A/N: Hola, and thanks for reading this! It's my first PH story, although I've been stalking the fandom for quite some time. It wouldn't even be finished if my little sister hadn't bullied me into completing it... Plus it was reaaally fun to write. I was REALLY trying to keep them in character and be super descriptive (and I thought a did a pretty darned good job, but I'm way too biased), so send me a review and let me know how I did!

Enjoy~!

Alice huffed, crossing her arms and stomping through the emblazoned halls. She was frustrated, to put it simply, and she was hungry. As if reiterating her thoughts, her stomach rumbled loudly. Feeling her frustrations rise and patience deteriorate, Alice continued her trek in search of her frien— uh, manservant. Because where there was Oz, there was money to get delicious meat to eat. Thus Alice searched for any sign of Oz (and consequently Gilbert because that seaweed-head could almost always be found trailing her manservant like a lost puppy) in the large abode that was the Rainsworth property.

Alice poked her head through another set of doors in the irrationally long hallway she was searching. Sighting yet another empty room, she sighed. 'Maybe Sister Sharon knows where Oz is?' she thought, and decidedly set out to find the young mistress of the home. Finding Sharon in the parlor sipping tea whilst that clown guy ate sugar-filled desserts at an alarming rate, Alice ducked her head, embarrassed to have to ask for help to find Oz.

"Have you seen Oz anywhere? I can't find him, and a manservant shouldn't leave their master alone for so long." Alice inquired, the excuse for her concern already formed, her gaze still firmly set to the ground.

Which, in turn, led to her missing Sharon's eyes widening slightly and seeing a wicked grin appear on Break's face. Sharon opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Break's (who was never one to let an opportunity to mess with Gilbert pass) response.

"Well, Miss Alice, I thought I might have heard that they were out in the gardens together." He practically sang, face alight with the effects of the chaos he was about to cause.

Sending Break a disapproving stare, Sharon attempted to dissuade Alice from resuming her Oz-hunting. "Alice, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go looking for Oz and Gilbert at the moment. If you wait here for a while, I'm sure they'll be along," Sharon smiled.

Well, that idea did not sit well with Alice. Although she supposed she could have asked Sister Sharon and Break to supply her with food, her pride prevented her from doing so. And besides, she thought, if I don't remind Oz to serve me, who's to say he won't forget about me and leave?

Making her decision, Alice said more or less said her gratitude and left the room, despite Sharon's echoing protests. She walked through countless halls and staircases, deep in thought the entire way to the gardens. Something wasn't right; it was as if everyone knew a big secret and was intent on keeping her in the dark. Alice scoffed, Tch, those idiots. Like I won't figure it out sooner or later. The idea that her frien— people she tolerated— didn't trust her was… a little hurtful. Frowning, Alice shook the idea out of her head. It wouldn't do any good to over-analyze something that probably didn't even matter.

Finally reaching the patio that led to the gardens, Alice drew in a deep breath. It really was serene out here. The sun shone down, illuminating the stained glass table at the junction of the patio and the gardens, making the scene look like something from a glorified and overly-sappy romance novel that Sharon liked so much. Beyond the table, flowering plants of every color peeked over a line of neatly trimmed hedges, rustling ever-so-slightly as a light, airy breeze passed though. The whole area had a fresh, earthy scent only describable as forest-like. Distracting as the utopia was, Alice was determined. After searching for what seemed like eons, Oz had better be here so she could go and eat something already.

Alice looked carefully as she navigated through the maze of hedges, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. If she rushed around the colorful labyrinth, she might walk by wherever Oz was, so she walked at a slow, comfortable pace. Besides, it wasn't every day that you could traipse through what the Garden of Eden might've looked like. Okay, well, she could, but she'd most likely forget to.

Lost in her head, Alice almost missed hearing a light giggle, keyword being almost. Her head jerked up, looking wildly at her surroundings. Now, where did that come from? Alice thought, still glancing around, careful not to make a sound. After a few minutes of silence, Alice heard another light noise. Following the direction she thought it came from, Alice walked through the gardens.

Several murmurs and light laughs later, Alice was seemingly getting closer, if the fact that the sounds were getting steadily less muffled was anything to go by. Now closer, Alice could attest to the fact that the voices were indeed Oz and Gilbert, even if she still strained slightly to hear them. Good, Alice thought, at least now I know this walk wasn't a waste of time. But… What are they doing that could make their voices so light and breathy?

Turning one last corner, Alice found out.

And she promptly understood why Sharon had profusely insisted she wait inside. They were in an alcove of the maze, where a wooden bench backed by an ivy-covered lamppost nestled into the scenery, unnoticeable if not for the two upon it. Shirts wrinkled and hair mussed, lounged Oz and his valet. Gilbert was bent over Oz in a way that could not in the slightest way be mistaken as anything other than romantically involved. Oz himself had his hands nestled against Gilbert's neck, craning himself upward, obviously and obliviously showing that he was the one in control of the situation. Completely enveloped in a display of frenzied yet compassionate touches, the two males had yet to even notice the gaping noirette standing before them. It was when Gilbert bent down even more to gently suck on Oz's neck that Alice found her voice.

And screeched, hands flying up at a lightning-quick speed to cover her eyes, rubbing into her eye sockets violently as if to try and scratch the image out of her corneas. Immediately, Oz and Gilbert jerked apart, hearts beating loudly, and a rampant blush spreading across the face of the Nightray. Oz himself just stared dazedly before blinking, a lazy grin slowly etching onto his face.

"Ah, Alice-chan! Do you need something?" Oz said, either ignoring or not noticing the tense and awkward atmosphere. Silence stretched on, both Gilbert and Alice embarrassed or shocked into speechlessness. Oz continued on, "Gil and I were just about to come find you; we could go get food, if you'd like."

At the mention of food, Alice's voice caught back up with her in high speed. "What was that! And more importantly, for how long has it been going on without you even telling me!"

"Sorry, Alice-chan… But we thought you would be angry or you wouldn't understand. But it hasn't been that long, I swear!" Oz apologized, glancing nervously at the still completely-in-shock Gilbert. "Are you mad?" He asked, more subdued than normal.

Eyes widening at the strange tone of Oz's voice, Alice felt her anger drain and be replaced with concern. She turned around, unwilling to look the blonde in the eyes as she recomposed herself. "Just don't let it interfere with the search for my memories. Or mealtimes. And I want to go get dinner in ten minutes. Don't be late." She stalked back off to the property, leaving no room for conversation. Yet again, she missed the widening of eyes and a grin (although this time for entirely different reasons) as she walked away.