It was one of the warmest weeks of the winter, with bright skies and soft breezes. The snow had predictably melted, but Tino knew that the cold weather would begin again soon enough. That's why he begged his mother to let him go out, to at least go and walk the dog. All those weeks spent indoors made his lungs itch and head ache; he needed to inhale fresh air for once.

"Absolutely not," she replied. "You have an engagement this afternoon, Tino. I won't have you get your clothes dirty." "I won't," he promised, giving her the most pitiful expression he could muster. "I need to go out, Mother! Please?" But her answer had been the same, and to ensure the safety of her son she herded him into his room and locked the door from the outside, certain that he would give up after that. But she had underestimated him- this was what he had been waiting for!

After constructing a simple rope from his bedsheets and securing it to his dresser, he shimmied his way down the side of the house through the window and landed somewhat gracefully in the garden. Making sure he had what he needed in his messenger bag, he cautiously lifted himself over the garden wall and sprinted into the woods that surrounded his home.

Finally! After what seemed like an eternity, he was free! He gave a laugh as he circled a tree once or twice, then continued his romp. He heard a little muffled squeak rise from his bag, and he stopped what he was doing in order to undo the top. "Sorry, Hanatamago! I forgot you were in there!" Hanatamago, a little white mixed breed, yapped eagerly as Tino set her down to sniff and stretch her legs. Once she had finished her business, Tino whistled for her and he continued to run, allowing his dog to follow. It felt so good, to have the wind running across his scalp and the scent of trees in his nostrils. It had been far too long. Hanatamago barked wildly as she ran, almost as if she were laughing, and Tino couldn't help but join in as he lead them deeper into the woods.

Soon Tino tired of running (his legs were getting a little sore), and he looked for a nice place to sit down. He soon found one, a large oak tree with branches that looked strong enough for climbing on. He found a nice dry patch of grass beside the base, and he sat down with his back against the tree to catch his breath.

"It's so nice to be out," he told Hanatamago, who had opted for curling up in his lap. "I wish Mother would let us do this more often..." But he knew that would be an impossibility. The problem with being from a rich family was that you had everything chosen and decided for you. Your clothes, your education, your friends. Tino frowned a little at the thought- after all, this was one of the main reasons he had fled the house.

He was a few weeks away from becoming eighteen years old, and that meant that he was nearing the marrying age. His mother had introduced him to a countless amount of girls, each one coming from a noble background with decent, proper interests. He didn't want to hurt their feelings- he just didn't like girls, not in that way at least. They were fussy, well groomed, and worst of all, expectant. One of the things he hated most of all was when a girl he thought was ok turned him down just because he wasn't as masculine as some other boys. Whatever, he didn't care. Today his mother had invited a close friend and her daughter over for tea, and because of this Tino had already planned his escape through the window in advance. The pleasant weather was a well-timed bonus.

Sliding his bag from his shoulder, Tino undid the top and pulled out it's contents- a small bag of butter cookies and a hardcover book. He gave half of a cookie to Hanatamago (he ate the other half) and wiped his hands on his sweater before turning the book over to read the title.

Alice in Wonderland had always been Tino's favorite book ever since it was first read to him as a child. He loved the oddness of it all, how nothing seemed normal or constant. He often imagined himself as Alice in certain situations, deciding from her point of view on how to make the right choice when no one seemed to agree with him or his unusual way of thinking. He especially loved to talk about it when guests were over; sometimes he loved to see his mother squirm. She had called this wishful thinking, telling him that it wasn't healthy for him. "You need to spend more time focusing on practical things, not nonsense. This kind of thinking won't find you a wife or give me grandchildren." Tino had gagged a little the fist time she had said it. Now it just made him shudder.

He flipped open the book to where his bookmark sat nestled in between the pages. There he picked up where he had left reading- the tea party, his favorite scene.

Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter's remark seemed to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English. 'I don't quite understand you,' she said, as politely as she could.

'The Dormouse is asleep again,' said the Hatter, and he poured a little hot tea upon its nose.

The Dormouse shook its head impatiently, and said, without opening its eyes, 'Of course, of course; just what I was going to remark myself.'

'Have you guessed the riddle yet?' the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.

'No, I give up," Alice replied: 'what's the answer?'

'I haven't the slightest idea,' said the Hatter.

'Nor I,' said the March Hare.

Tino giggled and continued reading. When he looked up to stretch his neck, he realized that he had read through the rest of the book. He smiled at the idea, knowing that it wasn't the first time. Closing the book and placing it back in his bag, he leaned against the tree and sighed. Sunlight bent through the thick layer of trees, and the sound of Hanatamago breathing in his lap lulled him into a wonderful state of mind. If only, he thought, with Alice's adventures still running through his head. If only real life could be this perfect.

---

Tino woke with a start, the way people do when they're surprised or scared. He made little sound of discomfort and rubbed at his eyes, trying to rid the sleep from them. The trees rustled with the breeze, and the dark clouds that highlighted their tops told of an approaching storm. "That's funny. I don't remember falling asleep," he yawned. It was then he noticed the absence of warmth in his lap. "Hanatamago?" he called, craning his head. Then something rustled in the brush beside him, and a little white head popped out of the greenery.

"Hanatamago, there you are!" Tino huffed. "Where did you-" The words died on his lips, however, as Hanatanago pushed her way out of the rest of the foliage...

She was wearing a waistcoat, with red and black checkers and little silver pockets. As she sat down on her haunches, she lifted up her front paws and reached around and under the coat and retrieved a tiny gold pocket watch, all the while balancing perfectly. Tino sat there dumbfounded as as his puppy sat not five feet away, happily oblivious to him. Since when could she hold anything? Dogs didn't have thumbs! And where had she gotten that waistcoat from?

"Oh no!" she squeaked suddenly, and Tino sat upright from the shock, his head knocking back into the tree. She could talk, too?! This was just too strange! "Oh no no no no! I'm dreadfully, awfully, horribly late! The Queen will have my head for sure!" Stuffing the watch into one of the pockets, Hanatamago got back down on all fours an turned, sprinting towards the direction she had just come from.

Now this was weird! What was she late for, and who was this 'Queen' she was meeting with? Curiosity getting the better of him, Tino leapt up and stumbled after his puppy, trying to keep her in his field of vision.

"Hanatamago! Hanatamago, wait! Hey, wait up!" It seemed that the more he called for her, the more she sped up. Soon he decided against shouting- it was hard to run, breathe and yell at the same time. This whole situation was just getting weirder and weirder. He was having deja vu- this had happened before! But where, and when? He couldn't remember anything...

Hanatamago suddenly banked to the left, and Tino braked and pivoted successfully, resuming his chase. She was leading him into the deepest part of the woods, and it was getting hard to keep up with her. The increasing number of brambles tore at his clothes, and low hanging branches whipped at his face, making it more and more difficult to see.

Something suddenly caught hold of his ankle, and his face met the ground rather quickly. Spitting out a mouthful of soil, Tino lifted his head fast enough to see Hanatamago's curly little tail disappear under a log.

His foot had been snagged by an exposed tree root, and he worked to free himself before standing up to assess the damage to his clothes. His sweater was absolutely ruined, the brambles doing quite a number on it, and his pants were soiled from the fall. His mother was going to have a fit! But he couldn't let that get to him now, not when he had Hanatamago cornered. When he got a hold of her he was going to milk all the information out of her. Like how and where she had learned to talk.

The log was a rotten old thing, overgrown and choked with ivy and ferns. It looked like there was a vertical crack that ran across the top- if he lifted from the bottom, it would most likely break there. Figuring that he couldn't get any dirtier, Tino dug his fingers into into the soft wet earth and lifted, using his foot for leverage on one side. Sure enough, it fractured where he predicted, and he tossed the piece aside to be met by a gush of...

Air?

Since when was there a breeze under a log? Cautiously Tino pushed the rest of the foliage away to find a gaping black hole looking up right at him. It's huge! He thought. Even though it was half-covered by the rest of the log it was still big enough to fall down. But could Hanatamago really have gone down there? There wasn't anywhere else she could have hidden. Nervously, he bent down and looked over the side, staring down into the great black maw.

"H...Hanatamago? Are you down there?" But before anyone could respond, or he had time to say anything else, the earth beneath his feet crumbled and he fell.

---

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading the first installment of 'Tino in Wonderland'! The film and literature club at my school has been reading all of Lewis Carrols' works this past month, and we decided to go see the movie in IMAX 3D as a wrap-up to the semester. When all of these Alice induced thoughts started creepin' through my head, along with the promise of a Season 3 of Hetalia (INCLUDING THE NORDICS!!!), I knew this had to be done. Tino would make such a great Alice, wouldn't he? XD Thanks for dropping by- I'll try not to be too long with the next chapter, and I hope to see some of you there!