Shinigami-cat: So for this chapter I thought I might clear something's up about what's going on with Arthur, Alfred and Francis. There's a bit of gore and horror in this chapter, just to warn you all… I OWN NOTHING!

A Rabbit's Duty

I love it when you smile. You know I'd do anything to see you smile again, right?

Alfred sighed a little as he sat under a tree in the garden. Arthur hadn't called for him and he couldn't find the Brit anywhere. If he didn't want to be found he wouldn't.

"I bet Arthur is crying again." He muttered sadly. He felt like it was his fault that Arthur was in a foul mood again. It was always his fault.

'When was the last time Arthur really smiled?' Alfred asked himself. '… I guess it was before the incident… I'll never forgive Francis for what he did to Arthur.'

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When Alfred first met Arthur he was all alone in the forest. He was scared, but tried to put on a brave face. He was the March Hare after all. Probably didn't help that he was about five. There was another boy with him a few moments ago, but he lost him. He was worried about him.

As he hopped along the pink gravel path, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. Eventually he spotted a pair of bright green eyes. Instead of screaming like he should have, he smiled. "Hi! My name is Alfred. Who are you?"

The green eyes widened in surprise before the person that those eyes belonged to stepped out from the trees. This young man was wearing a dark green suit that matched his eyes and a matching top hat on his head. He crouched down in front of Alfred, frowning a little.

"Hello Alfred…" He said. "My name is Arthur… Are you the white rabbit?"

Alfred shook his head. "No, I'm the March Hare… Who are you?"

"I'm the Mad Hatter." Said Arthur. He rubbed his chin a little in thought. "Say… how would you like to come live with me? It's dangerous to walk out here alone. Who knows what might get you."

Alfred beamed at Arthur. He seemed like a nice man and for some reason he felt drawn to him. "Okay!" Arthur smiled warmly at Alfred and picked him up, taking him back to his house. That was the first time Alfred saw Arthur smile.

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Soon Alfred was acquainted with many others like him, rabbit people that is. There was the White rabbit, Matthew, the Snow rabbit, Katyusha, the Luck rabbit, Kiku and then himself. They were all taught by their superiors or bosses as they were known. Their teachers were the Mad Hatter, Arthur, the Queen of Hearts, Francis, the Caterpillar, Yao and the Undertaker, Ivan. It was interesting to note that the only rabbit older than their respective boss was Katyusha, Ivan was her younger brother.

At the moment Alfred was about twelve and they, the rabbit people, were being taught the basic principles of being a rabbit. Their duties if you would. Francis and Arthur were doing this lesson together because neither trusted the other to do the lesson properly.

"Now remember it's your duty to serve your boss in whatever they ask." Said Francis.

"But within reason." Said Arthur quickly. "Your main duty will be to deliver letters because you are the fastest creatures in the land. Other duties will involve things like cleaning and cooking. Right Francis?" Arthur hissed that last part.

Francis chuckled. "Of course Arthur… Also, your main duty will be to the person you serve. Their happiness is your happiness. If your boss is happy you will be happy."

"Bloody hell! You're turning them into robots!" Snapped Arthur. He sighed a little. "Look children, it's important to make your boss happy. But it's even more important that you're happy. You won't always be able to please them and make them happy, but when you do make them happy be happy that you were able to cause that happiness."

Alfred slumped over his desk, frowning a little. 'Arthur never smiles when Francis is around… I guess he doesn't like him that much.' He looked over at Matthew and sighed. The two of them had been brought up together because Francis and Arthur thought it was amusing that the two of them looked similar.

Alfred grinned and flicked a piece of paper at Matthew, hitting one of his rabbit ears. Matthew pouted and looked over at Alfred. "What?" He whispered quietly.

"This is boring." Whispered Alfred. "When do you think they'll let us go for the day?"

Matthew shrugged. "Not sure…" He tapped Katyusha's shoulder. "Excuse me. Do you know what the time is?"

Katyusha was a kind girl with short silver hair and a heart of gold… She also hit puberty hard. She didn't seen any older than about fourteen and she already looked like she had two beach balls down the front of her shirt. She looked down at her watch. "It's almost tea time, to the Mad Hatter will call this off soon. You two just have to be patient."

Almost as if on cue Arthur clapped his hands. "Well, lessons are over for today. Next lessons will be at Yao's place. Please remember that." Everyone nodded and quickly scampered off back to their own respective homes. Being a rabbit had many advantages when it came to speed.

When Katyusha and Kiku were gone Alfred frowned a little. "I don't like going to see the Caterpillar! He talks funny!"

"A prime example of what you were speaking about before is it not?" Asked Francis with a smirk on his face. "Your rabbit's racially intolerant."

"Shut the hell up frog!" Snapped Arthur. He grabbed Alfred's hand and marched right out of the palace. "We're going home now Alfred. You can play with Matthew later if you want."

Alfred frowned a little but nodded. "Okay Arthur… Can you make me some of that chocolate tea please?"

Arthur chuckled a little and nodded. "Of course Alfred." Alfred loved it when Arthur smiled. It made his chest feel warm and gave him a small sense of pride.

'Is this what they meant when they said that my boss's happiness is my happiness?'

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By this time Alfred was around the age of nineteen. He and his brother were sitting together in the Hatter's garden happily talking to each other about everything and nothing, but mostly they were discussing the Alice.

"What's all the big fuss about the Alice?" Asked Matthew. "I mean, they'll just be another player in this endless game of life and who's to say that the Alice is a good person or thing to have here?"

Alfred chuckled. Matthew had always been interested in the inner workings of the world and the Alice was always an important part of this. "I have no idea dude. You think Francis and Arthur are done yet?"

Matthew shrugged. "I have no clue… I'm starting to suspect they are doing more than discussing politics these days, if you know what I mean."

Alfred tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"You seriously don't see it?" Asked Matthew in disbelief. "I'm saying Arthur and Francis are lovers. They have a long history together here and they seem to be a little too friendly with each other to be just friends."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "You've been hanging around Francis too much. His pervertedness is rubbing off on you. You're seeing lovers where there are enemies and claiming it as sexual tension."

"Wow fancy words that require at least three syllables. Well done Alfred." Said Matthew sarcastically.

Before Alfred could come up with a witty comeback they both heard something like glass smashing and a few seconds later Francis came running out of Arthur's house and grabbed Matthew by the arm, pulling him to his feet. "We're out of here!" He fumed. "Never before has that brat insulted me so!"

"Eh? What did he do?" Asked Matthew as he was dragged away.

Francis shook his head. "Need to know basis. Hopefully we won't see him for a long, long time."

Matthew shrugged and waved goodbye to Alfred. "Um, later I guess?"

Alfred nodded and quickly dashed off to find Arthur. He wasn't sure what had happened but he knew it was something bad. As he ran down the halls he could see the broken and shattered pieces of glass and pottery. It made Alfred shiver horribly.

"Arthur?" He called out. "Arthur where are you? What happened?" He eventually found Arthur standing next to a broken window. His left hand was bleeding a little, but he didn't seem to notice. "Shit Arthur!" Cried Alfred. He ran over to Arthur, but as soon as he got to close Arthur jumped back in surprise.

"Oh Alfred, what do you want? Where's Francis?" Arthur seemed a little confused, like he had no memory of the last few minutes.

"… Arthur, you're bleeding."

Arthur frowned and looked down at his hand. "… It seems as though I am… Odd. One second I'm talking with that bloody frog and the next… Where is he anyway?"

"He ran off." Said Alfred. "But seriously Arthur, what happened?"

"I… I haven't a clue." Muttered Arthur. Alfred didn't like that answer on bit. He knew Francis did something to Arthur. He had hurt Arthur somehow and hurting Arthur was something Alfred couldn't, no… he wouldn't forgive.

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Alfred didn't know what was happening to Arthur anymore. He wouldn't talk to anyone or come out of his room for that matter. It was troubling to say the least. Eventually, after a week, Alfred gathered up courage and opened Arthur's door.

What he saw shocked him; the room was torn apart, books were shredded, furniture obliterated, clothes slashed and in the middle of it all was Arthur. There were deep cuts all along the left side of his body. He was clutching a pair of bloodied sowing scissors. It was only then Alfred noticed that Arthur's left eye on lying on the ground next to him.

"What the hell Arthur?" Cried Alfred. He ran to Arthur's side and crouched down next to him. "What the hell happened? Why would you do this to yourself?"

Arthur chuckled as a twisted grin stretched across his face. "I hate myself." He stated simply. "I hate him so much, but I hate myself so much more… I-I just can't take it anymore!" In one swift motion he opened the scissors and hacked open his throat.

Alfred screamed and pressed his hands over Arthur's neck, hoping in vein that it would be enough to stop the bleeding. "SOMEONE!" He cried. "ANYONE! PLEASE HELP ME!"

There was a cold gust of wind and a man in a light pink scarf appeared. Alfred knew this man as the Undertaker, Ivan. It was said he only appeared to take the bodies of the dead away. Ivan's body was covered in stitches; it was almost like his body was made of sheets of flesh. "You called?"

Alfred shook his head. "No, not you… I need someone who can save him. Not take him away." He could feel Arthur's blood seeping out from around his fingers.

"You are mistaken." Said Ivan as he walked towards the couple. "My intention is to take Arthur to Mr Fix. It's not Arthur's time to leave this place."

Alfred bit his lip nervously. "If you take him you have to take me too… I'm not leaving Arthur alone with you."

Ivan grinned and nodded. "But of course… I wouldn't have it any other way." There was another rush of cold air and the trio were transported to the workshop of Mr Fix, although it looked more like a surgery than a workshop.

The dark cloaked figure of Mr Fix was standing over a table, washing off bloodied instruments. He didn't even look up at the intruders. He simply tapped a bone saw against a sterilized bench, indicating he wanted Arthur placed there.

Without much hesitation Alfred put Arthur on it and Mr Fix when to work. With a few cuts, stitched and a blast from something that looked a little like a sandblaster he was done and went back to cleaning bloodied equipment.

Alfred was surprised that it was all over so quickly, but was happy none the less. "Will he be okay?"

Mr Fix shook his head. He then proceeded to tap the side of his own head, indicating there may be something wrong with Arthur's mental health. Ivan chuckled. "Oh well, if he's too broken Alfred can always bring him back.

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Everything calmed down after that, though it was difficult to explain why Arthur now had two different coloured eyes. Arthur just said he woke up like that and no one questioned him, but everyone knew something was wrong. Especially when he started to rip his clothes apart and stitch them back together to create different coloured suits that didn't match up at all.

At the moment Arthur was stitching his hat back together. One side dark green, one side pink and blue. "It's a nice colour don't you think?" He asked Alfred.

Alfred shrugged. "I liked it better when it was all green… the blue and pink just doesn't seem to suit you too well."

Arthur chuckled and put the hat on his head. "But Alfred, I'm the Mad Hatter! Shouldn't I at least look the part of the insane lunatic?"

"I guess…" Muttered Alfred, but he didn't like it at all. Arthur seemed more distant these days and cold. There were days when he was better and acted like his old self, but there were days when he was completely bonkers. The other day in fact, he almost beat Antonio to death with a tree branch. It took Roderich, Alfred and Elizabeth's frying pan to subdue him. It was almost like Arthur's personality was fractured beyond repair.

Arthur sighed and walked up to Alfred. "What's wrong poppet? You seem out of it lately."

Alfred frowned a little. He was always very open with Arthur, he could say anything to the man and be heard. "You aren't yourself anymore." Said Alfred. "You're going crazy. You really are the Mad Hatter now! I want you to go back to how it was before, before you lost your mind!"

Arthur frowned and slapped Alfred hard enough to make him bleed. Alfred stood there stunned. Alfred had never raised a hand to him before, not even when he deserved it as a child. Arthur looked at Alfred's bemused expression and smiled. "Shut up Alfred." He said all too sweetly. "You should know better than to speak to me like that. I took you in when you were merely a baby and looked after you like a son or a brother, but it's clear that you don't have the same respect for me as I do for you. You just jab me with your pointy, pointy words."

"Arthur-"

Arthur pressed a finger against Alfred's lips. "Hush now Alfred. The grownups are talking… Did you know that in the past rabbits were used as lovers for their bosses? I wouldn't be surprised if Francis has done that to the White rabbit yet." He started to stroke one of Alfred's ears, earning a whimper from the blond. "Also, rabbit people like you are in a constant state of semi-heat… You might actually be more use to me now actually…"

Alfred gulped and stepped back from Arthur, his heart was beating painfully fast in his chest. Arthur was scaring him. "S-stop it already!" He stuttered.

Arthur chuckled and stepped closer to Alfred. "Did you already forget your most important lesson? It's you duty to make your boss, me, happy. Are you going to act like a spoilt brat and refuse a direct order from me?"

Alfred was trapped. He knew he was bound by duty to do anything Arthur said or wanted, but at the same time he was terrified of what this darker side of the Hatter might do to him. Reluctantly he shook his head. "No."

Arthur smiled happily, although malice did march behind his eyes, more so behind his blue eye than his green. "Wonderful."

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Alfred smiled sadly at those memories. It always hurt him to relive those memories, but he couldn't help it. He just wanted to remember what Arthur was like before everything went wrong. He would always remember the good with the bad; it made the good memories better and more important. If one were to have nothing but good memories then when something truly wonderful happened it would seem like nothing.

'I want to see you smile again…' Thought Alfred. 'I'll do anything to see you smile again…'

"Alfred!" Called Arthur. Alfred looked up at Arthur and smiled; he was carrying a letter in one hand and smiling a little. "I need you to take this to Yao, post haste."

Alfred grinned and took the letter from Arthur's hand. "Okay Arthur. Make me some chocolate tea for when I get back."

A rare smile graced Arthur's face. "Of course Alfred. Now get going or you'll be late for tea." Alfred grinned as he tucked the letter into his pocket and started to run off to Yao's place.

You know I'd do anything to see you smile again… So I don't mind if you hurt me. As long as you're smiling and laughing by the end of the day like you used to, I don't mind hurt me… And the reason I don't mind is because I love you.

Beneath the beauty of this Wonderland lie many broken souls, tormented by their own guilt, pain and the anguish of others. But one must smile and carry on. It would be rude to do otherwise.

TBC

Shinigami-cat: Sorry for the sadness and horror stuff of this chapter. It'll get better eventually I promise… please review.