I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!
Speech Key:
"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking
'The' – Thoughts
'The' - Telepathic Speech
AN: Sorry I haven't updated in forever! Unfortunately, because of all the work I had to do, I didn't have time to put any more than three words down on the document before I had to go to bed! So I finished this a bit later than I originally planned.
Alright, I think I may have a bit too descriptive about the clothes, so please just bear with me. I know the outfits I create aren't exactly straightforward, and with my lousy fashion sense that's to be expected, so please don't kill me! Oh, and if I am correct in my reading, I've found out that this takes place somewhat in the Victorian era or some other one a little later than that…So please just bear with the clothing I make up!
The Altered Rotation
oO~A Duke & Untold Truths~Oo
"I still don't get why I need to wear this!" Alice exclaimed as the group climbed up the stairs leading up to the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.
(AN: I needed to have a name for the concert/opera hall they were going to, so I looked up some places, and I found out that this opera hall looked almost like the one in the anime.)
Pandora~Hearts
Alice was wearing a lovely red dress that had a dark-burgundy floral pattern. The dress had a pair of ¾ sleeves that flared out with a sweet rose-coloured fabric that had a dark-magenta floral pattern. The bodice was the same dark-burgundy, but only a sliver of it showed, as there was white ruffled fabric on the bodice with dark-burgundy laces crisscrossing in the front and laced up in the back. Her skirt was made of the same red fabric, although it split into an upside-down 'V', from which the same sweet rose-coloured fabric was revealed in a layered pattern while underneath the skirt itself were three layers of white fabric. The dress had a sweetheart neckline.
She wore a pair of simple red heels and a pair of white wrist-length gloves with flared fabric at the end with a red rose corsage on her left wrist. Her hair was in a sort of half style of sorts; the braids she wore usually were kept but pulled back along with a small portion of her hair and pinned to the right side of the back of her head with a red rose and white-lace ornament. To finish off the look, a simple sweet-rose-coloured ribbon served as a choker with a single small ruby teardrop-gem hanging from it.
A feline Cheshire was in her arms with a dark-burgundy ribbon tied in a bow around his neck.
Pandora~Hearts
"Shut-up, Baka Usagi," Gilbert muttered, "It's required."
Pandora~Hearts
Gilbert wore a pair of black dress slacks, a white button-down shirt, a pair of black loafers, and a black Justaucorps coat. He also wore a pair of white wrist-length gloves and his hair was tied back in a tiny ponytail with most of his hair framing his face as it couldn't be bound.
Pandora~Hearts
"Gil," Oz chastised lightly before turning his head back to a fuming Alice, "And stop complaining; you look lovely."
Alice flushed lightly.
Pandora~Hearts
Oz wore a pair of dark-brown breeches, a white long-bell-sleeved shirt that had large lacey-ruffles at the ends, and a brown waistcoat with brown buttons. He also wore a deep-maroon Justaucorps coat that went to an inch after mid-calf, had gold lining and fastenings (which were left open), and the deep turn-over cuffs of the coat were the same deep-maroon but lined with gold, and the ruffles of the shirt he wore were poking out of the coat-sleeve.
He also wore a pair of dark-brown boots with a black heel (like the ones that the REAL Jack Vessalius wears), a pair of white-wrist-length gloves, and his hair was left the way it usually was, just as his ear piercings were kept the same. His sword was sheathed and hung at his side.
Pandora~Hearts
Break, on the other hand, was wearing his Pandora uniform; coat buttoned and all, his black cane serving as a walking stick. Unfortunately, Emily wasn't on his shoulder as she usually was.
'Why has he called us today?' the white-haired man thought suspiciously. 'He's rejected all of my requests to see him so far, and yet now, he invites us on his own. He's planning something. And knowing him the way I do, it can't be for a particularly good reason.'
As the group walked through the halls, Oz wondered why Duke Barma had invited all of them, rather than just the one he needs.
"Why did Duke Barma just grant us an audience all of a sudden?" Gilbert asked the very question on almost everyone's mind.
"I don't know," Oz admitted, "But I have faith that whatever he's called us here for can either help us, or just end up making a larger ditch with the small hole we've already dug."
They stopped once they saw Liam standing in front of a curtain.
"Hello," the chestnut-haired man smiled at them briefly before his face became devoid of emotion, "My master, Duke Barma is waiting for you just beyond here." And with that, he drew the red draping back, letting the group of four in before going in himself and letting the fabric drop back over the doorway.
(AN: Look at pictures online of the theater they're in, 'cause I'm waaay too lazy to even try describing it)
The group of four looked around the small balcony-room only to see it empty, save for a table laden with tea and sweets.
"There's no one here?" Liam asked no one in particular.
Just then, Raven started at something behind the group. He looked up to see some kind of a person chuckling.
Pandora~Hearts
The 'Person' was a plump man was large beady eyes, and a huge moustache. He wore a large top-hat on his head, complete with a tuxedo and white gloves.
Pandora~Hearts
"W-What's that supposed to be?" Gilbert all but shouted as Liam sweat-dropped.
The man started to bounce up and down as everyone but Oz and Break looked at him as if he were some kind of abomination.
"Duke Barma, I presume?" Jack guessed, emotionlessly.
"Indeed I am!" the man exclaimed, hanging upside-down from the ceiling.
"Pleased to make your aqu—," Jack began greeting in the same tone before he was cut off by the strange-looking man.
"You're so dull!" the man shouted. "Normally people tumble over in confusion when they see me like this, but you're not even batting an eyelid!"
Jack said nothing as everyone else stared at the man.
"You've tried quitting smoking but haven't succeeded yet!" Duke Barma pointed at Gilbert.
"How did you…!" Raven exclaimed.
"There's nothing I don't know! Knowledge is power and knowing makes me happy!" the Duke exclaimed before turning to Oz. "But unfortunately, I don't know anything and yet I know some things about you, Jack Vessalius."
"Duke Barma," Jack spoke up, "Why don't you drop the illusion and speak with us face-to-face rather than hiding pathetically behind a creation of yours?"
Everyone but Break and Liam looked at Oz questioningly as the other two (Break and Liam) looked at the gold-haired male with slight surprise.
The 'Duke's' eyes widened before he expanded and burst into confetti.
Jack looked down into the main floor of the theater and leapt down from the balcony despite the protests he'd heard and landed gracefully on his feet on the red rug of the floor.
He looked around at the seats to see that life-like stone mannequins were starting to dissolve. Gazing to one seat in particular, he saw the true Duke Barma sitting with a smirk playing on his lip.
Pandora~Hearts
He had waist-length crimson hair that hung around him in waves as two semi-long strips of hair were hanging over his shoulders with one piece of hair crossing over his face and under his left eye with deep grey-bronze eyes.
He was just a few inches taller than Break. He wore a white Justaucorps coat with a black high-collar neck with black cuffs; the coat also had gold lining and fastenings that were all secured. He wore black slacks and shoes.
Pandora~Hearts
"Oh dear," he said in a smooth tone, slightly higher than a baritone, "I've been found out."
"It isn't me that you truly wanted here is it?" Jack asked. "You wanted Break to come all because you'd researched his past and you invited all of us because you would get a little bit more information that you felt was important for you to know."
"Very good, Jack Vessalius," Duke Barma stated.
"Jack!" Alice's voice called as both men turned around to see Alice and the other three running after her to them, Cheshire in her arms.
"Ah there you are, Xerxes Break," the red-haired man commented, "Or should I say, Kevin Regnard, the Red-Eyed Demon?"
"You've found out, have you," Break glared, a frown on his face.
Before another word could be said, however, Jack took out three hidden daggers and threw them in a random direction.
"For being someone who knows almost everything," Oz said, "It's surprising you hadn't noticed that someone else was in here with us, and may I add that he wasn'tsupposed to be here?"
Surprised, everyone but Jack looked in the direction the dagger had been thrown, only to see a maroon-cloaked and hooded Baskerville pinned to the wall.
"What the…?" Liam exclaimed.
"Don't go anywhere, Liam-san," Oz said just as the chest-nut-haired man was about to run off in that direction, "I shall take care of him later, but for now…" he lifted his hand and faced his palm towards the Baskerville member and it glowed a faint white as a light of the same type outlined the body of the Baskerville.
"He won't hear a word we say, nor will he be able to move," Oz informed the others before turning to the Duke and Break, "I suggest we speed up this little meeting so I can deal with the intruder quickly."
'But how did he manage to follow us or find out about our audience with the Duke?' Oz thought before tuning into what both men were talking about.
Only to find Rufus Barma running over to Break at a swift speed and slashing at him with the metal fan he carried in his hand.
Break, not expecting this, was too slow to dodge the attack and ended up having his shirt, right were his heart lay, sliced up to reveal an Illegal Contractor's seal that had made a complete rotation.
"Kevin Regnard," Duke Barma said before pointing his closed fan at the stage where stone mannequins of people appeared. "Nearly fifty years ago, an Illegal Contractor wandered the city night after night, sacrificing people to his Chain-a large shadow appeared behind the mannequins as they dissolved-, so the story goes. His red eyes that were suspended in the shadows-a pair of glowing, red orbs and a faint, shadowy outline of Break's head appear-made people fear that he wasn't even human. And so they called him…the Red-Eyed Demon."
"Red-Eyed—," Alice began.
"—Demon?" Gilbert finished.
"One hundred and sixteen people," Rufus Barma continued, "Even after sacrificing so many people, he was still cast into the Abyss."
"'Cast into the Abyss'?" Gilbert quoted in shock.
"IS he talking about the Clown?" Alice asked.
"You went through all this to gather information, that's it?" Jack asked, his semi-visible emerald eye glinting as his face was set into an emotionless mask. "You refused all of his requests for an audience and yet you've called us all here today to gather information you desired after searching through his life, am I correct?"
Duke Barma said nothing.
Jack gave a cold smirk. "It really does irk you when you don't anything about something, doesn't it? You truly have a childish way of going about gathering information, ArchDuke."
"I have my theory of what happened," the crimson-haired duke replied, "But I would like to know the full story before anything else is done."
'Break,' Jack said quietly, 'Say whatever you must. There is no reason to be ashamed, as I already know of what occurred. And I believe that it is in your best interests to not keep anymore secrets than you already have.'
Break's eyes widened before he gave an imperceptible nod to Jack and sat down in one of the seats as did everyone else, Duke Barma sitting with Liam, a little bit away from Break who sat next to his motley group.
"My true name is Kevin Regnard, as you all now know," Break began, "I was a Knight of my Master's household, but one night when I was away on my duties, I came back to find everything in the house stolen and everyone killed by bandits. Everyone, that is, except the daughter of my Master. I became an Illegal Contractor, thinking I could probably change these events somehow. But then days became months, which turned into years until the seal on my chest had made a full rotation and I had been dragged into the Abyss."
-Flashback-
"The seal is complete," Kevin said as he woke up to find himself somewhere he didn't recognize.
Pandora~Hearts
The room had a black and red checkerboard floor with shelves full of numerous dolls, toys, and books. There was only one couch in the room and white drapes were hanging down from the ceiling in some places
Pandora~Hearts
As he looked around, he found himself face-to-face with the Cheshire Cat, his eyes wrapped in bandages.
"A human?" Cheshire questioned before Break whipped out his sword and slashed at the Chain as he leapt away, laughing.
"Cheshire's scared of a human! Cheshire scared of a human!" the toys on the shelves cackled in ominous tones.
"Everyone, hush now, you're confusing him," a voice said gently.
The toys immediately hushed.
Kevin turned around to see a young girl.
Pandora~Hearts
She looked no older than thirteen with snow-white hair that went to her calves with two long side plaits, a lavender tinge to it. She had deep lavender eyes, and pale skin.
She wore a strapless white gown which had a skirt that looked like she wore a white mini skirt under a floor-length skirt of the same shade that had a large upside-down 'V' slit up the front, revealing her pale legs. On her arms she wore white disconnected sleeves that began about three inches below the shoulder and flowed gently to her fingertips. One leg had her calf wrapped in bandages. She wore a stringy-choker with white-blue roses. The dress had violet ribbons and laced up in the back as violet ribbons crisscrossed over the front. She wore no shoes and held a white bunny in her arms.
Pandora~Hearts
"Well, what's your name?" the girl asked as she danced around before looking at him. "My name is Alice."
"Alice?" Kevin whispered.
Just then his Chain appeared in a black mass before solidifying into a legless Medieval Knight complete with shield and sword.
"Albus?" Kevin exclaimed.
"I've longed to finally meet you, Will of the Abyss," Albus said.
"Will of the Abyss? This little girl?" Kevin all but shouted.
"You've brought him to me, then, Ablus?" Alice asked. "Thank you."
She bent over and touched the Chain's sword.
"So his name is Kevin, is it? A loyal Knight who served in a large mansion," Alice said before her face became gleeful and she smiled saying, "But they all died, didn't they?-Kevin's eyes widened with shock-They were slain in your absence and you couldn't protect them. Even though they were so precious to you, you still couldn't save them!"
Alice laughed maniacally.
That was the final straw for the white-haired man. "Shut up!" he shouted as he pinned Alice to the floor by her neck as a dagger was positioned over her.
"Alice!" Cheshire shouted in fear.
"That's why you came here, isn't it?" Alice asked. "You came so that you could change the past just as every other person that ended up here desired. I suppose that being with a Chain for a very long time isn't very good as most people have gone a bit crazy along the way."
"But you're different," she said, gripping the dagger to the point where her blood dripped off of the blade, "You seem to have stayed sane. You've killed so many people. What a pathetic fool you are."
Kevin's eyes widened before he was knocked off of Alice by Albus.
"I shan't allow the Will of the Abyss to be harmed!" the Chain shouted.
"I was talking to him," Alice mumbled before turning to Albus, giving him a gruesome look, "WHY DID YOU INTERFERE!"
And with one blink of a lavender eye, Albus exploded, leaving nothing but blood raining inside the room.
"It's so pretty," Alice commented, "Blood is so pretty, don't you think, Red-Eyed-Demon-san?"
Kevin's red eyes widened as he thought to himself, 'What kind of girl is she?'
"Soon you'll become a Chain! Soon you'll become a Chain!" the dolls and toys cackled.
"People turning into Chains?" Kevin whispered. "Impossible!"
"Oh, but the impossible can always be made possible somehow," Alice said, dancing around the white-haired man, disappearing in one place and appearing in another, "The power of the Abyss turns people into Chain, giving them consciousness while lifeless. It can even control the flow of time itself. At least that's what Glen said."
"Glen?" Kevin's eyes widened at the familiar name.
"I hate Glen and he hates me," Alice said simply as though it was nothing to worry about, "He tried to take that person away from me. And Gilbert, and Vincent…I hate anyone that get's close to him."
Alice then stopped and said, "I'd almost forgotten, before you become a doll, I need something from you." She plunged three fingers into the white-haired man's left eye, pulling the eyeball out of its socket.
"It's lovely," Alice smiled lightly.
"What will you do with eye, Alice?" a doll asked.
"I'm going to give it to Cheshire," Alice told them as Cheshire smiled, "I've always thought red eyes would look the best on him. It's why I brought him here today."
She giggled happily as the dolls screeched with laughter as Kevin writhed in pain on the floor, blood oozing out of his left socket through the fingers that clenched the empty hole.
'That's it then,' Kevin thought, 'I'm going to die right here.'
But then, an image of his Master's weeping daughter came to mind and he knew he couldn't give up. So he stood as best as he could and slashed the dolls that danced around the white-haired girl.
A wickedly happy grin spread across her lips.
But that grin was wiped off no more than three seconds later as she thrashed about in pain on the floor.
"Why…so many…flowing into the Abyss…" Alice managed to choke out through her screams.
"Alice"! Cheshire shouted in concern before turning to the dark doorway where a bright flash of came from.
"I did it," came a voice, a young voice mind you, "I did just as I was told. I opened the door to the Abyss just as I was told. But then…everyone fell into the Abyss!"
Kevin's remaining eye widened as it fell upon a young Vincent carrying a dead Gilbert, both clad in blood-stained clothing.
"Hello there, Alice," Vincent greeted with a smile.
"Vincent!" Alice exclaimed, her eyes widening at the familiar voice and person.
"This is very funny and yet weird as well," Vincent commented, "Alice's hair is white. But you shouldn't be here." He along with Gilbert's body collapsed onto the tiled floor. You're dead; I know you are because I saw!"
"What are you doing here Vincent?" Alice demanded.
"Cheshire never did anything to you-nya!" Cheshire exclaimed, swiping his large paw/arm at the blonde-haired boy and knocked him into a bookshelf.
"This is my room," Alice said, eyes hooded, "My room! You can't come in here!"
"Vincent is a bad boy," the dolls said ominously, "Vincent always cuts us and Alice with scissors."
"We never did anything wrong to him!" Alice exclaimed, hate clear in her voice. "I hate him! I hate Vincent!"
Just then, without warning, the lavender-eyed girl burst into tears.
Kevin just looked at the girl as though she were crazy.
"Don't cry, Alice," the dolls said, trying to comfort the distraught girl, "Hurry up and take the other and give them to Cheshire."
"Who's he?" Alice sniffled, turning to look at Kevin. "Ne, who are you?"
Once again her personality changed, but this time, miserable to cheerful in a matter of seconds. "Look! It's tea time! Come on, everyone, let's have a tea party!"
"Alice's tea party is starting! Alice's tea party is starting!" the dolls chanted as dolls and cups and plates as well as utensils danced around the room.
"What is this…?" the white-haired man whispered.
"Oh dear the one Alice is waiting for hasn't come yet," the dolls said.
"Ne, do you think Jack might not show up again?" Alice asked the dolls and Cheshire around her. "He promised to take me to his house! We'll go see the rose garden and then we'll go through the forest and pick some flowers!"
Suddenly, Alice stopped talking as mocking laughter filled the room. The origin of it: Vincent.
"You're still so foolish and simpleminded," Vincent chuckled mockingly.
"Ne, Alice, why don't I tell you something nice?" the blonde-haired child asked as Alice looked over to him. "Jack won't be coming anymore; I'm pretty sure he's dead by now, judging from the roses blooming all over his body!" he laughed maniacally.
"You're lying, Vincent!" Alice exclaimed, not wanting to believe that what had just come out of the child's mouth was true. "Jack wouldn't d—"
"Jack will never be coming again! He's dead!" Vincent screamed at the lavender-eyed girl. "He tried to help you, but what really happened is that he died because of you!"
"No…" Alice breathed, clutching her head and collapsing to the ground, "NO!"
The quaint room they were in disappeared as the dimension itself began crumbling.
"That's right," Vincent laughed, "Break it. Break it all! I can finally be normal!"
And with those last words Vincent and Gilbert were thrown upwards by the force that was Alice.
'I can't leave without having done something,' Kevin thought before plunging his dagger into the floor and holding onto it so that he wouldn't be pulled upwards as Gilbert and Vincent had.
"Will of the Abyss! Alice!" Kevin shouted, gaining both Cheshire's and the white-haired girl's attention, "You wanted my right eye, didn't you? Take anything you wish from me, but please change the past!"
And all went black.
-End Flashback-
"I was there with Vincent?" Gilbert asked no one in particular.
"Why did the Will of the Abyss call herself Alice?" Liam asked.
"Alice, huh," Rufus Barma said, looking at jack from the corner of his eyes, "the name has been mentioned among the writings passed down in the Barma House. The book was entrusted to a previous Duke Barma—the memoirs of Jack Vessalius."
Everyone, save Alice and Cheshire looked at Jack.
'What do I do? I can't tell them that!' Oz mentally panicked.
'You can and you will,'came Jack's voice, 'It's best for them to know from you than from another source.'
'Alright, but pray that I hope I won't regret this,' Oz said.
'Of course!' Jack exclaimed as Oz rolled his eyes mentally at Jack.
"Alice was confined to a tower by the Baskerville family, although I never found out the reason," Jack said, not looking at anyone. "Being stuck in that tower, Alice was never able to experience the outside world, and so I wanted to show her the world. She seemed to be a harmless child, but as I visited her, I began noticing that sometimes things with Alice were never as they seemed. The colours she favored varied from time to time, the books she preferred, sometimes she would even lose track of our conversations and even her cat, who adored her, had a hostile attitude towards her at times.
But the atmosphere that surrounded her was what had bothered me the most. The one truth is that the two were raised in the womb of a human woman but one was born in the human world while the other was born in the Abyss."
There was silence.
"Twins?" Gilbert whispered breaking the silence.
"Duke Barma," Break asked, "Was there anything else besides what Jack-san has just told us in his memoirs?"
"After the bit with what we've just heard," Duke Barma said, "were just feelings of regret. But you, Jack Vessalius had stated that Glen Baskerville and his House were after the Will of the Abyss."
Jack said nothing as Rufus Barma turned to look at Alice.
"And where that man dwelt," Duke Barma stated, "a girl who held a connection such as this, was imprisoned. In other words," the crimson-haired Duke grasped Alice's wrist tightly as he pulled her up by it and held a few inches off of the floor, "He needed this girl to obtain the Will of the Abyss. It doesn't matter why or how, but you interest me. I'm sure that Pandora would be glad to study a specimen as fine as you."
That was the final straw for Jack. He stood up and took Alice and placed her behind him.
"I would appreciate it if my charge was left unharmed," Jack glared icily, "For standing before you is not one, but two men."
Break's, Gilbert's, Alice's, and even Cheshire's pupil-less yellow eyes widened when they realized just what the gold-haired twenty-five-year-old was going to tell the crimson-haired Duke.
"What are you talking about?" Duke Barma drawled tonelessly, though and underlying hint of curiosity could be traced in his voice, if heard carefully, that is.
Jack looked at the Duke before chuckling coldly. "You really don't know do you? And it's killing you inside that while you know much about other; you have little to no clue about me."
The Duke's eyes narrowed upon the gold-haired male.
Jack chuckled once more at the Duke's expression. "Alright, I suppose I shan't hold back any longer. But before that, tell me: what do you know of Oz Vessalius?"
Rufus Barma raised an eyebrow before answering, "Oz Vessalius was a fifteen-year-old boy that seemed to be normal, although despised greatly by his father. On the day of his Coming-of-Age Ceremony, he set an ancient Prophecy into motion, causing the once Silent Clock Tower to once again be set into motion, calling the Baskerville out of hiding after their hundred year silence. Though many believe him to be dead, Oz Vessalius was really dragged cast off into the Abyss by the Baskervilles. No one has heard nor seen any sign that the boy is alive ever since."
"Your story is both right and wrong, Duke Barma," Jack said casually, "Your information is not untrue, though it isn't exactly complete either."
"Oh?" Duke Barma's other eyebrow rose to join the one already up to his hairline. "And pray tell us what had truly happened then, hm?"
"Gladly," the emerald-eyed man smirked coldly. "Everything up to the point of Oz Vessalius setting the Clock Tower into motion was correct. He did indeed set it back into motion after nearly a hundred years, but it wasn't that which had called the Baskervilles out of hiding. They had known that Oz Vessalius 'Speaking of myself in third person is strange' was the one of the Prophecy and had planned ahead of time. After the minute hand moved and the silence was broken, the Baskervilles came and it was time to send him to the eternal prison for his unforgivable sin; his very existence. What no one knows is that after young Gilbert had stabbed Oz once and was about to once more, a man appeared from the seal that was to send Oz to the Abyss.
He fought off the Baskervilles and offered sanctuary to the fifteen-year-old, but was unable to stop him from being dragged down to the dark depths; and so both were cast off into the Abyss. That man was the spirit of Jack Vessalius. Ten years passed in this world and for Oz, the same amount of time had passed in the Abyss as well. During his time there, Oz had grown stronger, older, and wiser, not only in mind, but body and spirit as well. Then, a few weeks ago, Oz Vessalius, with the help of Jack Vessalius' spirit was able to form a Legal Contract with the Blood-Stained Black Rabbit; the B-Rabbit. With the help of his new Chain's power, both he and his Chain escaped from the Abyss, only to end up in the same place he'd disappeared from ten years before.
He was found by Gilbert, or Raven Nightray, Lady Sharon Rainsworth, and Xerxes Break. I won't divulge the many things that had occurred to the group as time went by, but one thing that is to be known is that before Oz had left the Abyss, he and Jack had confirmed and planned with one another that Jack's name would be used as his identity. And now weeks later, he is standing in from of ArchDuke Rufus Barma telling him about the many things he'd faced."
Everyone stared at Jack, speechless.
Gilbert, Alice, Cheshire, and Break looked on at their friend/comrade in surprise, as he'd never divulged to them of what he'd gone through, nor the full truth of what happened.
Liam looked on at the gold-haired man in shock before fainting.
Duke Barma, however, was another thing. He was in a state of shock; his face in an expression which was a cross between looking furious and stunned.
"You expect me to believe any of this nonsense?" Duke Barma chuckled.
"I assure you it is no trick," Jack said seriously with something else in his voice that no one could decipher.
Duke Barma stopped laughing and looked Jack in the eye, or at least looked him in what he could see of his eyes.
"Prove it then," he said, "Prove to me that you are who you claim to be."
"What is it that you wish me to prove?" Jack asked. "Showing you my memories, things that only the true Oz Vessalius would know? Or would you like me to tell you about things only the person I claim to be should know."
"What did Zai Vessalius tell his son many years before when something happened, making Gilbert spend three nights in the dungeons?" Duke Barma smirked.
Oz mentally winced at the tender subject, but brushed it off as soon as it came.
"He said to never touch him with my 'filthy hands'," Oz answered.
"Hmph. That was an easy one," the crimson-haired duke harrumphed before asking another question, "What kind of birth mark did Oz Vessalius have and where?"
"On the back of my neck is a small mark that resembles the image of an Illegal Contractors seal," Oz said, lifting his hair out of the way so that the mark showed.
"Is that enough proof or would you like to hear some things I know about you?" Oz asked slyly.
A flash of apprehension went through Duke Barma's eyes before it disappeared just as quickly as it came.
"I believe that that will be enough, Oz Vessalius-sama," the crimson-haired Duke bowed his head in respect towards the member of the Vessalius family that was thought to be lost.
There was silence.
"You're still not telling me something, Hatter," Duke Barma addressed Break, completely ignoring Oz and all that was just said as though it never happened, "Although decades have passed, the name Kevin Regnard has not been forgotten. If this situation were to be leaked out and eventually reach Pandora, you'll be executed immediately."
Break glared at the Duke as Jack's eyes narrowed.
"If you would come with me, there is still much more information that I would like to obtain from you," Duke Barma said as he went over to Break, only to be stopped as Oz stepped in front of the ArchDuke.
"Step away, Vessalius-sama," Duke Barma said.
"Not a chance," Oz chuckled, "and I believe that you've forgotten that I am no longer the naïve child I used to be."
"Are you defending that sinner?" the Duke asked. "It is unusual for you to put in this much effort for that man."
"Now, now, don't say it like that; it's actually quite simple, really," Jack said in a carefree voice before it morphed into an ominously scary tone as a deadly glare was directed at the crimson-haired male, "Compared to Break, you tick me off at least fifty times more than he does."
"I'm sure that with that little leak of information, you could put Pandora in quite the uproar," Oz said, his tone becoming confident and regal, "And with the right manipulation from your end, things will go your way in no sooner than a few hours or days."
Jack smirked at the Duke. "But you realize that I can do that as well, don't you? With the name of Oz Vessalius, I can do much, but with the name Jack Vessalius serving as my identity, I can do more and cause more to happen than you can imagine. I can turn your words, even members of your house against you if needed."
"You would abuse the name of a hero?" the crimson-haired Duke asked. "Filthy brat."
"Abuse, no. Use, yes," Jack answered. "For Jack and I are not two separate entities; he is I, just as I am him. We are both one in the same."
"As for your comment," Jack continued. "A filthy brat I may be, completely childish at times as well. I don't know just how much power or influence I have, but I'm clever. And I'll use every and any means possible to protect my friends and family!"
Duke Barma raised his metal fan upon Oz and the gold-haired man kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
But before he (Rufus Barma) could strike, he found a pistol and a sword being directed at him.
By now, Liam was awake and was cleaning his glasses in panic as his jaw dropped and incoherent sounds spewed from his mouth.
"What's the matter, Duke Barma?" Jack asked, smirking. "You don't seem very confident in your actions now. I wonder why?"
"You'll all regret this one day," Rufus Barma gritted out before turning away and walking off, not noticing the soft white glow around him temporarily.
Liam followed after his master.
Pandora~Hearts
"WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?" Oz shouted.
"What do mean 'What did I just do'?" Break asked. "You just told off one of the most powerful and longest living of the Four Dukes."
"That doesn't help, Break," Oz grimaced. "I know what I said, but the entire thing was subconscious. Up to the point of after I'd proved who I was, was me doing the talking, but after that, I don't know what happened. I suppose I just…snapped. I began reciting how I would do things if worse came to worse, but I hadn't planned on saying those things!"
"Idiot, you're too much trouble…as always," Gilbert sighed as he lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth.
"Ne, Jack-nii?" Alice asked.
"Hmm?" Jack replied.
"Can we eat now?" Alice asked, making everyone, including Cheshire stare at her.
"When we get back to the manor you can have whatever you like, alright?" Oz chuckled.
Break stood and was about to leave when the gold-haired man walked up to the white-haired male.
"It wasn't easy for you to speak of what had happened because of the guilt you still hold within yourself," Oz stated, "But thank you for telling them everything. As I'd already known from the rumors and memories scattered around the Abyss."
"There's no need to thank me," Break said, "It isn't as though I've told you everything yet."
"Does that truly matter?" Oz said, amused.
"Look here, you," Break said, turning to face the emerald-eyed man, "I'm an Illegal Contractor so—"
"'So' what?" Oz retorted softly. "There's no need for you to say anything if needed, and if you've noticed, no one here cares about your past. But rather more about who you are today; a man searching for a reason to truly live."
"And even though you hadn't said it many words," Oz said, "You're using us all, just as in some way, we're using you. Your past has nothing to do with anything going on in this period. So don't dwell on things that have already passed. Some things couldn't be helped and if they could have, well, you were just too late to realize."
"Using each other…?" Alice murmured. "So in other words, we're comrades!" she exclaimed, eyes shining brightly.
"Comrades?" Break repeated, glancing at Oz, who just shrugged, showing that he had no idea what gave Alice that idea.
Just then, right out of the blue, Alice began laughing haughtily.
Oz looked at the girl he thought he knew so well, laugh the way she did, in shock.
Oz could feel Jack's surprise as well. 'This is…interesting. She never did this when we were together.'
'Maybe because she doesn't remember anything, nor has she been through what happened in her past life is the reason for this,' Oz suggested.
'Maybe…' Jack trailed off.
Break sweat-dropped as he watched the chocolate-haired girl laugh.
"Alice," Oz called, gaining the Chocolate-haired girl's attention, "If you would like to eat, then I suggest you hurry and get into the carriage."
Alice smiled at him before running off, with Gilbert running after him, muttering about 'meat-crazy baka-usagis'.
"Break, you go on with them, I'll be a minute," Oz said, looking at the maroon-cloaked figure pinned to the wall.
Seeing what the gold-haired man was staring at, Break only nodded and walked after them, Cheshire lying over his shoulder.
After Break had left, Oz raised his hand and sealed all of the known and unknown exits and erected a barrier preventing anyone but himself from escaping the theater with either their own power or their Chain's.
The gold-haired man. Then summoned the daggers he'd thrown earlier and cancelled the spells he'd placed on the Baskerville member.
Immediately, the figure tried to use his Chain's power and get away, but found that his Chain was not responding; in fact, he couldn't even feel the link between them!
The figure watched Oz warily from underneath his hood.
"Oh for goodness' sake," Oz said quietly, "You know you can speak, don't you? Or have you forgotten that as well?"
"What do you want?" the figure asked in a neutral voice.
"I would like to know how you found us, thank you very much," Oz replied.
"That is none of your concern, Jack Vessalius," the figure said, spitting out his name as though it were poison.
"Oh dear, it seems that we're a little angry are we?" Oz teased.
"Come now, why don't you reveal yourself? After all, I know who you are," Oz mock-chastised.
"Do you now?" the voice continued, still in the neutral tone.
"Of course," Oz said casually before his lips contorted into a wickedly cold smirk, "Zai Vessalius."
That said, Oz raised his hand and waved it lightly, causing a slight non-existent breeze to blow the Baskerville's hood off, revealing just the person Oz had confronted. Zai Vessalius; his father.
Pandora~Hearts
Zai Vessalius had hair similar to that of Oz's but lighter by a few shades that hung just pas his shoulders in light layers. His skin was a slight bit darker than Oz's and his eyes weren't the stunning emerald-green, Oz's was; no, his eyes were a deep-forest-green. And a single wide X-shaped scar was on his left cheek below his left eye.
Pandora~Hearts
"How?" Zai growled.
"Simple actually, when you've trained in learning things many have probably never even heard of for the last ten years," Oz stated casually.
"What do you want?" Zai asked, once again going back to the neutral tone.
"Nothing really, I just wanted to know why you followed us and what you hoped to gain from the meeting you were so conveniently left out of," Oz said simply as he paced around the maroon-robed man.
Zai was silent.
"Of course, if you had been able to listen in, you would have found out about your son," Oz said, baiting him, though Zai seemed not to notice.
"What about that filthy brat?" Zai snarled at the gold-haired man stepping around him.
"The fact that he has escaped from the Abyss and has formed two Legal Contracts with two powerful Chains," Oz replied, continuing his path around the man.
"What?" Zai hissed.
"He. Has. Escaped. The. Abyss," Oz said slowly, enunciating each word carefully as though speaking to a child of two.
"Where is he?" Zai barked. "Where is that filthy sinner?"
"He is standing before you," Oz said simply, stopping to look his father in the eye.
"What?" the light-gold-haired man hissed in disbelief.
"Hello, father," Oz greeted sarcastically.
Links:
Alice's Dress Sleeves: www . gretasbridal GretaSleeves . htm
(Okay, I know that this website, if any of you decide to see it, is probably THE last place anyone might look at for styles. But go down to the picture that has the words '3/4 Sleeve' underneath it; right next to the picture with the words 'Bolero Sleeve' underneath. In other words, the first picture of the second row.)
Pink Fabric in Skirt of Alice's Dress: studiocworld db5/00437/studiocworld _uimages/GreenSkirt59 . jpg (The Pink fabric in the skirt is layered/tiered just like the skirt on this dress.)
Gilbert's & Oz's Dress Slacks: images1 . /product-images-dbec7bf2213419a0-jpg_sqthumb_large-menspantsandslacks-mens-plaid-straight-fit-dress-pants . jpg (I decided to add in a link so that people know at least that this is what I was talking about)
A bientôt,
TsukiyoTenshi