I Don't Care (And You Don't Mind)

Chapter 40

2009-12-01T15:59:00.001-08:00

Things seemed completely normal back at the circus when they landed with a thump in the middle of the grassy compound, surrounded by trailers. Marik lay on his back for a while, looking up at the sky that was bleeding into dusk, speckled with brightening stars and a phantom moon.

Bakura kicked him softly and silently urged him to get up, which he did and swayed slightly on his feet, dizzy from their trip. The Ringleader was already looking around, checking to see if everything was in order and hadn't gone to hell while they'd been away. Time seemed to have strayed slightly, as they were gone for a total of five days at the most, and yet it was just turning night time.

Ryou came rushing over to them, looking very flustered and relieved. "Where have you been?" He asked in a slightly demanding voice but he squeaked when Akefia sent a glare at him. "Its just you missed rehearsals and the show is in half an hour and no one has been able to find any of you."

"Yeah, seriously, you say something is wrong and then you go missing Bakura." Malik turned up from behind one of the trailers, looking a little annoyed. "That wasn't creepy or worrying at all." He said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"Half an hour?" The Ringleader questioned. "Really? Shit. Better get ready then, haven't we?" He flashed a convincing and menacing smirk at the two new arrivals, sending them skittering away for fear of their leader lashing out at them. "You two as well. As I've noticed, Marik is missing his collar and your shorts are barely staying on your hips." He glanced over at his two subjects, who went and did as they were told without a second thought.

Akefia strode over to his personal trailer, oozing confidence and dominance as always. He was a little cold without his jacket, which had gone missing in the palace somewhere and he hadn't wanted to look for it, but it didn't matter. Shutting the door to his 'home', he slumped against the plastic, still exhausted, and slid down to the floor. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. He would never ever admit it out loud, but the whole experience with Yami, and the shrooms, and being locked up for so long had really shaken the usually strong and commanding master of ceremonies. He ran a hand through his shaggy white locks, idly noticing he'd also lost his gloves and that his pants were frayed at the edges and dirty as hell.

Letting out a huge sigh, Akefia stood and shook himself. For the next couple of hours at least he could be his usual malevolent Ringleader self. He could collapse and rest when it was all over. He couldn't let the mask slip right now, not when so much was expected of him and when he'd been in such a submissive postion. That thought still sent a chill down his spine.

He quickly showered and pulled on the spare clothes he had. They weren't the same as his usual ones, as he often recommissioned his jacket once a season so he wasn't wearing the same thing all the time. It would do for now, until he could commission another jacket. The Ringleader was pleased to notice his top hat was contently sitting on his dressing table, and as he towel dried his hair some more the tanned Ring King couldn't help but smile sort of affectionately at the red accessory so innocently existing in front of him. Very few people knew of its secrets, and at that moment he wondered if it was worth having it, after everything it had done.

Five minutes until the show started, and donning the trademark red hat, Akefia smirked at himself in the mirror. Yes, it was.

Marik was waiting for him outside, red leather collar matching the Ringleader's outfit. He looked up from his position sat on the cool metal steps and moved so Akefia could step down. The blonde lion didn't say anything as he simply gazed upon his master, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?" Akefia asked, not sure whether or not to be annoyed with his pet.

Marik stood on his tiptoes and licked the scar on the Ringleader's cheek, which was for once visible from under his curtain of white hair. "I don't care." The lion said, admitting something vague, "And you don't mind."

Watching the scarred back of his most faithful pet as he walked away, Akefia had to smile to himself. A true and honest smile that didn't grace his face that often.

Yes, it was completely worth it.

FIN

Chapter 39

2009-12-01T15:09:00.001-08:00

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.

Chapter 38

2009-12-01T12:05:00.001-08:00

With the manacles removed from everyone's wrists, the Queen was roughly manhandled into the dungeons below the palace. Some of them, mainly Lady Isis and the Duchess, held back and let the boys have their fun, taunting and basically torturing the dishonourable former Queen while they forced him into one of the barred cells. Alice took the liberty of locking the door to the cage and stood there looking the Queen, or who used to be the Queen, in the eye.

"You were nice, at the start." He said, tilting his head to the side innocently. "I've heard stories. Lovely stories. Of the kind young son of the gaming champion. What ever happened to that young man?" Alice asked no one in particular, knowing the man in front of him in the cell wouldn't reply. He only got a cold but broken glare as a response.

The blue dress wearing boy lead turned and walked out of the dank dungeon, taking the Duchess, Lady Isis and the March Hare with him. The rest of them remained, determined to get some answers out of the battered former royal. The Ringleader stood tall and strong, goosebumps appearing over his skin but determined not to show any weakness. He'd shown enough of that the past three days to last him a lifetime. Anyone who made him submit to anything ever again was getting a call from Marik's claws and Bakura's knives.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Akefia hissed, grabbing the bars and looking like he wanted to pounce on the man like MArik did before. "I can't believe anything Alice said. How the fuck were you ever nice?" Again, the Queen said nothing.

"You've had a tainted heart since the start of your reign, Yami." The King of Spades said, a lot calmer than Akefia. "One cannot be a ruler of the suit of Hearts when their own is so dark and cold." More people wanted to say things, but the Ringleader's mirror image ushered them all out, claiming to want to warm up and get away from the events of the day.

Marik growled at the forlorn crimon eyed man in the small prison before obediantly following his master and friend, glad that things were on the track to being normal again. Or as normal as it came when you lived at the Nightmare Circus.

The King of Spades didn't want to go back to his mansion, as much as everyone silently screamed that they wanted to get away. No, they had to make sure the Queen of Hearts, or the former Queen anyway, was properly punished and a suitable replacement. Afterall, Wonderland would go to Hell, or more so than it already was, without some sort of ruler to govern the most of it.

Instead the mismatched group of unlikely friends retreated to the inn where the King and the others were staying. They at least could get out of the palace, and they'd assigned a very guards to make sure the Queen didn't escape. They were also told to keep an eye on any supporters who would try and break him out.

The King of Spades lead them all into a large lounge-like room, with a roaring wood fire that was happily burning away in the diminishing light. There were plenty of comfy places to sit, from couches to huge plush armchairs, and the Ringleader happily flopped himself down into one with a huge sigh of relief right by the fire, glad to warm himself after being without his trademark red coat for so long. Marik sat by his feet like the good pet he was, content with just being by Akefia's side while they both silently relished each other's company. Bakura sat close-by, not ruining their moment but not feeling quite right to leave his boss alone after such an ordeal.

Everyone else sat down as well, engaging in small talk while they relaxed from the day's events. Lady Isis and the Duchess sat a little too close to be simply friendly but no one questioned it, as was the usual for this particular group. Sometimes you didn't need to question it because you already knew the answer. Alice was silent, curled up on an armchair close to the fire but away from the circus performers, pleased to be alone in his thoughts for a while. The King of Spades sat on a sofa next to the March Hare, and they had the Cheshire Cat sprawled over their laps being petted by the both of them like a spoiled kitty.

The content mindless chatter was broken then the double doors to the room swung open to reveal a slightly hysterical Mad Hatter followed closely by a worried looking White Rabbit. "Alice!" The Mad Hatter squealed, racing over to the small boy and throwing himself at his feet, hugging the other's legs. "I was so worried when I heard you'd faced the big bad bitch and kicked him off his throne and locked him up and oh my god are you crazy you could've been hurt!" He babbled, crocodile tears streaming down his cheeks while the White Rabbit looked apologetic to everyone as he rubbed the tanned boy's back soothingly.

"How did you hear about everything so quickly?" The March Hare asked a little sleepily.

"Its pretty much all over Wonderland already." The White Rabbit told everyone, "Word spreads fast when it concerns royalty." He smiled and went back to comforting his friend, or lover, whatever they were.

"Ugh, that reminds me, Wonderland can't be left without a ruler." The King of Spades let his head roll back and he covered his eyes with his gloved hand. "That's gonna be hell to figure out."

"Not really." Lady Isis piped up after sipping at a cup of tea that had appeared out of nowhere (Marik wondered how much tea the damn kingdom drank). "Why don't you be the ruler? It's that simple."

"Are you serious? Really?" The King looked at her with a raised eyebrow before laughing hard, "Not only would I be a shit ruler, but I don't really want to be King of Wonderland anyway. I'm perfectly happy with my position as King of Spades."

"Well, what about you, Alice?" The Duchess turned to the young boy in the striped stockings. "You seem to know the basic laws of the land, and you're pretty infamous."

"And people like you." The Mad Hatter chirruped from his seat on the floor.

"Uh, really? Are you sure?" For the first time since Marik met him, Alice looked doubtful and genuinely surprised. "I mean, I'd love to be, but it seems hard work, and I don't think I'd be good at it."

"Bullshit." Bakura suddenly said, causing everyone to turn their heads towards him. "You've been practically leading us in this little mission from the start. You'd be a fucking great Queen, or King, whatever. Better than that bitch in the prison anyway." Everyone could agree to that at least.

Alice looked unsure still. He looked at his two friends, or lovers, who both gave him reassuring smiles of affection. "I'd be happy to work for you rather than Yami." The White Rabbit told him, sitting on the arm of the chair and stroking his red and black spikes.

"And I promise to try and keep the March Hare out of trouble!" The Mad Hatter giggled, earning an annoyed 'Hey!' from the hare in question.

"Ok, I'll give it a shot." Alice shrugged and laughed nervously. "How hard could it be?"

Chapter 37

2009-12-01T09:49:00.001-08:00

The group of supposed 'treasoners' (as the guards had called them) were taken out of the winding maze and to where the Queen was sat in the shade of a large balcony on the throne he'd been brought in on before. The eyeliner he'd worn as smudged slightly, suggesting the 'attack' before had startled him into tears. That thought made Bakura snigger quietly to himself as he noticed.

"Your Highness, these are the people you requested be brought to you." The guard leading the pack bent down on one knee and bowed before her ruler (she was one of the few female soldiers Marik had seen).

"Thank you, soldier." The Queen dismissed her and she stood in postion guarding the group again. "Now, what the fuck are you up to?" He shrieked, standing up and causing all the soldiers around him to bow down on one knee in a sign of respect. "I should behead you all for attempted assasination!"

"Yeah but you won't." Alice smiled sweetly, but cockily, from his postion at the head of the group.

The Queen's eye twitched, "Don't tempt me, little Alice." He nearly snarled, glaring at the little boy who dared to challenge him.

"What I don't understand is why you want the Ringleader in the first place." The King of Spades spoke up, ahead of the three circus workers in an attempt at protecting them.

The Queen smiled in that disgustingly fake sweet way that made Marik's skin crawl. "Why, he's a pretty piece to add to my collection. The same reason I want the little lion over there and I thank you for bringing them all back to me. That pale one is a bonus too." He grinned manically, making the blodne lion just itch to pounce and scratch and maul him.

"We're nothing to add to your collection!" Marik roared, "Who the fucking hell gave you the right to kidnap people just because you feel like it!"

"Oh, my dear," The spiky haired royal smirked smugly, "I really don't think you class as a person."

That made Marik snap. Really snap. Sure, he could take a few insults. He knew he wasn't totally human but he didn't like people pointing it out to him. He certainly didn't like being thought of as a simple animal, or less of a person because he had a tail and claws. He growled, loudly, and pulled at his restrainted. It didn't take much for the metal to bend and break, allowing him to crouch down on all fours and charge at the Queen, who had stepped down the few steps onto the cobbled floor.

They tumbled with a shriek, the soldiers around not knowing what to do in the few seconds it had taken Marik to break loose and tackle their ruler. The lion snarled and roared, scratching away at the Queen below him, tearing his clothes, his skin, making him bleed and bleed and not stopping. He heard the soldiers call at him to stop, the royal man in his clutches shriek and scream. The sounds didn't even register to his ears, and he vaguely noticed his friends and comrads circle him defend him from any on coming assault.

"Marik! Stop!" The Ringleader's command was the only thing he heard, and his motions stilled, obediatly, at the sound of his master's voice. He looked down at the beaten and bruised Queen underneath him, proud of the whimpering state he'd put the man in. "Good boy." His head turned and he saw his master looking at him approvingly, most of his usual cocky and proud attitude returning.

The tanned feline grinned. "Thank fuck you're back to normal." He growled, the predator in him still on the surface.

"Keep hold of him." The Ringleader ordered, and Marik nodded, gripping at the Queen of Heart's shoulders and neck to prevent him from escaping. The crimson-eyed man choked a little under the pressure.

"Step away from his Highness!" One of the soldiers ordered, pointing a crossbow at the group, but there was fear evident in his eyes.

"Oh, would you really take a shot and risk hurting your precious ruler?" The March Hare cackled, "Go on! Try it! I dare you! I dare you!" Madness was clear in his gaze, the grin doubling its effect.

"You know this man is an unreasonable ruler." The King of Spades added in, trying to be the authority figure in this group of mismatched deviants.

"He has captured and enslaved dozens of people, and killed even more!" The Duchess shouted at them, enjoying the fact some of the men, who had thought her weak, were cowering in their boots. "Do you really think this man is fit to rule Wonderland? He killed the King of Hearts!"

"That's a lie!" The Queen of Hearts choked out indignantly. "I never killed him!"

"You only got away with it because it was never proved!" The Cheshire Cat suddenly appeared over the forms of the Queen and Marik, looking down with a slightly psychotic smirk. "And it was never proved because you beheaded anyone who dared question you under the excuse of 'treason'." He crouched down, still staring into the eyes of his 'ruler'. "Tell me, how much blood stains your hands?" He whispered, deadly. "How many people are without their loved ones because you just had to have it all?"

The Queen of Hearts whimpered under Marik's increased choking, his sharp claws digging into the delicate flesh of his neck. "They deserved it! They betrayed the crown."

"No." Alice came over to them, shackles missing from his wrists. "It is you who betrayed the crown. You betrayed it when you killed King Rebecca. No, wait," The small boy thought it over for a second, tilting his head to the side in thought as he looked down at the miserable man. "You betrayed us all when you used the King to gain the throne."

"When I first came here," The Ringleader spoke up, edging backwards to defend his pet if necessary, "This land was my escape. It was Wonderland for a reason. Its changed ever since this bloody bitch took charge, and you lot know it!" He spoke to the guards in the same dominant tone he commanded the circus with.

One by one, under the steely gaze of everyone surrounding the Queen, the guards and soldiers lowered their weapons and looked at the feeble and frail looking royal in Marik's grasp. They all knew the terrible things he did, but no one dared to risk their lives or jobs.

"Good." Lady Isis nodded at them. "Now return to your posts. We'll handle it from here." Under her instructions all the guards turned their backs on their lord and master and simply walked away.

"NO!" The Queen shrieked, struggling to get up but far too weak to throw the heavy lion off. "Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare! Get back here! Kill them! Kill them! I order you to kill them! I'll have you executed for desertion!"

"Shut the hell up, bitch." The Cheshire Cat kicked the Queen in the head with a bare foot. "No one will save you now."

Chapter 36

2009-12-01T09:48:00.002-08:00

"We can't avoid them." The Duchess said, putting her idea into the litle boiling pot of thoughts that they'd come up with. "No doubt they'll have the place surrounded to prevent anyone going out of the palace."

"We need to split up." The King suggested. "Some of us take the Ringleader to safety, some to watch out for them and some to stand and fight."

"No, we'll be weaker if we do that." Bakura said, "They'll pick us off one by one. It's best to stay together. Strength in numbers and all that."

"What about weapons?" The March Hare suddenly thought, "We talk of attack and yet we have nothing to attack with."

"We have our fists." Alice smiled, malevolence behind that sweet demenor.

"And fangs." Marik growled, flashing his.

"And claws." The Cheshire Cat added, unsheathing his and biting them in an almost seductive way.

"Those are all well and good but the guards and soliders have bloody spears and guns and crossbows." The March Hare told them. "I'm all for physical fighting but not when the odds are weighed against us."

"Then our only choice is to get the Queen himself." Lady Isis chimed in, causing everyone to look at her in shock. "If we attack the Queen, or get between him and the guards, then they won't attack us for fear of attacking him."

"That," The King of Spades suddenly broke out into a grin, "Is the best thing I've ever heard you say, Lady."

Lady Isis smiled modestly, "I try my best."

"So that's our plan." The King turned to the rest of the group. "We get to the Queen. Now, the best way to do this is to give ourselves up at first."

"Sneak attack." Bakura smirked, "Its what we're good at." Marik nodded, matching his partner in crime's devious smile.

"Exactly. Pretend we've given up, then attack while everyone is being all smug and unsuspecting." The King nodded. Marik noticed his hat had gotten lost somewhere in the chaos. He wondered if the tanned royal was as bothered as Akefia would've been.

"Why don't we wait here then?" Alice suggested, hands clasped innocently behind his back, "Pretend we can't go any further and let them cuff us when they find us. Like Isis said, its only a matter of time before they discover us here."

"Good point. We can also use the extra time to prepare ourselves and plan properly than if we were to find another place." The King nodded in agreement, thankful they had Alice on their side. "If you don't mind, Yugi," He used the crossdresser's real name, which made him smile, "We'll use you as a distraction. The guards will hesitate to get you because of the Queen."

"Its only times like this that his infatuation with me becomes useful." The short boy commented, mostly to himself. "But sure, I'll do it. I'll be at the front. And the ladies should be at the back. I've heard the soldiers are also hesitant to arrest women."

"Sexist." The Duchess muttered under her breath but otherwise consented to the idea. She silently wished she had to harpies to help her.

They all took a moment or two to get themselves calm and steady, ready for whatever was going to happen, because while they could plan and plot, half of their idea was based on the actions of the guards.

Bakura kept an eye on the Ringleader, who had woken up again and Marik was trying to get him to stop being so obediant. The white haired knife thrower felt sick to his stomach to see Akefia actually listening to the lion instead of telling him off for trying to boss him around. However he could also see the effects of the shrooms were wearing off, as the Ring King was grumbling when Marik was talking; a clear sign of the man's returning dominance. All he was missing was his trademark hat and coat and all would be well again.

They all suddenly shut up, silent as the thundering footsteps of oncoming guards could be heard only a few feet away. They held their breath, or most of them did, waiting for the next move of the daring little game they were playing.

"Freeze!" One shouted, rounding the corner at the sight of them. "Anyone dares to move gets beheaded!" The soldier threatened, the little gang of deviants being surrounded by his comrads. "You will all surrender and come with us!"

"Yes sir, Mr Soldier Man!" The March Hare cheerfully grinned. "Will you be cuffing us? I like handcuffs. Mine broke last week thanks to the Mad Hatter." Marik turned to look at the pale hare, and noticed the Cheshire Cat was gone from around his feet.

The card soldiers came forwards, putting handcuffs on each of them, Alice walking forwards without the assistance of the guards who were, as predicted, reluctant to touch him. The ladies brought up the rear and Marik and Bakura made sure the Ringleader was between them.

"Bring them to the Queen." Another soldier ordered, and off they trudged out of the maze.

Chapter 35

2009-12-01T09:48:00.001-08:00

Marik reached the cage in record time, everyone around him too busy and caught up in the chaos to notice two young men race to the captured 'prize'. Bakura kept watch behind him, having rescued one of his knives from the flurry of people but not having the chance to get all four of them back. His eyes darted around to keep an eye on anyone who could be considered a threat and noticed the March Hare had joined them on their mission.

"The King is keeping the guards distraced." His other self told him, "I can't see Cheshire but I have a feeling he's helping out too."

"Good, we need all the distractions we can get." Bakura nodded in approval, going back to his look out duties as they finished the last sprinting yards to the cage.

Marik immediately unsheathed his claws, going to pick the lock with them when he received a tremendous shock the moment they touched the metal. Shit, the cage was rigged to shock just like the croquet game. He cursed and tried again, getting the same treament and causing him to whimper. The two white haired males behind him could only look on worried as they fought off the couple of guards that dared try and interrupt.

The lion couldn't think of anything else to do until he noticed his master was leaning against the cage, untouched by the current that ran through the metal. Which made his mind begin to whirr, something it didn't usually do considering that Bakura was the one to come up with most of the plans. If Akefia could touch the metal without being hurt, did that mean that it only shocked certain people.

"Akefia." Marik called out, trying to get the Ringleader's attention from his submissive state. "Akefia, listen to me! Look at me!" He shouted, almost desperate. Still no answer. The white haired man didn't even look up. Then he had an idea. "I order you to look at me you bastard!"

That did the trick, and Akefia lifted his head, slightly fearful and completely obediant in his actions. "Yes?" He questioned in a soft voice that Marik swore he'd never wwant to hear again.

"Can you get yourself out? Can you undo this lock?" Marik wished he could grab the bars and just wrench them apart but he couldn't, so he had to rely on his master, who was acting like he was the one in charge.

"Yeah, but I was told not to." Akefia replied, once again in that quiet and timid voice that made Marik want to scream at him.

"Well I'm telling you to open it!" The blonde lion yelled at him, "We have to get you out of here!"

"But why?" The Ringleader asked, but shuffled forwards drowsily to the cage door anyway, "Why do I have to come out?"

"Because this isn't you!" Marik snarled, "You're dominant! You rule the ring with whips and chains and psychotic laughter! You're not supposed to be this timid little man who can't even tell me off!"

Akefia seemed to consider these words for a second or two before wordlessly opening the cage door via the switch on the back of the lock. The door swung open and Marik launched himself into his master's arms. They remained that way, the Ringleader in shock and Marik completely relieved and nearly crying, until the March Hare told them to move it because more soldiers were coming.

The Ringleader swayed down the small steps when Marik pulled him with him, so it was clear that he'd been given some sleep-inducing shrooms as well. Bakura joined them, putting one of the Ringleader's arms around his shoulder like Marik did and leading the two away from everything. The March Hare held Bakura's knife, took aim and threw it straight into the eye of an oncoming guard, which earned a big whoop from his mirror image. Then came the race to get out of the palace.

The three tumbled along the path, Akefia not really helping their escape by nearly tripping over every few steps. He couldn't help it though, it was all the poisoning he'd had over the past few days. Marik just kept muttering under his breath about how they needed to go faster and why couldn't Queen Bitch keep his hands to himself and where the fuck was the Cheshire Cat when you needed him?

Their silent prayers for help were answered when the Duchess jogged up next to them, breasts nearly bouncing out of her dress with her movement. "We can't escape the palace, but we can hide in the rose gardens. There's a huge maze that will take ages to search through properly." She told them, not exactly lifting their spirits but helping somewhat.

And so they changed their direction and headed to the rose garden with its giant maze. They twisted and turned around various corners, getting lost amongst the deep green bushes. Each one of them knew it would be hell getting out but for now at least they could rest and think of plans to aid their escape.

Marik suggested they stop at an area which had high hedges looming over head and benches to sit down on. The little area appeared to be somewhere to hide from the sun and relax in the shade, but right then it would shield them from anyone who tried to fly above to attempt to find them. The little group sat down on the marble benches, thankful for the moment's rest. Akefia looked like he was about to fall asleep at any moment, propped up against Marik on the seat furthest in the shade.

Suddenly the Duchess yelped in surprise, and for a second everyone panicked until the Cheshire Cat slowly appeared, grinning like he always did. He was whapped on the head by his 'owner' before slinking over to the March Hare and curling up by his feet. "The King of Spades is on his way here." The cat reported. "He's hiding your tracks that you left behind."

"Shit, I forgot it was a dirt path." The March Hare cursed, but the Cheshire Cat soothed him by nuzzling his legs affectionately. "At least no one else can follow us."

"Be more careful next time." The King of Spades interrupted the moment by showing up with Alice and Lady Isis in tow. "Anyone could've followed you."

"Yeah, well, they didn't, so shush!" Bakura spat at him, looking away from the Ringleader, who was more or less snoozing on Marik's shoulder. "We've got bigger things to worry about right now."

"Yeah, no time to get into a bother." Alice chimed in, walking into the center of the little area to talk to everyone. "Right, the Queen of Hearts no doubt knows who tried to attack him now, so there's a price on every one of our heads. So, we're in this together until the end."

"There were some guards behind us when we came into the maze," Lady Isis informed everyone. "They'll figure out where we are eventually but for now we can make plans."

"Right, so," Bakura looked at everyone, thinking that this was the most mis-matched group of 'criminals' he'd ever been in, and he'd been in a lot, "What do we do?"

Chapter 34

2009-12-01T09:47:00.002-08:00

Watching from their little hiding spot, Marik and Bakura saw the Queen descend from his throne and greet the King of Spades, who knelt before him and asked to play against him in the final game. They couldn't see, as they could only see the back of the Queen's tri-coloured hair, but Marik knew there would be a disgusting sickly sweet and mocking smile on the bitch's sharp face, saying that of course the King could play against him, but to play nice. The lion growled. Play nice indeed.

"Come on, that's our cue." Bakura tugged on the broken belt loop of his shorts to get him to move, and the blonde followed his friend as they sneakily crept around the palace, trying to find a better angled balcony to try and throw knives at the Queen.

"Wait." Marik suddenly stopped them from going any further. "How many knives do you have?"

Bakura searched about his person and came up with four daggers; two from his boots, one in his waist coat and one in his shorts. "Four. Not enough really." He frowned, red eyes gazing down at his favourite instruments of torture. "We should steal some more from the kitchens."

"Just what I was thinking." Marik nodded, turning around to back track their steps and return to the kitchens that they passed.

A few cooks were milling around carelessly, concentrating more on catching up with each other's gossip than the two young men who crept in and left with three butcher knives. The two in question then tiptoed back to their original path and came across an open door leading out to get another balcony, this one in perfect view of the field where the Queen of Hearts and the King of Spades were facing off in their mad game of croquet. It was also low enough to the ground so they could jump and only get pins and needles shot through their legs instead of broken bones.

"Ok, lets run over the plan." Bakura turned to Marik and explained, crouching low behind the wall again.

"But we don't have a car." Marik joked, earning a flick on his ear from his friend.

"Hah hah, very funny, fuzzy." The white haired man grinned when the lion glared at him for calling him 'fuzzy'. "Try and be serious."

"I am serious. Its just... too serious not to be not serious." Marik rambled a little, getting himself yet another ear flick, which made him yelp.

"Right, I'm gonna throw the knives, and when the guards are all confused and rushing towards the Queen, we jump and race to the cage." Bakura explained, going over all the steps in his head. "You unlock it, since I don't have my kit and you have claws. Then we drag the Ringleader away from everyone. I only hope the others catch on to the plan and help." The two performers looked down at the field, picking out all four of their allies in the crowd, thankfully stood together. Their fifth ally was invisible, but judging from the way the March Hare stood the Cheshire Cat was on him or near him in some form.

"Ok, on the count of three." Marik nodded, Bakura returning the gesture.

"One." Bakura stood, taking aim with his own knives between his fingers.

"Two." Marik adjusted the butcher knives in his hands, bending his knees and preparing to jump at the right moment.

"THREE!" The two shouted, throwing their weapons and managing to hit the Queen and around him, startling the dramatic man into making him shriek indignantly and the guards immediately coming to hid aid.

Marik and Bakura jumped from the balcony, landing swiftly with little pain and quickly darting in the direction of the Ringleader's cage, almost invisible amongst the chaos.

The Cheshire Cat noticed what the two were doing and grinned widely, too wide to be natural but that was his charm. He looked around from his perch on the March Hare's shoulders and cackled at the beginning of the disorder, launching himself into the heart of it to trip up and hinder as many guards as possible.

The King of Spades also noticed what was going on, and shared the Cheshire Cat's smirk even though he didn't know it. He suddenly began to call out various things like 'Isn't that them over there!' and 'Oh my lord, there's ten of them!' and 'Quick! Someone tried to murder the Queen!'. His calls were heard by everyone, guards and guests alike, and thus created even more havoc as people rushed forwards and back, trying to get away and trying to help.

The March Hare wasted no time in rushing to his new friends' help, darting around the screaming people with the grace of the hare he was. He knew for a fact that Marik and Bakura would need his help, either in getting the Ringleader out of the palace gardens, or by distracting the people around to get them out of their way. When one of the guards nearly spotted the two performers' plans, the March Hare quickly high-kicked him in the face, knocking him out cold with a little satisfied smile.

Lady Isis began ushering the people, both competetors and guests, in the direction of the exit, working jointly with the Duchess who was making them go in the other direction, causing even more chaos and disorder as people had no idea where to go. The soldiers and guards didn't catch on, too busy protecting their precious Queen of Hearts.

Alice just stood there, a smile on his face as he watched everyone. They were all avoiding him, lest they suffer the Queen's wrath for hurting him. He supposed that was one good thing that came out of Queen Yami's unrequited love for him, however much he tried to deny it. He walked, slowly, towards where the Queen was hidden behind his guards with a smug smile on his face. Everything was going to hell.

Chapter 33

2009-12-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

The King of Spades had no choice but to sigh when he saw the two circus employees rolling around on the floor laughing. He had a sneaky feeling that Marik wouldn't last long in the croquet tournament, either getting defeated or disqualified. It turned out that he should've put into account Marik's feline instincts of birds are prey, since his dear Cheshire Cat was pretty much the same. At least that cat was much more controlled with his urges. The King also had a feeling that Akefia, his mirror image, didn't teach Marik anything about control. Hell, it was probably simply because it was much more fun to be out of control, especially at the Nightmare Circus.

He felt a sudden weight jump upon his shoulders but he managed to keep completely still while the Cheshire Cat settled and whispered into his ear. "Those two are planning something." The purple and black cat breathed quietly. "They're going to rescue Akefia 'the Nightmare way'."

"I'd expect nothing less." The tanned and toned royal man grinned to himself. At least they now had two ways of going about their rescue. He, Alice, the Duchess and the March Hare would all compete, taking the offensive yet most defensive angle of a straight forward attack, while the lion and the knife thrower would sneak around behind everyone's backs and do it their way, in the darkness, as he suspected they always had.

The first round of the tournament ended with the King of Spades beating his friend and occasional lover to go on to face Lady Isis in the semi-finals. The March Hare wished him luck, a little dissappointed with his loss but quickly getting over it as the still invisible Cheshire Cat caressed him secretly. The losers were allowed to remain on the field to watch the rest of the games, unlike the guests who had to sit in the stands with a slightly worse view of events. The Queen sat up high on his throne, looking over all of the players, almost bored but almost hysteric with excitement. He loved crushing players when they were on a winning streak.

Behind everyone's backs, as the King of Spades had thought, Marik and Bakura had disposed of their itchy horrible suits and were happily crawling around in their usual (if somewhat torn) circus performance outfits. Bakura's shorts were still held together by barely anything, and Marik was fighting his urge to tug them and see if they ripped off, like a stripper's shorts. But one glare from the white haired knife weilder had kept his fun at bay. Besides, they had a more important task at hand.

They had managed to sneak into the palace with surprising ease, what with all the soldiers and most of the guards surrounding and hidden in the fields where the tournament was being held. "Silly Queen Bitch." Marik muttered to himself, sounding oddly like the Mad Hatter when he thought about it.

They found the balcony they were looking for; three doors on the left through the wide corridor next to the second entrance to the kitchen on the first floor. It overlooked the playing fields, giving the two partners in crime the perfect view of where everyone was and where the Ringleader's cage was. From what they could see their leader had awoken and was submissively sitting on the metal floor of his confines, shackled to the bars and looking around a little deliriously. It was clear that he was still udner the influence of something and the blonde lion guessed it was the 'uke-shrooms' the King of Spades had mentioned. He growled. He's burn down all of those plants when he had the chance.

"Fuck, that's just wrong." Bakura nearly heaved next to him, hidden from view of down below and looking at the area though a decorative hole in the stone. "Just... so god-damn fucking wrong." Marik patted his shoulder to offer him the same reasurrance that the albino had given him before.

"We'll get him back. We have to." Marik turned from the view and slumped back against the wall. "So what's the plan? We need to distract the guards somehow."

"My best idea is to insult or do something to the Queen." Bakura mused out loud. "He holds himself in such a bloody high position that he'd be an easy target for a flying projectile." The lion knew exactly what kind of 'flying projectile' and smirked at his friend, "But we don't hit, we just make Queen Bitch think he's under attack and then the guards will rush to him and leave the cage wide open."

"Yeah, seems kinda stupid that they'd have the Ringleader in the middle of the fields and not by the throne." Marik commented, thinking of the giant golden and red velvet throne that sat in the shade of the palace, while the cage containing their master was in the crossroads between the four croquet fields. Sure, it was surrounded by guards, but not as many as what surrounded the Queen himself. "You'd think Queen Bitch would want to keep an eye on him."

"Don't complain." Bakura told him, "It just makes it easier for us. Even easier if the Queen is in a game while we launch our attack." The white haired performer scratched at the stone floor with a knife he'd pulled out of his pants, carving random symbols and names. "Yeah, while he plays. He'll have to have his full attention on the game if he plays someone as good as the King or Alice."

"So that's when we'd start our Nightmare-inducing plan." Marik grinned in his trademark smile, turning and flashing his sharp fangs at Bakura. "Lets raise Hell."

Chapter 32

2009-12-01T09:46:00.004-08:00

Everyone was split into groups, each one assigned to a field to play in so the tournament would run quicker. There were four groups in total, and the winner in each area would compete against a winner in another area, then those victorious against each other, with the final champion playing against the Queen of Hearts himself. It sounded simple enough.

But Marik was dreading it. He had no idea how to properly play the game his feline instincts were telling him to pounce on and attack the flamingoes they were going to use as mallets. He knew the moment he lay a paw on them in a harmful way that he'd be disqualified and have no chance of saving the Ringleader, who was being paraded around in a cage like some... circus animal. The blonde lion growled. He didn't mind being in his cage, being dragged around and having people stare at him. That was what he was to do, what Akefia told him to do. But it wasn't something for the Ringleader himself.

Bakura kept laying a comforting hand on his shoulder whenever he tensed up, and Marik was thankful for his friend for the simple gesture as he knew the knife thrower wasn't a very touchy or affectionate person. The situation called for it, however, and both of the circus performers needed all the reassurance they could get from each other.

"Ok, you two are with me in the west field." The King of Spades told them. "Bakura, you and the cat can watch from the viewing box with the others. Sorry but you're not allowed on the field with the competetors."

Bakura grumbled but agreed, feeling himself be tugged along by the invisible hand of the Cheshire Cat. He paused a second before turning back and kissing Marik on the cheek in a surprisingly affectionate gesture. "Win, bastard." He muttered to him before finally leaving to go and find a seat in the lavish looking viewing box.

The lion almost blushed at his friend but focused on trying to seem intimidating to the other players in his appointed field. His first opponent was a twitchy looking little boy with bug-like glasses and green hair. He'd easily crush him.

It was an hour later when Marik found the game to be the most boring thing he'd ever played. He was currently up against the March Hare, having to face the inevitable by playing against his current partner in crime. They were playing as fair as possible with their skills equally matched as while the white haired hare knew how to play the game he play enough to have the best of skills.

It was getting harder and harder to ignore his instincts and not gnaw on the bird in his grasp. He managed to get pretty good at smacking them on the head to make them stay still, but occasionally out of the corner of his eye the tanned blonde would see one escape, and he so badly wanted to pounce on them, to attack.

"Keep your head in the game, Marik." The March Hare hissed at him when he saw the lion staring slightly into space. Marik snapped out of it and quickly made his move in case any one had noticed.

The wire hoops they shot through were electrocuted. Marik had no idea how it worked, because none of the players were strapped up to any sort of device, but this was Wonderland and he'd learned not to question things anymore. He was slightly sore from the shocks but he'd honestly had worse from the Ringleader when he'd bought an electric whip from some kinky travelling saleman. It still remained in the closet from the time he had put the setting too high and ended up knocking Marik out for three hours.

While he wasn't looking, the flamingo in his grip began to flail slightly. Only a little at first, but as it regained awareness it began to seriously thrash around. Luckily Marik had made his move already and the March Hare was lining up his shot but all eyes were on him as the pink bird fluttered and squawked in his hands. Common sense told him to whack it on the head once more to quiet it down, however he chose not to listen to that. Instead the lion let it go, watching it run away crazily like a headless chicken, before crouching down on all fours and springing like the cat he was, landing on the bird and biting it to force it into submission.

"FOUL!" Someone yelled, most likely a soldier, and Marik looked up in confusion as he was suddenly surrounded by guards with long spears. They looked like playing cards crossed with the duel monsters from back home.

"King of Beasts," It took Marik a second or two to remember that was what he had introduced himself as, "You are hereby disqualified from thetournament for vandelising royal croquet equipment. You have five seconds to leave the field or you will be beheaded."

Marik cursed over and over in his head, taking the quick, worried glance from the March Hare as a sign for him to do what he was told. The King of Spades was silently calling to him on the edge of the field and he swiftly high-tailed it out of the area, bumping into Bakura who had raced down from the stands. He didn't want to run right out of the palace, and was happy that the guards had returned to their stations once he was off of the grass and on the path of the gardens.

"Shit!" The lion swore. "Shit, fuck, bollocks, WANK!" He grabbed his hair in fury, hitting himself on the head for being so damn stupid.

"Hey hey hey! Calm down!" Bakura shouted at him, grabbing hold of his wrist to stop him from doing any more damage to his head. "Stop it. That won't help any."

"I totally fucked up our plans, Bakura." Marik snarled, glaring at the knife thrower with angry purple eyes, feline pupils narrowing to slits.

"No, you didn't." Bakura assured him, patting his shoulder again, "This totally wasn't our style anyway. I mean, look at us! Fucking suits! The Ringleader would kill us."

Marik looked down at his suit, and as elaborate and fancy as it was, he couldn't help but begin to laugh at himself. His chuckles soon turned into fully fledged laughter and eventually he and the red-eyed albino beisde him were rolling on the floor, trying to control their hysterics while bemused onlookers on the edge of the field glanced over at them with small smiles or looks of digust.

"Oh fucking hell." Marik gasped once he'd finished laughing, still giggling every now and then, "I was so caught up with trying to save him that I went about it all wrong. I did it the way those bastards wanted me to."

"Instead, lets do it the Nightmare way." Bakura grinned, suddenly very wicked looking. Even his hair, now fallen out of its ponytail, was spiker than usual. "Come on, we'll get out of these damn suits and concoct a devious plan to rescue Akefia."

Chapter 31

2009-12-01T09:46:00.003-08:00

Upon their arrival at the palace, the little group of rescuers were taken through the main corridors and out onto the lawn at the back. There they waited both impatiently and with quiet conversation while the other guests, including the Queen, arrived. Marik shuffled uncomfortably in his new suit, tugging at the collar but thankful he wasn't made to wear a tie. Bakura chuckled next to him, decked out in a simple black and white suit, although his hair had been pulled back into a ponytail which the lion hadn't resisted playing with, earning him a few punched from the digruntled knife thrower.

"Ah, Duchess, lovely to see you." The King of Spades greeted the blonde woman who walked over to them. Marik turned and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sight of the Duchess's very revealing attire. The Cheshire Cat laughed in his ear, invisible to everyone due to the fact he couldn't risk being caught.

"She dresses like that at these types of things." The feline whispered into his ear, making the lion shudder slightly. "She says 'If you've got the goods, show them off'." Bakura snorted nearby, having heard what the Cheshire Cat had said.

"Of course I had to attend when I heard about the prize." The blonde lady smiled at the King politely, and it was clear the two were being hesitant to say anything more of their plans due to the dozens of soliders wandering around, and those were the ones they could see. Everyone knew the Queen of Hearts would have more on lookout.

"It is a wonderful prize indeed." The King nodded in agreement, but rage was evident in his eyes, which was echoed in everyone who congregated near them.

Alice walked away for a bit to greet another lady, who Marik thought and knew must be the Queen of Clubs of the insignias on her outfit were anything to go by. He didn't even do a double-take when he saw she was the spitting image of Malik's older sister, who had joined the circus temporarily when they had performed in the dancer's hometown. She had been quite a good elephant tamer, but the expense of the elephants was too much to keep her in the show so they had bid her farewell when they moved on to the next city. The royal looking lady talking pleasantly with Alice had long raven hair and tanned skin. Her eyes were crystalline blue which were brought out further by the white of her gown, and accented by black kohl.

"Let me guess, her name is Isis." Bakura muttered next to him to the March Hare and unseen Cheshire Cat.

"Yup, Queen Isis the fourth." The young man's mirror explained, "Married King Shizuka when she was fifteen, making them the youngest royal pair in half a century."

"Ok, seriously, how fucked up is time here?" Marik suddenly interjected, "Nothing about it makes sense. Its always tea time at your place," He jabbed a thumb in the March Hare's direction, "And we haven't been gone long from the circus from what Bakura said and yet its been what, five days?"

"Nothing about this entire world makes sense, Mariku." The Cheshire Cat purred in his ear, and he could feel the other feline's hands on his shoulders, tail entwining invisibly with his own. "I thought you would have figured that out by now."

"Yeah yeah," He shrugged off the cat's advances, a small blush tinting his cheeks. Bakura noticed with a small smirk but otherwise kept silent. "Where's this Queen then?" He changed the subject swiftly.

"He should be here soon." The King assured him, stepping closer to their group with the Duchess right next to him. Alice soon came over with the Queen of Clubs in tow.

"Lady Isis, so nice to see you again." The Duchess greeted her politely with a secret sharing smile, which was returned.

"Yes, indeed. It has been a while since you came to your villa on Club Beach." The Lady curtsied slightly and bowed her head, suggesting to the two circus performers that the Queen of Clubs, or Lady Isis as she'd been referred as, was of a lower social standing than the other two royals.

Before anyone else could say anything, a loud chorus of trumpets announced the arrival of the Queen of Hearts and everyone got into an orderly circle around the perimeter of the lawn. The Queen was carried onto the grass on a chair held up by four soliders, and once they lowered the chair to the ground he stepped off and raised his arms in the air in a flambouyant gesture to a rain of claps and cheers, only half of which were fake. "Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind." The Queen giggled modestly. Marik growled. He looked like someone he'd once torn the arm off, and right then he'd gladly do it to this bitch.

"Easy, Marik." Bakura held his shoulder and the tanned lion hadn't noticed how much he'd tensed up. "You can't kill him. You have to win."

"Why should I play fair when this bitch doesn't?" Marik growled low in his throat, trying not to alert the soliders. "Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for."

"Which is exactly why I'm gonna sneak into the big toy castle back there and hunt out the Ringleader." No sooner has Bakura promised this that the Queen announced what the prize would be, and out came a large cloth covered cage tugged along on wheels by three more soliders.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between, I give you what you will be competing for!" The Queen cackled and tore off the red velvet sheet to reveal an unconcious Akefia behind the bars of a cage.

It took three people to hold Marik back from pouncing on the Queen. The Cheshire Cat hissed in the blonde's ear, "For fuck's sake, calm down! You attack and the whole fucking plan goes down the hole!" He received a painful bite on his ear which caused the lion to yelp but otherwise keep calm. His breathing deepened and the King felt it was alright to let him go. Bakura still held on.

"Well my plan goes to shit." The white haired knife thrower cursed under his breath. "I have a feeling Queen Bitch is going to keep him on display. There's no way I can sneak him out with all these guards around."

"I daren't try either." The Cheshire Cat muttered to them, still unseen to everyone around them, "As much as I want to help your precious master I can't risk getting caught myself."

"Yeah, I know." Marik murmured, almost whimpering, but he had no time to dwell on his thoughts as the King of Spades pulled him and the March Hare forwards to introduce themselves to the Queen.

"Akefia, King of Spades, your highness." The King bent down on one knee before the Queen of Hearts, who had returned to his position on the throne and was now looking at the people before him with a smug sort of glee. "It is an honour to participate in your tournament."

"Bakura, the March Hare, your highness." The March Hare also introduced himself on one knee, which Marik copied, "I too am honoured to play."

"Marik Ishtar, King of Beasts, your highness." Marik added, hiding a smirk with his self-appointed title, "I am honoured to play as well."

The King of Spades whacked him over the head when they walked away from the Queen after receiving a small glare from him at Marik's title. "Idiot!" He insulted him, but did so with humour in his face.

"Right, what now?" The blonde lion asked when they returned to their group of companions. He saw the March Hare's hand shift and wondered if he was holding hands with the Cheshire Cat.

"Now, we play." The King of Spades told him. "We play and we win."

"And you better kick butt." Bakura added with a cheeky grin at his lion friend.

Chapter 30

2009-12-01T09:46:00.001-08:00

"Oh you've got to be shittin' me." Marik growled when he saw the outfits on display in the shop he was shoved into. There was no way in hell he was wearing any of those frilly little outfits.

"Sorry Marik, but you've got to wear more than those skimpy hotpants you call shorts." The King turned and told him before facing the shopkeeper again.

"If it makes you feel any better we're in the same ship here." The March Hare muttered to him. "I wear suits but fuck me if I ever wear frills. Or lace. Or silk. Actually silk isn't so bad." He pondered this for a moment before grinning. "Silk bedsheets are nice."

"Velvet isn't so bad either." Marik added, reminiscing about the time someone (Bakura) nearly burnt down the entire circus complex a year ago and they had to book into a rather lavish hotel with velvet sheets on the bed. The Ringleader had complained that they should've been silk or satin but Marik didn't care. They were comfy.

"You seem more the type to have it hard and fast in a back alley." The March Hare raised a cheeky eyebrow and grinned at his friend, who chuckled.

"Oh there's a lot of that. But add in cages, trailers, up a tree, there was one time while we were performing too." The blonde lion laughed at the memory, "The audience had no fucking clue."

"I've gotta visit your circus some day." The March Hare made a mental note about it, "It sounds bloody hilarious."

"Heh, it is. So much fun." Marik's smile faded slightly when he thought about the captured Ringleader.

The March Hare prodded his side. "Come on, the King wants us to follow." He tugged in the lion's arm to get him to keep up with him while they both followed the King of Spades and the shopkeeper deeper into the store.

They were taken to a room with only a very small window in the corner. It was brightly lit, however, with at least thirteen flaming torches on the wall and what Marik thought was a jar of fireflies hanging from the ceiling.

"Mr Lion if you could please step over here." The shopkeeper, a young man with raven hair, lightly tanned skin and brilliant green eyes, was a little bit camp and had various pins and needles stuck in the work clothes he wore. It was clear he was the creator of all the clothes in the shop. "I just need to check these clothes fit you and adjust them accordingly."

Marik grumbled as he stepped forwards and was told to climb up onto a stand that looked like a stool but stronger. He slouched a little, which seemed to annoy the bouncy man as he straightened his posture and made him put on a shirt. The lion didn't really want to have a good look at it and instead just wanted to get it over and done with so he could rescue the Ringleader and then tear the blasted fabric off of himself.

He was then made to pull on a pair of pants, and was silently thankful that the man, who the King called Ryuuji (which made him wonder if that was the shopkeeper's nickname or real name), allowed him to keep his shorts on. But that was probably because he thought they were underwear, or didn't want to see him naked. The March Hare stood chuckling leaning against the far wall next to a full-length mirror.

Ryuuji made very few adjustments to the garements he wore. Looking down at the pants he was made to wear Marik wasn't completely displeased. The material was like strong satin, completely black up to the knees and then gold from then on. When he shifted he couldn't even feel the seams where the two colours must've been joined. The shirt was a gold colour with black cuffs and was tucked into his pants properly when the shopkeeper had made the adjustments to the pants. He was then given a jacket to put on, which matched the pants in the colours and design. The blonde's feet were then lifted and slipped into a pair of black boots that Marik could've sworn were combat boots like Bakura wore sometimes. He grinned at that. Not very smart looking but he didn't complain.

Stepping down off of the stool Marik took a look at himself in the mirror. He had to admit he didn't look that bad, but he did prefer wearing just his shorts. The material was annoying the fur on his arms and legs, and his mane was sticking out strangely from the collar of the shirt. Ryuuji finally handed him a pair of fingerless black gloves to wear, which was told were ones designed for handling the flamingoes of croquet.

The tanned lion was still looking himself over appreciatively when the March Hare was given the same treatment. The hare was stripped down to his underwear and the clothes folded to be put in a bag. The suit he was made to wear was a big more decorative than what the red-eyed hare usually wore, but other than that it was pretty much the same. His consisted of a shirt, waistcoat, tie, trousers and knee high boots, all in black or red with small spade symbols decorated on them.

"Ok, can we go now?" The March Hare grumbled, although he wasn't nearly as annoyed as Marik would've expected him to be, which he supposed was down to the fact niether of them had to wear frills or lace. "I'm bored and hungry."

"Yes, we can." The King smiled at the two, handing the man called Ryuuji a few gold and bronze coins before once again striding out of the door leaving the two to follow him.

Bakura burst out laughing when they came back, literally rolling on the floor in hysterics at the sight of his fellow performer dressed in such a fancy outfit. Marik growled and pounced on the white haired man, pinning him to the floor and tickling him mercilessly (he didn't want to properly fight in case he ruined the outfit and their chances of beating the Queen of Hearts).

When everyone had settled down in the room where they'd had breakfast, Alice spoke up and told Bakura that he had to wear something better than the torn and tattered clothes he currently donned. The King then suggested simply going out and buying a shirt and pants, since because wasn't competing clothing shouldn't matter as much.

Bakura then disappeared for a while, leaving Marik to fidget in his new clothes while the King of Spades explained exactly what was going to happen at the opening ceremony.

"You need to come forwards with me and the March Hare and declare your name, nickname and that you have read and will follow the rules." The tanned royal explained to him across a table laiden with tea and biscuits. "You don't have a nickname so just saying Marik will do. You have to bow in front of the Queen and swear that you will obey the rules and play a fair game. Don't, whatever you do, look him in the eyes with anger or anything like that." The King said forcefully and in all seriousness. "To that bitch, it could be seen as an act of aggression or treason and you could be killed as quick as you can say 'fuck me'."

"You'll be given a flamingo that you'll only have five minutes to tame." The March Hare continued, looking at Alice in case he wanted to intervene. "Depending on how mean he's feeling, they might be completely docile or freshly caught that morning. Either way, make sure to give it a hard smack on the head so you know it'll last."

"You've got a lot of us on your side, Marik." Alice leant forwards and patted his gloved paw. "The Duchess, the King, the March Hare, me; we're all gonna be fighting for your master."

Marik nodded in thanks, not trusting his voice enough to speak in case he gave away how unsure he was. But he mentally smacked himself. Of course he was sure. He'd have Bakura to sneak into the palace to get the Ringleader's location and hopefully get him out whether they won the game or not.

And they would win. They had to.

Chapter 29

2009-12-01T09:45:00.001-08:00

Marik was rudely awoken by Alice striding into his shared room with Bakura and wrenching the curtains open to pour sunlight directly onto his face. He growled and grumbled as he explained that the King of Spades wanted them up early enough to have breakfast and be suitably dressed for a game at the palace. Basically, it hinted that Marik and Bakura couldn't wear their tattered and torn shorts (which Bakura just pinned together after their activities back at the mansion) or else the Queen would be offended.

"Wouldn't want to offend Queen Bitch now, would we?" Alice smiled as he walked out, heeled boots clicking loudly on the floor and rousing the two circus performers further from their slumber.

"No, no, of course not." Bakura grumbled, sitting up and wiping the sleep from his eyes before flopping back down on the bed and snuggling under the covers again. "Mmm, warm." He sighed.

"Get up, lazy ass." Marik shoved him, shuffling out of bed himself to look out of the window. People were already busy wandering the streets, going about their daily lives, and it was barely even dawn. The indigo colours of the night had still to fully leave the sky. The lion yawned widely, jaw cracking quietly.

"I don't have to get up. I'm not molesting birds." Bakura mumbled from his cocoon of covers, only his hair visible as he burrowed deeper.

Marik picked up one of the boots the red-eyed knife thrower had tossed carelessly on the floor and just lobbed it at him, hitting his head with a satisfying 'Ow!' emitted from his victim. "If I have to get up, so do you." The blonde told him, pulling on his shorts that were hung on the bedpost for some reason. "Besides I know you're gonna want to sneak off and try and break out Akefia from the dungeon."

"Mmph, true." Bakura emerged slightly from the covers, blearily looking over at his companion. "Pass us my clothes then." He ordered, his drowsiness evident in his voice.

Marik smirked and shook his head. "Can't be bothered getting them then run around naked." He retorted before walking out of the room and down to the breakfast hall where he knew his new friends would be waiting.

Only Alice and the March Hare were sat at the table reserved for them, surrounded by what Marik had begun to dub 'The Wonderland Breakfast', which was basically a table filled with everything you could ever think of for a morning meal. He sat down and reached straight for the pancakes and bacon.

"And people say I like weird combinations." The March Hare commented, amused at the sight of Marik biting into the bacon-pancake sandwich he'd made.

"You do. That's nearly normal compared to you." Alice chided him with a smile, "Blood and tea, really Marchy?" He rolled his violet eyes with a giggle, earning a glare from the red-wearing hare.

"Don't call me Marchy. It's bad enough that the freakin' Hatter does it." The March Hare grumbled, sipping his tea with a little more force than necessary, teeth clinking against the china.

"Well its less of a mouthful than 'The March Hare'." Alice pouted slightly, fluffing his tri-coloured hair idly. "And you don't like me using your real name."

"Why not?" Marik asked with his mouth full of pancake and bacon.

"To some people, real names are more of a term of affection and endearment," Alice explained, cutting off the March Hare because he knew his version would be longer, "It didn't used to be like that, but since a lot of people use nicknames instead of real names, real names became more of an intimate thing to use. Not to know, though. I think its law that you have to introduce yourself by your real name and nickname."

"Queen's law." The white haired hare nodded in agreement, "Stupid law. It was done anyways. Just now there's a punishment involved."

"Beheading?" Marik guessed, and winced when the two others nodded. Beheading seemed to be the punishment for everything. "Queen loves head." He chuckled to himself, causing his table companions to chortle into their tea.

Pretty soon they were joined by the Cheshire Cat and Bakura, who slid into their respective places by their partners. Everyone munched along in moderate silence before the King of Spades strode in, decked out in his royal garbs.

"Ok, March Hare, Marik, with me." He ordered, beconing them with a gloved finger. "We need to get you into more suitable clothes. I don't want you to be disqualified simply because Queen Bitch doesn't like how you dress."

"I'm not wearing shoes." Marik grumbled as he rose and followed along with the hare. "I hate wearing shoes."

"Tough luck, you have to." The March Hare elbowed him gently and stopped him from pouting, "Rule number thirty-five; all contestants and competetors much wear suitable footwear for the lawn." He shook his head as they left their friends eating breakfast. "Stupid rule. Actually most of them are stupid. I think he just wants to see what he can get away with."

"Answer; everything." The King of Spades said darkly.

Chapter 28

2009-12-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

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.

Chapter 27

2009-11-23T12:19:00.003-08:00

The King of Spades didn't need an invitation to simply waltz through the front door unannounced. Frantic butlers and maids and solidered flurried around him in protest while some went to fetch the Queen to complain or plead with him to rid them of this terrifying man. King Akefia smirked. One trait he did share with his 'real world' counterpart was that people had a habit of being scared of him for no reason. It might have been the smirk, or the scar on his face, or the confident stride that dared anyone to defy. He didn't know, and didn't care. He liked it that way.

"My oh my, dear King Akefia." The Queen mocked as he too waltzed through the foyer doors, two elven maids pulling them open for him so he didn't have to use his delicate arms. "The tournament is tomorrow, I'll have you know."

"And I do know that, your Highness," The King mocked, sarcasm dripping from his lips with his use of the term, "However before I participate I felt the need to examine the prize and deem it worthy of my efforts to attain it."

"Oh my dear, do you not trust me?" The Queen gasped, easily faking shock with a feminine hand to his mouth. "That could be called treason!"

"Ah, but it isn't, by official law." King Akefia grinned at him, not smiling, never smiling. This man before him didn't deserve his smiles.

"Who was it that wrote those laws and who is it that can change them?" The Queen of Hearts giggled in a slightly hysterical way. "But you have a point. It's not fair to have you play without knowing your prize. It'll make you work all the more harder and I do love to crush someone's dreams." He smiled sickly sweet and turned to lead the taller and far more toned royal dignitary to the dungeons.

The King of Spades followed, digusted by the spikey haired queen walking with a bounce in his step. He was gaining to much glee from the Ringleader's torment and it was wrong. So wrong. The Ringleader was a strong man; dominant, malicious, sadistic. Something was terribly wrong in the universe when it came to such a man being broken down and forced to submit.

What he noticed the most on his decent into the stony dungeons was the slowly falling temperature. The King of Spades wore a similar attire to the Ringleader in that he wore no shirt with white pants and gloves. He subconciously pulled his cape tighter around him, wondering and hoping that his... he supposed he should call him his friend... hoping that his friend wasn't freezing. King Akefia pulled his hat further over his eyes to shield the emotion he knew must be showing. He wouldn't let on to Queen Bitch how much it affected him.

"Right in here, King!" The Queen finally announced, spreading his arms wide in front of a solid wooden door decorated with firm steel bars. "You may inspect your prize. I'll be back down in half an hour. Magician!" He suddenly called to the purple haired guard on duty by the door. "Take a break." The Queen then turned back to the King and winked in a way that made his skin crawl. He was happy when the Queen and his loyal servant left and he was free to explore the dungeon without being watched.

The pale eyed royal took the ring of keys off of the hook on the wall and unlocked the solid door, pushing it open with a creak and carefully making his way down the dark and dank corridor. The cells were almost sunken into the walls themselves, more like holes with bars than proper holding spaces. Every one he passed was empty until the very last one, lit by a single torch and a small amount of light draining through the metal in the tiny window. He held back an uncharacteristic sob when his gaze finally rested on the strong master of ceremonies chained to the wall.

It was obvious he'd fought back at some point, if the bruises littering his torso had anything else to say. His wrists were bleeding, suggesting that he's struggled against the metal shackles so much that he'd badly chaffed his skin. His head was bowed, submissive against his approacher, tiny whimpers falling from his lips as he anticipated what was to come.

"Akefia." The King called out, still slightly unused to calling his own name. "Akefia, look at me. Look up. Akefia!"

Akefia finally raised his head, and when his eyes came to rest on the tall and sturdy form of the King of Spades he let out a relieved cross between a gasp and laugh. "Its you. Holy shit, its you, its you." He gushed in a very out of character way, sounding almost desperate. Fuck, what had happened in three days?

The King used the keys he'd taken to unlock the cell, thankful that one was easily recognised as a skeleton key and so he didn't have to search for the right one. He then quickly unlocked the shackles binding his reflection's wrists to the wall. He was shocked when the Ringleader suddenly latched on to him in a hug and began to tremble. Luckily he wasn't crying, and the King of Spades suspected the trembling was because of the cold. He growled when he noticed the Ring King's usual red coat was no where to be seen.

Despite his instincts to embrace the freezing clone in his arms, the King forced him away, growling low in his throat when he saw the pathetic expression on the once noble Ringleader's face. He slapped that face with his gloved hand; not so hard to hurt but enough to sting a little. He nearly growled again when Akefia let out a whimper.

"Akefia, look at me." He demanded, and at once the Ringleader sat up straight and looked him in the eyes as if afraid to defy him. "What the devil happened to you?"

"Uke-shrooms." The tanned man grumbled in a more normal voice before breaking off into a whine, trying to cuddle him once more. But again, the King shoved him away.

"Fuck, those things are nasty." The King sighed in annoyance, looking around the cell to find a tray of what he could only guess was stew, and the red dust scattered in the remains was clearly powdered uke-shrooms. "Right, I have a plan." His mind had thought it up fast and while he might not really like it, he hoped it would help out in the long run and regain the Ringleader's dignity if only slightly.

He pulled off one of his gloves with his teeth, keeping hold of Akefia's shoulder with the other. Swiftly he managed to open and unzip the man's white trousers, much to the surprise of the one wearing them, and he forcefull grasped the unconfined cock that lay beneath, making the Ringleader squeak in delight and surprise. He worked quickly, the tanned male soon rolling his head back and shallowly thrusting his hips to create more friction from the hand that pleased him.

But that had was removed quickly and the King let go of the Ringleader's shoulder, bringing out another uncharacteristic whimper from the man. The King forced himself not to roll his eyes and get down on his stomach instead, laying himself down in front of the Ringleader in pretty much a total act of submission. He didn't wait to be begged or pleaded and simply sucked the tan cock in front of him into his mouth with a cry from the man it belonged to.

"Oh god!" Akefia moaned, and the King was pleased it was a moan and not a cry or a whimper or a mewl. It was a definate gutteral moan that only came from the most dominant of people. The next line was better. "Suck it, bitch."

The King smirked around the flesh in his mouth and began to bob his head up and down the stiff column, sucking fiercly and not wincing when the white haired master knocked his hat off to twist his fingers in his hair painfully. He used all the tricks he knew, which weren't many considering he didn't do this very often as he was as top as his mirror image, but they seemed to do the trick as Akefia slowly unravelled under him.

The moans became groans which soon turned silent as Akefia edged closer to oblivion. The only warning the King of Spades had before the man shot his load down the back of his throat was the tightening of the fingers in his hair and the thigh muscles on either side of his head. He didn't choke, but simply swallowed it all down in the same way he would expect all of the Ringleader's submissives to do.

The King stood and picked up his hat, straightening himself out and making his clothes look as presentable as possible. Below him Akefia zipped his pants back up and had a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. A smirk, not a smile, the King was happy to note.

When the black and white clad royal picked up the keys and walked out of the cell, he heard Akefia say 'Thanks, asshole' before he turned to walk back the way he came.

His plan had worked, for the moment, and for that he was glad. The King of Spades could go about his game with a small weight lifted off of his shoulders.

Chapter 26

2009-11-23T12:19:00.001-08:00

Marik groaned as he stretched out on one of the lounge chairs on the King's lawn. He'd spent the last four hours since just after breakfeast learning how to properly play croquet, and his muscles were sore. He'd thought the game was a pretty simple thing at first; hit the ball through the hoops and back. Simple. But swap the ball for a hedgehog and the mallet for a flamingo and that was one hell of a strange game with an aweful lot of running around after the animals when they got loose.

Bakura had watched completely amused from the sidelines, content with just slurping whatever drinks where brought to him and nibbling on whatever treats appeared on the plate on the table beside him. Marik occassionally threw a glare over in his direction, and only received a stuck out tongue or a wink and a kiss. None of them saw much of the King that day, so the March Hare took over the reigns and taught the blonde lion everything he knew about the stupid little game. They both cursed and groaned and laughed, having a little bit of fun along the way.

"Awh, is the poor little kitty tired?" The white haired knife thrower teased, handing him a cookie which the lion took gratefully.

"You try chasing after pink birds and spikey balls with legs." Marik threw back, tossing half of the cookie into his mouth and chewing. Bakura just laughed in response before sobering up quite quickly.

"I still can't believe that bastard was caught." He said with a little slump in his seat, his eyes downcast from the bright sky into the shadows of the trees. "He always had some trick up his sleep to escape."

"People usually attack him face to face, though." Marik mused, cocking his head to the side in the way he always did, watching a lone bread-and-butterfly flit around the black and white rose bushes. "This was a sneak attack. He was poisoned. Bitch." He growled at the mere thought of the Queen.

"Wonder what this Queen Bitch looks like." Bakura pondered, considering who he knew who was cruel and annoying enough to be the Queen of Hearts' mirror image.

"Remember that guy who's arm I tore off?" Marik grinned broadly, turning his head towards his companion who relfected that grin on his own face. "Yami, was his name?"

"I don't remember. He was only a temporary replacement for Malik while he got over that food poisoning." The red-eyed man chuckled as he picked up a heart shaped cookie for himself. "But yes, you tore off his arm."

"Thanks to you."

"And Malik."

"Mostly you."

"Ok, fine, mostly me." Bakura pouted a little with his confession, "Totally your fault for going so loopy on catnip though."

"Your fault for spiking my food with the stuff." Marik shot back in good nature with a fond but evil smile.

"Your fault for being a greedy jackass and gulping it all down in one." Bakura stuck his tongue out at him."

"Your fault for-" Marik began but was interrupted by the patio doors banging open, announcing the arrival of the King of Spades.

"What? You're still here?" He raised an eyebrow at the two lazing around. "I sent that hare to come and fetch you. Get moving, we need to go to the city."

"What for?" Bakura asked without thinking, rising from his seat slower than Marik. It seemed a small part of the tanned lion was loyal and obediant to this Akefia too.

"The tournament, idiot." The King stormed out again, leaving the two circus workers to follow him quickly in case they got left behind.

Their trip to the city entailed of a carriage ride with a small stack full of luggage to what Marik could only call the heart of Heartland City. They'd passed a few small villages, and the contents of the carriage all heard an audiable but quiet growl come from the King when they passed a bar called The Poison Rose. Marik could quickly guess why, and found it rather annoying the place was called a poison rose considering his master had been drugged and kidnapped there.

They came to stop in front of a pretty elaborate and fancy looking inn, and the servants of the King of Spades appeared out of no where to help them out of the carriage and unload their bags. It was clear the March Hare and Cheshire Cat were used to this sort of treatment as they followed their King into the main entrance. Bakura and himself hung back a little to watch the strange creatures at work before they realised they'd been left behind and jogged to catch up.

All five of them had seperate rooms, although with a flirtatious smile the Cheshire Cat managed to get a room with a double king size bed (which Marik thought must have been huge) for himself and his two white haired lovers, and a moderately sized room with a simple king size bed for the lion himself plus Bakura. The blonde was a little grateful to his reflection because he didn't like the idea of rooming alone in a strange land and he was pretty sure Bakura wouldn't have been comfortable with the idea either.

"Get settled into your rooms," The King of Spades announced to them once they'd been given their keys (which heart shaped notches, Marik noted), "Nap, fuck, whatever, but be back down here for supper. I need to go and see the Queen."

"What for?" Bakura asked, looking at the almost-clone of his boss.

"It's a formality to inform him of my presence, plus I might get a chance to have a look at Akefia." The white haired male explained to his shorter companion, "I'll come back and tell you about what I saw and hopefully have a little insight as to that bitch's plans."

As the King walked away, black and white cpae billowing dramatically behind him, Marik shared a look with Bakura, and could see that he too was determined to make the bitchy queen pay for what he had done.

Chapter 25

2009-11-23T12:18:00.001-08:00

The sun rose to greet several groups of people and creatures throughout Wonderland. Some welcomed the day with open arms, others turned over in their beds and cursed it. Some pined for it through the bars of their cell, others watched it with anticipation of things to come.

In the far corner of the land, in the dead center of Diamond Woods, the Duchess watched the sunrise with worry and care. The White Rabbit had spread the secret news that Akefia, the one who called himself the Ringleader, had been captured by the Queen and was being held as a prize for the next croquet tournament. He told her this with great concern, and she had thanked him for it, sending him quickly on his way in case the Queen caught him spreading the word.

Her harpies stood guard at all times, sensing her worry but not knowing the cause. The blonde royal smiled with affection. Throughout everything they would stand by her side, and were the only things she could truly trust. She didn't even trust her pet, the Cheshire Cat. Not fully anyway. He had good intentions, but he was tricksy.

She watched the sunrise with concern, and vowed to help release the captured Ringleader.

In the center of the land, standing high up on the roof of one of the towers in Heartland City, the Queen of Hearts stood proud and smug, looking forwards to the next day's events and almost insanely gleeful about his capture of the white haired man who called himself King. He'd waited for this day a long time, ever since he'd heard of the gorgeous man. Oh, he'd never ever EVER lay his hands on him in that way, oh no. The Queen wrinkled his nose in disgust. Sure the Ringleader was pretty to look at but the spikey haired man had his sights on another, much more pleasing target.

It wouldn't stop him in capturing the lion too, however. The Queen licked his lips. Ah yes, that pretty little lion. He'd have fun breaking him while the 'King' watched. So strong and yet so easily betrayed, if what his minions had told him was true. The crimson-eyed queen tutted as he shook his head, stalking back inside into the warmth, turning around to have one last look at the rising sun. Akefia had to be careful. He talked in his sleep and let out a lot of secrets, of which the walls listened to.

He watched the sunrise with glee, and vowed that he would keep his hands on the Ringleader no matter what.

In another corner of the land, more specifically Spades Forest, two rooms looked at the rising sun with different thoughts.

Marik sat on the edge of the bed, looking out at the golden rays peaking out from over the top of the trees through the curtains he forgot to close the previous night. He hadn't had a good sleep, his dreams turning into nightmares of the Ringleader, his master, being tortured and broken in ways he didn't want to think about again. He'd awoken to Bakura in his embrace and had reluctantly shuffled out of it to sit in his current position. The blonde was surprised he hadn't woken the usually light sleeper, but then he remembered that transporting to Wonderland was quite a tiring thing.

His mind wandered to the Ringleader. His fists clenched subconciously at the thought of that damn Queen laying his filthy hands on his master. From what the March Hare had told him, he doubted that Queen Bitch would do anything sexual to him, but there was still the worry, still the fear of torture and worse. Marik shook his head to clear his mind. It wouldn't do any good to worry right now, not with having to learn the game of croquet so he had a chance to beat the man he wanted to simply claw to death like his instincts screamed.

He watched the sunrise with rage, and vowed he would kill the Queen and beat him at his own game to save the Ringleader.

The King of Spades sat contemplating on the large bay window in his personal quaters wearing nothing except his white pants, thinking over various strategies to defeat his long-time rival and enemy. There were too many variables to properly prepare for what was about to happen, but he could at least try and have the upper hand. If it was up to him he'd charge in there with his sword and just slice the Queen Bitch to pieces before feeding them to the Jabberwocky in Club Beach. Alas, the white haired king couldn't do that, not while the Queen's word was law and he had many supporters.

He turned to the two apparently sleeping figures on his bed, both stark naked and wrapped around each other. The King smiled at the sight. It was times like this when he could relate to his mirror image, the Ringleader. The Cheshire Cat might have been the Duchess's pet but he was his friend, companion and occasional lover. The March Hare was similar, but more his brother in arms than anything else. The three often found themselves in bed together despite the other two's obvious attachment to each other. The King of Spades knew he'd protect them, and their kittens, with his life.

He watched the sunrise with sympathy, and vowed he would help the Ringleader any way he could.

The final corner of the land wasn't really a corner, rather a straight stretch of land known as Club Beach, and within it a boy known as Yugi, more commonly known as Alice, sat in his friend's villa with a cup of tea in his hands and a concerned look on his face. Like with the Duchess, the White Rabbit had delivered the news that the prize of the Queen's next croquet tournament was none other than the Ringleader, Akefia. While they hadn't spoken that much, and had only met by coincidence at various people's abodes, Alice hated the fact that he knew the Queen only did things like this to gain his attention.

He grumbled into his tea, blowing bubbles in it as he delicately sipped it. It was known to pretty much everyone that the Queen of Hearts had a 'more-than-crush' on him, and it annoyed the dress wearing boy like nothing else. He hadn't given up his life in the 'real world' to be persued by some queen with a crossdressing fetish. Besides, he was perfectly happy with his strange relationships with the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter.

He watched the sunrise with annoyance, and vowed he would stop the Queen from using the Ringleader in his twisted games.

Back in Heartland City, under the warmth of the palace in the cold and slightly damp dungeons, Akefia wearily watched what little of the sunrise he could see through the tiny window in his cell. The uke-shroom powder he was constantly poisoned with had forced all the fight and struggle out of him, and the white haired man was left to simply curl up and try and gain some warmth. One of the guards had taken pity on him and given him a scrap of material for a blanket, which currently rested over his shoulders. He winced at the memory of the purple eyed guard saying 'You look so cold, poor thing', like he was a child, or a pet.

Akefia pulled it as far around himself as it would go, and looked up at the sun just barely peaking through the bars of the window. He was on the verge of tears, something he hadn't done since he was a small boy of eight when he parents were murdered. It was then that he'd found the hat, his beloved red top hat. The hat was something to hold on to, which he had done for all these years.

He watched the sunrise with desperationg, and silently pleaded to be saved.

Chapter 24

2009-11-21T10:35:00.001-08:00

Marik groaned into Bakura's mouth as their tongues sparred. He felt the hand that had been petting his hair tug at the blonde strands, and he grinned as best he could. Bakura remembered the slight kinky he had about having his hair pulled. He raked his claws down Bakura's back, slipping beneath the black material of his shorts and tearing at the flimsy material of the striped tights he wore. Now he had perfect access to that delicious derriere, which he happily groped harshly.

Bakura wrapped a leg around Marik's waist as he deepened the kiss further, rolling them slightly so he was more laid on top of the tanned lion. His fingers tangled deeping in the blonde spikes, trailing down to play with the fur around Marik's neck. With the collar gone he had more access to the expanse of that tantalising neck, which he broke the kiss for to lick and bite. Marik moaned softly at his ministrations, and he trailed his free hand down his tanned chest to pinch his nipple, making the blonde arch and whimper for more.

Bringing a second hand down Marik slipped that hand down Bakura's shorts too and shredded the thin material of the tights some more. He always wondered why the other wore tights instead of socks, they just got in the way when it came to things like this. And they always ended up getting torn. Did he have a closet full of them?

He was distracted from his thoughts when Bakura slithered a hand down the front of his unzipped shorts (when had that happened?) and grasped hold of his cock forcefully, drawing out a cry from the blonde lion and a devilish smirk from the knife thrower. He regained some sense when he found one of the hidden daggers in the other man's shorts, and pulled it out to slice down the material and cut off the offending garment.

"Oi, fucker." Bakura pulled back and glared at him. He could easily repair or replace the shorts but that wasn't the point. To retaliate he bent down and harshly bit the nipple he wasn't playing with, once more making Marik arch into his touch.

Then his world spun around when Marik turned them over to pin him to the bed, a lust filled haze clouding his violet eyes. Bakura only had a second or two to realise what had happened before the blonde's mouth decended on his and once more they were engaged in a passionate lip-lock, only this time with a lot more tongue. Marik lay fully on top of the slimmer man, grinding their hips together and causing them both to moan into their kiss. Bakura snaked one hand up to entwine with his hair again while the other hand scratched down the scars on his back to grope and fondle his ass.

The feel of the scars beneath his fingertips sent Bakura's mind wandering. He obviously knew some of them were from when the Ring King whipped the lion a little too hard sometimes, but the others, the more intricate ones, were deliberate, and in the part of Marik's past he never talked about but still got depressed about. Like he was a few moment ago. With this new information in mind the white haired man slowed down his ministrations a bit, trying to be more comforting than their usual hard and fast fucking.

Marik smiled into their kiss when he noticed what Bakura was trying to do and he was thankful for it. Their kiss slowed from a raging battle of tongues to a sensual feeling of warmth and affection. Anyone who knew them for a moment would assume they were devious assholes, but people who knew them as long as the ones at the circus did knew they were so much more than that. They were human (or half in Marik's case); they did have emotions.

Bakura raised his hips against Marik's grinding, sliding his hands down to hook into the belt loops of the lion's shorts and push them down as far as they'd go. Marik did the same to the black material hanging loose around his own waist, pulling at it until it tore away. The tops of his tights came away with them and now he was left wearing only his waist coat and the silky feeling striped stockings on his legs. The waist coat didn't last long as Marik yanked him into a sitting position to pull it off and fling it in the direction of their other clothes.

The feel of Bakura's writhing body below him was wonderful. The fact they were going about ten times slower than usual was magnificent. Usually it was hard and fast behind a trailer or in Marik's cage, so slow and sensual in an actual bed was a welcome change. He grinned to himself when Bakura took the knife from before and cut off his own shorts.

"Now we're even," The crimson eyed albino murmured triumphantly when he pulled away from the kiss for a moment. Marik just smirked and latched his lips into Bakura's neck. It seemed a lot of them were sensitive on the neck, as proven by Bakura's loud moan when Marik nipped him with his fangs.

Marik licked a trail of saliva over the abused area, satisfied by the small amount of blood that he'd drawn. He tapped the pale knife thrower's lips with three of his fingers, who willingly sucked them into his mouth and coated them with spit. Marik sat up on Bakura's hips, biting his own lip at the sight of the other happily suckling on his clawed fingers. He left them in a little longer than he usually would have (actually he usually wouldn't fucked the albino raw but he didn't want to this time), enjoying the feeling of the other's tongue swiping at the digits. Eventually he pulled them out and shuffled them around so Bakura's legs were over his shoulders and nearly bent double. He was nearly as flexible as Malik, he mused.

He watched the other's face carefully when he wriggled two fingers into Bakura's entrance, relishing the look for pure bliss and satisfaction that crossed the white haired man's sharp features when he managed to find his prostate on the first try. He felt the other thrusting his hips downwards, impaling himself further on Marik's fingers, trying to get him to move faster. With a grin the blonde lion inserted another finger, fondling that sensational spot over and over, making Bakura moan and writhe beneath him.

"Oh bloody fuck me, you twat!" Bakura cursed at him, suddenly yanking him down for yet another passionate kiss. Marik broke it off and licked his nose playfully.

"All in good time, 'Kura." He smirked, making Bakura whine at the use of the nickname and that Marik was still fondling his prostate.

Marik had soon had enough teasing and removed his fingers, much to Bakura's dismay. But the shorter male was soon throwing his head back in pleasure and moaning loudly when the tan lion thrust his member into his ass with one slick movement. It was clear he hadn't lubed himself up but it didn't matter. He loved the feeling anyway. His insides had been slightly torn from Marik's claws but it just added to the feelings of pleasure, after all he was quite a masochist at times.

He didn't move right away, instead taking a little time to tease the smaller man below him. Soon Bakura was grumbling and muttering at him to move, trying to wriggle his hips and impale himself on the other's cock. Marik grinned again, beginning to slowly move in and out of the other's tight passage, causing him to sigh in pleasure and moan when Marik managed to hit that lovely bunch of nerves again.

They continued to move slowly, content with just feeling each other for a while. Soon, however, Bakura grew a little impatient, teasing Marik with every thrust by tightening his passage, making it all the more pleasureable for the lion. Marik growled in an animalistic way, leaning down to bite on his neck once more. Then an idea hit the blonde, and he suddenly pulled Bakura up into a sitting position, bringing out a yelp of surprise and a gasp as a shock of pleasure shot up his spine from the sudden change in position.

Bakura looked at the lion with lust in his eyes before burying his face in the other's shoulder when Marik began to move him up and down his manhood, snaking a hand around to fondle his own member. The knife thrower clutched at the blonde mane beneath his fingers as this new postion managed to hit his prostate with every single thrust.

"Oh fuck, oh, oh fuuuck!" Bakura gasped, moving his head to capture Marik's mouth in a kiss, their tongues lazily fighting as the pace slowly sped up. Marik's hands were on his ass as he moved the other up and down, bouncing in his lap.

It wasn't long before both of them lost control, Marik ending up ramming himself into Bakura's intoxicating heat while pumelling that spot that made him see stars. The white haired man bit down on Marik's neck, the opposite side to the bruise already there, making Marik roar in lust and pound his ass even harder, bouncing him up and down more furiously.

They climaxed together, Bakura's teeth clamping down hard on Marik's skin, the lion's claws leaving deep marks in the flesh of the other's ass. Coming down from their high, the red-eyed man fell backwards in exhaustion, bringing Marik down with him to lie on top of him. They panted, trying to catch their breath, before the blonde lion chuckled to himself, making the man below him raise a curious eyebrow.

"Akefia will be upset he missed all the fun." Marik explained, earning a cackling laugh from his friend.

Chapter 23

2009-11-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Marik was roused from his sleep when he heard shuffling and voices outside of his door. His sleepy brain told him to ignore it and snuggle under the covers some more, but the curious cat part of him wanted to know what was going on. He always listened to his curious side, so the blonde pulled himself out of his warm and cozy cocoon and proceeded to sleepily stumble over to the door and see what was going on.

Pushing open the dark oak doors, Marik popped his head out and looked around the barely lit corridor. He almost smiled when he saw the Cheshire Cat pinning the March Hare to the wall and kissing him furiously. He'd had his suspicions about what he made the white haired man so down but it was a small surprise to see it had been the Cheshire Cat who he missed.

"They always like that?" A voice to his right asked, and he turned his head to come face to face with Bakura who was leaning against the wall. "Hey kitty." He grinned at Marik's shocked look.

For whatever reason crossed his mind, the lion found himself launching himself into Bakura's arms and nearly hugging the life outta him. "You have no idea how fucking great it is to see you!" He heard himself admitting, inwardly wincing at how desperate he sounded. But that was washed away when Bakura actually embraced him back.

"You've not been goone that long." The white haired circus worker chuckled, feeling the need to at least try and soothe the other's worries. "Ten minutes at the most."

Marik pulled back, still keeping hold of the other man's shoulders as he looked into his eyes. "Its been about three days for me." He told him, getting a little glee when Bakura's red eyes widened.

"What the fuck?" The knife thrower cursed lowly, and Marik was prevented from answering when they were interrupted by a loud moan from the March Hare.

Marik laughed at them slightly before yanking on Bakura's arm and pulling him into the room he'd been given. He was a little smug when he heard the white haired man gasp at the sight of such luxury.

"Damn Marik." Bakura gawked, "Who'd you have to fuck to get this palace of a room?"

"Wasn't me. Try the Ringleader." Marik grinned, flopping back down on the king size bed. It was still warm from before.

"The Ringleader?" Bakura questioned, climbing onto the bed himself. "And you're not mad?" He'd expected the lion to be furious at the thought of the Ring King screwing around with someone else besides him.

Marik shrugged. "I was at first, but everything just seems like a giant orgy here." The blonde told him while snuggling into the covers again. "That rabbit guy you saw was the one screwing around with Akefia, and I'm betting our King is vain enough to fuck the King of Spades too."

"Yeah, I noticed the whole mirror image thing." Bakura commented as he got himself comfortable by taking off his boots. "Who's the King's look-a-like?"

"The King here is the King of Spades." Marik grinned, flashing his sharp fangs and making the other squirm and smirk.

"So an actual proper king then?" Bakura chuckled, trying to imagine that in his head. Picturing their malevolent Ringleader in a crown and a fancy cape was a very amusing image indeed. The only think Akefia liked to wear on his head was his precious top hat. Which brought Bakura to his next item in question. "What's with the Ringleader's hat then?"

The blodne lion before him shrugged again. "Not a clue. I have a feeling its a portal to this place, and he's used it hell of a lot." Marik voiced his opinion. "Everyone I've come across here seems to know him in some way, by meeting him or hearing about him." He stretched tiredly. "I've just chosen not to question it anymore. Nothing in this place makes sense."

"Heh, well you know more than me at this point." Bakura smiled, shoving Marik over from the middle of the bed so he could lay down too. He turned on his side and just looked the lion over. He seemed exhausted in more ways than one, and had a nasty bruise or bite mark on his shoulder from something. Only one person, or creature, in mind could have done that. "Did you fuck the Cheshire Cat?"

Marik had his eyes closed as he grinned broadly. "Yeah, I did." He admitted proudly.

"He's got kittens you know." Bakura said while he eyed the lion up and down.

"Really?" Marik cracked open a tired eye, staring at the man lying next to him. "This place really doesn't make sense."

"He's more caring than I ever could imagine you to be." The white haired knife thrower told him as he subtly shuffled closer.

The tanned feline turned to face him, opening both of his eyes now. "Well you try having my past." He glared softly. "I know you had a bad one too but nothing compared to mine."

There was a sadness and heartache in Marik's face that Bakura rarely saw. He knew his lion friend sometimes got like this after being put in solitary confinement by their master. He didn't like to be alone, which wasn't a problem considerig Akefia pretty much demanded he should be by his side at all times, unless he'd done something to piss him off. Bakura reached out a hand and gently stroked Marik's ears, knowing it would calm down the bubbling annger in him.

Marik's eyes slipped shut as he began purring, making Bakura smile to himself. Despite their contant arguing, chaos making, fighting and hard fucking, they really did care about each other. In fact, the more the white haired man thought about it, the more he realised that was the rule throughout the whole circus. They had their moments and fallouts, but at the end of the day they'd kill for each other (maybe not Ryou but the thought was there).

While he'd been lost in his thoughts Marik had slid closer, nuzzling against Bakura's neck while he was petted. He let his mind clear itself and focused on the hand now buried in his mane of hair. He hadn't realised how much he missed his fellow circus folk, and without thinking about it he snaked his arms around Bakura's waist and pulled him close.

Bakura couldn't help but laugh internally at how cuddly the big cat was, but he let him snuggle. There were times when you just needed it. Everyone at the circus got that way sometimes. Ryou went to Malik for it, sometimes Marik or Bakura if they were in a good mood. Bakura went to Akefia or the lion he was currently holding, simply because those two were the only ones who knew his entire past. Marik would more than likely come to Bakura, because Akefia wasn't a cuddly person. When Akefia needed the affection, he didn't go to anyone. It was up to them to find out what was wrong and correct it. Sometimes that thought broke Bakura's black heart.

The lion in his arms pulled back slightly, looking him in the eye for a second or two before leaning forwards and engaging him in a very tongue-filled and pasionate kiss.

Chapter 22

2009-11-20T15:10:00.003-08:00

Bakura awoke in a bit of a daze. His back was killing from where ever it was he fell, and he honestly couldn't remember how he fell in the first place. Did he fall down the stairs or something? He blearily opened his eyes and was rather confused when he saw dark trees and night sky above him. It hadn't been night when he went into the King's trailer, nor were they that close to trees so thick.

He gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position, growing even more confused with the feel of dirt beneath his fingers. The circus compound was all grass. The white haired man looked around as quickly as his head would let him, and saw that he currently sat in a very dense forest in the middle of a blue dirt pathway. Since when was dirt blue? Had Malik been playing with the spraypaint again?

He stood up, almost pouting when his noticed one of his boots had a tear in it. Easily fixed (he should know, he ruined them with his knives at least once a month) but annoying none-the-less. Bakura took another survey of his surroundings, wondering where on earth he was. He suspected the Ring King had knocked him out and taken him into the middle of the woods as punishment for both touching his hat and going into his trailer. But this didn't have the signatures of a Ringleader trap. He'd usually be there to gloat and taunt him mercilessly.

Shrugging, Bakura set off into the woods, ignoring the path completely because that's just how he was. He'd find it a lot more fun to trek through the trees and discover hidden treasures than take the boring path and actually go somewhere. He was amused to find that tiny mushrooms that grew on the base of the trees glowed in the moonlight, lighting his way just enough so he didn't trip and fall flat on his face. He picked on up curiously and looked it over, a tiny bit disappointed that it didn't keep it's glow when it was pulled out of the ground.

After walking at a slightly slow pace, the white haired knife thrower thought he could hear something that sounded like a cat. He stopped in his tracks and listened carefully, almost certain he could hear the tiny mewls of kittens. Despite his cold and almost heartless demenor, Bakura was actually quite a cat person, and Marik was included in that spectrum. The pale man followed the sounds of the tiny cries, eventually finding what he was looking for at the base of one of the thickest trees that had been hollowed out by something or another.

"Hello." Bakura said endearingly to the little kittens in the den. He'd kill anyone who saw him now. He reached out a hand as he crouched down, stroking the closest one to him softly.

One looked like a proper little kitty-cat, while the other two could've easily been mistaken for a rabbit with their longer ears. When he shifted his position his eyes widened as the creatures changed before his eyes. He was no longer looking at three cat-creatures, but three half-cat half-humans. They retained their small size, but their furry faces switched to soft skin and bright eyes looking up at him fearfully. Two were tanned, the last almost as white as snow. All three had blonde hair but two of them had white streaks.

Bakura was just getting a proper look at them when he heard a savage but low growling behind him. Thanks to his quick reflexes from dealing with Marik pouncing on him all the time he managed to quickly dodge his attacker when they lunged and darted back from the tree. His jaw dropped when the attacker before him bore a striking resemblance to the lion he had just been thinking about.

Apparently his attacker also recognised him with the way he cocked his head to the side with interest and didn't go in for a second attack. With a grin, the other man, blonde and tanned with violet eyes, stood up straight and in an almost seductive pose instead of being poised for a strike. "Well now, looks like the circus is coming to town." He chuckled, eyeing Bakura up and down while leaning back on the tree. Bakura noticed this was in defense of the kittens despite how casual it looked. "I take it you're here with Marik and the Ringleader."

Bakura blinked in confusion. "They're here?!" He gasped, a little shocked. He'd dedueced that they were no longer in the circus anymore, and the feline-man in front of him proved it.

"Oh, you're not with them?" The man's tail swished around behind him coyly. "I suppose you just fell in too."

"Too? What do you mean 'too'?" Bakura questioned, taking a threatening step closer and reaching subtly for his belt, where he knew at least one knife rested.

"Calm down, dear Bakura." The cat grinned again, raising his hands defensively.

"How do you know my name?" Bakura growled. He was about to lose his short temper with this man.

"I know a lot of things about you thanks to the Ringleader." The cat said cryptically. "I'm the Cheshire Cat by the way. And you'll bee good to listen to me if you ever want to get out of here." The Cheshire Cat then turned and knelt down, tending to the kittens who were mewling at him.

"Who's are those?" Bakura asked a little more gently, slowly walking over to the bunch of felines.

"Mine." The Cheshire Cat said with a little pride and a lot of affection. "Well, mine and the March Hare's."

"Your children?" The red-eyed knife thrower raised a pale eyebrow in question, looking from the cat to the kittens. "How?"

"You'll come to quickly learn that nothing in this world makes sense, dear Bakura." The Cheshire Cat looked over his shoulder and grinned in an enigmatic way. "All you need to know is these little ones are mine, and I'll protect them with me life."

"You make it sound like someone is after them." Bakura phrased his sentence in a way that made it sound like he wanted to know more without actually asking about it.

"Someone is." The purple and black striped cat told him a little sadly, crawling into the hollowed out tree and cuddling with his children. "The Queen of Hearts wants rid of them. He thinks they're vermin. I know all he wants is a way to get me to his palace."

As instructed, Bakura didn't question why the Queen was a 'he' and just went along with it, shuffling forwards and sitting with his legs crossed in front of the gaping entrance of the little alcove. He was just happy to sit and listen to the cat-thing who was almost a mirror image of his long-time friend and fuck buddy. "I'm gonna guess this Queen is a bit of a bitch."

The Cheshire Cat laughed almost hysterically, and probably would've been louder had his kittens not been curled up in his lap. "You could say that, yes. But 'bit' is a complete understatement. He's the most ruthless and cold-hearted person you'll ever meet."

"You've not met Akefia." Bakura muttered to himself running his fingers through his long hair, but the dark feline's sharp ears picked it up.

"Yes I have." He said, staring right into Bakura's eyes with his own. "Your Ringleader might be a bastard, an asshole, seeminly uncaring and utterly sadistic, but he cares about you. About Marik. About everyone at your circus. He'd kill for you all given the chance."

"I know." Bakura muttered, looking down, unable to meet the cat's eyes anymore. Instead he idly stroked one of the kittens that had chosen to crawl into his lap and paw at his vest. "He's here then?"

"Yeah, but I'll leave it up to the King to tell you where exactly." The Cheshire Cat told him, his voice softened from the harsh tone before. "As far as I know your pet Marik is with the King himself, along with the March Hare."

Before Bakura got the chance to ask who those people were, two robed creatures suddenly appeared silently behind him, making him jump to his feet in defense and pulling out a knife from his boot.

"Relax, Bakura." The Cheshire Cat soothed him, putting the kittens on his lap on the floor. "These are the servants of the King of Spades. They won't hurt you. They were probably sent to find you."

"What for?" Bakura's steel gaze didn't leave the strange things standing motionless in front of him.

"I told you, Marik is up there. King Akefia probably wants you together so you don't go wandering around." The tanned cat stood next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You better go. Actually..." He trailed off, looking down at his children in the tree, "I'm coming too. I don't trust leaving them in one place for long."

Bakura helped carry one of the little kittens, happy that it just curled up and slept in his arms instead of struggling while they followed the two strange things in dark cloaks.

Chapter 21

2009-11-20T15:10:00.001-08:00

The King of Spades looked out of the window when he felt a strange feeling wash over him. It was the same feeling that tingled down his spine when Akefia came through the portal into Wonderland. He walked over to the glass panes while Marik and the March Hare dug into their meals behind him and looked out over his land. Someone had most certainly come through a portal and landed in his region. The question was who?

"What's wrong?" The March Hare asked when he noticed the man by the window, his mouth full of half chewed steak. Marik's attention was on him too.

"Someone else has come into Wonderland." He explained, not turning around and still looking over his estate. "I have a feeling it might be someone you know, Marik."

"What?" Marik swallowed his own mouthful of food and stood from his chair, coming to stand beside the King. "What do you mean someone I know?"

"I got the same feeling just now as I did when you came here, and everytime Akefia returns." He told the shorter blonde. "Where did you leave the hat?"

"Hat?" Marik cocked his head to the side for a second or two in thought until he realised when he'd landed in Wonderland he'd left the hat by the tree. "Oh shit. Someone found it."

"That's obvious." The March Hare remarked while sipping at his tea. "Can you guess who it could be?"

Marik thought hard. He doubted any of the customers would dare touch the hat considering how terrified they all were of the circus people (and yet they still kept coming). That only left the employees themselves. Malik might have played with it, but he was more bothered about getting his beauty sleep and watching TV than tormenting the Ringleader. The same could be said of shy little Ryou, who really didn't want to cause any trouble. Bakura, on the other hand... the blonde nodded internally to himself. If anyone was to play with the Ringleader's top hat it would be Bakura. He never wasted an opportunity to tease their King, even if half of the time it was subconcious.

"Bakura, probably." He told his two companions when he came to his conclusion.

"The foxy little knife thrower?" The King of Spades raised an interest eyebrow with a small smirk. "Yes, Akefia has told me about him."

"He's the dude who had to wear hot pants and high heels as punishment, right?" The March Hare chuckled when Marik nodded. "I like him. Not afraid of the consequences."

"It didn't teach him a lesson," Marik sniggered almost evilly, "He still causes chaos at the circus."

"Well, what harm's a bit of fun?" The King of Spades grinned before turning back to the table and sitting down again. "Although in his case, I suppose a lot."

"He's the only one I know that can make knives a sex toy." Marik mused, causing the March Hare to choke in his own saliva while they joined the King at the table. The lion looked over at the white hare who had a very faint blush across his cheeks.

"Minions." The white haired royal called to his servants, and two of them drifted over to his side. "Do me a favour and go fetch this man. He's no good to us if he wanders around and gets lost. Or worse, if the Queen gets hold of him." The servants sort of nodded before gliding out of the door to obey their orders.

"What are those things?" Marik asked, snacking on a piece of rare steak.

"I suppose the closest thing you could say is a zombie." The tanned man answered him, "But I also suppose they're kind of spirits too. I honestly don't know. I just know they serve me without question." He finally shrugged and went back to his tea.

It was strange how Marik was growing used to the weird happenings in Wonderland. Things that would normally be completely out of the ordinary to him seemed normal now, and normal things just remained as they were. He pondered the fact that Akefia never seemed surprised by anything weird or strange happening in the circus, and now the blonde lion supposed that it was all down to this place.

"Its nearly night." The King of Spades announced, rising from his seat once more. "We should probably get to bed. Tomorrow we'll train Marik in the finer arts of croquet and hopefully try and anticipate what the Queen will plan for this tournament."

The March Hare let out a wide yawn, not even bothering to cover his mouth with his hand. "Yeah, good plan. I'm beat anyways." Marik looked over at the white hare and saw he was a little down, a tired look in his eyes that wasn't due to the lack of sleep. "C'mon Marik. Bed."

"We better not be sharing a room." Marik growled softly as if he hadn't noticed anything.

The King of Spades had two more servants lead them to where they were going to sleep for the night. Marik was taken to a room that was far more extravagent than the one he'd stayed in at the Duchess's mansion. His jaw really did drop on the sight of it, and he cursed as the dark robed servant shut his doors, leaving him alone.

The feline practically squealed as he lept into the incredibly comfy looking bed, burying his head deep into the pillows and snuggling into the covers. He let out a content sigh and didn't even bother going under the covers as he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 20

2009-11-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

Bakura didn't think it was strange that Marik and the Ringleader were nowhere to be found. The two stars of the show often disappeared for long periods of time with no explaination, the Ringleader in particular. The lion liked to hide places and jump out at people, while their King liked to be alone when he wasn't tormenting them. All the white haired knife thrower had to do was keep a look out for either of them in case they decided to jump him while he wasn't paying attention.

But what he did find strange was that Akefia's hat was lying on the ground at the base of Marik's favourite perching place and that there were no screams of pain or sounds of a whip crack to indicate the lion was being punished for toying with the top hat. Bakura picked up the red accessory and thought it was best to put it back in the Ringleader's dressing room lest they all be punished for desecrating his beloved hat.

Another curious thing the red-eyed man found right next to the discarded hat was Marik's collar, the same shade of red the Ringleader wore. Bakura hated to think what his co-worker and boss were up to so he just picked it up and ran over to the Ringleader's trailer, which was suspiciously decorated with red splattered outside but no one ever dared to question it. The door was open, which was another strange thing Bakura found. "Curiouser and curiouser." The pale knife thrower found himself saying, looking around the dressing room for any signs of a fight or... other activities. Nothing.

He couldn't lock the door on his way out as only Akefia had the key to his trailer and refused to let anyone else have a spare. Bakura was pretty sure Marik knew where one would be hidden but he wasn't anywhere in sight. With over three hours to kill before their next show, the man just wandered around in search for the two missing circus workers. He should've been practising his knife throws on the civillian they'd caught snooping in one of the few female's trailers on the lot, but his curiosity as to the whereabouts of Marik and Akefia were stronger than the urge to terrify the trespasser.

"Hey, Malik, you seen the King and his pet anywhere?" Bakura called in on the blonde dancer, not knocking on the door at all and instead just barging right on in. Luckily Malik had only been sat watching TV while drinking hot chocolate.

"No, they've not been gone long though." Malik commented, staring at his supposed friend. "Why are you worried? That's not like you."

"I wouldn't be except I found the King's hat near Marik's favouritte tree and didn't hear any whip cracks." Bakura told him, leaning on the doorframe with his arm folded across his chest. "Then I found Marik's collar nearby. He's not allowed to take that thing off. And to top it all off the King's dressing room door was open."

"What? Seriously?" Malik blinked a little in confusion, sitting up from his slouched position on his sofa. "Open open or just unlocked?"

"Actually open." The white haired man told him, a small knot forming in his stomach with slight worry. "He never leaves his bloody door open. It's always triple bolted and booby-trapped."

"You take another look around his room, I'll get Ryou and we'll search the compound." Malik offered as he stood up, putting his mug on the table nearby and grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair. "I doubt there's anything wrong but its fucking suspicious."

"Tell me about it." Bakura agreed, leading the way out of the trailer, arms still crossed.

Bakura had been at the circus nearly as long as Marik had, and knew quite a lot about their 'master'. Not everything, but enough to know when something was wrong, or at least not quite right. He'd been at the circus for at least five years, having been recruited when he was younger because Akefia happened to notice his talent with knives. Bakura grinned inwardly at the memory. He'd been on the run from the police after throwing two draggers into the back of a jewellers while making his escape with three diamond necklaces. Akefia had offered to help him in exchange for his employment at the circus. At first, Bakura would admit to not being overly thrilled with the idea, but the sirens nearby had quickly made his decision.

Overall he'd say it took around two months for him to fully appreciate that opportunity that the Ring King had given him. He could throw knives at people and not get in trouble for it. Hell, he even got paid to do it, which was a wonderful bonus. Bakura was the first to say that he and Akefia had a love-hate relationship. They would argue and fight and torment each other but the bottom line was if Bakura was in trouble he knew he could count on the Ringleader to bail him out (and complain about it later, but that wasn't the point).

He climbed back up the steps to Akefia's trailer, waving a small 'see you later' to the tanned dancer that skipped over the Ryou's own room. The door was still open, indicating the Ringleader hadn't been back at all in the minute or two it had taken to go and tell Malik what was wrong. The white haired knife thrower carefully walked across the floor to the table where he'd left the top hat, cautious incase there were any traps around. He never could trust Akefia fully, if he was honest. He managed to make it to the table and pick up the hat without any problems, and he examined the thing for any sort of sign of what happened to the two missing people.

Bakura completely didn't expect to be pulled sharply by some unseen force into the dark depths of the hat.

Chapter 19

2009-11-18T12:14:00.001-08:00

"So, you play croquet with a flamingo and a hedgehog?" Marik said disbelievingly at the sight of said animals in a pen in the King's garden. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"We used to play it normally. You know, mallets and balls and shit?" The King of Spade explained to him while the March Hare set up the game. "But Queen Bitch said that was too boring, and switched the mallets to flamingoes and the balls to hedgehogs." He snorted while the other white haired man tried to tame a couple of flighty flamingoes. "Like he wasn't crazy enough. He masted playing it like that before anyone else even knew about the change so he gave himself an unfair advantage. They call him the Queen of Games but he always bloody cheats."

"Don't use British swears, thats my thing." The March Hare quipped while he set up the equipment, shoving what eappeared to be upside-down wire U-shapes in the grass.

"What is it with him and British swearing?" Marik asked the King as they sat down on the patio chairs.

"You can blame your master for that." The King replied, taking the cup of tea offered to him by one of his servants. "He mentioned that bunny-boy over there sounded British, whatever that is, and of course he had to look it up properly and now being British is his 'thing."

"Weirdo." The lion commented, watching the March Hare continue setting things up. He chuckled when one of the flamingoes in the pen managed to get loose and charged at the white haired man.

"Oi, I know you're talking about me." The March Hare glared at them while wrestling with the pink bird. "Quit bitching and give us a hand over here!"

"No, your idea, your set-up." The King grinned, sipping at his tea with a grace that Marik knew the Ringleader could never have.

"Gah! I hate you!" The March Hare yelled at them, flinging the flamingo back into its pen with the rest of them.

"No you don't, you love me." The King retorted, chuckling when the March Hare just turned and stuck his tongue out at him before forcefully looking away to see to the rest of the animals in the pen.

Marik smiled a little to himself, getting slightly homesick and missing the circus. The relationship he saw between the King of Spades and the March Hare was one he often saw in his own master and Bakura. Akefia often riled Bakura up and Bakura would do anything and everything to get back at him. He could tell this was exactly what the King and the Hare were like.

"Ok, get over here Marik." The March Hare called to him after he'd finished setting up the wire hoops in the ground. "I'll teach you the basics first." He pulled out one of the flamingoes by it's neck and with a simple smack around its head it stiffed and went completely rigid, almost like a real croquet mallet.

The blonde lion came over and fought his natural instincts of wanting to pounce on the flailing birds in the pet. Their wings had been clipped especially for croquet so they wouldn't fly off in the middle of the game, but that didn't mean they couldn't flutter around (which they did so with gusto in the confines of the pen). Instead he tried to concentrate on what the March Hare was telling him so he could have a decent chance of beating the Queen of Hearts in his own game.

"Don't ask why that bloody Queen changed mallets to flamingoes. We long ago accepted that he's completely nuts." The March Hare was saying while showing Marik how to properly tame his flamingo to act like a mallet. "The trick to these is just to hit them on the head. Their natural instincts as animals is to walk around and to birdy things but this lot have been conditioned so when they're hit on the head they straighten out and stay there."

"Isn't that a bit cruel?" Marik didn't care, but he felt like he should at least mention it.

"No if you don't hit them that hard." The red-eyed man winced slightly, "Queen Bitch is terrible with his birds. Always hits them too hard." He paused in silence for a second before laughing at what he just said. "Anyway, you can't question the Queen on the rules either. He changes them with every tournament. But there's always the basics, which he can't change otherwise its not longer croquet."

"And what would the basics be?" Marik eyed the wire in the ground, wondering what on earth they could be for.

The March Hare carefully picked up a hedgehog out of the pen and placed it on the ground on one end of the row of wire hoops. "The main aim of the game is to get your ball from one end of the field to the other and back while going through the hoops. But, like I said, Queen Bitch keeps randomly swapping around the rules and shit so its not always that easy." He handed Marik the straightened out pink bird, and the lion took it with a little glare at the thing as if daring it to move. "Just have a go and see if you can hit the ball through the holes."

Marik refrained from making a dirty joke about that, considering how serious the situation was anyway. He carefully took hold of the flamingo as best he could and, trying not to be too forceful, swung the bird so it's beak hit the hedgehog square on its ass and got it rolling through three of the wire hoops. The King of Spades politely and mockinly clapped from his seat on the patio.

"Not bad. These are in more of a straight line than would be in a real game, so let me move them around for you." The March Hare proceeded to pull up a few of the wires in the middle, giving the tanned lion an almost perfect view of the hare's ass as he bent over to pick them up. He had to admit if the Ringleader had to shag anyone he was glad he picked someone with a nice butt. The fluffy little tail was a lovely add-on too.

Marik tried and failed at hitting the ball (or hedgehog) through the little wire posts, but slowly and surely he got better. It took him a few tries and three escaped flamingoes to get good enough to get the hedgehog-ball from one end to the other and back without hitting the damn thing too far away from the next post or missing them all together.

"You're getting pretty good, Marik." The King of Spades commented, still sat in the shade on the patio nearby. His tea had been replaced by what appeared to be some sort of alcoholic beverage. "Shall we call it quits for today? Anymore and I'm sure you'll get too bored to bother."

"Yeah, good plan." The March Hare agreed and shoo'd the blonde lion away before packing up the equipment and animals that littered the lawn.

Marik walked over to the King and took his earlier seat back, sitting next to the toned looking royal. He helped himself to the chocolate treats that were on the table between them and looked up at the slowly setting sun. He hadn't realised how long they'd been playing for.

"Akefia will be alright." The King suddenly told him, forcing him to look at the older man in question. "From what I've seen of him, he's strong, and won't easily submit to the Queen's control."

"You can bloody count on that." Marik assured him, curling up like a cat on the chair.

"What have I told you about using those swears?" The March Hare called over to him, emitting a light hearted chuckle from both the lion and the king.

Chapter 18

2009-11-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Akefia awoke very groggy on a cold and bumpy floor. He shivered against the chill of whatever he was, wondering where the hell his coat had gone. He blearily opened his eyes and looked around, confused as to where he was. He was sure he was in the bar just a moment ago. Then he remembered as he sat up sharply, wincing at the pain in his head. The god-damn Queen of Hearts.

While he rubbed his head and tried to scrape some of the grime out of his white hair, the Ringleader tried to piece together his memories on what happened. He was drinking, he knew that. The barlady at where ever he'd been had flirted with him, he remembered with a grumble. He's seen the Caterpillar, and then watched him go meet Queen Bitch. What had he seen then? Akefia shook his head to clear his thoughts. The solider at the bar talking to that lady. Then the lady took longer than usual to make his drink. Did the soldier ask her to spike it?

The Ringleader groaned in frustration, slamming his back against the stone wall behind him then wincing in regret at his actions. His ankle was chained to the wall like some sort of animal. He tugged at it futilely, fingering the metal links to try and figure out a way to escape. But they were pretty solid and it was bolted tight to the wall. It was tight around his ankle too and the only way he was going to get that one off was if he cut off his foot. Akefia wasn't about to do that. He needed his feet.

Deciding he'd had enough of the frigid floor, the pale eyed Ringleader shakily stood up in his prison, grasping onto the stone wall nearby or support. There was a window nearby, pretty high up but it was still low down enough to see out of if he could grab hold of the bars and hoist himself up. Which the man did, and got a lovely view of the grass of the Queen's gardens. He hissed in pain when he jumped back down, pins and needles shooting up his leg. "God-damn it." Akefia cursed himself, sliding back down to the floor again. He glanced outside of the bars of his new cage, seeing only a long dark corridor lit by a single flaming torch by the door at the bottom. Everything else was pitch black save the second torch by the door to his cell.

The man shivered again, bringing his knees up to his chest for warmth. He was silently thanking whoever it was that chose to leave his boots on, as there was nothing more he hated than cold feet (well, except for maybe someone messing around with his hat, but that wasn't a concern at that very moment). He grumbled a little at how pathetic he must've looked but at that moment he didn't particularly care as long as no one saw and he was warm. It didn't help much but Akefia thought it was better than doing nothing.

The door at the end of the dark corridor opened, letting the light flood into the confined space like the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel'. Akefia looked up from his knees and glared and whoever came towards him, which happened to be none other than the Queen of Hearts himself. The glare turned into a snarl as he stood up to meet his captor.

"About time I got my hands on you." The Queen practically purred when he stood in front of the bars. Akefia kept a safe distance. Far enough away from the bars not to be grabbed but close enough not to be called a coward. "You've been very hard to capture, you know."

"That's because I retch at the thought of those slimy hands of yours ever coming near me." Akefia growled, still glaring at the shorter man before him.

The Queen chuckled darkly. "Well it appears they finally got hold of you. And I have no intention of letting you go." He strutted closer to the prison, snaking his hands around the metal and smirking cockily. "You're mine now. Mine all mine. No one else is gonna touch you, and you'll never escape."

Akefia charged at the bars, startling the Queen back a few steps with a menacing growl that would rival Marik's. "We'll see about that!" He grinned at the red-eyed man's reaction, and moved back as he stepped closer once more.

"Oh we will. You're going to be the prize in my next tournament, but of course, I always win." The Queen of Hearts smiled in a way that digusted Akefia right to the core. "And I'll get my hands on that pretty little pet of yours too." He chuckled again, delighting at the viscious look on the Ringleader's face when he mentioned the blonde lion.

"You stay away from Marik." The tanned man threatened, clenching his fists tightly by his sides. "If you touch him I-"

"Won't be able to do anything." The Queen interrupted with a sickly sweet smile. "You'll be in this prison, or in a cage, or somewhere with bars. And you'll only be able to watch as I have my wicked little way with him."

The thought of the leather-clad Queen in from of him capturing his lion, his loyal pet, was sickening. It was almost as sickening as imagining what the Queen wanted to to do himself but it was even worse thinking about it happening to Marik while he watched. As pissed off at he was with the feline at that moment he still didn't want any harm to come to him.

"You touch him, you die." Akefia threatened once more. "Either by my hand, or his, or one of my other minions. But the threat still stands. Touch and die, Queen Bitch."

"Hm, I had hoped you'd be a little bit more compliant." The Queen almost pouted, sounding slightly disappointed in the outcome even though he'd expected it. "I guess I will have to use this after all." He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a fist full of red powder, throwing it directly into the Ringleader's face.

"Gah! What the fuck?!" Akefia yelled, closing his eyes against the onslaught and rubbing at them furiously. He tripped over the chain around his ankle and cursed loudly as he fell hard on his rear end.

"Shroom dust. Uke shrooms to be exact." The Queen grinned manically. "Maybe now you'll be a little bit more obediant."

While Akefia was still flounderin under the itch of the red dust, the Queen strutted out of the dungeon with a sadistic grin on his face. "Everything is going according to plan."

Chapter 17

2009-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Mad Hatter was oddly motherly in the way that he tried to load Marik up with snacks and drinks for his journey the next day, all of which the blonde declined except for the thermos full of coffee. He'd ended up staying another day to get his emotions and feelings in check, and although he supposed that would make him a day behind finding his master it also ment he wouldn't maul the man when he saw him.

The White Rabbit had come by at some point the previous night and slept over. He was rather nervous around the lion in the morning, which amused Marik greatly. The Mad Hatter assured his pale friend that he was all bark and no bite, but the bruise on his arm told another story. Either way Marik suspected the two wanted some alone time with the way the Mad Hatter was constantly cuddling and nuzzling the smaller rabbit, so he'd chosen to wander the gardens around the two houses for a while as the sun rose. Unfortunately that caused him to bump into the one person who he'd hoped to avoid: The March Hare.

"Hey there." The white haired hare greeted, obviously knowing how Marik felt and he kept his distance just in case when the blodne flashed his claws. "Look, I know you hate me-"

"Damn right I do." Marik growled, baring his teeth slightly.

"-But I've heard something you need to hear." The March Hare said seriously, red eyes boring into Marik's violet ones. "It concerns your darling master."

"What about him?" Marik didn't trust the one before him but if the Ringleader was in trouble he wouldn't hesitate to help.

"I have this, well, friend, the Caterpillar," The March Hare began, fidgeting slightly where he stood, "He supplies pretty much all of Wonderland with shrooms. The Queen of Hearts asked him for sleepy-shrooms, and obviously he paid a load and so Seto didn't ask any questions. But he was right there when the Queen told a solider to ask a barlady to taint the drink your master ordered."

"What?!" Marik nearly roared, jaw dropping in shock. "You're lying. He'd never let his guard down enough to be drugged."

"I'm telling the truth, I swear." The March Hare matched the other's steely glare. "The Queen of Hearts drugged Akefia and took him away. I'm guessing to the palace but Seto didn't stick around long enough to find out. What people do with his shrooms is none of his buisness."

"Fuck!" The lion swore, biting his knuckles enough to bleed. "Fucking bollocks!"

"British swearing doesn't suit you, y'know." The Hare said off-hand, scratching his neck. "Look, if we go see the King we can try and get a ride into the city and try and help free him."

"Why the fuck would I want to go anywhere with you?" Marik snarled, squaring his shoulders and making as if to tackle the pale man in front of him.

"Because right now I'm the only one who can help." The March Hare growled back, gritting his teeth. "You really think Mad Malik in there is as compitant as me? Plus the King of Spades is more likely to listen to me than you. You need me, Marik."

Marik snarled a little longer before his stance became more relaxed, if still a little defensive. "Just because you're coming along doesn't mean I have to bloody like it."

"Quit with the British swearing already." The March Hare groaned, but walked a little closer and laid what he hoped was a comforting hand on the blonde lion's bronzed shoulder. "The quicker we leave the quicker we can save the Ringleader. Seto only told me this early this morning and it happened yesterday, so who knows what Queen Bitch has done to him in the mean time."

Marik didn't even want to think about it. He'd never met this Queen and could only think of the worst, which did nothing to help his anger. The thought of anyone touching his master to cause harm just made him sick. The Ringleader was strong and sadistic and had control over pretty much everything. It was hard to imagine him in a situation where he didn't.

"Oi, come on. We'll tell the Hatter we're leaving." The March Hare pushed him gently in the direction of the purple house and Marik followed with a small protest.

Which is how he ended up walking along the blue path, thermos of coffee in hand and the pale skinned March Hare by his side. They walked in moderate silence, only occassionally speaking when the March Hare had to direct the other where to go or when Marik asked who lived in the houses they passed ("I don't know or care." The Hare had replied on numerous occassions when questioned). They didn't take long to reach the fork in the road that split the path towards Heartland City of the King's mansion.

Marik was slightly impressed when the gates and doors opened on their own for them when the March Hare approached. He'd taken the lead slightly with no indication as to why, but the lion figured if the King of Spades suddenly wanted to attack they'd at least hit the hare in front of him first.

"AKEFIA!" The March Hare yelled once they'd got inside. The cloaked servants that gathered on the foyer quickly scattered at the sight of the red-clad albino hare, and Marik had to fight the urge to chase them and their trailing clothes.

The King looked a little annoyed at being called when he decended the stairs that stood in front of them, and the blonde lion's eyes widened upon the sight of him. The man was a near clone of his own Ringleader, down the to scar over his eye.

"What the hell do you want, bunny?" The white haired man grumbled, walking past the two to go and sit in the lounge.

"Queen Bitch caught Akefia." The March Hare got straight to the point, knowing it would annoy both the King and Marik if he beat around the bush.

"What the fuck?" The King turned sharply, giving the Hare a look that just dared him to make it a joke.

"Akefia. Caught. Drugged. Caterpillar told me." The March Hare explained, simplifying it to get on the tanned man's nerves.

"You better be kidding me, Bakura." The King of Spade's threatened as his pale eyes glared at the shorter man.

"Do I look like I'm kidding? I even have his bloody pet with me." The red-eyed rabbit tugged on Marik's arm, the one that didn't hold the precious coffee.

"So you're Marik." The King mused, giving Marik a look over, which made the lion feel quite uncomfortable. "He told me to look out for you."

"He did? Why?" Marik cocked his head to the side with a small growl directed at the king, but the March Hare shushed him with a threatening squeeze of his arm.

"Seems he was a little worried about where you'd run off to. He went on to Heartland City to find you." The King explained, finally taking a seat in the armchair by the fire.

"That's where he was drugged. In that little market town on the edge of the region." The March Hare carried on, "Bloody Bitch slipped sleepy-shrooms into his drink and captured him."

"Sleepy-shrooms? Those are fun." The King grinned to himself, thinking about the countless times he'd used them on the Cheshire Cat. But his mind was wandering. He focused back on the task before him. "So what exactly do you want me to do about it?"

The March Hare's face was blank for a second. He didn't actually think about what his King could actually do. He'd only thought that he needed his help. "I dunno! Storm the place or something!" He finally said, flailing his arms a little.

"You can't actually do anything, can you?" Marik spoke up at last, snatching his arm out of the March Hare's grasp. The King before him said nothing. "Or do you not want to do anything?"

"I want do something, believe me." The King sat up straighter in his seat, crossing one leg of the other. "But there's not much I can actually do against the Queen of Hearts without getting into serious trouble. My royal immunity only goes so far. Plus, technically, your Ringleader isn't covered by Wonderland law because he's not from this world."

"Oh shit, forgot about that." The March Hare cursed under his breath.

"But, we might have a chance." The white haired man stood and walked over the fireplace, where a letter sat on the mantle. He flung it over to Marik, who caught it easily.

He read it quickly.

Dear his royal Highness, the King of Spades,
You are hereby invited to a croquet tournament at the Queen's request.
The tournament will take place in the palace gardens at tea time sharp two days from now.
Should you not attend, the Queen will take this as an act of hostility and will be forced to put you on trial for treason.
The grand prize, should you attend and win, is an exotic man from a far off land to use as you will.
RSVP via the White Rabbit

"They're using the Ringleader as a fucking PRIZE?!" Marik shouted, outraged at such a suggestion, "He's gotta be fucking kidding. There's no way Akefia would submit so freakin' easily."

"You have no idea how powerful shrooms actually are, Marik." The King told him while the March Hare took the letter to read for himself. "Even a tiny bite has a strong effect. Think about what you're like on catnip."

Marik thought is over and shuddered in disgust. "This is wrong. So damn fucking wrong."

"Well, why don't we compete?" The March Hare suggested, placing the letter down on a nearby table. "It said you can invite two extra people. And there's only two of us."

"I was going to invite the Cheshire Cat but I'm sure he wouldn't step foot in the Queen's palace." The King mused it over before nodding in agreement. "Ok, you two can come. But have you ever even played croquet before, Marik?" The man asked the blonde lion.

"What the hell is that?" Marik looked at both the hare and the king in confusion, who both hit their foreheads with their palms.

"You've gotta be shittin' me." The March Hare grumbled.

Chapter 16

2009-11-15T09:46:00.001-08:00

It wasn't too long before the Ringleader managed to reach the market town on the edge of the city. It was a small and cosy little village, almost big enough to be called a town but just not quite. It was known as simply 'the market town' because the main reason people went there was to sell and buy things at the weekly market. It did pretty decent buisness, but if you wanted your money's worth then most people trekked up to the bazaar in the middle of the city by the Queen's palace.

It was in this cosy village that Akefia decided to stop for a drink at the local bar. He was still pretty furious with his 'loyal' pet and knew that if he was to find him and get him home then he needed to be a lot calmer than he currently was. The best way to fix that was with some wonderful Heartbreaker cocktails, made to soothe and calm down the emotions of whoever drank it. It was named Heartbreaker because of the people who ordered one were poor souls who had suffered some form of heartbreak and needed to setlle their emotions and simply calm down. It worked, somehow. Akefia never thought to ask what was in it, and to be honest he didn't want to know either.

The bar he ventured into was called 'The Poison Rose', which to the white-haired ring master sounded more like a seedy pub rather than the modern (by Wonderland standards) and youth orientated bar that it was. But he didn't complain and just sat himself down at the bar and ordered a Heartbreaker cocktail. The barwoman who served him eyed him almost hungrily but he ignored her. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone at that moment.

"Here you are, darlin'." She smiled, sliding the spiral glass over to him, which he took and sipped at through the curly straw. Her common British accent annoyed him and grated his ears, so he paid more attention to the music the band on stage was playing rather than what she said.

The red liquid in the glass burned his throat in a pleasant way as he drank it. He had to thank whoever the hell in Wonderland made all their alcohol. It was a welcome difference from the multitude of boring drinks back home. Sometimes the Ringleader thought about taking some back, but always thought better of it because some of his employees were just too damn curious for their own good. Case in point: Marik.

Someone took a seat next to him and ordered a Vodka Tea, which Akefia had to laugh at a little. Everyone in the whole damn land was obsessed with tea. It was almost impossible to get coffee, which he craved quite a lot, especially when he needed the caffeine boost. He studied his neighbour out of the corner of his eye and recognised him straight away as the infamous Caterpillar; what you could call the drug supplier of Wonderland. He grew shrooms, to put it bluntly.

But shrooms in this land had a different meaning. Some could turn the most dominant of people into submissive little kittens, and could also do the other way around. Some could kill a person with a single bite while others could cause endless suffering and make you end your own life to end your suffering. And the green suit wearing man next to him was the main supplier of such things. His name was Seto, or more commonly known as the Caterpillar.

He'd met the man only once, and that was when the Duchess wanted something to subdue the Cheshire Cat with when he was in heat. There was a rare type of shroom that deterred such a thing, and the blonde Queen of Diamonds had to get some at least once a year lest the Cheshire Cat become unbareable. Akefia didn't blame her one bit. He did admit that something about the Caterpillar was unlikeable, but he figured that was because he didn't like most people who were as dominant or more-so than him.

So the Ringleader took to ignoring the man next to him and instead kept on sipping at his crimson red beverage. Eventually the Caterpillar moved over to a sofa in the corner, apparently meeting someone. Akefia cast a subtle eye over at the table, and had to smile at the sight of a disguised Queen of Hearts sat there. He wondered what on earth the Queen could want with the Caterpillar so badly that he had to leave the comforts of his palace to make an appearance in a dingy little village like this.

He doused his curiousity, lest it get him into trouble, and downed the rest of his drink. He called the barwoman over after she'd finished talking to what appeared to be a solider, and ordered another Heartbreaker. She smiled at him and happily brought him another drink, taking a little longer to prepare this one for some reason. Akefia glared at her slightly when she slid his drink over, wondering what the hell she was doing with it, but asked no questions. He really didn't want to talk to her in case she thought he was flirting.

With a sudden decision to keep moving onwards, as the Queen's presence had put him on edge slightly, the Ringleader downed his drink in one gulp, a little proud of himself as the strong alcohol burned his throat. He could've sworn he tasted a little more than the strawberries, alcohol and vanilla that usually presented themselves in the cocktail but dismissed it.

Akefia stood from his seat and made to walk over to the door, but after two steps he swayed and fell to the floor. No way could that small amount of booze make him drunk so quickly.

"You're mine now." He heard a laugh, and the blurred image of the Queen of Hearts appeared standing over him before his vision blacked out completely, and he fell into the realms of unconciousness.

Chapter 15

2009-11-15T09:45:00.004-08:00

Akefia had been walking around since before dawn. It was actually one hell of a long walk to the captitol of the land and the white-haired master of ceremonies was regretting turning down the March Hare's offer of getting him a ride there. His logic at the time had been that if Marik found out he'd feel even more betrayed.

Which brought the man to his next train of thought; how in the seven depths get of hell did that god-damn lion get pulled into Wonderland? He'd locked his dressing room when he'd ventured in himself, and although he'd lef his top hat on the dressing table in plain sight there was no way that Marik, or anyone, could've known or suspected it was anything more than an accessory that he was particularly attached to.

The only reason the Ringleader could think of for Marik's reason for being here was that he didn't lock the door like he thought he had, and the stupid lion had decided to play with his favourite and most treasured hat. Akefia hoped he'd been in a secluded place because he didn't want anyone to across the hat and take it for themselves. Hell, right now he was even hoping Bakura or Malik had hold of it rather than some random circus patron whom he may never find.

One thing he was always happy with about Wonderland is that for every day he spent in the magical place, it was only a minute in the 'real world'. So the tanned man could spend a month there, just chilling out after a particularly rough schedule, and still only be gone for half an hour. He abswas his absolutely loved it, and it was his own little secret. Or it was until Marik discovered the entrance.

Akefia's walking brought him to a fork in the road, which was thanksfully signposted but still caused the Ringleader a small dilemma. One path lead to Heartland City, where he could possibly search for Marik and maybe cause a little chaos for the Queen of Hearts. The other path lead to the mansion belonging to the King of Spades, and he hadn't seen him in while, plus he could possibly help finding his loyal pet (as well as possibly getting him a lift into the city).

His mind was made up quickly with the thought of a ride, and the red-clad man strode down the path to the King's mansion. It was actually quite strange meeting the King of Spades, mainly because it was like looking into some weird mirror only the King was a lot more... mellow than him, if that was the word. Akefia loved to torment and cause chaos and let everyone know about it. The King of Spades was far more reserved and preffered cold and calulated chaos to outright destruction and misery.

It was quite fun, really. Sure, there'd been a few unfortunate circumstances that the Ringleader wasn't sure if he wanted to forget or not, but brainstorming malevolent ideas with his mirror image was one hell of a way to spend three days (at least he thought it had been three days, could've been a week with all he knew because of the amount of Wonder-vodka they both had).

The huge black and white house came into view pretty quickly, and Akefia was glad that it wasn't techincally in the middle of nowhere that the Duchess's house was. The wrought-iron gates swung open as he heared, as if sensing hs wasn't a threat. The same happened with the doors leading to the main foyer, and the Ringleader was greeted by a small collection of friendish looking servants, who all bowed at his presence and welcomes him.

"Yeah yeah, where the fuck is your King?" He demanded, waving off their welcomes and wanting to get straight to the point. "I need to see him."

"At once sir." One servant, dressed in black robes covering his face, almost glided off to find the King of Spades for him. Two other servants, dressed identically, lead the Ringleader to a large and well furnished lounge with a roaring fireplace.

Akefia sat down on one of the white sofas and helped himself to the treats laid out on the table in front of him. He was starving having not had breakfast. He's managed to steal a bagel from the March Hare but hadn't stopped for a decent meal. The chocolates and cakes before him were a small life-saver.

"What the hell do you want?" The King said when he entered the room, his hair dripping with water and Akefia could only guess he'd just come out of the bath.

"Oh, sorry for interrupting your personal time." The Ringleader grinned as he stood up to face the man, in reality not sorry at all. "But I need a favour."

"I'm not doing anything for you so get out." The white-haired king glared, pointing a forceful finger towards the door.

"Well then I'll have to tell everyone about what we got up to last month." Akefia smirked at the suddenly shocked look on his mirror image's face. "That you got so drunk you ended up i-"

"That's enough!" The King of Spades bellowed, walking up to the other tanned male and looking him straight in the eye, maybe only an inch of space between them. "If you keep that pretty mouth shut I might just be inclined to help you."

"Excellent." Akefia chuckled, "In that case I need you to keep an eye out for someone for me." He turned and sat back down, once more helping himself the to the chocolate on the table.

"Who might that be?" The white-haired royal stood with his arms folded across his bare chest in a defensive manner. It wasn't that he didn't like the other man. It was just he had a way of annoying the ever-loving crap out of him.

"My pet. Marik. He's a blonde lion who has somehow gotten hold of my hat and fallen into Wonderland." Akefia explained, munching on a cupcake from a silver tray. "He ran off last night and I need to find him."

"If he's as loyal as you've told me, why did he run from you?" The King of Spades held back a grin, slowly sauntering over to sit on the arm of the sofa the Ringleader sat on.

"He caught me fucking around with the March Hare." Akefia said, no hint of shame in his voice, just a tinge of frustration. "Being the emotional kitty cat he is the bastard ran off before I had a chance to catch him."

"So you want me to look for him?" The King raised an eyebrow, "And what do you want me to do when I find him?"

"Keep him here, if you can, and... I dunno... summon me or something." The white haired master of ceremonies shrugged, not actually knowing what his plan was.

"Hm, is that all?" The other man smirked in a mysterious way that had Akefia curious. "This wouldn't happen to be the same lion who fooled around with the Duchess's pet now, would it?"

"What?!" Akefia nearly screamed, "Where the hell did you hear that?"

"From the Cat himself." The King of Spades grinned, loving the outburst he'd got from the tanned man. "He was braggin quite a bit at finding himself a new little fucktoy to play with."

"Oh that god-forsaken hypocrite!" The Ringleader growled, slamming a fist down on the table. "He goes mental at the fact I screwed around with another furry and yet HE did it himself! I'll fucking whip that lion senseless when I find him." He stood up and furiously made to leave. "Keep him chained up if you find him, and tell that Cat of yours to look for him too."

"Of course, Akefia." The King laughed lowly, watching the pale-eyed man leave the room with a smirk on his face.

Akefia really was furious, and it showed as he practically stomped down the path to head off to Heartland City. His boots made a very loud noise as they crunched the dirt beneath his feet. He really would whip that lion of his, he thought as he clutched his whip in his grasp. First for playing with his hat, second for getting himself pulled into this insane land, and third for running off and being a hypocrite at the sight of him screwing the March Hare.

He barely noticed the path and forest change colour when he stepped over the border between Heartland City and Spades Forest. The dirt path beneath his feet changed to red stone slabs, and the trees themselves switched from dark green foilage to rusty red bark and near black leaves. Akefia stormed on though, determined to find his pet and punish the little devil for causing so much trouble.

Chapter 14

2009-11-15T09:45:00.003-08:00

In the heart of Wonderland, standing on the roof of his mighty palace, Queen of Hearts surveyed his kingdom with a smug grin, as he did pretty much every morning given the chance. His coat blew dramatically in the breeze, as did his wild hair that hadn't yet been brushed. Everything he gazed upon was his, and he loved it.

"Good morning Wonderland!" He screamed, cackling with glee shortly after, "Rise and shine, today begins yet another day of my long and bountiful reign as Queen!" Giggling to himself he descended the stone stairs down to his chambers, which were all decorated in stylish and sultry black and red. He strode across the carpet, flinging open the doors and greeting the servants that waited beyond. They all bowed as he passed, which only served to broaded the Queen's grin.

At the end of the corridor he sauntered down were two very large and very ornate wooden doors that lead onto a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. He shoved them open, two servants quickly moving in behind him to make them stay open before scuttling off to do their chores. The Queen of Hearts once again surveyed the area, grinning at the sight of the workers pruning the croquet field and rose bushes below. There was to be a tournament soon, that he was both hosting and participating in himself, and everything had to be perfect.

The red-eyed Queen ran a hand through his tri-coloured hair, eventually coming to twirl a blonde strand of his bangs between his fingers as he mused about what he was going to do. He would of course invent his three other 'royal' companions, the Queens of Diamonds and Clubs and the King of Spades. It would be the best course of action even if he despised those three. It would cause an uproar in the whole land because as far as the majority of the public knew everything was perfectly fine in the 'royal' relations. This wasn't the case.

The Queen couldn't stand the other three royals. They weren't even royals. They only had the titles of King and Queens due to theor status in their respective regions. The only one close to having an official title as King was the King of Spades, and that's only because the Queen of Hearts had managed to get rid of his wife, King Rebecca. That had been hard. There were still rumours going around that he's poisoned her, but officially it was untrue. Unofficially, the Queen has tainted his tea with poison mushroom extract every morning and evening, and eventually her poor fragile little heart couldn't take it, and she died peacefully and silently in her sleep.

The Queen shook his head. There was no need to be thinking about such things now, not when he still needed to come up with a guest list. Yes, the three other royal suits would be invited, as would the Caterpillar, even if he wouldn't play. The Mad Hatter and March Hare were always good at parties, however the spikey-haired man was very suspicious of them. They may try and steal some of the royal heirlooms, the Hare especially. And their presence would no doubt attract the Cheshire Cat, whom the Queen despised and loathed as much as he did King Akefia. None the less he wanted that delectable feline as his own pet, and would keep on trying until the day that he died.

Little Alice was also proving himself to be quite popular, and the Queen of Hearts had to admit he was a little cutie. Yet another he wasn't to add to his collection of pets but this little one would take a while. He was very cautious around the Queen and had yet to step foot in Heartland City after their last encounter.

The Queen was just thinking of calling upon the White Rabbit to deliver the invitations when one of his guards suddenly ran over and bowed very lowly. "You may speak." He commanded, allowing the solider to straighten once more.

"My Queen, there has been word of the white-haired one you seek." The blonde soldier announced. "The man in the red with the portal to Wonderland."

"Where is he?" The Queen demanded, hand coming to rest on the whip hanging from his belt.

"Someone spotted him in Spades Forest, near the March Hare and the Mad Hatter's residence." The soldier told his queen. "But there's something else. There's another who isn't from Wonderland as well."

"Another?! Show me!" The Queen barked, pointing a stern hand through the doorway and ordering the elven solider to lead him to the Mirror Room.

The Mirror Room was, as its name implied, a room full of mirrors. However they weren't just any mirrors. Some were portals to different worlds, some could see into various parts of Wonderland, and some (stories told) could see into the past and even the future. The blonde soldier stood obediantly by one of the mirrors with an elaborate black and silver frame, touching the metal gently and mentally telling the glass what to reveal.

The Queen's eyebrows rose in curiousity when he looked upon the lithe and muscular form of a blonde and tanned lion walking along a path. "Hmmm, this one seemed interesting." He mused, a small smile playing on his lips.

"The White Rabbit said that he'd been to the Duchess's estate, and has walked around both Spades Forest and Diamond Woods the past three days." The solider reported, "There was a mention that he may have come across the Cheshire Cat numerous times throughout his stay here. And there's also rumours that he is in some way connected to the white-haired man you've had your eye, your Majesty."

"Oh really." The Queen of Hearts grinned, "Well, new orders, soldier!" The elf guard stood to attention, back straight and shoulders squared. "I want this lion, and that man in red. Drug them, chain them, whatever, just get them here."

"At once, my Queen!" The solider saluted before dashing off to tell his comrads of their new misson.

The slender Queen turned back to the mirror, stroking the frame as he gazed upon the blonde lion in its reflection. It melted away to show a similar man, this one with white hair and a long red coat. "You'll be mine." The Queen whispered to no one in particular. "Both of you. Mine. I want you as my pets."

Chapter 13

2009-11-15T09:45:00.001-08:00

The Mad Hatter offered Marik the spare bed so he could try and sleep off the effects of the catnip, which the lion happily took and curled up in, trying to calm down his body and his mind. He wasn't very tired but he figured he might as well try and get as much sleep as possible if he was to go and hunt down the Ringleader, especially considering that his feet were still killing from all the walking he had done.

When the blonde eventually did get to sleep, his dreams were plagued with images of his master, tormenting and torturing him in ways that he would never do usually, saying he didn't care about him at all and never had done. Marik wailed and screamed at him, begging him not to leave him behind. He awoke with a start, sitting up sharply with tears streaming down his face and the sun just peaking through the curtains.

Marik flopped back on the bed, panting heavily as if he'd just run a marathon. The whole thing had shaken him straight to the core. He never realised how much he cared for the Ringleader's affection and his praise. Thinking about it, the lion supposed he was always trying to gain the white-haired man's respect, and willingly obeyed every order given to him by the King. Sure, Bakura made fun of hims for it sometimes, but Marik argued that if it weren't for him Akefia would've strung him up by his balls from a tree and in a tutu if he hadn't interveened all those times.

"Marik~!" A call came with a knock on the door, and Malik's voice floated into the room. "I've got breakfast ready! Time to eat eat eat!"

The blonde groaned as he forced himself out of bed, picking up his shorts from the floor and quickly dressing. He shook his head, shaking the sleep out of his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair to mess it up again. It was strange logic that his hair was flatter when he woke up.

Once outside of his assigned room Marik immediately caught the delicious smell of bacon in the air. He fought not to drool while he walked into the cosy little kitchen (which was a strange shade of magenta-pink) and instead the lion sat down at the table by the place the Mad Hatter had set out for him.

"I figured you'd be like your dear King and prefer coffee to tea so I managed to yoink some from the March Hare." The blonde Hatter told him with a gleeful smile, shaking a jar of instant coffee in his grasp. "Plus I figured you'd need the caffeine if you're gonna go chasing after the Ringleader."

"He doesn't like being call King, y'know." Marik explained, yawning a thank you when the other tanned boy set down the mug of coffee in front of him. The bacon was still cooking under the grill and he couldn't wait.

"Oh I know! It's just really fun to call him King and watch him get annoyed." The Mad Hatter giggled, cracking two eggs into a frying pan. "The Hare does it all the time. And I mean all the time. One time he just completely snapped and whipped Baku like hell! He still has a mark on his ass I think and it was last month tha-" The blonde stopped in mid-ramble when he saw the annoyed and angry look on Marik's face. He bit his tongue, realising that he probably shouldn't have mentioned the two white-haired men when the feelings about them were still so raw. "Oh, I'm sorry Marik." He pouted, hoping to be forgiven.

Marik didn't say anything, and he just concentrated on trying not to break the cup in his hand because his grip was slowly tightening. The Mad Hatter was therefore silent as he dished out the eggs and bacon for his new friend. It was only when the plat was put out in front of him did the blonde lion notice the Malik-mirror was wearing nothing except a frilly pink and purple apron. He'd just taken a bite out of the chewy bacon and choked on it when a forceful laugh forced its way out. He coughed for a good minute or so while the Hatter whacked him on the back, and once he'd swallowed the meat properly Marik resumed snickering at the other blonde's attire.

"What's so funny?" The Mad Hatter asked innocently, slightly cocking his head to the side in an adorable manner.

"You're naked except for an apron," Marik replied, chuckling into his coffee as he took a drink. "And one of my friends looks exactly like you, and he wouldn't be caught dead in it."

"I bet Akefia would make him wear it." The Hatter retorted, sipping his own tea delicately, and Marik nearly spat back out the liquid in his mouth.

"Oh god, don't give him ideas!" He laughed, "It was bad enough when he put Bakura in hotpants and high heels."

"He told us about that! And showed us pictures!" The Mad Hatter giggled, "Your Bakura has a very nice butt! He's gotta wear hotpants more often."

Marik just about lost it with that. He howled with laughter, both imagining Malik in that apron and Bakura wearing hotpants and heels all the time. The two would probably manage to slaughter the whole circus should that idea ever even be mentioned to them. But as the Ringleader said, 'You can't spell slaughter without laughter'. He had to admit the whole idea sounded pretty fun.

After that the two tanned blondes ate in moderate and comfortable silence, occasionally making small talk but not much else. The Mad Hatter refrained from mentioning what happened the previous night while Marik stopped himself from thinking about it. However they both knew it was a problem they had to address sooner or later.

"The March Hare told me that Akefia went looking for you last night." The Hatter finally said, not looking Marik in the eye and instead staring down at the fresh mint tea in his cup. "Turns out Marchy knew you were here all along, but for once he respected someone's wishes and didn't tell your master you were here."

"Was he mad?" Marik dared to ask, like the one before him he couldn't make eye contact and instead stared out of the nearby window at the forest beyond the fence.

"Baku-Bunny or Akefia?"

"Akefia."

"I don't know. March Hare said he looked annoyed. And that he ranted on about..." The Mad Hatter cocked his head to the side thoughtfully for a second, "'Stupid animals who can't keep their paws off things that don't belong to them', or something like that."

Marik laughed softly. Typical of the Ringleader to think that. His rants concealed his love, so at least he knew that the man might be looking for him. "Where did he go?"

"He spent the night at the March Hare's but left before dawn." The blonde across from him explained, "As far as I know he's headed to Heartland City."

"Then that's where I need to go." Marik made a decision, even though he was still slightly hurt from before.

"Have you forgiven him then?"

The lion sighed, "No, but it won't do me any good to stay around here moping. He's my master at the end of the day, and I'd still kill for him."

Chapter 12

2009-11-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Mad Hatter blinked in confusion, a little worried at the flustered state of his new companion. "Yeah, there's nip in it. The White Rabbit grows it."

"Fuck!" Marik panted, the cup dropping out of his hands and crashing on the floor. He lent forwards and rested his head on his knees, breathing deeply and grabbing at his hair. "Fuck fuck fuck!" Now he knew why his body felt so hot. Catnip had a fast and extreme effect on him, and even the smallest amounts could drive him into a hyperactive and lust-filled frenzy.

"What's wrong what's wrong?!" The Mad Hatter shouted, kneeling down in front of the lion to look him over.

"Are you an idiot?" Marik snarled, a keening whine threatening to escape his throat. "Catnip is a freakin' turn-on for cats! It makes us all insane and horny."

"But you're not a cat!" The Hatter protested, stroking the blonde's wild spikes, not realising the effect it was having on him.

Marik held back a purring moan. "Yes. I. Am." He panted out, "You. Fucking. IDIOT! Lions are fucking felines, and felines mean cats."

"Oh." The Mad Hatter's eyes widened as the realisation dawned on him. "Oh, bloody hell. Shit, sorry! Oh my god, I didn't know. I didn't know!" The blonde boy wailed, suddenly drawing Marik into a hug. "I didn't know, I'm sorry!"

Marik shoved him away hard, the simple touches of comfort the Hatter was giving him were doing nothing to help. If anything they were driving him even more crazy. His body was overheating, most of it flowing downwards and making his pants uncomfortably tight. "Just, don't touch me." He growled. Even with seeing the Ringleader with someone else hadn't swayed his loyalty to the manipulative man. He might have been seduced by the Cheshire Cat but he wouldn't willingly betray him again.

"Hey hey, shush shush." The Hatter crawled over to him again and held his face in his hands. "What can I do to make you better?" It was an innocent question, and Marik saw the complete sincerity in the other tanned boy's eyes. And so he felt a slight pang of guilt when he lunged forwards and claimed the Mad Hatter's lips for his own.

The Hatter was startled for a moment or two as his mind tried to work out what was going on. Eventually it clicked when he thought about what Marik had said about catnip being a 'turn-on' for cats. Wanting to help in any way he could, the Mad Hatter began to kiss the lion back.

Feeling a timid tongue stroke his lips Marik opened them and let the younger boy deepen the kiss. His own tongue darted out and thrust itself into the moist cavern of his mouth. He brought his hands up to tangle in the blonde hair, then he felt hesitant hands grasp his legs and gently stroke them. He purred into the Hatter's mouth. Inwardly he cursed. Catnip made him so annoyingly submissive and it annoyed the hell out of him but damn, did he ever got a good fucking out of it.

With that thought in mind the blonde lion fully pounced on the other, tackling and pinning him to the floor, mouths still glued together. That act brought the Mad Hatter out of his shy shell and forced him to retaliate with more passion. His arms wrapped around Marik's neck as their kiss got fiercer, teeth clashing together in their frenzy.

In the back of his mind Marik hoped that for once he'd get to top while under the influence of that god-damned catnip, but his mind soon changed when the Mad Hatter rolled them both over, shoving the table out of the way and sending the teapot smashing to the floor. The Hatter rolled his hips, grinding them into Marik's which in turn made him break the lip-lock and let out a lusty whimper. The smaller blonde let out his devious side as he did it again, licking up the side of the lion's exposed neck and noting that someone had already played with his new pet.

Marik let out another whimper as the Hatter nibbled at his neck, trying to arch into the touch and get more attention on the areas of his body he needed it. He felt nimble fingers undo his torn shorts and he himself managed to tear the other's black shirt off before beginning his work on the belt and button of the boy's pants.

"That was my favourite shirt you naughty naughty kitty." The Hatter murmured into his ear before nipping at it, once more drawing out a whine from the one below him. "Don't you dare tear my pants as well."

Taking this as a challenge, Marik smirked before capturing the Mad Hatter's lips again as he used his claws to tear open the blonde's pants. His defiance earned him a bite on the lip, which drew blood slightly, and as the Hatter pulled away he sucked on it seductively.

Once they were both devoid of any clothes, the slender blonde pressed three fingers against the lion's lips, silently asking him to suck on them, which of course Marik did. He coated them heavily in saliva, damned if he was going to be screwed with no lubrication. He regretted that the last time he did it (he couldn't perform properly for nearly three days).

One thing Marik was a little surprised about was how aggressive the Mad Hatter had turned out to be. At first he was quite shy, a little crazy and basically a bubbly ball of nonsense. Now he was practically the perfect top. Marik's thoughts were interrupted from going any further when the Hatter pulled his fingers out of his mouth and wriggled two of them into his entrance. The blonde's back arched and he mewled in pleasure, moaning out a scream for more. His tail was curling and twisting in excitment.

Once more deciding to be devious, as he plunged the two fingers in and out of the lion's warm passage, the tanned Hatter lent down and sucked the other's erection into his mouth, causing Marik to cry out and thrust his hips upwards to gain more of the delicious sensations. The Mad Hatter laughed, which sent vibrations down the lion's shaft and had him mewling for more, clawing at his shoulders and pressing his head down in a plea for more. He easily complied, beginning to move up and down the stiff member and suckling on it with a rather intense pressure that made Marik scream and moan.

Two fingers became three, and with all their wriggling and stretching they managed to find that lovely little ball of pleasurable nerves that Marik was insanely glad to have. Once found and fondled, the blonde lion became a writhing puddle of goo under the double attack from the front and back. "Nyah~ more!" He begged, bringing a hand up to his mouth and biting his fingers in order to prevent more embarrassing sounds leaking out. "Please~!"

"With pleasure, Mr Lion." The Mad Hatter said as he pulled back and stretched himself over the more muscular violet eyed feline. He was a little more careful than Marik had been with his other feline friend, gently pushing his manhood into the lion's entrance, watching for any signs of pain on his flushed face.

But Marik fet no pain, only wonderful pleasure. For about the tenth time he mewled for more, pawing at the blonde above him and running his fingers through his long blonde hair. He moved his hips impatiently, a signal for the Hatter to get moving. He did, slowly at first, but upon Marik's insistance the pace sped up a lot faster pretty quickly. The spikey blonde gave up trying to hold back his cries, and openly threw his head back to scream out in pleasure as the Mad Hatter rammed against his prostate over and over.

And then all of a sudden the Hatter pulled out, causing Mark to whine and protest loudly, opening the eyes he didn't realise he'd shut to find out what was going on, only to be rolled over onto his stomach and rammed into again. This new angle managed to hit that pleasurable bundle of nerves in a totally new way, and that new way was amazing. Marik yowled as that pleasure spot was tortured over and over again, resting his head on the carpet and clutching at his hair.

"Oh fuck, more!" The blonde begged, "Please, more, oh fuck MORE!" He struggled to breathe, the catnip in his system heightening the sensations he felt beyond belief. He was quickly becoming unravelled and he wondered how much longer he could last.

Marik knew the answer couldn't be much longer when the Mad Hatter snaked an arm around his waist and began harshly stroking his weeping member, causing him to lose all coherance and be reduced to mewls and moans. The closer he got to the edge the quieter he became, and the blonde Hatter above was delighting in his little gasps and growls.

It was once again a bite to the shoulder that send him careening over the edge of oblivioun, eyes wide open as his vision whited out for a moment or two, coming all over the carpet with a loud cry of pleasure. The Mad Hatter wasn't too far behind as Marik's passage tightened around his member, increasing the delicous pressure ten-fold. He thrusted two more times before emptying himself inside the warmth of the lion.

They collapsed on the floor, the Mad Hatter sliding back to sit down exhausted, Marik rolling to the side in order to catch his breath. The nip was still coursing through his system, and he willed it to go away because he didn't want to betray his beloved King again. Yes, this counted as betrayal to him, even though practically moments ago he'd caught the man doing something exactly the same.

"Hey, Hatty, you in there?" A knock at the door caught both of the tanned blondes' attention. Marik recognised the voice as the March Hare's, and he growled when he thought about what he'd seen before.

Noticing Marik's annoyance and anger, the Mad Hatter took a long coat from the hat-stand nearby and put it on while he answered the door. "What's up?" He asked, looking as innocent as possible.

"Did that lion come this way? Akefia is going mental searching for him." The March Hare asked, and, unable to move and hide himself, the lion wondered exactly what the Hatter would reply.

"Sorry, no." The blonde answered his friend. "I bumped into him but he ran off somewhere. I have no idea where. Maybe he went back to Diamond Woods. That's where he came from before right? Or maybe he went the other way to Club Beach. He's a cat, he'd love the fish-"

"Thank you, Crazy." The March Hare interrupted his companion's ramble. Marik heard him sigh. "Fuck, he caught me and the Ring King screwing on the table."

"Yeah, and?" The Mad Hatter asked, tightening the coat around him. Apparently the March Hare didn't notice or care that the blonde wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

"That lion, Marik was it?, is head over heels for that Ringleader whether either of them realise it or not. I don't want either of them doing something stupid and getting caught by the Queen." The white haired hare explained, actually sounding worried.

"Well, if he shows up again I'll get him to stick around. Where's Akefia gone now?" The Hatter asked, mindful of keeping the door closed enough so Marik wasn't in view.

"He's looking around the garden. If Marik's gone wandering then I think he said he'd go look closer to Club Beach." The Hare replied, The Mad Hatter nodded in response.

"Ok, thanks for letting me know." The lavender-eyed boy nodded and made to shut the wooden door. "See you later, Marchy."

"Yeah, later." Marik heard the sound of boots on the gravel pathway before the door clicked shut. He still lay catching his breath besides the sofa.

The Mad Hatter came over to him and gently stroked his hair. "You can stay here for a while, if you want. But you're going to have to find that master of yours if you want to go home."

Chapter 11

2009-11-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

Marik couldn't believe his eyes. His jaw actually hung open in shock.

He'd expected to come into the garden and find Akefia with the March Hare and Mad Hatter, sitting around joking, drinking tea, eating sandwiches and talking about whatever.

Instead, Akefia had the March Hare bent over the table, pants around his ankles, and was fucking the pale boy hard enough to bleed.

The lion wanted to cry, to scream, to curse, to roar, to claw that rabbit to shreds and to kick his master in the balls all at once. With all the conflicting emotions he didn't know what to do, and so his body froze at the sight of his beloved master, the King of the Ring, screwing around with someone who he probably couldn't care less about.

He'd always been loyal, hadn't he? Sure, there were those escapades with Bakura in the dressing rooms, and a couple with Malik before shows, but he'd always gone back to Akefia like a good pet. He inwardly cringed at calling himself that, and somehow let out a rather loud whine in reaction to the sight before him, which the two white haired men on the table heard.

"Shit, Marik?" Akefia called out, halting his actions and looking over at her pet lion. "What the fuck?"

Not wanting to make a scene, either one of rage or one of embarassing wailing, Marik did the only thing his mind could think of. He ran.

He vaguely heard the Ringleader call out to him but either he ignored it or it just didn't register in his brain. Marik didn't care eitehr way, he just had to escape from the situation. He wasn't looking where he was running, eyes screwed tightly shut as he tried not to cry, and ended up crashing headlong into someone.

"Woah woah woah!" The voice of the person he crashed into reached his ears, and the lion looked at who he currently sat on. "Mr Lion, why are you sat on me?" The Mad Hatter asked, blinking in a rather adorably confused way.

"Sorry." Marik apologised, standing up and giving the other blonde a hand in getting up himself.

"Let me guess, you ran in on their antics." The Hatter guessed, looking heartbroken when Marik didn't answer, only looked down at the floor, ears drooping. "Awh, you really love that King of yours, don't you."

"Of course not!" Marik growled, suddenly looking the other in the eye. "I don't care about what he does, and he doesn't mind what I do."

"But clearly you do care if the sight of him screwing around with another furry nearly brings you to tears." The Mad Hatter observed, gently holding the lion's cheek and brushing away the tears that were forming in his violet eyes. "Come on! Tea time!" The tanned blonde tugged him in the direction of his house by his hand.

Behind him Marik heard the Ringleader call out for him, and, not wanting to see the white haired Ring King at that moment, went with the Mad Hatter without a single utter of protest. The smaller blonde happily pulled him inside the crazy purple cottage-like house, pretty much skipping along the way.

Once the door was shut behind him, Marik looked up and gawped at the decor of the place. Its actually quite tastefully done considering the strange shade of purple the outside of the house was. They'd entered what the lion could guess was some sort of lounge, where the walls were a soft shade of lilac and the furniture was mostly a classy looking black. Numerous picture frames hung on the wall and cluttered the shelves and cabinets dotted around the room. Marik couldn't help but notice a pocketwatch on the coffee table that looked suspiciously like something he'd seen the White Rabbit with, but he chose not to ask any questions.

"Tea, tea, I love thee! Tea, tea, I love me!" The Mad Hatter sung happily, shoving Marik to sit on one of the black plush sofas before skipping off into the kitchen. "I know just the kind of tea you'd like, Mr Pretty Lion Sir!"

Marik had to shake his head at the boy's strange behaviour, but he suppsed the Malik he knew was pretty much the same, just not as... gay about it. He slumped back in his seat, slightly snuggling into the overstuffed cushions behind him. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a while. That sudden emotional outburst had actually drained him quite a bit (and he supposed that all the walking he'd done in the past two days didn't help either).

"Here we go!" The Mad Hatter suddenly bustling into the room with a clinking tray of tea snapped Marik out of his thoughts. The blonde put the tray down on the table before taking a seat next to the lion. "Sugar?" He chirruped with a smile.

"No, thanks." Marik replied, his voice giving away how distracted and depressed he was.

The Mad Hatter poured the tea out of a rather strangely shaped teapot into a cup decorated with severed limbs. Marik raised an eyebrow at the design but took a guess that it was actually the March Hare's, because he sure as hell couldn't see the hyperactive and sugar-sweet blonde to willingly have such a thing. He was handed the cup, and he took it with a small noise of gratitude. It actually smelled quite good, and he didn't even really like tea. Wonderland was making him like it, he mused. The one in his hand smelled like mint, vanilla and something he just couldn't quite place, but it was definately familiar.

"My own special blend!" The Hatter told him with glee. "Everything grown in my own garden. Well, either mine or the White Rabbit's." Marik could've sworn the Mad Hatter had a small blush in his cheeks at that thought, but he both ignored it and didn't care. It probably explained the pocket watch on the table too.

"It's nice." Marik told him after a couple of sips, managing to hold the cup properly this time. The Hatter before him seemed overjoyed at this simple phrase and giggled in a happy and girly way.

"Yey! I was afraid you wouldn't like it. Bunny doesn't like it. I mean, the Hare doesn't. Doesn't like me calling him Bunny either." The Mad Hatter rambled, "He doesn't like sweet things, and I'm almost one hundred percent certain he puts blood in his tea. He doesn't tell me but I know. I taste it. He thinks I don't know but I do!" The tanned boy suddenly stopped. "I'm rambling aren't I. Sorry sorry! Tell me about your problems then." He swivelled around and faced Marik, curling up with his cup of tea against the cushions. "Why were you so upset with your dear King?"

"I wasn't." Marik growled, not wanting to look his friend's mirror image in the eye. "He can screw around with whoever he wants, just like I can screw around with whoever I want."

"That's not all there is to it." The Mad Hatter told him, "I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that you, Mr Sexy Lion, are very loyal to him in every way. You might screw around, but he is your master and at the end of the day you'll do what he says. You hate yourself for it and refuse to admit it but you know its true."

Marik had to stare at him and blink. He'd hit the nail smack on the head with that. Who knew the off-kilter young man before him was so observant and insightful?

The blonde went on. "You say you don't care about Akefia fucking that rabbit but it does bother you. I'm gonna take another guess and say that he doesn't like it when you screw around, that he punishes you, if the whip marks on your back are anything to go by." He then smirked in a way that Marik found to be down right filthy, "And judging by the fact you don't complain you like it too."

The blonde lion fought the urge to blush. The Mad Hatter had actually gotten pretty much everything correct, and had said it in a way that wasn't crazy-sounding or rambling, like he'd expected. "Fine, maybe I do care that he went behind my back. But only because he's a damn hypocrit." He took an angry slurp of his tea. He was beginning to feel quite hot for some reason. "He gets pissed off when I screw with Bakura or Malik, and yet there he is fucking a Bakura look-a-like without me knowing! And who knows how long he's been doing it?! That portal thing in his hat didn't just appear today! I bet it's been there for ages. I just know he's been coming here and fucking with horny rabbits like that damn Hare for longer than we know."

"Wow, you finally admitted it to yourself." The Mad Hatter smiled knowingly. His hat had been thrown to the floor at some point during Marik's rant. "You do care. And not because he's a hypocrit, like you said. You're heart-broken that he found someone else besides you."

Marik was finding it hard to breath and concentrate. Staring into the teacup in his grasp, his eyes widened when he realised what that third taste was, and groaned.

"Oi, there was catnip in this tea, wasn't there?"

Chapter 10

2009-11-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

It took a while before Marik was able to stand in the chariot without falling back on his ass. Luckily for him he didn't fall out, although he came pretty close when the harpies had to swerve to avoid someone shooting at them from below. Marik had the proceeded to throw one of the knives he's found hidden in the wood down at the person who'd fired the shot. With the pleasant scream of pain the followed Marik wondered if he could give Bakura a run for his money at knife throwing.

Eventually he got the hang of keeping his balance, and once he could safety look over the edge without the fear of falling Marik gasped at what views he could see. The night had nearly fully taken over, and the last of the daylight was fading on the horizon tinting the sky lilac where they met. The moon shone full up above once more, creating a slightly eerie glow on the fields below. Marik wished he had a camera, or that someone was there to share it with him. At that thought he shook his head violently. The damn place was making him romantic!

The blonde was shoved back once more when the harpies took a sudden dive only to land extremely roughly on a bare patch of land just before what Marik guessed was the Spades Forest border. He practically rolled off the chariot, quite disorientated from the landing and the flight itself. Before he had chance to thank the creatures for the ride, they took a running leap and flew off again. Watching them sore away, he wondered if they didn't like him for some reason. But then he shrugged, and realised he didn't actually care.

It took him a while to find the path nearby, and when he did the lion hoped he was going in the right direction and was heading towards the other forest and not back to the Duchess's estate. He knew he'd taken the right turn when the path suddenly turned blue and the forest changed completely. He had no time to play with the switch at that moment, but promised himself to come back later, preferrably with someone like Malik. They'd both get a real kick out of the pink and blue paths.

But for now Marik kept on walking. He was no where near as tired as he was before and had to thank the Duchess for her hospility, even if it was slightly suspiscious and she nearly made him have a bath. The tanned blonde was getting slightly used to the nonsense of the place. In fact, the sanest person he'd come across was the Cheshire Cat, who, by the sounds of anyone who mentioned him, was considered 'mad' by most people. He wondered if everything was opposite in this crazy land.

Watching the lion walk from afar, high up in a tree, was once again the Cheshire Cat. He'd taken a liking to his mirror image, who was so defiant and dominant that he wondered how he'd fare against the Queen. Grinning at that thought, he decided he would adore it if his new friend had a fight with the Queen of Hearts in some shape or form. Knowing 'Queen Bitch' (as the March Hare called him), the closest thing to a fight that the two would get into would be some sort of game, which while fun was also quite a lot more boring than a good old fashioned fist fight. Or claw fight in Marik's case.

Pulling his little disappearing act, the Cheshire Cat jumped from the tree and landed gracefully on the floor, proceeding to follow his new toy silently.

With his heightened senses Marik could smell the distant scent of lavender and cinnamon. He smelled tea as well but he smelled that everywhere in the god-damn place. The lion immediately recognised the scent and had to smirk to himself. He knew for near certain that the Cheshire Cat was following him. He didn't mind, although he hoped that the coy cat wouldn't distract him from his mission to find the Ringleader again.

Marik's feet were beginning to hurt when he chose to take a break under a skinny and dead looking tree. As he rubbed them to ease the pain he wondered how many steps he'd taken in the past two days. Hell, he wondered if Bakura, Malik and Ryou were missing him back home. With that thought, the blonde lion knew they had to have missed the Ringleader. They had shows booked solid for the next two months, so there was no way the Ringleader could take two days off.

He slumped back against the tree and sighed. Everything was just too much to think about really. Maybe time worked differently in Wonderland than in what he guessed he should call the 'real world'. But there was at least a passage of time, as proven by the sunsets and moon. Although the tanned lion had to admit the moon was full twice in a row. Was it possible that they repeated the same day?

Marik growled in frustration, picking at his teeth with his claws when suddenly his old accquaintance just appeared in front of thim with no warning. He flailed and screamed, nearly jumping a mile because he was so startled. When he noticed who it was the blonde sighed with relief before grumbling. "Don't fucking do that, you crazy cat." He warned, glaring at the other feline.

The Cheshire Cat just grinned and sprawled out over Marik's wide spread legs. "Awh, where's the love, Marikky?" He teased, showing off his teeth with his trademark smile. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Not a damn bit." Marik told him, trying to ignore the black and purple cat's wandering claws scratching the inside of his thigh. "And quit that."

"Nyaawwh." The Cheshire Cat pouted, sitting up and slithering into Marik's lap. "Don't you want to play."

"Not right now." Marik glared at him. It was pretty half-hearted however, because as vain as it sounded the cat in his lap was quite damn attractive. "Leave me alone."

"So mean, little lion." The cat sulked, deciding to maneuver himself around so he was curled up with his head in Marik's lap. "Well, not so little." He giggled, beginning to purr.

Marik sighed to himself. He wasn't going to get rid of the cat any time soon so he might as well just put up with him. He idly started to stroke the Cheshire Cat's blonde spikes, which were surprisingly soft considering how menacing they made him look. Then again, he supposed he was the same.

"What exacty are you here for, Marik?" The cat asked, not moving from his position, perfectly content in being petted.

"What do you mean?" Marik questioned. He leant back again against the tree and closed his eyes. Stroking the cat's hair was an oddly soothing gesture.

"You're not from this world. Why are you here?" The Cheshire Cat questioned again.

"It was an accident. I fell in and can't get back." The blonde explained, his mind flashing back to playing with the Ringleader's hat and suddenly getting sucked into this kooky land.

"What are you searching for?" The other feline queried, curling up a little tighter, tail lazily twisting with Marik's own.

"Akefia." Marik answered instantly.

"The King?"

"My King."

"He's everybody's king."

"Mine isn't."

"Possessive much?"

"Only of him."

"Awh, how sweet."

"Don't make me kill you."

"I'm too pretty to kill." The Cheshire Cat twisted around so he was looking up at Marik's face. "And killing me would mean killing yourself. What happens if I die? Would you die?"

Marik looked down, cocking his head to the side with a slight glare in his eyes as if daring the Cheshire Cat to go any further. The cat just smiled that cocky smile and sat up, disappearing before Marik could even protest.

The blonde sighed for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day. He both liked and loathed the Cheshire Cat at that moment. Liked him because he was pretty fun and rather good looking. Loathed him because he fucked with his mind and made him think about things that never usually got thought about and were pretty good without him doing so.

With that in his mind, Marik stood up and pushed the confusing and aggrivating thoughts to the back of his mind. He had to get to the March Hare and Mad Hatter's house before Akefia decided to wander off without him again. He set off once more down the blue path, finding that with his mind half occupied by thoughts of his master and of the Cheshire Cat the walk to the shared hosue of the tea-partiers was half as long as it was when he was leaving it.

He hopped over the fence, striding along the path between the two houses to the garden at the back, hearing the voice of the Ringleader and his heart leaping that he'd finally found him. Marik almost, just almost, got down on all fours and ran towards him, but he felt he needed to have a little dignity and not seem to damn submissive.

And he was glad he didn't run, because he surely didn't want to see the sight he saw in front of him when he reached the tea party.

Chapter 9

2009-11-09T15:30:00.005-08:00

The sun was already beginning to fall back below the horizon when Marik awoke from his slumber. Looking out of the tall panelled windows he cursed himself for sleeping so long, but he had to admit now he was a lot more refreshed and energetic than before.

No sooner had he gotten out of bed and pulled his shorts back on yet another harpie servant bustled into the room announcing that his bath was running. Marik grumbled as he was forcefully lead out of the room by the blue haired girl. As much as he wanted to lash out and violently protest he did have some sense of gratitude from the lady who had fed him and gave him a place to sleep without any questions. As he was taken down another maze of corridors the lion wondered if Akefia had been talking to the Duchess about him. It was the only explaination as to how the woman was so inviting and welcoming to him. With all his musing Marik didn't realised they'd already reached the bathroom until the blue haired harpie spoke up.

"Bubble bath is on those shelves," She indicated, waving an arm in the vague direction of various glass shelves, "Just turn the bath off when its deep enough for you. Mistress wants you in the lounge when you're done." This one was a lot gruffer and moodier than the other two had been, and didn't have the same air of obedience and politeness as the other two had.

Not that he cared. The blonde lion was more bothered about the large volume of water in front of him. Pouting as the door shut behind him, Marik glared at the water pouring out of the silver taps. The bath itself was almost like a small pool, slightly sunken in the middle of the floor. He could probably sit in it and be immersed in water up to his neck. Like he would ever step foot in it though. He hated baths with a complete and utter passion.

Turning off the running water, Marik decided to have a search through the many trinkets and bottles that adorned the glass shelves lining the walls. There were dozens of bottles filled with various scents of shampoo, along with fancy body washes and shower gels, and in one bottle he could've sworn it was lube but he dare not chek the label lest it scar his mind. On one of the lower shelves was a small wooden box, and when opened the lion had to grin with glee. Inside it sat a small collection of rubber ducks, each a different colour but other than that they were basically identical.

He took the box over to the bath, which was thankfully bubble free, and he tipped it upside down to empty the contents into the warm water. The ducks sank at first but quickly resurfaced, bobbing along in the still water. Marik happily sat on the floor and proceeded to poke and prod the little rubber creatures, making them dunk and dive in the warm liquid. His kitten side came out to play while he amused himself with the plastic creations, almost giggling while he pawed at them.

After about half an hour there was a knock on the door. "Mr Marik? The Duchess requests you in her lounge." The timid voice of the blonde harpie from before called to him, and he answered back that he'd be there soon.

Once again he pouted at he looked at the bath, not wanting to stop playing just yet. With a sigh Marik picked up the ducks and placed them carefully back in their wooden box, which is then put back on the shelf. A wide mirror took up most of one of the walls, and looking at himself he pulled a face at the state of his hair. He might not like baths but that didn't mean he hated water in general, especially when it came to cleaning his fur. And boy, did it need cleaning now.

He walked back over to the bath and simply dunked his head in the water, pulling back out with a fierce shake of his head. Pulling the plug he grabbed one of the towels nearby and scrubbed his hair dry, willing it to spike out again (another thing he hated was flat hair, because then he looked like Malik). It wasn't brilliantly clean but it would do for now.

When Marik stepped out of the room with his hair still damp, the blonde harpie was waiting for him patiently by the door. She smiled at him and indicated him to follow her, and Marik once again found himself being lead through countless corridors into what the blonde girl told him was the Duchess's personal quaters.

Waiting for him, casually laid out on a plush sofa reading another book, was the Duchess, clad in a nightgown and a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. She looked up upon the two entering the room, and she put her book down on the coffee table beside her. "So nice of you to finally join me, Marik." She teased with an amused smile, "You've been out of it for quite a while."

Marik sat down across from her on another sofa with a matching purple velvet cover. "I needed the sleep more that I thought, I guess." He admitted, still not entirely trusting the Duchess's motives. For all he knew she could try and keep him as her pet like the Cheshire Cat.

"Indeed. It's almost nightfall." She nodded towards the window, which gave the most spectacular view of the sunset over the forest surrounding the estate. "Its not exactly safe to be wandering around at night, but I suppose I can't keep you here any longer." She slumped back in her seat, rather unlady-like. "As far as I know, your beloved Ringleader went to visit the March Hare and Mad Hatter. The White Rabbit told me this afternoon that he saw him at one of their tea parties, and considering how well Akefia and the March Hare get along he's probably still there."

"It'll take more than a day to get back there though." Marik grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest in annoyance. "It took be long enough just to get here."

"Which is where my darling servants come in." The Duchess grinned, "Oh Harpies!" Upon her call, three harpies came into the room. One was the blue haired one that Marik had seen before, while the other two could've been her identical twins, or triplets as it where, if it wasn't for the fact one had long red hair and the other short and cropped orange hair. "These three will fly you over to Spade's Forest. They can't fly you directly into the forest, though. I'd need clearance from the King of Spades for that and that'll take too much time." She sighed dramatically.

Marik was suddenly ushered to his feet by yet another harpie, this one the regal aqua haired one from that morning. He was tugged over to the door, where the Duchess and her harpies lead him to yet another set of stairs. This time they went all the way to the roof where a sort of chariot was waiting for him.

"Climb in, and my harpies will fly you there." The Duchess explained, helping him climb into the carriage while the other harpie helped the three sisters get strapped in. "Should've take too long, and you'll be there by night time with any luck."

"Uh, thanks." Marik said awkwardly. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I hoenstly think your Master will have my hide if I was anything but nice to his precious pet." The Duchess winked before whistling. Marik was flung back in his seat as the harpies suddenly took off, flying towards the sunset.

Chapter 8

2009-11-09T15:30:00.003-08:00

Mulling over the Cheshire Cat's words as he caught his breath, Marik rolled onto his back and stared at the sky. The night was bleeding away to give way to the dawn, and one by one the stars were blinking out along with the fading moon. A cool breeeze washed over his heated body, feeling utterly delicious in addition to the chilled grass. Next to him the Cheshire Cat sat up and stretched his aching muscles, looking completely erotic as he did so. Marik refused to look at him lest he ended up pouncing on the cat again.

"Mmm, I have to be going now, Mr Lion." The Cheshire Cat told him, suddenly straddling the lion's waist without him noticing. "I'm going to be late for a tea party."

"Let me guess, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter." Marik concluded, frowning when the other tanned blonde poked his nose with a slender finger.

"And you would be guessing correctly." The cat chuckled, standing up and looking down at the blonde below. "I never did catch your name."

"Marik." The lion replied. He was actually fed up of telling people his name now.

"Wow, that's my name too." The Cheshire Cat didn't sound as surprised as his words would've suggested. He grinned broadly before yanking Marik into a sitting position and plonking himself down on his lap again. "I'd love to have you again sometime, Mariku." He teased, twisting a lock of the lions hair around his fingers.

"Don't think that will be any time soon." Marik said, shoving him off and getting to his feet. He looked at the other on the ground, sprawled out and not making any attempt to get up. "I thought you said you'd be late."

"Yeah but he doesn't mind." The Cheshire Cat smirked as he darted into a standing position, swiftly turning and walking away. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, giving Marik a long look at his back that was as elaborately scarred as his own was. "See you around, Marik." The purple and black cat purred before continuing to walk away stark naked, and finally vanishing completely.

Marik shook his head in disbelief before hunting around for his shorts. No way would he be caught walking around naked if everyone was a pervert like that damn cat. Yawning widely, he realised how tired he was, even if that little screwing session had left him less frustrated and more refreshed. The blonde hoped this time to reach the Duchess's mansion pretty soon, and a part of him hoped he wouldn't come across the Cheshire Cat again.

The golden sun had fully risen by the time the tired lion reached the elaborate iron-cast gates surrounding what he guessed was the Duchess's mansion, if the harpie statues decorating the perimeter and standing guard on the roof were any hint. Marik grasped at the polished balck metal and looked through the bars up at the huge building. There was no way of getting in. There wasn't even one of those speakers you could call the house with (then again, why would there be? Marik thought. Wonderland isn't exactly bursting with technology).

But then, to his utter shock, the gates opened quickly and sharply inwards, causing Marik to fall flat on his face. He winced as he got up again, the scratches and bites from his encounter with the Cheshire Cat becoming aggrivated. He took the opening gate as a sign he was welcome and proceeded to sleepily trudge over to the elaborately carved wooden doors, which swung open upon his approach. In the doorway stood some sort of servant dressed in a rather revealing maids outfit.

"Welcome, sir." They greeted, and as Marik got closer he could see it was a harpy, this one real unlike the others he'd seen. She had long blonde hair and a youthful appearance, so the lion wouldn't have put her age any older than sixteen at least. "If you wish to see the Duchess, please follow me." She turned and made her way up a large red velvet lined staircase and left Marik to catch up with her.

It took all of his willpower not to gasp and 'wow' in astonishment at the size and scale of the place. If this was the home of a mere Duchess he couldn't even imagine how big the Queen's palace must be. The blonde girl led him to what seemed to be a large library that was pretty much the size of the big top tent back home. Marik couldn't help but gape at the sheer size of it, and the total volume of books that were in the place.

By a large window that stood ceiling to floor, looking out on the forest and hills in the distance, was a set of tables and plush chairs. In one of the armchairs sat a very beautiful blonde woman reading a book with an elaborate cover. She looked up as the two blondes approached her, and she smiled whilst putting her bookmark in to save her page. She had just set the book down on the table when Marik stood in front of her.

"Well, its about time you made it here." She smiled warmly, a hint of seduction in her voice but the lion ignored it. He had no feeling for women what-so-ever. "When I heard from the White Rabbit you were on your way here I was expecting you last night, not this morning."

"If you wanted me here then why didn't you send for me?" Marik asked, noticing off-handly that the blonde harpy servant had left the room, closing the doors behind her.

"Oh where's the fun in that?" The Duchess giggled as she stood up and adjusted her long skirt. It was split at the front up to her knees, revealing a pair of black stiletto boots which reminded the tanned lion of the ones his Bakura had to wear for burning the King's hat. "Now I suspect you're hungry." No sooner had she said that Marik's stomach grumbled quite loudly. Marik looked down and glared at it while the blonde woman laughed. "Come on, it's time for breakfast."

Marik obediantly followed her out of the room and down the hallway, decending another flight of stairs into what probably was a dining room. In the center of the room was a very long oak table, laid out with various meats, cereals and other breakfast eatables. He drooled at the sight before managing to control himself. The Duchess sat herself at the very head of the table, indicating that Marik should take the seat next to her, which he did.

Another harpy servant brought out drinks, the Duchess taking a moderately sized glass of what appeared to be orange juice, and Marik deciding to have milk. With a silent nod from the other blonde, the lion happily dug into the food laid out in front of him, heading straight for the meats. He threw etiquette out of the window as he wolfed down the food, simply happy to have a decent meal besides sandwiches and tea (seriously, what was with all the tea in this place?).

It took him half an hour to feel completely full, and once satisfied Marik slumped back in his chair and happily picked at his teeth with his claw, his tail lazily swaying in content. With a full belly he felt much more tired than he did before, and he proved this with a long yawn.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind a bed to sleep in, either?" The Duchess offered with a knowing look. "I suspect you've been having a bit of... ahem, fun, while you've been here." Marik almost blushed at what she was imply, but didn't admit to it. Nor did he deny it. He suspected that the Cheshire Cat was known to have 'fun' with a lot of people, and of all the ones to know that the cat's owner had to know the best. "Before I offer you a bed, can you answer me something?"

"Depends what it is." Marik told her, suddenly remembering the real reason he was here besides getting a bed and some food.

"Who are you looking for here? You came here with a reason." The Duchess asked, resting her chin on her folded hands, looking at him with intent purple eyes.

"I'm looking for the Ringleader, my master." Marik admitted, holding back a cringe that came with discribing Akefia as his master. He hated seeming so submissive. "The Mad Hatter and March Hare told me he was here."

"Well he was, but unfortunately you've missed him. He left last night." The Duchess explained, her heart going out to the boy before her as his face fell.

Letting out an annoyed and aggrivated growl, Marik lent forwards and banged his head against the table. "Damn it!" He cursed, banging his head a couple more times before sitting up again. "Where did he go?"

"Probably back to Spade's Forest." The blonde woman suggested. "Or maybe to Club Beach. He didn't say where exactly. The best bet would be to try Club Beach though, since your master has had a little falling out with the March Hare and probably doesn't want to bump into him anytime soon."

Not even wanting to ask what the falling out was about Marik stood and proceeded to try and leave the table but the Duchess grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "Let go of me." Marik warned, flashing his fangs.

"Before you do anything, Mr Lion, you're going to get some sleep. You can't be falling dead in the middle of the road simply because you're too impatient." She threatened back, standing up as well with her hand still holding into his arm. "Your Ringleader isn't going to go anywhere soon, and you'll be able to find him faster after a few hours sleep."

"Ok fine, just let go of me." Marik grumbled while he snatched his wrist out of the woman's grasp. The Duchess called over another of her harpy servants, this one with long flowing aqua shaded hair in a ponytail.

"Take this young man up to the guest quaters. He is to get at least four hours sleep." Ordered the Duchess, looking at Marik out of the corner of her eye. He folded his arms across his chest in a huff. "Once he is awake, please run a warm bath for him."

"Of course, Mistress." The servant bowed obediantly before turning around and leading Marik out of the room.

There were no stairs to climb this time, but there was a lot of long and winding corridors to walk through. Marik would never be able to find his way out of the building without help, and he supposed that was the Duchess's idea in order to make him get some sleep. He had to admit she was nice enough, just like the White Rabbit had told him. He wondered what sort of lady dealt with having the Cheshire Cat as a pet.

"Here you are, sir." The servant suddenly stopped and opened the double doors of one of the rooms. She took him into the room, and once again Marik was astonished at the look of it. "You have a bathroom to your right, and a walk-in closet over there should you require any more clothes." She gave him a slightly disgusted look at his current attire but Marik ignored it. He was comfortable in his beige cut-offs. "When you awaken another with take you to the main bathroom where you can bathe yourself. Is there anything else you require, sir?"

"Uh, no, thanks." Marik answered awkwardly, still staring about the magnificent room. With nothing else required of her the servant exited the room, closing the doors behind her. He vaguely thought he heard the click of the lock but dismissed it as his imagination.

Pulling off his shorts Marik climbed into bed, preferring to sleep naked. And he was glad he did. He purred at the feel of the satin sheets and proceeded to snuggle deep into the plush pillows and blanket.

He was asleep almost immediately.

Chapter 7

2009-11-09T15:30:00.001-08:00

Marik was waiting for the right moment to strike when he felt a sly tongue on the exposed skin of his stomach, which worked its way downwards into the soft tufts of hair of his pubic area. He tried to keep his mind focused as the invisible hands grasping onto his sides, scratching his skin lihtly with which could only be described as claws. His breath was slowly coming out in pants, and once again he wished he could see his mystery seducer.

The Cheshire Cat had actually given up on teasing, and was outiright trying to turn the other feline on. He remained invisible for the fun of it, adding to both Marik's frustration and arousal. The cat wondered how long he could keep teasing him for, lapping away at the flesh just above where he knew the blonde wanted it. The other's hard member bumped his chin, and paused his licking to brush his cheek against it before giving it a long suck.

Gasping loudly and bucking his hips into the unseen warmth. His eyes glanced all over but he still saw no sign of whoever was doing it. But then, just for a second, he saw the glint of something moving just a little above his eyeline. Staring at it, the shine disappeared and reappeared, as if it was attached to something that was swaying from side to side from the way it moved. He was mesmerized for a while as he tried to fouc on it, but Marik was quickly brought back to the present moment when that sly mouth began suckling on his balls.

The Cheshire Cat chuckled slightly, sending small vibrations that gave Marik a pleasurable shiver up his back. His claws were still lighly scratching Marik's skin, but had now moved to his exposed thighs, tickling the sensitive skin. For around the fifth time he wondered when the other feline was going to make some sort of move. After all, it wasn't everyday you were molested by some sort of invisible being.

Then all of a sudden Marik pounced, spinning the two felines over and pinning the slimmer Cheshire Cat to the ground. The shock of the attack startled him so much that his ability of invisibility was momentarily turned off, so to speak. Which ment, as Marik glared down at him with his narrowed violet eyes that the lion could actually see him. They were both panting harshly, Marik from arousal, the Cheshire Cat from shock.

"Who are you?" Marik snarled, demanding an answer from his mirror image. Through his lust hazed vision he managed to get a decent look at the other. It was strange seeing himself in such a submissive position but he didn't care at that moment. They shared the features, only it appeared this version of himself was slimmer and more agile than strong and powerful. The details didn't matter, it was the questions that did.

"I'm the Cheshire Cat, precious." The cat grinned, a little too widely for normal, showing off his razor white teeth. "I've been watching you for a while."

"I know." His grip in those slender wrists tightened. "Why?"

Somehow the Cheshire Cat shrugged. "It was fun. You're incredibly sexy you know." He teased, cocking his head to the side the same way Marik did himself. The cat's blodne hair was splayed about the grass below them

"Don't you think that's a bit narcissistic considering we look the same?" Marik growled, the pressure he had on the smaller's wrists lessened slightly, but he still had a firm hold of him.

"What ever do you mean?" The Cheshire Cat still grinned, entwining his tail with the other's, feeling it twitch and stop flicking around so much. "Come on, lets have some fun."

Marik's conscience tore him. One part of him wanted to give into his carnal desires and fuck the little kitty cat beneath him until he bled. The other half wanted to remain loyal to his master and run away to find him.

With his battling thoughts his grip on the Cheshire Cat's wrists loosened and the feline managed to free himself and wrapp his arms around Marik's neck. He pulled the other down and licked his ear, sending a tingle down the blonde lion's spine. "Come ooon~." The cat moaned, "Fuck me."

How could he resist such a pretty plea like that? Kicking his conscience in its metaphorical nuts he lunged forwards and captured the Cheshire Cat's lips in a fierce kiss, biting his lip and drawing precious red life. The blonde cat beneath him groaned loudly and managed to free his legs enough to wrap them around the other's waist, pulling them closer and grinding their crotches together.

Breaking the lip-lock, the cat moaned into Marik's ear. The lion held back one of his own at the sound. The tanned feline was sure as hell erotic, and he idly wondered how flexible he was, being a cat and everything. He lent down once again to bite at one of the purple and black furry eats protruding from the beneath the blonde spikes, and the Cheshire Cat mewled and pawed at his shoulders with his claws. His ears always were very sensitive.

Marik realised this as well, and with this new-found information he brought up a hand to pinch the one he wasn't biting and fondle it roughly. The Cheshire Cat's cries grew louder and more desperate, urging the lion on with a more forceful grind of his hips. The blonde eventually had to pull back panting, looking into the matching lust-clouded eyes of the one below him. The unasked question was answered when the Cheshire Cat tugged placed two fingers in his mouth and suckled on them erotically, drawing a soft growl and groan from the lion.

Getting the message, Marik unbuttoned the other's jeans, yanking them down and off and casting them aside over his shoulder. He also noticed that somewhere along the line he'd lost his own shorts, probably due to the wandering hands of the feline below him. He could barely contain his growl of arousal when the Cheshire Cat drew up his legs and shoved the two slick fingers in his own entrance.

Marik sat back on his heels and watched, almost drooling at the sight of the purple and black striped cat preparing himself. He still watched as he added a third and forth finger, ears twitching as the mewls and gasped that escaped the other's swollen lips served only to turn him on even more.

"Enjoying the view?" The Cheshire Cat grinned, panting heavily, eyes beckoning the other closer. "Its much more fun when you join in."

"Such a cocky little thing." Marik purred, crawling over and biting the Cheshire Cat's neck, bringing out a loud mewl and hiss from him and feeling his claws on his arm. When he felt the other hand too he guessed that the cat was ready, which was confirmed with a frustrated thrust of his crotch against his. "I bet you want my cock in that tight little hole of yours."

"Oh yes please, Mr Lion." The Cheshire Cat meowed, nibbling at Marik's ear as he gasps. "Pretty, pretty please."

Once again he couldn't resist the pleas of the slender feline, and he aligned his manhood with the other's entrance, and with a simple whimper from the one beneath him he thrust into him, making the Cheshire Cat emit a loud gasp that ended in a mewl and an arched back.

"Harder." The cat groaned, bringing his arms around Marik's shoulders to draw him close. The blonde didn't wait for the other to adjust as he slammed his member, thick and throbbing, into the other feline's tight passage. The Cheshire Cat threw his head back and howled, uncaring of who might be nearby to hear (not that there would be, as this part of the forest was part of the Duchess's estate).

Marik was spurred on by the Cheshire Cat's passion, thrusting harder and harder, delighting in the wonderful friction that the cat's tight heat gave him. His claws shredded the skin of the other's hips, and teeth tore at the shirt the other wore as ripped it off to bite his chest.

The other feline's own claws clutched and scratched at the other's back, absent-mindedly noting the scars he could feel under his fingertips and relishing in the glee that he was to give him more. Blood poured down their identically tanned skin as they bit and clawed each other in the throes of passion. Marik bit the tender flesh of the Cheshire Cat's neck as he delivered a particularly hard thrust, making him silent for a second or two as the lion managed to hit that special little bundle of nerves that made him see stars.

"I thought I'd never shut you up." Marik teased, now aiming for that little bundle with every thrust, earning a small but warm-hearted glare from the other.

"Why don't you shut up and fuck me harder?" The Cheshire Cat teased, once again leaning up to bite at the lion's ear. Marik growled and sped up the pace, once again making the cat throw his head back and howl in pleasure.

Soon he was reduced to but a few words and mere animalistic sounds. "Oh fuck, oh god, fuck!" The Cheshire Cat moaned, whimpering and thrashing around beneath Marik. His tail once more entwined with the other's, caressing the soft fur. The blonde lion could feel the cold hard metal of the piece of jewllery the cat wore in his tail, and in the back of his mind it registered that must have been what he saw swaying in the moonlight before.

"So close." Marik moaned into the Cheshire Cat's ear, tugging lightly at the golden hoop that adorned it.

"Yes, yes," The Cheshire Cat gasped as that pleasureable bundle of nerves was abused over and over. "Come for me, come in me, oh fuck."

The cat's dirty talk drove Marik closer to the edge, but it was the sharp fangs that suddenly bit his shoulder that gave him the little shove into oblivion, as well as the almost unbearable tightening of the hot passage his cock was encased in. The Cheshire Cat's bback arched sharply as his release exploded over the two of them, and Marik followed soon after at he was driven mad by the bite and the heat.

His vision blacked out for a while as he collapsed on top of the tanned cat, gasping for breath and his heart racing a mile a minute. Marik groaned softly, sleepy and exhausted, as he rolled off the other feline onto his side. He heard the one next to him shuffle around also and upon opening his eyes found the Cheshire Cat staring at him with that trademark smile.

"That was a fun ride." He said, teeth gleaming sharp in the oncoming daylight.

"Everything seems like a game to you." Marik mused, looking the other over, "Everything has to be fun."

"If it isn't fun, it gets boring." The Cheshire Cat explained, "One must enjoy life else it isn't life at all."

"And how to do you enjoy life?" The blonde asked as he gazed deep into the mirrored violet orbs.

"By living, of course, how else can you enjoy it?"

Chapter 6

2009-11-09T15:29:00.008-08:00

It had grown dark pretty quickly as Marik trudged through what he hoped was the last patch of woodland he'd have to go through to get to the mansion that seemed to be permanently out of his grasp. His shoulders slumped and eyelids drooped, exhausted after so much walking and running. What he wouldn't give to be curled up in his cage or master's bed back at the circus, sipping coffee with his fellow workers while swapping stories of how the terrorised the visitors.

Finally giving up on walking any further, the lion chose a comfy looking tree in which to lie under for a few minutes. Above him the full moon peaked through the branches of the trees, turning their yellow flowers an eerie shade of green in the blue light. He found them to be quite beautiful really. And soothing. Very very soothing.

Within moments his eyes drifted shut and his breath evened out, having fallen quickly into the realm of dreams.

Above him, not that high in the trees, his stalking shadow watched him with glee. Finally it had the chance it had been waiting for. Slowly, it slinked down the trunk of the tree, landing gracefully on the ground, invisible to all who happened to look at it. All except for the smile that gleamed in the moonlight, showing off rows of razor sharp teeth.

Below it's gaze, the lion stared, and once again it lept up into the trees, not wanting to be seen. Violet eyes opened, scanning his surroundings and cursing himself for falling asleep. He needed to get to the mansion as soon as possible, both because he didn't want to lose Akefia if he was there, and because he wanted to get home as soon as possible. This place was beginning to make him paranoid and creeped out.

Marik stood up and stretched, his back popping loudly and joints creaking. The night was tinged purple, darker than any night he'd experienced back in what he supposed was the 'real world', although at that moment the tan lion didn't understand what was real and what wasn't anymore. Then again, when had he ever?

Not musing on his thoughts anymore, the blonde began walking again, hopefully going in the direction he needed albeit at a slower pace than before. He was greatly fatigued from all his previous acitivities, all that running around and complete confusion. All the tired lion wanted to do was curl up in some sort of bed or cushion and fall asleep. He's stopped himself sleeping by that tree because he knew he'd have a bad crick in his back when he awoke.

And still the shadow followed him.

The silver moon was slowly beginning to dip towards the horizon and pink beginning to bleed into the purple-blue sky when Marik found a small lake to take a rest by. This way he could keep an eye on his surroundings in case someone snuck up on him. He lent down on all fours and began to lap at the cool clear water, thankful for the drink. He didn't realise how thirsty he was.

Behind him, hanging from a tree, the creature stalking him watched him with lust in its dark lavender eyes. What a wonderful view of the lion's backside it had from this angle. It's restraint finally broke, and it decided it must strike at once.

Marik sat back, wiping his mouth with the fur on his arm. He really was tired, and decided that maybe another short break, or a nap, wouldn't be such a bad idea. There was no way he was going to make it before dawn anyway, so he figured a little nap would do him a world of good.

Except now he wanted to sleep, he couldn't. The blonde's mind was racing with questions and answers as he slumped with his back against a tree with very smooth and soft bark. He growled to himself and watched the moon's shimmering reflection on the surface of th lake. It was soothing, like the leaves before, but apparently wasn't soothing enough as he couldn't seem to drift off to sleep.

The stalker he'd accquired watched him from not so far away. This stalker was quite infamous throughout Wonderland, both as the Duchess's pet and a great pain in the Queen's royal behind. The Cheshire Cat was notorious for being teasing and tricksy, serious and silly, and wonderful and witty. What he was most known for was his stubborn personality; if he wanted something, he got it. End of discussion.

He now watched Marik from above him, high up in the tree he rested on, invisible to all. That was one of his many tricks. The Cheshire Cat could disappear in the blink of an eye and reappear at will. It wasn't teleportation, as some people thought, it was invisibility. And that wonderful ability came in very handy when he found himself in situations like these (which were pretty rare anyway, as he was pretty commited to his partner).

The Cheshire Cat was a curious creature, much like the mirror image he followed. That was what had sparked his interest with the lion. They had the same tanned skin, same blonde spikes, same violet eyes, even the same fangs. They were both felines too, although the Cheshire Cat had to admit that his new prey was a lot bigger and fiercer than him. He prided himself on being coy and devious. He was sure this blonde lion was more the dominant and violent type, which ran a shiver down his spine and lit a fire in his groin.

Slinking down the tree silently, the Cheshire Cat landed in the soft grass with little effort. He watched the lion with a curiously cocked head before ceasing his grinning and prancing out of his hiding place. Of course he was still invisible, and Marik had no idea he was there.

The blonde cat played with the tears in his black jeans as he contemplated his first move. He smiled as he crept closer, between Marik's outstretched legs. Adoring the fact the lion wore shorts instead of pants, the Cheshire Cat lightly ran a claw up the inside of his right leg, preventing himself from giggling as the lion absent-mindedly scratched the offending itch. He repeated the motion, as did Marik. And again, and again, until the lion growled low in his throat and brought his knees up closer to his chest.

Pouting, the Cheshire Cat concocted more ideas of what to do next. The knees to the chest were a hiderance, but his arms and shoulders were still unprotected. Grinning, the purple and black clad cat twisted around so that he could lick Marik's shoulder teasingly, making the lion jump and wipe at the saliva left there. He watched the blonde eye his own shoulder in confusion, looking around to see what did it, but seeing nothing.

The Cheshire Cat fought the urge to giggle, but managed to restrain himself in time. No use giving the game away just yet, he thought as he licked a quick taste of Marik's neck, pulling away in time to see the blonde lion flail and try to bat away whatever did it.

His trick to get Marik to move his legs again worked, and the lion stretched them out in front of himself in an attempt to get a clearer view of whatever was doing that to him. His tail flicked around dangerously, claws digging into the grass in anticipation of attack. And yet he couldn't see anyone around him, which further served to amuse the Cheshire Cat in front of him even more.

Being careful of the flicking tail, and touching anything else in general, the Cheshire Cat managed to position himself over Marik's legs without the other sensing him. His hair brushed the other's toned stomach very slightly, but only enough to make the muscles twitch and got no other reaction out of the other feline.

Meanwhile Marik knew there was something there. Like a good predator he waited for the perfect moment to strike. He could smell something right under his nose that was an intoxicating mix of tea (everything smelled like tea in this world), blood, lavender and cinnamon. It was only slight, but it was there, and he knew something was playing with him. The question was what exactly was it.

The Cheshire Cat knew that Marik had to have an inkling about what was going on, which just urged him on more. He wondered how far he could go before being pounced on or attacked. And when he thought of being pounced on, he hoped it would be the sexy kind of poucing. With this thought in mind he popped open the top button of Marik's shorts.

The lion looked down at the button, glaring at it for coming undone. They weren't tight enough for it just just pop open by itself (even though both Bakura and Akefia had wanted him to wear a shorter and closer fitting pair), so he knew it must be his mystery attacker. While he still watched the zipper also came down, slowly, teasingly, and Marik actually felt a flush of heat as a shot of arousal went through him. There was no way he was getting turned on by this, was there?

Marik actually forgot all about attacking when what felt like a sly hand very gently stroked the protruding bones of his hips, drawing out a small shiver along his side. He really wanted to know what the hell was doing this, and more importantly why was he enjoying it so much.

Having given up on keeping himself secret, the Cheshire Cat licked Marik's lower stomach, brushing against the growing problem between the lion's legs. The tail had stopped swishing in warning and was now gently swaying in pleasure. The blonde cat's own tail was swirling behind him with glee, happy that he'd got the other feline's unspoken compliance for his dirty deeds.

The lion in question was now growing more and more frustrated with himself. He was being turned on by some invisible force that he had no idea about. Finally it clicked in his head what he was to do, and could only wait until he could carry out his plan.

Chapter 5

2009-11-09T15:29:00.007-08:00

The mansion he's seen in the distance was further away than he thought, Marik realised, either that or he was getting really unfit. He paused for a break, sitting under a large oak-type tree to catch his breath, remembering the last time he ran that fast was when he'd accidentally spilled the King's coffee while chasing Bakura for stealing his favourite chew toy. Akefia had been pretty violent the entire morning after that, and merciless for a whole week.

His tan ears drooped slightly while thinking of his beloved home, his dark carnival playground. He would never, ever admit it out loud, but Marik was beginning to miss his fellow circus freaks. Ryou with his Britishness, Malik and his annoying habits, Bakura's completely strange ability to get on everyone's right and wrong sides at the same time, and Akefia's grumpy over-controlling but twistedly caring personality. In their own strange ways they loved each other, and were like a family. He was beginning to wish he'd never touched Akefia's hat.

Then the blonde began to wonder how in the world the Ringleader had managed to keep that hat a secret. He'd had it for as long as he'd known the white-haired master of ceremonies, so Marik was pretty sure that if one of them had touched it before and been sent to this strange and creepy world that they wouldn't be able to keep it to themself, either because Akefia would seriously whip them for touching his hat, or because they couldn't keep secrets.

Just in his hearing range, the lion heard the bushes rustle in the distance. Silently tensing up and on guard, he turned his head to see what had caused the noise, only to see the greenery move once more. He stood up slowly, claws ready to strike should it be a threat. When the bushes moved even more violently the blonde crouched on all fours, violet eyes narrowing as he concentrated. He crept closer, keeping low on the ground.

When something leapt out of the leaves Marik pounced, pinning the attacking creature to the floor. At least he'd assumed it was attacking. Looking beneath his hands he saw a little white rabbit struggling to free itself, two of his claws buried in it's flesh. Wincing slightly at his mistake, Marik ran a swift claw over its throat, killing it instantly. No use letting good (and free) food go to waste. He pulled as much of the fur off as possible before tearing into the poor animal with its teeth.

With his belly fuller from his quick meal, Marik thought it would be best to try and reach the Duchess's mansion again. He only set off at a jog this time, giving his stomach time to settle in case he threw up like that unfortunately incident after a marshmellow eating contest with Malik. Although he suspected that more to be the overwhelming amount of marshmellows he consumed rather than the subsequent chasing of Malik around the big top tent.

Still unknown to him, a silent creature was following him in the trees, darting from branch to branch swiftly and without much problem. It's grin shone in the low sunlight, eyes shining as they gazed upon its next victim. "Such a pretty little kitty cat." It whispered to the wind, "I want to play."

Marik kept on jogging until he reached yet another large field on the other side of the trees. This one had a relatively lovely looking house in the middle, surrounded by a fancy looking garden and a swing chair to the side. He could still see the bug mansion in the distance, and thought that it definately was further away than he thought, and he cursed Wonderland for being to god-damn deceptive.

Still looking upon the house, he noticed a pale boy come outside with a tray of what looked like tea and cake. Instantly recognising the waistcoat and long white rabbit ears, Marik realised that he was looking at the White Rabbit who he'd bumped into before. Deciding to take another short break, and possibly find out more about this Duchess lady, he began to make his way over to the soft spoken rabbit.

The White Rabbit immediately looked up in alarm when he saw someone approaching, and was clearly both a little shocked and scared of his new arrival but still managed to stand up and bow with politeness.

"N-Nice to meet y-you again Mr Lion." He greeted, stuttering a little with nerves. Marik actually found that adorable. This Ryou was a lot shyer than his, that was for certain.

"Hello again little rabbit." He grinned, showing off his sharp fangs. "Mind if I rest here for a while?" He cocked his head to the side as he asked, almost trying to be cute.

"Of c-course you may!" The White Rabbit smiled, turning straight away to pull out the chair of the garden table and pour another cup of tea for his guest. Marik sound down thankfully, marvelling at how comfy the strange metal chairs were.

"Can you tell me about that Duchess?" Marik asked, flicking his head slightly in the direction of the mansion when the Rabbit was sat down looking at him.

"Do you not know?" The White Rabbit asked in confusion, blinking almost owlishly.

"No. I'm not from Wonderland." Marik replied, a little annoyed but trying not to let it show. He didn't want to frighten the probably skittish rabbit who was the only one currently able to give him the information he needed.

"Well she's the Queen of Diamonds. That's only a title though." The Rabbit sipped delicately at his tea. "Only the Queen of Hearts has the 'official' title of Queen, so to speak. The Queen of Diamonds is technically a Duchess, just like the Queen of Clubs is a lady."

"What about the King of Spades?" The lion asked. He really was curious about the mirror version of his master.

"The King is technically a Lord, but since there is no King of Hearts anymore to lay claim to the official title, he's earned it as a nickname." The White Rabbit smiled, "I don't think he'd drop that even if the Queen were to marry again. Which would obviously get him beheaded, but he'd escape, as always."

"What? Beheaded?" Marik raised an eyebrow, "For having King as a nickname?"

"Oh yes. The Queen is very strict on titles." The White Rabbit explained to him, this time offering him some carrot cake, which he declined. "Only the suit of Hearts can have 'official' titles. So they're the only ones who can be King, Queen, Knave, and so on. Everyone else is only called that because of their status, but it isn't their 'official' title."

Marik shook his head. It was all way too confusing for him. "So, the Queens of Diamonds and Clubs aren't actually Queens, and the King of Spades isn't actually a King but is called that as a nickname?"

"That's correct." The Rabbit smiled again. "If there was a King of Hearts, then the Queen would behead Akefia for stealing his husband's title. But since there isn't right now, he gets away with it."

"Woah, did you say he?" Marik asked incredulously. "The Queen is a he?"

The White Rabbit studied him curiously with a little shock and confusion evident on his face. "Why, yes, of course he is. The titles of King and Queen are gender neutral and are only based on if you married into the status or not. The Queen married the King but the King mysteriously died a few years ago." He took another sip of his tea with his eyes closed. "Rumours say he killed her but I dismiss them. I am a mere servant of the Queen and am not made to judge."

"The King was a girl then?" Marik asked, his own tea abandoned now.

"Yes, the great King Rebecca, god rest her soul." The Rabbit put his hand on his chest for a moment before reaching for another slice of carrot cake. "The rumours say the Queen only married her for the position of power, and then poisoned her with rose thorns, but it is just a rumour. Nothing has been proved.

'Not as if they'd do anything even if it was true.' Marik mused in his head. He supposed the Queen had enough power to behead anyone who dared even try and accuse her of such a thing. "So," He said out loud, "Tell me about the Duchess then."

"She's a strong lady." The White Rabbit explained. "She has her faithful Harpy servants who protect her and her estate. She's a very kind lady too. She lets me live on this land for no charge at all." His smile was fond as he thought of her. "I don't get paid much for being a messenger for the Queen, and my pay is always cut because I'm late a lot of the time. This house used to belong to her King, but she died from the Cardias epidemic two years ago. The King, Akefia, gave her a pet to help her mourning, the Cheshire Cat. He's not much of a pet. More like a friend she calls on for comfort."

"He sounds nice." Marik said softly. He's heard that name mentioned back with the March Hare and Mad Hatter. He'd been mistaken for him. "What's the Duchess's name?" He asked, something sparking a little more curiousity in his heart.

"Mai." The white haired boy answered. "Duchess Mai Kujaku."

The name rang a bell. Mai had been a tamer-in-training at the circus a few years back. She had been good with a whip, and as far as he knew she was now running her own carnival of terrors somewhere.

The White Rabbit checked his pocketwatch out of habit, and at once stood up when he realised the time. "Oh dear, oh dear!" He cried. "I'm late again! Oh dear, the Queen will have my hide!" He whimpered, dashing inside to grab his jacket before rushing out again. "i'm sorry I have to cut your visit so short Mr Lion."

"Marik." The blonde interrupted. "My name is Marik."

The pale boy stopped in his tracks. "Marik? Really?" His eyes looked the lion over, and he shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. "Well you certainly don't look like Marik, but if that's your name, I bid you farewell, Mr Marik." And with that the White Rabbit raced off at quite a fast pace.

Shrugging, the blonde lion downed the last of his now cold tea, and proceeded to stand and continue his journey to the Duchess's mansion. If he was lucky, he would be there before night time. If this place had a night time. He guessed it did judging by the sun slowly turning the sky pink by dipping gently below the horizon.

The shadow that had been following him once again appeared, peering out from the rose bushes in the garden. Marik walked right past it, not noticing the slight rush of wind as the creature darted onto the roof to watch him below. The sharp toothy grin flashed in the sunlight, and was gone.

Chapter 4

2009-11-09T15:29:00.005-08:00

It was fortunate that right outside the gate to the March Hare and Mad Hatter's houses was a sign post clearly marked 'Duchess, that way!' with an arrow. Marik did raise an eyebrow at it but shrugged and munched on his stolen sandwiches while he walked along the blue pathway.

It seemed like it would be quite a long walk, considering he was going from one 'state' to another by foot, and so the lion's mind wandered like it always did. It wandered around and found a lovely little topic to fill his head with, his ever-so strange friends Bakura and Malik. His friends, not the ones he'd just met.

Seeing what he would call their Wonderland counterparts, or mirror-selves, Marik actually appreciated his so-called friends a little more. He was extremly glad his Malik wasn't as annoying, and never asked that many questions, or repeated things over and over. Or wore that shade of purple for that matter. It nearly burned his retinas, even if it did oddly suit the man.

The blonde was also glad Bakura wasn't that... nice, if that was the right word. The March Hare had seemed calm and manipulative, taking advantage of situations around him but quite helpful when needed. His Bakura was nothing of the sort. Rude, obnoxious, devilish, twisted, maniacal; those would be the words to describe his white-haired partner in crime. He was no where near as subtle with his deviousness as the March Hare.

Then he remembered something the Hatter had said. There was an Akefia in this world too? And he was a king? That raised some questions. He wondered what this world's King was like. Marik supposed he'd be everything what he expected his master not to be, like caring, perhaps, miserable, maybe, soft was a possibility.

Marik shook his head. It was too strange and bizarre to think about. He pulled another sandwich out of his shorts and tore a piece off to throw in his mouth. This one was raw steak, his favourite (he also noted that those crazy boys had some strange sandwiches).

Whilst he wasn't paying attention, the road below him suddenly turned bright pink, and everything got a tiny bit colder. The tanned lion stopped in his tracks, wondering what the hell had just happened, and he turned around to look. His eyes widened, cursing under his breath. He could've sworn that he'd just left a darkened forest with a blue path, but instead what he could see was a slightly lighter forest with a pink and narrow path. He took a curious step forwards, and once agian everything changed. The once pink path was blue again, and the trees grew thicker.

Cocking his head to the side with interest, Marik took a step back, facing the same way. As if he'd passed over some invisible line, once again the blue turned pink and the thick turned thin. He had to laugh at that, and could've stayed there all day changing the woods but he had somewhere to be, so he continued on down the path, shivvering slightly at the lower temperature. For once in his circus life he wished he wore a bit more than a pair of tan shorts.

His forest environment grew thinner and less dense pretty quickly, leading onto a giant and wide open field. A cool, almost cold, breeze blew over it, moving the bright green blades of grass around like water. In the distance he saw a large house, and guessed that was where the Duchess was if her grand title matched her mansion.

Bounding across the field on all fours, the crumbs from his sandwiches blowing off in the field, Marik figured he'd get there pretty quickly if he kept a steady pace, even if it looked miles away.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes watched him from high up in a tree, grinning a pretty crazy grin.

Chapter 3

2009-11-09T15:29:00.003-08:00

Marik hummed to himself as he walked along the winding pathway. It was a lot twistier than the one before the fork, and a lot wider too. It was almost like a normal dirt road rather than a gritty little pathway. He'd taken to humming rather than grumbling as he was only making himself more miserable and frustrated. The song he mumbled to himself was one their circus sang a lot. It was stuck in their heads, an eternal song that linked them together. And Akefia took credit for it all.

He stopped in his tracks when another song sounded in his ears. Marik ceased his singing, and pricked his ears up to find the direction of the sound. It seemed to be coming from somewhere to his far right, off the apparent safety of the path and into the darkness of the forest. The blonde found himself in a dilemma: either go and investigate the origin of the singing, or stay on the path and have some idea of where he was going.

As always, paying no heed to common sense, Marik followed the singing.

The closer he grew the louder the music and the singing became. Marik could almost make out the lyrics by the time he passed a lumpy looking tree. Something about a 'very merry unbirthday', whatever one of those was. He jogged closer, coming across yet another path only this time it was a strange sort of blue shade. Distracted for a moment, Marik played in the dust with his feet for a second or two, wondering if it was paint or naturally like that, before looking up and seeing the blue path lead to a gate. He let himself in uninvited, hopping over the fence with ease and sauntering up the main pathway. The singing grew louder and louder, and now he could tell it was only one person singing.

The pathway he walked upon split into three about half way up and slightly steep hill. While standing there looking at where they lead, the singing stopped, and the blonde lion almost pouted. It was a catchy song he was beginning to like. The paths on the outside lead to two different houses, both as equally strange looking in the distance as the other. One was a mad shade of purple, while the other resembled a pile of bricks rather than a solid house. The middle pathway lead over the hill, towards, Marik guessed, where the source of the singing was. Shrugging to himself, he proceeded down the middle, hoping to bump into someone who could help him.

The view from the top of the hill was stunning. So stunning, in fact, that Marik had to stand there and take it all in for a second. The hill descended down a large clearing in the middle of a large cluster of trees. The trees themselves extended higher than any trees he'd ever seen, but weren't tall enough to block out the strange cinnamon hues of the setting sun. In the middle of the clearing appeared to be a party of some sort. A large ornate wooden table was laid out with fancy cakes, teacups and teapots, sandwiches and all the delights one would usually find at a quaint little tea party.

At one end of the table sat a tanned blonde in a purple suit. At least, Marik would've described it as a suit. It was a very strange suit, the jacket barely covering the top half of the person's torso, the black shirt underneath obviously with only one button done up. The peculiar thing was the lion-boy thought he recognised the purple-clad man. Platinum blonde hair peaked out from under the top hat that rested askew on the man's head, and the exposed flesh was wonderfully tanned. He could almost guess that the person who looked upon would have lavender shaded eyes.

There was another person at the table as well, leaning forwards with his head on his folded arms. This person had white hair, like the rabbit-boy he'd come across before. For a moment, Marik actually thought they were the same boy, but their hair was longer and more wild, and what he could see of his face his features were more angular. But the same long white rabbit ears protruded out of the top of his head like the previous boy. And, like with the other man at the table, the blonde lion could have sworn he knew this mysterious rabbit-boy too.

"Hey! You up there!" The tanned blonde called to him, waving a bit maniacly. "What are you doing?!"

Marik stared at him, before making his way over to the table when the blonde's waving turned into a beacon and indication to come closer.

"Howdy-doodee Mr Kitty-Stranger-Man." The purple-clad blonde greeted him as he drew closer. "I've never seen you before, what's your name kittycat?"

Raising an eyebrow at the man's antics, Marik replied simply, "Marik."

"Marik?" The white haired rabbit-boy nearby straightened up. "Seriously, that's your name?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Marik turned and questioned, tail swishing slowly behind him.

The white haired one looked him over with his blood-red eyes. "Playing tricks on us?" He asked finally.

"Tricks? The hell?" wondered the blonde, looking back at the man in the top hat.

"Cheshire, Cheshire, is that you?" He stood and poked Marik's nose, to which he growled and snapped at the finger. "No, no, Baku-bunny. Cheshire would lick my hand not bite it."

"What have I told you about calling me that in public?" The white haired one snarled, throwing the remains of a sandwich at his apparent friend.

"But you are a bunny!" The blonde retorted indignantly, crossing his arms and pouting in a huff.

"I'm a hare, not a bunny. There's a difference." The other corrected him, glaring with those blood-red eyes Marik knew he'd seen on someone else. "Hares are bigger."

"Oh ree~eally." The tanned one's eyebrows wriggled and he laughed a little hysterically. "How much bigger are they, Ba-ku-ra."

Bakura. There it was. The white-haired masochistic knife-thrower of the Nightmare Circus. He had the same eyes, skin, voice, hair, even their glares were the same. Marik took an involuntary step back which went unnoticed by the two at the table.

As they argued, Marik also took the chance to look over the boy in the top hat. There it was again. A dancer back at the circus by the name of Malik Ishtar was pretty much this man's twin, from the hair to the laugh. Although he was pretty sure his Malik wouldn't be caught dead in an outfit with that much purple in it.

"SO!" The Malik-look-a-like suddenly yelled, turning from his companion to their new guest. "Sit sit sit! Its tea time!"

"Its always bloody tea time." The white haired hare grumbled under his breath, but reached for a black and red flowery teapot anyway.

"So you've told us your name but you don't know us?" The blonde was practically bouncing in his seat. "I'm the Hatter, or Mad Hatter, depending who you ask." He seemed to consider that for a moment. "Actually ask anyone and they say I'm the Mad Hatter. Why am I mad? Why am I a hatter for that matter?" His eyes widened in glee. "Hee! I rhymed!"

"Oh for the love of God, calm down Malik." The Bakura-hare glared at his friend as Marik took a seat as far away from the Mad Hatter as politely possible.

"And this grumpy-bum is the March Hare!" The Hatter introduced, waving an arm wildly in the other's direction.

"We do have real names, you know." The March Hare told him, flicking tea at him and watching him squeal. "I'm Bakura, he's Malik .Not many people call us that though. A lot of people tend to stick with aliases and nicknames around here." He poured a cup of what seemed to be blood red tea in a plain black teacup and handed it to Marik.

The lion said nothing as he took the cup offered to him. He held it awkwardly, trying to remember how to keep hold of the damn thing. No one at the circus liked tea, except maybe Ryou the clown and Bakura is he was having an off day. It was mainly coffee for pretty much everyone.

Once he took a sip, he grinned widely. "This is good." He commented, happily chugging the rest of the mug down. Bakura looked at him knowingly and subtley put a finger to his lips when Marik looked at him. He guesed it was supped to be a secret, probably because the Hatter was squeamish (he knew his Malik was), and it tasted like a divine mix of caramel, tea and blood.

"So!" 'So' seemed to be the Hatter's favourite word. "What are you and who are you doing?" He leant forwards and rested his chin on his folded hands, gazing over at Marik with interest.

The lion-boy nearly choked on his laughter as he spluttered at the question. He attempted to catch his breath before he even dared to answer. "I'm a lion and I'm doing the King." He replied finally, still chuckling to himself.

"The King?!" The Hatter shrieked, flying backwards into his seat, knocking it on two legs for a tiny second as his hands held his cheeks in shock. "His Highness Akefia? Whatwhatwhat?!"

"Akefia? So you know him?" Marik was certainly eager to learn where his master was, if he'd fallen into this crazy place too.

"Yes of course! Everyone does! Our beloved King of Spades rules over this part of Wonderland." The Hatter explained, "He has done for the past decade or so."

"Not that we'd know." The March Hare commented quietly while he sipped from his cup.

Somehow Marik realised that they were probably talking about the Ring King's (he'd kill him for calling him that) Wonderland equivalent, and he slumped in his seat, a bit deflated after that thought.

"I'm going to guess the name Akefia means something to you." The March Hare looked over at him, placing his cup down almost delicately on its saucer.

The blonde looked up and met the crimson gaze, nodding slightly. He absent mindedly picked up a sandwich and munched on it, quite pleased to find it was chicken and BBQ sauce.

"There is another Akefia, not of our world." The Hare told him, and that definately got Marik's attention. "Who hates being called the King, and wears a red coat."

"That's my Master." Marik explained, wincing at how submissive the word 'Master' made him seem.

"Well Akefia, your Akefia, visits us every now and then." The Hatter added. "He possesses one of the few entrances to Wonderland."

"One of the even fewer that is in a movable object." The Hare concluded. "I actually heard he was here today. The Cheshire Cat mentioned seeing him with the Duchess."

"I have to find him." Marik declared, standing up from the table making his chair scrape on the wooden decking below.

"Well, duh!" The Mad Hatter giggled like a maniac. "He's the only one who can get back to your world. If you fell in through the doorway, then you're screwed as he's the only one with the way back."

"Fuck." Marik cursed. What if the Ringleaderwent back without him? He'd never know where he was. Ok, maybe he would once he found the hat, but he still didn't want to be left behind.

"Take the blue road until you get to Diamond Woods." The Hare told him out of nowhere. "The Duchess rules over that area, and you might be able to find him."

"Thanks." The lion mumbled, not liking showing his gratitude but he felt like he should anyway. Grabbing a handfull of sandwiches (he didn't really like care), he began to run off.

"Good luck, Mr Marik Lion Man!" The Mad Hatter waved him off behind him, cheering him on almost.

Chapter 2

2009-11-09T15:29:00.001-08:00

Marik opened his eyes slowly, groaning at his throbbing head and sore tail. His vision was blurry, and from the looks of the leaves above him he'd fallen out of the tree he'd perched on. It wasn't a first, but he'd never knocked himself out before. He forced himself to sit up gently in case he's hurt anything vital or broken any bones. When he didn't feel any excruciating pain he sat up quicker, wincing when he felt areas that he knew would bruise later on.

Upon looking around, Marik realised with shock that he wasn't in the compound of the circus anymore. Hell, he didn't even think he was anywhere near the city either. The forest he was in seemed to go on for miles, and it was a lot creepier and darker than the woods around the place he called home. Standing up gingerly, the blonde lion scanned the area for any sign of life and found nothing what-so-ever. Panic took over for a second or two before he growled and told himself to suck it up and start trying to find a way back.

He'd taken two steps before he realised he'd forgotton something. Looking around by his feet and on the ground nearby he discovered he couldn't find the Ringleader's hat. He'd had it when he fell, Marik was sure of it. He bit his lip in worry. He'd definatly get a harsh whipping from Akefia if he'd lost the thing. Deciding to try and not worry until he'd at least some idea where he was, the blonde began walking in a direction he hoped would lead him somewhere useful.

Marik was soon able to locate a narrow dirt path, which of course meant he was at least going in a direction that someone had planned out. The more he walked, the wider the path grew until he reached a fork in the road and couldn't decide which way to turn. He let out a low grumble of annoyance and plonked himself down in the dirt, stubbornly refusing to walk any further until he had some indication where he was. The fork didn't even have a sign saying which way was which.

Sighing heavily, the tanned male wondered where on earth he was, if he was even on earth at all. He knew the forest around the circus wasn't this big or deep from many experiences running and chasing the other members of the circus (a few civillians as well), so Marik was completely clueless as to where exactly he was. The ground felt unfamiliar, he didn't recognise any of the scents and smells of the greenery and flowers around him, and to top it all off his feet were already hurting from the amount of walking he'd done. He hoped sitting in the middle of the path like he was that someone would come along and give him directions.

The lion's thoughts began to drift slightly. He pondered a few ideas that this all might have something to do with Akefia's hat. The shimmer he'd seen didn't look like glitter now that he thought about it. Could it have possibly been something else? A portal? A doorway maybe? He wouldn't deny that something completely out of the ordinary happened, then again his life at the circus was anything but ordinary. A normal day for him included scaring visitors, chasing people, getting whipped by the Ringleader, teasing the other members of the circus and just generally terrorising anyone he came near.

His ears suddenly twitched as they detected movement behind him. Marik turned to look down the pathway, seeing nothing until what appeared to be a young man came into sight, running a quite a pace. The blonde lion stood up quickly as the other boy approached, but he didn't seem like he'd be stopping any time soon. Choosing to be a bit devious, Marik stuck out a leg as the boy charged past him, causing him to trip over with an undignified yelp of pain. The lion watched with his head cocked to the side curiously before crouching down next to the other.

"Gah!" The boy screamed when Marik suddenly appeared in front of his face. He scrambled back quickly in fear.

"That wasn't very nice." Marik almost pouted, a little amused at the boy's antics. While he tried to catch his breath and calm himself down, Marik got a good look at the other male. The pale skin, white hair, big brown eyes and soft features reminded him of one of his friends who worked as a clown in the circus. Ryou was his name. In fact, Ryou looked almost exactly like the boy now cowering in front of him, except for the long sleek rabbit eats protruding from the top of his head.

"Uh, c-can I help you, Mister?" The rabbit-boy stuttured politely.

"Where am I?" Marik growled, unintentionally but he was getting frustrated with not knowing.

"You're in Spades Forest, s-sir." The rabbit told him, "The largest forest in Wonderland."

"Wonderland?" Marik cocked his head again. He tended to do that when something peaked his interest. "Where's Wonderland?"

The other boy clearly didn't know how to answer him, and he shook in panic about replying. "W-Wonderland is just... h-here. I-I don't know w-what you mean, M-Mister Lion."

Marik grumbled low in his throat and stood up again. "Just my luck to get stuck in some place that doesn't make sense." He snarled to himself, looking around at the dark and dense forest around him. His gaze went back to the pale rabbit-boy in front of him, who once again cowered under his gaze. "Relax, I'm not going to eat you. I don't like rabbit."

"Th-Thank you, sir!" The rabbit was obviously over-joyed and got to his feet immediately. He pulled a bronze pocket watch out of his waistcoat and suddenly shrieked. "Oh my goodness! I'm late! I'm late!" He whimpered. "His Highness is going to kill me."

Marik raised an eyebrow in wonder. "His Highness?" He mused out loud, staring at the rabbit while he flustered about. "Well, go on then, if you're going to be late." He told him. He wanted to be alone now anyway. The rabbit-boy's cuteness was annoying him.

"Thank you, thank you!" The white-haired boy bowed low before him, which amused Marik greatly. "My name is the White Rabbit should you ever call upon me, kind sir." And with that, the rabbit darted off down the left fork of the path and dissappeared into the darkness.

"That wasn't weird at all." Marik mumbled under his breath, beginning to walk down the right path, not wanting to bump into that rabbit again.

Chapter 1

2009-11-09T15:28:00.001-08:00

In the a dark clearing, in a shy forest, on the edge of a large and over-populated city, there was a circus. The Nightmare Circus. It was filled with a ghastly concoxition of delight, horror, fantasy and teror, and you every wish was their command. At least that's what they wanted you to think. For the small price of your soul they would astound you with their tricks and triumphs, wow you with their magnificent acts and death-defying stunts, and amaze you with their magicial and mysterious illusions. They brought your every whimsical desire to life.

The Ringleader was king of it all. No one knew much about him, not even the members of the circus. All they knew is that he came to them at some point in their lives and completely took it over. However, it wasn't a bad thing at all. Once part of the Nightmare Circus you were part of a family and in his own twisted way the Ringleader took care of them all. Sometimes that wasn't necessarily a good thing, as many of the civilians who hassled the members of the circus had gone mysteriously missing shortly after they were seen at the show. For whatever reason the police had no clue about the ties to the dark carnival and therefore no one ever asked any questions, the staff included.

The most loyal member of the circus was a lion called Marik. He wasn't any ordinary lion though. No one quite knew exactly how the Ringleader had found him, or where, or why he took him on, but Marik had been there when the circus started, and was still there to this day. He was known to be very violent and very viscious, almost bloodthirsty. He had a grin that would scare your hair white, and a roar that sent you running for the hills. When people went missing the blonde lion would be found with blood on his teeth and under his nails and with a rather satisfied smirk on his face. Once again, no one ever questioned it. It was simply a fact of the Nightmare Circus.

Marik, with his tanned skin and golden hair, was both beautiful and deadly; yet another circus fact.. What was a sort-of 'public secret' around the circus was that he was the Ringleader's pet, in more ways than simply Master and Beast. It was another thing no one asked about; it was just yet another fact. Although even with his close relationship with his Master, Marik didn't know a lot of the white-haired leader's secrets.

For example, why was he so possessive of his beloved top hat?

The Ringleader, or simply Akefia when he was in a good mood, was rarely, if ever, seen without his red top hat with the white band. If he wasn't wearing it on his head, it was in his hands or by his feet or on the nearest avaliable surface. Stealing, touching, dropping, or knocking off his most beloved hat meant severe punshiment on the wrong-doer. As a joke, Bakura (a knife-thrower) stole the Ringleader's hat and burned it. He was made to wear high heels and hot pants for a fortnight.

With all this in mind, it was certainly a complete surprise for Marik to find Akefia's hat totally alone on his dressing table. It was just sat there, quite innocently, without no one at all in sight. Marik scanned the nearby vicinity for any sign of his Master without finding a single trace of him. Growing increasinly curious, the lion-boy creeped further into the room, sniffing the air with caution in case he was caught snooping by the Ringleader. He poked the hat gently, almost expecting it to be booby-trapped and explode. But nothing happened, so he picked it up and looked it over. Nothing seemed to be damaged, so why wasn't their leader wearing it?

Shrugging, Marik place it on his own head and ran off to climb his favourite tree. He was past caring if Akefia caught him now. It was the tanned man's own fault for leaving the thing unattended with a circus full of people who just loved to piss him off and play tricks on him.

The tree the lion had deemed his favourite was a large and sturdy oak tree quite close to the big top tent. It was incredibly tall with many thick and strong branches to climb up onto, which Marik did quite a lot. With his newly aqquired prize he climbed into his favourite branch somewhere near the bottom and leant againt the trunk of the tree. With glee the violet-eyed blonde turned the top hat over and over in his hands, getting a good look at it while he could. As he was doing so, Marik could've sworn that something on it shimmered, so he stopped his ministrations and looked at it closely. The Ringleader wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything sparkly so what the hell was it?

Marik saw nothing, and he cocked his head to the side in curious frustration while he tried to figure it out. Looking inside the shadows of the hat, he saw the little shimmer again. It was probably just a bit of glitter from Malik's last performance, he decided, and reached a hand in to brush it out. All of a sudden he felt a tremendous pull, and was forcefully flung off his perch, straight into the darkness of his Master's top hat.

Screaming in surprise more than fear, Marik felt himself falling, seeing a kaleidoscope of colours fly past him before a rush of darkness and finally a giant whump. He kept his eyes open long enough to realise there were trees above him before falling into the realms of unconciousness.