Missed me? I'm so sorry I left you guys off with a cliffhanger.. :/ But I had a lot to catch up on schoolwork and fine! I admit I took the first three weeks off but I spent one week dedicated to writing this story. I hope you're happy. Enjoy!

Commencing: Fanfiction: Wonderland: Chapter 9


Chapter 9

The moment those words leave the Hatter's mouth, I know that I can't refuse. I've sworn loyalty to the White Rabbit, and I have no intention on backing off. Of course, it might be because of the drug that I'm doing this, but this is a chance I've been waiting for my entire life. I had been trained to fight and slaughter for Wonderland, and I am willing to die for it.

"Yes," I say immediately, and the Mad Hatter claps her hands.

"Perfect," she says and the serious mood is gone. She waves the sheet of paper in front of me. "These are the instructions on how to find the Gryphon. Don't worry," she says with a wink, "The instructions are a lot more clearer than the White Rabbit's. The Cheshire Cat will bring you into the Order of Hearts, and then you'll be on your own from then." Her gaze hardens again as I take the sheet of paper. "Do not fail us."

"I won't," I promise, and slip the instructions into my suit pocket. I stand up, brushing some cookie crumbs off. "I'll be taking my leave then,"

"Alright," The Mad Hatter says, moving from her seat. For a moment I think that she's going to send me off, but no such luck. She stops at the Dormouse, takes a teapot, opens the cap, and tries to stuff the Dormouse in.

He yells at the contact of boiling hot water and jerks upwards, breaking free of the Mad Hatter's grip and falling backwards in his chair. "What was that for, Hatter?!"

"It wasn't very nice of you to ignore Alice when he's about to leave." The Hatter says. "Alice-san, I wish you the best of luck." She gives me a smile that melts my heart into a happy little puddle.

"Oh, you told him already?" The Dormouse blinks. "Alright then. Good luck, Alice."

"Thanks," I say, and bow to the Mad Hatter. "Hatter-swan," I then turn and walk away while the Dormouse yells angrily after me:

"What about the March Hare and I?!"


As I'm about to step onto the dirt path, someone grips my shoulder. I turn around to see the Cheshire Cat, her gleaming orange eyes dark and serious. "Wait," she says.

The Mad Hatter and the March Hare rise from their seats, while the Dormouse stays in his chair, waiting to here what the Cheshire Cat has to say.

"What are you doing, Nami-san?" The Mad Hatter asks.

"You're not supposed to be here," the March Hare says, advancing towards the Cheshire Cat.

"I know," The Cheshire Cat puts a protective hand in front of me while she draws three metal sticks from her belt. With one whirl, they clack together to make a long pole. She points it at the Mad Hatter, who cocks an eyebrow.

"Nami-san, are you threatening me?"

"I guess so, Robin," The Cheshire Cat says. "Unless you abort the mission,"

"You know very well we can't allow that," The Mad Hatter steps forward and the Cheshire Cat grips my hand. "The White Rabbit's orders are absolute."

"So you're just going to let Sanji die!" Her grip tightens on my hand. "I can't allow that! I won't allow it! To see my own student blow himself up because of some stupid bastard's childhood problems! Do you know how crazy that is?"

The March Hare's eyes narrow. "I thought you were loyal to Wonderland."

"I am!" The Cheshire Cat says. "But I'm not loyal enough to let Law kill off Alice for his own needs."

"The moment Alice-san joined Wonderland, he swore to do anything for the good of Wonderland. That includes dying." The Mad Hatter takes another step towards her and the Cheshire Cat points the pole at her face.

"You'll be killing innocent people," she counters. "People who have not committed a single crime will be killed!"

"If they are part of the Order of Hearts, they are not innocent," snarls the March Hare.

"I won't allow it," says the Cheshire Cat firmly. "You'll have to get through me first."

"Oh, really?" The Mad Hatter grabs the end of the pole and jerks it, pulling the Cheshire Cat forward. Their faces are inches away, and the Mad Hatter smiles. "What are you going to do, Cheshire Cat? Fight us? You were never the strongest, and never will be. Intelligence is useless in a battle if you're too weak to fight."

"Oh, really?" The Cheshire Cat yanks the pole out of the Hatter's grip and levels it to her face. "Let's see how you do with this!" Her grip tightens and the end of the hollow metal pole sparks, and a huge blast of lightening hurtles out of the end of the pole and consumes the Hatter.

"HATTER!" The March Hare and Dormouse cry out in unison, and I'm too shocked to move. It happens so quickly; none of us even register it when the raven-haired Hatter disintegrates. The Cheshire Cat stares at the place the Mad Hatter stood, the former agent now a pile of dust.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way," she says, and grabs my hand. "Please, Alice," she stares into my eyes. "Don't sacrifice yourself for Law. I know you met with the Duchess. I know you don't want to accept the truth, but are you really better off as a mindless slave?"

I don't say anything, though I do see sense. She begins to lead me away, when a jeering cackle stops us in our tracks. It comes from above, and I am nearly relieved to see the Mad Hatter sitting on a branch of a peppermint tree.

A huge, maniacal smile distorts her features and the Hatter hops down in front of the Cheshire Cat, blocking our way. "Did you really think it was that easy?" She steps closer to her, brushing the orange-haired girl's cheek with a gloved finger.

The Cheshire Cat flinches and jerks back, and the Mad Hatter laughs and swings an upper cut that knocks the Cheshire Cat off of her feet. "What's the matter?" As the Cheshire Cat reaches for her lightening pole the Hatter stomps on her hand and she cries out. "Get up, get up! I still want to play!" The Cheshire Cat manages to stand and she throws a punch, but the Mad Hatter catches it easily and tightens her grip.

I can hear the bones snap in the Cheshire Cat's hand, though she bites down on her lip and doesn't cry out.

The Mad Hatter grabs the girl by the collar and kneeds her in her stomach. The Cheshire Cat gasps and the Hatter grabs her wrist and throws her over her shoulder, slamming her on the ground.

"Not so tough now, are you?" The Mad Hatter laughs and kicks the Cheshire Cat in the ribs as she's trying to get up. "Come now, Alice. Let's see what you have to say."

I'm already thinking back on my choice to take up the mission. Perhaps it was just the drug messing with my mind. Yeah, probably was the drug. If the Cheshire Cat is willing to go so far as to stand up against her superior to prevent this, then I'm standing with her. I walk over to the Cheshire Cat, who is having trouble getting up, and hold out my hand.

She manages a smile and takes it, and I help her up to the feet. We turn around to face the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, who are staring at me in shock.

"Alice," says the March Hare, reaching for the giant sword clasped onto his back. "What are you doing?"

"Doing what's right," I growl and I pull the Vorpal Sword out of my gun pocket and start firing.

The Mad Hatter disappears with a puff of petals the moment the bullets hit her, and reappears again from behind the tree. "Naughty, naughty little Alice," she says and waves her hand. A slender, gloved hand sprouts from my pocket, grabs the gun and flings it towards the March Hare. He sheathes his sword (which he had been using to block the bullets with,) and catches it before pointing it at us.

"That's my gun," I say, backing away slowly with the Cheshire Cat.

"Finders keepers," says the March Hare.

"We'll see about that," I say, and I let go of the Cheshire Cat's hand. I place my left foot in front of my right, making sure that most of my body weight is on my right foot, and begin spinning. Gradually, I pick up the speed and I feel the familiar heat of friction rising into my leg. When I stop, my leg is on fire and I charge at the Mad Hatter.

She ducks underneath a kick and tries to counter with a roundhouse kick, but I match her and our legs meet. She cries out when the fire burns her, and I leap back instinctively. Of course, I can't hurt ladies. At least, not that much. I redirect my assault on the March Hare, who welcomes me with a small grin and pulls his sword from behind his back. He defends when I attack, and I block when he slashes. As much to my annoyance, we're evenly matched. I think that he's just playing with me, though, as he doesn't really seem to be focused on the battle.

"He's playing with you," the Dormouse speaks up as I flip backwards to avoid a slash that misses me by a centimeter. Damn it, I forgot all about him. Three on one? Not fair at all.

I brace myself for the Dormouse, but instead he rises up in the air, his feet replaced by flames that propel him upwards and tongue of fire flickering around his body. He holds out his hands and they swirl and light up, turning into huge fireballs. He points both hands at the March Hare and the flames shoot towards the man.

The March Hare whirls his sword so fast and creates a large gust that sways the trees. The flames extinguish before they even make it to the ground.

The Dormouse winks at me with a mischievous grin on his face. "Betcha can't beat that!"

"Oh, I can," I say. It's risky, but I have to try it. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare will kill us for disobeying the White Rabbit. I take a deep breath, remembering all the things that the Cheshire Cat told me.

Perhaps it was passed down from my family, or something, but since I was small, I couldn't be harmed by fire. Oddly enough, my hair wasn't either. It was like someone had sprayed some 'permanent anti-flammable' spray on me when I was a baby. Probably just a nano-byte, really. It was quite cool, actually, because during the school Talent Shows I would light myself on fire and listen to the students laugh and the teachers scream. Any other way, this ability is still with me, even after 20 years.

I take out my lighter and light it, and hold it close to my sleeve. (The Cheshire Cat had my suits made especially so that they wouldn't burn when in contact with fire.) The sleeve catches fire and I watch as the blaze travels upwards. Like usual, I feel nothing.

The Dormouse whistles as the flames engulf me completely. "Not bad, Alice!"

I grin and shrug, before turning back to the Mad Hatter and March Hare.

"Alice, Alice, Alice…" The Mad Hatter shakes her head, smiling. "You shouldn't risk so much just for some traitors. I told you before, lighting yourself on fire is very dangerous- you could breath in the toxic fumes."

"I don't care," I say, and step towards them, the Dormouse hovering over me. The grass around me is burnt and black and giving off a horrible smell. I run towards the March Hare, whose eyes widen slightly. Well, I do suppose having a maniacal looking guy engulfed in flames running at you is quite a frightening experience. I swing a kick at him and he dodges, swinging the sword upwards.

I leap out of the way and the sword splits the field of grass and chops the trees into tiny little pieces.

I stare in horror at the damage caused by just one swing of a sword.

"The Dormouse is right," the March Hare says. "You have no chance of defeating me, and I have no interest in fighting you. Just accept the mission and go."

"I won't," I say. "Do you know how absurd it sounds? Killing yourself for a leader who is actually a cold-blooded murderer? He killed the Queen of Hearts' family over a disagreement, for god's sake! He's fucking insane!"

"Excuse me," says a voice. The White Rabbit steps out from the forest's shadow. His eyes glint in the dim light and by the look on his face, it's clear that he's been watching this battle the entire time. "Who is fucking insane?"

"You are!" I say, and regret it the moment the words leave my mouth. The White Rabbit looks at me, eyebrows raised. His mouth curls into a small, amused smile and it pisses me off even more. "I heard everything from the Duchess! You're not the leader I thought you were! You're a cold-blooded murderer! You started this entire thing!"

"And that's why you should join the Order of Hearts," the Dormouse says from above.

"Shut up, Dormouse," the White Rabbit says without even breaking eye contact. "Oh wait, never mind," His gaze travels upwards to meet the Dormouse's, and only now do I notice that the Dormouse's eyes are metallic yellow- the same color as the Duchess's. "you're not the Dormouse anymore, are you, Ace?"

"Nope," Ace says, his voice dripping with contempt. "You didn't suspect one bit. You thought that puny little drug of yours could control everyone, didn't you? But not me, Law. You know why. The fire burns it out of my system."

"You told Luffy our plans," the White Rabbit says.

Ace barks out a laugh. "And you actually believed me when I said I wanted to work for you instead of Luffy? Puh-lease. You always knew I hated you."

"Get out of here," says the White Rabbit. "Before I have the March Hare kill you, Dormouse. Or should I say, the Knave of Hearts?"

The Knave of Hearts grins and splays out his palm. Streams of flame shoot out from his palm, scorching the earth and forming a burning circle around the White Rabbit and the rest of the Wonderland agents, save for myself and the Cheshire Cat.

The Knave of Hearts lands, and hurries towards us. "Is the Cheshire Cat okay?"

The Cheshire Cat's eyes are closed with pain and her breathing is very shallow. I place my hand gently over her ribcage and she cries out. Her right hand's fingers are broken, courtesy of the Mad Hatter, and dark purple bruises are scattered across her body.

"I don't know," I fret. What will I do if my lovely Cheshire-chan dies?! Well, at least I still have the Mad Hatter… Wait, what the hell am I thinking?

She's pretty though. And that body...

She tried to kill me.

But she's so... enchanting.

Shut up.

"Alice!" The White Rabbit's voice draws my attention away from the Cheshire Cat, and I focus on his furious face, half shielded by the flames of the Knave of Hearts. "What do you think you're doing, helping the enemy?" His voice turns hard. "You have failed me."

Though the March Hare said the same thing, the White Rabbit's words seem to have awoken something within me. It's the last four words that have the most effect on me, though. I feel the drug pulsing through my body, and there's that piercing noise in my ears that drowns out everything again, but this time it's much more harsher and painful than last time. I fall to the ground, clutching my head with my eyes squeezed shut, my brain feeling like it's on fire and swelling up in my skull, and I hardly even realize that I'm screaming.

The fire extinguishes and the White Rabbit steps out and approaches the Knave of Hearts. I don't even realize that the Mad Hatter is going through the same thing I am- she's on her knees, her back arched in pain and her hands pressed against her ears. Her eyes are rolled up in her head and her mouth is wide open, screaming. The March Hare at least shows some resilience, wincing and digging his nails into his forehead to numb the pain.

After a while I manage to recover, my voice cracked from screaming and a dull, throbbing feeling in my head. I try to get up but collapse, and the Knave of Hearts stands up to meet the White Rabbit.

"What did you do to them?" He demands.

The White Rabbit shows no emotion as the Knave seizes him by the collar. "That's what happens when they fail me. They have to be punished."

"Not like that!"

"You're like Luffy," The White Rabbit snarls. "You're too soft. That's why I killed his family. To make him stronger."

"Shut up!" The Knave unleashes a wall of fire towards him, but he's ready this time. Drawing Death's Pocket Watch, the sword that can cut through anything, the White Rabbit slices and the firewall splits and extinguishes.

"A futile effort," the White Rabbit taunts. He turns towards the Mad Hatter, who is still convulsing on the ground. "Mad Hatter," he says and the Hatter cries out at the sound of her name. "I am disappointed in you. I hope you will do better next time,"

The Hatter's pain ceases the moment his words reach her and she sits up, a dull and dark expression settled on her face. "My apologies, White Rabbit."

"You too, March Hare." The White Rabbit says, and the March Hare rolls his eyes and pulls the giant sword from his back.

"Whatever you say, Rabbit." The March Hare says in a tone that is anything but submissive. He regards the Knave of Hearts with a bored expression.

I blink and manage to raise myself to my elbows. A moment ago the Mad Hatter was writhing in pain and the March Hare was biting his lip so hard it bled, and now they were walking around like nothing happened. The White Rabbit had done something to them… "The drug," I say out loud and the White Rabbit fixes me with a stare.

"How smart of you, Alice." He says.

I scramble to my feet and grab the Vorpal Sword before aiming it at the White Rabbit's head. "Not a move, White Rabbit."

The Knave of Hearts laughs loud and clear. "Look at that, White Rabbit! Your best agent just be-trayed you!"

"Do not take me for a fool," hisses the White Rabbit, and I flinch as he turns his gold gaze towards me. "Alice. Lower that gun."

"Or what?" I say, though I feel my legs turn to jelly under his glare. "I heard from the Duchess about what you did, and you know what? I'm done! I'm not working for a murderer!"

The Knave of Hearts laughs so hard he nearly falls out of the sky. "Hear that, Rabbit?"

"Shut up," the White Rabbit says and takes a step closer to me. "Alice," he says, and I feel his voice ringing in my head. It fills my head, drowning out everything else, drowning out my thoughts and the Knave of Hearts' yelling and the Hatter's cackle…

Alice…. Alice…. Alice…..

There's a pull in my gut and I'm jerked from reality, left floating around in the surprisingly empty void of my mind. I go away to drugged bliss and when the drug regains control, I manage to keep just a teeny bit of my mind.

I stagger to my feet and stumble a bit, and the White Rabbit catches me by the shoulder.

"Get your hands off of him!" the Knave yells and fires another shot. The White Rabbit cuts through it with ease and sends an air-cut spinning towards the freckled Knave. The Knave is forced to dive out of the way and spirals towards the ground. He lands with a thud, scorching the grass beside him.

"Ace!" yells the Cheshire Cat and runs towards him.

"How 'bout we let Alice decide?" The White Rabbit says.

Another pang of pain hits me and I clutch at my head. "Ugh…"

"Oh no…" The Cheshire Cat covers her mouth. "Please… No….."

For a moment I resurface, fighting the drug, and I stare helplessly into her eyes. She relaxes and the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.

"Alice?"

My body spasms as the drug hits me again, harder. I feel myself slip away again, and this time I don't fight it. I spin on the ground, the friction once again lighting my foot on fire. I charge at the Cheshire Cat, somersaulting over her at the last second and slamming a kick against her ribs. I close my eyes involuntarily as I commit the horrible sin of hurting a lady.

"Urgh!" The Cheshire Cat is thrown back and in a moment, I'm behind her, pinning her to the ground.

"Not very proud, are you now? " The White Rabbit says. "Nor you, Knave?"

The Knave manages to prop himself up to an elbow and glares at the White Rabbit. "What are you doing, Alice?" He says through gritted teeth.

"What he trained for, obviously. Alice?"

The Cheshire Cat cries out as I add pressure to my hold at the White Rabbit's command.

"Ghhh…" A trickle of blood seeps out of the corner of her mouth as she looks up at the Knave. "Go!"

"What?" The Knave approaches and I fire a warning shot at his feet. "I can't leave you! They'll kill you!"

"No, we won't," The Mad Hatter says. "We'll torture her, skin her, and then we'll kill her."

"Just leave!" The Cheshire Cat barks. "I'll be fine!" They share a look and the Knave sighs. He rises up into the air on flaming feet and shoots away.

"I'll come back for you! I promise! I'll tell Luffy and the others!"


"I don't think he knows you lied," The March Hare drawls as he stoops down to look the Cheshire Cat in the eye. "You won't be very fine, Cat. You know what we do to traitors."

"Watch your words, Hare," grins the Cheshire Cat. "I don't intend on backing off," She pushes herself upwards and forces me off before flipping away and brandishing her pole.

I charge at her and she grabs something from the ground. Something that glitters in the sun and reflects everything around it. The Looking-Glass. My Looking-Glass.

"Nuh-uh-uh…." She says and shoves the Glass at me just as I deliver a kick. Upon contact the Looking-Glass lights up, and I feel this jerk from it. It's too strong, and soon I'm pulled into the Glass, falling and falling, and spinning through a vortex of multi-colored lights and space as I'm pulled to another dimension.

The last thing I see is the Cheshire Cat's sad smile.


End of Chapter Nine


Wheee heee! Probably my favourite chapter, this one. And I kinda had to explain how Sanji could do Diable Jambe and not get hurt. I never really liked the 'because my love burns more' explanation, so yeah. Sue me. Reviews greatly appreciated!

-Veratican Justice