Hetalia Axis Powers and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There belong to Lewis Carroll.

Three hours of the night before were devoted to sleep. He was not the sort who lived as an insomniac, this being somewhat unusual for him. Nevertheless, Toris Laurinaitis woke up at five thirty in the morning like normal and dragged himself to do what he needed to do. No one told him to wake up at such a time, but he felt it to a necessity. Someone originally gave him the bed, Toris not having purchased it on his own account. The person who gave him the bed was absentminded and a bit of a fool; that is why he woke up. The person in question was his employer and the young man found himself indebted to him. Toris Laurinaitis was a house keeper.

Being in the kitchen by a quarter to six was a must for the brunet. No matter the day, whether it be a holiday or a mere Tuesday, Toris would be bustling around. He knew that Alfred Jones, the owner of the house in which Toris resided, was not capable of fixing up a fair breakfast before he ran out of the house with flailing arms. Toris would be needed to stand by to take swift glances at Alfred to make sure his cuff links were being worn properly and that his jacket did not have a hole in the shoulder. He only tried to help the man, who actually expressed appreciation. Living in the house was not bad at all; something told Toris he actually needed it.

But waking up at a certain hour was not the cause for his sleeping issues.

For the past few days, Toris could have been sure that he had seen a boy lurking around Alfred's house. The young boy did not cause any trouble, yet Toris would wonder where the boy came from. Alfred never seemed to have seen the boy himself, leaving Toris to question if the boy was a figment of his dull imagination. Toris had even dared himself to peer over bushes to see if he could find any possible hiding space the boy could be using. However, Toris was never able to find the boy when he went around looking for him. Maybe the boy did not exist at all.

It was odd that the boy was able to be lurking in the yards at all, quite frankly. A black gate surrounded the entire house and yards, a door being in the front and the back. The only way to get through was for one of the doors to be unlocked, having the proper key, or being a rather talented climber. The last one was unlikely, only leading Toris to the idea of his employer's forgetfulness. Toris would make sure both sides of the tall gate were locked, Alfred tending to leave them unlocked. It was almost a silly idea to have locks at all if the owner forgot to lock them up and basically welcoming in strangers.

The brunet thought about possible scenarios of unlocked gates as he stood in front of the stove, tending to a kettle that had just begun to whistle. He lifted the pitch black kettle over to a cup and slowly poured steaming water into it. The morning was already tiresome and all he had gotten done was grinding coffee beans for his employer's beverage and fix up some scrambled eggs with slices of broiled bacon. Breakfast was typically not a challenge for Toris, but the lack of sleep was starting to get to him.

A fork was fished out of a drawer, setting it nicely on the edge of the right side of the plate, and picking up the plate as well as the cup of coffee. Toris carefully walked into the dining room, setting the plate and cup in front of a spot where a chair sat before heading back into the kitchen to get a napkin. While doing so, he heard thundering from upstairs and it quickly came down to the first floor. A weak smile reached Toris' lips as he came out of the kitchen with a paper napkin

"Morning, Toris!"

A blond skidded into the dinning room at the same moment Toris headed back in. The napkin was set neatly beside the plate, Toris giving a slight bow to the other young man who took the seat in front of the meal. Toris looked up to see the blond press his glasses up to his face.

"Good morning, Mr. Jones. It is nice to see you."

Alfred Jones reached for his fork and gave a bit of a laugh, "I woke up on time for once."

"That is good to hear, sir."

Toris took a few steps back as Alfred quickly threw down on the eggs, the wide smile having to express that of Alfred's gratitude. Despite Toris being sleepy, his cooking did not come out completely dismal. The brunet neatly folded his hand out in front of him, Alfred setting his fork down next to a now empty plate.

"I'm sorry about breakfast not being good as it could be, sir." Toris managed to say.

Alfred was now chugging down the coffee, setting done the cup as quickly as he picked it up, "It's good, don't worry about it."

"Ah, thank you..."

"And your English has improved a lot. You're really good with speaking it."

In response to Alfred's comment, Toris felt himself grow warm. English was not his first language and he was sure he had been no good with it. Even his native tongue had him stammer now and again. He had only been working for Alfred for a year now and was not in the United States much before that, so it was a very pleasant compliment indeed.

"Thank you, sir." Toris mumbled.

After that was said, Alfred pushed his plate away from him and got out of his seat. He brushed himself off, trying to clean his shirt of any crumbs he managed to get on himself. There was a deep exhale and Alfred stretched his arms.

"Hey, Toris, the weather is supposed to get bad durin' the day. I don't have any chores for you to be doing outside and I don't really want you out there, anyway. And I think everything is fine inside, so you got the day off."

Toris blinked and placed his arms to his sides where his hand gripped at his apron.

"I bet there is something I could do," he protested, lightly.

"Nope. You can take a load off for once. I don't mind it." Alfred gave one last stretch before he began to leave the dining room.

The brunet approached the table, setting the cup and fork on the plate. Lifting the plate up, he shuffled back into the kitchen. The dishes were gently set in the sink, Toris turning the water on. While doing so, he felt something prod at his shoulder which caused him to jump and splash water on himself. The water was quickly turned off, his hands still on the knobs. There was laughter that followed, Toris turning around to see an amused Alfred.

"I'm sorry, Toris," the blond said, between the small bits of laughter. "I thought you heard me."

Toris sighed, clutching at the top of his apron, "Did you forget something, sir?"

For a moment, Alfred paused and brought a finger up to his chin. He must have been doing some important thinking, at least Toris believed. He dropped his hand and pressed his back to the sink. Alfred used the same finger that he touched his chin with to point at Toris.

"You can call me Alfred, you know."

Toris' green eyes blinked at the finger and they were lifted to look up at Alfred. The brunet barely nodded, Alfred pulling his hand away from his face.

"Okay!" Alfred gave Toris a wave before heading out.

Toris did not move, save for his hands that were placed against the edge of the sink. He strained his ears, waiting for the front door to shut. It eventually did so, Toris' hands sliding off the edge as he turned back to the sink. He held his head with one of his wet hands, glancing down at the dishes. He supposed he would clean them up later when he was preparing dinner. Just because Alfred said he had the day off, it did not mean he would not be working twelve hours from this point. The apron was tiredly pulled over his head, exposing the entire front of the white long-sleeved shirt, and he dried his hands with it, setting it neatly on the counter.

Now he would have to busy himself with the idea of 'having the day off.' There was not much that Toris really did that was not related to taking care of the house. If he ended up having nothing to do, Alfred would sometimes have him play chess and beat his employer every time. He looked around the kitchen, departing soon after.

The house keeper headed up to his room, sitting himself on his bed. What was one to do with free time if it all he had to do was already done? Doing work was almost like his free time. Not saying it was fun, but it was better off than where he was originally in his life. He gave a slight yawn-. Right. A nap was a good enough of an idea. The brunet nodded to himself, turning slightly to face the window.

'Something has to be better than sleeping, though.'

He was only able to see grey clouds that dominated the sky and a bit of green below. A few days have passed since Toris was outside, as depressing as it sounded, and that was only with hanging laundry. Toris straightened himself up a bit, thinking a bit. He left the clothes line out, didn't he? He flung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing up and rubbing his eyes. Quickly, he headed over to a corner where two pair of shoes were kept. His fairly small feet slid into a pair of black shoes, Toris shifting around to get them on properly without bending over or having to retie the laces.

With his shoes on, Toris found himself by his dresser and opening the second drawer from the top. He pulled out a grey waistcoat and slipped it on, hurriedly buttoning up the black buttons it donned. He smoothed himself out and left the room, not bothering with getting a coat; after all, he would not take long.

Toris headed down the stairs, hand gliding over the railing. He even had the nerve to jump over the last step, smiling to himself. Skipping over stairs probably helped Alfred get down the stairs as fast as he did first thing in the morning.

He zipped around the corner and slid to the back of the house. Toris found himself in the kitchen once more, passing the counter and sink. On one side of the kitchen was a door with a scratched up handle. The door was wrenched open, Toris being greeted by the coldness of outside. He gave a bit of a shiver as he took steps outward, quietly closing the door behind him. The way he went led him to the backyard, which was mainly bare for the time being. With winter setting in, there was not too much to do with the landscape.

As he thought, there was string tied to two stakes that were standing out to the side of the yard. Toris hurried to one stake to undo one the knot that was made on that end. A breeze came in as his fingers fumbled with the knot, the brunet cringing. He turned his head away from the direction of where the wind was coming from, eyes falling on the gate door hanging open.

There was no reason for the back gate to be open like that. Toris easily abandoned the clothes line, the free end flying with the wind as the other end clung to its stake. He stuck his hand into his pants' pocket to fish out a small ring of keys. One key was easily picked out from the rest, being separated as his free hand grabbed hold of the door. The key was stuck in its hole, another breeze- no, a wind- coming in. The door was pulled outward, Toris being dragged along with it.

The door made a horrible clanging noise as it slammed against the gate, Toris pulling away and leaving the ring of keys hanging. There was a soft gasp from behind him, causing Toris to whip around. He had a very good look at a figure a few metres away from him. Small, shivering, wearing clothes not proper for the weather…

It was a boy with dirty blond hair who kept his arms close to his chest, but only to extend them as Toris spotted him. Toris' eyes widened, making short lived eye contact with a pair of blue eyes. This was that boy, with no doubt.

"H-hey!" the brunet called out to him.

The boy heard him, but Toris did not get the reaction that he wanted from him. Instead of approaching Toris, the boy dashed away. Without thinking, Toris soon found himself chasing after the boy. He recklessly left the keys behind and the gate and back door unlocked-! But such things were not considered as he ran around trees, wind biting at his face as it began to blow from a new direction.

"Hey! Come back!"

Words were futile, the boy only glancing back at him once. As the blond turned his head, something suddenly protruded from his head. Two somethings. They took on a thin oval-like shape, yet being pointed at the top. Toris squinted his eyes, not feeling capable of bringing his hands up to his eyes to rub at them. Rabbit ears?

Toris did not even realise that he wandered off into a forest, though a tree was becoming a more likely object to dodge. What brought him down, however, was his own feet. He stumbled over himself, having been too caught up with the chase. The man found himself on the cold ground all sprawled out, only lifting his head to see the boy vanish behind a tree. After all that, the boy must have thought that he had time to rest…

He pushed himself up to his feet, eyes watering from the cold air. Taking it slowly, he headed to the tree where he saw the boy stop at. If he went too fast, the boy would surely hear him and take off again. How could someone possibly have such energy for such a small person? No matter, Toris had him now. When he arrived to his destination, he pressed a hand against the tree's trunk and peered to the other side.

He wasn't there.

The brunet blinked out of surprise, then looked around the surrounding area. There was no sign of the boy.

'How did he do that…?'

There was a soft groan, Toris sinking down slightly and leaning up against the tree. Should he make a report of a missing person? He lowered his head in slight dejection and groaned once more. He only soon paused when he found a hole right before him, having been made under some of the tree's roots that were coming out of the ground. There was a great possibility that the boy could be hiding out in there!

It sounded like a bit of a dangerous idea; there were plenty of animals that could be digging holes and not be exactly friendly. But if the boy had been attacked or eaten, it would have happened already and he would have been able to hear something from where he fell.

Taking the risk, Toris placed his hands at the bottom of the opening and kept his head at a short distance. It was rather dark; not a good hiding space for a small boy, so he thought. He leaned forward slightly in means to get a better look, but it was no use. It was pitch black and that was that. But he heard something sometime ago with the third time being the 'charm.'

Toris edged a bit closer, holding his breath. It was hopeless, wasn't it? He made the move to pull back, only to bang his head against one of the tree's roots. It caused him to lose balance, both hands falling off the edge of the hole's opening. His midriff begin to slide through, Toris desperately pressing his hands up against the inside of the hole to support his weight. His hands slipped against the dirt, falling away and giving the support away. The man's head hit against the dirt as well as he began to find himself sliding in further and further.

Toris' vision was now engulfed by complete darkness.

What a way to end a chapter. The time of the world in which Toris lives in is that after World War I, taking the idea from the Lithuania's Out-Sourcing Series strips of Toris working for Alfred.

Alfred can be considered the Dinah of this story. . .