Chapter 2

Yay! Finally uploaded the second chapter! The story switches to Tsubasa's point of view in this chapter. Sorry for any confusion. :P

Tsubasa was having a bad day. No, that was an understatement. This was the shittiest, messed up, bizarre day of her life. Falling from the sky was bad enough. Making a fool of herself in front of Alice was even worse. But seeing… him, she shuddered inwardly. That was downright wrong.

It's not who you think it is. She reminded herself, looking at the closed door. His name is Ace and you've never met him before.

Now she stood inside the Clock Tower, facing the so-called clockmaker Julius. He glowered at her skeptically.

"Who is this girl?" he asked, "And why is she here?"

Tsubasa grit her teeth angrily. "You don't have to ask Alice. I can answer for myself you know." She retorted. "For your information, my name is Tsubasa Rakka, and I was kidnapped by a psychotic, deranged rabbit named Peter White."

Alice groaned. "Peter?! You've got to be kidding me." She balled her hands into fists. "Just wait till I see that-."

"No need." Tsubasa interrupted bluntly. "I kicked the bastard in the crotch." She grinned devilishly. "I don't think he'll be standing straight for a while."

The room was dead silent. Julius coughed uncertainly.

"You kicked him." He muttered.

"In the balls." Tsubasa confirmed. The more she remembered about her abduction, the further irritated she got.

"He dropped me down this god-forsaken hole and made me drink some weird potion." She growled. "And that's not the worst part! The bastard kissed me! KISSED ME!" she yelled. "So yeah! He got what he deserved! And when I find him again, I'm going TO KILL THAT BASTARD!"

The door creaked open. Ace poked his head in. "Can I come in yet?" he asked.

"NO!" shouted Tsubasa.

Alice stood speechless. Tsubasa blinked twice. The fury vanished from her eyes, filling with mortification instead.

"Oh crap, not again!" she wailed, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Tsubasa flopped onto the ground curling up into a ball. She hid her head between her knees.

Alice and Julius shared a long look. Julius motioned Ace into the room. The tree stared down at Tsubasa. Between her legs she mumbled something.

"What did she say?" Ace asked.

Tsubasa popped her head up. "I said don't come into the room you idiot of a knight!" she snapped.

Alice stepped between the two. "Enough guys!" she commanded, "Ace come with me. We're waiting outside. Tsubasa, stay with Julius. He'll explain everything."

"But-!"

"No buts!" Alice ordered. She shot a death glare at Tsubasa. Grabbing Ace's hand, Alice marched out of the room. Tsubasa slowly turned to Julius, who looked just as unhappy about the turn of events. With a flick of his hand, two cups of coffee sat steaming on the table. Tsubasa's eyes widened.

"Sit down." Julius told her. "We have a lot to talk about."

Tsubasa took a sip of the coffee. It tasted delicious, perfectly brewed. If Julius had one good point about him, it was his coffee.

"So am I allowed to ask questions?"

"No." Julius growled. "Just be quiet and listen to me."

Tsubasa frowned, nut did not object. Julius took a deep breath.

"To start, the name of this world is Wonderland, also known as the Country of Hearts. There are four main territories: The Hatter Mansion, Heart Castle, the Amusement Park, and my Clock Tower. The groups are constantly fighting each other, attempting to gain more territory. The Clock Tower is the only place where you cannot fight. It's considered safe ground. In each territory, there are two kinds of people-"

"What kind of people?" Tsubasa accidently cut in. "Like good and bad?"

"Was about to tell you before you so rudely interrupted me." Julius criticized. "The first kind are called Role-Holders such as Ace and myself. We each have a certain duty we must perform in Wonderland. All Role-Holders have faces. Then there are the faceless. They have no particular role in Wonderland. Most of the faceless serve under a Role-Holder."

"They… have no face?" Tsubasa shuddered.

Julius stared blankly at her. "Of course. I thought the name was self-explanatory." He took a sip of coffee.

"So I would be a role holder then right?" Tsubasa guessed. "Because I have a face."

Julius shook his head. It gave his hair the effect of rippling water.

"You are neither a Role-Holder, nor a faceless." He explained. "Rather a more appropriate term would be foreigner, since you came from another world."

Tsubasa glanced at her long brown hair and purple outfit. In her opinion, she certainly didn't look like a foreigner. Julius seemed to read her thoughts.

"It's not just in your looks," he said, "But more in what you're made of. Role-Holders can sense a foreigner if they're close by."

"Well that explains everything." Tsubasa said sarcastically. "It's what I'm made of. So are you guys robots or something?" She poked Julius' arm curiously. He batted her hand away irritably.

"I'm human. I bleed." He said looking away. "Maybe I shouldn't say. It's too early in the game."

"Excuse me?" Tsubasa sniffed. "I'm not a child you know. And what game are you talking about?"

Julius faced palmed himself. "You're such a… never mind."

He pushed his coffee to the side resentfully. Folding his hands, he glared sullenly at Tsubasa, who looked just as exasperated.

"The Game of Hearts." Julius said. "To compete you need to be a foreigner and you must drink the Medicine of the Heart. You remember the clear liquid Peter made you drink?"

Tsubasa nodded sourly.

Julius continued, "Once the potion had touched your lips, you became a contender in the game. Only by winning the game can you go back to your world. There are three rules: One, you need to fill your vial. In this case, the vial that held the medicine. It's the key to your return home so don't lose or break it. Two, to fill your vial, you need to interact with Wonderland's inhabitants. Three," Julius paused, "Everyone in this world will become attached to you."

He concluded his explanation, and waited for Tsubasa to say something. To his surprise, she remained mute. Her hair fell over her face, concealing her expression.

Julius wondered if she had realized he was done speaking.

"Tsubasa…"

"Everyone will become attached to me?" she whispered, repeating his words. "As in, love me?" Tsubasa looked up, and Julius was startled to see she was angry.

"No! That can't happen! She cried. Julius stepped backwards in alarm. He had not been expecting such an extreme reaction. Tsubasa stood abruptly, knocking her coffee over. It splashed onto the table, sloshing over the surface.

"I'm leaving." Tsubasa informed him. She stalked over to the door and threw it open with a bang. Alice and Ace stood surprised in the hallway. It was apparent they had been eavesdropping in on the conversation. Tsubasa brushed past both of them, hurrying to the stairs.

"Tsubasa, wait!" Alice cried, but her words had no effect on the brunette. Tsubasa turned the corner, and her hair whipped out of sight.

Julius stepped out of his room. Ace and Alice both looked at him.

"She didn't take it very well." Ace observed.

Julius shook his head. "She was taking everything in pretty well until the end." He glanced back at the spilled coffee. It had reached the end of the table, and was beginning to drip onto the floor. With a clap of his hands, the coffee vanished, leaving both the table and the floor clean.

Alice looked at Julius. "We have to go after her." She said. "Who knows what Role-Holders she'll meet?"

Julius shook his head darkly. "I understand your concerns Alice, but it's too late. I think the best thing to do now is wait for her to calm down."

Alice looked down at her feet. She heard Julius walk back into his room. Ace followed him.

"Come in Alice." Julius told her, waiting at the doorway. "I have the feeling it's going to be a while before Tsubasa comes back."

Ace took her hand. "Don't worry!" He comforted. "Tsubasa doesn't seem like someone who gets lost very easily."

Alice smiled. "Jealous Ace?"

"Mm, maybe a little. But that just gives me another reason to kill her."

"Ace! Don't say things like that!"

"Ha, ha, ha! Just joking Alice~!"

Julius herded them inside the room. "Be quiet both of you. I still need peace and quiet." He grabbed a wrench of its hook. "If you're going to squabble, someone might get hurt..."

Alice and Ace both eyed the large wrench Julius held in his hands. Without saying a word, they both sat obediently in chairs.

"That's better." Julius grunted. He sat behind his desk and began working on a clock.

Alice sighed, looking out the window facing her. She began preparing for the long wait of Tsubasa's return…

End of Chapter 2

I've almost finished chapter three too, so expect it soon! I love the weekends when I can just write stuff. It's so much easier. (^.^)

If you have a preference on which Role-Holder Tsubasa meets next let me know! Are these chapters too short too? I'm not sure what a normal length would be…