I rushed through this one, just so you know. Sorry if it's terrible. Please review~!

*~Chapter 2: Encounter~*

"Mrr...You lost, nya?"

Gilbert slowly turned around, recognize that questionable mew and saw someone, or something, that he surely didn't want to see again.

"I-It's you!" Gilbert took a step back, staring at the figure that looks like a human male with cat ears and tail that's lying down on the branch of the blue-leafed tree, whose lone red eye bored down into him. Gilbert's heart rushed faster, legs trembling, eyes bulged wide. What's contacting his golden eyes is one creature that he fears more than anything, besides Break probably.

The Cheshire Cat

Cheshire blinked at the raven-haired male in surprise. "You know who I am, nya? So much for wanting an astonishing introduction," Cheshire mewed in disappointment, giving his large black paws a few licks. Gilbert is still frozen in fear as Cheshire smirked at him when he's done cleaning himself, his tail dancing freely in the air.

"What bothers you so, nya? All Cheshire asked is are you lost and Cheshire could help you." Cheshire, then, made a yawn, revealing his fangs, "When I feel like it, that is, nya."

Gilbert's body still shivers down his spine as his fear of cats took it's tole. His eyes bulged even wider in disbelief when he hear Cheshire's voice. The last time he saw Cheshire was when he and Oz went to his dimension to save Break and Alice. The cat never really liked the intruders but couldn't help but to play with his 'food', thus made Oz and Gilbert searching for Alice and Break much more complex. However, they both succeeded when Break dealt with Cheshire and...

"I thought Break killed you!" Gilbert blurted, suddenly realizing that his voice is more high-pitched.

Cheshire shot him a shock mixed with anger look, sitting up on the branch. "Break?!" Cheshire growled. "You're telling me that THAT Mad Hatter killed me?!" Gilbert's body began to quiver, thinking that he had ticked off the cat and had his life his hanging on a thread.

After it seems like minutes, Cheshire made a sigh and relaxed a little, with Gilbert still flinching on the cat's every move. The cat boy leaped from the branch of the blue tree and landed right in front of Gilbert, who squeaked in surprise and fell backwards. After a few seconds of glaring, he gave Gilbert a pitiful look, tilting his head. "You're naïve aren't you? I don't know what fiction story you heard that from or some sick rumor around here but…" Cheshire avoided Gilbert's eyes, exposing his fangs with his gritted teeth.

"Cheshire can't die," Cheshire hissed. "Cheshire never dies."

Gilbert went lost like a black out. How can this be true? Had Cheshire managed to survive from the blow Break gave him? If so, how could Cheshire still have his human form when he disposed of it? His thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle coming from the cat's throat.

"Don't mind Cheshire. You are after the rabbit right, nya?"

Gilbert's heart thumped in excitement when he imagined himself reunited with Oz again. Maybe this entire whack happening right now will all end and everything will be normal as it should be. Gilbert didn't hesitate to respond, "Yes! The white rabbit! Where is he?!" Gilbert made sure he said 'white' instead of 'black'. However, what is Oz doing wearing rabbit ears anyway? And what is he late for?

Cheshire smirked, gazing at Gilbert in interest for a few seconds. "He went down to the path of the Mad Hatter. Cheshire would guide you there but Cheshire just couldn't stand those idiots having tea parties all the time, nya," Cheshire sighed, looking disgusted.

"I don't want you to guide me there anyway," Gilbert said bluntly, still feeling uneasy about his youthful voice. "But thanks for showing me the way."

Cheshire sat down on the ground, licking his over-sized paws and rubs them through his face. "Whatever you say, young girl. Cheshire warns you that you should-"

"Did you just called me a girl?!"

Cheshire jumped, stopping his grooming time and stared at Gilbert wide-eyed. "You're not a girl?" The cat questioned, twitching his tail.

"Of course I'm not!"

Cheshire relaxed a little, narrowing his eyes. "Then why are you wearing a dress, nya?"

Gilbert immediately looked down until he could see his own clothes and the cat was right. Gilbert is wearing a blue maiden dress. Not only that, Cheshire looks more gigantic than the last time he encountered him. Gilbert quickly glance around his surroundings, looking for something to see his reflection like water. Luckily, there's a small lake up ahead down the pink path that he and Cheshire are standing on, in between tall natural green pine trees.

Without hesitation, Gilbert burst towards the lake and didn't even slow down until he reached the lake and stare at his reflection. All he could see is himself, ten years young, wearing a blue dress. That one and only sight, made him scream from the top of his lungs and lunged himself away from his reflection. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing has. He fell into a hole where he tries to save Oz from falling in, he woke up in an unusual world and see the Cheshire cat is still alive, Oz is wearing rabbit ears and tail.

"It's a dream…It's all just a dream…" Gilbert huffed.

"You think it's a dream? You're more pitiful than Cheshire thought, nya," Cheshire's voice came from behind Gilbert although his isn't there. He isn't anywhere. "But you still must hurry, if you want to find that white rabbit, nya." Cheshire's disembodied voice faded away until Gilbert knows that Cheshire's presence is nowhere near.

Gilbert would take off his dress but he's wearing nothing under it, leaving him no other option but to keep it on. Gilbert trailed beside the lake, still keeping track on the pinkish soil until he halted on a double lane. At the middle point of the double track, there lay a sign with arrows pointing a direction each. The arrow pointing to the left says the Mad Rabbit. Surely that cannot be Oz!

The arrow pointing to the right says Mad Hatter. Cheshire's words echoed in his mind: "If you're after the white rabbit, he went down the path to the Mad Hatter."

'Oh god, Break…'

And so, Gilbert slowly went down the lane to the Mad Hatter's territory, in no mood to meet Break.

Well...That's ch. 2. Sorry it took me a while to update. Please review~*~*!