After chapter 77

Sitting alone in his prison, Oz stared blankly at the wall.

This body is not mine. Gil is not my servant. Ada is not my sister. I don't have a father or a mother. And Alice is gone. I can't believe I used to think I had it bad because my father didn't love me. I'd give anything to go back to a time when that was the worst thing wrong with my life.

Oz was still stuck in the middle of these depressing thoughts, when he suddenly felt a very aggressive boot stomp on his head.

Lottie turned around at Oz's exclamation, but all she could see was his head in a rather odd position. "What's wrong with you?" she said.

"Oh, nothing much. I may have finally lost my mind, though." Oz replied cheerfully. Lottie gave him a quick once-over before stating, "Well, it was bound to happen eventually."

Elliot exclaimed, "What does she mean it was bound to happen eventually?! Like hell a Vessalius would lose his mind so easily."

Oz gave his hallucination a wary glance, "I suppose, being dead and all, you haven't heard the news. I'm not a Vessalius. I'm a bunny doll."

With widened eyes and a slacked jaw, Elliot said, "I'm sorry, what?" Even though this guy couldn't possibly be anything more than a hallucination, Oz found mild comfort in his familiarly loud and straight forward attitude. "I don't think I heard you right, Oz. You are not a bunny doll."

"I was."

"Argh. You're confusing me. Spit out your story, but make it quick." I can't believe I almost forgot this annoying side of him.

Slightly irritated, Oz said, "Fine. But no interupptions."

Elliot eloquently replied, " Cheh"

"First off, Jack is evil. He's the one who caused the Tragedy of Sabier, not Glen. Next, this isn't my body, it's Jack's. The abyss de-aged him and sent him a hundred years into the future. I'm a chain. The B-Rabbit to be exact. Originally, I was merely a stuffed bunny." Oz could tell he was starting to lose him. "Leo is actually the new host of Glen. He ordered Gilbert, Glen's servant, to shoot me, but Jack made me impale him first, so I guess we're sort of even."

"YOU IMPALED MY SERVANT!"

Oz raised his voice similarly, "DID YOU MISS THE PART WHERE I SAID I WAS SHOT?!"

Lottie put in her two cents, "Shut up in there. You're insane just like the rest of us, so don't think you'll be getting any special treatment. If we don't get to yell at empty air, neither do you."

"Sorry, Lottie." Oz said a little sheepishly. Something about the guard's face triggered Elliot's memory.

"That's the girl who tried to kill your sister." Elliot pointed out.

"No kidding" Oz replied with the slightest hint of sarcasm. Elliot stomped on his head again.

"I'm still a noble from the Nightray house. Bunny rabbits shouldn't get so uppity with nobles."

Nearly crying, Oz said, "I hope me being a stuffed rabbit isn't the only thing you gleaned from that."

"Your story is confusing. Why would Leo have you shot?"

"He's being controlled by Glen, and I'm being controlled by Jack", Oz repeated. Elliot calmed down.

"Kind of like me and the headhunter?"

It surprised Oz that Elliot knew about that. Even more so that he could speak of it so casually. But then again, he wasn't real."Yeah. Kind of like that. Are you, by any chance, suggesting I should kill myself?"

"Like hell I am. That heroic sacrifice thing was a one time deal. I'm never doing it again... Don't say anything."

So he does know it's actually impossible to heroically sacrifice your life twice... Probably

"There's something about your story I don't buy."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I can't believe Gilbert would shoot you. You being a child's toy is way more believable than that." Elliot waited for Oz's answer, while Oz looked up at him sadly. Finally, Elliot snapped and pulled him roughly to his feet. "Enough of this moping, Vessalius. Feeling sorry for yourself never fixes anything! So what if that body didn't belong to you at first?! I say, you've earned it! So what if you used to be a doll? That just makes your answer to the question, "How were you born?" a hundred times more interesting than anyone else's. And so what if Gilbert had a master before you? You're the one who has been by his side until now. You are his master, Oz!"

"Elliot, even if I believe all that, Jack can still possess at any time and turn me into an enemy... He made me hurt Leo, Elliot."

"If the problem is Jack, than kick his ass! That body is yours and he's not welcome in it. If you can't stop him from taking control, if you really think you're a threat to your friends, if you really think you're better off dead, than end your life right now, coward!"

The hopelessness in Oz's eyes seemed to grow more pronounced before he replied, "Why go through the effort of killing myself, when everyone here is so willing to do it for me?" Elliot felt his anger rise even further. He shook Oz by the shirt, and yelled, "Are you really alright with someone else's hands being stained with your blood? Is it really okay to force my brothers or my servant to murder you? They will have to live with that pain for the rest of their lives, because you wanted to conserve energy! You are better than this, Vessalius!"

Lottie looked on curiously from her post, "It's like watching a one man play."

Oz gently detached himself from Elliot's grasp, "I'm glad you're back to calling me Vessalius. It was strange when you called me Oz."

"Only friends can be so familiar as to call each other by their first names, but I'm not friends with cowards."

The ghost of a smile spread across Oz's face, like the image of a corroded statue, "Ouch."

"Oz, who are you talking to?" The voice was unmistakeably Gilbert's. A moment later, Vincent and Gilbert walked into the room.

Elliot started in on them instantly, "GILBERT! HOW DARE YOU SHOOT YOUR MASTER AND THEN LEAVE HIM IN THIS PATHETIC STATE?! I OUGHTA COME OVER THERE AND KICK YOUR ASS!" Elliot moved forward to do exactly that, but found himself hindered by the bars. Which was strange, because ghosts and hallucinations shouldn't have any problem coming out of a cage.

Maybe he can't leave my side? Oz thought to himself. Watching Elliot rant and rave at the bars while trying, unsuccessfully, to kick them down, distracted Oz enough that he didn't really acknowledge the presence of Vince and Gilbert until Vincent cleared his throat.

"Oz? Gilbert came down here because he was worried about you and-"

Elliot drowned out his words with, "Get down on your knees and beg for Oz's forgiveness!"

Oz muttered under his breath, "He doesn't need to go that far." Vincent heard this and said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Lottie said, before Oz could say anything, "Oh, you guys wouldn't know, but Oz has been having a fight with the air for sometime now, and the air is totally kicking his ass!" She giggled with glee, "You guys should go bring us some popcorn, then we can all eat it while we watch."

Glaring at Lottie, Oz said, "Gee, Lottie. Thanks for making me sound like a total mental case."

She looked at him incredulously, "You mean you're not?"

Elliot copied her look and tone, "You mean you're not?"

"You know you're really starting to piss me off", Oz growled. Lottie looked offended, but Oz quickly added, "No, not you. The guy you can't see."

Vincent looked at his brother with concerned eyes, before asking, "What's he like Oz?"

"Well, he's better than the evil, manipulative bastard who can possess me at any second. But that's not saying much. He's loud, abrasive, violent, dimwitted-" The boot found it's place back on Oz's head.

"Who are you calling dimwitted?"

"Alright, I take it back.. get your boot off of me!" Elliot's grin held traces of sadism, "I don't know. I think my boot has grown accustomed to its place on your head. Maybe I'll just let it make its home there and call it a day." Elliot suddenly stopped smiling and said, "Something's wrong." He looked at all the people present until his eyes rested on Gilbert. "Gilbert hasn't said a word since he came here."

Oz had noticed this as well, "If he doesn't want to say anything, he doesn't have to." Elliot ground his head down to the floor.

"If you're really his master, than you should know that a master protects his servants. That is the duty of the master! So get with the comforting, or whatever it is you do when he's like this."

"Damn it, Elliot, I'm not his master! I never was!" Elliot released Oz's head a little.

"Look at him! Look at him, and try to tell me that you aren't his master!" Oz lifted his head and looked. Gilbert's eyes were empty. The guy was practically catatonic.

"Did he look like that when he was with you? Do you really think Glen, or Leo, or whoever, is doing their duty when their servant looks like that?!"

"I'm the reason he looks like that!"

"Than you apologize! Apologize to him and say, 'I'm sorry I didn't protect you. If I had done my duty as your master properly, you wouldn't be looking at me with those kind of eyes' If you can't even say that much, than you don't even deserve to be his master. A real master doesn't abandon his servant until he's dead. And you- Oz Vessalius of the Toy Maker Factory- Are. Not. Dead. Yet!" Why do you keep bringing that up!

Elliot got off his of Oz's head, but Oz stayed on the ground. "I'm sorry... Gilbert." It seemed like Gilbert actually looked up at these words. "I'm sorry I wasn't by your side for ten years. I'm sorry I've made you go through so much sadness. I haven't been a very good master to you. Maybe you've decided that Glen has always been your master, but... it's still real to me. And that's why... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Ah, I think he's sulking now. You made my brother sulk." Elliot said, easily.

"It's not my fault Gilbert sulks. It's an essential part of his gloomy personality." Oz replied. Gilbert grew significantly gloomier.

"You know, Oz, Leo might end up being a better master than you", Elliot added nonchalantly. Oz jumped up in anger.

"You're annoying. Go haunt someone else!"

"Oh? Lookin for a fight pipsqueak? Bring it on!" Oz pulled back to punch him, but just as his fist was about to connect, Elliot dodged. Oz's hand hit the metal bars with a crunch.

"OW! Why did you dodge?"

"What? You expected me to stand still and let you hit me?" Elliot said with his familiar smugness. Oz shook his hand gingerly.

"... I'm not talking to you anymore."

Vincent finally spoke up, "So, Oz, know that the play is over, do you think you can help me calm Gil down? Please?" Arms wrapped tightly around Gilbert's torso, Vincent was doing his best to keep his brother from bursting into the prison cell. "This is why I told him coming here was a bad idea. Although, you going insane didn't help."

"I don't want to hear that from the guy who hacks up dolls." Oz retorted.

Gilbert's rant went like this, "A MASTER'S JOB IS TO PROTECT HIS SERVANT? YOU WENT AND DECIDED THAT ON YOUR OWN! I PROMISED I WOULD ALWAYS BE BY YOUR SIDE. I PROMISED I WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU! DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS IN THE WRONG HERE, OZ!"

Oz watched him for a while, before turning to Elliot and saying, "Personally, I find it shocking that you two are related. Just shocking."

"Shut up" Elliot said. Lottie offered to knock Gilbert out, but Vincent glared at her, before knocking his brother out himself.

Before leaving, Vincent turned to Oz, and said, "You're a good master, Oz Vessalius"

"And you're a good brother. Please continue to stay by his side after I'm gone"

Vincent paused by the door. "Was what you said just a lie, then? Do you really plan to let him go through the sadness of letting you die?"

"I don't see how I have a choice. But then, there's this impossible guy in my cell who wants me to try kicking Jack out of my body. Literally."

Vincent smiled, "My brother would say something like that. Maybe he came back from the dead just to knock some sense into you. Good luck, Oz" With that, he left the room, but not before knocking his brother's head into the doorframe.

Elliot sighed. "Jeez, I was starting to think those two would never leave."

"You're the thing that won't leave!" Oz spat. They were both interrupted by a loud crunching noise. Lottie had managed to get her hands on some popcorn.

"Don't let me interrupt", she said. "You guys just keep going."

Elliot sighed, "All my motivation's gone. I don't feel like riling you up so she can get some cheap entertainment".

"Thank you" Oz said.

A few minutes passed with only the sound of popcorn being chewed permeating the silence. Both boys grew steadily more annoyed, until Elliot shouted, "Shut up! Stop chewing your stupid popcorn already! It's pissing me off!"

"She can't hear you." said Oz.

"Don't you think I know that?"

"So then, why are you shouting?"

"I was waiting for you to do it, but you took too long. I can't stay silent with that infernal witch stuffing her gourd every five seconds!"

"I don't think you can stay silent for five seconds."

"Can you blame me? It's so gloomy in here!"

"It's a prison cell. What did you expect? Puppies? Rainbows? Holy Knight novels? Sorry to disappoint, but most exciting, happy things don't happen in a prison cell!"

"Is your friend bored or something?" Lottie asked sympathetically. Both Elliot and Oz were surprised by this. "It's just... I know being down here can get boring." They are still stunned. "If it helps, I think I hear footsteps." Almost immediately after she stopped speaking, Leo walked into the room.

"My, I've been getting a lot of visitors today. Who would have guessed I was so popular?" Oz snarked.

Elliot practically flew at the bars, "Leo! Can you see me? I'm right here. I'm right in front of you." Elliot's enthusiasm seemed to wind down as it became clear that, despite Leo's eyes, he couldn't see Elliot. "I never abandoned you... Leo. Are you still.."

This whole situation was wrong. It's not that Oz wasn't a tad bit grateful for Elliot's presence, imagined or not, but Leo should be able to see him too. He had more of a right to see Elliot than Oz did, anyway.

"Oz, can you really see Elliot, or is this some trick?" Leo asked. The coldness in his voice shook Elliot.

Oz smiled. "That really depends on who I'm speaking to. So, who are you?"

"I am Glen Baskerville."

"Well, Glen Baskerville, I'm not obligated to answer any of your questions. If you want answers, let me talk to Leo." Glen glared at Oz. Oz defiantly refused to break his gaze. Finally, Glen said, "I am Glen. And I am Leo. The situation is a little different from yours."

"Maybe so. Ask your questions."

Leo seemed to hesitate before asking, in a softer tone, "Can you really see Elliot?"

"Yeah, he greeted me by stomping his boot on my head"

Leo laughed, "That sounds like him. Why did he come to visit?" The you was left unspoken, but Oz still heard it.

"It's not like I had a choice" Elliot complained.

"It's not like I had a choice" Oz repeated. His attempt at copying Elliot's tone and facial expression just ended up making Elliot look petulant. This earned Oz a rather potent glare.

"So, what, he just popped up out of nowhere?" Leo asked.

"Basically, yeah." Oz replied.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." Elliot complained.

"Is he talking to you now?"

"He never shuts up" Oz said.

"Has he said anything about me?"

Oz hesitated for a second. "He wishes you could see him"

"All these years I've known him... and we finally have something in common." Leo turned to leave but Oz had one last thing to say.

"Leo! No matter how this turns out. Even if you kill me yourself, I'm still going to consider you my friend." After hearing that, Leo left without another word. Oz turned to see Elliot still doing crunches on the ceiling.

"I had no idea you were such an easy going guy, Elliot."

"I'm not" Elliot replied, annoyed. "If I can touch you, and those bars, then I'm willing to bet I can touch Leo, those Pandora agents, and whatever other bastard tries to take you away. I'm not going to let you die. Oz!"

Tears welled up until it was all Oz could do to keep them from overflowing. With a small smile, he said, "Yeah... Suddenly, I feel like living... just a little bit.. longer."