Whoot! Chapter 3! I generally have the attention span of a wall…but I really love this series..and now that I'm working two jobs and trying to get into college, I haven't had time to write so this is really awesome for me. Haha. Hopefully it means I won't fail on this. Hopefully. Thanks for the review eXtraNIo XD It fuels my soul! You have received my stamp of awesomeness for your existence. And has made it officially Oz/Alice if anything. XD Maybe Break X Gil now…KIDDING! XD And I'm already planning a 'sequel' to this involving Oz becoming- SHH! XD

Alice and Gilbert stared in horror at Oz, while Zwei was grinning giddily, and Lottie smiled grimly.

"You really are a monster, aren't you, kid? You were never meant to exist. Not as one of us, and not as one of them." Lottie said, almost softly.

Oz's eyes tilted towards Lottie, narrowing on her faintly. "If I destroy you, will the ringing stop?" he queried, voice eerily quiet.

Lottie's eyes widened in surprise and then confusion, exchanging a glance with Zwei who seemed to transfixed on Oz to notice.

But Gilbert, he remembered these words. When they'd been fighting that woman…the first time he'd seen Oz transform like this…he'd mentioned a ringing in his ears then too. Seeing Oz like this though brought back something else as well. That day he'd seen that taut thread snap, seen Oz's eyes go so blank as he smiled that awful smile. The smile of shadows and darkness, not the smile of his bright young master.

"I'm all right."

Three little words and that awful smile. Those blank, dark eyes. Because Gilbert had failed. Because he'd led Oz to knowing what Zai Vessalius truly thought of him. Because he'd allowed Oz's already dark-filled heart go from broken to shattered in an instant. What a fool he'd been. But Oz had never blamed him, never been harsh with him, never forgiven him because he had never let there be a need.

But Gilbert believed that there was. That he had failed Oz. He had sworn to protect him, to let no one hurt him, and in the end…he had led to Oz's pain the most via the man who had crushed his own son so utterly.

This Oz was a personification of Gilbert's failure to be the servant he'd sworn to be and it made his own dark heart ache.

"Oz! Stop this! I've told you before, you can't just use my power, Oz!" Alice protested, coming forward, encircling Oz in a desperate hug again.

The boy stiffened and the Baskerville took the opportunity to leap away as Oz tilted his gaze to Alice, staring at her a moment before smiling softly as he lifted his hand to brush his fingers lightly against her cheek. "Alice…don't worry…I told you…anyone who hurts you…who makes you cry…" his gaze tilted. "Or you, Gil…anyone…anything…I'll destroy them. I'll destroy them all." Oz laughed faintly. He lifted his right hand to his neck, brushing away the thin trail of blood there as he tilted his gaze away.

Gilbert and Alice's eyes widened before Lottie spoke. "Zwei, come. We've done what we-"

"No! Not yet! He'll be pleased if I take it…if he needs him." Zwei said suddenly, lunging for Gilbert.

Gilbert, distracted, jerked and forgot that he held his own sealed necklace, dropping it to the ground where Zwei went for it. "Damnit!"

A scythe blocked Zwei's path suddenly as Oz's right hand scooped up the necklace, clenching it in a fist as he gaze a cold, mirthless smile. "This doesn't belong to you. I won't let you take what belongs to Gil." He lifted his scythe, only to have his arm caught in the tight grip of an anxious Gilbert. "Stop, Oz!"

Oz tilted his gaze up to Gilbert with a frown, then jerked his gaze back at Zwei when the other lunged at Oz with her dagger while swiping the necklace from his hand. He yanked his arm back with the scythe, catching the edge of the necklace and causing it to crack even as he slit Zwei's wrist. Oz prepared to lift his scythe fully when the sound of a gasping and pained Gilbert startled him and Zwei found herself jerked away by Lottie.

"Gil! Are you alright?" The scythe vanished as Oz knelt down beside his servant in concern, a hand on the other's shoulder. Gilbert grabbed his necklace, breathing heavily as he slipped it back around his neck.. It had been cracked and Raven's power was seeping through. It wasn't broken though, the blood still locked inside but there was something else…it was slick with blood…Oz's blood from what he'd had on his hand, that little bit…but it was just the crack that had caused the shockwave of power and his pain, wasn't it?

And then Oz's hand was on his shoulder and he gasped again, jerking away as a jolt ran through him. "O-Oz, what-"

"Oz! Raven!" Alice pointed to where Zwei and Lottie were getting away.

Gilbert's eyes widened as he suddenly rose and chased after the pair. If Zwei used her powers and disappeared…. No! He wouldn't let her escape again, her or that pink-haired harpy. Zwei had used his body to hurt Oz, and now she still-along with the Baskervilles-was trying to hurt his master.

"Gilbert!" Oz raced after his servant, Alice by his side but Gilbert and the pair of Baskervilles had already raced ahead. What were they after? It had seemed that they'd wanted Raven, but they'd given it up so easily and in the end…it was when Oz had called on the scythe that Lottie had seemed satisfied. Had they been lying about their true goal? And he knew by 'the one' Lottie meant his father, but who had Zwei meant be 'he' and 'him'?

Gilbert could see them in his line of sight…those bastards…those filthy Baskerville women who hurt his master…he'd make them all pay. Especially Zai, someday, somehow…but for now, he'd settle for ending these two. For ensuring that they'd never hurt Oz again. Gilbert flicked his gaze to the surrounding area and smirked. There was a ledge ahead that was a drop into the river below. Not too far, but far enough that hitting the ground would be a less-than-likely chance of survival, and that hitting the strong current in that area wouldn't be too much better. He'd have them trapped, and so he did, the two women on the ledge edge as he neared with his gun drawn. "It ends here." he said, smiling coldly, aiming his gun-

Metal. Cold. Hard.

Blood. Warm. Wet.

Together.

Gilbert looked down to see a maniacally grinning Zwei with her dagger in his stomach. "But…how?"

Ah, yes, the third Baskerville. He'd mistaken him for the pair of Zwei and Lottie, he'd been too distracted…but still, again…first Oz and now him…what was going on…why?

"GILBERT!" Oz's cry rang out and Gilbert tilted bleary eyes to his young master, startled by the intense pain he found there.

"Oz…I-"

Gilbert was hurled over the ledge by the male Baskerville, sent plummeting over the edge and to the racing current below.