Chapter 39

The little band of supposed mischief makers decided that tonight they would rest, and tomorrow would bring the worries they must face with the de-throning of the Queen and the coronation of Alice to plan. As usual, the King of Spades, March Hare and Cheshire Cat all shared a room. So did the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and Alice, and the Duchess and Lady Isis. Marik and Bakura were happy to let the Ringleader have the large bed they had in their room while they would have the sofas, or the floor, or even another room altogether if he wanted to be alone.

Akefia never said it out loud, but no way could he stand being on his own right now. Actually, he couldn't stand being without something familiar, and usually that would be his hat but as that was still in the 'real world' the white haired master of ceremonies would do with his two best performance artists. It wasn't his usual bed time but after all the activities of the past few days the tanned male felt completely drained and wanted nothing more to cuddle up in the very comfortable looking bed and fall asleep. And yes he said cuddle. That's how tired he was.

He pulled off his boots and just collapsed into the bed, Marik obediantly straightening them out and tucking him under the blankets. Something like sorting out his boots was usually Ryou's thing, but there was no way Bakura would do it, and Marik did love those boots. It was only moments before Akefia was sound asleep, breathing deeply. The blonde lion, his beloved pet, curled up like the cat he was at the foot of the bed, facing towards the door in case anyone tried to ambush them. Bakura likewise took vigil in the sofa by the large bay window, knife in hand as he dozed.

Marik slept soundly, drifting between the land of dreams and what could be called 'reality', stirring every now and then as his master shuffled around in his slumber. A quick glance up to see if he was ok and Marik would put his head back down and snooze once more. He did so several times, as he suspected Bakura did, until the sun began to pour through the window, and his stomach began to growl. However the blonde lion refused to leave the room until Akefia woke up.

"You keep watch, I'll get us some breakfast." Bakura offered, almost kindly. Marik tilted his head and smiled in thanks, a little surprised at the knife thrower's actions but at the same time not, because everything had been thrown off kilter with all that had gone on.

Bakura brought back a large tray of breakfast foods, and gave the lion some news as to what was going on with everyone else. Alice had officially agreed to be the new Queen of Hearts, and the other three royals were working out a way to do the coronation, because for whatever reason they needed more government officials to agree that Alice was fit to be Queen before they could crown her. The albino man admitted he wasn't really listening because he didn't understand half of it. Marik wasn't really listening to him anyway. It was hard to really, because they were whispering so as not to waken the sleeping Ringleader.

It was close to noon when Akefia finally opened his pale eyes and blearily looked around, for a second or two shocked that he was in a bed and it all hadn't been a lovely dream. Sitting up, he stared at the two who sat on the end of his bed, looking at him with both worried and happy expressions. "What the fuck are you two bitches staring at?" He grumbled, even more annoyed when they flashed relieved smiles and handed him a breakfast tray full of food.

After Akefia had eaten (which he was silently thankful for), the three ventured out of the room together and walked into the lounge that belonged to their little group if only for a temporary amount of time. Inside, looking like they weren't waiting for them but probably were, sat around the now extinguished fire was the Cheshire Cat, Alice and the Duchess. Marik's unasked question of the whereabouts of the others was answered when Alice told them they were trying to contact some official people about nominating the young boy for Queen.

"I'll be glad to be out of this place." Akefia grumbled, sitting down on a sofa with Marik by his feet and Bakura sat next to him. "I used to love this place, but that fucking bitch ruined it."

"Which reminds me, do you want to go home?" Alice asked, tilting her head in a similar way that Marik did only with more false innocence. "There's a mirror in the palace that can get you home without looking for a rabbit hole."

"Yes!" The Ringleader cheered, "I've had enough with holes." Bakura sniggered quietly but was silenced by Marik nipping at his leg.

"When the King comes back we'll go over and see you off." The Duchess smiled kindly, "It was lovely meeting you lot, even with the circumstances in which we met."

"Yeah, stupid fucking Queen Bitch." Marik muttered under his breath, only to get a small kick from the Ringleader as a signal to shut up.

Small talk was made until the return of the King of Spades and the March Hare. The Duchess had previously explained Lady Isis had gone back to her kingdom because of a small emergency, while the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit were out shopping. "Home?" Bakura asked hopefully, and the King grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, I think its time to send you lot back." The white haired man said, sitting down in one of the large armchairs. The Cheshire Cat immediately came over and curled up in his lap. "Not just yet though. Officially we need to wait for the sentencing of the former Queen Yami to be over."

"What?" Marik's ears perked up, "Sentencing?"

"There was a court hearing about what punishment would be fit for him." The Cheshire Cat supplied, twisting his tail around the March Hare's leg, who had chosen to sit on the arm of the chair beside them. "Obviously all of his 'crimes' had to be taken into consideration. As far as I know they weren't pushing for execution, but torture for ten years."

"He deserves it." The Ringleader stated bluntly, and everyone couldn't agree more.

When the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter returned, they had news of the hearing. Yami, now a definate 'former' royal, had been sentenced to five years in the dungeon of the palace, with another hearing after that sentence. Not exactly what had been hoped for, but it was better than nothing.

There was an awkward silence in the air after that little bit of news, until the Cheshire Cat sprang up and announced they were all going to see off the Ringleader and his pets. Bakura grumbled at being called a pet but didn't complain. He knew if he did, he'd get whipped by Akefia when they got home. Home. There was a nice thought. Home meant Ryou's hot chocolate and chips from the take-away nearby and annoying Malik with pranks on Marik. Yes, home was a lovely thought indeed.

Marik kept close to the Ringleader's side at all times on the small walk up to the palace, and the trek through the endless corridors to the 'Mirror Room'. The Duchess had bid them farewell before entering the palace itself, saying she needed to return to her own kingdom before paying a visit to Lady Isis. Everyone else stayed to say goodbye.

The mirror that was the portal to home was a simple thing. It was quite tall, and sort of wide, a bit like the size of a door only a tiny bit smaller. The frame was pure black, but upon closer inspection it had small red etchings in the wood, which reminded Marik of the designs around the circus. The King of Spades said a few words and touched the carved frame, and almost at once the image of the Nightmare Circus appeared in it's reflection; overcast and slightly breezy, the flag fluttering ominously in plain sight atop the big tent.

Akefia smiled fondly at the sight of his little circus. It wasn't little anymore but the point still stood. "Right, off we go then." He smirked, his old cocky attitude returning full force. "I'd say it was a nice trip but you'd know I was lying so where's the fun in that." He patted the King of Spade's shoulder instead of hugging him, "Laters, Mini-Me." He cackled, and darted through the portal before anyone else could say anything.

Bakura followed suit, waving goodbye to his new... friends he supposed. Marik hung back a little, not wanting such a quick goodbye. The Cheshire Cat sensed this, and stepped forwards, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him into a very passionate and tongue-filled kiss. When he pulled away, Marik was noticably flustered.

"See you later, kitty cat." The Cheshire Cat winked and shoved him through the mirror.