Yay! I got this chapter done. Would of had it up yesterday, but I had just started it and it usualy takes me a day or two to write the chapters for this story. (it's getting dark really fast over here) So, the sreach has definetly begun and now Elliot and Ash have arived in Neshi. Meanwhile, back at the Nightray manor, Leo's suspicions continue to grow and his health continues to decline, but he still wants to know the truth of it all.

Also, thanks again to Person and thanks to Alliyse for reveiwing. Thank you so much! I'm glad people like this story.

I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way.

~Sucker Punch~

Chapter 6: Arrivals and Suspicions

"I never imagined that Neshi was such a big port city." Elliot exclaimed, looking around at the masses of buildings.

"What else would you expect from a city built by the bay?" Ash sounded as if she was amused at Elliot's wonder. "This city receives mass amounts of imports and exports, making it quite the successful town."

After leaving at the break of dawn, just as Ash had suggested, they had arrived in Neshi in a matter of hours. Well, actually, sometime when she was sleeping, Elliot had woken up in the middle of the night and decided to keep going, using a lantern Ash had brought to light the way. Once Ash found out, she would of said something, but decided not to, knowing his decision had something to do with worrying thoughts of Leo in his mind.

Once they had arrived in Neshi (sometime around 9:00 A.M.), Ash had gotten the two a room at the inn and rested up for a few hours. Elliot had wrote a quick letter to Gilbert, and then went to sleep after he sent a messenger to deliver this to the Nightray manor. Ash had told him the mail service was particularly famous for having quick deliveries, as they go off to several places starting from their base of operations in Neshi. The letter should arrive at the manor in a day, he also gave the address of the inn in case Gilbert wrote back.

Ash could sleep quietly, but Elliot couldn't stay asleep, being kept up with his thoughts about Leo, now regretting leaving him behind. Maybe he should of taken his servant with him, no mater what Ash said about the noirette being better off at home.

'I should of brought him along.' He thought bitterly at one point. 'This is a good quality room, I mean, he would have been fine here.'

Elliot couldn't bear to think about what Leo was doing right now. He was confident in Gilbert's ability to take care of his servant, but even so, he was worried about how Leo was doing. The noirette might not be showing any pain, but Elliot didn't know that for certain. Leo didn't even know the truth, that he wasn't really sick, but slowly dying because of the poison that had infected him the moment it entered his small body. His servant could be in pain right now and Elliot wouldn't know it.

He should of taken Leo with them so Elliot could take care of him, even though the roles were reversed. It should be the other way around, but it would have to be in different circumstances, that way it would be Leo taking care of his master, not a situation like this were it was the master taking care of the servant. That didn't matter to the Nightray though, because he wanted to make sure Leo was well again; he didn't want to see Leo die.

Anyway, back to current events. It was now 12:30, and as they walked through they city, the fist snowfall had started. Elliot and Ash walked through the city, looking for the fencing studio that was owned by the man they suspected of the attack, George Algood.

"Have you even thought this plan through?" Elliot asked her as he pulled his coat closer to him.

"I explained it once already, didn't I? Or have you forgotten?" She replied, annoyed by his question.

"Do you even know where we're going?"

She looked lost in thought and turned her eyes away from him. "Maybe…"

He realized her words and turned his head to her, glaring daggers. "You mean to tell me we're lost?"

"No. I prefer the term 'searching'"

"You are the worst freakin' guide ever!" He snapped at her. She only giggled and turned over a smile. Oh God, she reminded him of Leo with that carefree and relaxed look.

"Hey, not my fault I've only been here once," Her eyes scanned over each building as they walked on, now down by the waterfront. "And besides, I'm not that terrible of a guide."

"And why is that?"

"Look there."

He was about to protest against her again, but he soon saw what she was pointing at. Ash was pointing to the sign of a building that read 'Algood fencing studio'.

"Touché." Was all Elliot could say, but in a low growl.

"Here you are Leo-kun," Gilbert said to the noirette, who was facing away from him, seemingly asleep. "A glass of water, just like you asked."

"Thanks, Gilbert." Was the reply as Leo sat up in bed slowly and took the glass from the older Nightray's hands, then leaning back against the pillows.

"How are you?"

Leo was silent for a moment before answering. "At least I'm not coughing up blood like yesterday. That's good, right?"

"I guess so." Gilbert was getting bored of this conversation so he decided to change it. "I got a letter from Elliot."

This immediately got the other's attention, placing the glass on the nightstand. "You did? Where is he?"

"The letter said that he was in Neshi, and he ran into that girl, Ash, there also through some coincidence." Gilbert explained.

"Did he say when he'd be back?" Leo got hopeful for a second, but he could read the expression in the raven's eyes.

"No."

He sighed and let his head fall into the comfort of the pillows. Elliot wasn't here to keep him company, and, no offense to Gilbert, but he wasn't a very good replacement.

'Elliot, when are you coming back?' He wondered.

"Leo-kun?" He heard Gilbert ask as he closed his eyes.

"Can you…leave me be for a while? My stomach hurts and I feel sleepy."

"Sure. I'll bring you something to eat later if you get hungry." Respecting the noirette's request, Gilbert walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Leo tired to curl up against any warmth that the sheets held, but he found it more comfortable to lay on his back at the moment.

Leo wasn't feeling too good right now, and thoughts of yesterday still plagued his mind. He remembered that horrible feeling he had gotten moments before he found himself coughing up blood along with little food that had been in him at the time. He remembered seeing that blood, it was a clear picture in his mind. Things had only worsened at night when he found himself unable to breathe for a second, but then again, he had just awoken from a feverish nightmare that he didn't want to talk about.

'Am I only getting worse?' He wondered. Whatever was going on with him, it was the worst he'd even been while he was sick.

Once again, as he lay there steadily breathing, hands folded over his stomach, he returned to the thought that Elliot and Gilbert were hiding something. What had tipped him off right away, was that Gilbert said in the letter, Elliot wrote that he had just 'happened' to meet Ash in the city of Neshi. How could that possibly be a coincidence?

Leo could tell, just by instinct, and because he was very perceptive, that there was something else going on that he didn't know about. Yeah, his assumption might be wrong, but the more days that passed by, the more and more he was sure of this suspicion. He was now in day five, and if they were hiding something from him, they would have been better off just telling him instead of leaving him to wonder.

The noirette was almost sure of it though, and he wanted to know what that-

"Ah!" A small gasp escaped his dry, cracked lips as he felt a sudden pain flare up inside his chest. It was a dull yet sharp pain that, in comparison, felt like something as sharp as a needle had been lodged inside him. Ugh, how wretched that sounded. He groaned as he shifted in bed, trying to make it go away, but, after a moment, it subsided, fading away from him.

He let out a sigh of relief, but he was even more concerned now.

'Correction, I'm definitely getting worse.'

Inside the fencing studio, it was just as you'd expect; people fencing against one another in countless matches. Elliot looked around at the people, finally feeling like he was in his own element here.

Ash noticed and lightly punched his arm, making him glare at her again. "What the hell was that for?"

"Don't get lost in the environment." She warned. "We have a mission, remember?"

"I don't forget, Ash, so there's no need to remind me."

"Whatever, I'm-" She then grabbed Elliot's arm, making him jump in surprise. "Look."

"At what?"

"That's George Algood." Looking over to where she was looking, he saw the man she was talking about. He was about as tall as his oldest brother, Ernest, and had short black hair. From a platform up above, he watched the current fencing matches going on below.

"He seems to be watching them, looking for the interesting ones." Ash concluded.

"I think your right." Elliot replied.

"And that's how we're going to get close." She started to explain. "We have to get his attention by participating in these matches and we have to win."

"No problem." Elliot sounded confident with himself. "I can handle that easily, question is, can you?"

Ash smirked, as if she was being taunted. "Of course."

. . .

Once they were prepared and ready, Elliot and Ash found suitable opponents to face of against. Elliot was pretty sure he would be able to finish this with little effort, but he didn't know how Ash would do, mainly because she claimed she was good at it when she had no proof. If she really was, then this was her time to prove it.

Soon, their separate matches began. As Elliot had expected, he could move about and find openings with ease, hitting his target on the spot at just the right moment. He caught a glance of Ash though, and was surprised by how quickly she had dodged one move. Elliot was able to defeat his opponent all the same, and so was Ash, much to the Nightray's surprise.

After three wins combined between the both of them, Elliot noticed Algood glancing at both him and Ash, but when Elliot looked back to his friend, she had moved over to the same ring where he was.

'Crap, does she mean to fight me?' Ash was already in a stance and was clearly ready to take him on.

"Ash!" He hissed quietly to her. "What are you doing?"

"I noticed Algood has his eye on you, this is the only way both of us can get his attention." She whispered back to him.

Elliot sighed, knowing her logic was right and there was no choice now; he had to fight her.

When they started, Elliot knew she could move quick, but not…lighting quick. Okay, not literal lightning speed, but she was fast. Elliot could barely dodge Ash's quick movements, but soon enough, he found an opening and struck her, landing a point.

She only looked at where he had gained a point, and snickered. They began again, but, this time, Ash moved with incredible ability and caught the other off guard. Elliot didn't even notice until she landed a point this time around.

'Damn, she's quick.' His grip tightened on the hilt. 'But I won't lose to her!'

Third round, and it was like they were in a deadlock with one another, Ash moving with her quick agility, and Elliot on the defensive, looking for openings. Ash was so quick, he almost didn't have time to even look for a break in her movements. It was clear she wasn't letting up and she had not lived up to her claim.

In a split second, Ash went in to try and score a point, but Elliot blocked her attack, sending both of their foils striking each other in a locked position.

They were evenly matched.

Suddenly, they heard clapping and they turned their gazes to this sound and saw Algood standing on the sidelines. Apparently, and by judging by the look on his face, he was very impressed with Elliot and Ash.

"Well done." He congratulated them. "Why don't you two take a break so we can talk?"

He saw Ash give him a look, one that was asking if they should, and Elliot nodded at her to confirm it.

"That sounds fine by us." Elliot answered, Ash now falling silent and not saying a word.

. . .

"You two are mighty good fencers." Algood praised them as the group sat down at a table on the platform where all the fencers could be seen below. "Who are you two?"

Elliot didn't really want to give away his true name, but it could work to his advantage in this situation, however, he wasn't about to blow his cover. "I am Elliot Phero ."

Algood raised an eyebrow in surprise. "A noble, eh? What brings you to Neshi?"

He had used Ash's last name, but she never told him that she came from a family of nobles. "I'm just stopping here on my way back home from a trip. I thought I'd try my hand with fencing here."

"Hmm." Algood then looked at Ash, who sat next to Elliot. "And who is this girl? She your servant?"

Ash looked over at Elliot, knowing he had tensed up at that word. He didn't say anything at the moment, but she could tell he was thinking of Leo.

"No, she's not, just my sister." Elliot finally said. "My sister here does have a servant, but he recently took ill and she's looking for some medicine for him during our stay."

Meanwhile, Ash observed Algood's face, it was calm and relaxed, which means he didn't see through their disguise of being brother and sister; he suspected nothing. They were just lucky Algood didn't recognize Elliot as a Nightray, or, if Algood already knew, he was keeping an incredulity straight face. Ash could tell because she had keep the same face whenever she came to visit Leo, even though she knew he was slowly, almost unnoticeably, dying.

"Well, you two are some of the finest fencer's I've ever seen. Why don't you two come by later when I start today's series of matches at 3:00?" Elliot and Ash were now intrigued by this offer. They hadn't even been here for an hour and they were getting this offer. "I'll put you two in the first matches."

Elliot and Ash looked at each other and they both knew that it was their chance; now or never.

The Nightray nodded to Ash and extended his hand to Algood. "It's a deal."

Him and Algood shook hands, the deal sealed.

'Now this is what you call making progress.'

He couldn't sleep, not knowing that he needed to find out the truth. It was something that made the noirette nervous inside, making his hands twitch at the theories he could come up with if he wanted to.

"That's it." He muttered. Finally having enough of this, Leo sat up and pushed the sheets of his body that had been surrounding him with unnecessary heat. "I'm through wondering aimlessly about my condition without any real clue."

Swinging his legs out over the side of the bed, they felt stiff from not moving around much, but he knew he couldn't just sit here and wait for the answers to come to him. When his feet touched the carpeted floor, he felt pins and needles in the bottom of his feet, maybe because they had fallen asleep. He ignored this and stood up on his feet.

His first instinct was to wrap a hand around his stomach, feeling sick upon standing, and his free hand grabbed the bed frame for support, waiting till the room stopped spinning. Hesitantly, Leo started to walk towards the door. His steps were slow, but if he wanted to find the truth, he needed to get out of here first.

When Leo finally managed to make it outside his room, he took a moment to think about what to do next.

'Let's see, that letter was sent by Elliot, then who's to say Gilbert won't write back.' He thought, finally coming up with an idea. 'Gilbert holds the answers right now, and if he has written some kind of note down that he intends to turn into a letter to send back, then it'll be in his room.'

The noirette had memorized the entire layout of the manor, so he knew very well where Gilbert's room was. He knew it was sneaky, and he felt particularly weak right now, but he wanted the truth, and if this was the only way to get it, so be it.

"You ready for this?" Ash asked Elliot.

"You kidding, of course." He replied, reading himself for the match. "You just try and drag out the answers from Algood. He knows something about this whole thing, I can feel it."

"Yes, but right now you need to focus on this match." She handed him his foil.

"I thought you said not to get lost in the environment?"

"Yes, I did, but you need to focus, and don't forget about the mission." She gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Good luck."

She then left and when to the platform where she sat next to Algood, looking down at Elliot and smiling as he stepped onto the stage.

The stage where Elliot was to have the match on was a wooden one, sported by wooden beams. Ash noticed that it looked old and rickety, and she wondered if Elliot had noticed to. Just by looking at the condition of the stage, she was concerned of the possibility of it collapsing while Elliot was fencing in the match, but it looked at if it wouldn't collapse very easily.

"So," Ash spoke. "How many matches are held here? Are there any tournaments."

"Oh, yes, plenty." He answered.

"Um, right." That hadn't really answered her question.

"Hey!" She heard Elliot call from below.

Ash went over to the railing and looked down at Elliot, who was looking up at her. "Yes, brother?"

"When's my opponent supposed to be here?"

"Any time now." Algood replied, now standing next to her.

"Well, I don't see-" He was interrupted by a sudden creaking noise. Ash heard it too and looked at the stage. She could see one of the main supports under it splintering, cracking.

'No way!' She was panicking now, her eyes scanning the rest of the supports.

"Ashley!" She looked back to Elliot. She hated him using her full name, but it was only for when they were around Algood. "Did you hear-"

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the main support split apart with a defining and loud crack, and the rest of the supports went too. Elliot had just enough time to notice before the whole stage fell apart, taking him down with it.

"Elliot!"

Yeah, I know the ending was rushed. I'm working on chapter 7 right now, and it's halfway done, so it shouldn't be long until I put it up. Until then, feel free to leave a reveiw.