Chapter 1

Alice crouched in the branches of a tree, ignoring the urge to stretch the stiffness out of her legs. From the way the leaves were shaped like hands, she guessed she hid in a palm tree. She was not certain, but seeing as how this crazy place worked, she was fairly confident. However, it was not the tree that concerned her at the moment. It was the forest floor below her.

Darkness scuttled to and fro, leaping from bush to bush and slinking behind overly large flowers and tree stumps. From its movements alone, one could already tell that this was not natural. But when it converged into several blobs in formation on a grassy patch, one knew that it was out of this world. Well, maybe it being 'out of this world' was not so obvious here... it was Wonderland after all. But that was beside the point. The shapes grew into tiny bodies, yellow eyes emerging from their newly formed heads to take in their surroundings.

Shadows, Alice's mind put a name to them. It was such a simple way to identify the creatures that were now hunched into a group together. They waved their antennae at each other and made noises similar to wind rustling through trees late at night and gurgling swamps. A form of communication, perhaps, and they were going about it with excitement.

Dread gripped at her chest suddenly as a million questions raced through her mind. Had they found something? If so, what was it? Had they discovered her hiding place? Or something more important? What if she did not make it this time? Was she moments away from losing her heart forever?

Alice closed her eyes. She let her fears have free reign of her emotions, letting her heart beat rapidly and her hands tremble slightly. But she only let this happen for a few seconds before she clamped down on the feeling, locking it up in a cage and shoving it somewhere in the back of her mind. All was at rest within her once more. Taking a deep breath, she whispered one word.

"Okay."

A soft thump sound behind them made the Heartless turn their heads. Alice had landed there, kneeling on one knee. The teenage girl had one hand on the ground, bracing herself against the leap she had just taken. The other hand, poised behind her back, wielded a halberd. Pale blond bangs, slightly askew, shielded her eyes, but her lips were set in a grim frown. Her clothes, a light blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans, were tattered and dirty. The Shadows looked at each other, eyes wider than normal and making more sounds. Then all at once, they pounced.

Not hesitating for a moment, Alice rose, swinging her weapon out in front of her in a heavy arch. It sliced through their front line easily, dissipating the first few like wisps of dark clouds. Her swing completed, she looped her halberd back over her head and, gripping it with both hands, swiftly brought it slicing down in front of her. The closest Heartless was not the luckiest, and the blade went cleanly down its middle to hit the ground beneath it. There was nothing of the creature left as Alice raised the halberd once more, resting the non-bladed end at her feet. A stray thought went through the girl's mind, glad at the fact these were creatures of magic. There was no mess once they died, no blood. They were just gone.

A brave Shadow had leapt to the front and was clinging to the bottom of Alice's weapon. She smiled at its foolishness before bringing that end of the halberd up over her head, the Heartless coming with it, and slamming it into the nearest tree. A gurgle of a squeal was the only sound it made before it, like its comrades, was gone in a puff of coal black smoke. Without pause, she jabbed down the spiked-tip of the halberd into another one.

It was at this moment the blonde realized she had been focusing on one at a time too much and not the whole group. She had taken out a fair amount of their numbers, but still many remained. And they were closing in on her slowly from all sides.

Oh bother, they're just making this all too easy, she chided them inwardly. Closing her eyes, she swept her free hand before her and threw it up above her head. A giant sphere of gushing wind enveloped her, whipping her hair about wildly, but otherwise leaving her untouched. It was the Heartless surrounding her that paid the price, and the spell advance outward wildly, tearing them apart and tossing them like flimsy bits of scrap.

When Alice opened her crystalline blue eyes once more, she was alone. All the Heartless had been destroyed and those who had not, had fled. Gripping the long handle of her halberd more tightly, she let out a soft sigh.

They were getting closer, there was no denying that. Every day, they were sighted nearer to the safe zone, the place where the people she protected hid. It had only been a small group today, and they had not found anything... at least, she hoped they had not. But Alice knew the day was fast approaching where instead of just a few, there would be an army, coming to wipe out the last remains of hope on this sorry planet. She would have to be ready.

Alice looked up, shielding her eyes against the light of the setting sun. It was dimmer and less colorful than the day before. Definitely a sign that Wonderland was beginning to die. As she seated herself on a rock, she had to question - not for the first time - why she had been brought back to this strange land. Why was it all happening again? Why, after almost two years of having magically forgotten the war against the Heartless and peaceful ignorance, were these memories being forced on her once more?

And it had been painful too. All the places she had seen, the people she had met, everything that had happened, all crammed into her brain once more in the space of mere moments. She had decided at that time that the human brain was not meant to remember so much at once. But remember she did, as she was tossed into the chaos Wonderland had become. And with it all came, came the memory that she, Alice, was a Princess of Heart.

Now that meant more than just a title. And it did not just mean she was some key in human form to be jammed into a keyhole of darkness. It meant she was pure of heart. And against beings that lacked a heart, pure or otherwise, she had power. And Alice had never been a girl to let such things go to waste, especially since she had changed in the time since she had last been here. She was older, more mature... and a little less polite, even though she still said 'please' and 'thank you.' Whether it was the general flows of time that had changed her or the adventures in Wonderland and beyond that all but her subconscious had forgotten, she could not say. All that she was certain of when she found herself looking at fuzzy little mome raths beneath a sign that said "That Way" was that this time would be different. She would not get lost, she would not let herself get pushed around by the madness, and she would most assuredly not cry.

Alice absentmindedly started rubbing her thumb along the smooth surface of the blade of her halberd. The handle in itself was taller than she was, with the blade very much resembling that of an axe. At the very top was a long spike, with which not moments before she had stabbed the Shadow with. Alice had not had a hard time coming by this weapon and she had the Queen of Hearts to thank for it. It seemed the old tyrant was just as crabby as ever, even more so with the Heartless popping up once more. She had been accusing everyone and everything left and right of grand theft cardiac, ordering the immediate removal of their heads.

It was during a poorly planned rescue of a wrongly accused victim that she had received her weapon. Well, more like took by force. It had been the blade of the executioner, a silent, angry looking three of spades. She still did not quite know how she had wrestled the halberd free of the card, but that did not matter. The executioner was spineless - literally, cards do not have spines. Facing the pointed end of the halberd unarmed was as good excuse as any for the spade to turn and run.

And thus Alice had continued on for the past few weeks, rescuing the innocent from "Her Benevolent Majesty" and destroying whatever Heartless she had run into. She still did not know exactly what she was doing with her weapon, but she got by. Whatever she was doing had to be working, she had not lost her heart yet. Plus, she had seemed to develop some minor magical abilities. They were sketchy at best and did not always do what she wanted. Such as the wind she had summoned before. She had had no idea that was going to happen or even if it was going to happen. She had just had confidence and hoped that she would do more than make an idiot of herself, what with throwing her hand up in the air and leaving herself physically defenseless. But if it worked, it worked. She was no Keyblade Master, but for this planet, she would have to do.

Speaking of which, where was the Almighty Master of the Key? It seemed that he should have shown up by now. Wherever darkness and the Heartless came scuttling, he was not supposed to be too far behind. And yet, it seemed that he had left this place to its extermination. Maybe Wonderland was such a small, insignificant speck in the universe that he could not waste his time on it now. Maybe...

"Why so glum, chum?" came a lilting voice from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

Alice rolled her eyes. "What do you want, cat?"

Four paw prints appeared in the dirt behind her, walking along the forest path with no apparent owner. They marched along right up to her back, and then split to walk around her, two going to her left, the other two to the right. All the while, an incessant humming filled the air, echoing around the blonde and coming from no direction in particular. The prints on the ground came to a stop before a tree, then a purple blur leapt from their spot to a branch. When Alice looked up, a feline with purple and pink striped fur leisurely sat there. A grin that threatened to tear its face in two shown brightly down at her.

"Cheshire cat," he corrected, though did not at all seem offended.

She narrowed her eyes. "I know perfectly well who you are. Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? Now that's a good question," he responded thoughtfully. "But then one must ask why any of us are here? Do we have some purpose, or are we meant to wonder aimlessly through life, causing one cat-astrophe after another?"

"I don't have time for this," Alice snapped, turning from the Cheshire Cat to leave. It only surprised her a little to find him now lying in another tree before her as if he had been there all along.

The cat said with the same laughing voice, "Of course you have time, we all have time. Otherwise, we would just stop moving all together now, wouldn't we?"

Alice grimaced. She knew she should ignore him and keep walking, but the Cheshire Cat was a very hard being to ignore. "This is pointless, you know that? Haven't you noticed all the Heartless around lately? And the Queen going crazy? Well... crazier than usual, that is... if that's possible. I mean, you'd think you'd stop sitting around, spouting riddles all day and lend me a hand."

"I'll be glad to," he stated simply. Alice felt her grip close around something furry. Raising her hand, she discovered a small, purple paw resting in it now. She looked up at the Cheshire Cat, who waved a happy little stump of an arm at her. The claws on the paws flexed with the movement as if still attached.

"This is not what I had in mind," the girl muttered.

"Of course you don't have it in your mind, it's in your hand," the feline supplied simply with a snort. The paw vanished in a puff of pink smoke and returned to its owner.

Bringing her fingers to her forehead, Alice shook her head in agitation. After having to deal with this pest for so long, she thought she would have learned by now to watch what she said around him. But no, she found herself time and again falling for his little pranks, and frankly, it was getting more annoying each time. She almost wished that the Queen would chop off his head. However, that would do little good, as the cat removed its own head from its body on a daily basis, and seemed to get some sort of sick joy out of it.

"You may like to know that you're going to be taking a trip soon," the purple cat's voice broke through Alice's thoughts once more.

She paused for a moment to think on that. While the Cheshire Cat was mad and could be extremely vexing, he had his moments where he actually said something useful. It was at these times you had to tread carefully, otherwise whatever he had to say would be gone before you could get it. Okay, Alice old girl, think like the cat, she told herself. "A trip you say? What, am I going to fall flat on my face sometime soon?"

"Not that kind of trip, silly! You're going on a journey somewhere."

"Where?"

The cat's grin widened more, showing more teeth than any one mouth could possibly hold. With a shrug, he answered, "Nowhere."

Blast it, I've already messed up, her mind grumbled. She raised a blonde eyebrow and asked, "Is that so?"

"Is what so?" the Cheshire cat voiced blandly, seeming to have lost interest in the conversation. He now seemed more absorbed in picking in between his many teeth with the tip of his tongue.

"What you just said."

He stopped at this, his eyes lighting up when they looked at her now. "Oh, what'd I say? I do so love to hear myself talk!"

Well, that's not too hard to believe, Alice mused. Out loud, she replied, "Well, as far as I understood, you told me I wasn't going anywhere."

The cat contemplated her words with an uncharacteristic frown on his snout. Somehow, he still seemed to look amused during this. He returned his gaze to her, the creepy crescent smile back. "No, I don't believe I said that."

Placing her hands on her hips, the teenager scowled up at him. "You did, that's exactly what you said."

"Those exact words exactly? Are you sure your exactness is exact?" The Cheshire Cat crooned.

Alice opened her mouth to respond, then clamped down on whatever she was about to say. This was getting no where. Gripping the shaft of her halberd tightly, she walked past the tree that contained the striped feline, hoping that the stupid thing would find someone else to torment.

"Be careful," his eerily cheerful voice came trailing behind her. "Or you may lose your heart to one who lacks." Alice halted at this, turning so quickly that her blonde hair flared out around her with the movement. The cat was gone, not so much as an echoing hum or glowing smile left of him.

An unhappy line creased Alice's lips. What was that supposed to mean? Lose my heart to one who lacks...? Meaning... a Heartless? Am I going to die?

"Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!" Came a shrill cry from beyond the trees. Putting her troubled thoughts to the side, the Princess of Heart turned to face where it had originated from. She knew perfectly well who it was, no one else in Wonderland held that much panic in his voice, especially when it had to do with being late.

A short, woodland creature in a tailored suit came bounding out of the brush to skid to a halt before her. With its long ears, buck teeth, fluff-ball tail, and fur the color of snow, he was appropriately named the White Rabbit. He had actually had been the first one Alice had saved from the chopping block. He had been one of the Queen's most loyal servants. However, it only seemed naturally logical to her Majesty that the only reason anyone would be so close to her was so they could attempt to snatch away her heart.

"So, Mr. White Rabbit, is there a reason you're dashing about the woods, calling my name, and making a general ruckus, attracting the attention of probably every Heartless within a two mile radius?" Alice asked calmly, looking down at the new arrival. He only came up to the height of her waist, and that included his long ears.

The White Rabbit threw himself at the ground, bowing and trembling slightly. "Oh my fur and whiskers, you're right! Forgive me, Alice, for being such a burden, even though I know I don't deserve it!"

The teenager blushed slightly as she said, "Please, you've really got to stop doing that. Go on now, get up on your feet." She had not saved his or any of the rest's lives just so she could be worshipped. She had just seen something that was terribly wrong and had had to do something about it. Besides, she was not doing all that great of a job anyway. She felt she hardly deserved thanks, much less to be bowed to. Once the rabbit was back on his large feet, she kneeled down to be eye level with him and asked more gently, "Now, what's the problem?"

He started nervously tugging at his whiskers as he responded in a nasally voice, "Well... it's just that you've been gone since yesterday. Everyone was beginning to get worried. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum started reciting a story that rhymed about how the Queen had captured you. The Dodo was trying to rally a rescue mission together, but so far he's only convinced the Mackerel. And you don't even want to know what the Mad Hatter was suggesting..."

"I imagine I wouldn't," Alice agreed with a small smile. Well, this should not have been unexpected. Leave crazy people together, you will get less than logical results. She was amazed that it had not turned out worse. "Well, I guess I should make an appearance and put their minds at ease, wouldn't you agree?" At his nod, she added, "Then go on ahead, I'll catch up."

As the last word was still leaving her lips, the White Rabbit was off. He scurried away quickly, making a lot of noise in his retreat. Shaking her head, Alice smirked, At least he's not shouting his head off anymore.

Before she followed, she turned to look at the branch the Cheshire Cat had occupied not long before. It still remained empty. She humphed and grumbled, "Losing my heart and going somewhere that's nowhere, indeed! Such nonsense."

A rustling in the tree above her caught the blonde's attention. The cat again? No, he was more subtle, not one to draw attention to himself that way. Alice braced her halberd before her. She bent her knees, ready to spring away at a moments notice.

A moment was not fast enough. A black form vaulted itself upon her from above with lightning speed. She hit the ground hard, her weapon flying from her hand and toppling out of reach. The girl winced in minor pain at first, then looked up at her attacker. It was a Heartless. It actually resembled the Shadow in many ways, with its jet black body and its yellow eyes with a sickly glow. However, it was bigger, more muscular, and its antennae were longer, bending behind the creature like ears and with a jagged look to them.

She attempted to kick the Heartless off of her, but it was much stronger than its small allies. Raising a clawed hand above her chest, it began to glow. She knew its target, and she struggled harder, but in vain. Its vice-like grip only crushed harder on her arm while its free hand got closer to her heart. Her mind desperately grasped out for any form of magic that she could lash out at it with, but nothing came. She thought about calling for help, but knew it would do her little good. She closed her eyes and waited for darkness to claim her.

It never did. A loud thump could be heard, then the weight on her chest vanished. She allowed herself to crack open an eyelid. There before her, a figure in a black, flaring coat was leaping and flipping around the Heartless that had attacked her. The poor creature had little time to do more than stagger in between each of the newcomer's swings and jabs with a keyblade. Alice's eyes widened in shock. Yes, it was a keyblade. The Princess of Heart scrambled to her feet quickly as her rescuer destroyed the dark being with one final slice through its middle. Now that the figure stood before her motionless, Alice cocked her head to one side in confusion. This was most definitely not Sora.

For one thing, he was only three feet tall. And he had a really big nose. And a tail. And what she thought were two big round ears, but she could not be certain for a hood covered them. Almost as if her hands had a mind of their own, they slowly reached out to touch them.

He shot out a gloved hand before her, waggling a finger at her. "Ah ah ah, no touching. But yes, they're real," he told her in a high-pitched, friendly voice.

She snatched her hands back and hugged them to her chest, staring at the creature before her once more. Was it a mouse, perhaps? A big mouse? She guessed such a thing would not be unheard of in Wonderland, but still it seemed odd. The Dormouse was a normal size for a rodent, if a little pudgy. And there was still the fact that he wielded a keyblade. Where was Sora? Had the blade chosen this creature over him? Was this a ... "... a new Keyblade Master?"

"Oh golly, no! The same old one is still alive and kicking!" He assured her barely audible question. Twirling his weapon by the handle and then leaning against it like it was a walking stick, he said, "This is just a... hobby of mine."

"I see," was all Alice said, when she really did not see.

When he did not get any other response, the creature offered, "By the way, I'm Mickey Mouse." Oh, so he was a mouse. At least, she could only assume, with a name like that. Still did not explain why he had a keyblade. She continued to stare blankly at him. "And your name would be?" He nudged gently.

The blonde blinked, then mentally slapped herself. She had been in Wonderland so long, she had already forgotten the manners she had been raised on. Reaching out to shake hands with him, she said, "So sorry, how very rude of me. I'm Alice."

"I know... and you're a Princess of Heart as well," the mouse responded smoothly.

Alice snatched her hand back once more. Not many people knew who or what she really was, and here a rat was reciting it as if it were as plain as the nose on her face. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her still discarded halberd several yards away. Drat, it was too far for her to make a grab for it. She settled for slowly backing away while asking, "How did you...?"

"Oh, don't act like that now," he groaned, the keyblade disappearing in a flash of gold as he waved his hands at her and shook his head. Alice stopped, but still looked down at him warily. The mouse placed his fists on his hips and continued, "Do I look threatening? No. If it helps, I'm good friends with Sora, Donald and Goofy. In fact, I'm Donald's and Goofy's king."

The teenager thought on that. He did look rather harmless. And he did look like the type to hang out with the duck and the dog. She relaxed her guard a little bit, hesitantly saying, "I suppose your right. It's a ... a pleasure to make your acquaintance, King, um ... King Mouse."

"Mickey is fine," the creature answered, a smile returning to his large face once more. "Now, I assume you're wondering why I'm here."

Alice's mind had been boggled down with so many other questions, that that one seemed to have never crossed her thoughts. She sheepishly answered, "Well, actually I wasn't... but now I am."

Mickey responded wryly, "The Heartless are invading again."

"Oh really, Mickey? I hadn't noticed," the teenager laughed dryly.

The corners of his mouth upturned a little more, but he otherwise continued as if Alice had not said anything. "With them comes Maleficent."

Scratching the back of her head, Alice asked in confusion, "Maleficent? Didn't Sora kill her?"

"Only her body. Her black soul still lives on in the Realm of Darkness, along with other evil creatures too stubborn to truly die. She can't return on her own, but I know... I can feel that someone, or something, is helping her come back."

"Well, that's not good, " Alice said, knowing it for the understatement it was. "Is Sora taking care of it? Where is he anyway?"

"Well, for a long while now, he's been ... asleep."

Her mouth fell slightly agape at this response. "Asleep? This hardly seems the proper time to be taking a nap!" She crossed her arms in indignation. Then with uncertainty, "Did it ever occur to you to ... wake him up?"

"It's kind of important that he awakens on his own," Mickey said slowly. "No worries, there is still plenty of time before we absolutely need him."

"Huh," was the only noise she made in answer. She knew her next question was a stupid one, being what she was, but Alice still had to ask. "So what's all this have to do with me?"

"You're a Princess of Heart." She had guessed correctly, but she waited for she was sure the King had more to say than that. Indeed he did. "If she is fully revived, you can be certain she'll be hunting down and capturing the Princesses one by one again. So, you all need to be put in hiding."

The girl crossed her arms across her chest as she thought on this. It seemed too simple. "Are you doing this for all the other Princesses?"

With a nod and a sigh, Mickey told her, "That is the hope, but you're my first concern. I hope you understand why."

And she did understand. Alice was the youngest of the Princesses, the most vulnerable. The others, most of them being trueprincesses, had castles with strong walls to hide behind. They also had their friends and princes to defend them. Even Kairi, who seemed as normal as Alice, had the Keyblade Master himself as her personal protector. But Alice had no one to help her. All she had were the handful of mad creatures in Wonderland that she protected, not the other way around. She could hardly expect them to save her if that witch decided to attack. The other Princesses were lucky compared to her. Alice was not bitter, it was against her very nature to be so. But nor was she blind. Still, she stubbornly shot back, "I can take care of myself. I'll be fine here in Wonderland, she won't lay a hand on me, and I've... I've adapted. I could fight her off."

"The way you fought off that Neoshadow?" The mouse ask quietly.

Neo...? Oh, that Heartless from a moment before that almost... Alice shook off the thought. "I wasn't ready, that's all. I'll be ready next time."

"You never know when she'll attack."

"Then I'll always be ready," the girl snapped, knowing how silly that sounded. Even if she could "always be ready," that probably would not do her any good. That Neoshadow almost had taken her heart, and it was just a minion. What hope could she ever have against Maleficent?

"Alice..." was all the King said, but for all the world sounded like a patient parent talking to a bratty little child. He waited, a serious frown on his face.

Finally, the blonde growled, "Fine. I'll at least hear what you have to say. What, do you plan to lock me in some crystal and hide me at the bottom of some dungeon somewhere?"

"Nothing so... confining," he said, smirking slightly. "Have you ever heard of Organization XIII?"

She shrugged. "Can't say that I have."

"Hmm, how to explain?" The mouse asked, looking up at the leaves above them as if his answer lay there. "Long story short. You already know that when someone gets their heart stolen, they become a Heartless. Well, if this happens to a person that is strong of heart and soul, a Nobody is created as well."

Not sure she had heard correctly, Alice enquired, "A Nobody?"

Mickey nodded again. "Yes. They are beings that can't feel emotions, are dead inside, just empty shells. Technically, they don't even exist. Some of them can not even think, they're just mindless, misshapen drones for those who control them."

Alice shivered slightly at the idea. "Who controls them?"

"Other Nobodies, the ones that can think. They look human and, despite the emptiness inside them, can act just like us. Some prefer to pretend they have feelings. These are the kind of Nobodies that run Organization XIII."

"Are they bad guys?" The teenager questioned simply.

The mouse pursed his lips in contemplation for a moment before, "Not really, no. Nor are they good either. They're just on their own side, trying to accomplish their own goals."

Again, Alice felt the need to ask a certain question a second time. "That's all fine and dandy, but what's any of this have to do with me?"

The King paused to think once more, his large ears twitching. He seemed to decide the plain answer was best. "You are going to hide among them." When Alice returned to staring blankly at him, he elaborated, "You're going to pretend to be one... to the point where they will think you are a Nobody as well."

Raising a delicate eyebrow, she stated, "Excuse me, Mickey, but don't you think a group of nonexistents will notice that I do exist?"

"That, among other things, will be taken care of. I'll explain it later. Let's just say that memories don't always tell the truth."

That did not help. If anything, it only raised more questions in Alice's mind. But she decided to trust him in that she would find out later. Instead, she asked, "Well, doesn't this seem like a lot of work? Trying to blend me into this group? Why not just stick me on some other planet somewhere?"

"That was considered, but in the end rejected. You were found so easily the first time on Wonderland, and this in one of the more obscure planets. I can only assume that moving you to another planet will only possibly slow Maleficent down. No, it would be best if you could be successfully hidden among Organization XIII. How is Maleficent to know to search for you in a place that does not even truly exist?"

The last words stuck a chord within Alice. A place that does not even truly exist? Somewhere... that's nowhere? "P-pardon me?" her words came a little shakily.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? The place where they reside does not exist either. It is where they kept themselves concealed until recently. They call it the World That Never Was."

The World That Never Was ... Alice's mind repeated. It looked like that blasted Cheshire Cat was right again, she was literally going nowhere. It seemed she had little choice but to accept it now. The girl asked defiantly, "And what if I decide do go along with your plan? What happens to Wonderland? I'm sure it's plain to see that I'm fighting a losing battle at best. Without me, this planet will blink out all the sooner. But then, I'm guessing this small, isolated, backwards planet is not really that important in the long run."

"You betcha it's important!" Mickey snapped, his voice becoming angrier than it ever had the entire conversation. Alice almost stepped back in surprise. Slightly calmer now, he continued, "Every planet lost to us is another one gained to the darkness. The Heartless are already powerful enough as it is, we don't want them getting more power, even if it's in the form of the smallest planet." The mouse sighed a little before adding, "Just trust me when I say that Wonderland will be taken care of."

Alice bit her lower lip. It seemed there was a lot of trust she had to put into this stranger she had met not too long ago. Trust that his plan would work, trust that Wonderland was in safe hands, trust that he was even someone she could trust. But somehow, she felt she could believe his words. As they had talked, the girl had felt a lot of her doubts melt away and that this creature really meant her no harm.

A stray thought wondered back to what the cat had said. So far, he was half right. But what about the second part? She pushed that away. The feline just had an uncanny talent of guessing things, it was not like he was psychic or anything.

All that was left was to decide whether she should go or not. The girl could see many reasons to go. She could also see many reasons, along with good advice, to not go. Alice had always been known for giving herself good advice. She was better known for not taking it. "When do we leave?"

A/N : Okay, I feel like I need to do a little justification before I get very far into this story. Yes, I do know that in the original Alice in Wonderland, she was like 7 years old. However, I find the original Alice to be quite different from Disney's version of Alice. That being said, an exact age is never given for Disney's Alice, and so I'm estimating her age around that of Sora's, maybe a little bit younger. This is because if you compare her height to that of Sora's in Kingdom Hearts 1, she's just about as tall as Sora, maybe a tiny bit shorter. So, what, Sora is like... 14 in KH1? So I'm placing Alice roughly at 14 in KH1 as well. And now, since I'm basing my story during KH2, she's around the age of 16. That is why I think I can get away with an AxelxAlice pairing... that, and it sounded like fun and I wanted to be different :D

So, with that out of the way, what do ya think of the first chapter? I know, no Axel... yet! This was just so I could get an introduction to the story out of the way. Next chapter covers more background stuff, and so there's no Axel in it either (well... he's in the last sentence...), but from chapter 3 on it'll be just chocked full of the fun and madness I have planned for this story, woohoo! Until next time--