Okay, I know I'm dreaming, Hikaru said looking at the bizarre scene in front of him. For one, there was a very tall person-thing, he can't really identify, panicking a few feet away from him. Actually the person-thing-animal, whatever, looked very familiar with the flowing white robe and that small black headdress but the long white and furry ears protruding on each side of his head where the human ears were supposed to be threw him off. What the hell is going in here?
"Oh no, we are really late!" the person-thing-animal creature jumped twenty feet into the air shocking Hikaru very, very much. "Very, very late! The Queen will have my head if take another second! Oh dear, oh dear!" Then the being turned to him making Hikaru start. He gulped.
"You! What are you doing standing there? We're late!" the creature threw its arms in the air in a panicky manner as it hopped towards him.
"Huh?" Hikaru was dumbfounded.
"What do you mean by 'huh'? Let's move! The Sorcerer will be arriving soon!" The rabbit-human was near hysterics.
"Wait, we? Why do I have to go too?" Hikaru backed away from the approaching bunny-person. "Who are this Queen and this Sorcerer? More importantly, what-who are you?" Hikaru asked pointing a finger at the creature. The rabbit thing sighed in exasperation. The Queen was so going to have his head for this!
"I'm the White Rabbit, Keeper of Time and Herald for the Queen of Wonderland. You may call me Sai," Sai said in a hurry as he hopped closer to the two toned haired young man. "You, dear boy, wanted an audience with the Sorcerer and since she's coming today, right now in fact, we arranged the meeting today. Now can you please move?"
"Why do I need to see a Sorcerer? All I need to do is wake up," Hikaru insisted. "And I thought the sorcerer is supposed to be a he?"
"Why do you need to wake up when you're already awake?" Sai asked genuinely confused. Then he shrieked when he saw his chain watch. "Never mind that! We have to go now! I don't want to lose my head!" Sai said grabbing Hikaru's hand dragged him with him. There was absolutely no time to waste!
Hikaru didn't have time to say anything when he was pulled towards a direction he didn't know. Everything looked the same! The sky was multicolored and cloudless. The trees all looked like lamp posts and were blue colored and the ground was white.
Eh? Hikaru looked at the ground again and blinked a few times. There under their feet was a path made out of yellow bricks. He swore it wasn't there before but he could hardly concentrate. Sai was pulling him so fast he didn't even notice the change of scenery.
"STOP!" A girl appeared out of nowhere in front of them. Hikaru slammed into Sai's back when he stopped suddenly and fell on his back on the bizarre pathway.
"Ow!" was all he could manage because he was stunned silent when he saw the girl. He was dead sure it was Akari. "Akari?" he called with uncertainty. Things were getting weirder by the second! The pink haired girl turned her head to him and frowned.
"Do I know you?" she asked. Hikaru looked at her more and realized she was clad in farmer's clothes with a straw hat on her head to finish the look. She was even chewing on a piece of straw. That was it, he was utterly and totally confused.
"Uh, you are Akari right? It's me, Hikaru," He asked.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure either. I lost my brain you see and I need to find it again. I can't remember a lot of things," she said solemnly. "Maybe I know you but I have to get my brain back to remember. Did you see a brain around here?" She asked hope shining in her eyes. Hikaru shook his head and her face dropped again. The rabbit, Sai, was frantic again.
"Oh forget about it! You can ask the Sorcerer for a new one. She's coming to the castle today and we need to get there now!" Sai practically shoved the time instrument onto Hikaru's face. He didn't see any numbers on it though.
"Really? The Sorcerer is here in Wonderland?" Akari's voice ecstatic. Sai nodded in a hurry and pulled Hikaru onto his feet again. "Alright! I will follow you then!" she announced and they were back on the run. Hikaru was still being pulled by Sai still. In a matter of seconds the scenery changed from a farmland to a forest. Hikaru wasn't sure whether they were moving too fast or the scene was moving past them. He still thought he was dreaming after all. Anything's possible in a dream.
The yellow brick path ended as they entered the forest. They paused again, but this time because there were two identical people standing on their way. Hikaru made sure he didn't bump into Sai but Akari bumped into him instead and he fell forward right beside the rabbit. He 'ow'-ed again.
"Akari, be careful where you run!" One of the twins shouted at the farmer-ish Akari and helped Hikaru up. Hikaru knew the voice very well and he was certain when he saw the face of the one helping him up. It was Waya.
"Waya! What are you doing here?" Hikaru was glad to see a familiar face who was actually acting like the Waya he knew. He looked at the other twin and realized that he looked exactly like Waya, maybe a bit different on skin tone and hair color but he was identical. The other Waya stared at his in surprise.
"Oh, you know his other name. Do you my other name?" he asked excitedly. Hikaru was confused. Where am I? He screamed inside his head.
"You're not Waya too?" He asked.
"Of course not silly. Our real names are different so why would our other name be the same," the other Waya said gleefully. Hikaru felt like he had lost footing to the real world.
"Okay, what's your real name then?" he felt like he was going to go wacko soon. At that question Waya and his look alike stood side by side and spoke.
"He's Tweedle Dee," Waya pointed to his look alike.
"And he's Tweedle Dum," the look alike pointed to Waya.
"His other name is Le Ping,"
"And his other name is Waya."
Hikaru's head spun for real. He couldn't separated the two anymore even though they look a bit different. Hey, they were wearing identical clothes.
"Stop, my head is spinning. Just stop talking." Hikaru had his eyes closed in attempt to get his thoughts together.
"Okay," said Le Ping.
"Just tell us when we can talk again," said Waya.
"We want to tell a story after all,"
"And we know you'll like it,"
"And you will like it,"
"Because it's a story for you after all,"
"And we didn't made it up,"
"It's a true story I saw!"
"No you didn't! I saw it!"
"No you did not! I saw it!"
And the two began to fight verbally much to the others' annoyance. You imagine Hikaru's eyes swirling in confusion, manga-like. He had totally lost it.
"Ignore them. They're not gonna care about anything once they start a fight," Akari urged the two to move. This time she pulled Hikaru instead, though she was just as fast as Sai was and Sai was hopping.
"Aah!" Sai suddenly screamed. He quickly hopped behind Akari and Hikaru. Hikaru was instantly on the alert. What kind of madness now? He thought exasperatedly. He was still trying to get it all in his head. He didn't even know how he got there. Heck, he wasn't even sure if he was dreaming or not. The pain from the falls felt real enough.
"Roar," someone actually said roar. "Roar! Uh, don't hurt me," the owner of the voice cowered in the shadow. Hikaru knew that voice as well. It sounded very much like Tsusui's voice…
"Waa! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" Hikaru walked closer and saw Tsusui in a lion suit. Okay, this is getting way out of hand for Kami's sake! Hikaru felt his brow ticking. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I won't hurt anyone. I can't hurt anyone." The lion-Tsusui actually sobbed.
"You are a lion you know," Hikaru said in a monotone. He can't say whether or not he's dreaming. He decided to accept whatever that comes. There was nothing else he could do. He can't really escape anymore. Maybe it is best to see this Sorcerer lady, he thought.
"I-I know but I'm not brave at all. I'm afraid of everything," Tsusui cowered. "I tried being brave but it doesn't work. I tried being a real lion and it doesn't work either." He sobbed again.
"Sai is afraid of you," Hikaru smiled kindly. And it worked. Tsusui stopped cowering and looked up at Hikaru.
"Really?"
"Yeah, look behind her. Sai's cowering in fear," Hikaru pointed at Akari's direction. The Rabbit man had taken refuge behind her instead. Seeing the cowering being Tsusui's face broke into a smile.
"You weren't scared though," he said as he stood up.
"There are still some who are scared so don't worry. How about this, come with us to see the Sorcerer. Maybe she can give you your bravery back," Hikaru suggested.
"Oh, the Sorcerer is here? I'll follow you then!" Tsusui said happily and he kept by Hikaru's side as he traipsed back to the other two. Sai whimpered and cried out loud.
"Waa! Make him stay away!" cried the scared rabbit. Hikaru could have laughed but the weird place seemed to have seeped his sense of humor away. "He's scary!" Sai cowered behind Akari. The action seemed to cheer Tsusui very much.
"He's not going to hurt you Sai. Now can we please get to the Queen's castle now? I really need answers now," Hikaru said to the cowering being. "By the way. I'm Hikaru," he introduced himself to Tsusui. It was weird but he knew that this Tsusui won't know his name. Much to his annoyance the rabbit shrieked again when he saw his chain watch. Tsusui didn't even get to properly greet him.
"We're late!" And they were on the move again. Hikaru felt like a piece of paper swaying in the air as they pulled him. Seriously, his feet never touched the ground. It was fair to say that Akari, or the Scarecrow-farmer, whatever, and Tsusui, the Cowardly Lion, were carrying him instead of pulling him. Suddenly, he was flying.
Hikaru was shocked. He was no longer carried by the Lion and the Scarecrow girl but instead he was being carried but someone in full armor-ish attire with a sword by his throat. He didn't have a better look at his kidnapper but the person (he hope it was human this time) stopped and turned back to the other three.
"Throw here every valuable thing you have and I'll let him live," Hikaru's capturer said and Hikaru rolled his eyes. He knew it. He knew it'd be someone he knew again and it was Mitani's turn. At least this Mitani is kinda like the Mitani I know. He values money…in a way worse way, Hikaru groaned.
"Oh stop it Mitani," Hikaru said swatting the hand holding the knife to his neck much to everyone's surprise. The others were already throwing stuff towards Mitani's direction. Mitani was looking at him with wide surprised eyes.
"How the hell did you know my name? Are you a spy sent by the villagers? I am not going back to cutting wood! I hate it!" Mitani shouted.
"What village? I'm not from any village. Heck, I don't even know how I got here in the first place!" Hikaru shouted back. His confusion fueling his anger. He had had enough if this madness. He wanted out. "And my name is Hikaru!"
"Oh, so you're not here to bring me back then?" Hikaru nodded. "Phew, and here I thought I was a goner. The village people want to melt me down since I'm always stealing. They say I don't have any virtue in me. They said I lost it," Mitani explained. "I don't know if they're right or wrong but I can't stop stealing. I must have lost my virtue…"
"Oh poor you," Akari said as she approached the two. Since Mitani was no longer hostile the other three went closer. "I lost something too." She said her tine sad.
"I-I lost something too," Tsusui added. "B-but we're going to see the Sorcerer and ask for new ones. Do you wanna come and see her too? Maybe she can give you your lost virtues back." Tsusui suggested. Mitani thought about it.
"Sounds good," Mitani agreed. "What did you guys lose anyway?" he asked the group.
"I lost my brain. Without it I can't remember many things so I need it back or else my farm would be in danger of overpopulation of crows." Akari answered without skipping a beat.
"I-I lost my bravery and I'm scared of everything. I want my bravery back so that I can protect myself and those good to me." Tsusui said. Then Mitani, the Tin Woodman turned to Hikaru and Sai and looked at them with expectant eyes.
"Well, I just want answers. I don't know how I got here and I want to go back to where I come from so I need to see the Sorcerer." Hikaru said.
"I'm just late for the meeting," Sai said good-naturedly and he shrieked again for the tenth, twentieth, well whatever number of time it was when he saw his watch again. "We're late! They Queen will have all our heads now! We must go!" And they were on the run again. In the shadows they didn't realize someone was following them on a horseback.
"Stop!" Hikaru shouted at the group. He was getting annoyed of being carried like a trunk over their heads. He had feet but the group under him didn't seem to have heard a single thing he said. He growled in frustration. "I said stop!" he tried again this time pulling at Akari's straw hat but she batted his hands away. He tried grabbing Tsusui's mane but again it was futile as the cowardly lion swatted his hand away. They he tried to pull any part of Mitani but the metal was solid and smooth that he could reach for anything to hold onto.
Feeling helpless he tried one last time. He struggled, moving from left to right, pinching hands and paws. He looked at the road and saw a fork. It didn't seem like the procession was going to stop anytime soon. He struggled harder and when the group reached the Y-junction, the swayed so low and lost their grip on Hikaru. Since their speed was so fast Hikaru was flung into the other path, entering new scenery.
"Damnit how many times do I have to fall, get thrown off and get hit today?" he was furious. He hurt all over and he was lost. He turned back towards the direction he came flying from but he couldn't find a path. He turned around looking at other spots in case he mistook what he saw. But he was rolling so hard when he landed that he couldn't possibly tell where he came from. He was lost.
"What are ya lookin' for kid? Ya lost or sumthin'?" a wheezy voice called to Hikaru. Hikaru groaned. Why, why Mr. Kawai? Why? What did he ever do to receive such a treatment? But then he thought back about all the things that had happened up till then. None of them seemed to recognize him except for the rabbit, Sai. Hikaru turned to face Mr. Kawai.
And his jaw dropped, literally. Mr. Kawai was in a cat suit.
It. Was. Horrible.
And Hikaru blacked out.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean ta scare him! Please, do I look scary ta ya at all? Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" Hikaru heard the distress in Mr. Kawai's voice. It was as if he was being threatened by something…or someone. He opened his eyes and saw something very peculiar. Mr. Kawai in a cat suit was peculiar enough but there pinning him against the tree he saw Mr. Kawai was perched on before he was out was a man in white armor. Battle armor like the one you see from medieval times. That person also had his naked sword against Mr. Kawai's neck. The man gulped again.
"He is not from around and you know better than to just show yourself out of thin air Cheshire. What if he died of shock?" a male's voice came from the armor but it was muffled. Hikaru couldn't tell whether or not he knew the owner of the voice.
"Oh calm down, Knight, he's fine. I can hear him breathin' from over here," Oh, so that's what he was. A Cheshire cat, Hikaru thought. "Besides, I'm da Guide to da Lost remember? The Queen appointed me that position right in front of ya," Mr. Kawai said in a smug manner. "I ain't like ya. I don't like stayin' cooped up in that stinkin' castle."
"You and I are nothing alike, Cheshire, but you forgot that it is my duty to see to it that all of you stay in line," the man called Knight hissed from under his helmet. "You don't want to lose your head like those gardeners who painted the Queen's roses red now do you?" Cheshire gulped loudly. "Or do you want to end up like Humpty Dumpty? Falling off a wall and breaking into many pieces? I can make that happen as well."
"No thanks. I like ma neck thanks very much. I already lost seven lives to 'er." Mr. Kawai gulped again. Hikaru gathered that Mr. Kawai was very, very scared of the Queen.
"Good," Knight let the feline man go. "Stick with whatever duty it was you were given. Do not scare him anymore." He turned to look at Hikaru. Hikaru could tell the knight was surprised by his consciousness by the way his body froze but the knight didn't say anything. He simply turned and left the puzzled two toned haired male.
"Heh, you're awake kid," Mr. Kawai stated. Hikaru turned his gaze from the spot where the Knight vanished to the man in the cat suit. It was still a freaky sight but he had to endure. Maybe he could get some answers from uh… Mr. Kawai the Cheshire cat? He approached Hikaru and offered a hand- ehem, paw. Hikaru carefully took the paw and Mr. Kawai helped him up.
"Thanks," Hikaru said with uncertainty. "Um, who are you?" he asked.
"Haha! I'm da Cheshire cat! Guide to da lost ones and Keeper of Secrets," Mr. Kawai said proudly but pretty much was like the Mr. Kawai Hikaru knew. "And since I keep secrets I ain't telling ya nothin'. I love ma head very," Mr. Kawai warned him. Huh, can he read minds too? Hikaru thought.
"Okay, I won't ask about this place then," Hikaru agreed, "but I still need directions. I seriously don't know where I am right now," Hikaru's tone was desperate. Mr. Kawai- Cheshire, whichever, smiled widely almost scaring the wit out of the young man.
"Hat! I knew it! Ya are lost! Alright, tell me where ya wanna go and I'll show da way," he grinned widely still after punching the air with a triumph look.
"Uh, I got separated from Sai, Akari and Tsusui," he saw the confused look on Mr. Kawai's face and quickly corrected, "I mean the White Rabbit, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion. We got separated at some junction and I was thrown into the other direction and I ended up here. I can't even see where the road was," Hikaru explained.
"Of course there's no road here. What d'you expect? This is Wonderland, da place where nothin' makes sense and all that are up are sideways and twirling!" Mr. Kawai guffawed seeing Hikaru's baffled expression. "Ya end up here from places ya don't know and walk in directions that make no sense. Then ya reach places ya never thought about and see people ya never seen before!"
"Okay, stop. I just wanna go to the Queen's palace! I'm supposed to see the Sorcerer and Sai, I mean the White Rabbit kept saying that we were late. Now can you please tell me how to get there?" Hikaru asked in frantic. Everything that had happened was beyond logical or even possible! He needed out NOW!
"Well why didn't ya say so? Of course I know how to get there. I am the Guide of-"
"Focus!" Hikaru was beyond irritated.
"Sheesh, you're not such a pleasant company you know," Mr. Kawai pouted. Hikaru tried very hard not to strangle the man-cat. "Okay, okay, calm down and be quiet."
"I am quiet," Hikaru hissed on to be shushed by the cat-man creature. Must. Calm. Down, he thought furiously.
"Listen," Mr. Kawai said in a hushed tone. Hikaru was puzzled. There was no one else there beside the two of them and they were the only ones talking. What did he expect Hikaru to hear?
Click, click. Click, click, click. Click. Click, click, click, click.
"That sounds like a Go piece hitting a Go board…" Hikaru said.
"Whatever you say but there is where you need to go. You'll find Caterpillar playing with rock. Just follow the sound," Mr. Kawai said.
"Okay, then what?" Hikaru asked.
"Well I can't tell you anymore than that."
"Why not?" Hikaru frowned.
"Because yer not lost anymore!" Mr. Kawai laughed.
"Huh?" Hikaru was confounded.
"Yer headed to the Caterpillar now so yer not lost anymore!"
"Fine but tell me one thing first. Who was the guy in the armor?" Hikaru asked.
"Why he's the Knight o'course," Mr. Kawai said in the way of speaking to a child.
"His name is Knight?" Hikaru's eyebrow rose questioningly.
"That's right," Mr. Kawai nodded.
"Well who is he? And what's his other name?" Hikaru asked.
"There now, I can't tell now can I? I told ya I can't tell ya them secrets I know," Mr. Kawai reminded him. "Now on yer way kid or ya'll be late and the Caterpillar will go to sleep." Hikaru 'eep'-ed and ran towards the sound. Mr. Kawai chuckled as he watched Hikaru leave. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the shadow that confronted him before follow the young man. Order from the Queen I guess, he thought with a shrug.
Hikaru of course was oblivious to his stalker. He just wanted to get home and nothing else mattered. He was following the sounds carefully that we moved slowly just to make sure he didn't get too far and miss the sound completely. This time he didn't miss the change of scenery. He walked till he was out of the forest and entered a tall grass field instead. Either the grasses were tall or he was small. He was still thinking it was all a dream so whichever doesn't matter. What he knew was he had to find the Sorcerer if he at least wanted to leave.
"Darn it, why did I miss that move? It was so obvious!" Hikaru heard someone grumbling behind the grasses. He moved past gigantic mushrooms and boulder sized balls of dirt, and of course boulder sized pebbles. It was hard to move past the grasses since they grew very close to each other and were surprisingly not flexible at all.
"Ugh, why do they have to be so solid? If I were my size I'd rip these things in a heartbeat," Hikaru complained aloud as he tried very hard to move the obstacles away. He was so close and he was desperate.
That's it, I've had enough! I'm charging right through these stupid grasses! Hikaru thought furiously and he built his momentum. He ran headlong against the leaves and out of nowhere a clearing appeared in front of him. He couldn't stop himself and hurled himself into the clearing. He fell face first into the ground and laid there motionless. Why do I always land on the ground? Why!
"Are you stupid or something? Don't keep lying down on ground like that," Yep, I knew it. I knew I'd know this voice too, Hikaru groaned inside. Why Ochi? He stayed still on the ground none the less. Ochi was a pleasant company when he wanted to be but most of the time he was the opposite. By the tone of his voice before Hikaru could tell it was the latter.
"What is it you're looking for kid?" Hikaru was enraged.
"I am not a kid! I'm older than you are!" Hikaru was instantly on his feet. What he saw nearly made him faint again. Now he knew why Ochi was called the Caterpillar. Many, many arms. Simply countless. And he was blue. All. Over! Hikaru took deep breaths to calm his heart and gather his thoughts. Oh, did he mention the other was sitting on a very large and very red mushroom? He bet it was a poisonous mushroom.
"Um, you're the Caterpillar right?" Hikaru asked uncertain of what else to say. Ochi the Caterpillar looked at him with irritated eyes. Oh wait, that was how Ochi look at everyone. Scratch that part.
"What are you gawking at? It's rude to stare," Ochi spat, "and you are no more than a third of my age boy."
"Okay. I'm sorry about that," Hikaru humbly apologized. "I just need help with directions," he said. He looked at Caterpillar Ochi and saw the Goban. The weirdest thing was, well considering the place it might not be something unusual, the pieces were multicolored. Every range of colors between red, blue and green. He starred then gathered his thoughts back. He shook his head. Not the time to think about Go, Hikaru thought. Or how bizarre their Go is…
"Where do you want to go?" Ochi asked in a bored tone as he turned back to his multicolored Go and began placing more colored stone. Hikaru noted how strange the placement was and how it made no practical sense at all. Oh yeah, I'm in Wonderland, he rolled his eyes. "Why are you staring at my game? Don't you want answers?" Ochi's tone was annoyed again.
"Sorry. I want to go to the Queen's castle. I am supposed to meet the Sorcerer who's coming today and I got separated from my friends. The Cheshire cat directed me to you instead of giving me a straight answer." Hikaru explained.
"There's no such thing as straight answers in Wonderland. No one in their right mind would ever give anyone a straight answer," Ochi was bored once again.
"Why not?"
"Because it won't be fun," Ochi said, "at least for them." Hikaru's eyebrow rose.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I hate being bothered so I say what people want to hear," Ochi answered. Inside Hikaru sighed in relief. Finally some who won't play games on him.
"Then, will you help me?" Hikaru's tone hopeful. Ochi took his eyes away from the board and looked at Hikaru, though his many, many hand didn't really stop. It disturbed Hikaru in a weird way.
"I will but I want to know something from you as well. An exchange if you please," Ochi said in a monotone. Hikaru was curious.
"I'll do the best I can to answer your question?" Hikaru said with uncertainty. Ochi seemed satisfied with his answer and nodded.
"I believe you haven't noticed Knight following you around," Ochi nodded toward the grasses behind Hikaru.
"What?" Hikaru turned and saw the man in armor from appearing from the grasses. Hikaru gaped. "You followed me after I met the cat?" Ochi snorted making Hikaru turn back to the blue being.
"Knight has been following you ever since you got here. You were so ignorant towards everything else that you didn't notice his presence at all. Not that I blame you much. White Rabbit can be a very distracting creature when he has his stupid watch. He is always saying that he's late for something," Ochi told him. Hikaru was once again confused but he turned back to the armored man. He was a much more pressing matter at the moment.
"You've been following me even before I met Mr. Kawai? Why?" He asked the armored man. Ochi snorted again irritating Hikaru very, very much.
"Do you know something I don't?" Hikaru asked heatedly. The question was directed at both of them but Ochi answered him.
"I do know more than you do boy. Don't bother asking him, he won't talk unless he's ordered too," Ochi answered. "He will keep you safe at the least. Now tell me, do you really want to go?" The tone made Hikaru froze thoughtfully. Ochi was asking him to think back his decision. Everything had been going so fast he hadn't had the chance to think about what happened before he realized he was there.
There was a voice at the back of his head nagging at him. He didn't hear that voice before because he was trying so hard… To do what? Why do I need to go to the Sorcerer? Where did I need to get back too?
Where is home?
Hikaru was immobilized by his thoughts. He can't remember. The people he had met so far he knew he remembered but where he was before he can't recall at all. Where did he want to go if he met the Sorcerer?
"I…don't know," Hikaru spoke after a moment of silence. Then the Knight spoke.
"You wish to stay?" The Knight sounded hopeful. Hikaru was surprised.
"Why should I stay?" Hikaru asked.
"Well, that is up to you," Ochi was the one who said that. "Why do you think you should stay? Why do you think you should leave? What are your reasons?" All those questions got Hikaru thinking hard. So hard that he actually sat down by the mushroom. That voice in his head, it made him feel things he didn't want to. It made him scared to go back to wherever he came from… but where did I came from? Ugh! I can't remember! Hikaru tore at his hair
"I can't remember anything from before I saw Sai! Someone tell me what happened!" Hikaru moaned in anguish. He can't remember and his subconscious doesn't want him to remember.
"Stop doing that," a kind voice called to him. He looked up and was shocked to see the Knight kneeling in front of him and pulling his arms down gently. His vision was blurry and he realized tears were pooled at the rim of his eyes. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
Hikaru wasn't surprised when the tone sounded familiar but for the love of Kami he couldn't place the owner of the voice with anyone from his memory. He knew he kept that person close to his heart.
"But I want to know what happened to me," his tone was somewhat whiny and he sobbed once. The man took off his gloves and caressed his face gently.
"You should let time recover your memory. Maybe what you really need is to forget right now," he said softly from behind the mask. Hikaru let the words sink and leaned into the man's hands. Finally, he nodded.
"Can I see your face?" Hikaru whispered at the male. The Knight froze for a moment but lightly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, it's not time for me to show you my face yet," he whispered back.
"Okay," Hikaru breathed.
"Rest now, I will be here when you wake up," Knight's voice lulled him to sleep. He crooned a low song for him and in minutes he was fast asleep against the armored male's shoulder. The Caterpillar, Ochi, watched them quietly but he spoke the moment Hikaru was unconscious.
"You're defying Her Majesty's order right now, you know," he stated. Knight scoffed.
"You don't know what her order was," he retorted.
"Don't I? You forgot Her Majesty appointed me the Keeper of Order and Regulations. I keep ever everything organized and I know the order of every occasion. My game is proof. I can still recall the game we had almost a millennia ago," Ochi said in the same monotone manner.
"Tch," Knight scoffed and stood up carrying the sleeping form of Hikaru bridal style. "She told me to stay by him and I not defy Her Majesty's command," he said and he went past the tall grasses to locate his horse. From ankles to the top the horse looked normal enough. But its hooves were clumps of cloud-like substance instead. It greeted its master and bent down to allow him and Hikaru onto it's back.
Hikaru woke up to the feeling of soft bobbing, like as if he was on a horseback. He was leaning against something metallic but it was considerably warm so he snuggled deeper and threw an arm around said warmth.
"You have to wake up now. We're reaching the Mad Hatter's house. The March Hare and Dormouse would be there too. It will be too loud to sleep," said a voice. The sound vibrated against the metal he was leaning against and in his haze he remembered Ochi, no, the Caterpillar.
"Where's Ochi?" he asked his voice heavy with sleep. He yawned but didn't open his eyes or try to move from his position.
"We left the Caterpillar a while ago," he answered. Hikaru felt a little surprised and irritated.
"Why?" he asked frowning a tad bit.
"Because I'm taking you to Her Majesty. It's faster this way than you having to ask everyone you meet. They would delay you rather than hasten your way," he answered.
"Guess you're right," Hikaru was being lulled to sleep again as he yawned widely one more time. He heard the male chuckle.
"You really should wake up. Two out of those three would go even madder if you are asleep," the Knight reminded him but he didn't care.
"Who are you talking about?" Hikaru asked. He felt himself waking up but he was too comfortable to open his eyes yet.
"Mad Hatter and March Hare. They are the talkative ones. Dormouse prefers to sleep rather than talk even through the ruckus the other two make. You won't be as lucky as her so you better wake up now," Knight explained.
"The Dormouse is a she?" Hikaru yawned once more and rubbed the sleep off his eyes. H opened his eyes only to see armor. He had expected it but to see the helmet so close to his face was a bit startling. "Uh, can you just back off a bit?" he whispered gently pushing the Knight away.
"My apologies," the Knight said softly and leaned back. Hikaru was a bit displeased when the Knight drew his arms away from him too but he didn't say it.
"Hey, can't you lift up your face protector a little bit?" The Knight sighed and shook his head. "Just a little bit? Please?" Hikaru pleaded. He was sure that if he could see the Knight's eyes he'd be rolling them. He could see so from his body language. "Please? I just wanna hear your voice clearly." He could practically see the Knight thinking.
"Fine, just a little bit," the Knight warned him but that was enough to get Hikaru elated. Hikaru leaned forward towards him and lifted his face protector high enough so he could see his lips. That was enough for him. He leaned closer and placed a chaste kiss on those lips. The Knight froze in shock but didn't do anything to Hikaru after he pulled away. He just stayed quiet.
"What was that for?" he asked after a while of silence. Hikaru could tell the male was stunned, heck he was red from head to toe.
"Um, a thank you I guess," Hikaru said so low the Knight almost missed the words.
"For…?"
"Helping me," Hikaru said in a hurry and quickly changed the subject. 'Ehem, where is the Mad Hatter's house? I thought you said we were close by," Hikaru made sure to look away when he said that. Why did he do that indeed.
"Right around that corner," the Knight said motioning to the turn right in front of them. Hikaru could hear an assortment of noises even before they reached the corner and it amplifies ten folds the moment they turned there. Right on the side of the straight road was a normal looking house but the sound coming from it was far from normal. Wonderland, Hikaru reminded himself.
"Try to ignore them. They might not bother us," the Knight whispered to him. Now that his lips were exposed Hikaru could feel his breath tickling his ear. He flushed again and tried to keep his heartbeat in check. Wonder why I'm so embarrassed now?
"Would it work? Ignoring them I mean," Hikaru whispered back trying not to look at the house they were approaching soon.
"Not really," and then they heard loud shrieking and before Hikaru knew it he was on the floor.
"There they are, there they are! The newlyweds!" Two voices chorused together on top of him. He knew their voices too. No surprises there. But what the hell are they talking about?
"Come one, come on! We have to celebrate your wedding!" They chorused again. Hikaru felt himself being lifted up by the shoulder and dragged through the gates of the house. He looked around and saw the cloud-horse thingy tied to a nearby tree and behind him the Knight was adjusting his helmet back on. He could tell the Knight was annoyed by the frown he was showing but he followed the small procession anyway.
"A wedding, a wedding, we're celebrating a wedding! Hurray!" The two sang very much off pitch. It was both annoying and amusing at the same time. The Hikaru realized that the two were Kaga and Tsubaki. Kaga was wearing a very large top hat and a very bright green waistcoat while Tsubaki had large grey ears where the ears should be and also wearing a waistcoat, dark green in his case.
"Wait, wait! Who got married?" Hikaru planted his feet in front of him to stop them from dragging him. The two looked at each other with an amused face and laughed out loud.
"Why you got married silly!" They exclaimed really, really loud.
"What? When the hell did that happen?" Hikaru pulled himself away from the two. "And whom did I marry?"
"Well just now. You and Knight kissed and now you're husband and, uhm," Kaga looked at Tsubaki, "say, he does look like the wifey type but he's no wife. What say you call him?"
"Nonsense! He's definitely a wife. What else would ya wanna call him?" Tsubaki said loudly. Hikaru had a bemused expression on his face. I'm the wife!
"We did not get married!" Hikaru practically screamed at them. They looked at him with confused expressions.
"But you kissed!" They threw their arms in the air to dramatize their words. "People kiss at weddings! So you two are married now!" And they were excited once more. And them being excited means they won't listen to a word Hikaru say anymore. They tried grabbing him once more but this time the Knight pulled him in his arms instead.
"Cut it out," he said clearly to the two and no one could miss the venom in his tone. But as Hikaru thought, the two were loonies. They were so crazy that even Knight couldn't stop them from grabbing them both and dragging them into the garden at the back of the house.
Knight didn't struggle though. Hikaru on the other hand was red from top to toe once again. They saw him kissing the Knight for Kami's sake! Who else saw them? Hikaru groaned in Knight's arms and buried his face into his armor. He was so embarrassed.
"Sit, sit! We shall celebrate with a tea party! March Hare! The tea please!" Kaga shouted as he forced Hikaru and Knight to sit side by side. He noted the scene. They were sitting by a very, very long table laden with nothing tea pots, tea cups and saucers, croissants, jam- well, everything needed for tea, but in a large quantity.
"Tea!" Tsubaki's booming tone reverberated in the air. He produced two sets of tea cups and saucers and poured hot, steaming tea into each cups. Kaga was buttering breads and spreading jam on it in a haphazardly then served them to the two in a hasty manner.
"Eat up! We have more especially since we're celebrating!" Tsubaki announced loudly. Hikaru stared at the wildly placed items in front of them and gulped. He did not want to eat nor drink anything they gave him. For sakes they looked as if they haven't left the place in weeks. Probably more than a few weeks. Years are more likely.
"Uh, no thanks. We'll just be on our way," Hikaru declined politely but that made them shriek instead.
"That ain't polite! You gotta eat or drink something when you're at someone else's house. That's the way to be a proper guest," Kaga looked like he was going to slay a few throats if he moved another inch. Hikaru fearing for his life sat down and slowly sipped a little bit of tea. Much to his amazement it tasted…good.
"Oh wow, this is really good," he said in wonder. Kaga and Tsubaki smiled widely.
"Care for more?"
"No, we are leaving now," the Knight spoke menacingly. But the Hare and the Hatter being mad just laugh what he said off. After all, they were stark crazy and cared for nothing at all.
"You know what, I wish the Cheshire cat had given me a different route instead of going to the Caterpillar," Hikaru grumbled so only the Knight would hear. Unknown to him another creature heard him and in a second the table was in shambles. Something was destroying the table.
"No! You mentioned cat!" Kaga screamed.
"Dormouse hates cats!" Tsubaki was hysterical. Then did Hikaru saw what was making the mess. It was a small girl. Upon closer look Hikaru realized that the Dormouse was actually Nase. Only thing was, she was the size of his palm and had big ears on top of her head and a tail swishing behind her.. She was shrieking all over the place and breaking everything while screaming,
"CAT!"
"Time to leave," the Knight said as he pulled Hikaru's arm and they bolted to the Knight's horse. Kaga and Tsubaki were too busy chasing Nase to notice them missing. They climbed onto the cloud horse in a hurry and were far away from the house in a minute. Once Hikaru's heart stopped beating too fast he burst out laughing. The Knight turned his head to him.
"Sorry, everything has been going so fast and when I think about it, it's been really funny," Hikaru tried to control his laughter but he laughed again, harder than before. The Knight smiled warmly.
"I'm glad you are cheerful," the Knight said. "Tell me, how I should call you?" he asked much to Hikaru's surprise.
"Eh, you don't know my name? I thought the Queen told you to stay by me. She must have told you my name," Hikaru said. The Knight shook his head.
"The Queen is queer in her ways. Her Majesty explained to me how you looked but she never told me your name," the Knight explained.
"Funny Queen you have," Hikaru noted much to the Knight's amusement.
"Her Majesty is like that,"
"But she can be a bit cruel. I mean with the beheading and all. It sounds horrible," Hikaru said.
"Ah, that. She's like that only if she's in one of her temper tantrums. The fall of Humpty Dumpty wasn't her doing. He fell singing a song and not watching where he was sitting. He's a weird thing," the Knight said. "And the gardeners, well, the fault was on both of them. I can't explain that one to you."
"Hm, it's okay I guess," Hikaru nodded, "call me Hikaru." He smiled at the armored man. "What about you? Don't you have another name like the others?" The Knight pursed his lips together at the question. Hikaru knew a refusal was coming.
"I'm sorry," he said and Hikaru hung his head.
"It's okay, I understand," Hikaru sighed. "So, are we headed straight to the castle now?"
"Hopefully," the Knight said confusing Hikaru a bit, "there are many distractions on the way to the castle." Hikaru shivered. He knew he wasn't going to get there soon. That would be just too easy. Hikaru frowned at the thought. It's like they're purposely out to get me!
"Say, if we're not interrupted on the road, how long would it take us to get to the Queen and the Sorcerer?" Hikaru wondered.
"A few hours at most," the Knight answered. Then they were quiet once again. Quiet made Hikaru think what had happened since he first remembered being there. His conversation with Ochi or the Caterpillar struck to him most. What he said almost made him remember how he got there but for the life of him he cannot remember…and it was at the tip of his tongue too at that time. He remembered not wanting to remember though. Something bad must have happened to him before he got there.
What could have happened to him that was so bad till he ended in the weirdest place imaginable? He was sure he was on a way somewhere and then here he was, standing in front of Sai the White Rabbit. He couldn't recall the person named Sai but he knows he knew that name. He knows the others too, Akari, Tsusui, Mitani, Mr. Kawai, Ochi, Kaga, Tsubaki and Nase…but he couldn't place where he had seen them before. Thinking about it…what was in the time before Wonderland? He couldn't recall anything…
"What are you thinking about Hikaru?" the Knight asked. "You look upset."
"Oh, nothing much…just the thing Ochi, I mean the Caterpillar asked about before…won't I ever remember?" the question wasn't meant to anyone but the Knight answered anyway.
"You will," he said with conviction. Hikaru knew that the person who shared Knight's voice was like that too. Once he believes in something he wouldn't doubt it unless he sees it otherwise. It was a bit annoying in a way but nostalgic mostly.
"How do you know?" Hikaru asked skeptically.
"I just do." And they were silent again. Hikaru would've welcomed any sort of sound. Even the sound of hooves but sadly the horse they rode did not have hooves. Since it had cloud thingy as feet instead it was practically gliding over the ground. Hikaru was getting uncomfortable with the silence. Heck, he's welcome the 'distractions' Knight mentioned before.
"Hey Knight, can't your horse gallop? We've been moving like this for a long time. Won't we get there faster if it runs?" Hikaru asked. The Knight didn't answer him directly but he could feel that the man was disturbingly still. Like he was over alert of something.
"We don't want to attract any unwanted attention right now," the Knight finally said barely moving his lips. Something about his tone made Hikaru think he should be alert too, thought he hadn't the slightest idea of what to be alert of.
"What is it?" Hikaru asked carefully looking forward and only at the path. He didn't even turn his head.
"Creations of the Wicked Warlock. He's the arch enemy of the Sorcerer and all he does is cause trouble to Her Majesty and the Sorcerer," the Knight answered. "These particular creations react only to sudden movements or whatever missions the Wicked Warlock gave them. Let's hope they have no purpose at the moment. We've been safe so far but you can never know." Hikaru nodded silently hoping the invisible creations don't have any tasks at hand.
"Um, why can't I see them?" Hikaru asked, his voice getting lower and lower as he spoke. Even if he can't see them he didn't doubt the Knight's words.
"They hide within the grounds. That's why we're riding my horse instead of walking on foot. They will attack the moment they feel vibration of any kind. Even sound can make them start attacking though if we talk slow enough the vibration won't travel far," the Knight said.
"Okay. Um, can't your horse fly? I mean, it's floating and all," Hikaru asked.
"As I said, no sudden movement or they will attack," the Knight reminded him, "and no. He can't fly. He's limited to levitation only. Don't worry, when it's needed he's the fastest of his kind," the Knight assured him.
"Won't he be fast enough if these things attack us?"
"Those creatures expertise in ambush. My horse won't be able to escape once we are caught," the Knight answered. "But worry not. We're exiting the path soon enough and once we reach the edge of this giant grassland we'll see the Red Queen's castle."
The Knight didn't tell him when they left the dangerous zone so he stayed still till they left the gigantic grassland. He didn't even realize they were exiting the land until he saw the building Knight mentioned. The Red Queen's castle loomed in front of him, tall and proud.
"Wow…" was all he could say the moment he laid his eyes on the building.
"We have arrived," the Knight said with a smile.
"Oh Knight! You're finally back!" Hikaru wasn't sure if he was seeing right but something covered from top to bottom in red crashed into the Knight. "Help me! Take her head off! She's driving me crazy!" the red being pointed at the throne seat. Yes, they were in the throne room. Hikaru took another look at the red creature. It was actually a she.
She wasn't really covered fully in red. Her hair was as dark as the night glittering white much like stars. On her head was a silver circlet word over a red silk veil. Her dress was geometrically designed according to chess and card symbols, color alternating between red and black. On her finger was a golden ring encrusted with a ruby stone fashioned as a rose and she wore gloves. Her skirt was short and underneath she wore a pair of long red trouser also in the chess and cars symbol motif. Currently, she was shaking the life out of his- ehem, the Knight.
"She kept telling me to change the color of my carriages to green! GREEN!" she shrieked. "Why must she be crazy about green? Why that color? Why not blue? I love blue!" she screamed.
"Oh shut it sister. Green is the color of nature and in the world he came from green is a healthy color," an irritated tone reached Hikaru's ears. He turned toward the throne and saw another person coming to them. The Sorcerer, Hikaru thought, and she's talking about me.
The Sorcerer was just as weird as the Queen. Unlike her though she was wearing a robe over her green clothes. Her robe was moss green but the clothes under the robe were of every shades of green imaginable. He gloves were young leaf green, her vest dark green over a very bright green tunic and her pants grass-like green. Green everywhere! Well her boots were black laced with green though.
"Knight!" The Queen Whined. "Off with her head!" she exclaimed.
"He can't do a thing to me. I created him with you remember? He has to take my orders too," the Sorcerer looked smug.
"Your Majesty," Knight greeted the Queen , "Your Grace," he greeted the Sorcerer, a bit late for greetings but it wasn't his fault. The Queen ambushed him the moment he stepped into the room. "I've brought Hikaru with me." The two sisters turned to Hikaru.
"Oh," they chorused, "I knew that." They spoke together again. Then they glared at each other before turning their gazes back at Hikaru. Instantly the Queen was all smiles.
"Hikaru kun! You finally made it here! I was worried the Wicked Warlock got to you before you got here," the Queen crushed him in a hug. He gasped for breath.
"Ungh! I-can't-b,breathe," Hikaru gasped.
"Oh, sorry about that, hehe," the Queen released him from her death hold.
"Good to finally see you Shindou Hikaru," the Sorcerer shook his hand. "I heard you wanted to see me."
"Yeah…but now I'm not so sure anymore…" Hikaru voiced his uncertainty.
"Oh, why's that?" the Queen asked curiously.
"I don't know. I just have this feeling that I won't like what I'll see when I get back to…wherever it is I came from," Hikaru answered.
"You don't remember where you came from?" the Sorcerer asked. Hikaru shook his head. "Your family? Friends? Rivals?" Hikaru shook his head again.
"Oh dear," the Queen sounded very worried. He turned to the Sorcerer and saw an identical expression on her face too. "This is worrisome indeed, sister. I didn't foresee this happening."
"This mean we have to send him there," said the Sorcerer. The Queen nodded with a solemn expression on her face. Hikaru was once again…confused.
"Pardon me but I don't get what's going on here," Hikaru said. He wasn't big on courtesy but he tries to be polite they way he should to a royalty, not that he had ever met one before. Both women turned their gaze on him once more.
"Well, you are forgetting who you used to be. It means you are crumbling away slowly from the inside," the Queen began the explanation.
"Once you forget all that matters to you, you can no longer return to your world and to the people you care much for." the Sorcerer finished.
"Your Graces, did you not say earlier that the Wicked Warlock was looking for him?" he asked.
"Technically I said the Warlock didn't get him before he got here but that was what I meant as well," the Queen said.
"Why would you say that?"
"The Wicked Warlock has taken the four who travelled with him earlier. We don't know why he took them but we assume he was looking for young Hikaru here. We don't know exactly what he's looking for though," the Sorcerer answered.
"Sai, Akari, Tsusui and Mitani were taken? I thought they'd be here before I do, Your Majesty," Hikaru was shocked.
"I'm glad you still remember them at the least and yes the Warlock took them. Maybe he got what he wanted already…oh dear," the Queen suddenly looked horrified. Everyone looked at her puzzled.
"What is it sister?" the Sorcerer asked.
"The Silver Fan, I gave it to the White Rabbit to hold onto," she answered in dismay. "I told him keep it safe until I ask for it back…oh no." she moaned in dismay.
"A Silver Fan?" Hikaru asked.
"One of the most powerful magical item in Oz. I gave it to my sister a while back so that she may help the lost ones," the Sorcerer explained. "Sadly I made that item with the Warlock when he was still the Good Warlock and he knows well how to use it."
"Okay, what's the worst he can do with it?' Hikaru was a bit puzzled.
"Destroy it of course," the Sorcerer answered.
"Okay, isn't that a good thing?"
"No it's not!" the Queen shrieked. "You need the fan to return. My sister cannot send you back herself. You need that fan and we cannot go near the Warlock lest we wish to destroy everything that we know."
"Knight, you will have to retrieve the fan back," the Sorcerer said to the armored male.
"Wait, what about the other four? Akari, Tsusui, Mitani and Sai? I told those three that the Sorcerer could help them with their problems. Can't I come too? I want to rescue them," Hikaru exclaimed.
"You wish to go as well? It will be dangerous you know," the Queen warned.
"Knight will keep me safe," Hikaru said with certainty. The sisters thought about it and they nodded at each other when they reached a conclusion.
"It might be best that you retrieve the fan from the Warlock. The sooner you use it the better," the Sorcerer said. "Come here, I will need to explain how to use it. We don't want you to lose yourself more than you already have. It will be too dangerous for you to wait any longer." So Hikaru went with her to the throne and went behind it.
"Did you tell him your name Knight?" the Queen's tone a bit icy as she spoke to her Knight.
"No, Your Majesty," he said bowing slightly.
"But your face protector is half raised. Why is that?" she asked some more.
"I did not recall Her Majesty ordering me not to show parts of my face to him," he said humbly. The Queen cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, you never do that with me. You never looked for loopholes in my orders before. Do you like him that much?"
"Your Majesty, I serve you and no one else. My affection belongs to you as well," Knight said humbly making the Queen giggle.
"Silly Knight. We created you in a human form compared to the others. We want you to experience things on your own. Do you have feelings for him?" the Queen asked. The Knight froze thoughtfully.
"Listen to me, I may be very demanding and childish but I don't want to be looked after my whole life. I'm giving you the most important order now. Live your life the way you want it. You have no obligation to follow my orders anymore now," the Queen smiled warmly and she walked to where her sister and Hikaru were.
"Do you understand what I told you?" the Sorcerer asked Hikaru. He nodded and his face was determined.
"I understand but what about the others? I'll be gone after I get the fan back," he asked.
"Oh don't worry about them. Knight will bring them here safely. After that I will grant them that which they have lost," the Sorcerer assured him. "Are you ready to leave now?"
"Oh Nuuru, let the boy have some food first. He hadn't had a single bite since he got here," the Queen interrupted. The Sorcerer, Nuuru, shot a dirty glare at her sister.
"Nicky, he needs to go soon. We don't want him to lose more of his memories," Nuuru reminded her sister.
"Oh you worry wart. An hour won't change too much. He's been through a lot already. You should eat first Hikaru-kun," Nicky the Queen offered. She was a bit saddened when the two toned haired young man shook his head.
"I have to get them back fast and I don't want to forget anything anymore, Your Highness. I don't want the Wicked Warlock to do anything bad to them more than he possibly have," Hikaru explained. Nicky sighed while Nuuru looked smug and solemn at the same time.
"Very well," Her Majesty nodded and turned to her Knight. She motioned for him to come closer. "Will you pick a ride for young Hikaru? He would need to get there fast," she asked him. Mush to her pleasure the Knight shook his head.
"I wish to go along with him, Your Graces. After all he doesn't know the way to the Wicked Warlock's lair and he is quite defenseless," the last part earned him a dignified huff from Hikaru. Clearly the young male didn't like being described as defenseless. The Knight smiled a micro smile at the action.
"All's well then. Knight shall take Hikaru-kun on his beast. We will send backup once you have freed the other three," Nuuru, the Sorcerer told them. "Be careful you two. The Wicked Warlock has a way with words."
"Fare thee well Hikaru-kun, Knight. Be swift and watch your backs," the Red Queen bid. They were by the entrance gate. The Red Queen, the Sorcerer and a few maids were there to bid them adieu.
"And remember, don't listen to anything the Warlock says to you. He loves to waste time," the Sorcerer reminded them once more. Hikaru and Knight nodded.
"Good bye Your Highness and Your Grace. Thank you for everything," Hikaru said. The Queen shook her head.
"We didn't do anything at all," her tone was sad.
"You came wanting my help but now we're turning you away. We are so sorry," the Sorcerer's expression mirroring her sister's.
"But you helped a lot. I finally accept what's going on and I finally know that I forgot how I got here. Now I'm going to find out what happened to me and I'm going back home," Hikaru replied softly. The two sisters sighed again.
"Look out for him please Knight," Nuuru turned to the armored man. He nodded. "And don't be so sad. You are permanent there." Hikaru turned to look at the Knight with a quizzical expression.
"Go now. Time is wasting away," Nicky interrupted before Hikaru could say a word. The Knight nodded one last time before he made clicking sound with his tongue and they were on the move once again.
"Um, are we really at the Wicked Warlock's place?" Hikaru was dumbfounded at the scenery in front of him. He saw miles over miles long field filled with nothing but flowers. Yes, flowers.
"Don't let the flowers deceive you. These flowers are wicked," Knight warned him. Hikaru scoffed.
"Nonsense, they look like any normal flower," Hikaru dismissed Knight's words, "and they are much more beautiful than the flowers I've seen back at home." So fast he forgot that they were in Wonderland where abnormality is the norm.
"They'd look much better than you we bet," a small voice spoke out of nowhere. Hikaru looked around for the source of the voice only to hear giggles.
"Oh definitely. No doubt we are the prettiest," more giggles after that. Hikaru frowned. He can't see the talkers.
"Are they invisible?" Hikaru asked Knight. At that he heard hysterical laughter.
"Apparently he's blind too!" More laughter and it was getting on Hikaru's nerves. The voices were a mash of female and male voices.
"I am not blind!" Hikaru shouted to the air apparently since he could see the speakers.
"Hahaha! You were just talking about us idiot!'
"Hahaha, he has a faulty memory too!"
"And he looks weird from top to bottom as well!"
"Maybe he's trying to be a flower too."
"If so then he just failed big time!" and more hysterical laughter. Hikaru flabbergasted. He slowly looked down and saw many, many small eyes staring back and they were still laughing.
"You guys can talk!" Hikaru's tone hysterical now making the flowers shriek in amusement.
"What did you expect? We're flower after all. All flowers talk," a blue one with a male's voice said. Hikaru was about to retort but the Knight held him back.
"Don't entertain them anymore. They'll hinder us further," he said softly.
"But they're making fun of me!" Hikaru gritted his teeth.
"Don't you remember what the Sorcerer said?" Hikaru's expression told him that yes, he had forgotten. "She said not to listen to the Warlock."
"But these are flowers," Hikaru said.
"Yes but they are the creation of the Warlock. He loves to play with speech and everything he creates has a bad mouth." Hikaru's mouth was 'O' shaped. "We need to go through the Field of Horrid Flowers to get to the Wicked Warlock's lair. You see that gigantic rose at the horizon? He lives there," the Knight pointed at a black outline of a flower. Hikaru nodded, it was a big rose but he couldn't make out the color since it was so far away. "The flowers will be more aggravating after this and I need you to ignore them lest we be delayed more."
"Okay. I'll try not to make what they say get to me," Hikaru nodded and braced himself to tune out whatever the flowers will throw at him. Knight nodded at him and motioned his horse to move again.
"Someone painted his hair in his sleep when he was a baby it seems."
"No way, that's egg yolk on his hair!"
"Look at that metal man, he's can't even turn his head with all those things on him."
"Bet the horse would scream if it had a voice. He must be heavy."
Insults upon insults followed by hysterical laughter buzzed around them as they moves. Hikaru was trying very hard not to let them get to him but Kami they were grating on his nerves! He was dying to insult them back but he held his tongue. He kept reminding himself that his friends were in danger and that he will lose more of himself if he wasted anymore time entertaining the plant's taunts.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the Giant Rose. They were still surrounded by the fiends in flower suits so they silently went inside the Giant Rose. Hikaru sighed in relief the moment the flowers were out of sight.
"I hate those things," Hikaru mumbled under his breath and gritted his teeth.
"The worst has yet to come, Hikaru. The Warlock is a hundred times worse than his own creations," the Knight said to him and they advanced in to the rose without any problems.
"The Wicked Warlock doesn't have any guards posted here? Isn't he worried about intruders?" Hikaru wondered aloud. "Do people come here at all? " Hikaru cocked an eyebrow when he saw how dirty the hallway they were in was,
"Simply saying, no one comes out when they come in," Knight said solemnly. Hikaru felt goosebumps running along his arms.
"What about us?" Hikaru asked slowly.
"We may be the first few." And they didn't say anything as they looked around. They found a staircase leading upwards and silently they agreed to go up. "Stay by my side at all times. We have to be extra careful. He may have assassins in front and behind us," the Knight warned him. Hikaru was a bit muffled by that but he realized he really was defenseless. He nodded albeit a bit grumpy.
"Oh don't bother with the long way," a voice boomed seemingly all around them. Hikaru wanted to groan but he knew he should have expected it. He knew that tone very well. The person with that voice annoyed the hell out of him one time before. He was glad he could still remember that. The name came a bit late though. He had to think hard to remember it and finally he blurted out the name.
"Ko Yeong-Ha!" Hikaru said triumphal. He still remembers!
"Oho! You know my name! Well come through the door on your right. It'll lead you to straight my chamber," the voice of Yeong-ha spoke and a bit archway appeared on the wall on their right. Hikaru blinked in amazement. He didn't move and he turned to the Knight. He nodded at him and entered the door with Hikaru right behind him. It was pitch black inside and when Hikaru was past the door, it shut close.
"Ah!" Hikaru cried and he grabbed tightly onto Knight's arm. He was tense too.
"Oh don't worry," the voice said and another door appeared right in front of them. Hikaru gulped and followed the Knight out of the door. They entered a large room with shelves all over the wall. Each shelf filled with items to the point of bursting. Some were actually broke and the content was spilled all over the floor. Hikaru looked around some more and saw a big cage by the farthest wall. He gasped. Sai, Akari, Tsusui and Mitani were out cold in it.
"Sai! Akari! Tsusui! Mitani!" Hikaru ran towards them only to be stopped by the Knight. "Let go! They're right over there! I have to get to them," Hikaru struggled against the hold but the Knight was relentless.
"Calm down Hikaru! The Warlock would want you to run to them as soon as you see them," the Knight reasoned and he pulled Hikaru into his arms the moment they heard someone cackling. Then out of the shelves came a man in a long black robe with a pointy hat of the same color. His long hair was tied behind his head and in his hand was a fan that looked like silver. Hikaru narrowed his eyes at the item and realized that it wasn't really silver. I made out of diamonds! And at that moment Hikaru realized that the item the Queen and the Sorcerer mentioned was in the Wicked Warlock's hand. That was the Silver Fan.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Yeong-ha bowed his head courteously at the two. He smiled sweetly at them. "May I know your name young male? You had me at a disadvantage by knowing my name."
"Don't answer him," the Knight quickly interrupted. He quickly moved in front of Hikaru in a protective matter and unsheathed his sword. He pointed it at the Warlock much to his amusement.
"Oho, why so protective Sir Knight? Don't tell me Her Majesty the Queen asked you to do it. I know for a fact that she wouldn't. This must mean you have feelings for him. Have you told him your other name?" Yeong-ha asked with a malicious look on his face. Knight growled at the Warlock and Hikaru stared at him questioningly. The Warlock laughed cruelly. "He doesn't know yet? What a sad relationship you two have. Hahaha."
"Shut up! If he doesn't want to tell me then it's okay. He'll tell me when the time is right," Hikaru yelled at the black draped male. Yeong-ha laughed even louder.
"You-"
"Hikaru!" Sai's cry interrupted Yeong-ha. The White Rabbit and his company were awake when they heard Hikaru's yell.
"Guys! Are you alright?" Hikaru cried. He was so glad they were awake.
"We're okay! Did the Warlock get you too?" Akari asked.
"No, I came to get you guys out!" Hikaru shouted.
"Leave before he gets to you too! He has the Silver Fan! There's no way you can get us out too," Mitani was the one who said that. "Save yourselves while you still can!"
"G-go Hikaru-kun! W-we'll b-be fine!" Tsusui shouted.
"Oho, they think you can leave my fort. Didn't Knight tell you of my reputation?" Yeong-ha smirked evilly and Hikaru threw him a nasty glare.
"No one ever left," Hikaru growled.
"But that's not going to last. We are all leaving. I will make sure of that," Knight said.
"How do you plan on doing that? As the shiny Tin Woodman had mentioned, I have the Silver Fan," Yeong-ha said and waved said item in front of them.
"I'll fight you for it," Knight growled. The Warlock's grin was even more malicious.
"Stupid but brave. I'll compliment you on that," Yeong-ha said mockingly. "But I accept your challenge!" He twirled around and a sword was in his hand. A black bladed sword. Hikaru was instantly scared, not for himself but for the Knight.
"Stop, there's no need for a fight," Hikaru shouted trying to stand in front of the Knight while the man pushed him behind him. "I just want the fan so I can get home. Please let the others go. They never did anything wrong to you!"
"They wronged me by defying my order. The rabbit didn't want to relinquish his hold on the fan in the beginning and the others backed him up. Because of that they will never leave this plant!" Yeong-ha's personality instantly turned sour. "Come at me Knight."
"Hikaru, get them out while I distract him," Knight whispered. Hikaru shook his head.
"No, don't fight, please. What if you get hurt?" Hikaru's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Hikaru," was all the Knight said before he pulled the young male and kissed him full on the lips. "tell him your feelings when you get back." He left Hikaru puzzled and clashed swords with the Warlock.
"Knight," Hikaru gasped.
"Hikaru!" four different voices called out to him. Hikaru bit his lip and turned away from the fight in the middle of the room. He ran carefully along the wall straight to his friends. He frantically searched for the lock on the cage, his heart clenching each time he heard the blades clashing.
"Hikaru, by the window. He hung his magic wand there," Sai pointed at said window. It was round and on its left a small sack hung on a little nail. He scrambled for the sack and quickly took out the small, slender magic stick and ran back to the cage.
"Okay, okay, what do I do with it?" Hikaru tried hard not to show the panic in his voice.
"Uh," Sai looked at Mitani who shrugged then turned to Tsusui who was cowering at the corner of the cage and they turned to Akari.
"I don't know! I don't have a brain remember?" Akari said. Hikaru groaned.
"Oh what do I do? I've never used magic ever before," Hikaru said desperately.
"Try tapping the lock," Mitani suggested. Hikaru did just that. Nothing happened.
"What now?" Clang! Clang! Hikaru shut his eyes and tried to block out the sound.
"Say something!" Sai screamed frantically.
"What should I say? Give me something!" Hikaru was on the verge of yelling.
"Open, say 'open' Hikaru," Akari suggested.
"Sure that will work," Mitani's tone sarcastic.
"Well do you have any better ideas?" Akari shouted, she was really angry.
"I don't know! I just know that 'open' is a stupid idea!" Mitani shouted back.
Hikaru had enough. "Open!" He shouted and tapped the lock. Much to everyone's surprise the cage swayed open and they all staring at it.
"NO!" Yeong-ha's voice broke the silence and he dashed towards Hikaru with his sword above his head.
"Hikaru! Run!" Knight shouted as he ran for the young man.
Everything seemed to move slower, much slower than usual. Hikaru turned his head barely seeing the Warlock bringing his sword down upon him, suddenly his vision was blocked and he was thrown backwards. He barely registered what had happened as he hit the wall. His vision blacked out for a second and when he came to he saw the Knight lying still on the floor with his helmet thrown off. He was confused. Why the Warlock hasn't come to him yet? He felt for the wand and he was still holding it.
He groaned and then he heard the sound of scuffling. He raised his head and saw his friends piled upon Yeong-ha. He was surprised to see Tsusui, the Cowardly Lion, scratching Yeong-ha's face while the others bit or pulled at Yeong-ha's robe.
"Get off of me you lowly lives!" Yeong-ha growled as he tried to shake them off. They held fast onto him and kept him away from Hikaru. Sai ceased his biting frenzy and turned to Hikaru.
"Hikaru! Get the fan now!" Sai screamed at him. Hikaru blinked once and was running towards Yeong-ha in the next. He had seen the Warlock tucking the fan in his belt but he couldn't see it amidst the mass of struggling mess. He had no choice but to jump in as well.
"Oh no you don't!" Yeong-ha growled when he saw Hikaru but Mitani socked him on the face and held his arms behind his back. Hikaru could see the fan.
"Quickly! Get it and run!" Mitani yelled and he yelped when the Warlock got free and strangled him with one hand. Yeong-ha quickly reached for the fan but Tsusui bit his hand. Yeong-ha screamed in pain. Hikaru wasted no more time and grabbed the fan.
"No! Give it back to me!" Yeong-ha screamed and he blasted the four off of him in a blast of energy which came from his own body. They were all thrown against the wall. Groans could be heard from all over the wall and one person was panting. Hikaru raised his head and saw Yeong-ha on all four on the floor. It seemed like the energy blast had him drained. Hikaru quickly got up, discarded the want he had been holding and quickly ran to the still immobilized Knight.
"Knight, wake up. Wake up please. I can't defeat Yeong-ha. Only you can do-" Hikaru stopped when he saw the face of the Knight. He should have known it. He sounded so familiar, his voice made his heart ache and his demeanor was very much like-
"Akira," he breathed the name. But he was a bit different. A bit older that is. His hair was longer and it was tied in a small ponytail behind his head. His face was harder and more refined. He had a scar on the right-side of his face. Slowly Hikaru caressed the Knight's scar. He looked so much like the Akira he loved.
"Akira," he called again and this time the male stirred. He groaned and opened his eyes.
"Akira," Hikaru called once more, his voice thick with tears.
"Hikaru," Akira called back. He raised his hand to touch Hikaru's but suddenly his eyes widened and he rolled onto Hikaru and rolled them both away. Hikaru could hear where the blade struck the stone floor. They both looked to the side and saw Yeong-ha still panting but on his feet with his sword in both hand. He still hadn't recovered. Akira quickly spotted his sword and dashed for it, dodging Yeong-ha's heavy strike.
"Give me back the fan!" He screamed as he lunged for Hikaru only to have his sword parried away by Akira's. He was thrown backwards by the impact. Akira wasted no time and lunged for the male in black. Yeong-ha's reflexes were too slow and he couldn't defend himself from Akira's strike. The sword impaled his chest and his scream of agony could be heard throughout Wonderland.
The Wicked Warlock has finally fallen but he had yet to pass to the other side.
"C-curs-ses," he rasped out, blood spilling from his lips. "Y-you will n-n-not escape." He took a deep breath and called out loud and clear,
"CARDS!" his last word and he was still.
All that were present stayed still and waited, but nothing happened. Slowly, Hikaru got up on his feet and moved closer to Akira. The others followed suit and they were all by Akira's side. Hikaru held onto the fan tightly in one hand while the other he made sure to intertwine Akira's free had.
"Is he dead?" he whispered looking at the still form with wide opened eyes. Before Akira could answer, the body dissolved and became a puff of black smoke. It rose and escaped the room through the window. Akira had quickly pulled Hikaru into his arms while the others cowered on the floor. Once the smoke cleared out they all stood up again.
"I doubt he can die just from a stab," Akira said and the moment he finished saying that the ground shook heavily. They all fell onto the floor.
"What's going on?" Akari asked, her tone fearful. Then they heard grumblings.
"Oh no, it's the Warlock's last order," Akira said, his tone hard. "We have to move." Akira pulled Hikaru onto his feet and they bolted to the stairs, the other four following closely behind.
"There they are! They defeated the Warlock!" a chorus of voices rang from the bottom of the staircases. The group of six stopped in their tracks. Akira quickly lead them into the nearest door and Tsusui locked it. There was another set of stairs and they quickly descended it. The door behind them was instantly crashed the moment they were on the second flight down. Hikaru looked up and saw the queerest things. Instead of humans the things chasing them were life-sized cards with short arms and legs, but they were sinisterly fast.
"In here!" Akira shoved him into another door and the others followed. Akira locked the door and quickly pulled Hikaru with him as they ran across the hallway. In the back if Hikaru's mind he noted the weird structure. They should be in the stalk right now but the hallway was unusually long.
Akira lead the group as they ran and he saw a big window. He quickly ran to it. Hikaru was confused by his actions but they all followed never the less. Once they reached the window Hikaru saw something he never thought could ever possibly happen. In the middle of the air Kaga, Tsubaki and Nase were dancing on their table which was floating and Mr. Kawai was happily sipping tea.
"You four, on the table now!" He heard Akira ordering Sai, Akari, Mitani and Tsusui. They complied without a word and as Tsusui got onto the table it sagged. The March Hare and the Mad Hatter were quickly in frenzy.
"No more room! No more room! Wait for the next flight please!" Kaga, Tsubaki and Nase chorused together and Akira slammed his hand onto the framework.
"Go! I'll take him to my horse. Go!" Akira shouted.
"Right'o Knight sir!" Mr. Kawai said and the table flew away. Hikaru was terrified.
"What do we do now?" he asked Akira.
"You have to use the fan. The Sorcerer told you how right?" Akira said but Hikaru shook his head.
"No! I won't leave without you!" Hikaru was starting to cry once more.
"Hikaru listen to me," Akira grabbed his face, "you do not belong here. You belong back there!"
"Back where?"
"Back to your own Akira. Remember? Remember your Akira? The one you have always held love for? You have to go back to him and tell him your feelings. Not just Akira but all your other friends. Your Akari, Tsusui, Mitani and the others. You have to go back." Akira said to him hurriedly. They heard the sound of wood crushing. The cards had broken the door.
"But you're Akira too. And you've returned my feelings. I don't want to go back to feeling sad every time I see Akira's face, your face, not knowing if you'd still be friends with me if I told you my feelings," tears streamed down Hikaru's face.
"Do you think he won't return your feelings? Open the fan Hikaru. Open the fan and flap it," Akira tried to convince Hikaru.
"No, I'd be leaving you to die!" Hikaru was adamant.
"Use the fan Hikaru!" Akira's voice sounded far away but the cards' footsteps were coming closer.
"Akira!" Hikaru shouted frantically.
"Use the fan Hikaru!"
"Akira! No! Don't leave me!"
"Use the fan!"
Hikaru didn't realize when he lost hold of Akira's hands but when he looked at them he saw only the fan. Everything turned dark and he couldn't see anything, but his hearing was fine. He could hear the footsteps of the cards getting nearer and nearer by the second and he called for Akira once more. He received no reply and in anguish he opened the Silver Fan and flapped it once.
"Bring me back home!" he cried. "Akira!"