This chapter was late but I had (several) good reasons so meh. -_^

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"We have arrived, Your Majesty!" The chauffeur called over his shoulder, forced to scream over the too-loud music.

"About time!" Vivaldi scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest, looking furious.

"M-My deepest apologies, my lady!" He sounded scared now.

"Not accepted!" She turned toward Alice and pointed an accusing finger toward the front seat, "Off with his head!"

The man tightened his hands the wheel, the knuckles turning white.

"Wh-What?" Taken aback, Alice stared at her in confusion, "Why?"

"Because he disrespected Us!"

"How?!"

Vivaldi sniffed daintily, pouting, "He called Us 'My Lady' instead of 'Your Majesty'!"

"...what's the difference?"

"Sense We are the next queen, it only makes sense that he address Us as such!"

Alice's mouth fell open, "What?!"
Vivaldi sighed, leaning back in her chair with an are of tedious patience that (under normal circumstances) would have gotten on the younger girl's nerves.

"You know what We said! Our dear Alice, why must you always do this to Us?"

But Alice was already lost in her thoughts.

If Vivi is next in line for the queen, than... she's royalty?! And if she is, what does that make Blood...?!

"H-Hey... Vivi? If you're... next in line for the queen, what does Blood...-" She swallowed, not sure how to phrase her question.

'Why yes, I do but...You probably don't wish to know what it is.'

"...What's Blood's job?"

Vivaldi looked startled, "Our younger brother? Since when were talking about him? But if you must know, he is the head of the mafia."

"He's the what?!"

Vivaldi frowned deeply, "Alice, this is no longer cute. You really must stop asking Us to repeat whatever We have just said!"

"B-But... How can you just say that?! As if it's the most natural thing in the world..." She shook her head, "Working in the mafia... How does that... How can you be so calm?! Vivi, this is real life! Not some storybook! He could get arrested! Or worse, killed!"

Vivaldi expression changed from annoyance to puzzlement in the blink of an eye, "But he won't be."

"How do you know that?!"

"Because he hasn't been so far."

"That doesn't guarantee anything!"

"...We don't understand why you are so worried about this! Why should Our younger brother's doings make a difference to you?"

"Because he's your younger brother! Shouldn't you care about what happens to him?!"

Vivaldi frowned, suddenly averting her eyes from Alice, "Of course We do... it's just... We and Our brother have a... slight disagreement. Our brother acts stupidly on a daily basis, while We do not, and yet he continues to reprimand Us! He acts as if We are irresponsible and are not capable of taking care of Ourself, and since We don't agree with him We-"

"But what does this have to do with being worried about him?! It doesn't matter if you have a disagreement! No matter what, shouldn't you always want the best for your-" Alice swallowed, "Family?"

Vivaldi shrugged slightly, "It wouldn't make a difference if We told him We were worried. He always ignores Us. He will only pay attention and worry about Us if We do something reckless!"

'He will worry for Us if We do something reckless!'

'It's all your fault Alice! If you had just listened-! She would still be alive, they would both still be alive!'

"Shouldn't you be glad," Alice said softly, "that he worries for you at all?"

Vivaldi paused mid-rant, the anger slowly melting from her face, "What do you mean by that?"

"...nothing. Forget about it. We've arrived, remember?"

"Oh yes! We have arrived!" Vivaldi sang out happily, their earlier disagreement completely forgotten. She pushed open the door before climbing out and hurrying to Alice's side of the car. Grabbing the younger girl's hand in a death-grip, she quickly yanked her out of the limo.

"Hurry up! We do not have all day, you know!"

Alice shook her head, smiling, and allowed herself to be dragged into the parking lot.

Is it even possible for someone to change their mind so quickly?!

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Vivaldi hummed to herself softly, pulling Alice toward the group of children already gathered between two yellow buses, which were parked in front of a tall, run-down building that Alice new only too well.

Great. We're here.

As Vivaldi strode towards the bus, Alice couldn't help but notice that the older girl was still wearing her cosplay outfit, which, for odd reason, Alice barely even noticed anymore. She did notice, however, that she was still wearing the blue dress she had picked out, since Vivaldi had allowed her to keep her hoodie but she hadn't allowed her to put her uniform back on.

She pulled her hood closer around her head as they approached the group, inhaling the familiar scent.

"Look! It's Vivaldi!"

"But who's that with her?"

"Who cares?! It's Vivaldi!"

"Wonder how she got here?"

"Look! Behind her!"

"It's a limo! And it's red!"

"I'm jealous... why did she drive here in a limo, anyway?"

"Can you not remember?! She's a Dupre!"

Alice gave a mental sigh of relief. None of them were paying very much attention to her, like she had expected. After all, she was covering most of her face.

As the other people moved to surround Vivaldi, Alice carefully removed her hand from the other girl's and moved away, into the shadows. She watched silently as the other girl looked around in surprise, searching in vain for someone who was no longer there.

Sorry, Vivi!

Alice turned around and hurried toward the hotel.

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"Alice! AAAAAAALLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCEEEEEEEE!"

"Gyaa!" Alice squeaked in surprise and covered her ears. Ignoring him was harder than she had thought it would be.

"Aliiiiiiice! Alice? Where are you?!"

Alice carefully stood up on her tiptoes, looking through the peephole in the hotel door. As she peered out, she caught a glimpse of Ace wandering stupidly through the halls, calling out her name every so often. Suddenly, he glanced over toward her. She gasped and, moving away from the peephole, pressed her back against the door.

Dammit!

"Alice?"

A loud knocking resounded through the room.

"Alice? Are you in here?!"

A moment of silence, then:

"I guess not, then!"

She sighed in relief when she heard the knights receding footsteps, but her relief was short lasted.

"Oh well! Since I'm bored, I'll just knock down this door, hahahaha!"

Argh! Damn him! Of course he knows I'm here! He's just trying to get on my nerves!

Bang!

Alice yelped, flinching away from the door as it collapsed in on itself. She very was very nearly squished, except that she leapt away at the last possible moment.

"Eh? Alice? You were in here all this time?" Ace scratched his head, cocking his to one side. He didn't look at all sorry about knocking down her door.

She tried playing dumb, "All this time? What do you mean?"

"I was calling for Alice! Really loudly!"

"I-I didn't...hear you...?" She bit her bottom lip.

"Wow... Alice must be really bad at hearing! Unless...," his eyebrows drew together, creating an expression that was so dejected it was almost comical. "Was Alice avoiding me?"

"Wh-What? Of course not!"

Ace walked across the room toward her, the same melodramatic expression still pasted on his face, "Aw... Alice, your hurting my feelings! Why would you ignore me?"

She sighed and gave up, "I wasn't so much as avoiding you, as avoiding everyone. I just didn't really want to be found..." She had spent the last hour hiding out in her hotel room reading, and she wasn't ready to see just how angry Vivi was. As soon as she had heard Ace calling for her, she had immediately figured that it had something to do with her friend. After all, why else would he be looking for her?

Alice sighed slightly, leaning against the wall behind her. She could easily imagine what Vivaldi would say when she encountered her again.

'How could We have assumed that Alice was a good person? Didn't she just run away from us like a coward? As We've said before, We don't like stupid or annoying girls so just go away!'

Alice cringed.

"Not even by me?" Ace whined.

"Especially by you!" She hissed under her breath.

"Eh?"

"...nevermind."

"Ahahahahaha! Good! Alice had me worried there for a moment..." Then, without warning, Ace suddenly scooped her up in his arms, cradling her to his chest.

"A-Ace?! Wh-What are you doing?!" Alice squirmed in his arms, struggling to get free, "Put me down right now!"

"Sorry, but I can't! Vivaldi's orders! I have to take you to her immediately..."

Oh no...

"C-C'mon, Ace, surely you can just let this one slide...?"

"Can't!" He sand cheerfully, "and if I get to hold Alice while doing it... then I especially can't!"

"Urgh..." She moaned, hating herself for the slight blush spreading across her cheeks.

Two Hours Later

"Alice? Alice, wake up! We're here!" Ace lightly shook the girl who, after the first hour, had ceased to pay attention to where they were going.

"...are you sure we're not lost again? This could just be some random guy's-" Alice refused to open her eyes.

"Finally! It is about time! We have been waiting very long for you!" The door of the hotel room swung open, banging against the opposite wall, and out came Vivaldi, in all of her cosplaying glory, "Alice, We were very annoyed when you left! You will not leave Our presence without giving us at least some warning! Now come inside."

Alice opened her eyes with a start, "V-Vivi?"

That's it?! After I ran away from her... She's not even angry! Just annoyed! If this were onii-san...

"And you, annoying knight, you are dismissed! We do not wish to see you for the rest of the night. Goodbye." Vivaldi grabbed Alice's hands and, yanking her from the surprised knight's arms, dragged her into the hotel room.

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"Here, We have an outfit ready for you!" Vivaldi sang excitedly, opening the little door that connected the bathroom to the rest of the apartment.

So far, Alice had been forced to undergo the exact same thing that had happened in the mansion- an incredible amount of primping and cleaning until she practically didn't recognize her own body. The only thing that reassured her that she was still herself was the ring of always-there bruises that shone on her skin like an ugly stain.

"Alice, since this is the beach, We picked this out especially for you!" Vivaldi seemed incredibly excited, and Alice tried her best not to dampen her friends good mood.

"Oh, really? What is it?"

"A bikini!"

Oh no...

Images flashed through Alice's head. Annoying girls from her school, walking around the beach's in flashy swimsuits that barely covered their chest. Tiny bikinis in shop windows. And most of all...

A bikini... Those don't cover your midriff, do they?

"I don't think that's such a good Idea, Vivi."

Vivaldi frowned slightly, "But We want you to change into it!"

"Look... I just don't feel very...comfortable...wearing a bikini. That's all."

"Fine then. We'll just have to call our annoying little brother to make you change into to it!"

"Wh-What?!" Alice's voice came out in a tiny squeak.

The older girl grinned, sensing that she had won, "Our little brother told us that if you get on Our nerves he would punish you!"

P-Punish?

Alice shivered at the thought.

"Alright, Vivi, I'll wear it... But only if I get to change out of it immediately afterwards!"

The older girl grinned, "Deal!"

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Alice moaned as she looked down at herself. The bikini she was wearing was light blue with white stripes and a little black heart at the waistband of the bottoms. It wasn't as skimpy as she had thought it would be, but it was still a more showy than she would have liked. After all, the only bathing suits she had ever worn were one pieces, and she hadn't gone swimming for a very long time.

She frowned and looked down at her stomach.

Yep, definitely visible...

The bruises weren't as bad as before, but you could still tell they were there.

Maybe I can just tell Vivi that I fell...?

"Alice! Alice, open up! We want to see!" Vivaldi's voice resounded from the other side of the door.

"R-Right...um...come in!" She quickly put her arms down in front of her waist, obscuring most of her injuries.

Right in cue, the door slammed open, "Oh!" Gasped Vivaldi, staring at Alice before suddenly squealing, "You look so cuuuuute!"

"Great... can I change out of this now?"

"Of course not! We are going to show everyone how adorable you are-"

Alice's mouth fell open, "What?! Vivi! This wasn't part of the deal!"

Vivaldi sighed slightly, crossing her arms over her chest, "We lied. Come on."

"No! Vivi-!" Alice tightened her grip on herself, worrying.

"Come on we're-" Vivaldi cut her off and grabbed her arms, wrenching them off of her waist, "going...?" She released Alice in surprise, staring at the bruises adorning her waist, "Alice? What happened?"

"I...fell."

"You fell."

"Yeah."

"Doesn't look like you fell."

"Well, I did, okay?!" Alice bit her bottom lip, hating the little bit of tears that were welling in her eyes.

Then, Vivaldi did a very surprising thing, she smiled. "It's okay, Alice. If you don't want me to know, I won't make you tell me. Come on, I'll let wear a coverup!" Then, for the millionth time that day, she grabbed Alice's hand and dragged the younger girl behind her.

Now it was Alice's turn to stare.

This has never...well..happened before... I wonder if there's something wrong with Vivi...?

"Hurry up!" The purple-haired girl snapped, "We don't have all day!"

"Vivi-"

"Hmm?"

"...Never mind." Thank you.

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"No! I am not leaving the hotel room looking like this!" Alice gripped the door handle behind her, glaring at Vivaldi. "I refuse!"

"Why?" Vivaldi seemed genially confused, "you were fine with it before!"

"That's because I thought that by coverup you went... something that would actually coverup!" She gestured down to the white, semi-see-through dress she was wearing. It only reached mid thigh, and and v-shaped neckline followed almost exactly the line of her not-incredibly-modest bikini.

"But what's the fun in that? You look so much cuter this way!"

Alice glared at her furiously, "I refuse!" She repeated stubbornly.

"Fine then." The older girl smirked, "Ace!"

The door burst open, revealing Ace whom had been (apparently) waiting outside, "At your service your majesty ahahahaha-" he spotted Alice, "Wow! Alice you look really hot!" His eyebrows disappeared under his shaggy bangs, his irreplaceable smile still stuck on his face.

Alice was spared responding by Vivaldi, "You are to carry Alice to...wherever We want her to be! Now!"

Ace's grin (if possible) got even bigger, "Gladly! Come on, Alice!"

Then, without waiting for Alice's reply, his arms slipped under her, pulling her away from the door. Alice yelped as his gloved hand glanced across her bare thigh, blushing profusely.

"Ace, stop it!" She snapped, her teal-blue eyes glaring angrily into his.

"Stop what?" He asked innocently, cocking his head to one side and leaning closer to Alice. "What am I doing? Or was Alice thinking something perverted?"

"Wh-What?!" Her blush deepened, "I was not!"

"Yes you were! Ahahahaha, Alice is pervert! Alice is pervert!"

"What do you mean?! That is not true you-!"

"If the idiotic knight does not shut up, We will have his stupid head chopped off!" Vivaldi proclaimed, glaring at Ace and holding her finger into the air, "Now come on!"

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, except for Vivaldi's constant reminder to Ace to try to keep him from walking off on a completely different route. But when they finally reached the entrance to the hotel, Alice began to worry.

It doesn't matter if my bruises aren't showing! I really, really don't want anyone to see me! Especially in this stupid bathing suit!

"A-Ace... could you please put me down now?" Alice bit her bottom lip, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Aw... Alice, if you keep making cute faces like that It'll tempt me, you know?" His slid his hand up her leg a little bit, as if to prove his point.

"I'm not kidding! Put me down, now!"

Suddenly, the teasing smile dropped from Ace's face, and he leaned In towards Alice, frowning slightly. "And what makes you think I am? That's kind of mean of Alice, considering I'm being dead serious." An odd glint reflected in his red eyes, making Alice want to hide.

"I-I never said that you weren't. I just..."

Vivaldi... Help!

As if hearing her silent plea, Vivaldi glared at Ace, "Put her down now. Our brother can handle it from here!"

Our brother...shit.

Ace sighed slightly before setting Alice down on her feet gently, his hands lingering a bit to long on her wast. "Bye! Oh, and one more thing..."

"What?" Alice scowled at him, pouting slightly.

Suddenly, one of Ace's hands gripped the back of her hair, the other grabbing her chin. She squeaked in surprise as she felt his lips brush her own slightly, "I told you I was serious, didn't I?" Then he turned around and left.

Alice stared after him for a moment, completely surprised, her hand lightly pressed to her lips. Suddenly, realization dawned upon her, "Ace you pervert!" She yelled furiously, glaring at the knight's receding figure.

As she scowled at his back, she could have sworn she heard the faint sound of his laughter.

"Ahem."

Alice spun around in surprise when she heard someone clear their throat slightly.

"Well if it isn't the young miss. Going about seducing men as usual, I see." His icy blue eyes flashed, and for some odd reason he looked quite pissed off. But it couldn't be because Ace had kissed her...right?

Alice scowled slightly, looking up into Blood's handsome face. "Oh, it's you, hat-man."

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Ermagawd... I spent sooooooo long on dis stewpid chapter... Oh, and that wasn't the AceXAlice moment, I just felt like there was too much BloodXAlice and don't worry, the only reason I put Blood here was because I needed a way to END the freaking chapter. Speaking of which, I probably shouldn't have told you that. (^_^)feh. To hell with it.