Aaaaand I finally updated! Woohoo! Sorry for being so late… T_T

School and activities have dragged me down badly. x_x

Ahh but I ended up making this my longest chapter~ *Is very happy* *Is starting on next chapter while I still have time*

Well I hope you all enjoy this~ ^^~

Ah I almost forgot the disclaimer again. *fails*

Disclaimer: I do not own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice, and I wish I did. *pouts*

- CHAPTER FIVE -

- AMUSEMENT PARK -

"Who are you?" I asked while taking a step back in fright. For unknown reasons, I was in a strange, dark world. It looked like the world I fell through when coming to the Country of Hearts. And now a man with silver hair floated before me.

"There's no need to be afraid, Alex. I'm Nightmare, the incubus," the man said with a smile.

I froze in shock. I didn't believe it.

"What is it?"

The real deal…

Nightmare stared at me with a puzzled look.

I spun around and took off running.

"W-wait," Nightmare said while flying after me. "Stop running."

"THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU, YOU HORRIBLE CREATURE! ! !"

"Why on earth would we have sex?" a surprised Nightmare asked while catching up to me and grabbing my arm.

"Duh, because you're an incubus!" I glared at the man.

"How does being an incubus have anything to do with sex?"

"What are you stupid? An incubus is a demon who has sexual intercourses with sleeping women!" I pushed Nightmare away and took a few steps back. He stared at me for a long time in shock. He started to cough up a good amount of blood.

"Oh my gawd," I whispered in horror.

"I'm not that kind of incubus… When… I say I'm an incubus, I mean that I'm just the embodiment of bad dreams!" he argued then coughed up more blood.

"D-d-d-doctor! You need to see a doctor," I said while panicking.

"I refuse. I hate doctors."

"But there's seriously something wrong with you."

"I'm fine," Nightmare said stubbornly.

"Oh riiight, of course you're fine. It's absolutely NORMAL to cough up blood," I said sarcastically.

"That's right."

I was at a loss for words. Oh well, if this guy wanted to die, it was fine with me. But before he decided to grow wings or meet that demon down below, I was going to find out how to get the heck out of here.

"That's rude!" Nightmare said in irritation.

"What is?" I asked while raising a brow.

"I'm not dying! And would you really not care?"

Now I was getting really confused.

"Wha- I never said you were dying."

"You thought it!"

I remained silent while trying to process what the incubus just said. Thought it? Thought it…

"You read minds! ?" I asked in disbelief.

"That's right," Nightmare said while wiping the blood from his mouth.

"So then…"

"Don't worry. You're only dreaming now. When you wake up, you should be at the Hatter Residence."

"And I'm not a pervert! You can stop thinking that," Nightmare quickly added.

"Then stop reading my mind you dream rapist."

"I'm not a dream rapist!"

The guy really did seem harmless. Actually he seemed like the annoying type one could just stomp on.

"Well as much as you dislike me, I am here to help you," Nightmare said calmly.

"Help me how?" I asked while tilting my head slightly when looking at the incubus.

"Unfortunately we're out of time. You need to wake up now."

"Hey wait. What do you mean out of time? You said you're here to help me."

"You've been asleep for too long. I'll explain when we meet again."

Everything became a blur and darkened. I could feel a welcoming warmth engulf me.

I opened my eyes slowly to find myself in my room of the Hatter Mansion just like the incubus said. After some time, I tried lifting myself up which was unusually difficult to do. I thought back to what Alice told me when we first met. I remember her saying that this Nightmare guy was supposed to be helpful. Was he helpful? Heck no!

I changed out of the purple nightgown that I was wearing and into my clothes, praying that Alice was the one who put it on me… I decided to explore this large mansion, since I was still clueless on where things were.

Many sounds and music could be heard all around us. Screams could be heard from here and there. Apparently Alice decided to take me to the Amusement Park today, which brought me loads of excitement. I had read quite a few times in books just how exciting they were.

Two hands grabbed me from behind and dragged me back a few steps.

"Don't forget your promise, sister," said an amused Dee.

"So what first?" asked Dum with a huge grin on his face.

I guess I might have forgot to mention that these boys came along with us… I sighed and brushed their hands off my shoulders.

"What are you three doing?" asked Alice from ahead.

"We'll only be a sec. Go on without us," I said while giving her a forced smile. She shrugged and went on ahead.

"Okay, so today we'll begin Mission One: Affection!" I said while looking back at the twins with a smirk.

"Affection? What kind of a mission name is that?" asked Dee.

"It's my mission! I can name it whatever I want," I argued.

"So what do we do, sister?" asked Dum.

"I'm glad you asked, Dum," I said while smiling at the boy.

"The point of today's mission is to figure out how much love Alice has for you two and to hopefully deepen it if only by a little. I will be in charge of figuring out her current feelings, and it'll be up to you boys to get her to fall for you more."

"An' how do we do that?"

"Simple. We'll have to focus on rides that give you a feel of love. Like aim for slow and romantic."

"Will this really work?" asked Dum.

"You'll see. I'm a master at love," I said while winking at the boy. To be honest though, I had never fallen in love or been in a relationship. I had only ever seen lovers walk by, watched romantic films, and read books with a little bit of romance here and there. But I would never tell them that.

"Anyways, you boys have been here right?"

"Yeah, we come here a lot to play," said Dee.

"Good, then you should know all the rides. Remember, just aim for slow and romantic looking. And save the Ferris Wheel for last."

"Why last?" asked the twins in unision.

"Because the FERRIS WHEEL has a very IMPORTANT meaning. It is a ride that should ALWAYS be saved for LAST. It is even more ROMANTIC at NIGHT, so if we get lucky and we get a time shift to night then that'd be awesome."

"Is that everything?" asked Dum. I thought to myself for a moment, making sure that I didn't forget anything.

"Yep," I said then ushered the boys onward. "You two will spend time with Alice first while I wander off elsewhere. Then we'll meet up to discuss your progress, switch for a while, meeting, then you can have her back."

Dee and Dum both stopped in their tracks.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Hmm well how do we know you won't get lost?" asked Dum.

"Yeah, like this morning," Dee added with a grin.

Oh gawd, I wanted to forget that… After leaving my room this morning, I ended up getting lost while trying to find my way out of the stupid mansion.

"I was only trying to find the entrance," I argued.

"So you thought you could find the entrance inside the public bath?" Dee asked. He and Dum then laughed.

Of course it was terribly embarrassing on my part. Blood and Elliot just happened to be in the baths at that time too. I really wanted to forget.

"Yeah that's real funny you two," I said sarcastically.

"Well I won't get lost this time. Now go!" I commanded.

"Yes~" the twins said merrily then ran off to meet up with Alice.

I decided to take a look around while the three spent their time "bonding". I was able to get in this time because Alice paid for me. The twins had their own money, and Alice had a free unlimited pass. The lucky girl… Maybe I should find a way to earn money too. Since I still didn't know the location of my vial, it'd probably be best to do so.

Looking at all the rides made me feel so excited. What to do first?

"Hello there little lady," I heard someone say from behind. I spun around to see a grown man in a yellow shirt holding a violin.

"Hello sir."

"You look different than the others. Are you an outsider?"

"Yeah. I'm Alex."

"Well I'll be. My second time seeing one. It's nice to meet you Alex," the man said while holding out his hand. I shook it and he smiled.

"The name's Gowland. You here on your own?"

"No, I came with others. One of them is also an outsider."

"You mean Alice? Had no idea she was here. I've been wantin' to show her one of my new songs."

"So you can play music?" I asked excitedly.

"I sure can. Would you like me to play a song?"

"Yes please!" Gowland seemed very pleased with my answer. I loved all types of music and couldn't help but wonder what this nice man would play.

- A FEW MINUTES LATER… -

No matter how hard I covered my ears, I couldn't save myself from the horrible sound. It was so horrifying, I wanted to run away and never come back.

"La la la~ La la la~ La~~~" SCREEEEEEECH! ! !

It felt like an eternity. Just when would it end! ? ! ?

"La la la la la~ La la~ La~~~"

My patience had grown VERY thin. I was about to explode on the man if he didn't stop. But then luck was on my side. A gunshot was heard which caused Gowland to stop. I sighed in relief.

"Hey pops! Trying to kill another one with that awful music of yours?" asked the one who saved me.

I looked to see a boy who looked very pink. Was he some kind of cosplayer? Pink hair, ears, and a tail with piercings. Maybe a punk cosplayer?

"Why you little… I was just at the good part too!" shouted an angry Gowland.

"None of that damn music of yours can be any good."

"What do you know ya damn brat!"

"And what's this anyways?" asked the boy while pointing at me.

"What do you mean what's this?" I asked. Something about this guy made me feel uncomfortable. But who in this world didn't?

"Oh her? She's an outsider. Like Alice," answered Gowland.

"No kidding. I never thought we'd be lucky enough to see two," the boy said with a smile.

My guess was that outsiders were rare judging by their excitement.

"I'm Boris," the boy said while examining me.

"Alex."

"So how about we have some fun?"

"Er, no thank-you," I said as politely as possible. I didn't really want to be around this guy. I mean he didn't seem like a bad guy or anything, but I felt somewhat strange and uncomfortable with him near. I felt like running away.

"What? Why?"

"I have things to do is all," I said which was somewhat true. I mean, I guess I did have to keep an eye out for Alice and the twins to make sure progress was going smoothly.

"Serves you right," said a pleased Gowland.

"Oh well. You're not that cute anyways," Boris said with a bored expression then took off.

"What the heck was that for?" I murmured to myself.

"Don't mind that stray. How about a free unlimited pass?" Gowland asked as he walked up to me.

"Really?" I asked in awe. What a generous old man!

"Of course! Here you go," Gowland said while handing me the pass.

"Thank-you~" I said, grinning while holding the pass.

"Would you like another song?"

"A-ah uhm s-sorry, but my friends are probably wondering where I am," I said nervously. "Next time, okay?"

"Sure thing," Gowland said with a grin. "Come and see me anytime."

I waved good-bye and ran off to find Alice and the twins. That old man played terrible music, but his jolliness really did make me think of Uncle Aswal.

I sat down at a table all alone after searching quite a while for the three. It really was stupid of me to not follow them… I was alone, and I had no money. I could just imagine Dee and Dum laughing and making fun of me now.

"Not fair," I murmured to myself while staring at the table.

"I thought you had something important to do," said a familiar voice. I looked up to see Boris sitting across from me.

"Why are you here?" I asked in surprise.

"I saw you sitting here by yourself, so I thought I'd pay you a visit. So what you said before was a lie then huh?" He was still looking at me with that bored expression of his.

"Not true. It's just that I can't find my objective," I said then sighed.

"What objective would that be?"

"A mission."

"Wait, what?" Boris looked confused.

"It's a mission for love! A promise to keep," I said feeling the determination build inside of me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Boris asked then started to laugh.

"Hmm well do you promise to keep it a secret if I tell? It's very important you do," I said while eyeing the boy.

"Sure, just tell me."

It probably wouldn't hurt to tell just one person, right? And who knows, maybe he'd be able to help. So then I explained the whole situation to Boris.

"So you made a deal with the twins?" Boris asked with a grin.

"Yep. Now I have to keep my end of the bargain," I said with a smile.

"You look like you're having fun with this."

"Of course! Being in charge of having the love blossom between young people just makes my blood boil with excitement!" I stood up proudly and placed my hands on my chest.

"Haven't you ever wanted to know the feelings of true love?"

"Well I'm not exactly the type of cat who wants to get tied down. It's a cat thing," Boris said.

Ahh so that's what he was. That probably explained why he looked so cute. All animals were adorable after all. Even Elliot the rabbit/dog/whatever he was had adorable ears.

"Oh well~ You say that now, but you never know. One of these days, you'll discover that meaning of true love whether you want to or not."

"Not likely…"

"But then again, maybe there is someone I have an interest in," Boris said while moving close to me. "What if I also have the hots for Alice?" he asked, inches away.

What he said crushed me hard.

"A RIVAL!" I shouted while jumping back and pointing at the cat. My reaction seemed to catch Boris by surprise.

"That makes you the enemy," I said in dismay. This was not what I wanted. I had already failed by giving information to the enemy… AT THE VERY FIRST MISSION TOO!

I bonked my head lightly about three times as punishment while calling myself stupid.

Boris burst out into laughter.

"You're even weirder than Alice," he said then walked over to me.

"And don't worry. I said what if as in maybe. I don't have the hots for her, so don't beat yourself up over it," Boris added while patting my back.

"But I am interested," he then added. I gave him a worried look.

"Not romantically," he quickly added after that.

"Really?" I asked just to be sure. Boris nodded in agreement. That made me feel relieved.

"Well then thanks. I'm going to go find them now," I said then waved a good-bye at him.

"Hold it. Can I join you?" Boris asked while getting in my way.

"Don't you have something better to do?" I asked flatly.

"Ouch. Well I'm bored, and what you're doing seems like fun. Just let me tag along. I won't be in your way."

I thought to myself for a moment.

"You're not in love with Alice?"

"No."

"You won't tell anyone?"

"No way."

I smiled at the cat.

"Alright then. You can be my partner."

Something told me this was going to be fun.

So now Alex has a partner in Operation: True Love! XD

And yes, all her plans will be called missions. xP

Votes on who Alice will pair up with are still up. So far, people have voted on Peter White, Blood Dupre, and The Bloody Twins.

For all who are kind enough to visit and/or read this story, love you all! x3