Chapter 4: Alice in Wonderland

'I have to say, when I was reborn I thought to have reached the top of absurdness. When I found myself in a different era, that mountain gained another level to climb.

My brain couldn't picture something weirder than that until the day it was time to go outdoors.

...

I better stop climbing it...at this rate I'm going to reach space'

'367 days, four hours, twenty minutes, seconds whatsoever and still counting'

Kim sighed while looking once again at the calendar on the nightstand, the crib she was in getting smaller and smaller as days kept passing by.

The girl didn´t know how much she had looked at it already, some times out of boredom, others simply because she couldn't stand doing nothing. She was aware of something though - the impossibility of coping with her death and the reincarnation that followed after.

Not even a single day Kim went to sleep without wishing to wake up amidst the sheets of her comfy bed inside her apartment in Broadway, being her old self again and dismissing what has happened as a crazy dream. Heck, the young woman even goes through all the material she remembers from her days as a law student in case she miraculously returns and has to start working again.

'It just feels so…surreal' - she thinks as looking up into nothingness - her most recent hobby to pass the time and not going nuts in the long process that is waiting for something to happen.

At least, it wasn't all bad news.

Thanks to the whole year that had passed the girl was finally learning, in other words, understanding a little bit more about her surroundings. She has to admit, a good thing about being a baby is how easily they catch up on things.

For starters, the foreign language wasn't strange anymore. Listening to it twenty four-seven helped her pick up some of the most common words in a conversation, which she practices every day.

Oh yeah, she talked. Not in the fluent and perfect way she desired to, but the path that took there was getting shorter with every memorized syllable.

Opposite to what many people think, her first word was neither 'mama' nor 'papa', nor any of their variants.

(It was around seven in the evening, the first signs of nightlife could be heard in every corner of the neighborhood's streets, including their house.

She was sitting in the dining room, the table already set for yet another meal between her and her female caretaker. Since a month ago breast feeding hasn't been her only way of eating, which she is really glad about - having porridge was much better than nipples after all.

"Here you have Christa-chan" - The young woman she has gotten used to live with came near the baby chair and deposited a small plate in front of her, the smell of milk and oatmeal filling her senses and waking up her stomach.

"...thanks"

"You're wel-...eh?" - Aquamarine eyes suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her once more, the face they belonged to pretty stunned, as if she couldn't believe what she just heard.

The girl just looked back at the woman with her characteristic flat expression, somewhere in the back of her mind wondering if she has other face at all.

A pair of slender arms pulled Kim out of the chair and kept her in midair.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"B-baby, did you just talk?"

There was no response)

She also came to learn more about the adult couple that looked after her.

The woman's name was Monique and as expected, she was in her mid-twenties. She had no other job apart from being a housewife, and as far as she was concerned, didn't have any close relative around.

Monique was someone very patient and kind. Many people often paid her a visit so she didn't feel alone while her husband was absent and she treated them all in the same polite and friendly manner.

Moreover, the lady didn't seem to care about her 'supposed daughter' not being a normal baby. She just left Kim be, something the girl really appreciated.

Then…there was the 'smiling weirdo'.

Kimberly merely saw the man for half a year, so she only gathered some information about him. She knew his name was Franz and that he was around his wife's age. He appeared to be someone a little childish and...quite forgetful, Kim lost count of how many times she saw the auburn haired man getting entertained with some activity while doing something else, completely forgetting his previous task.

His job was still a mystery to her. She only knew it was something that required him traveling a lot. It had been almost another six months since the last time she saw him and not even a sign of his wellbeing had arrived.

'Not that I really care' - she remembered to herself

"Christa-chan!" - Monique's voice rose from the corner of the room, making her sit on the crib. Kim hated being addressed as Christa. That wasn´t her name, it would never be, she still was another person after all. But well…she had to respond to it, less she wanted to raise suspicion among her caretakers.

The wooden door opened slowly, revealing the woman in question in her casual clothes - a long dress that matched her beautiful eyes with white borders and a pair of leather sandals. Her shoulder length hair was tied in a low ponytail with her bang to the left side.

An empty bag was in her right hand.

"Christa-chan!" - She beamed at her - "Let´s get you dressed, we're going out for some errands"

At this, the girl blinked - 'Out? As in out, out?'

…

Well, she wanted something different to happen. Better take the opportunity.

Sunlight touched her face gently, making her squint her eyes for a few seconds. Being almost all year under a roof proved to be unhealthy for both your sight and skin in this place.

Because she had realized it, wherever the hell god decided to send her to, it didn't have winter at all. There was sometimes when it rained a little, but most of the year it was either sunny and windy days or sunny and warm ones.

Today was the latter.

"Let's go" - The familiar sound of Monique's voice rumbled in her chest, where Kim was positioned thanks to the woman's arms. Her tiny hands grabbed the smooth fabric of her dress, while wondering when she will be allowed to walk outside again. She has done it within the house already, but due to her lack of stamina, tiredness takes over her after some minutes so she has to have an accessible place for resting near.

No matter how appealing the idea of gaining a little more independence sounded, she'll have to wait for a little longer before being able to walk around by her own again.

With that sour thought, Kim and Monique adventured themselves in the streets.

…

The girl had all of her senses sharp to the core, studying even the minimal detail that crossed her range of view.

The city was bustling with activity in every corner. Wherever she looked at, diverse types of nutrients, fabrics and other knickknacks were being sold. People were running around with boxes full of yet more merchandise, not even paying attention to where they were going. Even a man nearly tackled them with his wheelbarrow, if it weren't for Monique and her cat like reflexes, they now would be two-dimensional road kills.

'It reminds me of New York' - Kim thought with amusement, but as soon as the idea filled her mind a tug of sadness invaded her heart, making her shake her head rapidly to clear it. Now it wasn't the time for being depressed.

…

'Sightseeing it is then'

…

The city looked pretty antique. All the buildings were paved with bricks that went from bluish gray to red and the doors and windows were made of different kinds of wood. Every now and then, glass could be seen instead, but only in those constructions that seemed above average, richer.

Her interest got stronger when examining pedestrians' clothes - you could either see people walking around in old styled dresses and suits, or wearing shorts, T-shirts, pants...and-

'There's even a woman with nothing but the upper part of a bikini and a skirt that can be considered public indecency back at home. Seriously, this place is bipolar when concerning timelines. What's gonna be next then, horses with tires?'

Kim sighed, deciding to leave the year problem behind for a while and choosing to listen to what the sellers were saying instead, just to see how far she has gotten in the new language stuff.

"Come and buy the best fabric you can find in the market! Straight from Alabasta!"

"Gyojin Island's seaweed is at half price today!"

"If someone is interested in buying Ohara's latest publications, please come here!"

Her face scrunched in confusion

…

'I haven't heard about any of those places before' - was she understanding correctly? Her gut was telling her she was, but she didn't know what more to expect of this crazy world.

'I mean, I shouldn't be surprised but, didn´t gyojin mean triton…or fish-man? It has to be a metaphorical name...right?' - Kim really wasn't in the mood for more ridiculousness, she's had enough, thank you very much.

"There's our destination~" - Monique singsonged, striding confidently to a brown building that seemed rather small in comparison to the others.

Kim couldn't help but be curious.

The brunette pushed the door opened and the chiming of a bell made presence above the female duo.

Sweet shadow and cooler temperature were the first ones to receive them inside what appeared to be a tailor's shop. Tons and tons of colorful fabrics were neatly lying on top of numerous shelves that adorned the walls, and dummies were around showing both finished and unfinished outfits.

"Ariatte-san, are you here?" - Her caretaker asked while searching for the person in question.

"Ah, Monique!" - An incomprehensible huge bun of white hair that almost gave Kim a heart attack showed up from behind a desk not too far from the entrance. Said bun began to bounce in their direction until it revealed the small figure of an old, hunched lady - "I've been waiting for you"

Kimberly realized this woman's body only reached the brunette's waist, being the rest of her full size a massive hairy onion.

…

'It's like she is made of a 30% flesh and a 70% hair'

…

A pair of closed, wrinkled eyes looked up at her - "And I suppose this is the famous Christa-chan I always hear about hm?"

"That's her all right!" - Monique's eyes were practically sparkling, she really was in a good humor today - "What do you have in mind?"

Ariatte remained quiet for a few seconds, just staring at her while rubbing her chin in thought. Kim was starting to feel uncomfortable when a short hum cut through the silence and the old woman put her left fisted hand on top of her right palm, as if realization had suddenly come to her - "Ooh, I know what creations of mine will be perfect for this cutie. Monique, dear, follow me"

…

'So I'm here for new clothes. Kinda lame if I'm sincere'

…

The brunette did as told, following the living bun to the back of the store, reaching another room where childish garments were on display.

After some words between the adults, Monique lowered her baby form down so she could help Ariatte with some heavy bags. Seeing the pair distracted, the girl took the opportunity to wander around.

She didn't have the intention of investigating the place; both rooms were pretty much the same. She just wanted to stretch her legs for a while. And that's when out of the corner of her eyes she noted something different.

Turning her head to the right, among the shelves of clothes, a big rectangular mirror could be seen.

An abrupt desire of coming close to it rose inside Kim's chest, tugging at her heart and making her feel nervous. Just a single thought was dancing around her mind in that moment.

'I...I haven't seen what do I look like yet, have I?'

Fisting her hands at both sides of her body she slowly walked to it, the feeling of uneasiness never leaving her. She really didn't wish to see what the inevitable fact was, so she lowered her head, her eyes strongly staring at the floor.

She stopped walking when the base of the mirror stood in front of her tiny feet. A part of her made her head to move upward, but another made her shut her eyes.

…

'In, out, in, out, in, out'

…

She slowly opened them.

Staring back at her, a small figure wearing a pink floral dress and yellow sandals was standing. Hair that used to be the most beautiful shade of black once, was now a lighter copy of her female caretaker's - if Monique's locks were like chocolate, then hers were cinnamon. It was yet too short, curls only reaching her ears.

Her beautiful slightly tanned skin was also gone, replaced with a hideous pale one result of not going out so much.

Chubbiness could be the only thing that described her face in that moment, if it weren't for the big pair of shocked and disappointed orbs that were confronting her back.

"Purple…" - The girl said in nothing but a whisper, feeling the whole world crashing on her.

Where were her striking blue eyes? Where was her adult self? Where was her always confident expression? There was nothing in the reflection but an infant at the shed of tears.

…

"Where am I?"

That day didn't end well for her. The wound of being in a different body and world was still too fresh. Her reflection only made it open again.

A whole pack of Kimberly Liam's old memories assaulted her - her family, friends, school years, dream work, hobbies - and not being able to resist the pain inside her heart, she cried.

Monique obviously didn't know what happened all of a sudden, and tried her best to comfort 'her baby' hugging her and humming soothing words in her ears until the tiredness that came after so much crying took over Kim, making her fall asleep.

Looking back at the time she feels really embarrassed about having let her guard down like that. But she has to admit, venting her feelings made the tug in her heart lessen a little...along with Monique's warm.

Three days have passed since the shopping event and the girl, having cleared her mind a little, reached the conclusion to look into the past the less possible and entertain herself with the wonders this new world has.

That's why she was sitting in the living room with an open book on her lap.

'The world's geography' was an old volume Kim found the day before inside Franz and Monique's bedroom, among others which also were on her 'to read' list. It seemed a good opportunity to finally answer part of the questions about her current location, so she asked the brunette to give it to her.

It was kind of amusing seeing how the young woman thought she was just borrowing it to see the drawings in it, but that didn't matter as long as she had the book.

The first thing noticeable when opening it was how the pages were completely written in English. Positive and lucky fact for her, but also confusing considering these people's dialect was entirely different.

'How can they read this? Do they see the words in English and then translate them into their language, or is English a second language here?' - were some of her thoughts about it.

While reading the introductory chapter, Kim realized she was correct about not being on planet Earth anymore. Said chapter gave a summary of how the world was divided, describing it was composed in its majority by water, being bifurcated by a massive conglomeration of mountains called the Red Line.

Flowing perpendicularly to the range was a big ocean called the Grand Line, which splits the planet into four main sections or seas - North Blue (where she apparently was according to a red dot on a map), East Blue, West Blue and South Blue. Each sea has several islands in them, where the whole population lives.

The Grand Line was located between two water circles - the Calm Belts - which were very peculiar for not presenting even a single meteorological phenomenon, like rain or wind.

…

'Then how can one navigate through them!?'

…

The more Kim read, the less she understood. She was prepared for some kind of 'Alice in Wonderland' stuff, but this was way out of her league. Too much information.

She sighed while closing the book. Maybe she could be more open minded at night.

…

'I guess it has to be step by step'

…

Silence involved her when she lost herself in thought trying to memorize the tips she just read. Her recently found out purple eyes closed with her eyebrows furrowed in deepest concentration.

"...ru"

'I have a long way to go before getting the hang of it'

"...rupuru"

'Geography's not going to be enough, I need to read more about different topics'

"..purupurupuru"

'Maybe go to a library and buy some-'

"..purupurupurupuru"

'Some-'

"purupurupurupurupuru"

'OKAY, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT FUCKING SOUND, PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO THINK OVER HERE!' - adopting what she assumed to be her baby version of an irked face, Kim rapidly turned her head around looking for the source of her displeasure. However, hurried steps on the floor made the girl snap her attention to Monique, who was at the door panting but with a big smile on her face.

"Christa-chan! Come quickly, daddy's calling!"

She has never been in this part of the house before.

Oppositely to what Kim originally thought Franz's office wasn't a total mess. Some forgotten papers were scattered around, but apart from that the room was quite tidied. It was a spacious place with bookshelves at both sides of it, and the girl acknowledged that maybe all of the volumes she saw the day before belonged to the empty spaces in them.

Back at the end, a wooden desk was located.

The subtle smell of ink would have been the most characteristic aspect of the office, if it weren't for that constant annoying sound.

"purupuruprupurupuru"

Monique strode elegantly to the desk with Kim in her arms, said girl looking for the source of her growing headache.

Baby eyes stopped their search when a peculiar object caught her attention.

Resting on the wooden surface, 'puruing' nonstop, was a snail.

The little brunette stared at the creature with critical intensity, boring holes in it. Mister snail was of a dark reddish-brown color, while its enclosing spiral shell was white with some light-blue straps at the borders.

For the first time in both her lives Kim was fixated with this animal, because no matter what, snails weren't supposed to mouth even a single syllable, let alone words, with their 'human like lips'. But the most remarkable detail was without any doubt the display of numbers it had at one side of the white shell, as though imitating the ones of a phone.

Her face scrunched in exasperation - 'Please no...no more. I'll behave, I'll be a good girl, just don't turn this into a communication device' - the voice inside her head seemed almost pleading, if not a little bit irked.

Monique reached for the upper part of the shell and as soon as she did this, the snail opened its eyes while mouthing a short 'kaccha'.

"Ah Monique, you answered!" - a very familiar and enthusiastic voice came out of the apparently electronic creature, and the girl realized it was none other than the 'smiling weirdo'.

…

'Well fuck'

…

"Franz!" - Said female said while drawing what turned out to be the microphone closer to her rosy lips, the glint of aquamarine orbs showing nothing but pure relieve at her husband's voice - "How's work at South Blue going? Too much for you?"

The snail laughed, actually laughed, before adopting a smug expression - "Impossible! Those wannabees didn't even know how to fire a gun properly. Of course they meant nothing against my amazing skills"

Kimberly didn't know why, but a part of her was sure he was partially lying. Her caretaker seemed to agree with her as she arched a neat eyebrow and smiled mischievously to the person behind the phone - "Oh really? And here I was getting the feeling you acted recklessly at some point and Tsuru Chujo* had to intervene"

The slimy creature gawked and jerked its head at that statement, then as soon as it came, it disappeared to be replaced with a tense smile. She could also swear the animal was sweating - "Wh-what?! Of course that didn't happen! I'm not that dumb, he..hehehe"

Now it was the girl´s turn to gawk - 'He sucks at prevarication! I can't even picture him on trial!'

The young man coughed purposely before his wife could muster another sentence - "Anyway, is my little angel there with you?"

"Right in front. Come on Chri-chan, say hello to daddy"

"...hi" - she couldn't have been more dull when saying it, but the fact she was talking to a phone like snail that acted like Franz in all senses was driving her crazy.

…

'I'm starting to think being inside the womb wasn't a bad life'

…

There was no immediate response, the phone just stared at her for a whole minute before the characteristic giant smile the auburn haired man had placed itself on the snail's lips, but it wasn't as brightening as the original - 'Guess some things can't be duplicated'

Its eyes were literally sparkling.

"CHRI-CHAN YOU CAN TALK ALREADY! AS EXPECTED FROM MY DAUGHTER! DADDY'S SO HAPPY HE WANTS TO CRY!"

'The snail's already doing it though' - she thought while dodging the waterfalls in front of her - 'Seriously, how is this thing mimicking him!?'

"Hey, dear?" - Monique's voice was lower now and Kim had the impression her hold on her tightened a little - "Since you're done there, are you coming home again?"

The weeping stopped abruptly.

Something in the brunette's words made the man's enthusiasm to fade away straight off, adopting a serious and somewhat regretful face instead. Seconds turned into minutes, and the girl didn't need more to know his inevitable answer - "...No, I won't be able to return for a while. The Grand Line has been quite chaotic as of late, therefore I was ordered to head toward headquarters, looks like we have another mission" - A long, tired sigh reached their ears - "I'm really, really sorry"

"Oh..don't be, it's work after all right?" - Albeit the cheering tone, aquamarine eyes were doing their best to hide their disappointment and longing. She was also giving her best for her husband's sake and Kim's respect for her shot up, quite frankly.

"You...you sure?"

"Of course! Just...keep calling once in a while ok? We need to know how much trouble you cause to your superiors"

Instead of arguing about that not being true, Franz chuckled, and the tense atmosphere that shortly reigned over the room vanished completely. It was incredible how smoothly Monique could jolly people up - "I'll always contact you two, no matter what. Also, Chri-chan…"

Her head cocked to a side, she wasn't expecting him to address her when both adults were having such a personal moment - "..hm?"

"Happy belated birthday" - he said with such a fatherly and warming tone Kim's chest started to hurt again, remembering soldier strong arms around her and beautiful blue eyes - "Sorry I couldn't make on time"

"It's fine" - she didn't care. Actually she forgot her 'birthday' was on March, only acknowledging is been a year since the beginning of this nightmare. She remembers Monique making her a cake a few days ago and not complaining about anything she asked for.

…

'March the second I think. Maybe that's the date'

…

"Sir, my apologies but we need you on deck" - another male voice, this one more distant, interrupted whatever he was about to say next. He sighed.

"What is it?"

"Sir, did you forget?"

"Huh? What?"

"..You have Tsuru Chujo waiting for you upstairs...since an hour ago"

"..."

"..."

Maybe it was her imagination, but the snail started to turn white, trembling and sweating rivers with its mouth gaping completely.

"Ah...I TOTALLY FORGOT! SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

"Sir…"

"Monique, Chri-chan, I have to go, but don't worry we'll talk later very soon I promise!" - The speed with he was saying all of that was amazing.

"Mm! Take care!" - The brunette wasn't even reacting, as if she was used to it, making the girl wonder just how much forgetful the weirdo could be.

The last thing they heard was a loud 'Tsuru Chujo!' before the end of the call.

Then, there were just the two of them again.

"Hey" - Monique looked down at her when her high pitched voice made presence in the room.

"What is it baby?"

Kimberly just pointed a finger at the once again sleeping creature. Her face one of confusion mixed with exasperation. She was not pouting - "What's that?"

He's curious.

Big curious eyes watch with amazement from his mother's arms how more chained people make their way into his home. All of them are sad, about to cry.

He can't help it when a big smile places itself on his little mouth, pure excitement and joy radiating from his small body.

'More toys!' is the only thing that runs around his infant mind.

He has more toys to play with. That makes him happy because he was getting bored of the old ones.

He doesn't understand why they are sad. Filthy humans are meant to be used and nothing more, at least that's what adults always say to him.

He'll be eaten by a D. if not, he doesn't want that.

He's above all of them after all, he´ll always be.

His life is perfect. He´s a god, nothing will change that.

'Ever'

'Everything is moving'

Sorry for the delay. This chapter should have been posted a few days ago, but I had some tests to take care of first (students' life sucks).

I'm off to a school trip next Sunday and I won't be back till a few days later so be patient.

PS: Chujo means Vice Admiral, but Christa doesn´t understand Japanese military terms yet, so she assumes the word´s part of Tsuru´s name.

Bye bye to you all

Majopi out!