Characters from Heart/Joker no Kuni no Alice by Quinrose
Written by me
"Is there something in your mind Alice?"
"Why did you think that, White?" Alice smiled back at her challenger, Joker. They were playing cards like they always do either to change the season or just for fun. Looking down at the card on the crate it looked like she had lost again.
"It seems that you lost again."
"I can see that." Even with her harsh reply he still smiled happily, how is that? She sighed.
"…Can I ask you something?"
"Of course miss Alice~" He smiled and stacked the fallen cards before looking back into her turquoise eyes.
She took a deep breath before asking him a question again and… "What will you do if an un-cute girl ask you to be her lover?" -blurted out really quick.
The jester stared at the red-faced girl and blinked before humming. "That depends, are you asking me to be your lover?"
The girl didn't really get her answer but her face certainly did get redder. "Wh-what?! That's not-" Before she can finish her words, there's a crackle voice coming from the jester.
"Kekeke so your real intension had showed huh princess~" It's surprise to see that the outsider face can even get redder, wondered if that's the limit.
"That's not it!"
"I rather have the first date in the bed than going outside~"
"Shut up Black!"
Nope, it can get even redder.
"Even though I would love to spend more time with you, why did you ask?"
Snapping back from her fight with the 'other' Joker, she sat back down at the smaller crate claiming her seat again. "Well, I read a story about a girl that described herself ugly, and told herself than no one would love her. Even so, there's that person always with her that makes her happy, and finally she confessed to him." Alice smiled to herself of how the character is so simple and cute but then suddenly frowned.
"In the end he rejected her like everyone else did. It's sad right?" And also gullible.
How similar it is. She finished her short story tilting her head down, gripping her apron and waiting for the jester to spoke.
"Well it certainly is-"
"Your point is?"
She gritted her teeth in grimace and stood up, hovering the jester with her shadow. "It means that he never cared about her, and only use her just so he can get close to her sister! Why did he cared for her and showered her with kindness and attentions, making her think that they had something, only to break her heart?!" In a split second, she felt herself in a cold-dark place instead of the cheery-colorful circus. Tears threaten to fall from the outsider's lovely turquoise eyes; her vision blurred as she tried her best not to cry in front of the man.
Panting, the outsider took her sit for the third time, mumbling an apology. She didn't mean to shout out her frustration at him, she just, didn't know what cause her outburst. Since she bought that book, she'd been wondering about the protagonist and how bad she felt for her. She felt to share it with someone. Why she wondered. Is it to solve her problem by someone else's perspective?
After the outburst, both of them kept quite for a while until Joker decided to confront her, but instead of the jester; the other Joker spoke first. "So what do you really want from us you ingrate?"
Alice wiped away her tears with the handkerchief that the jester just gave to her. Returning the handkerchief to its owner, she straitened her back but looked slightly down shyly before answering to the ruder Joker.
"I just, want someone to talk about to. I'm sorry for taking it too far."
"So you thought that we don't have anything better to do and came to us just to ramble about your stupid problem?! It's a f*cking book fo-"
The kinder Joker moved his hand to the mask that's hanging on his belt around his waist in intent to cut off the Joker's sentence, which mysteriously did. He assured the outsider to calm down and ignore what the foul mouth Joker just said. But he's right, why was she even telling this to Joker? Why not Vivaldi or even Nightmare?! Vivaldi was like a sister to her; that she can tell her problems to and also a woman that would understand her. And she betted the dream demon would too. So why did she-
"Joker, you shouldn't shout at the young miss. But I do am confuse, why are you so worried about a book, miss Alice?"
Alice opened her mouth for a moment before closing it, digging her nails in her apron as the young outsider fought with herself in her mind. After finding the conclusion to do so, then slowly opened her mouth to tell.
"I... myself don't know why. I just felt-"
"Pity, sad, despise, anger, betrayed?"
"-the same."
The blonde looked down at the scattered cards and picked up a card to only put it down on the crate upside down. She sighed and looked back at the curious-smiling jester. "You never did answer my question, Joker. What is your answer?" She tilted her head up and questioned the man in front of her.
"Ah, I did, didn't I?" The jester still kept his smile and answered her question with another. The young outsider pouted.
"I agree with Joker. Who wants to date a spoiled and an un-cute brat like you?"
"W-wait! That's not what I meant!"
"Hmph!"
The young outsider crossed her arms, ignoring both of the Jokers' apologies and laugh. Getting annoyed with the mask's annoying laughter, she banged the crate with her fist, scattering the cards again. "This is what I meant!"
Both of the Jokers stopped to stare at the outsider, with their eyes wide (not that you can see Black though), shock at the outsider's anger. The outsider puffed, changing her position to view the forest and not the circus nor the man. She took a glance at the red-haired man before continuing.
"Does men only judge women by their appearance?"
The words didn't came out loud enough from her mouth and sounded like a murmur instead. This time the young outsider looked back at the jester fully and repeated, thinking he didn't heard it the first time, but Joker heard every word.
It looked rather adorable how she waited for an answer, feeling curious Alice; it never did lead her to something good. "Haven't you seen yourself in the mirror lately Alice?" Joker stared at her turquoise eyes to search for answers before picking up a card on the crate, averting his eyes to the card then back to her lovely orbs. "If you thought that's the answer then remember your status here, the title that tagged on you since you first step into this world that's so different than yours."
An outsider. That's what everyone called her. The young foreigner that was brought by the cruel yet gentle, Prime Minister of Hearts. Everyone loved a foreigner. Curious they say, lovely too. A stranger suddenly entered their game, why not? It would be fun until it lasted. The title couldn't keep her alive forever, reminded the dream demon. "You're such a kind and lovely lady. It would be no good if you disappeared, even I took interest in you, Alice." And it was to late for him to bypass that. The other Joker had been keeping quiet even till now, did the warden agreed with the jester? How rare of him.
White Joker confessed for both Jokers but they're both the same person so there's no need for 'we' just 'I', right? Such gentle yet seductive voice he's using and how he's showing his expression; how very alluring he was. Ah, was he changing the subject? Even if he did, she couldn't help herself to blush.
"I'm flattered but I don't think I had fully understood of what you're saying, White." Alice commented.
The jester chuckled while the mask grumbled. He took out something from his sleeve and gestured the outsider to open her hand, which she obediently stretch out both of her hands. Taking the hand in front of him, he placed something small into her palm and closed it while taking his time stroking her delicate hand. The outsider yanked her hand feeling getting red again and opened her hand to discover a piece of candy in her palm.
"What's this?" Alice rolled the candy in her palm with her forefinger to find anything unusual about it.
"I knew you're oblivious, but are you also stupid to not at least recognize what candies looks like, idiot?"
"I know its candy, Black! I asked what for?"
"Eat it of course! What else you-"
"A taste that is all, miss Alice." Joker covered the mask again, letting the other Joker cuss as much as he wanted without anyone hearing it.
The young outsider nodded and lifted the piece of candy; her turquoise eyes surveyed it intensely. A red and round shaped candy, it looked like the candies she always bought for her own or for the twin. There's nothing unusual about it, though it's smaller than what Joker had always gave to her or sold at the stalls around his circus. 'Maybe he's trying to cheer me up.' Taking a glimpse of the jester, she tossed the sweet candy into her mouth, but the moment it entered her mouth, she pursed her lips and shut her eyes tightly.
"You trick me!" She mouthed out. Instead of sweets, it was a sour candy.
"Hmm~? I don't think I remembered playing a trick on you recently, Alice. Did you Joker?" The jester chuckled.
"Like I have time to do childish things." The mask snickered.
The outsider is red from both anger and embarrassment for falling for their simple prank. She gave them a cold stare and pointed her lips to make it easier without using any words. How adorable, she looked like she's sulking (more like silent anger).
"Ah, that. Take that as a…"
"As a punishment."
"It's more of as a lesson though."
"How is this a lesson?!"
"You… had been staring at the candy for a lot of time before tasting it. Why is that?" The outsider was surprise at his simple question and yet took awhile for her to answer.
"I just want to examine it. I should always conscious of my surroundings, that's what everyone told me so especially if I'm with you (and Blood)." She replied without mind and tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling ticklish at the side of her face.
She said that at the same time tempting the people around her without knowing it.
"I'm hurt, miss Alice. Did I ever troubled you?" Putting a hand on his chest presuming where his clock ticks, he tried to look in pain with a smirk plastered on his face.
"No." Not yet.
Joker smiled.
Seeing the outsider been quite for a while, Joker, the other one, who had been quite for a while finally spoke up. "It's just a book right? Don't rack your head over stupid things, idiot. If you didn't like it just use your imagination you're so proud of and change it." The mask scoffed.
"If you may not know, I take things seriously but…" She first pouted but then smiled. "thank you, Black. I shouldn't take things too seriously."
The mask grumbled out of annoyance or maybe he's just shy but Alice didn't mind at all, it's nice that Joker can be compassionate for sometimes without an ill intention while the jester smiled to himself and shuffled the deck of cards to start a new game.
"Do you want to challenge me again, Alice?"
"Of course. I can't leave if I can't beat you, White."
-.x.-
"Please take this along with you, miss Alice." The outsider spun around to see that the jester was standing behind her while searching for something. It took seconds for Joker to pull out a small pouch. He dropped the pouch in the outsider's outstretched hands.
The pouch fell into her hand and noticed there's an amount of something in it. Looking puzzled at what she had received from Joker, she opened the pouch and to see the contents. "Candies?"
The jester received a glare from the outsider as she had just remembered what happened just moments ago. "Don't worry, all of them are sweet." The jester spoke honestly and shook his hands side to side.
The jester dropped his hand and smiled after seeing the outsider sighed in relief of his honest answer. He waved his hand while she bid her goodbyes before turning her back at him and taking her leave to the cold weather up ahead.
She pulled out a piece of candy from the pouch and put it in her mouth slowly to test if the jester's words were true. Smiling in satisfaction she hummed a sweet tune in her way home with her face looked in bliss and her cheeks tinted a shade of red from the coldness or the awaiting warmth.
-.x.-
There sat a lost outsider with her head in her arms and her back against the brick wall while waiting for someone. Only footsteps can be heard in the empty prison and when it stop she raise her head to meet a man dressed in a black uniform while holding his crop in his left hand and using his other hand to tipped up his hat to get a nice view of the young lady in front of him.
His eyes looked down at the blonde foreigner to see any differences since their last encounter besides her messy hair probably from running and noticed the empty pouch bag in her fist.
"Empty already?"
Her eyes shot open and noticed what he meant when her eyes landed on the pouch that used to be full of candies. "Yeah, it was certainly was tasty. I wondered if they're from one of the stalls in the circus." She giggled to herself while the warden still looking down on her with his hand now holding a bar of chocolate that he pulled out just now.
"Too bad that you don't have any more of those." Her eyes widen as the warden crouched down to her level and took her chin abruptly. "But if you want more I can give you something else as a substitute, princess." His eyes gleam crimson red and took a small bite from his chocolate before taking her mouth in his.
The candies she received from the kind Joker a few time turns ago were sweet and warm her heart but the chocolate she had forcefully given mouth to mouth by the bad-mouthed Joker was bitter and felt cold just like being in a prison cell that was prepared specially for her.
I started this in February and it took me almost a year to finish just a one-shot. Ugh, I felt bad for taking too much time when doing this.
This should had been a multi-chapter titled 'Change of Appearance' where after taking one of Joker's candy, Alice turns to a guy the next morning as teaching her a lesson and ends her with Ace but since I'm not good at humor and took me half a year to write half of this chapter I just made it a one-shot ending with her saying her goodbye to Joker like how the prologue of the story should be. The later part with Black was something I just come up with at the last minute before ending it. I thought of using candies but I also wanted to use chocolate based on a fan-fiction I read a year ago.
Man it had been months since I last read an Alice fan-fiction. Months! I'm currently reading two yu-gi-oh! multi-chapter fan-fictions, probably after that I will read the Alice fan-fictions that I had missed. Next time I will write a one-shot titled 'Perfume' featuring Blood and little Alice. Don't know when I will start though so don't expect much from lazy me.