It was not simple to be serene when the New Year was underway, and one would often hold dear their resolutions for what was to come. For Mazu, her resolution would be to get her precious Poo senpai to fall for her. Mazu felt that was entitled to Poo's affection. She was the most beautiful girl in all of Dalaam, wasn't she? She wasn't born with glamorous amethyst orbs, long silky flowing pink hair and the body of a supermodel for nothing. Mazu declared that by the New Year, she would have Poo propose to her. That wouldn't be hard. After all, she was a Mary Sue.
When Old Years night came, with the cool Christmas breeze and the festive ambiance, Mazu prepared herself for destiny. She put on a rainbow kimono that was tight fitting had exposed her huge breasts as well as her legs, a pair of black fishnet stockings as well as a pair of high-heeled shoes with gilded oriental patterns on it. She put on heavy makeup and she styled her hair into bubble braids. With that, she walked out onto the streets with such grace that many men stared at her. Mazu chuckled.
"Now I'm sure that Poo senpai will notice me now," Mazu said to herself with such confidence.
When she finally made it to the golden palace, Mazu stood there with a flair that cannot be matched. This is it, Mazu thought to herself. It is my turn to shine bright like the eternal flaming orb that hovers over our planet that we call the sun! She sashayed into the Palace of Dalaam gracefully. The Emperor, Poo's father, was holding a grand feast. All sorts of noblemen were there, drinking and chatting amongst themselves merrily.
"Lovely Mazu!" One man exclaimed before sending Mazu a flying kiss, "Won't you care to have a drink or two with me?"
Mazu walked passed him and fumed, "I will not let myself be sexually assaulted by an old head like you!"
That was despite the fact that the man was young, probably no older than seventeen years, and he did indeed only wanted to drink with Mazu. But Mazu didn't have the time for men like him, who were plain in appearance. Mazu deserved better than that. She needed the Pretty Prince of Dalaam, Poo.
Before she knew it, Mazu found herself standing before a great doorway framed with gold while the door itself was red and gilded with dragons. On the other side, she could hear slight murmuring and she couldn't quite make out who it was. Mazu dreaded that Poo should be in there with Cham. Cham was Mazu's rival and she hated her since they were children. That girl always tried to flirt with Poo by telling him about how pretty she was while playing with her red locks of hair.
And if Cham was there, there was a high chance that Tapi, Kira, and Nara would be there was well. Tapi, the eldest girl, was a tall and pleasantly plump black-haired maiden with delicate hands and feet and she was proud of her beauty but her voice was awfully nasally and her eyes were like two large slits on her face, making her look as though they were always closed.
Kira was a red-haired girl who was pretty enough with her thin stature and her pale skin. Her nose, while small had a conical shape. Whenever she saw something that she knew would make Mazu upset, she made this malicious grin that Mazu had grown to dread. Kira was loud so it was a wonder if someone didn't hear her.
And little Nara was the last one with her eyes that were large, green and keen. However, they were not all that keen for she somehow couldn't see how pretty she was. She did know that her long black silky hair was desirable and her child-bearing hips were a blessing. But beyond that, Nara was indirectly taught to be ashamed of how she looked. She always wore a serene face albeit one that showed a bit of sadness and her voice was so soft, it was like hearing a pin drop.
Mazu held back a groan as she thought of these girls and knocked on the door delicately. As she happily predicted, Poo answered the door and there were no signs of Cham and her crew. Rambu and Keboo's jaws dropped at the sight of Mazu's outfit.
"Hey!" Mazu beamed.
"Greetings," Poo said plainly, "You may enter."
Poo's party was a relatively small one. So far, it was only him, Rambu and Keboo. But there were a few more people that were to come. Mazu knew that because she was just that perfect (she looked at the number of empty zabutons there). She set herself gracefully next to Poo and somehow didn't notice that he pulled away from her. Mazu shyly turned to look at her senpai. He was everything that Mazu ever wanted in a man. He was handsome, sexy, mysterious and brooding.
Mazu knew how Poo always kept to himself. It seemed that no amount of pressure or persuasion would get him to open up about how he really felt. But there was nothing that Mazu couldn't do. She would break him out of that shell. She'd take a sledgehammer and destroy that awful shell. Only then would she confess the undying, everlasting and perfect love she had for him ever since she first laid eyes on him.
Rambu and Kaboo chatted while Poo sat there. For some reason, Poo was constantly checking the time. This is a symbol of something, Mazu thought. Then Mazu remembered something. Of course! I know what's up with senpai He's concerned about time because he's nearing marriageable age! His dad and those stupid traditionalists have been pressuring him to find a bride since he was sixteen. Oh, he'll be turning eighteen in November! If he doesn't find true love in time, his marriage will be arranged! Oh, I have to make him fall for me and quick!
"So, Poo-kun," Mazu began, "Will you ever get married in the future?"
"Of course, I will," Poo answered plainly, "I have to get married since I am the heir to the throne."
"Isn't there a particular type of girl you want to marry?" Mazu questioned as she twirled her silky pink locks with her fingers, looking at him beautifully with her glistening amethyst orbs.
Poo's brows knitted and he pursed his lips. Mazu's question seemed to bother him but he thought about it carefully and said, "Well, for one thing, she has to be virtuous."
Mazu thought she already had that checked out. Everyone (with the exception of the few people who disliked her) thought that she was absolutely perfect, especially when it came to holding up to her own moral standards.
"She must be fond of children. She must also be very good with them as well. After all, she will be the mother of my children."
That was another check. When Mazu and Nara used to work in the same teahouse, the children preferred the former over the latter because she gave them whatever they wanted. She'd give that same kind of love to her own children. Mazu also liked that Poo said 'children' as opposed to 'sons'. Poo didn't care about gender which was good because Mazu wanted daughters.
"And she must be modest."
Modesty was easy to do. While she didn't exactly dress like it, Mazu's body only belonged to Poo, her beloved. And she was more than willing to give up her life as a player to remain modest for her precious Poo.
"I also like quiet girls."
That was also easy to do as well. When necessary, she'd be quiet.
"She must be untouched; pure. I must be her first. I can't have a harlot for a wife."
Shoot! Mazu knew all too well that she wasn't a virgin. If she knew that Poo would want a virgin wife, she would've never given herself to Sans, the one she gave the honor of taking her virginity. But Poo will never know, right? She will find her way around this. If Lancer, Ralsei, and Nadi wouldn't care, she will surely get Poo to not care either.
"And I like short women. They're adorable!"
And Mazu wasn't short either. The beauty standards she followed said that tall women were attractive. Yet here was Poo, saying that he liked short women. Poo liked a really flawed trait and Mazu had to fix it.
"I like girls with nice hair too."
Finally! Another one that Mazu had checked out!
"And finally, I like green eyes."
And it was immediately followed by another one she didn't have checked. But purple eyes were much better than green ones. Purple is associated with wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic (that was totally not copied and pasted from ). Green is associated with... grass? What was so great about grass anyways? As far as she was concerned, the grass is completely worthless!
Mazu wanted to argue with Poo. She wanted him to realize that some of the things he liked in women were completely unorthodox. But she couldn't do that. That would be a very flawed thing to do, so she kept to herself. However, she thought that maybe Poo would look pass these if she confessed her undying, everlasting and perfect love to him.
But before she could even open her mouth, someone knocked on the door.
"I'll answer it!" Poo exclaimed as he got up.
Okay then, I'll just tell time after he answers the door, Mazu thought to herself. But then she'd find herself wishing that he hadn't answered the door because he was greeted by... Cham! And Cham was dressed to kill, as well. She wore a red tight-fitting cheongsam with matching high-heels. Her makeup was heavy as well and her hair was styled into kawaii twin hair buns.
"Hey there, Poo," Cham purred as she entered the room. Then she saw Mazu and laughed cruelly, "Why is she here? Did you invite your father?"
Mazu snapped, "For the last time, Cham, I am not a slut and I've never had sex with that old head!"
"I beg to differ! Besides, sluts like you would never gain access to the Palace of Dalaam unless the Emperor himself had his fill of her."
"Why you slutty, vain, good-for-nothing...!"
Throughout this entire ordeal, there was the murmur of a really soft voice coming from out the door but Mazu couldn't see who it was.
"That is enough, you two!" Poo chastised. He had an awful scowl on his face, "Women in your positions know better than to do what you just did! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves!"
Mazu felt real about what she did and she apologized humbly. Cham, on the other hand, threw herself unto Poo and began crying herself a river of fake tears.
"I am so sorry!" Cham cried out dramatically, "I hate Mazu so much that I often forget my virtues! I will never forgive myself for this! I will slap myself for this!"
Poo pushed her away and he growled, "Just don't do it again, okay?"
Cham just dusted herself off and set herself on a zabuton. Poo's face went back to normal when he promptly turned his attention back to the other guest at the door. Lo and behold, it was Tapi, Kira, and Nara. Each of them came in, greeting Poo politely and bowing before allowing themselves in. Nara had her own peculiar way of doing this. For some reason, she felt the need the grasp Poo's hands and then bow, letting her forehead pressed against his hands. Mazu cringed whenever she saw it. But Poo didn't seem to mind it.
When everyone had set themselves on a zabuton, the party truly began. Tapi, Kira, and Nara were Yibishiha, the Dalaamese equivalent to the Geisha, so they knew how to get the Old Years night party started. They started by performing The Dance of A Thousand Years, a traditional Dalaamese dance that is usually performed at Old Years. Over the years, Dalaam was ruled by four different countries - Korea, Japan, India, and China - before gaining independence. So the girls would perform a dance from a particular country to symbolize the time that they ruled until finally, they'd perform a Dalaamese dance, independence at last.
Tapi, Kira, and Nara dance with so much emotion and grace but Mazu would've perfected it. As a matter of fact, Mazu didn't have to be thought how to dance. She learns the dance just by hearing the name of it. When they were done dancing, everyone was enjoying tea and talking about various things. Of course, Cham, Tapi, and Kira were all over Poo in the blink of an eye. Nara was serving tea to Rambu and Kaboo. Not that she wasn't at all concerned about her friend forcing themselves onto Poo.
"Please, get off of him!" Nara beseeched, but nobody heard her.
Tapi kept asking Poo if he loved her, Kira was begging for Poo to gaze at her with his improved eyes and Cham was trying to seduce him. Mazu didn't care all that much because they were pissing Poo off.
"If you don't get off of me, I'll do something that you won't like!" Poo threatened. They refused to move so he added, "I believe in equality."
And they set themselves on the zabuton that was closest to Poo. Though, Mazu and Nara managed to secure the ones that were right next to him. Cham and Mazu pretended to be friendly and talked to each other in the most passive-aggressive way imaginable. Tapi and Kira were talking to each other too but Mazu was more concerned with what Poo and Nara were talking about. She tried to listen but they were speaking so quietly and everyone else was so loud.
Suddenly, Mazu found herself being reminded about how much she hated Nara. It all began when Mazu's step-mother was pregnant with her as well as her eldest twin, Wara. That woman was one of the best things to happen to Mazu. She always played with her, read her stories, bought her lots of presents and took her to the Golden City. And Inaka (that was her step-mother's name) was very concerned with her beauty, always fixing herself when she got the chance. And of course, that put Mr. Tai's other mistress, the lady in the teahouse, out of the picture. Life Inaka was perfect, she was what the Tai family needed after Mazu's real mother tragically died.
But then she got pregnant. Mazu didn't mind at first. Inaka already gave birth to Charuka and that pregnancy went well. She gave birth all by herself and the pregnancy didn't seem to affect her at all. But when she was pregnant with the twins, she fell awfully ill and couldn't do anything with her beloved Mazu. But it'd all be over when she gave birth to the twins, right? No! Things got even worse. Giving birth to Wara wasn't a problem but Nara's birth proved fatal and Inaka died. It was the worst March ever! Everything went downhill from there. Mazu felt that Nara was the reason her life was ruined and she would never forgive her.
Another reason why Mazu hated Nara was she almost stole half of Mazu's boyfriends. Nara wasn't near as beautiful as Mazu was yet she had a charm that drew these men to her. Mazu had to act fast and she won them over the only way she could. Using her perfect brain, Mazu would frame Nara for stealing something from her and selling it to someone. Then they'd loathe Nara just as she does. Mazu would do it again if she had to. Mazu quickly forgot about all of this when she saw that Kira was making that awful grin and cackling like a witch.
Mazu thought about why Poo was perfect for her as well. They were both too perfect for this world. Mazu would often find herself lamenting about how beautiful she was because there were so many men fighting over her and her heart belonged to all of them. She was sure that Poo would do the same too. He had to be doing the same. After all, many if not all of the girls in Dalaam wanted him.
Mazu's thoughts were rudely interrupted when Cham suddenly declared, "Let's tell stories!"
"Oh great..." Mazu groaned but she said it in her head lest someone find her imperfect.
Cham began with the stories, "I was trying to sleep one night but I couldn't help but overhear Mazu talking to a guy. I don't remember his name but I do remember him saying, 'You are the only woman in my life.' And then Mazu asked him, 'Only me?' And the man said yes. Next thing you know it, I was hearing the bed squeaking like crazy."
"CHAM!" Mazu screamed as her skin flushed and her nostrils flared.
Cham looked at Mazu innocently and said, "What? It's only a story."
Mazu wanted to punch Cham to death right then and there but she composed herself and said, "That was a very immature thing for you to do, Cham. You should be ashamed of yourself."
Cham's eye twitched quite a bit but she answered well enough, "Thank you."
"I thought we would be telling fictional stories," Nara cooed, "Perhaps maybe a sweet little romantic tale with a happy ending, of course."
"You're such a hopeless romantic," Tapi commented before taking a shot of tea.
"It can't be helped..." Nara mumbled as her cheeks turned pink.
You better stay a hopeless romantic, Mazu thought to herself. I can't have anyone take my Poo senpai away from me!
Poo said before bringing a cup to his lips, "I'd rather listen to an outlandish romance than gossip."
Mazu contributed, "You know, I can never imagine Nara being in a relationship with anyone, not even a crocodile."
"Mr. Crocodile and I are in a committed relationship," Nara monotoned.
Everyone except for Mazu laughed and Nara didn't get it. They thought she was being deadpanned. Mazu didn't think much of it at first but then she saw a golden opportunity. If Nara is already in a relationship with someone, Poo will think that she is unsure and thus she will be out of the question.
Mazu's eyes sparkled as she beamed, "Tell me more about this Mr. Crocodile."
Nara's face flushed, "I-I'm not sure if I should talk about it..."
Kira grinned again which really confused Mazu.
"I'm sure that Mr. Crocodile wouldn't mind at all," Poo then proceed to take a sip of tea.
Nara and Poo stared at each other for a good while before she nodded and began to speak. Kira, with her awful grin, insisted that Mazu look at them. But Mazu didn't see anything in their stares. She was more interested in this Mr. Crocodile person. Mazu took mental notes of him. According to Nara, Mr. Crocodile was human, had fierce eyes, was tall, handsome, a high-ranking noble and they were planning to make their relationship known when the New Year kicks in. Mr. Crocodile was probably some weird pet name she gave him. Mazu was glad to know that Nara wasn't in the way, but she felt that the girl deserved no one.
Just then, Cham grabbed onto Poo's arm. Mazu glared at them and Cham knew it but she didn't care. Poo went poker-faced.
"What now?" He groaned.
Cham looked at the floor and then she declared to the high heavens, "I am in love with you, Poo! Please, let me be your princess consort!"
Poo looked at Cham as if she were a hamburger and he answered flatly, "No."
Cham fell to the floor dramatically and began to cry but it was so fake, you'd swear that her tears would turn into plastic.
Mazu laughed cruelly in her head. She knew that Cham would never take her beloved Poo away from her. Then Mazu spoke up, "What made you think that you had a chance to be a princess consort?"
"Well, for one thing, I am not an absolute slut!" Cham snapped as hot tears rolled down her face.
Mazu opened her mouth to say something but Tapi interrupted her, "Neither of you would've made a good princess consort," Tapi sneezed, "A hunk like Poo deserves a girl with chaste and honor like me."
Poo knew that she was going to confess so he answered before she could even say it, "I don't love you either, Tapi."
The Kira chimed in, "So it's final! Poo loves me!"
"Not even you!" Poo barked.
And Poo's little party took a downward spiral. Mazu and Cham were at each others neck. Poo was actively preventing Tapi and Kira from maiming each other. Rambu and Kaboo watched in awe. Nara was crying her eyes out. It was so bad that Poo's masters had to be called to deal with it. There was Yee-soo-chii, a mild-tempered and reasonable man, and following him was Eer-woo-baa, who was ill-tempered and always found something wrong with everything. Not to mention, the scowling man had to kill everyone with his long and boring lectures.
Even before he made it the party of chaos, he was grumbled about the young adults' unorthodox behavior. Especially Poo, who should know better, but he too was yelling. They entered the room promptly. Eer-woo-baa grabbed Cham by her shoulders and set her down on a zabuton.
"I am ashamed of all of you!" Eer-woo-baa exclaimed harshly.
Everyone froze. They slowly turned towards Eer-woo-baa and grimaced of the thought of having to suffer through another lecture.
"Have you forgotten your morals?" And the old head went on and on about this and that and the other. Everyone wanted to die.
Yee-soo-chii questioned, "Why did all of this fussing happen?"
"Poo has to get married, right?" Mazu inquired.
Yee-soo-chii nodded and then raised a brow, "Why do you ask?"
"Because said he won't marry any of us!"
Yee-soo-chii looked at all of the girls in the room and echoed, "Any of you?"
"Well," Mazu began, "it's not like he could marry Nara because she's with Mr. Crocodile."
Poo let out a slight chuckle and was met with the wrath of Eer-woo-baa's fan.
Yee-soo-chii had to hold back his own laughter, "Do you have a slight idea who this Mr. Crocodile person is?"
"All I know is that he's a man with horrible taste in women since he'd want to date someone like Nara. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess," Mazu commented.
Poo glowered as he looked at Mazu.
Eer-woo-baa scoffed, "At least he knew better than to pick any other woman in this room!" But then he saw that Nara was still crying and added, "That doesn't make her a good choice, the crybaby."
Nara made a weird face and a failed attempt to hide the fact that she was crying. Poo stilled glowered but he looked at Eer-woo-baa from the corner of his eyes. The room was eerily quiet, apart from Nara's sniffling. But Mazu was the only one too perfect to feel any negative emotions through this entire ordeal (I wouldn't lie to myself if I were you). The two masters decided to stay with the young adults to be sure that everything remained in order. There was a still a bit of time before the New Year rolled in. They decided to play cards.
Mazu would almost always win but every once in a while she'd allow Poo to win, in hopes that he'd learn to love her. But he didn't seem to care at all. When they were done, Cham threw her cards onto the table angrily. She wanted to yell at Mazu for cheating. She got up and opened her mouth but then she turned to Eer-woo-baa. He gave her a dirty look. Cham closed her mouth and reluctantly set herself back down. When both masters weren't looking, Cham stuck her tongue out at Mazu. Mazu wanted to do the same but that would be imperfect.
"The fireworks should be starting any moment now," Eer-woo-baa stated as he got up, "If you wish to endure such awful noises, I suggest you go outside."
And with that, Eer-woo-baa took his leave. Everyone else made their way outside of the palace, in the front to be specific. One could see all of Dalaam from up there, thus they'd see a ton of fireworks. Mazu wasn't going to give up yet. She knew that deep down in Poo's heart were strong feelings for her that needed to be free like a butterfly from its cocoon. He just wasn't sure that he wanted to express his feelings. But Mazu would make sure that nothing would stand in their way!
Everyone started to count down, "Ten, nine, eight...!"
Mazu grabbed onto Poo's arm once again. He stopped counting and turned to her.
"Seven, six, five...!"
Mazu looked up at Poo with tears floating in her eyes, "Poo, don't be cruel to me and yourself! I know that deep down that you really do love me! You must be ashamed of that because I am an oiran but we don't care about the traditionalists! They can fuck right off! We were meant to be, Poo! I can see our red strings of fate! Please, let me be your princess consort!"
"Four, three, two...!"
Poo stared at Mazu for a while with his poker face but then he smiled at her. Mazu beamed. She knew it! Poo always did love her this whole! She broke his shell!
"One!"
But then Poo said, "Hello, I am Mr. Crocodile."
And the first firework exploded.
Minxy: If you've made it this far, you deserve a cookie! I wasn't really expecting anyone to read this especially with all of the other choices you have.
Chibi: Like me!
Minxy: No, Chibi, you are not one of them.
Chibi: You're lying, besides. I've already uploaded my own Earthbound fanfic and I can guarantee that I'll get popular again.
Minxy: Oh really? How many people have read it so far then?
Chibi: Uh... A good amount.
Minxy: How much, exactly?
Chibi: It's not of your business! Besides. nobody reads your stories either!
Minxy: Well, at least I don't like about it!
Chibi: (Pouts)
Minxy: Anyways, this was a fun little story I decided to write when New Years came along (Happy New Years, by the way) and I wasn't originally going to publish this since I do a lot better with my Kirby fanfic. But then I said fuck it and decided to upload anyways. I hope you (somehow) enjoyed this and don't forget to leave a review and stuff like that if you so desire.
Chibi: And don't forget to read my fanfics! They're way better than Minxy's and I'm actually popular!
Minxy: No one cares about your fame!
Chibi: I do!
Minxy: And only you.
Chibi: I can't believe I grew up to become that!
Minxy: I can't believe I used to be like that!