Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Alice in Wonderland.
A/N: Hiya, guys! :D Sorry for the laaaaaaate update. I'm currently reviewing for preliminary exams (tomorrow's the last day, yay!) and I really want to maintain my high grades. But I guess I'm taking a few minutes to update this so that I could work on the next chapter after exams end! Haha! Well, I kinda realized that this chapter would be more similar with the Ouran High School Host Club version of Alice in Wonderland (haha, obviously I'm a fan of that manga/anime). So... yay! Zexion! I couldn't think of anyone else fitting to be the intelligent caterpillar than Zexion. XD Thanks to all who read, faved, alerted, and reviewed! :D
-delphigirl689 - Thanks for the review! :D Yep! I kinda had a hard time thinking of what could be the rabbit hole at first when I was outlining the fic, then I thought of this! XD Thanks for the cookies! lol xD Thanks again! Glad you like this fic and I hope you like this chapter!
-Victoria - Thanks for the review! :D Yeah, Roku. XD He has reasons why he won't tell he's Roxas. Haha I'll try to tone down her nonchalantness if I can. I just figured she could be both shy and adventurous at the same time. I actually wrote your OC already for the next chapter. It's a small role, so I hope it's okay with you. I already planned someone from KH to be the Cheshire cat. And here's the update! Hope you like it! :)
Naminé in Wanderland
...
Chapter 4
The Caterpillar's Riddle
...
Naminé, despite worrying on her size as an ant, told herself to stop worrying. The mysterious twins seemed trustworthy. Or at least, Ven did. There was something about Roku that made Naminé's blood boil. His cold and harsh attitude towards her was far-fetched and a little irrational, especially since that they just met. Still, he did help her. He had bonus points for looking like Ven too. She shook her head. Having nonsensical thoughts about the twins was wrong. At least, for her standards. She wasn't used to getting smitten so easily.
She wandered through the gigantic field with grass towering over her and rocks that were as big as her, if not bigger. It was definitely a subtle way to remind her she was ant-sized. Somehow, she wished Ven told her that she would shrink. He didn't even tell her where they should meet. And the worst part was that she felt even more frightened than before.
She was away from Cloud and Kisa, the only two people she could fully trust her entire being with. There was a slim chance that she could return to them soon now. She was tiny and lost, having no idea on how to get out of her ordeal. She couldn't find Ven and Roku either.
"Lost, aren't we?" she heard a drawling voice say. Her eyes widened. There was a large mushroom located northeast from her with a strangely colored caterpillar sitting on it. And it was holding a large lexicon.
"How unnatural," she thought. Naminé walked towards the gigantic fungal structure and simply stared at it.
"May I help you?" a drawling voice came. She gasped as the caterpillar revealed its face with humanistic features. The caterpillar had a deep, mysterious eye with locks of steel-blue hair concealing the other one. It looked more like a man wearing a realistic caterpillar costume to Naminé. She knew that she was still sane enough to avoid hallucinating particular images like that.
"Oh. You're Naminé, I presume," the caterpillar-man said.
The blonde was taken aback. "H... how do you–"
"Surely, everyone here knows you," he said. "You're the most astounding being in this place. You're the real deal."
"Excuse me?" she chirped. The vagueness of the man's words confused her very much.
"Well, let me ask you this: Do you think a caterpillar with a man's face exists in the realm of reality?" he asked. The young blonde shook her head. "Unless it's a costume, of course," she replied courtly. The caterpillar smirked.
"Excellent point, but I am not in a costume. And you're not dreaming either. It's quite fuzzy to explain the actuality of things to you, especially on the status of your consciousness at the moment. If only my lexicon had more powers to expound my intellect," he sighed, one of his legs holding a thick, dark book with its pages hidden from Naminé's view. She tried peeking, but the caterpillar distanced it from her even more. "Naminé, I suggest you'd go back to your normal size."
"How do you know?" she asked, despite knowing that the caterpillar was very knowledgeable and knowing.
"Well, I'm a caterpillar, for the most part. I'm a quarter human," he said, chuckling afterwards for a short moment. "If you have the same stature as I, that means you shrank, Ms. Naminé."
She mouthed an 'oh' and slumped on the ground, hugging her knees in anxiety. She really shrank. She wasn't dreaming, yet from the caterpillar's words, she wasn't in reality either. Her head was pounding in confusion. The caterpillar merely smirked.
"I'm Zexion." Naminé looked up towards the caterpillar perched on the mushroom cap. "It would be inept if I knew your name and you have no idea whatsoever on mine. Some people call me a schemer. Do you think I look like a schemer?"
Naminé shook her head.
"Thank you."
"Why do people call you a schemer, Zexion?" she asked.
"Well, I offer… special services. Since I'm cursed on these earthy grounds, I might as well have the best of it. With my lexicon, I grow different types of mushrooms that aid people, but poisonous ones grow as well. Actually, I do believe I have to offer you one… so you can return to your normal height."
Small pieces of mushrooms with different colors appeared in front of her, floating slowly.
"I have five mushrooms. Succeed in my riddle, and you will live."
She nodded. She had to find Ven and Roku, after all.
"Three of these mushrooms are fiends of your life
One for death and two for strife
Swallow either of them for a consequence
make sure it won't be a death sentence.
The other two are decent and fine
The first you need, the second is wine
To pick the right one, listen to this
To definitely make sure you wouldn't miss
The three are separated from each other
This will make choosing less of a bother
Watch closely for the remaining two
Tell me, which one of these is for you?"
She eyed down every piece. She felt relieved Zexion gave her an easy riddle… somehow. The first, last, and centered mushrooms were the deadly ones. The remaining two were simply tricky. How exactly would she pick between these? They looked exactly alike! She couldn't afford to drink wine and remain tiny. She inspected closely and felt hopeless. How could she tell two identical, red mushrooms apart?
"Choose wisely," Zexion deadpanned. She couldn't tell if he wanted her to die or if he was actually on her side.
The silence around Naminé became useful for she soon heard swishing sounds of liquid. "Wine!" she thought. She checked the second mushroom from the left and listened closely. The red pigment was distorted, and it was making the swishing sound! She chose the fourth and grinned at Zexion, who surprisingly returned the kind smile.
"Congratulations. Now eat it."
"Thank you," she squeaked. "But wait, before I do… what did you mean by cursed?"
"Oh. Well, a normal caterpillar wouldn't have a man's face, right?"
She nodded. "I'm a man turned into this creature. And I will remain in this form without any mode of metamorphosis to a butterfly or back into a man. It's horrid. But I know that the Lightning Queen would be brought down."
"Lightning Queen?" she asked.
"Didn't Ven or Ro… Roku. Didn't they tell you?" he asked.
"How do you know?"
Zexion chuckled. "My lexicon knows all about everything in this world. Anyway, you are safe from the Lightning Queen for it is Roku's duty to protect you."
Naminé gawked at Zexion. Roku? Protect her? "What?"
"Don't mind his rude attitude. He's just concerned for your safety. Now, eat the mushroom and reunite with Roku and Ven. They will return you to the place where you belong."
Zexion watched her eat the mushroom and return to her normal size. Naminé could still spot the tiny caterpillar-man and smiled.
He sighed as he watched Naminé wave at him and walk away. "I hope she gets out of here before it's too late. Roxas… do something."
A/N: Everyone knows Naminé! Why? XD Aww, I like Zexion/Ienzo. He and the Mimic Master Unversed are so alike, and he's just plain awesome. And I think it's obvious who the Lightning Queen is. XD She's the bad guy of the fic AND in KH, she's... HAHA! Hope this part was pretty decent. First time writing a fantasy-ish fic, after all. Oh, and yes! Roxas is her protector! XD
Character Parallels:
Alice - Naminé
White Rabbit role - Moogle (Kisa)
Tweedledee & Tweedledum - Roxas and Ven
Caterpillar - Zexion
Well, thanks for reading and stay tuned! :D Please R&R!