Disclaimer: If I had any say in anything, I want a revamp of the Pandora Hearts anime. Am I the only one disappointed by it, especially after the manga?

IMPORTANT NOTICE! I think I should have done this from the beginning, but from this point on there will be implied!shonen-ai. And it's gonna get worst from then on. So if anyone of you are allergic to that stuff, see that little x on the upper right-hand corner. Do me a favor and click that if you're so afraid of getting "infected" with dat delicious yaoi-ness. Thank you very much~

X. White Camellias and Stained Black Lilies

They were lucky. Very, very lucky.

When the group had first set foot onto Fire Country of the Elemental Nations, they had learned from the locals all about the shinobi, the Hidden Villages, Konohagakure and its Hokage, and of course the Sannin. The latter of which being the most important since the person they were looking for was such an infamous person. Riem had imagined Jiraiya the Toad Sage as a powerful, honorable warrior whose personality was more or less similar to his lord, Rufus Barma if the rumors of him being Konoha's spymaster are correct. Then again it's only fitting that someone like Michael Vessalius, a descendent of Jack Vessalius, deserved to be adopted by no one less grand than a legendary shinobi whose name and accomplishments are known throughout the nations.

Little did he know how soul crushingly disappointed he would be when his expectations disintegrated like Xerxes using Mad Hatter at a target.

At some point while during the chase, Riem had recognized the "degenerate" as the same man in the photo. It was a stroke of luck that they had stumbled upon the person they were looking for in the first town they stopped at in the middle of their investigation. Horror filled him when he realized the additional implications on top of the problems they would already face if they succeeded in murdering Jiraiya. Riem's frantic begging quickly changed its tune. Now he was focused on keeping Jiraiya alive long enough to get what they want out of him.

Looking back, he would wonder what sort of higher power was looking over the Sannin's Toad Sage. No mortal man should survive the aftermath of the wrath of Oz Vessalius and Xerxes Break.

XI. The Sage and the Box

"I, Riem Lunettes, valet of the Dukedom of Barma, servant of Duke Rufus Barma, would like to express my upmost apologies for our grievous injuries to your person on behalf of my companions, Jiraiya of the Sannin, shinobi of Konohagakure." Jiraiya simply looked at the man kneeling on the floor weirdly. After Oz, Xerxes, and Gilbert got their pound of flesh from him and calmed down enough to get back to the girls, Riem took the opportunity to dragged him to their rooms and patch him up. He figured since they would be interrogating him later anyways he might as well break the ice while their target was recovering.

Jiraiya was currently lying on a bed at the same inn the foreigner group checked in, practically mummified in bandages, and a bit bilwildered. Usually after he was beaten up (often at the hands of the lovely enraged ladies he was doing his "research" on), the most anyone said afterwards was somewhere along the lines of "filthy pervert", "you had that one coming", or even a "how did you survive that". Not that this wasn't a welcoming change of pace.

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "Well, finally! Someone with manners! And to top it all off, someone who realizes the greatness that is Jiraiya! Coming straight from the mountains, the man whose face soothes crying infants, the ultimate heartbreaker who seduces any woman by a mere gaze! Tis I, The Great Hermit himself! JIRAIYA!" As if he was magically healed n the spot, Jiraiya sprang from the bandage cocoon and to Riem's shock, began what he guessed was a dance as he "introduces" himself and then finishing off with a pose (though he wasn't sure if it was made up or one of the traditional dances of the nation, but he figured it was most likely a former). There was a pregnant pause between them as Riem finally regain his senses.

"Ahem…um, thank you very much for the introduction, Jiraiya-sama. Seeing as you are feeling better now, shall I introduce you to the rest of my companions? You see, despite initially… uh, going off on the wrong foot, we were looking for you. N-Not for any malicious purpose or anything! We need information that only you have that we know of."

Now Jiraiya was suspicious. What would foreigners want with his information? Him of all people. Did they send this group to scope out Konohagakure? Was their country planning an attacking the Elemental Nations? Or perhaps this is a ruse to catch him off guard? This isn't the first time his enemies tried the "helpless civilian" tactic to get to him. Often they would disguise themselves as a random person in need of a nearby shinobi who just happened to be him passing by. The question is, should he play along for now or just kill them all and be done with it?

"And what kind of information is it that you seek? Depending on what you want to know, I may or may not tell you. Keep in mind, I won't hesitate to eliminate you and your friends on the spot if this is a trick. That is your only warning." For added measure, he let loose a tiny bit of killing intent to gauge how strong this "Riem Lunettes" (if that's even his name) might be. Apparently not much since he was practically unconscious and foaming at the mouth before the last syllable was finished.

After Riem finally collapsed in a feint, Jiraiya took the opportunity to examine his host. Nothing with him but the clothes on his back and a pair of glasses. They were all of high quality, suggesting a wealthy lifestyle. He even wasn't carrying a single weapon with him. If he was really dealing with an assassin or enemy shinobi, then this one must be an amateur to go without any protection. Right now, he was severely doubting he was dealing with enemy nin. During the chase, he noted none of the members of the group moved like a shinobi. Time and time again, he was able to lose them using Academy level escape jutsus, which normally wouldn't fool anyone above genin but they're more than enough to deal with civilians. The only reason they keep catching him was that weird hat summon of the albino. From the looks of it, it serves as a third eye for the man, and having the thing looking out over the town makes escaping them even harder. If he had to judge then based on fighting ability, the only ones noteworthy would be the albino man and the man in the black coat. The two are no strangers to confrontations yet they don't showcase even an ounce of shinobi conditioning. Then there's the boy with the scythe. His unpredictable and wild use of his weapon earlier showed that he does possess some experience; he doesn't seem to possess as much control over himself as the older members of his group. Now what should he do now? Should he hear them out of should he try and get away while their backs are turned?

A groan sounded from Riem as he began to rouse. Jiraiya sighed as he made his decision. He might as well fulfill his curiosity about the group. For one thing, their abilities and summon were nothing he'd ever seen before. Who knows, the Hokage might be interested in this new development.

XII. The Wave's Maestrom

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, was reading Jiraiya's latest report. During his investigations on Orochimaru's activities, he came across a group of foreigners from outside the continent wielding an unknown power. Three of the members were heirs to their respective clans with two bodyguards, and a summon in a form a young girl who belonged to the younger of one of the male heirs. According to what Jiraiya can get from the group, their summons all have a unique ability that is unlike anything that is ever seen in the shinobi world. In addition of having access to those abilities, upon gaining your summon the users physical aging is halting, thereby granting the wielder everlasting youth until their deaths.

Oz Vessalius. Heir to the Vessalius clan. Age: 25 (chronologically) 15 (physically). Wielder of the summon, "B-Rabbit", which abilities manifests as a crimson scythe but otherwise is in the form of an adolescent girl. In that form, it goes by the name, "Alice". The summon's main ability is manifesting a large scythe capable of destroying almost anything into sand with a swing. For the most part, the boy is cheerful and friendly. However, if you threaten his summon, his personality completely changes to that of something more vicious.

Gilbert Nightray. Adopted member of the Nightray clan. Age: 24. Weilder of the summon, "Raven", whose manifested form is not shown but its effect can be seen. The summon has the ability to seal other summons, thereby negating it and forcing them into standby. When it comes to personality, the man is a serious and stoic individual. However, he does appear to have an unquestionable loyalty to Oz-sama and is much more caring than one would think.

Alice. The summon, "B-Rabbit". It is unknown whether or not the form "she" takes is a part of her stand-by mode. It's possible that while she is "human", the power Oz-sama can wield is limited. In that form, "she" has a personality of an abrasive tomboy with a large appetite. Jiraiya theorizes that "her" gluttony for food (particularly meat) means that "her" power may take up a lot of energy so "she" eats in large amounts to compensate for "her" master.

Sharon Rainsworth. Heiress to the Rainsworth clan. Age: 23 (chronologically) 15 (physically). With her mannerisms and politeness, she is a gentle and sweet young lady. At first glance, she resembles that of a delicate woman of nobility by her looks and dress. However, she hides a more frightening side you wouldn't think she had. When her ire is aroused, Jiraiya notes that she somehow brings out a harisen from somewhere and proceeds to beat her target with it. Whether or not this is actually a hidden summon ability is unknown. Just that it's a force to reckon with.

Xerxes Break. Age: 39 (chronologically) 24 (physically). Wielder of the summon, "Mad Hatter", which manifests as a large red eye wearing an ornate hat accompanied with a cape. The summon's main ability is allowing its blind user to "see", thus allowing the man to overcome his handicap in battle. In regards to his personality, Xerxes-san is eccentric, mischievous, and apparently not very well-liked at first glance. Oddly enough, he keeps a small doll perched on his shoulder which speaks through ventriloquism; though Jiraiya swears the doll seemed almost sentient at times. He hypothesized the doll named "Emily" is the stand-by form of his "Mad Hatter" summon, not unlike that of "Alice" though he has yet to confirm his findings.

Riem Lunettes. Age: 26. Servant of the Barma clan. His personality is nervous yet polite. He serves as the group's representative as he is the most knowledgeable and well-versed in the Elemental Nations' customs, allowing him to navigate his companions through their society easily.

In regards to the dynamics of the foreigners, all of them are familiar to each other and consider themselves as friends to each other. However, Jiraiya notes that Oz-sama has romantic feelings for "Alice". In addition, he observes that Gilbert-sama's devotion borderlines obsessive to the point whether or not his "loyalty" is mistaken for love. He also questions whether or not Gilbert-sama is even aware of his feelings towards Oz-sama. Despite the love triangle, it's noted that Gilbert-sama and "Alice" do not get along very well and are often arguing about something, usually over Oz-sama. But there is a degree of fondness towards one another. Then there's Xerxes-san himself. Although he refers to himself as Sharon-sama's servant, his relationship with her is closer than that of a master-servant bond, suggesting a forbidden romance between the two. He also refers Gilbert-sama, Oz-sama, and "Alice" as his "subordinates", much to their complaints though it is possible he is joking. During his observations, Jiraiya say that there is an underlying tone of concern for the man from his fellow foreigners. Apparently, he is suffering from an incurable illness mostly caused by his summon as using it takes a toll on his body. Riem-san, on the other hand, is confirmed to be a trustworthy friend to all of the foreigners. Even Oz-sama quoted, "If there's anyone who can put up with Break, it's Riem-san. That's why he so dependable because his patience is godlike."

Since the aftermath of the Hyuuga Incident, Hiruzen was feeling stressed in dealing with the situation. And not just him, the entire village in on edge as suspicion was at an all time high. Perhaps having the foreigners in the village is just the distraction they need. Knowing the civilian council, they would be demanding to know everything there is about the foreigners' "summons." After all, the ability to manifest weapons that turn anything it touches into sand, the ability to let the blind see again, and being able to seal those abilities is bound to catch their attention. But before the council can even see them, Hiruzen must meet them over a certain discovery that caught his attention. If what these people are claiming about this "Michael Vessalius" is true, then Hiruzen can allow himself to hope. Maybe not for "Michael" but his for son.

AN: Another chapter done, another chapter to go. This chapter is longer than I intended to be. The confrontation is up next. Hopefully, I can get Naruto to appear soon. Also, please remember to review because I would really like your feedback on how I did on this story so far. And don't forget to vote please. I'm keeping it up until I finally write out the scene so until then your vote does count.

But anyways, thanks for reading this, and please leave behind constructive criticism. ヽ((◎д◎ ))ゝ

Edited: 3/28/17