Jack sat up and hugged his knees to his chest, his breath coming out in short, shallow gasps. His heart felt heavy in his chest like a stone. Oh, why did I do this?

Lacie…

Jack remembered why he had tried to bring the world into the Abyss; it was all for Lacie. It was only ever for Lacie.

He needed to find her. Save her.

Jack stood up and looked around. The Abyss was the same as it was every day since he had gotten there, with the random floating toys and occasional furniture drifting about, and the odd, water-like substance covering the shimmering ground. No chains were in sight as Jack had made it clear that he was not to be messed with. They all seemed to be afraid of him anyway, and even without their memories they still had the sense to run away when he was near. It was good, he told himself, he needed them to fear him. He needed that power, if he had nothing else.

Though it did make for some problems with getting information. He had to wander around the Abyss for a long while before he found any sort of life form, and even then he wasn't able to talk to it. The chains were too afraid—rightfully so—and they ran from him at first sight. Jack really couldn't be bothered to chase them, and they were a lot faster with their long legs and insect wings.

As Jack was walking he heard movement behind a mantelpiece covered in bizarre dolls and crept slowly toward it. He was very careful not to make a sound, stepping very lightly on the multicolored surface of the Abyss's watery floor. He came to the front of the mantelpiece and whipped around to the back, grabbing whatever was behind in one swift motion.

It screamed when Jack wrenched it out from its hiding place. It wasn't a chain yet and was still in human form, though Jack could see traces of green scales beginning to form on its face. Jack gripped its neck and pulled it close to his face.

"Where is Lacie!" Jack screamed.

The chain shook and sniveled, barely managing to squeak out an "I don't know," to which Jack responded to by squeezing its neck tighter. He held the chain up in the air by its neck and it looked down at him with fearful eyes. Black liquid dripped down its cheeks and onto Jacks face, and he grinned. He didn't know chains could cry.

"Where is she!" Jack shouted, voice hoarse.

The chain only gasped and didn't produce any sound except for slight sniffling, which wasn't helpful to Jack in the slightest. He snapped the chains neck and drew his hand back, not even watching as the body fell limply to the floor. Jack simply continued to stroll casually through the Abyss looking for more chains and hoped one of them knew where Lacie was. It was a pity he had to let that one go; catching them was always such a chore.

This had become the norm since Jack had given up control of his body to B-rabbit, and had since been taken to the Abyss. He assumed it had only been a few days, but he couldn't be sure. Time worked differently in the Abyss, ten seconds here could be ten years on earth or a thousand years in the Abyss could pass in the blink of an eye. He didn't really care either way. He was just glad to be away from that wretched world he never really belonged to in the first place, and now he could search for his lost love without, hopefully, any interference.

Jack walked through the Abyss, almost aimlessly, since he had no idea where Lacie might be. He figured he had time to explore every direction, but he wanted to find her as quickly as he could. That way he could leave this place as soon as possible. He had a feeling he was unwelcome here.

"Monster!"

Jack looked up. He had apparently been so distracted thinking about Lacie that he hadn't realized he had wandered into an area heavily populated with chains. Malformed human souls still in the process of turning into chains, as well as the monstrous beasts of fully formed chains were scattered about the area…and they were all staring at him. From the look in their eyes, they were afraid, but still filled with anger and such a need for vengeance that they knew was unattainable. Jack continued to stride down his aimless path, watching as the chains and pitiful souls darted out of his way. He heard their frightened whispers and he looked menacingly in their direction as they scurried away.

"He's a bloody demon!"

Jack hardly flinched at the comment. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and tried to walk as if he were on a casual stroll through the garden.

"…caused the tragedy of Sablier!"

Hm, so some of the chains still have their memories, Jack pondered, interesting. That was alright with him, let them hate him. He would do it all again if it were to save Lacie.

"…selfish bastard!"

Jack clenched his fists. How dare they make fun of his lineage.

Wasn't my FAULT! His mind screamed at him.

"He should never have been born!"

Jack didn't take notice of the red glow around his fists, but red soon filled his vision. He was clenching his jaw so hard he thought it might break, and he was nearly quaking with rage. Then he realized that he didn't need to uphold the mask any longer. Why bother? He didn't need to keep pretending to be the charming sunshine prince everyone used to know. They all knew who he truly was now. A monster.

Jack felt his hand scorching and he thrust it out in the direction of one of the chains. Before Jack even knew what was happening, the chain exploded right in front of his eyes. The other chains quickly scattered, their harsh whispers silenced. Jack noticed the red glow surrounding his hands, and the red tint in his vision that he had thought was caused by anger. Apparently he still had some residual control over B-rabbits power, even in these circumstances. He blew up the nearest chain and watched as it was obliterated. A grin split his face and he threw his head back in wild laughter.

That'll show them.

He did it again and again, watching as one chain after the other was blown to smithereens. Misty black blood was thick in the air and Jack was frenzied with excitement and rage.

"Well that was quite entertaining," a childish female voice said from behind him.

Jack spun around to see a small girl who couldn't be more than Alice's age sitting on a floating dresser. She had long, light brown hair, which was tied in a ponytail with a white rose clip that dripped strands of glass beads down her hair. She wore a lime green tunic with cuffed Capri jeans. She smiled playfully at him and swung her legs back and forth while she sat, and most peculiar, she didn't look the least bit afraid.

"Do you wish to be next?" Jack shouted, his own voice unfamiliar to his ears.

The girl raised her eyebrows. "Oh come on now, don't be like that, Jack," she said in a mocking tone.

Jack shot a bolt of red light straight at her without a second thought. She caught it in her hand and squashed it like a bug, until all that power was nothing more than red dust that flowed through her fingers. The girl's eyes narrowed and she gracefully hopped off the dresser. She gently floated down to the ground and Jack stared at her in wonder. She might've known his name from the other chains, or she still had her memories, but how was she able to block B-rabbits power? Jack raised his hand to shoot at her again but she put her hand up to stop him.

"Killing me might not be the best option right now, Jack," she said, mildly irritated instead of scared. Which she should've been.

"Yes, that's what they all say," Jack retorted, "Are those your final pleas for mercy?"

The girl wasn't phased in the slightest, still remaining in front of Jack and absentmindedly trying to balance on her tip-toes. Her lips curled slightly in a sly smile. "Do you even have an inkling of where she is right now?"

Jack looked at her with more attention. His focus immediately sharpened and he regarded the girl with more caution than he previously had, seeing as how she wasn't the typical soul. "What are you talking about?" Jack asked. A thought wriggled in the back of his mind as to who the girl was referring to, and Jack hoped it was true.

The girl shrugged sassily, an obvious answer to his question.

"You know where Lacie is?" Jack asked. His eyes narrowed.

The girl shrugged again and casually strutted to the other side of him. "Maybe," she said slyly, like she knew more than she was letting on.

Jack abruptly grabbed her neck in one hand and pushed her back. "Where is she?" he said through gritted teeth. He was not in the mood for games. If this foolish girl had information about Lacie then he would get her to talk.

The girl looked at him with something he could've mistaken for pity, but he knew that wasn't it. Strangely enough, it wasn't fear. Jack still had his hand tightly around her throat so this girl was either very brave or very stupid, because she still would not talk. She only stared at him with those doleful brown eyes.

"Where is she!" Jack shouted as he squeezed her neck tighter.

The girl looked at him with such deep sadness; the playful attitude was gone. "What happened to you, Jack?" she asked quietly.

Jack squeezed her neck tighter, and the girl opened her mouth slightly in a desperate gasp for air. "Tell me where she is!" he screamed in her face.

The girl flinched. Jack's hand started burning and he wondered if . It hadn't hurt last time, but maybe he was just trying to—

He was suddenly pushed away from the girl and fell to the ground, clutching his burned hand. He glared up at the girl with his teeth bared, but also wondered how she was able to do that. No normal human soul had that kind of power, so she might have formed a contract with a chain. Although if that was true, what was she still doing in the Abyss?

The girl sauntered over to Jack while he was still bowed low on the ground. "I am a being of the Abyss, granted powers by the Will of the Abyss herself. Do not test me, Jack Vessalius. I am not going to waste my time caught in your foolishness," she said, her voice stern and with a tinge of agitation.

Jack clenched his jaw. Who was this girl to think she could overpower him, him of all people. She should've feared him, but instead she had the power to hurt him and to stop his power. She was not afraid, and therefore, not respecting of his reputation. He wanted to wring her skinny little neck, but if she had information about Lacie, he needed her alive.

He took a deep breath to try and calm himself before speaking. "I just want to find Lacie," he said in the calmest voice he could manage, although it came out more desperate sounding than he had wanted.

The girl smiled sympathetically, not that Jack could see it. He didn't want to look up from the watery floor of the Abyss.

"I know. She's too far from here for you to reach her on your own, but I can take you to her," the girl said, her voice back to its innocent and childlike tone. She extended a hand to Jack and smiled cheerfully.

Jack looked up to see her smiling, genuinely smiling at him and holding out her hand to help him up. Why would she be helping him? Why wasn't she afraid? Her attitude had been cold moments before, but she wasn't angry or running away in fear. She was also offering to come with him on a trek across the Abyss for seemingly no reason other than to find a girl she had no connection with. Jack wondered why, because in his experience, people didn't just do nice things without having an ulterior motive. Especially not for him.

He looked at her proffered hand for a moment but didn't take it and stood up on his own. The girl rolled her eyes before turning her back to him and continued to skip ahead of him without a care in the world, much like the child she appeared to be. Jack pressed his lips together in a thin line but he tried to keep his composure. He wasn't in the mood for dealing with foolish children when Lacie was out there somewhere, but he needed this girl until he found her. Lacie could be suffering alone out there, so Jack needed all the help he could get in order to find her. Even if that meant dealing with strange children who may or may not have been planning against him.

"You know my name but I don't know yours," Jack said.

The girl turned her head to look at him, but continued moving. "Ariella," she called, and continued to skip forward.

Jack had to walk faster to keep up with her. "What are you up to?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ariella spun around to face him. She put her hands on her hips and bent slightly towards him. "Why do you think I'm up to something?" she said petulantly, a mischievous expression on her face.

"If you haven't already noticed, I am the man that killed everyone in Sablier," Jack said sharply, "you must be planning something if you're willing to help me."

Ariella shifted her mouth to the side and looked steadily at Jack, considering. Then she shrugged and turned away. "Nope," she said, popping the 'p' and continued skipping.

"Aren't you afraid?" Jack asked.

"I've been here a lot longer than you have, Jack. I'm not scared of a few chains," Ariella said with a small giggle.

Jack gave her a sideways glance.

"Oh, oh you meant afraid of you?" she feigned surprise then smirked at him, "don't be so full of yourself."

Jack tightened his jaw. The nerve of this girl, how dare she speak to him like that? Of course, he didn't know what to say in response, so he continued walking in brooding silence.

He was not in a particularly good mood, although he never was unless he was with Lacie, and right now he just wanted to be alone. Ariella's enthusiasm was not helping, and his agitation grew with every skip and twirl she did. Jack couldn't believe he was even going along with this, having Lacie's fate in the hands of a carefree child like her. She probably didn't even know where Lacie was and was just trying to mess with him—a big mistake on her part—although Jack couldn't deny the power she had displayed when he had tried to use B-Rabbits power on her. If the Will of the Abyss had entrusted her with powers then she must have some importance; Jack's only question was why. He figured he could deal with that later. He had enough to worry about at the moment and he needed to focus on the problem at hand.

If Ariella was just playing with him, he would get rid of her, simple as that. But there was also the possibility that she actually did know where Lacie was, and in that case, he needed her, for the time being at least. And there was the third option, she knew where Lacie was but wasn't taking Jack in the right direction to find her. That was always a viable option, as everyone in the universe seemed to love messing with him. Jack couldn't really do anything about that one though, but he knew for sure he couldn't trust Ariella.

Notes: So this is basically what happens when I make Jack actually guilty for what he did, because I love guilty characters and I honestly thought it would be interesting to see. Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts, that honor goes to Jun Mochizuki. Special thanks goes to the instagram account for giving me the courage to write. I love you! Also, yes there are OC's in this story (please hold all groans of despair until the end, thank you). Most of them are just side characters that make scattered appearances, there's not that many of them. There is one OC that plays a major part in the story, that is my OC Ariella, but she is NOT going to be a love interest for Jack. I repeat, she is NOT going to be a love interest, only a friend, and this is a strictly Jack/Lacie fanfic, no love triangle or anything stupid like that. So please don't worry, I tried very hard not to make Ariella "Mary-Sue-ish." Shrieks of ecstasy? Groans of despair? How did you like it? Lemme know in the reviews! (no flames please, I am but a smol marshmallow)