I got a job so I may become busy for a while, so hopefully this update will make up for any length of absence this may cause, but I'll try to keep new chapters coming as regularly as possible. Hopefully every other week if my schedule works out. I promise I won't disappear for a year. Also, I realize that Kyoko in the manga right now already has admitted to herself for having feelings for Tsuruga, but I am going to complete this story as if it were before that moment as I started writing this much before that. So this won't align with the events happening in the manga right now. Thank you to everyone who left a review and thank you for reading!

Calling Kyoko's night unpleasant would be an extreme understatement. The transformation her body went through caused such excruciating pain to pulsate throughout her body. It felt like someone was simultaneously tearing her flesh apart while burning her with a scorching flame. And this change was so minor compared to what was to come. Kyoko feared for how she would feel when the transformation would be complete. How would she handle it? A Bandersnatch. A large beast with a desire to kill. Kyoko's head still spun from thinking about it. Eventually the pain and anxiety became too much to bear for the girl and she blacked out.

Nightmares flooded her mind once more. Images of claws extending from her hand. Figures running away from her. Her harming the ones she loved. Amamiya-san, Moko-san, Maria-chan, Ms. Woods. Them all screaming in pain and fear. Tsuruga-san standing before her as she advanced towards him mindlessly. Her outer part willing to destroy him. Rip him apart. While her inner voice screamed at herself to stop, at Tsuruga to move. And then there were flashes of red and dull eyes. Kyoko's eyes finally opened leaking tears from them. Immediately she brought her hands up to observe that they had gone back to normal. Save for a few scratch marks she has left on her arms from the previous night.

Kyoko sighed a breath of relief, but the fear of her impending fate was still there. But more than fear, her mind absolutely boiled with hatred for the Dark One. For Sho. He had once again came into her life to make it a complete mess. And she would make sure he would pay. At that moment, she felt more anger burning inside her than she had ever felt before. Her menacing aura began to take over as little spirits circled her body in contentment. But she remembered Ms. Woods words. That completing her task might be her only hope. She couldn't focus on Sho right now. She had important things to do.

Remembering the princess, Kyoko scanned the area for her but she was nowhere to be seen. She wondered where Ms. Woods could have disappeared to but figured she would soon return. Kyoko squinted up at the sky and the bright star burned proudly above her. She wondered when night would fall again. In this world you could never know. She felt a chill go down her spine at the thought. She hoped she would be able to finish her task before her condition got much worse. For now, she got up and readied herself for the day. First thing was first. She had a promise to keep. She flipped open her notebook and smiled at the mermaid on the page.

Kyoko slipped away to try to find the cove she had gone to the day before, but as Ms. Woods had blindfolded her last time, it was a bit difficult. Kyoko was not one who was directionally challenged though so she managed to retrace her steps and found herself standing on the sandy beach once more. The chill in the air sent a shiver through Kyoko and she wrapped her arms around herself, but a little cold wasn't going to stop Kyoko from fulfilling her promise. She stepped forward and scanned the still waters, but the mermaid was nowhere to be seen.

"Amamiya-san?" Kyoko called out to her friend. But of course expected no verbal response from her mute friend. "I hope she believed me when I said I would come see her."

Kyoko perched herself onto a rock and waited patiently, watching the cool tides wash in. She wet her feet and splashed the water a bit, giggling as the sparkling droplets fell up and down.

"K-Kyoko?" a small, whispering voice landed on Kyoko's ears. It wasn't a voice Kyoko had heard before. At least not in this world.

"Amamiya-san? Is that you?" Kyoko looked around and saw bright eyes peeking out from behind some boulders. Kyoko looked at her shocked to hear her speaking. Just the previous day she couldn't say a single word. The mermaid swam out slowly, with a shy smile on her face.

"You came," she said in a tiny voice. Kyoko barely heard what she said, but she ran to where she was.

"Amamiya-san! Of course I came. I promised. But, how are you talking?"

"I don't know. After you left yesterday, I just suddenly…found my voice. It was like I always had it and it just came out in a song."

"That's incredible!" Kyoko clasped her hands together in joy, doing a slight bounce with her feet in excitement.

"It was you. You somehow broke my curse. My voice that was stolen so long ago now is mine again. You're like a…a magical butterfly who comes down to grant people's wishes," Amamiya said admiringly. Kyoko blushed at that. A butterfly? Her?

"T-thank you. But I didn't do anything really."

"You did. You gave me courage. Oh and that's not all." The mermaid came closer to the shore and dragged herself out. Her bright and large tail sparkling in the sunlight. She ushered for Kyoko to sit down next to her. Kyoko did as told and they both gazed out to the sea for a while in silence. Although she had found her voice, the mermaid still loved the peace of the ocean and it pushed the sandy pebbles back and forth. After a while of sitting, Amamiya's tail began to glow a stunning mixture of a shade of magenta and lilac. It was mesmerizing. And then suddenly the mermaid stood up. And she twirled around while a glittering shine of fabric fell down around her in a skirt. Kyoko was speechless as her formerly tailed friend now stood before her on two feet.

"You-you're standing!"

"Yes. I found this out while I was perched on a boulder. It gave me quite a scare at first. But it turns back into a tail as soon as I touch water."

"That's so magical!" Kyoko squealed with joy. Amamiya smiled back, but then her face turned serious.

"Kyoko, is everything alright?"

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"Because I can sense it. Something is different about you." Kyoko pursed her lips in distress. She didn't want another friend to worry about her. But she knew if this Amamiya was anything like the one back home, then she wouldn't just let it go.

"I-I'm cursed."

"Cursed? How? Was it the Dark One?" Kyoko nodded and lifted up her hand. Amamiya gasped and lifted up her hands to her mouth. "Was that there yesterday?"

"Yes, but I didn't know what it did at that time." Amamiya, still wobbly and unused to her new legs, stumbled over to Kyoko and wrapped her up into tight arms.

"I'm so sorry. But don't worry. You've helped me, now I'm going to help you too." She let go of Kyoko and looked at her with worried and anxious eyes.

"Don't worry. I think I might have a way to try to reverse this curse." She pulled out her notebook and opened to the page with the mermaid on it.

"Is that me?"

"Yes and I need to fill this book up with all of my friends pictures by solving their worries."

"Their worries?"

"Yes, once I find a friend of mine, I need to figure out what is troubling them the most and once I fix it, their pictures appear here. If I can finish them all in the next six nights then I can go home."

"Wait, is that the only reason you became my friend?" Amamiya frowned and hurt flashed in her eyes.

"No! We were already friends before, too. You just don't remember me. It's difficult to explain. But I wanted to help you and be there for you. It made me so happy."

"It's ok Kyoko. I believe you. That sounds wonderful, to be able to help people like that. So is that why you call me Amamiya?"

"Oh yes, sorry. Would you like me to call you anything else?"

"No, that works fine. I never had a name before." Kyoko smiled sadly at her. How must it have been to not even have a name? "So what do we have to do now?"

"Well, I wanted to wait and see if Ms. Woods came back, but I'm not sure when she will so we can go and try to find someone else."

"Do you have any idea where to find someone?"

"I have a perfect idea," Kyoko said with a glint in her eye, and she pulled out her little glimmering bell she got from the pixie the first day she came to Wonderland. She rang the bell back and forth enthusiastically. A sprinkle of dust formed in the air above Kyoko's head making her sneeze. She put out both hands, cupped in front of her, and a little fairy fell out of thin air into them.

"What? What happened?" The pixie looked around, startled. She looked up and saw Kyoko's large face looming on top of her. "You again? I knew I shouldn't have given you that bell!"

"Maria-chan! It's so nice to see you again!"

"Yeah, yeah," she responded, dusting off her dress as she got up and flew out of Kyoko's hands. She looked over at Amamiya. "Who's this?"

"Oh! This is Amamiya-san! She's a mermaid!" The pixie looked down at Amamiya's legs.

"She certainly doesn't look like a mermaid."

"Oh, I have Kyoko to thank for that," Amamiya responded in a small voice, feeling a little uncomfortable from Maria's scrutiny. Maria sighed and turned back to Kyoko.

"What do you want from me this time? I was busy you know. I was going…somewhere."

"I'm sorry, but I called you for something important. I wanted to know what was troubling you."

"Right now the only thing troubling me is you," Maria said with a click of her tongue.

"No, I mean do you have some sort of curse, too?"

"Curse? No, I don't have any curse."

"Well, there must be something. Something that makes you sad or worried?" Maria blushed a little.

"I guess, there is something."

"Yes? Please tell me! I want to help you."

"What makes you think you can do anything?" Kyoko was silent, not knowing what to say.

"Look here, she just wants to help. The least you can do is tell her what's wrong with you so we can be on our way. She has her own problems, too, you know!" Amamiya snapped, startling both Maria and Kyoko with her sudden confidence.

"Alright. Alright. It's just that, I want the Hatter to love me." Kyoko stiffened at the mention of the Hatter. Tsuruga. Of course this would make sense. The Maria back home also was always seeking Tsuruga's attention and Kyoko never really minded it then, but now it was really bothering her for some reason. Was it because he had tried to attack her? Or was it something else?

"I-I see. Well, I guess I can't try to help you gain his attention like I did with Miss Woods and the President."

"Really? Oh my goodness, that would be great! I was going to his tea party just now. You can come with me!"

"That seems like a great idea," Kyoko said solemnly.

"Ok, I'll take you there!"

Kyoko and Amamiya began their walk over, following the little fluttering pixie. Amamiya leaned over and whispered to Kyoko.

"Kyoko, are you alright? You don't seem very happy."

"Oh! I'm fine!" Kyoko plastered on a fake smile which she had perfected from her acting skills.

"Ok. Well, I think I've seen the Hatter before. But isn't he a bit old for that pixie and a bit more…human? I mean she want him to love her? Seems a little strange to me."

"Oh I don't think it's that type of love she wants. I think she just wants acceptance from him. To be more than a little girl, to be someone who's his equal." Kyoko suddenly stopped talking. Her own words seemed to calm herself down. But she wasn't sure why. She seemed to have been taking Maria's love the same way Amamiya had, but after hearing her explanation she felt silly for thinking that way. But why did it bother her in the first place?

Kyoko and Amamiya followed in silence the rest of the way. Kyoko now had a genuine smile on her face once again. Amamiya hopped from stone to stone, trying to avoid the wet sand so she wouldn't sprout a tail. After a lot of walking, they finally arrived at a long table with an off-white lacey table cloth, lined with cups and plates. There were teapots with little intricate designs on them and the plates had lovely desserts like macaroons, bite sized cakes, and madeleines. It was a reminder of the party at the Palace of Hearts, but a much softer version of it. There were a few guests sitting at the table, which Kyoko vaguely remembered seeing at the party. There was a rabbit setting up the table and Kyoko almost ran over to him in excitement, thinking it was the president, but quickly she realized this wasn't a rabbit at all. It was a hare, with long ears and light brown fur.

Hearing the approaching footsteps and a surprised squeak from Kyoko, the hare turned around and Kyoko had to bite her bottom lip to hold in her chuckle. It was Yashiro. With fur flopping down around his head to resemble his hairstyle, glasses perched atop his nose, and of course a formal, fitted suit which certainly did not seem like the ideal thing for a hare to be wearing. He hopped, or rather stumbled, over to them.

"Goddess of Flowers. You're early. And you brought friends."

"I'm not early. I'm right on time."

"So are you trying to say I'm late?" a calm and gentle voice spoke from behind them.

Kyoko turned and saw him standing there. With his hat standing tall on his head and him leaning on his cane. He looked elegant and royal. Kyoko gulped and looked down and her feet.

"Oh Mr. Hatter! No, I didn't mean that at all. We've both arrived right on time, because we're so alike," Maria said happily.

"Of course we are. That's why you're my favorite little pixie." Maria blushed furiously at that and grinned widely. Kyoko dug the tip of her shoe into the ground, twisting her foot back and forth, still refusing to make eye contact.

"I've brought some friends with me today to join us at the tea party."

"And so you have. It's a pleasure to meet you again," Kyoko's head jerked up as a white gloved hand came before her eyes, extending forward for a handshake. She took it slowly and met his eyes at last. Something about him seemed different in this sunlight. His eyes were glowing hazel and his hair had a golden shine to it. He was still dressed as if he were ready to attend a ball, yet seemed so in place in this forest as well.

"It's nice to see you again, too," Kyoko mumbled, looking away once more as she attempted to end the handshake. But the Hatter held his grip firm. His eyes lingered on Kyoko's marked hand for a little while, but then he looked back up and smiled like normal. Then he turned her hand slightly and kissed it lightly right on top of the mark. Kyoko yanked her hand away, her face beet red. She glanced over at Maria who had a shocked and irritated look on her face. Kyoko frowned when she heard the Hatter chuckling at her reaction.

"And who may you be?" he asked Amamiya.

"Oh, I'm the mermaid who resides in the cove," she responded with a small bow.

"And I see you've found your legs." Amamiya nodded with a smile. Kyoko noticed that the Hatter made no advance to take her hand.

"Well then, let's all be seated. The March Hare will show you to your seats."

Yashiro guided them over to their respective seats them. Maria got to sit on a little table placed on top of the regular table, perfect for her small size. The hare then poured all of them tea.

"Please help yourselves to some sugar, cream, and sweets as you wish," he said politely.

Kyoko took her seat and warmed her hands by wrapping them around the cup of tea in front of her. She was a little anxious to be sitting her. She had seen the Hatter at the party before, but now he was the host of the occasion. She felt the need to present herself as perfectly as possible. She straightened up and took a sip slowly and delicately set the cup back down as she had been taught growing up.

"No need to be so stiff," a voice whispered in her ear. Kyoko gasped a little but didn't allow herself to show any further reaction than this. The Hatter chuckled and walked away, taking his seat at the head of the table.

"Let's have this tea party begin then," the Hatter declared with raised arms.

All of a sudden a tent enclosed around the table, trapping everyone inside. Amamiya looked around, startled. The Hatter simply smiled.

"There are no early departures from my tea party," he explained.

Kyoko looked above her head and saw dozens of tea candles floating above their heads, brightening up the room with a warm light. The tents was covered with fairy lights as well. The entire setting seemed enchanting and soothing. As the quiet settled in, Kyoko heard a light melody playing from nowhere. It was soft like a lullaby, making Kyoko a little drowsy. But she shook her head to keep herself from falling asleep. But Kyoko never had gotten the chance to be lulled to sleep before, so soon enough she became engulfed by the tunes and shut her eyes.

"Kyoko. Kyoko, wake up," Kyoko opened her eyes slowly, hearing Amamiya call her name, and saw that everyone was watching her. The Hatter looked quite amused. She blushed profusely. She had been dreaming of her dance with the Hatter at the party. She wasn't sure why such thoughts were suddenly entering her mind.

"How long was I asleep?" Kyoko whispered to Amamiya.

"A few hours. The Hatter told us not to wake you earlier, but it seems he now has an announcement." The Hatter soon up as soon as Amamiya said these words.

"On this special occasion, I would like to treat you all to some very special gifts, picked out just for each of you."

The hare placed a package in front of each person. Kyoko wondered how the Hatter had prepared gifts for herself and Amamiya as he didn't even know they would be coming. Maria excitedly opened her gift first and found a beautiful tiara perfectly sized for her, embedded with crystals and glittering in the sun.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" exclaimed the pixie. She flew over and hugged the Hatter's right bicep in joy.

"No need to thank me little Goddess. It's perfect for the princess that you are," he replied. "Now, let's have our other guests open their gifts as well."

Everyone on the table opened their gifts and gasps were heard throughout the table. Amamiya opened her package as well. Inside was a beautiful jewelry set, complete with a necklace, bracelet, and earrings. But this wasn't just any type of jewelry, this was made of shining seashells, translucent and gem-like. Amamiya's breath was taken away at looking at them. She held up the necklace next to her neck and gazed in awe.

"Thank you Mr. Hatter," she said in a daze. The Hatter simply smiled and then turned towards Kyoko.

"And now it's your turn."

All eyes turned to Kyoko. Kyoko looked down at her gift sitting before her. She lifted her hands and slowly pulled the pink ribbon end, undoing the bow. She lifted the lid off of the box and peered inside. In the box, lying humbly, was a rose. Fresh and bright maroon. Giving off a strong, luxurious aroma that was indescribable. Kyoko's thoughts drifted back to her birthday when Tsuruga-san had gifted her a rose as well, in which she had found Rosa. She wondered if this rose hid any secrets as well. She lifted up the rose out of the box. It was thornless and fragile under Kyoko's fingers. It was such a simple gift compared to Maria and Amamiya's, but somehow it seemed so much more special.

"Thank you," Kyoko said, barely audible, but the Hatter heard and sent a gentle, genuine smile towards her.

"Well then, now we can continue some mingling," the Hare stated. While the guests began chatting, the Hatter stood up and strode over to where Kyoko and Amamiya sat.

"Did you have a nice nap?" he questioned Kyoko with a grin. Kyoko blushed once more.

"I'm sorry about that."

"No need to be sorry. Although you looked so peaceful, I was tempted to peer into your mind and see your dreams." Kyoko's mouth hung open.

"You can do that?"

"Perhaps," he replied with a smirk. Kyoko scrunched up her face, not liking how he was making fun of her.

"Well, I wasn't dreaming about anything so even if you did have the ability to look at my dreams, you would see absolutely nothing."

"Is that so?" he replied with a raised eyebrow, as if he knew something. Kyoko gulped and just nodded her head.

She then felt a nudge to her side and looked towards Amamiya who gestured slightly towards Maria, who was talking to the hare. Oh yes. The promise. Kyoko had nearly forgotten about that. Clearly, the Hatter did care about the little pixie, which could be seen by his care to set up a table for her, call her nicknames and gift her something so lovely and thoughtful. But it didn't seem to be enough for Maria. Just like in the real world. Maria in Kyoko's world wanted to make sure Tsuruga was dedicated to her. This one probably felt the same. So what could Kyoko do to make the pixie feel this? Kyoko looked towards the Hatter, who was still standing near her, overlooking his tea party with a satisfied look on his face.

"Excuse me," Kyoko called out to him.

"Yes, fair maiden?" he responded. Kyoko paused for a bit at hearing his name for her, but quickly continued.

"Where did you get these gifts from?"

"That's a secret," he said with a wink.

"Well, can you get anything?"

"Yes, nearly anything."

"I was thinking, maybe you ought to give Maria-chan a second gift?"

"Maria? Oh you mean the Flower Goddess? Is that was you call her?" he said with a chuckle.

"Well, she said it was fine."

"Ok, then. What do you think I should gift her?"

Kyoko leaned forward and ushered the Hatter closer, whispering in his ear.

"The tea party will now come to a close," the Hare announced.

"But before that," the Hatter said, getting out of his seat. "I have one more gift to give out. Little Goddess, please come here." Maria made a confused look but fluttered over.

"Yes?"

"Here. This is for you." The Hatter opened his hand and a little box sat there. Maria picked it up and opened it. Inside was a wonderful little gem. Sparkling an array of rainbow colors.

"What is this?" Maria asked with a shocked look on her face.

"It's a promise stone. From me to you. A promise that I will always be there for you. That you will always be my first priority. That no matter what happens I will be by your side as a friend, as a companion, as a protector. A promise that I am yours." Maria squealed and jumped up and down with joy as she clutched the stone to her chest. She hugged onto the Hatter's arm tightly as he petted her head with his finger. Kyoko smiled at the precious display. She knew Maria would be happy by this. After all, she had been so happy when Corn had gifted her his stone when she was young and to this day it was a symbol of their bond.

"Check your notebook," Amamiya whispered to Kyoko. Kyoko pulled out her notebook and sure enough there was a picture of a little happy fairy. Kyoko grinned widely as her success. Soon she would be able to go home. She looked up and saw the hare clearing the table. Her next target, she thought with a small smile.

"Well, it's not time to bid all of you farewell. The night approaches." Kyoko gasped and looked up at the sky and saw that the Hatter was right. The sky was darkening into a shade of deep purple and blue. She quickly got up and nearly ran off, but Amamiya grabbed her arm before she could.

"Kyoko, what's wrong? Why are you so frantic?"

"I need to get back to Ms. Woods before night falls."

"Ok, follow me, we can swim there."

"Swim?"

"I can get us there faster than you walking. Trust me." Kyoko and Amamiya hastily said their good-byes. Maria gave Kyoko's neck a tight hug as if she knew Kyoko was somehow involved in her special gift. Theb Hatter tipped his hat towards them as a farewell. Then Kyoko and Amamiya ran off towards the forest. Amamiya stopped suddenly and stood silently, hushing Kyoko as well when she tried to ask what she was doing. She listened to the wing blowing and then pulled on Kyoko's arm.

"This way. The sea is calling to me." Soon enough they stood before a lovely beach, but there was no time to admire the scenery. Amamiya jumped into the sea, dragging Kyoko with her. In mere moments, Amamiya's tail sprouted and she began swimming with so much grace yet so much speed as well, pulling Kyoko along. Kyoko hard felt she was moving though. It was as if the sea was hugging her and gently moving her along despite them moving so fast. Soon enough they arrived at the cove. Kyoko stepped out of the water, dripping wet, shivering when the cool air hit her.

"Thank you for bringing me back here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You don't have to come. I know you're busy and have your own problems."

"No, I promised," Kyoko responded with a smile. Amamiya smiled back at her.

"Take care of yourself." The mermaid then swam away with a swoosh of her tail, scales glittering in the darkness. Kyoko hurried back to her "home" in the forest.

"Ms. Woods?," Kyoko called out. But there was no answer. Kyoko stepped inside the little sanctuary of theirs, but there was no one in sight.

Kyoko let out a moan as a crippling pain began shooting through her body. She looked up at the sky and saw pitch blackness. But she was able to see everything around her despite the darkness as her transformation had begun, with which came the attributes of the Bandersnatch, including night vision. Kyoko's claws distended. She let out a yelp as she felt something sharp against her tongue. Her teeth had sharpened into pointed canines. She felt fuzz growing on her arms and hands. Her arms grew longer her entire body broadened. Kyoko felt such unbearable pain and she fell to the floor in agony. There, lying on the floor as her body changed, she saw a small scroll rolled up, placed carefully between the roots of a tree. Kyoko dragged herself over to the scroll, using her arms to pull her forward, accumulating mud all over her clothes. She grasped the scroll in her hand and rolled it. She squinted at the letters written inside in black ink as pain continued to surge through her body.

She is mine now. They will all be mine. Come try to get them back from me if you can.

Kyoko grabbed a low branch on a tree and used it to pull herself off of the ground. She re-read the note over and over, deciphering it. It could only mean one thing. The Dark One. This was his doing. Ms. Woods had been taken just as the president had been before her. And the threat was clear. One by one, they would all be taken away from her, unless Kyoko did something. Kyoko let out a screeching scream in anger which echoed into the night.