Kyoko gasped as she looked into his piercing eyes. Tsuruga-san's eyes. She instinctively took a step back, her eyes widening in fear. The images of that night flashed before her eyes. Tsuruga-san swiping his blade towards her. Him threateningly looming over her. Her running away in fear. She started feeling cold and her teeth started chattering a little. Her breathing got heavy as she kept slowly moving back, only to have her back hit the door behind her. She pressed up against it and watched the predator in front of her closing the distance between them. He was standing a mere five inches away from her now.

"Have we met?"

Kyoko looked up at him as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Huh?"

Tsuruga-san slightly raised an eyebrow at Kyoko's jitteriness.

"I asked if we've met. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Kyoko didn't know how to respond. He was talking so calmly and normally as if he hadn't tried to take her life just a few days ago.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You're not supposed to be here. The queen will be angry if she finds out you were here. Let's take you back downstairs before that happens."

He extended a gloved hand out towards her and elegantly bowed his head slightly. Kyoko hesitantly reached out and took his hand, still confused and dizzy about this sudden encounter. He turned around and led her back down the stairs.

"I must say, you look quite lovely."

Kyoko realized that she still had her make up on from the salon room. She felt her face heat up.

"Oh, ummm…T-thank you."

"Well, here we are."

They were back to the ballroom floor. Kyoko slowly let go of Tsuruga's hand.

"Please enjoy your stay here."

With that he walked away. Kyoko looked after him until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Kyoko jumped and yelped as she spun around.

"Oh sorry dear. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh! Ms. Woods! It's ok. I was just…anyway, how was your dance with Peter?"

"Oh it was magnificent! That man knows how to dance! Thank you so much!"

"It's ok, I'm glad I could help. Oh, let me check something…"

Kyoko pulled out her notebook and flipped it open. There she saw a picture of an elegant swan with its head proudly held high.

"Oh! Is that me?"

"Yes, I think so! But for some reason Peter isn't here…"

"What exactly is this?"

"Oh, it's actually a record of everyone I help with their greatest worry. It's supposed to help me get back to my world once it's filled. I checked to see if Peter was here right after the queen approved of his costume but he wasn't there."

"Hmmm, maybe there is actually something that is worrying him more. He's a man with many layers you know."

"I guess."

"Well, enough about that. I saw you coming down the stairs and I didn't even recognize you. You look gorgeous. Let's hope the queen doesn't get jealous."

"Oh, thank you!" Kyoko couldn't help but smile at her compliment.

"Now above all else, you need to tell me what you were doing with the Hatter." Odette nudged Kyoko in her side with a grin on her face.

"What? You mean Tsurug…" Kyoko stopped, realizing Odette wouldn't know what she was talking about.

"Ummm, he was just escorting me back to here. I got…lost."

"Well that is something that he would do. He's such a gentleman."

"D-do you know anything about him?"

Kyoko was really curious about Tsuruga's alter ego in this world. She barely understood him in the real world. What was he like here?

"Not really. He's pretty mysterious. Everyone else is so full of life during the day, but him, despite his obvious charm, he seems to have…a darkness around him, even in the light of day."

Kyoko wasn't surprised.

"I see…"

"But he is a very lovely man if you're interested."

"What? Oh no! It's nothing like that!" Kyoko frantically waved her hands in front of her.

"Well, if you say so. But if you ask me, I think you should go for it!"

Odette gave Kyoko a wink and waddled away. Kyoko turned her head and her eyes met once again with the dark eyes of Tsuruga-san.

This day was turning out to be quite long. To Kyoko it felt like two days had already passed, but the sun was still high and wasn't planning on going down anytime soon. She didn't see how everyone else here could still be dancing so gracefully. She was tired and bored. She felt like she should go find someone else to help, especially since she apparently hadn't helped Peter yet either. Maybe she should find him and ask him again? Kyoko sighed as her stomach grumbled. Before she could help anyone she had to keep herself alive. She was sitting at a table full of sweets. She really wanted to eat something and she would love to eat something other than the twigs and berries she had been surviving on until now, but the cakes and tarts looked to artfully crafted that she felt like it would be crime to eat them.

Finally when she couldn't take it any longer she reached out and picked up the simplest vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing she could find. The icing on the cupcake was carefully made into an elegant rose. It was beautiful, but Kyoko was starving. She closed her eyes, opened her mouth and took a bite. The cupcake melted into her mouth. It tasted like silk and butter and milk. It was so sweet yet not too sweet. The bits of sugar seemed to dance over her taste buds as a sensation swept over her tongue. She swallowed and opened her eyes. She eagerly dove in again to take another bite.

"I see someone's hungry."

Kyoko quickly jolted out of her seat and turned out to see Tsuruga-san standing there. Kyoko's eyes widened. Tsuruga-san tilted his head back as if he had seen the strangest thing in the world. Then he bent down a little and put a hand over his mouth and started chuckling under his breath.

"W-what are you laughing at!" Kyoko angrily asked.

"Sorry."

Tsuruga leaned forward causing Kyoko to jump back and fall back down on her seat. He chuckled once more and grabbed a napkin from the table. Then he crouched down and wiped the frosting from Kyoko's upper lip. Kyoko blushed fiercely.

"S-sorry. I'm usually very careful while I'm eating."

Kyoko felt so embarrassed. After years of living at the inn, Kyoko had developed perfect etiquette. How could she have eaten so messily? That too, in front of Tsuruga-san!

"No need to apologize."

Kyoko saw the smile on his face. It was perfect in every way. It was enough to dazzle anybody, but not Kyoko. She knew what that smile meant. He was looking down on her. Kyoko could feel her little spirits urging her to let them out as her anger rose, but she took a deep breath and then blew out. Then she looked up with a smile.

"Yes. You're right. I don't have any need to apologize to you."

Tsuruga raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice, but kept his cool like always.

"I just came here to properly introduce myself. I don't think I've ever seen you around here before. I'm Hatter. Mad Hatter. And you are?"

He reached out to shake her hand. Kyoko choked at his name, but quickly stopped as she felt some of her spirits fly out of her head like radars of a source of anger. She looked up and saw that Tsuruga's smile had gotten even brighter. It was as if sparkles were illuminating around him. Kyoko's heart froze in fear. That smile. She knew that smile. Behind that charming glow of a smile was Tsuruga's ever growing anger. She quickly extended a shaking hand out to meet his.

"K-kyoko. N-nice to m-meet you."

She wanted to look away and avoid his gaze, but it was as if his eyes had locked her in place. Kyoko's heart began beating again but it was in loud thumps. She was sure that Tsuruga could hear them loud and clear. Finally he let go of her hand and looked back towards the dancers swirling around. Kyoko moved her eyes back to the floor.

"Would you like to go dance?"

Kyoko looked up in shock. Did he just ask her to dance? Several men had come up to her since she had come out of the salon room, but she had politely declined. But how could she say no to Tsuruga-san. What if he got angry?

"I-I suppose."

Sorry it took me so long to update. My laptop was on a fritz for a while and then I went into a major writers block AGAIN and got busy with a bunch of work, too. And then when I did write a chapter, for some reason fanfiction wouldn't let me upload a new chapter. Hence the delay. Hope you liked this chapter and that it was worth the wait. Please let me know what you thought! I don't know if I'm doing a good job in keeping everyone in character. Thanks!