Second Chapter!

(Why can't I update this like my other story? -sigh-)


Teito pushed his aching muscles to the point of breaking. All his focus was on wondering how he would torture the small critter into showing it how much trouble it had put him through. Teito had no choice; he stopped abruptly, hands on his knees as he tried his best to breathe through closing lungs. Sweat caused his russet hair to cling to his face, the black frock coat felt all too heavy on his shoulders. His muscles shook with fatigue; no matter how many breaths he took, it felt as if he was drowning on the heavy air he took in.

The pink rabbit had stopped, opened its mouth and spoke: Burupya~ once more before disappearing around the corner but not before picking up the fallen ribbon it had stolen. Cursing under his breath, the russet took off once more, his hand tight on the piece of garment over his heart. He pounded around the corner to find himself alone within a long, uncurling path towards a giant swaying willow tree. Emerald eyes darted left and right, his hand pressed against the outer wall of the maze; it was too thick to pass through without making a mark, even for the pink rabbit. His sights fled back to the Willow tree. Should he follow the rabbit? Somehow, Teito considered it a fun challenge. And there was always the possibility that his father had found the strange creature and was testing him. And if all else failed, he needed to collect his ribbon.

The russet claimed a big breath and pushed himself forward, eyes darting to any little sound about him. The sun was fading fast; shadows around him began to grow in width and height. A shiver ran through him though he still felt hot from his sprint through the maze.

"Burr-oup-ah?" Teito called out, scanning the ground for any signs of the pink ball of fluff.

"Burupya!"

Green eyes darted towards the Willow tree. The sound had an odd echo to it; Teito could only begin to wonder if the small creature had snuck its way into the tree. But for it to sound so hallow? Teito let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. He approached the tree wearily, stopping at its roots to peer into a gash that marked the golden brown bark with a marring black.

"Hello?"

His voice bounded back to him, a million Teitos answered in reply. He gulped, slowly sticking his head within the tree. The tree smelled like sweet sap and dirt, like any other tree around but as Teito's emerald gaze looked down, it showed that this was no ordinary tree. Though dark inside, a small ball of light burned at, what Teito hoped, was the bottom. He wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, making it appear that the drop was far. But before Teito could perform an experiment to prove his hypothesis correct, soft honey-brown eyes appeared before him suddenly, a boy no older than his age was hovering within the tree's empty trunk. His face was warm and soft, lines straightening to show his departure from boyhood to adulthood. A thin 'X' shaped scar on his cheek spoiled his otherwise clear complexion. His golden blond hair whipped off to the side, as if his hand always ran through that one specific spot, causing the hairs to grow up sideways. Teito blinked, unsure of what he saw.

"We're late, Young Master! The King hates it when I'm late!" With a laugh, the stranger took hold of Teito's wrists, pulling him into the tree without asking for permission.

Immediately, the sense of free falling flooded every sense in Teito. Wind whipped through his every pore, an exhilarating yet startling feeling. Teito tried to flap his arms uselessly, the small orange light soon growing bigger and bigger. Water welled up in his eyes as he stared down to his immediate demise. He began to regret so many things, most of all, never telling his father how he truly felt about him.

"I don't want to die!" Teito yelled. He forced his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to see the ground when it came at a rapid speed.

"Die?" A voice beside him began to laugh. "You're not going to die, Young Master. We're just falling! Isn't it a great feeling?"

Startled, Teito looked beside him to find the blond male, arms and legs outstretched, looking utterly peaceful as the wind whipped his hair and clothes.

"But what happens when we hit the ground?!"

Honey eyes turned to him; they looked so sincere, as if Teito was looking into the eyes of a long lost friend.

"We arrive. In Wonderland."

- - -

A bee inside Teito's scull would not allow him to sleep peacefully. He pried open his weary eyes, too tired to do much of anything else. The soft smell of grass and dirt filled his exhausted senses, eyes turned towards the sky; it was dark and glittered with stars. He had fallen asleep, how typical. His father would really be mad when he arrived at the manor and had missed dinner. 'But,' Teito thought, 'if I tell him about my dream, maybe he won't be so mad.' The plan seemed passable; he moved to sit up, wondering why he was feeling so sore when all he had done was sleep on the ground. He was not that old for something as a hard bed to make him uncomfortable.

As he sat up, the teen ran a shaky hand through his floppy brown hair. A yawn escaped him before he could do much of anything, eyes still half open. The sound of rustling at his side caught his attention. For a moment, he believed it to be his father but instead, cherry eyes looked up at him, almost worried.

"Burupya?" the small creature tilted its head off to one side, Teito's tie at its feet.

"Please tell me," Teito forced down a lump in his throat, "that I'm dreaming."

"No dream, Young Master Teito Klein!"

Green eyes darted from the pink puff before him towards the voice. Smiling eyes greeted him as a grin spread across the strangers face, the 'X' on his cheek diminishing in size slightly. Now that Teito had time to process things, he noticed that the young man was dressed in something similar to his outfit though unlike in colors. A deep red frock coat, with a white shirt, matching deep red slacks and brown knee high boots. The addition that Teito did not have was a silver chain emerged from within the male's coat only to disappear within the boy's right outer pocket.

"Who are you?" The russet asked after finally regaining his voice.

"The name is Mikage, Young Master! That little guy there, he's Mikage too! You can call him Burupya though. That's all he can say."

"You mean the pink rabbit?" Teito's eyes shifted to the pink oddity that found his untied shoelace a fun object to play with.

"No rabbit. Fy-u-long!"

"You're late, you're late!"

Teito looked about for the new voice, nothing but trees were among his line of vision. "What was that?" He asked as he began to force himself to his feet.

"Drat. I was hoping to get to know you, Young Master. But I'm needed back at the Castle."

"Castle?" Teito turned back to the blond, Mikage, and saw the boy fiddling with a clock that was attached to the silver chain. It was larger than average, startling Teito, larger than the boy's hand. Only for a moment, he had thought that Mikage would soon turn out to be a normal teen, like himself, but pulling out a watch that obviously had no numbers of any sort and only one hand, that either pointed to 'Late' or 'Not Late', it was certainly something that no ordinary boy should have.

"Yes, Red Castle. You should visit! I'm sure the Red King wouldn't mind a newcomer."

"I told you already, you're late! Want me to say it again?"

Only then did Teito realize the voice was coming from the clock itself.

"One last thing, Teito Klein." A dark cloud hazed over those honey-brown eyes, causing the teen to become all too weary of the place. He took a step back, not liking the dark glint in Mikage's eyes.

Before Teito could even think of defending himself, he was knocked to the ground, his throat crushed beneath a cold, metal plate. As quickly as it happened, it ended. Emerald eyes opened to find Mikage, back in place as if nothing had occurred, a smile on his face.

"Come Burupya," he called to his pink friend, "we are needed in the castle." With the swiftness of no ordinary animal, the small critter landed peacefully on the blond's shoulder, smiling towards the startled teen. He cried out his own name and waved a furry paw before Mikage turned and disappeared into the incoming fog.

Teito's hand immediately flew over his throat; he grazed cold metal against his slender fingers. A collar. Teito forced down something that stuck to his throat. A feeling, just a feeling, told him that the collar was something bad, something that would keep him here long after his time.

Mikage sounds really hyper...

lawl

xD

Review??

:3