XD Here I am, up and about! Like before, I'm terribly sorry for not updating in a long, long, long, long, long, long time! How long has it been since I last updated? I wonder…

My schedule's become totally hectic, and I needed to catch up a lot (As expected, my rank went down… from 2 to 7).

Now that I've updated at this time of the year, I'd like to greet y'all a Happy New Year! Finally, a year has ended and yet another year is to come! Pandora Hearts-wise, it's gonna be the end of the world for the fandom. Yup, in just a few volumes or so, the manga that we've come to love for trolling us is going to end. ;A; I'm somehow betting it'll end with 21-24 volumes, anywhere near that range. Okay, now what am I doing thinking about that, I don't want to think it's nearing its end, NO!

Speaking of Pandora Hearts, as I analyzed my fanfic, I realized that some of my predictions have been correct again. MOCHIJUN, STOP ALL THE FEELS. JUST. ;_; Okay, enough with all this nonsense!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pandora Hearts, or any of its characters. Pandora Hearts belongs to Jun Mochizuki.

Now, on with the show! Enjoy if you can!

XVII. Feelings

The next day, Alice woke up, a dazed expression on her face. She had decided to sleep in the same room she used back then. Judging by the way she looked, even if she doesn't want to show it, it was obvious that she was stressed with everything that befell upon them the past few days.

She decided to get up, put her boots back on, and go to her manservant's room. However, before doing that, she emotionally prepared herself for the things she'll see in his room. The events last night were pretty much vivid in her mind.

Last night, before they all dozed off, Break had been giving them weird looks, implying a bit of teasing on his part. Sharon, on the other hand, had been silent and she was caught by Break staring at Gilbert numerous times, forcing her to avoid the latter. The same weird treatment had also been seen during the time they were having dinner.

With that said, Alice was sure that all these obvious gestures affected Oz a lot. So for once, she decided to be 'a bit nice on him', as Gilbert said it once. And she started this by knocking on his bedroom. "Oz? Are you awake?" Alice asked,

At first, it was all silent, until Oz broke it with his short response. "Come in."

As Alice opened the door, what she saw made her a bit sad. Clean, untouched beddings, Oz sitting on a chair blankly staring into space, thinking deeply… all of these signs equalled* an Oz who hasn't gotten any sleep during the night. No, it wasn't that. Rather, he didn't even attempt to sleep. I knew it, Alice thought.

A long moment of silence. Until…

"Oz…"

"I'm sorry, Alice. I just… I really can't. I just can't," Oz said, sadness in his voice.

"I understand, Oz," Alice replied, suddenly feeling guilty that she had a good night's sleep, although it didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't taking any of this stuff seriously.

Oz continued to speak. "Why does it have to be like that? Life is unfair in a way…"

Alice sighed. "Oz—"

"I mean it, Alice. Look at it. Being a living lie… having the truth revealed to you just so it could hurt you… and now people judging you because of your past…"

"Oz! How—"

"And believe it or not," Oz continued, putting on a small smile, "everyone believes it's my fault. And I think so too. Well, think of it, I was the one who asked for the truth! In fact, I should be happy about it! But I… I should've known better…" he continued, standing up.

"Perhaps, it would've been better if we never searched for the truth at all… I should've known of the pain it'll bring. I should've—"

Finally, Alice couldn't take it any longer. "OZ!" Alice shrieked.

The mere mention of his name made him stop speaking.

"I've had enough of being nice!" Alice continued, taking Oz by the collar. "Listen to me, you manservant! You need to fucking listen to me!" she continued, eventually pinning him down to the bed.

"Alice… what…" Oz stuttered, looking up at Alice, who was currently on top of him.

"Look me in the eye, manservant!" she said. Scared, Oz did as he was told. After that, she resumed talking. "When the hell will you stop doubting yourself?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes. "All those things you said… well, to be honest, it sounds similar to the way you use my powers on your own… and do you know how just how much you hurt me with that speech you just fucking gave me?!" she cried.

"Also…" she continued, clutching his blouse, "if you're regretting all those things, it's like telling me that you regretted making a contract with me at all! That's the point of our contract, isn't it? To find out the truth?"

Oz looked at Alice, taking in everything she was saying. EVERYTHING.

"So, was it all pointless? Is it that pointless now? Tell me, Oz!" Alice said, crying softly.

Oz then looked at Alice. He then realized how much his words had hit her heart.

Please, Alice, Oz thought, don't cry. I… I don't like seeing you cry, so please…

He gently held Alice in her arms, the latter still crying. "I'm sorry, Alice," he whispered. "I'm so sorry! Just… don't cry, Alice," he said. "Don't cry, please… it breaks my heart to see you crying like this…"

Alice looked at Oz, slightly blushing. "I just don't know!" she suddenly said. "I've been too emotional lately… just…" she continued.

Oz smiled a bit. "You're not the only one, I guess," he said. He really loved this side of Alice: innocent, gentle, and a bit naïve.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when Alice kissed him.

Memories of their first contract flashed in his mind vividly. He remembered how Alice suddenly pulled him in, kissing him, then eventually showing him that it was all just an act.

However, this one was different from before.

This time, he kissed back.

*I'm not sure if that's spelled with a single 'l' or a double 'l'. Word says it's single, my relatives say it's double. How about you guys?

That feeling when you realized that you've used too much ellipsis!

Yet another useless chapter done! Wait, where's my box? *sees knives aimed at her* Noooo! *attempts to hide*

Like before, guys: Criticisms/Comments/Suggestions/Complaints?

With that said, I ought to bid you all adieu! *runs away from flying knives*