Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Aladdin or Peter Pan or the Powerpuff Girls. Hahaha!
A/N: We had a surprise party yesterday so I couldn't update this last night. I got so tired! Whoo! To Yanelle, I actually wore a sampaguita necklace before. I loved the smell! I just wanted to add it randomly. XD Oh, and I guess it's Nicholas' drunken state. It's like, they were too drunk to even notice what magic they were using against Arthur. I hope that clears things out! :D
So this chapter... I think this is the crappiest one I have written yet. I can't describe magic even if I tried. So to avoid confusion, Alice sucks them into a magic book that you can use to imagine many worlds. And you can imagine things in it to appear too. So yeah, sorry for the crappy chapter! Thanks to all who read, faved, and alerted! And shout outs to Valkyrie99, xxEu-chan, Lachan, EmiriiChanDesu, JulietGivesUp, XxilovechocolatexX, vodkas sister, Japanese Sinister, can't-reach-beer, Yanelle, and coolbunnyboo for reviewing! You guys just made my day! I'm really sorry that I didn't update this sooner.
Finding Arthur
Chapter 8
Illusions
"Al, don't be sad."
"How can't I, Mattie? It's our last day with Alice."
"She'll visit again, right?"
Alice heard Alfred's consecutive remarks about his hopes to have her visit again. Another metaphorical knot formed in her stomach as she wasn't so sure on how she could possibly drop by every month. Alfred started saying that it was her responsibility, since she was their babysitter. Matthew had to pop his positive bubble by making a reference from the movie they watched on the previous day.
"Like Mary Poppins, she'll leave," Matthew said, trying his best not to sound harsh. The sight of tears forming in Alfred's eyes scared him.
"But she can come back," he quickly added. "I'm sure Alice likes us enough to visit us when she gets the chance."
"That's right. I'm going to visit you two when I get the chance."
Alfred's eyes lit up as Alice handed him a cup of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows. He enjoyed the drink very much, especially because Alice made it just for him. Matthew blew his drink and sipped a few amounts of hot chocolate before settling his cup on the coffee table.
"Alice, why are you here in America?" Matthew asked.
"I just had to fix something here. Get a medication," she replied. Alfred almost choked on a marshmallow.
"Don't tell me you're sick and dying!" he cried. Matthew's eyes widened like two glass plates as Alice looked at him in surprise.
"No, I am definitely not greeting my death bed," she answered. "Please, Alfred, don't tell me you're keen on my death."
"NO!" Alfred exclaimed. "I don't wanna lose you!"
Alice fought the blush that insisted to become visible on her cheeks. "It's "don't want" and not wanna, Alfred."
The boy pouted and took in some more hot chocolate. "I still don't wanna."
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Alice decided to bring Alfred and Matthew on the special trip she planned. Alfred became very excited and attempted to change his clothes to look more presentable until Alice told him that there would be a lot of clothes at the place they would visit. Matthew asked if she would buy them things and told her it wasn't necessary. She told them to stop worrying and took their hands. They went into their room and sat on the floor together.
"What? This is special?" Alfred asked.
Alice laughed softly and took out a thin, leather-bound book and opened it on a random page. Alfred held Matthew's hands tightly and grabbed Alice's, surprising the girl. She was about to tell him to do it...
"Close your eyes."
They did as they were told. Alice had to make sure that Alfred wasn't peeking. Once they closed their eyes, she took a deep breath and shut hers as well. She placed her hand on a crisp page of the open book.
"Intrare," she whispered.
They felt a quick rush of wind encircle them for a short moment. The carpeted floor they knelt upon suddenly vanished and was replaced by a field of grass and soil. Alfred was first to open his eyes, and he couldn't hold back an amazed gasp. Matthew shared the same reaction a second afterwards.
They were in a very wide grass field with a nearby lake and a lovely view of gigantic mountains. There were huge trees that surrounded them in the west with the leaves and branches swaying along the lovely breeze that passed. Light cirrus clouds glided gracefully in the sky as the rays of sunlight tickled their skins. Alice smiled – it was paradise.
"Wow... how did we get here?" Alfred squeaked.
"Magic. I told you to believe in it, didn't I?" Alice asked jokingly. But it was definitely true.
It was a book her mother gave her before dying. Arthur was very frustrated during his mother's last days and cried in the hospital as his mother slept. He would look at her pale face and closed eyes before gripping the sheets in annoyance. This would wake her up and make them have a heart to heart conversation. Arthur experienced a whirlwind of emotions while conversing with his mother. The woman noticed and decided to give him the treasure of their magical family.
"M-mum..."
"Arthur, I know this book is supposed to be passed to the eldest in the family... but I want you to have it," she said in a gentle tone. She kissed Arthur's forehead as the boy marvelled upon the golden, leather-bound book on his hands. He traced his fingers on the cover and winced.
"Mum, this is your family's book of illusions. I can't just–"
"It was given to me for a reason, Arthur. I'm giving it to you and that's final. And if you lose it, it will always return to you." The woman forced a weak smile. Arthur couldn't help but stare at her shining green eyes that made his mother look as beautiful as she was back when she was still healthy. It took away any attention to her pale face and frail body. And he was happy that he shared the same eyes his mother had.
"Really? This must be a dream!" Matthew said, still doubting the possibility. Alfred didn't care and started droning on and on about things he wanted to see. Alice grimaced – the book would eventually make Alfred's little wishes come true. She was thankful that the magic was only applicable within the book, or else she might face a fifty foot eagle in reality because Alfred wanted it as a "harmless" pet.
"And I also want to see a whale! I want a whale so I can put it in the aquarium!" he yelled. Matthew looked at him in disbelief.
"Al, you do know that a whale is big, right?" he asked. Alfred nodded.
"Yeah! But the Powerpuff Girls got to keep the whale in their house!"
"But they had to free it because it was too big! So don't wish for a whale because we can't keep one!"
"Whatever! I still want a whale!"
Alice laughed and stood up and raised her arms as she basked in paradise. She took a deep breath to take in the fresh air around her. Alfred noticed her moment of bliss and gave a small smile. "Hey, Alice! What are we gonna do now?"
The girl bowed her head to meet the young boy's gaze before giving a smirk. "You wanted to be pirates, didn't you?"
Alfred and Matthew nodded, although the latter looked scared compared to his excited brother.
Alice felt very satisfied with her decision. She knew that the boys loved adventure and experiencing thrills. By that, she tapped into the book's magical core and made a gigantic pirate ship appear at the lake. Pretending to have no idea of the turn of events, she led the boys inside the ship and found a treasure chest filled with pirate clothes that surprisingly fit them perfectly. Matthew still had his doubts, asking Alice often if they were dreaming. Before she could reply, Alfred would either attempt to steer the ship or tackled Matthew.
They travelled through the lake and found different lands that reminded Alice of her History lessons. That made her miss going to school for a moment. They saw land that resembled shores or beaches. Others had docks, but Alice made sure that there would be no other person to appear in their trip. It was quite tricky for her to control the setting around them because the book of illusions she owned was supposed to be passed down to the most capable magician of the family.
"Alice, look! Smoke!" Alfred exclaimed. Alice gasped as she turned the steering wheel towards a tiny island that reminded her faintly of what she imagined Neverland to look like. It made her feel like Captain Hook as she led their crimson-coloured ship towards it. She listened to Alfred's whining because he wanted to steer the ship while Matthew reasoned with him. The Canadian told him he was too inexperienced to manage a boat, let alone a ship. He added jokingly that Alfred was also too short.
"Stop calling me short!" he snapped. "I promise I'll get taller than you, Mattie! I promise to you and Alice that I will!" He was still bitter that Alice kept things out of his reach, and now Matthew provoked him to complain about his height. A laugh escaped Alice's lips.
"Alfred, of course you'll grow taller. You're just seven years old. Imagine how tall you would turn out to be once you become seventeen."
He grinned widely and ran at the side of the ship to marvel the beauty of the sea, not knowing it was simply an illusion of the book. "Are we in the Atlantic?"
"Err... no..." Alice whispered, steering to the left. She had to find a good place to dock the ship, remembering the first time she had pirate adventures in this book. She was still a five-year old Arthur when he and Scott sat on the ship while watching their father manoeuvre the ship. Nicholas and William were busy playing with wooden swords while their mother gave directions. Alice winced at the memory, remembering that Scott almost threw Arthur overboard and made sharks appear in the sea by just thinking about it. She shook the thought off before she could think of sharks again. They might appear again because the book could make them do so.
Finally, she found a nice spot in the shoreline of the island and dropped the anchor before they left to journey through the island. It had an unnatural number of palm trees that created a tropical ambience. She paced for a short moment at the sight of unruly bushes blocking their path. She had to concentrate or else the magic wouldn't work. Soon enough, they heard rustling sounds and their path cleared up. Luckily, Matthew and Alfred were busy admiring the clear cerulean sea to even notice.
"Boys, I think we should go there! There might be treasure!" she said, hoping to catch their attention. Alfred excitedly ran through the path where the bushes formerly where while Matthew walked with Alice, both watching Alfred in awe.
"Alice, am I dreaming?"
She looked at him with an unreadable expression. "It's an illusion, Matthew."
"So it's like a dream, right?"
"If you say so, Matthew."
Matthew stayed silent in the duration of their entire walk, trying to think about how they ended up at a place like this. He couldn't believe the events. They only closed their eyes! How could they possibly land in a tranquil utopia filled with mysteries? Alfred, on the other hand, didn't let questions cross his mind as he followed the sandy road. Matthew watched his brother and wondered how he allowed things like these to pass. It made him curious, so why wasn't Alfred wondering like him?
It took him five minutes to realize Alfred was missing and Alice was panicking.
"Oh God, oh God! Alfred! Where are you?" she cried. Matthew's eyes widened in surprise.
"Alice? What happened?" he squeaked. Alice looked at him worriedly.
"Your brother was walking ahead of us. When I just took a short glance at the sky, he suddenly vanished when I turned back to watch him!" she replied shakily. She took Matthew's hand, which was as sweaty as hers. They both called for Alfred, having their voices change drastically. Matthew's voice became raspy but pitched even higher whilst Alice's trembled even more.
"Al! Come out!"
"I'm behind you!"
In the midst of palm trees, Alfred was found sitting below one with a lamp at hand and an apple on the other.
"It's funny! The trees have both apple and oranges on it! So cool!"
Alice and Matthew ran towards him and tackled him in a hug.
"Alfred F. Jones, never run off like that!" Alice yelped. Instead of receiving an apology, Alfred gave out a laugh.
"Don't be silly! I always come back to you! I just wanted to check things out! And I found this cool lamp and a ge–"
"Don't be silly? Do you think I'm being silly right now?" she snapped. Alfred was wide-eyed in shock. He had no idea where he was, but Alice did. She knew that getting lost in the book was troublesome. Although time seemed to pass slowly, they were still following the time in the real world. Alice had to get them out before their parents arrived.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"You better be," Matthew added. "I was worried sick!"
Alfred snorted and hugged his brother. "You're not sick!"
It was heart warming for the golden-haired Brit to see the brothers laugh together again. They both took her hands and pulled her through the clear trail of sand and soil with carefree faces. "Let's find the treasure, Alice!"
"Let's."
They soon found a treasure chest plated in bronze and silver with a large key beside it. Alfred eagerly grabbed it and yelled in surprise when the key started diminishing in size. He also took the pleasure of opening the chest, smiling when he took out toys, hats, coins, and other paraphernalia.
"Wow! This is so cool!" Alfred exclaimed.
"Wow, a diamond ring!" Matthew added.
Alice smiled. It was her treasure chest. Their family usually took trips in the book to pass the time in rainy days, and the last time Arthur had visited the book, he kept all his favourite things in a chest before his brothers could get their hands on them. He also ensured that only his presence would reveal the treasure chest. She watched Alfred be amazed with a set of wooden toy soldiers with different faces. It was Arthur's favourite toy set in his childhood.
"Can I have 'em?" he asked. Hesitation almost surfaced from Alice's thoughts until she remembered that she wasn't a young boy anymore.
"I-I guess... it's in a treasure chest, after all," she replied. It would be in good hands, she thought. It was Alfred, after all.
"Can I have this diamond ring too?" Matthew asked. Alice nodded, knowing it wasn't actually diamond. It was a magic ring that made its wearer charming. She remembered her time as Arthur, where he tried wearing it to keep his brothers from bullying him because of the artificial charming points he would get from the ring. He passed the day without a painful word uttered to him by his siblings, but his mother told him to take it off. She told him he was charming as he was and he didn't need the ring.
Because of the magic the book had, Alfred managed to summon up a fifty foot eagle that Alice had a hard time to ebb away. They travelled through the island and found very weird and funny artefacts and things even Alice didn't encounter during her past visits. But then, a pirate setting wasn't the only one she went through. She remembered vaguely one time that she placed herself at the walkway of London's Tower Bridge. As Arthur, he enjoyed the height and the view of the busy city despite knowing it was a simple illusion. He still liked the scenery of London no matter what. Arthur often found solace in the book while his mother was in the hospital. He disliked staying in the real world because of his brothers and his mother's illness.
After a tiring roam around the little island, they settled in a clear field on top of a plateau as the sun started setting. Matthew fell asleep and curled into a ball, muttering about Kumajirou and pancakes. Alfred, however, looked at the scenery around him. He liked the view of the sea below him and the tangerine sky with clouds huddling together.
"Alice, what are genies?" he asked.
"Why?"
"Because I rubbed a lamp earlier and there was this ghost-thing that appeared," he explained. "I got scare – uhh, surprised so I just asked it to go away. It told me to wish for his freedom so I did."
Alice gawked. "What? Seriously? There's a genie here?"
"What is that anyway?" Alfred asked. Alice was surprised that he had no idea what a genie was.
"Don't you know Aladdin?" The boy shook his head to answer. "Oh, goodness. A genie is a being that can grant wishes!"
Alfred pouted. "What? Why didn't I wish for something better? I should have wished for a giant burger! Or at least, I should have wished for you to stay with me forever."
Alfred didn't know how heartbreaking his words were. Alice returned at her gaze at the sky, trying to hold back tears. She knew she was going to miss the boy. And there was a small chance that she would stay in America for a long time.
"Just believe in magic, Alfred. I promise I'll be with you forever. Just believe in it."
Before she knew it, Alfred was yawning and smiling at her. He gave her one last hug before deciding to sleep. And as the sun of the fantasy world they were in was replaced by the moon, Alice placed her hands on the heads of the sleeping boys.
"Exitus."
A blinding light flashed before Alice's eyes before she found herself sitting on the carpeted floor of the boys' room. She checked the bedside table for the clock and saw it was already seven in the evening. She took a glance at the book and saw a page with the picture of their campsite fading away, as her toy soldiers and treasure chest sat on the hill where Alfred left them.
She carried Alfred and Matthew into their respective beds and gave them a kiss on their foreheads. Alfred squirmed in his bed afterwards.
"I promise I'll come back."
Without thinking it through, Alice took the book of illusions her mother gave her and whispered words on the first page. Black words that mirrored her mutters wrote themselves on the page before fading away into invisibility. Alice sighed and placed it below Alfred's pillow carefully, hoping that he would see it tomorrow.
She took Kumajirou from Matthew's bedside table and casted a charm on it. Soon, the white bear sprang into life and blinked its beady eyes at Alice.
"Take care of Matthew," she told the bear. The bear blinked again. Alice returned Kumajirou in Matthew's grasp, and the magical bear hugged its owner. Alice left the room, clutching her chest.
Mum said that I'll always find my way back to my book. So that means I'll always find my way back to you, Alfred. Take care in Canada.
The next day, Matthew woke up to a sobbing Alfred.
A/N: Last chapter where Chibimerica and Chibicanada see Alice. CHIBI. So, yeah... Alice did that because she had no idea how to face Alfred before his departure. I mean, I remembered the time my mom said she's leaving for Philippines for a few weeks. I cried a lot. She made me sleep before she left... and when I woke up, she was at the airport already... and I cried my eyes out. When she came back, she told me how hard it was for her to face me crying and telling her not to leave. No kid wants to see someone they love leave. Or in Alfred's case, he doesn't want to leave someone he loves.
Oh, and yes, Kumajirou is ALIVEEEEEEEEEE~! I wanted him alive. XD Although he'd be sorta Toy Story-ish, not revealing he's alive to his owner. XD Sorry again for this sucky chapter. I promise the next one would be better. Dragon boss cameo again and the first part of World Academy W life!
I'm also making a new USUK fic for April 23 *wiggles eyebrows to see who knows why* and, well... I dunno. I'm just sharing this. XD
Thanks for reading! Please R&R, no flames hopefully, and stay tuned!
