Here I am with another backstory that I wanted to do for quite sometime.
For those who have read my other stories in the Between series (those with "Ab + Latin word that starts with A" anyway), you will find characters with different characterization and backstories. In this story, this will be the one where I wish to delve into the story of Noah and how he became a Dark Signer Acolyte. It is the story of dreams and of awakening set in a world everybody should know so well…
The world of Alice in Wonderland.
Before we begin, I would like to give a shout-out to the following: ChibiRinni (for her fanfic "Reality Sucks"), Lucio O (for the fanfic "Spawn of Evil") and both 0ccam's Razor and MultiplePersonas (for the cards in Noah's deck and the latter for the characters that populate Wonderland)
Other things used for inspiration include Pokémon 3: Spell if the Unown, the song "Alice Human Sacrifice" by Vocaloid and the song "Wonderland" done by both Taylor Swift and The Divine Madness (and "Gentle" for the latter).
And copious "The Birthday Massacre" songs. Can't forget those.
For those who don't know (or haven't read my other stories in the Between crossovers), they have both Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh characters mingling with one another with Pokémon characters taking roles like of the Dark Signers and Crimson Dragon Signers. Timeline-wise, it will take three months before the duo of "Ab Aeterno/Ab Antiquo" (and thus it takes place 15 months before "Ab Initio"). None of the three stories are necessary to follow the plot of this though.
Anything I forgot? Oh right. Slight mentioning of Stepshipping (Noah and Mokuba pairing) but no sex, promise.
So with all of that out of the way, let's go down the rabbit hole, shall we?
Between My Brother And Me: In Somnis Veritas
Author: Green Phantom Queen
Rated: T
Summary: Feeling lonely, frustrated and lost in the real world, Mokuba finds himself hurled into Wonderland and meets its ruler, Noah. Unfortunately, Noah wants Mokuba to stay in Wonderland forever by any means necessary. Without time to waste, Mokuba's friends must venture through Wonderland to save him.
Prologue: The Dream
"Would you like some more tea, dear Alice?" asks Noah, a young boy with teal hair that is dressed in white.
Alice, dressed in blue and her long black hair topped with a brilliant golden crown, happily claps her hands as Noah pours the tea. Next to her is another boy with short purple hair with a red crown topping his head, and dressed in a red tunic, preparing slices of plum cake for them and for the rest of the guests in the ballroom, here to celebrate Alice's coronation and marriage to Noah and thus becoming Queen of Wonderland.
"Leonhart," says Alice, turning to the one in red. "I'm grateful for your support when we first came to this place. I feel as if this is the place I truly belong."
"I am glad to find you happy," Leonhart smiles. "And I will be here to support you and your husband for as long as you need me."
"We are proud to be allied with the Mirrorland Kingdom and to help you fight the treacherous Jabberwocky and its army of darkness," Noah adds. He then turns to the wedding guests, many of them humans, some of them human looking, and a few of them animal-like. They feast on various foods, some known to humans and many only native to Wonderland itself. Noah clears his throat as everyone stops their chatter to turn to him.
"Citizens of Wonderland and Mirrorland," he begins. "I am pleased to announce our marriage and to declare Alice and I as the rulers of Wonderland. If there is anyone who objects, speak now or forever hold your peace."
There is silence as Noah picks up a small box on the table. He opens it and presents the ring to his bride-to-be, one made of silver helixes and topped with a ruby heart. Alice gasps in awe as Noah drops on one knee to present it to her. But just as he slips the ring onto Alice's finger, he hears a voice that states two words.
"I object."
Everyone turns to see a tall figure walk into the ballroom, their face obscured by a helmet shaped like the head of a white dragon with a long trail of red hair that falls to their waist. They wear a long silver coat, and their black boots silently walk across the checkerboard floor, and around their neck is a locket in the shape of a Duel Monsters card. In their hands is a sword covered in blood. The guests look in fear as the warrior approaches Alice.
"Who are you?" Alice whispers. For some odd reason, she knows this stranger... something about their stature, their calm attitude, their voice calls out to her. The warrior stays silent before clutching the locket in a gentle grasp.
"My name is of no concern at this point," he begins. "But I know who you are."
Removing the clasp of the locket, he flips it over, causing Alice to drop to her knees as she sees the image. It is a younger her staring at a camera while she happily holds a chess piece in hand. She looks down at her neck and opens the locket she is wearing. It is an exact replica of the warrior's, but the image shows a boy with brown hair and blue eyes concentrating on his next move in the game of chess.
"What trickery is this?" Alice whispers, her hand trembling as she loosens her grip on the locket.
"Your name isn't Alice, your highness," The warrior continues. "Your true name is Mokuba, and you...are my brother."
Alice begins to shiver in fear as the wedding guests whisper amongst themselves. Leonhart places a hand on her shoulder to calm her down as Noah picks up a knife and points it at the stranger.
"Silence you wretch!" He snarls. "You and your lies are not welcome here. Leave now."
The warrior stays silent before he briefly turns to Alice still shivering in fear, her heart pounding in her chest as she feels memories crashing down on her like a tidal wave. She is Alice from Wonderland...not a boy named Mokuba. She...she…
"No!" Alice screams, struggling to stand up, a hand on her face as she fights off the memories that threaten to rip her apart. One side tells her to believe the warrior's words, the other demands to reject them and stay in Wonderland. The warrior only stares at how conflicted the girl is but says nothing else. He briefly scans the room, noticing the curious gazes of the guests that don't know whether to kick him out of the ballroom or not.
After a few tense seconds, Alice snarls, her eyes flashing to a shade of black as she states, "I...I won't stand for this!" She points a trembling finger at the warrior (No, the warrior has a name...Seto, is it?). "Noah...Off with his head!"
With her cry, Alice's eyes become the color of the night sky as she forces the warrior to his knees with a hand in the air. With another swipe of her hand, the bloody sword levitates into the air, the pointy end floating toward the warrior's neck. Leonhart, Noah and Alice smile as the wedding guests scream for a beheading.
The warrior stays quiet as the blade inches closer and closer to his neck...instead, he bows his head in defeat, knowing that his plan has failed.
And with Alice making a slashing moment with her hand, the knife follows suit...
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
But before we can continue, we need to go back to how this story begins.
The date is May 3rd, and it is in the late afternoon.
The location is the Domino City International School. More specifically, the location is of the auditorium for the school where various students are going through one more dress rehearsal for their production of "Alice in Wonderland". The stage is decorated as a court and there are four actors on stage: the King of Hearts, the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit and Alice herself.
The focus of our story is on Alice, dressed in a blue dress lined with symbols of playing cards at the hem, a white pinafore embroidered with the symbol of a rabbit, a pair of black and white striped stockings and polished Mary Jane shoes and a blue and white lace bow decorating their head. But there is one peculiar thing about this person playing Alice...
And that is that the person dressed like Alice is actually a boy.
This boy is Mokuba Kaiba, who is annoyed at how he has been picked to play as the titular Alice, and not even paying attention to the White Rabbit and Queen of Hearts arguing. He knows all his lines by heart and is just waiting for the rehearsal to end so he can get out of the dress and back home. He sighs when he stands up and the King of Hearts begins to ask him questions.
"What do you know about this business?" asks the King to Alice.
"Nothing," Mokuba answers curtly. He folds his arms across his chest for emphasis.
"Nothing whatsoever?" The King screeches.
"Nothing whatsoever," Mokuba repeats, sighing as he mentally follows the script through his mind. There is a scene where the White Rabbit reads a poem in an envelope where said poem (and the King of Heart's train of logic that follows it) makes just as much sense as inventing a solar-powered flashlight. He has to resist the urge to roll his eyes and waits a few more minutes before the Queen of Hearts (played by a senior student named Giselle) screams her trademark, "Off with her head!" before he shouts,
"And who cares for you? You're all nothing but a pack of cards!"
"CUT!"
The actors turn to their drama teacher, Senri-the father of Haruka and Masato, two of Mokuba's closest friends-who lets out a long sigh at Mokuba.
"Mokuba," he begins. "We've gone through this already, but you need to put more life into your character. You act like...like...well…"
"Like who? My brother?" Mokuba asks bluntly. There is an awkward silence as Senri tries to find the right words. Everyone else, from the actors to the backstage hands, watches nervously as Senri clears his throat.
"You act as if you find this role insignificant of your time," he clarifies.
"It is!" Mokuba shouts, taking a handful of his dress and showing it to everyone. "Why am I the one taking the role of Alice?! Why not let someone else take it and let me be a stagehand instead?"
"Maybe if Hikari didn't suddenly get sick with fever, we'd let her do it," Giselle notes as she leans forward. "Plus, isn't it your fault for that?"
"I apologized for pouring that bucket of water already! I'm sick of these rehearsals and just want them to end!" Mokuba concludes this by sitting in his chair. Senri closes his eyes and shakes his head.
"He's right-we've gone through this scene twice already." He addresses everyone, from actors to stagehands to the musicians in the orchestra pit. "We'll call it a day, but I want no one slacking off tonight. Everything must be ready for tomorrow, all right?"
"Yes, teacher." Everyone choruses. Mokuba groans as the other actors begin to walk off and the musicians pack their instruments. Someone approaches him-a girl with short light brown hair and blue eyes that is dressed as a Duchess.
"Rough time with your brother?" She asks.
Mokuba nods his head. "He comes home super late these days and I noticed that he ends up going to some 'suspicious' locations."
"Like he's getting friendly with the Yakuza or something?"
"No," Mokuba leans close. "I'm talking about the supernatural type of locations, Serena."
Serena raises an eyebrow as she briefly watches the actors go backstage to change (Mokuba does not have that luxury as his clothes are wet after someone accidentally dropped water above his head earlier today and he asked Isono to deliver them back to the manor to be cleaned) before she whispers, "Seto Kaiba and the supernatural are not something you put together. Doesn't he hate things like that?"
"It's more like he has no use for it since he has science and technology for all of his daily needs." Mokuba answers. "I don't know what he's hiding from me, but I don't like it."
"I'm sure he has a reason for his behavior and he'll tell you when it's time. Now come on, you aren't getting home just by sitting here."
"I can't go home like this, though," Mokuba exclaims, running a hand through the Alice dress he's wearing. Thinking quick, Serena rummages through her backpack and pulls out a blue jacket lined with white.
"Take this," she says. "Just promise to have it laundered and delivered to me tomorrow, ok?"
"But Serena, you almost never let anyone borrow this…" Mokuba takes the jacket into his hands, unfolds it and stares at it like it's an irreplaceable treasure. "Are you sure?"
"What are friends for?" Serena smiles and removes her head dress. "Just give me a few minutes to get out of this dress and we'll walk our way home, all right?"
"Sure."
And with that, Mokuba watches Serena walk backstage, briefly saying hello to Haruka and Masato (the former playing the Cheshire Cat, the latter acting as the Dormouse) before she gets dressed. Mokuba takes the time to slip into the jacket, glad to find that it fits him perfectly.
Now the only thing left is to tell his brother why he came home with it in the first place.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"So Serena," Mokuba begins as the two leave the school campus, gripping on the straps of his backpack with each step. "You wanna go hang out at the arcade before going to my house?"
"I love to," Serena answers, briefly looking up at the sky before speaking. She adjusts the red baseball cap on her head (which is just as valuable as her jacket and she never lets anyone wear it). "But I promised to help Millefui and Kanata make all of the food for tomorrow's party. Haruka and Masato are joining in and we'll be sleeping over so it's more convenient for all of us. We'll be watching re-runs of The Haunting Hour, rehearse our lines for tomorrow, and maybe get our homework done, who knows? Oh and I found this cool recipe of strawberry pepper tarts that will be all the rage at the tea party and all."
"Oh, right…." Mokuba trails off. "I kinda forgot about that…"
Serena frowns and pokes his shoulder. "That's not all you've been forgetting." She notes. "Senri-sensei is pretty pissed that you can't get the right 'attitude' for Alice. It's like you were Harrison Ford with his narration of Blade Runner and the like. We've all been hard at work at this production for months now, and we can't go on if Alice acts like an emotionless robot."
"It's not my fault…"
"It will be if you don't shape up. If this has anything to do with your brother, then you have to forget about it for just one day and think of the performance and how everyone is depending on you to get it right."
"It's not just what he's doing that's bugging me, but that he's not telling me about it." Mokuba explains. He sighs as the two stop at the street that leads to Millefui and Kanata's apartment. "And I'm sick of how he doesn't have time for me anymore...like he's too busy to even talk about what's going on…"
Serena says nothing, then places a hand on his shoulder. "Things will get better. I don't know how, but they will. I have to go, and if you need anything, call me."
"Yeah. Thanks again for the jacket."
"Anytime, Mokie."
Mokuba slightly cringes at the nickname as he sees Serena walk up the stairs to the third floor before he starts walking off. A part of him wishes he can be part of the fun, but quickly remembers that his brother refused to let him go out for something as 'unnecessary' as a sleepover when he brought it up last week.
That part irritates him; why can't he hang out with his friends? It's not like they're going to hurt him or anything.
Just then, he briefly sees a boy with black and red spiky hair run past him. This would be a common occurrence, as people rush to get to wherever they need to be when they're running late. But it is what the boy is wearing that catches Mokuba's curiously…
A red waistcoat, black pants, some sort of eyepiece, a futuristic watch that is apparently broken...
And a pair of white bunny ears sticking out of his head.
"I'm late! I'm late!" The boy shouts. "If I don't get back in time, the prince will turn me into rabbit stew for sure!"
"Hey...wait up!"
Curiosity takes over Mokuba as he follows the boy toward Domino Park, hearing the boy constantly shouting "I'm late! I'm late!" before leaping head first into a large rabbit hole that appears out of nowhere…
And Mokuba quickly follows him in, tossing his backpack and Serena's jacket aside to go down the rabbit hole without once thinking about how he will get back to the real world, how strange and illogical this all seems, or what Serena would think if she learns that he carelessly tossed her jacket aside.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"And that's all I can get," says a voice, breaking the uneasy silence, two hours later.
Seto Kaiba is quiet as the woman, with blue-black hair and dressed in a black dress lined with blue, hands him Serena's jacket, left behind in the park alongside Mokuba's backpack and a calling card of a white rabbit. Seto winces when he sees the jacket; he knows how much Serena treasures it (and her red baseball cap) and can only imagine her reaction if she sees it but no Mokuba wearing it.
"I wish I can go farther," Natsume adds quietly. "But entering the Dream in my current state will tip the ruler that I am an intruder. Not to mention that this is not something Mokuba owns, but he knows how valuable it is to its owner." She shakes her head and smiles. "What a pity; I would have loved to see that world for my very own."
"We're not doing this for fun," says Seto. "If that menace that has caused others to sleep have gone for my brother, then who knows what they want to do with him." He sighs. "I kept telling him not to go out for the past few weeks to protect him, and have been staying up for the past few nights gathering information with those journalists, but he doesn't believe me at all." He places a hand over his left eye for a few seconds and when he lowers it, his icy blue eye now glows white. "The more I try to protect him, the more I'm hurting him in the end."
Natsume stays silent as she watches Seto quietly fold the jacket and slip it into Mokuba's backpack. She looks at the calling card in her hand before speaking. "We need to send someone after him... someone that can easily blend in and rescue your brother before he becomes a nameless wanderer like what's been going on with so many children these past few weeks." She notices Seto calling someone on his cellphone, but they both know that even if his brother has his cellphone on him, there will be no reception.
"I hate to ask Siegfried for stuff like this," Seto mutters. He waits for the phone to ring twice before he hears his business rival's voice. "Cut the formalities, I need Leon to investigate something. Yes, it's that sort of something. Yes, it relates to that Dream. Okay...yeah...he's already there? Fine, keep me posted."
He hangs up and pockets his cellphone.
"I knew you were a businessman, but that deal came a little too quick," Natsume remarks. "So...what are you going to do now?"
"I have some leads to follow and research through the Chasing Shadows blog to go through. You have a meeting with the other Dark Signers, right?" Natsume shakes her head.
"Korin and Kamisure are off on a date, Mikuri is meeting an old friend of his, Wataru is off to see his sister, Nagi has a photoshoot and Bel has an Alice in Wonderland play to get ready for." Natsume smirks. "She's the White Queen, before you ask."
"...You mind staying with me for the time being?" Seto asks after an awkward pause. Natsume chuckles.
"I think I'll enjoy spending time with you," she says. "Although, you better tell that puppy of yours that you'll be busy with 'work' to play with him."
"For the last time, Katsuya and I aren't an item."
"...not yet." Natsume replies.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Mokuba has no idea how much time has passed when he wakes up to a bright blue sky above his head.
He does know that it is long enough to realize that he no longer has Serena's jacket on him. He can only imagine her wrath when she finds out.
But the most important question on his mind is where he is at the moment, and whether or not anyone knows where he is.
"Curiouser and curiouser," he notes, slightly berating himself for quoting from the script as he looks around. He doesn't want to admit it, but it looks like he's landed in Wonderland.
That shouldn't be possible, though...Wonderland doesn't exist.
Then again...says a voice in his head. Neither should those demons who have bonded to you.
He brushes the thought aside as he begins to walk the dirt path, ignoring the feeling that something isn't right. He takes a deep breath as he tries to act like nothing's wrong. But after a few minutes, he curls his hands into fists, wishing he had his deck on him (which is back in his backpack) as he turns around.
"Who's out there?" he asks. "Show yourself!"
"Gladly."
Mokuba gasps and spins around, seeing a boy around his age dressed in white with a stylish top hat on top of a head of sea-green hair, standing behind him. The strange boy chuckles as he removes said top hat and bows toward Mokuba.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Asks the boy dressed like Alice.
"You can call me Noah," the boy in white answers. "And may I personally welcome you to my world." He straightens himself and places the top hat back on his head. "Welcome to Wonderland."
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Mokuba; Noah, huh? Nice to meet you.
Noah: Same to you, Alice.
Mokuba: Don't call me that. I'm no Alice.
Leon: Be careful, Mokuba. This guy is dangerous!
Noah: Am I? What a horrible thing to say about me.
Leon: I don't trust you one bit. Next time, 1st Dream - "Under Your Spell"
Noah: Don't worry, Mokuba. You're safe with me...