Chapter 1

Through The Well

Her body trembled as she stared unseeingly at the ground between her hands…or rather, claws, terrified tears streaming from her widened eyes. W-What had just happened? She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head with a shaky sob, another surge of tears spilling over and splattering on the ground loudly. WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED?!

She had been having a study night with Sota and Hitomi because exams were coming up. But…she hadn't been feeling well so she had decided to go home early, she was on her way to the stairs when she noticed a small building off to the side of the Higurashi property.

It had been unnatural…the pull she had felt, as if the building had been physically drawing her closer. It had been as if she were in a trance, and the next thing she knew, she was falling. A strange light passed through her line of vision…and then pain. So. Much. Pain. She was paralyzed by it, it was as if she was being skinned alive.

But, as terrified as she was…that was not what scared her most…oh no, it was the dangerously sharp looking talons that tipped her fingers…and the long wavy curtain of the white-gold hair that filled her peripheral vision…when only moments ago it had not only been black, but shoulder length at most. She barely restrained a scream as something brushed against her leg...twisting her torso until she could see the long silky tail peeping out from beneath her uniform skirt.

It was as if her senses were on overdrive, and everything was so agonizingly loud. The sheer volume of the coos of owls up above nearly drove her insane.

Her mind did a double-take, her tail forgotten. Owls? Her head wrenched upwards…and her heart plummeted. Stars. Swallowing thickly, knowing that nothing would come of sitting around on the bottom of a well wallowing in her tears….she hesitantly took hold of the vines that grew up the side and began her ascent.

While she had dreaded what she would find at the top, after everything...a small, logical part of her was relieved to see the forest. Trees were nothing to be afraid of, after all. Hoisting herself over the side of the well she looked around…finding herself in awe of the clarity of which her surroundings took. It was night, as she was well aware…but the darkness she knew accompanied that time did not seem to hinder her vision.

In fact, even in the dark, her vision was better than she could ever recall it being. She glanced back at the well, the thought of trying to return home crossing her mind, but that thought was quickly disposed of. She couldn't go home looking like she did now, and if she stayed...maybe she could find some answers.

She looked down at her hands again, flexing her fingers to ensure that they were really hers, they were, of course. Her self examination, however, was cut short by what sounded like a scream. Was someone in danger?! With speed that terrified herself, she sprinted as fast as she could towards the sound.

Even more surprising than her speed, and strangely accurate sense of direction…was the source of the scream she had heard. A white rabbit...wearing tiny clothes. Its little black eyes were bright with fear as it stared up at her…its little body was positively trembling with it. But she quickly deduced that the little rabbit was unable to bolt because its foot was tangled in a rather painful looking snare.

"P-Please don't eat me." The little rabbit whimpered, trying to make itself appear as small as possible as it cowered away from her.

A talking white rabbit in little clothes…why does this sound familiar? She let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her forehead wearily. With a few unpleasant tweaks…the similarities were rather uncanny. At least her name wasn't Alice. "I'm not going to eat you." She said, kneeling down beside the rabbit and detangling his leg.

He stared at his just-freed leg in wonder, flexing the appendage as if he didn't believe his eyes. "T-Thank you-" but his excitement faltered as he realized he didn't know her name.

She smiled a little at him. "Shizuka…my name is Shizuka. What's yours?"

He nodded his head in approval. "A lovely name for a lovely demoness. My name is Jinsoku." He stated with a graceful bow.

Her eyes widened. "W-What did you just call me?"

He flinched at her question, frightened that he had offended her somehow. "I-I beg your pardon…I only called you a demoness. I did not m-mean to make offense."

She shook her head. "I am not offended…I am merely confused is all. It's just that...I am not from around here." At his confused look she continued. "You see, I am human. But I fell through a well, and now somehow I am here…and look like this." Her explanation sounded ridiculous, even to her own ears. But even so…the rabbit regarded her seriously, his little paw placed thoughtfully on his chin. "I have heard of such things happening…about six years ago there was a human, who used the well as a portal. I assume something similar happened to you."

Shizuka perked up at that. "Maybe she could help me."

Jinsoku's eyes grew so wide they looked as if they were going to fall out of his head…he shook his head frantically. "Oh no…I would not advise it. While she could probably help…your aura makes it too risky."

"My aura?"

"Yes, all demons have one…and yours is very powerful. I had actually been running away from you when I got caught in that human snare. The human's half-demon husband, Inuyasha would feel threatened…he would attack first and ask questions later. And if you realized you were a demon when you say you did…such an encounter could prove fatal."

"But how is it exactly that I became a demon? I was human only this morning."

The rabbit shook his head. "All I know is that it is impossible for a human to possess an aura like yours. Little is known about the nature of the bone-eater's well…but if I were to guess, I would say that you were under a spell or a curse of some sort in your world, that sealed away your demon powers…but in passing through the well, its supernatural capabilities stripped you of that spell somehow."

Shizuka stared at the rabbit thoughtfully…that made sense.

The rabbit fidgeted anxiously. "I-I may not be a very good fighter, but as a rabbit demon, I am the ears of the demon world…there is little I don't hear about."

"But if what you say is true…that means I can't go home." She looked down at her hands in dismay. "What do I do now?"

Jinsoku scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well…that all depends on you. What do you want to do, Lady Shizuka?"

She looked at him oddly. "…Lady?"

The rabbit nodded. "Of course, it is befitting of a demoness of your caliber."

….

Jinsoku had since been on his way, having thanked her profusely for saving him…and Shizuka found herself alone again, though she felt remarkably better now that she had an explanation for all of this, however far fetched. But as her head tilted back to look at the night sky, the gravity of her situation hit her hard. She was lost...with no provisions, no weapon...no anything. She tore her gaze away from the sky to look into the dark curtain of trees...in a world where talking rabbits existed, who knew what else she would find among the trees.

Clenching her fists with determination, she walked into the forest.

There was only one way to find out.