Man, how long has it been since I've written fanfic, let alone continue this story! X'D So I apologise if my writing here seems very rusty (or the proses aren't very good OTL) and for the very long wait! I should be shot for procrastinating so much T.T It was hard to continue this chapter because I haven't gotten it all figured out until a couple of months ago and I know I've promised a chapter to Kurayami4Hikari, so this is for you and all those still reading this fic :) Thanks for your support and reviews! *MUACKS!* So hope you'll enjoy it ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own anything HnKnA/C/J (which belongs to QuinRose) except my words and imagination for this AU, the school and my OC which you will learn of later ^^


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Chapter 9: The Arena

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The pitter-pattering of sneakers echoed messily and deafeningly like heavy rain in the indoor Arena's polished, wooden floor. It was a ridiculously spacious and rectangular complex with high, wireframe-decorated ceilings. Though at a distant corner, the building itself was connected to the rest of the school and occasionally, other students could be seen passing through the walkways that ran along the sides of the Arena like a multi-story bridge, some peeking over to get a glimpse of whatever was going on down on the ground floor.

Alice had expected something close to a gladiator's coliseum but it seems like apart from its enviable comfort in size, the school's famous 'Arena' is but a normal, enormous sports hall that held up to 15 multipurpose courts. And what better way to make full use of the well maintained place then to have the whole second year class run laps around the full outer perimeter of the Arena's courts.

"Keep running! Stop wasting time on chatter girls! This ain't a stroll in the park people!" The teacher hollered through the megaphone from one corner of the room as he surveyed the mass of jogging, sweaty teenagers.

Just what I need… more running… Alice's dead set of teal eyes stared ahead as she trudged on in her own pace, her hair now tied in a long, neat ponytail with just a rubber band. She pouted, huffing a few strands of her fringe away from her eyes. Just as she thought, she felt a tad off without her customary blue ribbon; as if her image was incomplete, like eating plain bread without any jam or butter. The piece of accessory was a precious birthday gift after all and she absolutely had to find a way to get it back… somehow. She counted her own loud breathing with each step she took, a consistent and rhythmic litany that guided her through the motion of running and putting her weariness right at the back of her mind.

"Airay, take the lead!" She heard the faceless man directed and instantly, the purple and pink cat-boy appeared at her side with a double flip in the air before agilely somersaulting on his hands and landing on his feet as he continued to jog backwards, grinning enthusiastically at Alice, his playful and gleaming canines peeking from under his lips.

"At this speed? You can't call this running!" Boris said, almost challenging her. Swiftly, the ember-eyed youth about turned on his toes, facing forward now together with the rest of the group as he winked and smiled childishly back at her, "I'm racing ahead!"

"I'm with you!" A faceless fellow classmate followed suit and so did a couple of other boys who began to race forward, trailing behind the Roleholder's tail.

"Wait Boris, count me in!"

"Last one to finish the lap is a rotten dodo bird!"

Showoff… Alice caught herself inwardly laughing as she rolled her eyes and shook her fair head. The way the boy's striped tail and boa swaying to and fro as he sprinted was a temptation itself, her hands itching to try to grab and pull at either one of them while he's at full speed just to see what would happen next.

"Oof!" She let out a shocked cry when she felt someone bump hard into her shoulder from behind. Her feet tangled clumsily and she fell forward, taking a split second to brace herself with her hands while her knees skidded hard on the floor. Wide blue-green eyes blinked in confusion until she heard the familiar loathsome sniggers from her female classmates.

"Oh my! Didn't see you back there." The perpetrator and presumably alpha girl from a clique of four mockingly exclaimed, her tone dripping with so much sarcasm and disdain that it tainted her innocent pretense, causing Alice to instinctively cringe away with disgust.

What is it this time? She asked herself, irritated and almost bored.

"It's hard to notice someone who looks as plain as a floorboard- Oh wait! I don't have to." The faceless leered as she flipped her long, curly and ebony hair and her followers chortled with an orchestrated precision.

Hiding the agitated twitch at the corner of her lips, Alice looked away and sighed indifferently whilst squatting and dusting off her slightly scrapped knees. "Apparently you're as blind as you look then."

The laughter disappeared and the faceless leader of the girls stomped her feet right in front of her vision conceitedly and pushed her shoulders so that Alice fell back on her bottom, "Boris was just curious about you! Don't get too ahead of yourself, Foreigner!"

Seriously? Alice stared up with gritted teeth. She should have known that nothing good ever comes with associating with those notorious Roleholders, let alone catching herself an impossibly untamed cat! A few other prying students were surrounding them now while others ran past.

"Quit blocking the way man!"

"Hey hey! Are they gonna fight?"

BANG!

Alice flinched and squeaked from the noise that reverberated loudly from across the arena, as did the rest of her classmates. Glancing down nervously from the gunshot, she was astonished to see a small scorched mark on the floor right beside her feet.

"Miss Liddel! I said no chatting and how dare you take a rest!" Her teacher yelled angrily, his mouth contorted in a scowl so ugly and obnoxious Alice's heart froze over in an instant. As the other classmates scrambled away from her, she could see his megaphone lowered in his left hand… and his raised, smoking gun in his right. Cautiously, she fixed her steady, aquamarine gaze on the barrel even as she felt her limbs quivering while she tried to get back on her feet.

"An additional lap for you!"

"But sir! I wasn't-"

BANG!

Alice gasped and covered her ears in fright as she stumbled onto her backside again, pulling her feet back just in time whilst the faceless man's magical bullet grazed the floor just an inch away.

Is he trying to kill me? She stared at him in disbelief, cold sweat trickled down her neck as he approached her. Every footstep that brought him closer increased the trepidation in her and it sparked a lightly heated tingle on her wrist from where her Enhancer hung.

"Is talking back an Outsider's thing? To think you look so decent on the outside, I'll bet you were brought up lacking manners in your family." The teacher sneered, his eyeless sockets a chilling and heartless gaze that glowered down at her. "No wonder you're a No Name."

"Don't you dare bring my family in to this." Alice growled, her fear mixed with an upsurge of rage as she stood up. Her fist clenched tightly and stiffly by her side, resisting the urge to fight back; a pure dark and vicious haze that threatened to blind her vision as she felt her fingers slowly reaching to her white gun that was in its holster, loosely buckled around her right thigh this time. Nightmare had cautioned her to never go anywhere without it and now, she's glad she had listened.

Don't… Alice don't…

A small voice suddenly spoke in her mind; a voice so soft, gentle and understanding it reeled her away from careening on the edge of violence. Her fingers clenched again, her fingernails biting into the flesh of her palm.

Fighting won't solve anything… Now's not the time…

He's badmouthing my family. Because of me, he's insulting Lorina too! I can't let that go… Ironically, she pleaded to her own self in helpless frustration. Alice couldn't understand. It wasn't like her to be like this. Even her own conscience didn't sound like her; so unnaturally passive and loving yet so very familiar.

"I don't care how you were taught Foreigner…"

Her teacher's voice startled her a bit and brought her attention back. Wide, blue-green eyes narrowed uneasily when the man raised his gun at her again without hesitation, her voice lodged in her throat as fear immobilized her. Her wrist felt warmer as the metallic Enhancer began to heat up on its own, the dark, black gemstone on it glimmering in activation.

"But here in this world with a Master and Shield system, you might not understand."

Alice's mouth went dry. She could sense his energy building and pouring into his gun, getting ready to fire again as a condescending smirk flitted to his lips.

"We learn to follow orders and you need to follow MINE!" The faceless man cried and in that split second, her mind blanked out, her sight focused only on the finger as it pulled the trigger-

TWUNG!

"Ow!" She flinched from the odd sounding gunshot and covered her ears just as she saw the gun fly out of the surprised faceless' hand. A strange sensation had vibrated through the air, causing both of them and every living being close by to feel nauseous. Alice grimaced uncomfortably as she staggered, her magic bracelet cooling down reactively from the sudden commotion, as did her fear.

"My ears are ringing!"

"What? What did you just say? I can't hear a thing!"

"God,I feel like puking!"

Alice could barely hear the other students complained as she herself sat down to relieve the disturbing feeling. Whatever had caused it not only saved her life but it gave her serious bout of tinnitus, hearing loss and vertigo. She sure as hell hadn't escaped death just to experience this!

"M-my hand!" The teacher weakly muttered, his face a pale green from the strange phenomenon as he clutched his right hand that was strangely shivering, his fingers lock in a fixed stance. "Isn't this type of power… M-Master Gowland!" He looked up at the direction of the bullet, so did everyone else as a lone, bespectacled, red-headed figure crossed the court with a smile and a polished brown, wooden rifle in his hands.

That's the one who saved me? Cocking her head to one side and with her hands still trying to block the gradually diminishing but infuriating ringing noise from her ears, she appraised the new Roleholder with skeptic eyes. It wasn't as if she had expected a knight in shining white armor but she certainly hadn't expected him to be clad in a outrageously blinding yellow suit, a queer looking belt, heavy black boots and a braided pigtail. His weapon, Alice noticed, was decorated with patterns that were similar to the ones she had seen on musical string instruments like the violin or the cello. She had never encountered a rifle quite as peculiar as this.

"The old man sure likes flashy entrances." Boris walked up to her, rubbing his fingers in his own triangular ears, his tail swaying with boredom. It puzzled and annoyed her a bit to see him more or less unaffected, unlike the rest near her.

"A friend of yours?" She asked, somehow managing to stand steadily when her hearing finally returned to normal.

"He is the one who is in-charge of me." Boris nonchalantly shrugged with hands stretched behind his head. "Back when I was a first year, the school couldn't take the nature of a rebellious cat, so they decided I needed a handler of sorts and he was the only one willing and crazy enough to take me in." The ember-eyed boy huffed derisively with a smirk then. "I wouldn't have gone with any other anyway."

In-charge of him? Is Boris that bad? Isn't that kind of forceful? Alice blinked back with a frown at the older Role-holder, unable to imagine the restrictions of being decided for and controlled by another.

"That's bothersome! I finally come here and this is what I find?" Gowland groused while scratching the back of his head as he tapped the long barrel of his assault rifle on his shoulder. He stood over the faceless, man who kept on nursing his trembling gun-hand. "Stamina training is good for the youngsters but there is no need for such insults from a teacher. And raising your weapon on the Foreigner who is, regardless, a student? That puts you in a very, VERY ugly position." The brilliant teal-eyed man regarded the school staff coldly, his grin not quite reaching his eyes as he nudged his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "This school doesn't need an abuse of authority. You agree, don'cha?"

"Y-yes! O-of course, Master Gowland!" Alice's teacher answered, numbly nodding his head.

"Good! Oh and before I forget..." The red-head joyfully exclaimed as he swung down his firearm and slammed the gun's forestock into his palm and took aim.

"OI! COME BACK HERE YER STUPID STRAY!"

TWUNG! TWUNG!

"Ack! My ears! Didn't I tell you my hearing is sensitive you idiotic old man!"

Boris? Alice turned around just in time to catch the unmistakable pink and purple Cheshire Cat slinking out of the arena behind the crowd of students. It seems that he had managed to dodge the magically charged bullets in time for it to hit the side of the wall but the repercussions still left the punk-styled youth clawing at his flattened ears, his tail had gone stiff and twitching.

"I-Isn't that an abuse of power too?" Alice's brows wrinkled as she watched Boris reluctantly dragged himself back to the court.

"As usual, he could have just magically summoned him."

Turning her head to the voice, Eight had strode to her side with arms folded across her chest and a male companion beside her who had a messy head of black with streaks of dyed copper red and a pair of rectangular, white rimmed glasses.

"Summon? You mean he's Boris's Master?" Her brow elevated to her hairline and her pitch rose as Alice switched her glances between Gowland and the cat boy. It hadn't occurred to her that that was what Boris meant by being 'in-charged' of him.

"So it's not just a rumor then?"

"By Contract, yes. But he doesn't act like he is bound by it only because despite being his Master, Gowland gives him an almost free rein and with a Shield like Boris, it must have been a gamble to make that contract since it takes a lot of trust, control and energy, something Gowland has despite the way he looks." The faceless class representative spoke in her usual sing-song, cool and level-headed way as she tapped the ground with the tip of her shoes whilst pondering. "Either that or they both found something that they could benefit from each other."

" An external mutual transaction, you mean." The faceless friend with the two-toned hair stated casually as he turned to Eight.

"External as in it has nothing to do with friendship or being loyal? That would be internal right?"

He seemed taken aback when Alice directed her question at him. She thought she saw him sending a hateful glare before averting his bespectacled, eyeless gaze away from her teal ones hastily, but not before she realized who he was; the guy who had that nasty habit of throwing paper balls at her in class!

"You're pretty fast for once." Eight sniggered delicately with disdain into her hand. "That's correct. But it is not very commonly used since Contracts are forever unless your clock is destroyed. Therefore, what they want from each other must last that long as well or they will both regret and the Contract will affect them instead. That is how significant Contract forming is to people like us."

It's like they're giving away their very being to someone else... Alice mused to herself with a small frown. I don't think I can't do that…

"I don't know how he does it." The faceless bully lazily spoke to Eight, obviously and deliberately ignoring Alice's presence. This time, Alice took note of his collar pin, which was gold plated too but with an embedded black clubs and number seven as he continued, "But I seldom see him resort to exerting his Masters' rights on Boris unless it's an emergen- H-hey! Stop staring at me like that, it's gross! What's with her?" The youth flushed and fidgeted away from Alice's wary eyes.

"Told you she'd be weird." Eight wiped her hand across her eyes exasperatedly. "Next thing you know, she'll start naming you too."

Immediately, the boy audibly gasped with a revolted cringe and gingerly took a step back.

A loud whack was suddenly heard when the class register folder came in contact with the back of Boris's head and Gowland's hollering thundered in the enclosed space like a mad bull on a rampage.

"What's this about your class attendance record? You tryin' ter make me look bad?"

Boris groaned and sorely rubbed his head, "Well it can't be as bad as your own fashion sense-"

TWUNG!

"S-STOP THAT! I get it alright! Stupid Deaf-stun… now I feel like sick!"

"Deaf-stun?" Alice repeated and blinked perplexedly at Eight.

"D-don't look at me, I'm not your personal encyclopedia! You, explain it to her." The now, red-cheeked faceless brunette gestured towards Seven of Clubs, who then cast a loaded, defensive glare at the Outsider.

"Tch… you're such a pain in the ass!"

"Well excuse me for being new here!" Alice retorted back with her hands to her hips.

"It's the effect of Gowland's magic. Depending on the intensity of his powers, it stuns the person with vertigo and momentariy deafness. Even if you aren't hit directly you can still feel its effects at close range like what happened just now. Did you catch all that? Was I too quick or do you need me to spell word for word for you to understand?" He smirked at her, sarcasm dripping off his tone.

"I said I was new, not slow." She returned his glare before smiling sweetly. She REALLY doesn't like the bully no matter how close he was to Eight! "I expected you to be smarter but I'll spell those two simple words for you if you'd ask me nicely."

"Say what-! Argh!" His words caught in his throat, literally, when the cool and collected class monitor sudden decided to restrain his approach by tugging the back of his collar. "Stop choking me!"

"I will if you chill." Eight of Hearts said exasperatedly before letting of Seven's sport's shirt. Meanwhile, the rest of the class had gathered around Gowland and Boris, rousing up loud chatters of awe and pity.

"It's a weird and real messed-up one, his magic. I would be on my knees right now if I were Boris."

"He must already be immune to it!"

"Poor guy."

"Did you visit the new shop he had set up in Amusement Town? It's rad I tell you!"

"Aw, makes me wanna go to town and get me those special pair of walkie-talkie earrings!"

"I've been saving to taste the topsy turvy chocolate and strawberry sundae!"

Amusement Town? It's in the school brochure but I've never found the chance to visit… Alice pondered, the corner of her mouth quirking up thoughtfully. Her teacher, who had been pretty much ignored and was recovering from the stun, finally got up from the floor on wobbly knees, his face still looking pale and unwell.

"W-what brings Master Gowland here? Is there a-anything I can get for you?"

"Yeah, what are you here for anyway?" Taking his position beside Alice, Boris grumbled, his hand running agitatedly through his spiky, pink-tinted stands while his curiosity showed in the way his pierced tail flicked back and forth. The bespectacled Roleholder chuckled and his laughter warmed up his kind and intelligent eyes whilst he de-materialized his own weapon and waved the class folder in front of the horde of students. "I've been asked to supervise, observe and evaluate this class…"

There as a momentary pause in his speech and Alice caught herself in surprise when the man's bright blue-green eyes briefly met hers.

No, he's here to evaluate…. me Her own instincts told her, swalloing back her breath. Friend or foe? She wasn't sure of what to expect from this newly introduced member to her school life.

"I bet you guys have already exercised enough! Let's put those stretched muscles to work and enjoy the rest of Phys Ed shall we?" Putting his hands together, Gowland concluded and the class cheered and bustled with enthusiasm.

"Man, I hope Gowland teaches again!"

"As long as it's not a music lesson. That would be just dreadful."

"Yeah, but Gowland's the best after all!"

"Never thought I'd see him out of that room since the big incident that year with Blood Dupre!"

Just his name perked her interest and she asked Boris almost absentmindedly, "What has Blood got to do with it?"

"You don't know?" Golden feline orbs widened, his trademark wily and playful Cheshire grin crept to his lips. Alice arched an eyebrow doubtfully when he leaned closer and whispered into her ears, "It's about Gowland's full name. It's hilarious as hell! It's isn't safe now so I'll tell you later!"

"Pfft."

"Wha- Even you two?" Alice shot a look of disbelief at Eight and Seven, who quickly looked away with a hand clamping over their mouths and their shoulders shaking discriminately.

"Alrighty! Next on the agenda is Fight Practice!" Gowland called out excitedly and the crowd immediately fell quiet, earnestly attentive and eager. It was strange for Alice to see them this way; when the students were acting so… normal... regardless of their usual blood-lust lifestyle. But this semblance of normalcy made her smile, knowing that she shared something in common with them despite the difference in their worlds.

"So pair yourselves up, put on your chest guard and prepare your weapons!"

Chest Guards?Weapons? Why do we need that for gym- Oh, right... Reality hit back to base again and she frowned. She was reminded that the way the school operated wasn't very normal to begin with and to believe that the inhabitants of this school were sane wasn't really a very smart thing to do. Her classmates began walking towards the side of the court where the chest guards were kept in shelves while some readied their firearms and blades, which made the air was tingle and pulsate along her skin with the intense mixture and concentration of different magical auras.

"Wait! I'd like to request a Fight Simulation instead with her, Alice Liddle." Before she could protest a word, Alice found Boris's arm wrapped around her neck teasingly as he called out his suggestion to Gowland. He raised his other hand and resumed, "One vs one. A simple cat-and-mouse game."

This agitated the class right on cue as Alice had expected and her ears instinctively tried to block out the noises in vain; some protesting while others taking sides.

"What? Why her again?"

"Boris finally threw a challenge!"

"I've been dying to see this! No second year has been able to beat his record in that simulation!"

"He's the second year's ace player! She doesn't stand a chance."

Ace player? This might be bad… The comment caught her concern and she cast a wary side-glance at the cat who immediately grinned confidently back at her. She had expected him to be good but now, her nerves were beginning to give way to jitters in her stomach.

"Hmmm, good idea." The red-headed Roleholder agreed with a nod as he rubbed his stubble. "It will be part of the term test so might as well let the Foreigner get used to war-games. Get into position and suit up! The rest of you, stay behind the red line of the court." Gowland's voice boomed as he dictated. Reaching his hand out, the faceless teacher automatically and humbly presented to him a handheld controller. Pressing his palm on the screen of the thin, rectangular machine, the biometric scan started activating to confirm his school authority. Green lights shone from the screen, signaling that access to the Arena was granted.

Gowland arched an eyebrow up, scrutinizing the monitor which had switched to a welcome screen with multiple digital buttons for choices. The design for the controller's interface is beginning to look really old… When was the last time I tweaked with this thing?

Just then, his finger hovered above the 'Fight Simulation' button for a second. His sharp, teal eyes observed the Foreigner who was following the Cheshire cat and some other faceless students to the starting positions, well aware he was going to throw a baby into a pool to swim.

Perhaps not much of a baby… He chuckled to himself when he saw the long-haired girl banter with the younger, pink-haired Role-holder while fussing about with the chest guard. He was surprised to hear no protests or complains from Alice when he signaled the game. Nightmare will be please to know that she's slowly conforming to and accepting Wonderland already. The Foreigner needs to have what it takes to survive, and if she can't learn to stand on her own first, she'll die. His eyes glimmered knowingly behind his specs as he thought to himself, amused by the Outsider's capacity to take in the world so quickly.

It's a given with the rest of the Outsider cases… So I guess we won't know unless she tries. And with an anticipating grin, Gowland went ahead and pressed the virtual button, keying in the rest of the information.

[Fight Simulation Activated. Arena will be reassembled. Number of Combatants: One versus One. Choice of arena shall be randomly selected. All non-combatants please stay clear to avoid crossfire by standing behind the safety zone.]

The loud and clear, female electronic voice startled Alice, but not as much as when a shimmering, waist-high translucent fence was raised right along the red line of the court while whatever wooden flooring that was behind it suddenly sunk into the ground! She could feel the room vibrating from the shift all the way to the top of her head, half expecting a real earthquake to tear through the building. Alice couldn't peel her astonished eyes away as she watched the huge, rectangular mid-portion of the Arena lowered itself to create what she had initially expected the Arena to be; a fighting ring with a raised spectators' stand suspended all around it. She blinked in astonishment when she saw the flat surface of the sunken arena undulating and forming all sorts of landscapes; from sandy deserts to wet jungles and concrete mazes, to one with many tall buildings and one that was literally in the air with only odd looking clouds for footholds! As the myriad of transformation went, there were even crazier ones, as if the scene was right out of a carnival; some with mirrors everywhere, giant stuffed toys as if in a toy box, and even a playground! If it had been another situation, she would have liked to fully appreciate the genius of the carefully and creatively constructed building, except-

"Will you concentrate for a moment! And here I am teaching you how to put this on but you're not even paying attention!" Scolded Eight angrily from behind Alice while she assisted her in fastening the small, back belts of the protective gear.

"T-this is a guard? But it doesn't protect much except for m-my boobs!" Alice squirmed and adjusted herself, grimacing at the small but substantial strip of metal that covered her bosoms snuggly.

"Ha ha ha! Maybe that's why it's called a chest guard for a reason?" Boris chortled beside her as he adorned a similar, male-version of the chest guard and rolled up his sleeves to reveal toned and shapely arm muscles. It made Alice take a step back when he approached and placed a finger squarely on her chest guard, his canines showing with a grin, "Your core, or in your case, your heart is the only thing you'll need to protect."

"I've warned you that the school is not responsible for any other bodily damages, didn't I?" The faceless class monitor tossed her wavy mid-length, brown locks behind her shoulder once she was satisfied with securing Alice's chest guard.

"Hey, what are you helping her for?" Seven, the class bully, tugged at Eight's arm.

"Because I'm the Class Monitor. It's my role and my duty, nothing more." She replied, unruffled, as she shrugged his hand off coolly, painting a worried and disappoint expression on Seven's featureless face.

"Chickening out now?" Boris asked.

"You'd wish!" Alice glared back and stuck her tongue out at him, folding her arms across her chest to provide an additional layer of cover. T-this thing really doesn't protect much! She frowned at Boris's own chest guard. It made sense to protect her heart but what use would that be if the rest of the body gets wasted away while fighting? Even if they had clocks for hearts, was this really how little they had to treasure themselves? It still appalled her to no ends that the residents in Wonderland would be fine to see themselves with so little value.

"I don't get it... Shouldn't it be the same for you?"

Over the loud chatters, Boris's acute ears twitched and picked up Alice's question as she murmured distractedly. Same? How were they, the Roleholders and the Foreigner, the same? He tilted his head and blinked at her with confusion in his perceptive, ember orbs. A smile curved his lips then. They couldn't be more different yet she claims that they shared a similarity. Would everyone from her world think that way? However, all the previous Outsiders had never quite left such an intriguing and charming impression on him.

She was making him more and more curious about her, and it was more fun than just winning any old game.

[Arena number 14 has been chosen. Reassembly is complete. Time limit has been set to 15 minutes. Players, please proceed to the entrance platform.]

15 minutes sounds like a really short time though...Alice gulped hard as she and Boris stepped up into a raised and floating platform where two doors, which had magically appeared, awaited them. Gowland and her faceless teacher was already standing behind it with the controller which seems to have projected three other holographic screens from the machine; two of which contained vital information on her and Boris respectively while the centre one measured the game elements of the Arena. Peeking at it closely, she could even read their positions in a wire-framed 3D map and their health statistics as well, such as their heart rate and blood pressure.

[For monitoring and safety purposes, please keep your chest guard on. I repeat. Please wear your chest guard at all times.]

Safety? When almost 70 percent of my body is exposed? Alice scoffed and quirked an eyebrow sardonically, not feeling any more confident and assured than when she had first started wearing the strappy and stifling equipment.

The eye-less teacher arrogantly cleared his throat and addressed to the two participants, "So I take it that Mr Airay will be the pursuer as usual and Miss Liddle will be the target-"

"I object." Alice interrupted calmly with a raise of her hand. Eight stared at her questioningly while Gowland and Boris both looked bemused. However, her teacher was less amused.

"You… object?" The faceless adult mockingly asked.

Alice turned to the Chesire cat-boy instead to explain, ignoring her teacher whose puffed-up face turned beet-red with humiliation. "We are playing a game you are obviously very familiar with. I'm already at a disadvantage."

Gowland then pushed his glass up the bridge of his nose as he considered the fact thoroughly, "True. So what do you suggest?"

"A change of position. Boris will be the target."

This time, the expression on the crowds' faceless features could only be interpreted as saying 'She must be crazy!' Gowland burst out guffawing and Boris slapped a hand to his forehead with a huge grin on his feline face, his watchful, golden orbs smirking at her from behind his long, spiky and pink bangs.

"That's not going to change a thing you know. As target, I'm allowed to defend myself and if I can safely land three strikes on you, you're out." The punk-styled youth's stripy tail flicked about excitedly as he pointed out. The Foreigner might not know but he has been both target and pursuer before, in and out of class. The girl's decision was a pleasant surprise but it didn't matter. Either way, he's pretty certain that the result wasn't going to change.

"Better you than me." The teal-eyes girl said with a sigh. Alice disliked the idea of having to shoot someone, let alone three times just to win. Besides, with his experience, Boris would be more skillful with handling guns than her anyway. With him running away from her, she prayed that it would at least be a less easy task for him to win.

Guess I won't have to worry about the game ending so soon… Boris let out a light-hearted laugh. With his acute sense of hearing and smell, even though it would be futile, it was a pretty smart choice for a beginner. "Ha ha ha! Then as agreed, if you can catch me and score just a single strike on my body before the time is up or before I deal three damages on you, I'll give up your belongings!"

"And if I don't?" The girl inquired grimly. Boris smiled to himself. The Foreigner wasn't afraid of competing with him, like how the other faceless students would be. But it looked like she's definitely aware of exactly what kind of person she is playing with and yet, she never once deterred or lost sight of her goal. It amused him to know how far a risk her curiously strong-willed nature would allow her to take for a mere book and a ribbon. Other than fulfilling their roles, nothing else was important and things and people don't last very long in their world. That would mean it was fairly useless in trying to hold onto anything significant, right? He strode up to her and stood so close that he was able to see her long, crescent-shaped lashes fanning on her smooth, blushing cheek as he invaded her personal space by leaning in.

Alice fidgeted uncomfortably when Boris's face came so near to hers. She couldn't help but broke her eyes away from his captivatingly, exotic , slit-iris orbs as he reached for a loose, lock of honey-colored hair on her shoulder that had fallen out of her ponytail. He twirled the ends around his fingers deftly and when he brought it to his smiling lips, she hoped so hard he wouldn't hear her heartbeat doubling in speed. The vibration of his low hum induced a delicious shiver that ran up her neck and the seductive sound of him licking his lip made her throat dry as he took his sweet time to think of a suitable punishment. Alice could definitely feel his keen eyes roam her hot, telling face as he did so.

"Hmmm, I get to keep it and you'll have to obey whatever I tell you to do for a month… Deal?"

His soft, coy, whisper made her stomach curl as she met his gaze, eyeing him seriously to gauge if he was joking or not and if he would hold his end of the agreement. Alice chewed on her bottom lip hard. She didn't like what she found but it wasn't as if she had any other choice.

"Don't look so serious. It's not like I'll make you do anything bad!" Boris good-humouredly teased, mischievous eyes urging her earnestly.

"Urgh… d-deal!" She stuttered rather forcefully. Brushing his hand away from her hair, she quickly walked past him to one of the two doors on the entrance platform, earning her a satisfied, smug chuckle as Boris made way to his door.

"Since both parties are in agreement, I'll approve!"

"M-Master Gowland!"

The bespectacled Role-holder chirped with much satisfaction, though it left the faceless teacher aghast as the yellow-dressed man went back to the controller to key in the details enthusiastically, looking very much like an excited little boy on his first joy ride.

"Talking big again I see. Not that I'm expecting much from you." A familiar harrumph at the side and a frowning Eight stared incredulously with her usual, folded arms. "Trust you to make things difficult for yourself."

But Alice smiled widely instead and gave two optimistic thumbs up. "Don't worry! I'll try my best not to let you down!"

"I DIDN'T SAY I WAS WORRIED!" Eight retorted, huffing and covering her dainty hand across her reddened face, with Seven starring at both girls in bafflement.

"Alright! All set to go!" A stubby finger slammed down on the controller's virtual button with finality and Gowland looked up at the two players on the platform, warning them while adjusting his glasses, "Us, as the audience, will be monitoring your actions from the safety of the gallery. Now, draw your weapons and get ready. The Arena itself is dangerous and rigged with many traps although I've already lowered the settings to level 2."

"Traps?" Alice's cried aloud, her voice coming out as a girlish and horrified squeal. "Why would anyone built such things for a gym lesson?"

"Ahem, that 'anyone' happens to be..." Boris cheekily trailed off and not-very-subtly nodded his head at the older Role-holder.

"… You're kidding me."

"Why not? It's entertaining! I'm sure you'll like it too!" The red-head's smile grew maniacally big, "The more the merrier, right Boris?"

The purple-pink cat nodded in agreement as he placed his hands on his hips proudly, shuffling the fur of his striped boa so naturally that it seemed as if it was a part of his body, "I've managed to go up to level 8 so this will be pretty easy!"

There's… something really wrong in the head with these two! They're really treating it as a game! The Outsider made a face at the odd but suitably complemented Master and his Shield, unlike her and a certain, egoistical Mafioso. Like Boris and Gowland, Alice has no intention to use Blood as a Shield and with their last meeting, she was more than convinced that the young Hatter would never bow down to any Master, let alone someone like her. She envied the mutual partnership between Gowland and the Cheshire Cat since hers, on the other hand, wants absolutely nothing to do with each other. The thought not only boiled her blood but it left her heart unsettlingly heavy. There was no other reason for Blood to forge a Contract, no other connection, except for his striking resemblance and her heart and mind wasn't willing to explore that particular option.

KE-CLING.

The sound of chains jingling was heard and Alice instantaneously felt a familiar magical aura spike to her left, causing the hair on her arm to rise. It was a strange feeling; light and whimsical but with a quick and fleetingly sharp edge to it, unlike Ace's and Blood's one which felt very heavy overall. Looking over, she noticed that Boris had already armed himself with his purple, semiautomatic clutched in his right hand. Apart from the interestingly tasteful choice of color, the intriguing design, she noticed, included a line of large staples yet the firearm looked fashionable and a far cry from being the Frankenstein of all guns.

"You like it?" Boris asked, his ears and tail on alert when he caught Alice staring with interest. Beaming with pride, she even saw him blush a little as he began to rant ardently on his own accord, and to her surprise, while he lovingly caressing his weapon with much tenderness.

"A self-loading pistol based on an X360 Compact, the M1911 model and the Colt M1900. I remodeled it myself so this baby is one of a kind! It uses a 9mm caliber with a high magazine capacity and a triple-position rail system for maximized adjustment and accessorizing. Short reset polymer trigger, corrosion resistant steel barrel, serrated slip-proof slide and a modeled frame with optimal grip for more stability, it literally fits my hand like a glove! Wanna hold it?" His grin nearly reached his eyes as he offered it to her with an almost drunken look of euphoria that puzzled her.

Don't tell me…Is he getting high on his gun? She gaped at him awkwardly as he continued to press his gun forward, his furry fail swaying with delight. Alice has only heard of cats getting drunk on catnip, but on a remodeled firearm?

"I-I don't really-"

"Don't be shy!" His eyes glazed over with ecstasy as he cooed and purred delectably, practically pushing his gun into her hands and freaking her out a little. "Try stroking it, especially the top here! See how smooth and well-built it is? It's not like any others so I'm sure it will feel reeeeeeeal nice."

"Hey! Stop playing around you dirty cat! You're gonna turn a girl off acting like that!" Gowland yelled out with a smirk from where he was standing, causing a bout of laughter to erupt from the observing faceless students.

"That's not true! All the girls I know like it." Unperturbed, Boris stated self-assuredly while spinning the gun around his forefinger with much expertise, effectively inducing a high-pitched, feminine cry of awe and support.

Alice reached for her own gun from the holster and stared at it for awhile. Holding her plain-looking, white weapon, it still felt surreal even after a week of living in Wonderland High. She never thought she would need a reason to ever use such a tool of violence and yet, in this world, it is the very means of their existence and survival.

I'm never getting used to this… Maybe that's why I still don't have a True Name… She sighed to herself.

"Once players go through the doors, you will be transported to random positions in the Arena and you will have exactly five seconds before the game starts. If you're ready you may enter." Gowland declared and the student crowd started cheering, fully pumped up and eager to see a fight, and most likely, lots of blood.

"See you on the other side, Alice!" Boris waved, looking too happy for such a perilous situation. His supporters cried even louder as he reached for the knob and stepped in without even batting his eye. After which the door automatically closed behind him.

"Well, there's a first for everything." Alice cynically smiled to herself and forced her lungs to take a deep breath. She could feel her whole body trembled as she inhaled.

"You'll do fine, Alice!" Gowland's good naturedly patted her shoulders, his calm and twinkling eyes glancing down at the nervous girl from behind his glasses. "Since you're new, I'll be watching over you and guiding you along the way with the tracking system built in your chest guard."

His sincere encouragement did soothe her jumpy nerves a bit and with his touch, her shoulders relaxed a little and Alice managed a small smile.

"So you see, there's nothing to worry about." Gowland grinned positively. "Just try not to lose an arm or a leg or your head and you'll pretty much survive! Oh wait, in your case, probably not the head. So good luck!"

Her smile strained to remain on her lips but her eyes stared at him, deadpanned.

"Maybe I should have written my will first." Alice grumbled beneath her breath.

With one last check on her fully renewed ammunition of her own light blue magical energy that swirled densely within the crystal orb embedded in her white gun, she reached to open her own door and took a big step in.

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.

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"Man, second year girls are a pretty screechy bunch!" Elliot March complained whilst following behind his Master, his long, tanned ear stiffly flattening back as they made their way past the open, second floor corridor, a walkway that connected their building along the sides of the Arena. Coiled around his neck and over the collar of his white uniform shirt and navy blazer, the ends of his usual tattered, purple and orange checkered scarf drifted behind him.

"I have half a mind of putting a bullet through their mouths." The orange-headed man growled lowly, shooting a piercing amethyst glare at the noisy bunch, his fingers already coiled around the gold-decorated and characteristically curved handle of his pirate flintlock pistol that hung from his belt.

"Pay no heed to them and stop complaining Elliot." Blood's strict but fluid voice reprimanded as he uncaringly strolled in front, a hand in one of the pockets of his dark blue school pants. "You shouldn't be distracted by a small commotion like this."

"Of course. You're right Blood!" An approving smile instantly lit up his right-hand man's grumpy face with admiration. Elliot picked up the pace while observing the Arena's modified structure closely, tapping the spine of his and Blood's textbooks, which were held together in his other hand, on his broad left shoulder. "Hey! Will you look at that! They've assembled Arena number 14. Are they're having a Phys Ed test this early in the semester?"

"A Fight Simulation? How nice!"

Looking behind, the two found Ace who had joined in the conversation as he walked towards them in his striking, red blazer, much to Elliot's annoyance. Bored, Blood remained poised but let out a vexed breath while the hare casually but strategically stepped in to place himself directly between his Master and the red Knight.

"That's nostalgic!" The Head Prefect continued gleefully, disregarding Elliot's protective behavior as he stated with a big, smack-worthy grin, "Remember how Mr. Peter and you could never beat me?"

"You askin' for a fight, smilely?" Elliot confronted, his low voice dipping menacingly and his long animal ears standing on ends with bristled fur, looking very much like a snarling rabbit with fangs, if that even existed.

Ace taunted as he laughed; a light, bubbly sound that deceivingly dispelled his real intentions. "Ha ha ha, only if it's with you! I like it when you always get so impatient, rough and demanding at the end!"

"Sick bastard." Elliot murmured. His mauve orbs narrowed at the seemingly simple-minded opponent. He would have launched himself at the smirking jerk had it not been for a black, diamond-tipped cane topped with the Hatter's symbol which had suddenly appeared from the side to block him.

"Based on individual strength alone, I suppose it is natural for the Knight to top the third years." Blood intercepted suavely, his expression neutral as he commented, but his emerald gaze was fully vigilant. Unpredictable and surprisingly cunning, the Knight of Hearts had always been the most troublesome to deal with despite his happy-go-lucky image.

Elliot's fingers dug into the metal hand rail of the corridor, disgruntled with the lack of support. "Humph! That doesn't mean he is unbeatable."

The wayward prefect's crimson eyes then widened innocently as he scratched the back of his head. "But I don't remember anyone who has been able to beat me before- oh wait! There was that time with the Vice Principle but it was a tie so that doesn't count-"

"THAT'S IT!" Elliot roared and brought his fist down on the rail with a loud slam, pointing the textbooks right in Ace's bewildered face. "Next Phys Ed class. My weapon against your weapon. Whoever lands five strikes first wins!"

"Five is no fun, make it ten!"

"Hell no, fifteen!"

"Twenty!"

"Fine! I'll hit you so hard you won't even have the strength to walk out of this!"

"Ha ha ha! Can't wait for you to try!"

Blood sighed at the distasteful argument before tapping his cane on his subordinate's arm. "Elliot, I'm in no mood to go to lab lesson now. We'll skip for a short tea session at the rooftop so have the refreshments delivered there." He instructed, clearly not entertained with the current company he had whilst he dissolved his cane and walked away with an obedient March Hare right at his heels.

"Oho? Not afraid if I tell on you, Mr. Hatter?" Ace followed the Hatter duo as he stretched and rested his arms behind his head lazily, his ruby orbs tapering slyly as he asked with a tilt of his brown head.

"Why should I when her Majesty isn't even in class today." The green-eyed Mafioso bluntly replied without looking back and increased his pace. Was it just him or does the corridor seemed to have gotten irritatingly longer? His lips pulled tight and his forehead began to crease. Ever since he had heard from his second-in-command that the Young Miss had awoken, the day hasn't felt right. Even after selfishly changing the time cycle to night, the once cooling, tranquil and dark sky did little to appease him. To put it in words, he would feel uneasiness pooling inside of him, making his chest feel hot and constricted. There was also a mental pull that would make him want to jump out of his seat and go… somewhere. But just as sudden as it came, the feeling and need would suddenly disappear, relinquishing him temporarily, only to come back again. And every, damn time it happened, that girl would always appear in his mind…

Alice would appear. Out of the blues, indecisive… and out of his control.

And the Hatter didn't like it one bit.

If he had thought she was interesting enough to keep alive, the Foreigner had better prove to be worth the nuisance and whatever little tolerance he had left.

The brown-haired Disciplinary Division leader cupped his chin and pondered as he turned his deep red, scheming gaze down to the small cluster of students at the Arena's ground level. "Ah… guess that makes sense. The Queen's been pretty busy lately. Even Mr. Peter has gone to meet her. No wonder I feel lonely!"

"I don't give a damn if you're lonely or not." Elliot's deep and low tone groused, his patience weaning. "But for crying out loud, why the hell are you FOLLOWING us?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, that's right!" Punching a fist in his palm, Ace's mouth formed an 'O' and his eyes widened with enlightenment. "Because I think I'm lost, so I was hoping to reach class if I followed you guys!" The directionless knight admitted sheepishly and that had Elliot palming his face and exasperation, as did Blood who ran his hand through his silky, ebony hair in silent vexation.

"What are you, deaf?" Still walking, Elliot glanced over his shoulders to cast a deadly glare. "We said we're not going for class!"

"Since you guys are the only ones I had managed to find for the past three hours, I'm fine with that!"

"I'm NOT! You bloody #$%ing piece of crap!"

Ace merely laughed with an idiotic grin spread across his lips even as he continued to tag along, "Ha ha ha! Oh, by the way, I heard from the girls that the Foreigner and Mr. Kittycat are in there now."

"Alice? In the Arena? Isn't that too soon?" The sudden news perked Elliot's interest, as well as his ears. He turned his attention to the rowdy class being held below, leaning a little closer over the rail to try and catch a peek as he walked. That is, until he realized that he was no longer behind Blood, for the Mafioso and paused in his tracks earlier to so the same, his deep sea-green eyes fixated on the Arena.

"Aren't you coming, Blood?" Elliot turned to his superior, patiently waiting for further instructions.

The young, raven-haired Mad Hatter tipped his chin up broke into a languid grin, his words drawling with renewed amusement.

"On second thought, I think I'll stay for a while."

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.

.

"Oh…My God."

Once Alice had stepped through the door, it was as if she had entered a whole new world entirely! She hadn't had enough time to pay attention to exactly how Arena number 14 had looked like and she probably should have, for that particular number proved to be more of a freak-house than she had expected it to be when experiencing it in person!

"O-okay, it's n-normal to be surprised. I can do this! Relax Alice, relax." She spoke aloud, trying with much difficulty to calm her racing pulse, heart own heartbeat thundering in her ears. Aquamarine eyes darted around quickly to assess her surroundings, her mind working to get a clearer and more comprehensible bearing against the absurdity of the modeled environment before her.

B-but where do I start? Her palms were getting sweaty, making it harder to hold on to her gun, and her own panicky voice sounded squeaky and hysterical in her brain.

I'm not hysterical! A-am I? Alice winced and asked herself, all the while gulping all the air she could get when she finally remembered to breathe. I just need to slow down and think this through. Right. Nice, easy and slow-

[Fight Simulation will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]

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Okay... I know tthe chapter is the longest I have ever written for this and here were alot of new elements, maybe a little too much ^^; I had wanted to cut this story into 2 chaps but that would mean you guys will have to wait again and the fight will be pushed back another chapter X'D I wouldn't say it was my best work but meh XP So I hope it wasn't too confusing ^^;

Just to note for clarity:

-Deafstun is a convenient term for the sudents to refer to the effects of Gowland's magic. It is not his True Name or his weapon's name.

-Yes... Gowland is a teacher who is in fact the creator of Amusement Town and the mastermind behind the planning of the school building. He is also Boris's official Master.

-Seven, the bully, is a new OC and there is a REALLY good reason for his existence apart from being Eight's back up.

-Blood, Elliot, Peter, Ace and Vivaldi unfortunately do have to attend some classes together. And their classes is not age based, so whether they are of the same age or not, it is up to you :)

So before I leave, here's a sneak peak of the next chapter (if I ever do get started on it! X'D).

Sneak peak:

"Alice? Why are you being so quiet? You're not hurt… are you?"

Silence.

But he could definitely smell her; the unique, tell-tale, sweet feminine scent was just around the corner and there was no other way out but to go through him in that small, 'L' shaped alley.

But she's being awfully hushed for a pursuer-

Suddenly, there was a thin and tight pulling sensation across the shin of his legs as he walked, and that was enough to send shock through his body when he realized what he had just triggered.

Trapwire! Shit! He mentally cursed, canines gritting as he braced himself for any particular attack.

CLANG!

A loud crashing sound rang in the small space, right in the closed off bend of the narrow room and on reflex, he swiped his gun in the direction and took aim, steely eyes locked in the dark and shady area. He could barely pick out a small bottle on the ground, it's fragrant and liquid scent gushing out onto the floor and enveloping him.

Perfume? He cocked his pink head sideways, his tail flicking about agitatedly and golden eyes widened at the surprise. But his triangular ears detected a sudden, unexpected clambering of movement behind him instead.

"A bit too sweet for my taste, but it was useful."

Alice flung over her cover and pointed her white barrel at the astonished but smirking cat.

"Smart! But not good enough Alice." Boris purred and pounced off, running into the corner.

Where's he going? He should know it's a dead end! She hadn't anticipated that action! Hastily, she got to her feet and gave in to the short and seemingly futile chase but turning into the bend, Alice realized that there was more to Boris's weapon than meets the eye.

"Aw, you saw me!" He grinned woflishly at her and with a wave of his hand, he disappeared right before her eyes.

Alright! Guess that's about it ^^ If you have any comments, questions or critiques, do PM or REVIEW. I always welcome any constructive comments and would love to hear from you :) Thanks for reading and continuing this story with me even though it can be confusing lol! See ya next update! 8D