Hetalia - Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 27! The pre-ultimate chapter! We're so close to the finish line now. Apologises for the delay, I wish there weren't these big breaks between chapters but that's just the way it is sometimes. Thank you for your patience and everyone's support, I'm so grateful to everyone who has shared this journey with me.

And now, without further ado, the next chapter,

Enjoy!

Terra City, Hearts District, Queen's Square

'Move,' Arthur uttered as Cheshire reared up, his knuckles white as he tugged at Columbia's suit to spurn him into action. 'Alfred move now!'

Scooping Arthur tight into his arms bridal style, Alfred threw himself out of the pearl before the gigantic cat's paw stamped down where they'd just been. Arthur's head spun as they came up from the tuck and roll, and he blinked furiously to clear his vision.

The Queen's Square was a complete mess. Now empty of the 'X' induced crowd seen when he'd last been conscious, large parts of the cobbled ground had been cracked and upturned by colossal black thorns. The building fronts bordering the square had taken a beating, their lovely windows smashed in, and many cars and parade floats had been flipped onto their side.

A thorned vine snaked after them, and before it could trip Alfred's feet from under him, Allistor (decked out in the Green Armour) and Dylan (sporting a belt of explosives and a bulletproof vest) intercepted. Whilst they held off them, buying them some breathing time, Alfred ran into cover behind a minivan and gently set Arthur down.

'Are you okay? You're not hurt?' Alfred asked, his hands running up and down Arthur's body to check for injuries.

'Yes, yes, I'm fine. What about you? Your legs…' Arthur bit down on his lip at the tight sports wrapping above his knees.

Alfred shook his head, peeking his head out to check they were still clear, the sounds of battle raging on, 'Allistor wrapped them up good, and I'm on these real hard painkillers. I can't feel my face, but that's cool. We got you back.'

'Bloody hell. Alright—then, where are the Guardians?'

'Yeah, that's a no-go on the backup. We're on our own for this.' Alfred said, and winced when a fire hydrant sailed over their heads and crashed through a general store's newspaper cabinet.

'You're ruining everything! Why do you have to ruin this for us? I'm doing for Arthur!' Hatter shrieked from beyond.

'How thoughtful,' Arthur scoffed and frowned when he reached for his magic, and felt nothing; where he had been expecting a great well, was a mere trickle. There was only one possible reason why. 'Hatter's syphoning my magic to bring Wonderland into reality.'

'Can you use any magic? There's no- I dunno, banishment spell you can cast that'll get rid of all this?' Alfred asked with a frantic gesture to the chaos of the square. Crouching, Arthur peered around the side of the van to see Hatter throw his head back and laugh when a bullet passed through his head as though it were mist.

'It might be possible if I can concentrate. But even if you could keep Hatter distracted for that long, with Wonderland like this, he's supassed needing a vessel.'

Tensing when he heard footsteps race toward the van, Arthur's jaw gaped as he watched someone in the Britannia suit, carrying a sniper rifle, slide across the bonnet into a crouch at Alfred's back.

'Then what's the plan little brother?' Seamus asked and then nodded to him, 'Glad you're okay, btw.'

'We kill him.' Arthur resolved before there was a screech of metal as a vine curled around their van and their cover was ripped away.

'Arthur!' Alfred shoved him out of the way of the follow-up vine, sending Arthur tumbling. Missing its chance to grapple him, the vine flailed and whipped back into Seamus and Alfred, sending them crashing through the general store's window.

'Alfred! Seamus!' Arthur cried, a hand reached out from them, about to start forward after them, when Hatter blinked in front of him from a swarm of red butterflies.

'If you go back to sleep, we can avoid all of this,' Hatter sighed before he caught Arthur's thrown fist and gave a dark chuckle. 'No no. None of that now.'

'I have had enough of your games. I am done with you hurting the people I love.' Arthur snarled as he swung his other free hand, only to have that caught as well.

'I'm doing this for you, for us!'

'You're delusional. You don't love me, you'll never have me. You're not real, you're a concept!'

Hatter's eyes went cold, and Arthur cried out when his arms were twisted and Hatter threw him over his shoulder. The broken stone and the square's cobbles gashed his skin as he painfully skidded against it; his thin white t-shirt and shorts providing the protection of a sheet of tissue.

'Arthur!' Dylan cried out as he tried to skirt around the Cheshire Cat, but the monstrous feline wasn't letting him past. Behind Hatter's back, Allistor was running for the window store Alfred and Seamus had been thrown through.

'I'm delusional?' Hatter kicked Arthur down as he struggled to rise, the Brit rolling prone onto his back. The demon straddled his chest and a fist hammered against Arthur's jaw, snapping his head to the side.

'I'm not real?' Another fist, and then another. Arthur groaned as his lip split and blood filled his mouth.

'How real does this feel?' Hatter grabbed Arthur's hand and crushed it against his chest, forcing him to feel his heartbeat. 'Does this body, my heart feel real, Arthur?'

'It doesn't matter how much it feels real. It's not. You're a ghost, a nightmare that fed off my fear and trau—' Arthur's green eyes went wide as he stared up at Hatter looming above him, panting heavily.

'Trauma. You're my trauma.'

Hatter stared at him for a long, unblinking moment before the corners of his lips slowly curled upwards. A disturbing, low laugh hiccuped, 'Took you long enough.'

Arthur choked when Hatter grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up, his bare feet frantically dangling as he tried to ease off the crushing vice grip, 'That corruption—in Wonderland…'

'That's right love. All provided by moi~' Hatter purred and slammed Arthur back down against the stone; white lights exploded behind his eyes as the air from his lungs was forcibly exhaled.

'H-Hatter.' Arthur wheezed breathlessly and Hatter playfully cocked his head to the side.

'You only met him once—the real one, that is. Every time after, was me.'

Arthur's pupils shrank, 'W-What did you do?'

Hatter's grin widened, as eerily toothy and sinister as the Cheshire Cat's, 'Oh Arthur. I ate him, of course.'

Bile jumped up in Arthur's throat. His blood ran cold, 'You—'

'I devoured him, his essence, his memories. They're all still in here,' Hatter tapped his temple, 'I am him, as he is me, and we are all together.'

Arthur just stared, in a petrified unseeing state of shock. He can't move, can't think; paralysed.

'But Arthur,' Hatter hovered over him, lips trembling inches above his own bloody ones. 'Please make no mistake. I love you, I love you so so much. I am yours, as you are mine. We belong together, don't you see? We deserve each other~'

Thick, hot tears fall down Arthur's cheeks as he tilted his chin up in defiance and locked eyes with the man, 'Your words are poison. And I hate you.' He whispered the last three words with distilled venom.

A chilled shadow darkened Hatter's face. His jaw squared as he pressed both hands on either side of Arthur's head as though going to crush it.

'Don't do this, Arthur. I'm trying to do this the nice way. There are only two ways this can happen. Either I bring Wonderland to you, or I bring you to Wonderland. Please, love. I know which I'd choose.'

'He chooses neither asshole!' Alfred's voice rang out before the man charged into Hatter, tackling him off Arthur with a shoulder-barge. Within seconds, Allistor was at his side and gripping his elbow to help him up on weak legs.

'Are you okay?' He asked as Dylan and Seamus grouped up with them, echoing the same questions of concern as Alfred stood protectively in front of them.

'I—I'm fine.' Arthur shakily nodded and snapped his head up when Hatter began to hysterically laugh as he clambered back on his feet.

'You couldn't have just left well enough alone, could you? Couldn't have fucking left well enough alone.'

'I will never turn my back on the people who need me,' Alfred looked over his shoulder to Arthur with the same whipped look he'd shared the morning they'd woken up together. 'Especially the ones I love.'

'Sap.' Arthur sniffed with a good-natured roll of his eyes. Alfred winked at him and then glared at Hatter as he leaned against the car he'd dented, exhaling heavily through his nose.

'I have had it with your pestering. I was willing to allow you to keep your insignificant lives if it would make Arthur happy. But now it is clear that as long as you draw breath, you will never stop coming back.' He growled.

'Aye. Our place, it'll always be between you and Artie.' Allistor stated.

Hatter chuckled as he locked eyes with Arthur, 'Are you listening love? Are you prepared for your loved ones to throw their lives away for you? Surrender to my will, and I will grant them the mercy of a swift death.'

Arthur gulped before he steeled himself and stood tall, 'Then, you'll just have to you kill me. Because I will die on my feet, before I live on my knees.'

Hatter snarled, electric-blue eyes flashing, 'No! No, you will live, and you will watch as I tear them apart. And after, when you have no more tears to cry, I will drag you screaming inside your mind, down into the deepest, darkest pits of Wonderland where you'll never be able to crawl out again. Down there, what will be seconds in reality, will be years. I will have an eternity to break you.

And when you break—and you will break—, you won't know your own name, only that you belong to me.'

'Everyone group up! Arthur, get behind me!' Allistor barked as he tugged him behind him. Following their brother's example, Seamus slung his rifle over his shoulder and drew his pistols in the same smooth movement, Dylan lowering himself into a readied stance, Allistor and Alfred already there.

'Okay, it's five versus two. No sweat, right?' Alfred quipped optimistically because someone had to.

'Four versus two. Arthur can't use magic, remember.' Seamus reminded.

Arthur huffed. Honestly, he was drained, not helpless, 'Buy me some time and I may have enough in me for one spell.' He said.

'A clutch spell I hope.' Dylan returned as he readied his explosives.

'Me to,' Arthur muttered already pulling at the deepest wells of his magic, scraping the sides for every last drop, anything he could take that Hatter hadn't. 'I need ten seconds. And someone to protect my body!'

'What?!' Alfred blurted as Allistor gave a curt nod and pointed to where two of the wide parade floats had been overturned on their side.

'Behind that cover!'

They ran. Dylan smashed the car window when they passed a taxi and tossed in a packet of C4. 'Alfred!' He yelled, and with a powerful kick, as though he were breaking down a door, all his super strength and body weight behind it, Alfred launched the taxi flying at Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.

Arthur had just ducked behind the overturned float when the explosion ignited and was followed up by two agonised screams. In defence, Seamus peeked around the side and began laying down suppressing fire whilst Allistor and Alfred clambered onto the top of their makeshift barrier.

'Whenever you're ready babe!' Alfred shouted down to him, and Arthur began to cast. A hook yanked on his chest, and Arthur strained against it in an indivisible tug of war for control. As his magic built, the mild headache he'd been tolerating turned splitting, building and swelling until the pain was comparable to an aneurysm. But it was enough.

Excalibur exploded into existence with a flash of flame and boom of thunder. He distantly heard Alfred and his brothers cry out in alarm. 'I've got this!' He thought he answered back, but in reality, it was closer to, 'UHRHHARRGGH!". Excalibur glowed white-hot, it's metal sizzling Arthur's hand, and Arthur knelt down before he spun the blade, closed his eyes, and plunged it into his chest.

'No!' Alfred cried, lurching forward only to be grabbed back by Allistor.

'Watch.' The Scotsman told him, and Alfred stared with a slack jaw as Excalibur gave a pulse of golden light, and then the extraordinary happened.

Another Arthur, ethereal, pearlised and semitransparent, a pair of colossal swan wings sprouting from his shoulder blades, stepped out of Arthur's kneeling form. He was completely naked, completely smooth, flawless without imperfection; the kind of beauty that ancient Greek sculptors would have given a limb to have as a muse. After gawking for a long suspended moment, Alfred's cheeks darkened when his gaze roamed downward and saw that there was nothing between his legs. Arthur—the spirit—angel—projection thing— looked at him with pupil-less eyes that were completely washed out by white light.

'Not gonna lie. A little bit of pee came out.' Alfred squeaked as the angel leapt up beside him and Allistor. It was— Arthur...Alfred struggled to look back and see Arthur—the real Arthur—knelt on the ground with a sword through his chest, his head bowed, breathing slow and shallow.

'Has— Has he always been able to do that?' Matthew gulped over the comms.

'Nice party trick, eh?' Allistor smirked before he narrowed his eyes at Hatter, who was ogling at the angel with awe.

'Oh Arthur~ The gifts you give.' He sighed, and with a sweep of his hands, the dark thorns, save the ones barring the exits, retreated back into the concrete.

'But you know, you're not the only one who has tricks.' Hatter grinned and snapped his fingers. A piercing, shrill scream shook the square and blood-red magic circle opened up behind him, and a monstrosity emerged.

'What. The. Fuck. Is. That?' Seamus blanched as what Alfred could only describe as the devil itself, rose up and roared to the sky. It vaguely resembled a dragon, three times the size of the Cheshire Cat, and was covered in blighted black scales. Its yellowed canine fangs were as long his forearms, and it's leathery veined bat wings spanned the width of the entire square. It reared its triangular head, jaws snapping as it then craned its long neck down and sniffed the top of Hatter's head.

The man smiled at Alfred as he reached up and petted the thing's snout, wet, hot, heavy pants rustling his strawberry blond locks, 'Like him Alfie? Don't need to ask his name, do you? You read it in a poem once.'

'What?' Dylan asked, and Alfred balled his fists at his side.

'Jabberwocky.' He spat.

'With jaws that bite and claws that snatch!' Hatter gleefully finished. 'He knows some tricks to. Watch, Jabbers?' Hatter clicked his fingers and pointed at Arthur's body, Excalibur gleaming still, 'Fetch.'

The Jabberwocky surged forward, as did the angel to meet it.

'Protect Arthur's body!' Allistor yelled, leaping off the float after, and Alfred charged with him. He clamped his teeth together to smother a scream when splintering fire raced up his legs upon landing. The painkillers Allistor had given him were finally starting to wear off.

The Jabberwocky thundered toward them eyes aflame as crashing it came. The angel rushed forwardwith a burst of speed, closing the gap between it and the beast. Jaws, fangs snapped, but the angel was quicker. With a great flap of its feathery wings, it launched, landed, and then scrambled as it latched onto one of the needle spires lining the beast's scaly neck.

The Jabberwocky twisted and writhed, desperately trying to dislodge it, but the angel held fest. It reached down, gripped the root of the Jabberwocky's left wing, and ripped it off.

'I think I'm gonna puke.' Matthew retched as the Jabberwocky screamed, flailing as crimson blood sprayed, showering the angel, Allistor and Alfred in it's boiling hot red. Battling the urge to vomit himself, Alfred pushed through it and locked his sights on Hatter, the Cheshire Cat snarling at his side.

'Fine. Cheshire, take care of tin man.' He tutted and then ran at Alfred, the giant cat lunging for Allistor. With a flick of his wrist, Hatter manifested a wicked sharp kitchen-knife, it's hued edge glinting with a malicious shine; singing for blood, Alfred's blood.

Alfred's feet scuffled as he was forced to lean back to avoid getting his throat slashed, back peddling as Hatter advanced on the offensive.

'Come now Alfie, no need to be bashful! Have a closer look at her, ain't she a beauty?' Hatter crackled as he lunged. Alfred braced, sprung to dive out of the way, when he felt his leg seize up, pain once again racing up his leg to make him falter. Hatter saw his chance, and slashed in a wide arc, slicing through the Columbia suit to cut into Alfred's shoulder.

'Argh!' Alfred grunted, jerked, twisting as he tried to retaliate with a punch, the shooting pain of his legs weighing him down like an anchor. Unimpeded, Hatter grinned and lashed out with a kick, striking hard at Alfred's injured knee. Alfred cried out as he crumpled to the ground, shaking as his whole body began to seize up with the waves of pain that began to crash down upon him relentlessly.

Hatter laughed before he flipped the knife to his other hand and slashed low, severing through Alfred's bandaged legs to reopen the throbbing gunshot wounds he had inflicted.

Alfred screamed. He screamed over the crazed laughter, drowning out the cries of his brother and the Kirklands.

'Now,' Hatter breathlessly laughed, high and exhilarated, taking immense pleasure and satisfaction from his enemy's pain. 'Now you just have a lie down there, hm? I want you to watch this.'

'No…' Alfred rasped, bloodied hand desperately reaching out like a claw to pull Hatter back as he moved away and advanced upon Seamus and Dylan, Arthur's last line of defence, with the angel occupying the Jabberwocky and Allistor, the Cheshire Cat.

The edges of Alfred's blurred, fading to black for seemingly a moment, before he heard Seamus and Dylan cry out and the low thud of two bodies hitting the ground.

'No.' Alfred forced his eyes to squint, struggling, straining against the haze that threatened to drag him into unconsciousness. Vision swimming, he watched helplessly as Hatter straightened up and marched over to Arthur's body. With a fluid movement, he closed his hand around Excalibur's handle, unsheathed it from the Brit's chest, and stabbed the bloody knife into his heart.

I guess Arthur's dead now, huh? ;) We'll have to find out in the last chapter...

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you are liking the story, please consider leaving a review telling me your thoughts, opinions and questions. Once again, thanks for reading and as always,

Until next time folks!