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One
The sounds of struggle slowly faded away, and Wizard released his hands from the form that was quickly dispersed into the darkness. That was another Bad End. What a shame.
The weight on his shoulders changed, and he glanced over to see his companion leaning on his back, staring down at where one copy of Yurika Arisu had just been. She hummed.
“Will you end them all like this?”
He paused to think. As long as there were orders from the Queen, she was bound to make mistakes and lead to Bad End heroines. Wizard wasn’t yet sure how much it would take to erase them- this had seemed like the most common way people were killed.
“Perhaps, perhaps not.” He settled for a non-answer, remaining crouched down. There was no need to get up just yet; it had nothing to do with how the heroine’s warmth gently seeped from her to him. “Are you scared?”
Yurika met eyes with him, shaking her head confidently. “I’m not. I know what you can do, Mr. Wizard.” She looked back down at the empty space where his hands once wrapped around a heroine’s neck. “It’s merely the consequence for the heroine failing to save her prince.”
There was a moment where he let that hang in the air. This heroine truly was a mystery. Half Yurika Arisu, half not.
Yurika seemed to decide something, as she straightened up a bit to drop a kiss on the top of his head, squeezing her arms tight around his shoulders before standing up.
He looked up at her as she extended her hand.
“Well, shall we go? I’m sure there’s plenty more to keep an eye on.”
Wizard sighed. Even after all he said with her playing a losing game of eternally unrequited love, she still had the willpower to push at him like that. How could a clone be so different yet similar to the real Yurika Arisu? He stood up on his own, brushing out his cloak and walking past her. The heroine wasn’t fazed, moving to keep up with him.
The sound of two pairs of footsteps echoed through the darkness of the Looking Glass Country.
Two
Yurika adjusted herself comfortably on Wizard’s lap, looking thoughtfully over the chess board. The current score was 67-65, with two draws. She wasn’t falling too far behind, but any farther and she was sure Mr. Wizard would make it extremely difficult to close the gap. As of the current point, both her and Wizard were evenly matched against each other on the board, down to five pieces each. She had managed to capture his queen early on in the game! But it hadn’t had much effect, as he then effortlessly cleared out both her knights and rooks, and most of her infantry. Left with only her king, queen, two bishops, and one pawn, Yurika was heavily concerned on whether she would be able to put Mr. Wizard into checkmate before she was put into check herself.
Yurika felt more than heard the contemplative hum Mr. Wizard let out. It was his move. With her sitting directly on his lap, it was not hard to detect when he was leaning forward to move his pieces. He himself had his king, a knight, a bishop, a rook, and a pawn. They had been circling their kings to avoid being checked by the other, and soon enough they would reach a draw if they couldn’t come to a proper ‘check’. Yurika watched a gloved hand extend to move his rook to F6, in line to capture her bishop once she captured his knight at D6. She chewed on her lip.
The woman drummed her fingers against Wizard’s knee, contemplating her next move. So busy was she in racking her brain that she failed to notice Wizard lean forward over her shoulder as well to examine the board; amusing himself with trying to predict her next move.
Yurika decided to take the gamble, deftly moving her bishop to capture his knight at D6. With a confident smile, she turned to look at Mr. Wizard, starting with “Don’t think this will---!”
They both stiffened. Purely by accident, Yurika had fully dragged her lips over Wizard’s cheek- given that with her situated on his lap and him leaning forwards, it was perhaps inevitable there would be some sort of collision. This kind, though, was certainly something neither of them expected.
A second passed in silence.
Wizard watched as a flush bloomed onto Yurika’s cheeks, clearing his throat and leaning around her to capture her bishop with his rook. The heroine let out a shaky laugh as she also leaned back.
She pointedly kept her face forward towards the board and fought the urge to scream. How could she be so clumsy!! If she was going to end up kissing Mr. Wizard on accident, why couldn’t it have been on the lips? It was no fair that he was completely unfazed… Looked like this was going to be his win.
Three
The sound of the lake’s gentle waves was soothing. Basking in the moonlight, Yurika stood at the dock, looking out over the shimmering water. A mirror lake indeed. It seemed to reflect a whole other world with nary a break out in the center. She wondered that if she jumped in, would she end up in a different world?
A lonely laugh left her. She knew that wasn’t how it worked. No matter which mirror she went through, the undeniable facts remained the same. Her heart ached.
“What brings you out here, Miss Heroine?” That amicable call drew her out of her thoughts. The heroine turned to see the man she was willing to tear her heart out for. Here, in the soft mood of the night, Yurika found herself falling all over again for Mr. Wizard. Her dear, foolish, one-sided love.
“Hmm… Nothing much.” She said, gazing at him a moment longer before turning her eyes out towards the water again. It was a lie. There were many things that brought her here. His burden of being the Queen on this chessboard, her state of wearing the mask of a cat… A breath left her unbidden.
Wizard strolled up next to her, joining her in the comfortable silence. He never liked this lake. He could understand why all the other fragments gravitated towards it- the very place where Yurika Arisu met Alice, where Snow White met Ryoushi, Red to Woolfe. It held significance- just like how for him it was the place where Yurika Arisu met her first and current prince. Irritating. Amber eyes glanced over to his companion.
The light rippling off the water accented her dual tone eyes, expression lost in thought. It was a difference from her usual demeanor as a cat. He had become so accustomed to moving around with her as a cat, it felt almost jarring to see her here before him. A carbon copy of Yurika Arisu indeed. His silly heroine.
Yurika jolted as a hand moved to cup her face, turning her face towards Wizard. The woman blinked quizzically. He analyzed her, tilting her this way and that before letting out a confirming hum.
“After all. A smile suits you better.”
' Huh?’ Yurika held eye contact with Mr Wizard, trying to understand his words. Really now, how was that fair. For someone saying he would never fall for her, he sure was smooth. Her eyes lowered, and a small smile spread on her lips.
Her hand cupped his own in place. A warm, kind hand. One that could handle her so gently and one that could kill her just as easily. Yurika turned and placed her lips against his palm, pausing there for a solid second before pulling back. She looked back at her companion. He had an eyebrow raised.
“Thank you.” ‘ For letting me stay by your side .’
Four
Wizard’s eyes fluttered open. He could feel the beginnings of a Bad End Heroine out there in the Looking Glass Country, a mistake made by the Queen’s tellings. It was time for him to play his role. Moving to get up, the man quickly realized the person attached to his side; they had fallen asleep together and sure enough for her spoiled nature, she had drawn closer and wrapped her arms around him.
A huff left his lips. How forward this heroine was.
He gently extricated himself from the grip Yurika had on him, almost ready to get up when a hand grabbed at his shirt again.
“Mmm… Mr. Wizard..?” A sleepy voice accompanied the sight of bleary blue-pink eyes fluttering open to look up at him. The wizard had already propped himself up on his elbow, hand suspended in the air above her own. He offered her a smile.
“Ah, did I wake you? My next job is here. You can keep sleeping.” He said, glancing down at her hand. She took a moment to parse his words, a slight pout forming on her lips.
Slowly, Yurika moved her hand up to cup the back of his head, gently urging him downwards towards her. Wizard followed the motion reluctantly. ‘ What is she up to now?’ He thought to himself- and then lips pressed gently to his forehead, paused there, and left as fast as they came. The wizard blinked down at the heroine as she laid back down onto the bed.
“I’ll be here waiting for your return.” Yurika said, voice quiet as she gave Mr. Wizard a tender smile, her hand cupping his own face a second longer before dropping down to her front. He merely nodded down at her. Good enough for her, Yurika closed her eyes and appeared to doze back off into slumber.
Wizard took his chance then to depart, touching his forehead. What was she trying to pull with all these displays of affection? He had already said before, he wouldn’t be swayed by her. She wasn’t the one he wanted.
And yet, it was a fact that in dealing with this Bad End without his companion, it felt less lonely than if she hadn’t seen him off.
Five
Footsteps echoed through the darkness as Wizard walked the two of them back to their central place. The black cat on his shoulder meowed and jumped off, transforming into her usual form in the blink of an eye. There was a smile already playing on her lips as she turned to walk backwards in front of him.
“... What is it?” Wizard questioned what she was so amused about at this point in time.
A laugh left Yurika. She leaned left.
“Hey hey mister, how come there’s nothing here?”
Right. “Well, that’s because this is a world that’s finished.”
Left. “Hey hey mister, how come it feels so kind?”
Right. “Well, that’s because the person themselves are kind.”
Amber eyes narrowed at blue-pink ones. Wizard crossed his arms with a familiar pout on his lips, shaking his head at his cheery companion.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Of course not! I thought it was super cute- you’ve never done that before!” Yurika said in a gleeful tone, fighting the urge to start skipping backwards. Perhaps it wasn’t the best choice of timing considering they had just finished with a Bad End, but it really had been funny to listen to Wizard engage in a back and forth with himself and himself in a higher pitched ‘kid’ voice. She swung her hands and spun in a circle as she walked, finally letting free a lively peal of laughter.
Wizard clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes at her enjoyment.
“Really now, it’s not that funny or cute. I was merely having fun.”
Yurika whipped back to her companion with a beaming smile. She walked right towards him- grabbed his face in her hands and leaned up to place a quick kiss on his nose. Leaning back to evaluate his surprised expression, the heroine felt the laughter bubble out of her again, grinning.
“I know! I’m so happy for you!”
Wizard stared at her in disbelief, unsure what exactly she meant by that. A moment passed before he settled for an exasperated smile, shaking his head out of her hands. Truly incomprehensible.
Six
The two of them sat together on the couch. Rather, Wizard was sitting upright, and Yurika had laid her head comfortably in his lap facing outwards. She relished in the contact, a content hum emanating from her as a gloved hand pet her head.
An amused huff left Wizard. As if wearing the disguise of a cat wasn’t enough, she acted like one now too. Well, not that he was complaining. Taking breaks from their chess matches hadn’t occurred frequently before; the break usually was in the form of having to perform his role as a Queen on the chessboard. But that was over and done for. They had all agreed to remain closed off in their worlds for their own happiness while Alistair took back his body. Not that Wizard couldn’t not access his body- but for the happiness of the real Yurika Arisu, he wouldn’t. Besides…
His hand stilled on Yurika’s head, and she shuffled to lie onto her back, turning her eyes up to him. A relaxed silence flowed between them.
He remembered when she had tried to argue him out of it. She had even shed tears, telling him that he never chose a Looking Glass Yurika, so there was no reason for him to merely accept this end. In her eyes, it wasn’t a happy ending. To her, he had only ever kept her around for help in the Bad Ends. It really was surprising when she had asked why he wouldn’t kill her. A fool through and through.
Perhaps he really was a coward, like she had said way back when. As long as he kept her at arms’ length, he was assured that he would never be swayed by her. In his mind he had determinedly drawn a line between her, a fake Yurika Arisu, and his devotion to the Queen; there was no doubt that he would ever fall for a clone. And yet… She was so determined. So easily giving in her affection, in her company and presence. It was a warmth he had never felt before. Being a masochist, being faced with that unending fondness from her was a change. And change was quite a monster.
He was meant to be a perfect being. And then he was deemed a failure, and even with all his faults and his rejection of her, this heroine remained by his side through it all. She witnessed countless versions of Yurika Arisu be erased before her own eyes. Even then…
He brushed her bangs aside, cupping her face and watching her lean into it. There was a warmth in his chest, and Wizard knew exactly what it was now.
“Yurika.”
The woman in his lap jolted at the use of her name. She barely had time to respond before Wizard leaned down and kissed her on the lips. It was a tender touch, sharing warmth from one another. Yurika felt her heart swell with a wave of emotions. The affection, the trust she had, the sanctuary of his being around her. She kissed back just in time before he pulled away.
“I love you.”
Yurika bit her lips as tears welled in her eyes, and Wizard laughed happily before leaning to kiss her again. His silly, foolish princess.
The two of them had reached their Happy Ending.