Yume continued heading east to the Mad Hatter's house and repeating "Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home. Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home."
Okay, I'm just writing this and her chanting is getting annoying. But alas, a prince must do what needs to be done. For his story. And for his people!!
Yume repeated it over and over as she walked thru the wonder filled land of Contefee. But it was getting dark. Dark!?! "Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home.Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home." she repeated, hoping it would calm her. It didn't.
~~~~~
Yume continued heading east thru the darkness, repeating "Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home."
Suddenly Yume remembered something her mother told her. "I was six, I think," Yume said out loud "I was at Grandma's house and Mom called me ..."
~~Flashback~~
"Yume!" said Yume's grandmother "It's your mother, she's on the phone!"
Yume's eye's widened and she ran downstairs. Her grandma handed Yume the phone. "Mom?" she said
"Hello Yume," said Mrs. Nijino's voice "How is -"
"I changed my mind, Mom," Yume cried "I want to go home, I'm scarred! I miss you! I miss Daddy! Take me home!"
"Yume, Yume, calm down, calm down," said Mrs. Nijino "Look outside the window,"
"Why?"
"Trust me,"
"Okay," Yume walked over to the kitchen window, half expecting her mother to be waving out the window. "Now what?"
"Look up at the moon," her mother told her, Yume obeyed. It was a full moon.
"I'm looking," she said "It's pretty,"
"Want to know something? I'm looking at it to. And you always look at the same side of the moon, did you know that?"
"No," she admitted, smiling
"Well when you look at the moon, think of it as your own slice of home you can take anywhere," Yume smiled, not saying anything. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah,"
~~~~~
Yume looked up at the sky, the moon should be out by now. She looked at the sky and saw the beautiful silver moon ...
....
And right next to it was another moon. But it was slightly larger and had a hint of orange in it. "Oh boy," said Yume
"Excuse me," said a voice
"AH!" Yume screamed. Her voice echoed thru the forest and animals started howling. Like cows and roosters and lions.
"Sorry, d-d-didn't mean to startle you," said the girl "I'm Mad-d-d-doka the Messenger, nice to meet you,"
"Uh, nice to meet you," Yume replied "Are you cold?"
"Cold-d-d?" Madoka asked "Oh! It's because of my D-D-D-D's. It's a curse I was put und-d-der by Elza Forte,"
"Who's Elza Forte,"
"A super evil d-d-dude," Madoka told her "But we're getting of the subject, I have a letter for you," Madoka reached into her bag. It was a small bag I must add, you could barley put in your hand. But when Madoka reached in she could fit her entire arm!
"It just gets stranger and stranger," Yume whispered to herself
"Aha!" Madoka cried "I knew I would-d-d find-d-d it!" Madoka handed Yume a letter sealed with a gold star sticker.
Yume took the letter. "Thank you," she said as she inspected it "Who is it from?"
"I d-d-don't know," said Madoka "Open it and-d-d find-d-d out,"
"Alright," Yume opened the letter, inside was a piece of parchment. One side was blank and the other was painted midnight blue with two moons on the top, one silver and the other orange.
"Cool!" Madoka cried "You got a voir!"
"A voir?" Yume repeated
"They're very special paintings only a few can make. You sure are lucky,"
"Who gave this to you?" Yume asked
"No one," Madoka told her "They just appear in my bag and-d-d I have to d-d-deliver,"
"But that bag is bottomless, how do you know when you get a new letter?" Madoka shrugged.
"I just d-d-do,"
"And ... how did you know how to find me?"
"I just d-d-do," Madoka repeated "Now if you excuse me I have a lot more letters to d-d-deliver. Good-d-d- night!" Madoka turned to leave.
"Um, good night," said Yume "This place is so strange,"
Yume put the voir in her jacket pocket and was about to continue when she realized. "Where's east?" she started panicking "Where was I going? I need to head east to find the Mad Hatter, if I don't find the Mad Hatter then he can't take me to Ice Flower and I'll never get home!" Yume felt like crying.
Yume stopped panicking and took a breath. "I need to stay calm," she said to herself "The sun rises in the east, if I wait until morning then I can continue to the Mad Hatter's house,"
Yume did not like the fact she'd have to wait until morning before she could continue on her journey. She sat under a tree and repeated "Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home.Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home." And she lulled herself to sleep.
~~~~~
That morning (while Yume was sleeping).
"7 ... 3 ... 12 ... 19! Ready or not here I come!" he said, then he ran over to his friend "I found you!" he said with a laugh "You're loosing your touch,"
"No, look what I found," said his friend pointing to Yume as she slept by a tree. "Can we keep her?"
"Are you kidding? After what happened with Alice? Not in a million years," he huffed
"Then ... can we take her home?" his friend asked "Only for a little while?"
He sighed "You're even more mad then I am," he said "Fine, but only for a little while,"
"Hurrah!"
~~~~~
"Wake up ..." said a voice "Wake up ..."
"Huh?" said Yume
"Are you awake now?" someone asked
"Head east and look for the Mad Hatter. Ask him to take me to Ice Flower so she can take me home."
"What?"
Yume gasped "I NEED TO FIND THE MAD HATTER!! HAVE HIM TAKE ME TO -"
"Whoa!" said a boy (who wasn't the one who woke her up) "The only ones who get to yell are us! YOU HEAR ME?!!!"
"Who are you?" Yume asked panicked "Where am I this time?"
"I think you're where you need to be," said the boy who woke her up (a blonde with pink eyes) "This is the Mad Hatter's house,"
Yume gasped "Are you the Mad Hatter?"
"What? Me no," he said with a laugh "I'm a rabbit, not a hatter. I thought that was obvious," Looking closer Yume could see he had ears and a cotton tail like Ichigo. Only this time they were grey and his ears were a little more lopsided "I'm Asahi the hare! My friend over there is the hatter,"
Yume turned to the other boy "So you're the Mad Hatter?" she asked
"Actually I like to think I'm mild," he said "I'm not very angry. But I guess I can be on the strange side,"
"So ... are you the Mad Hatter?" she asked again
"Well, I'm a hatter and I'm not mad but I can be crazy at times. So yes, I am he. But my friends just call me Subaru,"