A/N: Sorry for not updating Serendipity for awhile…I was busy making a new lay-out for my Yukiru site and building my Shigure fansite. I'll update tomorrow, promise.
Kyte-chan, I finished Kingdom Hearts already! Yay! I sang Simple and Clean as Kairi and Sora separated! Whee!
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"M-Marry you?" sputtered the onigiri. "You're kidding! I mean, you told me you're married already!"
Kazuma looked at her calmly. "I know. But you see, she's deceased long ago. You're going to meet her sister though."
"But how will me marrying you help the people of the Kingdom of Hearts?" she asked. She was still utterly stunned by his sudden proposal.
"You see, Your Highness, if the legend is right, then whoever will have you as his queen would earn enormous strength and might, enough to conquer the other kingdoms." His fists clenched. "Enough to topple the rule of the King of Hearts. "
"T-The King of Hearts?" But before Tohru could ask further, a quiet woman entered the bedroom. She blinked. S-She reminds me of…
"Lord Diamonds, I'm sorry for coming in without knocking," said the Kana look-alike. "But you see, there is a news coming in: our spies heard that the Jack of Hearts and the Mad Hatter were caught."
"The Mad Hatter and the Jack?" The man's forehead ceased. "What will they be doing here?"
Tohru's heart jumped. "Jack-kun!"
"You know what, Stupid Hatter? This idea of yours is breaking all records of dumb ideas any person could cook up," groaned the Jack of Hearts as he pulled off his wig.
The Hatter's lovely assistant took off her master's maid costume. "Don't talk that way to my master! He is the only thinking creature here in Wonderland, you know!"
"But to pretend that we are females to seduce the Diamonds guards so we can find Honda-san!" cried the Jack, aghast. "God, why ever did I let myself get hooked into this plan anyway?"
The Mad Hatter smirked. "Because you told me that you would do anything for her, right?" He then smirked some more. "By the way, pink becomes you, Damn Jack."
"Shut up or die," muttered the Jack.
"Quiet!!!" barked the wards. "Jesus, I thought I would never live my life enough to see the respectable warrior, the Jack of Hearts, dressing up as a girl! I was damn wrong!"
"Stop it!" yelled the Hearts knight.
"My boy at home looks up to you!" said the soldier. "He told me that when he grows up, he would like to be just like you! Now I would have to make him think twice!"
Jack had to restrain himself from tearing the iron bars apart. "It's all that stupid Mad Hatter's fault!!!"
Although it pained him to recall what happened, his mind stubbornly replayed the events…
"OK, so I have basically made you confess that you care for her very much," said the Mad Hatter, whose grin reminded the Jack of the Cheshire Cat. "Now we set our plan to motion."
"W-What plan?" asked the knight helplessly, who was taught by his folks to not trust easily the two prominent creatures in Wonderland: the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter. Must be distant relatives or something.
"First, we must drop by the house of the Fashionable Caterpillar…he's your brother, if I'm not mistaken. Your brother told me a lot of good tales about your childhood! Once, you were practicing your sword technique one super windy day, and the little girl from the Diamond Kingdom is there watching you. Then suddenly, a big breeze blew, and whoosh! The poor girl's skirt fluttered up, and your face-"
"Just tell me the plan, ok?" he said through gritted teeth.
"Ah, of course!" He then filled him in about his plan of them posing as women who would give the soldiers "a good time" then they would use the opportunity to look for Tohru in the kingdom.
He was reluctant, but he did promise himself that he would find Tohru no matter what, so he went to his brother's house, allowed himself to be dressed in skimpy clothes and make-up, ignored the Fashionable Caterpillar's comments on what a "pretty boy that could make any mother proud" he was. Damn, he even ignored the Hatter's comment that "he was tempted to court him in his appearance now". He endured everything!
Only to have their covers blown after only 2 minutes of acting.
The Mad Hatter read his mind. "You know why they found out about us?"
"Tell me," he said sarcastically, although he already knew why.
"Because you act so rottenly," said the Hatter and his assistant at the same time before laughing their heads off.
He scowled. It wasn't his fault that he suddenly punched the soldier's stomach. I mean, he was already harassing me! he thought as he remembered the drunk soldier touching his butt.
"Nevertheless, at least we have already penetrated the palace," said the Mad Hatter cheerfully. "Our plan is a success! A screaming success!"
His assistant screamed for effect, just as the Knight of Heats sweatdropped.
"You guys are too noisy," said the Jack, wishing he was somewhere else, far from the female clothes on the floor, far from the lunatic Mad Hatter and his assistant, far from the iron cell, far from all of these…
He suddenly wished that he was back in the woods, journeying towards the Kingdom of Hearts, together with the cheerful Queen.
Honda-san…
His thoughts were cut off when he heard the door open.
"Stand up!" said the head soldier roughly. "The king will see you now."
The Mad Hatter frowned. "The King? The King of Diamonds?"
Jack stood up. "Right."
Tohru looked at the Kana look-alike. "Where is the Lord Diamonds going?"
The girl shrugged. "It is none of our business already, Milady. It is best that we don't meddle anymore."
"But the Jack of Hearts!" cried the onigiri.
"The Lord is too honorable to do something malicious to someone he knows wouldn't fight back," said the girl. "By the way, you may call me Maid of Diamonds. I am the sister of the wife of the Lord."
"Oh!"
"If it would distract you for a moment, Milady, I would like to chat with you," said the Maid Diamonds, smiling.
Tohru suddenly felt that she liked the girl. "Sure!"
I will trust the Lord Diamonds on this. I know that he will not hurt Jack-kun.
"Hey, you're thinking deep, deep thoughts again," said the Hare, looking up at the pensive Ace of Hearts.
He blinked. "Nonsense. I was just…thinking about the condition of the Jack of Hearts. The King of Hearts is already growing very impatient. He wants to see the Queen now."
"Really?" said the Hare innocently. "But your eyes say otherwise. Your thoughts are flying off to something very far…"
Silence.
"Or should I say, someone?" asked the Hare.
"Nonsense," repeated the Ace, but this time, with less convictions. His lonely eyes were reminiscing.
"You see, Your Highness," began the Maid of Diamonds. "I used to be part of the Kingdom of Hearts."
"Eh? You too?" said Tohru.
She nodded. "I am the lady that the King of Hearts is intending to marry, so I lived with him in his kingdom. However…" She looked down on the floor, blushing faintly. "I do not love the King of Hearts. I am in love with someone else…but he does not know that. And I don't think he would care to know about my feelings."
"The Ace of Hearts?" guessed Tohru.
The Maid looked up, stunned. "How did you know?"
"Eh? Lucky guess," said the girl, sweatdropping.
"He used to be my companion. The King of Hearts…he entrusted the Ace to be my keeper. He would become my protector, since the King is bedridden." There was a glowing look on the maid's face. "A dashing man he was…so gentle, yet so tough. We can be so intimately close with each other, but he still insists on putting an invisible wall between us."
Tohru's heart raced. Just like Jack-kun…and Yuki-kun!
She shook her head. "Oh, this is crazy!" She bowed to the Queen. "I'm sorry for telling you all of these, but you see, when my sister passed away, I had been longing for a female companion. A-And this is my first time to have a female friend-"
Tohru touched her shoulders. "It's alright. You can tell me anything that is on your mind, and I will listen."
The Maid's face lit up.
The prisoners were stunned when they met the King of Diamonds.
"Sensei!!" gasped the Mad Hatter and the Jack of Hearts at the same time.
The Lord Diamonds wasn't smiling. "It's been quite awhile."
tsuzuku