Krissy in Ai-Lando - Chapter 4
Almost her actual birthday now! And only one more chapter to go after this one. Enjoy! ;)
CHAPTER FOUR - ZAA… TEA PARTY!
Eventually, Krissy made her way to the end of the red pathway. It led to an open clearing that housed a long, narrow table, covered with a white cloth, and holding every imaginable teapot in existence! Or at least it seemed that way to her. As she approached it, she saw a variety of styles, ranging from traditional English teapots to ancient Japanese varieties to the occasional novelty pot from America, which included a pot that resembled a cow. She was at the tea party!
Skipping down into the clearing, she approached the table and noted that there were actually two figures seated on the opposite end. She knew immediately that they were the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, but who was who? Whoever they were, they sounded like they were singing, wishing each other a “... Happy Un-birthdaaaay~!” and the song... Krissy did a double take.
“Hang on. When did NEWS come to Ai-Lando?” The tune was unmistakably the hit single, “Happy Birthday,” made popular by NEWS, although the original Japanese lyrics had been changed to fit the “Un-Birthday” song from the Disney movie. However, although they sang a NEWS song, it appeared that there wasn’t a single member of that group at the table.
The Mad Hatter, singing with obvious relish and enjoyment, was none other than Sakurai Sho. A large black top hat was perched rather precariously on his side-flipped hair, with a piece of paper - the number “十” written on it - stuck haphazardly through the broad charcoal gray band. His suit was a tuxedo, complete with sparkling lapels and bowtie, and looked vaguely familiar to Krissy. It wasn’t until she glanced at his companion that she realized where it was from. Dressed similar to Aiba, but definitely more hare-like, was none other than Yu Yokoyama. He was wearing a casual suit, his hare costume not as bulky as Aiba’s had been. Oddly enough, on one of his long hare ears, he had a small earphone with a long, bendable microphone that arched down towards his mouth. Krissy rolled her eyes.
“The Quiz Show? You have GOT to be kidding me…” The moment she spoke, both men stopped their singing and fastened their separate gazes on her. Sho-Mad Hatter immediately leaped onto the table. Gesturing with his hand in one direction, he announced,
“Everyone longs for a beautiful dream. Some people want to find a white rabbit...” Grandly he looked away from her, and then gestured with his other hand, “Others just want to find a way home.” He then looked pointedly at Krissy and actually smirked. “Still others don’t even know what they want.” Ignoring her indignant gasp, he opened both arms in front of him and shouted, “This is where dreams come true. This is… ZAA TEEEEEA PARTYYYY…. ara!” Just as Sho-Mad Hatter was making his final extravagant gesture, Yu-March Hare was yanking him off the table and back down into the seat next to him. Grabbing him by the lapel, Yu-March Hare pulled his face closer to his own and menacingly informed him,
“Just make sure... you REMEMBER!” Sho-Mad Hatter suddenly shuddered and shrunk in his seat, looking much more fragile as he murmured a soft yet shaky,
“Hai...” Craftily, Yu-March Hare then slid his eyes in Krissy’s direction, where she was watching this exchange with mute fascination, her earlier indignation forgotten in the face of his enigmatic presence. “So Krissy-chan, would you like to join us?” He got up out of his seat and left an opening between him and Sho-Mad Hatter. His gaze was rather mesmerizing, and before she knew it, Krissy was seated in the chair between them with an unusually large terra-cotta teapot placed over to the side and on her left. At this point, the Arashi member had regained his aplomb and wagged his eyebrows at her.
“Saaa, Krissy-chan. So can you tell us? What is your dream?”
Her dream? It was obvious, wasn’t it? She looked at Sho-Mad Hatter directly and baldly announced,
“I want to find the white rabbit, Baka Hattoman-san!” To her surprise, the two men on either side of her exchanged knowing glances and then Sho-Mad Hatter stood up in his chair and shouted,
“Today, as a special show, we will only ask you TWO questions in order for you to get to the Dream Chance. It’s… SHOW TIME!” Yu-March Hare stood up as well and threw his hands up into the air.
“Clean cup! Clean cup!” Krissy was summarily lifted out of her chair and nudged to sit in Sho-Mad Hatter’s previous seat. Yu-March Hare took Krissy’s seat and Sho-Mad Hatter sat on her other side. Now, the terra-cotta tea pot was directly in front of her, and since she was thirsty, she figured she’d pour herself some tea. However, as she lifted it and attempted to pour something into the teacup in front of her, there was a muffled squeak from inside the container. Setting it down, she took the top off of it, and a very sleepy (and very tiny!) “Ryo-chan” Nikishido came out.
“Holy crap!” she shrieked in surprise. Ryo was a mouse, dressed in a full body outfit just like Aiba and Yu, but with mouse accouterments, including two large, soft pinkish ears (what appeared to be a bowler hat rakishly tilted on top of them) and a long heather gray tail that popped out of the top and drooped just as sleepily over the side.
“Twinkle twinkle, ryusei no kizuna, how, I wonder, will we do in America?”
“Urusai!” Yu-March Hare demanded of Ryo-Dormouse. “We’re trying to film an episode of MY show here, not yours!”
“Mondai!” Sho-Mad Hatter began as he whipped out a set of black index cards, each one with the words “The Tea Party!” embossed on the back. “In 1999, when Arashi debuted, what was their first main event where they first performed? A… The World Baseball Series. B… The World Soccer Cup, C… The World Volleyball Cup and D… The World Baby Boys Band Concert.” Krissy carefully pushed the terra cotta teapot away from her, the sleeping Ryo-Dormouse draped over its side, and muttered to Sho-Mad Hatter,
“Ah… C. The World Volleyball Cup.”
“Sekai!!” Sho-Mad Hatter yelled.
“Clean Cup!” Yu-March Hare countered. Much to Krissy’s annoyance, after some more jostling, they switched places again. Once she was seated, she glared at Yu-March Hare.
“Hey! The only one getting a clean cup is Baka Hattoman-san! Ne, Sangetsu no Usagi-san! This is ridiculous!”
“Ni mon!” Sho-Mad Hatter shouted, blithely ignoring Krissy’s rant. Rolling her eyes, Krissy slouched in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest in a typical rebellious teen pose. This wasn’t how her idols were supposed to be acting! “Ai-Lando made its first appearance on Arashi no Shukudai-kun during which episode? A… Episode 1, B… Episode 70, C… Episode 100, and D... Episode 150.” Krissy lost her pout and actually sat up at that question. She was supposed to be “Alice in Wonderland” but her mind converted that to “Krissy in Ai-Lando” because of the appearance of Arashi, and various other JE Boys. That he had asked such a question was startling to her. Blinking in mute astonishment, she asked Sho-Mad Hatter,
“Ne... do you know why I am here then?” Leaning closer to her chair, Sho-Mad Hatter gave her an inscrutable smile as he informed her
“I know... everything about you.” Krissy blinked and then sighed.
“I walked right into that didn’t I?” Behind her, she could see out of the corner of her eye that Yu-March Hare was nodding his head gleefully, while Ryo-Dormouse had bonelessly slid back inside the teapot, his soft snores echoing within the terra cotta. “Like I said… screwier and screwier. Hrm... I should know this answer... OH!” she suddenly exclaimed as it came to her. Sitting up she gestured broadly to Sho-Mad Hatter and proclaimed. “B! The answer is B!”
“SEKAI DESU!” Sho shrieked in turn, bounding up onto his chair, where he stood and pointed his finger down to where she was still seated. “You’ve won and now it’s time...!”
“Yeah yeah!” Krissy interrupted, standing up on her chair as well and pointing her finger back. “I’m going all the way! Just get on with it!” Sho-Mad Hatter seemed taken aback at first, but he recovered immediately and, hopping up onto the table, pronounced,
“DREAM... CHANCE!” From inside the terra cotta pot, there was a soft drumming sound, providing an odd sort of beat that Sho-Mad Hatter proceeded to dance to on the table. He managed to knock over several other tea cups and pots in the process, making a general mess on the table cloth as a mixture of jasmine, oolong and green tea spilled onto it. Krissy sighed, but maintained her standing position on her chair. When Yu looked like he was about to make them change places again, she gave him such a LOOK that he actually meekly sat back down in his seat and said nothing.
“Saa! Krissy-chan! This is your chance to make your dream come true,” Sho-Mad Hatter informed her once he’d stopped the contortions he thought were dance moves. “I must ask you one more time... what is your dream?”
“I want to find the white rabbit!” she insisted.
“Are you sure this is your dream?” he asked her, tilting his head in askance. “You’re certain?” Krissy was taken aback once more. Wasn’t that her dream? Or was it? As much as she loved Aiba the most, didn’t she also love the other 4 members of Arashi? And speaking of which, why hadn’t she seen Nino yet? Krissy bit her lip and frowned. What was her dream?
As if a ray of light had shown down on her face, her countenance altered and realization came to her in a flash. With a breathless voice and a heart that was pounding like a drum in her chest, she said,
“No. I change my dream. My dream is... I want to meet Arashi.” All of a sudden, at her words, Sho-Mad Hatter jerked back, grabbing the sides of his head as he fell to the top of the table, and screamed. Krissy was shocked, but when she looked over at Yu-March Hare, his smile was pure evil.
“No! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” she amended, hopping off her chair and reaching across the table in an attempt to help Sho-Mad Hatter in his pain. But just as she did so, he shuddered once and then sat up, his face clear.
“Then you will get that chance,” he assured her, sitting up on the table, brushing off the suit as if it were only a little dusty. He then pointed directly at her as he shouted, “Mondai! What is the REAL reason that Krissy-chan was chasing after the white rabbit? A... She is a stalker of Aiba-chan. B... She is interested in white rabbits. C... She is concerned about Aiba-chan and D... She doesn’t like Aiba-chan at all.”
For one, prolonged moment, Krissy recalled with perfect clarity how Jun-Cheshire Cat had asked her the same question, and that she’d lied to him. It was like one of those flashback moments from a real Quiz Show episode, and with a sinking heart, Krissy realized she had to tell the truth. Collapsing back into her chair, she whispered,
“A.”
“SEKAI!!!!” Sho exploded, leaping off the table completely and landing on the ground next to her chair. Krissy nearly shrieked again, but Sho was already grabbing one of her hands and shaking it vigorously. “I promise,” he assured her with a wink, “your dream will come true!”
“Wait… WHAT?” But Krissy’s surroundings suddenly grew black and everything disappeared.
CHAPTER FOUR - ZAA… TEA PARTY!
Eventually, Krissy made her way to the end of the red pathway. It led to an open clearing that housed a long, narrow table, covered with a white cloth, and holding every imaginable teapot in existence! Or at least it seemed that way to her. As she approached it, she saw a variety of styles, ranging from traditional English teapots to ancient Japanese varieties to the occasional novelty pot from America, which included a pot that resembled a cow. She was at the tea party!
Skipping down into the clearing, she approached the table and noted that there were actually two figures seated on the opposite end. She knew immediately that they were the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, but who was who? Whoever they were, they sounded like they were singing, wishing each other a “... Happy Un-birthdaaaay~!” and the song... Krissy did a double take.
“Hang on. When did NEWS come to Ai-Lando?” The tune was unmistakably the hit single, “Happy Birthday,” made popular by NEWS, although the original Japanese lyrics had been changed to fit the “Un-Birthday” song from the Disney movie. However, although they sang a NEWS song, it appeared that there wasn’t a single member of that group at the table.
The Mad Hatter, singing with obvious relish and enjoyment, was none other than Sakurai Sho. A large black top hat was perched rather precariously on his side-flipped hair, with a piece of paper - the number “十” written on it - stuck haphazardly through the broad charcoal gray band. His suit was a tuxedo, complete with sparkling lapels and bowtie, and looked vaguely familiar to Krissy. It wasn’t until she glanced at his companion that she realized where it was from. Dressed similar to Aiba, but definitely more hare-like, was none other than Yu Yokoyama. He was wearing a casual suit, his hare costume not as bulky as Aiba’s had been. Oddly enough, on one of his long hare ears, he had a small earphone with a long, bendable microphone that arched down towards his mouth. Krissy rolled her eyes.
“The Quiz Show? You have GOT to be kidding me…” The moment she spoke, both men stopped their singing and fastened their separate gazes on her. Sho-Mad Hatter immediately leaped onto the table. Gesturing with his hand in one direction, he announced,
“Everyone longs for a beautiful dream. Some people want to find a white rabbit...” Grandly he looked away from her, and then gestured with his other hand, “Others just want to find a way home.” He then looked pointedly at Krissy and actually smirked. “Still others don’t even know what they want.” Ignoring her indignant gasp, he opened both arms in front of him and shouted, “This is where dreams come true. This is… ZAA TEEEEEA PARTYYYY…. ara!” Just as Sho-Mad Hatter was making his final extravagant gesture, Yu-March Hare was yanking him off the table and back down into the seat next to him. Grabbing him by the lapel, Yu-March Hare pulled his face closer to his own and menacingly informed him,
“Just make sure... you REMEMBER!” Sho-Mad Hatter suddenly shuddered and shrunk in his seat, looking much more fragile as he murmured a soft yet shaky,
“Hai...” Craftily, Yu-March Hare then slid his eyes in Krissy’s direction, where she was watching this exchange with mute fascination, her earlier indignation forgotten in the face of his enigmatic presence. “So Krissy-chan, would you like to join us?” He got up out of his seat and left an opening between him and Sho-Mad Hatter. His gaze was rather mesmerizing, and before she knew it, Krissy was seated in the chair between them with an unusually large terra-cotta teapot placed over to the side and on her left. At this point, the Arashi member had regained his aplomb and wagged his eyebrows at her.
“Saaa, Krissy-chan. So can you tell us? What is your dream?”
Her dream? It was obvious, wasn’t it? She looked at Sho-Mad Hatter directly and baldly announced,
“I want to find the white rabbit, Baka Hattoman-san!” To her surprise, the two men on either side of her exchanged knowing glances and then Sho-Mad Hatter stood up in his chair and shouted,
“Today, as a special show, we will only ask you TWO questions in order for you to get to the Dream Chance. It’s… SHOW TIME!” Yu-March Hare stood up as well and threw his hands up into the air.
“Clean cup! Clean cup!” Krissy was summarily lifted out of her chair and nudged to sit in Sho-Mad Hatter’s previous seat. Yu-March Hare took Krissy’s seat and Sho-Mad Hatter sat on her other side. Now, the terra-cotta tea pot was directly in front of her, and since she was thirsty, she figured she’d pour herself some tea. However, as she lifted it and attempted to pour something into the teacup in front of her, there was a muffled squeak from inside the container. Setting it down, she took the top off of it, and a very sleepy (and very tiny!) “Ryo-chan” Nikishido came out.
“Holy crap!” she shrieked in surprise. Ryo was a mouse, dressed in a full body outfit just like Aiba and Yu, but with mouse accouterments, including two large, soft pinkish ears (what appeared to be a bowler hat rakishly tilted on top of them) and a long heather gray tail that popped out of the top and drooped just as sleepily over the side.
“Twinkle twinkle, ryusei no kizuna, how, I wonder, will we do in America?”
“Urusai!” Yu-March Hare demanded of Ryo-Dormouse. “We’re trying to film an episode of MY show here, not yours!”
“Mondai!” Sho-Mad Hatter began as he whipped out a set of black index cards, each one with the words “The Tea Party!” embossed on the back. “In 1999, when Arashi debuted, what was their first main event where they first performed? A… The World Baseball Series. B… The World Soccer Cup, C… The World Volleyball Cup and D… The World Baby Boys Band Concert.” Krissy carefully pushed the terra cotta teapot away from her, the sleeping Ryo-Dormouse draped over its side, and muttered to Sho-Mad Hatter,
“Ah… C. The World Volleyball Cup.”
“Sekai!!” Sho-Mad Hatter yelled.
“Clean Cup!” Yu-March Hare countered. Much to Krissy’s annoyance, after some more jostling, they switched places again. Once she was seated, she glared at Yu-March Hare.
“Hey! The only one getting a clean cup is Baka Hattoman-san! Ne, Sangetsu no Usagi-san! This is ridiculous!”
“Ni mon!” Sho-Mad Hatter shouted, blithely ignoring Krissy’s rant. Rolling her eyes, Krissy slouched in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest in a typical rebellious teen pose. This wasn’t how her idols were supposed to be acting! “Ai-Lando made its first appearance on Arashi no Shukudai-kun during which episode? A… Episode 1, B… Episode 70, C… Episode 100, and D... Episode 150.” Krissy lost her pout and actually sat up at that question. She was supposed to be “Alice in Wonderland” but her mind converted that to “Krissy in Ai-Lando” because of the appearance of Arashi, and various other JE Boys. That he had asked such a question was startling to her. Blinking in mute astonishment, she asked Sho-Mad Hatter,
“Ne... do you know why I am here then?” Leaning closer to her chair, Sho-Mad Hatter gave her an inscrutable smile as he informed her
“I know... everything about you.” Krissy blinked and then sighed.
“I walked right into that didn’t I?” Behind her, she could see out of the corner of her eye that Yu-March Hare was nodding his head gleefully, while Ryo-Dormouse had bonelessly slid back inside the teapot, his soft snores echoing within the terra cotta. “Like I said… screwier and screwier. Hrm... I should know this answer... OH!” she suddenly exclaimed as it came to her. Sitting up she gestured broadly to Sho-Mad Hatter and proclaimed. “B! The answer is B!”
“SEKAI DESU!” Sho shrieked in turn, bounding up onto his chair, where he stood and pointed his finger down to where she was still seated. “You’ve won and now it’s time...!”
“Yeah yeah!” Krissy interrupted, standing up on her chair as well and pointing her finger back. “I’m going all the way! Just get on with it!” Sho-Mad Hatter seemed taken aback at first, but he recovered immediately and, hopping up onto the table, pronounced,
“DREAM... CHANCE!” From inside the terra cotta pot, there was a soft drumming sound, providing an odd sort of beat that Sho-Mad Hatter proceeded to dance to on the table. He managed to knock over several other tea cups and pots in the process, making a general mess on the table cloth as a mixture of jasmine, oolong and green tea spilled onto it. Krissy sighed, but maintained her standing position on her chair. When Yu looked like he was about to make them change places again, she gave him such a LOOK that he actually meekly sat back down in his seat and said nothing.
“Saa! Krissy-chan! This is your chance to make your dream come true,” Sho-Mad Hatter informed her once he’d stopped the contortions he thought were dance moves. “I must ask you one more time... what is your dream?”
“I want to find the white rabbit!” she insisted.
“Are you sure this is your dream?” he asked her, tilting his head in askance. “You’re certain?” Krissy was taken aback once more. Wasn’t that her dream? Or was it? As much as she loved Aiba the most, didn’t she also love the other 4 members of Arashi? And speaking of which, why hadn’t she seen Nino yet? Krissy bit her lip and frowned. What was her dream?
As if a ray of light had shown down on her face, her countenance altered and realization came to her in a flash. With a breathless voice and a heart that was pounding like a drum in her chest, she said,
“No. I change my dream. My dream is... I want to meet Arashi.” All of a sudden, at her words, Sho-Mad Hatter jerked back, grabbing the sides of his head as he fell to the top of the table, and screamed. Krissy was shocked, but when she looked over at Yu-March Hare, his smile was pure evil.
“No! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” she amended, hopping off her chair and reaching across the table in an attempt to help Sho-Mad Hatter in his pain. But just as she did so, he shuddered once and then sat up, his face clear.
“Then you will get that chance,” he assured her, sitting up on the table, brushing off the suit as if it were only a little dusty. He then pointed directly at her as he shouted, “Mondai! What is the REAL reason that Krissy-chan was chasing after the white rabbit? A... She is a stalker of Aiba-chan. B... She is interested in white rabbits. C... She is concerned about Aiba-chan and D... She doesn’t like Aiba-chan at all.”
For one, prolonged moment, Krissy recalled with perfect clarity how Jun-Cheshire Cat had asked her the same question, and that she’d lied to him. It was like one of those flashback moments from a real Quiz Show episode, and with a sinking heart, Krissy realized she had to tell the truth. Collapsing back into her chair, she whispered,
“A.”
“SEKAI!!!!” Sho exploded, leaping off the table completely and landing on the ground next to her chair. Krissy nearly shrieked again, but Sho was already grabbing one of her hands and shaking it vigorously. “I promise,” he assured her with a wink, “your dream will come true!”
“Wait… WHAT?” But Krissy’s surroundings suddenly grew black and everything disappeared.