I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking

'The' – Thoughts

'The' - Telepathic Speech

AN: Alright, I'll be alternating the use of the name Gilbert and his nickname, Raven, since I feel that using Gilbert all the time seems to be a tad repetitive.

Enjoy!

The Altered Rotation

oO~A New Chain, Another Memory~Oo

"Where is he?" Gilbert growled as they walked into yet another room. But this room, actually, was much different from the rest that they'd already visited.

Pandora~Hearts

It had a red and black checkerboard-tiled floor, unlike the black and white checkerboard floor they'd seen in the other rooms. It had numerous books and toys as well as torn drapes and such. But there was one place in the room where there was a large cushion with many torn drapes surrounding it.

Pandora~Hearts

"Ne, What are you humans doing here-nya?" came a voice.

Gilbert and Oz turned to the source of the voice to see what looked like a person sitting upon the large cushion.

Pandora~Hearts

He had rosewood-coloured hair with light maroon tints that was shoulder-length, but layered slightly and his bangs covered his right red eye completely. He had cat ears that were the same colour as his hair and feline canines showing over his bottom lip. Instead of arms, he had two long floor-length maroon and black paws with sharp white claws and a lace up pattern on the sides of his arms, making it seem like the large paws were stitched to his flesh. He tail was the same color as his hair and ears, but with thin black stripes and maroon tints.

He wore a pair of black skin-tight pants, a black sleeveless form-fitting top with a high-collar and a zipper down the middle of the shirt. He wore what looked like a black cape that was slightly tattered and began at a few inches below his shoulders stretching to mid-torso with a long piece of fabric of the same color stretching to the floor in the back; that, too, was slightly tattered. His shoes were knee-length lace-up boots with a slight heel. He also wore a large bell around his neck that was attached to a red ribbon.

Pandora~Hearts

"Gil," Oz said quietly, "I think we may have just found our cat."

When Oz heard no response from his friend, he turned around only to find his friend white and petrified.

Oz blanched at the sight of his friend.

"Gil! What's wrong?" Oz suddenly began shouting, shaking his friend by the collar.

"Ne…ko…it's…a…cat…" Raven managed to choke out.

"Of course it's a cat!" Oz shouted back. "It's called the Cheshire Cat! We've been saying for the entire time and you choose now to freak out?"

Neither noticed that as they were speaking, or rather Oz was talking sense into the black-haired male, that the Cheshire Cat was slowly approaching the both of them, lips in a sinister grin and his claws poised to attack.

Oz saw the Chain about to attack from out of the corner of his eye and quickly pulled both himself and Gilbert out of the way before the claws could so as much as touch them.

Having being pulled out of harm's way had snapped Gilbert out of his self-induced trance.

Floating in the air after his attack was avoided the Cheshire Cat was ready to attack again and charged, when a black vortex engulfed both men, repelling the Chain once more.

"What?" Cheshire gasped in outrage, as he saw the vortex manifest into a black horse with a white horn on its forehead and violet flames for a mane, tail and with flames coming from its white hoofs as well. "Eques?"

"Are the both of you alright?" Eques said in Sharon's voice, turning to Oz and Gilbert.

"Sharon?" both men asked confusedly.

Eques gave a nod. "I can communicate with you using Eques, and although he may not look very strong, that doesn't mean that he can't fight."

Before anyone was able to say anymore, a white light enveloped Gilbert and Oz, taking them away to only God-knows-where.

"Cheshire Cat," Sharon said, as she sipped her sup of tea, "I would like to know about something that you may have the answer to."

"What do you want to know-nya?" Cheshire asked, licking his paw lazily.

"I would like to know the truth of what happened a hundred years ago at Sabliér," Sharon said through Eques.

"I would like to know the events of the Tragedy of Sabliér," Sharon said.

The Chain smirked. "You're asking about something that you'll never get out of Cheshire-nya."

And with a spin on the spot, his cape whirling around him like a cocoon, he was gone.

"Wait!" Sharon shouted as Cheshire disappeared.

Sharon frowned as she set her cup of tea back on the table.

She froze when a slight rustling of clothes caught her attention. The strawberry-blonde turned around only to come face to face with blank indigo eyes.

All went black.

Alice wandered through the halls, until she saw something, a black speck at the end of the hall she was walking through. Running over to see what it was, she was surprised to see a cat.

Pandora~Hearts

It was you usual black cat, and yet it was not. The feline was indeed black, but its yellow eyes had no pupils. It had a small bell tied around its neck with a red ribbon.

Pandora~Hearts

The cat looked at Alice for a few moments before running off and disappearing.

"That's funny," Alice mumbled, "I thought that there was definitely something familiar about him."

Shrugging the matter away, she continued to follow her own path.

"Where are we now?" Raven asked as they landed at the topmost platform a staircase.

"Oh we're still in the Cheshire Cat's dimension, only we're in a different spot," Oz explained as if it was nothing.

"You did that didn't you?" Gilbert asked slowly.

"Yup!" Oz said cheerfully. "I told you that I learned more than sword handling from Jack in the Abyss."

A vein pulsed on Raven's head. 'His cheery attitude and whatnot is really starting to get to me. He really hasn't changed much at all, has he?'

"What are you doing here-nya?" a lazy voice asked.

Both men turned to see the Cheshire Cat hanging from a chandelier.

"We're here for Alice's memory or memories," Oz said without hesitation, "Whatever that may be here of Alice's life."

Cheshire snarled at Oz and Raven, but suddenly he charged at Gilbert and stopped to whisper in his ear. "Tell Raven it would've been a pleasure seeing him again-nya." And with that, he slashed his large claws across the black-haired man's chest, sending him tumbling over the railing into the dark depths of whatever lay below.

Cheshire was about to attack Oz when he froze. Cheshire's eye moved along Oz's form taking every detail in.

"You're…" Cheshire breathed in awe and disbelief.

Oz smiled lightly when he saw Cheshire recognizing him, or at least his appearance. Spotting a mirror, Oz slowly made his way to it as he kept his eyes locked onto Cheshire's eye.

"Cheshire," Oz said, giving the Chain a nod.

"How…?" Cheshire was able to choke out.

"That isn't important," Oz said, "But what is important, is that Alice wants to have her memories back."

The Chain's red eye widened. His expression became furious and was about to lash out at Oz, when he felt as though he couldn't move his limbs or his body, with the exception of his head. Looking towards Oz, he saw the gold-haired man gave a small secretive smile.

"Now," Oz said, "I believe that you have another guest waiting for you."

Cheshire looked towards a second mirror and saw an unconscious Break floating within it. His eye widened as he saw the familiar man.

Oz looked into the mirror he stood in front of and saw Jack's reflections, staring back at his with a smile. He stepped into the mirror and once inside, before disappearing, he turned back to Cheshire, who'd gained control of his limbs once again, and said, "Try not to get yourself killed, hm? I'm sure Alice would be very disappointed when she remembers you, only to find out gone." And with that, Oz's image dissipated.

Turning to the mirror that held Break within, Cheshire flew straight into it.

Gilbert awoke to find himself in what looked like the courtyard at the Grand Estate. He, then, heard a very familiar melody.

Following the sound, he ran towards the source, only to see someone that looked quite familiar, and yet not.

"Gold hair…emerald eye…" Gilbert muttered, "Oz…?"

"No," the man said in Oz's voice, "I am Jack. Jack Vessalius." And with that, he closed the pocket watch he held.

"Actually, that would be me, my friend," Oz said leaping down from a tree to stand next to Jack.

Raven could do nothing but gape at the uncanny similarities between both men.

"I trust you remember me saying something about reincarnations?" Oz asked amused.

Gilbert shut his mouth and nodded.

"Well, I'm his reincarnation," Oz spoke bluntly, jutting out his thumb in Jack's direction.

"And I'm his incarnation!" Jack said cheerfully, jutting his thumb in Oz's direction.

'The both of them…' Gilbert thought with both a sweat-drop and a vein pulsing lightly on his forehead, 'At least I know where Oz get's his attitude from.'

Alice walked down the corridor looking around, until she say Jack in front of her, holding a hand out.

She brought her hand up to his, though hesitantly, and grasped his.

At that moment, she was sucked into what seemed like a void. Jack gathered her into his arms and held her.

'Who are you to me, Jack? Why do I feel so comfortable around you? Is the reason why I'm calm around Oz, you?' Alice thought, losing herself into her thoughts.

And all went black for the brown-haired girl.

Cheshire looked around to find himself in the gardens at Rainsworth Manor.

"Xerxes-nii-chan! Okaa-sama!" a voice called out.

Cheshire turned around, to see a little girl running towards two figures underneath the shade of an oak-tree, a book clutched to her chest.

Upon realization, he realized that the man whose head was in the elder woman's lap, was indeed Break, though a different form of him; a little younger perhaps, and injured.

The Chain raised its large paw up to the air, claws ready, and slashed it through the air towards Break, when said man suddenly woke up and deflected the attack.

Cheshire briefly noticed that the little girl and her mother dissolved into dust and sparks.

"So you finally show up, stupid cat," Break said rising to his feet, swinging his cane like a sword.

Hissing at him, Cheshire charged once more, only to see Break dodge him and his left side much lighter than it was before. Leaping back, he saw that Break had sliced off his left arm.

Not wanting to take any more chances, Cheshire slipped out of the dimension Break had created with his memories.

What he didn't anticipate was Break following him out through the mirror.

"If I never came, at cat like you would never have come out, now would you?" Break chuckled darkly as he stepped through the mirror, going from what he used to look like to how looked presently.

But the curious thing was that bandages were still wrapped around his head.

"Shall I teach you a little discipline while I'm here?" Break asked rhetorically as a black cyclone erupted behind him.

Cheshire gasped as he felt the familiar presence.

"Oh don't worry," Break said, pulling the wrapping around his head off, revealing an empty eye socket that had only a red glow in the center, "This is just a reward for my eye showing up in such in irritating fashion."

A silver chain with skulls and other trinkets attached to it; a black top hat with black roses, playing cards, red feathers and a blue ribbon and wrapped in thorny vines; a black cloak parted to reveal what seemed to be one large eye.

"M-Mad Hatter?" Cheshire said in disbelief.

"Now, I think it's time for your long overdue punishment, don't you think?" Break asked.

"So why are we here?" Gilbert asked.

Jack's expression turned serious, as did Raven's and Oz's, sensing the grave aura around Jack at the moment.

"It's Alice, isn't it?" Oz asked before Jack said anything.

Jack only nodded. "She's trapped in her memory, and frankly, it's a memory she never wanted to remember in the first place," Jack looked at the both of them, "It was this particular memory that made her want to forget everything."

"Where?" Oz asked.

"Her final memory," was all Jack said, causing Oz's breath to hitch.

"Unless you go after her, there is no way, that she will return," Jack said gravely, "She's trapped within her own memories. And even though she won't remember half of it or at all about the memory, that doesn't mean that she won't get flashes now and then; but that's only if she's saved. If she isn't she'll continues to drift until she's completely gone."

Oz's face told both men his answer before he even voiced it himself. "I'll do it."

"Hey," Gilbert said suddenly, "Why was the Cheshire Cat acting that way when Oz mentioned that stupid rabbit?"

Both men smiled.

"Maybe because—" Jack began.

"—he wants to be—" Oz continued.

"—the knight—" Jack resumed.

"—who protects his loved one until the very end," both gold-haired men finished together.

"Oh, that reminds me," Oz said suddenly, he turned to Jack," Do you mind letting me send Gil back to help Cheshire or at least tell Break not to be too hard on him? I have feeling that if he's fine, then Alice will be as well."

Jack thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "Do it quickly, though, we may not have much time left to save her."

Oz nodded and turned to Raven. "Gil, I need you to go back to Break. I know he's going to try and get something from Cheshire as well as extract a little revenge of his own. I need you to go and tell Cheshire that 'Jack says to give it to Break, or Alice will be very sad if he's gone'. He'll know what I mean."

Gilbert only nodded.

"Take this," Oz reached down and plucked a small flower from the ground and placed it in his friend's hand.

"What this supposed to do?" Raven asked, looking at the small plant in his palm.

"This will take you back to Break and Cheshire once I'm gone," Oz explained, "Just think about Break and you'll find him."

Gilbert gave a nod.

"Now I think it's time for me to leave, don't you think?" Oz asked Jack, who gave a nod.

"Think about Alice and say her name," Jack instructed.

Oz did as instructed and dissolved into tiny little bubbles.

"You sent him alone?" Gilbert exclaimed once his friend was gone.

"I can't do everything I want to do in this dimension," Jack explained, "My power is limited and sending Oz has used up the last ounce of power I had."

"After all," Jack said, "I'm not really a part of this dimension."

"What?" Raven asked. "Then what are you?"

"I'm a fragment of my own soul that was left behind in Alice's memories," Jack stated with hooded eyes.

Oz appeared in the hall of what looked like a grand castle.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his aura, seeking out Alice. His eyes snapped open and he ran in the direction he sensed Alice in.

Suddenly, as he reached the end of the hall, a wall of flames erupted in front of him.

When they died away, Oz saw numerous carcasses of women, children, men, even infants, covered in blood that was seeping from their deadly wounds.

"Out of all of her memories, it had to be this one, didn't it?" Oz whined. "It doesn't matter if I've seen this already, but it still disgusts me to no end!"

'-chuckle-it's to be expected, Oz,' came Jack's voice, 'This was the most tragic and gruesome day in history. The Tragedy of Sabriél; the event that was called such, for the entire city was slaughtered before being sent to the Abyss by the Baskerville.'

"Sabriél?" Gilbert exclaimed. "You sent him to Sabriél? And during the Tragedy? ARE YOU MAD?" 'Wait, why'd I just ask him that? Of course he's mad!'

"It's where Alice is and must be rescued from," Jack said, "Oz has already seen this, and it really isn't easy to see, nor watch."

"Don't you have to go now?" Jack asked.

Gilbert remembered Oz's orders and nodded, but before he could even begin thinking of Break, Jack said something that struck a chord deep inside him.

"At least you're still doing all you can to protect you master," Jack said, "Just as you always have."

Shaking himself out of his trance, Gilbert thought of Break and disappeared, leaving Jack with a melancholy smile upon his lips.

What happened to both you and Alice on that day…' Jack thought, 'Has left scars that may never heal, even with time.'

Oz ran through the halls, until he saw a little boy, a younger version of Vincent Nightray, weeping , his hair and clothing drenched in blood.

" It wasn't my fault; I did it for Gil," Vincent hiccupped, "It was all for him." Then a maniacal grin spread over his lips and he began laughing. "But now everyone, the sky, the people, and even I are red! I didn't do anything! It was all his fault! All his fault!"

And with that, Vincent jumped off of the ledge and in the flames below.

Oz ignored it and went on searching for Alice, already knowing what he was going to find when he reached her.

He found the tower he'd been looking for and ran up the stairs to the topmost room.

There was where he found Alice, though not the way, he'd wanted to.

She was on the ground, covered in blood, a pair of scissors with fresh blood still dripping off of the blades.

A black cat was on the ground, dead as well, though with blood dripping down from his eyes, rather than a body wound.

And there stood Vincent, laughing as though he'd just won the chance of a lifetime.

'It was until this moment that she had been human. It still doesn't matter if I've seen this, Alice nor Gil deserved what happened to either of them on this day, No one did,' Oz thought as he looked away from the scene, a pained expression on his face.

Gilbert landed just as Break was standing over Cheshire, his cane to the Chain's throat.

"Wait!" Raven said, running over to them. "Cheshire Jack said to give it to him, or Alice will be very sad if you're gone!" 'I can't believe I just said that…'

Break looked up at the voice and Cheshire froze.

"Raven? What are you doing here?" Break asked, not moving from his position.

Cheshire, on the other hand, was having an internal battle. He didn't want to give it to this man, but then again, this man won't hesitate to kill him for it and he knows that when Alice remembers him, she'll be sad. Just like she used to be…

Lifting the only paw he had left, up, Cheshire loosened the bell around his neck and gave held it out to Break. "Take it-nya," he said, "This is what you came for, isn't it-nya?"

Break looked surprised that Cheshire was simply handing over something, rather than fighting to keep it. But he took the bell, all the same, and tied it around his wrist.

"Why are you just giving this to me?" Break asked.

"Cheshire gives it only because Alice won't like it if Cheshire's gone," Cheshire said quietly, getting up, "Alice was always alone. If Cheshire's gone, she'll be alone again and sad, too-nya. Cheshire won't let that happen; never-nya."

A tremor ran through the tower.

Oz looked around and saw that everything was slowly dissolving.

He ran along the broken pathways provided when the entire scene was gone, when he saw Alice chained to what looked to be a wall at the top of a grand white staircase. He was about to run over when another tremor ran through the platform he stood upon.

He quickly jumped off of it and ran up the staircase as he leapt over gaps that were being created by the tremors.

"Alice!" Oz shouted over the noise. "Alice wake up! It's me, Oz!"

Alice slowly opened her eyes as the chains around her began dissolving. She saw Oz in front of her, his hand reaching out to her.

"Oz…" Alice choked out before she fell into his arms, crying like a newborn babe.

Oz found themselves falling and mentally kicked himself for not looking before acting, but he flipped in the air, Alice securely in his arms, before landing on the one platform that hadn't yet dissolved.

"Oz!"

"Alice-nya!"

Oz looked up at the voices, just as Alice did.

Just then there was a tremor.

The trio heard a crack and saw the mirrors starting to form cracks within them. Then, suddenly, thay all shattered one by one, as the ground formed cracks as well, the ground starting to dissolve from the cracks as another tremor, this one stronger, went through the room.

"What's happening?" Gilbert asked.

'Is this Oz's power? Or could it be something else?' Break thought.

"Alice-nya," Cheshire answered, looking to the mirrors.

Both men looked over at the Chain with an unasked question written in their eyes.

"Alice is trapped-nya," Cheshire said, "If she's not out, then she'll disappear, along with this dimension-nya."

"What connection does Alice have with this dimension?" Break asked curiously, albeit slowly.

"Alice's memories make up Cheshire's world-nya," Cheshire explained, "If Alice disappears, Cheshire's world goes, too-nya."

"We have to find Oz and Alice before it's too late," Gilbert said as Break nodded in agreement.

"Cheshire can find them. Cheshire knows," the Chain spoke up.

Both men looked at the Chain, debating whether or not they should trust the Chain, but the desperation and hidden loyalty in his eyes, proved their thoughts otherwise, so they nodded.

"Grab Cheshire," Cheshire ordered.

Break put a hand on Cheshire's left shoulder, while Gilbert grabbed the right.

Once both men had grabbed on, Cheshire's cape swallowed the trio and they were gone.

Cheshire and the two men landed to see Oz running up a staircase towards a chained Alice.

They saw Alice get into Oz's arms before both of them began falling. Oz flipped once in the air before landing on a platform near them.

"Oz!" Gilbert shouted.

"Alice-nya!" Cheshire cried out.

Oz and Alice looked up when they heard their names and smiled when they saw them.

But then, Oz saw the platform he and Alice were on cracking and dissolving just as the dimension did.

Cheshire, seeing that they would have no way to get off in time, disappeared with a swish of his cape. He reappeared next to Oz and Alice, who looked quite surprised to see him.

"Hold on to Cheshire-nya," Cheshire ordered once more.

Both nodded and grabbed a hold of his shoulders, one each. And once again, Cheshire disappeared with a swish of his cape, only to reappear next to Break and Raven.

"Oz!" Gilbert exclaimed as he rushed over and checked both his master and his Chain for injuries.

"Gil," Oz said, looking at his friend, "I'm fine, we're both fine."

Raven flushed a bit, and nodded.

"Alice-nya, are you alright-nya?" Cheshire asked, concernedly, checking her over for any injuries, just as Gilbert had done for Oz just seconds before.

Alice smiled at Cheshire and nodded. "You were my most precious friend…"

Cheshire looked astonished at first, but gave a smile and nod.

"We need to get out of here as fast as we can," Oz said, but just as he said that, the platform the group of five resided on split down the middle and a few chunks of the platform flew in other directions as well.

"Oz!" Gilbert shouted out as he tried to reach out to his master.

"Gil! Break!" Oz shouted, trying to reach out for his friend's hand.

"Alice-nya!" Cheshire shouted, disappearing and reappearing beside said girl and her Contractor.

Just then, Eques appeared next to Oz and Alice from his usual column of black. He whinnied and violet flames erupted behind the four before they expanded to create a frame for the multi-coloured portal that now filled the flame frame.

Break saw Eques and smiled.

Before anyone could say even a word, much less make a sound, Oz, Alice, and Cheshire were sucked into the portal.

Oz held onto Alice as Cheshire held them both, so that they'd stay together.

Oz began chanting inside his head and a faint white barrier surrounded the three of them, protecting them from anything that might be hurled their way.

And it seems that Oz was right to do so, for as they fell, they crashed right through the roof of a building.

But unfortunately, their bad luck had just landed them in a building in a room they shouldn't have been in at that very moment.

A bientôt,

TsukiyoTenshi