Disclaimer: I don't own anything, including the lovely Parallel hearts lyrics. SadlyD: And this is my first time doing a PH fic, so I hope you all would be forgivingXD
"Ne, Oz, between you and me, who do you think will reach the end first?"
A light purple cape billowed in the desolate wind as its owner gave a whimsical smile.
"Really, Milady Sharon, I……"
Bokura wa
Mirai o kaeru chikara o
Yume ni miteta
Break knelt down on the floor, panting slightly. "Say, Raven. What do you think will happen after this?" He remarked casually to his grim-faced companion, his usual grin on his face.
Receiving no reply from Gil, he turned to regard his young mistress who is fighting away from them, Eques looking majestic and powerful in its glory. However, he could tell, even as the next onslaught of chains came upon them, it is taking its toil on his precious little mistress. Her plume-coloured hair was flying in the wind, as beads of perspiration rolled down her delicate face.
Seems like they're gone for the time being. Break stood up and was about to walk to Sharon when he stiffened.
No, it's not over yet.
He smiled darkly.
That sewer rat.
"Raven," he asked evenly, "can I kill him?"
"Vincent Nightray."
Noizu no naka
kikoete kita kimi no
nakigoe
Waratte ita
boku no yowasa o
abaita
The white-haired young man searched around anxiously, looking for his Ojou-sama.
He sighed.
Now, where did she run to again?
If he didn't find Miss Sharon by sunset, Mistress Shelly is going to give him an earful again.
He wandered into the garden which was a picture of serenity and beauty. The only thing that was out of place was the small hunched over figure under the tallest oak tree in the centre.
He smiled.
There you are.
He quickly ran over to the small sobbing girl.
"Ojou-sama! Where have you been? Mistress Shelly has been looking all over for you."
Any harsh words that surfaced were immediately swallowed back in as Break took in that tear-streaked face and those swollen cheeks.
Ojou-sama, was after all, still a child, no matter how mature she looks.
A child that needs to be cuddled and loved.
He said nothing as the little lady jumped into his arms and sobbed into his chest.
"Xerx-nii, mother……" The rest was lost through muffled sobs.
He simply held her tightly as she poured out all her woes and anguish to him, a mere servant of the Reinsworth household.
He would gently pat her on the back from time to time as she sniffled.
He looked at her and a shadow fell over his face.
How like her.
He suddenly couldn't remember how she looked like.
The mistress he wasn't able to protect.
She raised her small face and looked at him.
"Xerx-nii, you won't leave me, right?"
He placed her on the ground, a startled expression on his face.
"You won't, right? Not like father and the rest."
He laughed.
"Don't be silly."
He swept her up in his arms and started walking back.
"Hey, Xerx-nii! You haven't answered my question!"
The little figure in his arms protested indignantly and arms and legs flailed around.
"Put me down!"
He did as told and watched as Mistress Shelly dragged her over to give her a piece of her mind.
He raised a trembling hand and placed it on his chest as a hot tear rolled silently down from the corner of his eye.
"Kevin, don't leave me! I would be all alone. Don't leave me!"
A distant memory.
I…I have no right to give you any promises.
Kimi no yuku michi wa
kimi ni shika wakaranai
Chigau sora oikakete
The black-haired man turned sharply to face him.
"What are you talking about, Break?"
Break gave his usual grin.
"He's coming."
He turned and walked with almost a sense of urgency towards his Ojou-sama. Who is still rather far away from him.
Too far away for his liking.
Gil ran after him, utterly baffled by his words.
"What do you mean by asking me for permission to kill my little brother?"
There was a growing sense of unease in his gut.
"Hey Break, don't just ignore me! Answer me!"
The white-haired man just kept walking, as if the conversation never happened at all.
Then the two of them froze in their tracks.
A mere few meters away from Sharon.
A cold, dark feeling seeped into their very bones and expressions of horror filled their faces.
Vincent Nightray stood there, smiling maliciously as a large mouse floated behind him.
"I'm terribly sorry, Sharon-chan, but if you and Mr Mad Hatter didn't exist, everything would be much easier."
Liar.
He didn't sound in the least bit apologetic.
Meanwhile, Sharon stood frozen, with an expression of absolute terror on her face as she looked at the monstrous chain before her. Eques was nowhere to be seen.
The golden-eyed and red-eyed man smiled gleefully as he raised his hand and Echo came running towards the terrified Sharon with a knife raised high in her hand.
"Ojou-sama!" Break gave a panicked shout.
She closed her eyes in resignation.
Bokura wa mirai e mukau yuuki o
Hoshigatte kako ni mayou
"It's my fault for being so incapable."
Sharon's body shook slightly as she hissed out agitatedly.
"Yet you did all this…for me!"
She whacked the still grinning Break with the harisen angrily.
"Stop trying to act so cool!"
And Break laughed softly.
"Hahaha……Don't be so conceited, Milady!"
Those rose-coloured orbs glistened with tears as they glared at the white-haired man with full intensity.
"I did nothing for you."
He held up a hand to his forehead, sighing.
"I'm the kind of man who lives only for himself."
He looked up at her, sitting on the floor.
"The reason I saved you is because your life is precious to me."
Sharon took a step back, surprise filling her delicate features.
"If anything were to happen to you, Lady Shelly would…"
He paused and continued.
"…your mother would kill me."
Kimi ga warau hontou no
Ima e kaeritsuku made
When the expected pain didn't come, Sharon opened her eyes.
And the first thing to register in her dazed mind is a familiar figure.
The sharp gleaming knife sank deep into Break's chest and blood spurted out onto her dress.
Lots and lots of blood.
"Break!" She gave a horrified scream.
Break grunted but remained standing.
"Don't worry, Ojou-sama. I'll settle this. It'll be really quick."
He tried to smile reassuringly.
I can't hold out much longer anyway.
His expression hardened and he raised he cane to strike the passive girl before him.
Hard.
Naturally, she flew a few meters away and her head hit the floor, rendering her unconscious.
Wincing slightly, he pulled out the knife embedded in his chest and he closed his eyes with a smile.
There was a great wind and the mad hatter was before them.
It opened its great eye and a blinding white light was upon them all.
But Vincent's chain just wouldn't disappear.
Vincent smiled that sickening smile of his.
"What's the matter, Mr Mad Hatter, can't get rid of my chain? In that case……"
Break gritted his teeth and his expression was unreadable.
Then the corners of his mouth turned up.
"Che."
He bore his eye into those mocking eyes and he smiled.
Mocking the fool before him.
Pain took control of his senses and through the blinding haze he dimly saw that annoying smile falter as the monstrous chain disintegrated before their very own eyes.
A hacking cough came over him and more blood oozed out of his wound.
Darkness swept up to welcome him as he fell to the ground.
Namida mo itami mo subete dakishimete agetai kedo
Hashireba hashiru hodo tooku naru ki ga shite fuan ni naru
Doko made yukeba ii no……
"That's not fair! I'm only here because I want to be of use to you, Xerx-nii!"
Sharon's eyes brimmed with tears.
"But you……wahhhhhh………………"
The salty liquid overflowed and Sharon jumped onto his arms.
Break smiled serenely as he held the mildly shaking lady gently.
It surprised him sometimes how Miss Sharon still acted like a child…
Sighing softly, he held her even tighter, as he remembered those days when she would come crying to him about the most trivial things.
To him, a mere servant.
"Xerx-nii…"
How long has she not called him that?
He gently soothed her as he ran a hand through her silky, lustrous hair.
Ahh, somehow, it's good to go back to those days too, isn't it?
"Hey, Sharon…"
Noizu no naka kikoete kuru kimi no utagoe
Nakushite ita boku no sugata ga ima mieru yo
"No, Break! You mustn't sleep! Stay with me!" Just when his eye closed, he heard his lady's lovely voice.
So he opened it again, to see his lady's worried face.
Tears were streaming down freely and her voice quavered.
"Break, please. I beg of you. You'll be alright."
He laughed then, but he almost immediately regretted it, since he started coughing out more blood.
"Break!" Sharon was alarmed as she rested his head on her lap gently.
More tears brimmed and fell.
Break smiled and reached out a finger to wipe away the tell-tale tear streaks.
"There, milady shouldn't cry. It's unbecoming of a lady like you."
Sharon sniffled then, as she tried very hard to stifle her tears.
"You will be alright. We will get you to a physician, so just hang in there, Break."
He smiled cheerfully.
"I don't think so, milady. I think I overdid it."
At that, tears threatened to spill again. She hurriedly swallowed them back in.
"Don't you dare sprout nonsense. Even if you die, I'll do whatever it takes to get you back. Even if meant going to the deepest depths of hell and personally drag you back, hear me?"
The ferocity was greatly reduced when Sharon's voice trembled and broke.
He grinned.
"Yes, milady."
"Damn, stop giving me that smile, Break! You will make it, trust me!" Sharon cursed and tears once again flowed freely down her cheeks.
"Ahh, a lady should not use such coarse language." Break smiled teasingly as he nudged Emily with a finger, letting her do the talking.
"Please, Xerx-nii! I-I beg of you, please……….I can't do anything without you. Please……"
A wistful smile and a sigh.
"It's about time, milady, for you to stand on your own feet. You can't depend on me forever, can you, Sharon?"
"No, I don't want to!" Sharon childishly cried out, "No, Xerx-nii……"
Break smiled gently.
"Perhaps this is for the best…"
Emily lay forgotten on the floor.
Hitori de yuku hazu datta mirai o
Kaeru chikara o kudasai
"Placing Miss Sharon aside, I might not even have another year."
Sharon looked at the still figure on the bed and she felt her eyes brimming with tears.
"It was all my fault, wasn't it?"
She reached out a trembling hand and held the pale hand in her own.
It felt cold.
And the faint fluttering did nothing to dispense her worry.
"Because I wasn't able to protect myself when you weren't with me. And I made you worry. I want to be of use to Xerx-nii, but all I achieved was to shorten your lifespan."
She buried her head then, in his barely moving chest as she sought solace in that familiar warmth.
"M-Mother passed away last week. We were all relieved, since she needn't suffer from that terrible illness anymore."
Sharon murmured softly, and her eyes became a faulty facet, drawing out more tears than ever.
"But I……I lost my mother."
"In the past, you were always around. What about now? I need……"
She raised her head and tried to glare at that peaceful face.
"Wake up! Stop slacking around, you lazy ass!"
In that moment, she so desperately wanted him to wake up. To tell her off for using such uncouth language or laugh at her. Whatever it is, she just wants him to wake up and smile at her again.
The façade she so carefully built up broke then, as her face crumpled and all that was left was a child who had everything taken away from her.
Her eyes stung.
"Break, when are you going to wake up?"
She smiled forlornly, rubbing her hand against his, trying in a vain effort to make it warm.
Kimi ga warau sore dake de
Takaku toberu
Oz burst into the room, expecting to see Sharon drinking tea as usual and Break licking a lollipop. The sight that greeted was definitely not he had in mind.
The curtains were drawn, giving it a dark and depressing feeling and Emily lay forgotten on the table. Following him, Alice sniffed about cautiously and remarked, "Wow, this room smells like it hasn't been used for months already."
She walked in front of Oz and ran towards the table.
"Hey Oz! Isn't that the clown's doll?"
She picked up Emily and waved it in the air.
Slightly alarmed, Oz ran forward and took it from her hands.
"Why…what is Emily doing here?"
A burning suspicion nagged at him.
What in the world happened to Sharon-chan and Break?
He knew that Break wouldn't just leave Emily lying around, especially for months in an unused room.
And when they came in, the servants seem to be all in black.
As if they were mourning.
Horrified at what came to his mind, he grabbed Alice's hand and ran outside.
"Quick, Alice! We have to find Sharon-chan and Break and find out what's wrong."
He would have liked to ask Gil, but the latter was at the Nightray mansion attending to some family affairs.
We have only been away for six months and now everything seems to be different.
What happened?
Oz and Alice had gone chasing after an important lead to recovering the latter's memories six months ago. Oz had, for the first time, forbade Gil to tag along, saying that he'd be back soon.
But he didn't expect everything to change so drastically in his short absence from the two.
It was successful, that Alice had managed to regain several more fragments of her memories, generally the ones concerning Jack.
Now he just has to pray that his worries were unduly.
At his growing sense of alarm, he decided to ask a servant who passed by what was going on.
She gave him a weird stare.
"Lady Shelly passed away a week ago."
Lady Shelly? Wasn't that Sharon-chan's mother? Oz breathed a small sigh of relief.
He had worried for nothing.
So that's why they were in black.
Now, he just has to find their two friends.
"Might I ask, where is Miss Sharon and Break?"
He smiled politely.
At that, the friendly smile on the servant's face slipped off immediately.
"Why do you want to see Sharon-sama and Mister Break?"
Oz was shocked at the open hostility in her voice.
Alice cut in hotly, "You will not speak like that to my manservant. We are friends of the clown and his mistress. Why? Is that against the law?"
The maid's face flushed angrily and she stormed away without saying a word.
"Alice……" Oz sighed.
So they walked on, with Alice huffing as she trailed behind.
He was absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone walking his way and bumped into him.
"I'm terribly sorry!"
"Ahh, sorry." The man whom he bumped into said absently and got up, dusting himself before turning to go.
"…Reim-san?!!"
"………"
Finally realising that someone was calling him, Reim turned around, startled.
"Master Oz!"
He smiled and walked back to him.
"How was your trip?"
"It was quite rewarding. We managed to get back a few more pieces of Alice's memories."
Oz beamed as he turned to look at the sulking Alice.
"…That's good then."
"Reim-san…" Oz started uncertainly, "Might I ask where is Break and Sharon-chan?"
"I can't seem to find them…"
Reim's eyes widened slightly before he looked away sadly.
"And Break wouldn't just leave Emily lying around, would he?"
Emily was thrust into his face.
He looked at the blonde-haired youth and was suddenly stumped for words.
"Please, Reim-san. You have to tell me. I have a very bad feeling."
He sighed.
"I'll put it very simply. That day, while they were on a mission, Master Vincent attacked Miss Sharon."
Oz gazed at those sad eyes disbelievingly.
"And……?"
"Break jumped in to save her."
Pointedly ignoring Oz's shocked face and Alice's mildly disturbed expression, he turned and started walking.
"Come, I'll bring you to them."
Bokura wa kokoro o tsunagu yuuki o
Hoshigatte ai ni mayou
"Break, do you ever regret signing a contract with the Mad Hatter?"
Those rose-coloured orbs gazed deeply into his only red one.
"No. After all, it is one of the few things I can actually offer Mistress Shelly for saving my wretched life. Protecting you."
Break gave a bitter smile.
His lady made an impatient sound.
"Why do you always think that way, Break? It's annoying."
Break reached out a hand to pat her head and she flinched away.
"Stop treating me like a child, Break!" She grabbed a harisen and started whacking him hard.
"But you are, milady." He was clearly amused.
Huffing slightly, she turned her face away childishly.
"In any situation, Break, I forbid you to die before me, understand?"
He laughed and did not answer.
"What a selfish child."
They arrived at a door and Reim knocked a few times politely.
"Come in."
A muffled voice called out and sounded distinctly like Sharon's.
Reim opened the door carefully.
Oz placed a hand on his mouth in horror at the scene before him.
There, lying on the bed was his white-haired friend with his eye closed, still and unmoving.
Far too still.
He approached them cautiously.
Meanwhile, Sharon turned around with painful slowness and the duo gasped at what they saw.
A terribly wan face and swollen cheeks from crying.
Most importantly, those beautiful rose-coloured eyes were looking upon them with a dead expression.
With one hand still grasping the pale hand tightly, she spoke.
"Don't worry, he's not dead yet. Almost."
She let go with heartbreaking tenderness and the hand fell back onto the bed helplessly.
"I see you're back, Master Oz and Miss Alice." She remarked lifelessly.
Oz nodded, heart thumping hard.
Then the expressionless mask shattered like a piece of clay.
She sank to her knees, crying in anguish.
"Sharon-chan!"
Oz ran to her instantly.
"It was all my fault. All my fault……the physician said that his body has undergone too much. Releasing the Mad Hatter that day took too much out of him. It would take a lot to heal."
She placed her face in her hands.
She staggered to her feet and walked towards her unconscious Xerx-nii.
As they neared, Oz then saw the shallow breathing motions his chest was going through.
She sat down on the bed and gently unbuttoned his shirt and Oz saw the blood-stained bandages.
"Ahh, it's time to change his dressing again."
"His wound just wouldn't stop oozing out blood!" she wailed as she fruitlessly tried to undo those bandages.
She felt a hand on her wrist.
"It's alright, Sharon-chan. Break wouldn't die so easily. He said so himself. So you must have faith in him."
She looked up, her face glistening with crystalline tears as she looked at those warmly radiating orbs.
"R-Really?"
Kimi to warau hontou no
Boku ni kaeritsuku made
The bright rays of the morning Sun filtered through the windows, casting the room in a warm glow.
"Break, when will you wake up?"
A pair of empty rose-coloured orbs gazed forlornly at the unconscious man on the bed.
She didn't feel warm at all.
A/N: Really, this piece was crap. I spot grammar mistakes everywhere. But I shall not skim through it again. Too lazy. Meh. XP As for Mi pare di capire, decimo, I did say that I would update at about mid october, didn't I? Ack, sorry but I'm currently having some problem editing):
Anyway, I do know that you are nice readers, so you guys will review, right? XDDDDDDDD
And do tell me, do you all want a sequal/continuation for this? I'm thinking abt one where Break wakes up..............and blah. I might do it if I still remember the idea after my exams. And of course, after updating my KHR fic -points upwards-
Okay, signing out~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~