Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affiliated properties. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this now would I?
"The connection of our hearts…" : Speech (Bold for yelling ,Bijuu, or massive creatures)
'The connection of our hearts…' : Thought
Wonderland , a few minutes after Naruto after arrived…
"So this is the Wonderland you've been harping about for forty years now Naruto? I have to say, this place certainly is something else…" Tinker Bell said as she flew around Naruto, playfully flitting around the bread and butter butterflies after Tiger Lily snagged one out of the air before snacking on it (what – she was hungry…the battle with the pirates really left her with quite an appetite…).
"That's rude Tinker Bell – I am sure that this place has its own charm. Even if the place looks like a fever dream come to life!" Wendy said as she looked around the forest they were in. She was enjoying the trip, especially considering the fact that she was safe in this 'dream world' – there didn't seem to be an impressive threat in this world since all the things they encountered here were sentient animals or plants.
"Mmmn. *Gulp* Tink is being blunt as usual. This place is *munch* not really that different from Neverland – in some ways the two are quite similar actually!" Tiger said as she finished up a sandwich butterfly and walked closer to Naruto, Wendy giggling a little at Naruto's amused look watching Tiger look at the butterflies hungrily.
"Yeah…it's been several decades and this place hasn't changed a whole lot…" Naruto said as he thought about what the Dodo told him about when they first arrived in Wonderland.
Flashback…
"Hey Dodo! Remember me?" Naruto said as the Dodo turned to look at him curiously.
"Excuse me sir, I don't believe I had the honor of making your acquaintance – perhaps you'd care to jog my memory?"
"Come on ya old bird, I know I look different but you should recognize my whisker marks at least! I'll give you a hint – I am certainly less foxy than I was before…" Naruto said, using a henge to turn into his fox form for a few moments before turning back.
The Dodo racked his brains for a while before squawking in surprise.
"It's you! Naruto was it? It's been quite a while since I've seen you old chap! I thought you'd be with Mary Ann since the girl's been here for a long time!" He said, waddling over to Naruto as the girls giggled about how cute the fat bird looked in his suit.
"Alice is here?! Was she with anyone else?" Naruto said, excitedly looking around the forest, trying to see if he could find any clues about where the women could be.
"Oh I don't know about any Alice but Mary Ann – you know, that White Rabbit's house attendant? She disappeared after visiting the Queen's castle so long ago – we thought her dead but she came back all grown up and took over as the sovereign ruler of this realm. The Rabbit was regent for some time but once he saw her, he was all too happy to let her take charge – she even brought friends with her!" The Dodo said as Naruto grinned excitedly.
"Oh that's just great – so all we need to do is go to the castle then! Thanks for your help!" Naruto said, making quick strides towards the forest as Tiger, Tink and Wendy followed him, wondering what suddenly had him so energized.
End Flashback…
"So here's the plan – the Dodo thought that Mary Ann was the one who returned to Wonderland to rule as queen. Unfortunately, that isn't the whole truth since Alice and Mary Ann are mirror twins across worlds – Mary Ann was executed by the former Queen and this allowed Alice to move between Wonderland and England subconsciously. If my hunch is correct, Alice must be the new monarch and her new court members are the rest of my companions." Naruto explained to the others as they nodded their heads in understanding.
"So how did Alice become queen anyway? I thought she was a girl around my age the last time you saw her – how can a bird you saw forty years ago still be alive while allowing a girl to age to adulthood? I don't think time flows at all in this strange place…" Wendy said, scratching her head in confusion as Tiger Lily decided to add her own two cents about the situation.
"If this place is anything like Neverland, then growing up is probably a choice – most of the denizens here seem to content to stagnate, never truly changing or maturing. Reminds me a little of Peter actually…" She said as the group watched the Mad Hatter and the March Hare celebrating an unbirthday for the umpteenth time.
"You're right about that – I love Peter like my own brat but the kid could really grate on my nerves sometimes." Naruto said watching Tinker Bell sheepishly nod in agreement (while Peter was a force for good, he certainly lacked in the maturity department, always seeing everything as some kind of childish game).
"Indeed – while it was fun to adventure with the spirit of youth, I can certainly appreciate a more mature outlook on life at times…" Wendy said looking over to Naruto admiringly while Tink and Tiger shared knowing looks.
The group then travelled through the Tulgey woods in relative silence since Naruto wanted the girls to soak in the various sights without disturbances (on a side note, he noticed that the field of wildflowers that had so rudely expelled Alice was no longer there, replaced with a cabbage and radish patch).
After a half hour of walking, Naruto and the rest of the group reached the tree where he met the Cheshire Cat during his first sojourn to this place.
"Alright, keep an eye out for a strange purple cat in this area – he will lead us to the secret path to the castle since I can't remember the way to the blasted place…" Naruto said as he cursed the fact that the Tulgey woods seemed to delight in bamboozling travelers by magically changing its layout constantly. The group then spread out around the base of the tree, with Tiger even climbing into its branches to check for the cat in question.
"So what makes you think we'll even find this cat here Naruto? Cats don't really pick a singular tree as their home you know?" Tinker Bell said as she flew closer to the tree, missing how a set of feline eyes was watching her hungrily.
*Mreow!!*
"Yikes! Down kitty cat! No one's snacking on me today!" Tinker Bell said as she shifted forms just in time to catch a cat by the nape of its neck. The cat tried to struggle but the fairy had him in a rather effective grip – her fingers were pinching the nape of the cat's neck so the animal was immobilized.
"Nice reflexes there Tink! I didn't even notice this sneaky little bugger and even better, you actually caught the Cheshire Cat! Keep a good grip on that little rascal – I have some questions for him…" Naruto said as Tink preened at his praise.
"Unhand me woman! Do you know who you are holding like this?! The queen will have your head!" The Cat said as it struggled weakly in her hold. He then stopped struggling after he noticed Naruto walk over to him, recognizing his energy but not his form.
"Ah – hehehe. It's you Naruto- Alice has been waiting for so long to meet you once again. Time has been especially kind to you – you haven't aged a day since I last saw you!" The Cat said as he grinned at Naruto, who simply sighed at the cat's attitude before crouching in front of him, the cat tilting his head curiously with a crazy grin on his face.
"Yeah, yeah. It's been a while since I came here – which is why I need your help. Can you lead us to the castle?" He said as the cat laughed merrily before teleporting out of Tink's hands before reappearing in front of Tiger and Wendy, his crazy mien taking the girls aback before Tiger slapped the cat away from her face while Wendy stifled a giggle at the cat's mind blown look.
"Feisty girl you've got with you…anyway, I am obligated to take to the castle whether you like it or not. New management really wants to keep track of all newcomers to the realm!" The cat said as he glowed a brilliant purple, creating a massive orb of energy that swallowed the group up before they disappeared, leaving the forest quiet once again.
A few seconds later, Royal Castle…
"Yikes! You could have warned us before you did something like that!" Naruto said as he went over to Tiger and Wendy since they looked a little a peaky from the teleportation (Tink was fresh as a daisy though and was enjoying how uncomfortable the girls looked).
"Oh sorry for that ladies…I forget how strange my magic can be for mundane humans sometimes!" The Cat said with an impish smile as Tiger gave him a deadpan look.
'Sure. He probably just wanted to get back at me for slapping him…' She thought as Naruto rubbed her back while holding Wendy close to his chest.
After a couple of seconds, the girls reoriented themselves as Naruto walked over to the large double doors leading to the throne room. Before he opened the door however, he turned to regard the girls with a measured look.
"Alright girls – this is it. Keep an open mind since I don't know what might have happened to them in my absence." He said, opening the doors as the room's occupants turned to look at them.
"Announcing the return of Sir Naruto and his new friends!" The court announcer (the White Rabbit) said as Naruto and his group approached the throne, where a familiar face was waiting for them.
"Ah, Naruto~ is that you? It's been so long and we were all wondering if those monsters killed you! You don't look like you've aged at all!" The Queen of Wonderland said as she rose from her seat, walking towards Naruto with a regal gait.
"Alice?! What happened to you? Y-you look so different!" Naruto said as the girls looked at the queen with awed expressions.
"That's Alice?! I thought she was just a kid last you saw of her! What we see here is a woman…and what a woman at that!" Wendy said as Tink and Tiger dumbly nodded.
Naruto was still lost for words, his jaw hanging in shock. The little girl he remembered was gone, replaced by this tall, statuesque English beauty who could pass off as a magical being just like Grimhilde.
Alice merely tittered in delight, walking over to Naruto before gently closing his mouth with a finger, tracing the lines of his cheek as she pulled away.
"Oh~It's nice to see the little girl you remember can now steal your breath away! I can't wait to rub it in Audrey's face – big sister's been insufferable about how she was the one to have a relationship with you back when I was still young…" Alice said as she pouted, the seductive look in her eyes making Naruto sweat a little. Seeing as Naruto looked flat footed about how to proceed, Tinker Bell decided to approach Alice (she was still in her big form so it was no problem).
"Oh hello there! I am Tinker Bell, a fairy from Neverland! The other ladies here are Tiger Lily- also from Neverland and Wendy, who's actually from the mainland just like you!" She said as the girls curtsied to Alice as Naruto recovered from the shock of Alice's new form.
"Oh hello! I presume you're Naruto's new friends? Looks like my beloved is irresistible no matter where he finds himself in~!" Alice said as she watched the girls blush prettily (she was in their position – specifically Wendy not too long ago so she felt a certain kinship with the new girls).
"Yeah…I couldn't get back to you and the rest of the girls for forty years so I have them to thank since I couldn't really move on from what happened on that fateful day…by the way, where are the rest of the girls anyway? I figured they'd be with you, helping you with daily affairs!" Naruto said as Alice smiled at him before the Cheshire Cat reappeared on her shoulder, the queen stroking its back as he purred (he was quite the pet to the queen, a far cry from the wild card that teased her as a child).
"Oh, they're all here…I can call them over now. Cheshire, if you wouldn't mind?" Alice said as the Cat nodded at her before teleporting away for a second and returning with Grimhilde, Snow, Madonna, Ella and Audrey. Thankfully, they still looked the same as when Naruto last saw them – they didn't age in any visible way (well Ella and Grimhilde were effectively ageless what with their power sources but Snow, Audrey and Madonna were just the same).
"NARUTO! You've returned!!" Snow and Ella said as they rushed over and tackle hugged Naruto, knocking the man to the ground while the older ladies simply chuckled and walked over to the pile of bodies.
"Darling, what took you so long? I could feel the pressure of your powers on this plane but couldn't pinpoint where you were exactly…" Grimhilde said as Madonna pulled Snow and Ella off Naruto so he could get up.
"Indeed. Ella here tried to use her wand to leave this place but the magic of those two behemoths seems to have blocked conventional magic from escaping this world somehow…" Madonna said as Ella pulled her wand out, showing its muted color, the luminous white now resembling the pallor of a dead tooth instead.
"I can still use magic though! I just couldn't use it to leave this place so we could find you. It was hard waiting for so long, not knowing whether you were fine or not…" Ella said as she brushed a tear out her eye, smiling weakly at Naruto as he reached over to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly.
"Where were you exactly Naruto? I knew you weren't dead but your life force was…different to say the least…" Snow said as she looked Naruto over, feeling his energy had gained a new phase – it still had the same volume but now seemed closer to the magic she could feel from her sisters.
"Oh that is a long story – I can explain what happened, with my new companions jumping in when they want." Naruto said as he waved the other girls over, the group huddling closer as the new girls and Naruto launched into a long spiel about their time in Neverland.
Little did they know however, they would do more than double back in the world they were – they would soon return to the original dimension Naruto, Snow and Grimhilde hailed from, where three certain fairies from Naruto's childhood were busy blessing a princess…
That was chapter 35! The next arc is the Sleeping Beauty arc - a very short story all things considered since Briar Rose was snoozing for most of it. I'll be sprinkling some citrus moments to spice it up though – Naruto's got quite the backlog to get through *wink**wink*.
If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac (I only get free time on Sundays since money's extremely tight-details on Panacea chapter 14). Alternatively, you guys can follow this link:p#at#re#on.#com/DudeWithaMac (remove the hash tags). Reviews and comments are always welcome!