Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter Three

By Advi

Rather than walk, Kagome ran to Castle Carroll that was not as far as she thought it to be. As she ran towards the drawbridge, Kagome saw many rose bushes that stood in front of the castle, all of them bearing red roses. She ran into the castle and saw a couple of Dodo birds walking towards a grand arch that was decorated with hearts. Kagome moved towards the arch, but a large 7 of Diamonds card jumped in her way and held a spear towards her. "Where do you think you are going?" He demanded.

Kagome gazed at the card in astonishment. It looked very much like a card, except it had a head, arms and legs of a man. "I have come to attend the match," said Kagome, forcing herself to sound calm to the guard.

"Then you are using the wrong entrance!" the guard replied. "All those wearing blue and or white are to enter by the road of spades. Those wearing red and gold are to use the road of hearts."

"Oh," said Kagome, "Where may I find the road of spades?" she asked, making sure she sounded polite. The guard pointed behind her. Kagome turned and saw another archway decorated with motifs in the shape of spades. "Thank you!" said Kagome, as she jogged away to the other arch. Entering the arch, she saw a path lined with tall rose bushes. Kagome followed the path and found the most peculiar sight. She saw two, 2 of diamonds cards, painting the flowers of a white rose bush, red. "Excuse me, but why are you painting those flowers red," Kagome asked, as she stopped by the two anxious looking cards. "What an absurd question!" one card commented angrily, while the other answered, "We mistakenly planted a white rose bush. If the Queen of Hearts found out about our mistake she'll have out heads!"

"Just like in the book," Kagome muttered, as she walked away, leaving the two cards to their task. Kagome walked until she came by a large empty row of seats.

That's odd; I thought the whole kingdom was here. Why are the seats here empty? Kagome wondered as she sat down. When she looked to the front, she saw before her the largest chess board she had ever seen. "It's a game of chess… well this is different from the book." Kagome commented to her lonesome self.

"You girl!" A gentle voice called to Kagome.

Kagome turned and saw a stand behind her and in it sat Kanna, dressed up as the white Queen. "Kanna?"

"Since you are the only citizen of my kingdom to attend, I order you to take the vacant place on the chess board!" said White Queen Kanna.

Kagome walked out onto the chess board and looked for the empty space. She found one in the middle of all the pawns. "Looks like I'm a pawn." said Kagome. "I guess my role in this game won't be for long." She looked in front and there on the other side of the board, Kagome found Sesshoumaru dressed in Western clothes.

He was staring at her in surprise.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome called out. He was dressed in a long red coat that was trimmed in gold. She could see that he wore a red and golden hearts brocade vest inside, over a white shirt that had ruffles on its front. Kagome thought Sesshoumaru looked very much like a French aristocrat. He was also wearing a pair of red pants and a pair of shiny black shoes. But the odd thing about his ensemble, which was not his long furry tail resting always on his right shoulder, it was a red collar around his neck.

"I'm glad I found you! I fell down the hole too and ended up in this world!" said Kagome, speaking to the Daiyoukai on the other side of the board. But, Sesshoumaru hardly spoke a word to her, though he did not appear to be his usual aloof self.

"Girl, do not fraternize with the enemy!" White Queen Kanna ordered Kagome. But Kagome, who did not wish to be ordered around by Kanna, took a step towards Sesshoumaru, who shook his head silently at her. Without warning, the white pawns beside Kagome drew their swords and held it to her neck. "What the?" said Kagome, stunned.

White Queen Kanna came onto the board and walked up to Kagome. "You girl! You wear the clothes of my country, hence you are my subject. As my subject," said Queen Kanna pointing her finger up at Kagome, "you will do as I say. You are lucky that I, unlike the Queen of Hearts, do not place subjugation collars on my unruly subjects." Queen Kanna then reached up and slapped Kagome, before walking away as the white pawns lowered their swords and sheathed them.

Kagome rubbed her stinging cheek and looked at Sesshoumaru. She wondered if the collar around his neck was the collar of subjugation the White Queen spoke about. "What have we got ourselves into?" She asked. It seemed Sesshoumaru had heard her, because closed his eyes, shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders as if in reply.

The trumpets blared and in came the Queen of Hearts, accompanied by guards, all of them from the Suit of Hearts. However, Kagome almost fainted when she saw who the Queen of Hearts was. Naraku.

Kagome clapped her hands to her cheeks. "Naraku… in a red dress… in a big red gown… he's the Queen of Hearts?" she asked, aghast. Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru and saw that he had his fangs bared at Queen Naraku.

"My dear subjects… and guests," said Queen Naraku. Kagome winced. It was Naraku all right, and he definitely spoke in a male voice. But strangely, he spoke in a very lady-like fashion which made Kagome's skin crawl. It looked like it made Sesshoumaru's skin crawl too.

"Thank you, one and all for attending the annual Red and White Chess Match! Now, before we start, I wish to bestow my love on my dear new lover!" Kagome made a face. I pity the person that Naraku is going to bestow his love on.

Shocking Kagome further, Queen Naraku turned to Sesshoumaru, who gave the Queen of Hearts a glare of death.

Kagome made a sound, but it was not loud enough that anyone heard her.

Naraku walked up to Sesshoumaru and as he got closer to the Daiyoukai, Sesshoumaru raised his fist. He was going to give Naraku a punch, when, suddenly, volts of electricity burst from the collar, giving Sesshoumaru such a powerful shock that the great Daiyoukai fell to his knees.

"SESSHOUMARU!" Kagome screamed. She tried to move from her space, but this time, the guards that followed the Queen of Hearts pointed the ends of their spears at her.

The Queen of Hearts turned his attention on Kagome. "Girl, how do you know the name of my new lover?"

Kagome placed one of her hands on her hip and pointed the other at Queen Naraku. Then, angrily, she said, "Lover? You? Sesshoumaru would never love another man!" All of a sudden, loud gasps filled the air.

"YOU FOUL GIRL!" Queen Naraku screamed. "HOW DARE YOU CALL A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN SUCH AS MY SELF A MAN!"

"Woman? You are a man and a being that does not understand what love is! Real love can't be forced on another person! When you are in love, you would never ever do anything to harm the one whom you love!" Kagome spoke her mind, though she knew it meant death.

"Humph, girl you are the one who does not know what love is. That is a man with much power. Once I have tamed him, I will have his great power. Till then, he will wear my collar of subjugation that will seal his voice and powers away till he submits to me!" said Queen Naraku, coldly.

"As usual, you are a heartless creature!" said Kagome, angrily at Queen Naraku.

Queen Naraku turned to his chess pieces and commanded. "My red Chessmen, listen to me, I order you to behead that foul girl's head!" With that, the Queen of Hearts walked up to Sesshoumaru. He refused to stand until he was shocked yet again. Then, the Queen's guards held him up.

"My dear subjects," said Queen Naraku, "I now bestow my love on this man." Kagome covered her eyes with her hands, but left a gap between her fingers hoping what was going to happen, would not.

Queen Naraku held Sesshoumaru's head up by his sliver hair and kissed the enraged Daiyoukai on his lips. Kagome closed her eyes. "Eww gross!"

Kagome opened her eyes again when she heard footsteps walking away. She saw Sesshoumaru wiping his mouth rigorously on his red sleeve and appearing extremely furious.

Kagome shivered, she had never seen Sesshoumaru that angry before. "If Naraku in drag kissed me, I'd be really angry too," she said quietly to herself.

When the Queen of Hearts took his seat, he held out his hand and ordered, "Let the match begin!"

Kagome found that she suddenly had no control of her body. She rose into the air and flew two paces in front and landed on the board. "Oh no… I'm going to be sacrificed." said Kagome. She turned to look at Sesshoumaru and saw him mouth the word, 'Miko'. Kagome gazed at Sesshoumaru and saw him point at her, then to himself and then motioned his head at the woods nearby. He was planning to escape.

Kagome gave him a gentle nod, acknowledging that she understood what he wanted to do. Just then, the pair turned when a Red knight jumped over the pawns and moved to the front. Kagome gazed desperately at Sesshoumaru. She knew her end was coming soon.

A white pawn then moved to her side and held its sword at the ready. Kagome gulped. She had a feeling the pawn beside her was holding its sword not to do battle with the red chessmen, but to keep Kagome in her square.

Before the next red chessman could move, Sesshoumaru jumped from his square and tried to move to Kagome. He got as far as the square from hers before he fell to his knees, as the collar electrocuted him. "Sesshoumaru!" Kagome shouted. She leapt from her square to Sesshoumaru. She heard a swish behind her and ducked down as a sword swung above her head, cutting a few strands of her black hair. Kagome fell to her knees next to Sesshoumaru writhing in agony. Even though she knew touching him meant that she too would be electrocuted, Kagome pulled the Daiyoukai to her and held his form in her arms. "Oh Sesshoumaru…" she muttered forlornly.

The moment she touched Sesshoumaru, the electric shock ceased. The Daiyoukai gasped for air. He had never before been in so much pain. This was even worst than the time Inuyasha severed his left arm which had now grown back. He relaxed in Kagome's embrace but it was not for long.

"THAT GIRL IS A WITCH!" Queen Naraku screamed. Kagome and Sesshoumaru looked up. The other chessmen suddenly abandoned their posts and were inching towards the couple.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!" The Queen of Hearts commanded.

The chessmen, white and red, drew out their weapons and moved in onto the couple. Kagome clung onto Sesshoumaru, who raised his right hand. He knew there was not much he could do, but he was going to try with all his might to protect Kagome. For some strange reason, her presence by his side subdued the collar around his neck.

The chessmen surrounded them and raised their weapons high. Kagome closed her eyes and held on to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru was damned if he allowed the moving statues to kill Kagome.

When they brought their weapons down, Sesshoumaru tried to swat the weapons away, but astonishingly, his whip shot out of his hand and zinged loudly through the air. With one snap of his wrist, Sesshoumaru's green whip, thrashed the chessmen closest to them. Swords were broken into three, while hands and stone torsos flew into the air. They crashed to the board and broke into a thousand pieces.

Kagome looked up and saw what Sesshoumaru did. "Your whip…" However, Sesshoumaru held Kagome by her waist and leapt high into the air.

The Queen of Hearts Naraku, stood from his seat and pointed at the couple in the air. "ARCHERS KILL THEM!"

Sesshoumaru turned in the air and saw a row of archers taking aim from one of the castle's ramparts. With the sound of many twangs made by the bowstrings, a hail of arrows flew towards the couple in the air. Kagome gasped.

Sesshoumaru waited till the arrows were near enough before he unleashed his neon-green whip again that cut all the arrows in half, raining them onto the chessboard below.

The couple then plunged into the forest and landed gingerly on the ground. However, Sesshoumaru, with Kagome still in his hold, leapt again, as they heard Queen Naraku shout. "Seize them! I want their heads!"

Another volley of arrows flew through the air. Sesshoumaru could hear them coming. When the arrows plunged through the foliage, Sesshoumaru landed by a tree and held Kagome close to his person, as arrows rained down, striking the tree and spearing the ground. However, the couple was spared.

Then, again, Sesshoumaru held Kagome around her waist, and this time as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, Sesshoumaru leapt and soared once more through the trees, moving far from the castle.

However, this time when they landed, the couple fell roughly to the ground. Kagome rolled away from Sesshoumaru and immediately, the collar took its effect and electrocuted the Daiyoukai. Kagome saw what happened. She got to her feet immediately and ran to Sesshoumaru. She fell by his side and wrapped her arms around him. Instantly the electrocution ceased.

"Why do you have to suffer so much?" Kagome asked, sadly. She could not stand seeing the usually majestic and powerful demon lord succumb to such torture. Sesshoumaru could not reply. Though her touch subdued the torture, his voice was still sealed away. He breathed deeply and took in the comfort that Kagome offered.

Kagome allowed the Daiyoukai to rest his head on her lap. She also began to gently stroke his hair, trying to sooth away the pain. After a little while, they heard the sound of a bugle blowing.

"They are coming!" said Kagome.

Holding her hand, Sesshoumaru sat up. He was still breathing deeply.

"Do you think you can move?" She asked concernedly.

Sesshoumaru gave a gentle nod that he could.

Together they stood and with Sesshoumaru leading the way, they ran. Deeper and deeper into the forest they ran, past very large mushrooms and large flowers that turned towards the couple. Hand in hand they ran, Kagome clutching a stitch in her side. Finally at a large oak tree they stopped, both out of breath. Kagome, one hand in Sesshoumaru's and the other placed on the oak tree, panted. When she turned and looked at the Daiyoukai, she saw that he was bent over and gasping for air.

Kagome did not think that full demons would get tired. Inuyasha hardly became tired during their travels together, and sometimes, it seemed he could not stop moving. There were times that Inuyasha did become tired, but it was usually after a marathon of battles.

Inuyasha was half demon, while Sesshoumaru was full demon, yet here he was, looking exhausted. "Sesshoumaru… are you still in pain…?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, still breathing deeply. He sat down and as he did, Sesshoumaru pulled Kagome to down as well. When she sat beside him, he used his finger and wrote in the dirt, "With you by my side, this collar's power is restrained. However, I suspect that not all of its control is subdued."

"True," said Kagome, "You still can't speak. Do you think we have run far enough for the Queen of Hearts guards not to follow?" Kagome asked. Sesshoumaru shook his head no. Then, he wrote, "We must find a place to hide."

Together they stood up and hand in hand, they walked further into the forest trying to find a place where they could hide and rest. Sesshoumaru and Kagome walked and walked, and as they did, the couple noticed something. All the trees in this part of the forest were gigantic. "These are the largest trees I have ever seen." said Kagome. Even Sesshoumaru gazed at the trees in amazement.

The base of the trees was about a hundred feet or even more in diameter. They also stood as tall as skyscrapers. The couple felt as if they were midgets in a forest full of giants. However, the forests of giants was silent, no life stirred on the ground except for Kagome and Sesshoumaru. So quiet was it that their footsteps seemed loud. Kagome increased her grip around Sesshoumaru's hand.

The Daiyoukai noticed her nervousness though he was engaged in looking for cavities or hollows in a tree where they could hide and rest. Then he spotted one. Silently, he pulled Kagome to one of the bases of these gigantic trees. "Where are we going?" Kagome asked the Daiyoukai, forgetting that he could not answer.

Finally, they stopped at a cavity that was large enough for one person to pass through. Sesshoumaru let go of Kagome's hand, and this time nothing happened to him. He slipped easily into the cavity and then held his hand out beckoning for Kagome to follow. Just then, she heard the sound of a bugle blowing. "They're coming!" Quickly, Kagome slipped into the cavity and saw that the inside of the tree appeared like a cave. It looked like something had eaten its way into the tree and carved something like steps that went up into the trunk. Just then, the collar on Sesshoumaru's neck crackled. Immediately, before it could shock the Daiyoukai further, Kagome grabbed his hand and the collar became harmless once more.

"We have to find a way to remove that collar," said Kagome.

Sesshoumaru gave a nod. Then he pointed up at the stairs.

Kagome looked at the cavity they came through and thought that one of those card soldiers could easily slip through it. "Yes, I think we should go up too. Maybe we can find a place to hide up there." And so, they moved to the steps and climbed up its narrow and winding path. Many times they found holes, but they were too small for even one person to fit it. Finally, after what seemed a never ending climb. Sesshoumaru poked his head into a hole, and though it was dark, his youkai eyes saw that it was a comfortable space that the both of them could fit it.

He climbed first into the hole and then Kagome, but her voluminous skirt, got stuck in its opening. "I'm stuck!"

Sesshoumaru stood up and helped her. He pressed down on Kagome's skirt and gave a pull. She came through the hole just as echoes of "Search he tree" were heard from down below. "They're here," Kagome whispered. The couple huddled near the entrance of the hole. They found something like a step under the hole which they hid under and waited.

Sesshoumaru and Kagome heard many voices speaking and heard a loud voice order, "Check the holes!"

Kagome huddled closer to Sesshoumaru. They heard footsteps just right outside their hole and then saw a light shine inside. "No one's here!" Cried a soldier before he went away. But still, the couple waited in their hiding spot. Suddenly, a soldier far below cried, "We found another tree with an even larger cavity!"

Then the loud voice said, "STOP CHECKING THIS TREE AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TREE!"

"YES SIR!" the soldiers replied.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru waited till they could not hear anymore footsteps before they crawled out of their hiding space. Sesshoumaru stood up and looked out of the hole. By what little light that Kagome could observe Sesshoumaru's face in, she could see that the illustrious Daiyoukai felt humiliated that he had to lower himself to hide from the enemy.

Kagome stood also and moved towards Sesshoumaru's side. Gently, she cupped his arm. He turned and gazed down at her. "Sesshoumaru, I promise that I will not rest until I have found a way to remove that collar."

Sesshoumaru shut his eyes slowly and placed his hand over hers. In this odd world, Kagome was his only friend and ally. He had no other choice but to trust in her. He moved away from the miko and into the darkness; however, the collar flashed and sparked, punishing its wearer. Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees in pain and suffering.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome threw her arms around the writhing Daiyoukai, her eyes filled with tears for him. The collar's powers died away, leaving Sesshoumaru gasping on the rough wooden floor. Once Sesshoumaru could move again, he sat against the wall of the hole. But, Kagome surprised him by sitting on his lap and leaning her head against his shoulder. He wanted to throw the miko off his person; however, he did not have the strength to do it.

It was then that Sesshoumaru realized he had better get used to having Kagome in close proximity. Without her, the collar will torture him to death. Sesshoumaru breathed out a sigh and tilted his head to the side, resting his chin on Kagome's head. His tail then moved around the couple, giving its owner a comfortable cushion against the coarse wooden wall of their hiding place.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of the life he had in the Sengoku Jidai. Oddly his dream also included Kagome in it.


Thus the conclusion of chapter three.

How did you like Naraku in a big red gown, dressed as the Queen of Hearts? I certainly had fun writing him as such an unusual character. I hope he was evil enough.

Poor Sesshoumaru! The collar of subjugation tortures him and without Kagome by his side, he is as powerless as a human. However, though Kagome's presence subdues much of the collar's power, he is still unable to speak. Will Kagome be able to keep her word to the Daiyoukai? Can she find a way to remove the collar? But what lies for the pair when they wake up, and how will they ever return to the Sengoku Jidai?

Find out in the next installment of Down the Rabbit Hole!

Out next week!