I know it's a bit later than promised, I'll try to do my best to finish the next chapter in time :D

Thanks to the amazing: Luscinia's Lullaby for being my Beta-reader.

This story is for: Ozbert Fangirl

I do not own Pandora Hearts.

When Gilbert had been young, a small and weak boy growing up on the streets, he had wanted to join the National Guard. He had wanted to wear that shining red armor, wanted to protect people. With the money he would get from that job he could buy a house big enough for both him and his younger brother, Vincent whom had been born with the eye of a child of misfortune, to live in. The reason Gil's life turned into such a hell was because his mother could not bear to look at the child with the red eye, and since the raven haired child had come out of the same womb –as she liked to say it-, she had dumped him as well. Putting both brothers on the street at a young age, it was a miracle both had even managed to survive. Vincent had a weak body; the winters had been the toughest. Their mother had been delusional, and perhaps it was for the best she left them… god knows what would have happened to his younger brother if the woman had tried to keep them. He couldn't even remember what she looked like…

Gilbert gave up on the Royal Guard dream when he hit puberty, old enough to realize that those men looked down on them because they were street-rats, as they liked to call them, and because in their eyes all the misfortune was caused by a child with red eyes. "The reason why this country has had more rainy days than sunny is because the Queen is a child of misfortune," one of them had once told the two young brothers after beating them up because they were 'walking in the way'. With Vincent crying in his arms, he held his brother close, protecting him with his small frame. "Perhaps the sun will finally shine as soon as we've killed all the Children of Misfortune." one of them had said with a mocking glare on his face as he kicked the poor infants once again.

-"Big words coming from a coward." a disembodied voice spoke,

-"What-?" they had all looked up at the same time, hands on the grip of their swords,

-"Have you ever thought about what happens when those so called Misfortune children grow up?" it was as if the voice came from everywhere, it filled the dark alleyway with its mocking tone,

He remembered a dark figure looming over those so called 'protectors' of the country, the shadow seemed to take away all of the light in the already very dark alley, Gil remembered the sound of steel cutting through human flesh. It had rang through his ears as one of the three guards fell face first into the mud, "Because after years of walking around with this grudge… years of humiliation, self-mockery, fear- they grow up. Become stronger-" the other guard had fallen on the ground as well, choking on his own blood as the sword had pierced right through his neck, his eyes were wide from shock. "And they will remember the names of those who've humiliated them,"

"Y-you are-" the raven had managed to utter,

The red eyed ghost.

"Gil."

The young raven looked up from the newspaper he had been gazing at for quite some time now, he had been reading an article about the big fire during the royal ball. Its purpose had been to make the wedding between the crown prince of the Vesalius kingdom and the youngest princess of the Baskerville kingdom official, only for it to end up in chaos. It hadn't interested him much… it didn't have anything to do with his job, that was before he recognized the face of the boy sleeping in their spare room. Well, he thought he had recognized him. Perhaps he was wrong? Because how odd were the chances of them just bumping into the runaway prince of their enemy country?

"He threw up again," Vincent sighed,

Raven nodded and quickly got up, "I thought you liked seeing this sort of stuff,"

"I like to see the effects of my poison, yes. I do not like to see what said victim ate the day before… not that there's much left of it, then again." The young male had braided his long blond hair and let it hang loosely over his right shoulder while a single red ribbon kept it together, some strands of hair had gotten loose and were framing his face. A pair of heterochromatic eyes followed the young man into the spare room, it was a small space, with only a small closet, a bed and a desk in it. It was meant for when Echo, the child of the people living just a bit further away, stayed over. She had never been a fan of places that stood out, so both brothers never really put anything in it, unless she asked for it. And Echo wasn't the type to ask for much. She liked helping Vincent in the garden, and her parents didn't really like her much thanks to her split personality. Echo hadn't visited for quite some time now; perhaps she had finally found a boyfriend? Neither Gil nor Vince had really tried to figure it out. They simply accepted that she visited them less.

Gilbert sighed, cleaning the boy's mouth with a damp cloth. The boy was sleeping again; there were times where he would open his eyes for a short time before he'd lose consciousness once again. He was exhausted, poor lad must have been on the run for quite some time.

In those short times he'd be conscious, both had tried to talk with him, but usually the boy just mumbled something before closing his eyes again. They wouldn't even have been surprised if the boy didn't even realize he was awake, to him everything must be some odd fever-induced dream. They were lucky enough that they could at least give him a bit of water to drink before he'd doze off again. Eating was a completely different story… when was the last time he had eaten anyway?

"Why do you even care so much about this boy?" Vincent asked his brother with a flat voice while leaning against the doorway.

"I don't." he coolly brushed his brother's question off,

"Then why did you carry him to this place? You even got injured when the boy's chain tried to attack you. If it weren't for Raven-"

"I figured that it wouldn't hurt to help him, it's not like we don't have anything to treat his illness with." the raven spoke calmly, not turning around to face his younger brother. They had more than enough handmade medicine in this place; they sold medicine for crying out loud!

"It's only a cover up, you know that." Vincent hummed, unamused. "Until Pandora needs us again,"

"They made it rather clear they don't want you to return after that blunder you made," making an illegal contract with another chain.

"Has Raven already complained?" his younger brother ignored him, he glared at the unconscious boy who had a thin layer of sweat over his whole body, Gil wiped some away with the damp cloth. The bucket that the small boy had thrown up in had to be cleaned up… hah. Another sigh. "I'm sure he's scolding you by now, probably regretting he made a contract with you." he had a tired expression on his face, even though the ghost of a smile begged to differ.

"Vince-"

"You should do something about this awful habit of yours," it wasn't often Vincent got irritated in his brother's presence, but it wasn't the first time they had to suffer because Gil could not bring it to himself to leave someone injured alone. The raven has tried ignoring it, he had become better at it… he almost never batted an eye when walking around the capital city filled with poor people, sick, old, young… he walked past them and ignored their prayers. Yet what made this small teenager so special? This brat? "Eventually, it'll become the blade that kills you, brother." He drew out a breath and pushed himself off the doorway, his movements elegant. "I'll be visiting Echo, have fun with your new… toy." He chuckled airily, waved loosely and then left.

Gil felt tired, Vincent was right. It was embarrassing to admit that he as the older brother always found a way to bring bad luck on them, but it was the truth. He cared too much about the people who could stab him in the back at any moment. What made this boy any different?

I could just kill him and be over with it. Vincent would be the only one to know… he wouldn't even bat an eye. He'd be pleased- relieved.

There was a potion in the building at the back of their garden, all he had to do was go get it, it wouldn't hurt the boy at all… the teen would be freed of all his misery and pain… the poison had already taken a huge toll on his body, it was a miracle he was still breathing.

So young, what was he thirteen? Fourteen? He was rather small, yet when bringing him to this small house, Vincent had easily noticed the boy had been poisoned… it had been a poison he made himself, so easily recognized the symptoms. "It's a poison that does not in point of fact kills the victim, it kills of the white soldiers, the poison itself does not kill you. A mere cold would. Although, I must compliment the brat, he's had it in his system for more than four weeks, and yet has still managed to get this far- he would have gotten even further, if the poison had not gotten mixed up with another." Had it been a mistake? Had the person trying to kill him gotten tired of the boy's strong willpower to live?

This boy had fought against this for weeks now, his willpower to live was strong… how could Gil ever take his life away from him?

Another sigh… he truly was an idiot.

The screams of suffering were unbearable, a small girl with long snow white hair had burst out in tears as a tall young woman with short pink haired tried to calm her down, she could no longer stand to be in the same room as her twin sister.

"The doctors have tried everything, they don't know what sort of poison it is." Dug came out of the room of the youngest princess; Alice Baskerville had been in agony since they had escaped from that fire, which was now three days ago. They had tried everything, but nothing took the pain away. And the new Glen wasn't helping much either, still not having forgiven her for standing between him and the traitor, Oz Vesalius. If she hadn't stood in their way, they might have been able to capture the last surviving Vesalius and he might have been able to tell them what sort of poison had been put into the wine she had drank. This was all her fault.

"Where is he?" Glen had showed up in her room without knocking, the girl had been coughing up blood at the time, already so weak because of the blood loss, her skin was now as pale as snow, her lips purple and her eyes bloodshot… if this continued any longer, the doctors were afraid she might not make it to the end of the week. The brunette had been shivering from head to toe yet she did not want any blankets, they made it too hot. Then she needed ten because it was too cold- "Where is the traitor? You should know, since your chains are connected." Glen had asked in a monotone voice, eyes cold as he gazed at his 'favorite' cousin. Abyss, Alice's twin sister, whom was named after that twisted and dark dimension where chains came from, had hated him from the bottom of her heart for as long as they could remember, while Alice had always liked her uncle. She liked to tease him together with her mother, while Abyss walked away from him… Alice had disappointed them. Which lead to this-

-"I… don't know," the girl had answered weakly, even though she was exhausted, she still had enough strength left to hold her chin upright and glare at the man.

-"You're lying," the man had narrowed his violet colored eyes, the same as hers. In her memories, she had always seen them warm up when he was talking to her but that day they had been cool and distant. Nothing like the kind-hearted man from her memories;

-"I'm–cough, cough. More blood on her hands- not!"

-"Sir- please, the princess needs to rest-"

-"Give me answers. Otherwise, you will die." there was a hint of concern in his voice, it was faint, but still there.

-"Do you think I like being in pain!?" she had snapped, "If Oz had the answers and I knew where he was, I would have told you!" she almost choked, being out of breath just because of raising her voice. Her throat hurt, her body had made too much mucus which made it hard to breath, and with the blood coming up every time she coughed… "Something is wrong…" she had softly admitted, "W-rabbit has tried to contact B-rabbit many times… it's as if there's something holding the contract back."

-"Like what?"

-"How the hell should I-" she coughed again, Abyss had tried to push her back down on the bed, sitting up was bad for her head, it made the brunette dizzy and she threw up way faster like this, "-Know-" she wheezed, "It's obviously-" the girl had to stop, gasping for air like a fish on land, this was bad! She was going to pass out soon. "Powerful enough to weaken the contract. As long as Oz… Oz stays c-close to whatever is holding the contract back- I cannot… contact him or feel his presence." oh how this made the boy even sound more suspicious.

-"Is there a chain powerful enough to weaken contracts?" Glen had asked Lottie whom had stood behind him the whole time, even though the young woman had failed at capturing the prince, it had only been because he had used B-rabbit against her resulting in her now badly injured left arm. He had still forgiven her, saying that the death of her best friend, Fang, had slowed her down. She was told to take it easy for a while… a lot of Baskervilles had died. Even the two new recruits that had been sent off to help Charlotte had been killed by B-rabbit as well. "I can't think of one… with the exception of the black feathered chains, Gryphon, Owl, Dodo, Raven… but we've already visited the Rainsworth, Barmas and Nightrays. Not a single trace of B-rabbit." Since B-rabbit was a powerful chain, hiding his presence was rather complicated. Even a mere commoner that knew nothing of the Abyss could feel its evil presence.

-"I see," Glen nodded and then left, not even telling his cousin to get better soon.

-"Asshole…" Alice had muttered under her breath,

-"I know he is." Abyss had agreed, "Now calm down and get some more rest,"

-"Abyss-" Alice had grabbed her wrist, even though she was sick, the grip on the older twin's wrist hurt, "Promise me-" she sucked in a deep breath, "You will do anything to keep them away from Oz."

-"But Oz is a traitor." Why couldn't her sister understand this?

-"He's not- before I lost contact- I felt his confusion-"

-"He could have faked it."the white haired girl had furrowed her brows in concern, not believing that even after everything that had happened, she still chooses to remain loyal to the person whose family had put her in this state.

-"Abyss- I know what I'm talking 'bout. Just protect him at all costs until I get better."

The girl had nodded, "Promise,"

Alice scoffed, "You better…."