Chapter 13: Tug of War

I am very sorry for the late update. Had been busy with college stuffs and commissions. I wish I have time to draw for this story though, I want you guys to see Remy in Mini-Gowland outfit. I guess I'll re-check my schedule and commishes and see if I can draw her. Oh and finals coming up next week :'D

I hope I can do great :'D

Disclaimer: I don't own HNKNA or any characters in it, they belong to Quinrose. I only own my characters and this story.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you."

"What do you want?"

"I can't visit my friend?"

"Is it about Alice?"

"You know who it is about."

Peter pulled his lips shut.

Nightmare smirked.

"What is it, White? Feeling guilty?" asked Nightmare.

Peter didn't answer.

Nightmare flew around the dream realm relaxingly.

"Did you know, White? The swan knew of the little duckling."

Peter looked surprised.

Nightmare chuckled.

"You told her?!"

Nightmare eyed him, "Would it be better if she knew you are the one who caused all of this?"

Peter clenched his teeth.

Nightmare tilted his head a bit. "So do I. And you know what I did?"

"...What." Peter muttered.

"I lied."

Peter blinked.

"Because you're important. Peter White." Nightmare said, he had stopped flying around.

"But why?" Peter asked again.

Nightmare didn't answer Peter's question. Instead, he said, "The hole opened by itself, she fell by herself, and crashed into a tree at the end of her fall. Peter White has nothing to do with it."

Peter thinned his lips. "But that's not what happened."

Nightmare gazed at him. "You have no idea who she is or why she's here, or why the hole opened. I don't too. No one does."

Peter's lips quivered a bit.

"That...is the truth." Nightmare looked away. 'Partially.' He thought.

Peter casted his eyes downward. He thought he could take the girl back into her own world.

"No. You can't." Nightmare abruptly said.

Peter looked back at him.

"...you can't take her."

Peter frowned. "Why?"

"Because that would make us traitors, White."

Pause.

"Imagine how Alice would feel. We are able to take the little girl back. But not her. What would she say?"

Pause.

"Exactly."

Peter gazed down again.

"Go with mine, White."

Peter glanced at Nightmare. "Why?"

"I already answered that."

"You didn't answer me completely. Please be honest with me." Peter said.

Then the dream started to fade.

"I will. Just...not now."

"Then when?"

"I'll let you know when I tell you."

Then everything faded to black.

Two days after that, err time changes after that, Remy was already feeling much better. She was still waiting for Nightmare, but she knew Nightmare also had some works to do, so she's not disappointed to wait for a few more days...or time changes. She had also gotten Pierce's hat and it was currently hung on the coat hanger. She also got her black dress back, which added to her happiness a bit. But Gowland and Patrick pouted when she voiced out the idea of her changing her outfit. They didn't say that they disagree, but she knew that they liked her outfit now. The only one agreed with her changing clothes was only Boris, though he didn't mention why.

She gave a thought about her dress. Well.. If she's going to be in this world for a pretty long time, she'll need to keep it clean and maintained. She already knew she could be a lost child anywhere in Wonderland since she didn't know her way here. So if she didn't wear it, that would be better, because that means there will be no cuts or mud will ever come and ruin her dress. She could keep the dress somewhere safe and wear it when she's ready to go home. The dress was, after all, the only thing left of her home. She wanted to keep it safe.

Boris left sometime in the afternoon to clean himself (Remy asked him to because there were dirt on his clothes), and came back in the next time change which was night (now) to find Remy fell asleep on the couch and no signs of the monkey anywhere.

Boris saw this as an opportunity and he grinned, showing his fangs. He walked up to her casually and carefully removed the book on her lap to the table. He then slipped his hands beneath her body and picked her up bridal style, with her good-side head leaning on his chest. He looked at the tiny form in his arms with a smile.

'You're coming with me Remy.' He thought.

Then he turned to leave but stopped when he saw a figure on the door. His eyes turned to slits for just a millisecond as the figure gasped.

"Where are you taking Lemy?!" Pierce squeaked.

Boris was using his rational thinking to refrain himself from jumping at the mouse because he had Remy in his arms. But he still managed to let a growl emerge from his throat.

"Move, mouse."

Pierce cowered. 'Why isn't he chasing me?' he thought. Then he stood a bit straight and held his ground. "N-No. I won't let you take her anywhere chu." He lowered his voice as he realized she was sleeping.

Boris scrunched up his nose, "Move. I don't want to drop her on the floor."

"I'm not letting you take her and eat her chu."

Boris blinked. 'Who was going to her eat her?' he thought.

He was only taking her to his room so that she can give him more affection in a more comfortable place. He didn't like the infirmary, and the couch was a bit too small for him that he had to raise his legs up when he lied down, and that strained his hips a little. And the bed in the resting room wasn't comfy enough for his taste.

"P-Put her on the couch chu."

"No."

"P-Put her down chu."

"No. Move or I'll really jump at you." Boris narrowed his eyes.

Pierce bit his lips and glanced at Remy. "N-No you won't chu. You're carrying her. You'll wake her if you jump on me."

Boris pushed his bottom lip up and positioned her in his arms so that he's carrying her like a child, chest to chest with him and with her chin resting on one of his shoulders. Then he pulled out his gun after freeing one of his hands from the hug. He wasn't going to shoot the mouse; just taunting.

"I'll shoot you. Move."

Pierce lips quivered. "Y-You won't, chu..."

"I will."

"You won't.."

"Don't test me, rodent!" Boris growled again.

"J-Just put her down chu!"

BANG

A cup of coffee. It was put by a pair of gloved hands on a white desk, beside a good lot-stack of papers. The cup was then picked up by another pair of hands and the content was sipped by a pair of thin pale blue lips in a little amount. A sigh then emerged.

"Ahh.. When can I go?"

"After your work is done."

"But this is too much!"

"You insist to finish all before she return."

"No I didn't!"

"Yes, you did."

Nightmare pouted and put the coffee down with a huff.

"I did offer to pick her for you." Gray said in a flat face.

"But I want to pick her up myself. She missed me so much." Nightmare took some papers and picked up the stamp.

Gray picked up some papers and checked the content before putting them in order. "Is she okay?" he asked.

Nightmare pressed the stamp on a paper and moved to the others, "Resting. She missed you too."

Gray paused for a moment before letting a small smile graced his lips.

"I like her too. And you can probably guess why I want to keep her here."

'Yes. To skip work.' Gray smiled.

Nightmare glanced at him and stop stamping, "That was mean." He pouted a little.

"But I guess, you won't be able to do that even though she's staying. She won't let you." Gray said, putting the ones he ordered by content beside the old stack of papers.

Nightmare pouted some more. He still remembered that. But then he smiled. Because he wasn't feeling down at all when he thought about the time she told him to finish his work. In fact, he was feeling excited. He could still remember her face clearly. His smile grew. She was so cute when she tried to act cool like that.

Gray chuckled seeing his master's expression. He knew his master was reminiscing. And it seemed that Gray was on the same wavelength with his master because, he also thought she was too cute to act all strict like that. He couldn't help but wonder what he would feel if she were to act like that to him too. Would he feel bad? Or would he show a face like his master too?

"Now now Gray. No need to get all curious. I'm sure you'll get your turn." Nightmare smirked.

Gray faked a coughed. "You can finish the first stack and have some sleep after. Consider your health."

Nightmare's lips grew, "Being a bit friendly are we?"

Gray glanced at his master. "She wouldn't want you overworked anyway."

Nightmare glanced away and snickered. He glanced to Gray again. "I agree."

Gray turned back and walked to the door. He opened it and looked back to his Master, "We will go tomorrow. Whether your work done or not." And then Gray closed the door, hearing a 'YAY' just before the door closed.

He walked down the hallway, at some point shaking his head. Actually, he missed her too. He liked her smile and friendliness she showed him at the garden, and he wanted to see more of that from her. He wanted to see her smile again, hear her laughter, and see her fiddled with something in her cute little hands. He felt his cheeks heating up a bit as he remembered their time at the garden. He couldn't wait to see her again, but he supposed until tomorrow, he would have to.

BANG BANG

CLANK CLANK

BANG

GRACK

"SQUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!"

"Quiet, pipsqueak! You're making too much noise!" Boris whispered-partly-yelled.

"But you're the one shooting at me!" Pierce whispered-partly-yelled back.

"Then leave!" Boris yelled.

"Shhhh chu!" Pierce whispered-partly-yelled at him.

Boris pulled his gun and swung a kick at Pierce's head. The mouse ducked behind the coffee table that he already turned into a temporary shield, still maintaining his position in line with the front door to stop the cat from escaping.

Boris stomped his foot on the table and pushed the table back. Pierce crouched down, maintaining his stand behind the round-shaped wood.

"I said move—a—wayy—" Boris muttered while still trying to push the table with his foot.

"N-No chuu~!" Pierce pressed his body firmly on his side of the table. "I won't let you!"

"She could wake up anytime and that—be—your—fault—"

"H-How is it my fault chuu?!"

"Shh!"

Pierce stood still immediately and Boris looked at the little girl in his arms in anxious. A moan just escaped her tiny pink lips. They both had seen her cry and they didn't want to see it again now. Pierce, because he didn't want to make her sad. And Boris, he didn't want her to be mad at him again or got kicked for the second time by a certain light brown monkey.

The cat watched as she stirred and moaned a little again and he felt his panic arises. Was she waking up? He then watched her snuggling her cheek to his shoulder and smiled happily.

He blinked. 'She's... She's still sleeping?' he thought. How can she still be sleeping? He's sure they made so much noise already.

"Did sh-she wake up chu..?" Pierce peeked from the upper side of the table.

Boris blinked his eyes. "N-No. I think..."

"Lemy chu~?" Pierce called.

"Hey! Don't wake her!" Boris looked at Pierce.

"Th-Then put her down chu! She's sleeping... We made many noises already I'm scared she will really wake up..." Pierce whispered.

"None of this would happen if you didn't step aside."

"But you were trying to eat her!"

"No I didn't! I was only taking her to my room!"

"That's even worse chu!"

Then they continued pushing and grunting against the table while still bickering in a whisper, yet partly yelling at the same time.

Patrick finished with his check up on the last Bump-Bump car ride and stood up. He stretched his hands up, straightened his back, and could hear his muscles making cracking sounds inside him. He let out a satisfied sigh. Then he crouched down and put his tools back into the tool box before leaving the area.

He looked up to the sky above him and noticed it was still night. 'A pretty long night. She must be hungry.' He thought.

He arrived at the food court and looked around. There weren't many customers left now that it's midnight. He looked to the stand where he usually buys sandwiches and noticed they were about to close. He hurriedly ran over.

"Hey wait up!" he shouted.

The male worker who was pulling the metal bars down stopped abruptly when he heard the shout.

"Oh hello doc!" he greeted. "We were about to close though." said the male worker.

"Oh come on! I just got back from checking the bump-bumps." Patrick argued.

"Aaah alright then... What would you like, doc?" asked the worker.

"Got eggs?" Patrick smiled.

"Move, rodent!"

"No! Stop yelling chu!"

Boris grunted and kicked the table before jumping to the right, making Pierce stumbled forward at the missing force on the other side.

"GYA!" Pierce yelled as he fell forward and on the table.

Boris snickered, "See ya." He then leapt toward the still-open door but was stopped again and immediately feel disgusted. "What the—GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

"No chu! I don't want to do this too!"

"URGGHHH"

Pierce had hugged him from behind and now circling his arms tightly around his stomach, his chin resting on his left shoulder. He felt disgusted at the position and used his free arm to push the mouse back by his forehead.

"GET. OFF." he yelled.

Pierce's ears twitched at the volume, "Shh chu! You'll wake her!" Pierce too, squeaked a bit too loud for Boris's ears. Not realizing that himself was only centimeters apart from Remy because her head rested on Boris's other shoulder.

Realizing another volume mistake, both men looked at Remy while still staggering around. Fearing she would wake up but also didn't want each other near.

Pierce didn't really want to do this and he wasn't hoping anything like this. His instinct told him to run away, but his mind told him to stay and protect Remy. He didn't like the cat, but he was carrying Lemy and if he didn't stop him, he would run out the door and that would even be too hard to stop him. He was only here to see Lemy again and apologize to her for leaving her in the forest. And probably also trying to listen to her heart again. But when he opened the door and saw her in the cat's arms, his felt his clock skipped a tick and unimaginable scenarios played inside his little head.

Boris wasn't hoping something like this would happen either. Like Pierce, Boris refused and was still refusing to submit himself to his instinct. He didn't want to drop her and make her angry at him again because he thought, she won't rub him again. He was annoyed by Pierce's presence here and was persuading his mind to not try and kill him and run away. But the mouse didn't want to let him go and that was starting to make him frustrated.

Boris growled and glared at him. Pierce saw this and tried his best not to squeak (too hard) because of his distance with Remy. But when Boris craned his arm and directed the gun right in front of his face, he screamed.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK~!"

BANG BANG

"So how's the little holder doin' doc?" asked the male worker.

"Getting better. And my life too if you're wondering." Answered Patrick.

The man laughed. "Because of her?"

Patrick smiled. "Partly."

"She's an interesting one then. I always wonder how's a holder from different land is like." The man muttered.

Patrick chuckled. He'll let them go on with the story that Kemy's an otherlander.

"I gave you extra egg tonight doc!" a woman appeared from the door behind the faceless man with a yellow and red paper bags. She wiggled the red one in her hands, "This one's for her~"

"Wow thanks!" Patrick replied, taking the bags. "She'll love it!"

The woman giggled cheerfully. "Make sure she's not sleeping too late doc! It's bad for her health."

"Hey, I'm the doctor here." Patrick replied, looking smug.

Both workers laughed.

"Doc! Doc!" shouted someone in a hurry behind Patrick.

"Hm?" Patrick turned around and saw some of the park workers running towards him looking panic.

"Doc! Doc!" the male workers called him.

"What? What?" Patrick gave them his full attention.

A female worker pointed somewhere, "We heard gunshots!"

"Eh? So? I don't care." The doctor shrugged.

"It's coming from the direction of the infirmary!" another male worker exclaimed.

"WHAT?!"

"Hey! Hey stop!" shouted Pierce, running behind Boris with his knives in hands.

Boris ran with one hand accommodating Remy's weight in his arms. It's a good thing she's so light, or else he wouldn't be able to get her this far from the infirmary while holding a gun in his other hand. But it's still a problem because the mouse was so persistent.

He looked behind his free shoulder to see Pierce hot on his tail. He made sure Remy's chin still rest on his shoulder with his gunned hand without looking and kept running. There were already so many loud noises going on around her and also those bumpy rides in Boris's arms because he was avoiding that mouse. She should've been awake by now and he figured she stayed quiet just because she's scared to do or say anything.

"Hang on Remy." Boris whispered.

He saw boxes stacked in front of one of the shops and made a dash for it. He leapt up the boxes one by one and jumped to the roof, put Remy down immediately but carefully and waited for the mouse to come up.

Pierce saw the cat leapt up to the shop roof and braced himself to climb too. But when he climbed the top box and popped his head up to see, a sole met his face hard and he fell along with the boxes with so many bumping and cracking noises.

"Gyaaa!"

Boris smirked when he saw the mouse lying on the floor and some of the boxes broken. That'll buy him some time. Then he turned back to check Remy.

"Remy?" he called, checking her and making sure her bandage was in good position and her limbs intact.

"Remy it's okay, you can open your eyes now." He said again after he saw no reactions from her.

When there was no sign of her responding again, he put his head on her chest to check her clock and make sure she's still alive.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He jolted. What was that? Her clock was ticking differently. It's heavier and seemed more... full, than any other clocks he ever heard in his life. He ever went to the other land as well and listened to a holder's clock before, and it wasn't supposed to sound like this. Is her clock broken? Was it because she was still wounded and not fully healed yet? He could feel slight panic rose from his middle section and found himself looking over the edge of the roof once again.

"Hey mouse!" he called Pierce.

Pierce was still recovering from his fall because he had bumped his head on the hard concrete floor. He was rubbing his head when the cat called him. He looked up and saw the cat looked in slight panic instead of irritated like a few minutes ago.

"Her clock's broken!" Boris shouted from the roof.

Still rubbing his head, Pierce tilted his head, "What clock chu..?"

Boris sighed. "Her clock, idiot."

This confused Pierce, because he knew she didn't have any clock inside her.

"How could she have clock inside her chu? She's a foreigner." Pierce replied.

Boris frowned at this. "What the hell are you talking about, of course anyone has a clock inside..." Boris paused and blinked as the last sentence registered into his mind. "Wait. WHAT?!"

Pierce blinked. Did the cat not know foreigners don't have clocks?

"No chu. Foreigners have hearts chu, not clocks. Don't you know that?" he didn't know the cat was stupid.

Boris looked at Remy with disbelief. So she's a... and he'd been... Boris's mind swarmed. How Patrick and Gowland treated her, how Gowland was teasing him about her, Patrick's reaction when he made her cry... And her head that had been bandaged ever since he saw her at the tower. When all of those memories replayed in his head, he finally got the connection. He couldn't believe it but it all made sense... that she's a foreigner.

Boris could only blink when he saw her stirred and smiled again, her eyes still closed. But Alice is the foreigner right? How could another foreigner join in the game? Was it because Alice had made her choice to be with someone? It had to be, right? Otherwise, Remy wouldn't be here.

He unconsciously smiled. He had a feeling that chosen one wasn't him. Because he only met Alice once in a while to help her with chores. Alice couldn't be choosing him, she probably only saw him as no more than a friend. And that's as far as they could go. As he could go. Just a friend. Somehow, thinking about it made his clock ache a little. He only saw her as a toy, right? So it shouldn't feel painful like this.

He casted his downward. No, this wasn't pain and it didn't feel painful at all. In fact, he was feeling more like... Disappointed. Yes. This was disappointment. He was disappointed by the thought of Alice choosing somebody else and not him, but he wasn't hurt. He was feeling... Rather calm. He didn't know why though.

He let his eyes wandered back to Remy, and he felt something spark in him as he heard her giggled with her eyes still closed. He didn't know why he felt okay with his thoughts of Alice, but his instincts lead him to some scraps and he felt himself understand a bit about the reason why. Maybe because Remy's here. She was here to help him get through this, his instincts told. She may be younger and all but, she's also the first person to rub his ears and said she liked that part of him and also forgave him for his mistakes. He felt..important..to her somehow. No one ever done that to him, no one ever made him feel that way. Well except for Alice. But she's off the hook now and all Boris saw was Remy.

And he smiled again. This time not a sad one. Because he got himself a new toy. A very interesting toy.

He let himself got back to his senses and watched Remy stirred again because of the uncomfortable position. He took her to his arms once again and examined her face. When he realized that she was still sleeping, he laughed lightly.

'She's sleeping like a log.' He thought and smiled.

Then something hit the back of his head and sent him back to reality once again.

"Put her down chu!" Pierce shouted behind him.

Boris looked over his shoulder and found out that the mouse had already reached the roof and was currently trying to get all of his body up, because the rest was still hanging on the edge. Boris ignored him and jumped down. Pierce gasped and let himself fall. They fell at the same time on their feet and started the chase again.

Pierce threw his knives when Boris tried to jump onto a dumpster to climb another roof. He didn't want to have to fall again and bump his head on the solid concrete for the second time. It hurt a lot. "Stop chu! Please!"

"No! You stop!" Boris pulled out his gun and checked his ammo while still running.

"No!" Pierce shouted and pulled his knives to block another bullet.

They ran around and unconsciously went back to the direction of the infirmary. Then Boris shot his remaining bullets to Pierce, determined to end this chase and resumed what he was going to do earlier. Didn't even mind to check Remy first because he was sure that she will still going to be asleep.

BANG BANG

CLINK

"Stop chuu!" Pierce squeaked. He deflected the first bullet coming straight for his head and dodged the second one to his left. He didn't know how many times he had been screaming, yelling, and shouting, but he's not going to stop until that damned cat put her back in the infirmary or he had her in his arms. He missed Lemy so much and still felt guilty.

He stepped his sole forward and dashed to the cat.

Patrick and some workers ran to the infirmary in time to spot the cat fighting another role holder. He watched their battle from the sidelines with the other workers and noticed that the other holder was Pierce Villiers, the dormouse. Patrick squinted his eyes when he spotted something covering Boris's left front. It was something like a doll, with clothes similar to Jemy's, black hair, and a bandage on the doll's head. He felt that the doll Boris was carrying was a lot like Hemy, almost too similar indeed. But when he realized that it wasn't a doll and it's the real Remy, he was mortified.

It did not take long for him to let the banshee loose.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRKKKKKK!"

The volume was so intensifyingly loud, high-pitched, yet raspy, and soooo similar to a monkey when they're angry. And because of how deafening the scream was, it made all lives within its vicinity stopped dead in their tracks.

The workers covered their ears and were forced to kneel down while the other two animal holders went to a seizure for a few seconds.

The killing shrill went on for approximately 6 seconds and then it was over. And three birds and two bats fell down to the pavement near them after that. Presumably dead.

Boris stood still, looking rather half dead with his mouth hanging open while Pierce spun and running around while rubbing his head and ears. Pierce rammed into the infirmary wall and squeaked when he crashed, but he stood up immediately, still wobbly and staggering. Clearly still in the crazy mode. And then he turned around and rammed into Boris with as much force as he did with the wall. The force shocked Boris and panic rushed up in an instant that he acted on instinct and instantly threw his arms in the air as he flew backwards and fell with Pierce on top of him.

Boris didn't grasp the reality at the tiny bit that time. He didn't remember what he was carrying or the fact that he was even carrying anything. So when he threw up his arms in the air, he didn't know that he had thrown his gun and also Remy. He's unconscious the moment his head hit the pavement.

When he saw that Remy's form flew from Boris's arms, Patrick gasped and screamed her name.

"REMY!"

All happened in slow motion.

One of the workers recovered from his daze in time to see the little girl flying a few feet in the air. He reacted in an instant. He dashed to her and leapt forward while reaching out both of his arms. He caught her in time just before she hit the ground.

It happened so fast that Patrick did not have the chance to blink at all or catch his breath. He watched as the male faceless stopped and knelt.

The male worker examined her face for a few seconds, noticing her eyes closed and her lips parted a bit. When he's sure she's still breathing, he looked back and gave a thumb up.

Patrick sucked in a breath and let out a deep sigh.