Okay, so it was dangerous inside the house. Who knew? Mihael certainly had a close one there, good thing Nate was there to save him!

Thanks for the reviews, it feels good to know someone's paying attention to the story.

Enjoy. ^^

Death Note © Ohba & Obata

Alice in Wonderland © Lewis Carroll

The plot and writing is mine.

Chapter Four: Lost in The Woods

"Ow! Ow! It hurts, Rabbit!" Mihael cried as he was pulled back to the fork. "Why are you holding me so tightly?!"

"Funny how you seemed so relaxed, when you didn't want to go around mad people." Nate hissed, glancing at him and releasing his wrist. "We're far enough now."

"S-Sorry…" Mihael looked away, rubbing his wrist. "I didn't mean to get so relaxed…"

"Are you stupid?!" Nate shook his head. "You're not going in there again, understood? Those people are dangerous. Let's continue on."

"To where?" Mihael asked, following him down the right path.

"Don't you think it's about time you told him?" Mail's voice drifted in the air. "You know, told him the truth?"

"Stay out of this, Cat." Nate grumbled.

Mihael frowned, looking around. "Mr. Cat?"

Mail appeared on a branch just ahead of them. "Hello, boy. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes, I did. Well, aside from the Hatter being scary." Mihael frowned, and then looked at Nate. "What 'truth'?"

"…" Nate didn't answer, walking along. "Cheshire Cat, please leave us."

"Don't ignore me!" Mihael snapped, stopping short. "White Rabbit, I want you to tell me what's going on!"

Nate looked at him. "…You'll be angry if you knew."

"Try me." Mihael smirked a bit.

"…I've brought you here to die." Nate said dully; almost as if he didn't care about it.

For a while, all was still. No one seemed to want to break the heavy silence that hung over the area with his words. Finally, as if he needed to breathe, Mihael let out a bit of a laugh. "Aha…you're joking…right?"

Nate didn't answer. Neither did Mail. Mihael shook his head, stepping back a bit. "Y-You can't be serious…" He breathed. Suddenly, the woods felt so much colder. He looked at Mail's cold grin and Nate's blank expression and shook his head. "I-I don't…I don't believe you!" He turned, then, and dashed off into the woods, tears slipping from his eyes.

'It's a lie…a lie!' Mihael thought as he ran though the foliage, his tears blinding his vision. 'I'd expect it of the Hatter, but Nate wants to kill me, too?!' He stumbled over a rock and hit the ground, letting out a sharp cry of pain.

"Hey, are you alright?" A man with shoulder-length, black hair asked as he walked over, kneeling next to him. "You're bleeding…" He frowned. He had soft, brown eyes and was dressed in a long-sleeved, white dress shirt and blue jeans.

He looked human enough… "Uhm…I think so…"Mihael cautiously took his hand, looking at him. "Uhm…who are you?"

"My name is Taro Kagami." He smiled. "And you, boy?"

"Mihael Keehl." He nodded, smiling a bit. "Do you live around here?"

"I do, with my cousin." Taro gently helped him stand, nodding. "Would you like to come over and clean up? We can give you something to eat, too; you look starved."

Mihael flushed a bit. "I'm not 'starved'! I'm just skinny!"

Taro laughed. "Okay, okay. Let's go." He picked him up into his arms princess-style and carried him through the woods. "What are you doing all alone?" He asked.

"I'm not alone. The Rabbit is—" Mihael begin to say, but cut himself off as he remembered Nate's cold words. His eyes begin to water up and he clung to his shirt, starting to sob.

"The White Rabbit?" Taro asked, frowning a bit. "So…that's why you're here. Poor boy." He hugged him closer. "Don't worry; my cousin and I aren't like the others."

"R-Really?" Mihael sniffled.

Taro nodded, smiling and petting his hair soothingly. "You're safe, so long as she doesn't know where you are."

"'She'?" Mihael blinked.

Taro's expression became grim. "We're on your side, don't worry." He said calmly.

Mihael nodded slowly, looking around as they walked.

"Not a good idea, boy." A disembodied voice spoke as they passed a tree.

"I hold no allegiance with her." Taro said coolly. "And neither does Teru."

"Perhaps not her, but maybe His Majesty?" The voice hummed. "He's going to be angry. Release the boy."

"No!" Mihael clung to Taro desperately.

"What's going on?" A man that strongly resembled Taro stepped out of a house that they were approaching. "

"The King wishes to speak to you two." Mail hummed.

"T-The King?!" The other man gasped.

"Teru, no! He's just trying to hurt more children!" Taro snapped.

"B-But…the King…His Majesty…calling me…" He seemed to be excited by this idea, Mihael noted, and he felt uneasy.

"Okay, message delivered. Talk it out; I'm going back to the party." Mail became visible, only to wave and jump away, vanishing as he went, starting with his tail and ending with his head.

Taro gently set Mihael down. "Go inside and get something to drink. I'll talk with Teru."

Mihael nodded, hurrying inside. Once inside, he found a bottle sitting on the table and picked it up. "…Hm. There's no label." He sniffed the top a bit and then begin to take a small sip. "Mm!" He smiled and sipped a bit more.

As he drank it, he looked around the house. Everything seemed to be neat and tidy, but also kind of shaky. Shaky? Was there an earthquake? He yelped and fell back a bit, bumping into something squishy.

"Hey!" A familiar voice yelled, and he looked over his shoulder to see a white and blue blob with gray spots.

"N-Nate…?" Mihael blinked, noticing his voice was a bit slurred. "What're you dooooing here?" He giggled a bit, letting out a hiccup.

"The Cat told me you were here." Nate said, gently supporting the boy's shoulders. "I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry. I was just upset."

"Whyyyy?" Mihael blinked, sloshing the bottle to and fro in his hands.

"Because, those guys are—hold on…are you DRUNK?!" Nate snatched the bottle and sniffed the top, making a face. "You idiot! You're drinking wine!"

"I t'ought it was grape juice." Mihael giggled sheepishly and then slumped a bit, his eyes half-lidded.

Nate groaned, pulling him into his arms and putting the bottle on the table, shaking his head. "You are so vulnerable and stupid." He shook his head, sighing, as Mihael's eyes fully closed and he grew heavier in his arms. "If that were poison, you'd be dead."