disgust. "Take them away."
"No!" Ariana cried angrily grabbing onto the bottom of his cloak with her little fists, but they were slapped away with the man's cane. "Oww…" she whined as she observed the swelling red wound.
"Ari-chan!" Gilbert cried, shocked she was hurt so suddenly. "Please! Bocchan is waiting-!" Gilbert too went to reach for his cloak but was slapped away and picked up by one of the assistants. Furious at Gilbert being attacked little Ariana tried once again to grab hold of the cloak but was pulled away by the hair and given a sharp slap. At the sudden cruel treatment she started to cry.
"Horrible man! You're a horrible man!"
"That boy… it would have been better if he had never been born," the man said, looking up to meet his son's shocked emerald eyes, standing only a few feet away.
"I HATE YOU! OZ-SAMA SHOULD HAVE A BETTER PAPA!" Ariana kicked and screamed as an attendant tried to avoid being hit by the small flailing limbs.
"You treat your master in such a manner?" the man sneered at the children.
"Our only master is Bocchan!" Gilbert said stubbornly.
"Right!" Ariana shrieked, her flailing settling as she wore herself out.
"Take them to the dungeons," Lord Bezarius stated as he turned to leave.
"No, wait! Gil and Ari-chan didn't mean to… Otous-!" but as Oz reached for his father, his hand was slapped away.
"Don't touch me, you filthy child."
"Bocchan!"
"Oz-sama!"
But the attendants had their orders and the next thing they knew, Gilbert and Ariana were locked in different dungeon cells in the Bezarius house's basement. Gilbert heard Ariana crying halfway through the night, scared of the dark and sniffled to himself, unable to comfort her and feeling awful for his master.
Finally, after three days, Oscar found out where they were (or may have heard Ariana's constant crying) and came to let them out. After a bath and a meal and letting Ariana having a good cry and rant about 'Oz-sama's evil daddy!' they were able to see Oz.
It was almost as if he too had been kept in the dungeon without them knowing. He was pale and looked exhausted with black bags under his eyes and a thick book under his nose. Oz always studied to make his father proud.
"Gil… Ari-chan… I'm sorry…" Oz said quietly with a broken smile. Just the way he looked had already set Ariana into another torrent of tears and she flung herself on him with incoherent mutters and sobs. Oz patiently lifted her up and let her cry into the crook of her neck instead of muffling wails into his stomach.
"Oz-sama can shout at Ari-chan again! Just please don't be sad anymore!" she begged.
"I shouldn't… I shouldn't have gone and-!" Gilbert tearfully stepped forward and folded his arms around his master and the girl that cried too much. It wasn't okay now, but it would be… It would be eventually.
-O-
There was barely room to fit a mouse with the three of them and Ada's cat cramped in the small closet. Oz had his ear pressed against the door with Ariana sitting on him with Ada folded snugly in her lap. They heard Miss Kate storm in and interrogate Gilbert with the cats he was phobic of before storming out again to continue her search.
"You can come out now Bocchan…" Gilbert sniffled.
Oz happily burst out, pleased that he could continue exploring the big mansion where he was to have his coming of age ceremony.
"Gil-chan, did they attack you with cats again?" Ariana asked, patting Gil on the head as he nodded in despair.
"Ari-chan, you said you'd stop calling me Gil-chan."
"Gil-sempai? Gil-kun? Or just Gil?"
"Good girl," he said, patting her on the head.
"Come on, Ari-chan! We have exploring to do!" Oz said with a mischievous grin which she matched with a positively devilish smile of her own.
"Going to get dirty before the big celebration?" Oscar teased as he popped his head around the door.
"Oscar-ojiisan! I want to explore a bit more!" Oz begged with a stubborn Ariana nodding at his side.
"We won't get too dirty! And I'll let them put all the bows in my hair that they want!" Ariana promised.
"You madam, should be on your best behaviour," Oscar chuckled. "If it wasn't for your music teacher recommending you to play piano at the ceremony you wouldn't be allowed to go. You're still a baby after all!"
"Eleven!" she cried stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest proudly.
"Of course Ari-chan, dear," Oscar agreed with a chuckle. "Oz, the package you requested came!" he said holding out a long white box tied with a blue ribbon. Enthralled with the big present, Ariana eagerly tried to grab it and peek inside, but Oz held it over his head and out of reach, laughing at the frustration on her face as she stretched on her tiptoes. "Only a bit longer, off you go."
"Arigatou, ojisan!"
"But don't cause any trouble at the ceremony or you'll fall into the Abyss!" Oscar promised gravely wagging a warning finger and promising punishment for naughty behaviour. As Ariana gasped in horror at the old scary story she had heard a hundred times, Oz chuckled.
"Sorry ojisan, I don't believe in those kinds of stories anymore!" and on that note, he leapt quickly out of the first floor window as Miss Kate impatiently rapped her knuckles against the door.
-O-
"Here," Oz said opening the package to reveal a formal outfit. Ariana looked through the wrappings nosily, before turning her attention to the more interesting gift. "It's pretty good don't you think?"
"Yes, Bocchan, but isn't it a bit small?" Gilbert asked, inspecting the white and blue outfit closely with his golden eyes. The sudden grin on Oz's face made the boy feel queasy. He knew that grin. Ariana wore the same one when she was up to something particularly devious.
"I got it custom made. It's for you Gil, I want you to be at the ceremony. All you have to do is put my cape on," Oz said cheerfully, holding the outfit towards the younger boy.
"But! But! But I'm a lowly servant!" Gilbert squealed in dismay and was promptly shoved out the way.
"If Gil-chan doesn't want to do it, I will! I will!" Ariana said bouncing on her heels, eyes sparkling. "And Gil-chan can wear the puffy dress and all the ribbons! And I can play with the cape!"
"Ari-chan! You're a servant too! It's not allowed!" Gilbert scolded and she stuck her tongue out at him, leaving him shocked. Since she passed into her double digits she had been listening more to Oz than him, leaving her to be led astray by Oz's more mischievous streak. As she grew, so did her idolisation for her master.
Gilbert missed the days she idolised him too and did what she was told.
"I want you both there as my friends," Oz corrected simply, making Ariana clap with glee. "But I'll understand if you don't want to go Gil." Despite the innocent smile, the clearly oppressing atmosphere that dared Gilbert to decline made the poor boy's knees quake.
"I'm Oz-sama's bestest friend though," Ariana stated simply and the evil atmosphere lifted as Oz tussled her hair.
"But of course Ari-chan! You're my partner in crime!" Oz agreed, causing a rosy blush to caress her porcelain cheeks. Gil couldn't help but notice those blushes had been happening more frequently as of late. He had tried to tell her there was no way in this world anything was going to happen with their status differences which had led to denial, a violent tantrum, many tears and Oz shouting at him and then ignoring him for two whole days. Then again, Gil had secretly put a part of the blame on Oz, who seemed to encourage Ariana's little crush.
The suffering of being a servant of a teenager.
"Ada-imouto!" Ariana sang, catching the little girls hand and skipping after Oz. Then there was the fact Gilbert had to worry that Ariana was going to corrupt little Ada, who hero-worshipped her older sister figure for a reason Gilbert had not been able to fathom. Instead of the servant loyally following after the master, it was usually Ada fondly following after Ariana like a little lost duckling.
It was during this deep pondering, that Oz managed to somehow destroy the ground itself and fall down into the depths of the unknown.
A simultaneous shriek of "OZ-SAMA!" and "BOCCHAN!" sounded as Gilbert and Ariana hurtled towards the hole at full speed, only to misjudge their stopping distance and follow Oz straight into it.
"Gil, Ari-chan, are you still alive?" Oz groaned sitting up.
"Somehow…" Gil moaned weakly, pushing himself up on to his knees. "Oh dear… Ari-chan."
After the big fall that was guaranteed to leave some bruises, Ariana's eyes had immediately welled up with tears. She frowned stubbornly, face flushed pink.
"Ari-chan?"
Her stubborn frown immediately became immersed in self-pity as she erupted into tears. Gilbert sighed and waved that they were fine up to a worried looking Ada while Oz consoled Ariana. She had been trying harder lately to try and break her habit of crying easily but had thus far been unsuccessful. It only took a few moments and a lapse of concentration for the familiar tears to win the fight and for her to become a sobbing mess. Luckily, the crying time had become a lot shorter.
"Are you okay now?" Oz said cheerfully, picking her up like a princess. Ignorant of her tears, she blushed prettily and a small shy smile silenced the earlier wails.
Distraught, Gilbert decided it would have been better if Oz hadn't charmed her and she had remained crying. It was only going to end in tears later on when Oz married a noblewoman and Ariana was left a bitter rampaging old spinster tossing her cats at Gilbert while she plotted her vengeance.
"Where are we?" Ariana asked puzzled glancing around the pretty little grove hidden under the stone. The grass had become brittle and yellow in most places where the sun could no longer reach, but miraculously the tree and patches of grass had survived, the frail looking leaves casting shadows over the tombstone beneath it.
"I can't make out the name," Gilbert said, squinting hard at the worn away stone.
"What's that Oz-sama?" Ariana said reaching out to something glinting gold and hanging from the tombstone. Gently dumping Ariana onto the unsuspecting Gilbert, Oz reached for the watch.
Ariana latched onto Gil's head and shoulders and watched in intrigue as the watch opened and a soft melody began to play. Oz seemed to become lost in a trance and it was only after numerous impatient pokes from Ariana that he finally recovered himself and pocketed the watch for further inspection later.
"Oz-sama?"
"Nothing Ari-chan, just a weird daydream. Might tell you later if you're good," Oz said with a smile as Gilbert's pleading looks to remove Ariana from his head were ignored.
-O-
"Gil-chan's not heeere!" Ariana shrieked as she raced around the room with patient maids trying to force the dress straight and her wavy hair into neat ringlets. "What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? Oz-sama will be sad!"
"There, there, Ari-chan! I'm sure everything will be fine. Just concentrate on playing beautifully, okay?" the maid said sweetly, clasping a pretty necklace around the child's dainty neck.
Ariana shivered slightly as she was reminded of the severe bespectacled gaze of her piano teacher. Play perfectly first, punish Gilbert later…
"Ari-nee!" Ada whispered popping her head around the door in her pyjamas. "Do your best!"
"Ada-chan," Ariana cried, her eyes sparkling brightly with tears of devotion while the maids sighed and hoped she wouldn't cry and make them powder her face all over again.
"Time to go," a maid said ushering Ariana towards the hall. "To bed with you Ada-sama."
"Night-night!"
Ariana waved cheerfully as her future master skipped away, delighted by her loveliness. Her face set and eyes resolute she marched into the hall through the tall elegantly dressed adults and seated herself at the gorgeous ivory grand piano, made to absolute perfection. She would play her best tonight, for this was Oz-sama's big day.
She heard the doors creak open and resisted the urge to look. Her delicate hands settled on the keys and with a glance at the music sheet and a deep breath, she began to play.
-O-
As Oz entered the room his ears were immediately met by an elegant song he recognised as Ariana's song that she had chosen to play. It was very elegant and not too overly complicated so that she would muddle her fingers, but was lovely to hear.
He couldn't help the beaming smile he gave her as he passed her towards the stairs and continued to grin as her cheeks reddened and she smiled back, playing perfectly all the while. She was concentrating hard to be flawless and he appreciated her effort. He really was fond of his best friend.
Glancing up, he was pleased to see his other best friend's back and felt his heart soar. It didn't matter if his father wasn't here. As long as Oz had Oscar-ojisan, Ariana, Gilbert and Ada (who was currently in bed a few floors up but no doubt was listening to Ariana's song), that was all he needed.
As Ariana's song finally faded softly into silence, he knelt and placed a hand against the clock that had stopped long ago.
Ariana peeked round the piano, ignoring the etiquette lecture that told her not to and watched curiously as Oz made his vow. She was pleased to see Gilbert had turned up and scrapped her 'punish Gil plan' but frowned at the dark uncharacteristic grin on the young boy's face. Did Gilbert have a stomach-ache?
Just as Oz reached the end of his speech, gasps rang across the hall as the minute hand of the grand clock ticked onto the twelve. The ringing dong's echoed across the quiet hall as life seemed to still in the sound waves. Looking down nervously, Ariana paled at the frozen people below her. Was this supposed to happen? Surely not, she would have been told, the maids went through the events many times with her.
Ariana stepped off her stool and when no one spoke or even looked at her, she immediately lifted the bottom of her dress and raced up the stairs, unsettled by the strangeness. Oz-sama was still moving and there seemed to be a commotion at the top of the stairs. As she reached the top step her eyes widened as if in slow motion, Oz slashed a sword through the air at a cloaked man. But Gilbert raced in between them.
"GIL-CHAN!" Ariana screamed, racing towards him as he fell to the ground, red blossoming across the tear in his clothes. Skidding to the ground she rested his head on her knees. Crying his name she shook his shoulder frantically, trying to get him to stir. She slapped his face but got no response and clutched his clothes, crying on his bloody chest. People were talking but she couldn't hear over the pounding of her heart and the wind whipping around them.
…Wind?
"Ari…"
Shooting up Ariana watched wide-eyed as chains wrapped around Oz and started dragging him underground into what seemed like hell itself.
"O…Oz-sama? OZ-SAMA!" she screamed in fright as he disappeared, the hole closing up again.
People started to stir below and the cloaked figures disappeared. Ariana continued to weep.
"N-n-no… Oz-sama… Gil-chan, Gil-chan wake up I'm scared…"
As footsteps hurriedly approached and frantic voices echoed around her, Ariana screamed.