To Kill a White Rabbit
Title: To Kill a White Rabbit
Author: healielle
Fandom: Are You Alice?
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Are You Alice?' or any of its characters.
Summary: In this world, looking back could be your biggest mistake. The White Rabbit doesn't care either way.
Picture: Link to Picture
Written for the picfor1000 challenge.
The room was dark, but there was just enough light for him to make out what was happening. The March Hare watched from where he stood behind the door, hidden from the White Rabbit. He watched as the moving trolley stopped in front of the large chair - there sat a still figure with her head tilted to one side and a peaceful expression on her face.
He watched as the White Rabbit moved to sit beside her, placing his head gently on top of her lap.
The March Hare decided to stand there and wait. He wanted to know just how long the White Rabbit could stay there. Eventually, he got bored and closed the door gently. He didn’t want the Rabbit to know that he’d been watching, there were some things better left not mentioned. He was hungry; he would go find himself something to eat.
Would he do the same thing again today? The March Hare needed to know. So he followed the White Rabbit, watching him. He served the still figure of Marianne again, staying in the room for as long as he could afford to. He did the same thing the next day, and the next, and the next.
To the March Hare, he seemed like a broken doll, routinely performing the same actions over and over again. No, he shook his head; he had become the perfect doll. It felt as if someone had wound the key behind the White Rabbit and he moved like a toy soldier, walking in the direction he was pointed towards. It was enough to drive the March Hare insane. He wanted to stop that routine for just one day. Could the White Rabbit stop for just one day?
The next day the March Hare stood in the ready, waiting for the White Rabbit to pass the hallway with his moving trolley. He strained his neck to look outside the window located above his head; it was beginning to get dark. He would be here soon.
The silence in the hallway was broken by the sound of moving wheels and the March Hare brought himself into a ready position. The trolley started making its appearance around the far corner of the hallway, and the March Hare ran.
He collided headfirst with the Rabbit, the trolley tipped over and the food spilled all across the floor. “Ah. I didn’t see you there…” The March Hare touched the back of his head, smiling like it was an accident, but he stopped when he looked at White Rabbit’s face. Never had he seen his friend like this. He looked like he would take out the sword sheathed at his side and kill him immediately. The Hare felt the intent to kill in the Rabbit’s eyes. They looked so cruel.
The March Hare felt his blood turn cold. The shocked expression on his face slowly turned playful, “Don’t be so angry Snowy! I’ll help you make some more, okay?” He was trembling, this White Rabbit seemed like a stranger to him.
The Rabbit stood up and dusted his jacket, “There’s no need for that. I have food left in the kitchen.” The March Hare nodded as the White Rabbit flipped the trolley from where it lay upturned on the floor and moved towards the kitchen.
The March Hare knew then, the White Rabbit was indeed slowly slipping away.
He stopped visiting the White Rabbit for a while after that. As a part of Wonderland, he knew all the Rules the governed the place. People never looked back in fear of the Regrets. But the White Rabbit somehow seemed exempt from that. He dwelt in his past, he refused to look forward. He seemed obsessed with ideas not entirely known to the March Hare, but the latter wasn’t sure that was what he’d want of his friend. His happiness seemed to be in his despair. It was like they fed on each other and grew, like parasites feeding together, growing together.
The March Hare often wondered whether the day when the White Rabbit cooked just for him would ever come. He wanted it to, he missed those days. But for now, he would stay away. He wasn’t sure for how long, but he needed to be far away from the White Rabbit.
He came in past the open door, wondering who the White Rabbit was talking to. He hadn’t been able to stay away after all. He stopped in the large hall at the entrance of the mansion. The Cheshire Cat was there, he’d know him anywhere. The two seemed to notice him and the White Rabbit visibly relaxed a bit, “You’re back.”
The Cheshire Cat smiled at him, he nodded back. Had he come at a bad time? The cobwebs gathering on the corners of the walls drew his attention, “Its so dirty here. I need to tidy the place up!” He picked his sleeves up and walked towards a room further in the house, he would need his things. On the way, he stopped next to the White Rabbit, “I’m sorry Snowy.”
“Oy. Not in front of…” The Rabbit looked irritated at being called that name. The March Hare made a show of biting his tongue and smiled widely at his friend before leaving the room. He would clean the place by dinnertime!
It was soon obvious to the March Hare that the Cheshire Cat was staying for dinner. Once the White Rabbit had started to move with his trolley, he heard the Cheshire Cat whisper, “Will this Alice really be able to kill the Rabbit?”
The March Hare shook his head, “He doesn’t need to. The White Rabbit does a good enough job of it himself.”
A small smile on the Cheshire Cat’s face made him feel that he had been understood. He watched as the White Rabbit entered Marianne’s room. He wondered if the day would come when the White Rabbit would once more cook just for the two of them.