This chapter was written very late at night, I have classes tomorrow... so sorry if it's a bit off ^^, please tell me if you find any spelling errors or sentences that don't sound right.

I do not own Pandora Hearts.

"Oh so you're going to one of Elliot's shows?" Sharon asked.

Once again they were seated at their usual spot, by now everyone in the school knew that this was their usual spot. Both Break and Reim had halted their conversation the moment they heard Sharon and Gil talk about his plans for that evening. "Huh, I really want to go too. It's been a while after all since I've last heard them perform." The young girl sighed.

"We could go," Reim agreed, "How much does a ticket cost?"

Gilbert fumbled with the ticket he had received that morning. The band members were each allowed to invite one person over, both Elliot and Leo didn't have anyone they wanted to invite so they had given their tickets to Alice and Oz. Gilbert had been lucky enough to be chosen by Oz. He didn't know who Alice was going to pick, though.

"It says nine dollars." He said.

"We should go, Break!" Sharon said, excited by the thought of hearing her friends perform once again. It must have really been a while judging by her reaction.

"Eh, why should I go?" Break complained, a scowl on his face. In a way, he reminded Gil of an old grumpy man who didn't want to be seen with a bunch of brats.

"Because I really want to go," Sharon offered him one of her famous eerie smiles, one that shut the albino up right away. He gulped and nodded.

"Yey!" the girl giggled, she clapped her hands together. For a second, you'd almost forget she had just gotten her way by threatening someone. Almost. Even Gil had felt a shiver run down his spine the moment the aura around her changed. It was Reim's calm smile that calmed him down a bit. The brunette was holding his phone to show him something. "You've never seen them perform, right?" He asked while handing Gil his mobile. "They have a YouTube channel, so I thought you might be interested." He tapped the touchscreen and the video started playing.

Gilbert saw a much younger, Elliot and Leo putting everything ready on stage. They got quickly followed by Alice and Oz who smiled at some people in the crowd. They all looked so much younger, Elliot and Leo were about the same height and Alice appeared to be taller then Oz.

"How old were they?" he found himself asking,

"I think Elliot had just turned 13, I couldn't find a movie with all four of them. Sorry,"

Gilbert said confused, "How so? I thought they always performed together."

"Well yes, but Alice wasn't an official part of the band for a long time, and Oz has a rather busy life." Reim explained,

"Plus Elliot started to have a lot of fights with his family once he entered high school…" the girl tapped the phone so that the video would pause. Oz and the others had just put everything ready and were about to start before Sharon paused them. "I think this is actually going to be the first time in a long time that they'll be performing together again."

"But this is their YouTube channel… so…" Gilbert looked at the name, eyes furrowed. "…What do they usually post on it then?"

"Mostly it's Alice and Elliot making a duet together, she sings he accompanies her with the piano."

He knew there was so much more behind it. But when he looked at both Sharon and Reim's faces he knew that they were telling him the truth of what they knew. Though one quick look at Break told him enough, Break knew more.

"Alright, ready?" Reim then asked, realizing they were getting off topic. They had a free period due to one of their teachers being sick, soon the bell would ring to tell them lunch-break had started. Gil had promised to meet up with Oz then, time was running out. He nodded and Reim started the video once again.

He watched Oz sit on a tall wooden chair both he and Leo held an acoustic guitar, Elliot stood behind a keyboard and pressed the first few notes of the song they were going to play. While Alice just stood behind the microphone, her hair hung loose, she wore a simple white dress and stood with bare feet on the stage.

The moment the song had started she started moving, slowly moving her body along the melody of the song. She danced beautifully and her movements were in sync with the song. Then she leaned forward and sang,

"Just like a rainbow bright and warm after a hazy summer storm
Flowers blooming fresh with drops of dew…"

Gilbert was mesmerized by her voice, it sounded nothing like how she usually talked. True, Alice was three years younger in the video, but still. He was more then eager to hear more.

And then Oz sang, his voice hadn't yet reached puberty and sounded a lot more feminine then it did now.

"Watching you stare into the sky in the crimson sunlight

That's when I fell in love with you."

He sang and then cast a quick glance towards Alice, the girl seemed totally different then how she usually acted. Every move she made was elegant. She let herself be carried away by the music and somehow managed to do the same with the audience.

"Each moment in a picture frame

I'm holding on no single shot will ever fade."

Gilbert noticed the 3rd microphone then, since it was part of Elliot's keyboard he had barely noticed it.

"The movie of this love every part deep within my heart." Alice sang.

And nothing could have prepared him for this, both Alice and Oz sang the chorus. Their voices fit perfectly together, but what made the song sound even more beautiful was Elliot's back-up.

"You are the spark my light in the dark

Brilliant and bold through the night

Bright as the sun no matter what comes

We can be stars if we shine."

He knew that Elliot Nightray was a wonder child when it came to music. Gilbert had never bothered to ask how many instruments he could play but he knew that it was a lot. Never would he have expected for Elliot to be able to sing as well.

Like any background singer, Elliot was back up. It wasn't his job to draw attention, in fact, Elliot made sure that both Alice and Oz stood out more thanks to him.

Gil realized they had only been thirteen years old when this video had been made, yet he already sounded so professional. He admitted that their band was great, that both Oz and Alice were talented singers… but they weren't anything like Elliot.

The bell rung and he sat up straight as if stung by a wasp. "Oh damn! Oz!" he gasped and got up, he quickly grabbed all off his belongings and jumped off the stairs. "Thanks, I've gotta go now!"

"Alright, tell Oz we'll be at his performance tonight!" Sharon shouted after him.

Gilbert waved at them and then started running towards the dark room. Oz somehow always got there faster then him, he knew that his friend needed all the time he could get when in there. Developing pictures took time and one hour wasn't enough. So the young West hated waiting.

And true enough, Oz had already arrived. It wasn't the first time that Gilbert noticed that somehow, the blond was never alone. If he wasn't being shadowed by Alice, then it was someone else enjoying his company. This time it was Aida Vesalius, Oz had left the door of the classroom open, a sign for anyone that wanted to come in that they could. He hadn't started yet. The curtains were still open.

Oz had placed his schoolbag on the ground and gotten his laptop out of it, said device was already open so that Oz could show Aida some pictures he had taken.

"I like that one, can you edit it so that colors look a bit warmer?" she asked, "They'd go well with Zwei's autumn column."

The blond nodded and made a quick note on his computer, he then proceeded to show her other pictures he had taken. Gilbert quietly walked up to them so that he could see them as well. Both looked up at the same time, "Ah Gil, sorry it won't take long." Oz greeted him with a kind smile,

"O-Oh no, it's fine." He stuttered,

Aida offered him an apologetic look.

They look alike… he thought. Almost like siblings.

-"Brother… what's the Abyss?"-

Images flashed in front of the raven's eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Suddenly he was walking outside, following two blond haired kids. The memory disappeared as soon as it came.

He felt dizzy…

"Gil?"

Someone was shouting his name. He knew that voice, he missed that voice.

Ten years…

"Gil? Are you alright?"

He sounded scared,

There was a hand reaching out for him.

He's waking up.

"Gil, Gi…. GIL!"

I'm Raven-

-"You….ng master-"

He blinked and suddenly he was back in a classroom, Oz's face only a few inches away from him. The blond had placed his hands on both his shoulders. Gilbert saw how his friend's eyes slowly widened.

Behind him stood Aida, who was gazing at him with worry. She had clasped both hands before her mouth, he realized he must have been really out of it for her to worry so much. When exactly had Oz even gotten so close?

Oz opened his mouth, he blinked a few times and said, "Young master?"

...eh?

Eh.

EH-

Gilbert felt his face heating up the moment those words had left Oz's mouth. Had he really just said that out loud? No, no way. There was no way he had just called Oz young master. In front of Aida even. The raven could just die out of humiliation. "Wh-what, No, no I-I didn't I just-"

A sly grin appeared on the Oz's face, one that said it all; there was no way he could talk himself out of this.

"I didn't know you thought that highly of me, well I feel like I mustn't let you down. Alright, Gilbert!" he laughed and took a step back, that cocky grin never leaving his face.

"From now on, you can be my valet!" he laughed,

Even Aida had to hide her smile behind her hands.

"No-no, it wasn't like that at all!" the raven tried to protest but it was all in vain.

For a while now, Gilbert had been convinced that Aida was a kind girl. He realized at that very moment how wrong he was. She and Oz kept teasing him until it was time for her to leave. Then they finally dropped the subject.

Oz simply sat down and started working on his laptop, it was too late to start developing pictures now anyway. He had asked for Gilbert to close the door so that students knew he no longer wanted to be interfered. The raven put on the old radio that stood on one of the many unused desks.

The thing made a lot of noise and it took him a good few minutes before he found a good radio station. He realized the volume was on maximum the moment he heard a female voice say, "Thanks for calling Emily, and for all the listeners that think this cold weather could use something to warm up your day; here is George Harrison with I've got my mind set on you!"

The music started playing and Gilbert knew he wasn't the only one surprised by how loud the music was. He had heard the surprised sound leaving Oz's mouth, but knew that one embarrassing sound was nothing compared to him actually tripping over his own feet and landing hard on his bottom.

Which of course led to Oz once again not being able to hold his laughter. The blond got up and turned to volume down before he helped the raven with getting up.

"It's gonna take time

A whole lot of precious time…"

"Oh Gil," Oz sighed once he had caught his breath, wiping away a tear. He shook his head in amusement and sat down again to continue working on his projects.

Gilbert sat awkwardly next to him, his face completely red. He knew he had just provided the blond with enough teasing material for a long time.

He thought the blond would torment him even more, but he was saved by the pressure of Oz having to finish too many things at the same time.

"I got my mind set on you

I got my mind set on you."

Oz's eyes never left his screen as he quietly sang along with the music. Sometimes Gilbert found himself wondering if Oz ever ate when he was so occupied with work. He rarely saw his friend eat during lunch, now that he thought of it. Usually Oz was too focused on editing pictures. Did he eat before he started? Or did he perhaps eat after?

Gilbert got his thermos bottle out of his bag. That morning he had felt a wave of nostalgia rush over him when he found an unopened bag of Twinings Vanilla tea. His mother's favorite.

The raven had prepared three thermos bottles; his father hadn't even batted an eye. Gilbert's mom used to prepare thermos bottles with tea for them each morning. So Gil's father had grabbed some toast and the thermos, he had ruffled his son's hair and then rushed off to work.

Gilbert now poured some tea in the tiny cup and offered it to his friend. He couldn't help but smile fondly when he saw Oz slowly turning his head. His hands never left his laptop. And for a second his gaze remained frozen on the screen, before he slowly broke eye contact with it.

Oz gazed at the cup the raven was holding out to him, a smile found its way on the blond's face and he took the cup.

"Thank you," he said.

And when he drank from it, he seemed to relax a bit. "I've never tasted this before, what is it?"

"My mom's favorite," he said without a second thought, he realized a moment too late that he had said something that could make everything awkward. "Ah- it's Vanilla… uh, Twinings."

"Your mom has good taste," Oz said, a kind smile on his face. One that said a thousand words to Gilbert. It's alright. And for a second, it looked like the blond knew what it was like to lose a mother. And Gilbert believed him.

Gilbert refilled the cup when it got empty. At some point Oz joked that he was really treating him like a young master. But he still drank from it. The raven didn't even notice when exactly Oz had closed his laptop and instead talked to him about everything and nothing at the same time. It was great. Gilbert loved when his friend started talking and it seemed like their conversation wasn't going to end. He could listen for hours to Oz's soft and gentle voice.

He loved it when Oz talked about stories he was passionate about, because then his eyes would fill with joy and he'd talk as much with his body as with his mouth. He loved it when Oz talked about his friends, because then he'd have this far away look as he thought of how much he loved each one of them. He loved it when Oz talked about things he knew, because then he'd get all serious and curious, like he couldn't wait to read more about the subject.

He just loved listening to Oz so much, Gilbert knew he could never ever get tired of Oz's voice. So he listened, and listened… and most of all; he loved Oz's smile when he saw that Gilbert was truly listening to him.

As promised, he waited for Echo at the bus stop. It was already dark when he left the house. Snow fell from the sky and Gil was shivering from head to toe when the girl showed up. He was slightly surprised when he saw her. For once she had done something different with her hair, it was curly and her longer bangs had been put together into a small bun. She even wore a bit of make-up to make her eyes stand out more.

Gilbert didn't know why he felt a stone sink into the bottom off his stomach. He had to force a smile, "You look pretty." He told her.

The hint of a blush appeared on Echo's face. It was odd to see her lose her cool, even if it was for just a second. She Awkwardly twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, "Isn't it too much?" she asked, "The dress as well… I feel like I've overdone it." She confessed then.

Yeah… He shook his head, "I'm sure Oz will think you're cute… though I'm also sure he always thinks of you as cute." He gently patted her on her head, scared that he might ruin her hair.

"Who said I'm doing this for Oz?" she protested, a scowl appeared on her face. The truth was obvious though. So Gilbert laughed and they both waited for the bus in silence. Echo was pleased.

It took them only ten minutes to get to the café once the bus arrived. Some people were standing outside, holding a pint while others smoked their cigarettes. They nodded at them as a way of greeting. It was obvious Echo didn't have much experience when it came to crowded places. She'd rather watch from a safe distance and not be the center of attention. Which was a failure. She had dressed up nicely for tonight, not too much to stand out, but still enough to let others know she was beautiful.

Gil was no fool.

He as well as everyone else around Echo and Oz knew how they looked at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. He knew that the girl was only ever truly herself when she was around the blond, as he knew that Echo was the only person that could make Oz a stuttering mess.

He knew that Oz must have planned something. He also knew that Echo was hoping for just that.

When it was finally Elliot and the others their time to perform, they had already found a place nearby the stage. He knew that Echo held her breath when Oz smiled at her from his seat. She probably didn't even notice Alice greeting her as well.

Elliot rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. Leo laughed and they started. Just like that. As if it was the most normal thing to do.

Gilbert was once again reminded just how talented the people were around him. The café had this calm and nostalgic atmosphere, and his friends played like that. The first song they sang was slow. Oz's voice was calm and soothing while Alice's carried you away to foreign countries overseas. She danced slowly along the music.

The song they sang was a famous one, one that everyone could sing along with.

They had made a great start.

And when the second song had started, everyone from outside had already come back inside. The small place was filled with people enjoying their performance, and surely enough it attracted more people from outside.

Outside it was freezing, inside it was warm. There were hot drinks and songs to sing along with. It didn't take long before Echo was almost pressed against him. Echo never sang along; he wouldn't have expected her to anyway. Instead her eyes remained glued on the beautiful blond guitarist on stage.

Alice started to clap in her hands, a beat she wanted the audience to follow. This song was slightly faster, while it was also a famous one, the tempo had been changed. Making sure they would never ruin the gentle atmosphere hanging around the café.

"So this is what you meant… when you said that you were spend…
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit
Right to the top
Don't hold back…"

He waited for Alice to join in, waited for Elliot's voice to back them up when they hit the chorus. He loved how easily they controlled the audience. People swayed along with Alice's movements. They closed their eyes as they watched a small group of teenagers lose themselves in the music they were making.

"Oz is different." Echo said.

She was right. It was obvious Alice loved singing, as it was obvious for anyone else that both Leo and Elliot loved to play their instruments. But it was true that Oz sort of faded out between them. Alice was the lead singer, she controlled the stage. And while it was a background singer's job to make the lead singers their voices stronger… he stood out more then Oz. It almost seemed as if Oz was the background singer, a decoy, so that outsiders wouldn't pay too much attention to Elliot.

"He's down to earth." Echo concluded.

"He keeps everyone from flying away." He agreed.

Would the audience know if Oz stopped playing his guitar? Would they notice if he no longer finished the song with Alice?

Could Elliot just take over and no one would bat an eye?

They sang until 10pm, and then Alice told the audience that their time was up. The other band would get on in ten minutes. She hadn't even finished her sentence before the entire room demanded more. The girl had cast a curious look at the barman, who simply shrugged and gave gave them a thumbs-up. Making the truth a bit different; they should have stopped at 10pm. But instead stopped when it was almost midnight and the band that had to come after them had taken a seat in the café as well, knowing they might not play that night. Gilbert pitied them, but couldn't be more then happy when he saw how happy Alice was when she could keep on singing. She lost herself in the music.

She didn't look like herself.

Alice looked like she was truly enjoying herself. Nothing could ruin her mood then. Even when they were done and had cleaned up, she stayed in the crowd and listened to people complimenting her. Elliot and Leo joined Gil's side and subtly told him to leave with them so that Oz and Echo could have some alone time.

He gazed at the two from a safe distance. While Elliot and Leo tried to give them some privacy, it was obvious the two were keeping an eye on them as well. At some point they didn't even bother to be subtle anymore and just gazed openly at the two.

"Is he going to do it?" Leo at one pointed asked, the three of them leaning against a wall while holding their drinks. Oz had already moved much closer to her, his face only a mere inch away from her as he listened to her talk. And then the three friends held their breath as he saw him lean closer to her.

"That sly bastard," Elliot grinned and took a sip from his pint.

Only Oz didn't kiss her, something caught his attention and he leaned back in his seat. Echo appeared slightly disappointed but easily covered it up.

"What just happened?" Elliot asked confused,

Leo took his time by answering, he tied his hair together in a messy bun and adjusted his glasses. "I don't know…" he then admitted. No jokes, no making fun of Elliot not being to understand something. Even Gilbert didn't know what exactly just went wrong.

Oz wasn't a tease.

This wasn't like him at all…

Alice interrupted the two a bit later, telling them she wanted to go home. Elliot and the others joined their side as well and they left the café together. Him and Leo headed towards the Nightray house. While, Alice, Oz, Gil and Echo waited for their bus to come. Gilbert felt more comfortable knowing that Echo was going to stay with them rather then walking alone at night. Alice stuck by Gil's side, so that their friends could talk a bit more. The brunette leaned closer to the raven, and he did the same without even thinking twice about it.

"What do you think happened?" Alice asked.

"Perhaps Echo didn't want to?"

To which Alice frowned, she shook her head. No that was not it… if even Alice noticed something wasn't right, then something obviously didn't go as planned.

Later that night, when the two teens lay side by side in Oz's bed did the blond answer his question. "I guess… I just didn't want to." There's something odd about conversations after midnight. Gilbert had often thought so. People's walls would slowly crumble down, revealing broken castle walls and ravished rooms.

Oz laughed softly to himself, he heard the sound of rustling when the blond turned on his side so that he could face him the dark. "It's stupid really… I know it was the right moment… but I froze… and I just couldn't do it anymore."

"Have you… ever dated someone before?" he asked softly.

There fell a long silence, Gilbert at some pointed even pondered if his friend had fallen asleep, but the blond still gave him his answer. "…No." he admitted shyly.

"Perhaps that's the source of your problem."

To which the blond snorted in amusement, "Yes, I'm sure it's because of that."

"It could be," the raven said, "It's fine, you'll get another chance."

Another silence, Oz sighed and placed his hand between their heads. Gilbert slowly brought his hand closer and raised it so that he could draw small circles in the palm of Oz's hand.

He heard the blond breathe out, he smiled softly. "Say Gil…"

"Hm?" Gilbert realized that at moment, Oz could have asked him anything.

So when the blond said, "Tell me about your mother,"

He didn't even hesitate, "She loved Twinings tea, her favorite was vanilla." To which the blond softly hummed, "She wanted to become a writer and really looked up to your father. If she knew I met him and that he likes taking pictures funny pictures of his son she'd be envious." To which Oz breathed out a laugh, "She often got lost in her own world, and when she came back she had to write everything down. She had so many journals written with story ideas. But she never once tried to publish one… I think she was scared. My mother hated rejection more then anything."

Oz hummed, a sign for him to go on. He felt how the blond relaxed, how he was gradually dozing off.

"She always put bath-towels in the kitchen, in case it rained we could dry ourselves off in the hallway. My mother believed in angels…"

Silence… and then Oz breathed in before he said, "I think you've told me that before," he smiled.

"It's one of the most memorable things she's ever told me… I guess, since she brought it up at all times. She believed that angels were loyal, selfless, strong, kind, pure and innocent." It was remarkable that he still remembered the list, when he used to be younger it seemed to be endless. He remembered thinking that it must be hard to be an angel. Though Gilbert was sure, that the person lying next to him must be one.

Gilbert was met with a Déjà-vu feeling when Oz suddenly pulled his hand away. He sounded different all off sudden, "Your mother sounds like a very creative person,"

"….S-she was, yeah."

Oz sighed, he sounded so tired all off sudden. He then turned his back to the raven and wished him a goodnight.

Leaving Gilbert with nothing but questions. It was then that he also remembered that he hadn't seen Sharon and the others that night. Had something come up? He wondered.

People were hiding things from.

He couldn't help but feel slightly sad as he gazed at Oz's back. He knew that on Monday he could just ask them if something had come up. But he couldn't ask Oz why he suddenly pulled back. He had closed the gates and the walls around him appeared to be stronger then ever.

Oh Oz... if only he knew how much Gilbert wished to take all off his pain away. He'd do anything to see a genuine smile on his face.

He sighed and slowly drifted to sleep. Hoping that tomorrow would be better.