Chapter 28

The King of Spades returned to the fancy inn without announcing his leave to the Queen. When he strode into the room he'd booked for supper, the four occupants of the table looked up at him as if expecting something. The white haired man knew they wanted to know what he saw and he wondered how honest he should be.

"He's in a bad way." The King explained vaguely while seating himself down by the roaring fire. He noticed Marik's ears droop and Bakura slyly reach out a hand to stroke the lion's arm. "They're constantly poisoning him with shrooms to keep him from fighting."

"Shrooms?" The March Hare's ears pricked up in concern. "As in uke-shrooms? No way!"

"Uke-shrooms?" Bakura looked at his mirror image with confusion, red eyes demanding an explanation. "Are they what I think they are?"

"Shrooms in Wonderland have avarious effects, not unlike recreational drugs in your world," The Cheshire Cat took it upon himself to explain it to the two circus performers. "The 'legal' ones, as in you can buy them from the store, are aphrodisiacs known as 'uke-shrooms' and 'seme-shrooms'. You can probably tell from their names what they do." The cat grinned but his heart wasn't in it, "Others can make you sleepy, keep you up like caffeine, knock you out cold, get rid of headaches, and so on and so forth. Most of them you can't buy and are technically illegal. Some you can buy with medical reasons, others are completely outlawed. But, the Caterpillar is a happy dealer of them."

"He's not a bad man." The March Hare felt the need to interrupt and say that with the utmost sincerity. "Not many people go to him in search of destruction, and he doesn't sell them to people if they have a truely evil intent." He sighed and looked down at the cup of tea in his hands, "But like the rest of us he has to obey the Queen or else he'll be beheaded, so I guess he had no choice but to give the bitch what he wanted."

Marik let his head fall down on the table with a loud thud of aggrivation. "Rah!" He shouted, "This queen is just begging to be clawed to shreds!" He banged his head a couple more times for emphasis. Bakura ruffled his mane of blonde spikes in comfort.

"The problem with the Queen is that he thinks he can get away with anything," The King of Spades seemed to ponder his next thought for a second, "No, screw that, he knows he can get away with anything. Being Queen pretty much gives him automatic immunity to the consequences of his actions. The only way it'll end will be by killing him."

"What a wonderful idea." A voice suddenly said from over near the door, and the five occupants of the table looked over to see a young boy leaning against the doorframe with a smug little smile on his face. And wearing a dress.

"Alice, how wonderful of you to join us." The King smiled with mock affection, but it was clear this new arrival was no threat so Marik slid away the claws he hadn't released he'd bared.

"I couldn't help but over hear that you're planning to beat Queen Bitch at his own game." Alice strode over and sat down at one of the empty seats without an invitation, brushing his blonde bangs out of his eyes as he went. "You have no idea how much that man annoys me."

"Bakura, Marik, this is Yugi, or more commonly known to us all as Alice." The King of Spades turned to the two performers and introduced the crossdressing boy, who waved a little at them in response.

"Marik and Bakura?" The boy raised an eyebrow, "As in their mirrors?" He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the March Hare and Cheshire Cat, who both nodded at his question. "Fair enough. Its not like its confusing enough around here."

"Alice here isn't a Wonderland inhabitant." The King went on to explain, "I suppose you could say he's from the 'real' world, but not from the same as yours."

"You mean there's more than one?" Bakura's eyes widened in shock while Marik just looked up from his head-desking postion with mild interest.

"Yes, yes, but now's not the time to explain." Alice intrupted the King before he could carry on. "I'm not here to find out about you tossers, I'm here to help you get that Ringleader back. And maybe kick Yami in the balls."

"Yami?" Marik cocked his head to the side.

"The Queen." The March Hare supplied with a wry grin, "The Honorable Queen Yami the second."

"Second? There's been another Yami?" Bakura chuckled, "Oh good Lord."

"Oy! Listen!" Alice grumbled, pounding a gloved fist on the table.

"Bunny's britishness is rubbing off on you, dear." The Cheshire Cat laughed as he curled up cat-like in his chair.

"That's not the only thing he rubs off on me, but I digress." Marik nearly snorted out the tea he drank at the purple-eyed boy's response. "I take it from your exit from the palace you've been to see Akefia." Alice looked at the King across the table, taking the cup offered to him by a random zombie servant with a tiny smile of thanks.

"Yup. He's in a bad state." The King replied almost casually, but his two 'pets' could see the concern. "Constant use of uke-shrooms can have a near permanent effect on a person's mind."

Marik bit his lip to keep himself from both growling and screaming, deciding instead to sit up straight and visciously take it out on a fairy cake in front of him. It had blood in it. Perfect. (He loved how twisted the March Hare was)

"I also take it you're going to enter the tournament." Alice observed over his cup while he took a drink. "And I also guess that you're taking two people with you, as per the invitation."

"Nothing gets by you, Alice." The King chuckled, "Yes, Marik and the March Hare will be joining me."

"Awh, not you, Kitty?" Alice looked over at the Cheshire Cat, who shook his head.

"You'll never catch me out in the open at that place." He grinned, like he always did, but with a hint of malice. "Queen Bitch wants me in her collection as much as Marik and the Ringleader."

"He's after you too?" Alice suddenly turned her head towards the blonde lion to her left. "A matching set?"

"Yeah, probably." Marik swallowed. He was pretty nervous and on edge around this boy in a dress and he didn't know why. But he swallowed his fear and looked as confident as always.

"Bah, stupid man." The young boy cursed, and Marik didn't know if it was directed at him or someone else. "You know all this is just to try and get my attention. Or to convince himself he doesn't want me."

"Arrogant much?" Bakura cocked an eyebrow over a mug of coffee, taking a long gulp of the caffeinated liquid.

"No, not really. It's common knowledge. I played a game against him years ago and won." Alice told him, "Despite everything he said, by all the rules and laws of the land I won fair and square. Well, not fair, but you get the point. Nothing about that high-horsed Queen is fair." He tapped his fingers on the table with his perfectly manicured nails. "I have inside information from the White Rabbit." He said after a moment's pause.

"What? Why didn't you say sooner?!" The March Hare spluttered. "Instead of going of on a bloody tangent like always! Spill, Lady Boy!"

Alice glared at him but it wasn't fierce. "Bunny says the trick this time is gonna be something to do with electrocuted wires since he saw the soldiers wiring up the lawn this morning. My guess is that with every hoop you go through you get a big shock. The more hoops you go through the stronger the shock." He shrugged. "I bet he isn't even gonna be strapped up."

"Probably not." The King smirked, "Oh is that it? I was hoping for more of a challenge. Electric shocks are just foreplay for me."

"Then here's the big fuck," Alice continued, twisting a lock of red-tipped black hair around his finger, "You're playing under sprinklers and the shocks are 200 volts each." Jaws dropped around the table.

The King regained his composure by straightening the collar of his cape. "Still not lethal. At least not for long. Constant shocks at that level could kill, but its not likely."

"Are you sure?" The March Hare looked at his King with uncertainty, and the white haired royal glared at him slightly for daring to doubt him. The Cheshire Cat subtly slid his hand into the Hare's, lacing their fingers together.

"Yes, I'm sure." The King nodded with absolute certainty, although Marik could see the trouble raging in those pale eyes. "Now come, off to bed with you all. We need rest if we are to win tomorrow."

People nodded, and big their goodnights to each other before heading off to their rooms. Alice dawdled behind, tugging on Marik's arm as he walked past him. He signalled for Bakura to go ahead without his friend while Marik just looked at the shorter male in confusion. "So you're Marik, huh?" Alice smiled, looking him over, up and down.

"Yes, and if that's all you want to talk about, let me go sleep instead." The lion grumbled before trying to stalk off, only to be held back by the young boy.

"I apologise, I must've seemed... unconcerned." The crossdresser apologised, bowing a little which made Marik feel slightly awkward. "I just wanted to meet the man Akefia raved about. Well, I say man, you're more of an animal."

Marik growled at that. He hated being considered an animal. He wasn't fully human but that didn't mean he didn't have any humanity in him. Alice sensed his annoyance and placed a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Look, listen to me." Alice said seriously, "I'm not gonna try and persuade you not to play against the Queen, because I know you won't listen. You're as stubborn as the Ringleader." Marik clentched his jaw at the mention of his master. "I simply want to warn you that he'll try everything and anything to get you in his clutches. He's not going to let Akefia go without a fight, on the field or otherwise. As far as he knows, the Ringleader is his and only his. The prize is a taunt, saying to the competetors that they'll never get him."

"I will." Marik promised, flashing his fangs, "I will get him back."

"I know. You'll kill for him, that much is obvious." Alice smiled affectionately at him, stepping back with a click of his boots on the wooden floor. "I'll say this; Don't let the Queen stop you. I doubt you'll win the game, but that doesn't mean you can't win the prize." He said cryptically, smirking a final time before turning and climbing the stairs, leaving Marik to watch him and wonder what the hell he meant.