A/N: Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my story! Yay, got some reviews, I thank those who reviewed! I might not be able to update so soon, since school is right around the corner, but I'll try my best to! Anyway, this chapter's going to be a bit strange, so I hope you guys like it still! Here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice, but I do own this story and the OC(s).

Enjoy!


I'm Not the Hero in This Story

Chapter Two: This Faceless Disguise

"I bear the burden of a crime I did not commit, but I forgave the one who placed it on me a long time ago. I already have a last wish that I will fulfill myself before I die."

"Gowland…are you there…?" I panted, trying my hardest to pull myself to Gowland's office and not spill any blood on the floor. I felt so tired, and the buzzing in my ears wouldn't stop. To be in this state because of this level of a wound…I must be out of practice.

"Jenesa?" Gowland's voice was muffled by his door, but I could hear it loud and clear when he opened it and yelled. "Jenesa! What happened to you?"

"Let's just say that I was shot because I tried protecting the one I love." I forced a smile, and Gowland quickly picked me up, careful not to touch my wound, and carried me to the room next door. "How's that?"

"You idiot…" he mumbled, and I coughed out a wry laugh while he scowled. He set me onto the clean white bed and went to get medical supplies from the glass cabinet. The blood I was holding in spilled over the sheets immediately, but it seemed Gowland didn't mind. Atleast, I think he didn't.

He sat in a chair nearby and slowly pulled out the bullet with a dull pair of tweezers. I winced at the pain, but it was a kind of good pain, like when someone pulled a thorn out of their foot. "One of Boris' guns?" Gowland asked, inspecting the ammo piece for a moment before setting it on a metal tray with the ointment and gauze. "That stupid cat…I'll get ready to scold him…"

"He has pretty good aim, if you asked me. He was so close to getting me in a vital spot."

Gowland narrowed his eyes from behind his glasses at me, and I quieted. He started to slip off my dress shirt, tossing it onto the floor. I wasn't embarrassed at all by this; who would be, after being sexually harassed by horrible prison guards for a year? However, I couldn't help but yelp when he wiped away the blood with a somewhat rough rag and applied smooth, cool ointment.

Gowland quietly apologized, and wrapped my shoulder with soft gauze, making sure it was secure. I flexed my arm a bit, and smiled at his handiwork. Was he used to this kind of thing, or just experienced? "Thanks Gowland. I owe you one. Now I'll just go get back to wo—"

Gowland pushed me back onto the bed, a stern expression on his fuzzy features. I shot him a confused look when he sighed. "You're in no state to get back to work. Rest."

"No!" I protested, propping myself up slightly again. "I have to observe them, or I'll never finish my—"

"I don't care!" he yelled back, and my eyes widened. He had a terribly pained expression, and I couldn't help but feel hurt too. He didn't need to care about me so much… "I don't want you to hurt yourself so much."

I could feel the tears coming, but I closed my eyes, and they didn't spill over. "Gowland, thank you for caring," I began, smiling at him when he gave a sideways glance at me, "but I have to do this. It's the only thing I want. Please let me go."

That pained expression subsided, but his eyebrows were now knitted together, and he came back over to me. His big, bear-like arms wrapped around me, embracing me with comfy warmth. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

I laughed, hugging him back, and for a moment, I squeezed him like he'd disappear if I let go. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." We pulled away, and I ended up laughing again, tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew Gowland cared, and I knew I'd end up breaking, at some point or another. But what was wrong with challenging my limit? Gowland was the only person I had left, and Pierce was the only person I wanted truly happy before I died. I'd have to return to my world sometime, or they'd find the person who really committed the crime, and execute them in my stead. And that person…

"Why would you go so far for this love?" Gowland asked as I slipped on a fresh dress shirt. "Pierce isn't anything special, and—!"

"Because..." I closed my eyes again, and Gowland leaned in his chair.

"Because…?"

I cracked a smile, reopening my eyes and staring out the lone window in the room. "Because Pierce became my light, and unlike the interrogation lights at the prison, which blinded me, he was already that bright."

"A smile was forbidden for me, so I didn't try. However, watching him smile and laugh freely with his favorite person, I found my mouth curved up. But what made that first smile pained was the fact that he was out of my reach."

"Okay, last thing to do." I pulled out my list of chores, wiping sweat away from my forehead after. "Clean each seat of the…Ferris Wheel…?" I blinked and rubbed my eyes; Gowland had to be kidding, right? I pushed the worn list back into my baggy pants pocket, and raised my head to stare at the sky. The sun was already setting, so I'd have to finish before pure night fell.

"Geez, and you said I shouldn't push yourself, stupid Gowland…" I mumbled grumpily, and trudged in the direction of the towering Ferris Wheel. "How am I supposed to even clean the seats?"

"Eep, chu!" Something collided with me, and I was pushed onto the ground, right on my wound. Talk about ouch; how much did my right arm have to endure?

"What the…" I grumbled, attempting to push myself back up, but froze in the process. My mask fell off, and Pierce was on top of me. He had his eyes closed, however, so I had just enough time to grab my mask and place it back on shakily. "O-oh, it's you again, Pierce. Mind getting off of me?" My shoulder began to throb, the pain multiplying with every second. If he didn't move soon, I was about ready to cry. This was the second time today that I'd seen him, and I wasn't exactly 'happy'.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes, and one of his huge tears slipped out and landed on my face. I didn't like that feeling; I hated seeing him cry. Damn that Boris… "Chu!" He jumped off of me, and I finally breathed out, rubbing my shoulder. I was lucky my bullet wound hadn't opened. I wouldn't want to face Pierce's cries and Gowland's wrath if my blood came out.

"Nice seeing you again, but I have to go—"

"Rat! Where are you? You're going to pay for stepping on my tail!" an angry voice roared, and I could easily recognize it as Boris. Ugh, didn't that cat have anything better to do than hurt this poor mouse?

"Not again…" I pulled a hand through my golden locks, and suddenly felt a hand grab my wrist. "Wha?" Before I could fully react, I found myself being dragged along to the Ferris Wheel, and plopping into one of the capsules. Pierce shut the door, and the ride started right away. I felt the need to throw myself out the window swell up, and cursed my luck. This wasn't supposed to happen; where was Alice, and why wasn't Pierce with her?

"Phew, we lost him, chu!" Pierce exclaimed, sitting across from me. His eyebrows were furrowed, just like Gowland's from way back, and he was sweating a bit. Poor guy…

"Here." I took out a clean cloth from my huge pocket, and handed it to him. I wanted to wipe it off myself, but I knew I couldn't. Alice was the only one who could do that; I'd seen it far too many times… He stared at me confusedly, and took the cloth hesitantly. "You're sweating."

"O-oh. Thank you, chu," he replied, smiling at me as he removed his black hat and wiped his forehead. I think I just killed my heart, but I couldn't really tell with my clock's sound. There was that smile again, the smile he always gave Alice, and the smile that saved me. I had the urge to ask him what 'chu' meant, but I knew he'd say something along the lines of 'chu is chu'.

"No problem. Now, you should enjoy the ride while you can. I have to clean the seats for Gowland."

"You work here, chu?" he asked, getting up from his seat. I almost jumped at his sudden movement, but remained calm as I started wiping the seat I was at. "I've never seen you here before…"

I laughed dryly, trying to suppress my squeal in my throat. I liked his chu's, I liked how this moment felt, I liked him…but I knew I could never have him. "I just started today, and Gowland's already given me so much work…" I winced slightly, flexing my shoulder. Did I put too much strain on it this time?

"A-ah!" Pierce squeaked, and I raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"You're…bleeding, chu."

I took a look at my shoulder, and sure enough, a red blotch was forming. "Shoot, it opened…" I took off my shirt, wrapping it around my shoulder in an emergency fashion. I heard Pierce squeak again, and I felt the heat gush into my cheeks. I was only wearing a tight blue tank top, and when I turned, Pierce was covering his eyes. I smirked, and a giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it. "I'm sorry you have to see this."

"Huh?"

I continued to wipe the seat, and when I finished, I went over to Pierce. "Could you please stand up? Or perhaps sit on the floor? I'll provide you something to sit on, so…"

"I'll help you clean, chu!" he exclaimed, and kneeled down next to me. Even when he wasn't that tall, he was towering over me a bit.

I gawked at him, and stopped wiping. Was he serious? This was bad… "No, it's fine. It's ok—"

Suddenly, he leaned forward, so close I could feel his breath tickle my cheeks. "Please, it's the least I can do, chu."

I backed away, and hit my head against the door. My face was a bright scarlet; how long was this ride going to be? Pierce's nose twitched, and he came closer to me. I couldn't back away anymore, and I couldn't just fling myself out the window however much I wanted to. "P-Pierce, it's fine. I'll take care of it, so—"

All of a sudden, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him. My eyes widened behind my mask, and I held my breath when he sniffed me. "Alice doesn't smell anything like you...you smell really good, chu," he said, and looked at me. "Why do you wear a mask if you're a faceless, chu?"

"I'm self-conscious."

"Hm…" Pierce reached toward my mask, his hand inches from my face until the slow moving Ferris Wheel stopped. I breathed out in relief, and hurriedly left his hold and dashed out the door when it opened. "Wait, chu!" he called after me, but I ignored it and kept running.

I bit my lip as I panted slightly. Before I knew it, I'd arrived at the building Gowland's office resided in, and leaned against the red brick wall, a crazed blush on my face. "That was way too close…" I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead. I had an excited, muffled pounding in my chest, and gripped my chest. I felt a bubbly happiness swell within me, and a small smile found its way to my face.

But what was this other painful feeling?


End A/N: Gah, I think I failed...xD I hope you guys will consider reviewing, since I really want this story to be known(there are too little Pierce stories, and even though I like a few Alice stories, I like OC ones better o_o). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and R&R if you can! ;)

Thanks for reading!