When the Clock's Hands strike ( Pandora Hearts Fanfiction ) > MAJOR EDIT <

Sequel ; The Pain of the Abyss [ Part 1.0 ]

" ... ... ... " 

" No doubt your still rather strong since you seem to be able to intercept my sword, " Break laughed as Abyss threw down the coat pole and the metalic clang which resonated through the entire room seemed to break the tensed silence hanging in the air. 

" Don't attack me like that again, " Abyss hissed and Break managed a chuckle despite being in a situation where one had their head stepped on so hard that their heads should be long gone under 15 feet of rubble and soil, Oz couldn't help but admire Break's ' strong ' determination ' on how he handled things, he wasn't too surprised at Alice fierce comeback either though. Who wouldn't retaliate if you barely stepped out of your room to have someone slash at you when you're just half awake, not to add the fact that your eyes are covered. But Abyss had looked amazing, grabbing the coat pole and swinging it around in a swift arc, knocking Break's feet under him before gripping one end of the sword, flipping it in mid-air and catching it smoothly by the handle before stepping on Break's head to wrap the whole thing up. Other than himself, Oz doubted anyone had rushed over quick enough to grasp the whole situation clearly. 

Abyss lifted her foot slowly off Break's head and the edge of her lips turned into a slight scowl as Break stood up to brush dust off his clothes. This just had to be the first time he'd seen Break being brought down by a person, a girl, so easily but hey, this girl was the Will of the Abyss, like anyone could actually defeat her without returning with major injuries or a half-rotten corpse, courtesy of Abyss with perhaps a few blue roses and a card. Honestly, that'd be nice.

" Seriously you old clown, don't make such a fuss in the morning, " Alice yawned and kicked Oz in the leg, causing him to trip over them and collide into Gilbert who was dragging his feet in the hall. 

" Abyss ? Are you feeling better now ? " Oz asked as he struggled to get up [ especially not helping that Alice ran off and tied weights to his hands and feet ] but when someone from behind firmly grabbed his shoulders and lifted him up, he finally noticed the door that Abyss had been put in was firmly shut and Abyss was gone, she'd locked herself up again. 

" I was just welcoming her, I didn't expect such a great reaction, " Break shrugged and swung his cane which had turned back from a sword as he accompanied Sharon downstairs to have some tea and cake. Alice went back to her room and kicked some random other room's door so hard it broke and fell off its hinges, maybe he should seriously consider giving her lessons about learning to not wreck the place that much. Who knew that Break and Sharon would take today out of all days to visit and now since they've seen Abyss, Break's definitely not leaving so he could only guess Sharon was staying as well. Rooms had already been prepared so that wasn't a problem but just when Oz thought he could keep the matter just between them, Gilbert and Alice burst in through the doors, huffing madly as they stared at Abyss and Vincent for what felt like eternity. 

To think about it, he hadn't actually seen Vincent the whole morning or at least, he hadn't made an appearance even when Abyss was fending Break off. That could be counted as rather weird since Oz had always thought for Vincent to be the first person rushing over if he knew Abyss was in trouble, he didn't know why, it was just this new aura which literarlly screamed ' protect ' in your face, he wasn't kidding. How much Vincent had changed, he couldn't tell yet but so far, Oz felt he still looked like he was hiding something. But what ? Just what secret was he hiding ? Was it done to protect them or was it just to keep them in the dark ? 

Oz waited until everyone had left and stepped in front of the door, the very same door Abyss had disappeared past. Couldn't there be a possibility that she was not inside ? Or maybe she died or maybe the Abyss they just saw could be a fake ? It couldn't be true, his imagination was just going wild for a moment there, he'll return afterwards ... maybe.