Chapter 10 Reunion: "Why Thou Run?"

The Lost One in Alice's Garden

ARC 02 Clover Forest

Chapter 10 Reunion: "Why Thou Run?"

Gray eyes, crimson eyes, and blue eyes blink in puzzlement, jaws dropped.

Standing still are the girl without a name, Hatter, and Cheshire, all staring at the lad who is sleeping in the middle of their path.

"It's dead," Cheshire claims in a calm manner.

"It's definitely dead," the one now known as the 11th Alice agrees, with the same mood.

"Oi!" Hatter roars, "He's alive, alright!"

"I know!" the two claim nonchalantly. They can totally see the lad breathing steadily, after all.

The nameless girl gazes upon the lad's face; his facial features somehow remind her of the boy in her dreams. The only differences are their heights, for sure their ages, and their weights; the girl without a name can tell that he looks well-fed enough, unlike the boy who is being tortured and starved. Their hair colors are different too; while the boy has dirty gray hair, this one has white hair...

Wait... 'It's White!'

She gets near him and crouches down, poking his shoulder, uncertain of what she should say or think about this circumstance. He doesn't look like he escaped from a life-or-death situation, making her question why he is here, unconscious and completely bare of any kind of predator. Her eyes narrow as she has this trail of questions, yet her expression slowly changes as the voices of the two, obviously much older than her, penetrate her ears as they start bickering again.

"Ahh~ Hatter is such an idiot for thinking we're idiots!"

"Because you're talking like an idiot!"

"You really are an insensitive fool! Can't you tell that we're only joking?!"

"Huh?!" Hatter grunts, "If there's an insensitive fool here, it is you, stupid cat!"

"Ahh~ now that's rude, Little Fairy! You shouldn't say such things to a beautiful man like me!"

"I'm not a fairy! And you are a very stupid cat!"

"Ah!" Silence occurred between the two; sweat drops were visible on the nameless one's cheek as she continued watching them. Cheshire's hand covered his lips while giving a teasing expression towards the shorter guy. "You didn't deny that you are short!"

"Huh?!" Hatter growled.

'He didn't deny you're beautiful too.'

Hatter took a stance as if he were ready to fight the cat standing in front of him.

"You always act like this!" Cheshire started in a calm manner, his hands going into his coat pockets. "You are so cocky just because of your ability, but you are so easy to provoke." A light wind blew around them as another quiet atmosphere enveloped them. A smirk played on Cheshire's face. "Is eating those weird sweets causing your lack of height and brain? Are they just going to your vitality?"

Although Hatter wants to retort, he couldn't do so after someone (not one of the three of them) questioned their presence. They shifted their attention to the source and found the lad already awake.

"Good morning!" she said with a tone she hadn't used yet, at least a tone that was not familiar to her two comrades. She sounded friendly, which raised a question for Hatter and Cheshire about why the lad backed away from her with a blush on his face. "Ah! Did I push it too much?" she asked, with Cheshire standing behind her with a smile.

"He's just flustered."

"Huh? Why would he?"

Cheshire heaved a sigh rather deeply before he threw insults again at the guy next to him. "You are really a fool and insensitive~"

"You damn bastard! Are you really picking a fight?"

"Wait!" Nameless shouted, gaining the attention of the totally pissed-off Hatter and Cheshire.

When they turned their heads, the lad and their companion were already gone.

"What the—"

"Oh my~"

Both look confused, troubled, and shocked; then Cheshire sighs while Hatter groans.

•••••

Confusion and trouble are both understatements.

She cannot comprehend why the lad suddenly ran away from them. Did he not recognize her? Or maybe—Cheshire is right; maybe White really planned to offer her to the nefarious man-eating tiger, and his shock at her presence is his reaction to the failure of his plan.

Yet at the same time, the nameless maiden cannot allow herself to think further along those lines, nor can she remain still with the idea that White is really sacrificing her.

She sighs, and her next thought is: why does he look just like the boy in her dreams? Is it possible that it is him?

Another sigh escapes her as she cannot make herself dwell on it any longer, as another question overpowers the last.

That is... why is she chasing after him?! He is not an Alice... or maybe he is... "UGHH! I DON'T KNOW!!" she grunts.

Such speed he has! After a few more steps, the nameless girl finally gives up on chasing.

Why is she chasing him anyway? And why does she need to keep running all day? If she's not being chased, she should do the chasing. Really, what's up with today?

She pants heavily, sitting in the dirt. If she's not walking, she's running. Why must she go this length just to get home?

"Ugh..." she grunts silently, looking up at the blue sky. Surprisingly, morning is also possible here. It's not just the darkness of night. "Hmm?" she suddenly gets puzzled.

The trees are like the ones she remembers from her world. She turns her head to the side and sees normal grassland with healthy trees—no abnormal twisted trunks, no talking animals, and no giant flowers with human faces.

"What the—"

When did she step into a different landscape?

She then realizes, after turning more on her back, that Cheshire and Hatter weren't with her.

'Did I lose them?' she questions herself, remembering the time she sprinted absentmindedly to chase White. 'I'm fucked!'

She really is; without those two, Golems or maybe other creatures would be after her life. She has no way to fight them, and all she can do is run away from them... just like she has done.

"Back then, why did I run?" Her lashes lower as her surroundings suddenly darken, and a blast of black smoke comes toward her steady being. "What was I running from?"

Her grey eyes turn completely dull, neither cold nor emotional, just plainly dull.

She sees herself running; fear and desperation are in her eyes, but what is that black smoke she's running away from?

And right now... why is she running?

She doesn't remember her home; what kind of atmosphere it possesses. If it's cozy, warm, and full of love, she doesn't know.

She can't remember her parents' faces or having a sibling she can look forward to seeing again.

She feels empty at this moment. Having those noisy adults unconsciously made her comfortable and feel safe, and now that they're gone, she can't help but feel anxious.

She exhaled exhaustedly before pushing herself up, deciding which path she should take. Once again, she jogged her legs and ran.

•••••

After losing the girl that united them temporarily, Cheshire and Hatter give up on running and choose to take their time, or at least choose to be in a neutral zone where no one is talking. Cheshire flexes his talent for jumping from tree to tree, while Hatter simply walks behind him. They are a fair distance away from each other, and adding to their separation is Cheshire's ability to move among the trees; no one would think that they are together.

Cheshire's purple ears flinch as he hears a grumpy, low click of a tongue. He does not stop, nor does he even peek at the source. There are many animals in this forest, but he's aware of the source.

"Hey!" Hatter calls out. He feels so frustrated.

First, he lost his entertainment, and now he is simply following this path without knowing if it will lead him to the lost child. Adding to the frustration is being together with this cat.

"Hey!!" Hatter calls out again, "Where are we going?!"

"Wow! This place is so nice! What a change of view! I can also hear a fairy! I wonder who the owner of this place is!"

"Don't fool around! It's me, you bastard!"

Cheshire stops on a tree and looks down at his unwanted companion.

He really doesn't want his presence; why would he need to cope with his nonsense?

"Oh, you are so small over there, Little Fairy!" An orange aura surrounds the insulted man; his face turns grumpy and seems ready to kill the cat above the tree. "Sorry, but can you not talk to me? I'm busy converting oxygen into carbon dioxide."

"You damn bastard! You're talking nonsense again!"

"You don't understand it because all you have is muscle and no brain."

"You—do you want me to rip your throat out? Tell me where we are going!"

Cheshire sighs, 'It's really tiring dealing with this little fairy~' he moans painfully. "Okay, fine! In exchange, don't get near me! I can't focus with you around!"

"Good! Because I also can't focus with you around!"

"Fufu, glad we agreed on that! No wonder, I love you!"

The aura around Hatter disperses, feeling gross. "Ugh, stop that! That's so disgusting!"

"You're right! I also feel sick—bleh!" he gags.

Cheshire sits down on the trunk he is currently on and starts talking. "We're going to Kitten's chosen destination. Since we lost her, the only way to meet up is to go where she aims. After all, that girl only knows how to move forward."

"Alright." Hatter's simple response comes before he continues walking, leaving Cheshire, who watches him. Somehow, despite holding a calm expression, hints of irritation can be found in his eyes.

"I really hate you."