ME: and here is another update! Holy crap this took a while. University is TOUGH!
Vivaldi: it is about time. Any later and we would have your head!
ME: NO! *covers head* NOT DA HEAD!
Vivaldi: YES! YOU'RE HEAD!
ME: W-well, in compensation for being so late with the update, I humbly ask that you do the disclaimer…please?
Vivaldi: If I must. But if you are so late with another update, especially on a chapter were WE are in it, I will-
ME: I know! I know...off with my head
Vivaldi: OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!
ME: So…will you still do the disclaimers?
Vivaldi: Kuni no Alice belongs to none other than QuinRose. The only things that belong to the Author are the storyline and the Original Characters, Hikari Flumin and Kida Regnis. That is all!
ME: Thank you. And now to log off for a while. Finals are coming up in *checks calendar* FUCK TWO WEEKS?! CRAP! I SERIOUSLY HAVE TO STUDY AFTER THIS!
OK R&R PEOPLE!
NOTE: Remember thoughts are represented by 'italics'and words are represented like "this"
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How to handle a Queen and End a Story…sorta.
Kida's POV
Ebony and ivory keys dance and flutter against my fingertips as a soothing symphony echoes and rebounds around the huge spacious room, eventually leaving through the small opened door to my left that leads out to a balcony and escaping into the garden below. My feet tap against the petals when needed, making the tones change lightly. I can't help but sway to the melody as if erupts from my soul, escaping down my arms and legs and through my appendages out into the open air for the world to enjoy. It's like a wave of emotions, sweeping back and forth, up and down, like a tide, just like how my fingers are sweeping back and forth on the instrument in front of me
As I regrettably bring my tune to its inevitable end, it leaves a sound impression everywhere, like it had stained the world its color. I let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding, it coming out as a sigh of happiness. I do love playing on the piano. It soothes my soul and eases my mind after all this nonsense happening around me. I feel relaxed
"Bravo! How wonderful!" sigh Vivaldi as she claps her hands at my private performance. "We very much enjoyed that! We thought perhaps they were exaggerating when they explained your skill with music, but we see our doubts has gone to waste."
I smile and blush a little at the praise. I then stand to take a bow toward her direction. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Yes, yes! Your melodies makes the tea taste so much better." She exclaims.
I beam, although I'm not sure how my music is making her tea taste any better. I'm just glad she gave me the OK to play the piano in the first place. It was like an itch I couldn't scratch, and it irritated me to no end. It also didn't help that I was paying the piano more attention than I was her when she explained why Peter was acting so strange. I was listening, honest! I was just admiring how pristine the piano looked in the sunlight and how much my fingers ached to just tap on one of those key…god I sound like a drug addict…but oh well. Playing is my guilty pleasure I suppose, and is worth my addiction. I'm just glad she wasn't too mad. In fact, she was ecstatic to hear me. And am I to reject a Queen when she asks me to personally play for her? I think not.
Thoroughly satisfied, I walk over and sit beside her, but not before grabbing one of the hot, cream filled scones (I think it's a scone anyway) to eat with my tea. The sound still reverberates though the room, giving it a comforting feeling.
"Hah…yes." Vivaldi sighs, after taking a sip of her own drink, "That was most splendid. We wish you would stay and play for us every day, but we will not take away freedom like that. A woman deserves her freedom, don't you agree?"
"Yes?" I answer back, not sure what else to say to a statement like that, "Ah, but if you like, I can come back and play for you again. I like playing as much as you like listening."
"Would you? That would be excellent!" she says, and sips at her tea again, "We are sure nothing could make this day any better than what you have just said."
"Uh…Your Majesty?" calls out a timid soldier as he walks toward her. She makes a noise to say that she is listening, and he bends down to whisper in her ear.
Her eyes widen, and suddenly twinkle mischievously as she lets out throaty laugh, "OHOHOHOHO! How interesting! This day is getting better and better, we see! Let them in, immediately!"
At that command, the doors are opened, and who else should walk in but my colleague Hikari and…is that the same bunny that was back in our world? What is it doing here?
"Hi Hi, Kida! How do, your Majesty! Sorry I'm late to the party." she calls out, hugging the fuzz ball to her chest, "Me and Peter were just having a little chat, and we lost track of the time."
"More like you lost track of feet, as you walk like a tortoise! I think you took your time on purpose!" the rabbit in her arms exclaims as it wiggles, trying to simultaneously get away and not be smothered by Hikari's boobs (Ok, no gay, but between Vivaldi and Hikari, Vivaldi's DDs are a definite first, and Hikari's Cs is a close second. Of course, you can't tell with Hikari always wearing baggy clothes.) My eyes widen a bit at the talking animal prospect, but I think I've actually gotten used to this world enough to say that it doesn't surprise me as much as it would have on the first day.
"Teehee! Guilty as charged!" Hikari giggles, "But you still promised to let me hold you like this until we got back here! And you kept your promise! I feel so lucky!"
"Oh, you are most lucky indeed!" Vivaldi laughs, as she watches with a gleam in her eye as the both of them walk toward us "White is much better like this, we think. Much more cute and tolerable."
Wait…did she say White? As in Peter? So…
"The bunny Peter and the human Peter are…the same?" I say out loud. Hikari gives me a look that says 'really? It took you until now to realize that?' I, in return, give her a look that simply says 'shut the fuck up or I'll shut you up myself' Hikari giggles a little, but doesn't say anything.
"Are you dumber than dim? Of course I am him!" Peter growls at me, making me jump a little. He then turns toward Vivaldi who was trying to sneak in a pet on Peter "And you! Touch me, and you shall have one less limb!"
"Oho? You would bite your Queen?"
"I would and I shall!"
They bicker back and forth for a while, Peter from Hikari's arms and Vivaldi from my right, leaving me in a slight awe. Aren't they supposed to be working together, as Queen and subordinate? I figured they would get along a lot better than this, but they are fighting so viciously and practically biting each other's heads of while spitting the vilest venom at each other. What gives?
"Geez, and I though Gowland and Blood were a spiteful bunch." My friend sighs sighs, then loosens her grip on Peter and puts his agitated puff butt on the ground, "Ok, ok! I'm putting you down now, Peter, so take a chill pill!"
Peter turns to her and huffs indignantly, then hops a little further away before suddenly exploding in a puff of pinkish-white smoke, and out pops the human Peter, straightening out his suit, "Never have I been so humiliated"
"Come on, it wasn't that-OH!" my friend exclaims, as the world around us suddenly shifts, and the crimson sky turns black and star speckled. It leaves us without much light for a moment, and the silence is short and almost deafening in its little time.
"I've never took the time to notice," calls a voice, who I recognize as my roommate "but when it changes Time Periods, the sky ripples like water. It's pretty."
A feminine chuckle, and then the clap of a hand that makes the light in the room light up, revealing everyone to me again. The table is cleared, as if magic, and the only things left are my plate with leftover sweets and my slightly cooled tea that has only been sipped at. (I still don't like tea much, it tastes like sugar water to me.)
"We have never thought of it as such, but we suppose it can be thought as such, when described as such" Vivaldi says, then sighs mournfully, "But it seems as if Night has come upon us. Alas, tea time is over."
"B-But…muh snacks" Hikari pouts, "I haven't had anything to eat since forever ago."
"Honestly, is that what worries you?" Peter scoffs, "I swear, you are simple"
"Yes, I am simple!" Hikari responds easily, as Peter's cruel remark doesn't even faze her, "And I'm also starving, AND food is important for my brain to function! I need sustenance!"
It's my turn to sigh, "No need to be dramatic."
"But Kida ~ so hungry~" she rubs her empty stomach
"I know. You're always hungry." I laugh, used to my friend's antics by now. I hold out my plate with the treat I had saved for her, "Don't worry. I saved you a cupcake and some cookies."
"Yay! Epic omnoms! You are the best, Kida!"
As my friend sits down and starts on her snack, I can't help give a slight smile. Yes, my friend is definatly the simple-minded sort, but I suppose that makes her easy to get along with and understand…that of I have exceptional levels of patience I can give. My guess is the latter, as I honestly think that I still don't understand how she works.
"Oho, you both are so worry not, you may still have snacks. But more importantly, you need a place to spend the night." Vivaldi says simply, making me look up at her just in time for me to see her put on her (what is about equivalent to) Game face "We suggest that you stay here."
"Oh, thank you for your hospitality." I say, a little surprised at her invitation.
"Think nothing of it! We shall have the slumber party I hear so much about, and share in the girl talk! I wish to hear so much from you two! White! Make preparations immediately! Give them the rooms closest to ours!"
'Something tells me that this is more for her benefit then ours' I can't help but think as Peter makes a stiff bow and walks out to, I guess, do as he's told. A couple of knights and maids leave with him to help him (still guessing here)
"Slumber party! I've never been to a slumber party" Hikari says after swallowing a mouthful of cake. Then she makes her 'think' face "…well maybe I have…huh", she looks over at me "Does passing out while playing video games with your brothers underneath a blanket and chair fort count as a slumber party?"
"No", I answer monotonously. Really? She needs to ask. Even I've had slumber parties before. Of course, I never did much their other than awkwardly sit in the corner quietly while my friends (I say this lightly as they are NOT my friends as of this moment) did make-overs and paint nails and such.
"Then YAY! First slumber party!"
"We are most excited as well" Vivaldi laughs, as Hikari's excitement is contagious, "Alice does not visit us much anymore, and we miss the talks we usually have"
I'm a little curious as to why Alice doesn't come visit this place, but I am more waiting for my friend to figure out the obvious problem to our situation.
"FUCK!"
There is it. Her common sense kicking in right about now
Hikari looks over at me, "Kida! I forgot my pajamas at Blood's place! What the heck am I going to wear to sleep in?!"
I sigh. Yes, we left all of our clothes that we just bought the other time period back at Blood's, and we came impromptu for this sudden sleep-over. It seems as if this world just wants to throw us into situation where we are unarmed and unprepared.
"Worry not. We shall have bed wear prepared for you by the time you finish your bath." Vivaldi announces, then looks over at my friend with an annoyed expression "We have been wishing to get you out of those rags since you have arrived here."
"Why are you still hating my clothes?" Hikari says exasperatedly, a little icing on her left cheek, "It's just a t-shirt and pants. I'm covering up all my necessities! What is wrong?!"
"A woman needs to be dressed properly." Vivaldi explains wholeheartedly "Worry not, as we have many clothes we wish to try on the both of you."
"Please, don't be dresses. Please?" my friend prays
"There will most certainly be dresses."
Hikari curses under her breath, then looks over at me, "Give them to Kida! She actually likes the things. But if you have, like, female suits or something, I will definitely try those on."
"We can make no such promise, as we wish to doll you up and make you beautiful, as a woman should be!" Vivaldi then purses her lips in thought, then suddenly stands up and starts walking off, mumbling to herself along the way, "Of course, perhaps we shall do your make-up, too. There is so much to consider. We will make you a woman, and the first step is to cleanse yourself! COME!"
"But I think I'm just fine the way I am!" Hikari say, a cookie hanging out of her mouth as she stands and follows her
With a tired exhale, I stand up and follow behind them as Hikari explains to Vivaldi the significance of just wearing pants and why she doesn't really worry about her appearance much, while Vivaldi argues back that a dress brings out a woman's inner beauty and that maybe Hikari should learn to care about her appearance more. They go on like this for a while, not really arguing, but more like trying to get the other to see their point of view, but to no avail.
Something tells me this is going to be a long Night.
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"What…the fresh hell…happened?" I ask, in utter astonishment as I gaze at the sight in front of me, "HOW did this happen?!"
"Do I look like I know?!"
"Well, an explanations as to why you look like a Disney princess wanna-be would be nice."
"All I remember is being told 'put this on' Of course, I said NO, and the next thing I knew I was being held down and suffocated in this-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS I CAN'T BREATHE AND MY STOMACH IS TRYING TO EAT MY RIBS!"
"It is called a corset." Vivaldi says calmly as she turns toward me, satisfaction on her face, "Does she not look charming?! We noticed that the rim of her glasses were blue, so we decided a blue dress would fit her best…dark to match her slight tanned complexion. It took myself and three maids, but we got it on her. What says you?"
"First, I say you deserve a metal, Vivaldi, for managing to do what I thought was impossible", I say, impressed, "Second, you have great taste. The color looks good on you, Hikari."
"The…FUCK?! Who's side are you on?!" Hikari gasps as she tries to reach to a way to take it off in any way possible "get this the fuck OFF me! MY RIBS ARE BEING DIGESTED!"
"Hmm…perhaps in our hurry, we tightened the corset a little too tight." Vivaldi hums
"NO SHI-OT! GRAAAARRR!"
She then turns and goes to leave the room. "Worry not, we shall return with more clothes to try on!"
Ok, so maybe an explanation is in order as to why this is happening.
First, Hikari, Vivaldi, and I were dragged off to Vivaldi's own personal bathroom/spa, which was a huge pool of a bath that was filled to the brim with rose, scented water. (No seriously, I smell like some serious flower power now) For me, it was the first time in a while that I'd had a chance to enjoy a thorough soak in a tub without having to worry about Blood and his co-ed bathhouse. It was a nice change of pace, and I thoroughly took advantage of it…and ended up falling asleep. When I awoke, I was alone and as wrinkled as a raisin, and decide that it was about time that I got out. While trying to find my way to the guest bedroom that Vivaldi had kindly offered to us, I got a little lost along the way. So I asked a maid, and she pointed me in the right direction, and I learned that we would be sleeping in a spare bedroom next to the Queen, herself, like she had asked. (Damn, Peter works fast!) I went that way, and I started to hear a noise, like someone crying for help. I also happed to notice that the closer I got to my destination (which was heart themed like everything else in this castle.), the louder it got. Worried, I ran and kicked the door opened, only to see my friend being held down while four individuals (who were working so fast that I couldn't exactly see) dress her up in the frilliest, puffiest deep ocean blue dress I had ever seen in my life. And she was fighting, spitting curses and threats this way and that. And as soon as they succeeded in putting it on, she was frantically trying to rip the thing of, grabbing it by the bottom and trying to pull it over her head like a common t-shirt.
Thus leads us to where we are now
"OFF, YOU ACURSED THING! OFF!"
I want to simultaneously laugh, sigh, and pity her, as I've read that corsets are quiet painful indeed. It can actually cut of the circulation of blood in some places and something can even bend bones and make then stab into your insides and-
"Can't…breathe…losing air!"
Ok, so maybe I should help her before she passes out from lack of oxygen
"Ok, Hikari, just hang in there! I'm going to get you out of that thing" I shout out as rush toward her, "I-I'll help…uh…zipper! Where's the zipper?"
"Hurry…please…"
I fumble around for a bit, looking for that zipper (You know, the one that wants to blend in with the cloth and make it impossible to find? That one) and I eventually bump into it. I yank it down the side and help her take it off, and immediately spy the body-hugging corset underneath. I also notice the taut and difficult knot that holds it in place. I reach for it, and try again and again to undo the thing, only to fail time and time again.
"T-The knot is too tight!" I say as I continue to try to pluck at it "I can't get my fingers around it."
Hikari finally breaks, and lets out a pained gasp, "My pants pocket…there is a pocket knife in my left pocket…get it and CUT THIS DAMN THING OFF ME BEFORE I CHOKE ON MY LUNGS!"
I leave to do as she ask, looking frantically around for said pants only to find them thrown half-hazard on the bed. I reach in said pocket, and as I pull out the knife, luck has it that everything else falls out of her pocket with it, right onto the floor. I ignore it for the time being and rush over to my suffocating friend. I pop the knife and cut the knot straight off, a clean cut as the knife is sharper than I expected. I then pull at the strings until it is loose enough to pull of herself, which she down and promptly throws it across the room.
"AIR! FINALLY!" My friend breaths
"I'm just glad you didn't pass out on me" I laugh in relief and start to bend down and pick up the things that had spilled earlier while she redresses back into her own clothes. I name off the things mentally, as when we were back in our own world I often had to remind her to clean out her pockets before we washed.
Lucky penny…check
Candy wrapper…EW…check
Wallet…check...Hmm? What's this?
It's her usual empty wallet, though that's no surprise. The greater concept to any collage kid's life is being perpetually broke all the time. But what made it slightly more interesting was that it was flipped open to reveal an old fold out color picture. I pick it up to get a closer look, and half notice that the texture of it is somewhat reptile like (the wallet not the picture).
The picture is of Hikari, her usual smile on her face, and around her are five little boys, all younger than her, and an man with his wife, by the way they are holding hands. I recognize the old man and one of the older boys to be the two who picks her up back at collage, the ones that I thought were her Dad and brother.
"Hey, Hikari, who are these people with you", I ask, holding the wallet carefully in my hand as I gaze at the little foldout picture, "I notice you and your brother and Dad, but who are the other kids and the woman?"
"Hmm?" she asks, pulling her shirt over her head. She walks toward me and looks down at the picture. "Oh, hahaha! Those are all my little brothers, all five of them. And that's not my Dad! That's my bald-headed Pawpaw, and next to him is my Mawmaw. I carry that picture with me everywhere."
"Brother? As in more than one?" I ask as I take a seat on the bed. "You've never told me you had such a big family."
She shrugs and plops beside me, "You've never really asked. But now you know. If it makes any difference, I don't know much about your family either."
I can't really argue with logic, as that is true. I've never really divulged much on my family situation to her, and vice versa. It's never really mattered in the long run of things. She does her thing and I do mine.
I look down at the picture again, curiosity peeking through, "So, who is who?"
Hikari smiles kindly and goes to open her mouth when, suddenly, the door reopens, and in walks Vivaldi with an armful of clothes on her hands.
"We have returned!" she calls out happily as she walks toward us. She then notices us staring at the photo and blinks in curiosity, "What is it that you are doing?"
"Oh, just a picture of me and my little brothers." My friend says simply, "Wanna see too?"
"Why indeed." Vivaldi exclaims. She goes and lays the clothes over the back of a chair and comes sits to Hikari's right, looking over her shoulder to get a look, "Oh, they are most cute!"
"Aren't they? My pride and joy, they are." Hikari laughs, then proceed to point them out to us "The tallest one is Shiki. He thinks he's all that, let me tell ya. And see the one that's all knees and elbow? That's Ren. He's a shy little thing, but the boy is a genius. Those are my twins, Haru and Hanae. Mischievous little buggers, those two, always into something. And the littlest one is my sweet little Eden."
"Who are the elderly couple in the back?"
"My Pawpaw and Mawmaw. That being, my Grandmother and Grandfather."
"Oh, we see. In Wonderland, it is rare to have people live long enough to be grandparents. It must be nice." Vivaldi says simply, as if answering a question. She then chuckles, "And you speak so fondly about your siblings. It is endearing to us, and fills us with a sense of nostalgia."
"Why nostalgia?" I ask, "Do you have siblings of you own?"
She gives me a look that I can't quite decipher, and then decides to answer, "Yes…we have a sibling. A younger brother."
"I bet he's a big cutie, if he's your brother." Hikari says dotingly with a giggle, "What's he like?"
Vivaldi laughs heartily at that, and she has a look in her eyes that say she's amused at her own private joke, "Oho, he has a slight temper on him, and can be very contrary, so much so that it annoys us. He loves his shrubbery, and is a fine gardener, we think. We argue a lot, and fight, but in the end he is family. And he loves his tea, like we do."
"Ahaha! Me and my brothers are like that, butting heads all the time." Hikari larks, and her eyes hold a little bit of sadness in them, "Ah…I really, really miss them. I even miss arguing with them over stupid things, like morning waffles and the TV remote. You know what I mean."
I do understand, and I pat her on the shoulder in sympathy. I can't help but think of my own family, although they probably won't notice my absence anyway. While my family is usually too busy for things like eating together and such, my music teacher-slash-grandma and I are exceptionally close. She was the one who taught me how to play violin, cello, flute, and more importantly, the piano. She was, is, and always will be more of a family than my actual family. We stayed close, even after she retired, and I still talk to her up to this day. I miss spending nights at her house and eating popcorn while trying to keep her two dogs, Chris and Luke, out of it, as those two spoilt dogs will try to eat everything and anything you throw out to them. I recall that once, one of them licked the floor clean when my grandmother spilled greens on the floor by accident. I was so shocked, and she just laughed it off.
The memories ever resolve my focus: To get home as fast as possible. Both of us do, as we both have people waiting. Hikari for her brothers, and me for my Grandma.
A yawn surprises me, and it isn't my own. I look over to Vivaldi to find her politely covering the mouth.
"Tired?" I ask
"Dreadfully so." She say, and then covers up another one, "We were so excite that perhaps we over exerted ourselve a bit."
"I think its bedtime for you, your royal sleepyhead." Hikari giggle, poking at Vivaldi's side.
"Oh…do not tease us." she pouts and pokes right back. Hikari squeaks a laugh, as she is very ticklish. But that doesn't stop her comeback
"But you have the cutest sleepy face!"
"Silence before we…yahhh…have your head…" Vivaldi says a little drowsily. I look over at them in time for Hikari to catch Vivaldi's yawn.
"Sowwy…sowwy. My bad…" My friend say languidly, the need for sleep easily noticeable in her features "I'm suddenly little tired, myself though."
"I think we all are." I say, "Todays been long, and I think we all need our rest."
"But we wish for you to try on a pretty gown too, Kida." Vivaldi argues, "No, we refuse to sleep until…yahhh!"
Sleep was suddenly getting to me too, and I didn't want to argue, so I decided on a compromise, "I will let you dress me up tomorrow."
"…We suppose that will have to do…we are simply exhausted."
I imagine so after holding Hikari down and getting her into that dress I think, but I decide to keep that thought out of the open for now. I watch as the tired Queen stands and escorts herself out of our room and across the hall to her own
"Good night to you, Vivaldi." I call out, and she waves back before closing herself in for the night. I get up and walk over to my own bed, take off my glasses, and crawl under the covers.
"So sleepy", Hikari says as she flops the rest of the way down on the bed. She takes her own glasses off her nose and plops them down on the side dresser.
And the next thing I hear is snoring.
I close my eyes, not wanting to think of a thing more as I fall into my own sleep.
Nightmare's POV
I think it is about time to visit them again. I have given them the equivalent of a week to adjust to this world that I helped bring them to. I wonder how they are doing. Hopefully they have been able to advance in their games a little bit.
I take a deep breath, and focus in on the dreams of the two new outsiders, and calmly call them toward my world. Without fail, they wonder in, and with their thoughts it is easy to distinguish between the two.
'Hey it's…that guy…crap what was his name again?! Oh, yeah! It's Nightmare, that mind-reader guy! Cool, I'm in Rainbow world again. I wonder-'
'…oh…it's just Nightmare. I wonder what he wants'
Yes, one is actually excited to see me and her thoughts are jumping all over the place while the other simply doesn't care at all! How mean!
"Hello, Nightmare." Kida says boredly, staring at me with her usual blank expression as she pushed her violet glasses up her little brown nose, "You look a little better than you did the last time I saw you."
"Nightmare! Hi man! Wassup?" Hikari says, a grin on her face and her brown eyes bright behind her blue ones.
"Not much. I got bored and thought I would check up on the two of you." I answer as I float around, pipe in hand, "How are you liking Wonderland so far?"
Kida huffs, "I suppose it's alright" 'It's annoying, but I can't do anything about it'
"Yeah, people are really nice to us." Hikari says 'Other than the random shootings and being forced in a fucking dress by a crazy ass Queen!'
I chuckle a little. "I'm glad you are getting used to the Country of Hearts. You've both certainly had your fair share of adventures."
"Tsk…more like head aches. And I don't want to get used to this world." Kida bites out, her mind filling with anger, "I want to go home. The sooner the better I say. I don't have time for silly nonsense like this."
"That's where you're wrong." I hum, floating around the both of them, "In this world, you have all the time you could ever need, and then some. So have fun, play, relax. Maybe you will learn something about yourself that you've never known before."
"I know myself just fine without crazy detours to fucked up worlds!"
"Kida, girl calm down, yelling doesn't really help anything" Hikari says, trying to calm her friend. She then turns toward me, "Was there something important you wanted to tell us, or do you just really want to feel Kida's mighty bitch slap?"
"Actually there was", I say as I look at them, these two broken souls, sadly. Kida, who knows not the love of a family or anyone else for that matter, and therefore doesn't know how to give it or accept it. Hikari, who has struggled and persevered through life's harshest of hardships to protect a raising the people she treasures the most. Both of them have suffered, and have survived, but not unharmed. It is precisely because of their dispositions that suggested them to the White Rabbit in the first place when he was looking for a way to keep Alice here. I am hoping that here, in this world, these two will find the part that they are missing in themselves. That maybe, they can heal.
And that's not all that I anticipate they will do
I sigh. But if you are to heal a wound, first you will need a bandage and salve to start. And so, I clear my throat and give them a stern look.
"I want you both to listen to me very carefully, understand?" I say in my most serious voice, and they look at each other, then myself, surprised at my sudden sternness. (I can be serious when I want to be!), "What I'm about to tell you is very important."
They nod again.
"But first, I need you to answer me this:" I continue "do you know why you were brought here in the first place?"
They look at each other in silence. Hikari turns to Kida, shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. She hasn't a clue in the world, but she thinks about what the White Rabbit said, about being here for Alice. Kida, on the other hand, is remembering a moment with a certain bumbling knight, and her memories strikes a slight worry in me.
"I remember Ace saying something about being unhappy, but that's about it", Kida mumbles, then looks at me again, "Is that it? Are we here because we are unhappy?"
"That's silly" The brunette laughs, butting in "I'm always happy!"
"Hikari. Grown-ups talking…shush"
Hikari pouts, but stays silent and listens, waiting for my next words.
'He wasn't exactly right, but he's not wrong either.' I think, mentally cursing that Knight. He's going to get them Lost with nonsense like that, but knowing him that's exactly what he wants. I take a deep breath
"Let me get to the point. There is something missing in the two of you, in your heart, something very important." I say, as I float down to them and tap my finger over their heart "I'm sure the Clockmaker explained, but I will explain it again. In order to get home to your world, you must interact with the people of this world, and in doing so, the contents of your vials will fill."
I use my powers, and summon them up, presenting the two barely filled vials, Hikari's clover and Kida's diamond, and present each to their owner, "But your Game is slightly different from Alice's. Not only are you going to have to fill that vail, but you will have to find what you are missing inside of you too.
I pause. I hate giving bad news, but this part is crucial,
"Because unless you do, unless you find that important piece of your heart, you cannot leave Wonderland. Ever."
"E-Ever?" They both exclaim.
I nod. It's deathly silent for a moment or so, both mentally and openly, and then suddenly my ears are ringing with mixed up thoughts and emotions. It makes my stomach churn, and I have to cover my mouth to not throw up. Kida is mentally rejecting it and openly raging, and for once Hikari doesn't say anything, but she doesn't have to. Her mind is swirling in a downward spiral of worry, sadness, and…regret?
'B-But…I need to get back home, now. I can't wait. My brothers…they need me. Who is going to watch over them and keep them going forward? Who's gunna-'
"T-That's not even fair!" Kida exclaims, changing my focus to her, "Nightmare, can you at lease tell us what we are missing?"
"I'm afraid even I can't tell you that." I say, but I smile, hoping to ease their melancholy "But don't worry about it much. I'm sure you've probably figured it out, but time in this world works differently compared to yours."
"Yeah", Hikari moans, "Time goes super slower here, and faster in ours. All our loved ones will be dead by time we figure this out!"
"That's where you are wrong", I chuckle, "As soon as you drink your potion, the time in your world and ours will line up, and you will be transported exactly to the moment of your departure…give or take a couple of days."
'Days?!'
"Maybe one or two, nothing too drastic", I correct "Until then, your world will run as it usually does, without you in it. The memories of your peers will be slightly altered, and it will be as if you never left.", of course I don't say that some memories, like the ones of Hikari's family and Kida's Grandmother, will be the most difficult, if not impossible to alter, as they are the closest to the Players' hearts. I think I've worried them enough.
They are quite for a moment, as they let it sink in. And I give them their moment of silence. It can't be an easy thing to except, that you have been dragged down for a strange world, and now can't leave until you find something that you have no idea what it looks like. I hate that their Game has been set up like this, but there isn't anything I can do. It's the Rules, and even I don't want to break them.
"So, now that you know your situation", I say cautiously, trying to lighten the mood a little, "and now that you've seen all of Heart County with your own two eyes, what will you do?"
Another pause, and both of their minds are basically screaming 'What ARE we going to now?' And so I let them have another moment.
"I'm thinking about moving to the Amusement Park" Hikari announces as she mentally comes up with a solution, and Kida looks over at her surprise
"Why there?" she asks
"Well…" Hikari scratches her head, "I got a feeling we will be hear a while, so I might as well go job hunting. And I really liked working at that bakery. So I'm gunna talk to Gowland and see if he'll help me set up a job and maybe a house, so that I can get a steady income."
Kida purses her lips, "That…is actually a solid plan. I approve."
"And what about you, Kida?" I ask, curious to see where she will end up. She thinks some more, analyzing her options and debating on consequences. Her style of calculated and methodical thinking…makes MY head hurt. Ugh…
"Hmm…" she ponders "Considering Julius is the sanest person here, I am thinking about asking him for room and board in exchange for whatever services I can give to help him in his work"
"He might not like that, you know", I warn. Well…he might, now that I think about it. He let Alice stay there once-upon-a-time, so why not?
"I know, but it's worth a try." she continues "If not, I might talk with Vivaldi…and if worse comes to shove, I might stay with…Blood…ugh."
"I think Blood would like it if you stayed at his place~" Hikari sing-song happily, teasing her friend.
Kida's frustration flares, but she doesn't yell. Instead she looks at me with one thought on her mind, and says it out loud at the same time, voice full of daggers.
"I wish to leave. Now."
"No need to yell", I say, "I can hear you just fine."
And so I make it so they can leave my world, if they wish, and Kida immediately uses this to her advantage. Hikari, on the other hand, lingers a little longer. Her thoughts are a jumble, and I know what she wants. I'm just waiting for her to voice it.
"H-Hey, Nightmare?" she asks timidly, and I can already tell what she wants to ask. Even with my mindreading, her thoughts are all over her face
"I think I can send a quick message to one of your family members." I say, smiling "But only one. Who-"
"Eden" she doesn't hesitate
"Your youngest brother?"
"Yes"
I can see the resolve in her eyes and read the reason in her thoughts. I don't argue, and give her a nod,
She smiles, and turns to leave with a wave, slowly disappearing, "Thanks. Night, Nighty"
I chuckle at her nickname for me, and watch as she slowly disappeared from my realm. I float around for a bit, wasting time of my own. I feel like that went rather well, if I do say so myself. Now, all that's left is to let the pieces fall as they may on this Game. Now…
"I know that you're there", I call out, "This is MY realm. Though, you did well in hiding your thoughts. Congrats on that"
"Silence, worm. Don't patronize me." says the rather annoyed voice as the Prime Minister himself, and walks out of the foggy outer area of my dreamscape and into view. "Killing you would fill me with glee."
"But you can't" I say simply, grinning
"True.", he says, and gives me a deathly glare, "But now I do see. So that is why you were so specific on those two for me."
"Yes…so, now you know." I call out to my other visitor, still grinning. I decide to push him a bit, "What are you going to go about it"
"What can I do…What's done is done." he sighs, and his thoughts shift to a moment to a garden in the castle, and a little doe eyed girl who had cried for him, who forgave him for what he had done. His cheeks flush a little, and he turns away from me in frustration when he can't quite understand the warmth that spreads through his clock.
You've changed a little, and it was someone other than Alice that did it, I mentally add. Good. It has started, and it's working. Those two will be a good influence on the other Role Holders too. Kida and her strict, responsible nature and Hikari and her motherly kind nature. My hope is that they will heal not only themselves, but others as well.
He huffs, catching my attention, "If all you wish to do is aggravate me, I'm leaving"
"Yes, leave", I call out, "But prepare yourself for the future to come"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Yes, the future…so many chances…so many opportunities. So many roads to take. So many routes to choose from.
Which way should you go? Left? Right? Forward?
Well perhaps it doesn't matter at all where you are going
All that matters is taking that first step.
But do you have the courage for that first step, into this world filled with flying bullets and spilling blood?
Can you take that step…that first step into Wonderland?
*passes out*
I'm finished…I finally finished this story! 20 chapters of mental high fiving! And although this feels like the first half of it was more of a filler chapter than anything else, I feel satisfied. I was really trying to wrap up with this chapter/story, but at the same time I was working on my other side stories.
Yes, this is the end. No more chapters after this, but look forward to my side story paring. Poll is still open for people to give me ideas.