Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing within, save a couple ideas and possible OC's, but there's to freaking much to name so just go with that…

NU: Birth of the Seekers…

Chapter 20: Night of the Jabberwocky…

--

Normal Speech: "Yo…"

Normal Thoughts: 'Curiouser and Curiouser…'

Demon Speech: "Pathetic Ningen…"

Demon Thoughts: 'I hate this cage…'

Seeker Speech: [Time to Die…]

--

(??)

"Again." A familiar old man ordered of his twelve-year-old apprentice. Sighing, the youth took a stance and lunged at his master, swinging a wooden keyblade in a backhanded stance. Sighing, the master twisted his own wooden weapon while dodging to the side, thus knocking the youth forward. Groaning the youth pushed himself up and saw a frown spread over his master's face.

"Sorry Master…" The boy mumbled and the old man sighed while rubbing his face with one hand.

"Tell me, do you know why you continue to lose?" The man questioned and the youth sat up on the ground while rolling a pebble under one foot.

"Because your… better than me?" He hazarded a guess and the old man cracked a small smile in response.

"Partly. But the full truth of the matter is it is because you continue to try and use that "Speed-Rave" style of yours…" The old man stated simply and the youth chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah… I still haven't perfected that yet…" He admitted while looking away from the old man, his master rolling his eyes in response.

"Listen, you can't expect to create and master a style this quickly. It takes time for even the most experienced apprentice to create his or her own personal style of combat. You can't expect to just instantly be successful in creating it either, put a little time and effort into it, and eventually your style could become something great… but until then, stick to the basics." His master ordered flatly and the youth grimaced before falling back and sighing visibly.

"But the basics are so boring Master… why I can't I learn something interesting?" The youth questioned and the old man gave him a mock glare before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because, until you master the basics, I won't teach you anything else, Ventus." He stated simply and the blond spiky haired youth groaned while looking to the sky as he crossed his arms over his chest…

"Yes Master Xehanort…" He mumbled out dejectedly and the old man chuckled lightly in his throat from his student's antics…

--

(Broken Wonderland…)

Naruto groaned while slowly sitting up, Tira passed out at his side while Axel and Larxene were sitting down nearby, talking to the Cheshire Cat. Looking around the blond saw that they were in a massive cave, an opening over to one side and another up near the roof to the other. Rubbing his head he also spotted several pieces of Meta-Essence lying around, either meaning Alice had gotten through here or it had all just been lying around.

"So your telling me, this girl's life went to shit when her parents and sister died in a fire, thus the combination of memories and survivors guilt broke her mind and this world by proxy?" Axel questioned and Cheshire nodded his head with a grin. "And now, since your entire world is merely a representation of her mind, your world has become a living hell to mirror this girl's sorry state?" Axel asked and Cheshire once more nodded his head, Larxene frowning to herself as she listened on.

"Talk about a raw deal." She mumbled and Cheshire rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps, but for Better of for Worse, our world is tied to Alice. If she dies here, then only the queen shall exist. And that cannot be allowed at any cost. We must protect, Alice." The cat stated with a low hiss in his throat at mention of the queen, Axel frowning as he thought about the matter further.

"Alright, there's an Alice in the worlds of light, she's a Princess of the Purest Heart, and Sora met here in a Wonderland… does that mean?" Axel started to question and Cheshire finished for him.

"Correct, Alice is her other, and a Princess of Shadowed Hearts, as is this Wonderland and its inhabitants a reflection of the other one in the Realm of Light." Cheshire stated and Axel grimaced while looking around.

"Shit… and I thought it was already insane enough in that wacky place. This world takes the cake." Axel mumbled while Naruto groaned and sat up, a hand placed over his face as Cheshire looked over to him with a grin.

"Ah, I see our young Seeker is finally awake at long last. Hurry my boy; Alice grows ever closer to confronting her greatest nightmare. You must make haste if you wish to save her." Cheshire warned and Naruto opened one eye while looking to the cat, and then looked over to Axel.

"Have any clue what's going on, Axel?" Naruto asked the red head while rubbing his head and the said Nobody shrugged his shoulders.

"Not sure, but from the looks of things, it can't be good." Axel explained with a shake of his head and Naruto slowly rose to his feet, noting idly that he was no longer in his Dark-Armor.

"Well that sucks, and I was just starting to get used to my armor." Naruto mumbled under his breath and Axel rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"That's nice and all man, but we kind of have a situation in case you've forgotten already." Axel felt then need to remind and Naruto nodded his head while walking over to the Cheshire Cat.

"Where is Alice, Cheshire? Normally I drop in close by to whomever I'm helping." Naruto asked then noted and the cat nudged towards the three rocks heading towards the opening near the ceiling.

"Journey to a land of Fire and Brimstone, there the Princess will face a most fearsome Dragon… be sure you make it there young knight, or there won't be any happily ever after…" Cheshire offered ominously before disappearing and Naruto looked over to Axel and Larxene.

"Well, I guess we head that way." Naruto mused before turning around and looked at the unconscious form of Tira. "Either of you want to carry her?" Naruto asked and Axel looked to Larxene, both snorting as they looked at the blond.

"She's your servant, you take care of her." Larxene stated and Naruto grunted before picking up Tira and throwing her over his shoulder. 'Yeah, I get to deal with carrying her around again… man, why is it always me that has to deal with this kind of shit?' Naruto wondered to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose with a frown stretched across his features.

"Alright, now let's move." Naruto stated as he rushed passed the two, Axel and Larxene following after him and climbing up to the opening in the cave. "Holy…" Naruto mumbled while trailing off at the end, Larxene gaping and Axel grimacing. The place they were looking at was a miniature mountain with tiny imps running around it, lava flowing down the sides of it like rivers, a clear path up the mountain with meta-essence obviously left by Alice. Looking to the Mountain itself, Naruto spotted a hint of blue scaling it's side, and on the top of the mountain was a house, the sky above them appearing as if it was on fire…

"That must be Alice's old home…" Axel mused and neither boy saw a haunted look pass over Larxene's face.

"Then what's it doing here?" Naruto wondered and Axel frowned.

"This is her mind after all, it stands to reason that a place like this would be here." Axel mumbled before sliding down the side to the base of the mountain, followed closely by Larxene and Naruto. Looking back up, and then to the side, Naruto frowned when he saw the only real way up was at the side. 'But it would take us too long to climb up from over there, and we need to get to Alice before she gets hurt by this so-called "Dragon" Cheshire warned us about…' Naruto mused to himself before rubbing his chin for a few moments.

"We don't have time to move over to the side scale it from there if we want to get to Alice anytime soon." Naruto mused quietly, speaking his inner thoughts and Axel took a thoughtful expression before grinning.

"You can make Ice right?" He asked and Naruto gave him a flat look.

"Black-Ice actually…" He admitted with a frown and Axel grinned wider. "But it's too hot around here to use it…" Naruto then reminded pointedly and Axel snapped his fingers.

"Yeah, but what if we helped one another up, it'd be faster than trying to find a way up there." Larxene offered and Axel turned to look at the girl with a shocked expression over his face.

"Your actually suggesting teamwork? Wow… who are you and what have you done with the real Larxene?" Axel asked the girl in mock amazement and the blond haired girl glared at him fiercely.

"Don't get used to it red, I'm still pissed at you but this is a mission." The girl reminded with a flat tone and Axel shrugged, giving her that much.

"Alright then, we go up the center, straight for the house and Alice." Naruto stated, both Larxene and Axel nodding their heads before the three made their way forward, hopping up the few stepping-stones they could find to the middle of the small mountain. Hearing a groan, Naruto then rolled his eyes as Tira slowly woke up while holding her head. 'Took her long enough…' The blond haired teen thought as his servant slowly looked up while rubbing her head.

"Ugh… I hate waking up…" She mumbled quietly and Naruto shook his head.

"Tira, up and atom we're climbing a mountain to fight a dragon… I think. Unless Cheshire was being metaphorical again." Naruto stated and Tira flipped off of him and grinned while flipping up the side of the mountain. "How does she do that?" Naruto wondered and Axel shrugged then groaned as Larxene followed after Tira, turning it into a little race.

"Why are all girls on the side of Darkness either out of their mind or extremely competitive?" Axel wondered aloud and Naruto shrugged his shoulders with a flat expression over his face.

"At least they're almost all hot as well…" He offered and Axel was silent for a moment before nodding his head.

"This is true." He admitted with a smirk before crouching down and cupping his hands together, Naruto using it as a step and managed to get up onto the next section of the mountain before pulling Axel up with him. Continuing this pattern the two found Tira and Larxene arguing over something, random pieces of some large green and grey creatures, and two imps just laying around the area as they slowly turned to Meta-Essence. 'Do I even want to know what they're arguing over?' Naruto wondered before shaking his head as he and Axel walked over to them.

"Having fun girls?" Naruto quipped while Axel nodded his head with a smirk, the two girls merely glaring at one another before crossing their arms and turning their backs to one another with a huff. "Alright, now we play the waiting game." Naruto mumbled to himself then walked over to the side of the house and looked down, smirking when he saw Alice below him, struggling to climb up the side of the mountain. Watching her jump from ledge to ledge with surprising skill, he idly wondered how she could do that when she wore high heels and a dress.

"Save yourself he says, face the Jabberwocky and get its bloody eye, Griffin will be your partner he says… if Griffin's my partner I'd rather like him to fly me up this stupid mountain! It's better than me climbing it all by myself! That stupid Caterpillar, next time I see him I should slice him in two for all the trouble he's put me through lately!" Alice proclaimed with an angry scowl across her face before nearly jumping back when a hand came down towards her.

Blinking, the emerald eyed girl looked up and spotted a grinning Naruto holding a hand towards her. "Oh dear, its just you, Naruto… well I must admit that this is a very pleasant surprise." She mused aloud while the blond haired teen took hold of one of her hands before he helped pull her up onto the top of the mountain with him. Climbing up and then standing, Alice brushed off her dress before looking to the smirking Naruto with a quizzical expression. "But pray tell why you're here? I didn't send Cheshire-Puss to get you, I don't rightly think I need your help and I'm still very much alive." Alice wondered and Naruto rolled his eyes while crossing his arms.

"Nice to see you again too, Alice. I see your attitude hasn't changed since I last saw you." Naruto said with a grin and the girl frowned towards the blond haired teen.

"I do not have an attitude." She stated and Naruto gave her a flat look before waving a hand over to Tira, Larxene, and Axel.

"If you say so. Anyways, this time around I brought some… allies to help you out." Naruto offered and Alice blinked for a moment as she saw the three strange looking people. 'Oh my, does everyone from Naruto's land dress in such a strange manor? Dear me I feel horribly out of place…' Alice thought to herself as she looked at the three before turning back to Naruto.

"Oh my… you brought guests to Wonderland then?" She asked and Naruto rubbed the back of his neck while Axel gaped.

"Guests? Lady, have you had a look around this place? It's not exactly a place that I'd like to take a vacation in…" Axel stated and Alice turned to him and then tilted her head to one side.

"I suppose… but it was much nicer before the Queen came around." Alice offered and Axel frowned, wondering if the place was like the Wonderland from the realm of light. "Oh where are my manners, please excuse my rudeness." Alice suddenly said before she brushed off her dress and walked over to the three newcomers. "How do you do, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances. My name is Alice Pleasance Liddell." Alice offered with a curtsy to the three and Axel smirked over towards Larxene.

"You see Larxene, now THAT is how a Proper Lady acts." Axel states with a nod of his head towards Alice and both Larxene and Tira snort.

"So what." Larxene grumbled out with clear annoyance and Tira rubbed the back of her head for a moment.

"I never wanted to be a lady when I was growing up, I much preferred killing things…" Tira admits with a wide psychotic grin and Alice blushed upon looking at the girl, or rather, her choice of attire.

"Oh my, why do you dress like that? Wouldn't you prefer something a bit more… concealing?" Alice questioned of the other girl, Naruto rolling his eyes as he walked over to the two, and Tira blinked while scratching her head.

"What for?" Tira asked seriously and Alice looked at the girl in shock before turning to Naruto.

"Um… Naruto, you do know that your friend is dressed in an undignified, unladylike manner correct?" Alice questioned and Naruto nodded his head with a blank look across his face. "Then, wouldn't it be best for her if you convinced her to dress in a more dignified manner?" Alice then asked while looking over towards Tira and Naruto merely sighed in exasperation.

"She's insane… it's impossible to reason with her." He offered in explanation and Alice made and Oh with her mouth, easily able to understand.

"Please forgive me then, miss." Alice started then asked and Tira grinned.

"My name is Tira." Tira stated and Alice nodded her head once.

"Right then miss Tira. Please forgive my earlier actions as I sometimes forget that the insane are rather unreasonable. At least the ones in the asylum were very unreasonable, especially with all the screaming." Alice said with a bow of her head, before musing to herself and Axel looked over to Larxene.

"I think she's insane as well…" Axel whispered to the blond and she smirked.

"What was your first clue?" She quipped and Axel mocked her while Alice turned to them and bowed slightly.

"Pray tell I might ask who you two are then?" Alice questioned of the two Nobodies politely and Axle smirked.

"I'm called The Flurry of Dancing Flames, but my name is AXEL, got it memorized?" Axel offered with a grin, Alice twitching slightly at the mention of Fire, thus Larxene elbowed the man in the ribs.

"Shut up dumb-ass. Anyways, I'm called The Savage Nymph, but my name is Larxene." Larxene stated with a dismissive wave while Axel rubbed his ribs and glared at the girl, Alice twitching towards Axel before shivering violently.

"I don't really like fire…" She admitted softly and Axel chuckled nervously before taking a serious expression.

"So what we do now anyways?" He asked and Alice looked over to Naruto. Said blond looked over to Alice and the girl pointed her Vorpal-Blade towards the house.

"Now, we head inside, where the Jabberwocky awaits me." Alice admitted with a matter of fact tone and Larxene raised a brow.

"What the hell kind of name is Jabberwocky?" She demanded with a deep frown and Alice blushed once more while looking at the older woman.

"Miss Larxene, would you please reframe from such coarse language. It is most unbecoming of a lady." Alice pleaded and Larxene snorted, causing the girl to give a dejected sigh while Naruto walked passed them both.

"C'mon, we've still got a "Dragon" to fight." Naruto reminded as he walked over to a swirling "Vortex-Gate" at the front of the house, soon followed by Alice and the rest.

"You go in it first Larxene…" Axel stated and Larxene turned to give the man an incredulous expression. "What?" He demanded as the blond continued to give him the same strange look.

"Why don't YOU go in it fire boy?" Larxene demanded and Axel snorted, Naruto, Tira, and Alice watching the exchange silently.

"Cause it could be dangerous." Axel said as if it was the simplest thing in the world and Larxene placed her fists on her hips while glaring at the man.

"So you want ME to go in first instead?" Larxene demanded angrily and a sly smirk spread over Axel's features.

"Yeah, that's the jist of it." He admitted and the blond haired woman felt her fingers twitch before Naruto pushed passed both of them.

"Shut up both of you, I'll go in first if your going to be babies about it…" Naruto grumbled as he walked threw the gate, followed by Tira and Alice while Larxene and Axel both stared at the gate.

"A bunch of kids just made us look like idiots…" Axel noted and Larxene glared at the man once more.

"No. They made YOU look like an idiot." She insisted and Axel gave her a look before both walked through the gate and finally into the house. However, upon entering the next area, Naruto felt his eyes widen seeing the inside of the house was completely burned away, a few meager sections of the walls all that was left standing, parts of it were even still burning with one massive section of the floor all that kept them from falling into a deep dark pit.

"Alright… where's this Dragon already?" Larxene questioned impatiently while looking around the area. Frowning, Naruto walked next to Alice before turning his head to see something flying above the horizon. Blinking the blond haired boy watched what was happening before cursing as the creature on the horizon passed over them and then landed on the ground with a heavy thud, revealing a monster unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

Now standing across from them was a simply massive creature with sickly green skin that was twice Axel's height, it had a long neck, large freakish yellow eyes, two massive buckteeth, thin protruding whiskers from its cheeks, two long stalks reaching out from behind its eyes, its feet were like talons, having two in front and one in the back like a bird, its hands however were two fingered with two thumbs at the bottom of its hands, its forearms appeared skeletal in comparison to the rest of it, having a bony protrusion poking out of its elbows.

However, finally was what was obviously not organic, its chest and back were mostly mechanical, appearing like the front of an old wood or coal stove, turning gears visible where the skin of its stomach had once been, with two more spinning gears present where its arms met its shoulders, its wings were long, made from steel pipes, wooden planks, and brass parts, a pair of smoking pipes curving up from below its shoulders, and finally its long tail was mostly mechanical, the bony protrusions arching out of it near its base the only biological tissue of any kind…

"Ugh… now that's what I call one seriously ugly monster…" Axel muttered to himself while Alice boldly walked forward, Naruto staying close to her as the Jabberwocky looked down at the girl darkly.

"You've kept me waiting, Alice. Have you never heard that Punctualities a Virtue?" The creature intoned darkly, its voice betraying no emotion or even anger, making it sound all the more sinister. Frowning at the words of the creature, Alice crossed her arms and tilted her head with a sidelong glare towards the beast.

"You and my dentist's assistant have much in common." Alice noted dryly and Larxene blinked for a moment before snickering at the joke towards the massive beast. The Jabberwocky's only real action at this was to walk its way to the side of the platform they were all standing on, before pacing back to the other side.

"You're habitually late, aren't you? Between your dim-witted daydreaming and your preening vanity the hours just fly by. There's barely time for anything else." The Jabberwocky mused aloud as it paced the floor, its voice ever calm and collected, somehow making it sound even more sinister. Crossing her arms at the barb, Alice gave the Jabberwocky a defiant glare as it stopped to gaze at her sinisterly.

"That the best you can do? Hurl second-rate insults?" Alice demanded then brushed a few hairs back from her face. "They don't hurt…" She stated flatly and the Jabberwocky seemed to narrow its eyes on her before pacing back to the other side of the platform, keeping its bright yellow eyes locked onto her even as it did.

"Your family was expecting you to come to them, weren't they? Perhaps they thought you might warn them of the danger… Being close to the source as you were. But they waited in vain, didn't they and died for their trouble." The Jabberwocky mused, mock sympathy echoing in its voice while Alice blinked, clearly not expecting that to be thrown at her.

"W-we were all asleep." Alice said while Naruto looked to the girl worriedly as she started to shake, then placed her hands onto her head as her eyes started to widen. "It was an accident… I…" She tried to say but the Jabberwocky turned towards her, bright demonic yellow eyes gazing into her emerald orbs evilly.

"You selfish, misbegotten, and unnatural child!" Jabberwocky growled out in a low hiss, Alice shaking visibly while it did.

"Hey! Now that's enough freak, leave Alice alone!" Naruto growled out while pulling Dark-Heart and Soul-Blade from his back. However, the Jabberwocky didn't pay the blond haired teen any mind at all as it continued to verbally assault Alice.

"You smelled the smoke. But you were in dreamland taking tea with your friends. You couldn't be bothered. Your room was protected and spared… while your family upstairs roasted in an inferno of incredible horror." Jabberwocky let out in a low, rumbling growl while Alice suddenly fell to her knees, hands over her ears as she started to rapidly shake her head, eyes wide in fear and body quivering all over.

"No! It wasn't my fault, th-they t-told m-me to run… I didn't want to… I wanted to s-save them… I really d-did! I d-didn't want to r-run… I d-didn't want to run away!" She shouted mostly to herself while Larxene held her hands to the side, her knives appearing between her fingers while Axel formed his Chakrams in hands, a snarl across his face as well.

"Alright I've had about enough of this thing as I can take! I don't know who you think you are, but no one talks to a lady like that in my presence!" Axel roared out as his Chakrams started to spin then threw them straight for the Jabberwocky, slamming them into his chest and forcing him to take several steps back.

Roaring out loudly the Jabberwocky then jumped into the air came down in front of Axel before slamming a hand into him, sending him flying back. Moving quickly, Larxene then formed several clones and attacked the creature in tandem, forcing it back before it looked at her with one eye. Instantly a beam of energy slammed into Larxene, sending her flying into the wood of the platform. Roaring out, several creatures suddenly popped up beside of the Jabberwocky.

"Shit, Tira, deal with those things with extreme prejudice!" Naruto ordered and the girl grinned crazily before lunging at the Jabber-Spawn. Staring down the Jabberwocky as it made its way over to him, Naruto held his two keyblades at his sides.

"Do you really think that you can save that pathetic girl you insignificant worm?" The Jabberwocky demanded in its normal monotone and Naruto saw the quivering Alice out of the corner of his eye before narrowing them on the beast.

"Maybe, maybe not, but either way, I'm going to try and help her!" Naruto stated and the Jabberwocky grumbled low in its throat while unfurling its wings and hovering into the air above.

"Then you will also die with her!" The Jabberwocky said in a low growl before he was hit from behind by a combined blast of fire and lightning from Axel and Larxene. Roaring out in fury the creature turned to the two Nobodies and then breathed out a fireball towards them, Larxene evading it quickly as Axel stood still with a grin.

Grinning widely, Axel absorbed the fire instead and then slammed a foot into the ground walls of fire rising around the platform they were standing on. "Alright now we're talking baby!" Axel exclaimed before throwing his now flaming Chakrams at the Jabberwocky, slamming them into its chest and forcing him back a few paces, dead center in the arena. Making her own move, Larxene formed three clones around the arena, and they each fired a beam of lightning straight into the creature from all sides. Roaring out in fury, the Jabberwocky jumped up, out of the way of and then fired a beam of energy from one eye that slammed into Axel, before then breathing fire all around, burning Larxene as it did.

Growling, Naruto looked at the Jabberwocky as Larxene and Axel kept the monster busy, then rushed over to Alice where the Cheshire Cat appeared at her side. "Alice." Naruto said and the girl was silent her eyes wide and tears falling from them as she kept her hands clasped over her ears. "Alice it's me, Naruto." Naruto urged and the Cheshire cat frowned while looking at the girl.

"When logic is incapable of solving a problem, try to a little force to get things moving along." Cheshire offered and Naruto blinked towards the cat before his eyes lit up, taking hold of Alice's wrists he pulled them away from her ears.

"Alice! Wake up!" Naruto stated loudly and the girl looked up instantly, eyes wide and filled with tears.

"It… it wasn't my fault." She mumbled weakly and Naruto smiled kindly.

"No, it wasn't." Naruto offered and Alice pulled her wrists free from Naruto and started to rub her arms.

"Remember this Alice, Jabberwocky is a monster plain and simple. The vile creature is a Killer, and even his words can wound." Cheshire offered softly before vanishing into thin air and Alice sniffed before nodding her head. Turning around, Naruto saw Axel and Larxene get thrown away by the Jabberwocky, and then cursed as it breathed fire towards them, Axel absorbing the fire while Larxene crawled away.

"I hate to break up what looks to be a very touching moment, but we still kind of have a big problem over here!" Axel exclaimed before rolling back while Larxene rolled to the side as the Jabberwocky flew up and nearly came down on them. Cursing lightly Naruto got up and then looked around for Tira, spotting the girl as she cut another Jabberspawn to ribbons.

"You going to be okay Alice?" Naruto asked as he turned to the auburn haired girl and she looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes. Taking a few breaths, Alice clenched her fists and glared at the Jabberwocky, hate clear in her eyes as she took hold of her Vorpal blade.

"I'm going to cut him into pieces then slice his head off again!" Alice stated while reaching into one of her pockets and pulled out some Jax.

"Uh… Alice?" Naruto questioned and Alice twitched as she dropped a red ball to the ground, causing it to bounce while the Jax went zipping off. The Jax then produced small spikes from out of them as they started to repeatedly slam into the Jabberwocky causing it to roar out in pain as they hit.

"Whoa! Badass toys!" Axel stated and Larxene nodded her head dumbly as the Jabberwocky roared out in pain as the toys tore through his remaining flesh. Seeing his chance, Naruto lunged at the Jabberwocky's back and quickly jumped up and onto its tail. Climbing its tail as it thrashed with the Jax, Naruto then stabbed his keyblades into its back. Roaring out in pain, the Jabberwocky flew higher into the air while the Jax ceased, Naruto's eyes widening when it didn't turn into a heartless or just plain die…

"Foolish boy!" The Jabberwocky grumbled out before flapping his wings lifting him and Naruto up into the air. "I have already died once already, my soul is no more. As for my heart it rotted away many years ago. And even if it hadn't I do not fear the Darkness, I welcome it!" Jabberwocky rumbled out before reaching to his back and plucking Naruto off of him, then threw him down into the ground. Groaning, the blond then quickly rolled out of the way as the Jabberwocky nearly landed on top of him and roared loudly.

"Leave him alone!" Alice cried, only to be grabbed then tossed to the side by the Jabberwocky, teeth grit in fury. Inhaling a breath as it glared towards Alice, it prepared to release only to cry out in pain as a Griffon flew down from the sky and sliced into its face, knocking its fire off target and tearing its right eye out at the same time. Roaring out in pain as blood flowed from the open wound, The Jabberwocky flapped its wings before quickly flying into the sky, away from the battle.

"Wow… now that was one tough monster." Axel muttered before looking over to Alice as the Griffon landed near her. Walking over to Alice, Naruto helped the girl to her feet while the Griffon bowed its head before looking over to the eye it'd knocked out of the Jabberwocky's skull.

"Hurry Alice, you can finish the Eye-Staff now. The Troops are gathered, everything is ready, I'll deal with the Jabberwocky." Griffon stated while Axel and Larxene limped over to the creature, Larxene giving it a scathing glance.

"Listen you oversized parrot, if that thing could do this much damage to us, what makes you think it won't tear you apart." She stated snarkily and Axel sighed while shaking his head, wishing the girl would learn some tact.

"Be that as it may. I will at least keep him distracted for you as you infiltrate Queensland." Griffon replied curtly and then turned back over to Alice. "You are our Champion Alice. Lead us to Victory in Queensland." Griffon intoned before crouching down and flapped his wings, flying into the air after the escaping form of the Jabberwocky. Looking over to the dismembered eye, Alice sighed before snapping her fingers, a long staff and a triggering device appearing out of thin air.

"When did you learn how to do something like that?" Naruto asked flatly while sheathing his two Keyblades and Alice gave a cheeky grin to the blond boy.

"I've learned how to do a great deal since you've been away. Thank you very much." She replied while attaching the staff to the trigger, and then grimaces as she places the eye at the very tip, held onto the staff and trigger via several brass prongs sticking into it.

"There, now we can get into Queensland." Alice mused before looking around, Naruto doing the same as the fires around the house slowly dimmed. Then darkness swirled around them all before they suddenly appeared at a crossroads of sorts. Looking around, Alice noted Humpty-Dumpty sitting on a wall and recognized the area as one she had traversed ealier.

"What the hell? How'd we get here?" Naruto wondered aloud and Alice looked around as well, clearly confused by what had just transpired.

"Darkness helps those that help it, it's an equal exchange of sorts. So count yourselves lucky that you've been aiding darkness." Cheshire explained, appearing on a nearby rock and lounging lazily, one tail swinging at his side slowly.

"Okay." Axel mused softly while Tira walked over to Naruto with a grin.

"That was fun Master! Is there anymore things around here that you want me to kill for you?" Tira asked the blond haired boy happily and Alice gave Naruto a flat look.

"Master?" She asked seriously while crossing her arms over her chest and Naruto chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, she's kind of pledged herself to the sword on my back with an eye…" Naruto offered in explanation and Alice looked at the mentioned weapon and then decided she didn't want to know why someone would do that… especially when its eye swiveled around to stare at her unblinkingly.

"Alright. Now then Cheshire Puss, exactly how do we get to Queensland?" Alice asked and Cheshire took a thoughtful expression before grinning wider than normal.

"Paths that lead to trouble are all the same… they only appear different when you don't know where they lead." Cheshire offered before he vanished, Naruto pinching the bridge of his nose while Larxene gaped.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" The blond demanded and Alice turned and gave the girl a cross look.

"Please watch you language!" She stated and Larxene mocked her while Axel rubbed his temples.

"Oi… this is going to be a seriously long trip." Axel noted and Naruto nodded his head in agreement with the man.

"Why don't we just start killing things and see if that leads us there?" Tira asked and Naruto sighed while glaring at the girl.

"And if it leads us in a circle?" Naruto asked with a frown and Tira grinned in her insane way once more.

"Just kill everything else till we find the right way to go of course!" She replied happily and Alice looked at the girl for a moment then shook her head.

"You were right… she is insane. Not as insane as some of the people in the asylum, but insane nonetheless…" She mumbled out with a grimace then frowned as she looked around. "But which way is Queensland?" Alice then wondered and a catty looking smirk crossed over Naruto's face as an idea came to him.

"When you can't tell the right way from the wrong way, choose the path less traveled. That way, at least you'll know your not going in a circle." Naruto offered and got looks from Axel, Larxene, and Alice.

"You just sounded like Cheshire-Puss again…" Alice stated and Naruto blinked before slapping his face in annoyance.

"Regardless, he has a point. In theory if we follow the direction Alice's footprints aren't going, we should reach Queensland." Axel mused aloud and Larxene nodded her head in agreement with the man. Looking to Alice, the girl sighed before pointing over to Humpty-Dumpty, as he sat on a wall next to a doorway. "No way… is that Humpty-Dumpty?" Axel asked in shock and Alice rolled her eyes while Larxene shook her head and stared at the sight in shock.

"Yes, yes, he's Humpty-Dumpty, now c'mon, we shouldn't dawdle." Alice stated and then walked towards the egg man as Axel and Larxene continued to stare. Rolling his eyes, Naruto motioned for Tira to follow him as he made his way after Alice. Back with Axel and Larxene, the red head looked to his blond fellow Nobody in shock.

"This world is weirder than the other Wonderland." He stated and Larxene nodded her head before following after the others, Alice throwing her Vorpal-Blade at an Imp while Tira dealt with another. Upon getting closer to Humpty-Dumpty, Axel grimaced upon seeing the partly shattered egg man, Cheshire soon appearing beside the silent egg man…

"Look, Alice. Though his elliptical essence is unrecognizable, it's wrong to think him worthless." Cheshire offered mysteriously before vanishing and Alice frowned, crossed her arms and walked over to the wall Humpty-Dumpty was sitting on. Hopping up and onto it, Alice placed her hands behind the egg man and pressed in on a brick, instantly it slid inwards and she heard something move.

"Well what do you know, they used him to hide a switch." Axel murmured in surprise while Alice hopped off the wall and turned to give a curtsy to Humpty-Dumpty.

"Thank you Mr. Dumpty, I'm sorry if I disturbed you." She offered before turning and making her way down into the doorway beside of Humpty-Dumpty, followed by Naruto and the others. The doorway was short and it ended at the back, leaving only the way they came to get out.

"What was the purpose of pushing that brick anyways, I don't see anything…" Larxene mumbled and Alice gave her a look before spotting a newly opened doorway in the side of the wall. Walking over to it the girl went inside, leaving Naruto and the others to await her return. Seconds later the Cheshire cat appeared beside of the door and Tira looked at the cat strangely.

"Master, why is this cat still alive? He looks like he should've died of starvation a long time ago…" Tira noted and Cheshire gave the girl a flat look, even though it continued to grin widely.

"Only the Foolish believe that the suffering of others is just wages for being different. Only the insane equate pain with success. Only the savage regard the endurance of pain as a measure of worth." Cheshire stated towards the girl and she blinked, and then frowned in thought as she tried to comprehend what he was trying to tell her.

"Cheshire, don't try to break Tira's mind. We do kind of need her" Naruto stated with an amused smirk and the cat merely grinned while Tira scratched her head in confusion. At that moment, Alice came back out from the newly opened hole in the wall, carrying what appeared to be an old-fashioned brass and wood gun of some kind that made Cheshire grin wider than ever.

"A Blunderbuss in the hands of a blockhead is a catastrophe waiting to happen. You're no dunderhead, but exercise great care." Cheshire stated before vanishing and Alice blinked before looking to Naruto and the others.

"C'mon then, we have a queen to kill." Alice stated as her eyes twitched, a psychotic gleam entering her eyes as she did. Walking out of the short tunnel, Alice wondered over to the side and stopped when she saw a road sign, Axel snorting suddenly when he saw it.

"Well that's helpful…" The man noted and Naruto nodded his head while Alice wandered over to the side in the direction of the "Majestic Maze". Following after the girl, Naruto gave her a look as she put her Blunderbuss… somewhere… and then pulled her Vorpal Blade out from her ribbon.

"Alice where are you going?" Naruto asked seriously and the girl sighed.

"Majestic Maze is the only place I haven't been too, and if I remember correctly it was the same place I went through to get to the queen one before." The girl replied as she made her way up the path she had chosen. Spotting a turn Naruto held her back and looked over, only to grimace seeing a Card-Guard waiting to ambush them.

"We've got a Card-Guards waiting for us over there…" Naruto stated and Axel grinned as he formed his Chakrams and walked passed the two.

"Allow me to handle this." He stated with a grin and Naruto rolled his eyes, and then heard an explosion before watching as Axel came back with a grin. "Card's are all gone now." Axel stated and Naruto rolled his eyes while Alice walked passed him and further up the path, followed by the others. Walking up the path Naruto noticed several scorches around the area while Larxene glared at Axel.

"You could've saved some for me." Larxene grumbled and Axel shrugged his shoulders while Alice pulled the Jabberwock's-Eye-Staff from somewhere and held it in her hands while looking at a massive shimmering doorway. '… only the Jabberwock's-Eye-Staff can pry them open…' The girl remembered Griffon saying to her before she'd freed her friend from an even more insane "Mad Hatter".

"Lets hope you were right…" Alice mumbled before pulling on the trigger of the Eye-Staff and fired at the wall, a beam of energy flowing from it before she released her hold on the trigger. Instantly a shockwave of power flew from it and slammed into the wall before them, shattering a portion of it and revealing the doorway to the Majestic Maze that had lain behind it. "Come now, we have work to do." Alice stated as she moved forward, followed by Naruto and the others, as the doorway to the Majestic Maze slowly swung open for them…

--

(??)

A familiar old man made his way into Castle Oblivion before smirking as he walked over to a black / purple energy sphere, an odd shape in the center of it. "Now that my young Apprentice has his allies, I need some of my own… for my own plans." The old man mused darkly while walking over to the sphere of energy. Holding out one hand the old man watched as the sphere of energy suddenly expanded, pulling him into its depths before revealing him to be standing on an odd, yet familiar pillar.

However, standing before him was a man, who appeared to be in his late thirties, with one yellow eye, an eyepatch over his right eye, a long jagged scar covering his left cheek, long graying black slicked back hair, and very pail skin with upturned eyebrows. He was dressed in a Dark-Cloak, black gloves, black boots with silver trim, and Hakama-esque pants like the other Nobodies of Organization XIII…

"Well well well… Braig, it's been some time." Xehanort mused while reaching up to rub his chin and Xibar blinked before grinning as he saw the old man, then held his hands to the side, revealing a pair of purple crossbow like weapons. "Wait… forgive, I forgot, you go Xigbar now, don't you?" The old man suddenly questioned and Xigbar shrugged his shoulders while holding his weapons towards him. Smirking, Xehanort held his right hand to the side as well, a familiar black and silver Keyblade appearing in his outstretched hand.

"Now then my old friend, lets see if you've grown stronger since last we battled." Xehanort uttered darkly as Xigbar grinned before vanishing, appearing in the air where he aimed his bow-casters at the old man as he took a stance with his Keyblade…

--

TBC…

--