Disclaimer: Pandora Hearts does not belong to me. I am but a humble and super duper addicted fan of it who decided to make a fanfic of my all-time favorite manga and anime.

Err... Okay, this chapter might be a bit awkward... But I think I managed to save it! :D And in this chapter, concludes how Gil has come to call Alice "stupid rabbit" and Alice to call Gil "seaweed head." And yay! SEAWEED HEAD! XD Wahoo! **does the victory dance**

Gil: W-What! I'm not seaweed head!

Me: Aw... That's okay! I'll still love you even if your hair turns into an afro!

Gil: WHAT! You're also a seaweed head aren't you!

Me: No. Sure, I have short, black and a little wavy hair, but it just flips out and if I fix it, it'll flip in and look nice. Even if it flies away, it still looks nice. It doesn't work for girls. This seaweed head thing. =P Too bad for you Gil. And you're not supposed to tell girls stuff like that. You'll get yourself killed!

Gil: ...

Me: Let's start! Enjoy!

::{ Narrator POV}::

When Alice had composed herself, Oz started the introduction.

"Uncle Oscar, this is Alice, Princess of Étoile Kingdom," said Oz. "Alice, this is my uncle, Uncle Oscar."

Oscar took Alice's hand and kissed it. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess Alice."

Alice blushed. "P- Pleased to meet you too…"

"Alright!" said Oz. "Since we all know one another now, let's all go back, okay?"

"Oz, if it wasn't apparent to you by now," said Alice. "I'm chained." She lifted her hands and a foot then jingled them to prove her point. "And I haven't exactly been released yet. Did you plan on leaving me?"

Oz stared at the chains and laughed sheepishly. "Oh… I didn't plan on leaving you… I just didn't notice…"

"I was hoping we'd leave her here to perish," murmured Gilbert.

"I heard that," said Alice.

"I did too, actually. And that wasn't nice, Gil," said Oz. Gilbert snorted but said nothing. Oz would have stroked his beard if he had one. "So how do we free you?"

"There's a keyhole on my shackles…" said Alice, twisting her manacles looking for the keyhole.

"But how do we find the key to open it?" Oz tapped the key of the door on his shoulder.

"…Did you… TRY using THAT key?" asked Alice, pointing to the key of the door Oz was holding. He stopped drumming the key and looked at it.

"OH~ I didn't think of that!" said Oz. He went over to Alice and slipped the key into the lock. He twisted, the lock clicked and the shackle on her right hand popped open. "YES!" Oz did the same for every manacle until Alice was freed.

"Finally," said Alice.

"Since Alice is now free, let's all head back," said Oscar.

"…Where do I go?" asked Alice.

"Where else? Back to your castle of course," said Oz. "We'll take you there on the way back."

"…I can't stay there…" said Alice. Oz, Oscar and Gil looked at one another.

"Why not?" asked Oz.

Alice shook her head. "…It's too complicated to explain… When you drop me there, come with me." Oz stared at Alice, who had a serious look on her face which he had seen for the very first time.

The four walked to the carriage and rode to the castle. Alice carried the rabbit with her and brought it along as her pet. It was a very quiet journey with a heavy atmosphere lingering in the air. When they arrived, none of the lights were turned on. Alice left the rabbit in the carriage and looked at the castle, almost afraid to go in. Oz noticed this and took Alice's hand in his. The amethyst eyed girl squeezed it and the emerald eyed boy squeezed back.

Alice and Oz stepped toward the castle with Gil and Oscar following not far behind. When they stepped in, their lungs were filled with the smell of dried blood and burned, rotting flesh. They looked around and saw corpses splayed on the floor.

"W-What happened here?" asked Oscar, horrified.

Alice hand's let go of Oz's and they clutched the sides of her head. "No… No…" she murmured as she shook her head, wide-eyed.

"Alice?" asked Oz in concern.

"No… NO!" Alice's voice rose to a shrill scream and she turned to run but Gil stopped her just in time and pushed her. Oz caught Alice by the shoulders and twisted her to face him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"It's going to be alright Alice," he whispered as he patted Alice on the back.

When Alice had calmed down, they moved on and went to her room. It was the only room without any blood or carcasses. Oz, Gilbert and Oscar all felt a slight pinch of relief but the sight horrified Alice even more than before.

::{ Alice POV}::

"Dad… Mom…" I muttered. Where are they? Why aren't they there? Could they have been taken away? No… My knees felt like jelly and I collapsed on my knees.

"Alice!" I heard Oz shout but it seemed distant. I can't believe I'm letting them see me like this... But I couldn't stop myself. The tears wouldn't stop coming no matter how much I tried to suppress them and my body wouldn't stop shaking.

"DAD! MOM!" I screamed.

"Alice! Alice!" cried Oz. "What happened?"

"Dad and Mom have disappeared…" I croaked between sobs. "I found them unconscious here the last time… Where are they…?"

"Well, if they aren't here, then that must mean they're alive," said Oscar. "And now that we've seen what type of catastrophe happened here, then we better take Alice with us. She can't stay here."

Oz nodded. "Alice, where do you keep your suitcase?" I pointed to my bed. "Gil, go get the suitcase. We'll pack Alice's clothes and then move to the castle." Gilbert nodded and got to work.

::{ Narrator POV}::

Alice stood up, tears still streaming down her rosy cheeks. "I'm choosing what'll be brought." She pulled out a huge array of dresses from her wardrobe and brought out different shoes and accessories. Gilbert opened up the suitcase and placed it on the floor. Alice threw everything in and forced her luggage closed. By observing her actions, one wouldn't think she was upset by the event, but her face told another story.

Oz, Alice, Gilbert and Oscar all went back to the carriage. Alice went with a little difficulty but managed when she and Gilbert exchanged spiteful remarks. This kept her distracted, allowing her to shift her attention from the dead bodies surrounding them to thinking up insults to throw at the servant.

"You stupid rabbit," said Gilbert.

"When did I become a stupid rabbit, eh squirt?" retorted Alice.

"You have a rabbit with you who was wearing YOUR locket so you'll be stupid rabbit."

"Well then, your hair certainly looks like it so you'll be seaweed head."

The two continued their battle and stopped only when they reached the carriage where Abyss the rabbit was waiting for them. They traveled back to the Lumière Kingdom in silence. But the silence was a different one. This silence was one of fatigue. Gilbert and Alice both fell asleep. The golden eyed boy snored, leaning on the window while the braided girl fell asleep leaning on Oz's shoulder. Oz smiled at Alice gently before he shifted her to a more comfortable position. He placed Alice's head on his lap and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face to the back of her ear. Oz stroked Alice's hair as she slept and Oscar watched Oz's actions.

"Hey, Oz," he said. "What do you think of Alice?"

A pair of emerald eyes fell upon Oscar. "I find her dazzling. She's always honest with her own feelings. Crying when she wants to cry, being angry when she wants to be angry. And her smile is as beautiful as the sun."

Oscar stared at his nephew. "You sound love-struck…"

"W-WHAT?" cried Oz incredulously. "No… She's just a precious friend." Oscar continued to stare but said nothing. He's in denial, he thought. I really think he likes her.

They finally reached the Lumière Kingdom's castle and Oz had to wake Alice up. She stirred and all of a sudden punched Oz on the chin, causing him to groan in pain. She sat up and said, "Oh, Oz. Sorry about that. I was half asleep." Oz laughed despite himself.

When they entered, they were welcomed by Jack and Alyss. The fair-haired girl stared at her sister. "What are you doing here?" asked Alyss.

"Something happened in the castle…" said Alice.

Oscar pulled Jack, Oz and Gil away to a corner. "Jack, something terrible happened in the Étoile Kingdom."

Jack tilted his head to one side. "Hm? What is it?"

"A massacre happened in the castle. Alice said that she found King Glen and Queen Lacie unconscious before she herself lost consciousness. We found Alice trapped in a tower, chained and she found help with the help of a rabbit," explained Oscar. "We went back to the castle and saw corpses lying around in a pool of blood. The four of us entered Alice's room and saw no one, which relieved us but unnerved Alice. She kept saying that King Glen and Queen Lacie were there."

"What?" gasped Jack, hearing the story. "So let me get this straight: A massacre occurred in the Étoile Kingdom's castle and now both Glen and Lacie are missing with no one to run the kingdom."

"Exactly," said Oz. "So we've taken Alice here since she's got nowhere else to go."

"Alright," said Jack. "I'll take care of this matter. Oz, Gil, I leave Alice in your hands. Uncle, please come with me. We have to discuss this with council and the other kings."

Alyss and Alice watched Jack and Oscar walk away. "Alice, tell me what happened," said Alyss.

Alice nodded and said, "I'll tell you later in the bedroom." Alyss agreed.

"Alice!" called Oz. "Come with me, I'll show you to your room." He led the two down the corridor, doors lined up on each side. "Alice, if you don't mind, you'll sleep in Alyss' room."

"WHAT?" cried Alice in horror. "NO! Give me another room!"

Oz sweatdropped but complied. "Well then, I'll give you the room next to Alyss instead." He opened a door and Alice entered the room. She placed her suitcase by the cabinet, put down her rabbit down on the floor and sat on the bed. "I'll leave you two alone. If you need me, I'll be in the room at the end of the corridor."

Alyss went to her room and the two sisters took a quick shower and changed. As Alice was drying her hair with her pet rabbit on her lap, she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she said. Alyss emerged from the other side, carrying a black cat, and shut the door behind her.

"Sister, tell me what happened," she said. Alice put down her towel and told Alyss the story, slowly.

After Alice finished telling the story, tears fell down Alyss' cheek. "So mother and father are now missing?" she asked, wiping the tears away. The two black pets were sitting on their respective masters' laps, listening intently and not making a sound.

Later, another knock on the door was heard. The two girls rubbed their eyes quickly and gave the person on the other side permission to enter. The door creaked open and Oz peered through it. "Alice? Alyss? I know you might not have the appetite but it's dinner time."

"Alright, we're coming," replied Alyss. Oz did not say another word and shut the door.

Alice's stomach growled. "I haven't eaten anything for days… I want some meat…"

"You just saw a mass murder occur before your very eyes and yet you still want to eat MEAT?" asked Alyss disbelievingly.

"Yeah. But I'm not the only one. Our parents are missing and you still want to eat?" asked Alice skeptically.

"Of course," replied Alyss. "I still have the appetite because what you told me is good news. I mean, at least this means they must still be alive, right?"

Alice agreed. "Right."

"Good." Alyss smiled. "Now, let's go and eat."

**sobbing** I know, there isn't much Oz x Alice going on but I tried... **puppy eyes** Please review! Reviews keep me going so if you'd like quicker updates, please inspire me with a short review! Thank you very much! \(^o^)/ **bows**