Wow, can't believe I finally got this chapter out of my system O.O Last update was last year, I have no excuses X'D

But the main reason for me to update now is because I wanted to do this as a tribute to the HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE ENGLISH TRANSLATED PHONE APP VERSION GAME WHICH IS RECENTLY AVAILABLE!

Yes, you heard me right, the game is in ENGLISH (finally, but it is rather broken like ATLAS-styled if you know what I mean but those who have been waiting for ages like me can live with that X'D) The prologue is pretty long and free but you have to buy the routes depending if you want their voices or not(Falling in love all over again with Nightmare's, Ace's and Julius's one!) So if anyone is still interested in the fandom, you can check it out and support them so we can hopefully expect CnKnA next fufufu~! If you can't find it, just search for "Alice in the Heart" or the the game developer, "artmove inc". Thanks to QR and FatePwnsYou for the heads-up! ^^

As for the story, thank you if you're still following it and though I don't reply to reviews now, they are all seriously very much appreciated. Couldn't have made this far without it. 8') I have not written in a long while so it will sound rusty but here's hoping you'll enjoy this chap. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything for the Alice series (which belongs to Quinrose) except my words, imagination for this AU, the school and my 2 supporting OCs.

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Chapter 11: The Escape

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"Hey, hey, Blood! What do you think she's doing?"

The March Hare tipped his head to one side inquisitively, ears dangling in the same direction as he rested his chin on one arm on the railing, while the other fed his mouth the straw to his ice-blended carrot milk tea, which he drank with gusto. Annoyed at not just the ungracefully loud, slurping sounds, the Mafioso gripped the thin handle of his teacup ever so slightly, but the reddish, liquid surface trembled beneath his temper.

"Elliot, do I look like I know what's going on in that piddling brain of hers?"

"I don't know. I always know what you think, being your Shield and all," Elliot spoke carelessly, taking another noisy slurp of his drink while his mauve orbs watched with unbroken interest at the Arena below.

"…Really," Blood sardonically replied, trying to decide if he should actually be impressed with his subordinate's positively foolish and blatant insinuation. Unfortunately, the steely emerald glare of the Mafioso remained unnoticed by its rather oblivious target.

"Weren't you curious before? I mean, does she even have the time to be collecting all those stuff?! Sheesh-"

BANG!

Elliot flinched away in surprise, choking and nearly dropping his cup as a black, diamond-tipped cane swung and made contact with the railing, the unrestrained force threatening to dent the metal as an even ominous force enveloped the atmosphere of the entire second floor corridor.

"I not interested, Elliot..."

This time, hard and cruel green eyes met with widened purple ones. Elliot gulped nervously, furry long ears automatically flattening against his head as each syllable of his name was drawled out in a tone so low and cold it terrorized every nerve in his body.

"What did I say about speaking before you think? If you want to rant your curiosity for the Outsider, do it inside your head," Blood Dupre instructed, his lack of tolerance showed visibly in his unsmiling eyes as he held out his cane and trailed it in a torturous ascend from the railing up to the hare's strained face without even spilling a drop of his precious tea that was still in his other hand.

"Or I will end your curiosity for you."

"Ah, n-no. I-I will. I'm sorry, Blood, I'm probably spoiling your tea, aren't I?" the blonde-haired youth hastily apologized, head lowered and ears drooped with genuine guilt. It was only when he sensed that the cane was pointed away from him did he dare look up, only to see his Master calmly back to drinking his tea, though it was clear that his irritation has yet to be dispelled and the hare silently heaved in relief.

"Hmm…"

The amused hum that came from beside him made Elliot's eye twitch and he growled, "What are you smiling for, Knight?"

Upon hearing the brusque murmur, the red-eyed Head Prefect, who had been resting his back against the railing with folded arms, turned and blinked innocently back at the Mafioso's second-in-command.

"Huh? Me? But I'm always smiling," Ace pointed out, with a finger to his rather natural and playfully curved lips. "Don't be so concerned! Can't I just thinking to myself?"

"That is precisely why I have to be concerned," Elliot's cool lavender eyes narrowed suspiciously at the brown-haired and red-clad Disciplinary Leader.

"Ha ha ha! You're being touchy!" the Ace of Hearts laughed, unreserved, before returning the hare a toothy grin. "Don't worry, I have no intention of involving myself in Hatter's affairs."

"Humph. Doncha' usually like to poke your nose in other people's business?"

"Oooh! You know me so well!" Ace exclaimed, looking rather impressed and flattered, much to Elliot's chagrin. Folding his hands behind his head, he continued, "I do! But something this muddled is usually a pain-in-the-neck to handle. I'd rather observe first before I make a move that is."

"To talk like that in front of an enemy's leader; as usual, the Ace of Hearts doesn't know his place." Blood stated languidly as he placed his teacup back onto its saucer, seemingly bored.

"Eh?!" Wide-eyed, the young prefect apparently looked both bewildered and offended at the accusation. "But I do know! Even I can see that we're above the Arena!"

"Are you an idiot? That's not what Blood meant! He's not talking about your location!" Elliot bit out, patience dwindling with every second he spent talking to this ridiculous character.

"Aaaaah! You should have said it clearer then! Ha ha ha! No wonder the Blue Dorm folks tend to run around in circles!"

"Like we need to be judged by a mongrel of the Red Queen who keeps getting lost,"the rabbit/dog-eared man bristled up, violet eyes turning into a darker, livid amethyst as his fingers readied themselves on his gun grip, "Act stupid like that again and I'll put a hole through your shitty-ass mug ya hear me."

Red orbs glinted mischievously as messy strands of brown danced atop Ace's head whilst he chortled, "Ha ha ha! But this building is neutral territory isn't it? You should know that. Rules are rules after-all!" He waved a warning finger at Elliot's face with his customary sweet but set smile, even when the hare swatted his hand away.

"That's rich, coming from the guy who was about to break them," the orange-haired Shield glared back.

"Wow, you caught me!" Ace applauded with a big, unrepentant grin. "But the Hatter is right," he paused for a moment, the light in his eyes falling dead and his smile turned into something more grim than it let on, "Ha ha! I probably don't really know my place."

"It's not probably."

"It's a fact."

Elliot and Blood corrected instantaneously with synchronized monotony.

Ace chuckled gleefully then, "But even more than me, do you know who else doesn't know their place?"

As the teacup was about to reach his lips, Blood's body stilled as he observed the standing Role-holder shift his body to the side of the railing and nudged his chin towards the Arena below. There was clear blood-lust swirling in the stark depths of that scarlet gaze, befitting and betraying the knight's true nature, while his wide, anticipating grin further placed the Blue Leader on edge. There was no question to it…

"Maybe that's why I get the feeling that she and me will get along very well," Ace chirped happily, "If she manages to survive this test in one piece of course. Ha ha ha!"

The knight was interested in Alice.

Blood knew that this development was inevitable but this particular Role-holder only made the game more… precarious.

Without another word, Blood's shapely mouth curved into a smirk and he tipped the edge of the porcelain teacup against it, savoring the warm, bitter-sweetness that flowed to his lips.

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Boris emerged from the black hole just a short distance away from Alice and instantly ducked into the safety of a giant teddy bear's shadow.

"Damn, that girl! Can't believe she made me use the door!" he grinned. He had underestimated her and it has been a while since he saw the need to size up a non role-holding opponent. The use of the perfume had caught him off guard, distracting him from her real scent. He tried to remember it when he had first met her but the perfume was too strong, disrupting and contaminating his sensory memory.

No wait... that's not it... he realized. The sweet scent was, by itself, strong. But now it had somehow grown stronger! It was overpowering his senses, seeping into every corner and crevices, every space and every direction of the Arena. Even from above!

Above?

He looked up in confusion, half expecting to see the girl flying down at him, but all he could spot was the usual roller coaster cars rolling boisterously overhead... until something small and reflective caught his sharp, feline eyes. It was dangling from the bottom of the car on a string. He reasoned that it had probably caught a strand of one of the colossal dolls' hair as it made its routine rounds around the Arena. But his gut told him otherwise.

The old man would never program such a sloppy system. It was usually made to go close to the dolls, since that was how he himself had managed to get onto the cars before, but it never got close enough to get tangled. Droplets of perspiration trickled down his temple as the cat focused his sights on the small foreign object and sudden realization slapped him straight in his face.

Alice had somehow tied the bottle of perfume to the car.

No wonder the smell's getting everywhere! He grinned, his sharp canines showing despite the unfamiliar sense of unease in him.

A prey's panic… as well as a predator's excitement. His adrenaline doubled and he smiled confidently to himself. He could tell the girl was trying her best to block out his sense of smell. But no matter, he had other skills to rely on-

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CLING CLANG CLING CLANG CLING CLANG CLING CLANG!

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What the-! The sudden noise disturbed his composure for a second. Shock ran through him all the way to the tip of his tail and his quickly hid himself in the shadow to discern what was creating the thunderous sounds. But it continued to ring throughout the enclosed space, the echoes mixing with the dulled sounds of the roller coaster and the familiar tapping of the hobby horse's wooden stick. For Boris, there was no escape from the hectic mess of sounds as he tried to cover his sensitive ears.

First Gowland and now this?! What the heck is that!? He looked around desperately now for the source but it was difficult to pinpoint the location from the echoes. If anything, it sounded like the source was moving, which baffled him even more since this has never happened before. But as quickly as it came, the source of the sound gradually and thankfully moved away from him. He retreated further in the opposite direction just in case, relieving his aching ears a little and he cursed his senses. Boris has never felt so invaded upon and now, it was humiliating to think that he was backing into a corner like a scared little kitten. He tried to sense Alice out but his nose is still blocked with that horrible, horrible stench and his ears were still distracted by the mysterious commotion. With his triangular ears forward in attention, he clenched his teeth and crouched low, his hands summoning his weapon now. As the game's target, he rarely needed his gun to win and he had no intention of hurting a girl.

But he had no intention of losing either.

Time was running out and leaving this as a tie was a downer for his reputation as the second year's ace. Being the game's Target, he would have to at least graze her skin and cut into her flesh 3 times before it could be considered his win.

Now, the prey would become the hunter. He did not know how she did it but she managed to complicate things for him. The game has gotten harder but it meant nothing in the face of his experience. In fact, she had made it even more fun and he has got her to thank for it.

The nearest and tallest doll to the roller coaster is there. She can't be far... and he sought her out, prowling along the shadows and looking for the last thing he knew she would have and he could detect without a problem…

Her energy signature.

It was a textbook strategy which many took for granted since the whole school was practically a boiling pot of multiple, mismatched and dangerous auras. It was too common to be noticeable but in the Arena with its auto force-field blocking everyone else from intruding the game, there should only be one other energy in the room besides his, and if she was close by, it would be as evident as a lighthouse amidst the dark.

Gotcha... He smirked and crept in on his lead. Her energy was unusually weak but light, warm, bright... and exceptionally distinct. He figured it must be a trait of being an Outsider. He followed the unique aura hungrily and eagerly. There were only a handful of skilled students who are able to mask their presence, particularly Role-holders like himself.

But Alice was a beginner, and that would ultimately be her downfall.

He followed the signature till it grew stronger. But when he reached the corner where her energy was of highest concentration, he suddenly noticed something was off.

She's not moving... is she waiting to ambush me again? If she thought she could pull that same stunt on him, he would show her how wrong she was. He leapt into the opening, his steps springy for a quick escaped, his plan now to hit and run. So when he turned around the corner, he expected to see her shocked face... but he didn't expect to see an empty space instead.

Astounded, his movements hesitated and he stared at what should have been his prey. And that's when he saw it…

Her gun lying there alone on the floor.

Huh? That's where her energy is pooling from? He picked the tiny, white handgun up and studied the sky-blue, swirling contents of the small glass orb on the top of the weapon, confusion and interest sweeping his initial adrenaline away. He had no clue about her weapon since he was never really in class with her till today.

I should have done my research huh... the old man's definitely gonna harp on me going to class now... the Cheshire Cat grimaced and his ears twitched but his bright pink tail flicked restlessly. If she had left her gun here, there could only be two options. She was either accidentally caught in one of the traps and had dropped her gun, which was highly unlikely; he had looked around but could find no immediate danger of a secret trap.

Or she had left it on purpose. This meant that he had, unfortunately, already taken the bait.

CLINK CLANG CLINK CLANG!

The sound was moving towards him now and he swerved around to face it. If Alice was responsible for the perfuming, the noise disturbance and the energy lure, then the best possible move for him now was to fight her directly instead of running away. He hid himself in the shadows once again and waited for the sound to come closer.

CLINK CLANG CLINK CLANG!

Argh! It freaking hurts! Boris winced uncomfortably as the thundering sound echoed through his ears and hammered his brain, almost rendering him thoughtless. He tried to flatten his ears to his head and gripped his semi-automatic tighter. But the closer the sound got, he found that he could detect the familiar sound of wood thumping on the floor.

Huh? Isn't that... Reflective amber eyes widened and gleamed in recognition. He peered out and saw the hobby horse galloping at full speed and entangled on its back were pieces of cloth and some round and metallic orbs that seemed like huge jingle bells. It was on a few occasions that the horse would create a mess on its own and Boris sighed, lowering his gun. Curious, he stepped out to inspect, hoping he could remove the noise interference at least by cutting the horse free from the junk clinging it.

But as it galloped by, suddenly, the flurry of cloth on its back flew straight towards him! On reflex, he raised his gun at it but was a second too late as a stick-like thing hit his arm, forcing his purple gun off course but not before firing twice at the target; one merely grazing the assailant's thigh while the other only managed to score a right shoulder hit. He could hear her stifled a painful cry as hands quickly grabbed both his wrists and the force of the attacker's jump pushed him to his back and both landed on the floor. Stunned, Boris stared in disbelief as the old and tattered cloth drifted off the pursuer's body, revealing determined round blue eyes and long honeyed locks that dropped like beautiful golden streams flowing past her bloodied shoulder and caressed his cheeks tantalizingly.

He groaned and tried to get up and push her off, sensing Alice panicking when she realized she could no longer pin his wrist to the floor anymore especially with a hurt shoulder, though she continued to keep a firm hold on him.

"Sorry!"

He heard her squealed, her eyes looked about him frantically, her face a little nervous and flushed from their struggle.

…Damn. She was making him feel nervous too.

"W-what are you-!"

His frowning face turned to one of surprised when she lowered her head and her face came even nearer, effectively immobilizing him and turning his escape plan to mush. Her long eyelashes fanned downwards and although Boris was used to handling girls, he eventually forgot to breathe as her lips inched closer to his and…

Bit him on his bottom lip hard.

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"MREOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"

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The horrified pink-haired youth yowled in pain, pushed Alice roughly away and scrambled backwards clumsily. Boris raised a hand to cover his tender lip. He tasted blood and could still feel the sharp throbbing pain beneath that sensitive layer of skin.

"W-what in UNDERLAND did you do that for?!"

"I-I had no choice!" Alice flustered as she knelt on the ground and cupped her shoulder wound, looking a little worried at the cat, "I had to make you bleed a little in order for me to win!"

His tail stopped moving, the revelation pushed his pain to the back of his mind and he gawked at her, "You had to-what?"

[She's right you know!]

The communicator from Alice's chest guard buzzed to life with Gowland's bemused snigger.

[Young lads who don't know how to control their hormones will always be boys, ha ha ha!]

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[Time is up. Fight Simulation has concluded. Calculating score: Pursuer, 1 out of 1. Target, 2 out of 3. Player Liddell wins.]

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"I… lost…?"

"I… won…?"

Both players whispered simultaneously with incredulity as they looked up at the large green and pixelated, holographic scoreboard that had appeared above the Arena, accompanied with clips replaying their fight while the timer showed that the victory was decided with practically no seconds to spare. The electronic announcement sounded throughout the large building, followed by an uncontrollably loud murmur from the astounded spectators above. There were no cheers or jeers, just soft chatters and debates among the class as they stared down at her, their vague faces an expression of perplexity and suspicion that made Alice all the more queasy, like a bug under a microscope waiting to be dissected, or in this case, judged.

"Ahaha… HA HA HA HA HA! That was so freaking AWESOME!"

Alice watched with a raised brow as the cat-boy rocked on the floor with laughter and his arms holding his stomach, effortlessly breaking the high tension in the Arena.

"A-are you alright? I didn't bite too hard, did I?" The pony-tailed girl looked on awkwardly, her tone incredulous. But Boris waved away the notion with a half-gloved hand, eyes tearing a little as he returned her a broad smile, allowing his white canines to peek from behind his lips, "Nah! That was the most fun I've ever had in a long while! I still can't believe you managed all that within the time limit!"

"Y-yeah, me neither…" she looked away with a crooked, exasperated smile, feeling her body now slumping onto the floor from exhaustion, though she was still reeling from the exhilaration of the game. It had actually been fun, if it was not for the constant reminder that she was fighting for her life against an experienced Role-holder like Boris.

It was definitely not something she would admit aloud.

"You're actually pretty resourceful for a newbie too," Boris ran a hand through his silky hair to cool himself, genuine awe in his voice when he finally got a good look at what she had used to attack him earlier; a doll's hairpin and a yellowed, musty but beautifully embroidered handkerchief, both of which would have been useless had it not been for its gigantic proportion in relation to them being in an actual toy-box that the Arena had flawlessly created.

"And your energy signature!" he suddenly sat upright with overflowing interest, folding his legs in and hands touching the floor, looking very much like an actual cat sitting whilst his furry tail waved to and fro like a car's windscreen wiper. "How did you mask it? Or is that part of a Foreigner's skill or something?"

"I… guess so," the Outsider felt her expression grew tight and she shied away from him, trying hard to resist the blush that was blossoming on her cheeks. Naturally, Alice found it rather difficult to accept his admiring and sparkly gaze that somehow made her feel… significant. She was not used to being flattered this way.

Not in her world… and certainly not in Wonderland High.

Her fingers tucked a long stray strand of her golden fringe behind her ear before explaining with a half smile, "I'm not like you, I can't continuously produce magical energy for ammo. I actually had to try really hard to load my gun to the brim just now-"

Her expression fell flat the moment she remembered. Her energy relied on happy memories and though she came from a good family, if she had to struggle this much just to recall such happiness, wouldn't that mean she was a person that was very hard to please?

Alice frowned. She had not thought her personality was that difficult.

Boris slapped a hand to his forehead and chortled, "Ha ha ha! Man, you really got me good, Alice! And that reminds me…"

All at once, he started prowling towards her on his knees and hands, his head dipped low as his hot, moonlit eyes looked up and over at her, a seductive and predatory gaze that rendered her unable to move. And though she usually thought of it as ridiculously cheesy, the banded pink and purple boa that slung around his neck now made him look strangely entrancing and more impressive and daunting in a jungle-cat sort of way. His brightly tinted hair dripped with sweat yet it made him all the more appealing to look at. The Arena was stuffy to begin with, but the temperature between them steadily climbed as he neared. In a last ditched attempt, Alice fidgeted backwards with little use and he chuckled at her with his Cheshire grin. He wiped the sheen of sweat off his shapely chin with the back of one hand and tugged the collar of his soaked school T-shirt with a finger as he crawled his way to her, and her eyes shamelessly followed that finger and had stolen way too much glances at his glistening, slender neck and exposed collarbone than she would have liked.

God, she was an embarrassment to herself.

"I usually do the 'pouncing', but if a girl like you wanna initiate the attack and straddle on top of me like that…," Boris purred suggestively with a smirk when he finally cornered the girl, positioning his arms on both of her sides, "you can go ahead and seduce me anytime, baby. I don't mind."

"H-HUUUUH?!" Alice could hardly contain herself as she blurted out, appalled with a comically mortified expression but was beet-red at his bold speech.

Boris chuckled contentedly again, obviously amused by her reaction instead, the playful and light-hearted sound somehow making her feel even dizzier.

"Seriously girl, if you wanted a kiss so badly you could have just ask-"

"IT WASN'T A KISS!" She groaned aloud and hastily stopped his approach by pushing against his chest. She really did not have a choice but to bite his lip because it was the only place where the skin was thin enough to puncture and where she could reach without releasing her hands on Boris during their struggle. "I-I just wanted-to-"

"You know, I can show you how a real kiss feels like," the young role-holder kept his eyes on her as he wiped the blood off his bottom lip with his thumb and then licked it off, "and you can bet it's way better than that."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT!"

[Enough with the flirting you two, you're on camera you know.]

"Oh. My. God." Her hands flew to hide her face but Boris was having way too much fun trying to poke at her burning cheek through her fingers. So she opted to stand up and retrieve her gun instead. Picking it up, she hurriedly placed it back in its leather holster by her waist, "Get me out of here now, Gowland!"

"Ha ha ha! What's the rush? Too scared to be alone with me?" The cat followed and teased and she nearly hissed at him.

"Anytime now Gowla-"

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BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

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The shattering blast resonated throughout the Arena, the floor beneath them shuddering dangerously as plumes of smoke engulfed the giant toy-box. The walls of the arena were littered with cracks. Dirt and debris rained on them as they fell back to the floor and laid low, shielding their head with their arms. It hurt her shoulder quite a bit but Alice never thought she would be grateful for learning basic defence positions during her Foundations Class.

"What the hell was that?" Boris squinted his eyes and tried to clear away the air in front of him with one hand while the other pressed the button on his chest guard to activate the communicator. He could detect orange flames at the far corner of the Arena where the explosion had supposedly taken place. Alice was coughing beside him, but otherwise, safe besides the wounds he had given her earlier. "Was it one of the traps, old man-"

BOOOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOM!

This time, two more deafening explosions went off, one in front of them and another closer to their left.

"W-what's going on?" Alice looked around apprehensively as she carefully got to her feet. Boris's larger hand grasped her arm as she steadied herself, his narrowed gaze hardened dangerously as his ears scanned the vicinity for the tell-tale ticking of the next bomb.

"It's not a trap. It's a sabotage," he bit out harshly when he detected a third source of energy besides Alice's and his own. "Dude, get us the door now!"

[I'm trying but it's not working! The controller's jammed!] Gowland reported back, frustration and anger clear in his electronic voice.

"Alice, run!" Boris suddenly ordered and pulled her by her hand, sprinting to the opposite side of the Arena where a gigantic stack of illustrated children's storybooks sat.

BOOOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOM!

One of the bombs disintegrated the toy piano while the other went off right where they were standing before. Boris clicked his tongue against his teeth, vexed. Unlike a normal bomb, a magic-induced one does not tick, but detonates upon the user's mental command. The only way they could avoid the bombs was to locate the build-up of the user's energy signature that usually happens right before the explosive goes off, which often does not leave much time for a retreat. They could scale the stack of books up but it would not be tall enough for them to climb out. Plus, despite the damage to the controller, the Arena's overhead force-field still seems to be activated, which meant nothing could get in or out. He could probably escape if he was on his own… but not with Alice.

Not with Alice… he reiterated, as if to convince himself of the alternative solution and he frowned. He was never this troubled before. People like him come and go and come back again. Life was repetitive. The game, if it was not for the violence, was pretty boring and it meant nothing to the students of Wonderland High. Boris knew it was the most logical thing to do in this situation, yet something in his clock could not ditch her and leave her to die, even if he did not fully comprehend why.

"The explosions' all over the place!" the Outsider cried, fear threatening to turn her legs to jelly, but she knew it would be more perilous if she stayed. It was not helping either that her mind had chosen at this very moment to become a chaotic jumble, and she could not stop her body from trembling pitifully with fear. The last blast was far too close from where they were, the danger and death now felt far too real. She could feel Boris's hand tighten momentarily around her fingers as he weighed his options carefully, while an odd warmth started spreading from the metallic enhancer to her wrist.

"Shit, this place is gonna fall apart if this continues-"

"BORIS, WATCH OUT!"

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"What the heck? I don't remember this happening in Arena 14!" Elliot stared, bewildered at the destruction below.

Ace added, equally baffled, "Huh? Is that a new feature in the simulation?"

"Don't think so," the hare muttered under his breath uneasily. Honed by his experience in fights, as well as his instinct to protect his Master, he could feel it in his gut that something had gone very wrong.

And if Alice is down there, then… The violet-eyed Role-holder anxiously glanced at his boss, who had gone extremely still as he watched the commotion from the corner of his eyes, his green gaze fierce with a sinister, harsh edge. His lips pressed in a tight, thin line. Yet the young Mafioso still remained silent and poised, sitting with legs gracefully crossed at the tea table. Then his listless gaze strayed away from the Arena and settled on his teacup that was on the table instead, deep in thoughts, just as he had back in their classroom. And though the raven-haired seemed quite composed and indifferent to the explosions, his right-hand man knew better. This Blood Dupre before him made his brown-orange fur stand on ends and a deathly cold shiver ran up the back of his neck, raising his hackles.

Elliot did not know why, but Blood looked extremely restless… and ready to kill.

The Mafioso could feel the invisible threads between him and the girl contracting and reeling him to her with her increased fear and sense of danger. But one moment it was hot, the next it grew cold. She was teasing him, so to speak. At first, he was intrigued by the bizarre sensations but now, it left a bad taste in his mouth. Did she really expect him come to her rescue every single time she feels needy? The Mad Hatter was not that generous to be in the habit of running such a charity. Yet, his mind sought to rebel but his damn clock sought to protect.

Hell, his clock did not even feel like it was his anymore.

"…Blood?" Nervous but worried, Elliot chose his words carefully this time, "Should we-"

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"Where is Gowland?! I heard that fool allowed Alice to participate in a Fight Simulation!"

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Another familiar but annoying voice roared from across the end of the corridor. Elliot shook his head in vexation and sent an infuriated scowl towards the bespectacled White Rabbit who was storming towards them like an avenging parent, "Great, another noisy one from the Red Dorm."

"That worthless teacher," Peter continued fuming whilst nudging the bridge of his round specs up his nose, "how dare he endanger her like- W-what's happening to the Arena?!" He halted in his tracks as he assessed the situation below, dread filled his widened, crimson orbs and his complexion grew as pale as his snowy hair. Peter then ran to the trio on the corridor, his face etched tight with panic, "She's in there isn't she? Alice!"

"I think there's a problem with the controller," Ace pointed out to his dorm mate with a blasé manner, "but it seems like the class prefects have already caught the perpetrators."

Peter quickly leaned over the railing, his pristine, gloved hand gripping the metal bar with much agitation and disgust, "That dirty, faceless guy and that ugly looking girl with that revolting mop of hair?!"

"Eh? Ugly? I thought she looked so-so-"

"They sabotaged my Alice's training?! They will pay dearly!"

"Ha ha ha! Don't you have more important things to worry about now, Mr Peter?"

"I don't need you to tell me!" Peter retorted and glowered back at the cheery-looking knight before hoisting himself over the railing swiftly, dropping himself into the Arena. His narrowed eyes search for the long-haired Foreigner amidst the destruction, fire and smoke, whilst his clock ticked urgently, eager to be by her side. The very thought of her being hurt again made his stomach lurched. He relaxed his body as he fell, preparing for a landing, but was startled when his feet touched down flatly in midair, and something shimmered electronically beneath his feet as it made contact.

The force-field! It is still up! The furrows between his brows deepened as he realised. But fortunately, he spotted the girl and the cat running and dodging into the shadows of a tower of book. Peter got to his feet, running on top of the force-field, but before he could call out to her, to his horror, the giant stack of books started teetering and when it fell on top of them, it practically froze his ticking heart.

"ALICE!" The rabbit rushed over to the scene of the accident and got on his knees, cursing and pounding his fists against the unbending electronic shield, but all he could see through the cloud of dust was a messy mountain of hardcover bindings and loose faded pages.

"Alice, are you alright?! Don't worry, I'm coming for you!"

Releasing a sharp breath to calm his nerves, red eyes firm and resolute, the Vice President of the Hearts Committee stood once more, this time with his golden pocket watch, which was slung across his shoulder, in his gloved hand. With an elegant flick of his wrist, he summoned his weapon and the watch glowed as it reconstructed itself into a shape of an odd- colored pistol with a long bronze and copper-red barrel, a pink body decorated with the numbers of the watch's face, and a brown-painted grip.

If there is no way in, then I'll just have to make one! With that, the white-haired Role-holder pointed his gun downwards and started firing at the force-field with an unrelentingly barrage of bullets.

From the second floor, Blood suddenly stood up from his seat with one hand in his pocket while the other swung his cane about.

"Really now, are all of them trying to bore me to death?"

Elliot's eyes cautiously followed the dark-haired leader, a derisive frown carved upon the Mafioso's lips whilst he twirled his glossy, ebony cane with nimble fingers as he strode to the corridor's edge. Without stopping, the stick gleamed brightly and disappeared, replacing it with his sub-machine gun which rolled into the palm of his hand with ease.

"Elliot."

"Yes, Blood?" The hare automatically stood at attention but he couldn't help but gape as his Master smoothly lifted himself up onto the railing and knelt on the parapet wall.

"Get to the controller and disable the field," Blood commanded coldly and without sparing his Shield a glance or waiting for his reply, he tipped his top hat forward, holding onto the brim and pushed himself off the wall with Bloody Rose cradled in his other arm.

"B-Blood wait!"

"Heh… A serious Hatter is a funny Hatter! Ha ha ha!" Enjoying himself, Ace whistled.

Elliot fidget about his position, hesitant in letting his boss enter the Arena alone. Cursing, he brushed a frustrated hand through his thick, wavy orange mane and sped past a sniggering Disciplinary Leader while flipping him the finger.

A floor below, Dupre dropped and landed hard but gracefully on the force-field, an eyebrow arched mockingly. "That was pathetic, Vice President. I expected you to put on a better show than this," he commented as he sauntered over to the White Rabbit who glared at him silently but never stopping his attacks on the Arena's invisible shield.

One thing after another, the Young Lady is just as handful as she is shameless… The edge of his lips curled in a scornful smirk as Blood thought to himself whilst adjusting his trademark top hat. She has already gotten half the Role-holders waiting to kill her and half waiting to save her, and he definitely did not belong to the latter. However, he found himself standing in an obscure, grey zone against his very will. As the proud head of the Hatter Mafia Organization, Blood was certain that no mere Contract, with a No Name to boot, was going to dictate his actions. Yet there he was, standing alongside an enemy Role-holder and pointing his own gun down at the force-field instead.

"…And I really detest tiresome things like this," he said humorlessly and began firing his sub-machine gun at the force-field as well, focusing on the same spot Peter White was covering. Shell casings dropped like rain and bullets ricocheted, but the two only managed to get in a scratch and the impossible barrier remained intact.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The next explosion was off to their left and it rattled the entire building as well as the force-field, interrupting their attacks for a second.

"This is taking too long!" Peter groused when suddenly he caught sight of movement beneath the fallen books and both Role-holders spotted the Cheshire Cat dragging an unconscious Outsider from underneath as he shouldered the weight of the books on his back for the both of them. Peter knelt above her with ashen face, his hands grasping and pressing down on solid air, fingers desperately trying to find a way through, "S-she's bleeding! This is bad! Wake up, my dear! ALICE!"

Elliot's not done yet… Blood considered, his magical energy briefly tapping into his Shield's psyche and he turned to the Vice President. "If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't the Knight's sword be able to doing something about this?"

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Ace! Get down here!" Peter yelled to his co-worker above, who began stretching his arms over his head lazily.

Ace nonchalantly sighed aloud as he hopped onto the railing and stood with expert balance, " I guess that's my cue then. The knight always saves the day at the last moment, right?" He cheekily winked.

"If you knew that you should have done something in the first place!" Angry pools of red orbs glowered behind the round glasses as the rabbit reprimanded but leader of the Disciplinary Department simply tilted his head to one side with an innocent look.

"Huh, why should I do that when you guys are already working on it-"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Unfazed and quicker that anyone could see, Ace pulled out his weapon and deflected the incoming bullets from Peter's pistol with his sword, grinning mischievously with merriment twinkling in his blood-red eyes, contrasting to Peter's impatient and cold glare.

"Alright, I get it! Ha ha ha! I thought you were going soft Mr Peter, glad to see you're still as scary as ever!" The ever-smiling Head Prefect commended and sprung into the air with light feet, somersaulting to give an added momentum before plunging straight down with deadly speed and precision. Peter and Blood jumped out of his way just in time as the sharp tip of his sword collided with the force-field, piercing through the thick electronic layer as waves of electricity jumped and licked his sword from the penetrating contact.

"Ha! This looks tougher than I expected!" Ace grinned even wider at the challenge as he kept his sword steady against the onslaught of electricity. The invisible barrier shimmered and convulsed but it was not enough.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"We're not going to reach her in time! Alice can't die! I won't let her- CAT GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OF HER!"

"Elliot?" Blood muttered his Shield's name and immediately got a response from the spectator's gallery above.

"BLOOD, THE F***KING CONTROLLER' WON'T WORK! WE NEED MORE TIME!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Bottle-green eyes narrowed as Blood watched the cat bound away with a lifeless looking Alice in his arms, not liking one bit what he was feeling. He was not entirely disconnected from her as he was now more in tuned with the presence of her strangely infinitesimal energy signature, but the annoying urgent sense was gone, as if she no longer needed him. He knew he should welcome it; welcome the relief, and yet…

"… Tch."

.

.

.

It was ironic, that no one from her world was going to believe her if she said she was buried under a load of 10 ton books. Then again, if she died here, she would not have a chance to. She was sure she had managed to push Boris out of the way but the corner of that book had hit the side of her head and was caught on her injured right shoulder, slowing her and drawing a long slash down the right side of her back but thankfully missing her spine.

.

"ALICE!"

.

She looked above, her vision turning blurry as her legs gave way. She thought she had seen Peter floating in the air, his face twisted in agony as he kept banging against the force-field of the Arena, unable to get to her. Then, more falling, gigantic books covered her vision of him and she closed her eyes, prepared to hit the ground or get hit but the impacts never came. Instead, she felt a strong arm coiled around her body and she was pressed against a toned chest, feathers of a furry, pink boa caressing her cheeks.

"Alice! Hang on!" Boris cried out above the deafening noise as everything fell apart around them. His agile and lean form turned and quickly covered hers, his arm supporting her weight against his body around her waist. She could not feel much anymore, her head a dull pain as wet warmth trickled down her back and right shoulder. Even though she knew she had to move on her own or else they would not make it, her body, numbed and heavy, just refused to obey.

Boris Airay slowed his breathing as he studied the falling books before moving the both of them appropriately, skidding across the smooth floor just as an opened hardcover manuscript slammed down on top of them. He held the unconscious and bleeding girl close as he braced himself for the enormous, compressing weight. But since he had managed to pull them into the middle, stitched-in spine of the book, it gave them a fortunate bit of protection and breathing space instead of being crushed to death.

Damn it! He winced as the other books piled on top, the heavy brunt occasionally hitting his back as he protected Alice.

Protecting… It was something the Cheshire Cat has never thought of doing, not even for Gowland, his Master, though the outrageously-dressed man rarely summoned him for help anyway. She was a Foreigner, an accursed Outsider, and the loathed No Name. Someone ignorant who knew nothing about their world, understood nothing of how her presence would affect them, especially when she proved to be able to forge Contracts in an unconventional way that not even she herself seem to be able to control, and it only fueled as excuses for faceless and others like him to attack her.

…So why the hell did she save him?

If she had not, I wouldn't be doing this for her… probably… he thought unsurely with a pout, his curiosity nagging at him while he shielded her as he felt the last book tumble on top of them, the impact now cushioned into a mere nudge. In this school where death was inevitable unless you are strong, it was only right to protect oneself. Everyone hated her. Boris was sure she knew it, and he did too but…

Damn it. I'm becoming strange… he heaved a resigned sigh. He could hear the other explosions going off and he hurriedly squirmed under flattened pages that were slowly staining with her blood, pulling Alice along with one arm still around her.

.

[Boris! You have to teleport out now!]

[Oi! Stop talking and fix the damn thing quick!]

[You idiot! Stop pointing your gun and rushing me!]

.

Gowland's and, what seemed to be a very edgy March Hare's voice, cackled from his chest guard's communicator with rather poor and broken reception.

Boris frowned, "Oi oi, seriously?! Do you know what you're asking, old man? She's a Foreigner, I don't know what will happen if she-"

[It's better than her dying there and she needs attention now!] The older man instructed as he monitored the girl's vital signs with what he could from the damaged controller. [Boris listen, she doesn't have a clock. She won't come back if she dies.]

Gowland's voice lowered solemnly and Boris stopped moving just as he crawled out from under the mountain of books, stunned. Ember eyes grew bigger and blinked in confusion at the girl, triangular ears twitching. Alice's face was dirty from the grime and dust; her hair lacked their shine as they strewn messily across her pale face, blood flowing from cuts front and back. Another blast resounded in the Arena and large gaping cracks started forming on the black and white tiled ground around them and it quickly brought him back to his senses.

"Looks like I don't have a choice, do I?" Boris retorted back with gnashed teeth and a tight smirk at his Master whilst he stood up, lifting her body in one arm and realizing just how much blood she was losing. The other called upon his gun once more, "If this screws up, you better not blame me!"

The pain from moving temporarily woke Alice up and she protested with a weak groan.

"…Bo…ris…?"

He peered down at her, relief softening his strained face for a moment.

"Hold on tight!"

Her cat-eared classmate shouted the command and she willingly followed, fingers fumbling to grip his shirt tightly before all her strength ebbed away. She briefly heard voices coming from above and with weary, half-lidded eyes, she looked past Boris's head. It was strange; there in the air was Peter and Ace this time round...

And beside them was Blood. His hands clenched into fists that held his firearm and his own handsome features etched with a strange stiff but worried look that was so unlike him, just starring at her wordlessly.

Am I... dreaming again? Alice pondered tiredly. She was moving further and further away from them and as the structures of Arena number 14 turned into ruins right before her eyes, she heard Boris fire a shot as he leapt through the falling debris while carrying her with ease. There was a wash of cool air and suddenly, darkness surrounded them and Arena number 14 slowly disappeared from her sight and muffling the noise of the destruction. Right before it turned dark, someone had called out her name again. An unforgettable but panicked voice and she was sure it was not Peter's but someone much closer to her this time.

Immediately, Alice thought of raven black hair and intense green eyes as Boris swept her away from the chaos and further into the darkness.

.

"Blood…"

.

She called out his name unconsciously and though he had lost sight of her just as the Door to Nowhere was closing, his brilliant emerald eyes widened in surprise, as did Peter's but for a different reason.

"Alice!"

Due to the opening on the force-field made by the knight, Blood replied and reached out to her in her mind easily; a familiar bond forming and taking along with him half of her soul.

"It can't be! You're-!"

The words were lodged in Peter's throat as parts of the Mafioso's hand and gun dissolved into swirls of his own dark, obsidian-tinted magical aura, but only to reform back into his body just when the cat, the girl and the Door finally vanished.

.

Hmmm actually Alice has more injuries than I intended. Maybe I've been watching too many violent animes recently -_-"' And this is probably the most number of Role-holders (6 actually, wohoo! X'D) I've attempted writing together so I kinda got carried away with delving into each one of them so it might sound confusing at times ^^; And I had wanted this to end by finishing the whole Arena incident but time escapes me so probably I'll have to do another chap X'D But I'll be on indefinite hiatus so I don't know when I'll update the next one tho, what with work and all 8(

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading and following this story and if you've got any constructive critique, comments or suggestions to help me improve, I'd still love to hear from you through REVIEWS and PMs! I'd love to hear from you^^

And here's a shout out to Allora22701! Thanks for including me and recommending this story in her fic, "The Land Of Spades"!

Again, I'll leave you guys with an extra long teaser this time. :) So then, till we meet again~

Sneak Peak:

"Lo...rina…Di...nah..."

She mumbled against his neck feebly, her head rolling about his shoulder as he drifted them to his door as quickly as he could before it disappeared.

"Aw man! Alice! Do you hear me? No matter what, don't listen to any other thing besides my voice!" Boris shook her a little. He knew it was a bad idea to teleport with her! Even though this was part of his domain, her magical energy had somehow grown even stronger here and it was overtaking him.

"I'm sorry sister… I can't… so tired…"

He reached out for the doorknob and once again, it was too late. The door was beginning to distort.

"Craaaaap! Stop thinking so much! Alice are you listening?! You're gonna get us stuck here!"

She felt his hand cup her face then, his thumb stroking her cheek, willing her to open her eyes, which she did. Half-asleep blue eyes fluttered open just by a bit and she saw a young and familiar worried face just a few inches away with gleaming, ember eyes, his pink-tinted bangs tickling her forehead and she suddenly had the urge to cry.

She had to go back. She just had to.

"Lorina... I'm... sorry..."

"Damn it, Alice!" Boris cried out to her as her eyes closed once more, "Look at me properly!"

And then, she felt him pull her closer as he closed the gap between them.

.

.

.

"You are foolishly bold for testing Our patience!"

The young ravenette's clear and fierce voice resounded loudly in the room and all her faceless subjects trembled in the sheer intensity of her uncontrollable and unpredictable rage. Luscious curly locks dancing about her gorgeous face.

"Are you not aware of the rules, Outsider?" She spoke to Alice again with the elegance of a monarch, but her voice was eerily calm and an octave lower, "If you break them you will be expelled. But should you dare defy Our orders..."

Fear immediately froze the very blood in Alice's veins as she knelt before the Queen of the academy. Beautiful but merciless amethyst gaze of the Hearts Committee President bore straight into hers and she felt the instant need to flee for her life.

"We... will have your head."