{} means flashback

Chapter 7- Kuwabara's First Toy

Kuwabara wanders around through the caves and so far, he does not like the looks of it. The atmosphere is so gloomy and it's hard to breathe in. Every plant is now either dead or rotting and houses are falling apart. Worst of all, every gnomes have long lost hope for any salvation that he could actually feel it without his reiki. He remembers the first time he came across them; they were so enjoyable to be. Especially at night when they display fireworks and had parties. Now their usual bright red hats, white shirts and blue shorts are replaced with rags, hammers, pick-ax and what it looks like a heavy glowing globe on their own backs. He asks many of them if they had seen a white rabbit, but they just either ignores or snarls at him and went back to digging. He was just about to give up, until he saw something white as he passes a pipe. "Hey! Wait up!" he cries, but the figure turn a corner from Kuwabara's sight. "Oh no, you don't! You are not gonna escape from me this time!" he said and ran after it. As he set off, he trip on a bump sticking out in the ground and almost fell on his face. He still got hurt as his leg mysteriously cut. Kuwabara sat down carefully to check the wound and to make sure that he's not near anything sharp. It's not deep, but the blood starts to ooze out a little. He suddenly stares at it hard as visions of the blood-covered grass and cries came to mind. Kuwabara quickly shook his head to forget; he doesn't want to remember how... he failed. Instead, he searches around to find what made the wound. He digs around the dirt until he came across a very familiar item...

{Kuwabara is toying with the object in his hand. He currently wonders just how sharp and painful it could be. He first ran across his left palm very slowly and deep. When he finishes, he let out a hiss: perfect. The crimson liquid flows freely out and lands to the floor. He then continues with his rough strokes throughout his body: arms, legs, chest and even his face. He's already ugly, so there's no reason why he shouldn't leave it alone. The lost of blood is making him woozy, but he didn't care. As he cut himself, his reiki continues to heal his wounds.

He finally decided to end his life once and for all. He was about to pierce his heart until some woman shouts his name. Kuwabara would've finished himself off if it wasn't for the outburst. He turns towards the hallway and then another person came rushing by and grabbed his item away. Then he closed his eyes and blacked out.}

'Whoa' he thought as he lifts the item up and cleans it with his shirt. 'It's a butcher knife.' He could see his reflection from the metal surface. His eyes are holding tiredness, depression and something else. 'Insanity' a voice said in his mind. "No, I'm not crazy!" he argues fiercely. 'Then who are you talking to?' it argues back. "…SHUT UP!" he yell, got up and went back to his search carrying the knife. He so ticked off about the 'conversation' that he didn't realize that the handle fits perfectly in his hand.

Eventually he found the same white figure in the cave and rushes to it. When Kuwabara finally caught up with it, he finds that the white shape is not from a rabbit. Instead, he finds a walking card with a spear. "Great, maybe he'll know where that stupid rabbit went." he sighs, secretly glad that he found someone who might saw it. Unfortunately that was about to change. As he was about to ask the card, it turns around (showing that he's a heart of three) and saw him. The card smiles but not in a friendly way. "Well, well, well" he said in a wicked chuckle, "Look who came back here. You're just in time." Then the card shouts,"HEY! HERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" Kuwabara didn't wait for a second to see what the card is planning to do. He ran off as the heart card screeches out, "HE'S GETTIN' AWAY! QUICK!" He heard more voices approaching him as he ran through more caves and tunnels.

Nobody bothers to help him, as the group of cards slowly grows larger. Kuwabara stumbles over branches, rocks and holes, but he kept on going. Until finally he reach into a dead end. He jumps and tries to climb over it, but there's no grip. Kuwabara turns back where he came from when one of the cards (a spade of seven) points out, "THERE HE IS!"

Kuwabara hurriedly rush to knock it over, but it was too late. All of the cards are now covering the only available exit. He counted how many there are as the cards backed him up with their spears. There are at least 5 of them; two black and three red. Just as Kuwabara is about to have his back up on the wall, a voice calls to him.

"Cut the cards."

'Huh? Who said that?'

"Cut the cards."

"So boy, any last words?" the diamond of ace taunt. Kuwabara stares at them blankly and then slowly answers, "Nice spear. Wanna see mine?" Before the cards responds, Kuwabara ran to the diamond ace, knock the spear and slices him in half across the chest. The guards watch in stun as the diamond splits to the side revealing blood and guts inside. They all look at Kuwabara for a second, then charges at him. 'Just like fightin' a street gang,' he thought as he starts to dodge the spears. Each of the card guards tries to pierce him with no success. Kuwabara kept on going from left to right as he stabs another guard; this time a black spade. At the same time, a searing pain appears on his right shoulder. It felt like it was ripping apart as it enters. An unspeakable rage inside of him wants to break free. He roars as he kicks the Club guard behind him and slices his arms off. The spear came out of his body as the guard slowly drops to the ground in shock. Kuwabara didn't bother stopping yet as the last two cards teams up to defeat him. They start to walk around Kuwabara, holding up their spears. They both hope that if one strikes him, the other can finish him off. Kuwabara held his knife up front while trying to look at his two opponents. At last, both of the guards come right at him on the front and behind. Kuwabara duck as they strike. He did a low roundhouse kick tripping them both and without thinking lands a lethal stab on the Club's stomach with a twist. The last one, a Heart guard, recovers and come towards Kuwabara in fury. Kuwabara turns and pierce its heart just as his spear was about to land on his face.

Kuwabara pants as he looks over the corpses' blood soaking the soil. He groans as the pain from the shoulder came back. He stumbles backward and lean against the wall as he slid down to earth. 'Okay, what was that all about?' he thought. Kuwabara knows that the cards didn't like him and the feelings mutual, but it's not enough for wanting to kill him. He carefully took off his jacket to examine his injury. When he did, he found that his shoulder is healing itself as it were his spirit energy. "'Curiouser and curiouser,'" Kuwabara quotes in awe.

"Like your new toy?" Kuwabara gasps in surprise as the same voice appears again. He looks around for the source of the voice that helped him. "Down here, this time." He looks down to see Cheshire cat again, rubbing into his legs. "'Toy'? Don't you mean weapon?"

"Don't twist my words. I mean what I said."

"You mean the other way around?"

"It doesn't matter right now." Kuwabara starts to mess with the cat's ears ('Since when do cats wear earrings?' Kuwa thought as he just notice one on the left), "Lost the rabbit again? It's rather stupid of you to ask the cards of his whereabouts."

"As if I'd know they will try to kill me! You could've been a little nicer and warned me!" Kuwabara said angrily, tugs its ear a little roughly. "I was nice enough to advise you aren't I?" The Cheshire cat smirks.

True, but that doesn't mean he should keep it in if it's important; he hates that. "Why do they want to kill me?"

"Because you're here," the cat answers.

"Don't give me that. I'm not in a good mood." Kuwabara tugs its ears again, this time harder. "Fine, it's because you are a dreamer and dreamers aren't allowed here on the Queen's lands."

'Nothing new there; it's been like that ever since I first visit here.' he thought. 'She'd never-Wait a minute... "Queen's lands"?' He stares at the cat with questioning eyes. The Cheshire cat nods: "Yes Kuwabara, Wonderland is now under the Red Queen's rules."

As soon as he heard it, Kuwabara just sat on the ground stunned. What the hell happened while he's away?

"What you have in your hand is called the Vorpal Blade." the cat explains, "Its not strong, but it's not weak. Always collect the useful. Reject only your ignorance and you might survive."

The cat disappears and Kuwabara cries out, "Hey! Wait! I don't understand! Where do I go?" Once more, he's alone without a clue as to where to find the white rabbit. He examines his injury once more finding that it was good as new and stood up. 'Obviously, I'm askin' the wrong set o' people. Maybe somebody over there can help me...'

Nov. 17

"You still couldn't get him up," Shizuru states. Doctor Shino feels uneasy when she guesses right (or maybe predicts it; he doesn't know if psychic powers runs in the family.), "I don't understand. He was fine physically for a time."

"You talking as if he died already." she dryly said, "He's not that easy to kill, even from himself." "I can believe that. All those scars..." he remarks. They stood by the bed where Kazuma is laying, his calm face shows unlike before when he was awake. There is a white cotton blanket covering without belts pinning across him, but the white rabbit is still by his side sitting and facing towards them. Dr. Shino hasn't a clue as to why the boy is unconscious now. He's not in any pain; he doesn't have any serious injuries... however there is that mysterious gash on his shoulder...