Disclaimer: Meah. Poor me. I own nothing. Nothing I say. Especially not the cool shizness used in this story.

Vocabulary for this chapter (how sad): Goshinboku- old god tree.

Chapter I—Down the Rabbit Hole

"Did we have any homework?"

"I don't think so, Yuma."

"Well . . . I'll see you round, then."

"Okay. 'Bye."

"'Bye Kagome!"

Kagome's thick brown loafer-heels clunked on the pavement as she walked briskly away from school. She filtered through her backpack for her house key; humming some weird unknown song to herself; nearly succeeding in getting hit by a bus.

She found her key and looked up, feeling the afternoon sun on her face. She waved to a friend across the street as she turned up the walkway to her house—

Something green and blue, with a bushy red fox tail, scampered across her yard.

Kagome blinked twice, then stared as the thing screeched to a halt. It looked like a little boy, 8 or 9 years old, with longish red hair pulled back into a ponytail, dressed in an old-fashioned kimono suit. It would have been rather ordinary, except for its tail, ears that sloped up to a point, and fangs that showed when it muttered to itself. It smacked itself in the forehead a few times, then reached into its pocket and pulled out a gold pocket watch.

"Oooh . . .!" she heard it squeal. "I'm late, she'll have my head, oooh . . .!"

Kagome gazed blankly at the thing, in shock. She watched as it scurried in zigzags across the lawn several times, then ran up to the old Goshinboku and hopped into a hole at its base.

"Hey," Kagome called, dropping her backpack behind a convenient bush. "Hey!!"

She stumbled over and kneeled at the hole in the tree, peeking over the edge cautiously. It seemed to stretch on for miles, the light hitting the earthy sides for a short ways then fading into darkness.

"Huh," she breathed, scratching the back of her head. "Where did that fox thing go?"

Kagome pulled her skirt down over her thighs, still peering suspiciously into the fox-hole. "Weird," she muttered, and stood up.

White wisps of what had once been bony hands grabbed her by the ankles and yanked her into the hole, silencing her scream with the darkness.

It seemed like she had been falling for hours when suddenly she hit bottom at full force, knocking the wind out of her and surely breaking something in her foot. She collapsed on the dirt ground, trying to breathe, and stared back up into the darkness.

"Having fun down there?"

Kagome jumped, sitting upright instantly, and looked around wildly. "Who's there??"

Two black shoes and the hems of a pair of gray, white-trimmed pants entered her vision. "My, you look lost," came the amused voice from above her head. "Does this poor rabbit hole go too deep for you, schoolgirl?"

She tugged on her skirt again, shaking slightly with surprise. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke wafted down to her and she coughed, her blue-gray eyes shifting up to land on the face of the person front of her.

His gray suit was impeccably clean and well-kept for the extreme amount of dirt that seemed to be around. A red kerchief was stuck neatly into the breast pocket, which was embroidered with a small white-and-red flower. In one white-gloved hand he held a lit cigarette; the other was hidden in his pants pocket. Tendrils of thin, glossy silver hair draped over his shoulders and down past his waist. His eyes, in contrast to his hair, were a startling gold color, liquid with slit pupils, like a cat. Two purple stripes streaked over both of his pale cheekbones, and the tapered point of a blue crescent moon showed from under the brim of his black bowler hat.

But perhaps the most noticeable features of all were his elongated, pointed ears—or the huge fluffy white tail draped casually over his right shoulder. She gasped. He was beautiful, in a mischievous sort of way; and his cocky half-grin at her surprise made her slightly nervous.

"What's the matter?" he smirked. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Who-who are you?" Kagome stammered as he breathed smoke in her face.

((A/N: I'd hate that. He's sexy but that's where I draw the line.))

"Ah!" He nearly dropped his cigarette as he hopped to attention. "But the real question is, who are you?"

Kagome blinked. "But . . . I asked you first."

"And I asked you second."

"Will you just answer me??"

"Well, why can't you answer me?"

She frowned, folding her arms over her chest. "Why are you being so difficult??"

"Because. I know the answers to both our questions."

"Well I don't!!"

"You don't?" He leaned his face in close to hers, making her breath catch in her throat. "You should know who you are . . . that's a shame."

"No, I know who I am, I don't know who YOU are!" she said, her frustration seeping into her voice.

"Why didn't you say so then?"

"I DID!!!"

The man grinned, showing thin white fangs. "But of course. I am Cheshire, at your service." He ground the stump of his cigarette into the dirt with his toe.

He looked up suddenly, scanning the blackness with his haunting golden eyes. "So, schoolgirl—"

"It's Kagome."

"I know. So, schoolgirl—"she gave him a sharp glare—"you ready?"

". . .For what?" Kagome cocked her head quizzically.

"To go down." He gestured to the floor, where a miniscule crack in the dirt was slowly widening.

"But I've already gone down far enough!" she protested.

"You've only hit the first level, schoolgirl! You're going all the way down!"

Kagome stared at him in disbelief. "And . . . how far is that exactly?"

Cheshire seemed to ponder it for a moment, then he grinned. "Oh, another three levels. You ready now?"

"NO!"

"Okay, let's go!"

His long, thin fingers wrapped around her wrist and jumped with her into the hole that had formed from the crack in the ground.