Al awoke on Cheshire's back. Cheshire noticed he was awake but said nothing.
Lestia led them through a dense dark forest. The black shadows followed them closely behind.
"Mm." Al hugged Cheshire from behind even tightening his legs around him.
Cheshire let go and Al held himself up letting him now rest his arms.
"I'm sorry.." he whispered to him feeling like a heavy burden.
"Don't be," Cheshire said, "It's my job to take care of you." He smiled, "You aren't heavy so it makes it a lot easier too."
Al stirred a little and straightened so that his chest was aligned with Cheshire's back.
"I'll get heavy eventually.." He sighed softly and leaned on him more.
Cheshire followed Lestia who stopped at a fork in the road. They watched her do exactly what Cassie would do.
"Uh.." she looked left, "Uh?" she looked right and looked at the map.
Al dropped down onto his feet getting off Cheshire.
He held his hand like a child would and grabbed Lestia's hand taking her right before she went left.
She looked at him and he only walked forward watching the road.
Soon they were back to track toward the Diamond King's castle.
He walked next to Cheshire realizing how tall he was. He only stood at Cheshire's shoulder being as thin as he is yet shorter.
"Cheshire?" He said,
"Hm?"
"How tall are you?" he asked,
"6'3'', why?"
"... Oh," Al looked away jealously and Cheshire smiled putting his arm around his shoulder.
"You're not that short," he said and Al blushed embarrassed, "Then comes the factor that I am older than you are."
Al made a pouting face, "You never told me how old you were.." he said.
Cheshire realized and laughed hesitantly. His ears twitched and his tail swayed side to side slowly.
"Well.." he said and looked away, "It depends on which years you ask for," he said.
"Which years?"
"Wonderland and your world are different, they are measured by different times." He said,
".. Time is an unlimited factor.." He said and looked at him.
"I was born before you were," he added,
".... B-before?"
"From what I know, Cheshire, are you not 24 in human years?" Lestia looked back asking.
"Well.." he said and looked at Al who stopped in a sense of froze shock.
"T-t-t-twenty-y-y-four!?" he stuttered it unable to confirm it.
"I-I'm actually 124 in these years! So it's okay!" Cheshire said trying to make it better.
"That's worse!!!" Al yelled snapping out of it. "Y-you're so much older.." he said with a sigh.
Cheshire smiled, "It's not that far from your own age, oh," he thought about it and looked at Al.
Al looked at him too still having his pouting face.
"You're so young!!" Cheshire complained.
"Y-young!?" Al said offended.
"It's a four year difference!!" Cheshire yelled aggravated.
Al made a face and looked away.
He didn't say anything to Cheshire as they came up by a small sign none of them read.
".. But how are you older than me?" he asked him.
"I told you sometime before. I've known everything about you before you were born." he answered.
Al narrowed his eyes unable to believe it. They stopped and realized where they were.
The trees had no leaves, their bark was dark brown seeming burned. The grass was tainted and withered, only weeds grew.
The path they were on had worn down into a muddy dirt path.
They could hear crows in the distance and the crunching of bones and ripping of meet.
Cheshire pulled Al closer using the scarf to cover his face and head.
He had unwrapped it from himself and wrapped it around him.
Lestia hadn't realized she dropped the invisible cloak she had on them all revealing them to the world they stood in.
Al moved behind Cheshire sticking to him like glue. They continued walking staying closely together.
Lestia looked at the map and saw they were right on track.
Al felt a small pain on his back and suddenly fell unconscious.
"Al-"
"Huh-"
Cheshire and Lestia felt the pain and soon were both out too.
Dark shadows emerged from the forest around them dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos and yukatas.
They looked at each other and nodded tying them up and taking them into the woods where they separated them.
Cheshire was put in a cage and Al was put behind him.
They took off the scarf that acted as a cover and they saw his face.
A calm gentle stir and they all flinched in shock. They stuck him with another stick of black liquid and he moved more.
His eyes popped opened and turned all black.
"Zola!" the dark figure groaned and an explosion covered the air.
Al grabbed Cheshire and Lestia jumping up. His wings opened and he flew out of the smoke into a large tree.
Zola came out from Al and held him from falling.
She snapped and the three awoke from their unconscious state.
"Zela?" Al said and she smiled disappearing into a door.
He looked around and saw Cheshire who jumped down from a higher branch to him.
He noticed something was missing and touched his bare shoulders.
"The scarf.." he said and Al realized.
A door opened and Zela held out the scarf. She was prepared for anything.
Cheshire smiled grabbing it, Al quickly wrapped himself in half and wrapped Cheshire in the other half.
He liked the warmth it gave, the smell and comfort too. He also liked having Cheshire connected somehow.
He covered his face and smiled loving it still.
Cheshire blinked staring at him and Al skipped along next to him as they jumped down onto the path again.
Lestia floated down elegantly with her wings touching the floor and leaving beautiful leaves along it.
They walked again calmly and cautiously this time.
Lestia put up the barrier and Al clung to Cheshire's arm like a teenage girl with her crush.
"Al?"
"I-I can't feel my body.." Al said struggling to stop smiling.
"Can't feel?"
"I.. can't stop," he said and tried to move away from Cheshire,
"Well, it keeps you close," he said,
"But it's doing other things.." Al complained walking differently.
His hair had grown long to his butt and his eyes changed to a light pink color.
He struggled to move away even more than before to the point where his body became shy.
"Ugh.. It's so uncomfortable," Al said managing to keep his lower half away.
"Are you h-"
"No I'm not!" He yelled before he could finish.
Lestia giggled, "It's called Transparent, it's a remedy made by the demon tribe to confuse their prey's body." She explained.
"Confuse?" Al shook to the word.
"The body, regarding both genders, attracts to the exact same gender. Since you are male, you will attract to the strongest male near you." She said.
"If you are female, you will attract to a female," Zela said from behind them.
Cheshire flinched forgetting she could do that.
"There is only one cure," the two said at the same time.
"Se-"
"NEVER!!" Al yelled before they could finish too. "I refuse to do anything sexual with anyone!" He defended his current state.
"Well, there is always the option of su-"
"That's still sexual!" Al stopped them. "Why do they even do this?" He sighed.
"It is a form of reproduction, for you see, only humans may possess a demon's child. I suppose they thought you were female." Lestia explained.
Cheshire blushed, Al saw what he was thinking and tried to hit him but his body wouldn't will it.
"Ah, how about just a quick mast-"
"It's still sexual!!" He yelled.
"You can always bend over and let him-"
"Stop!"
They two girls kept their noses from bleeding as Cheshire looked at them staring with the dead eye.
"Well, there is a cure besides all those," Zela said.
"It's not sexual either," Lestia added.
"Just a simple kiss from the one your body is attracted to," Zela finished.
Vaan walked out from a door and Al suddenly clenched to his arm.
"Ah! I've been betrayed!?" Cheshire said feeling the hurt.
"Am I missing something here, Master?" He felt Al's grip tighten seeing tears in his eyes and his cheeks bright red.
"I want to die.." he said embarrassed.
"Die?"
"He's under the Transparent Liquid." Zela said.
"Ah, I see." He said and thought, "I'd hate to admit, Master, but I'm not the strongest one here," he admitted.
"It would be Cheshire." Bell took Zela back in as Al jumped back onto Cheshire nearly falling over with him.
"I must go!" Vaan jumped into the door quickly leaving the scene.
"Isn't there any other cure?" Al complained.
"Well, we could alway go to the demon clan and beg for mercy." Lestia suggested,
"I presume they have a cure there," Zela walked into a door leaving.
".. Demons.." Al said in disbelief.
"The Transparent Liquid is made from velvet wine and drenched in a form of caramel sweetened candy. Naturally it's plant. But when formed into a liquid it becomes vital."
".. We can ask," Cheshire said as Al moved from his arm to his chest.
"How long are the effects?" Al asked,
"Perhaps four days, but it all depends on the amount given." Lestia gestured, "The smaller the amount, the longer it lasts."
Al sighed and felt Cheshire's heat. He didn't look at him or even try. So instead he looked away.
Cheshire, thinking of the situation didn't say anything of it.
So they arrived at the entrance of a massive town hidden by the dark if the woods.
Cheshire looked at the map and saw that it passed through the dark wood.
He zoomed in and saw the small village compared to the massive one in front of them.
They saw people inside walking as if they didn't notice them.
Casually they walked right in not reading the sign above them.
The people didn't bother them and they didn't bother the people.
Children ran by and adults walked in doing their daily choirs.
They were all in some way traditional. Their houses were average but the walked about with groceries in baskets and vases of water on their heads.
Al watched them and soon a child went to him, Cheshire was careful, his tail swayed possessively. The calm smiling child held up a small flower that ate flies as they passed.
Al took it and smiled. The child blushed and ran away.
Continuing they came over a large build toward the center.
The houses were made of stones and the side walks were too. There were no streets and no cars.
There were small farms here and there filled with strange plants.
Skeleton fish jumped in ponds with that Al shivered feeling a glare at him.
Soon more glared came and then they were surrounded by a group of men with eager eyes and drooling mouths.
Al unwillingly tightened his grip in Cheshire who held him close.
Lestia bowed, "Please forgive us," she said, "but we are in a hurry."
The men looked at each other and laughed their voices filled with demonic cravings.
"I can smell it." one man said.
"The Transparent Liquid." another drooled.
"Give him to us." They all demanded.
The woman and child and some other men were all gone. They had vanished off the side walks of where they walked.
"Ch-Cheshire.." Al found his body moving away from Cheshire walking toward the crowd of hungry men.
"Al-"
A man stepped through the crowd taking hold of Al who wrapped his arms around him tightly.
A sudden darkness rose from Cheshire. His ears frizzed and his tail swayed angrily.
Lestia smiled knowing this was a battle for the young prince. She went to the main man as they other circles around.
Al moved from him to her feeling a strange secretive strength. She moved back and her wings cleared a spot for them.
Cheshire's claws came out ad his teeth grew sharp. He vanished and appeared behind the man slamming his foot down, the man blocked it throwing him back.
"Who is this prince to you?" The man asked.
Cheshire's eyes glowed and his pupils became slits. The man smiled not saying anymore.
He felt the sudden aura and his smile faded seeing the aura form a demon cat.
He breathed as lines crossed his cheeks, Al's body moved but Lestia kept him from the fight.
Cheshire vanished, hundreds on of shadows emerged from the ground. A massive claw stomped on the ground and the men looked up.
"Raaaaaaagh!!" a demon cat shrieked.
The men burst out in a run but the small Cheshire shadows beat each and every man to a bloody pulp.
Al moved but Lestia held him.
The man back away astound. he drew his sword dodging the claw that tried to squish him.
Cheshire came out from a door slamming his foot into the man's face sending him flying into a building.
There was no one in it.
Al felt a heaviness and his wings came out, Lestia whispered a few words and a thing string wrapped around them keeping him from flying.
The men came out from the collapsed building and laughed.
"You plan to destroy us using him, no?" the man blocked a kick to the stomach and a punch to the face.
He slashed him through the shoulder and Cheshire vanished appearing a few feet away.
Blood stained his clothes yet he didn't falter.
His eyes turned all black and the lines grew more.
Another tail whipped out from behind him and dark claws formed from his hands to his forearms.
He growled and jumped up, the large cat screamed and the man saw lifting his sword he overhead himself from the claw that crashed down on him.
Seeing the man stand, Cheshire smashed into him, his teeth sharp.
In one breath his screamed almost bursting his ears.
The man smiled. He vanished before Cheshire could even plunge his fists into his face instead hitting the ground.
Lestia released Al who ran to Cheshire as he stood.
He turned to normal holding him.
"You're hurt.." Al said seeing the gash.
Cheshire shook his head as his pupils enlarged and the lines on his face faded.
The shadow Cheshires vanished except for five who escorted them, now, through the seeming abandoned town.
The large fox cat above growled and faded into the dark of the forest.
"I'm fine," Cheshire said as the wound closed.
His clothes stitched themselves back together and they walked on.
Cheshire wondered who that man was, the block an attack, to take on the cat like that and get hit too.
Al knew this and wondered it too. He never saw Cheshire seriously fight. He was always so confident, so calm. Yet he lost his patience.
"Was it because of me?" Al wondered staying close to Cheshire still.