CHAPTER 1

A/N – Hey everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who showed interest in the posted trailer – it was an experiment and to be honest I didn't think it would go so well! But here it is, I had this idea while watching a video on youtube and told myself I had to do it (if you're familiar with Pandora Hearts you'll probably find that the main character is roughly inspired by B-Rabbit, but mixed with Hetalia I'll say it's a clear 'improvement'). Also, Roddy and Elizaveta are the bad guys (face it people, they've got potential).So here it is ;)

Warnings: graphic violence and gore; some anime clichés, such as contracted demons and scythe fighting; oh, it will also contain some crack… but that was inevitable.

Francis drummed his fingers on the wheel impatiently and ill-humoredly, waiting for the lights to change. There were roughly two weeks left until his birthday, the exams were over and he should have been doing something fun, like planning a party or a trip somewhere with his friends from college, something like normal people did. Only he hadn't had the luck of being born into a normal family, not by any standards. He often wondered whether his parents, had they been still alive, would have been more supportive of him and less strict in their expectations than Grandmaman was. So now, instead of doing something fun, he had to fix this somehow… or die trying.

The blond's spirit only dampened further by the time he pulled over in front of a large but rather decrepit brownstone house and he let out a deep sight before stepping out of the car. His cousin Vlad had offered to help with his problem, but while he didn't doubt the boy's good intentions, Francis rather doubted his abilities. The little Romanian wasn't exactly known for being much on an accomplished sorcerer himself.

Some loud noises resounded on the other side of the door the moment he rang the bell, some angry stomps, barks and yells drawing closer. Francis scowled and took a step back, cautious.

"STUPID DOG, GET AWAY FROM ME!"

When the door opened eventually, the Frenchman saw his cousin struggling to push away something white, fluffy and particularly large out of the way, while swatting at it with a rolled newspaper. The creature growled menacingly, while a pair of eyes just as red as Vlad's took the intruder in with a glare. Damn. Francis hadn't bothered too much with studying magic creatures, but even he could recognize a hellhound when he saw one.

"Is that your newly acquired pet protector?" he asked warily, managing to squeeze into the small hallway with some difficulty, while the strawberry blond tried to keep the dog from jumping him and desperately yelling at it to 'just give up already'.

"Yeah, Gilbert. He's a hellhound…"

"I thought you didn't like dogs?"

"I DON'T! But of course, when did my parents ever care about what I want?" the Romanian grumbled."I'm afraid of big dogs, and he stinks too!" he added after Francis was successfully and safely ushered into the living room and the door slammed in the hellhound's nose. It growled and scratched at the wood angrily, but its master ignored it.

"So, mon cher cousin, why am I here? All you said on the phone was that you'd found a way to help me and that I should wear something nice. Well?"

Vlad nodded. "Yeah. I mean you will agree with me that something must be done. In two weeks you'll be twenty-three already and-"

"And my powers have still not awakened, I am utterly unworthy of my ancient magic family, Grandmaman will disown me and she will either kill me or find a way to force me to move back into the mansion with her, which is probably worse," the taller blond pointed morosely. "Anything else?"

"No, I think you've got everything covered. Anyway, um, I didn't find a way to awaken your powers or anything," the strawberry blond shrugged with a grimace," but I think we could at least get you a pet protector as well. Like this you won't be vulnerable anymore and it would probably appease your grandmother to some extent. And who knows, maybe it will help with developing your abilities, too."

Francis threw a worried glance towards the door, where the dog was still scratching and wailing to be let in.

Vlad sighed. "You know, my parents think – and I suppose your grandmother as well – that we don't hang out enough with the heirs of the other families. Like, you know, go to the places they go to and stuff, socialize… I think we should…"

"You know," the Frenchman said, plopping onto the sofa, "I had top grades in all my exams and a literature magazine published two of my essays last month, but she doesn't care about any of that. It's vraiment very sad that all she wants of me is to spend my time with people I don't like."

His cousin shrugged again, with a look of helpless understanding. "Yeah… Anyway, I thought of a way to get you a pet protector – you don't have powers, but you've got money so tonight I'm taking you to a very special party in the 'Underworld' and hopefully you'll be able to buy one. Some are for sale, you know?"

"Will Roderich Edelstein be there?"

"Probably, but it doesn't matt-"

The Romanian was cut off when the door opened suddenly, his little brother Andrei barging in with a duck in his arms. The hellhound also seized the opportunity and pushed past the boy, lunging forward and tackling Francis in one leap.

"Big brother, big brother, my duck farts!" the child complained.

"I DON'T CARE!" Vlad yelled, forcefully tugging at Gilbert's collar to get him off his cousin. Fortunately, the dog wasn't doing any damage, only pressing his wet nose against Francis's cheek and sniffing with purpose. "That's it, let's get the hell out of here!" Pulling the blue-eyed blond from under the hellhound with some difficulty, he murmured a quick spell and ushered him through the full-size mirror placed in one corner. Just as the smaller boy passed through the portal, the dog's teeth grabbed the back of his trousers.

The Frenchman opened his eyes and stumbled a bit as they literally popped up at their destination, blinking as his eyes slowly adjusted to the semi-obscurity. He looked down with a scowl, smoothing the creased shirt and brushing off the dog hair from it, and wincing as his eardrums were assaulted by noise. It was certainly not the kind of place Francis would have ever frequented for fun, no way. The place looked dirty and dubious, the crowd was overwhelming and the violent music blaring from the sound system was deafening. But it was one of the spots the heirs of the other families spent their time – or so Vlad was saying – and apparently it was expected of him to mingle with them. If not to make friends, at least to know his future enemies.

"This ridiculousness had better be worth it and spare me of Grandmaman's pestering," he grumbled ill-humoredly.

It turned out they were in an underground club, filled to the brim with all sorts of peculiar people – the sort which could only be encountered in 'Underworld', and he saw his cousin held up in the arms of a tall, muscular albino with a wide, annoying and quite sharp-toothed grin. The hellhound in his human form, no doubt (rather attractive too…).

"Idiot, put me down right now! You almost tore my jeans, stupid dog!"

"Ah vell, look who is here," a voice with a thick accent said suddenly, and Francis turned abruptly to discover none other than Roderich Edelstein, the heir of the Edelstein family. "Francis Bonnefoy, and I don't recall ze name off the ozer loser," the brunet spat disdainfully, while his Hungarian fiancée clung to his arm, chuckling. "Haff you come here to see just how low you are on ze 'food chain'?"

"I beg your pardon…?" The Frenchman's gaze narrowed, but he didn't even know how to properly respond to this gratuitous hostility.

Roderich scrunched his nose slightly and adjusted his spectacles with a dignified air. "I hope zat at least you vill be inspired enough to vote for the prolongation of my family's regency, ja?"

"Like hell we'll support you, Edelschmuck!" Vlad replied. "You think that stick up your ass recommends you for the job?!"

The brunet waved his hand in dismissal. "Poorly educated too… I tell you vhat, you veaklings. You support me, or you vill die. Haff a good evening!"

"Mon dieu, did he just threaten us?" the blue-eyed blond asked when the Austrian walked away together with his fiancée and his group of minions. "Wait, does Grandmaman expect me to befriend and support him by any chance?"

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Forget about him, we're here to get you a pet protector, not listen to aristocrats' shit. Come, it's time for the show!"

The crowd was heading towards a small, narrow passage and Francis was pulled along with the rest, while his cousin proceeded to explain that those who had magic pets to sell would 'advertise' by making them fight publicly, much to the rest of the people's entertainment. Apparently it was one of the favorite distractions of the 'Underworld'.

The passage led to a small-scale stadium of sorts, surrounded by thick stone walls all around and rows of plush seats surrounding a large, deep pit covered with sparkly golden sand. The best seats were placed in a small lodge, currently occupied by the Edelstein family and their companions. Francis looked around with dismay, while people were taking their seats, already discussing the bets they were going to place.

"I can't believe you dragged me to his hellhole," he told his cousin, barely making himself heard over the loud music. "Unlike these people, I don't find massacres entertaining!" Long fingers brushed away a rebel strand from his forehead as the young man sighed, falling back in his seat. "I don't think I can do this…"

"And he didn't tell you about the test yet," Gilbert the hellhound piped up brusquely, with the same obnoxious grin which seemed to never leave his face.

"Shut up!" Vlad snapped angrily.

"Quoi? What test?!"

"Shut up, stupid dog!" the strawberry blond warned, trying to cover Gilbert's mouth with his hand. The hellhound promptly bit him. "Owwww! What the fuck?!"

"It's not enough to acquire a pet protector, you'll have to pass a test of their choosing and only then they'll serve you, sorcerer," the albino explained. "Vlad got away with it easily because he's cute and harmless and Gilbert likes him, keseseses!" he added, wrapping his arms around the strawberry blond and biting his ear determinedly.

Several fights went by and Francis was slumping lower and lower in his seat, disgusted beyond words and mostly refusing to watch the unfolding gore scenes. At some point there was a pause and Roderich's enormous three-headed varan lizard – which had been victorious in all confrontations – was taken back to its cage, while the maintenance staff was pouring fresh sand to cover the pools of blood scattered everywhere.

"Why does he insist on throwing his stupid lizard in all the fights?" Vlad asked angrily. "Hasn't he made his fucking point already?! At this rate there will be nothing left to buy!"

"Gilbert can torch stupid lizard if master wants," the hellhound offered.

"No! Shut up! Last thing we need is to stir an even bigger shit than the one we're already in… And hellhounds are illegal, remember?"

"I think something is very wrong with these people…" Francis grumbled. The more he saw of the magic world, the less he wanted to be a part of it. How could his grandmother be proud of being one of these magic folk? And there was no way in hell he would ever own one of the creatures on display so far, they were appalling and… where would he keep such a thing anyway? Could they even take some sort of human form, like his cousin's hellhound, or they were bound to their beastly shapes permanently?

Much too soon, the break ended and the speaker announced that Alice Kirkland, from the House Kirkland, would present her pet for the next fight. One of the gates from the sides of the pit was lifted and a blonde girl of about twelve walked up on the sand, holding something small and grey in her arms. As she emerged, whoever was operating the sound system played a mocking lullaby tune, while nearly everyone laughed.

"Mon dieu, are children allowed at this sort of thing?!" the Frenchman exclaimed, staring at the thin bespectacled blonde with long hair swept in twin pigtails and clad in a simple baby blue dress.

"The Kirkland family is in ruin, they're selling everything they've got," Vlad explained. "Alice is the only heir, and her father doesn't dare show his face in the world after he's gambled away their fortune. So she has no choice," he said while in his lodge Roderich waved his hand and the opposing gate opened as well, letting out the enormous varan.

"This is madness! Someone get her out of there!" Francis cried as the lizard crept forward slowly, the forked tongues of all three heads tasting the air.

But the girl was unfazed, she only smoothed the front of her dress with her free hand and cleared her voice, before lifting up the small animal and showing it to the laughing crowd.

"This is Arthur, my bitter bunny," she chirped weakly, barely audible with all the surrounding noise.

Francis froze in his seat, momentarily forgetting to breathe – that thing was going to tear the girl and her pet to shreds. He looked over at his cousin, but the strawberry blond had leaned back and was only watching with mild curiosity.

"Relax, Francis. He won't kill Alice, not in front of all these people anyway, for fuck's sake," the strawberry blond reassured him, but somehow he didn't look very convinced of the fact himself.

Alice leaned down and lowered the miniscule rabbit down onto the ground. The small ball of grey fur sniffed and hopped forward, curious and unsuspecting, moving right into the predator's path and the Frenchman thought he was going to be sick. The mocking tune played on, ruining all hope that the loud music would muffle any screams. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears, preparing for the worst.

Suddenly there was something like a low growl, then the audience screamed and the music changed brusquely to some deafening hardcore metal.

"Haha, yes! Fuck, yeah!" Vlad shouted, slamming his palm into the armrest.

Francis's eyes snapped open and the first thing he saw was one of the lizard's heads lying on the ground in a puddle of dark blood, neatly severed from its body. The creature's other heads howled in pain while it trashed around, splattering blood everywhere from the cut neck. Further away, on the other side of the pit stood a blond boy with short unruly hair and bangs falling in his eyes, dressed in faded black jeans, heavy combat boots and an open grey fur vest which left his chest and his slender but still muscular arms bare. A heavy iron chain was wrapped several times around his neck, but the most striking things about his appearance were the gigantic scythe he was holding with both hands, the grey bunny ears at the top of his head and the short fluffy tail bursting from the back of his jeans.

"W-What the hell is that?"

"A bitter rabbit. He's a chain," Gilbert replied. "Gilbert thinks chains are illegal too, aren't they?" he added in a lower voice, purposefully to his master.

Francis frowned, blinking rapidly and uncomprehending. "What is a 'chain'? Or a 'bitter rabbit'?"

"Creatures of demonic nature which can be summoned by sorcerers and made to serve. Just like hellhounds," the strawberry blond explained. "I don't know how come the Kirklands have such a thing in their possession…"

"Hellhounds are much more powerful," the albino said smugly.

Meanwhile the lizard seemed to recover from the shock and started towards Alice, who was right in front of it. The girl realised the danger and turned to run towards the gate and out of the pit, but at a sign of Roderich's hand the heavy iron grate was brought down, blocking her escape.

"ARTHUR!" the blonde cried, eyes wide with horror while the crowd began to scream even louder.

The rabbit turned, scythe weighed in his hand as blood still dripped from the black steel, then sprang forward, leaping on the varan's back. The blade was forcefully brought down, the sharp tip burying itself in the back of the monster's neck. The lizard reeled, shaking its attacker off, Arthur taking a tumble but landing on his feet in front of the girl, a grin curling his lips. He lunged forward and swung, another head flying off, splashing him and Alice's dress with crimson.

Francis threw a rapid glance towards the Edelsteins' lodge, but to his dismay there was a cold smirk on the brunet's lips as he leaned back in his seat. And then he saw the lizard's heads begin to grow back.

"Merde!" the blue-eyed blond cursed. "That fucking thing doesn't die!"

Without warning, the varan's long, thick tail flicked around, sweeping the rabbit off his feet and projecting him straight into the stone wall of the pit. The chain collided with the wall with a sickening sound, then dropped to the ground, the scythe falling away from him. Roderich's lizard turned to face him, abandoning the girl for now, and one of the regenerated heads shot forward, sharp teeth sinking into flesh.

Alice screamed as her pet was grabbed by that hideous mouth and shaken with a will to tear, then thrown again to the ground, unconscious and bloodied. The tail then wrapped itself around the limp rabbit, lifting him up in the air while the audience roared in ecstasy.

"It's killing him! Mon dieu, we have to do something, it's going to go for the girl next!" Francis cried, nearly jumping from his seat, but the hellhound's arm grabbed and held him in place.

"Don't worry just yet. Gilbert thinks bunny has a surprise still... keseseseses. You've never seen chains fight. Dirty, keseseses," the albino chuckled.

Indeed, much to everyone's astonishment, several chains shot out from the rabbit's body, each chain ended with a sharp spike, and plunged into the lizard from all sides, emerging in the opposite directions. It all happened with lightning speed, after which the monster was torn to tiny pieces in the blink of an eye, the remains collapsing on the ground in a horrible mess. Arthur landed in the middle of the lizard bits and stood up straight, soiled but dignified. He licked his right hand a few times, rubbed it over his face in rabbit fashion and then crouched down, grabbing a chunk of meat and munching on it satisfied.

In his seat, Roderich was white as a sheet, motionless.

"Arthur, stop! Come here!" Alice shouted, but the rabbit ignored her blatantly, tail twitching in annoyance as he continued to eat.

"He's not listening to her," the Frenchman observed, puzzled.

"I think we should go have a talk with little Alice. Whatever she's got on her hands, I very much fear she can't handle it," Vlad suggested, patting his cousin's shoulder.

"And I can?" Francis asked gulping.

His cousin didn't answer, instead glancing over at the lodge where Edelstein was still in a trance and Elizaveta was shouting something, with an expression of pure hatred, motioning with her hand towards the pit. One of the gates was lifted again and something large moved in the shadows.

"Ugh… seriously? Bunny can't do that trick again so soon," Gilbert said disappointed. "Just how much shit do these people have? Master should have let Gilbert roast them all. Easier."

Elizaveta's pet was a giant black cobra, its countless scales perfectly shiny as it slithered gracefully across the sand. The rabbit was still eating with his back turned, but his ear twitched at the soft swish and a look of plain irritation made its way on his impish face. Bright green eyes narrowed and he frowned, small nose wiggling as he stood up and turned around, hands on his slender hips.

Suddenly, he raised his hand in front of the snake and moved his arm slowly, from side to side, making the cobra dance in sync with his movements. And then his hand shot forward, finger pointing towards the lodge. The snake turned swiftly, much to the crowd's horror, and countless screams broke out as people were fleeing from their seats, out of the snake's path.

"Edelschmuck and his girlfriend humiliated in public, oh, this was SO worth coming here!" Vlad observed excitedly, rubbing his hands. "They can't even control their magic pets, what a slap in the face, haha!"

Francis fleetingly considered reminding his cousin that he couldn't control his magic pet either, but momentarily he was too tense and scared to do so. In the confusion that had followed, they'd managed to get down into the pit, grab Alice and (somehow) the rabbit too and had headed for the exit in great hurry. Now all four of them were sitting in a tavern, Alice holding the bunny in her arms and petting him soothingly as Francis filled in a letter of credit.

"Please, take good care of him," the blonde asked. "He likes to snuggle and be handled gently. And he likes to eat. And…um… he can be quite scary at times…"

Hard to believe now, since Arthur was so small that he almost fit in his hand and his black, beadlike eyes were nothing but innocent. The Frenchman had a gut feeling that things were going to go to absolute shit, very, very soon.

To be continued