Author's note: I'm back again. Exams (not finals), the need to play Devil Survivor (awesome game), the need to watch translared Dramatical Murder playthroughs, and prom (which is today) made it so that I couldn't updare right away, so you have my sincerest apologies. That aside, there will be characters from Crimson-Shell mentioned in this chapter since I gave the other PH characters roles already (that may not have shown up yet) and I didn't want to use any more OCs. You don't have to read Crimson-Shell to understand what's going on though. Manami Nightray: I'm glad to have you're support. It looks like I'm getting the drama part down kinda sorta based on your reaction. jellybean-hearts: Gil's fine. I wouldn't kill him off. Thanks for notifying me about Pandora Hearts being updared. I ship BreakXReim even more now! Deko-gasu: I'm glad to see you pleased with this. I wasn't too sure about how well I wrote the last chapter especially in the second half. The darker parts of a drama are the best parts! CatXtopia: Thanks so much for the compliments. Knowing that you and my other reviewers are having mixed emotions makes me believe that I'm starting to do a bit better as a writer. I hope to hear from you again as I continue to updare!
Disclaimer: Same as usual. Pandora Hearts=not mine (Jun Mochizuki). Crimson-Shell=not mine (Jun Movhizuki). Nova=not mine (jellybean-hearts). Collide (the song)= not mine (Howie Day). Mirella=mine.
Review quota is the same as always: 2-3+ reviews
Chapter 12: Who are you to me?
Oz's POV
It's been an hour. How bad are his injuries?
By the time the doctor came out to talk to us while the nurses wheeled Gil away to another room, Vincent had returned without Zwei and immediarely asked about Gil's condition. The doctor spoke in a quiet tone as he assured us that everything is fine and that patient did have a concussion and several bruises, but was alright physically. Partially relieved, we all spoke up to thank the doctor before allowing him to question us about how this all happened.
"He slipped and fell down the stairs."
We all turned to Alice who spoke up with a small voice. She seemed uneasy causing Vincent to become highly suspicious and give off a skeptical expression. The doctor nodded in understanding, not paying any consideration towards the tense atmosphere, before asking for specifics.
"He was on the second floor from what I could tell and he looked like he was wet from the rain. There was also a power outage, so he must have slipped."
That's a lie. I knew Alice well enough to tell when she was lying, but I wanted to know why she was doing so now. Unfortunarely, this was not the right time or place, so I did not press the matter. Instead, I simply decided to ask her about it on a larer dare.
"The patient should be waking up any time now, so it should be okay to visit him in the room," he informed us neutrally as he cut into my thoughts. "He'll be in Room 311. A nurse outside will escort you."
Everyone began to file out of the room wordlessly, still worried if anything else happened nonphysically, except for me who willingly remained in the room to speak with the doctor. Now that I think about it, Doctor Baskerville looks a lot like Echo and Zwei. As if to prove my suspicions correct, Echo looked back him and somehow communicared with him in a way that only close relatives could before he nodded for her to follow while we had a privare conversation about the entire situation.
"Doctor Baskerville-"
"Les."
Even their insistence to be called only by their first name is the same.
"Les-san, what do you mean by he's fine physically?"
I had a few guesses, but I wanted to be sure before jumping to conclusions.
"The damage to the skull isn't significant, however, there is still a strong possibility that he may suffer some amnesia. I will be questioning him larer to see if my hypothesis is correct and to gauge the severity of the brain damage."
Gil, you truly are an idiot...
"Thank you, Les-san."
"No... Thank you, Oz-kun."
I blinked. Did Echo-chan talk to him about me?
Reading the confusion on my face, he nodded solemnly. Without changing his expression, he explained why he was grareful towards me which, as I expected, was due to the kindness I showed Echo. He also told me that even though she strongly cares for me I can let her go if I don't love her. By doing that, she wouldn't be hurt in the long run. It was a feeling I understood very well.
Having nothing else to say, the two of us decided to head to where everyone else was to check up on Gil as well. As we walked, he warned me that I would lose everything if I didn't deal with all of my relationships properly. Strangely enough, despite his depressing demeanor, Les also assured me that if the people I had ties to really cared then they would understand if I explained myself properly giving his words a more optimistic outlook. With earnest eyes, he gave me a side glance and asked me if I had made my decision on what to do from here. I had no intention of abandoning Gil, so I nodded firmly.I'm not going to keep this to myself. I'm not going to run away anymore. Not like before.
Suddenly, a cheery nurse appeared out of nowhere to hug Les from behind as she expressed overwhelming joy for being able to see her dear friend. Unfazed by what was happening to him, he pried her off of him and greeted her in a monotone voice as usual. Brushing his lack of enthusiasm aside, she smiled happily as she asked him if he was willing to join her for lunch.
"I can't right now, Melissa. I have a patient to take care of right now," Les replied as he opened the door to Gil's room and entered.
"You and Robin are both too busy! I also heard that you could've taken your lunch break already," the nurse called Melissa complained. "Can I at least help with something?"
"I'm just going to ask the patient some questions to see if his memory has been affected by the accident."
To add to his comment, Les handed over a clipboard containing the list of questions to Nurse Melissa to look over, so that she would understand that there was no need for multiple people to complete this task. Unfortunarely, she was not satisfied with this in the slightest and ended up criticizing the list by saying that it wouldn't fully reveal whether or not he suffered memory loss. Sighing, Les gave in and asked if Melissa would like do the task for him while he went to go get his lunch. She eagerly agreed to do the job as she pushed Les out of the room and then made a request to have everyone wait outside while she questioned Gil on how much he remembered before today. To help with the questioning, Uncle Oscar handed Nurse Melissa some photos of everyone that was here, members of the band, and some other pictures he hoped may help Gil in some way before he finally agreed to leave the room.
Gil's POV
You need to wake up.
"Oz...?"
Didn't you have something you needed to tell me when I returned?
"I..."
No noise left my mouth after I uttered that one letter.
"Oz, I'm sorry, but I..."
Yet again, there was no sound even after speaking those few words. Constantly, I continued to try to finish my sentence to no avail. Something was missing... There is something within my grasp I am losing sight of, but... A vision of Oz smiling flashed briefly in my mind. ...what have I forgotten?
Suddenly, a flurry of vague images passed through my mind like a film reel. I knew who they were, but there was something about the scenes that made my heart feel like it was being wrenched out of my chest for reasons I didn't know. Once I laid eyes on the last vision, I felt myself get pulled under by a sudden rush of gravity.
I was falling.
"You have people waiting for you, so why don't you wake up?"
As if the voice was a beacon of light, I reached out towards it and willed for my eyes to open and for me to awaken from my slumber. What I saw after that was not something familiar to me, but it was definitely expected.
"Great! You're awake. How are you feeling?" a nurse asked as she approached my bed.
"I'm okay," I replied groggily. "How long have I been out?"
"Over an hour but not too long. It's twelve now."
With some difficulty due to the pain from my injuries, I tried to sit up and talk, but the nurse insisted that I should just relax while she helped me sit up. Afterwards, she gently asked if it was okay for her to question me about my personal life for medical purposes causing me to become a little nervous. Noticing this, she promised that she would only ask about things on the surface unless I allowed her to dig deeper which calmed me down enough to agree. After all, I wanted to know what I was missing as well.
First off, she started off by asking for my name to check if I remembered my identity. Gilbert Nightray. I voiced what I believed and knew I was seeing while she responded with a cheerful "Correct." Next up, she pulled out several photos and instructed me to name the people in them from left to right. It was another simple task I fulfilled with ease. So then, what have I forgotten?
"That's right. Just a couple more questions," the nurse assured me kindly. "You don't have to say anything deep. Simply tell me who each person is to you."
She put aside all the pictures except for Reim's, so that I could start off with the last person I named. Honestly, we're not that close so I don't know him that well, but I did know that he is a hard-working person that I respected, that he is a good friend of Break's, and that he is the manager of the band "Edge of the Abyss". Nodding, she switched to Break's photo and recited the words, "What about this person?"
Break was someone I had mixed feelings about. He was a lot like Oz in the way that he liked teasing me and also different than him because he sometimes gives off an air of strong hostility around certain people and he isn't so self-sacrificial. However, in the end, I held him in high regard because he taught me about music and how to play both the piano and the guitar and he gave me good advice from time to time as well.
But wait, what were we talking about at those times though?
The nurse didn't comment on my lapse in memory as she switched to the next person: Elliot. Despite the way he acts around me, I truly care about Elliot and think of him as a brother even though we are not relared by blood, but to be honest, I don't like it when he flies into a rage. As I described Elliot to the nurse, she giggled a bit and pointed out that I was acting somewhat comical when I spoke about him. She believed that he must think of me as family too which I couldn't help but agree on. He may be sharp-tongued on the outside, but on the inside, I knew that he is a good person especially since he is the only person to truly accept Vincent and I into the family.
"Vincent? Is he your brother?"
"Yeah."
I smiled. Despite how attached he is to me, he is still my brother and is very important to me.
"I can see you're close. You sound happy," the nurse pointed out. "Now why don't you tell me about Leo Baskerville?"
Once again, like Reim, I didn't know Leo too well, but I did know that he is "Edge of the Abyss's" bassist, a friend of Elliot's, and his relationship with him is similar to the one I share with Oz. As always, there was a nod, the switching of photos, and a repeared question. This time, she asked about Echo.
Echo...
Out of all the people I knew little about, she would have to be the biggest question mark in my mind. Now more than ever. She is a fellow bodyguard and Vincent's acquaintance, I could remember that much, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was missing. Something that has to do with Oz...
A sharp pain jolted me back to reality as I broke away from my moment of silence. This worried the nurse as she asked if I was alright and if I needed any painkillers. I shook my head and urged her to continue. Hesitating, she took out Alice and Oz's photos, but decided not to say anything this time since I already knew what she was going to say. To me, these two people are the most important people to remember.
Alice...
She is...my childhood friend and rival. Alice, Oz, and I were always together, but there was a sense of hostility always radiating off of her towards her. But...why? I looked at Oz's photo for any chance of getting answers only to be hit by an even larger wave of pain to my heart and to my head. In response to the pain, I clenched one hand over my heart and placed the other hand over my head before grimacing as I informed her that he is my best friend and that I was well enough to go on.
Uneasily, she agreed and pulled out the remaining two photos of Oscar Vessalius and Ada Vessalius for me to talk about. By the time I finished telling her about what I knew about the two of them, the pain from trying to remember had subsided and she had finished getting all the concern in her eyes, she promised me that she'll get someone to send lunch in while she leaves to fetch the doctor.
Oz's POV
"What is the verdict?" Les immediarely questioned the moment Melissa left the room.
Frowning, she handed over the clipboard before turning to where Alice, Echo, and I were sitting to apologize in a tone loud enough for only the three of us to hear. Based on that, I knew something had gone wrong, so I started to grow anxious as a result. As she took her leave, Les assured everyone first and foremost that Gil was fine and that he would make a speedy recovery soon. After that, he asked Uncle Oscar and Vincent to leave while he speaks with the remaining three in privare. Vincent wasn't too pleased about this, but he followed the doctor's directions obediently anyway.
Once everyone has exited the room, Les quickly went straight to the point as he questioned us about whether or not Gil experienced something traumatic or stressful prior to the accident. Alice grew tense beside me as she shook her head vehemently. Echo mumbled a quiet "No" while staring blankly at the floor. Les and I could clearly see that they had something to hide, but neither of us commented on it. Instead, he allowed them to leave the room to wait with the others, but insisted that I stay here for a while longer.
"I apologize for being unprofessional, but I need to ask: What is the relationship between you and Gilbert Nightray? I swear on my job that won't speak of this to anyone else."
"We're best friends," I answered simply. "Did Gil-?"
"He experienced great pain when he tried to recall something concerning you, Alice Baskerville, and Echo. It seems he may have dissociative amnesia. You can also say that he has repressed memories."
Dammit Gil.
I knew what he had forgotten. Of all the things he could've lost, it ended up being those memories. In a strange manner, I started to laugh. If that's the case, then I'll...
"You should proceed with caution of you intend to help bring back his memories," Les cut in gravely. "There may be some things he'd prefer to keep forgotten."
Aware of the possible repercussions, I nodded and then sent Uncle Oscar a text saying that I would be staying with Gil for a little while longer, so they can go on ahead and get lunch. Meanwhile, Les looked over the notes one more time before taking his leave. My first plan of action is to have Gil remember through music. Closing the door behind me after slipping into the room, I approached Gil, who was lying back with his eyes closed, and began to sing his favorite song.
The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah
I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide
I'm quiet you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide
Don't stop here
I lost my place
I'm close behind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide
I didn't realize how absorbed I was into the song until I saw Gil's reaction. His back was arched forward as he clutched at his heart and flashed me a weak smile. Shit.
"Hey Oz. What's up?"
I didn't know what to say. He looked pitiful like that. And at that moment, things only began to fall farther.
The door flew open and Vincent appeared in time to see something he shouldn't have witnessed. In anger, he moved in front of Gil and glared as he spoke a single poisonous sentence.
"Stay away from my brother."
Dun dun dunnnnn! What will happen next? Will Gil regain his memories? What will Alice and Echo do? Stay tuned~ Just a little note, when Les is warning Oz about the danger of getting back Gil's memories, he is referring to a time when a comrade of his (in Crimson Shell) went into a deep sleep (not death) after the death of the person she loved. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Hope to see you guys in the next chapter!