A/N: I find it a bit shocking (and disappointing) that SO few OzSharon fics exist. Seriously, there are, I think, two English fics shipping the big OS. I don't have anything against SharonBreak (I quite enjoy it, in fact), but…like 98% of all Sharon fics have her paired with good ol' one eye.
So, to slightly rectify this, I'm giving the OzSharon pairing a shot with this oneshot. It takes place a week after the last episode of the anime, and is in Oz's point of view.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to any aspect of Pandora Hearts or the Lewis Carroll works that inspired the series.
Pandora Hearts
Address to Reveille
Alice led Gil and I back into Rainsworth manor, kicking the door open with gusto despite being still splattered with walrus innards.
"CLOWN! CLOWN!" she barked, evidently offended by the fact that Break wasn't here at the exact moment we arrived. "We've got a mission to report or something!"
I didn't really blame her frustration; after all, we had once again failed to find either any trace of her memories or anything pertaining to the looming Baskerville threat, despite our slaying yet another high-ranked Chain. Moreover, at the rate the seal on my chest was rotating, she and I wouldn't have much more time here on earth.
Gil took off his hat and sat down on the couch in the room. "You do realize, don't you, that we, not the Rainsworths, are the guests here?"
Alice glared at him and then, unfortunately, turned to me. "Well, Manservant?"
"…What is it?" I said after a prolonged sigh.
She threw her nose in the air. "I'm tired, hungry, and irritable…"
"..and stupid…" Gil chimed in.
"…and I just want to get this reporting waste of time DONE, so we can go back to your house."
"I understand that," I said.
Alice sneered. "Then why didn't you put two and two together and go get them already, hmm?"
"Oh, sure."
As I walked from the room, I heard Alice say, to no one in particular, "It's just so annoying to be so much more intelligent than everyone else!"
"Yes, it must be," Gil replied, "such is the burden of Oz, it would seem."
"…What do you mean?" she demanded just as I closed the door. They make such a cute couple.
My heart beat with increasing velocity the closer I got to the tea room, as it always does when I'm about to be in the same room with Sharon. I'm not sure what my exact feelings are for her, but it is apparent that, while she makes me really nervous, I always still look forward to every moment I get to spend with her.
Being that such was the case, my throat tightened and my hands shook by the time I reached the door on the upper floor. After one last deep breath, I clenched the handle and swung it open, determined not to do anything to embarrass myself in front of her this time.
The smell of light, elegant perfume and candied sweets greeted me when I entered. Sharon was sitting alone at the table; no Break in sight to make me look like an idiot! YES!
"Lord Oz," she greeted, daintily setting down her teacup and rising from her seat with an adorable lifting of her dress. "I'm glad you returned from Florana with no injuries."
"L-lady Sharon," I said, bowing to her as elegantly as I could muster. "Um, yeah…it wasn't too easy, this time. I mean, who knew a gigantic, two-headed Walrus could kill as many people as that thing did?"
"Well, the important thing is that you're safe," she said warmly, her eyes emanating that hypnotic kindness that just makes my heart spin like a tornado.
Without any warning at all, Break dropped down from the sky and landed on my shoulders.
"HOLY…" I exclaimed, staggering to keep my balance as he situated himself so that he was straddling the back of my head.
"My, Lord Oz, isn't it a bizarre coincidence that, as I fell from the ceiling, you just happened to be under me, AND that I fell in a sitting position?" the zany knight pondered.
"Slightly bizarre," I agreed. "But I don't know about the coincidence part."
Break casually laughed and slipped off me. I risked a look at Sharon's face to see her expression; it wasn't what I expected at all! She looked very stressed, beleaguered, and even fearful! I doubted that either Break or I could cause that kind of emotion on the normally stoic girl; something else must have been bothering her.
I felt Break's nose on my cheek. "Um…can I help you?"
Break leaned back and surveyed me with his hand wrapped around his chin. "Why is it…that you smell…like gonads?"
While I gave him a look of derision, Sharon answered for me. "Lord Oz just returned from slaying the walrus monster from Florana."
"OH! Right! Walrus guts was my second guess," Break said.
"Good for you, Break," I said boredly.
I decided that it was time to reenact our oft-used practice of pretending that Break didn't exist.
"So, Lady Sharon, how are you doing?"
"Oh, I'm just fine, Lord Oz, thank you for asking," she said with an adorable smile. I sensed that she was hiding something, though. "There is a historic ceremony in Reveille in two days, so I am preparing for that at the moment, but everything is proceeding quite smoothly so far."
I nodded to try and encourage her. "That's good! Um…" Ugh. Brain fart. This ONLY happens to me when Sharon is around. "I-I'm sure that, since you have a hand on it, it will be really great." I thought that sounded pretty good, all things considered. However, immediately after I said it, I saw a momentary frown of terror show through her smiling façade. Hmm…it seems like her discontent is somehow connected to her responsibility to this event, whatever it is. I could be wrong though. She could just dislike me flirting with her.
Break patted me on the head. "Yep, she hates you."
"I thought as much…HEY! Did you just read my…"
Break giggled and skipped away like a flaming idiot. "I'll go fetch the others and then we can have cake!" he announced. "Ta-ta!"
Him having left, I sighed and ruffled my hair, able to let my guard down a little more (just a little bit, though). I turned around and jumped when I saw that Sharon was standing about a foot away from me.
"Oh my gosh!" I yelped. My heart fluttered at the sight of her eyes and my veins throbbed at the warmth I could feel from her proximity.
"Ahh!" she shrieked also, quickly raising a gloved hand to her mouth. I must have startled her.
I laughed and scratched my neck. "I'm sorry, Lady Sharon, I didn't see you there." Holy ABYSS, my heart is beating fast! I can feel heat rising swiftly to my cheeks.
"I-it's alright, um," she put her hand softly on her chest. "I was just looking at your face; which, is quite rude of me, I know, but…" Here, I assured her that such was not the case with an enthusiastic shake of my head. "…I've been noticing that you're face looks a little…different than since we first met."
I posed for her and fluttered my eyes. "Good different or bad different?"
She smiled. "Very good different, actually. Your eyes are much, much deeper now." She leaned forward slightly; I could feel her gentle breath on my lips. "They have intense warmth…and even more gentleness than before."
"Uh…ah…" I was at a loss for what to say. My heart was threatening to beat right out of my throat.
We're both so close to each other, each staring with fascination into the other's eye. All of time paused, just for that moment of absolute stillness.
Sharon broke it, closing her eyes and stepping back with a sigh. "I…should go. I must continue with my preparations."
"Okay," I resigned. As Sharon walked past me (I noticed that she was careful to step far around me), I turned around and stammered. "Hey, tonight, um…if you need a breather from all your work, uh, we could…"
She turned and smiled with red-rimmed eyes. "I'm sorry, Lord Oz, but I'll be busy for quite some time." Carrying herself with carefully-measured composure, Sharon walked elegantly out of the room.
"Oooh, BUURRRRRRRNNNN!" Break announced, climbing out from the china cabinet to my left.
I growled and threw a punch at him, but he easily dodged out of the way. "Haha! You just got denied, Lord Oz!"
I folded my arms and felt myself blush. "Shut up. I don't like her. I was just offering to…"
"Hmm? Why don't you like her? Is there something wrong with her? Or maybe…" Break surprised me by spanking me. "Your taste is for the other side of the chromosome pond?"
I blinked. "Just because I don't like Sharon doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me or her; we're just friends, that's all."
Break giggled and patted me on the shoulder. "I never said there's anything wrong with you for liking boys. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
I reached to grab his neck, but he giggled again and ran down the hall, flapping his arms uselessly.
I was, indeed, disheartened by Sharon's apparent denial of me. But, that moment that we had…I'm not sure if she felt it, but I certainly did. I was still drinking up its residue! I won't give up! I'm going to hold on to that small hope while trying to make a new moment with her.
I do hope she's alright, though. She seems very stressed at the moment.
At dinner, despite Alice giving me the evil eye the entire time and vying for my attention, I had only Sharon on my mind. She must have been feeling quite a lot of pressure if she was willing to forego having dinner with guests at her manor, when she was typically so adherent to etiquette.
I made up my mind, thusly, to try my best to help her carry this burden; she was clearly suffering, and I was determined to ease it, however I could.
Thus, as Alice and Gil prepared to depart, I snuck away to the Rainsworth library to search out my exceedingly beautiful friend. Ignoring the magnetic sight of the complete collection of the Holy Knights series that covered one wall, I proceeded to the nonfiction section to, hopefully, find Sharon.
Just as I laid eyes on her elegant form, I felt a sharp poke in my spine.
"Hello, Lord Oz!" Break said in a squeaky voice befitting a squirrel. "See something you like?"
I made a motion for him to stop talking. Utterly disregarding it, he looked curiously past me to Sharon. "So…despite her already telling you, twice, that she didn't want to spend time with you tonight…you are planning to go talk with her."
"I am offering to help her out with her duties," I said coldly. What is Break's deal today?
"Ah, I see, I see…and has my Lady agreed to this?"
I glared and drew myself up. "I'm just offering to help, not asking for her hand in marriage! If you don't mind, could you please go do ANYthing else?"
"Oh, far be it from me to obstruct you from your inevitable rejection!" Break smirked and backed away. "Have a fantastic time holding your stomach while you're wallowing in self-pity!"
"Goodbye, Break," I said in an annoyed voice, folding my arms and watching him slink away.
Once I was satisfied that he'd left, I went to Sharon's side. "Hey, what are you working on, Lady Sharon?"
She looked up, with delicate surprise (and a little relief, I think) shining from her lovely eyes. "Oh, hi, Lord Oz! I'm glad you're still here."
" Well that's great to hear," I grinned. "I just…noticed you were feeling a little bit perturbed about something, and I was just going to offer my assistance on whatever it was…if it was something I could assist you with."
"Isn't that sweet of you!" Sharon smiled back. "I'm actually doing perfectly fine at the moment, but you could still help me, if you wanted…oh, wait, watch out; here comes Xerk."
"…you're kidding."
"Lord Oz! Lord Oz!" Break came running back to me and Sharon. "I just have a couple items of advice for you, before you go to try and flirt with Lady Sharon!" He did NOT just say that, did he? "Oh. Wait…too late, huh? Hello milady!"
I pulled out my Pandora-issued pistol, released the safety, cocked it, and held it up to Break's face. "Please, keep on talking, Break, so I can relieve you of your other eye."
"My, Lord Oz has such charisma when it comes to wooing women, doesn't he, Lady Sharon?" Break said, not seeming intimidated in the least.
"I'm busy, Xerxes. And stop pestering Oz all the time; I heard you talking with him less than a minute ago, as well," Sharon commanded while I sheathed my weapon.
Now it was Break's turn to look dejected. "Wh-what would you have me do, milady?"
"What do you think? Oz is going to help me with my research, not rape me! You don't need to be here. Feel free to leave the manor for the weekend, if you don't mind." Yes! Way to go, Sharon!
Wait; for the weekend? Does that mean that she's inviting me to stay? I decided not to dwell on the possible implications of her words, since she could have misspoken.
"But…but…is that an order?" Break said, a little pathetically.
"Yes. I will see you on Monday, okay?"
Break looked truly heartbroken as he slid out of the library aisle, head downcast. I resisted the urge to smile victoriously.
I turned back to Sharon and immediately blushed; nothing could compare to her beauty at close proximity.
"I…" Once again, I failed to come up with anything to say.
"I'm sorry about Xerk's rudeness, I know you'd never flirt with me or anything like that," Sharon said, averting her eyes.
"Oh, y-yeah, I wonder where he got that idea, huh?" I cleared my throat. "But he was right about the gun thing; I'm sorry about that, I was just getting a little annoyed."
"Don't worry about it; if there's one thing I can understand, it's wanting to cause my brother bodily harm," she smirked as she went back to perusing her family's bookshelves.
"So…what are you researching, anyway?"
"I'm supposed…to give…" she said between grabbing rather large texts, "a speech…on Sunday. To all of Reveille. It's tradition for the Duke or Duchess of the Rainsworth house to do so."
"Isn't your mother still the Duchess?"
"Yes, but she's declined the opportunity to speak for the first time this year, electing to pass it off to me," Sharon sighed, leaning her head against the bookshelf. "The thing is, I HATE speaking in front of any audience with more than about ten people. If there was ANY chance I could have at not speaking, I would grab onto it and never let go."
Wow, that certainly sounds pleasant. I'm not much for speaking myself, but if it had a chance of pleasing Lady Sharon and taking this load of stress off her back, maybe…I could deliver it?
"That's understandable. Um…may I carry those books for you?" I asked.
She looked down blankly at the massive pile. "Oh! Yes! Thanks, Lord Oz." She handed them off to me, nearly knocking me over in the process (although I strove to hide that fact). "I'm researching many things that Reveille has been through recently, to try and pull together some kind of message that I want to deliver to them."
"Is history typically something that's covered in this event?"
"Yes, it's usually an incredibly bland history lesson," Sharon said, removing more books and sliding them on top of the pile. "This year's ought to be a little different, I feel, since Reveille was so recently attacked. However, I don't know if I should be the one to break tradition like that, especially since it will be different enough with me being the speaker."
"And the city being leveled," I added.
"That's true," she sighed grabbing some more books.
"I'm not sure how much the people will want to hear about the attack, at any rate, since I'm sure they're eager for some way to forget about it, even for a day," I mused aloud.
"Wow, you're quite perceptive, Lord Oz," Sharon said, touching me gently on the shoulder. "Or else, I'm just quite stupid."
"Um, trust me, you're the polar opposite of stupid. You just have an incredible amount of stress at the moment, and that's inhibiting your ability to think clearly."
"Oh thanks, Lord Oz, but I'm starting to drastically doubt nearly all of my capabilities now," she sighed, grabbing one last book. "Let's go work through these; they should be enough, I hope."
"Yeah, or else we're totally screwed," I laughed. There's no WAY we'd be able to crack even half of these books before the time for her speech.
We set them down at a table that had a single, cushioned bench on one side. I made to pull it out for her, but…it didn't move.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Lord Oz, but I'm afraid it's stationary."
"Yes…well…" I blushed deeply and, thus, simply allowed her to sit first.
"Come on, don't be shy," she said, patting the cushion next to her.
I sat down next to her VERY stiffly. "I think that it'd be impossible not to, Lady Sharon."
She blushed and looked at me deeply again, her eyes beautiful enough to make me want to propose to her on a second's notice.
"Lord Oz…" she whispered, "I thought you said you wouldn't flirt with me." I can feel her body heat emanating intensely.
I smiled shakily. "N-n-no, YOU said that, I was just following your lead, out of courtesy."
"Oh, I see," she said, furtively licking her lips. "Um…do you…"
"MANSERVANT!"
"GOD!" I squawked, flying straight up out of my seat in surprise, finding myself looking straight at a very aggrieved-looking Alice. "Wh-what do you want?"
Alice gestured broadly. "What do you think? Hello? Gil and I have been waiting in the foyer for, like, twenty minutes! We were wondering what you were doing, but now I see."
"Um…it's not what it looks like, Alice," I tried to assure her.
Sharon stood up beside me, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing. "Lord Oz has offered to assist me with some work that I will be undertaking presently, which will last through the weekend. Therefore, he will be staying here, accordingly." I blushed and looked away from both girls. "I would be happy to offer you and Gil a place to stay, if you'd like."
"You bet! I need to sleep HARD!" Alice smiled broadly. "Seaweed Head'll probably wanna sleep, too."
"Well, I'll get you set up then," Sharon said, walking away from our table. She turned and looked at me with apology on her sparkling eyes. "I'm sorry, Lord Oz, I won't be a moment."
"Go on, thanks for taking care of them," I said. "I'm sorry about all the distractions."
Sharon escorted my Chain out of the room and I was finally given an opportunity to allow my heart's pace to return to a healthy rate.
My host returned in about half an hour (during which I had been skimming and taking notes on what I found to be interesting topics relating to Reveille's history), carrying a tray of tea. I stood up and allowed her to seat herself before sitting back down myself.
"Lord Oz," she said to me in a down-to-business tone.
"Lady Sharon."
"As much as I enjoy spending casual time with you, and I do, I want to make sure you realize how little time we have to prepare for Sunday."
"I understand, Lady Sharon; I will cut back on the friendly banter for now."
"Okay," she said, her voice suddenly changing to a voice that I'd never before heard her use before. It was hushed, upset, and frail-sounding, indicating that she might be on the brink of tears.
I didn't really know what to do in this situation, being that she was a fellow noble.
Sharon shakily reached a hand out to my notes. "May I see them?" she said in the same dreadful voice.
"Of course," I said as bracingly as I could, handing them to her. "As you can see, I've been compiling notes, sorted by each direction you might want to go with the speech. This list, right here, is if you end up wanting to talk about the recent attack, and deals with such events as the Calendar of Death and the history of Baskervilles and such, and this list, here…" I broke off when she scrunched her face up and laid her face on the table. "Lady Sharon?" I asked, lightly laying a hand on her back in concern.
"I don't want to do this…" she hissed between shudders. "I don't care about this history…I don't care about the city…and I certainly cannot stand this oppressive tradition that's got me locked into this godforsaken task for every single year of my life…"
I rubbed her back in a circular motion, letting her speak. She sat up after a moment, looking away from me and wiping her tears. "I'm s-sorry, Lord Oz. I'm really sorry."
"It's alright, Lady Sharon."
"No! It's not!" Eyes now burning, Sharon whirled to me. "I…LITERALLY…cannot speak in front of crowds! I doubt I'll even be able to get through one sentence without stuttering so badly that it takes about ten minutes to say! There is NO way I can get through this, Lord Oz! No way! At all!"
"Lady Sharon…the thing you have to remember is, no matter what happens…life will go on. The passage of time won't stop."
She shook her head and threw her arms around me, quite abruptly. "No…life may not go on if I botch this. If I embarrass my House, my mother will never forgive me. I'll be the laughing stock of the entire WORLD! I'll drive my House straight to ruin! There…*sniff*…there's nothing you or I or anyone can do to save me now!"
I tried to force all thoughts about the cutest girl I'd ever met being on top of me out of my mind as I reached around her delicate back and hugged her back. "They might do that, Lady Sharon…but I'm here to help you!"
She squeezed me harder; her chest was now completely flush with mine. "Lord Oz…I wish that were enough. I thirst for a time that, now, will never come, in which you being here with me and protecting me could make everything well, but…now…I am doomed. My life as I know it will be over come Sunday evening."
"Well…there's always a possibility that the Baskervilles will attack in exact conjunction with your speech, and that everybody will then be thrown into a frenzy!" I joked.
Sharon buried her face in my hair, her chest jerking with crosses between sobs and laughs. "I wish that would fix everything." She pulled her tearstained face away from mine and made a fragile smile. I could feel her heart beating against my own. "What I wouldn't give to NOT do this…"
"Lady Sharon…whatever you choose to do, I will be here to support you in full."
"You can call me Sharon," she said, her cheeks blushing as she said it.
"Oh, well only if you call me Oz."
"Okay."
"Do it," I said, smiling kindly.
"O-oz…"
"Sharon…"
Her face now as red as a raspberry, Sharon wrapped one hand around the back of my head to pull it closer…I can feel all of her against me…her short breath sounds frail, desperate…we're going to kiss!
I close my eyes and allow my lips to hover closer to hers.
"OZ!" Gil's voice exclaimed.
"Son of Abyss!" Sharon shouted, standing straight up and glaring at my servant. "What in God's name do you want, right THIS moment?"
"W-well, I just came to wish the two of you good luck on your, um…but I see that, um…" Gil said softly. "My apologies for disturbing the two of you."
"See, it's just like I told you," Alice said, emerging from the doorway and munching on a turkey leg. "They're getting closer than two canaries trapped inside an ice cream cone."
Gil shot her a glare. "That's none of our business!"
"Says the person who came running down here on his own to save his 'Precious Master'," Alice said, making a face. "Tool."
"Stupid, BRAINLESS Rabbit."
"Slimy, Sickly, Seaweed-Head."
I cleared my throat. "Well, whatever has come to pass before, we actually DO need to do work. We're on a very tight schedule."
Sharon nodded and sat back down.
"By the way, what's wrong with you, lady?" Alice said, pointing at Sharon as she spewed turkey bits from her mouth. "You look upset. Did my manservant reject your unwarranted physical advances?"
Sharon tried to smile, failed, and just hung her head straight down.
I closed my eyes and shook my head to Gil and Alice. "We're having some trouble, but she's just feeling really stressed out."
"About what?" Gil said, grabbing Alice by the collar and dragging her backwards.
"She has to give a speech on Sunday."
"Oh, I heard about that!" he said. "Everyone's really looking forward to it!"
Sharon responded by slamming her head loudly into the table.
"We're kind of on a tight schedule right now, so could everyone please leave?" I asked, holding my head.
"Of course not!" Alice crowed, beating her chest. "I am, obviously, vastly more intelligent than any of you."
"You just hide it really well," Gil muttered.
"Thank you, Seaweed Head. Therefore, I will deign to lend you my assistance in figuring out what the lady will say!" Alice continued, undeterred.
Break materialized out from under the table. "I'll help too! I am obliged to serve milady whenever she is in trouble."
Sharon looked at him callously. "I told you to leave."
"Hey, everybody!" Uncle Oscar said, emerging from behind a shelf of books.
"EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU…" I took a deep breath. "LEAVE!"
The room was silent for a moment.
"Does that include me?" Alice said, pointing at herself.
"Yes," Sharon said impatiently. "Please go, everyone."
With some grumbling, the four people left the room, with Uncle Oscar stopping on the way out and telling me, "Keep up the good work!"
Sharon and I looked at each other.
"I'm sorry about all that," I said. "If I hadn't come here and disturbed you, you probably would have had half the speech done already."
"Don't worry." She took my hand in hers, which made my entire body vibrate with a weird, tickly feeling. "It's much better with you being here with me, these last two days of my life."
"Don't talk like that, Sharon...well…I mean, you can talk about the 'life being better with you being here with me part,' because I quite like the sound of that, but, um, if you just keep being pessimistic about this, then nothing good will ever come out of it."
Sharon folded her arms and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "I'm not being pessimistic; I'm being realistic."
"But, see, if you're optimistic about it, then at least there's a CHANCE, no matter how small, that SOMETHING good will come out of it. You with me?"
She smiled slightly at me and nodded.
"Good, now, let's get working."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
We worked for hours and hours and hours…well into Saturday morning, actually. After a while, we came to the realization that, for whatever reason, I was the faster reader of the two of us, so I was given reading duty. Sharon then started working at the conceptual level, writing down my vocalized thoughts and grouping them into massive idea webs across various sheets of parchment. And getting more (heavily caffeinated) tea.
So it was to my astonishment that, somehow, the two of us actually managed to get through every book we'd picked out, while sorting their topics and various globs of history into organized, if unsightly, blobs by eleven Saturday morning; at which point, Sharon immediately collapsed on the bench (I barely managed to scoot out of the way in time), quite unconscious.
"Break? Break, are you there?" I asked with a very sore diaphragm.
"Yes, yes, what is it, Lord Oz?" the clown skipped out from behind a lamp. "How may I assist your Lordship?"
I was too tired to speak anymore, so I simply pointed to Sharon's comatose form.
"Ah, so you do have a trace of honor in your blood after all, I see," Break said, stooping down and gently lifting Sharon onto her shoulder. "Never fear, I'll take care of her."
I simply nodded and tripped away to go find my chambers.
"By the way, Lord Oz; I couldn't help but notice something."
"…What?"
"I don't know for sure, but it seems like my Lady doesn't wish to participate in the ceremony tomorrow at all."
"…I might have picked up on that, yes."
"Ah! Well, it seems I've underestimated your powers of observation once again."
"…That seems like a vast, vast underestimation…"
"I'll leave it to you, then, to handle this problem," Break said, walking out of the library alongside me.
My mind was lagging behind its usual pace due to my lack of sleep, but…was he implying that I ought to do what I thought he was saying?
I somehow made it back to my chambers (which I appeared to be sharing with Gil), and slept quite soundly for several more hours.
I awoke an imperceptible amount of time later from the creaking open of my door. "H-hello?" I asked groggily.
"It's me," Sharon whispered, walking in the door wearing some very comfortable-looking cotton pajamas. She looked the opposite of comfortable, however; her shoulders were hunched up and her face was downcast.
"L-Lady Sha…I mean, Sharon!" I stammered, sitting up. It was quite improper for her to come into a male guest's sleeping chamber; I didn't mind, of course, but it surprised me quite a bit that she was willing to forego etiquette in this way, once again.
Sharon walked over to my bed in the same, mechanical fashion as she had come in, sitting on it and laying her head on her knees while facing me.
"The speech is tomorrow…I'm going to die…" she whispered hollowly.
"Sharon, you're going to be fine," I said. She looked very, VERY cute. I couldn't believe that someone I had always idolized as much as her was sitting, in her mere pajamas…ON MY BED. It felt like a dream.
"I'm going to mess up…everyone will hate me…I'm going to die…"
I had hoped that some sleep would relieve her stress a little, but it seemed that she was even more pained than before. If it had been ANYONE other than Sharon, I would have scooted forward, taken them in my arms, and comforted them (okay, maybe not Break). Being that it WAS Sharon, however, I didn't want to overstep my bounds and destroy the hard-won trust that I thought I might have acquired from her.
So I was forced to sit and watch her condemn herself repeatedly, unable to comfort her at all.
"Sharon…have you ever thought…that, since the people are excited to hear you…and that you're one of the more popular members of the Four Houses…perhaps you'll feel their warmth and goodwill, and be less nervous!"
"No, no…"
"They WANT you to succeed; they will have come because they already love you and want to support you, not to judge you and overanalyze you."
"That's a nice thought, Oz, but their support will only last until I make my first mistake. From then on, even if they DO like me like you say, they won't even be able to help judging me. I'D judge and heckle me, and I love myself more than anyone!"
I sighed and decided to scoot out from under my covers and sit on the bed, facing her. Gil groaned and rolled around in sleep.
Sharon looked at me nervously, blinking a lot. I thought it might have been because of my repositioning, until she said, "Lor-, I mean, Oz? Can I tell you something?"
"Of course," I said reassuringly.
Still holding her knees tightly together, Sharon scooted towards me, causing my heartbeat to pound more erratically than a drunken railroad worker.
"I've…always had trouble…making friends…"
"Oh yeah?" I wasn't too surprised; that was a common result of growing up in the inevitably sheltered lifestyle of a Duke or Duchess. I was only able to survive through sheer bullheaded-ness, and through the support of Ada and Gil, of course. Sharon, however, never had anyone until Break came along.
She laughed hollowly. "I was always really, really scared to talk with people; and no one ever spared me any companionship. So I soon found myself talking to imaginary friends, much to my Mother's dismay. I was always alone…so alone that it hurt."
"And then Break came, right?"
"Yeah…Xerk was so exaggerated and elaborate that, for a while, I thought he actually was one of my imaginary friends. But he always remained carefully removed from my attempts at a deeper friendship with him; he always wears the clown façade he's made up for himself."
"Right."
"So I learned from him through mimicry, coming up with a carefully-concocted façade for myself, as well." Sharon smiled sheepishly up at me. "My 'proper,' insincere, well-mannered self. The one that you and everyone else but Xerk and my mother know as the real me."
I patted her on the shoulder in understanding.
"So you're the only other person that's ever seen the real me. And…I just wanted you to know that…to know that you are very special to me, Oz Bezarius."
"Sharon…" I couldn't help but smile, I felt so happy from hearing her words. My body felt like it was jumping for joy without even moving.
"Oh! M-my point is, that I am so UTTERLY incapable of talking with people without trickery, that I just can't see how I could possibly deliver this address." She raised the parchment and glared at it. "Contemptible piece of garbage."
"Well, it's better than nothing."
"I hate what this parchment stands for; the sealing of my fate to this monstrous prison! My being forced to rip off my clothes, open my legs and let tradition rape me! I HATE THIS!" she screamed, making to rip the sheet in half.
I noticed Gil shoot straight up in alarm as I dove forward and grabbed the parchment.
"Sharon, don't!" I cried.
"I don't need this! I don't want it! I CAN'T deliver it, what's the point of me KEEPING it!" she said as she jerked her hands back, ripping the paper in half. She extended her palm for my half. "Give it here, Oz."
"No, Sharon."
"Obey me, now."
"W-we worked on this all night!"
"Give. It. To. Me."
"We can use this for other things, it's a lot of writing!"
"I hate it, and I'm going to destroy it!" Sharon screamed.
"SHARON!" Gil said, walking over and standing menacingly over, even while still dressed in his boxers. "Calm down. You're hysterical."
Sharon breathed in and out several times, and her face slowly warped back into the one she wears as a façade. "I'm sorry to disturb your sleep, Raven. I'll…see you later, Oz."
Leaving the other, crumpled half of parchment where she had been sitting, Sharon walked out quite gracefully.
"Man…this is getting pretty out of hand," Gil commented.
"She's suffering, Gil…we have to be there for her," I said as I lay back down.
"Says the person going to sleep."
"Good night, Gil!"
The next morning, I emerged feeling quite rested and victorious. Today was the day of the address. I spent the first half of the day running laps around the perimeter of the Rainsworth manor and doing pushups, in order to absolutely drain my energy supply so that I would be less nervous.
I had made up my mind; I would give the speech! Surprising Sharon and delivering the address myself seemed like the only way I could rescue her from her dreaded task.
Walking down the hallway, escorted as always by Alice and Gil, I daydreamed about Sharon's reaction to my delivering her from her suffering.
I would just happen to be walking by her bedroom when she would emerge, wearing only her undergarments.
"L-l-l-l-lady Sharon?" I would say, unable to speak from the magnificent sight.
"Oz! I can't believe you saved me! I thought I was going to die!" the imaginary Sharon would say, getting on her knees before me and looking at me with deep hunger in her eyes. "I-I just can't even believe it! I don't know what to say!"
I would gulp. "We'd better be careful; if someone sees us like this…"
"Then what? What would happen?" She would walk down and push me against the wall, her fruit-scented breath splashing upon my lips. "Oh Oz, I don't care, I need you and me to be here together, forever!"
"Oz!" Gil's sharp voice cut into my fantasy.
I blinked several times. "H-huh?"
"Your face is pure red, and all we're doing is walking down the hall…"
"And you have the STUPIDEST expression on your face," Alice laughed.
"Well…normally I would agree," Gil said. "If you were not present…Stupid Rabbit."
"I don't care!" I said, smiling widely. "Lady Sharon is so CUUUUU-"
Alice punched me in the face. "Stop talking. How did I end up with a manservant as pathetic as YOU?"
"Oh, jealous, are we?" Gil asked her, his hands behind his back.
"Of course! She's horning in on my contract and making Oz completely worthless!"
A whole bunch of Sharon faces danced in front of me in my head. One of them walked out and pinched my cheek. Another handed me a glass of wine. Yet another wrapped herself around me (wearing a quite incredible black dress) and invited me to stay here with her, forever.
"Yes, please…I promise…Lady Sharon…" I accidentally said out loud.
"Stop drooling Oz, here comes Break," Gil muttered in my ear.
"Oh! Right!" I licked up my saliva and composed myself as Break came galloping up to us, careening directly into Alice, knocking her over.
"Hello everyone!" Break said. "Are you all ready to party it up at the festival today?"
Alice got up and grinned evilly at him. "The only partying you're going to be doing is serving as the replacement for today's punch."
Break wordlessly handed her a chicken breast, and she screamed with joy and set to work gnawing it.
"Sharon has already traveled there with the help of Eques, so I thought I'd offer the three of you a ride up to Reveille in my coach."
"Thank you, Break, that would be very much appreciated."
He walked up to me and said to me in a low voice, "I've got a spot set up for you for your contribution."
"Um, what?"
True to his word, Break had cleared out a hidden compartment in the wall of the outdoor theater, one that would flip open and reveal an alternate stage when I tugged a rope, from which I would be able to deliver my address.
I allowed the others to enjoy themselves at the party while I ran through my thoughts. I wasn't as interested in history, but I had (at least, I thought I had) some interesting things to tell the people of Reveille. I tested my makeshift stage's functionality a few times, ascertaining its reliability. Everything seemed ready.
I may have once been as scared to speak in front of others as Sharon, but ever since Jack had taken up residence in my soul, I'd become more comfortable with situations requiring me to passionately address a crowd of people. I'd get us through this if it came to that.
So, I took to waiting. The sounds of the crowd milling began filtering in through the wood in my secret compartment at around 6 PM, and the bustle grew more and more with each passing minute.
"Sharon…I'm here for you…I'm doing this for you…you don't need to suffer anymore," I murmured to the empty room.
At 8 PM sharp, the timpani began to play, notifying the crowd that it was time for the speech to begin. The sound, while surely dramatic for the audience, sounded purely horrifying to me, like the very footsteps of the Abyss. Since she was even closer to it than I was, Sharon must have been similarly terrified.
An orator proclaimed, "Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for attending the 217th annual Yotsit Celebration for the City of Reveille!" Cheers roared up into my hidden compartment with such force that I could feel the floor wiggle dangerously. "I welcome you for coming here tonight, and, as a special treat for this year, we have for you, none other than the gorgeous, beautiful, sexual, ADORABLE…."
Holy Abyss, he needs get his hand out of his pants.
"…SHARON RAINSWORTH!"
The cheer before was nothing; the people vocally surged with such a tangible hunger and appreciation that I couldn't help but join in, despite my aim here tonight. It continued, at deafening volume, for a good three minutes.
Nervous for Sharon and for myself, I rapidly tapped my kneecap with one hand while lightly stroking the pull-rope with the other. I sure hope I can pull this off.
Once all sound had ceased, an inaudible feeling of anticipation filled the theater. My heart beating, I pressed my ear to the wall to try and detect Sharon's voice.
When it finally came, I could scarcely recognize it as her voice, it sounded so small and weak. I was determined to give her a chance, though, so I waited a moment.
"Hello, um…citiz…or, I mean, free people of, um…Reveille," she said, her voice fluctuating back and forth from a whisper. I furrowed my brow in concern, picturing Break staring at my compartment impatiently so I could deliver his sister from this shame.
"You can do it…you can do it, Sharon, I believe in you," I whispered to the wall.
"It has been many, um…hundreds of years…*gasp*…um…trying to…break…free…." Sharon's words appeared to be fading in and out of levels of audibility. A grumbling sound was starting to become evident in the audience below. I counted about seven seconds; no further words came from my friend.
I held my forehead. It was time. It was up to me. "I'm sorry, Sharon," I said quietly, walking back over to the rope and sharply pulling it.
With a crashing boom that seemed much, much louder than when I had tested it before, the secret stage flew open, and I walked proudly out, much to the awe and interest of the audience.
"I am Oz Bezarius, the one responsible for sealing your city from the Abyss!" I shouted, walking stockily back and forth. "The Lady Rainsworth has invited me here as a guest speaker at this most commemorative event, and I am very pleased to have been allowed this opportunity by the most noble Lady." I bowed my head to her, only looking at her briefly; a look of pure relief was visible on her face as she smiled and sat down.
I turned back to the crowd and swept out my arms. "Reveille has, for over thirty years, been a beacon of security and freedom from the fury of the Abyss. Unfortunately, with this attack, you of this city cannot claim a perfect record anymore. You have to understand, however, that it was inevitable that something like this would eventually happen. The season of the Calendar of Death has returned anew." Frowns began peppering the faces, so I quickly moved on, making sure to speak even more loudly.
"Do not take shame from this attack, however, but pride! For, Reveille has demonstrated its strength, courage, and invulnerability in a new way; the city still stands! Yes, destruction occurred in unprecedented numbers for THIS city, but this was the largest attack from the forces of the Abyss EVER. The fact that a Sabrie-shaped crater doesn't lie where we are standing right now says a great deal of your conviction." I saw a little girl with a balloon wave at me, and I snuck a little wave down to her.
"My colleagues and I fought with hundreds of chains in the streets of this fair city, for hours; it is miraculous that we are even alive at all. By all rights, the entire country should in fact be leveled by now. Therefore, do not take the existence of this city today lightly; you are, each of you, the keepers of Reveille, and should endeavor only to strive to reconstruct it, treasure it, and restore it to being the glorious city that you, I and all who oppose the darkness know Reveille to be.
"While much of the past glory of Reveille has been preserved, through both your efforts and Pandora's, a terrible number of monuments, museums, and homes were leveled, and their presence will be remembered, missed, and soon avenged. Do not give in to the temptation to wallow in grief for what has been lost, however justified you would be in doing so; instead, view this as an opportunity for a new renaissance in Reveille! A chance to use the consuming fires of the Abyss as a refiner's flame, with which you can rise mightier and even more majestic than before. You have my word that I will help you achieve this new birth for the city, if you agree that this is what you think is the best direction to take at this time." I snuck another look up at Sharon, and she was still smiling. I hope she's really alright with this, and not just pretending.
"I've not been a member of Pandora for long, but I do pledge myself and my friends' services forevermore to the perpetuation of this venerable city. I will lay BURNT and DEAD before Reveille falls again. You will resurrect and you will persevere, I have faith in you.
The crowd cheered deafeningly.
"That is all," I said, simply turning and walking back the way I came.
"OZ! WHAT is WRONG with you?" Sharon yelled.
"Umm…what do you mean?" I asked meekly. This wasn't what I had been expecting when she invited me up to her chambers after we got back.
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT? How could you do this to me? You've betrayed my trust!" She picked up a chair and beat me across the face as I stared at her, dumbly. "Everyone in the Four Houses will view this as a power play from House Bezarius against House Rainsworth…AND IT IS! For generations, people from my House have given this speech, and you've just destroyed and stamped on that tradition."
"I…I only did it for you, Sharon…"
I got hit in the face again, this time with a metal fan. "HOW COULD YOU? It would have been better for me to be ostracized and then suffer than for my House to be crippled like this! This is THE worst possible way it could have worked out."
"Sharon, if I may…"
"SHUT UP!"
"At least I was responsible for the shaming, not you. Isn't that better, in a way?"
She sat down at glowered at me with eyes of pure hatred. "I can't believe…you would USE my feelings…to simply ADVANCE your FILTHY house like this! I opened up to you! I told you my deepest secret! I trusted you!"
"Sharon…I return your feelings, much more than you might think."
She got up, stalked towards me, and put her nose against mine. "If you care for me at all," she said, her orchid eyes ablaze, "you'll never talk to me again, Oz Bezarius."
"Alright. If that's…what you want, then I won't…"
Sharon merely glared at me, her body seething with anger.
I didn't want to leave things like this! I tried one last thing. "If…if there's anything I can do, I'll gladly…"
Sharon roared with frustration. "I already told you! Shut up, leave, and never speak with me again!"
Badly wounded and not a little angry, myself, I walked out and closed the door behind me, staring at the floor with great intensity.
"Oz?" Gil said, gently putting his hand on my shoulder.
I looked up in surprise. He, Alice, and Break were all surrounding me, and had apparently been eavesdropping on Sharon and I.
"That was unwarranted of her, Oz…you put yourself out on the line for her, and did something purely out of love that no one else would have done. I just don't think she knew how to take it," Gil said in a warm voice. I sort of wanted to hug him. "It's her loss if she doesn't appreciate the depth of what you did for her."
"Th-thank you," I said, smiling shakily up at him.
"Yeah, and your speech was really kick-ass, too!" Alice said, sidling up to my other side. "It made me want to go out and puncture holes in people's skulls with my scythe!"
I laughed hollowly.
"I mean it, you did a good job," she murmured, tightly clasping my arm.
"And don't worry, Lady Sharon actually only beats up the people she really cares about," Break said.
I looked up hopefully. "Really?"
Emily cackled. "No, of course not! She hates you!"
I looked back down in dismay.
"Oh, be nice, Emily, he just got utterly rejected…again."
It was a long, LONG time before I saw Sharon again. She seemed to make it a point to avoid any appearances involving Pandora when she knew that I'd be present; I stayed away one time just to test it, and sure enough, she attended that meeting.
When she finally allowed herself to be in my presence again, she refused to ever lower her down-to-business, all-smiles mask, demanding adamantly that were to refer to each other as 'Lady Sharon' and 'Lord Oz' respectively.
The hope I had been nursing before the speech…that I could soon be in a relationship with the girl I loved…was now completely crushed.
There was now nothing else to do but sit and wait until I was confined once again to the Abyss.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts, whether positive or negative, on this story, so please R&R! Also, let me know if you'd like to read more OzSharon, because I might be able to cook some more up if you're interested! Thanks!