Hare and Hatter

This scene was in plans well before we ever saw the March Hare in the manga so this March Hare ended up looking like a fusion of the one I had been planning and the cannon one. Additionally this chapter suffers from some pretty severe POV wandering and I apologize, unfortunately a lot of character's POV's were important to what was going on so it kind of had to happen.

And now, finally on to the good stuff!

Part Three

Chapter Forty-nine


The Chain was tall and thin, with a ragged cloak that whirled out from around his boots in tatters and a mouth full of very crooked teeth. His large eyes were dark in his furred face and the long, elegant ears were made to lay flat by a broken brimmed top hat. He turned slowly to look at Liam, who couldn't help but hold his breath as the liquid eyes inspected him.

"Thank you." He whispered, "Thank you for coming when I needed you."

The March Hare inclined his head in a stately bow, acknowledging him as his master.

"There's something I need you to do." he told him.

With a nod the Chain straightened, looking to him for orders.

Liam shallow, then said, "Save Xerxes."

Looking around the March Hare broke into a smile, showing every one of his broken teeth. "Hatter," he said quietly. "There you are." Moving across the floor with light steps the Chain held out a hand that was lightly dusted with fur toward the other Chain. "You shouldn't fight without me, you will hurt your contractor."

The hand the came up to clasp the Hare's was covered in cold scars and when Hare pulled the other Chain up the Mad Hatter looked nothing like the Chain that had been pinned under Demios.

The Mad Hatter now stood there as a tall man in a ragged coat with hair the color of dried blood spilling down his back. His hat was the only part of him that had not changed overmuch, it was still as vibrant and as clashing as before and when he tipped it back with a finger he showed two eyes at were as mad as his one had been.

"It's been a long time since I could spare the power to appear properly." The Mad Hatter said, smiling as he looked down at the other Chain, "I have sorely missed you since you left the Abyss."

"You were supposed to follow me." Hare said and there was something in it's voice that was accusatory, "You were not to fight without me, not without us," he glanced over at where his master stood, watching with wide eyes, "Something happened with us, I wasn't able to find you."

"Chess games," Hatter growled, "Little men afraid of what we can do, playing little games to keep us apart. Keep us from using the power."

"Well," Hare's smile grew wider, "We shall have to show them what a mistake that was."

"Indeed." said Hatter and he half turned to Break, who was still on one knee. "Rise master, and tell us, what may we kill?"

Break was surprised to find that his lungs were no longer on fire, before it seemed like every breath was a gargantuan effort and he could feel his strength pouring away. Now he felt better than he had in months, he could have run the length of the headquarters, just rising to his feet was an easy feat.

Wiping the blood from his chin with the back of a hand he pointed at the Sewer Rat, "His Chains," he said, suddenly sure that this, which just a moment ago had been impossible, was now in his power, "Take them away."

"Gladly." Hatter said.

The March Hare's head snapped over to Demios, who had been hovering uncertainly only a few yards away. "I See him."

At last Vincent refound his voice, "I told you to kill Hatter, Demios! What are you doing, just destroy them both!"

With renewed orders the bone Chain drifted for the two, slashing out at them when it got close enough.

"Hatter." Hare said firmly and the other Chain lifted the hand that wasn't holding Hare's.

The bones Demios was striking with disappeared into drifting dust and the Chain bellowed in pain.

"Finish it." The March Hare said and Hatter let go of his hand to spread both hands in the air in front of him, Hare rested one hand at the small of his back without taking his dark eyes off of Demios.

Nothing happened for a moment as both Chains stood like that, Hare watching and Hatter waiting for-

-dark power bloomed between his hands and with a flick of his wrists he flung it out in a wave. Demios scrambled to get out of the way, for once seeming to loose it's usual grace but it could not move fast enough to escape the wide edge of the wave.

It was flung backwards as the power hit it, bones flying every which way, ribs rent apart, skull torn from it's neck. The pieces arched through the air but never hit the ground. They turned to dust first.

The entire room watched in frozen silence as the fine powder wafted gently to the floor. Then Vincent gave a strangled noise and sagged, one hand clutching his chest as the loss of his Chain rippled back onto him. The Dormouse grew to it's full size, paws reaching out to grab it's master and drag him away.

"I See you, Dormouse." The March Hare said, his dark eyes fixed on it as both he and Hatter turned toward them together in one, smooth movement. "Don't think you can escape us."

With what seemed to be a mighty effort the Dormouse heaved it's master to his feet and shoved him toward the door to the inner chambers. It's tail lashed the ground as it showed it's teeth to the two Chains across the room in a clear challenge.

"A mistake." Hare said and dropped his hand from Hatter's back. When he did Break realized that he hadn't just been resting it there, he'd been holding onto Hatter's coat, holding the other Chain back.

Released Hatter darted across the floor and was on the Dormouse in a moment, seizing a handful of fur and an ear. The Dormouse glowed as it tried to turn it's power against Hatter and the soft glow was met by the dark fire building around Hatter's hands. Despite what was clearly the Dormouse's best efforts Hatter did not collapse into sleep, instead the Dormouse exploded into pale dust.

When Hatter opened his hands more dust fell from them, fluttering to the floor.

Vincent gave a choked whimper and collapsed to the ballroom floor, shaking, clutching his head as the second Chain's death rebounded onto him. At the same moment he fell Gilbert stirred, his eyes flickering open.

Hatter's head turned toward Gilbert as he sat up and he grinned again. "Master Xerxes, do you want us to take his Chain too?"

"No." Break said hastily, "Leave him."

"What about his?" Hatter indicated Lord Barma, who still stood near the door and glared at the Chains. He had yet to summon his own but his hands were fisted by his sides.

"Tempting," Break admitted, "But, no. Not right now. We're done here." It was hard to say it, he felt like he could have set the pair on a dozen of Demios and not even started sweating. And he wanted to, wanted to use the power he could feel thrumming through his veins.

Hatter looked distinctly disappointed but he appeared to brighten when he looked down at Hare. He seized the other Chain's paws and merrily danced Hare over the dust that had once been Demios. "I found you!" He crowed, "I found you! I had been looking for so long and you were right there!"

Hare laughed, and let himself be twirled around, their boots spreading dust carelessly across the floor.

Meanwhile Gilbert had managed to drag himself upright and was now at his brother's side, whispering anxiously to him. He was met with no answer, Vincent was too busy clutching his head, giving raw little whimpers as the wounds torn from the violent end of his two contracts dug deeper into his mind.

Lord Barma hadn't bothered with checking on the man who was clearly a turncoat, instead he strode across the ballroom floor, skirting wide around the two dancing Chains and Break until he reached the three by the other door.

"Liam," he said quietly to the man the other two were holding upright, "You need to call the March Hare back."

It took a few seconds for Liam's eyes to leave the dancing Chains to flick to Lord Barma's, "…what?" he asked, his voice faint. His skin was grey but shone with a sweat and he was clearly shaking under the hands of Lady Sharon and the Pandora contractor.

"If you don't recall Hare soon they are going to drain you." Lord Barma told him, trying hard to keep the cresting panic out of his voice, "You've lost a great deal of blood, the strain on top of that could-" his fists clenched and he visibly swallowed, "You need to stop."

"Right," Liam said vaguely, "I should… that's right… I…" his breath was coming short and when he looked over Lord Barma's shoulder it was clear he was having trouble focusing. "Hare," he called to the Chain, who paused in his dance, "We're done."

The Chain nodded and reached up to pat Hatter's cheek. "We'll hunt again soon." He said and faded away, withdrawing back to his master.

It felt like Break had been punched in the stomach, all the air left his lungs as the pain came back, not as bad as before, like he was going to die, but enough to make him stagger. As he struggled to stay on his feet Hatter gave him a disappointed look and disappeared as well. He pressed a hand against his chest, breathing carefully in case the coughing started again. It took a few breaths for him to be sure that it wouldn't, that the pain was fading down to workable levels.

With Hatter was gone his vision had gone blurred again and his only hint that something had happened was Miss Sharon's gasp. He whipped around just in time to see Liam collapse.

Much to everyone's surprise it was Lord Barma who bent over him once Miss Sharon and Mister Gregory had eased him to the floor. He pressed two fingers to the side of Liam's neck and breathed an clear sigh of relief, sitting back on his heels.

"We will want to fetch a doctor." He told them.

Break scowled at him, "I think you have some amount of explaining to do."

"Perhaps," the duke said, looking tired. "But right now, we need to make sure you did not hurt him beyond what he might recover from."


TBC