Chapter 25: Haruhi in Wonderland!

"Oh, Jin-chan! Can you come over here for a second?"

The brunette looked away from the bag in front of her, spotting her friend waving frantically from the windows, "Coming, Honey-senpai!" Jin set her bag of cosplay clothes down and walked around the various couches between her and the small blond. It took her only one glance to see why he had called her over.

"Isn't Haru-chan so cute when she's asleep?"

"Yeah."

"But the host club's going to start in a while… should we wake her up?"

Jin shook her head, reaching out to stroke her sister's short hair, "Nah. Let's leave her be for a little longer. I bet she's having a good dream." She bent down close to her sister just as the Ouran clock tower struck 3.

Bong...

Jin pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

Bong...

" Sweet dreams, Haru… "

Bong...

Falling down the rabbit hole…

Let's see what awaits us down below...

Haruhi felt like something was wrong. Her head felt unusually heavy, like someone was pressing down on it. That wasn't to say the feeling was uncomfortable or anything, but it passed in a matter of seconds. Deciding to ignore the odd feeling for the time being, she refocused in on her father's words.

He and a brunette man were chatting at a table placed strategically by a window, giving them a shadow-like appearance from her spot by the door. She rolled her eyes as he brought up how she'd gone through the entire application process by herself, without asking for help. Didn't he realize that he didn't have the free time? Even now he should be sleeping and taking care of his health instead of rambling on with the Dean of her new school.

"Ms. Fujioka?"

"Mm?"

Said dean was now staring at her, glasses glinted in such a way she couldn't see his eyes, "Would you mind terribly if your father and I talked in private for a while? You're free to explore the school as you please."

"Alright."

Quickly making her way out of the Dean's office, Haruhi decided she'd try to find her classroom for next year. The last thing she needed to do as an Honor Student was get lost on the first day of school.

You'd think huge schools like these would provide maps for their students. But then again, she thought as she rounded the corner, Hogwarts students don't get them either.

Passing through a hallway that had a full side dedicated to large bay windows, Haruhi took a moment to enjoy the view. The manicured lawn and hedges a story down from her vantage point nearly glistened in the sunlight, like someone had doused them with glitter.

Bong...

Bong...

Bong...

Her brown eyes flickered up towards the clock tower standing proud in the center of the commons, just as grand and pink as the rest of the building surrounding it. Haruhi was just starting to wonder why the architects of the school had decided on making the prestigious campus pink, of all the colors, when another subtle noise reached her ears.

Creeeeeak!

"Huh?"

The double doors at the very end of the hallway were cracked open, a bright light shining out onto the tiled floors. Weren't those closed just a moment ago?

Given that there was no one else in the hallway with her, Haruhi had to assume that whoever had opened the door was on the inside on the room. She watched with interest, wondering what kind of rich kid would be at school over spring break, but no one came out of the room.

Briefly reminding herself of the multiple horror movies she'd seen on television, Haruhi walked closer. Is it a janitor? Or is it another student who wants to play a prank on the new kid… The 'new kid' being me?

She made it to the door without any problems and, after taking in a deep breath, peeked her head inside.

What she saw made her jaw drop.

It was… a stuffed bunny rabbit. A light pink, stuffed bunny! And it was walking around on its own! Her brain struggled to find some sort of reasoning, like a Puppeteer club or something, but there didn't seem to be anyone else in the room. She was all alone.

With the stuffed rabbit.

Said rabbit that suddenly turned around and waved at her.

"Eeeh?"

It beckoned her closer and, against her better judgement, she obeyed. The rabbit stayed right where it was, its stitched smile trained on her as she slowly inched closer. "Oooookay. Weird. This is really weird. " Taking another hesitant step forward, so she was no less than another shuffle away, Haruhi shot her arm out in a cutting motion, attempting to swat at whatever wires were making the doll move.

Her hand swished through the air.

"B-b-but th-that's not possible! How-?"

Her question was cut short as the sound of a powerful motor started up from somewhere beneath her feet. The ground shook and a circular section of the floor dropped an inch. Screaming in a blind panic, Haruhi crawled out of the circle and onto relatively stable ground. She spun back around just in time to see the pink rabbit disappear into the now gaping hole in the ground.

Scrambling to her feet, the girl warily leaned herself a little over the pit, "H-hello? Is somebody down thEERRRRRRRREEEEEEE!"

As Haruhi tumbles down into the black nothingness, she faintly recalls feeling something hard strike the middle of her back. And if she could think at all, that spot would probably be hurting a lot. However, she was currently free falling down a seemingly never ending hole that had just appeared in the ground of a high school music room with an animated stuffed bunny rabbit. Her mind was a little preoccupied.

"Oof!"

Before she could blink, Haruhi found herself stopping. Her butt was now wedged into a bowl of some sort, but miraculously she didn't seem to be harmed. The small of her back hurt still, however, and a second later she discovered why. A red racquetball dropped from the ceiling, bouncing beside her. Only it didn't lose energy the more times it hit the floor. Instead it bounced higher. Haruhi watched in amazement as the ball bounced behind her before reeling back and striking her back again.

Another scream fell from her throat as she fell face first on the tiles. The red ball bounced to a stop beside her head, looking far too innocent for an inanimate object.

"Owowowowowwww…"

Haruhi scowled at the ball for a moment before swatting at it, sending it rolling across the floor before bumping into a… what's a grand piano doing in a place like this? And is that a banana tree next to it?

Before Haruhi could fully grasp just how mental this whole situation was, a boy wearing a monkey tail and ears climbed out of the piano, propping the lid open as he did so. He nodded at his work before jumping down from the instrument. As if it was a magnet, the boy turned to see the red ball. He tilted his head and reached out for it.

"No! That thing is evil! Don't touch it!"

The boy jumped at the sound of Haruhi's voice, shouting and scrambling up the banana tree, shaking a few of the fruits down as he did so. Then he disappeared into the leaves and the tree was still.

"Uh… sorry?"

The top of the tree exploded, the boy sailing out of the leaves with a newly peeled banana in hand. He shot a fearful look at the brunette girl before racing past her. As he ran, he wolfed down about half of the banana in one go. Tossing the rest of the uneaten fruit behind him, he disappeared into a cloud of pink smoke. Haruhi gaped as, before her eyes, a smaller version of the boy ran out of the smoke . He had the same monkey attachments, same hair, heck even his clothes had shrunk down!

"H-hey! How'd you-"

Slam!

The boy was gone, disappearing behind a smaller version of the doors Haruhi herself had walked through not three minutes ago.

Needing to see it for herself, Haruhi attempted to stand up. She was getting tired of lying on the floor. But… she couldn't. The vase she'd fallen into was stuck on her butt. Wonderful. Freaking… wonderful.

Well, before finding out why any of these freaky things were happening, Haruhi needed to get unstuck first. Reaching back, she tried to pry the stupid thing off of her, but it was suctioned on.

"Oh… come on…"

Sighing, the brunette tucked her arms under her chin, looking around to see if there was anything that could help her out. I could smash it against something… but I don't want to get cut up in the process. That… boy-monkey whatever might've been some help if I hadn't made him flip out.

Her eyes roamed the room. There were no other exits other than the small door, even the ceiling looked completely normal, like Haruhi hadn't just fallen through a gaping black hole in it earlier.

"Hmm…" her eyes fell on the multiple bananas now scattering the floor with her. Recalling what had happened to the boy earlier, she felt her interest peak. I wonder...

Inching her way forward, which was actually incredibly difficult with a glass vase suctioned around your butt, Haruhi pushed herself in front of a single banana. She eyed it with curiosity for a half a second before darting her hand out and devoured the fruit. The second she swallowed another cloud of smoke burst into existence, only this time it enveloped her.

Being small didn't actually feel that different from being big, Haruhi discovered. It was just… everything you used to be bigger than… was now bigger than you. Including the vase that now covered her in total darkness. Pushing it off, Haruhi ignored how crushingly big the room seemed to her now in favor of running towards the doors. Which now seemed to be sized like ordinary doors to her.

I hope I won't stay this small forever. This would make school a lot tougher...

Pulling the doors open was easy.

Pushing down her nervousness and taking the first step through the utter blackness that awaited her on the other side was a little less easy.

Not regretting looking where her feet were going when Haruhi started plummeting down a long tunnel again was impossible.

Thankfully, the second fall was noticeably shorter than the first one. And it had a softer landing, turning into a sort of water slide before she gently plopped into a pool of some sort. Kicking her feet frantically, Haruhi swam back up to the surface before she ran out of air.

Gasping, her face broke the surface of the pool. Rubbing the water droplets off her eyelashes, Haruhi blinked a few times before looking around where she had landed. Again, there was no indicator that Haruhi had come from up above. There was no tunnel, no doors, not even a slip n' slide.

As for where she was? She spun around in a circle, seeing nothing but blue sky and white columns surrounding a square reflection pool. It didn't look like, well, anywhere . In fact, if Haruhi didn't know any better, she'd say that the pool she was in was somehow floating in the sky, because there didn't seem to be any land or real buildings anywhere around her.

Except for a gigantic clock tower peeking in through the columns, still showing the time 3 o'clock.

"You've cried quite a bit… haven't you?"

"Huh?" Spotting a large mass of colors over by one side of the pool, Haruhi swam over and hoisted herself over the side. She didn't care for grace at the moment, and flopped onto her back, feeling the water from her drenched uniform leaking out onto the pavement beneath her.

"What… did you mean… s-" Haruhi looked up at the colors, expecting to see a man sitting among them. The voice had sure sounded like a guy's. However, she instead saw a gigantic yellow caterpillar sitting atop a red mushroom. But this caterpillar didn't look like your normal, everyday caterpillar, even when you took out the fact that it was a lot bigger than Haruhi was used to. She chalked that up to her still being small from the banana.

No… it was the fact that he had a human face sticking out of his chest area. A tuff of black hair stuck out of the top, glasses were perched on his thin nose, and he had a sharp face that didn't really seem fitting for that of a bug. But still, it was there.

The face quirked his lips before gesturing towards the pool Haruhi had just crawled out of with a stubby arm, "This pool… it's a collection of all the tears you've cried throughout your life. Quite impressive, given your age and the size of it. You must've gone through a lot of hardships… more than your fair share perhaps?"

Haruhi pursed her lips, "Um… I dunno if you can say fair share or not about anything. If someone else had gone through what I did… would they have cried the same amount?"

The boy, she was going to call him a boy from now on, hummed, "Interesting. There aren't many people who would say that. Most would just agree that they'd been treated unfairly in their life and demand a sort of refund or- ah! Customers, I presume?"

Confused, Haruhi looked around the mushrooms and saw a tall boy dressed in all black and a little girl in pigtails walking up to the boy's mushroom. The two were holding hands as they walked closer, and as Haruhi glanced up to him she saw an actual grin growing on the boy's face.

Somehow realizing she was watching him, the boy looked down at her, smile fading, "Is there something wrong, Miss?"

"Ah, no!" She quickly turned away, "It's just… I've never seen you smile like that before. It was strange."

"Hm… you certainly are interesting, Miss. How could you have ever seen me smile before? We've only just met."

The question struck Haruhi dumb for a moment. Why did I say that? I've never met this guy before! I would hope I'd remember meeting a caterpillar/boy before now!

"I take it you wish to make a purchase?"

The boy and girl nodded their heads.

"Are you paying yourselves or…"

"I believe I will be paying for my subjects again."

Haruhi jumped at the disembodied voice, but not because it was unpleasant or anything. No… actually the voice felt like a warm cup of tea sliding down her throat, warming her up in the best of ways. The three others turned around to see a… a something . It was like a cloud, but at the same time it wasn't. More like pure light had solidified just a little bit until it was a floating liquid, swirling around in the air but still moving with a purpose.

As it grew closer, the air warmed up. Haruhi felt her clothes grow warmer, the light or whatever it was seemingly drying her clothes. By the time it reached the dark boy and blonde girl, Haruhi felt completely warm and dry.

The light flashed brighter for a moment before condensing down into a teardrop shape that hung in midair. Haruhi watched in wonder as a person seemed to grow from the light. Lean arms and legs and a head and even white clothes just developed out of nothing until a very beautiful woman stood before them all.

Her clothes were completely white. She was in a dress that looked more fit for a wedding than to walk around in, but that didn't seem to matter to her. It was tight against her torso, hugging her curves just right before loosely fluttering down her legs in shimmering ripples. Heels that looked to be made of diamonds sparkled on her feet, and had a similar floral pattern as her lace sleeves that went from her armpits to cover the backs of her hands. A diamond pendant hung just above her cleavage. And while some would expect for her skin to perhaps be pale and pasty white along with the rest of her outfit, it was actually a very light tan color, like she spent a good portion of her time outside. Haruhi could imagine this woman walking around a garden or reading a book in a bay window with the sun shining down on her.

Her hair and eyes were the only shock of color on her whole body, a deep chocolate brown that seemed to radiate warmth in the same way her light had done moments ago. She had a kind smile and kinder eyes that appeared to look deep within Haruhi's inner most secrets, only to tell her there was nothing to be ashamed of and she would be welcomed with open arms should she request it.

And the piece de resistance? An intricate and beautiful crown of diamonds, opals, and other white gemstones perched delicately atop her head.

"Who… what's your name?"

Suddenly mortified at speaking during the silence that had surrounded the group of five, Haruhi clapped her hands over her mouth. The woman merely smiled at her as the Caterpillar-boy leaned back on his mushroom.

"Miss, you are in the presence of the Princess of Light, overseer of the SouthEast corner, future Queen of all Ouraland and its subjects," he suddenly leaned forward, resting his chin on his left stub, "And, incidentally, the most beautiful creation in all the land."

The princess smiled, cheeks growing a light pink, "You flatter me with your words… but I always seem to find you here, don't I?"

The boy's smile faltered before looking down at his notebook, "I'm not entire sure what you mean by that."

"Mmm… I suppose you don't yet." There was a deep, cutting sadness in the way the princess spoke, but just then her teardrop pendant flashed brightly again, jumping on her chest. The woman laughed and pressed her right pointer finger against it, "Did you get stuck again, Sora? We need to work on your transformation."

With another chime-like laugh, she lifted her finger and a small white bird popped out of the pendant. It wobbled in the air before managing to perch itself on the princess's bare shoulder, feathers ruffled up unflatteringly. The princess stroked the bird's' head before returning her attention to the boy and girl who were standing behind her.

"Now, where were we?"

The two bowed, but they were smiling, "Two mushrooms, Princess!"

"Pretty please?"

The princess laughed, "Of course." The three approached the mushroom that the boy (caterpillar, boy-caterpillar, whatever) was seated on. Haruhi felt very confused. This beautiful princess kept referring to the boy and girl as her 'subjects', and while she could understand the blond girl being a part of her kingdom, Haruhi didn't see how the dark boy fit in with her look.

The two subjects released each other, the boy plucking a small mushroom from the caterpillar-boy's left side while the girl yanked at one from his right side. As they did so, the princess slowly walked up the other mushrooms until she was standing right in front of the boy. They smiled at each other as she gracefully knelt down in front of him.

"I shall have to place this transaction on credit… it would seem." The royal's tone was teasing, as if she and the boy were in the midst of sharing a joke with the other.

"Very well. I always look forward to sealing the deal with you."

She laughs again, her pendant sparkling with every movement her chest made, "You aren't the only one, my Dear. Why do you think I always volunteer to pay for my subjects?"

A sudden burst of light drew Haruhi's attention back towards the princess's subjects, who were both glowing just as brightly as she had been moments ago. The boy was crouching down, lower in lower as if his body was in pain.

Wait.

No… the boy was shrinking in size, just like Haruhi had before.

Oh, hold on. Scratch that. He was now an actual baby.

Haruhi looked at what used to be the small blonde girl, only to see a blonde teenager happily prancing towards the pool to admire her reflection. She felt like her brain was in a blender set to puree. This place was starting to get too strange for her.

Creak…

Spinning around, Haruhi caught the sight of the baby crawling through an open door that hadn't been there a few seconds ago.

"H-Hey! He's crawling off on his own! We have to-" She stops short at the sight that awaits her when she turns back around.

The princess and caterpillar boy were locking lips.

"Uh…"

They paid her no mind, obviously enjoying themselves too much. The princess's bird flew around their heads a few times before perching on a nearby mushroom to preen. The boy and girl continued on, eyes shut as they slowly moved their lips together in sync, but Haruhi's were frozen open, unnecessarily shocked by this turn of events. Then something even stranger happened, which she hadn't thought was possible a moment ago.

The caterpillar-boy flickered.

For a brief moment of time, the yellow, bulging insect part of the being was gone, replaced instead by a human boy. He looked to be in his late teens, body lean and somewhat angular like his face, but human nonetheless. His clothes were as black as his hair, a sharp contrast to the girl in pure white he was kissing, but they both seemed to have a similar fashion sense… the boy's clothes did have a fancy sort of look to them. Very regal looking.

But, just as quickly as it disappeared, the caterpillar was back.

Even so, the two parted from the kiss with smiles. The princess was blushing a little darker now, but her voice was even as she announced, "That was for the first payment."

They kissed again, both leaning in to meet in the middle. The caterpillar flickered again, longer this time.

"Second."

The boy sat backwards, but the princess followed him, planting another solid kiss to his lips. This time, the form blinked away completely, leaving just the boy for at least five solid seconds. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting this third kiss, but it didn't look like he minded either. Slowly, he brought his hands up, possibly to cup her face, but the moment they parted again his stub hands brushed against her cheeks.

"Was there a third payment I was unaware of?"

"No. That one was just because I wanted to kiss you again."

He chuckled deeply, form flickering as he did so. The princess didn't seem surprised by this, even as her eyes frantically roamed up and down his human shape before refocusing on his face as the insect part came back.

"Well, if that's how this works, then since I want to…" They meet again for an even deeper kiss, his caterpillar form disappearing completely from view. The princess was drawn into the boy's lap, straddling him and reaching up to comb her fingers through his short, black hair.

Haruhi was still gaping at them, mouth unable to transform the stream of words and questions in her mind into actual sounds. I don't think royalty is supposed to behave like this… especially with shrewd businessmen like him… But something else seems off here. What is it?

It wasn't until the boy let out a low moan that she was able to recall what had been bothering her so much. "Wait a second… you guys haven't admitted your feelings for each other yet!"

Her outburst seemed to have ruined the mood, good and properly, as the two parted and looked down at her. The caterpillar form had yet to return, but neither of them seemed to notice. Haruhi tried not to stare at how kiss-swollen their lips were or exactly where the boy was grabbing the princess on his lap.

"Hmmm… again, you interest me with your knowledge, miss."

"What makes you say that we haven't admitted to any feelings for each other? Or, a better question, what makes you say that the feelings we have are even real? " The way the princess was looking at her made Haruhi get the idea that the princess knew that she knew the answer, but was simply setting up her questions to help guide her in the right direction.

"Well… it is kind of obvious you care for each other a lot. The way you two always look at each other, it's pretty clear you like each other. And, sir, whenever you kiss her you look more human. Even now you're in human form."

"How we always look at each other?"

" More human?"

Haruhi's mouth opened, but no words came out as the boy pulled the princess closer, her resting her head in the crook of his neck. The caterpillar form was still gone, and it was becoming harder and harder to remember how he'd looked with it.

"Hm, you'd better hurry, Haru. The little one's been gone for a long time."

"Oh no!" Haruhi turns and runs through the doorway. How could I've been so careless? He could be hurt! Wait… did she just call me Haru? The brunette turned around at the last second, question on her lips right before she fell backwards through the doorway and darkness surrounded her.

"You may refer to me as Duchess. To the High Queen, I'll have you know!"

Haruhi blinked and the dark was gone, replaced by a homely looking room. Everything else looked just as weird as the last place she'd been.

A girl wearing an overly poofy green dress was seated on top of a cake-looking pedestal, cradling the baby in her arms. The other furniture scattered around the room didn't match each other, and there was something pink and purple and orange staring at her from nearby couch.

"Oh, and my cat. Lazy little..."

Haruhi nodded, pretending like she even remotely understood, "Uh, yeah. So, um, are you the baby's mother? I wanted to make sure that he didn't get hurt on his own anywhere, so…"

"I see… you were concerned for his safety?"

"Yeah, a little. I'm glad he found his way home. A child's best place to be is with their mother."

The girl's face remained blank as she looked down at the child, "Well… as I don't have anyone else… would you look after him for me? I've been summoned to appear in court, and I don't know how long I will be away."

"O-Oh. Uh, okay. I guess."

Haruhi carefully cradled the child in her arms as the girl sunk down into the floor, chin held high until the floor closed up above her head. What is it with these freaky modes of transportation? Can't anyone just walk around here?

"She's not coming back, you know."

"Huh?"

Haruhi turned towards the cat, who was smirking at her, "Why would she? That doll doesn't even belong to her. She'd have no reason to."

Doll? Sure enough, the baby in her hands was now a wooden cat doll. But by now, Haruhi's 'Weird-o-meter' had burst its banks, so she just rolled with it. Looking back up, the strange talking cat was gone too. Shrugging, she swaddled the doll and laid it on the couch, just in case it became a baby again.

Tentatively, she opened the doors at the end of the room and was pleased to see it was just a long hallway that awaited her. No pitfalls. No unknown darkness. No pool of tears. Just a normal, everyday sort of hallway. Sighing in relief, Haruhi started walking. If she was going to find a way out of here, and she couldn't go back the way she came, then forward was the only option.

The hall was pretty barren. Just a long row of pillars on either side of it and the end nowhere in sight.

"Took you long enough." It was the cat, leaning up against the pillar just ahead of her on her right side. "I've been waiting here forever."

With a playful smirk, he spun around the pillar, vanishing from sight.

"Waiting? For me? Hey, wait up, then! Mr. Cat!"

"Over here~" A different voice called out from behind her, and she turned to see… the same cat? He smirked at her again, "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Uh… what's neat?"

The cat slipped behind the pillar again, and the first voice sounded from behind her, "I can disappear and reappear."

"All the time."

"Any place."

"Okay, yeah, I suppose that's cool and all, but can you help me find the way out of here?"

"Hm… well perhaps I'd be able to help…"

"...if you tell me where you're trying to go."

Haruhi blinked, "I… I just wanna go home. Where I was before I fell down that first hole in the ground after that pink bunny."

The cat tilted his head, looking interested for the first time in their conversation, "So you're from Over, huh?"

"I don't think I've ever seen someone from up there."

Now it was the brunette's turn to be interested, "'Over?'"

"Yes, Over."

"That place that's above Ouraland, where you say you're from."

"Literally over our heads."

"Ergo, we call that place Over."

"Huh. You guys sure have funny names around here. But, anyways, can you help me get back up there?"

The cat shrugged, "I'm afraid that's above my pay grade."

"You'd need an audience from the High Queen-"

"- and gain approval from the High King-"

"-the Princess of Light-"

"-and the missing Shadow Prince-"

"-to be allowed to leave Ouraland."

"But once you do that… I'll help you get home."

"Really? Well, I've already meet the Princess, but how do I find them all? And did you just say the Prince was missing?"

The cat pointed in the direction she'd been heading originally, ignoring her question, "Keep heading that way. If you get lost, I'm sure the others will help you find your way again."

"The High Queen should be holding court soon. Her King will be by her side, and the Prince and Princess should be in attendance."

Haruhi nodded, beginning to walk forwards again, "Thanks, you two. I really appreciate your help!" And with that, she went on her way. Unknown to her, two identical pink and purple cats stepped out into the open, sharing inquisitive looks with each other. How had she known there are two of us?

Haruhi didn't know how much longer she kept walking, but she came to the end of the hallway just as the clock struck 3 o'clock.

Bong...

Bong...

Bong...

At the last hit of the bell, she pushed open the door that was in front of her and came into a huge dining hall. There had to be at least four stories of balconies above the first floor, all filled with tables covered by white tablecloths and clean glass plates.

Out off all the seats in the room, only three were taken. A young child wearing white rabbit ears, a blond boy in a large top hat, and what looked like a gigantic mouse who was snoozing on the table in between them. Haruhi looked left and right around the room, noticing more than one door out of this place, which was odd compared to the other rooms she'd been in previously. And while the cats had told to her to keep going straight… it wouldn't hurt to ask for directions again, right?

"Uh, excuse me-"

"No room. Please move along."

She blinked, not understand something yet again. "What do you mean?"

"No room left for you, sorry. Gotta keep goin'."

Silence stretched between them. Haruhi's eyes drifted over the many empty seats. They were all pushed in so invisible people were out of the question. Which meant these people were just jerks. Not likely to give her proper directions either. The cats said to go forwards…

"Didn't you hear us?"

"There's no room le-"

"I got it, I'm going."

She got maybe a step out before one of the voices shouted after her, "Hey! Don't brush us off, how rude!"

"We were only kidding! You looked like you needed a good laugh! Please come back!"

Groaning, but wanting to ask her question anyways, Haruhi turned back around and sat down across from the sleeping mouse. No need to be any closer to the mean ones than she had to be.

"Look, I didn't really need to sit, I just wanted to ask a question."

"Your hair is pretty long today, isn't it?"

"Uh… yeah. It's been this long for some time now."

"You'll have to wear it shorter in the future, you know."

"... okay. It doesn't really matter to me, but can I ask my question now?"

"Only if you answer mine!"

She leveled an unamused stare at the small boy, "Oh really, and what would that be?"

"Do you want some cake?"

A blink later and there was a pile of cakes resting beside the bunny-boy. Haruhi didn't understand how they had gotten there, or what the small boy was planning to do with all of them (because there was no way, in fantasy or reality, that he could eat them all) but she didn't bother to ask anymore. It wasn't like she'd be given a straight answer anyways.

"No thanks. But a word to the wise, be careful eating that many sweets. You'll get a cavity."

The boy jerked in his seat, casting a fearful eye at the mouse beside him. Haruhi looked too, only to see his eyes were open. The mouse lifted his head from his arms and looked the blond dead in the eye.

"Don't forget to brush after you finish."

"O… kay." The two stared at each other for a moment longer before the mouse went back to sleep and the bunny ate another forkful, as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, can I ask my question now?"

"You just did, but I assume that you mean to ask why it's always 3 o'clock here."

"It is? I didn't even notice... but actually-"

"It's always snack-time! That's why I don't complain!"

"Ugh, I don't have time for your stupid games, Senpai! I just wanted to ask how to get to the courtroom!"

The tall blond tilted his head, "Sen-pai? How did you know I was older than you?"

"I...I'm not sure. Lucky guess maybe?"

"Hm."

"Whatever, that doesn't matter. I want an audience with the High Queen so I can go back home."

The three boys across from her shared glances (when had the mouse woken up again?) before facing her, "You truly are set on going home, then? Well…" A trumpet fanfare played from behind a pair of closed doors, the ones Haruhi had been about to go through when these boys had called her back. "That's your cue, then. The High Queen is now holding court."

"The Duchess is scheduled to be executed, so I bet once that's done you can seek audience."

"Wait… the Duchess is going to be executed? But what about her baby?"

"Calm down, Miss. No one can fight the High Queen's wishes, believe me. Many have tried."

"Well… well I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing like the rest of you! I have to try! " Spinning around, Haruhi ran towards the doors the trumpet blasts had come from, hoping she wouldn't be too late.

Bursting through the doors, Haruhi found herself at the bottom of a gigantic indoor Colosseum. Thousands of people lined the rows of seats around the small arena-like area where the Duchess was standing, chained to the ground.

As Haruhi struggled to take in the sight, a loud, booming voice echoed across the room, "Duchess, you stand before the royal court to atone to your crimes." Haruhi peeked around the shaking woman and saw the Royal Family.

The only two thrones placed in the court were very large, plated in gold and silver for the masked King and Queen to sit upon. The way the eye holes were cut into their masks made it look like they were permanently glaring at the Duchess. Standing two steps down from the thrones on the Queen's side was the Princess of Light, who was watching the scene in front of her sadly, and… the Caterpillar?

Yup, it was the same boy who had flipped between insect and human body that she'd met on the edge of her Pool of Tears. Haruhi finally understood his royal clothes, he was royalty. He must be the Shadow Prince… which meant he was the husband of the Princess. And no longer missing, I see. Now standing up, Haruhi could see that he was taller than his wife and held himself with a great amount of pride and power. He was watching the Duchess with next to no emotion, but Haruhi could see him squeezing his Princess's hand tightly, in an effort to exchange comfort with her.

"Your crime," the King boomed out, "is attending Ouraland's annual Music Festival by invitation. To you confess to your transgression?"

"Wait! Hold on, your Majesty!"

The entire room gasped as Haruhi marched around the Duchess, pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling. All these people were staring at her… and she had no idea how the court system down here worked. If she said the wrong thing, her head could be on the line next! But… there was something inside her that said she had to stand up. Had to help the Duchess. It was like a voice was calling out to her from the inside.

She met the Princess's eyes, and was instantly gifted with that warm feeling again. In her eyes Haruhi saw surprise, hope, pride, and concern. She could tell that the Princess of Light would be a wonderful Queen one day, taking care of her subjects to her last breath.

Next, her eyes fell to the Shadow Prince. He had on that same smirk she'd seen earlier, but now his glasses were un-glinted, showing off his grey eyes. She felt another rush of… something. It wasn't warm, like the Princess, but not freezing. Just sort of a chill that set her back straight. The cold cleared her head, but didn't overpower the warmth in her chest from his spouse. He didn't appear to be as concerned for her, but was watching with interest. Like he wasn't sure where this was going, but was expecting her to fight for what was right without any help and do exactly as well as she should.

No wonder they were together. It was the ultimate form of a 'Power Couple'.

"You dare speak in the presence of the Royal Court without permission?"

Haruhi steeled her nerve, pulling on the surges of power she'd just received, "Yes, I dare! I come here as legal counsel for the Accused!"

Another swoop of murmurs passed over the crowds, but Haruhi paid them no mind. She turned to face the Duchess, who was watching her with tears in her eyes. Haruhi nodded to her, "Duchess, your side of the accusation?"

Seeming to snap out of her funk, the brunette straightened up, leaning forwards despite her chains, "With all due respect, your Majesty's, it is my royal duty to attend the Music Festival!"

"But does that justify you leaving your child alone? The crime you are being accused of is the abandonment of your child, not your attendance of a festival. How do you plead for such an unforgivable crime, Duchess? Thrusting such loneliness on a child, one who has barely explored the world..."

"Your Majesty, with respect, the child wasn't abandoned. Leaving a child to provide for their family is the ultimate support and sacrifice for any parent to make. The child wouldn't be the only one to suffer from lost time, but the parents as well to leave their own child, whom they love most in the world. And the child knows that they are being left out of love. They understand, even if they get lonely from time to time. Besides, how is taking this mother away from this world permanently going to help the child in any way? If you take her, then you're forcing her child into true abandonment, but not by his mother's hand!"

"Silence, young maiden! There is no room for your emotion in the court! Control yourself or be removed!"

"No! If you take emotion out of the legal system, then you might as well leave it to a machine!"

The princess smiled, "The lawyer is right, Father. Emotions are what allow us to see every side of a story. In fact, emotions are the reason you believe the Duchess is to be executed in the first place, isn't that right… Mother?"

"Hold your tongue, Daughter. It is not your place."

"Oh… but I believe it is."

"Really? How so?"

"Because she knows me as I know her, which can only mean that this brave young girl is one of my subjects. She is under my care, and it should fall to me to stand behind her. She's made a good case." The Princess's brown eyes seemed to dance with humor, "Even if she interrupted my time with my husband."

"Oh, please, I wasn't about to wait around until you finished snogging Kyoya-senpai, Nēchan ."

An even larger gasp rippled across the room, the lights flashing on until Haruhi could see the room at large.

"Now… how is it that you know our names, Miss?"

"Yes," the room chanted, "How is it you know their names? How ever do you know?"

"Uh… I…"

"Yeah, and you somehow knew there were two of us."

"Don't forget about my cavity~"

"Or how you knew I was older than you without being told."

"And, lest we forget-"

"-how did you know we had feelings for each other?"

"How is that?"

"How is that?"

That same question was repeated over and over across the room, and Haruhi was speechless. She didn't know how she knew those things… she just… did.

"Oh, Haruhi… hasn't it sunk in, yet?" The King stood, pulling his mask away to reveal-

"Dad?!"

"You've made a lot of wonderful friends here, Haruhi. You can't even forget them while you're dreaming."

"B-but…" Haruhi's eyes darted around the thrones in front of her. The princess... she'd called her Nēchan. So... if she was her older sister... who'd called Haruhi's dad… Father. Then the Queen… she'd called the Queen…

As if she could hear her thoughts, the Queen gracefully stood up from her chair, floating down the steps towards her. "You've grown so much, Haruhi. Where does the time go? I'm so proud of you… and also so sorry. I made life so difficult by leaving, for you and your sister. I know I have no right to ask anything of you… but please live your life as I have always wanted you to. Have fun, and be happy, okay?"

Haruhi's lower lip quivered, but not even she was able to hold back the tears. She ran forward, leaping into her mother's arms as the clock struck 3.

Bong...

Bong…

Bong…

…

…

" Mom?"

Looks like we've had our fun for now…

So back up the hole we go...

A gentle hand touched Haruhi's shoulder, slowly pulling her from her little nap.

"Mmm… what?"

Tamaki pulled away, pressing his hand against his hip, "Finally. The Host Club's going to open in a bit, Haruhi, and you need to get into costume. Your sister refused to let me wake you up sooner though. She said you've been needing the rest."

The brunette blinked hard, her contacts feeling too heavy in her eyes, "Yeah… okay, Tamaki-senpai. I'll go change in a moment."

Satisfied, the blond walked off. Haruhi stretched in her seat and looked around. The other hosts were milling around the room, already in their Alice in Wonderland cosplays or just finishing up the final touches.

Huh. That must be where my crazy dream came from. Yawning, the brunette attempted to remember as much of her dream as possible. She could only pull up a few fragments, like Nekozawa-senpai turning into a baby then into a doll, and her mom was at the end of it. Haruhi smiled, remembering the final words she'd said to her.

But there was something else that happened. Something… important.

The memory snapped into place and Haruhi jerked.

Nēchan… and Kyoya-senpai… were married in my dream. They had kissed! Multiple times! Haruhi rubbed at her short hair, worried that those mental pictures would never leave her for the rest of her life. What was all that? I mean, it's not like I think those two like each other! I… she looked over her shoulder, where her Nēchan was standing by none other than Kyoya. I don't… do I?

Jin tilted her head at the ravenet, then used her good hand to readjust the Cheshire cat ears on his head. The boy didn't appear to be too pleased about being the feline, but his frown cracked into a small smirk at whatever Jin said to him as she worked. He responded and the girl laughed lightly, stepping away and curtsying with her light blue 'Alice' dress.

Haruhi blinked.

Oh.