Konichiwa! Hello, I am back with a new story! Yes and this time the theme is Alice in Wonderland. In sooth this was supposed to be a long one-shot but I have gone blank on how to continue, (I am using the same excuse for Royalty and Scoundrilism) and I am only continuing if I am persuade by you, Mr. Reader. So please, if you wish for me to continue this fanfic, leave a comment telling me to do so otherwise, I shall not.

That's basically it. So now sit back and chillax and enjoy the show.

"You must be prim and proper. That is the only way a lady can act. If you wish to find a wealthy husband, you must be an elegant lady with no flaws and wishes only to please her husband. Do you understand, Rukia?"

His drone, unemotional voice did not reach her ears for there was nothing exciting about her elder brother's lecture. Rukia Kuchiki wished for an adventure. She wished that she was not born into a royal family that was filled with rules and discipline. Every day she'd wake up to corsets and tutors and suitors, but never an adventure. She dreamed for a world just like the ones in the books she read. Swash-buckling heroines, handsome and brave heroes, dragons, griffons, sirens, pirates-"

"Rukia Kuchiki, are you listening?" her brother, Lord Byakuya Kuchiki's voice ceased her daydreaming, much to her disappointment.

"Oh… yes brother, I am. Your teachings truly are fascinating." Rukia said with a small smile gracing her lips.

"Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "Then would you mind repeating what I just said? Since you yourself know well how much I despise doing so."

"Yes, brother," Rukia sighed, straightening her slouching back. She knew her brother all too well and knew all the Byakuya ever spoke to her about where about finding her a suitor.

And so the young raven-haired woman began stating the 'rules' of being a lady. Afterwards, when her brother was satisfied, he turned his gaze back towards his handbook with was filled with his notes, and began reading.

'Wait bunny. WAIT! …

So you're Alice? ...

KILL HER! ...

I told you, I am not Alice! ...

People call me Hatter…

I do hope you return, Rukia.'

As Rukia's heavy eyelids began to droop she laid herself on the lush, green grass. The afternoon breeze caressed her skin gently and the cherry blossom she sat under provided shade from the burning sun. Soon, everything began to quiet down. The rustling of the cherry blossoms was nothing more than whisper. Byuakuya's boring monologue was inaudible. It was truly peaceful, until…

'Tick, tick, tick, tick…'

Rukia's closed eyes fluttered open. 'What is that sound?'

"It sounds like… a clock." Rukia murmured to herself, rolling over so that she was on her stomach.

Rukia's indigo orbs scanned the scenery. Nothing seemed out of place. The cherry blossoms were blooming; the water fountain (which was located at the centre of the abnormally large garden) was in perfect condition and the roses (which were her particular favourite) where behind the marble fountain. Rukia's favourite where the white roses. She loved how pure they looked when they had yet to wither away, but the red roses which were growing in her gardens would have to do. Then a moving object within the rosebush caught her eye. Rukia could not believe she did not notice it before, it stood out like a sore thumb. White.

Rukia brought her small hand towards her eyes, rubbed them furiously, blinked then looked again. It was still there. A small white rabbit… in a waistcoat, a black and dark blue waistcoat with silver clock patterns. Then the rabbit noticed Rukia looking at him, he stood on his hind legs and put a paw into his pocket and pulled out a golden pocket watch. He opened it and faced the clock towards Rukia. Suddenly the ticking was amplified, getting louder by every tick.

'tick, Tick, TICK…'

Within a mere second, the watch was snapped shut and the rabbit dashed away. Before Rukia even had time to think about what she should do, she was running as fast as she could, ignoring her brother's calls. Her dark hair dancing in the wind, her baby blue dress made it difficult to run due to the fact that she would continuously stumble over it therefore she bunched some of the fabric from the front dress into her tightly closed fists, and her black, shiny shoes barely touched the ground as she sprinted after the rabbit. A wave of déjà vu washed over the woman as she ran.

'It's as if… I've done this before.' She thought.

To Rukia's delight, she saw the rabbit just before it jumped down a rabbit hole that was under and old oak tree, so she hurried after the creature, for a reason she herself did not know why. Her right gloved hand held onto a think root of the tree and her left was pressing against the grassy edge of the rabbit hole. Rukia peered down the hole but was met with nothing but darkness.

"You-who, Bunny? Come here bunny. I won't hurt you." She cooed in her sweetest voice. Rukia leaned in closer to see if she could spot any movement when suddenly the thick tree root snapped, and Rukia was engulfed by the darkness of the rabbit hole.

Go ask Rukia

"Ow, my head." Rukia hissed as she clutched her head, which was throbbing agonizingly painfully. The raven haired female pulled her hand back only to see her silken glove stained with her crimson blood. "Great."

She stood up and wiped the loose gravel of her baby blue sundress, then looked around at her environment. Rukia was astounded. It was as if she were in a jungle, well, a strange, deformed, jungle that was filled trees that looked an awful lot like weeping willows that grew upside down, water flowed up the waterfall that had eroded into the cliff in behind her, and the flowers, daffodils of some form, had… faces, and they were all the same as well. Their small clack, beady eyes were placed far too close to one another, their noses where at least 7 centimetres long, and, even though they had no mouth, sang beautifully, their angelic voices traveling with the breeze. Rukia looked up and say that there was a hole in the sky where she fell from, but the peculiar thing was that the white cotton clouds where still swimming in the bright… green sky.

"Strange," Rukia mumbled "Normally my dreams aren't this… realistic."

"Is it her?" Rukia suddenly heard a voice whisper from behind her, but pretended that she did not.

"Probably not." a second voice whispered uncaringly.

Rukia could tell that both voices where feminine, and seemed to sound of voices that belonged to that of a young person.

"Momo said that she is positive that she is 'her'." The first voice whispered back.

"Momo isn't always right." Stated the second girl, sarcastically.

"She does now how to make an excellent carrot cake, though."

"Enough," Rukia sighed, turning around only to find that she was facing a red rose bush. "Please, I've had enough, show yourselves."

Then the leaves on the bush began to shake and two young girls immerged from the rose bush. One girl had her light brown wavy hair in pigtails, her chocolate eyes full of curiosity as she stared at Rukia, examining her torn, dirt covered clothes in horror. Her white shirt had two bright blue dungaree-straps that connected to a luminous yellow shirt that reached her knees and it seemed to gently sway every time she moved. The other girl seemed to be the opposite of the first one. While the brown haired girl seemed keen and interested in the newcomer, this girl looked like as if she would have preferred to be doing anything other than this. Her dark cropped hair reached her shoulders in short spikes; her grey eyes were bored and uncaring and strangely reminded Rukia of her brother's. This girl wore a white t-shirt, as well as a pair of luminous yellow dungaree-straps that connected to her light blue shorts.

The dark haired crossed her arms, and let out a sigh while leaning backwards. "Boo."

"Who are you?" Rukia asked, tilting her head sideways slowly in interest.

"Hello! Please to finally meet you, Alice-san." The bubbly girl bowed in respect before popping back up. "I'm Yuzu, and this is my sister Karin."

"Yo." Karin muttered.

"Alice… wait, what? … I'm not Alice." Rukia told them, confusion written on all of their faces.

"You have to be Alice. Momo said you were." Yuzu stated.

"See, told you so." Karin said to her sister.

"But Momo said that she was certain." Yuzu argued. "She even went to find Ichi-nii to tell him."

"Dear sister, please listen to me. This has happened before and it will happen again, Momo always brings us the wrong 'Alice'. Poor Ichi-nii has been running back and forth from his home cause Momo found 'Alice'" Karin sighed.

"But what about…" Yuzu paused in the middle of her response, and turned her head in Rukia's direction.

"…Oh, Rukia. I am Rukia Kuchiki." She told the twin.

"But what about Kuchiki-san? Wait… Rukia Kuchiki?"Yuzu whispered the last part. She looked at her sister whose grey eyes seemed to tell her to continue and act normal, so she did so. "How will Kuchiki-san get home?"

Karin shrugged and put her hands into her short pockets. "I dunno. Maybe we should find Ichi-nii and ask him."

Yuzu thought about it for a moment before a wide, bright smile spread across her face. "Hey, yeah! What a great idea! And if she is who Momo says she is, Kuchiki-san should remember Ichi-nii."

"Eh, I'm sorry," Rukia interjected the twins' conversation. "But who is this 'Ichi-nii' you speak of?" the raven haired woman asked.

"Ichi-nii is our older brother." Karin told her.

"But around here, everyone calls him the Mad..." Yuzu finished.

Rukia's eyes widened. "Hatter." She finished. That name… she knew it. She had heard it before, but where.

Yuzu and Karin turned their heads and looked at Rukia with surprise. "Yeah… how did you? …"

"I… I don't know." Was Rukia's stuttered reply. "I just… knew."

'Maybe,' Yuzu thought to herself as she stared at Rukia. '…maybe this is her after all.'

"Hatter! Hatter! I found her!" A shrill high voice screamed as the owner ran through the trees, jump over streams and bounced from rock to rock. "Hatter! Mad Hatter?"

"Yes, yes, Hinamori." Answered a male voice.

Momo arrived at the open field where he was sitting, well supposed to be sitting anyways, but there was no sign of the Mad Hatter anywhere. His voice was there, his hat was perched comfortably on his chair at the top of the long table, but he was not there. Momo walked up to the Hatter's chair. It was quite tall, even though the Hatter himself was a tall being, measuring at about fix feet four inches; the chair was at least ten feet high, embroidered with gold silken thread on it royal blue cushions. Made from pine wood and silk, it was truly a beautiful chair. One was not allowed to sink on the Hatter's chair, for it seemed blasphemes, like sitting on a royal throne; only the Hatter sat on this chair… well apart from one other person. Rukia Kuchiki. The first time her met the raven haired woman she was sitting happily in his seat, her hands held one of his favourite cups, as she sipped her tea in a ladylike manner. That had been just a year ago.

"Mad Hatter, where are you? MARCO?" Momo shout, only to be answered by silence. She cocked her head to the side; one of her white rabbit ears fell onto her face. She let out a harsh breath and blew her fluffy ear out of her eyes, and once again called out. "MARCO!"

"Polo." Whispered a voice eerily behind her. Momo jumped back only to find that it was the Mad Hatter himself that was standing behind her. "Hatter-kun!"

"Heh, you're so very easy to scare, Hinamori." The orange haired man joked as he walked over to his chair and picked up his hat.

Said hat was made by the owner. The silk was a royal blue colour (made from the same fabric as his beloved chair) and had decorated with crimson swirls and patterns along with a white ribbon which he had tied around it. Many-a-things such as a peacock feather and black quill sat snuggly between the ribbon and the silken hat. Yes, the Hatter did indeed love his hat.

"So tell me, Ishida, you say 'you've found her' but is it her? You have come to me plenty-a-time claiming to have found her, and I have truly grown weary of your misleading women whom you say are 'her'. So I'll ask you this, and I wish for the truth. Have you found her?"

Momo looked at the Hatter with a determined flame blazing in her soft brown eyes. "Yes Sir, I have found Rukia Kuchiki."

"So, your brother… why do they call him the Mad Hatter? Is he really … mad?" Rukia asked the twins suddenly as they walked slowly towards the Hatter's home.

Rukia paid attention to her surroundings with great interest. The grass would sway when there was no wind, and when there was, it was as if it would sing in her ear, with a light melody that the breeze seemed to hold on to. The creatures the resided here were marvellous yet perplexing, though Rukia's favourite had to be the small mouse that ran past her earlier on. Its tail curled and its tiny body was covered in bright red fur.

"No, not at all, he is as normal as you and I. 'Mad Hatter' is just a title that has been passed down from generation to generation." Yuzu told her.

"Besides, Ichi-nii isn't the nut-job in our family. That was our father, he was the previous Hatter." Karin added.

"You see, there can only be one Hatter, and once that Hatter finishes his time as a hatter, the title is passed down and a new one (of family blood) takes his place. That's just how it goes."

"O…Kay, I think I get it." Rukia replied, scratting her head to show her confusion.

The raven haired woman threw her head back and looked at the sky, it was pink now; a little faded pink like the kind you'd see during a sunset, yet the sun was still perched in its usual place with the cotton clouds. Her mind wandered back to her brother-in-law.

'Was he missing her? She was gone for at least three hours. Did he notice? Does he care?' Then Rukia heard her mind scoff at her 'When has he ever cared? To him, Rukia, you are not more than a burden. He won't even care if you died. Besides, you wanted an adventure, HERE IS YOUR ADVENTURE! Enjoy it while you can.'

She sighed and gave in; Rukia knew that her brain was right. Her brother was trying to wed her off to some rich family so he'd never have to see her again, more-than-likely.

"ICHI-NII!" Yuzu suddenly shouted out as loud as she could, causing Rukia to jump in fright.

The three of them were standing at the opening into a field, a rather small field, but a field non-the-less. Rukia could see that in centre of the field a large banquet table resided, with at least fifteen chairs on each side, then one large chair at the head. None of the chairs where the same, some were different shapes, while others were different designs and colours. But the one that caught her attention was the ten foot tall chair at the head of the table that was embroidered with gold silken thread on it royal blue cushions. It seemed, somewhat, familiar.

"ICHI-NII!" Yuzu cried out once more, only to be answered with silence.

"He must be in his house." Karin said to her twin sister.

"Yeah…" Yuzu thought about it for a moment, her small finger touched her bottom lip as she pondered. "…I guess. Let's go then, Karin."

"Ah." Karin nodded in agreement, and then turned to Rukia. "Stay here until we return, Rukia-chan."

When Rukia turned to argue with her friend, she realised that she was gone, both Karin and Yuzu. With a sigh, Rukia moved closer to the table and noticed that tea-cups, pots, saucers and table-wear decorated the banquet table. She also noticed, with glee, that there was steam rising from the pots.

"I would love some tea right now. I hope it's okay if I drink some." She mused as she sat herself down on the large chair at the head of the table. Her tiny, gloved hand grasped the handle of the nearest teapot and poured the contents into the china cup in front of her. She sighed happily as she lifted the delicate cup up to her face and allowed the tea's rich aroma to waft over her porcelain face before she indulged herself into the liquid, satisfyingly.

Even though she could not see them, Rukia could hear Karin and Yuzu arguing with someone, their voices where faint but she could make out a third-party.

"You are in my seat."

Rukia could feel the owner of the deep, masculine voice breathing down her neck, so-to-speak, but did not jump; Rukia was, for some reason or another, expecting this to happen. She did not even flinch; she just continued to sip her tea in a ladylike manner.

Rukia's violet eyes finally turned to look at the intruding man. She noticed that the man was crouched down so his mouth was beside her ear. She could not see much but Rukia notice the orange spikes sticking out from underneath a tall royal blue top hat. The hat's shadow covered his eyes, but there was a small smile on his face as he took in a deep breath and began to speak. "You know, this is how we met for the first time."

"What are you talking about? I don't know you." Rukia stated, placing the china-cup down gently.

"What are you blabbering on about, Rukia? Of course you know me." The Mad Hatter said, grabbing the closet chair and placing himself, crossed-legged, on it.

Rukia began to lean forward with interest now. "How do you know my name?" she asked him, her violet eyes glaring at the orange haired man.

"As I have said, we have met before." He stated, letting out a sigh before glancing at Rukia and realizing that her orbs were full of curiosity and confusion. "Don't tell me you can't remember." He said, slamming his hands on the table and looking at Rukia with his chocolate brown eyes staring at her with a sad look. Before Rukia could register what witty reply she should come back with, one words fell out of her mouth faster than the others.

"…Ichigo."

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called out as she made her way into her brother's home.

Ichigo Kurosaki was the birth name of the Mad Hatter, who was Karin and Yuzu's older brother. After their father had ceased being the Hatter, Ichigo took over the position of the 'Mad Hatter', creating masterpieces for many and all, from field mice to the white queen, Orihime Inoue. His abilities were nothing less than legendary, and his creations always turned out phenomenal. Indeed, Ichigo Kurosaki was the hatter to revile all hatters. But the twist in his life story occurred one year ago when, while holding one of his weekly tea parties, an eighteen year old girl stumbles upon Wonderland and asked him to make her a hat just for her. But she had left before the hat was complete and so Ichigo sent out Momo Hinamori, his messenger rabbit to the above world to find her.

"Ichi-nii?" Karin called also, searching the small home for the missing hatter.

The home was situated underneath a large oak tree, whose leaves never grew. It was a small room that consisted of a bed and a large, square table at the centre of the room, surrounded by material of different prints and colours as well as hat that either was complete or had yet to be. But the hat that caught many people's attention was the hat that was placed beside the Hatter's bed. It was a plain white top hat, with a dark blue ribbon wrapped around the base, there was also a small white rose tucked comfortably in between the ribbon. The strange thing was that the hat was very small, its diameter being at least twelve centimetres. Small yet elegant, like the person it was made for.

As Karin walked around the small room, she notice something out of the corner of her light grey eye. "Yuzu, I think Ichi-nii isn't here." She stated.

"What makes you so sure?" Her twin replied, strolling to where her sister was standing. Instead of an answering, Karin pointed towards a piece of paper that was hanging on one of the mannequins, and read aloud. 'NOT HERE, IDIOTS. I'M OUTSIDE.'

The twin with the dark, cropped hair placed her hand on her waist and sighed, watching her sister quickly climb back up the ladder to the exit. "Harsh, but effective."

"…Ichigo."

Ichigo's frown soon vanished and was replaced by a wide smile. "Yo."

Rukia smiled brightly as she sprang off the chair and embraced the orange haired hatter. "Ichigo… I can't believe I didn't remember you!" she exclaimed, holding herself away from him at arm's length.

"Yeah, you forget me?" Ichigo said in a hurt tone, his lips pulled down into a forced frown. "That's rather cruel, considering I sent Hinamori all over the above world in search for you. The least you could do is remember me."

"Oh God," Rukia sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head of raven locks. "Now you're going to get all dramatic. Don't change character you idiot!" she shouted kicking his shin.

The Hatter yelped in surprise and pain, and gripped his ankle tightly. "You goddamn Midget." He hissed.

His reply was Rukia smiling smugly at him and sticking her tongue out at him. His chocolate orbs glared at her but he smiled inwardly none-the-less.

Ichigo began to make way for his chair when he stopped abruptly as if he had remembered something. "Ah yes, follow me." He ordered his companion, beckoning her to follow him.

And so, with a shrug of her petite shoulders, Rukia followed the Hatter to the end of the field where he stud in front of the largest and probably the eldest weeping willow she had ever came across. In front of the tree was a puddle, a small, shallow puddle that would occasionally even though there was neither wind nor rainfall.

"Alright," Ichigo said, clasping his hands together. "Jump in."

Rukia looked at the orange haired hatter as if he had grew and extra head. "Why?"

"Just do it." Ichigo began to get aggravated.

"What? No, why? How about you do it?"

"Women." He sighed, shaking his orange head slightly.

"What… did you say?" Rukia asked in a menacing voice that sent a shiver down Ichigo's spine.

Ichigo gulped inaudibly. "S-swimmin'! Let's go swimmin'."

With that the Hatter stuck one foot out and fell towards the puddle. To Rukia surprise, he went into the water as if it where twenty feet deep, and not a mere puddle of rainwater.

"I-Ichigo?"

"Jump in, Rukia." She heard Ichigo's voice tell her.

"What? Where are you?"

"Just jump!" was her reply.

Rukia looked sceptically at the puddle before heaving a large, heavy sigh, squinting her eyes shut tightly and jumping in.