Oh, hello again! I'm back!

It took me quite a long time before I was able to come up with an idea for the this chapter!

Rei: you are just too lazy Hira-chan.

.: No I'm not.. I'm just working on my other fics!

Rei: Oh, you mean 'that'?

_: Yeah, so?

Rei: I guess it can't be helped. Why don't you work faster and update this the fastest time possible so that the ideas on your head will not be placed by another one! Geez!

T_T: I'm sorry!

Rei: *sighs* It can't be helped with you… *faces the readers* this authoress here doesn't own Pandora Hearts… There you have the disclaimer… Oi Hira-chan! *follows the walking authoress*

T_T: don't follow me! I'm going to the Noah's lair! I'll have them kill you! And nii-san and nii-chan also!

Rei: *pales* w-wait…

*Exits the scene*

In a forest far away from the kingdom of Pandora…

There was a witch that had long white hair and a face that could rival an angel. She looks just like Alice and is always fond of looking in front of her magic mirror. "Am I a narcissist now?"

Yes. Because I told you so. So, shut up and let me go with the story.

Everyday the witch would always look on her reflection that her magic mirror gave. Yes, it was a magic mirror. What kind of mirror do you think would answer you if you asked it a question? Except of course for a cursed or creepy mirror as it is. "Mirror, Mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all?"

The mirror's voice was a bit hesitant in answering the witch's question. If he wouldn't give an answer that will make the witch happy, he would surely find himself broken in the fastest time possible. But it was not in a principle of a magic mirror to lie (If mirror really do have such thing), his voice quivered as he answered the waiting white haired girl. "Alice…" All he managed to say was the name.

"Alice?" Her name wasn't Alice she was sure of that. She is Abyss. Maybe she heard it all wrong. Make sure to clean your ears well my dear. Or maybe that's a sign of aging? "Come again?"

"Alice, my queen is the fairest of all." The mirror said more clearly making sure that the girl would hear her right.

The next thing that was seen are the things inside the house floating in the air and are being thrown haphazardly everywhere. Not even minding if their destinations are the windows, the vases or the plates. For short, the house was made into a mess in just a couple of seconds.

"I won't accept this! I won't! I'll kill that girl who dared to compete with my eternal beauty…" The girl's laugh became maniacal similar to madness. "I'll kill her!" Sound of thunder and images of lightning could be imagined at the background.

Random by-passers in the woods were able to hear the witch's loud voice causing them to run for their lives in fear of what might the crazy witch do to them. Wow, you really fit to be the witch in this story! I want to have a party for this, haha.

*Time skip from the creepy scene of the witch*

After a few minutes the witch finally calmed down from her berserk mode, but the assassination plot for the girl named Alice was still on. "Tell me my beloved mirror, where do I see this 'Alice'?" She smiled madly at her mirror. You guys can probably the mirror sweatdropped because of fear.

The mirror was stuttering like crazy when he answered his master in a fearful voice. "A-A-Alice is l-living in the k-k-kingdom o-of P-Pandora."

"Kingdom of Pandora you say… I shall visit this god-forsaken land that allows anyone to be more beautiful than me." Abyss went to the kitchen and prepared a dish. Actually, she had no talent in cooking at all that's why all the things she made are ending up as a poison whether she likes it or not. You may call it a skill though.

-earns a glare from Abyss-

You can't say that I'm wrong at all. How many people do you know in this world that cooks poison? Most of the people I know, even they are not that good at cooking they still manage to prepare the thing you call food. Only in its unrecognizable appearance. Still edible… I think. See? They don't end up as a poison at all. –flying objects coming over- Hey! That was a compliment!

After a few minutes of making objects fly towards the authoress which she managed to evade luckily, the thing she cooks was now done. Ready to eat. Abyss laughed at the red apple she had on her hand. "This apple will be the last thing that you will eat, my dear Alice. Blame yourself for your early death! Because no one should get in my way!" Maniacal laugh started again.

After a few minutes, Abyss realized that she was laughing too much that the task at hand was actually forgotten. She grabbed her cloak at her room put them on. Then she looked for a basket where she could put the poison apples that she made.

The witch was about to go out of the door when her pet cat came to her. It was a black cat, of course because she is a witch, which had a red ribbon on its neck and a bell hanging in front of it. "Cheshire, I'll just go out for a bit. Don't worry I'll be back in no time. So, for the meantime look after the house okay?" That's it and she left the house and started her walk to the kingdom of Pandora which is just a few minutes away from her house in the forest.

*Time skip again*

After a few minutes of wandering and asking random people in the street she ended up in front of a beautiful mansion. She was pretty lucky that she got there. There was only few people who knew the 'Alice' she was looking for, it took quite a few time to connect the information she gathered and find the place where she is currently standing.

"At last" She's literally catching her breath as she was standing in front of someone's estate. Her clothes were in rags and tatters, a proof that she had gone through unimaginable hardships. Her beautiful aura that she had before she left her house turned to dust and blown away by the wind. She is not the beautiful witch anymore. She's just merely a witch. –glares at the authoress but gets ignored-

The girl tried to fix herself first before aiming for the door, but to no luck she is still as dirty and ragged as ever. Nevertheless she reached for the door. But before the witched could knock the door suddenly opened and revealed a blonde person with emerald eyes. She was mesmerized by the looks and could not herself but to stare in awe.

… Is this… Alice? She asked herself.

No wonder the mirror said that she was the fairest above the others including herself.

Alice was wearing a maid outfit composed of a frilly apron and a head dress that basically had the color of black and white and complemented her looks very well. She had short blonde hair which was pretty unusual for a girl, but it suits her though. It gave her a look of a cute doll.

"Ahmm… may I ask who are you looking for?" Oz asked after a few minutes of having a staring contest with the.. ugh. He isn't really sure if it's really an old woman. But certainly her hair is white. But her face is similar to a young girl. It's really unusual to find people with white hair. Except for the person that Alice refers as a clown. If I'm not mistaken her hair was also white. He thought.

The woman seemed to be startled with his voice, but she immediately brought her composure back. "I-I am selling apples young lady. Would you like to have some?" A sweet voice came out of the woman. But he sweatdropped after realizing what the woman mistaken him for. She thought the he was a 'she'. He glanced at his outfit only to grew more disappointed on himself.

No wonder she called me a 'young lady'.

Well, who wouldn't? It's not natural to call someone wearing frilly maid outfit a guy. It's like the outfit was already screaming: "I'M A CUTE GIRL!" And besides cross-dressing is not that popular among them. But he is not going to leave the misunderstanding just as it was especially whenever the misunderstanding involves his gender. What the heck, he's a guy for God's sake!

"I'm sorry.. but I think you are mistaken. I'm a g—" But before he could finish what he is saying the woman already gave her an apple. "But—"

"Don't worry young lady, you don't have to pay for that. I'm giving it to you." And then Abyss turned her back at 'Alice' and exited the scene, leaving a confused Oz standing in front of the door.

Oz just shrugged it off and went back inside the house. "Thank you." Maybe I'll just eat this while on the way home. And thus, Oz went back to his work which is cooking for his so-called master, Alice.

"Oi, Oz! What's taking my food so long?" He heard Alice's voice that sounded throughout the house. It seems that she is really looking forward to the compensation that he arranged for the girl in place of the meat she was eating earlier.

But I think it's better than having Alice murder me. He chuckled at his own thought. Of course he knew that Alice wouldn't do such thing even though she's a bit foul-mouthed, and her attitude's a bit rough. He is sure in himself that she won't resort to cannibalism no matter how she looks like it. "I haven't started cooking yet!" He yelled back and started looking for the ingredients he needed for his dish.

Even if he's a prince, Oz knew how to cook more or less. When he was little, *cough* when he was still a little kid I mean…

"And what is that supposed to mean?" –yells at the authoress.-

You can't deny the fact that you lack the height. Accept it. It won't do any good if you run from reality.

-Oz sulks in a corner-

Going back to what I was saying… When he was still a little kid, he used to roam the whole castle. That included the kitchen. He was observing the maids do their work, preparing the food. More or less he knew quite a few dishes.

In a few minutes, a nice smell lingered inside the house coming from the kitchen, obviously Oz's work. "Hmm…" Alice was suddenly inside the kitchen sitting at the table set at the corner. Her hair moved in a flapping manner in anticipation. Plates, fork, and spoon already in place for two people are arranged at the table.

Seriously speaking I can smell what you are cooking here.

-turns to the authoress with a weird look- "that's not possible. What you smelled was not my cooking but your neighbor's."

Fine, fine.

Oz chuckled at the girl's antics. Alice may not be like the typical girl that he sees on the street but she is really funny in her own ways. "Just wait a little more, this will be prepared in 10 minutes." He saw the girl's frown slightly, but it disappeared and beamed at him, making him blush involuntarily. She's really pretty when she smiles. A complete contrast at the Alice he saw earlier that held him by the collar and almost threatened to eat him alive.

After 10 minutes…

It was Oz that served the food at the table and then sat in front of Alice. The girl immediately put some food in her plate and tasted it. She smiled happily as the food entered her mouth. "This is really delicious, Oz!"

"You think so?" It was the first time that he cooked for somebody and he doesn't know what the others may say about to his cooking skills, though for him all the food he made tasted fairly. He's glad that the girl liked it.

The two ate together almost forgetting about the time. It was almost dark when Oz looked at the window. Crap! I forgot about the time! After cleaning the dishes he talked to Alice. "Alice I need to go hime now I'll come back here tomorrow."

He got no answer but only the girl's scrutinizing gaze.

"Promise! I'll be back tomorrow!...uhh.." He tried to think of a thing that may serve as an assurance that he will not betray his own words. They barely knew each other after all. He remembered something and searched his pocket. "Here! It this will be the proof that I would really be back here."

He gave out his gold pocket watch. It's actually a gift from his father in his seventh birthday. It is personally made by his father, who is also skilled at making music boxes. When he asked why is it a watch and not a music box, he said that watches and music boxes functions similarly so he combined the two. Thus, when you opened the watch a music will be played. It was titled Lacie.

To his surprise, Alice just put the watch back to his hand and went near him.

Oz can only have his eyes widened in surprise when Alice kissed him… on the lips.

Shucks!1 At last I was able to update this one!

I'm really sorry for this very late update!

I was actually working on my other fics that I forgot that I haven't prepared an extra chapter for this one!

T_T

I'm really sorry!