TotalAlias: Hello everyone!
Smart Angel: Long time no see!
TotalAlias: But that's okay because we're back! We hope you enjoy this chapter because we personally adore it :D

If we owned Pandora Hearts, we would have killed Lily and not Fang! D:

-Chapter 3: Rendezvous-

"My, my! Raven's cakes are simply faaaaaaabulous~! No others can compare!"

"Will you shut up?" Raven asked, raising his head to look at the red-eyed man, who was just about to finish his… Wait. Were his eyes fooling him or were there really seven emptied plates of cake stacked on the table? "I don't want you to wake up Oz."

"Aww... Raven is no fun, right Emily?" Break asked the doll with a fake pout.

"No fun at all!" answered the puppet (at least, Raven thought it was a puppet...), causing Break to laugh.

"Break, please." A calm female voice said. Both men looked in that direction to see Sharon Rainsworth entering the room, closing the door very quietly behind her "We have no idea what Oz went through in the Abyss. His body and mind are very delicate at present. Let us make sure that he gets all the rest he needs."

Break blinked, before smiling. "But of course, Milady~! I shall speak very," and then he changed his tone to a whisper, "quietly from now on."

"Don't we wish it were true?" Raven said wistfully, shaking his head and returning his gaze to its original focal point: his beloved master, Oz Bezarius.

It had been almost two days since they'd returned together. It was hard to believe, but Raven had successfully visited the Abyss and returned, bringing with him his regained master. Since then he hadn't left the young boy's side. Right now, he was sitting at the edge of the bed where Oz lay covered by the raven's black coat. With gloved fingers passing through the golden locks every now and again; he was completely at a loss as to how he had ever lived without them.

"Soooo," Break started again, and Raven sighed. He knew full well that a few moments of peace with that man in the room was too much to ask for. "What are we going to tell Sleeping Beauty once Prince Raven kisses her and brings her back to the living?"

"WHAT?" Raven's face exploded into such a deep shade of red that there may or may not have been any blood left to circulate through the rest of his body.

"Shhh!" Emily said "You have to be quiet, Raven! Or you'll wake up the kid!"

"It's true." Break said, nodding his head in agreement, "Oz-kun needs to rest for his own health! Besides, it's rude to yell~"

"Very Bad~!" the doll agreed.

Okay Raven, just relax. Nothing good will come out of murdering Xerxes Break. Correction: The good things that will come out of murdering Xerxes Break are not worth the jail time.

"Raveeeeen~? Do you think you can make more cake for us? And teaaaa? I sure would hate to have nothing to greet the Young Master with once he wakes up! It's not proper etiquette to receive your guests without sweet treats, you know~!"

Maybe they were worth it after all…

"Young Master," Oz eyes slowly opened, but saw nothing. All was black.

"Young Master!" As his eyes adjusted, he made out a figure running towards him. But he didn't need to see to recognize that voice.

"Gil!" he called back to him. Gilbert advanced slowly, although he was running. But that didn't matter. Oz was so relieved; he had missed his best friend so much that it hurt! He called his name once again.

In a flash Gil was at his side, gold eyes flashing in the darkness, "Young Master." But this was not the boy Oz knew. His hands were cold and his voice was no longer innocent. Again he repeated himself as a feral grin made its way across his face. Suddenly Gil had many arms and they all wrapped themselves around him. Oz tried to struggle away, but was held firm in the vice-like grip. "Young Master," it chuckled, exposing a wide array of too-sharp teeth. Just when the arms had become like chains Oz couldn't fathom, but the real question was when his most precious friend had become this.

"Gil, stop," Oz pleaded. "Help me." But what a pointless plea it was. Of course Gil would not save him if Gil was his attacker.

"Young Master," it called again, its head reaching so close to Oz's that the blonde noble could see it's manic eyes.

There was no way out. But before he could mentally resign to his fate, the many limbs turned into a single pair of arms, cradling him. Shocked, Oz realized he had closed his eyes in fear, and opened them slowly to look up into an all new pair of golden eyes.

"Young Master," the raven-haired man smiled down at him as he held him close.

And then he disappeared. He left and returned in an instant. But now it was no longer dark. Darkness… When had it gone away? When had he reached the light? When had he left the cold, wet ground and arrived in this place? And where was Gil?

Someone was standing over him. His back was turned. He was tall, with a white shirt and wavy black hair. Wavy black hair. Gil. Oz reached forward, "Gil?"

But when the man turned around, it wasn't Gil. The eye color was the same, but Gil's eyes were soft and innocent. The eyes of this man were hardened and piercing, piercing though Oz's own.

Oz cowered at the intensity of the gaze and the man averted his as well. He turned away, taking the warmth of his black coat with him. "Break," he said, "he woke up."

"Ah, good morning, Oz-kun~."

It was morning? Then where…? "Morning…?"

"Well, it isn't really morning. Evening just set in, actually." This man, Oz had seen him before. He was with Sharon at his coming of age ceremony. And there was Sharon beside him. They were here? And where was he? How did they…?

But that didn't mean anything. The haziness fogging Oz's mind cleared quick as lighting and he was up and out of bed. He took a defensive stance, keeping the bed as a barrier between himself and the others. "Who are you? Who are you really? I won't be fooled."

But the white-haired man only laughed, "No need be so guarded, Oz-kun. You've returned to your world. Welcome back."

Returned? He didn't remember leaving the Abyss at all. But that explained why he was here, along with these people and that man from the Abyss. That man in black had said that those chains could only use memories, and Oz had never been here before, so it must be real then, right? So what happened? Did that man bring him back? Was he back in his own world?

"I am Xerxes Break, a servant of the Rainsworth dukedom." He gestured to the man who had slunk off into a corner, "You've already met Raven. And this little child is Emily." Break moved his finger to toy with his doll.

"Nice to meet you, kid!" the doll cackled at him. Oz didn't respond; he hadn't actually expected the doll to talk. And this Break character was suspicious. He had such an air about him, and yet he had a jovial tone and kept a doll on his shoulder. The blond glared at the man in question.

Break intercepted the look and sent back one of incredulousness, "What? This really is the world you departed from, Raven went in and got you. We're here to help." And then a smile spread across Break's face that could only be described as that of a creeper, "You can trust us."

"That's just the thing," Oz said, eyeing them suspiciously, then opening an equally distrustful smile. "I don't know if I can."

"Hm, well then, why don't you have a bite to eat while you make up your mind~? I'll bet you haven't eaten in ages."

Eating with them seemed pretty safe. Even if they weren't trustworthy, they wouldn't have retrieved him from the Abyss if they didn't want him safe, or at least alive. For now, that is. So he lightened up his attitude and moved around the bed to the table where they all sat down. If he didn't treat these people right, they wouldn't tell him anything. That wouldn't do; information was what he needed most. With information, he could come up with an escape plan and go back to his own estate.

Besides, he was starving.

"How are you liking that cake, Oz-kun?"

Oz nodded affirmatively, making unintelligible noises around his mouthful. "So," he said, after swallowing, "how did you manage to get me out?"

"Good question." Break began as he reached over and speared a rather large portion of Oz's cake onto his fork. "That was a bit of teamwork between Raven-over-there's chain and Milady's chain. They are both quite skilled at transporting people." Then he shoveled the cake into his mouth.

You ask how it tastes so you can take some for yourself! But Oz recovered from his tragic loss fairly quickly. The mention of chains made him a bit uneasy. "Chains? Like the ones in the Abyss?"

"Yes, except that these chains have contracts. When a human contracts with a chain, he receives the power to utilize the chain's abilities at will and for his own purposes. In exchange," Break explained, now digging his fork into Oz's tea, which he had been planning to drink, and then putting the utensil back into his own mouth "the chain is provided with passage into and a means of staying in this world."

"Okay, so why do you want to help me?"

At this, Break snuck a glance at Raven with a knowing smile, who pretended not to notice. He then looked back to Oz, "Oho! So many questions! Ah well, that's alright. Say, Oz-kun, how much do you know about the organization known as Pandora?"

"Only the name. They're involved in national security and preserving public order, right?"

"That's correct on the surface. But Pandora's real purpose is to research the Abyss and to apprehend illegal contractors."

"Illegal?"

"Yes, it is illegal to make contracts through any means other than the protocol implemented by Pandora. Chains are very dangerous, as you know, so it is best to stay under

Pandora's jurisdiction." Break finished up his statement simultaneously with his third slice of cake. "Anyhow, the three of us work for Pandora. And your survival and actual return from the Abyss is quite the accomplishment. We would like to hear all about it."

Feeling he had nothing to lose, Oz told them. He told them about the murky water, the darkness, the chains. And when he finished, Break was staring at him as if he had expected it all.

"Thank you very much, Oz-kun~! Now if you're all finished with your food you should get some sleep."

Sharon rose from her chair, "I'll show you upstairs, Oz-sama."

Raven followed quietly behind Oz as Sharon pointed out everything of importance in the house. He didn't have anything better to do and he wanted to stay as close to Oz as possible. They'd been apart for so long and Oz had only just returned. Raven never wanted to part from him ever again, even for such a trifling thing as this.

But he had to wonder how comfortable Oz would be with that. Some random old pervert following him around all the time, it would surely get annoying. No matter how much Raven wanted to make up for lost time, Oz didn't know that any time had been lost. Perhaps it was best if he didn't crowd him too much.

"...I mean, Raven did save me and all, but I don't know anything about you guys." The sound of his name brought the gold-eyed man back into the conversation, although he didn't join it.

He listened as Oz continued, "For all I know, it could only be because you need me alive for something. I don't know what you guys want me for. And Break has been nothing but cryptic and vague. You're hiding things from me, so I have no reason to trust any of you. Even you, Sharon-chan, sorry," Oz offered her a sheepish smile.

Sure, apologize to the pretty girl. That was so like him. The thought made Raven smile, but it didn't take away from the weight of the situation. Oz didn't trust them. Oz didn't trust him. Of course, that was expected. The boy had spent ten years in the Abyss, attacked by chains - one that looked like his best friend - only to be saved by what he thought was a complete stranger. And then he was brought to a house where his first greeting came from Xerxes Break. Those were not, Raven had to admit, very good reasons to trust anyone in this house. But he had at least hoped that... No, Oz was a smart kid. They really couldn't be trusted. Especially not Raven, not after what he'd done to Oz's family.

"Oz sama!" Sharon cried. Raven was pulled out of his thoughts just in time to catch his master before he hit the ground.

Oz opened his eyes. His head hurt. For a moment he had forgotten where he was and what happened, but then the memories began flooding back in. Sharon had been showing him the house. The last thing he remembered was the room spinning and the maroon color of the rug. And now he was lying in bed. She did say something earlier about his body and mind being in a fragile state since he had just returned from the Abyss, but… God, Oz didn't think he would end up fainting! That was assuming that he did, in fact, faint. And in front of Sharon-chan, to make it all worse!

He looked around, and saw himself in a new room. Finally deciding to sit up, Oz noticed a black coat over the blankets, as if they weren't enough to keep him warm. Black coat… So it was that Raven guy again, huh? Well, if this entire situation wasn't strange enough… It seemed that whenever something happened to him, Raven was right there to make sure he was okay.

Just like Gil…

Oz shook his head to clear it of the thought and looked around once more. He didn't even bother to hold back his smirk as he realized he was alone. Perfect. Now would be the perfect time to explore the house and discover which room offered the best escape route. He had meant to look during his tour, but he was with Sharon, and Raven had been stalking behind him the entire time.

Swinging onto his feet, Oz quickly ran towards the door. He looked left, then right, and the exploration began.

Open one door and see a closet. That wouldn't help him escape at all! Next door on his right was a bathroom… Okay, so there was progress, even if it still wasn't useful. The next door led, to Oz's amazement, to an actual room! But as he went to check the window, he found himself on the second floor… Yeah… If he wanted to escape in one piece, jumping from the second floor wouldn't do. He needed to find the stairs.

Once he had oh so stealthily made his way downstairs, Oz took his chances and opened the first door he saw. Well, it seemed for once luck was on his side, for it was a room. Looking over his shoulder to check if anyone was coming, he slipped silently into said room. It was big, to say the least. Large windows covering one of the walls, and the other three were covered with books and expansive paintings. By the coffee table there were two sofas and an out-of-use wardrobe, Oz suspected that it was used as a sitting room.

The blond boy walked around the perimeter, examining each part of the room with care. The window was close enough to the ground that he would be able to jump without getting hurt too badly, although this room seemed to be located in the front of the house, which didn't make for a great escape passage. If he wanted to run without being seen, it would be best if he slipped out through the back.

Sighing, Oz closed the window. Maybe it wasn't what he'd hoped, but at least it was an improvement, right? He now knew that this was the front of the house, and probably the right floor to make his escape. Now all he had to do was search for the right room and…

"Ohhh~! Don't make that face, Raven! You're scaring Emily~!" said a voice, coming from the hallway. Oz froze. Damn it…! He recognized that voice! If they caught him there trying to escape, who knows what would happen?

Biting his lip, Oz looked around for a place to hide. The wardrobe, he decided, would have to do for the time being. He didn't have Gil to guard his position, but he was sure that after hiding from Mrs. Kate and later all those… chains in the Abyss, he could manage to evade a questionably sane man and his doll.

As soon as he closed himself inside, the door opened, and he could hear two sets of footsteps come into the room. Break, he thought, was one of them. And the other was most likely Raven: the guy he was talking to, the one who had saved him.

"Come on, Raven! You know that we can't do things this way without Pandora getting suspicious." Break said, and Oz could almost picture him lounging on one of the sofas, fingers spinning the lollipop that was inside his mouth.

"I don't care, Break, we're not involving Oz in Pandora's business!" the man said, obviously angry.

"There you go again, over protecting the boy!" he sighed dramatically. "He managed in the Abyss for quite some time without you, don't you think he can handle a mission or two?"

Oz blinked. Missions? Was he going to become a member of Pandora?

Raven was silent for some time, and Oz couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. "I won't…" he said slowly "I won't let Oz get hurt again. I know he suffered a lot, and it is mostly my fault, but I'm not going to let anything bad happen to him."

"Do you really think he blames you for what happened all those years ago?" Break asked with curiosity.

"Even if he doesn't, it doesn't change the fact that it was my job to protect him no matter what, and I failed." Oz tried to lean forward, as much as he could without making much noise, so he could hear them better. Was he mistaken, or was Raven saying that he was going to protect Oz, no matter what? Why would he help a brat he only just met? Just like in the Abyss, it made no sense to him. Why was Raven so willing to risk his own life for Oz's safety?

And why… Why did Oz feel he could trust those words?

"This is the best way to protect him, don't you think?" the other man said "After all, Pandora may get suspicious as to why we brought him back from the Abyss. Involving him in missions and creating a fake motive would be our safest bet."

"I don't care what Pandora will think!" Raven raised his voice considerably. "I won't let Oz participate in those missions! They are too dangerous! He could get killed or sent back to the Abyss! I don't want him to suffer like that again!" There was a pause, and when it ended, Oz had to strain to hear his next words. "And if Pandora has a problem with that, I'm more than ready to take on all of them, for the safety of my master."

Break made one more statement as Raven's footsteps retreated from the room, "My, my~! You really are one loyal servant, aren't you?"

Oz was only faintly aware of Break's chuckle as he said, "What do you think about that, Oz kun?" And then he left the room as well.

Long past midnight, Raven stalked through the halls of the Rainsworth mansion. Sleep was out of the question; too much was on his mind. So much had happened all at once; he needed some time alone to get his head on straight. But one thing was bothering him more than others.

Oz…he doesn't trust me? He should know I won't hurt him, after that fight to save him from the chain. He even fought on my side and tried to defend me. Perhaps it was only self-preservation. Besides, he's already seen one impostor. And I don't even look like the Gil he remembers. Ironic, that the one you recognize is the one that's fake. And what does the original do in this situation? How does he prove himself? But if that was the point I would have told him already. I don't want him to know. I don't want him to be disappointed. I don't want him to know what I have become; I only want him to trust me.

What will it take to gain his trust?

Footsteps. Footsteps were crunching on the gravel outside. Swift and silent, Raven followed the noise out to the garden. He instinctively pointed his gun at the culprit, but upon the nearly instant recognition that followed, he felt more than foolish. "Oz?"

"Raven?" A smirk spread across Oz's face, "Oh, come on, Raven. Am I really that scary?"

Raven quickly lowered his gun, feeling sheepish. "You'd be surprised," he muttered.

That didn't make any sense, but Oz didn't dwell on it. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep. What are you doing?"

"I wanted to see the sunrise." Oz smiled, and, seemingly impossible as it may be, his smile lit up the night.

Raven couldn't help but smile sheepishly back at him, "Well you won't see it here. This garden faces South. I'll show you a better place to watch the sunrise."

The golden-eyed man led the way back into the house. Once they were back inside, he turned to Oz and put a finger to his lips, "Ssh."

Obviously. Everyone was asleep; of course Oz knew to be quiet. But now the gesture made him want to laugh. Great job, Raven, great job.

Oz resisted temptation and the pair slipped quietly through the house, making their way to the library on the third floor. Oz wondered how he could better see a sunrise in a library, but he didn't want to ask, lest he receive another "Ssh."

He found the answer to his question soon enough when they reached a corner of the library and the doors behind it that led out to a balcony. "Wow, I never would have known this was here." The balcony was small. It had limited walking space and was furnished with only a modest rocking love-seat. Compared to the grandeur of the rest of the estate, this balcony was surprisingly plain. But the quaintness of it was inviting all the same. So the two sat down and awaited the sunrise.

To lessen the awkwardness of the situation, the raven decided to strike up a conversation. "So, uh, how is it?"

Oz looked at the older man with an amused smile. What the hell was Raven talking about? How was what? Sitting next to him? Waiting for the sun to come up? "How is what?"

"You know, being…back?"

"Being back?" he blinked in surprise, the amusement gone. "It's, um…great, I guess. I don't know. I mean, I'm glad to be back, but I don't really know what's going on here. I don't know if I can trust these people, if I should be on my guard or not."

Raven could understand that. "Break is a little crazy, but he's fine, really. Quite frankly, I didn't start to trust him until years after we met. And Sharon's trustworthy too."

"It took years?" Oz laughed "That isn't very promising… But you know, it didn't take long for me to trust you."

"W-what?" Gil sputtered.

"I heard you talkin' about me," Oz's eyes sparkled with mischief as he danced around his words.

Okay, now this was a serious subject. What did Oz hear? Raven reviewed his previous conversation with Break. He didn't quite remember it word for word, he hoped Oz hadn't heard anything important. "When! What did I say?"

The blond leaned back against the seat, swinging his legs back and forth and enjoying the look on Raven's face "I think you said something about me being the coolest person you've ever met and I shouldn't be handed over to Pandora…Something like that."

Raven let out a relieved sigh, and then chuckled, "I see. So you're easily swayed by compliments?"

"Only when they're true… I just feel like I can trust you, you know? It's hard to explain but… I'm just following my gut feeling." Oz tapped his gut for emphasis.

The raven laughed again. He'd never laughed like this while Oz was gone. He was so happy. God, he'd missed him. He'd missed everything about him and now… he was right here, by side. He almost couldn't believe it.

Raven removed his hat and set it none too gently on Oz's head. Underneath the hat, he noticed that the boy's face had been dimly illuminated. "Looks like the sun's coming up."

"Yeah… Wow, it's amazing."

The black-haired man watched Oz' awestruck expression as the dark sky slowly lightened. It made sense that he would be so eager to see the sun come up. He had missed so many mornings, ten year's worth of mornings. Ten years worth of light. Even if he didn't know it. Oz had no idea just how much light he had missed out on. Maybe that was why this moment was so striking for him.

And Raven, Raven was just glad that now he too could watch the sunrise again. His own light had returned. And he wouldn't let it leave his side ever again "Oz…I should…I should tell you…"

But when he looked over, Oz was not listening attentively as he had hoped. Oz was sound asleep, leaning gently on his shoulder. And Raven couldn't help but smile as the sun made its slow ascent.

Smart Angel: We are so sorry it took us so long to write this chapter! But hey, it's long, okay? We hope everyone liked it! And thank you for all the reviews, since you were all so nice, Oz is going to live... At least for now. Please, review!

TotalAlias: For now? Angel chan! I thought you were over that D:

Oz: Hopefully by next chapter, they will be over threatening you guys for reviews. But they'd greatly appreciate your feedback! *cowers*

TotalAlias: Oh and by the way, if there's anything that wasn't resolved, or doesn't seem like it makes any sense, that's just because they won't be addressed until the next chapter. Don't let it bug you, we hope to write a lot faster next time ^^'