Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PANDORA HEARTS! If I did, then we wouldn't be waiting so long for chapter 63! XS

Hi! This is my first fanfiction ever! :D I hope you like it and please give me some comments on what I can improve on! :) (One of the reasons I joined this site) ^_^

Well, enjoy! ;)

I should have never helped him.

My whole family sought his friendship. He was one we could trust to get rid of our pain, our fears, in exchange for a favor.

But, now my most precious person is gone.

No one is left for me.

And it was all because of him...

CHAPTER 1

Run.

"What? W-Where am I?" There were bodies all around me, brutally slaughtered.

Run Ashlyn!

"Huh?"

Run while you still have time!

Large flames encircled me as I listened to the voice replay over and over telling me to run. My feet couldn't move. Is this a nightmare? Or could it be my worst fears coming true? What the hell happened while I was away for such a short time?

Suddenly a large man in a red cape came charging towards me. I recognized him somehow. But, is he friend or foe? Right as I was about to call for him, for salvation from this fiery house of death, he raised his sword ready to strike.

I woke screaming. What was that? A nightmare? I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as I see my little sister Anna lying beside me, somehow undisturbed. Looking at her, I feel my fear from my nightmare creeping away as my fear for reality seeped back in. Our poverty, always taking a toll on us, as we struggle to find ways to feed ourselves without any help from the parents we once had.

I stood up from the pile of newspapers we were using to sleep on as I noted it was almost dawn. It's time to see if we could find any food today. If we can, it would be an amazing success considering how we could only find the smallest of scraps for the past two days.

After I stretch my limps from the hard torture of a night on the ground, I gently shake Anna awake, and we head off towards the streets of Reville.

"Ashlyn? Will we find food today? I'm starving!" Anna pouted.

"Hopefully, we can." I say as I fail an attempt to give her a smile. Though, Anna being only a couple of years younger than me, she knew very well that my smile was really meaningless.

As we approach the town I spot a large patch of wildflowers in a nearby forest.

"Hey Anna! Look! Maybe we could pick some and sell them to the town's people!" I said with a large smile making it's way onto my face.

We walked into town, arms full of beautiful wildflowers, and our spirits high.

"Ok. I'll be over here," I say as we walk to the corner of a nearby shop. "Why don't you go over there and take a few flowers, I can stay here, and when you need to, you can come back to grab more flowers! Hopefully we can sell all of them!" I say as she grabs the prettiest flowers out of the bunch.

"Ok Ashlyn! I'll be right back!" Anna shouted as she skipped down the street.

"Onii-san! Would you like to buy a flower?" I watch as Anna tries to sell a flower to a boy around my age with blonde hair and bright green eyes. I decide to listen to their conversation, just out of plain curiosity. I hear him talk of how he isn't from around here and his Papa is looking for their lost companion. I laugh a bit when a dark golden-eyed man appears behind him with a brown haired girl and said "Who's Papa?" Oh the look on the kid's face! But, he quickly brings his attention back to Anna and places the flower in her hair.

As Anna comes running back to tell me all about the boy she just met, I can't help but thinking there is something very nostalgic about him and his companions. Oh whatever it is, I'll remember it. I thought as I listened to Anna going on and on about how much she adored that boy.

When the day ended, Anna and I had made enough money to buy a large loaf of bread and even some strawberries for dinner. With all of our flowers sold thanks to a nice Gentleman, we were finally able to eat. This was the largest dinner we've had in a long time. But, even though we were still very hungry, we saved the second half of the loaf for tomorrow.

After our satisfying dinner, we decided to head into an ally close by to try to get some much needed sleep. Hoping that I didn't have any nightmares tonight, I bid Anna a good night and went to sleep in the corner of a fence and a brick building.

CRASH!

BOOM!

The sound of crashes nearby woke me from my (so far) peaceful slumber.

CRASH!

There it was again!

"Anna?" I called, "Anna! Where are you?" I look down to the spot where Anna was when I went to sleep. Where did she go? Being frantic for her safety with all of the noises around me, I ran out of the ally just in time to see Anna with a large monstrous creature looming over her. It looked like a torn, ragged, disfigured doll. Something you would see in a horror movie.

"OH MY GOD! ANNA!" I screamed running to protect her. That was when I noticed the same blonde boy from before. He was standing with his friends, one of which was taking out his gun to shoot the creature. As he did so, the creature screamed out in pain, and so did Anna.

"ANNA!" I screamed once more as purple light surrounded her and the monster. It looked like a large black hole had opened up underneath her.

I kept running. I wasn't going to lose her! N

The monster grabbed hold of her, dragging her down with it as it sank into the earth.

"HELP ME! PLEASE, HELP ME!" She screamed as she descended.

I was about to reach her hand when the man with the gun held me back.

"ANNA! NO! ANNA!" But, it was too late. She was gone. The ground had reverted to normal as if nothing had ever happened. I had lost her. She was gone. All that was left was the flower the boy had placed in her hair, the only thing to remember her by...

I looked up the three people. Who were they? Why did they let her go? She was my sister! My best friend! Why?

"That is the end all illegal contractors must face Oz. They will be dragged down to the lowest level of the Abyss..." I heard the man say. Abyss... I have heard that word before... what is it?

"Abyss..." I said. They looked over to me, "The abyss, I've heard of it. What is it! IS THAT WHERE MY SISTER WENT! I screamed at them between sobs.

They stared at me in surprise, until the blond haired boy got up. I couldn't stop my crying as much as I tried.

"Are you okay?" He asked sounding concerned.

As he walked up to me, I backed away. No, I couldn't stay around these people. They were the source of that gunshot that put my precious sister in pain, the gunshot that dragged her down under the earth. No, I didn't even care if my questions were left unanswered, I just had to get out of here!

I quickly got up and made a break for it. I could hear footsteps running behind me. Oh great, they're following me. Now how do I get rid of them?

I turned a corner to reveal a small, slightly hidden doorway and some discarded cardboard boxes. I quickly hid myself, and just in the knick of time. My pursuers ran right past me thinking I was far ahead of them.

After a few silent moments, I decided it was safe, and was about to come out when I heard footsteps heading back towards me. They had started talking, so I strained to hear their conversation:

"So Alice, you really think she may be an illegal contractor too?"

"I'm not too sure, but she had the stench of abyss around her. It could've been from her sister and her Trump Card, but I don't know."

"Well what if she isn't an illegal contractor and we catch her? She would find out about Pandora!"

"Well, do you have any other plan Seaweed Head?"

After that, there was just silence and then footsteps walking away.

Phew, they're gone. But, Pandora? Abyss? Trump Card? What are these things? And should I follow them and risk being caught? Or stay here in hope of my sister returning? No. Even if those people do scare me... I must follow...

"That is the end to an illegal contractor." Raven explained once more. "Oz's hand hasn't moved yet, but once the time comes-"

"Screw it!" Alice yelled while narrowly missing Raven's head with a pillow. "Isn't there any way to get rid of the seal?"

"Well, the best way is for the connection to be severed. So in other words, it would be best if you just died!" He said giving an agitated look at Alice.

"HELL NO!" She was now clutching the next nearest cushion, "IDOT! THAT MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!"

The pillow had now hit Raven square in the face. "You Stupid Rabbit!"

As the quarreling continued to take place, all Oz could do was stare out the window and wonder about that little girl and her sister.

"Hey Raven?" Alice and Raven looked over to Oz. This was the first thing he had said during the whole ride to the mansion. "Illegal contractors kill to change their pasts right? Then that little girl wanted to change something. I wonder just what it was..."

I ran as fast as I could following the coach. Where were they going? It couldn't be too far right? If they lived away from here as the boy said, then they should just be going to a place nearby to stay.

It was dawn of the next morning by now, and I was dead tired.

"At least it was a slow coach..." I mumbled to myself as we neared a withering mansion.

What could they be doing here? I have heard of this place once being used to hold coming of age ceremonies, but not since ten years ago...

Having the coach come to complete stop, the man from before stepped out. Now that I was hiding in a nearby hedge, I could get a closer look at him. He wore a white shirt with a midnight black trench coat to match his hair and hat. He was talking to a man in a sort of black and white uniform.

The boy and girl soon stepped out to talk with him. He seemed to have urgent business to attend to, because he ran away after checking to make sure his gun was fully loaded. The boy and girl however seemed more relaxed and went to sit on a nearby stone wall to eat.

If this is all they are gonna do, I told myself after ten minutes, then I won't get the answers I need.

I was about to turn and leave, but as if on cue, gunshots were heard from a nearby chapel. When I looked back at the place they were sitting a few seconds before, I could not find them. They must have gone to the source of the noise.

I somewhat reluctantly ran out of my hiding place in the shrubs to look into one of the chapel windows. The red clothed girl was pinned to the ground while the man looked like he was trying to kill the boy.

What was happening here? I thought this man was friends with him. Why is he going to kill him?

That was when I noticed who else occupied the room. A small woman sitting on the railing wearing a... red cloak...

My dream suddenly flashed before my eyes. Fire. Death. Bodies. That man... red cloak...

This strange woman has something to do with it. I just have the feeling she's the one that-

BOOM!

The sound of a gunshot took me away from my thoughts. I looked back at the window just in time to see the icy stare of the woman. How did she see me? Oh no!

She came running towards me and crashed through the windows up above.

"Hello," She said with a sneer, "You've come back have you?"

"W-who are you?"

"Oh! You don't remember? Silly girl, I'm your worst nightmare!"

My worst nightmare?

I ran from the scene, praying that she won't follow me. I've been pursued enough lately...

I seamlessly maneuvered around withering ruins, trees, and gardens. And occasionally hiding from more uniformed men that were patrolling the grounds.

After running for what felt like forever, I somehow made my way to a granite staircase leading up a hill.

Is this some kind of sanctuary? I wondered as I reached the top.

The peak of the hill was covered in cherry trees in full blossom. With the wind blowing gently, some of the pink petals flew around me, almost making it seem like they were dancing. I was mesmerized. This is such a magnificent place! How could they just abandon it ten years ago? Did they even know this was here?

Going down a stone walkway, I noticed some other things. The view from here had a perfect outlook of the nearby city. Almost as a palace would look down on it's subjects. There was also a gaping hole near a large elm tree. Could this be something important, or just ground that eroded away? I was about to explore it myself, but once again, I heard shouting.

I ran to the direction of the noise, only to find the same three people as before in... a dream? Everything was slightly hazy, yet I could make out what was going on. A younger version of the girl was running towards a man with a long blonde ponytail. He seemed so familiar. Why is everything I see lately like this? I've seen it all before, yet, it still feels like the first time...

The dimension started to collapse, and the ground gave way under me.

Where am I? It was all pitch black.

"Hello?" I cried, "Is anyone there? Please help!"

I lowered my head. No one seemed to hear me. I thought those other people fell into this place too. Where could they have gone?

That was when I noticed it. A small, stuffed, blue and white bunny doll. What is it doing here?

As more things appeared out of the darkness, I could get a somewhat shaky grasp on the situation. The girl was chained to a chair, and the boy and rabbit had started arguing about why he chose her over it. Since when could stuffed animals talk? And... since when could they bleed from their eyes!

I could only watch in horror as the rabbit finally went over the edge. With a giant leap, and menacing teeth, it made its way to kill the boy. However, the boy pulled out a gun just as the rabbit's teath had reached his head. Did the rabbit die? And how could it be alive in the first place?

"Oz look!" The black haired man was now pointing straight at me.

"You're the one from-" Oz started, but the ground beneath us once again collapsed. Where would we fall to now? To our deaths this time? Or is this just another one of my nightmares?

I watched in horror at the bleeding rabbit, the falling floor, and the strange trio.

'What have I gotten myself into?' Was the last thing I could remember saying before everything went black...