Author's Notes - Please respect all author's works and only provide constructive criticism as all other forms will be ignored. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this story. This story takes place in an alternate universe during a break period after finding all of Alice's memories. Oz Vessalius is not the B-Rabbit, just a normal human.
*WARNING* I don't like yaoi, but this story is for the people who do! If you do not like Boy X Boy Get away as fast as you can! You have been warned!
CHAPTER 1
Oz could hear the birds chirping throughout the grounds of Vessalius manor as he sat in the commons. The wind flowed through, creating a wonderful breeze that caressed his pale white skin and rustled his golden hair. Scents of flowers and freshly cut grass filled him with comfort beyond belief, so much so that he would often drift off into sleep, but that would not happen today, today was special.
Ever since Alice came out of the Abyss and made the contract with Oz to become his Chain, the day their fates was sealed together, the anniversary of their meeting held a warm place in his heart. It brought a smile to his face as he remembered it, although terrifying as it was.
The Baskervilles, the arch enemy of the Four Great Dukes, which the Vessalius household was one, had decided to appear at his coming of age ceremony, declaring his very existence to be a sin. The leader of the Baskervilles, Oz's late father, marched on the ceremony with the rest of house Baskerville. Their red cloaks appeared to be soaked in blood as they rippled around the wearers. A sharp pain coursed through Oz's shoulder from a dagger wielded by none other than his servant and best friend Gil who was under the control of one Zwei Baskerville. As Oz collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from the wound, his father walked up to him, placing his hand on his only son's forehead. The portal to the Abyss opened and chains flying from its depths pulled Oz down into the prison.
There Oz made the illegal contract with Alice, the Bloody Black Rabbit. They saved each other from the Abyss, but when they escaped they were greeted by Xerxes Break and Sharon Rainsworth, two of the lead members of Pandora; a group after the Intention of the Abyss, just like the Baskervilles. But unlike the Baskervilles, were partnered with the Four Great Dukes.
Accompanying them, to Oz's surprise, was none other than Gil. And after an enormous time skip of ten years due to the Abyss, Gil had aged, and Oz's best friend was now almost twice his original height, stoic instead of afraid, and wielder of the Chain known as Raven. He too was part of Pandora, and now an adopted son of the Nightray family, the rival Duke house to Oz's own house, Vessalius. Yet, he still wished to serve and work by Oz's side, no matter what.
The group of five worked together from that point onward performing missions for Pandora and searching for Alice's lost memories. The rest of the story is ancient history, covered in the sands of time.
Today was for the anniversary, not for the trials they went through. Oz stood up from his bench and proceeded to the grand hall of the Vessalius manor. The doorway to to the hall was grand in itself, its large mahogany facade was as imposing as ever and the carvings of Gryphon, the Vessalius House Chain, on each of the dual doors were a perfect representation of the nightmare that tormented all who challenged the Four Great Dukes. The hall was beautiful, bleached white walls, granite tile floors that shimmered in the light shining through four large windows, and a large staircase leading to the upper levels of the manor.
"Oz!" The call came from above him, and as Oz glanced upwards he could see Gil leaning over the railing. He was holding his favored black wide brimmed hat to his head to prevent it from falling.
"Oh, hey Gil!" Oz shouted up to his friend, "Have you seen Alice anywhere?"
"Actually, I think I just saw her. She said something about going to read some book on bar-be-quing in the library," Gil stated as he began to walk down the stairs.
"That sounds like her," Oz giggled, "Is everything ready for today?"
"For the party? Yeah, I made sure there's just about as much meat as possible for a giant rabbit. When do you want to kick this thing into gear anyway?"
"I was thinking of giving her a bit longer. There's no need to rush, right?"
"Right," Gil marched up to his master and placed his hat on Oz's head, "So, would you like to see what's being prepared?"
"Actually, yes."
Gil led the way down a hall towards the kitchen with Oz in tow, and as the young master walked with his hands held behind his back, the brim of Gil's hat bounced up and down on his head.
The library of the Vessalius manor was giant to say the least, yet still not the largest by any standards. Tall oak bookcases, ten shelves high and crammed with literature from nearly every corner of the continent adorned the walls of the room, save for where two large windows allowed sunlight to illuminate the room. Smells of old paper coupled with those of freshly cracked books flowed through the air like a sweet perfume of knowledge.
Laying across her back, asleep on one of the four tables in the room with a book covering her face was the one and only Alice. To many, it might have been surprising that a girl of her size could actually house a ten foot tall, scythe wielding, black rabbit, but nonetheless it was true. Her hair was as black as midnight, with two long braids extending from just behind her ears. Her prominent red dress was laced in the front with long sleeves, and came to and end just above her knees. A pair of knee-high jet black boots adorned her feet which kicked around every so often as she slept.
She just so happened to roll ever so slightly that she came to the edge of the table and the book fell from her face to the floor. The sound of it slamming shut against the ground woke Alice just in time for her to flail her arms in a hopeless attempt to keep her balance. As she got up from hitting the floor she rubbed her forehead where it smacked the granite.
"Ooowwww…" Alice whimpered,"What happened?"
Alice looked around the library, glancing into every corner and then her eyes settled on the book she was reading. Her mouth began to drool at the sight of the beautifully prepared pulled pork sandwich on the cover.
Smiling obliviously she responded, "Oh yeah, heh, that was it." Then, realizing the saliva dripping from her mouth, she quickly wiped her face.
"I wonder where Oz is. He normally wants to spend the entire day with me," she said to herself as she got off the floor. Exhaling she stated, "I guess I gotta go find him. What use is a manservant who's not there when he should be?"
She began to exit the library when a shadow appeared to quickly dash across her vision.
"What the?" She rubbed her eyes furiously, "Ugh, guess I'm still just a little tired."
Walking into the hallway she called out Oz's name to see if he was near. When no reply came she proceeded to make her way towards the grand hall. It was midday and light poured into the manor, bouncing off of highly polished granite and marble, creating a scene that could only be described as angelic.
The large windows near the top of the stairway in the grand hall nearly blinded Alice as she walked in. Quickly disregarding the light Alice began to smell something. A beauteous aroma was flowing out of the kitchen, one that drew her in like a fish on a line. She followed the scent, her nose held high.
"It's perfect!" Oz shouted at the sight of all of the food layed out across the long formal dining hall table, "Oh, thank you so much Gil! It couldn't be any better!" He jumped at his tall foreboding friend and gave him a hug.
Clearing his throat, Gil responded, "Um, yes, well, let's just hope the stupid rabbit thinks the same."
"Oh, I'm sure she will," Oz smiled as he released him, "Say, Gil, why's your face all red?"
Panicking, Gil grabbed his hat from Oz's head and quickly covered his face, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Okay," Oz giggled, "but God, this is amazing."
It was a carnivore's dream, meat piled high and wide. Red, white, dark, cured, baked, barbecued, as many styles as the chefs could find. The table looked as though it would snap under the weight, but it held. A white tablecloth that would soon become splattered with sauces, dips, and rubs dressed the table.
"She's going to freak out when she sees this. I mean, who doesn't like at least some meat right?" Oz turned to Gil who was attempting to avoid eye contact with him, "Gil, are you okay? I just mentioned meat."
Shivering, Gil nodded, "Uh-huh."
"Hahaha, you're getting all red again!" Oz laughed as he pointed at him.
Gil's shoulders slumped in defeat. He walked over to Oz and getting down on one knee, placed his hat back on his friend's head. Just then, a servant ran into the room and yelled to the pair, "Masters, she's coming!"
"Quick, hide!" whispered Oz while he pushed Gil under the table and hid there himself.
Alice seemed to float in, mesmerized by the smells that engulfed her senses. Her eyes were closed as though in a dream where her feet knew exactly where to take her.
Meanwhile, under the table, Oz had misjudged the ways in which Gil and himself had hid. The table was quite long one way, but not too big the other. Gil, who had been shoved under the table landed in a sitting position, Oz had jumped under right after him, landing in his lap. Their faces were nearly touching, a mere couple of inches apart. They could feel each other's breath and define all of the small details in their faces. The surprise on each one's face was immense, and a rosy tint began to spread across their cheeks.
"Gi-" Oz began, but was cut off by his friend putting one hand across Oz's mouth. Gil placed his other hand quickly at the base of Oz's back. Before he could react Oz, in one swift motion, was on his back with Gil on top of him, his weight pressing down on him and hand still covering Oz's mouth. Both began to sweat as they lokoed into each other's eyes. Nervousness took over as Gil was leaned closer and closer to Oz. The pink shade on their faces became a bright strawberry red and just as he was about to reach Oz's ear Gil whispered, "Shhhhh."
Removing his hand from Oz's mouth, Gil reached out and ever so slightly raised the table cloth. Alice was on her knees, awestruck at the sight of the meal prepared. Lowering the tablecloth he raised a finger to his mouth to make sure Oz new to stay silent. He then pointed in the opposite direction of Alice, signaling to Oz that that was the way they would exit. Still a little pink in the face, Oz nodded to his companion who slowly got up so that he could get out from under him.
Short of breath, they both crawled out from under the table and rounded either side of it. What just happened? Oz thought to himself as he reached the corner. Peeking around he saw Alice, still entranced by the meat lover's paradise, and at the other side of the table, Gil leaned out. He was still breathing heavily from their close encounter, but met Oz's eyes with a look of determination. Holding up one hand he began to count down from three, and when he reached one they were to act just as rehearsed. Gil would fire a blank round from his pistol into the air to shock Alice from her stupor, then Oz would pounce, yelling, "Happy Anniversary!" as he tackled her. But just as Gil's final finger was about to fall, the unthinkable happened.
A darkness filled the room as though a vacuum had swallowed all of the light on this gorgeous day. It was a suffocating blackness, like a thick scarf draped around one's face. All of the senses were dampened in this space save for sight. They could all see quite clearly that the entire room seemed to have disappeared and Oz, Gil, and Alice were left floating in the void.
"So, here are the champions of Pandora," a voice boomed throughout the emptyness. Then, piercing rhe black veil, a large blue-green eye slammed opened above the trio, "I've been looking for you for a long time."