Author's note: Out of curiosity, I checked to see how well my own stories were going and was surprised by the number of views. I honestly wish I could literally hug all of you. It makes me happy to know you guys are reading this (even if you don't review, alert, or favorite. Those are just bonuses). Manami Nightray: Does Gil win? Hm... Read and find out! ;) youngnozomi: I don't mind if you review for more than one chapter. Not everyone has a lot of free time on their hands, so I understand. Plus reviews for multiple chapters are like multiple reviews anyway, so I'm still happy. I also love reading your long reviews. Writing about the maze was my favorite part as well to the point that I nearly spent too much time on it (a few days to almost a week). I love riddles, but I'm pretty bad at them. Break is definitely on my list of characters I love to write alongside Elliot and Leo. Deko-gasu: I am sincerely glad you like this story. It makes me happy to hear it. :)

Thanks to the three of you for reviewing! I'm aiming for 2-3 reviews this time so please help me reach that amount!

I own nothing except Mirella!

Warning: Slight OOC moment for Oz due to cross dressing. Another English translated song (Forbidden Love by U-kiss).

Chapter 9: Playing Pretend

Gil's POV

"...Participant 12! Please follow me to the stage, so we can formally announce all the winners."

Ecstatic, Alice quickly regained her energy and jumped up to join the group of winners standing in front of the crowd. I was a tad depressed (okay maybe not "a tad". That's an understatement), but I still forced myself to stand and join the crowd. Maybe I was being too selfish. Oz probably likes Alice anyway, so this is good. Right?

Noticing my disappointment, Vince shot me a sympathetic look as we followed the crowd headed towards the stage we started at. Already ahead of everyone else, the band members were lined up in order of who rolled the die: Elliot, Leo, Break, and then Oz. In the same order as the members of Edge of the Abyss, the winners of each group lined up beside their chosen member with the MC standing in front of the groups of two. Honestly, it was a definitely an surprising sight to see Mirella, Nova, and Sharon standing alongside Alice. They were all people I knew, though they are more of acquaintances, but nevertheless, it was a bit of a shock. I had no idea that Mirella was even a fan of Elliot's despite his coldness towards her when we all met her at "The Abyss". Putting my off topic rambling aside, I watched Oz smile at Alice like he always did in the past. There was no helping the fact that I no longer could interfere with Alice's affairs meaning that I'd be unable to spend time with Oz as much as I used to. I'm sorry for making this decision without your knowing... Oz.

"Congratulations to all the participants who won. You may now claim your prize and ask your chosen band member to do anything that is within reason. At 7 o' clock, the Edge of the Abyss will be performing here. When it's time for the concert, the winners may flash their badges to be able to sit in the first row."

Mirella and Nova turned to glance at each other before Mirella wondered aloud if she and Nova could combine their requests. The MC deflected the question towards Elliot and Leo who agreed that they had no complaints about the idea. Now having the green light, Mirella whispered something into Elliot's ear causing him to step back and curse.

"Hell no! Why do you even need that?" Elliot shouted with his face stained red in embarrassment.

"Does it matter? It's perfectly within reason," Mirella replied without a care.

"No. Just...no. Pick something else!"

Mirella and Nova pulled out their cellphones to most likely decide on a back-up plan before Mirella looked back at Elliot to voice their new request.

"The two of you need to model the clothes we made and let us take pictures of you."

"Are they anything like your first request?"

"No."

"We'll do it," Leo decided as he covered Elliot's mouth to keep him from making another outburst.

Irritably, Elliot removed Leo's hand from his face and asked why he was stopping him from saying no and how could he tell if Mirella was even telling the truth. With a sigh, Leo pointed out that he read her body language to gauge her sincerity and that it was his duty to keep him from looking like a fool in public. In short, she was telling the truth, so Elliot had no choice but to go along with it, for it was "within reason" and continuing to act like this would only make him look even more like a fool. She beamed happily before handing the two of them business cards and informing them that they will drop by Pandora to pick them up while accepting the tickets from Elliot and Leo in exchange. Once this group finished their negotiations, they all went offstage.

Aware that it was his turn, Break and winning contestant, Sharon, stepped up so everyone could see them clearly. Unlike Elliot, Break didn't seem to mind that the daughter of his current employer was going to be asking him for something that could be anything. She is a ladylike girl that occasionally reveals some violent tendencies, usually towards Break, but overall she is good friends with him and sees him as an older brother figure, so, under normal circumstances, there should be no problem. However, though it was unclear, Break gave off uneasy vibes like he was trying to hide something from her. From where I was standing, I could see Reim looking slightly uncomfortable with this set up as well.

"I'd like to go on the ferris wheel with you," she requested politely while flashing her "lady of society" smile.

This triggered the anger and jealously within Break's fans causing the air to become thick and cold with a cloud of menacing auras. Fangirls are really frightening, I thought as I cringed visibly while continuing to watch Break seal the deal and exit the stage alongside Sharon. Noticing that Oz and Alice were the only ones left, I averted my gaze and started to walk away to hide somewhere nearby until the concert is scheduled to start.

As I made my way through the crowd, the sound of the MC's voice stopped me in my tracks as he mentioned a miscount and announced that Participant 12 was not the winner due to a loss of points for using the bar. I turned around to see a fuming Alice and the MC calling out to "Participant 50" to take her place at Oz's side. Is this real? I just couldn't believe it. Tilting my hat forward, I tried to maintain a straight face as I casually walked towards the stage. Upon my arrival, Oz watched me with bright eyes as he asked me what I wanted from him. Since I didn't expect to actually win the event, I was at a loss. Noticing this, Oz chose for me and told everyone that I wanted to sing alongside him. He informed them that I have watched their practices before, so I knew their songs by heart (which is true) meaning that I'd work well as his singing partner. Before I could protest and say that I can't possibly sing with him, Oz slipped the tickets into my pocket and dragged me away from the stage before disappearing without my notice.

"And that's all of them. Thank you all for participating and hope you enjoy the rest of your stay!" the MC exclaimed cheerfully.

Oz's POV

~Flash back to Elliot's group in the trick house maze~

"Oz-kun, you haven't been sending tickets to us lately..." Mirella pointed out with a menacing aura flaring up behind her. "You still haven't paid your dues either so..."

I froze under her fierce stare as she pulled out a couple of dresses out of nowhere.

"As compensation, please choose which dress you prefer and meet me at the ice cream stand in front of the restrooms by the stage after the event. Your choices are this red, black and white classic lolita dress, this navy and white sailor lolita dress, or this white summer dress."

Back to after the event...

Recalling her plans for me, Mirella, who was no longer with Elliot and Leo, told Nova to go on ahead without her and then approached me with the dress I chose ahead of time, a long blonde wig, some matching accessories, a pair of knee-high stockings, and some red shoes all in a clear tote bag. She grinned evilly as she handed me the entire ensemble and instructed me to get dressed immediately and come outside so she could see it. Cornered, I gave into her demands and slipped into the boys restroom as inconspicuously as possible so I wouldn't be seen cross dressing.

Did she plan this all out from the beginning? I wondered as I zipped up the back of the dress. Everything was tailored specifically to fit me and there were little things made easier, a zipper instead of laces and velcro instead of buckles, to allow for quick changes. As I strapped on the shoes, I prayed that the rest of the band members and the bodyguard crew wouldn't see me and then stepped out into the open.

"You're done now?" Mirella questioned when I snuck out of the restroom.

"You're a demon," I hissed in humiliation while tugging my wig into place.

"I prefer the term fujoshi," she commented nonchalantly as she examine her work. "If anyone asks, you are Lorina Liddell. No need to ruin your reputation so early on. I won't put makeup on because you'll need it off later, but you should wear this as part of the disguise."

She placed a pair of black designer glasses on my face with a excited grin before sending me off to spend the day advertising the store. Unfortunately, the minute Mirella left me alone to suffer this penalty was the minute I bumped into a group of men that instantly started hitting on me without knowing who I really was. Naturally, I planned on skillfully talking my way out of this, maybe adding a threat or two, like I always do when I end up in inconvenient situations, but I was interrupted by the sound of my best friend coming to my rescue. Realizing that he may figure out who I am, I attempted to hide my face while the guys departed in disappointment thinking that I was already with someone.

"Oz, why are you wearing that?" he asked in confusion while I gripped the tote bag holding my original clothes tightly and stared at my shoes.

"It's a long story..." I admitted sheepishly. "Congratulations on winning the event by the way. And now that we're not in front of a crowd, would you mind telling me what you really want from me?"

"There really is nothing I want!" he insisted frantically. "I just participated as your bodyguard!"

"Is that so? But Gil, you do realize that you were assigned to be Break's bodyguard, right?"

He didn't say anything after that. Based on his reaction, it was easy to tell that Gil was out of excuses. As much as I wanted to pester him about it, something the fortune teller told me kept me from doing so.

You're not ready to learn what is on your significant other's mind. Once you know who that is first, you will know what to do from there.

Alice and Gil are both important to me, but who was she referring to? I had no clue, so I couldn't do anything except drop the matter at hand for the time being. Instead, I just urged Gil to hang out with me since we were in an amusement park. I made sure to avoid the roller coasters and any other rides that would cause my wig to fall off, despite the fact that I wanted to go on them, and settled for the carousel, a few games in the fairgrounds and the arcade, bumper cars and the tea cups. I made sure to try as many things as I could because I didn't know when I would come here again. It was a new experience for me. Of course, it was only a matter of time before this moment had to end.

"Oz, it's time. You have fifteen minutes," Gil notified me as we stopped in front of some restrooms in the fairground area.

I nodded in understanding before hurrying into the boys restroom to return to my usual self. Pins flew onto the floor as I yanked the wig off in a rush and stuffed it into the tote bag. From outside, I could hear Gil calling me and saying something about someone here to pick up the clothes I was wearing not too long ago, so I made myself look less like I just rolled out of bed and then walked out to meet with the person Gil was referring to.

"Oz-kun~ I'm here to pick up the clothes~" Mirella sang before moving closer to whisper in my ear. "I didn't say anything. I just told him that you're doing me a favor. And to thank you, here's a piece of advice: Doing something that surprises Gilbert-kun will make him very happy."

Gracefully, she swiped the tote bag from my hand and replaced it with a familiar tarot card: XI The Strength. Could she be-? Aware of my suspicion, she shook her head and insisted that we go to the stage to avoid being late. Mirella-san really is a strange person, I thought to myself. But surprising Gil does sound like an interesting idea.

On a whim, I instructed Gil to stand still for a minute and bend over so that were level with each other. As a habit, Gil willingly followed my orders without knowing my true intentions. For a brief second, I gave him a peck on the cheek and then dashed ahead of him.

"O-O-Oz!" he stammered with a beet red face.

"To show my gratitude."

While my flustered best friend chased after me, I tried to distract myself from my rapidly beating heart. It was gratitude. I can't make assumptions yet. Sharon-chan... I won't make the same mistake...

A few years back, I developed a crush on Sharon Rainsworth when she came to the city I lived in for business purposes. For the time she was there, we had a very brief relationship. Two weeks. We spent two weeks together only to realize that what I felt towards Sharon wasn't love at all. Respect and admiration yes, but not love. She was the same. In her eyes, she could only see someone else. Someone she claimed she couldn't have, but was confident in trying anyway. That short time was a lesson for both of us. I can't say anything until I understand my own muddled mind. I'm so sorry Gil... Alice...

Upon arriving at the stage, Elliot glared at me while I pushed Gil towards the rest of the band and told him to just jump in and sing at any time. Now's not the time for this. For now, just pretend that the most important thing is this... With feigned cheerfulness, I greeted the excited crowd and then urged Gil to introduce himself as the special guest. Cheers rang out clearly from the girls until they were silenced by the sound of me clearing my throat in preparation to speak again.

"We are Edge of the Abyss doing something a little different tonight in more ways than one. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoy the concert!"

Elliot

"Driving you into a corner, being suspicious

There's no value in the tiny proof

You can only get through tactics like that."

Leo

"This relationship began with me overreaching myself

But I finally feel like I'm equal to you

Even now, it's only our kisses that haven't changed."

Oz

"You feel it?

I, My, Me, Mine

I draw the sign of love with everything I've got

When I get lost in deep inside those eyes I can't get out of."

Gil

"I'm falling helplessly now, I don't want to let go

I fall asleep with you in my arms like this

This is Forbidden Love."

Break

"Like Cinderella, we have to love."

Leo

"Take your time, take your time! Please, please!"

Break

"In a limited amount of time…

This was a forbidden relationship without a future."

Oz

"But it's becoming something necessary to me

And only our kisses, connect us. You feel it?"

Elliot

"I, My, Me, Mine

I draw the sign of love with everything I've got

When I get lost in deep inside those eyes I can't get out of."

Leo

"I'm falling helplessly now, I don't want to let go

I fall asleep with you in my arms like this

This is Forbidden Love."

Break

"Entwining our clasped fingers,

You quietly fix your nails

You put every sign of disarray back into place,

And it's obviously for tomorrow."

Gil

"We lost a place to belong, even in my place

As time passes, how much longer can we love?

Until the last days

It's a prayer that can't be granted but, don't go …

Stay with me more and more."

Break and Leo

"I, My, Me, Mine

I draw the sign of love with everything I've got

When I get lost in deep inside those eyes I can't get out of."

Gil

"I'm falling helplessly now, I don't want to let go

I fall asleep with you in my arms like this

This is Forbidden Love."

Oz

"I'm begging you now

I'm falling helplessly now, I don't want to let go

I fall asleep with you in my arms like this

This is Forbidden Love."

Once the song had ended, fireworks were set off to fill the night sky while the audience applauded and watched in awe as we continued to perform more songs until there was merely an hour left before closing time. Since no one wanted to leave just yet, we all went on one last ride: the ferris wheel. There was some tension over who should go with who, but in the end, Break and Sharon went together, Elliot and Leo went together, Vincent and Gil went together, Echo and Reim (strangely enough) went together, and finally, Alice and I went together. Gil seemed to be acting odd during this time. He whispered something into Alice's ear before insisting that I ride in the same car as Alice while he stays with Vincent. I didn't mind, but this arrangement was a little unnerving for me.

Instead of admiring the outside scenery or even talking, Alice and I simply basked in silence which is weird for Alice to do. It worried me, so I asked her about it triggering the one question I could not answer to be spoken.

"Oz... How do you feel about me?"

I didn't say a word. What could I say? I don't know yet. I need time. I... Looking down at the capsule below us, I could see Break going through a similar dilemma. Knowing that I couldn't just avoid the question, I gave my reply in the best way I could.

"You're one of my best friends."

There was nothing else for me to say. As soon as we were back on the ground, Alice made no further comments as she pulled out her cellphone and started to text with a serious expression on her face. Little I did I know that her text would lead to the creation I never would've expected and more.

Done! Kinda sorta... I really dislike this chapter honestly. It feels like it's all over the place. I was trying to focus on Gil and Oz specifically, but it's hard not to switch to the point of view of someone outside that pairing who indirectly (or directly) affects their relationship. I'll be trying a few new things, so please bear with me okay? Oz's reply does not necessarily mean no, so there is a lot more in store. I may need to create a separate side story for everyone else after all.

That's enough of my rambling. See you in the next chapter~