Amnesia Fantasy - Before the Aftermath

Ukyo was appalled, "No need to cut them!" he came over and waved his hand, then when they didn't move he wiggled his fingers against a vine. "It's ticklish." He explained to her, and it slowly unwound itself, trying to get away from his hands. He got his hands under Megumi and held her bridal-style, grinning, "Well, this is a bit more romantic, now isn't it?" he hummed. She felt...so nice in his arms. He could hold her close forever and be content.

Megumi's cheeks flushed a bright pink, but her smile didn't waver. His hold was firm, gentle, and protective. His smile made her smile back. "You're a regular hero," Megumi teased, gently poking him in the cheek. "I won't have a need for a weapon here, I take it."

"Only if you go further towards the middle. Wonderland's got a nasty swamp before you reach the center where the river flows. Hisa-chan's awful snakes and other monsters and horrid plants reside there. It's hard for even /me/ to traverse. No path, no road. Firelights that try and trick you and it's easy to sink in." Ukyo explained, reluctantly setting her on her feet, his cheek warm and buzzing where she'd touched him. "Out here, though, no. You're safe. Everything's friendly until you betray it."

Megumi's smile faded a little as she was set on her feet. She was a little sad that he couldn't hold her for long, but then again she didn't know why that bothered her so much. "I'll have to be careful that my first thought isn't to cut then." She said after a moment, "It's a good thing that I never bring anything like that in here to begin with. I don't think I'd go to the middle, I don't know if I'd ever have a reason to. Though, I'll be sure that if I do, I turn around fast unless Wonderland needs me there for some reason or another....I can't imagine what that might be."

Ukyo's face twisted with a dark thought, "The only, /only/ reason Wonderland would pull you to the Underland is to protect you from something far more dangerous. Blood...blood on the soil does horrible things to the land. It can wither and die, or twist into something fowl. The swamps I feel were from some sort of battle, because blood in water poisons it, too. Merky, dark, certain spots are acidic. It's just...a place of nightmares. What purpose would a nightmare have to protect, than to destroy another nightmare?" He shuddered, and then ran his hand over his face, "Forgive me, this is only your third visit. I shouldn't speak of terrible, horrible thing. It's good you know, but that's also a part of me. I don't...want you to think badly of me."

Megumi watched Wonderland tint with a hue and a cold wind softly carcass her face. She shuddered, but she held firm. "I couldn't think badly of you for having a dark side." At his look, she smiled at him a little sadly. "Yes, it sounds dangerous and I'll take heed if I ever wind up there, but...judge you for it? How could I when every person has a dark side? I have mine. I just don't use it till someone ticks me off." She smiled a bit. "Not that it happens often. My fuse is too long."

"I shall be wary of ever making you angry." Ukyo gave her a look of amusement and shook his head, the wind warming again and Wonderland going back to normal. He held his hand out to her, "Where would you like to go first, then, sweetling? I promised to show you the way to Tsume's, and the village."

Megumi took his hand with a smile, silently surprised that she got shocked a bit from the skin on skin contact. It wasn't exactly like a static shock; it wasn't painful, but it had that sensation. She mentally brushed it off though she was curious to know what that was. "The village. You were telling me so much about it last week. You had so many places you wanted me to see. Afterwards, we'll part after seeing Tsume's place. I haven't seen her in a while, but I'll come back soon. I won't make you wait a week, I promised you that."

Ukyo had been around long enough he knew what that shocking tingle meant. It solidified what he already knew, that was all. He was simply afraid of what she'd do if she found out, so all he did was smile, and kept his emotions level. Pulling her closer, he nodded, "You promised, indeed. Tell me, have you told anyone about meeting me? I know not a lot of people like me because of my reputation for being insane and unpredictable." He asked as he started weaving and winding through the trees.

Megumi knew that if it was anyone else, she would be a little worried by his words. It sounded like to her, that he was expecting her to say something, or perhaps not at all. "I told my brother about you." She decided that honesty, no matter what, was important. "He seemed a bit surprised, a little prehensive, but he wanted to meet you." She was glad that she wasn't unobservant enough to keep walking when he stopped. She wondered, just breifly, what his face was doing. Did...people not willingly want to meet him, or wanting to meet him for bad intentions? "I think he wants to know the kind of person you are. I already told him what I thought of you. Kind. Lonely. Like us."

Ukyo's smile was a little sadder as he looked down at her, but he resumed their walk. "Ikki is a gentle soul. I hadn't expected that, not at all, but it seems fitting. Your Kingdom is the farthest away, so I've always been curious. I hope he isn't too upset with you at your deceit, either. Coming here to Wonderland instead of Tsume's. I don't..." He gave a long, suffering sigh, "The last thing I want is for anyone to think wrongly of you because of me. Meeting with a man alone in the woods is a scenario of controversy no matter what. Nevermind the fact I am the Mad White King of Wonderland that could whisk you away, never to be seen again."

Megumi grabbed him back the back of his clothes and made him turn around to face her. Her expression wasn't angry, but concerned. She searched his face, and then relaxed. He looked a little confused at her actions and geniuenly concerned. "I only lied to Ikki." She said after a moment, "and then I told him the truth. He was worried about me falling in love with you. That's all." Her shoulders rolled back, but her posture was still tensed despite her attempt to relax. "People think badly of me no matter what I do," she said kindly. "I'm a bard, remember? I'm also in line for the throne too. People are scared about that, you know, that I'd somehow someway take it from Ikki. That I'll want to be a Queen." She held her hands out. "Do I really look like a Queen to you, Hatter? I have nothing to bring. A bard is dangerous. A bard is always dangerous. I wouldn't doubt that if Ikki becomes King, they're going to ask him to kill me or imprison me, or exile me even. If I do it to myself, they'd be overjoyed. If Wonderland really does say I belong here, then this is where I belong. All I want is to see my brother and my friends every once in a while. That's not asking a lot...I don't think."

"What?! No!" Ukyo was alarmed, "I wouldn't /actually/ steal you away from your family! I'm not like that at all, not at all." He felt so many things suddenly that Wonderland hued back and forth like oily water. Panic that she could possibly think that. Pain that Ikki was /afraid/ of her loving him. Was he really so horrible a person that he was feared like that? There was also sadness that she thought so little of herself. Not to mention anger at people treating her in such a way. "You aren't dangerous at all. Not to me. Not here. You could be, if you desired, and wove words wicked, but you wouldn't. You like it here." That much he was certain of.

Megumi was surprised at the panic. She grabbed his hands before he could start failing around. She knew that her words probably came out wrong. That perhaps he misunderstood. "I know you wouldn't steal me away. I know you wouldn't mind seeing my family. I wouldn't dare hurt Wonderland either, or you for that matter." Her voice was hard and determined, keeping her eyes locked on his and hoped to ease his heart. "I love it here, Hatter. I love this place. I like you."

All the air seemed to woosh out of him and Wonderland stilled a moment. What were the residents of the village thinking these last two weeks? He really wanted to know and Waka and Mine would be best for that. "I am...glad you do." He said finally, his voice a murmur. "Tell me, sweetling, what is in a name?"

Megumi blinked, a little tripped that he asked a for a completion of a quote. She wondered what he could be thinking, but she smiled anyway. For some reason, she knew that playing along got more out of him than asking outright. It was much more fun too. "That which we call a rose by another name smells just as sweet."

Ukyo's expression, not just his smile, brightened. He brought a hand to her cheek and stroked it with his thumb, "Princess, Bard, Queen, you are still Megumi to me. Mad King, White King, Hatter, if I told you my name, who would I be to you?"

She felt the shocks again and she closed her eyes, leaning a little into his hand automatically. She felt safe and trusted. She knew that he was thinking of giving her something precious to him, and she was pleased that he liked her, trusted her enough to give her that. "You would still be you." Megumi said after a moment. "Though, if you want to, you could call me Meg."

"Meg is pretty. You can call me Ukyo...and the other side of me is Uki. No one knows /his/ name, because they don't interact with him, so there's no need." Ukyo pulled back and rubbed his neck. "I have a strong feeling if you stick around, learn more, he'll come out eventually. He's dangerous, rough and often unkind. He comes out when I'm in danger. My survival side."

"Ukyo." Megumi tried it out on her tongue. His name sounded..."Those are really beautiful names. Ukyo. To transcend or to go through worlds. And Uki is kind of a nickname for Yuki meaning snow." She smiled warmly. "They're so beautiful. I'm glad that I get to know them. I do hope to meet your other side. Dangerous side or not, I can't fall in love with you without knowing all of you."

Ukyo's breath hitched again, and he briefly wondered if he would faint from how many times she could make him hold his breath. Did she mean such a thing? It couldn't possibly. Not so soon. He let his breath out slowly, "Let us continue on our way." Because really, what could he say to that?

~

Waka looked up as the bell over the door rang, "Oooh! Mine-chan, we have a very special guest, we do!" he called towards the back.

"What?" Mine came out of the back, wiping her hands off on her apron and she let out a surprised gasp. "U- I mean Hatter! And a friend? You don't bring them by often. Welcome!"

Megumi's cheeks flushed as she stepped back a little behind Ukyo, but she let her gaze wander the bakery. It had a delicious smell of breads and pastries that mingled nicely with each other. The bakery itself was homey, with lots of accented browns. Nothing too harsh or light, but just enough to feel comfortable. "I like your place. It's lovely."

"Wonderful! Glad you do!" Waka came around the counter and his body moved in a flourishing way, like a bending stalk in the wind, since he was so tall, just as tall or maybe an inch taller than Ukyo. He clasped Megumi's hands in his and kissed the back of each one, "You made a pretty sweet catch, Hatter. Welcome, welcome. Here, to a seat!" He whisked her away and took her a pretty private looking booth and Ukyo sat across from her once he got her settled. "Do you have a name I could call you?"

"This is Waka-san. Waka, Meg-chan, or Megumi." Ukyo introduced.

Waka squealed just a bit, clapping his hands, "The pretty oddity of the Spade Kingdom? The very one who weaves stories at the pubs? Oh, how delightful!"

Megumi had tensed up at first, by when Waka expressed his approval, she relaxed almost instantly. "I'm glad to have made an impression on you."

Mine beamed, having followed her husband to the booth that he sat them at, "It's good that Wonderland wanted you to be here. We heard so much about you, we thought it a shame you didn't live here. Your stories would be so wonderful to listen to I'm sure. Not only that, but a lovely pair can't go on apart forever now can it?"

"Wise words, wise words." Waka kissed Mine's temple, "Lest not forget, however, that she is not from here. She might still take some time to warm up. No pushing too hard or too fast." He told her and then bent and wound away from the booth, "I know a good way to help you along, however! I shall be right back!" He called over his shoulder in a sing-song voice.