Chapter contains obvious violence as well as character death. Please do not harass me in my choice to kill off this character. I felt the story wouldn't have worked without doing it otherwise. This is in no way canon as this story takes place in an alternate universe separate from the established canon of Higurashi and Heart no Kuni no Alice...
Chapter Eleven: Shot In the Dark…
Please do not lament.
I will forgive you even if the world will not forgive you.
Please do not lament.
I will forgive you even if you will not forgive the world.
So please tell me.
What will it take for you to forgive me?
~Frederica Bernkastel
I opened my eyes to find myself somewhere I had never been before. I was no longer on the Hatter Mansion grounds. "Where the bloody hell am I?" was my first sentence spoken aloud and also a question to whomever summoned me. I looked around frantically, searching. I had to remind myself to take a deep breath which I did to recollect my senses. I did my best to calmly examine my unfamiliar surroundings. I appeared to be in a tower of some kind and in front of me was a desk littered with clocks and an abandoned screwdriver. The chair behind the desk was not occupied at the moment. It was a circular room with probably enough space for a desk, some bookshelves, and maybe a few chairs. A small staircase led off into another room or series of rooms to my left…I presumed to sleeping quarters and maybe a small kitchen of sorts?
Before I had a chance to speculate the tower further, a tall man with long dark hair almost like my own came in. With him, he carried two cups of coffee as if he expected my arrival. He then sat down behind his desk. Upon further inspection as I took my seat in front of said desk, he had on small squared glasses, a long dark blue almost black colored overcoat with folded sleeves around his hands. A yellow or greenish colored vest could be seen under his long coat and he wore a clock around his neck and a smaller one as an earring on his left ear. He was quite a finely dressed man but I had the feeling he did not go out very much.
"Are you done inspecting my appearance? Here," he said abruptly, jolting me from my musings. I started to open my mouth to question where I was but he held up a finger. "You can speak in a minute. Here, please have some coffee," he offered, pointing to the second cup as he took his own and took a drink. I accepted the mug of coffee and took it into my black gloved hands. My purple eyes searched his navy colored ones for possible clues. He was as enigmatic as his words…after a moment he sets his coffee down and sighs. I also took a drink of coffee which seemed to be flavored with some kind of cream. Pumpkin spice maybe? I set it down gently on his desk in front of me, waiting upon him to tell me why he called me here.
"As you are aware, breaking a clock is a serious crime," he begins with his voice sounding deep and serious. "I have heard through the grapevine that Mr. Dum's clock has been smashed. The question is how and where. I also heard you were the last one to witness Mr. Dum's final moments…can you tell me what happened?" he continued as he asked me, his voice no longer abrupt but somewhat calm and full of concern. I looked down, gripping my skirt and avoided his eyes….a few tears escaped as I began to recall what had happened. I told him about our battle against Satoko, how I did my best to support Dum in our fight against her, and how I did my best to save him and help him.
"I tried to stop her sir, I did my damndest to stop her…I was not fast enough….I feel partially guilty for his death even though Satoko was the one who killed him and smashed his clockwork heart….I loved him as well as Dee…now he's gone…and I was too damned weak to do a thing about it…" I finished, my tears falling like a waterfall now, my own heart breaking as I relived the memories of his final moments and seeing Satoko's cruel smile while her eyes glinted red…and without realizing it, I had summoned the crystalline fragments that had detailed the events inside the Fragmentary Passage.
The clock man's navy blue eyes widened in slight surprise as he observed the fragments that floated before him. He reached out to touch one to see if it was real and he grabbed it with his fingers. He could clearly see Satoko's cruel expression as she stabbed Dum through with her blood red, demon like sword, me catching him in my arms as he clung to the last bits of his fading life, his red eyes looking into mine telling me that he was leaving me with Dee. Seeing this all again reopened the grief I thought I had momentarily worked through, I reached out to the Dum in the fragment as if he could see me. But this was only my memory of what had already happened.
After a few moments, the fragments disappeared in a white light, only leaving me and this mysterious long haired man behind. He gazed at me thoughtfully, his expression somewhat softened as he offered me a handkerchief. I accepted it and did my best to dry my eyes…seeing that all over again was hard and he seemed to be somewhat empathetic to that. With his gaze upon me once more, he began to speak again.
"I can't imagine. Even working on clocks and helping the citizens of Wonderland to revive and be reborn, I can't comprehend time travel…or what it means to be a looper. This…Satoko," he said, speaking Satoko's name as if it were a bad word, "Seems to be violating a million Wonderland rules just by being order. Her powers are an aberration, unnatural for even Wonderland's standards. However, thankfully her looping abilities have been nullified. That goes for you as well; you can't loop in Wonderland…although you've never tried as I've heard you've suffered from these loops at her hand. The caterpillar saved you and rightfully so. You're supposed to be here, she isn't," he finished and he was now leaning forward with his chin resting on his hands as his arms rested upon his overcrowded desk.
"Why call me here to tell me what I already know? Please forgive me sir, I do not mean to be rude," I replied, wanting to get to the point. He sighed, leaning back in his chair as he ran a hand through his long dark hair.
"Because you're the one who understands her and also because you're the only one who can defeat her, she must be defeated to restore balance to Wonderland. Otherwise, all of the countries: Spade, Clover, Heart, and Diamond will be thrown out of balance and the worlds will collide and Wonderland will essentially destroy itself," he replied with no holds barred. No pressure, so it was my responsibility to keep things flowing as correctly as possible?
"How, I barely understand my role as a witch. I couldn't even save Dum, how can I save an entire land? I don't know what the hell I'm doing," I answered back, confused how I would accomplish such a task. If I was the witch from my story, I could maybe accomplish it…however I was only a mere fraction of her, had only a small handful of powers. And while they seemed powerful in scale, it still was not enough to stop Satoko while I was in the Sea of Fragments.
"I have a feeling you're thinking you're not strong enough or you think you can't handle it. But YOU CAN! You're the only one who can….sure Dee can fight alongside you as well as your family and maybe other roleholders will lend a hand….however it will be up to you to deliver the finishing blow. This fight will be difficult, it will be arduous, but not impossible…Gods can be defeated…she can be defeated and…you already know how…" he replied, telling me that I did have the power…did I?
Then, I remembered the time Keiichi, Rena, Shion, Mion, and I along with Satoko who was still my friend as well as Hanyuu all came together and….we stopped fate and broke the curse of the endless loops of June 1983. Time was allowed to progress forward once more and we all finished growing up, having fun times in school and spending time together as one big family within the village. The Wataganashi Festivals became fun again and nobody feared anyone disappearing…we all came together and the village lived peacefully nestled within the mountainous countryside. I had gathered power by telling my friends about what was going on and at first it was hard for them to believe, but they believed me and came to help along with even Akasaka and Kasai and several others.
"I can carve fate open…it's up to me," I said, speaking my thought aloud. The man nodded in confirmation. "Is this why you summoned me here to tell me this or to remind me?" I asked.
"Yes, it is time for you to realize that you must accept your role as a witch, Fredrica Bernkastel. Do you hereby take upon that name?" he asked me in reply.
I nodded, I was finally ready to accept my witch self. "Yes, I accept my role as Fredrica Bernkastel and cast aside the name of Rika Furude Dupre," I stated solemnly.
"Good then I, Julius Monrey wishes you luck. I can't aid you in your battle being I'm a neutral party. I can however wish you luck, Fredrica," he said with a small smile. I nodded, disappearing in a cloud of butterflies. I reappeared from where I was summoned from. I felt as if I had been dreaming with that visit from Hanyuu and now visiting Julius…however it was real. I was there and I had witnessed and spoke to both of them. I decided to teleport back inside, however before I had the chance to do so: father, mother, Uncle Elliot and Dee had come out.
"What are you guys doing here?" I questioned, feeling mildly confused.
"Having a tea party, it may be midmorning and while I despise daylight naturally. I believe it is time to have a tea party before the dawn of your battle," stated father with a small smirk. Alright then, I nodded and joined my family for tea with no questions asked. It almost had a sense of finality to it…like this was the last tea party I'd experience like this for a while…I prayed that it was just my nerves…I joined them and did my best to put such thoughts aside as I spent time with my family upon the eve of the final battle….two time changes from now…
The time had come for the final battle…the wind raged as we approached the field of choice…it almost resembled a chessboard. I felt like the queen piece as I stepped forward with Dee, my father Blood, and Uncle Elliot acting as my king piece and bishops. I gulped, stepping onto the squares, feeling nervous as hell. Despite wanting to have it out with her, I still was flinching slightly at the idea of fighting my former best friend…even despite everything she did to me and my friends back home…I prayed silently that the spirits of Keiichi, Mion, Rena, and Shion would be with me in this fight as well as Dum. Mom was not present because father insisted she would be safer holing up in the mansion. I was glad she was not here. However, across the way, Satoko and her faceless army stood menacingly.
"Useless, it's all useless," I muttered under my breath. Dee heard me and squeezed my hand.
"It's not useless, you have to remember that Dum is with us in this battle," he whispered softly so only I could hear. He was right, so were the spirits of my friends from Hinamizawa. I took a deep breath, holding Dee's hand tightly and stared down my opponents. Then I remembered some of Julius's words, "You're the only one who can….sure Dee can fight alongside you as well as your family and maybe other roleholders will lend a hand….however it will be up to you to deliver the finishing blow" He was right, I had to finish her…then as if somebody heard my thoughts, some other roleholders joined us as if by magic. Vivaldi appeared on my father's left, a white rabbit appeared near her as well as Ace with the compass tucked under his coat.
Then Boris the Cheshire cat appeared as well as a few others I did not recognize. I smiled briefly, there was hope after all. I promise to carve open fate…only I can make my own fate and I would not allow somebody, former friend or no to continue to dictate my fate or anybody else's.
Then Satoko, dressed in a black and red dress and her eyes glowing a sickening red stepped forward with her demonic sword in hand. I stepped forward as well despite silent protests from Dee, my father, and Uncle. I did not have time for sentimentality…I walked forward and joined Satoko in the middle of the chessboard lie field. A grim expression rested on my face as well as my eyes being an endless sea of purple. I no longer was the Rika she knew…and I was going to make that clear in this battle.
"Ohohoho, my dear traitorous Rika, you managed to join me on the eve of our final battle. Only one of us will leave this field alive. Your little Roleholder friends can try to help, but this battle is between us….it's time to end things…and for me to take my revenge for you leaving me behind at that damned academy…if you had just stayed in Hinamizawa with me and succumbed to my love, none of this would have to happen," she said with a mock shrug, "But alas, here we are." I glared daggers at her and said the following…
"No Satoko, I did not leave you behind. I did my best to offer you help. I sincerely apologize for not listening to your concerns before we attended St. Lucia. I am sorry for that, I was an idiot and I realize that now. I wanted my best friend by my side when I opened up my new future. You told me to make new friends, and then you got upset when I tried to help and your damned stubborn pride refused to allow me to help. I am sorry for my part in all of this. Whether you forgive me or not is up to you. I am sorry regardless. I wish it didn't have to be like this either…but we're both stubborn fools I suppose." Satoko then bitch slapped me with her right hand, stinging my right cheek; I clutched it with a glare…but held firm. "I meant every word," I whispered softly, hoping that would make her reconsider.
Satoko stared into my eyes for a moment as if possibly considering the words I had said. For a split second, I thought I witnessed her eyes flickering between her normal violet red and the menacing red glow that indicated she was using her otherworldly powers as a looper witch. I searched her for any expression, but just as quickly as it came, it disappeared and the menacing red glow to her eyes returned. They looked like two portals opening into hell were glaring back at me and her cruel smirk returned.
"I'm afraid your pretty words of apology are not good enough, my dear little bitch. You know nothing of the hell I suffered at that damned school. You, always being surrounded by your little rich bitch friends, me on the outside looking in…DON'T YOU DARE APOLOGIZE TO ME BECAUSE I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU UNLESS YOU DIE!" she replied after a few moments, cursing me with her last few words. I sighed; I figured it would be like this…while her words were cruel and they hurt my heart, I would do my best to not take them personally. I apologized; I said my piece for better or worse. What happened from here on out happens. I went back to my side of the field, turning my back on her. The next time I would be face to face with her is when we were fighting to the death…she said it herself, only one of us could leave the field alive, excluding the faceless Yellow Ties and my fellow Roleholders.
The onlookers of faceless and Roleholders alike muttered amongst themselves…I was glad mother was not here to see that. However, it only hardened my resolve. I was done being her bitch! No longer, I turned around and held out my right hand, summoning forth my newly forged scythe created by Hanyuu and given to me as her parting gift….the Crimson Twilight. The scythe that had formed in my hand almost glowed as the moonlight reflected off of its long curved, red, silver, and black tinted blade. It looked like something that a reaper may use to reap souls. Satoko's red eyes widened with fear for a split second at the sight of my weapon. However her fear disappeared behind her indifferent mask once more.
"Not bad, where did you acquire your new weapon sis?" asked Dee, who gazed upon the scythe with admiration. He was holding his own axe in an attacking position, ready for battle.
"It was a gift from a dear friend," I replied vaguely. If we lived through this, I promised to tell him the details later. He turned and smirked at me for a moment, bent forward and kissed me on the cheek.
"For good luck, let's win this thing!" he said as he faced forward once more, staring down the Yellow Ties and Satoko with steely blue eyes. I glanced over at Boris, Vivaldi, my father, Uncle Elliot the tall golden eyed Roleholder, as well as Ace and a white rabbit fellow I did not recognize. They stared forward, with their swords, guns, and other weapons at the ready as we waited for the signal. This was war…
As if somebody had sounded the signal, the battle had begun with Roleholders and faceless running forward and meeting each other with the clash of their weapons on the battle field. Satoko smirked as she used her demonic powers to charge forward with her demonic blood red sword rose, poised for the attack. I flew forward as well, with my Crimson Twilight scythe ready to block her strike. Our two blades met, the sounds of them clashing rang out and echoed. However, they were drowned out from the sounds of gunshots and other weapons clashing as the battle between the Yellow Ties and Roleholders went on around us.
Satoko and I continued to strike each other, our weapons blocking each other and neither of us getting a hit in edgewise. I managed to hold my own against her so far…but I could not let my guard down for a minute. As concerned as I was for everybody else's safety, I had to worry about my opponent in front of me…so I focused on taking on Satoko…I wished deep down it did not have to come to this….we parried each other a few more times before stopping. But Satoko had other ideas. I had let my guard down for a split second and that was enough for her to take advantage of…
"My dear Rika, you're not bad…however…you're not good enough!" yelled Satoko as she lunged forward with her demonic sword, seeing an opening and stabbing me in the arm. I staggered backward slightly, still holding my scythe…I had caught the attention of Dee as concern could be seen in his blue eyes. I shook my head, silently saying I was ok to him inside my mind. He nodded and continued battling his opponents with dexterity and skill. Meanwhile Uncle Elliot and father were fighting back to back, their own guns raised and shooting off rounds a mile a minute, ganking nearby Yellow Ties.
In a matter of seconds, many after images on Satoko's side appeared, each taking their clock hearts and fleeing. Satoko however smiled evilly and used some kinds of binding spell to keep them from fleeing and simultaneously broke their clocks to keep them from reviving. She cackled cruelly in glee as she witnessed her own subordinates struggling and fizzling out as if they never existed….they could not get their clocks to Julius to be reborn. This was the motivation I needed to get a hit or two in.
First, I started with my chain of butterflies which coiled around Satoko's ankle. Then, I held my scythe aloft and using the chain as an anchor, lunged forward and cut a deep gash into Satoko's chest, barely missing her vital organs…however it was enough to make her trip and stumble back and fall down, making the red barrier fall down and the afterimages that survived fled while they could, disappearing from the field.
"Way to go sis!" cheered Dee from not too far away as he had witnessed my first strike against my former best friend. However, being the demon she was, she recovered quickly and healed with a sickly orange light, her wounds disappearing as if they were never there in the first place.
"Not good enough, Rika….you forget I am also a witch… I certainly guarantee you will not win," she goaded, smirking evilly with a sickening blood curdling smile. I knew that, bitch.
"No, I will win with a miracle. I don't know how but somehow I promise to defeat you," I replied, staring her down as I held my weapon aloft, standing firm once more. With that, we flew forward with our powers and our blades clashed again. I did my best to focus on my opponent in front of me but another part of me was worrying about father and everybody else….I looked away for a second to see what was going on. As before, the Yellow Ties versus the Roleholders were still happening with neither side refusing to give a quarter. However, the Roleholders were a bit more skilled and killed their opponents without mercy. So this was how fighting worked in Wonderland? The slain opponents' bodies fell to the ground after their respective Roleholder opponent ganked them, and then their bodies faded which left behind their clock hearts. Then, the afterimages picked them up, preparing to take them to Julius.
"PAY ATTENTION MY DEAR RIKA OR OTHERWISE…" Satoko bellowed, stabbing me in the stomach with her sword, causing me to fall to my knees, "THIS MIGHT HAPPEN! DIE!" she finished, coming over to kick me in the face but was intercepted by Dee who blocked her with his own axe and parried her. Could he stand against her for a few moments? I silently prayed that he could. I coughed, blood spilling out of my mouth, vision almost blurry as I struggled to stay conscious…My father rushed forward to my side, and had me lean against me.
"Stay with me, Rika. You have got to stay awake…please…we're counting on you…and…I don't want to lose you," he whispered in a soft voice, concern seemed to fill his green eyes. I smiled a little, my hand touching my dad's cheek. He seemed to be a bit banged up with some cuts and a few shots of his own but he otherwise was alright. "It takes more than a few scrapes to keep your dad down," he added, smirking as he noticed me looking over his wounds. My hand fell back down by my side, it was taking all of my will to stay awake…my dad kept holding me, not caring what was going on around us. Satoko cruelly laughed in the background…
"Ohohohohohohohhohoho! Is she dead? Is she? I want to see!" Satoko gleefully said as she came closer as father grabbed his machine gun with one hand…standing up and holding me against him in one arm and with his left, pointed his gun at Satoko. Satoko only smirked as she looked on to see if she could see the life draining out of me. I could only make out a blurry outline of her cruel face containing those damned red eyes…I swore to Oyashiro-sama that somehow I'd regain my strength…and wipe that damned smirk off her bitchass face!
Satoko then flew backwards only to try to charge at my father. In a second, he transformed it back into its cane form, using it to block her strike. He then handed me off to Uncle Elliot who took me without comment and bent down to see if he could slow the bleeding. He took off his plaid purple scarf and pressed it against my bleeding wound. "Hold that, it should slow the bleeding," he said gruffly as he did not allow his emotions to filter into his lavender eyes. Once he was sure I was safe for a few moments, he took his pirate like pistol and shot some Yellow Ties at point blank range…not blinking an eye. He continued to do that, acting like a guardian and protected me from enemies.
Meanwhile, father was going toe to toe with Satoko, using his cane while she used her blood red sword. They continued parrying each other back and forth, until father then threw his cane in the air and it transformed back into a machine gun with red roses and some feathers adorning it. He then grasped it by the handle and started shooting at Satoko who had a hell of a time dodging and blocking the bullets. Several managed to enter her body at rapid speeds and she stumbled backward…falling and panted.
Like before, she managed to heal herself but only partway. It seemed that the bullets father shot Satoko with could not be healed with magic all the way. I slowly got to my knees; wiping blood way from my mouth with my freehand…I closed my eyes to try to draw upon some healing magic. However, exhaustion was tugging at me and I passed out. The dream world welcomed me within….maybe this was the end?
Nightmare had appeared in a flash of light like usual. He wore a grim expression that reached his visible silver eye. He looked at me with concern. "Lady Rika, you're not supposed to be here….you're supposed to be out there battling against Satoko…unless you're slowly dying…hmm that seems to be the case…" he mused as he landed in front of me…I couldn't bring myself to meet his eye, were my wounds visible here? I clutched my stomach as if it was still bleeding. It seemed it was…he bent down to support me. "Take it easy. I know you're wondering if you have the power to heal yourself…yes you do. Concentrate and don't let the pain blind you," he replied as if reading my mind.
I nodded, closing my eyes again. Thoughts of Keiichi, Mion, Shion, Rena, and Hanyuu filled my mind as well as Dee and Dum along with my new family here in Wonderland. I did my best to focus on their faces, their voices, and did my best to not let the pain get to me. I had to rise above it somehow. "You're a witch too, allow yourself to draw upon that power!" said an unknown voice that sounded somewhat like my own. I nodded to the invisible source, allowing the power to flow through me. I imagined myself on a higher plain of existence as if floating above a big city and I saw a girl standing there on the building's edge, getting ready to jump….magic flowed freely and my body glowed with a blue light.
I opened my eyes while still with Nightmare…I felt my pain slowly subsiding…then somebody called my name and Nightmare and the dreamscape faded away and I was jolted back into reality. My eyes shot open and I found myself in Dee's arms. "W...What happened?" I questioned as reality began to filter back into my vision, I could see the battle still raging on. Father was still shooting at Satoko as Uncle Elliot covered him to keep the stray Yellow Ties from getting at him. Vivaldi was also shooting them away with her own pistol alongside the white rabbit in red. The battle continued to rage on…seemingly never ending…
"Dee, sorry for scaring you and father, I think I can fight now," I said, jumping down from his arms. I still hurt a little but I felt stronger thanks to my newfound power. I summoned my scythe back to my hand, Crimson Twilight was aimed right at Satoko…I was ready to fight back and I would not allow her to win.
Satoko's red eyes widened, somehow still standing while her body was riddled with bullet holes from father's gun. She swung her weapon back around, charging forward and completely ignoring my father who still had his gun trained on her. I flew forward, meeting her with a clash of our weapons, once again ringing out as they crashed into each other. We parried each other once more, going again for another round.
"Somehow you're still alive, surely that wound should have killed you? If we were back in Hinamizawa, it would have," she goaded as she jumped back and I did as well. My eyes started to glow red as well, tapping into the power I had, and my long chain golden butterfly chain was summoned into my left hand while my right gripped upon my scythe. I readied myself, ready for the next round. I lassoed my chain and it wrapped around Satoko, causing her to drop her weapon. Using the chain as an anchor, I pulled myself forward to meet her at eyelevel.
"Because Satoko, I refuse to go back to that life. You of all people should be well aware of the hell I've been through, only to put me through more for your own selfish gains. Hate to tell you, you've failed! I'm done with this!" I replied as I glared at her dangerously, my eyes filled with no emotion besides hatred and anger. Satoko turned away, closing her eyes for a moment before glaring back up at me.
"Frankly, my dear traitorous Rika, I don't give a damn. I vow to kill you if it is the last thing I do. If you can't come back to Hinamizawa to suffer than you're only useful to me dead," she replied icily. This provoked me to hit her with the three bladed tip of my scythe, drawing blood down her face as it cut the skin like butter. She fell backward, still ensnared in my enchanted chain.
"Then I don't give a damn about what happens to you. You destroyed our friendship. YOU DID THAT ON YOUR OWN! So don't blame me for leaving you behind. I already apologized for that and you didn't accept that. That's on you, Satoko! I defended you against the others of our village, fought alongside you to defeat Takano, and was genuinely on your side for everything! How could you let me down like this? I never thought you'd leave me behind…you could have talked to me but alas, we're both damned stubborn fools I suppose," I replied back just as coldly, ice coating me. I paused to examine her expression but was only met with her cruel red eyes as she glared back at me…smirking evilly.
"Oh my dear Rika, you think that reminding me of our past friendship will be good enough? Nope, you fucked me over for your rich bitch friends. Then I sought revenge and vowed to have you all to myself in Hinamizawa…you will die today," she spat back as somehow she broke free of the chains. She then summoned her sword back to her hand. I jumped backward, readying my weapon for either attack or defense. Suddenly Dee jumped beside me. I looked at him surprised.
"You don't have to fight alone, sis. I believe I have a brother to avenge," he said to me, his tone filled with anger. I nodded, understanding his feelings.
"Then let's fight this bitch together," I declared and the tag team of Dee and I flew forward, aided by my power and we countered Satoko on both sides. She didn't have any defense so we both struck her at the same time, aided by magic. It wasn't enough to fatally wound her but we jumped back, ready to go again. Meanwhile while Dee and I continued to fight off Satoko, the battles around us raged on…both sides were taking heavy casualties. Even a few roleholders were down for the count…they weren't dead but fatally wounded enough where they could not aid us anymore. I silently thanked them for their help and turned back toward Satoko. She tried to use her sword to get at Dee, only to be blocked by his axe and it glowed blue and pushed her backward.
He took advantage of this new power, charging up once again to use it and swung his blade at high speed and blue waves of lightning flew toward Satoko. She managed to dodge a few of them, but one hit her dead on, shocking her body and causing her to falter in her step. This paired with the bullet wounds had weakened her slightly…she growled, now realizing her own disadvantage. I took advantage of this weakness; unleashing my chain once again…it was time…to end this once and for all.
"I am Fredrica Bernkastel, witch and Roleholder here in Wonderland! I refuse to allow you to hurt anybody else! It's over, Satoko Hojou! I'M sorry things had to be like this but you brought this shit upon yourself," I said while I swung my chain and high-speed while using magic to spin my scythe in the other hand. I jumped up, the moon behind me and she did her best to ready herself to counter….however, Dee was faster and cut her chest open and I flew in for the final kill, my blade raised, chain being unleashed and he grabbed it, tying her in place. I dove in, swinging my scythe at a half-moon arc, and cut off Satoko's head with one final strike. I landed, panting…turning back around to see her body dissolving into mist.
"Sorry it had to be this way, Satoko. Like I said, you brought it upon yourself. Let's meet again when something else cries. Farewell, my friend," I whispered as her body faded away, disappearing into the night sky as if she hadn't been there at all. Since she was an outsider, she could not revive. I fell to my knees, emotionally and mentally exhausted and Dee caught me before I hit the ground. The emotions I held back came forward as I began to cry in his chest. His arms wrapped around me and hugged me while I grieved the loss of Satoko. While we did not see eye to eye in the end, it still hurt me to having to go through with this fight. I was uncertain of what was going to happen after this…Dee did not say much and petted my hair to comfort me. I clutched his back and the fabric of his suit jacket. He had also sustained some injuries but nothing too serious it seemed.
Dad along with Uncle Elliot as well as the Hatter staff that appeared rounded up the surviving Yellow Ties. Some were taken to the Hatter Mansion Dungeon and others were taken to Joker's prison by Ace and some of their men. Vivaldi and the white rabbit man seemed alright, except for some cuts. Boris had a few cuts as well; he had disappeared before we could talk to him. Everybody retreated and left the field, going back to their respective territories. My weapon had disappeared into thin air and I clung to Dee like a child, passing out and allowing the void to claim me for a while….
I woke up in Dee's bed with him asleep beside me. I snuggled closer to him, wanting to absorb more of his body heat. His hold on me tightened. "Go back to sleep, Rika," he muttered softly. I hoped Dum was resting peacefully somewhere…I wish I could bring him back somehow…but I didn't know how. I pushed those thoughts away for now and allowed sleep to claim me once again….
I woke up a time period later as light filtered in the giant windows of his room. I groaned as I opened my eyes, I turned and found Dee was gone. Where did he go? I sat up, stretching; I suppose he went to guard the gates? I got up and got dressed and picked out a simple blue dress and picked out one of Dee's suit jackets and put it on over my dress. I left the room without a backward glance and somehow wandered to Elliot's room and office. The door was slightly ajar and I saw him working on some paperwork like I've seen father do from time to time. I did my best to walk quietly past the room. However, his sensitive hare ears elongated and twitched and he looked up, seeing me standing there.
"Oh it's you, Rika. Come on in. Don't be a stranger," he said, setting the paperwork aside and motioned for me to come in. I went into his office area and sat in one of the plush chairs in front of his desk. I folded my hands in my lap, looking down at them as my hair covered my eyes as a small frown came to rest on my face. Uncle Elliot also noticed as he leaned forward, interested in talking. "Something wrong Rika?" he asked me. I nodded, not saying anything for a few minutes. I took a deep breath before speaking.
"I am not sure what's wrong…nothing, everything, feeling guilty as hell for killing Satoko even though she turned evil and tried to kill me and killed Dum. I don't know, I think Dee is having a hard time with Dee's death too which is understandable since they were so close…maybe we're growing apart…I'm honestly not sure," I replied, telling him my feelings. His hare ears twitched in interest as he absorbed my words.
"Hmm, to be fair Satoko would have killed you and you had every right to defend yourself. However, I can understand your conflicted feelings since she was once your friend back in your world. But if she was really your friend, would she have killed Dum? Would she have drugged your friends back in your world? No, she stopped being your friend since she decided to become obsessive over you and then went out of her way to do some stupid ass horrible things; she gave up that right in my opinion. In another world, you two could have made up but it just was not possible. And I'm sorry about that," replied Uncle Elliot, giving his point of view on the subject. I hated to admit it but he was right. She stopped being my friend probably the moment she dragged me back in to the Hinamizawa of June 1983 and then that shit started all over again. Just thinking about it made my blood boil with anger. However, I took a deep breath so I would not allow it to consume me. I was safe here in Wonderland with my dad, mom, and Uncle Elliot.
"You're right; I appreciate your point of view on the situation. She probably stopped being my friend when she threw me back into the Hinamizawa in June of 1983. Going through those loops again was not fun. Every time I thought I would change things, things would go to hell again…probably from her doing and intervening. It's over now, I know that…it still does not make it any easier," I admitted to him. I haven't even mentioned this stuff to Dee and Dum before, well I have told them of some of the loops I've experienced but not like this. I continued to voice some other thoughts on my mind and Uncle Elliot listened.
"I did promise you awhile back we'd go to my favorite pastry shop that makes good carrot pastries. Why don't we go? I think you could use a change of scenery given everything that has happened. Care to join me?" he asked me. I nodded, recalling his promise to take me to go to that pastry shop when Wonderland shifted into the Country of Clover.
"I'd like that, let's go," I replied, feeling a little better after talking to my adopted Uncle. He stood up from his desk, pushed his chair in and came around to join me. I followed him out of his office as he led the way. I wondered if it was the same pastry shop where Dee, Dum, and I went to when we skipped the Assembly Meeting during the night time change before everything happened with the ambush and….Dee shooting his brother. I silently hoped it wasn't. I did my best not to allow these thoughts to plague my mind as we walked outside.
When we approached the gate, Dee was guarding the Hatter Gates by himself and it looked unnatural. I looked in his direction but he avoided my eyes. I sighed, turning toward Uncle Elliot, trying not to pay it much mind. He glanced in our direction and with a look; he seemed to understand what was going on without saying anything. He patted my head silently as we followed the path into town.
The town in Clover seemed livelier than usual and I wondered why. I noticed Uncle Elliot's ears twitching in interest as he observed the activity as well. But his curious expression quickly disappeared and one of feigned disinterest took its place as we continued walking down the sidewalk. I noticed the town had slightly old fashioned architecture, similar to that of an old western town back in the day. However, it had kind of an upscale feeling to it as well. The faceless went about their business were well dressed in nice suits and ties as well as skirts and dresses. They seemed as though they were getting ready for something. I was curious as to what that was…
"We're here, Rika," he said abruptly and I was jolted from my thoughts and observations. I followed him inside. It had the same decoration as the café that I had been to with Dee and Dum awhile back. My heart fell to the floor but I faked my best smile as Elliot ordered a slice of their carrot cake and he asked me what I wanted, I just ordered the same with a cup of French-vanilla coffee. He looked at me with slight confusion but shook it off once they handed him two small plates filled with a couple slices of carrot cake and handed me a Styrofoam cup filled with the coffee I ordered. We then took our seats in a booth near a window. He placed one plate down in front of me. I thanked him with a small smile and took a bite. He didn't seem convinced that I was actually happy.
"You're masking your emotions again. Is this where Dee and Dum took you before everything happened?" he asked me bluntly, not missing a beat. He isn't one to mince words, just like father.
"Yeah," I began, looking down as I took another bite of my cake. Uncle Elliot was right; they did have really good treats here. "They took me on a small date here. It probably was our only date to be honest. Then, they kissed me and it was sweet but highly improper but we didn't care. Then, the damned Yellow Ties ambushed us and the rest you know," I added, taking a sip of my coffee before taking another bite of cake. I enjoyed the carroty sweet taste of the cake, they make really good cakes here.
"I see, I'm sorry about all of that. If I'd have known, I'd have protected you three," he replied, pausing in between bites as his own lavender eyes searched my deeper purple ones. I sighed softly, mostly because I felt a small pang of pain in my heart when I thought of Dum and Dee avoiding my eyes on our way here. "Those boys were close to each other as you know. Besides a few preferences like a favorite flavor of ice cream, cake, sweet or what have you. They were thick as thieves they were, seeing themselves as two halves of the same person in a way. That's why they probably both fell in love with you. That's probably why Dee is having a hard time being around you, probably because it reminds him that his brother can't come back or be reborn," he continued, my eyes widened and I realized he was right. It made sense now.
"If only I wasn't pathetic and then I could have used the endless magic to bring him back. I did my damndest to protect him against Satoko but in the end, it wasn't enough. Nothing I did was enough, I failed Dum, and I failed Dee. He has every right to hate me. If I was him, I'd hate me," I replied as a few tears escaped my eyes. My adopted uncle stopped eating and leaned forward, grabbing one of my hands in his as a steely resolve settled into his lavender eyes.
"Rika you listen to me right now! You did not fail those boys! You fought with every last bit of your being to protect them, to protect your family. That is what us Hatters do! Unfortunately, we can't stop every person from hurting those that are closest to us. You did your best, I'm sure Dee understands that deep down. He just needs time as do you. Stop beating yourself up, Rika. You saved us and protected us when you were out on that battlefield. If Dum were here, he'd be proud of you for fighting for him and avenging his death. I know it is easy for me for me to say not to blame yourself, but please don't. Dum wouldn't want you to nor would your friends back in your world. I am sure they'd understand too if they were here," he said with a tone full of empathy and conviction. He continued to grip my hand for a few more moments.
Once again, he was correct. I sat there for a bit longer as I slowly absorbed his words. I did my best to fight with Dum and protect him as well as fighting along Dee to put an end to Satoko. That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I hoped Satoko would be reborn somewhere in another Hinamizawa and grow up happy with new friends and a new prospect on life. I couldn't be a part of her life anymore. I realized she stopped being my friend when she brought me back to Hinamizawa and started those loops all over again. I had somehow been given a chance to start over and here I was, sitting here across from Uncle Elliot alive and well, albeit a bit mentally scarred from killing my former childhood best friend and loosing Dum too.
He released my hand and went back to eating his cake. I took another sip of coffee as I stared out the window and got lost in thought. What my role was supposed to be, I wondered. I had no idea what to do as a Roleholder. All I've managed to do so far was kill my former best friend, and that left me in an unpredictable state of mind. I hoped Dee would come around because I still cared about him a lot. Maybe our relationship wouldn't be the same without Dum. But I hoped we could have some kind of friendship at least. I finished up my carrot cake with these thoughts on my mind. "Thank you for bringing me here; it's been nice spending time with you, Uncle Elliot," I replied with a small smile on my face.
"No problem Rika, it was my pleasure. I am glad we got to talk and spend time together as well. It's been too long," he replied with a smile on his face. His cheerful personality was infectious as it helped me feel a little better. I hoped I could work things out with Dee. Only time will tell I guess…
When we arrived back at the mansion, father greeted us with a smile and told us there would be a ball taking place at the Castle of Hearts. My eyes widened at this prospect. I had never been to such a high classy event. "When will the ball be?" I inquired curiously. Father gave me a closed eyed smile as he ruffled my hair well naturedly.
"The ball will be one time period from now. I suppose this is the Queen's event for hosting us Roleholders," he replies. He didn't seem thrilled about going but he didn't allow any emotion of that sort to show in his features. I hummed in thought, wondering if Dee would dance with me and who I'd see there. Probably the same people who helped us in the battle against Satoko. I'd get a chance to meet them properly and thank them for their help. Without their help, victory would not have been possible. I was both nervous and excited about the upcoming ball. I ran up to father and mother's room to tell her.
However, opening up the door I could not find her anywhere. I then teleported back to where father and Uncle Elliot stood, appearing in a cloud of golden butterflies. I probably made them jump. "Do you know where mother is, father?" I inquired. He told me she was visiting Nightmare and Gray. I did not remember which guy was Gray, he had to be the one with dark hair and sharp golden eyes with the lizard tattoo on his neck. Father then had us join him in the garden for a tea party….
The next time period soon came upon us fast. This was the time period we would be attending the ball at the Castle of Hearts. I was given a blue and white princess style dress to wear with a bow that tied in the back. On the shoulders were similar ring patterns like that of my mother's dresses, my hair had been tied up in a long ponytail adorned with a blue ribbon, and the dress I wore was off the shoulder with bell like shelves. The blue skirt layered over the white skirts and petticoats. It felt like a dress Cinderella herself probably wore. I spun in it, watching the puffy and fluffy skirts twirl around me.
A sudden knock on the door brought me out of my momentary playful moment. I returned to reality, gathering the skirts up with one of my gloved hands as I approached the door and I opened it. There stood a nervous looking Dee, all dressed up in a black tux, blue bowtie and his hair was braided. He looked very sharp. I opened the door and was curious what was on Dee's mind.
"What's up Dee?" I asked him curiously. It had been awhile since we've seen each other. He shifted nervously on his feet as if searching for words. I sensed that he was still having trouble grieving his brother's death as I was. I put a hand on his as a silent gesture to tell him it was ok. But he yanked it back suddenly as if I was poisonous. My prior cheerful expression was now replaced with a more sullen one. "Well? I understand you're missing Dum. However, you can't continue treating me like this. I miss Dum too and as I said, I would have revived him if I could have. I am sorry for the umpteenth time," I added, crossing my arms. He didn't say anything to that. He then finally looked at me in the eyes. His blue eyes weren't as clear and bright anymore. I wish I could do something to bring that joy back but it was beyond even my power.
I sighed again, my hands coming to rest on my hips. "Well Dee, say something at least," I urged him. He still didn't say anything. He only offered his arm to escort me to the dance. I took it and walked with him. I still couldn't read his thoughts or anything from him. I wished we could talk about this. I didn't say anything further as we journeyed to the castle via a mysterious door….
Father was looking dapper as usual and cleaned up wearing a black tux with a simple rose printed tie in black and maroon with a white dress shirt. Mom was wearing a dark blue dress with bell shaped sleeves and a long shirt that trailed behind her as she walked. She looked like she had walked out of a fairytale. Uncle Elliot also cleaned up nice, wearing black dress pants as well as a mauve colored suit with orange bowtie, having his shoulder length yellow-orange curly hair tied back in a dapper ponytail. His ears were standing on end as they absorbed the sounds of the ballroom. I also looked around anxiously. I held up the ends of my long dress with my left hand as I walked along side Dee.
"Announcing the Hatter Family," said some unknown announcer. The doors opened and we walked in and were greeted by the guests already there. However some seemed to avoid my eyes. I turned my attention back to in front of me. As soon as we were in the ballroom, Dee immediately lets go of me and goes off to get some food. I looked after his retreating back, feeling as if part of me left with him as well. I would prefer being a throwing knife target to this….this hurts worse than any knife tearing into my flesh. I gulped, keeping my composure and refused to allow any tears to escape.
My mom comes up to my side immediately, sensing something was wrong. "Are you ok? You and Dee don't seem to be on speaking terms for some reason," she said. I sighed once more and explained that he's upset that Dum died. "Yes, I understand that but that is no reason to treat you like that," she added. Mom had a point. She then guided me towards where Queen Vivaldi and the white rabbit man were standing. We both curtsey as a common courtesy and mom introduces me to Peter White.
"Hello Mr. White, I'm Fredrica Bernkastel but you may call me Lady Rika if you wish," I offered. He looked at me with scrutinizing wine colored eyes, his chin propped on his white gloved hand in thought. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're Alice's adopted daughter yes?" he asks me to whom I replied that I was. "Hmm, then it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Rika," he finished, offering his hand which I shook politely. I took note of his white rabbit ears twitching with interest as they gathered sound form around the giant hall. But they turned toward my direction. "May I ask how Alice came to adopt you?" he asked me. I was slightly startled by his question.
"I suppose you may," I replied cautiously, hoping that he wouldn't tread into any territory where I'd have to explain that I was an ex-looper or anything of that sort. Thankfully he didn't. I told him that I fell through Wonderland via a rabbit hole and then was found by Ace in the woods, then my mother found me sleeping in his tent and then I woke up at the Hatter Mansion. He then offered me an arm and I hooked my left arm through his and we went over and got a bit of food and drink. He then took me outside to talk to me further.
"What else do you want to know? Anything besides my past world is on the table," I stated, laying down a few boundaries. He seemed to understand somewhat, however I had a feeling he already knew some of the stuff or had heard something through the grapevine.
"Understandable, it isn't my place to intrude on your past. I have heard that it was quite tragic. I was there on the battlefield with you and the other roleholders, participating and I saw how difficult of a time you had with killing your former best friend. However, Lady Rika it was necessary since she threatened Wonderland and you. You saved us all, even at a great cost," he replied after a few moments. These words coming from the White Rabbit surprised me. I thought he'd be stuck up and cold. He was still kind of reserved and composed but he seemed polite enough. I looked up at the endless night sky, not replying for a few moments. Then, I closed my eyes.
"Necessary or not, it doesn't make this easy to deal with," I replied simply, my tone even. I turned to walk back inside; I wanted to pay my respects to the other roleholders who had helped me in the fight…
The second to last chapter is up!~ Thank you for reading this far if you have. Please let me know your thoughts so far.