Author's note: I really have to stop writing new fanfics when I have a few uncompleted ones. Stupid brain. Anyway, here's a prologue for the new series! No pairings yet, you can ignore whatever is implied in this chapter. Italics are for the poem, and yes it does link up to a full poem. It doesn't have much relation to the story... Yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, or the cover art. Sadly, I cannot use the full art, because it is too long. I found it on Tumblr, so PM me if you want the link to the full photo!
Prologue
"Are you lost in Wonderland?
Are you lost," they say.
The flowers maliciously grin at you,
Petals in blackened disarray.
Momoi Satsuki blinked blearily at her surroundings, the riot of colour searing her eyes. On her left, a soft whimpering was heard, and muffled shrieks could be heard from the bed's occupant every now and then. On her right, quiet giggles exploded into maniacal laughter, only to simmer down and begin all over again. She sighed wearily, tugging at her bindings to call the nurse for help.
Soft chirping was heard as the red 'Call' button was pressed, and Momoi frowned at the button. It hadn't been making that sound yesterday, she thought to herself. A few moments later, a nurse decked out in royal blue appeared at her bedside, smiling down at her. Momoi barely glanced at her before looking away, the rich colour bringing back nostalgic memories. Her childhood friend, as well as best friend-turned-lover, once had locks of that same shade. A gentle hand touched her bound wrists, and she forced the memories away before she could start crying – or worse, that her memory become infected.
Momoi turned her eyes upwards and stared at Nurse Halley, her youthful face lined with stress and worry despite her calm façade. "Momoi-san. You called for assistance?"
"Yes. I would like to go to the bathroom please." She kept her eyes on the nurse as she worked to untie her restraints, focusing on the bare skin so that the blue could not spark her into remembering.
"Would you like a shower? Or is it just to relieve yourself?"
"Just to relieve myself. I cannot bear to take a shower alone." Momoi took Nurse Halley's proffered hand, shakily getting to her feet. Lying on a bed almost all the time made her body numb and stiff, but she had little choice in the matter. She wanted to live. And this was the only way to do so.
"Are you lost in Wonderland?
Are you lost," they hiss.
The animals bare their fangs at you,
Dreaming of a feast.
Momoi stepped out of the bathroom, and allowed Nurse Halley to lead her back to her bed. She decided to ask the question that had been bothering her ever since a while ago, regardless of the consequences. "Halley-san. I was wondering when management changed the ringtone of the 'Call' button. It sounds like birds chirping, and is so refreshing."
The nurse shot her a worried look, creases appearing on her brow. "We did no such thing, Momoi-san."
It took a few seconds, but the revelation hit Momoi like a truck, and she grasped Nurse Halley's hand tightly, her breath coming in short gasps. "Please take me to see the doctor now. Please!"
The nurse pressed her lips together, nodding as she led the pinkette towards the offices of the psychiatric ward. The Wonderland dreamers had to be separated from the normal patients, for no one knew how the infection spread, but when someone caught it, they could never recover from it.
Only one person had ever returned from the madness.
Her name was Alice, and she was the first to discover Wonderland. She had gone there and returned alive. But from that day forth, people around her began to succumb to the fantasy that was Wonderland.
Nobody knew how, or why. Those that had fallen into the last stages of the 'Wonderland Madness' would suddenly disappear one day, never to return. Their bodies were nowhere to be found, and reports told of the patient never even leaving their beds. They were simply gone, as if they had vanished into thin air.
Alice tried to help with the infection, speaking to patients where she could, and tried to come up with a solution to cure them. 'Wonderland wards' were set up, and contrary to a normal psychiatric ward, the walls were splashed with rainbow shades. Nurses and doctors traded their plain white scrubs and coats for riots of colour. The patients had free will as to whether they wanted counselling, or if they wanted to be restrained.
Alice's theory was that Wonderland was so much more vibrant than their world, and in order to keep patients in this realm, they had to outdo Wonderland.
It was a futile effort.
Patients managed to stay in the earthly realm for a while longer with these new changes, but it was only a matter of time before Wonderland claimed its own. And the people agreed with Alice's option, only because it kept them a little farther from the madness, a little more secluded from what was rumoured to be the best illness one could hope for. It was said that the fantasies of the other realm was every artist's muse, the melodies every musician's inspiration, its tragedies every poet's genius.
Loved ones where discouraged from visiting, for fear of the madness spreading to them as well. The medical staff were at great risk, but so far, none had succumbed to being a patient themselves.
It was painful, watching the world die.
The world's population began decreasing rapidly, for young teenagers were the ones most rapidly snatched up by Wonderland's dreams, and no one could reproduce fast enough to replace them. Whole countries sank to their knees, and many had to force alliances just to keep the world population alive.
Children were warned early on in life to be careful, so much so that the most rational child would check themselves into a Wonderland ward to extend their lives. Momoi Satsuki was one of these children.
She had grown up with a rational head, for no one could keep an eye on Aomine Daiki without being sensible. She knew that if they wanted to survive Wonderland's thralls, they had to turn themselves in at the first signs of sickness. They had thought themselves safe from the psychosis, thought themselves prepared for the worst to come. But how wrong they were.
It was in their last year at Teikou that the first of them fell.
Akashi Seijuuro - captain of the basketball team, chairman of the student council, extraordinary shogi player and son of an influential businessman. Everyone thought that he was the strongest of them all, the one least likely to succumb to the siren call of Wonderland. Yet Fate had other ideas in store.
They were in the middle of a practice match with Momoi as the referee when Akashi suddenly straightened and dived towards Kuroko, pushing him to the ground and covering him with his body. The redhead looked around suspiciously before pulling him up and dragging him behind Murasakibara. Momoi could not hear them, but Akashi seemed to be telling Kuroko something very seriously, holding his hand and even getting down on his knees. His expression changed rapidly, from plaintive to desperate, the tone of his voice deepening to a horse whisper. Everyone, the Generation of Miracles especially, were bewildered by this sudden change of events. While they watched on in shock, Kuroko nodded, placing one hand on Akashi's shoulder. Akashi broke out in a relieved smile, and just like that, he was gone. No flash of light. No colourful sparks. Heck, not even a speck of fairy dust.
Kuroko described it much the same way. One moment he could feel the warmth of Akashi's hand in his, the next he was holding on to thin air. It was confounding not only because it was Akashi Seijuurou who was taken, but also because there was no forewarning. He had not been seeing or hearing things, and everything was as normal as could be. Yet he had abruptly disappeared, even when supposedly sane. Was it possible that the madness was evolving into something deadlier? Everyone was dumbfounded, but one thing was on all of their minds: Who would be next?
Their answer came much too soon, and in an even more dramatic fashion.
At their next practice match against a lesser school, they were worried, but still uncaring about their opponent. Who would lead them if Akashi was not present? Would they still be victorious?
Much to everyone's relief, the match went exactly as planned, with Kuroko taking Akashi's place as the fifth starter. It was only at the end of the game that the unthinkable happened.
Midorima was lining up his three-pointer, the ball that would be the buzzer beater of the fourth quarter. But there was no sound of the ball flying through the air, no swish of the net. Instead, a slow thumping met their ears, and a lone ball stood bouncing in the middle of the court, the green-haired sharpshooter gone.
After that, the disappearances began to increase in speed.
Murasakibara was about to pay for a box of ice cream, and the cashier had turned to the cash register for just a moment. By the time she had turned back one second later, the purple-haired giant was gone, and the customers behind him stood slack-jawed in horror.
Kise struck a sultry pose for the camera, and just as the flash cleared away, nothing was left of him.
Kuroko was walking home from Maji Burger, vanilla milkshake in hand. The cup dropped to the ground, spilling the sweet drink. Nobody saw him disappear, and the spilled milkshake was all that remained.
Aomine was out with Momoi, having confessed his feelings for her. They were in Momoi's kitchen, him trying to teach her how to cook. They were laughing over another failed attempt when Momoi realised that she could only hear her own voice. She spun around, but there was no trace of Aomine.
She had freaked out and called her parents immediately. Explaining her situation, she bid them a teary goodbye as she stepped into the Wonderland ward, the weight of her friends' dematerialization heavy upon her heart.
The nurses and doctors were baffled, and did not know what to do with her. On one hand, she seemed like a perfectly sane, normal girl. On the other, she personally knew six people who had succumbed to Wonderland with no signs or symptoms. It was a distressing case, but they opted for her to stay, and tied her down according to her wishes.
Now all they had to do was wait.
"Are you lost in Wonderland?
But, oh, you will be soon."
Time is ticking, the clock is waiting,
"Alice will come at noon."
Momoi saw not the smooth tiles below her feet, even as she stumbled along with Nurse Halley. A vortex of black and white had unexpectedly swirled up before her, and before she could even cry out, it had pulled her into its gaping maw, yanking her from the world she knew.
Nurse Halley barely registered the faint pressure that Momoi's hands impressed on her before the space next to her was empty. She whipped her head to the side, eyes widening when she registered Momoi's departure. A hand over her pounding heart, she ran towards the doctor's office.
She should have known when the girl mentioned the chirping button.
Wonderland will have your soul,
Your body and your mind.
Wonderland is peace untold,
Coloured for the blind.
Wonderland is all things great,
And all things broken and bad.
Wonderland is a heavenly realm,
But also where things go MAD.