(A.N./ Here's the second part!
From here on, some of the elements in the original storyline are modified, for the sake of originality on my part. I've read a few other Alice in Wonderland fics, and a lot of them have it EXACTLY like the book, except for the characters changed. I purposely modified a lot of things. It makes it more interesting and more like my own work. Without further ado, continue!)
(P.S./ I may upload the third part either later today, or tomorrow, depends on how evil I feel at the time.)
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Completely immersed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the Cheshire cat in the branches of the tree above her until he let out a little snicker.
She blinked and looked up,
"When did you get there, Cheshire cat?" The Cheshire cat resumed his signature smirk,
"I've been here all along." Ichigo frowned,
"Well why didn't you tell me that? Give me some kind of warning, maybe?" The cat just widened his smirk,
"Nah, it's so fun to watch you wander around like that. It's more amusing, ne, kitten?" Ichigo now was beginning to hate that smirk as her face tinted a bright red,
"Who gave you permission to call me that, sir?" she said, hissing like a cat. This time, the Cheshire cat's smirk broke into a grin, showing off his pearl-white fangs,
"I did." Ichigo huffed and decided she was going to try and make some sense out of the only person in this peculiar land that would actually listen to her,
"Listen, could you tell me why I'm here, why the people here seem so familiar, and why nothing makes sense?" The cat cocked his head to one side, once again, wearing his smirk,
"The first two questions I don't know the answer to, you have to figure them out by yourself. The third however, why are you asking me that of all people?" Ichigo was about to correct him and say, 'all animals', but she decided against it and continued,
"Well, because you seem like one of the only relatively sane people I've met here, and you'll actually listen to me." she said matter-of-factly. The Cheshire cat's smirk grew a little wider as he propped his head up with his paws, elbows resting on the tree limb,
"Ah, but I'm not sane, you see. Everyone here is insane. It's…just the way we are." he said, shrugging slightly.
"Well…" Ichigo said, happy to start a real conversation with anybody, "There was that Masaya boy, he was really nice…and handsome…" The Cheshire cat winced slightly at the name and comment following, his smirk momentarily bending to a scowl, but he quickly recovered with another look to Ichigo,
"Actually, you happen to be quite near to some of the most in-sane people living here. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Both of them live a small distance in that direction." He waved a paw to his right leisurely. Ichigo nodded,
"Then I guess I won't be going in that direction. Thank you, Cheshire cat."
"Oh, it was no trouble, kitten." Ichigo scowled once again,
"Stop calling me that, it makes me mad." The Cheshire cat just grinned,
"You're so cute when you're angry." With that, he vanished, or, say, began to vanish. Starting from the tail up, he faded into the scenery, ending with his grin, still there until it, too, vanished. Ichigo eyed the spot where he was before continuing the path,
"Well that was strange…I've seen a cat without a grin, but never a grin without a cat…" her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the Cheshire cat, yet again, perched on a tree branch,
"I almost forgot to ask," he said, "What happened to the Duchess's child?"
"It turned into a monkey." Ichigo said casually. She was becoming quite accustomed to strange happenings in this weird place. The cat grinned,
"Thank you, kitten"
He vanished so quickly, this time, that Ichigo's words,
"I told you not-" had barely escaped her lips before he was gone. She sighed, and, against her better judgment, headed in the direction the Cheshire cat had pointed out to be the location of the Mad Hatter and March Hare.
Oh well, they can't be that bad, can they?
Weaving her way through the trees on a small, rugged dirt path she had discovered, Ichigo made her way in the direction the Cheshire cat had pointed out. After a few minutes, she came upon a strange house in a clearing amongst the woods. What made it strange was that the house had two giant, brown rabbit ears fashioned on top of its roof.
This must be the March Hare's home, judging by the ears… Ichigo said to herself, scowling at her own stupidity, Of course, idiot.
As she got closer, she noticed that, in the front lawn, a rather grand-looking, long table was set up, and large chairs were set all around it. Only three were occupied, though, by three creatures Ichigo identified as the Mad Hatter (by his top hat perched on top of his blonde head), the March Hare (obviously, by his appearance of a large rabbit, although he appeared more human-like, having a long, brown ponytail running down his back), and the small monkey the child had turned into, who was asleep, and being used as a pillow for the other two creature's elbows.
As she approached the table, the three creatures cried out,
"No room! No room!"
"There is too room!" Ichigo protested, taking a seat next to the Hatter, "There is plenty of room!"
The inhabitants of the table paid no more attention to the matter.
"Tea?" the Hatter offered to Ichigo politely. Ichigo looked up to him to lock with his glittering, blue eyes. They seemed so familiar, yet…
"Tea?" the Hatter offered once again. Ichigo nodded,
"Yes, please, sir." She waited, then looked around the table, but there was no tea, except for the mugs of what Ichigo identified as coffee that the creatures were holding. She frowned,
"I don't see any tea."
"Then there isn't any." said the March Hare in a cheerful voice. Ichigo raised an eyebrow,
"Then it wasn't very polite to offer it, was it?"
"It wasn't very polite of you to sit down without being invited, was it?" the Hatter replied, taking a sip of his coffee. Ichigo remained silent, for she didn't have an immediate response to the cleverly rude reply. She soon came up with a retort, though,
"But it's way too big for just three people! You people wouldn't use the space!" The Hatter took another sip of coffee before replying,
"You have strange ears." Ichigo scowled and fidgeted with her dress while saying,
"Well you should learn not to make personal remarks like that." The Hatter simply shrugged and gazed off into the distance. Ichigo quickly interrupted his trance, though, with a question,
"Why is the monkey here?" The March Hare replied to her question, though, and the Mad Hatter continued to stare at her as he did,
"Because he does not require a chair at this table, and provides a nice cushion. If you would like, you would be less of a bother if you would please crawl up on the table and curl up into a ball, for you may also serve as a suitable pillow." He finished with a small, gentlemanly smile. Ichigo sniffed in protest,
"No thank you." The March Hare nodded,
"Alright, then, continue being a bother if you wish." The small monkey yawned and muttered in a child-like voice,
"All as well, na do da. I like laying here, na do da…" With that, it slumped its head back into its previous position and began to snore quietly.
"It has spoken…" The Hatter said quietly, breaking his stare-fest with Ichigo, "The arrogant girl shall stay." The March hair nodded in agreement, his brown rabbit ears bobbing up and down awkwardly. Ichigo scowled and crossed her arms, reaching for a pastry on a plate across the table on a platter, the only other item on the table besides the coffee mugs and monkey.
Before she could, though, the Hatter put a light slap to her hand,
"Now, now, don't you go reaching for the pastries! First, you must answer my riddle." Ichigo shot him a glare,
"And when did you learn such terrible manners as hitting a lady?" The Hatter just re-adjusted his top hat and said,
"Well?" Ichigo huffed and said,
"Fine. I'll play your stupid game." The Hatter smiled and said,
"Aright, for every riddle, you get a pastry. Simple enough for your small brain, child?" Ichigo nodded,
"Whatever. First question." The Hatter nodded,
"Hare, provide us with the first question, will you please?" The Hare nodded,
"Certainly. Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Ichigo blinked,
"Could you please repeat that?"
This is all a bunch of nonsense, she thought. She eyed the cream-colored pastries sitting on the glass platter on the table ahead, a little detailed garnish imprinted on their soft cream. They were too delicious to resist, Ichigo decided, I'd better go along with their idiotic questions anyway.
The March Hare repeated,
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Ichigo thought. Ichigo thought more. Ichigo thought even more. Ichigo still couldn't figure out the answer.
"I forfeit." she said sadly, "What is the answer?"
"There is no answer, unless you can think of one yourself." The March Hare said with a smile.
"No answer, na do da…" the monkey mumbled in its sleep. Ichigo made to stand up from her chair,
"Well what's the point in that if there's no answer?!" she said angrily. The Hatter shrugged,
"I don't know." He then took another sip of coffee. Ichigo gritted her teeth,
"Please ask another question…" The Hatter nodded,
"Fine." he took out a golden-colored pocket watch, and shaking it a bit, "What is today's date?" Ichigo sat down and thought for a moment before replying,
"The thirteenth."
"Wrong." he replied. He then dipped his watch in his coffee. Ichigo watched him in the act, noticing his watch was different,
"Oh, your watch tells the date of the month." The Hatter nodded,
"That's right. It seems to be off a bit…" He took the watch out of his pocket and examined it. After flicking it a couple times, he concluded,
"The correct answer was the thirteenth."
"But that's what I said." Ichigo stated. The Hatter raised an eyebrow,
"Yes, but you had it wrong before I fixed my watch. Now it is the thirteenth, but it was not so at the time of your answer."
"Why is it that you think you control time?" Ichigo said angrily. The March Hare interrupted,
"Time to shift seats, everyone to the left." Everyone but the confused Ichigo got up and moved seats. Ichigo stayed in her place, quite determined to defy their customs if necessary to gain respect.
"Move, girl." the Hatter commanded. Ichigo remained in her seat,
"No." The Hatter sighed,
"Impudent girl. Then, you may not have any pastries." Ichigo took one look from the pastries to the Hatter, and back to the pastries before making up her mind. She slid back her chair, got up, slid back the one to her left, and sat down in it with a rather large, unnecessary thump. She crossed her legs and folded her arms,
"What now?"
"Story, na do da…" the monkey mumbled sleepily. The March Hare perked up his rabbit ears to this proposal,
"Wonderful suggestion, Mr. Monkey. Would you care to tell us a story, little girl?"
"I am not a little girl!" Ichigo retorted. The March Hare smiled politely,
"You're ignoring my question. Tell us a story, would you please?" Ichigo sighed,
"Fine. I'll try my best. So…um…"
"You can start now." the Hatter said. Ichigo frowned,
"Alright. So one day I had this strange dream. At the beginning, this kind of Godzilla-like monster destroying buildings in Tokyo…"
"What's Godzilla, na do da?" the monkey mumbled.
"It's kind of like a big, scary dinosaur." Ichigo said.
"What's a dinosaur, na do da?" the monkey asked. Ichigo ignored its ignorance and continued,
"…so I saw the monster and transformed into this cat girl heroine, with a frilly pink dress-"
"Why pink? It's an ugly color." the Hatter remarked. Ichigo turned up her nose,
"Is not! At any rate, so I transformed into this superhero-"
"Cat girl." the March Hare corrected. Ichigo sighed and continued,
"Cat girl. So when I was there, this big crowd of people came and started cheering for me-"
"Why would anyone cheer for you?" The Hatter said indifferently. Ichigo huffed a sigh,
He's almost as bad as the smoking man.
"Look, do you want to hear the story or not?"
"Not really." Ichigo got up from the table,
"Then I guess I'll take my leave." She turned on her heel and walked away from the table of oddities. She was half-hoping that they would tell her to come back and sit down, because that would prove as some kind of indication of respect and interest, but alas, no such protest came.
I certainly won't miss them, thought Ichigo, They were so stupid and rude. Especially that hatter. I really loathe him…anyways, that was the stupidest tea party I've ever been to in my life.
She picked her way through her woods, wondering to herself what to do next, when she saw a stout, wooden door carved into one of the trees.
"Well that's strange…" she said to herself, "But I guess everything's strange today, so I might as well take a look inside." She walked over to the door and pulled on the metal handle, opening the door with a bit of force. She peered inside to see it led back to the circular room she started at. Looking around without stepping in, she noticed another little door on the opposite side of the room.
I swear that wasn't there before… she said to herself as she stepped into the room. She pulled out a little bit of the mushroom she had left over and took a bite, shrinking herself back to a cat. She dashed over to where the little door was, twisted the handle with some difficulty, and stepped inside.
Her eyes met with a beautiful flower garden, wildflowers, trees and bushes alike adorning the landscape ahead. Brilliant shades of roses, lilacs, cherry blossoms, and all sorts of flowers were planted in neat rows and circles. Trees and bushes that were a rich, luscious green were abundant among the flowers, giving the massive garden more depth and shape, and providing shade for any creature who wished to rest in the beautiful atmosphere.
It's so beautiful… Ichigo thought, sniffing the air full of the flowery scent, Why, I could just drift off to sleep right here and now…
However, as fate would allow, she didn't. Instead, she heard voices and dived into a nearby Japanese maple bush as she listened to the talk,
"Shh, B! You're making a whole lot of noise with those hedge trimmers!"
"I told you to stop calling me that, G! Call me by my proper name. Let's say it together…"
"B flat, yeah, yeah…I just don't see why you bother to lecture me about it. I mean, we've known each other for quite a while now!"
Ichigo peeped around the branches of the bush to examine the two people. She discovered they were not people, but they were more like very small pixies. They had little wings on their back, and they were wearing silly-looking hats. The strangest thing about them, though, was their ridiculously puffy skirts, which almost hid their legs entirely. They reminded her of…
Now, what are they again? That's right, one is B flat, so they must be musical notes! Ichigo giggled to herself as she watched them buzz around a hedge. They looked so adorable, being only a foot tall each, she wanted to cuddle or hug one, in spite of herself.
"Oh come off it. Now, let's get to work on this hedge. I seem to recall she wanted it in the shape of a swan…"
"A swan? But I've already began the head of a stork!"
"Oh, here, you just have to clip the beak off a little like this- Oh my! I snipped the whole thing off!"
"Nice job."
"Oh! Hurry! Here comes the Queen!" The two little creatures skittered behind the sculpture they were trimming as what looked like a royal procession came into view.
Ichigo looked on with great interest at the people approaching. The first in the procession were two of what looked like royal guards, more pixie notes. These ones were only a bit taller, and still female, like the ones doing the hedge-trimming. They only looked a bit more serious, and were carrying tall, metal poles with sharpened ends. In reality, they didn't look too frightening anyway. Behind them was a very grand-looking young girl; Ichigo automatically assumed this was the Queen. She had two short locks of blue hair in front of her face, the rest tied in two buns behind her head. She wore a beautifully designed, regal gown and cape, both dark, indigo blue in color, with golden embroidery. A small, yet pretty tiara was placed lightly on her head, blue crystals embedded in the fine detail. She had stunning brown eyes, and long, dark lashes. She reminded Ichigo of someone, but who…
No wonder she is royalty, she is certainly pretty and grand enough to be so,
Ichigo thought as she gazed at the queen as she came, more guards coming up behind her.
Suddenly, she stopped and turned to where the two gardeners were hiding,
"Step out, cowards." she spoke sharply. The two creatures came out from behind the hedge timidly, wringing their hands,
"Um, You Majesty, we were just-"
"What did you do to that hedge?! And speaking to your Queen without permission?! Off with her head!" she called to a nearby guard.
How gruesome! thought Ichigo, I've got to do something to help! Without giving it much thought, she jumped out from behind the bush and latched her claws onto the Queen's dress. This caused mass chaos as the Queen screeched,
"EEK! GET IT OFF!" she ran around in circles, flapping her arms around wildly while the guards bustled around Ichigo and tried to pry her off the Queen's dress. The small creatures took this as their cue to get going, so they did, scampering frantically elsewhere while all of the guards were occupied.
Surprisingly to both Ichigo and all of the people trying to dispose of her, she was holding on longer than she would have expected she could. When she saw the two creatures make a run for it, she did also. Unlatching herself from the Queen's dress, she dashed into some nearby trees, the Queen bellowing orders,
"Get that cat! Don't let it escape!"
Dashing frantically, Ichigo saw that the guards were really gaining. She dashed behind some trees and took out some pieces of the mushroom she had attached to the bow on her tail earlier. Taking a small bite of the one to make you grow, she began to feel herself growing taller and taller, her paws shrinking back into human hands. Checking herself over, she took a bite of the one to make you smaller, just to make sure she didn't make the wrong impression when she was a foot taller than everyone else. She peered out from behind the tree to see that the guards were still looking for her cat form, peering under bushes and up trees, calling,
"Here, kitty kitty!"
It made her giggle a bit; they just looked so funny!
Ichigo felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to come face-to-face with the Queen. She looked Ichigo up and down, making a face when her eyes rested on her ears,
"Where did you get those black things attached to your head?" Ichigo bit her lip,
"I've had them for a while now, I can't remember where I got them exactly…"
"Dispose of them." the Queen said casually. Ichigo frowned,
"I'm sorry, I can't do that. They're attached to my head." This time, it was the Queen's turn to frown,
"Did I just hear you defy me?!"
"Yes." Ichigo said stoutly. Quite frankly, this regal, stuck-up snob-of-a-queen didn't scare her all too much, nor did her girly, pixie-winged servants. Feeling she was defeated, the Queen turned on her heel with a huff. She was about to walk off when she stopped. Ichigo looked at her curiously as she spoke,
"Do you participate in many hunting games?"
"Like what?" Ichigo said.
Sure I have. Saving the world and all…
"Like…" the Queen flourished her hand elegantly, "English-style. Riding a horse, chasing live prey."
"No, Your Majesty, but I've done similar hunting before-"
"Good! E minor, suit her with a horse!" A nearby guard saluted,
"Yes, Your Highness!" With that, she dragged Ichigo rather harshly by the wrist off across the garden. Ichigo found herself tripping over various rocks and roots (herself being a klutz); she just wasn't able to keep with the guard's pace.
"Could you slow down, please?" she called to the incredibly strong pixie-like guard. The guard just remained silent, turned her head, made a face, and went back to the path. Ichigo scowled,
Foul little creature.
Too soon, the two had made their way to what appeared to be the stables, where several other people were loading onto their horses. The guard dragged Ichigo to a huge, Clydesdale horse, its head arching a towering nine feet tall. Of course, to the small creatures and Ichigo, it appeared about nineteen feet tall. Ichigo whimpered a bit as the guard rolled her eyes,
"Come on, I'll push you up." Before Ichigo could even respond with a 'What?', she had been picked up and flung onto the horse like some kind of baggage, landing awkwardly on its back and clinging to its mane for dear life.
Ichigo hoisted herself up, still shaken, and gripped onto the horses side. The horse seemed to have no protest to any of this action, and just sat there, idly blinking and staring into space. She buckled herself into the oversized saddle, and stared down at the pack hanging at her side. She looked up to ask the guard what was in it, but the guard had deserted her completely. Peering into it, she took out what seemed to be some kind of bow, and a large pack of arrows stored in the same place. She had never shot a bow in her life, except for maybe that nature camp she went to two years ago.
This will be difficult. She said to herself as she shot a dry arrow, oblivious to the fact that it damages the bow.
More people came over to the stable over the next few minutes, all of them finding a horse and either being hosted on (not as harshly as Ichigo was), or hopping, flying, or getting themselves on in their own manner. Gradually, the whole stable was filled with people mounted on horses.
Ichigo gripped the saddle with sweaty palms. The Queen trotted to the front of the stable on her horse and addressed the mounted crowd,
"Now, what we will be hunting is these." She pulled out a small, jellyfish-like object that floated around in the air. Ichigo racked her memory to figure out where she had seen it, but nothing came to mind. The queen continued, "These little things will be scattered throughout the woods to your right, there are about six dozen in all. The goal is simply to collect them by shooting them down with the bows provided from your horse, and store them in your packs. Whoever has the most by the time I give the signal, wins. Am I clear?" The little creatures nodded their heads or remained silent. One small, bird-like creature raised its hand,
"Um, Your Majesty, how will we know when we are finished?" Ichigo happened to be wondering the same question,
How will we know?
The queen's face twisted into a scowl,
"Do I hear you doubting my abilities to summon you all? Are you questioning my authority over my own royal authority?!" The now-timid creature waved its wings frantically,
"No, no, Your Highness! I didn't-"
"Are you saying I'm wrong?! Off with his head!" Some nearby guards dragged the squealing creature off the horse and to the main paths of the garden. Ichigo bit her lip and hung her head.
How cruel…
The Queen stuck up her nose and continued,
"Anyways, as I was saying before I was cruelly interrupted…" she paused and looked around at the people before her, "Begin."
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-To be Continued-