♦ M I R R O R ♦ P I E C E S ♦ [one x one x one / yaoi]

[Gardenia-mooN]

Umeko, Fujioka.
The Alice boy. ((Younger Brother.))

“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”

Umeko did feel a slight shiver of fear, probably because he was in an unknown place and because their entrance and exit and just disappeared without a trace. Umeko honestly didn't know what they were going to do because once they got Minako back they would need to get home. Umeko didn't especially like home but it was so much better than being out in the big wide world with no idea on what to do or how to act. He really didn't have a clue either, everything was just so vast and confusing and in this place it seemed to only become even more vast and confusing than the place he was in before. He was frightened of this large new space and he wanted to go home and fall asleep and pretend like whatever this place was, was a dream and just that. He didn't want it to be real because if it was then this place would be a place that defied reality and that was bad.

"O-oh...okay." Umeko didn't really know what else to say, if his big brother didn't know where thye are then it must have been really bad because Umeko was always almost positive that his big brother knew everything that there was to know about the world. If his big brother didn't know where then they must have been somewhere really odd and abnormal because his big brother knew everything. He really did, Satsuki was the smartest person that Umeko had ever met and Umeko looked up o his older brother for that reason too. Simply the fact that Satsuki was so smart was really really cool to Umeko who took his classes from the computer and hid from the school.

Umeko held on to his brother's hand firmly when his brother grabbed his hand. He felt warm and safe but never ever tried to do the hand holding, his brother normally knew when he needed his hand to be held and when he didn't. Tha was why Satsuki was so kind and smart, he always knew the best things to do to make Minako and Umeko happy. Yet then he saw Minako coming back to them and felt immediate relief, Minako wasn't very strong or fast, she was only three years old after all and she was still very much a baby in her own way. So he felt waves of relief and happiness enter him when he saw his little sister. She meant a whole bunch to her brothers and he knew that Satsuki and himself loved her more than anything else in the world. Which was why when she as safe and happy, Umeko could feel safe and happy too. It was very very good thing.

There was a kitty boy.

Umeko noticed that there was a kitty boy right near his little sister and he felt horrified. His little sister seemed happy but there was a cat boy circling them and making them feel awkward. Umeko didn't want to be attacked and moved in closer to his bother so that he could be safe. He was always so sure of everything and Umeko knew he would know how to handle their situation and hat mad him feel happy an warm inside again.

He didn't understand it all,how this person know about wonderland? Wonderland was their secret story he was certain no else shared that story with him. It was a very very special story even though he had grown up to believe that it was a fictional fantasy story he still found such things beautiful and still wished to be with the fantastic dreams and wishes that impressed him. Umeko said nothing and continued to hide behind his brother. This man was...the Cheshire cat.

Umeko whimpered softly when Minako cheered.

He was just scared of the weird cat man and he wanted to no be around a man who had animal parts beause animal parts were kind of scary to him at the moment even though he knew Minako must have really really loved animal parts. He just wanted to be around his brother.

“Words and hearts should be handled with care for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”

[Benadryl]

”Please, would you tell me why your cat grins like that?”
“It’s a Cheshire-Cat, and that’s why.”
“I didn’t know that Cheshire-Cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”
“They all can, and most of ‘em do.”
“I don’t know any that do.”
“You don’t know much, and that’s a fact.”

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

They weren’t very impressive, really, at first glance. Ix had always imagined Alice as a huge figure with an outstanding presence who drew people around her with her charisma and that was how she went through with the Alice revolutions. But these people were nothing like what he imagined Alice to be. The oldest one was a skinny guy with slightly long hair, the younger male was a little shy and skittish and hid behind the older, and the girl was…well, the girl was just a little girl. The most interesting thing about them, at first glance, was their hair. With hair like that, that interesting, dark shade of blue, they could have been from Wonderland itself. But there was something about their faces that said…well, that said they weren’t from Wonderland. Anyone else would be completely used to seeing the Trees. But these three ---well, the older two, as the little girl seemed enthralled by what she was seeing--- had looks on their faces that said they were out of their depth.

Ix was becoming more and more certain that they were Alice.

Humming quietly to himself, the Cat continued to circle the little group, studying, not them anymore, but the Mirrored Trees, as though he could figure out which one they came through. Now, it was pretty much impossible, because the pathway had closed off and now there was just mirrors. He bet if he’d come here a minute sooner, he would have been able to see where they were from. He would have been able to see the Other Side. How awesome would that be? Only that silly Rabbit had seen the other side. Ix would love to go through the Mirrors and see what the Other Side was like, but silly Aetas would never take anyone through, because he was a stick in the mud. Oh, why did he linger on the path? He could have seen it before the path closed and that would have been so awesome…!

Ignoring the uncomfortable looks on both males’ faces, Ix continued to circle, turning his gaze back to both Alices once again. He pursed his lips when his questions were answered with more questions, but since these two were the coming Alices, he decided to indulge them. There was plenty of time for questions after he answered these onces. ”I’m Ix. Tapa. Ix Tapa?” He paused, looking expectantly at the two. When there was no sign of recognition in their faces, he elaborated. ”Of the Cheshire Tapas? The last Cheshire family left? You really haven’t heard of us?” How irritating was that? And here Ix had thought that their family was near famous. They were the last Cheshires in existance, after all. And they’d been all over Wonderland, so it wasn’t as though there were places where people lived that hadn’t been visited by at least one Tapa. Well, maybe there were obscure people in the Mount and the far regions of Wonderland, but they were unimportant people anyway.

Of course, since Alice was from another world, it made sense that they wouldn’t know who the Tapas were, so Ix’s face smoothed out a little bit. He finally seemed to realize that they were uncomfortable with his circling, and he shifted away, flittering from in front of the blue-haired group to leaning against one of the Mirrored Trees. Had he been a dog, his tail would have been wagging in excited pleasure. Instead, he just grinned his Cheshire grin again. ”How do I know about Wonderland? Well, I happen to live here. That helps.” Chuckling softly, he crossed his arms, lounging against the trunk of the Tree. ”Where do you think you are?” As far as he knew, there was only Wonderland and the Other Side. Just those two worlds.

He was now more certain than ever that they were Alice. Alice had returned and now he was here, the first to meet Alice, and he was going to follow them on their journey whether or not they wanted it, because this was history in the making. Whether or not the two new Alices formed a revolution or not, the mere fact that they were here was amazing in its own right. Ix was definitely going to be in on this. No doubt.

At the little girl’s delighted cry of ‘kitty!’ Ix beamed again, blinking back over to stand in front of the trio. Bending at his waist, he got eye-level with the girl, smiling at her. ”I am a kitty,” he said brightly. ”Do you want to see my ears?” Normally he didn’t like showing anyone his ears, but his tail was already sticking out for all the world to see. Showing his ears wouldn’t be any different. Besides, they were Alice. Alice got privelages. So Ix wouldn’t mind showing these Alices his ears. It would prove that he was a Cheshire, and maybe that would draw him into their confidences. Having a Cheshire on their team would do wonders. So they needed him, and he needed to draw them in. Otherwise he would just have to follow them covertly, and that wouldn’t be any fun at all. So, without any hesitation at all, he tugged off his headscarf, letting his hideous pink-tipped, blue cat ears flick above his head. The girl seemed delighted at the discovery. The males just looked...stunned. That was a good word. Stunned.

Straightening, the Cat looked at the other two males, smiling brightly at them as though they were already the best of friends. ”So, Alices, what are your names?” They knew him, so now he got to know them.

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

~The~Cheshire~Cat~

[Kitty Bop]

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" --Alice

╔══════════════════╗
S A T S U K I F U J I O K A™
Satsuki says: " So much for Wonderland just being stories... But we didn't come through any rabbit hole... I can't remember all of the details of the story anymore... "
╚══════════════════╝

They were in a world where nothing made sense. They were in a world where the logical was not found. They were in a world where the impossible became possible. They were in Wonderland.

Satsuki couldn't breathe almost.

The more the other male kept talking, the harder it was for him to breathe. It wasn't possible for any of this to be real. They were being pranked or something, right? Because if it was real and they were in Wonderland, then what did that mean for everything that he believed in? He couldn't trust what he knew and it wasn't a good feeling. In fact, it simply made him paranoid and he tightened his hold on both of his siblings, having slipped one arm out to pull Umeko to his side. The other was just as frightened as he was and he knew he had to comfort his brother. He was the older brother and it was his job to make everything alright. H-He's a Chesire Cat... How is this possible...? The timid behavior was not Satsuki's style, but Umeko's, and Satsuki had no plans on continuing with it. Taking a few deep breaths, he watched as Ix uncovered his ears and he could only stare in disbelief. His mouth had gone slack and he didn't know what to say or do.

Minako clapped and squealed happily, trying to wiggle her way from Satsuki's grasp. The older brother held on tighter, pulling the girl so she rested on his hip and her head could lay on his shoulder which she eventually did as she pointed at Ix.

"Pretty kitty!"

Satsuki snapped out of his trance and managed to keep his eyes away from Ix's ears, tail, and grin--instead he focused on Ix's eyes and tried not to get lost. There was something about the other's eyes that were distracting him and he needed to concentrate. "...I'm Satsuki Fujioka. This is my little brother Umeko and my little sister Minako." He managed to answer, not saying anything to the other questions quite yet. He didn't know what he wanted to ask or say anything. He gulped slightly.

"Ix is pretty kitty." Minako cooed softly. "Wondaland!"

"Wonderland... How do we get out of here?" To be honest, Satsuki still wanteded to go with the dream idea but the longer he looked around and felt the area out, the more he was sure it wasn't a dream and that they were in Wonderland. He had to get his siblings out of there. His grandmother told him the stories of Alice in Wonderland and he had only thought they were stories. But nothing was as it seemed...



[Satsuki is gonna faint or something, hehe.]

A L I C E
"I'm Satsuki and I'm the older brother...

[Gardenia-mooN]

Umeko, Fujioka.
The Alice boy. ((Younger Brother.))

“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”

They were in Wonderland? Umeko gasped in surprise, he remembered his brother speaking of Wonderland but when his brother spoke of it, it had always been a fairytale land where anything impossible was possible. Umeko felt a little bit shocked at the very idea of being in such a place.

Wonderland was only a dream world after all...it had to be.

Umeko moved in closer and Satsuki wrapped an arm around him and Minako in a protective way, Umeko felt safe again because he was sure that it didn't matter where they were. As long as Satsuki was around Umeko would always feel happy and safe although Satsuki seemed upset. Umeko could tell and it made him worry, even though he felt safe and sound when Satsuki was near it never stopped him from worrying endlessly about his older brother who had done everything for them and who deserved to be taken care of since he had taken care of Minako and Umeko for all those years. Well, that was what Umeko thought, he could tell almost every emotion that went through Satsuki because he had been around his brother for so long. Yet Umeko was too scared to ask if his brother was alright in front of a stranger. He simply hid beside his brother and looked between the cat male and his sister and his brother with wide eyes. Umeko reached out one hand an lightly gripped at his older brother's shirt as the cat boy moved.

The kitty boy had kitty ears too...For some reason that made Umeko flush slightly, it reminded him too much of those weird cat people that were popular and made him feel flustered. He couldn't freak out, though! He had to stay strong and calm for his brother so that Satsuki would remain calm and happy too.

Umeko almost wanted to laugh when his sister spoke.

She was so sweet and innocent and showed what she wanted when she wanted it all the time, he wished he could be like her. SInce Umeko sort of understood why she went grabby for Ix, the kitty boy's ears and tail looked so soft and fuzzy and even Umeko who was terribly timid and easily spooked felt a small desire to pet the fuzzy ears or tail just once. He didn't look at them, opting for the floor when he heard his brother introducing them all and made sure not to meet anyone's eyes. Umeko felt bad when he looked people in the eyes, it was awkward sand kind of scary for him.

Umeko nodded a little bit when Minako spoke and when Satsuki spoke.

He agreed, Ix was a very pretty kitty, the blues and the pinks only making him seem more interesting but he also agreed with his brother. He wanted to know how to leave and get back home and go to his room where it was safe and quiet and where there were no people around who would act cruelly or do bad things. Yup, Umeko wanted to go back home. Wonderland seemed wonderful but Umeko was much too timid to ever be able to act out on the small curiosity he did have.

(( Poor Sat-chan. ; o ; I wanna hug him! > w < ))

“Words and hearts should be handled with care for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”

[Benadryl]

”Please, would you tell me why your cat grins like that?”
“It’s a Cheshire-Cat, and that’s why.”
“I didn’t know that Cheshire-Cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”
“They all can, and most of ‘em do.”
“I don’t know any that do.”
“You don’t know much, and that’s a fact.”

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

The Alices weren’t taking the news too well. That was a little distressing, because they were going to be here for a while. The tall one especially seemed as though he was going to faint or something. That was slightly annoying, because they obviously knew about Wonderland, so why was this coming as such a surprise? What had Alice been telling her descendants? Ix would have thought they’d be better prepared than this.

The little girl’s praise was actually quite endearing. Beamng at her, he said, quite sincerely, ”Thank you.” It was the first time he’d ever actually thank someone for talking about his looks. He hated the pink and blue, and wished he had coloring like his mother and sister (yellow and green) or even like his brother (red and white). Or like his father, who had the legendary purple and pink of the original Cheshire. But no, he had this awkward pink and blue and hated it. But the girl seemed to like it, and since she was an Alice, that meant something.

When the oldest one commenced with introductions, Ix drank the names in, rolling the unfamiliar names on his tongue. Satsuki and Umeko and Minako…so unlike ‘Alice’, but not especially displeasing to say. Interesting. How different names became after generations. Taking a step back, the Cheshire made a large, elegant, flourishing bow, grinning his Cheshire smile at the three. ”Then I welcome you to Wonderland, Alices Satsuki and Umeko and Minako, and thoroughly hope you enjoy your stay.”

The mention of a way to get out of Wonderland made Ix wilt a little, his smile drooping. Oh, they weren’t going to stay after all? That sucked terribly. But he felt obliged to answer in the end. “We~ell…the Rabbit is the only one who can go through the mirrors. And he really only does it on the Queen’s order. So you’ll have to find one of them and coerce them into letting you through.” He gasped, eyes lighting in delight, and clapped his hands, dancing on his feet in excitement. ”That means we get to go on a journey! Yay!” And he got to join them and lead them! Oh, his dreams were getting fulfilled one by one today! Weren’t his siblings going to be so jealous! Haha! Oh, this was a happy day indeed!

Damping down his enthusiasm, Ix looked over at the Alices. ”Is there anywhere you’d like to go first?” he asked, like this was merely a tour of Wonderland, and they weren’t searching for a way to get back to their home. It was entrely possible that none of them had any notion of where to go in Wonderland, but that was why they had the well-traveled Ix leading them! Ix knew most of Wonderland, so he knew where to go! And if it kept them here a little bit longer, why couldn’t he try to lead them away from their goal and to sightseeing?

Maybe he was more of a Cheshire than he’d originally thought himself…

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

~The~Cheshire~Cat~

[Kitty Bop]

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" --Alice

╔══════════════════╗
S A T S U K I F U J I O K A™
Satsuki says: " If I close my eyes and click my heels while chanting that there is no place like home, what will I see when I open up my eyes again? Hm? Oh, I saw this movie called the Wizard of Oz and if Wonderland is real, why can't Oz and its methods be real? "
╚══════════════════╝

There were moments in his life where Satsuki had thought he would faint and end up with a concussion. Well, this was one of those moments. He felt light-headed and even felt the temptation to yell out, "TIMBER," and have everyone take cover. They were in Wonderland. They were in Wonderland. And they were talking to the Cheshire Cat who wasn't a cat but a boy with cat ears and tail. How strange. How unlogical.

It was out of love that Satsuki managed to keep himself calm--his love for his siblings was a powerful thing and it kept him standing upright. He wasn't going to faint nor was he going to cry. He was going to handle the situation like a level-headed adult and hope that he woke up soon. Right, he should probably start by letting go of the hope that it was a dream. But weird dreams were a good thing. All that was needed to get rid of it was to wake up. But they couldn't wake up from that and it simply was not fair because no one had asked to end up in Wonderland. At least, Satsuki had not asked to get into Wonderland. As a child, he had almost hoped that it was real but he had been too mature for dreams...

Feeling Umeko move closer, he kept his arms wound tightly around both of his siblings and blinked as the Cheshire Cat seemed to take a liking to Minako. That bothered Satsuki a bit and he could only hope the other was not a kidnapper.

Then again, Ix was who brought Minako back, so he had to trust that Ix wouldn't do anything to harm Minako or steal her away when they let their guard down. Though that was not likely to happen when it came to Satsuki--he never let his guard down when it came to siblings and that would probably never change. Satsuki wished Ix would not call them all Alice. It was strange. She was their ancestor and it felt strange hearing her name being used. Especially when addressing them.

Ix had given them answers and they were rather ironic. The Rabbit had to be the guy who ran into him and they had followed him right into Wonderland. Just like Alice had. Now they had to go and follow the Rabbit all over Wonderland, didn't they? Just like Alice. Now Satsuki could begin to understand why Ix was calling them Alices. He didn't like the fact that they were going to have to stay in Wonderland until they got permission to leave.

"No, adventure. Just need to get there so we can get back. All you have to do is give up directions." He replied. He thought that there was something about directions that Wonderland had a problem with, or perhaps, he couldn't remember what he had been told correctly anymore. The stories had been told to him so long ago. "Well, maybe you could talk us halfway to the place where the Queen lives." Satsuki finished, scrunching up his face before he shifted Minako again. Looking at Umeko, he brushed the other's hair lightly and gave him a reassuring smile. "We don't want any detours."

Satsuki took another deep breath.

[ooc] ; w; [/ooc]

A L I C E
"I'm Satsuki and I'm the older brother...

[Gardenia-mooN]

Umeko, Fujioka.
The Alice boy. ((Younger Brother.))

“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”

Then they were really in Wonderland? Oh dear...that was not good at all Wonderland was surely very very very far away from his room and what Umeko wanted most in that moment was to be far far away in his room where his brother and sister were near by and where there were no animals or people or anything to harm him or bully him. Yup, Umeko desperately desired his room and the worst part of it all was that he was sure he wouldn't be seeing his room for a long long time.

Umeko remembered the stories of Wonderland that his brother had told to him and in all truth he had always wanted to visit such a place, especially in the worst moments of high school. He had always dreamed of going to Wonderland with his big brother and his little sister and they could all be happy there. That was all Umeko had desired but now things had changed and not for the better. Now he was afraid of going anywhere even a place as marvelous as Wonderland. He was curious and he wanted to search and learn more but at the same time he wanted to hide away under a rock because new places were scary. Very very scary and Umeko wasn't good with scary things, not anymore. He liked to hide and run away because that was the easiest thing to do.

He felt the comfort of his brother's arm wrapped tightly around him and felt even more comfort in knowing that his brother was hanging on to Minako too which meant that they were all safe. Satsuki would protect them because Satsuki was strong and even when he was upset or cared he still acted brave.

Ix was the Cheshire cat, right? Umeko had always imagined a big fluffy kitty that they would pet and cuddle but Ix was definitely not a big fluffy kitty. He was a human with pretty silky ears and a pretty silky tail. Umeko knew the difference between people and animals and the difference was that animals were nice and people were not nice. Umeko felt a little bit scared by a human kitty and wasn't sure he could trust the cat especially when the other seemed excited to be able to lead them all about Wonderland. It was just all so terrifying and intimidating.

Besides Umeko was worried about his big brother, Satsuki was obviously scared and nervous too and Umeko wanted to comfort the other but he was too timid to talk in front of a stranger like that so he kept his mouth shut and chose to remain as close as possible to Satsuki so that the other knew that Umeko was their for him and would try his best to help him and protect him. Umeko probably would be pretty useless since he was tiny and frail but he wanted to try his best.

He nodded when his brother spoke and felt a little bit relieved when his brother accepted Ix's help. Even though Umeko felt scared of the kitty he was sure that the other probably knew where he was going and would probably be able to help them tons and tons and Umeko felt grateful for that. He jumped, a little bit startled when he felt his brother lightly brushing his hair but then looked up at gave Satsuki a small shy smile almost as if he was trying to say that he believed in the other even though he wouldn't say it out loud. Umeko really did believe in his brother and he was sure that Satsuki would save them no matter what. He loved his brother.

It would all be alright as long as Satsuki was around.

(( > w < ))

“Words and hearts should be handled with care for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”

[Benadryl]

”Please, would you tell me why your cat grins like that?”
“It’s a Cheshire-Cat, and that’s why.”
“I didn’t know that Cheshire-Cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”
“They all can, and most of ‘em do.”
“I don’t know any that do.”
“You don’t know much, and that’s a fact.”

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

While Satsuki-Alice was taking time to breathe deeply and try not to pass out, or whatever the hell he was doing, Ix took the chance to study the other two. Obviously they were all related, because they all had the same luscious shade of blue hair ---which was odd, because he didn’t remember his grandfather’s stories talking about Alice having blue hair--- and there was definitely familiarity in the way the younger boy clung to Satsuki. But Satsuki was the one who’d done all the talking. Little Minako had done some talking, but she was only like three, so Ix wasn’t expecting too many coherent thoughts from her. But Umeko…Frowning in interest, the Cat blinked up in front of the younger brother, peering curiously at the quiet face and pretty golden eyes. ”Is this one mute?” he asked, managing to somehow sound both rude and vaguely disinterested at the same time. It was the Cat in him that managed that. But it was interesting. So far he hadn’t heard Umeko speak a single word. Who wouldn’t think he was mute in that situation?

When Satsuki started speaking again, Ix turned his attention to the older brother, staring in dumbstruck bafflement for a moment. ”D-directions?” Both the look on Ix’s face and the tone of his voice were full of increduality, saying he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Then he threw back his head and laughed, a fully-delighted guffaw that had him clutching his stomach. He was just short of rolling on the floor, he was laughing so hard. It took a good handful of minutes for his laughter to stop, and when he did, he leaned against a tree, still chuckling as he looked over at the Alices. ”Directions. Wow. Haven’t heard one that funny in a long time.” Taking a breath, trying to stifle the giggles that continued to pour out of his mouth, he grinned at Satsuki. ”You know of Wonderland, but you sure don’t know a lot about Wonderland, do you? I can’t just give you directions. It doesn’t work like that. Wonderland changes.” The Cat waved a hand vaguely, pointing at the woods around them. ”Unless you know exactly where you’re going, you’ll end up chasing yourself in circles. Especially in the Woods. So you’re stuck with me until you find your way out. Unless you want to be utterly and hopelessly lost. Your choice.” Which meant this was going to be an adventure. Oh, how wonderful!

Finally over the hysterics that Satsuki’s quest for direction had caused, the Cheshire paced in front of his tree, tail swinging behind him as he thought. He couldn’t just send them off, because there was no way these outsiders would be able to get anywhere. And he wasn’t going to send them to the Red Queen, because he had a tendency to chop first, ask questions later. Ix himself had had his head chopped off seven times to date, and somehow he doubted that the Alices’ heads would fare so well. After all, they weren’t Cheshires. But it was near impossible to know where the silly Rabbit was going, so the only left to figure out where Aetas Kanin was going was to go to…

”Let’s go to the Duchy!” Ix said brightly, whirling around and clapping his hands with manic delight. ”I’m sure we can crash whatever silly tea party the Hatter is throwing, and he’ll be able to tell us where the Rabbit is! Oh, it’s perfect!” Humming in cheerful triumph to himself, the Cheshire did a little celebratory dance where he stood. He was so good at these ideas, oh, it was no wonder that he was the Cheshire who found the Alices. This was perfect and serendipitous and just wonderful all around and his siblings were going to be sooooo jealous!

Calming himself quickly, and probably making the Alices wonder if he was bipolar or something, the Cat looked at the Alices with wide eyes. ”Shall we go now, then?” They really ought to get moving, if the Alices wanted to get home in a decent amount of time. Going to the Duchy would probably take all day, and then getting the information out of the Hatter…it really depended on the Hatter’s mood. Sometimes, he was open and forthcoming, and other times he was bonkers as hell and nothing he said made any sense. So finding out where the Rabbit was from the Hatter could take god-knew how long. And then they would have to chase the Rabbit around Wonderland, which would take forever more…yeah, they really ought to get moving if the Alices wanted to get anywhere.

Ooh, or they could go visit the twins and enlist their help. The Tweedles had wings. Wings were good. And Ix could bargain with them or something, and they could fly up and look for the Rabbit and it would work. But…wait, no, no that wouldn’t work. Because the twins lived in the opposite direction as the Duchy, and they spent a ton of time at the Hatter’s anyway, so they might as well just go to the Duchy. If the twins were there, they wouldn’t have wasted a trip, and if they weren’t, they could still get the information from the Hatter. So it worked either way. Yeah, scratch that idea about the twins. Looking at the Alices, he repeated, with no seeming realization that he’d just asked this, ”Shall we go now, then?”

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

~The~Cheshire~Cat~

[Kitty Bop]

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" --Alice

╔══════════════════╗
S A T S U K I F U J I O K A™
Satsuki says: " If I close my eyes and click my heels while chanting that there is no place like home, what will I see when I open up my eyes again? Hm? Oh, I saw this movie called the Wizard of Oz and if Wonderland is real, why can't Oz and its methods be real? "
╚══════════════════╝

Satsuki tensed when he noticed that Ix was eying this younger brother in a curious manner. It was honestly reason to be alarmed. Who knew what Ix wanted with his sibling. First Minako, now Umeko... Satsuki would definitely keep a close watch on Ix. The other could not be trusted quite yet... That was sensible, right? Sure, the other had brought back Minako but that did not mean he could be trusted. Chesire Cats were supposedly tricky. Rather crazy and always speaking in riddles. Wait...

"Are you sure you are a Chesire Cat? I was told that they speak in riddles..." The sentence was drowned out by Ix's boisterous laughter and it made Satsuki frown in annoyance. He felt as if the other was laughing at him.

When the laughter finally died down, Satsuki was thinking over what came out of Ix's mouth next. That's right. He had thought it was something like that. Well, it had been worth a shot. "Kitty stay with Mina-chan..?" Listening to Minako's hopeful voice made Satsuki smile slightly, and then he sighed. Ix would have to stay. One of the things that the young male knew was that the Rabbit served the Queen. So, if they went to the Queen, they might run across the Rabbit. And that was in the Duchy. Wait, no, it wasn't!

"Wait, wouldn't the Rabbit be with the Queen? The Queen isn't in the Duchy... Or is she?"He questioned, frowning slightly at Ix. "Bunny!"

The Duchy... It sounded familiar... Who lived in the Duchy?

[ooc] horrible. T.T [/ooc]

A L I C E
"I'm Satsuki and I'm the older brother...

[Gardenia-mooN]

Umeko, Fujioka.
The Alice boy. ((Younger Brother.))

“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”

Umeko of course was startled when the Cheshire cat walked around and then put his attention on to him. It wasn't that he didn't like the other..it was just he didn't like it when anyone paid him too much attention, he always ended up feeling nervous and scared and worried because when people put attention on to him it was normally a bad thing. So Umeko did what he normally did when he was scared, he moved even closer to his big brother and briefly hid his face from the Cheshire kitty because for Umeko being paid attention to was one of the scarier thing in the whole world. When he other spoke to him he felt nervous once more because did want to answer for himself but he was bad when it came to speaking with others about well...about anything. He got frightened easily and hid himself away but this time he allowed his golden eyes to meet Ix's eyes for just a moment. He shook his head and his lips parted for the smallest of moment. "Nnn-no." Was the small answer he gave, no he wasn't mute...he was just scared. It was normal for Umeko to be scared though. It was okay for him to be scared.

Umeko looked confused when Ix started laughing but he guessed it made since even though his brother seemed slightly upset over the other male laughing at his question. He supposed that lots of things probably seemed like jokes in Wonderland, there probably weren't any schools or if there were schools they weren't like the ones he was used to. The blue haired boy also figured that it was kind of normal for things in Wonderland to change from time to time and that for all the residence it was about the same as it getting cloudy or rainy or something. Umeko didn't want to seem weird by assuming things were the exact same. Yet he did feel a little bit intimidated because he was sure he wouldn't understand very much, he knew his brother and his sister were new too but his sister was little so he confusion was understandable and his brother was smart and probably knew how to not act confused. Satsuki was good at fitting in anyway, he even moved up in grade and could still fit in well with other people who were much older than him. Satsuki was amazing like that. It was natural for him to go to a place and become a part of it, Umeko wasn't very good at that. He tended to reach a place and try to hide so that he didn't ruin anything. It was a very natural thing for him, to hide away.

Umeko was a very shy person naturally that should have been obvious by now but he was also a bit of a dreamy person whenever he was alone or whenever he was allowed to be. His dreamy side was excited to be where they were, he was in Wonderland with his brother and his sister and that was one of those amazing things that never ever happen. A part of him wanted to stay in Wonderland too...he would never ever say it out loud but if they all stayed in Wonderland then his brother wouldn't move away and go to college and leave Minako and himself all by themselves. They could stay together forever if they chose to play in Wonderland and no one would ever have to find them because they'd be happy...

Umeko blinked curiously once more, they were going to the Duchy to visit the Mad Hatter? That was a good thing but he was pretty sure Satsuki wanted to go see the Queen. The Queen didn't live near the Mad Hatter or at least Umeko didn't think he did. He looked up again questioningly at Ix but they watched in surprise as the other male danced cheerfully. Umeko couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight, he had never seen a kitty dance before even if the kitty was in human form and he found the dance to be really neat and it made him feel happier. More okay somehow.

He didn't answer the question and merely looked up at his older brother, it was Satsuki's decision on whether or not they stayed for a little while longer or if they went off with Ix to find the Mad Hatter and do things with him. Umeko didn't answer the question because he wasn't the older brother and because he didn't like making big decisions like that. They were scary too. He wasn't sure what they were to do but he was pretty sure that Minako would want to take a nap or have a snack soon so going to a tea party was actually a pretty good idea. He wasn't as good as his older brother but Umeko did like taking care of and protecting Minako too. It made him feel warm and happy whenever he got to see his little sister smile or whenever she seemed to be happy herself. He loved both his siblings a whole bunch.

He nodded the second time the question was asked since he was almost sure that Satsuki wanted to go to the Duchy too and Minako seemed excited. Well...Satsuki didn't really seem like he wanted to go,he seemed confused and a little bit spun around but Umeko wanted to trust the kitty even a little bit because in the stories Alice could trust her own Cheshire kitty so...it was almost the same right? He wouldn't ever try to hurt them or confuse them...because he promised to help them and he promised to go find the Queen of Hearts with them and Minako liked him so this Ix had to be good and trustworthy, right? Right! Umeko was sure it would all turn out okay and that nothing really bad would happen while they were there in Wonderland.

“Words and hearts should be handled with care for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”

[Benadryl]

”Please, would you tell me why your cat grins like that?”
“It’s a Cheshire-Cat, and that’s why.”
“I didn’t know that Cheshire-Cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”
“They all can, and most of ‘em do.”
“I don’t know any that do.”
“You don’t know much, and that’s a fact.”

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

Ix eyed the younger sibling once more, eyebrows raised as the younger Alice stammered out a reply. Alright…so maybe he wasn’t totally mute. But Ix still wasn’t convinced. He gave Umeko another scrutinizing look as the younger male shuffled behind the older, but decided not to pursue it. Not right now, at least. Now was the time to start the adventure!

He did hear what Satsuki said about Cheshires and riddles, but Ix’s own laughter cut the Alice off, which Ix was happy to do. Just because he was a bit lacking in the riddle-making departent didn’t mean the Alice had to talk about it. Ix didn’t like to talk about it. He hoped that on the way to the Duchy, they wouldn’t bump into any of Ix’s siblings, because he didn’t want the Alices to see how sorely he was lacking in the riddle-making department. Then the Alices might want to abandon Ix for one of his siblngs, and this was Ix’s find, not theirs! Nu-uh, he wasn’t going to give the Alices up to anyone until the end of this story played out.

The Cat beamed cheerily at the littlest Alice, nodding happily. ”Yes, little Alice, I’m staying.” He was staying even if the older Alices didn’t want him to. If he left these people, they would probably get eaten by something in the Woods. So even if they kicked him away, he would follow them anyway.

The Cheshire was thrown a little by Satsuki’s next question, blinking at the older Alice. The incredulity was back, but this time he didn’t have any urge to start laughing. No, this was not a laughing matter. Obviously, obviously the Alices had no idea about what was going on. Letting out a long, slow breath, Ix tapped his knuckles against his forehead, pondering what to say. Fnally, he decded that just laying it out would be perfectly fine.

”Look,” he sad, breaking the news as gently as possible. ”You don’t want to see the Red Queen unless you absolutely have to. The Queen has a bad habit of taking offense of…anything and anyone in front of him and ordering their heads be lopped off. I can lose my head a few times, but you wouldn’t be so lucky. So if you can avoid the Queen, you should.” The Cat nodded sagely, hoping that would make it clear for them. They did not want to meet the Queen.

Then he shrugged. ”Besides, that silly Rabbit hardly ever stays still long enough to catch. Always rushing about on ridiculous lttle appointments to satisfy the Queen’s whims. He waved a hand dismissively, to shw what he thought about Aetas Kanin’s need to please. ”And so, we shall go to the Duchy! The Hatter has his fngers n every pie. He’ll know where the Rabbit is.” And if he didn’t, they might need to go see the Caterpillar, but that could be…problematic. Ix wasn’t really allowed in Uvasmal anymore. There was…an incident. So for now, they would go to the Duchy.

Grinning brightly, the Cat waved the Alices to follow him. ”Come on, come on, let’s get going!” They were going to have an adventure!

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

~The~Cheshire~Cat~

[Kitty Bop]

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" --Alice

╔══════════════════╗
S A T S U K I F U J I O K A™
Satsuki says: " If I close my eyes and click my heels while chanting that there is no place like home, what will I see when I open up my eyes again? Hm? Oh, I saw this movie called the Wizard of Oz and if Wonderland is real, why can't Oz and its methods be real? "
╚══════════════════╝

If there was ever a time that Satsuki wished he was illogical, it would have to be at that very moment. Being illogical helped with being in Wonderland. It was almost as if it was the law of the place. His grandmother told him that half the fun with Wonderland was nothing had to make sense. Everything just was and there was fun to be had in a place with no sense. To be honest, Satsuki did not personally agree with that thinking. If anything, he believed it would be frustrating to be in a place where nothing made any sense whatsoever. Maybe not for the people who lived there, but for anyone who would perhaps visit. It had to be terribly frustrating. Kind of like it was now. At least for him.

When he saw the Chesire Cat eying his younger brother again, he fought the urge to back away. If only they could go back through the way they came. If only, if only, if only...

"Kitty stay with Mina-chan. Hehehe..."

Something about his sister's speech made Satsuki nuzzle her cheek. Minako was always so happy and bubbly. Well, most of the time. She could be fussy and whiny at times, or if something really upset her, she would cry and cry and cry. It could get tiring at times, but he loved his sister, as he loved his brother. So, he'd do anything for them. Including following Ix to the place called the Duchy. Though, he had his reservations about that as well once it clued into his mind that the Chesire Cat had mentioned the Hatter twice now. That's right. The Hatter and the March Hare were suppose to live in the Duchy. If he remembered the stories correctly... Wait, weren't the Hatter and Hare mad? What good would it do them to seek help from someone who was crazy? If he recalled the stories correctly (and trust, he knew the stories by heart), Alice had issues dealing with the Hatter and the Hare. It would do them no good. But perhaps things were different. Wonderland was illogical so change was not impossible.

Satsuki stared at Ix for a moment before releasing a long drawn-out sigh. He certainly did not want the Chesire Cat to accompany them on this trip. He would rather have someone else. Like the Rabbit. But they needed to find the Rabbit. Alright, he would give Ix a chance. Only for his siblings' sake. With a polite smile, he nodded for Ix to lead the way. They would follow right behind him. Wait... The Queen is a he? How peculiar... Satsuki decided not to question it since it was Wonderland and obviously men could be queens.

"This won't take too long, will it? I have to get back so that I can finish packing for the move." There was so much to pack. His remaining stuff, his brother's stuff, and his sister's stuff. There was simply too much that needed to be done. Not enough time during the day to do it. It was frustrating.

[ooc] i'm slowly gaining my creativity back. >w< [/ooc]

A L I C E
"I'm Satsuki and I'm the older brother...

[Gardenia-mooN]

Umeko, Fujioka.
The Alice boy. ((Younger Brother.))

“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”

Umeko remembered a lot of the tales of Wonderland, he didn't remember them to the exact letter but he could recite the stories his brother had told him and they were etched into his heart as precious childhood memories. In fact he didn't really remember much of anything his parents have ever told him but he could remember every single word of what his brother told him. It was because Satsuki was the most important person in his heart, well Minako was very very important too but it was Satsuki who had been with him ever since he was born and it was Satsuki who had always taken care of him. So he remembered everything Satsuki said and did because he looked up to his big brother and he adored his big brother very much.

He blushed and shuffled some more away from the scrutinizing gaze of the other male, the Cheshire kitty was a confusing individual. The other seemed trustworthy and Minako liked him but the other was looking at him and Umeko always felt nervous when someone looked at him. It wasn't a bad look but it was a scary look because it was directed at him. Umeko was always shy like that.

Umeko didn't want to always use his brother as his safety blanket but when Ix stared at him he felt nervous because it was odd for him to get attention and he wanted to hide but he didn't want to abuse his brother's kindness.

Umeko smiled up at his little sister and felt a small smile spread on his face, his little sister was so adorable and it was nice to see the other looking so pleased and cheerful about something. She was like any small child and ha her moment of temper tantrums and pouting but she was a good girl and when she was happy it made him feel happy too. He wondered what the Mad Hatter and the March Hare would be like since he remembered the two of them from the stories and the thought of seeing the two from the story made him feel excited and anxious at the same time. He thought that a tea party would be an interesting thing but at the same time he didn't want to feel like he was intruding on the Mad Hatter and the March Hare's special party. That would be a bad thing to do and Umeko didn't want to be a bad boy, he didn't want that at all. He knew the two were a bit more on the wild and crazy side too and it made him feel worried since he wasn't sure what to do or how to deal with anything, he was like Satsuki when it came to being logical and he knew very well that he would be terribly confused around the other two.

Umeko moved so that he was standing behind his older brother and his lightly took hold of the back of the other male's shirt and stared at the ground nervously. It was his way of showing that he was ready to go and didn't mind going off to where the Duchy was, he felt a little bit nervous but it was okay because his big brother would be there and he knew the other would keep everyone safe. Satsuki was so smart and cool and he was good at taking care of people so Umeko was sure they would all end up alright. Umeko felt a little bit happier being near the other and a little bit safer.

"U-unn..." Umeko made a small noise when Satsuki mentioned the move again, he still thought that the other was moving away and that he would be left all alone and without his big brother. He felt his lower lip tremble slightly at the thought and his head felt tense, Umeko was scared of his brother leaving and the desire to stay in this Wonderland grew and grew.

(( Yay! Go Kitty! Go! > w < ))

“Words and hearts should be handled with care for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”

[Benadryl]

”Please, would you tell me why your cat grins like that?”
“It’s a Cheshire-Cat, and that’s why.”
“I didn’t know that Cheshire-Cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”
“They all can, and most of ‘em do.”
“I don’t know any that do.”
“You don’t know much, and that’s a fact.”

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

Ix blinked, looking between the Alice boys. First at Satsuki’s comment, then at Umeko’s strange little sound. Then he shrugged and turned towards the little path leading out of the Mirrored Trees clearing. ”Stay close, now!” he chirped happily. ”If you get lost here, we might not see you again!” Unless you knew the Woods, it was very easy to get lost for good. And the Alices certainly didn’t know the Woods.

The whole walk to the Duchy didn’t take too long, since Ix knew where he was going. Ix was a Cheshire, so the Woods responded to him. It was in his blood. And the whole time they walked, Ix talked. Mostly about Wonderland, just talking about the world they were in that the Alices obviously had no idea about. He didn’t explain a lot, just gave a lot of the broad details. Mostly he talked about his own life in Wonderland. He could go on and on when he had a mind to.

But soon enough, they were at the Duchy, and Ix fell quiet. Grinning his Cheshire grin and humming to himself, the Cat led their little group to the Hatter’s home. Instead of knocking on the front door, though, he led the group around the side of the house to the expansive backyard, where an unbirthday party was in full swing (as it usually was, except on their actual birthdays). The whole gang was here; the silly Hatter and his Hare companion ---who shouldn’t be so mad, since it was June and not March--- and even the bratty twin and the nice one!

Still grinning, the Cat sauntered over to the table. When he was just a few feet away, he flickered out, and when he reappeared, he was a small, blue and pink striped cat in the black-clad Tweedle’s lap. He hated being a cat, he really did, because these stripes (oh god, the stripes!) but Zale gave such good scratches. Obediantly, as he’d been trained, the older twin started scratching Ix behind the ears. And, like most cats do, Ix became a happy, melty puddle of purring kitty in the Tweedle’s lap. He pretended not to notice the other twin’s annoyed glare.

He also pretended like he didn’t just ditch the Alices at the fringe of the party.

Oh well. Either the silly Hatter would invite them to sit, or they would sit themselves. Whatever, he’d brought them to the Hatter. So it was up to the Alices to find out what they wanted. Ix never did do well with getting information from the Hatter. After all, the flower was insane.

[[ Bena thinks Moony should post next! Be the Hatter and set the party up! >____< (but only if joo wants to.) ]]

~♠~♣~♥~♦~

~The~Cheshire~Cat~

[Gardenia-mooN]

Dahlia Fiore.
ThE mAd HaTtEr.

“Truly great madness can not be achieved without significant intelligence.”

The Duchy was a wonderful place, not only was it in Wonderland but it was also ruled not by a bloody Queen but by the madness that can only be created after years and years of insanity and foolishness. There was no question why Dahlia loved the Duchy, it was his home and it was probably the hub of all of his madness. He did the impossible quite regularly there and found new impossible things to do all the time, yet he was getting bored of his beloved home. He wanted to see adventure.

See, Dahlia loved off of excitement and although the madness and random acts that happened every single day were nice they were not what he was looking for. He was looking for something thrilling and amazing and wonderfully not like anything he had ever encountered before, he was looking for the Alice's. They were the ones who would bring that spark back into his mind and they were the ones who could evaporate his ever lasting boredom. He was sure they would come back to their origins soon too.

At the moment he was having a lovely unbirthday party with the Tweedle Twins and his dear March Hare. Of course he loved spending time with them but his Kit was always teasing him in the worst manner and the twins normally came for food and not for the kind of playing that Dahlia was known for craving. Dahlia himself, was currently sitting at the head of the table...well not really sitting he was more dramatically sprawled in a chair while a teapot danced around his head and hat playfully. His wine colored eyes were half opened and clouded with a haze showing that he wasn't all there at the moment. When was he ever all there, anyway? Never.

Yet his daze disappeared when he saw four figures appear, one figure was obviously that delightfully colorful Cheshire cat and the three with him were...they were..."Alice? Oh my...what an honor what a shock! My dears my dears please join me for a very special unbirthday party, I'm sure we will be holding presents for all of you." His voice was a soft sleek purr, low and yet just the right pitch to sends shivers down anyone's spine. Dahlia's eyes were drowning in desire and his smile was filled with secret thoughts. He wanted to gobble up the adorable newcomers who were the Alice's obviously and yet he wanted to savor the time he was now spending with them. Despite his words he didn't seem shocked at all.

He was going to have to give the Cheshire a special gift too for bringing him such wonderful pets.

Dahlia was laughing lightly, he wanted the Alice's to come over closer and closer, he wanted to hold the tiny female Alice and pet the tiny male Alice and he definitely wanted to taste the big male Alice. Yes...see if he tasted like tea or icing or candle wax. His attention was only on the Alice's who had immediately become the most captivating thing in the room to him.

(( I posted but I feel bad about it. > o <;;; Dahlia is being tricksy right now! ))

“Seduction is always more singular and sublime than sex and it commands the higher price.”