Chapter 1

Gilbert held the pistol in his hand, looking down at it stupidly. How was he supposed to learn how to shoot a gun? Did they just expect it to be instinct? With a grimace, Gilbert bet that his brother was deadly accurate with a pistol. Vincent just seemed like that kind of guy.

Sitting in the garden of the Nightray house, his knees pressed to his chest, Gilbert simply stared at the gun. They'd sent him out for target practice, but Gilbert hadn't fired a shot. They'd given him the pistol at fourteen, but hadn't expected him to shoot it.

Until now.

For three years the pistol had barely been touched. Fired a few times in target practice, but never whole heartedly wielded. Now that he was seventeen, they assumed he would be able to shoot. Gilbert sighed, resting his forehead on his knees.

"And if I don't want to shoot? Christ why do I need a gun?!" He whined to himself, hugging his knees tighter.

His head snapped up when he heard a giggle near his ear.

"Look at you, all curled up like a child."

"Y-you!" Gilbert spluttered, scuttling back on his butt across the garden stone. "H-how…How did you get in here?!" He asked, bewildered to see Break hovering over him with a sucker hanging absurdly out of his mouth. With a sickening crack, Break bit into the confection and grinned in a positively devilish fashion. Gilbert hated that look.

"Can you even aim that thing?"

Embarrassed, Gilbert dipped his head, his bangs covering his golden eyes. "I…I can…" He only half-lied.

Break reached down, hauling Gilbert to his feet by the front of his white cotton shirt. Gilbert glared at him and stumbled away while Break attempted to dust him off. The one-eyed creature frowned.

"Tut, tut Gilbert. Be nice to your teacher." Break admonished, putting his hands on his hips.

Gilbert blinked, patting the dust off of his black pants. "Tea…cher?" He repeated stupidly. Break swiftly moved to stand behind Gil, raising the raven-haired boys arm with his hand to the level of aiming a gun.

"Yes~." Break purred in his ear, his body pressed far too close for Gilbert's comfort. He couldn't move however, as Break's free hand had snaked around his waist and pinned them together. For such a slight build, Xerxes Break was incredibly strong. "For you to tame Raven, you will need to become very, very good at shooting."

Gilbert stumbled forward, his struggling having finally paid off as Break released him nonchalantly. He whipped around and cradled his shooting arm to his chest as if Break had stabbed him in it. He hated that sound. The way Break made the most terrible things sound so…sultry.

Gil also hated the way Break played coy. Gilbert's frustration flashed in his gold eyes and Break simply looked at him with confusion Gil knew was fake. He feigned confusion to make him angry because Gil knew Break knew exactly what he wanted. Raven was the key to saving Oz.

And apparently shooting was the key to Raven.

"…Teach me." Gil demanded with sudden fervor. He would do anything to save Oz.

Anything.

Break's face broke into that wretched smile, and Gil couldn't help but think he'd sold his soul once again to some denizen of Satan.