When Time Fails

Chapter 1

~Down The Rabbit Hole~

Hey guys! SilverBelle11 and I are collaborating to write this story together, and I think you're in for a real treat!

We are both "experts" in our fields of anime: mine is Inuyasha (really, I'd hope if you were a returning fan – you'd know this by now!) and hers is Black Butler (seriously, she's amazing!)

Please read and review (or comment – whatever Fanfiction is calling it nowadays)!

Disclaimer: we do not own Black Butler or Inuyasha

"Hurry up!" Inuyasha yelled frantically as he ran with a frightened Kagome and Shippo in tow. "Come on!"

Kagome ran hard, harder than she ever had to run in her entire life. And she had good reason, too. Not ten yards behind the trio, Naraku was giving them the chase of their lives: his purple tentacles always coming within inches of their fleeting limbs just for the scare, his haunting laughter always right in their ears to send shivers down their spine.

Shippou clung tightly to Kagome, looking back to see another tentacle swooping in at a fast rate.

"Inuyasha!"

With one glance and a muttered curse under the breath, Inuyasha grabbed the young miko by the waist and bounded towards the other direction. Trees, bushes, sky and ground passed by in a blur in a hurried attempt to lose their ultimate enemy – to get him off their tails.

The laughter returned and added, "Fools! How dare you even think that you can escape me!"

Another tentacle crashed just to their right, sending the team airborne along with the exploding dust and bits of dirt. The hanyo collided backwards into a tree; Shippou rammed right into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. With eyes screwed shut, Inuyasha anticipated Kagome's weight, but it never came.

"Wha…!" He opened his eyes slowly and whipped his head side to side, his silver mane flying wildly. Desperately searching for his miko, he peeled himself and the kistune off the tree. Not seeing her immediately, he called out, "Kagome!"

Kagome, on the other hand, was lying just beyond the tree line. For a frightening moment, she had blacked out, but the hanyo's gruff voice was calling her back to reality. As she opened her eyes, she noticed the flowers growing so beautifully next to her. She rose to a sitting position in the grass, her limited vision still blurry. Soon, it returned and she could see something large just across the meadow.

"Wha…?" She breathed, not believing her eyes. Here, not in Kaede's village, was the Bone Eater's Well… or, at least it resembled the youki-corpse dump. Kagome then shivered, remembering the first time she had tried to go home after falling down the well, how the bones of Mistress Centipede had stared her in the face.

Lost in thought, Kagome didn't notice the tainted presence that had lurked its way towards her. A large, calloused hand came around and wrapped itself over her mouth – preventing all chances of calling for help.

Leaning over her shoulder in a luxurious manor, Naraku stared ahead at the wooden structure.

"So…" he drew out, laying his pale cheek against Kagome's and forcing her to see the well. "What's so important about that well, there?"

Kagome struggled fruitlessly against his firm grasp, but the hand stayed clamped over her mouth. Silence fell upon them and for any one else in the world – the evening was pleasurable. The sky had not a cloud in the sky. A breeze was blowing carelessly across the meadow riddled with wildflowers. Eventually, the pure evil rolling off the vile man made the miko sick to her stomach – her spiritual powers never having experienced anything as close to evil as Naraku.

Noticing her futile escape attempts – the man grabbed her by the back of the neck and carried her over to the well.

"Well, if you won't answer me…" Naraku paused right next to the wooden structure with Kagome dangling and clawing at anything within reach.

With his filthy fingers finally off her mouth, the young miko gasped, "I-Inu..Yasha!"

At the end of her quiet plea, Naraku's grasp tightened around her neck – silencing her. Kagome continued to kick and thrash, still wanting to free herself from his clutches.

But if he drops me, Kagome thought with one glance below her. I'd hit the bottom. Inuyasha isn't anywhere near me to catch me from the fall. If this was the well in Kaede's village, I'd fall safely back into my time. But this isn't the Bone Eater's Well, I'm sure of it. So why can I sense-

Kagome could feel Naraku's fingers pried themselves off her skin and she found herself falling. She didn't have enough time to open her eyes or even blindly grab onto something. So she continued to fall. Down, down, down….

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled from across the clearing. Previously, he had been sniffing his lost companion's scent, only to stumble upon the clearing just as she was thrust down the well. Naraku calmly turned until he faced the half-demon head on. Completely ignoring his sole enemy, the one who caused the giant rift to form between he and Kikyo, the one pulling all the strings, Inuyasha flew across the sunny clearing – but inside, he felt a dreadful chill numbing his senses.

If I don't make it to her in time… The hanyo blocked the thought from forming any further as he ran straight for the well.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou cried as he hung onto the half-demon's red haori for dear life. He, too, saw what he considered to be a second mother to him fall down the well. If Naraku wasn't a direct enemy to him before, he sure was now.

Inuyasha braced himself on the lip of the well and, in one fluid motion, jumped into the abyss. The most noticeable thing he noticed was how he couldn't find Kagome… Or a bottom…

But there was the light of time…

Whatever it takes, I'm coming after you, Kagome!

With this sharp, determined thought to keep him going, Inuyasha straightened himself like an arrow and gritted his teeth, preparing himself for the unknown.

But then again, who can do that?

~#*WTF*#~

Kagome felt bruised in places she didn't even know she had. Rubbing her ankle, she examined her new surroundings. This was definitely not the well in the shrine at home. She stood, dusting off her uniform skirt, and looked for a way out of the well. Luckily, it seemed that someone had lowered a rope into the darkness. It wasn't ideal, but it would do.

Kagome emerged from the well into the bright sunlight. When her eyes adjusted, she almost fell back into the hole out of sheer shock. She wasn't home, but she wasn't in the feudal age either…in fact, she wasn't sure this was even Japan. Over a line of trees that didn't grow in her homeland loomed a large, stately building.

Where am I? She thought. …WHEN am I?

She didn't have long to ponder, though before she heard a familiar voice coming from the well behind her.

"KAGOME?" Inuyasha yelled.

"It's alright!" she called back. "I'm up here."

In a single bound, the half-demon stood beside her, looking her over with concern.

"I'm alright, I promise." She assured him.

"Whoooooah," a small voice came from Inuyasha's back. Shippo tumbled to the ground holding his head. "That was aaaawessooooome!"

"Shippo!" Kagome scooped the small fox-demon up from the ground and hugged him tightly.

Suddenly, from the other side of the tree line came a loud, haunting howl. The trio froze, Inuyasha's keen ears locked on to the noise. Kagome fell to the ground as the dirt began shaking beneath their feet. Inuyasha's poised himself in front of Kagome and Shippo defensively, but nothing could have prepared him for what came through those trees.

Tongue bouncing and tail wagging, a dog standing higher than the trees through which he ran came bounding across the grassy lawn. When he reached the trio, Inuyasha had tetsuiga((sp?)) ready for attack, but the large dog only raised its massive head and howled again before lowering it into a "play" position.

As confused as the group was then, the situation only got weirder when a blonde boy came jogging up behind the monstrous hound.

"PLUTO!" the boy laughed. "What are you doing, boy?" He then spotted Inuyasha and Kagome. "Well, hello! Who are—heeeeey! You have dog ears!" He pounced, rubbing Inuyasha's ears between his fingers. The half-demon jumped back, wide-eyed, exposing Shippo.

The boy stopped, staring at the small fox demon. The two of them blinked at one another for a brief moment before the boy fell to the ground, somehow ending up holding Shippo over his head.

"You're ADOOORABLE!"

"FINNY!" a sharp, masculine voice broke through the air. "What ARE you doing? And why is that…thing…making so much noise? You know the Young Master is busy today."

The one called "Finny" sat up, still clutching Shippo, but looking ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian…Pluto found these three, and I was just saying hello…"

From his place between Kagome and Shippo, Inuyasha growled as he watched the voice's owner approach.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at him, concerned.

"He isn't human," Inuyasha growled again. "There's a dark aura around him.

A tall, pale man dressed all in black marched steadily into the clearing. He calmly approached the group, examining each of the members. His crimson eyes first fell on Shippo, still clutched in Finny's arms. Though barely detectable, one of the man's eyebrows twitched in seeming annoyance at the sight of the tiny fox demon.

His gaze floated to Inuyasha. Immediately, the half-demon began growling fiercely, letting this newcomer know that he would not be challenged lightly. To his great dismay, however, the man sighed, shaking his head, and continued his scan of the crowd.

"You bastard! Don't look at me like I'm nothing!" Inuyasha yelled, waving a fist in the air.

"Oh!" the dark man's hand went to his chest as he bowed at the waist, "Forgive my rudeness, My Lady, I did not realize your presence. Sebastian Michaelis, head butler to the Earl of Phantomhive, at your service."

Kagome merely stood, blinking for a few moments. "Th-thank you!" she curtsied. Inuyasha gaped, open-mouthed from Sebastian to Kagome and back.

"Finny!" a light, female voice met their ears, "Finny where are you?"

"Oh, what NOW?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Over here, Miss Aria!" Finny called excitedly.

A young woman entered the clearing next. She was tall and slender with golden hair just like Finny. Inuyasha sensed that her aura was the exact opposite of the one belonging to the man in black.

Upon seeing her, the massive dog underwent a terrifying transformation. As the three guests watched, he suddenly became a man…a naked man, and ran to meet the young woman, still retaining his dog-like personality. Laughing, she rolled her eyes and wrapped her own coat around the dog-man's body. He continued to jump up to her as a dog would while she moved to meet the group of people.

"What's going on?" She smiled at Finny and Sebastian. Though he was excruciatingly subtle about it, Inuyasha noticed the man in black shift, becoming ever so slightly defensive in stance as the woman approached.

So…he has someone like my Kagome to protect as well…

"Oh, hello!" she called to the newcomers. "Aria Meriwether. I'm the Earl Phantomhive's tutor. What brings you to the Estate?"

"Umm," Kagome started, "Well, you probably wouldn't believe us if we told you…"

"Oh my!" Aria rushed on Kagome, running her fingers over the various cuts and bruises on Kagome's arms and legs. "You'll have to come inside for a bite to eat and let me tend to those. You can explain everything inside…and believe me…I think you'll find us to be very open-minded." She winked, stepping back.

"Miss Aria," Sebastian frowned at her, "Are you sure? They have strange auras…and those ears…" His eyebrow twitched again as he shivered, followed by a muttered, "dogs…" Aria only stared at him, a smirk plastered to her impish face. The dark man sighed, "Are you sure, Miss Aria? They—"

"Sebastian," Aria said flatly. They all looked at her, arms crossed over her chest, Pluto leaning on her shoulder, nibbling on it. "There's a hellhound currently gnawing on my shoulder, and no one around here finds that odd…I'm sure they're fine."

With that, she took Kagome by the arm and led her toward the trees and the Estate house beyond, giggling with her all the way. The men all stood staring at each other awkwardly for a moment.

What the HELL are we getting into?