No matter how awesome it would be, I don't own Alice.

Ok, so this is my first time writing for Heart/Clover no Kuni no Alice, and I'm kinda nervous about it. But I like how this came out. Enjoy. This probly takes place in the universe of Cheshire Cat Waltz.

SSS

"Boris?" she's been looking for the cat for days, and she finds him coughing up blood in the forest beyond the clock tower, clinging to a tree to keep himself upright. His head jerks up at the sound of her voice, green eyes bright with pain, but when she steps forward he holds out a hand, warning her away. "Boris?!" there's blood trickling down his stomach, but he still won't let her come close.

"Get out of here. Go back to the tower, Alice." His voice is rough, but almost steady, although blood dribbles down his chin as he speaks. Her eyes widen, and she darts forward, ignoring his placating hand. There's only one reason Boris would disappear, let alone send her away when he was so hurt.

Cats run away and hide when-

"What happened?" she demands, trying to get close enough to examine his wound, but he stops her with an embrace, wrapping the arm not braced against the tree around her and pulling her against him, hiding her face against his shoulder.

"Shhh," the sound is almost a purr. "Shh. There's nothing you can do."

She tries to protest and pull away, but even weak and injured he's stronger than her. He nuzzles her hair gently, the soothing gesture ruined by the shallowness of his breathing and his claw-like grip on her shoulder. "I was careful." He promises, voice a rasp in her ear. "I didn't go looking for death."

But death has found him anyway.

"I'll be replaced." There's no conviction in his voice, but he says it anyway. "There'll be another Cheshire Cat soon."

"No." she shakes her head almost violently and he tightens his grip as though to still her. There's almost a smile in his voice when he speaks again.

"Gonna miss me, Alice?"

Her nod against his shoulder is accompanied by a teardrop splashing on his skin.

"Let me help." She pleads, but he only purrs deep in his throat.

"I'm…glad. That you'll miss me." he presses his forehead against her temple, inhaling deeply.

"Boris-"

He's gone before she can finish the sentence, arm slipping from her shoulders as he buckles, tumbling to the ground. He lies there, pale and unmoving just long enough for her to fall to her knees beside him; then a light glows, and there's nothing but a clock lying glinting in the grass, its glass front spider-webbed with cracks and smeared with the Cheshire Cat's blood.

"Boris!" she chokes on the word, reaching tearfully for the clock. Gingerly, she lifts it into her palm, running her thumb across the cracked surface as tears stream down her cheeks. "Boris."

But the clock doesn't answer, hands unmoving as it lies silently in her palm.

SSS

Soo… Yeah. I may continue this. Was it a dream? Was it real? Maybe we'll find out. Maybe not. Boris is like…one of my favorite characters. I have a tendency to kill off all my favorites at least once in a fic, sad as that is. I don't know. The feels, as my friend Owl would say. Review, please. No flames.

~Seeker