A/N: IMPORTANT: if I ever again mention that a new chapter will be published in a specified time, please ignore.

Guys, I'm so sorry, things were terrible the past week and I had the worst case of writer's block :( Please understand that I'm a novice in terms of writing and I just want to give you my best... and that takes some time. Anyway, if you find any mistakes concerning the flow of the story, please let me know. Also, I've updated the previous chapter so check it out! That's it for now. Enjoy!

FOUR

Demons

Edo period, Tokyo

Kazuo grunted, rubbing his head, which he'd bumped pretty badly during the fall. He was trying to figure out what had just happened, but it sounded so ridiculous in his own head that he gave up. He could think another day. First things first, he had to find a police station and track down his necklace. He sat up, coaxed his shaking legs to support him and, ignoring his many bruises, went on his way.

At first he didn't know which way to go. There were trees everywhere, which confused him. Having no vehicle of his own, Kazuo preferred to walk or take a bus if it was too far. Yet for all his pedestrian knowledge of Tokyo, he'd never been in a place with half as many trees as this one, not even in the parks he'd hung out with his friends. His sense of direction was useless in this unfamiliar forest - but he was saved by common sense, telling him to go in any direction; as long as he stuck with it, he was bound to leave the forest at some point.

Relieved, he walked ahead, taking care not to stray from his path. It was early evening and there was still plenty of light. By the time the sun began to set, Kazuo had found a dirt trail leading out of the forest. He turned back. The trees were casting long, eerie shadows which seemed to melt into a pool of darkness further behind. Something about the image made him walk a little faster, as it got darker inside, like the forest was rejecting all natural light.

Kazuo realised with dawning horror that he was able to sense something odd about the forest. Something evil. He didn't know where the feeling was coming from, but he wasn't about to question it. His blood froze as some malicious presence rapidly approached him. Abandoning all exhaustion, Kazuo ran wildly along the dirt track, but the thing, whatever it was, was fast. It caught up with him easily, and somehow he could sense it reaching out, claws extended, to grab him… and then, with a sudden burst of speed, he was out of the forest, and the presence was gone.

But Kazuo was not taking any chances. He needed to get as much distance between himself and that forest as possible, and find people. All thoughts of the police had fled from his mind long ago. Instead, his brain screamed, faster! FASTER! As his legs struggled to comply. He didn't even stop to see where he was going or what was in front of him. As a result, he crashed into the first (and only) person in his way.

"Oof." "OUCH!"

They rebounded. The stranger was startled but not really hurt, and Kazuo had landed solidly on his butt. His bag of potato chips exploded on impact, generously showering both of them with its contents.

Kazuo didn't know if he was more relieved or embarrassed.

"Potato chips..?" a male voice asked, accompanied by crunching sounds. "Man, it's been years since I had this stuff!" "Eh?!" was all Kazuo could say. The stranger didn't reply, but that was only because his mouth was full. For the next few minutes, Kazuo had to endure the extremely irritating sound of a lot of potato chips being chewed at once. Finally, the stranger was finished (or at least, the crunching had stopped; it was too dark to see) and spoke. "You're from Tokyo, right?" "Duh. This is Tokyo." Kazuo said, annoyed. Some weird part of the city he'd never seen before, but still.

The stranger got up, shaking his head. "No, it isn't. And there's an easy way for you to get back." "Oh, really? And what's that?" "Over there." he said, pointing towards something. Kazuo realised that his eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see that he was indicating a well some distance off. That's no ordinary well, he thought, startling himself. Could it send him back to Tokyo somehow? With a start, he realised that he'd been believing the stranger all along. He took another look around. This place neither looked nor felt like Tokyo...

As Kazuo pondered, he had a good look at the guy himself. his appearance was unusual, to say the least. He was a teenager, about the same age as Kazuo himself, and had reddish hair tied into a long ponytail. His clothes were the traditional, loose-fitting type. His feet looked different, and… was that a fox's tail behind him?

A kitsune! He thought. An actual fox demon! They don't exist, his stubborn brain argued, but he believed his eyes. Besides, he wasn't evil like the presence in the forest, and he didn't seem to be lying either. Getting to his feet, Kazuo walked right up to the other boy. "I'll give the well a try." he said, "But if I don't make it, use your magic and get me out." The kitsune grinned mischievously. "We'll see about that, Priest." "What did you call me?" "Nothing. Now are you planning to go back or not?" Kazuo rolled his eyes. "We'll see how it works, Fox."

Now it was the kitsune's turn to roll his eyes. "My name's Shippo, idiot."

Kazuo turned to look at him, sitting at the edge of the well. "Shippo. You sure this'll work?" "I don't know," Shippo replied, "but it always worked for Kagome." Kagome was here? he thought, stunned. He suddenly didn't feel so eager to jump into the well. But before he could say anything, Shippo gave him a push, and for the second time in the same day, Kazuo was falling into the unknown.

A/N: Ah, finally! This ends Kazuo's beginning! And the next chapter will be told by a new character, a girl this time! I can't wait!