Author's Note: Welcome back, my dear Wastelings. It's been like... a week since I last posted something related to the Wonderland series. Well, I am back with tradition with this project. This time, we are going to check in on the players who have been dragged into this twisted game. I did do that in the last season. Then, I decided to do it again. First up is Hino Makoto. I've had so many ideas and details about his back story that I want to add. I have been doing that, but not fast enough. This did help me a bit. I hope to look more into Makoto's back story and life in the near future. Next week, we are going to check in on Noriko. For now, enjoy this new omake.

Players: Revisited

I: Makoto:

A man with dull brown eyes and messy black hair walks into a dimly lit room. His clothes looked like they had seen better days. The cold floor doesn't bother his bare feet. The man takes a seat in the middle of the empty room.

This has gotten out of hand. It was supposed to end with me.

I buried my head in my hands.

I have tried everything to get this to stop, but it always backfires on me. Then again, what was I expecting? Every time I try to fix things, it always blows up in my face. I even tried to quit but I got forced back in. It's like they are forcing me to play this stupid game.

I'm tired of all of this. I can't do this anymore. This was supposed to end with me all those years ago. When Michiko got involved, I said nothing. She had no ties to me. We were just two strangers thrown together in this stupid game. The more we were forced to play, the more I got to know her. It wasn't my intention. I don't know. I guess I was just desperate for someone to help me. She was handling all of this better than I could. Honestly, I don't know how she does it. Michiko was the one who wanted to put an end to this game. I was desperate for this nightmare to be over.

That was the first time I saw her.

I don't remember when the dreams first began. They always took place in the neighborhood where Hya-chan and I lived before our son died. Everything is burning around me. The smoke choked my lungs. I covered my nose and mouth as I looked around for my family. I couldn't see anyone in our neighborhood.

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like someone wearing a pair of geta walking toward me. I turned in that direction. At first, I could only make out a figure in the smoke. They looked so tiny that I had to squint for a better look. They started walking closer. So many thoughts ran through my mind.

The more I had the first dream, the closer the figure would get. Soon, I could make out that it was a woman. She looked so pale against the thick smoke. Her red kimono glowed in the darkness. I gulped as she got closer. The more details I noticed about the woman, the more bile rose in my throat. She looked like an ordinary woman at first. She looked rather beautiful if I could say so myself. Something about her seemed off. Her serene smile could do little to put me at ease. Her grey eyes told me that she had a secret she was guarding behind those delicate lips of hers. Was she the one who started the fire?

I don't know what I am trying to say here. My thoughts are always scattered everywhere. I am still trying to put it together myself. What choice do I have? Michiko keeps trying to push me to stop this game. She's been hard on my ass lately. I didn't need to ask.

I can feel it too.

I have felt it since I got a better look at that woman in my dreams. It took one look at her demonic kimono and I knew. She wouldn't be the last harbinger of doom to cross my path.

There's been a parade of others. Some of them speak to me. Others flow let their words flow through my head. Those are the worst. It's strange. I'm the only one that's been having these dreams. Michiko said that she didn't see anything. I know that she's lying. But why won't she tell me what she saw? Michi is more than happy to boss me around with this stupid game. She's the one who won't let me quit. She's the one who says that we have to stop the madness. But Michi won't tell me about her dreams.

Things got worse when my wife got dragged into the game. The one thing I didn't want to happen. She didn't want me to suffer anymore. Sadly, she's only made things worse. I tried to get my wife to stop but she won't listen. I tried pushing her away but that doesn't work either. Something is always pushing us back together. Like I said, I can't win with this awful game.

She has a different face, you know? That was her price. I hoped that she wouldn't remember anything from the previous cycles. No such luck. Of course it wouldn't. This is me we are talking about. Nothing has been going right for me for a long time.

I gave myself a bitter laugh.

She's trying to pull me back in. I tried to pull away but it's gotten worse. I'm sorry. I know that I sound like I am complaining too much. But look at it from my side. I'm just tired. I can't do this anymore. Why won't they let me go? Why can't this just end? I keep trying to get out of this. But something always pulls me back in.

Damn.

And it still keeps getting worse.

Now, it's claimed another player. He's just a kid too. I shouldn't be surprised by now. This has happened before. Michiko tried to keep Masaomi away from this game. She should've known by now that they don't play fair in this game. If it wants him to play, it will make him play. Still, I feel for them both. He has no idea. The best Michiko can do now is guide him through this hellish game.

What about me? Heh. What about me? What I think has never mattered. If I had my way, I would be home with my wife. We wouldn't have our son, but we could still have more children. None of this nightmare. None of this misery. None of this endless loop.

But the game doesn't care about what I want. It's just going to use us up until there's nothing left. The prices we are paying aren't going to be enough soon. One of us will have to die for one of those bastards to win the game. It doesn't help that more people are jumping into this game and making things worse.

I gritted my teeth and grabbed my head.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

The visions in my head have been coming out in my waking life lately too. I wanted so badly to be just another nightmare. Ha! I should be so lucky! This is me we're talking about. Nothing has been going right for me for a long time. Why should this part of my life be any different?

Not all of them are evil, however. There's been a strange man who's been trying to helping lately. I don't know who he is. I don't know what he really wants from me. He seems to know who I am. I've tried to ask who he was. Even he doesn't know the answer to that question.

He isn't the only one.

Last night was different.

I stood around surrounded by a misty fog. The cold danced along my skin. But I didn't feel cold. I turned my head to take a look at my new surroundings. As predicted, I couldn't see a thing.

I froze when I heard a soft humming in the distance.

The next thing I knew, I was walking down a narrow dirt path. The humming did something to me. I wasn't afraid. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this relaxed. For all I knew, I could be walking toward my death. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

I found myself standing at the side of a giant lake. The fog slowly started to clear away. I could see a figure just in front of the water. I squinted for a better look.

A woman stood by the lake which shimmered a hazy blue. I didn't get a good look at her at first. I could just see her back. She had on what almost looked like a fancy kimono. The top part of the back was missing. The brightly colored pattern on the fabric made it hard to miss in the dark. She held out her arms, letting the long sleeves hang inches from the ground. I watched transfixed. Who was she? What was she going to do?

Suddenly, the woman started to dance in front of the water. As she moved, the fog around us started to clear. I could see Fujiyama on the other side of the lake. Wait… Where am I? I noticed that the darkness around us started to lighten up. By then, the woman slowly turned around. I got a better look at her.

She looked to be about in her forties. The expression on her face looked so calm. There was a little life in her eyes. I lifted my chin as I gulped. Each of her movements looked so graceful, so inviting. I almost wanted to walk closer to her.

I froze when I heard her voice inside my head.

Everything is going to be alright. You will get through this game. Hang in there.

It was like my worries melted away. The woman continued to dance. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open.

Just my luck that I would fall for it all over again. Well, shit. I should've known.

And once again, I got pulled back into this hellish nightmare.