A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, favs, and alerts guys~ you make me happy! Very happy! :D
Void of Nothingness: XD Thank you so much!
austriantatious: Thank you so much! And the twins will try their best to make Hikari drink the Medicine of Hearts~!
Thanks to austriantatious for adding this story to her community~!
Hikari © me
Mentions of KH characters or places © Square Enix
Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice © QuinRose
3=~x~X~x~=E
Mission 2
Failed Attempts
3=~x~X~x~=E
"Get off, you brats!" Hikari shouted loudly as she tried to shove the Bloody Twins away. They both have been hugging her by her waist for five minutes now. She doesn't like it when people get a little too 'huggy' on her. She could just shove the twins off her by force, but she did try that and that didn't work a single bit. The Bloody Twins were just too clingy! How did Alice survive with this two clinging on her every day? A sigh escape her lips. She finally gave up after her last try to shove the twins away. Her hand reached up to scratch the back of her head angrily. She has to ask Alice later on how to control the twins. "Are you two always this…'huggy'?" The brunette sighed out, massaging her temples.
"Yup~! We always love hugging pretty onee-chans~!" The red twin, Dum, sang happily as he snuggled to the left side of Hikari's waist.
"Great…" Hikari said sarcastically as she let out a deep sigh. "Why don't you hug Alice instead? She's pretty." She smiled, patting the twins' head.
"I-I-I'm not pretty!" Alice's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. The chestnut haired girl just met Hikari a few minutes ago and she's already complimenting her! Alice gripped on her apron of her dress as her cheeks were still red. In her world, people never complimented her on her looks. She was overshadowed by her older sister, Lorina and her younger sister, Edith.
Hikari sighed as she scratched the back of her neck, "You're right… You're not pretty…" She suddenly said. Alice gripped on her dress tighter as she closed her eyes tightly. She felt tears whelming up from the corner of her eyes. She knew it. She knew it! She knew that Hikari was just as the same as everyone else in her world. "You're very pretty, Alice~!" The tall brunette sang happily with a happy grin.
What?
Alice's eyes snapped wide open. What? What did she say?
"You're very pretty, Alice~! Just like a princess!" Hikari laughed and turn to face the twins, who stare up at her confusedly. "Isn't that right you, bratty Bloody Twins? Alice is the prettiest princess, right? Who agrees please raise their hand up!" She quickly raised her right hand up in the air.
"We agree~!" The twins sang in unison again as they both raised their right hands, but still keeping a firm grip on Hikari's waist with their left hands.
Another blush crept up to Alice's cheeks. "L-Let's just go to the Hatter's Mansion!" She quickly said, her legs shaking a little. Another foreigner… Another outsider… from her world… just complemented her. That was indeed surprising for the chestnut-haired Liddell. A smile was seen on her lips. She was happy, happier than ever to have a friend, a girl friend. Not that she's not happy spending time with Vivaldi, but Hikari was an outsider. The first one to ever take notice to her, Alice Liddell! They were going to be best friends indeed!
Hikari stared at Alice confusedly before shrugging her shoulders. "Get off, you Bratty Twins! Have you ever heard of personal space before?!" She went back to try and shove the twins away. The twins only flashed a sweet grin before snuggling to her waist again. A loud groan escaped her throat as she slump her shoulders down. Obviously, no. The twins never heard of personal space before. She tried her best to walk with the dang Bloody Twins clinging on her. "Would you two please move in the same pace as me? I don't want to fall to the ground!" The brunette wobbled slightly, but quickly regained her balance and glare at the twins.
"Sorry, New Onee-chan~!" Dum apologized.
'Ugh… This is getting us no where… at all…' Hikari thought bitterly as she sighed deeply. "Well… It can't be helped…" She said, making the twins look at her with confuse looks.
"Up you two go~!" This time, it was Hikari's turn to grin. She swung Dee over her shoulder and carried Dum in the loop of her left arm. The twins were like a sack, an empty sack of presents to be exact. She was used to carrying something heavy over her shoulders and was forced to do pull-ups every morning. It was painful and tiring at first, but after a while… it became a daily routine for her.
"Waaa~! Put us down, New Onee-chan~!" Dee cried in a singing tone.
"Nope! This way, we'll be able to get to the Mansion quicker!" Hikari grinned.
"Aren't we heavy, New Onee-chan?" Dum asked with his head cocked to the side.
Hikari looked down at the red twins. She shakes her head with a small smile. "Nah! You two are as light as feathers! Trust me! I can carry you two like this for hours!" She said.
"Oh! In that case," Dum began as he grinned mischievously. "The Hatter's Mansion is that way, New Onee-chan~!" Dee pointed his finger to the opposite direction.
"Really?" Hikari stopped on her tracks and turned around to the direction pointed by Dee.
"No!" Alice cried in panic as she ran towards Hikari. The chestnut-haired girl turned Hikari around to the right direction of the Hatter's Mansion. "The Bloody Twins were just lying, Hikari. The right way to the Mansion is this way. You can already see the big Mansion in front of us." She smiled kindly.
"Oh…" Hikari stared at the large Mansion. It was bigger and better than the Old Mansion! She turned to glare at Dum, who only smiled sweetly at her. A visible vein popped on her forehead as she dropped the twins to the ground without care. They both complained with a 'hey', but the brunette choose to ignore the Bloody Twins for the time being. She turned to Alice with a goofy grin. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's head to the big and beautiful Mansion~!" She sang happily.
"Uh—wait!" Alice cried as she was being dragged by the excited keyblade wielder. She has never seen anyone this excited to see the Mafia before. Something suddenly made her remember the reason. She hasn't told Hikari about the Mafia thing yet! All she knew that she was going to meet Blood Dupre, who is the Mafia Boss. She wondered. How will Hikari react when she told her that the place they're visiting is the home of the dangerous Mafia?
"Yo~! Is anybody home? Hello~?" Hikari sang as she shakes the bar of the gate. "Huh… where is the freaking doorbell? Is has to be here somewhere…" She mumbled to herself as she searched high and low for the doorbell. A mansion as big like this, has to have a doorbell right?
"Hikari…" Alice laughed nervously. "The twins are the gatekeepers of this Mansion." She said with a nervous smile.
Hikari blinked at her a few times before pointing her finger to the Bloody Twins. "Them? Gatekeepers? Really? I never thought they hire two slackers as the Gatekeepers…" She scratched the back of her head as the twins responded with another 'hey' in unison. "Oh well… Probably low on budget…" She shrugged her shoulder.
Alice laughed. "Well, when I first came here… they tried to kill me when I first met them." She smiled.
"Kill you, really? You two Brats want to kill a pretty lady like Alice?! I'm ashamed of you two!" Hikari crossed her arms as she scolded the Tweedle twins.
"We didn't know she was a foreigner!" The twins argued with teary eyes. Hikari raised an eyebrow angrily at them as she crossed her arms over her chest. She can be intimidating… sometimes. "We were told to kill everyone who intrudes the mansion!" They shouted in unison.
"Oh yeah? Who told you that?" Hikari huffed. Who in the right mind would tell such commands to adorable little kids?!
"That would be me, young miss." A voice said from behind.
Quickly, by reflexes, Hikari swung her foot up to the man. The voice obviously belongs to a man, since it was deep. Her kick was blocked by a white gloved hand. They both stayed in defense and attack mode for a few seconds as Hikari observed the man carefully. The man has dark blue hair—almost to black. His midnight blue eyes gleam as they stare at the brunette. He had a black hat on with roses at the sides. He wore very fancy and also all white clothing with high white socks—at least that's what Hikari thinks. A smirk was seen on his lips as Hikari glared daggers at him for appearing so suddenly behind her. Again… personal space, people!
Another man with long curly blonde hair and brown bunny ears appeared from behind the brunette. A 'click' was heard from behind. A gun was pointed straight to her head. Hikari narrowed her eyes and only caught a glimpse of the man's hair and somewhat a worn out purple scarf swaying in the wind.
"Blood! Elliot!" Alice screamed as her skin losses its color, turning her pale. "P-Please stop! She's not an intruder! She's my friend!" She grabbed onto Blood's arm, trying to drag him away.
"You're a friend of Miss Alice?" Elliot question as his eyebrows were raised. He quickly pulled his gun away from Hikari's head back to its holsters. "I deeply apologize for pointing a gun at you, Miss!" He apologizes.
"Yeah, no problem, Man…" Hikari replied as she still kept her kicking pose with Blood. "Now, if your friend here would just let go of my foot… I'll be really grateful. I'm getting a cramp here!" She cried as a 'pop' was heard on her hip joint.
Blood chuckled before releasing Hikari's foot. The brunette cried silently as she sat down on the ground while massaging her hip. She never knew that staying in the same position for just thirty seconds would create a cramp in her joints. She has to remember that when encountering someone again. Never kick first! Always punch first! That's her new motto.
"Alice? Who's this?" Blood asked, placing his gloved hand on his chin.
"Oh! She's Hikari, the new foreigner." Alice smiled sweetly, patting Hikari's shoulder as she was still crying in pain.
"Yeah~! But New Onee-chan haven't drink the Medicine of Hearts yet~!" Dee sings happily as he waved his battle axe around.
"I see…" Blood nodded his head as he turned his head to see Hikari was still wailing in pain quietly while Alice was still comforting her. He kneeled down to the brunette's eye level, smiling apologetically at her. "I apologize for my rudeness, Miss Hikari. I didn't know you're friends with Alice." He offered a hand out to her.
Hikari took his offering hand as she wailed in pain once more. "Ugh… No problem dude… Sorry for almost kicking you in the face, Misssssssster." She smiled sheepishly at him. He raised an eyebrow at her before raising his hand for the twins to open the gate. A sigh of relief escape the brunette's lips. She almost slipped to call this man a 'Miss'. Good thing she extended the 's' longer. "So… What's your name?" She asked.
"My apologies again, Miss Hikari." Blood apologizes. "My name is Blood Dupre, owner of the Hatter's Mansion and to this estate." He introduces with a somewhat fake smile. Hikari notices the fake smile and decided to use the same fake smile, but truly, she was glaring at the man. The Hatter smirked before directing his hand to the blonde man. "This is Elliot March, he is my second in command and the March Hare." He said before directing his hands to the twins. "And of course, you've met the Bloody Twins." he finishes.
"Yeah… they're one heck of a couple of bratty bloody twins." Hikari said as she eyed the twins.
Alice laughed and hooked her arms around Hikari's right arm. "Well… How about we all have some tea? I'm sure you're pretty thirsty." She smiled and turned to the twins with a look. "And no, she'll not drink the Medicine of Hearts!" She hissed quietly.
"Boo~!" The twins huffed and pouted.
"That would be nice! I am thirsty from all that yelling with the twins…" Hikari grinned sheepishly as she turned to Blood and Elliot. "Hope you two don't mind me hanging around here." She said.
Elliot smiled as he approached the two girls. "No, certainly no! Come… I'll prepare some carrot cakes for our party." He smiled.
"Prrrrrrhhhh," Hikari hissed out like a horse. "I hate carrots…" She murmured as quietly as possible.
But Elliot seems to hear her.
"Oh! I hate carrots too!" Elliot shouted happily. Finally! Someone who hates carrots as much as he is! He quickly ran into the mansion to prepare the tea party outside. "I'll be right back! I'll bring as much as carrot cakes as I can carry!" He shouted to the others.
Hikari raised an eyebrow, "I thought he hated carrots… but why does he like carrot cakes? It contains… carrots." She hissed the word carrot like a dieses.
Alice giggled, "Yeah… he claims to hate carrots, and only eats them cooked into sweet recipes like carrot cake or sweet carrot related. He said that it's two different things." She smiled nervously as she took a seat beside Blood and Hikari sat across with the twins on each her side.
"I do hope you like Earl Gray." Blood said with a small smile as a maid came with a few teapots and a few teacups in a tray cart. She placed the teapots and the teacups on the table. She poured the tea into Blood's cup and Blood quickly took a sip from his cup.
"Who's Earl Gray? Is he here? Or is he a 'she'?" Hikari glanced around, looking for the man Blood mention.
Dee and Dum laughed. "New Onee-chan~! Earl Gray isn't a person. Earl Gray is a brand. You know… a tea brand." The both said a full sentence in unison.
"Ooooohhh," Hikari trailed off as the maid came to her. The maid poured the tea carefully to her cup. "Ah! Thank you…?" She trailed off, looking at the maid with wide eyes. The maid bowed and made her way back to the mansion. As soon as the maid was gone, Hikari turned to face Blood and Alice, her mouth hung open. "Did you—did you see that?! What happen to her eyes?! Did someone cast an evil spell on her?! Who was it?! Tell me! I'll get rid of him! Or her…" She trailed off again.
Blood chuckled as Alice only smiled. "You see, they are the Faceless. The faceless represent time, but minor amount like minutes or seconds. That's why they have no faces, because they are less significant than us Role Holders." He explained.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold it!" Hikari slammed her hand to the table, making it shake a little. Alice cringe as Blood only stared at the brunette with amusement. As for the twins, they both stood up to hug her by her waist. "So… Long short story, the Faceless have no face and you Role Holders have faces?" she shortened the story.
"Well… you got it right…" Alice blinked a few times as she answers. "But I'm not a Role Holder. I'm the previous Foreigner." She smiled.
"Oh… Okay…" Hikari settled down on her seat as she pushed the twins off using one hand, since her other hand is holding the teacup. "You could've just said that you know… My brain is killing me with all of this knowledge!" She slammed her forehead to the table.
"Wait until you hear Julius' explanations!" Dee and Dum said in unison, grinning at the brunette.
"Oh great! More geniuses!" Hikari shouted sarcastically with her eyes closed. She sat back into a normal sitting position and tipped back on her chair, making it only standing on two of its feet.
"Ah—," Alice was silenced by Blood's hand covering her mouth. Hikari cracked open an eyelid and eyed Blood carefully as he kept on smiling creepily at her. The brunette raised an eyebrow before moving her teacup to her lips. Alice began to struggle in Bloo's grasp. Turns out, she was trying to tell Hikari not to drink the tea because the twins somehow stole the vial and pour the liquid into her tea without her knowing. Just as Hikari tipped the teacup to sip the tea, something happen again to prevent her to drink the Medicine of Hearts.
"I'm back~!" Elliot sang happily.
Alice sighed in relief as Blood coughed. The twins fell down to the ground as Hikari place the teacup back to the table as she saw Elliot running towards her with a tray full of cakes.
"Here you go! This is my personal favorite!" Elliot smiled as he placed a piece of cake in front of Hikari.
"Way the go Chicky Rabbit!" Dee and Dum yelled as they both raised their axes at the hare.
Elliot looked puzzled for a second. "What? What did I do? And I'm not a rabbit!" He complained.
Hikari stared at the March Hare and the Bloody Twins, both getting ready to fight. "Are they always like this?" She asked the two sitting across from her.
Alice nodded her head. "Yeah…"
"Oh…" Hikari nodded her head slowly. She reached her hand out to grab her teacup. Once more, Blood covered Alice's mouth before she could even warn the poor brunette. The brunette did drink all of the tea at once since it was a small portion, but sadly or more likely 'luckily' for Alice, the twins bumped into her back. Quickly, Hikari burst out the tea from her mouth. She began to cough a little and wiped her mouth. "Gah! Sorry there, Blood Droopy. Alice… I didn't mean to do that…" She apologizes, wiping her mouth with her gloved hand.
Blood's eye twitched as she called his last name 'Droopy' and not 'Dupre'. "Ah, that's alright." He said with a small smile. "It wasn't your fault anyway." He continued as he took a sip from his drink.
Alice laughed.
Hikari sighed before pouring her own tea. The lid of the teapot suddenly came off and it falls into her teacup, splashing hot tea to her clothes. "GAH! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot tea! Hot tea! My goodness that's hot! H-O-T! HOT!" She shrieked in horror, running around after she placed the teapot down. A few minutes passed by quickly as the brunette finally quiets down. She took a seat on her chair as she breathed heavily after from all that running. She turned to Blood, who had an amused look on his pretty little face. Just wait until she gets her fist on his nose… "BAH! How can you drink this tea when it's this hot? It's like you've boil it above lava or something hotter!" She glared.
"Ah, you need to blow it first." Blood make an example as he blow his tea a few times before sipping it quietly, like a gentleman. Hikari scoffed. Yeah, a gentleman her bum… A gentleman would help when a lady's in trouble. Blood Droopy is not a gentleman! He's a torturing-man! "See? That's how you properly drink tea." He smirked.
Hikari struck her tongue out. "Beh! Sadly, I left my manners at home." She said. Home… like she also has manners there. It was just an expression. She doesn't have a proper home. Always doing missions and all, she doesn't have time for 'home'. A frown was seen on her lips as she glanced at another direction, to where Elliot and the twins were still fighting.
"Hikari?" Alice called out and got a 'hmmm' from the brunette. "Do you miss your home?" She asked softly, knowing it was probably a sensitive topic.
"Huh? Oh…" Hikari tapped her chin and grinned happily. "To tell you the truth, no actually…" she replied truthfully.
Alice's and Blood's eyes widened. "B-But… What about your family and your friends?" Alice asked in confusion.
"Hmmm… I don't actually have a family… I only have my bro, Sora. As for my friends, yes I do miss them all… But I was sent out to go on an adventure around the wo—land by my friend." Hikari corrected herself before continuing her story. "An adventure for me usually last for six months to a year long. After all, home is where the heart is." She smiled, wiggling her finger.
"Hmmm," Blood hummed as he took a sip from his cup. "An 'adventure', huh? So you're like a traveler?" He asked.
"Yeah… Kind of… I guess if that's what you want to call it, then yes." Hikari shrugged her shoulders.
"I see." Blood nodded his head. "Tell me more about yourself, Miss Hikari." He said as Alice seemed to agree.
"Whoa there dude, sorry, I don't do flashback stories." Hikari made an 'X' with her arms. "I have a very long and complicated story of my past life." She grabbed the teapot's lid from her cup and placed it back to where it belongs. She let out a heavy sigh before pouring the tea to her cup while keeping a distance with it. "Look… I really don't do flashbacks, not because I have had a hard life back then. No. It's not like that. My past life was pretty good, but I'm too lazy to tell you. You see, I'm a lazy person." She proudly exclaimed.
Alice nervously laughed. "She's just like Nightmare." She smiled.
Hikari gave a sheepish grin before her hand tremble as she tried to pour her tea. "Gah! Stupid trembling hand!" She cursed to herself.
"Ah! Here let me help you with that," A hand was placed on the teapot—more likely on top of Hikari's hand, steadying it from shaking. Hikari looked up to the tall man before smiling. Elliot is such a nice man. The blonde smiled back as he helped Hikari pour the tear into her teacup, but this time, without the teapot's lid in her tea. "Now was that hard?" Elliot asked as he stood back to his full height.
"Yeeeeeesss! Tea without lid! Thanks Elliot! Now I can finally drink my tea!" Hikari gave a quick hug to Elliot before drinking her tea, but she quickly sticks her tongue out. "Hot! Hot! Hot! Gah! I forgot the tea's been boiled in lava!" She cried, fanning her tongue.
Alice blushed at the little scene. "Hi-Hikari do you e-even notice th-that Elliot is…" She trailed off.
"Helping me? Yeah I know." Hikari sticks her tongue back into her mouth.
"You're a pervert, Chicky Rabbit!" The Bloody Twins accused in unison. "That was supposed to be us helping New Onee-chan!" They both cried, hugging Hikari around her neck.
"Ack! Can't breathe~! I can see the light!" Hikari pretended to die, but the twins didn't buy any of her horrible acting. The two continued on hugging her protectively from the 'Chicky Rabbit'. "Geez guys… Why are you two always so… huggy?" she asked.
"We're only huggy when there's a pretty Onee-chan in front of us." Dee rubbed his cheek against Hikari's.
"Again with this?" Hikari sighed. "The pretty lady is in front of your eyes, Brats." She stared right into Alice's eyes, smiling a little.
Blood smirked. "Oh yes, the pretty lady is beside me." He lifted Alice's chin up so she was staring into Blood's eyes.
Alice blush a deep shade of red.
"Hey Alice… You okay? I can see that you're face is really red… Did you burn your tongue with your hot lava tea?" Hikari asked from across the table, her neck was still being hugged by the twins.
Blood glared at the short-haired brunette as Alice recovered. "N-No, I didn't burn my tongue." She smiled at Hikari, who in return flashed a quick smile before continuing to struggle under the twins' death hug. Alice sipped her tea carefully as she kept the blush on her cheeks. "Oh! How about we visit the Castle of Hearts next?" She suggested.
"But I thought you hate Peter White?" Blood asked, confused.
"I do, but I'm sure Vivaldi would love to meet her." Alice simple said and smiled at Blood with her teacup raised. "Besides, the faster we visit the Castle of Hearts the faster we can leave it and never visit again." She continued and took a sip from her cup. "What do you say Hikari?" She asked the brunette.
"Sure," Hikari struggled to speak as the twins hugged her tighter. She quickly rose up to her feet and carried the twins as they kept on hugging. "Gah! Seriously! Have you two ever heard of the word personal space? I don't like it when people get too huggy you know! I thought I told you that before!" She scolded.
"You know… They're just going to hug you more if you kept carrying them like that." Alice said as she smiled nervously.
"Ah, really? So, I should carry them upside down like this?" Hikari asked as quickly changed the position. She grabbed the twins by their ankle and lifted the Bloody Twins up.
"No! Not like that! That's not what I meant!" Alice quickly rose up from her seat.
Hikari gave a shrug before letting the twins down gently back to their feet.
Dee and Dum laughed loudly, "New Onee-chan is fun~! Let's play a game in our room!" They both grabbed her hands, dragging her into the mansion.
"Maybe later, you brats," Hikari replied and dug her heel into the ground. "I'm going with Alice to the Castle of Hearts." She said, pulling her hands back from the twins.
"New Onee-chan doesn't like us?" The twins asked as they sobbed, tears coming out from their eyes.
'Gah! Guilt! Guilt has taken over! It's the magic of guilt!' Hikari cried out loudly in her thoughts. She crouched down to their eye level, placing her hands on each of their shoulders. "Geez guys… What kind of Gatekeeper cries? I thought Gatekeepers were supposed to be tough. Look, since guilt is obviously eating me alive… I'll come back and visit you little brats later okay? How does that sound?" She suggested as she pulled out her handkerchief.
"A-And Chicky Rabbit won't get to play with you?" Dee asked as he sobbed. Elliot clicked his tongue as he glared daggers at the twins. "You'll play with us only, right, New Onee-chan?" Dum asked.
Hikari let out a deep groan. "Fine… I'll play with you two…" She agreed.
"Yay!" The twins suddenly changed their mood. They both gave Hikari another hug before Dee shoved his hand into his pocket. "But you have to drink this, New Onee-chan~!" He sang happily.
Hikari grabbed the vial with a puzzled look. "This was in my pocket… How did you two get it?" She asked suspiciously.
"By magic~" They sang again.
Hikari glared at them before shoving the vial into her pocket. "C'mon Alice~! Let's go to the Castle of Hearts! I'm excited to see what the castle looks like! Does it look like a giant heart?! Oh! Oh! Does it look like a few giant hearts stacked together?!" She excitedly asked.
Alice giggled at Hikari's enthusiasm. "Well… it's big I can tell you that." She said, finishing her tea. "We'll be leaving now." She said to the Hatters.
"Come back soon, dear, Alice." Blood kissed the back of Alice's hand. The chestnut-haired girl blushed as Hikari made a disgusted look while sticking her tongue out. The Mafia boss flashed a quick glare to the keyblade wielder before smiling at her. "And of course, you should come back as well to finish our afternoon tea." He offered.
"Yeah and maybe next time, you'll get to taste the carrot cake~!" Elliot sang as he gave Hikari a hug.
"Hands off, Chicky Rabbit!" The twins argued. "New Onee-chan is spending time with us next time~!" They both sang, wrapping their arms around Hikari's legs.
A visible vein popped on her forehead.
"WHY IS THE MAFIA SO HUGGY?!"
3=~x~X~x=E
Alice laughed nervously as Hikari was in a sour mood after visiting the Hatter's Mansion. After the hug attack she got from the March Hare and the Bloody Twins, Hikari smacked them, hard, upside their heads with her fists. The only Mafia member she didn't hit was Blood because he wasn't huggy like Elliot and the twins. Although, Alice swore that she saw a Hikari raising her fist up at Blood's direction, but she could be wrong. After all, the twins were right in front of her, begging for mercy. Alice giggled. She never thought that having another outsider would be this fun and funny.
"Those darn Hatters better be ready for the next tea party!" Hikari slammed her fist to a nearby tree trunk. Alice laughed nervously, keeping her distance from the angry brunette. Hikari's brown eyebrows were knitted down as she glared at nothing with a killing aura around her. "I promise… one more hug from them in this day… they will be sent to Oblivion!" She screamed out a fake threat.
Hikari punched the tree trunk with all her might. "GAH!" She screamed as all the leaves fall on her, making her fall straight to the ground. Alice gasped before running to aid the brunette. The once angry brunette popped her head out of the pile of leaves. Her lips that was once a frown, curled up to a smile and soon she was bursting out a full-hearted laughter. "OH MAN~! The last time that happened is when I bumped into a tree after running away from a flamethrower! Hah! Never thought it will happen again~" She sighed happily with a goofy grin.
Alice stared at Hikari with wide eyes and she suddenly began to laugh. "You seriously have some mood swings, Hikari." She said
Hikari let out a big grin before standing up from the pile of leaves she has just buried her alive. "Everyone used to say that to me too!" She blew the orange colored leaf off the bridge of her nose. "Well, I had to control my anger issues because if I don't…something like smacking people upside their heads would happen…" She said, brushing the dirt and the leaves off her clothes.
Alice nodded her head as she also stood up, "By the way… I've been meaning to ask you something," She looked up to the taller girl in front of her, observing her expression. The brunette nodded her head, flashing Alice a curious smile. "What happen to your cheek anyway? Did Peter White hurt you?" She balled her fist at the name.
Hikari touched her own right cheek. "Uh, no, Peter didn't hurt me." She said remembering the event. "It was actually because of those dang—," the brunette thought for a second. A smile curled up to her lips. She can't let Alice know about the darn Heartless. The Alice she once knew was only a little girl and she's blonde with blue eyes. So this Alice mustn't be the Princess of Heart. "—bandits! Yeah bandits! They jumped at me at night, but luckily I beat them all up!" She grinned.
"B-Bandits?! What happened?! Did they hurt you anywhere else?" Alice began to inspect every inch of Hikari's body, trying to find any more injuries. She spotted a few scratches on her arm, even though it was covered by a black arm cover and a few belts on her arms. "Are you alright though?" She asked worriedly.
"Yeah, are you alright though?" A new voice asked from behind the brunette.
Quickly and again by reflexes, Hikari drew back her fist as far as she can and sung it to the man. The man blocked the punch easily by his black gloved hand. Hikari stared blankly at the man. This was the second that someone blocked her reflex attacks. It was annoying since she always gets to punch and kick a person when he or she sneaked up on her to kill her silently. Apparently, the man's smile threw up the image of him being a bad guy. He had a sweet smile on his face. He has light brown hair and red eyes. The clothes he was wearing was an all red and black, nothing else but that color. Well, he has a sword on his left hip. He probably worked as a Knight or something.
"Ace!" Alice shouted.
"Hi Alice~!" Ace sung happily as he release Hikari's fist to hug the chestnut haired foreigner. Hikari blinked a few times at the scene. She was confused about this brown haired male. He was clearly older than her, and yet, he still acts like a child… She like it! There was another childish friend to add to her list. Ace noticed that Hikari was staring at him. He turned to face Alice with a smile. "Hey Alice~ who's this girl?" He asked.
"Oh! She's Hikari." Alice introduced. "Hikari meet Ace, Ace meet Hikari."
"Hi Ace~!" Hikari grinned at the man as she saluted.
Ace blinked before responding. "Hi'ya Hikari!" He saluted back with a cheerful grin. "So~? Where are you two headed?" He asked.
"The Castle of Hearts," Alice answered with a sigh.
"What a convenient! I'm going to the Castle too!" Ace exclaimed, taking the two girls' hands. He dragged them both to the opposite direction they were heading. "I know the fastest way to get there~! It's over here! I just found it yesterday!" He said.
Hikari raised an eyebrow at him. "But isn't the castle at the other direction?" She asked confusedly.
"We're heading towards the wrong way, Ace!" Alice argued, trying to pull Ace towards the right direction. "I don't want to get lost and get chased off by a bear again!" She complained.
"Don't worry! I promise you two beautiful ladies that there's no bear this time." Ace encourage as he finally release the two girls' hands.
"So… Ace was it?" Hikari looked around the forest feeling weary about her surroundings. Ace responded with a hum. "You have a sword, so does that mean you're a knight or something?" She asked.
"Uh-Huh! I'm the Knight of Hearts, the best swordsmen in Wonderland!" Ace puffed his chest out proudly.
"Cool! I used to play with sword!" Hikari grinned happily.
"Really?! What was your first sword?" Ace asked excitedly, interested in this kind of conversation.
"A wooden sword… It sucks!" Hikari pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What was yours?" She asked back.
"Heh! Mine was the kitchen knife!" Ace exclaimed, grinning at the surprised brunette.
"Your first sword is a kitchen knife?" Hikari asked in disbelief. Ace nodded sadly, pouting a little.
"Yeah I know… it sucks…" Ace sighed deeply with his shoulders slump down.
"Are you kidding?! My foster parents won't even let me hold the knife even if I was thirteen! You're so lucky Ace! All I have when I was four was my lame wooden sword… It was lame because I have to make it by breaking the wood, since my foster parents refused to let me near blades…" Hikari patted Ace's shoulder.
Alice nervously laughed. "You two are going to get along well." She smiled.
Ace plus Hikari equals not a very good combination.
Who knows what Ace might do to her when a group of Faceless surrounds them and decided to attack? He would probably make Hikari kill all those defenseless Faceless!
The thought made Alice shuddered or was it because the time changed?
"Huh? I thought it was just noon?" Hikari asked, puzzled as she looked up to the starry sky.
"Time changes differently here," Alice said as she appeared next to Hikari. "Randomly of course…" she added.
Hikari nodded her head. "So… What now?" She asked.
"We go camping~!" Ace chirped happily.
"We don't even have a—," Hikari turned around to face Ace, but was met with a fairly large tent. Her mouth was hung open, shocked by the sudden appearance of the tent. It literally came out of nowhere. "Since when did you get a tent? You didn't steal it from someone, now did you, Ace?" She asked, wiggling her finger at the Knight.
Ace shook his head, "Nope~! This is my tent! Now, come on in girls! It's freezing cold outside!" He went inside the tent first and then popped his head out to smile brightly at Alice and Hikari, who were standing in front of the entrance. "C'mon in! There's enough space for the three of us~!" He sang.
Hikari merely shrugged before stepping in the tent. Alice was the only one outside. The chestnut-haired foreigner knew that Ace has a change of personalities from time to time. He can be sweet and loyal, but sometimes he can be a completely different person. He can be violent, cruel, and most of all perverted. She shivered at the last description.
"Hey Alice~," Ace stink his head out from the tent again. Alice glanced down to the red eyed brunette. He had on a sly grin on his face and Alice didn't like it one bit. Hikari suddenly stink her head out as well, from beneath Ace. "C'mon Alice! It'll be fun! This is the first time I'm going camping with my new buddies~!" The brunette grinned.
Alice smiled and shook her head as she crouched down. Ace wouldn't do anything funny when there's Hikari around, right?
The single source of light was sitting in the middle of the tent as the three was eating quietly. Ace somehow brought bread along with him and he split it into three. The two foreigners took their piece of share from Ace and ate it quietly while Ace was simply eats with a bright smile on his lips.
Alice sighed softly, looks like she was right. Ace wasn't going to do something to her or Hikari. Her gray-blue eyes turned its gaze to Hikari who was finished with her dinner. She turned her gaze back to Ace who was still happily eating his bread. Ace was still in his same spot and his cheery self. He can't turn to dark Ace when there's another foreigner around. Alice sighed again not letting her guard down, if Ace's was still his old self she still have to keep her eyes on him.
"So… Hikari, right?" Ace suddenly began, making Hikari turn to him and Alice snapped out from her thoughts.
"Yup. That's my name don't wear it out!" Hikari grinned as she sat in a lotus position. "What 'cha wanna ask, Ace?" She asked.
The Knight of Hearts smiled. "Well~ I was listening to your story where the bandits came and almost—,"
"Attack her!" Alice cuts in as she clapped her hands together. Obviously, Ace was going to ask the r-word. She wasn't going to let him ask her about that. "The bandits jump to attack you right?" She smiled nervously.
Hikari nodded her head slowly, "Uh… yeah… That's right."
Ace smirked. "What did you do to them?" He asked.
"I killed them." Hikari bluntly said.
Alice's eyes widened, surprised and shock at the same time. "Y-You k-killed pe-people?" She stuttered with fear.
Hikari nodded, trying to find a reason. She said it like it was a normal thing for her to kill, but truthfully, those 'bandits' are no actually bandits. Those are actually creatures of the dark, lurking to eat the light in people's hearts. She has no choice to execute those little monsters for the sake of people's safety. She wanted to slap herself for telling Alice and Ace that she killed the 'bandits'. She should've said that she throw them in prison or beat them to a bloody pulp and then sent them to prison.
"Ah… it's not like that…" Hikari said and began to find a reason quickly because she can see the terrified look in Alice's eyes and the surprised look in Ace's eyes. Something in her mind clicked on, which was mostly rare. "It was because those bandits are terrorists who wanted to blow up the city. So I was put into direct orders from the mayor to execute them in sight? And luckily they jump at me in an alley…" She finished with a sheepish smile.
Alice seems to relax a little. "Thank goodness… I thought you're an assassin." She placed a hand to where her heart is and sighed heavily. "We don't need more people to spread bloodshed here at Wonderland." She smiled.
Hikari nodded her head, her sheepish smile still on her face. "Well… I guess so… To tell you the truth, I kind of dislike my job. I rather have fun instead~! You know… playing on swings and ride down the slides kind of fun?" She smiled.
Alice giggled. "I bet you'll love the Amusement Park! Gowland will love to have you around enjoying his rides." She clapped her hands together.
Hikari grinned in respond. "That sounds awesome! You coming with us, Ace? I'm sure with you… there will be twice the fun!" She offered.
Ace blinked. The new foreigner just asked him out. She, the new foreigner, just asked him out on a date! A goofy grin made its way up to his lips. He quickly hugged the small brunette. He pulled her closer so her face was squished to his chest. A smirk replaced his grin, making Alice cringe at the sudden change.
'He wouldn't!' Alice screamed in her mind. "A-Ace!" she cried out.
"Gwah! Awe! Lwet gwo!" Hikari muffled as she pushed Ace away with her inner strength. Finally, the brunette was free from Ace's grasp. She pumped her fist up in victory. "Wew~ Finally! I can breathe again!" She smiled brightly.
"Ace!" Alice hissed out in a whisper to the Knight while Hikari was busy doing her little 'victory dance'. "What was that about!" She asked or more likely demanded.
Ace smirks and covered his mouth so Alice could hear. "I was simply pulling this leaf off of her hair," He said, showing Alice the orange colored leaf. "Jealous, dear, Alice?" He asked.
Alice blushed. "No! Why should I?! You were probably going to do something inappropriate to her!" She hissed after recovering from her blush.
"My, my, Alice," Ace chuckled lightly. "Have you changed? Thinking dirty thoughts about me and the new foreigner!" he teased.
Alice blushed again. "No you idiot! That's not what I was trying to say!" She coughed a little. "Hikari's younger than me so as her protector, don't do anything stupid! Get it?" She raised her fist up at Ace.
Ace only laughed quietly. "Ah… okay, okay," He raised his hands up in defeat. "How about we all go to sleep?" He suggested.
Hikari stopped her 'victory dance' and turn to Ace. "Sure~ we have a big day tomorrow~" She sang, taking off her piece of armor from her shoulder. The brunette proceeds to take off her belts, her chains on her hips, the red pouch, and her fingerless gloves off. She also placed the vial next to her pouch, for safe keeping. "Bed time~!" She tucked herself to the sleeping bag.
Alice couldn't help but smile. She took off her apron and went into the sleeping bag while eyeing Ace carefully. She watched as Ace took off his red trench coat and went into his sleeping bag too. Somehow, she was feeling uneasy.
"Hey, Hikari?" Alice whispered.
"Yeah?" Hikari responded, turning to face Alice.
"Aren't you… you know… feeling a bit awkward sleeping in the same tent with a boy?" Alice asked with a faint blush.
"Nope," Hikari grinned. "I've spent almost all of my life working with dudes. They train me to become a strong girl who could defend herself from any evil thing. So, if there's any boy bothering you, I'll personally punch 'em square in the face." She kissed her knuckles.
Alice giggled. "So… would you punch Peter White in the face if he ever gets too huggy on me?" She asked and Hikari nodded.
Unnoticed to the two girls, Ace was listening to the whole conversation. The Knight of Hearts never knew Peter would bring such an interesting foreigner to Wonderland. Hikari seemed like an ordinary girl from the outside, despite her none girly features. She's an interesting little foreigner. She was brave, interested in swords, and most of all, killing people. He never expected for a girl to almost punch him square in his face. He was used to pushing, shrieking, screaming, and gasping, but never expected a punch. The sounds of giggling stopped after a few minutes passed by, Ace turned to his other side, seeing both girls were asleep. His red eyes stared up to the Medicine of Hearts. Peter White didn't get a chance to make Hikari drink the Medicine of Hearts, yet.
He grabbed the vial, playing it between his fingers as he raised it up high. A smirk was seen on his lips.
"This is going to be interesting~"
3=~x~X~x~=E
A/N: That's the end of chapter two~ Hope you guys enjoyed it~
If you guys have questions, ask away~! I'll be happy to answer your questions ^^
Special thanks to: Void of Nothingness and onepen for adding this story to their favs~!
Special thanks to: In The Forest, Void of Nothingness, and austriantatious for adding this story to their alerts~!
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