Gilbert sighed. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

Although he'd heard other Baskervilles speak of the Abyss, he had never been there. He probably should have been by now, considering Baskervilles were messengers of the Abyss, but…oh well.

Gilbert looked around, feeling nervousness rise within him. He felt terribly lame; the other Baskervilles said they hadn't been nervous at all their first times in the Abyss. They could have been lying, he supposed, but he'd believed them. The Abyss wasn't a very nice place. It had been overcome with darkness, but rather than seeming evil, it just seemed to represent insanity—things that made no sense at all.

Coward that he was, Gilbert flinched whenever he saw a Chain go by. He wasn't looking to get hurt on his first time going to the Abyss. But the Chains always looked at him and then went back to their own business. Gilbert had a feeling that they could tell he was a Baskerville, so they didn't bother him.

"We're sending you to the Abyss to Contract with a Chain."

That's what Oswald had said. He and Gilbert were very close, because Gilbert was in line to be the next leader of the Baskervilles. He didn't quite know why every Baskerville had to Contract with a Chain, but they did. Maybe it was because they were messengers of the Abyss, so it would be natural? Or maybe it was for their safety. Not everyone was fond of them—the Abyss was not known for being a good place, so naturally, messengers of the Abyss weren't liked very much.

"Hey, watch where you're going."

Gilbert jumped, realizing he had almost collided with a teenage boy. The boy had golden-blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"Are…are you a Baskerville?" Gilbert asked shakily, unable to comprehend why else the boy would be there. The Abyss was a place where people who had committed unforgivable sins went, although it wasn't hell, so it seemed that a teenage boy would not be there if he wasn't a Baskerville.

The boy laughed. "Are you?"

Gilbert nodded slowly. He narrowed his eyes, examining the boy. There was something off with him, but Gilbert couldn't figure out what.

"So you're a messenger. Interesting…" The boy smiled. There was something slightly unnerving about that smile. "My name is Oz. Oz the B-Rabbit."

"B-Rabbit…?" Gilbert flinched back on instinct. The B-Rabbit was the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss, and although talk of it had arisen, none of the Baskervilles had actually seen it. But Oz had to be lying—after all, he was a human. So Gilbert stepped forward again.

"I know what you're thinking. And no, I am not a human." Oz grinned. "Chains can have human forms, you know. When I'm using my powers, my eyes turn red, and I can make my scythe appear. I don't like my rabbit form much. I've really adapted to my human form. Have you never seen a Chain take on a human form?"

Gilbert thought about it. He remembered hearing about Chains who took on human forms, but he had never seen one like that. He shook his head.

"Some messenger," Oz said, but it sounded more curious and light than it should have. "So, why are you here? I've never seen you before."

"You…you've seen…the others?" Gilbert thought that was rather interesting, considering none of the others had seen Oz.

"Yeah, I see everything around here. B-Rabbit's word is law, basically. I'm the leader down here in the Abyss." Oz took in Gilbert's look of shock. His grin grew bigger. "But I didn't really talk to any of your colleagues, see."

"So why are you talking to me?" Gilbert asked. Oz just smirked.

"Are you going to answer my question?" When Gilbert took a moment to look confused, Oz rolled his eyes. "I asked you why you were here."

"Oh, um, the rest of them sent me down here to Contract with a Chain. I'm the only one who hasn't done that yet." Gilbert coughed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"What Chain are you planning to Contract with? There's a whole Abyss full of them." Oz snorted with laughter. It was Gilbert's turn to roll his eyes.

"I…don't know. I didn't come with plans." Gilbert laughed awkwardly. Who would come to a place like the Abyss with plans?

Oz shrugged, as if it made no difference. Then he grinned straight at Gilbert. "All right, if you don't have any plans…how about you Contract with me?"

"You don't even know my name," Gilbert said in an accusing tone. The thought of Contracting with any Chain made him endlessly nervous, and something about Oz made him ten times more nervous than normal.

"Well then, tell me your name!" Oz said stubbornly. He was pouting in such a childish way it made it difficult to believe he was the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss.

"My name is Gilbert," Gilbert said quietly, unsure if where this was going. "Can I leave now?"

"Gilbert. I like that name." Oz replied, temporarily ignoring Gilbert's question. Then he added, "And you want to leave already? I thought you said you wanted to Contract with a Chain. That's the whole reason you came here, right?"

"Yes." Gilbert said reluctantly. Something about the thought of Contracting with Oz made him feel slightly sick, and he had no idea why.

"You should Contract with me. I want to see the surface world again." Oz circled behind Gilbert and murmured, "I promise I won't kill anyone." He walked back in front of Gilbert, his green eyes darkening a shade. "Unless you tell me to, of course…"

Gilbert flinched. "You can't make me Contract with you."

"And I'm not going to try. But don't you think it's a good idea? I'm sure your fellow messengers would be impressed. You managed to Contract with the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss!" Oz said enthusiastically, trying to get Gilbert into the mood. "Plus, I'm willing to Contract with you without asking for anything in return."

"No. Chains lie. They lie all the time." Gilbert said, half to himself and half to Oz. He was shaking his head, and he sounded angry.

"True. Chains are liars. But who's to say whether all Chains are liars? If I don't know you, then that probably means you don't know me." Oz giggled in an odd and mildly disturbing way.

"I heard from the others that all of the B-Rabbit's other Contractors have ended up dead." Gilbert countered shakily. He didn't have a death wish. He had no intention to die because he'd made a Contract with the wrong Chain.

Oz sighed, but there was something dark in his eyes that made him also seem vaguely amused. "Yes, my previous Contractors all came to quite…unfortunate ends."

"Caused by you?" Gilbert growled. He was trying to sound intimidating, but he obviously wasn't scaring Oz at all.

Oz smiled crookedly. "Yes, Gilbert, caused by me. What else could you have possibly expected?"

"If you killed all your previous Contractors, why would I want to be your next one?" Gilbert demanded. "It seems like being your next Contractor just means being your next victim."

"Who knows? Maybe I won't kill you." Oz answered cryptically.

"Do you say that to everyone?" Gilbert snapped.

Oz's smile seemed more twisted than before. "I might. And I might not."

Gilbert exhaled, feeling exhausted and defeated. Oz was tiring to be around. He got the feeling he should leave and find another Chain to Contract with, but he also got the feeling Oz wouldn't leave him alone.

"Fine, Oz. Then answer me this: why do you want me to Contract with you so badly?" Gilbert asked with sincere curiosity.

"Because I like you, Gilbert," Oz answered simply. "So, will you be my next Contractor?"

Gilbert was taken aback by this answer, and he was also incredibly confused by it. But without thinking, he nodded.

"But…don't you have to consume a Chain's blood to Contract with them?" The mere thought made Gilbert shudder, but it didn't seem to bother Oz at all.

"Oh, we can fix that." Suddenly, Oz's eyes changed to red, and a massive scythe appeared in his hand. He drew the sharp part of the scythe slowly across the back of his hand, so slowly it looked like it must have been painful. Oz didn't even flinch. He held out his hand to Gilbert and said, "Lick it."

Gilbert twitched involuntarily. Then he blinked. "What?"

"Lick it. Lick the cut." Oz smirked, seeing Gilbert's wary reaction. "Oh, come on. Do you want to make a Contract or not?"

"I just…didn't think they did it this way…" Gilbert mumbled. Reluctantly, he drew his tongue across the cut, the taste of blood on his tongue. Perhaps it was disturbing, but the taste of blood wasn't bad—to Gilbert, it tasted a bit like metal somehow. It tasted…tinny?

What the hell? Why are you thinking about the taste of blood? Gilbert knew it wasn't strange, because blood, although a substance usually associated with bad things, did not taste bad in the first place. Still.

"Are you satisfied?" Gilbert demanded coldly, meeting Oz's gaze evenly. But something was not right; his eyes began to feel heavy, and soon he felt like he was losing his balance. Everything seemed to grow darker—either that, or close in—around him, and he couldn't tell if he had fallen over, was falling, or was still standing. Gilbert tried to snap himself out of it, but he'd lost control of his body and mind. Everything was turning strange.

The last thing he saw was Oz smirking before he blacked out.

…

When Gilbert woke up, his whole body ached. He was lying in his bed in the mansion that the Baskervilles lived in. For a moment he couldn't understand why he was there. And then he remembered.

That brat! What did he do?! Gilbert sat up, despite the achy pains that followed. He let out a grunt. Lottie must have heard him, because she came rushing over. She stood beside his bed.

"Oswald, Gilbert is back!" Lottie called. She looked at him and assured him hastily, "Don't worry. You're fine. Everything's fine. This is what happens to everyone after they Contract with a Chain. Say, what Chain did you Contract with?"

"Oz," Gilbert answered, although he should have known better; Lottie gave him a puzzled look, before he corrected himself by saying, "B-Rabbit."

Lottie stumbled backwards in shock. " You made a Contract with the B-Rabbit? Quit fooling around." She folded her arms around her chest, refusing to believe him.

Gilbert suddenly noticed that the other Baskervilles had gathered at the doorway. They all wore the same expression of shock on their face; Lily's mouth was frozen open in a gape. Oswald, whose expression almost never changed, had changed only slightly. Still, compared to his normal look, Gilbert could tell he was surprised.

"Not possible," Lily said in her childish, high-pitched voice. She shook her head violently.

All the Baskervilles rather liked Lily, although Gilbert knew his brother Vincent had something against her for her naivety. Gilbert found Lily's naivety cute. She was a child; it was natural. Vincent didn't seem to understand that.

"Don't doubt him just yet." Vincent said smoothly. He walked forward until he was beside Lottie. He was always one to defend his big brother. "Are you…being serious, Gil?"

Gilbert nodded. God, even that ached. But it didn't matter. Suddenly, he felt a far more excruciating pain. It lasted only a moment, and then it turned into a feeling that was purely odd, not anything else. It was incredibly difficult to explain. Then it all went away.

Oz was standing on the other side of Gilbert's bed, across from Vincent and Lottie. His eyes swept across the Baskervilles, as if interrogating each and every one of them. A few of them flinched under his gaze.

"So you're the infamous B-Rabbit, huh?" Lottie said pointedly, glaring at Oz. "You don't look much like a Chain to me, although you obviously are, considering how you just appeared. More importantly—you sure you're the B-Rabbit, kid? Your human form doesn't look very scary."

"Yeah, the rumors said you were terrifying!" Lily shouted, pouting in disappointment. She couldn't seem to believe Oz was the B-Rabbit, either.

"Well. Excuse me for taking on a human form that wasn't mortifying." Oz said, but there was no bitterness in his voice. In fact, his voice was so calm it was strange. "I like this form better than my rabbit form, and I can use my powers in this form, so I basically never use my rabbit form."

"If you'd like us to believe you, it's only natural you should prove you're the B-Rabbit." Oswald said slowly.

Oz turned to him and nodded curtly. He turned to Gilbert and said, "Sorry I didn't show you this before you made a Contract with me. Since I never use it, I didn't think it would make a difference. But…you might get sort of scared."

Suddenly, Oz transformed into a huge, vicious-looking black rabbit wearing an odd outfit that was mostly the color red. It was holding the same scythe from before, except the scythe had been supersized to fit the rabbit's size. The rabbit was black, its eyes bright red, and its teeth gigantic fangs that could no doubt tear someone apart with one bite.

He thought I'd only get sort of scared? How could anyone not be scared of this beast?

Well, from what Gilbert had seen, Oz didn't seem much like a beast. But this form made him look like the most ferocious beast in the world. Gilbert had thought, at first, that no matter how anyone warped its appearance, a rabbit could not be made scary. He was sure the thought had crossed the other Baskervilles' minds, too. How wrong they were. Gilbert was terrified, and the rest of the Baskervilles did too. Gilbert figured that it definitely wasn't just him—this form must have been horrifying to anyone, because the Baskervilles had crossed paths with many horrific Chains, and they were still bothered by this.

"Does this prove I'm the B-Rabbit?" Oz asked. In this form, his voice changed as well, apparently. His voice sounded like a deep, drawling sort of growl now.

Oswald nodded stiffly, and Oz shrunk back down to his human form. Gilbert was, in truth, relieved about this. He had never been very fearless or even brave—and yes, the two were different. So seeing Oz back in his human form was relieving and relaxed Gilbert's nerves.

"Don't go into that form ever again while you're my Chain," Gilbert grumbled. Like him, the rest of the Baskervilles seemed to be relaxing as well.

Oz laughed merrily. His voice sounded so innocent now—so human. It couldn't have sounded more different from his voice in rabbit form. He just sounded like…a teenage boy. He sounded the same as what he looked like.

"I won't. Do you see why I got a human form?" Oz answered. Gilbert nodded.

"Just…tell me something." Lottie narrowed her eyes. "I know you're the B-Rabbit. I mean, I believe you now. But…you don't seem at all like what they say. You're too happy."

"Getting straight to the point, are we? Not even trying to soften the blow. And please, call me Oz." Oz pouted, putting his right hand on his hip. Something in his expression darkened severely. "I've done some pretty terrible things, so don't underestimate me. I may not act like what they say, but I can. I can be the monster they speak of that kills in one blow. Understand?"

Lottie's eyes were still narrowed, but she nodded. As she nodded, the rest of the Baskervilles nodded mechanically. Oswald just stared at Oz with that neutral look he always carried. Gilbert was nodding like the rest of them, but his expression made him look like he was going to be sick.

Oz glanced at Gilbert and shot him a brilliant, warm smile. He placed a gentle hand on his Contractor's shoulder. "I'm not going to kill you, Gilbert. I just needed everyone to know…what I'm capable of."

Somehow, Gilbert found a comfort in that green gaze that he hadn't found before, and he calmed down. Although he knew he shouldn't fall for Oz's tricks so easily—because that's what Oz's kindness had to be, since he was a Chain, right?—he couldn't help feeling warm at that smile. That smile was so convincing.

Gilbert silently realized that yes, he was probably just another victim of Oz the B-Rabbit, and that this gentleness was probably something Oz had showered down on all of his Contractors to gain their trust before killing them. And somehow, this didn't bother Gilbert at all.

Oz and Gilbert just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, as if searching for something, before they turned away in unison.

Vincent looked unsure. He gave Oz an icy scowl. "You're really not going to hurt Gil? Because if you do, I swear…" His voice trailed off.

Gilbert sighed inwardly. Vincent was overprotective, and his love for his brother was obsessive. He would be sure to keep track of anyone who could potentially hurt him. Vincent could also be very scary and disturbing when he was trying to be—or sometimes, even when he wasn't trying to be. But Oz didn't look the least bit bothered; he just smirked.

"I won't hurt Gilbert. You've got a nice overprotective-little-brother attitude, hmm, Vincent?" Oz said. Vincent shot him an irritated look.

Out of the corner of his eye, Oz saw Gilbert eyeing him, looking confused. Oz exhaled slowly. Gilbert must have been confused as to how he knew Vincent's name.

"I know everyone here because they've been to the Abyss, remember? And even though they didn't know I was following them, I was? So I learned all their names." Oz explained patiently. "I even know what Chains you guys Contracted with. Lottie with Leon, Lily with Bandersnatch, Vincent with Dormouse and Demios, Oswald with Jabberwock…" He stopped there, although it was obvious he knew more.

A few of the Baskervilles exchanged disturbed looks, but somehow Gilbert wasn't surprised. If Oz was the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss and led all the Chains down there, why wouldn't he be the Chain to know everything about the Baskervilles?

Vincent glared at Oz. "Look. I have no problem with my brother making a Contract with a Chain. But I don't trust you. So you'd better keep Gil safe, or you're going to regret it."

Oz grinned. "Calm yourself, Vincent. You're not nearly as scary as you think you are." His tone was so airy and not offensive-sounding that it bugged Vincent even more.

"No, I think you're underestimating me." Vincent shot Oz an angelic smile. Gilbert knew that smile all too well—that smile that looked so pure and innocent on the outside, but that held sadism and cruelty within. "But I don't want to waste my time with you now. Just take care of Gil, will you? Then we'll be on good terms."

Oz laughed happily, not offering a reply. Gilbert sighed quietly to himself so that no one would hear; he knew that the relationship between Oz and Vincent would probably not be a good one. Vincent was always naturally suspicious of anyone who got close to his brother, but he often went too far.

Oswald motioned for the rest of the Baskervilles to follow him as he began turning away. "Come. Gilbert needs his rest if he's to recover properly from making a Contract with…Oz."

Gilbert could tell from Oswald's hesitation that he wanted to say "B-Rabbit" instead of "Oz". He watched silently as the Baskervilles, all except for Lottie, followed Oswald. Vincent looked over his shoulder and glanced at Gilbert before walking completely out of the room.

Lottie was glowering. "Your brother's a freak, you know." Then she walked out, closing the door behind her and running to catch up with the others.

Gilbert knew that a lot of the Baskervilles weren't very fond of Vincent. Particularly, Lily and Lottie didn't seem to like him. Vincent thought Lily was stupid and treated her like she was much weaker and dumber than she was, and he disturbed Lottie immensely. Lottie had tried to scare Vincent several times by saying obscure and violent things, and when Vincent enjoyed hearing them, Lottie was convinced he was some repulsive inhuman creature.

Now only Gilbert and Oz were left.

Oz gave Gilbert an exuberant grin. "Well, your brother's a piece of work!"

…

Gilbert really had no idea what he was doing.

He never showed the same interest in Chains as the other Baskervilles, and therefore he knew a lot less about them. He never examined the way other Baskervilles treated their Chains, how their Chains acted, or anything similar. Gilbert knew he should have, though. He had no idea how to handle Oz.

It had occurred to him that he should probably make Oz disappear again. Keeping a Chain out in the open all the time was a sure way to incite chaos. But Oz had given the request to stay out in the open with such an innocent look and tone. Gilbert couldn't help it.

This won't end well, Gilbert had told himself, again and again.

By now, night had fallen. Gilbert had just finished dinner with the rest of the Baskervilles, Vincent gazing at Oz with distaste the whole time. Oz was unfazed, wearing a neutral expression and eating silently. Gilbert was surprised about this; he'd expected Oz to make a ruckus and cause trouble. He never expected a Chain to exhibit manners.

Oz had followed Gilbert back to his bedroom and was now watching Gilbert stare absently out the window. Oz didn't know what his Contractor was staring at, and in truth, neither did his Contractor. With the stress of everything that was going on, Gilbert felt the need to space out and think about absolutely nothing.

Finally, Oz broke the silence. "Where can I sleep?"

Gilbert turned around and stared at Oz evenly for a few moments. Did Oz expect to sleep in the bed? He wasn't even supposed to be out in the open in the first place.

"Well, you're certainly not getting my bed," Gilbert said sharply. "So why don't you sleep on the floor?"

Oz stared back at him incredulously. "The floor doesn't even have carpeting." He stomped on the hard ground for emphasis. "I get that I'm a Chain, but be nice."

"No." Gilbert said. His voice was firm. "If you want to stay out in the open like this, you're going to sleep on the ground."

Oz promptly sat down next to Gilbert on the bed and ignored him. "So your brother calls you Gil? That's cute. I like that. Can I call you Gil?"

Gilbert thought about it for a moment. He was beginning to get annoyed with Oz. "No."

"That's too bad, Gil, because I'm going to do it anyway!" Oz chirped. His expression was irritatingly cheery.

Gilbert sighed, not bothering to make it quiet. He wanted Oz to hear how agitated he was. Oz was really starting to get on his nerves. It was like he expected to be treated like any other Baskerville, like a human. He was a Chain, not a human. He might have a human form that looked like a cute fifteen-year-old boy, but that didn't change anything. He was a Chain.

"Get off my bed." Gilbert pointed forcefully to the ground. "You're sleeping on the floor. Didn't I make that clear?"

"Yep, you did!" But Oz didn't move.

Gilbert grunted and pushed Oz off his bed. He wasn't enjoying his first day as a Contractor at all. Were all Chains like this? He already knew the answer without asking any of the others. Oz was unique, all right.

Oz let out a little squeal as he fell, and when his body hit the floor, he groaned.

"Fine," Oz said in a whiney voice, puffing out his cheeks in a childish and dissatisfied way. "I'll sleep on the floor. You're mean, Gil."

Gilbert resisted the urge to chuckle at Oz's babyish instincts. Just how was it that a dangerous creature like Oz could act like this? It was annoying, but in an odd way, it was also cute.

Gilbert turned off the lights and closed his eyes, trying to forget that Oz was there. But he couldn't, and in the end, it was Oz's gentle, even breaths that lulled him to sleep.

…

In the middle of the night, Gilbert felt someone poking his arm. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open to find Oz standing over him. Of course he has to bother me in the middle of the night, too. And after he thought he'd get some peace.

Groaning again, Gilbert groggily turned onto his side and glared at his Chain. "What do you want? It's the middle of the night."

"I'm aware of that." Oz smirked. Almost as quickly as he had starting smirking, though, the smirk went away. "Gil, I'm cold."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Gilbert was definitely not going to get out of bed to close the window. There was no chance. He was not willing to sacrifice his comfort for this bothersome boy.

Boy. Gilbert realized that he wasn't thinking of Oz as a Chain all the time now. Maybe it was because Oz acted so much like an actual human…?

Oz didn't say anything, as if the answer to Gilbert's question was supposed to be obvious. So Gilbert just said, "I'm not closing the window. Do it yourself."

"Nope, I refuse!" Oz retorted playfully, slipping under the covers next to Gilbert.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" It was a yell in the form of a harsh whisper. Gilbert really didn't understand this child—he seemed to be thinking of Oz as a human more and more—or what drove him to do such crazy things.

"I'm figuring out how to get warmer without closing the window!" Oz answered eagerly, lowering his volume so it was the same as Gilbert's.

"You're exhausting, you know that?" Gilbert meant for it to sound much colder than it did. Maybe it was the fact that he'd just been woken up in the middle of the night.

"And I'm also still cold." Oz pouted, giving a thoughtful look that only looked ridiculous because of how kidlike he made it look. Then, abruptly, he snuggled up to Gilbert and threw his arms around him.

A light blush dusted Gilbert's cheeks. Oz really was crazy. He wanted to yell at him or at least whisper-yell like he did before, but the only thing he could say was, "You're freezing!"

It was true. Oz's whole body was like ice, making Gilbert shiver a little bit. Oz smiled, burying himself deeper into Gilbert. Gilbert sighed, defeated. He couldn't win this battle.

However, what Gilbert did consider a victory was the fact that he and Oz both slept in their clothes.

After a few minutes, Oz wasn't cold anymore, and his body was as warm as it should have been. Oz sure fell asleep quickly—the moment he started becoming warmer, he'd drifted off again. Gilbert didn't know why, but he really liked Oz when he was asleep. He was calm, and he looked like a human boy—well, he always did, but still—and he was just…well. It was hard to explain.

Gilbert didn't question his motives when he hugged Oz closer and fell asleep again, a happy and comforting feeling flooding through his body like warm honey.