My foot ached as I hurried through town. Man...I even took some pain medicine so it wouldn't bother so much. Maybe I should have taken two instead of the one? I sighed, rolling with the spouts of pain as it came. Oh well. It'll get better sooner or later. My eyes scanned the crowd of happy faceless frolicking to their destinations.

Hm...if I was mama hen where would I be? My eyes blindly scanned the crowd searching for Gray's broad back and topaz eyes. Huh. He really knows how to disappear doesn't he?

"Huh? Oh hey Jackie!" Ace's voice cried. I glanced back spying the knight as he approached. Ace?

"Ace? Aren't you at the clock tower?" I asked without thinking. Ah, that's right. He only works for Julius on the side. Ace's smile still held as his eyes fell from joy.

"Yeah...imagine my surprise when I was looking for the clock tower and I found Clover tower instead." He hummed. Aw...poor Ace. I uncosiously reached out and hugged the depressed man.

"It's alright Ace. Julius will eventually come back I'm sure."

"Aw, is Jackie trying to comfort me? Then let me listen to your heart -,"

"No." I immediately rejected continuing my search for Gray. I wonder where he went?

"Aw~ please? I thought you were trying to comfort me~," he whined toiling behind me on my heels.

"I was but then you had to make a stupid comment." I snapped still searching the crowd. Huh...I can't find him. "Ah, Ace have you seen Gray?"

"Gray? Gray Ringmarc?" Ace asked with an excited tone. Oh? He knows him?

"Yeah. Have you seen him? I'm looking for him." I answered still unable to find even a trace of the man. Where could someone so gorgeous possibly have hidden?

"Huh~ let me help. I've been looking for Gray too." He said pointing to his goofy smile.

"Really? Are you friends?" It's hard to picture Ace having more than Julius as a friend. But then again I guess Julius and Gray are pretty similar; both are extreme workaholics and are pretty reserved.

"Friends...," he trailed off and chuckled darkly with a strange spark in his eye, "yeah, I guess so."

"Alright then...?" I said uneasily, puzzled by his reaction. I shrugged it off. Oh well; this is just Ace being Ace.

‡

The silence between us lasted for hours on end as any attempt at a conversation Ace abruptly ended with an end comment like 'yeah' or 'ok'. Nothing really that I could use to continue with a conversation.

"So, uh, Ace...how are you handling the move? You know, with Julius and all?" I asked, at my wits end. I need to talk or else I'm going to go nuts. It's been nothing but silence and disappointment for too long. Even I crave the presence of people every now and then!

"Hm~ alright, I guess." He said happily trailing along with me as we toiled through every nook and cranny in town.

"Ah, and with Julius? How are you holding up with that?"

"Just fine." He ended as his eyes wandered elsewhere with that still same mild smile curling his chapped lips up.

"...Are you sure?"

"Huh? Are you concerned about me?" He asked happily with a genuine smile.

"Not anymore." I sourly remarked.

"Aw~ you're so mean! So?" He asked looking to me expectantly.

"So what?" I asked. What's he getting at?

"So how are you handling this? This is your first move isn't it?" He asked looking over me curiously. Well, at least I got him talking.

"Me, huh? Well...I am pretty sad, truthfully." I said as my mood faltered.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I'm away from my house, my money, my clothes, my violin, and...," I trailed off unable to continue before I pushed it, "my wrench." My beautiful wrench...man, I really miss it. My pocket feels...just not right without it. Even Mary too, and Boris and Julius...Ah, I really miss all of them. What I wouldn't give to be back in the amusement park...

"Huh? You're wrench?" He asked, puzzled. "Can't you buy a new one?"

"Well, yeah I have one that I'm using but...that other one was my wrench. It's very special to me since my dad gave it to me." I said as the lightness of my pocket really began to irk me. All of my stuff...I'm not very materialistic but that doesn't mean I don't miss it all still. I sighed. Ah, I'm pathetic... I turned a corner just in time to be splattered with wet paint.

"Gah -!" I cried, stumbling back into Ace's stomach. My eyes narrowed trying to keep the stinging red paint from getting into my eyes.

"Oh~ there's Mr. Lizard!" Ace crowed excitedly. Gray? I hastily wiped off the splatters looking up just in time to see Gray ripping a knife from a faceless's throat. My heart froze over as I spied his narrowed beady eyes and sneer over his face. My eyes dropped from his fierce expression spying a faceless who was on the ground before my feet with a slashed throat. Acid churned in my stomach as I held my mouth. H-Holy crap -!

"Useless trash...how many times do I have to remind you that this is neutral territory?" Gray hissed as a survivor was backing away from him. The blood froze in my veins as I beheld Gray's cold predatory eyes which pinned me to the ground. G-Gray? Is that...really mama hen?

The man yelped as he turned to flee for his life. With impossible skill Gray lunged forward, flying through the air and landing on the man's back as he drove a knife into the man's skull. Gray crushed the corpse's shoulder with his foot as he violently yanked out the blade coated in blood.

"Oh~ that looks like fun!" Ace cried stepping in front of me. A-Ace? "Would you like to play with me next?"

"I hate dealing with f***ing brats of the likes of you." Gray spat, sounding disgusted just having to talk with the man. G-Gray? I stumbled back into the corner of an alley under the cover of Ace's body.

"Go away Ace." Gray warned as he readied his knives.

"Ah...those are nice eyes Mr. Lizard. Show them to me more often." Ace purred as he surged forward. With a heavy swing he brought the deadly blow over Gray's head. Gray sneered and easily caught the blade with his knives in an X formation before bringing Ace's sword down. W-What in the world is Ace doing?!

"I want nothing to do with a brat like you -!" Gray hissed venomously as he slashed Ace's waist.

"Ah~," Ace sang dropping to the ground as the eyes roll into the back of his head. Blood spluttered from the wound as I drew out of my hiding spot. G-Gray...h-he just...

Defeated Ace. Isn't Ace...the strongest of everyone?

Without warning Gray spun around with flashing eyes. My body froze solid the second I met his icy gaze.

THUMP.

I...I can't move - my mouth parted slightly as I felt a sharp pain in my neck. My fingers shakily swept past the wound as I pulled back. B-Blood...he cut me?

"Jackie...I told you to stay off of your foot haven't I?" Gray demanded coldly, still hyped up on adrenaline. My lips trembled as I stared at the blood on my fingers. He...

"You cut me!" I shouted, shocked beyond comprehension. Gray's face went blank as I touched the wound again and again as if to be sure that what I was seeing and feeling was the real thing. Mama hen? Not at all. I glanced back up to his blank face and the pools of blood clinging to his feet. He's kind and nurturing and has the power to do something like this? My heart pounded as I hesitantly entered the alley. He's not a mother hen; he's more like...

"Mama bear?" I asked, tilting my head as I struggled to digest the fact that he just destroyed Ace in a matter of seconds. Gray's lips curled up into a disbelieving smile as a dark chuckle ripped through his throat. His smile held no joy as his annoyed voice wound the tension tighter.

"A mama bear...," his shoes splashed in the blood as he approached, musing with the name I just blurted out. The hair on my arms stood on end as I retreated with my heart pounding. This guy...just took out a number of faceless and even Ace, the strongest in all of Wonderland, and here I am pissing him off!

"H-Hey...Gray, what went on here?" I asked sheepishly hoping to distract him from my mindless comment. Ah, he looks mad...no, more than that he looks just plain creepy! His smile...his dark smile which seems rejuvenated by my unease made my heart flutter dangerously. This...isn't Gray. He's...

He's actually kind of scaring me.

"What did? Well, if I told you...," he trailed off as a strange spark flitted through his eyes, "I don't think you would like the answer." A shutter ran up my spine. Creepy...this man is being really creepy! I turned to run. Nightmare...is this what he meant by 'be careful'? Or maybe -

THUMP.

I skidded to a halt as a knife's handle stuck out of the wall inches from my face. A-Ah...oh gosh... I turned around trying to dash down the other way. Maybe he's out of -

THUMP.

Knives. Yeah, that's not it. I spun around trying to find another exit. Maybe -

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

I sucked in a quick breath as something pinched my clothes. My eyes grew wide as I spied four knives pinning my clothes to the wall, two at my knees and two on either side of my waist. I shakily watched the approaching predator as he smiled at his own trap. Crap; my stomach is pinned to the wall so I can't even defend myself -!

"Jackie...you're bleeding." He cheekily noted eyeing the blood dripping into my tank top.

"O-Of course I am! That's what happens when you cut someone!" I growled back before the breath caught in my throat. His lurking presence infused frightening chills down my spine. Those eyes...those merciless, excited eyes...

They're frightening.

"I thought you said you were strong...didn't you?" He crooned placing his hands on either side of me.

"O-Of course I am!" I retorted struggled to rip free of the binds holding me. I can't move -!

"Really?" He muttered skimming his nose over my jaw line. The breath caught in my throat as a frightened shiver ran down my spine. W-Wow...w-w-what is this? My heart pounded wildly as he nuzzled his head in my shoulder.

"G-Gray...?"

"If you are not weak...then why do you bleed so easily?" He huskily questioned drawing his thumb over the wound. I shuttered at the stinging sensation it caused clenching my teeth. A yelp strangled in my throat as his hand floated over my chest, pressing against my racing heart.

"If you are not weak...then why is your heart beating so fast?" He purred as his hand swept up gently coddling my throat in his large hands. He gently applied pressure, enforcing the idea that he could strangle me right now and I could do nothing about it. My heart pounded faster than ever at the gesture. Ah...mama bear wants to rip my throat out. Why?

"If you are not weak...then why can you not speak?" He asked as he withdrew his hand back over my racing heart as if encouraging me to speak. My lips trembled terribly as I struggled to speak my mind, livid with what he was doing to me.

But I couldn't. No matter how much force I tried to put behind my words they remained ever silent, hiding in the predators strangely seductive presence. A shiver crawled up my spine when a soft pair of lips pressed against the crook of my neck in my blind spot. W-What is he doing? Fear clenched my heart, viciously trying to wring the life out of it with that cold blooded hand of his.

"M-Master Gray? You are ne-needed back at C-C-C-Clover T-Tower." A voice hesitantly called frightened to even speak in the presence of the man. Gray hummed and pressed his lips over the cut in my neck.

"I'll see you back at the tower." He murmured pulling out all four knives at once. I slumped to the ground, hand over my frantically beating heart. H-H-H-He just... "Bring her back to the tower once she has recovered."

"Y-Yes Master Gray." I gapped over the dead bodies covering the ground blindly. Gray...just made a huge fool out of me. I came to apologize and he goes and pins me to the wall to prove to himself that I'm weak. And then he goes and slaughters all those people in front of me. I stiffened as a shadow lurking by the wall came to life. Ah...an afterimage? For Julius?

"Ah, please come with me Miss Jackie." She nearly deftly instructed pulling me out of the alley.

"Y-Yeah...," my voice shakily faltered as she took my hand, pulling me along.

"P-Perhaps a spot of tea will calm your nerves?" She offered tugging me off towards the tea shop.

"Y-Yeah...," I choked off. I hate tea. I hate tea but... My hands trembled as I followed the young girl.

I really don't want to see Gray right now.

‡