HK's notes: This is my first time writing a fic... so, please bear with me in some cases. I've tried my very best. So, I hope you have fun reading as I have fun thinking up this story... o_O It may seem odd at times... So, yea =P
This is obviously, an AU story, and there may be OOCness for some characters but I try not to do that...
Ok, on with the story~
Special thx to my many muses: Syao chan for inspiring me to start writing Furuba ficcies^^ Thx to Ksya chan for getting me to start writing to begin with, za chan~ lito chan~ momiji chan~ and all those other wonderful people I've met^^ Thx bunches, hope you like this story^^



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The Boar, a Boy, and a Quest



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Once there was a kingdom. This kingdom was ruled by a king, and a queen. They have a lovely princess as a daughter. But this daughter, unlike any other princesses, was adopted. The king and queen of this kingdom cannot bear a child together since, they're of the same sex. King Uotani and Queen Hanajima (King Uo and Queen Hana for short) is also not married to each other, rather, they were just appointed for the job since no one was suitable at the time when the original king and queen were still alive. Therefore, this peculiar kingdom came to have 3 females ruling over it. Why did King Uo became the king, you ask? Well, I think we should let her answer that question since she is an expert at that now.

"Why can't I? You think you can do better than me?" *evil glare* [takes out a steel pipe from behind her back...]

...Ummm... I think we should leave that matter for now...

"What?!"

"Do you want me to set out my 'denpa' on Kumo, King Uo?"

Yes, yes, 'King Uo' and 'Queen Hana'! Both of you are the king and queen of this kingdom and no one can deny that fact. So anyways, on with the story. Under the reign of King Uo and Queen Hana, the kingdom lives peacefully... then one faithful day...

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A man is seen running from the forest with his clothes in tatters trailing after him. This alarmed all the farmers and workers that are working on the fields out in the open and one of them stops this tattered man.

"What's wrong? Are you alright? Who did this to you?"

The man nearly buckled his knees and sputters to the farmer.

"b..b-b-bbb----boar...BOAR!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The man yanks himself from the farmer and runs off in the distance.

"That's wierd! Why is he so afraid of a boar? We don't have any boars around here."

"It's them strange orange heads! They're always yellin' 'bout one thing or another."



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A couple of days later, another man was seen running from the forest screaming again. His condition was a bit more severe since he bore scratches and bruises here and there on the skin where his tattered clothes revealed.

"BBBOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Before anyone could catch this man, he too, ran off into the distance and never looked back.

Why are these two men so afraid of a mere boar? Is it because of its terrible tusks? Is it its brute strength? Or is it really true that orange heads are truly wierd? No one knows. So now everyone is being riddled with curiosity. They must know what is happening!

Still a couple of days later, a third man with the same situation showed up. This time, the farmers got smart. All of them caught the running, panicking man and dragged him off to see the king.

King Uo, being the mighty king that she is, was quite busy with her kingdomly affairs at the moment. But, after hearing what the farmers described, she got interested in the matter and sent a servant to fetch them in.

"Now, tell me, what is the matter that troubles my people?"

"Your majesty, these past days, we have noticed already 3 men that ran screaming from the forest in nothing but rags and scratches and bruises. They all screamed 'boar' and seem mad out of their wits. All of the farmers in the fields are greatly troubled. Please, your majesty, help us with this problem!"

"Very well. You there! Tell us what happened to you in the forest of which you ran out of! Or else..." *glint of a metal shining behind her back* "Or else, you will have it..."

"'T---t-t-t-t-twas a wild boar, me lord! I was only in the forest wood chopping so's I can sell them for a living. You see, me lord, I'm a woodsman. Then all of a sudden 'tis great big boar lunges at me and threw me around like me was a rag doll. It was horrible. I shall never forget the evil glint in its eyes..." *shudder* "'Twas horrible.... horrible..."

"Come now, man! Stop blubbering like a baby! It's only a stupid boar, there's nothing to be afraid about! ...Very well, if this boar vexes you all so, I shall send soldiers in to have it trussed up!"



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And so, soldiers were sent into the forest to slay the boar or so the king and her people thought. Days passed, but still no sign of the troop.

"What happened to the troop of soldiers we sent in to slay the boar, King Uo? They should have been back by now! It is not a difficult task."

"Yes, Queen Hana. This is indeed strange."

"Your majesty! The troop! They have come back!"

"Bring them before me at once!"

...

"My men, what have you to report to me? What was your delay?"

"Your majesty. Our captain is lost and so is one of our soldiers. We've looked for them but still they remain hidden..."

"And the boar? What of the boar?"

"We have not seen the boar of which you speak, your majesty! Of all the days we've spent in the forest, no boar was sighted."

"That is indeed strange... You all shall now go and have rest, you deserve it."

"But, your majesty, what of our captain?"

"I'm sure he will show up eventually as like all of you have. Now go and leave me in peace."

...

The King watches the wave of brown-haired soldiers leave and turns to the Queen.

"Queen Hana, what do you sense of this situation?"

"This is truly strange. No boar was sighted even when 3 men became furiously mad after their sighting. And now, we have lost two of our good men! Of one which was a captain? This is indeed strange!"

"What shall we do, Queen Hana?"

"For now, we shall wait..."



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For days that followed this event, no men was seen running from the forest again. But again, on a calm day the same thing happened once more! An orange hair man ran from the forest and claims he has been attacked by a boar. Now the King was furious, since she did not want to send in anymore of her troops if only what she ended up with was losing them. So, she and the Queen thought up a plan...

"Are you sure this is a good idea, King Uo? It might backfire..."

"It will indeed work, Queen Hana! It is my most brilliant plan yet, of course it will work! We not need to worry about marrying the princess off, since, when the time comes. We will surely deny it. And who would deny me?" [reveals her steel pipe]

"If you say so..."



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And so, the plan was set to action, and the notice was posted in villages for all to see. Of course, if any able men saw it and taken interest, they would have played along. But since, at this time of the season everyone is quite busy with whatever they had to do, the notice went, natually, unnoticed. Until, one fateful young man with lavender eyes happened upon the sheet of paper...

"...and if whom shall perform the task of ridding this dreadful boar from my kingdom, I hereby proclaim giving my daughter, Princess Tohru's hand in marriage to whom succeeds the task.

...Princess Tohru..."



To be cont...